Photos from Newport Folk Festival 2012!

Newport Folk Festival Starts TODAY!

Well ladies and gentlemen, the day you've been waiting for has arrived, Newport Folk Festival is finally here. The weekend of music kicks off today at 4PM when  the gates to Fort Adams State Park will open and usher in Wilco, Blitzen Trapper and Megafaun for an evening of excellent music!

Something important to keep in mind, if you've bought weekend festival tickets, they will NOT get you into tonight's festivities. Not to worry though, there are still tickets on sale! The box office opens at 3PM and $45 gets you into the show!

All the details you need to know about tonight are HERE

To help you get ready for tonight here are a few tracks from the bands that will be supplying your ears with a medley of excellence.

Wilco - Summer Teeth
Megafaun - State/Meant
Blitzen Trapper - Furr

The rest of the weekend's line up can be found HERE.

Newport Folk Festival 2012 Preview

The Newport Folk Festival is almost upon us! The festival is in its 53^rd year and will once again be a can't miss event. NFF began in 1959, founded by George Wein and since its inception has attracted concert-goers from across the world and showcased an exceptional array of artists.

This year will be no different. The festival is once again providing an expansive line up of talented musicians. This year’s docket boasts  names like My Morning Jacket, Rodriguez, Graverobbers, The Head and the Heart, tUnE-yArDs, Iron & Wine, Punch Brothers, Color and City and Jackson Browne, to name a few.  

The festival kicks off THIS Friday night with an exclusive performance by Wilco, Blitzen Trapper, and Megafaun. Gates open at 10AM on Saturday and this year the NFF gang has four stages they'll be packing with music. The addition of the Museum stage will give patrons a more intimate concert experience and a chance to see some lesser know acts display their talents.

Saturday night will be headlined by My Morning Jacket and Sunday by Jackson Browne, respectively.

In typical NFF fashion, the show has sold out! But not to worry, if you didn’t manage to get yourself a ticket, NPR Music will be providing, live streaming coverage of the festivities and Performer Magazine will have a full re-cap in the September issue.

If you feel the need to satiate your cravings for fine folk music, head on over to NPR Music now to check out their NFF Music Preview. If you’re not already raring to go, you will be!

Photos from Best Coast - The Royale Boston, M.A. 7/18/12

 Best Coast took the stage at The Royale in Boston Thursday night and gave a packed out house 90 minutes of hazey, summery indie pop music dripping in emotional revelation and introspection. Lead singer Bethany Cosentino crooned sentiments of broken hearts, toxic relationships and longing in a way that hypnotized audience members and left them begging for more. It was an impressive and energy packed performance. Check out Verbicide Magazine for a full length feature.

Sea Wolf: "Old World Romance" Review

 
SeaWolf has returned! Fans have been craving Alex Brown Church’s re-emergence since the release of White Water White Bloom and they can now rest easy. With haunting melodies and seductive vocals comes the band’s third full-length release, Old World Romance and it is as brooding and poignant as ever. Complete with elegant full-band arrangements, his latest album retains the darker imagery of previous works while honing in on the idea of reconnecting with the past.

The album opens with an airy melody on “Old Friend”, a minimalist and melancholy ballad for the past. Here, Church’s vocals are given the opportunity to shine and once again, the fragility of his voice remains the heart of his work. The fast paced and buoyant track, “In Nothing”, driven by rapidly plucked guitar chords keeps things moving along in an atmosphere of bittersweet romance and promise.

There is a strong blend of gently flowing and decidedly driving tracks. “Miracle Cure” and “Saint Catherine St.” pack a burst of energy and weave well dictated tales of rediscovery while “Blue Stockings” dials down the tempo with a softer melody and more dreamlike sound. “Priscilla” and “Whirlpool” are introspective moments reminiscent of his previous works that seem to embody a desire to reach out to an old friend and ask for forgiveness.

Old World Romance is a beautiful album, dark and thoughtful but with bright moments of hope and acceptance. While it remains in the same vein of Church’s past works, it marks a clear progression, a return to the Sea Wolf he always intended to be. He once again draws on his own personal experiences and relationships, but with the introduction of more complex compositions and a full-band creates additional layers of sound and texture that serve only to highlight his vocals and exceptional lyricism.

While you're waiting for the album to release (9/11/2012) check out "Old Friend" HERE.

Craft Spells: "Idle Labor" Review

Craft Spell’s 2011 debut release, Idle Labor is an airy, dreamy, synth-pop adventure into hazy summer days and carefree nights of youthful, if not naive romance. Justin Vallesteros is Craft Spells and his brooding longing for love is shared through a wash of 1980’s esque broken heart ballads. The album functions as a diary of sorts. It seems to track Vallesteros’ romantic escapades and failings, his rock bottom moments and ascents back into love’s warm embrace in a boiled down, condensed project.

