Artists
I’ll keep this one short and sweet, let y’all enjoy the record for yourselves—and it’s a tight one, trust me.First, though, a little background’s in order for anyone new to our man behind the Rebel Era LP. GRiZ (alias of producer, DJ, and—yes—classically-trained saxophonist Grant Kwiecinski) is a young buck at twenty-three, but his sound is already somethin’ else.
So what does a Racoon Wedding sound like, exactly? Something akin to Kings of Leon circa Aha Shake Heartbreak if the boys went on a bender in Nawlins and never quite lost the itch they caught down in the Big Easy.Raccoon Dead On the Side of the Road was strictly an in-house effort—well, in warehouse, really—the Canadian sextuplet recorded this album over five days in an old Paris (Ontario) flop, and multi-instrumentalist band member Scott Wilson mastered the tracks.
I’m not quite sure what to make of this one—on the one hand, Passage of Pegasus is a tidy little dream pop album with tight instrumentals and a light concept; on the other... no, I just don’t know. A short anecdote:Once upon a time, I found myself on a late night adventure deep down the Interweb rabbit hole when I came across a series of videos by one Professor Soap (by his own account, he makes “music, art, and happiness” for the uninitiated—present company very much included until then).
After the grand way the band has been performing the last few years, we can sometimes forget how much Phish used to dominate the 90s live music scene. By the winter of 1995 the band was still performing slightly under the radar and these four musical wizards were summoning magic on-stage nightly. The band is currently in the midst of an excellent fall tour, and with another winter looming has offered up an archival release from that distinguished period, this being from their December 7th 1995 show at the Niagara Falls Convention Center
ON October 26th I got the honor of seeing Yonder Mountain String Band for their Halloween party at the House of Blues in Chicago. It was a beautiful night out in the city. The House of Blues is nestled right downtown among all of the stately buildings and bright city lights. The interior of the building is just as impressive as its stately surroundings. Every wall is painted and decorated differently and the balconies that are stacked three high are decorated with filigree, which is illuminated by color changing lights. It is truly a beautiful building.
Portland Oregon-based Indie-folk pop band Shook Twins have just announced a five show New Years Run that will kick off with good friends and fellow indie folk band Elephant Revival at The State Room in Salt Lake City. Shook Twins will join musical forces with Elephant Revival for two shows in Salt Lake City, on Dec. 30th and New Years Eve Dec. 31st celebrating and welcoming in 2014. Shook Twins then head off to Crested Butte for a solo gig on Jan.
Hot on the heels of the news that they have been nominated for 2014 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, classic rockers Deep Purple will be feted with a deluxe, limited-edition boxed set featuring 24-Karat Gold CDs of four of their best-selling albums, according to Audio Fidelity president Marshall Blonstein. November 19 is the release date for DEEP PURPLE: THE AUDIO FIDELITY COLLECTION, which will include IN ROCK (1970), FIREBALL (1971), MACHINE HEAD (1972) and WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE!
On the fateful day after extended taxes were due, October 16, 2013, I sat down with [and interviewed) Fayetteville, Arkansas-based band Don’t Stop Please. During the interview there were many jokes, lots of sarcasm and some discussion about music, including insight on their newest album, the creation process and that pesky (now historical) government shutdown. This is the first time I’ve interviewed an entire band together and it was certainly interesting!
Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers announce their first full US national tour in support of the release of their critically acclaimed self-titled album Nicki Bluhm and The Gramblers. The 2014 Winter Tour includes the band's first headlining performance at the historic Fillmore in San Francisco, a run of dates with JJ Grey & Mofro, a Valentine's Day show at New York City's Bowery Ballroom, a Newport Folk Festival presented event at The Sinclair in Cambridge, MA and a rare two night stand at Portland's Doug Fir Lounge.
Halloween looms, and while most avid local music-goers are planning extravagant costumes for the Hallow’s Eve bash of their choice; last weekend the Fox Theatre hosted a rousing 2-night stand by growing “newgrass” favorites Greensky Bluegrass. Hailing from Michigan, these guys throw a range of soulful bluegrass originals, standards, and playful classic covers out on any given night.