 Despite the seemingly cookie cutter themes, Idle Labor is enjoyable. The pop-y harmonies create enticing hooks that are driven more with dancing in mind than lyricism. His softening of sound and use of various instrumental techniques is paramount on tracks such as “After the Moment” and “From the Morning Heat” both of which evoke images of daydreaming and twilight. From start of finish it is an easy listen, even during Vallesteros’ moments of darker introspection. The percussion steadily pulses throughout the album with rudimentary drum machines and manipulated sounds. “Scandinavian Crush” is a pleading request to see each other again while “You Should Close the Door” serves as a scratchy b-side moment of desire.  

Vallesteros hasn’t produced anything new here. He’s playing with themes and subjects every artist has delved into and yet, he’s managed to create something that, if nothing else fits perfectly into these long and sprawling summer days. His combination of pop, indie and synth establishes a sound that seems to imply hasting processing of emotions but it is both beautiful and promising. Idle Labor is an album about love; about its pitfalls, its dramatic highs and lows, and Vallesteros’ attempt at precociously overcoming it all. 

Larry and His Flask Interview

Larry and His Flask are a group of fun guys who simply love music and performing. Since the band’s inception in 2003, they’ve been on quite the journey to become the talented and engaging musicians they are today.

Hailing from the mountain town of Bend, Oregon, Larry and His Flask have created a sound that, according to them, can be described as folk rock…or maybe it’s hardcore Americana — or possibly “Americore”…? Regardless of what you call it, one thing is clear: they have an intense passion for creating music and have no intention of giving that up anytime soon. Larry and His Flask started as a punk band, became a roadside busking acoustic act with more than 10 members, and slowly morphed into their current incarnation. Here's what they have to say on their evolution, their sound, their style, and what they want to do next.

First, how did Larry and His Flask come to be?
Jeshua: In 2003 I was working as a janitor, and I decided I wanted to retire from that career and just do music. I was 21 at the time, and that’s pretty much how it started. It was my ridiculous idea that no 20-year-old should be a janitor, which made sense to me. I wanted to be in a rock band so we started Larry and His Flask and a lot of people actually thought it was a good idea so we just went with it. In all honesty though, we also wanted to get into shows for free, and we thought, Why not make our own band so we can?

How has the band evolved since its start?
Ian: It has been a weird road. We started as a three-piece punk rock band, and it evolved from there. We spent four or five years as a punk band and did a few tours, but in the summer of 2011 did Canadian tour. When we came back, our drummer quit and we didn’t know what to do. We had to get a new one and so we started to think about breaking things down.

Jesse: We started playing on the streets, at open mic nights, in bars — really anywhere that would have us. The band changed a lot. At one point we had 11 or 13 members. We had an accordion, a cello, a fiddle, two lead guitarists — it was crazy. We played in our hometown of Bend and did a few short preliminary tours wherever we could.

What prompted you to start returning to your punk roots?
Ian: I think it was inevitable that we would go back to punk. It was a big part of what we did and what we will always do. Its part of who we are and it crept back in unknowingly.

Jamin: There was also a need for volume and a wanting to be as loud as possible. I mean, enough crowds talk over your sets and you realize something needs to change. For a long time I had hard time keeping a beat. I’d have this image of a crazy girl in my head with a tambourine keeping the beat. We wanted (and sort of needed) to be louder than everyone.

There’s ferocity to your style of play, and I’d venture to say you can’t be pigeonholed into one genre. So how would you describe your sound?
Ian: I guess that folk punk would be the most accurate and bland description.

Jamin: Maybe hardcore Americana? Oh, or “Americore.”

Your new album, All That We Know, came out in July and has been a hit. What is the album about, and where did its inspiration come from?
Ian: It’s a big jumble of old and new songs that spans five years. I had started writing when we were still electric, and then when we became acoustic. The title sums up the fact that those songs are all that we know: music, playing shows, and traveling is what we know and what we prefer to do.

Ian: Inspiration-wise it is from across the board. The songs draw on everything from current affairs to politics, to what you had for dinner the other night. It could be stories from a house party or concert; anything that crops up, really.

Can you break down your creative process for me? A lot of time there seems to be a ringleader, but how do you guys approach making an album?
Ian: I would say we are mostly collaborative. Basically, whoever writes the song brings it to the table and then we’ll work it out together. [A song] doesn’t come into its whole life until we all put our artistic and signature styles on it. The song really changes when we all start practicing it, that’s when it takes on a new life. Basically, it sort of starts with one person and then goes through a filter — the band — and comes out the other side as something new.

How has Oregon influenced your style of play? Do you have many mandolin and banjo counterparts out there?
Ian: Not really. I wouldn’t say our instrumentation or choice of instrument was influenced by the area — not at all actually. There was a punk rock scene when we were growing up, but not really a bluegrass one. [Our instrumentation] was influenced by past musicians, the genres of bluegrass, old folk, and historic music. I mean scenery helps; we’re at the base of a mountain range in a really beautiful and remote place. It’s got that whole bonfire rustic feel going on. That definitely fuels the music.

Originally published in Verbicide Magazine

Summer 2012 Playlist

Sunshine, check. Hot weather, check. Warm nights, check. Good friends and adventure, check.

The only thing missing from the wonderful summer of 2012 is a good playlist. So, here you go!

SUMMER 2012 PLAYLIST:

The Go Team: "Ready to Go Steady"
LCD Soundsystem: "I Can Change"
MGMT: "Electric Feel (Justice Remix)"
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: "Dead Right (Wilmington Demo)"
The Generationals: "Ten-Twenty-Ten"
The Lumineers: "Ho Hey"
The Naked and Famous: "Young Blood"
Childish Gambino: "Heartbeat"
Devendra Banhart: "Lover"
The Avett Brothers: "Traveling Song"
The Temper Trap: "Fader"
The Walkmen: "Heartbreaker"
Say Hi To  Your Mom: "These Fangs"
Tallest Man On Earth: "The Dreamer"
Feist: "Feel It All"
Lupe Fiasco: "Around My Way (Freedom Ain't Free)"
Electric Guest: "This Head I Hold"
Youth Lagoon: "Cannons"
Craft Spells: "After the Moment"
La Sera: "Please Be My Third Eye"
Mark Ronson & The Business International: "Bang Bang Bang"
The Head and the Heart: "Rivers and Roads"
Vampire Weekend: "Run"
Sleigh Bells: "Infinity Guitars"
Two Door Cinema Club: "Something Good Can Work"
Grouplove: "Party Hard"
The Avett Brothers: "And It Spread"
Band of Horses: "Dilly"
The Arcade Fire: "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)"
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: "Back In The Saddle" 
Birthmark: "Shake Hands"
Sydney Wayser: "Potions"
Kings of Leon: "Manhattan"
Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah: "Same Mistake"

Delicate Steve: "Positive Force" Album Review

From the beginning, meaning the band's fake bio* written by former Spin Magazine contributor Chuck Klosterman, Delicate Steve (a.k.a. Steve Marion)  seemed destined for great things, or at least really interesting things. Positive Force is Marion's latest release and its something else. Once again, he has gone completely instrumental, but this time around he's chosen to experiment with a few solitary words here and there. These brief and at times indistinct pieces of vocabulary are intriguing and provide a solid backdrop for the layers of instrumentation he throws at us.

The whole album has an airy, uplifiting and inviting tone. Unlike its predecessor, Wondervision, Positive Force does not exits in a fizzy haze. Instead Marion enlists the use of slide guitar, keyboard notes, and impressive finger picking to provide clear and distinct sounds. The album starts off with "Ramona Reborn", a slowly building anthem that seems like the perfect choice for that first song on a road trip playlist. As it progresses it grows in pace and opens up the rest of the album., including the outerspace-like "Touch". "Two Lovers" is one of few tracks that contains words, albeit they are "two lovers" and they are said only a handful of times. They echo in and then out again in a foggy kind of way that perfectly matches the song's twilight sound. Tracks like "Positive Force" off a more janglin', bluegrass sound while "Love" and "Luna" channel 1960's beach pop and woodsy indie-pop, respectively. As the final track "Luna" seems to be the culmination of Marion's journey. "Afria Talks to You" is a funky departure from previous tracks and "Big Time Receiver" is a piano heavy, physcadellic and playful retort. 

Positive Force is noise, beautiful noise. It is art-pop, or so some critics say. It is layers of sound built upon complex compositions and then more layers of sound. Most importantly it is a strong and promising sophomore effort. The album meanders through a wealth of styles and genres all while maintaining Marion's signature guitar rich sound and provides listeners with a robust and vibrant landscape. Marion's style and intention is anything but easy to peg, he is creating music that fits his own definitions and meets his own desires and along the way show just how fruitful and excellent that kind of creativity can be.


*Read that utterly entertaining fake bio HERE courtosey of NPR

Grouplove Covers Andrew W.K.: "Party Hard" on A.V. Undercover

First, if you don't know A.V. Club, change that. Second, once you've changed that check out their Undercover segment, its glorious. They take a smattering of great songs and then invite bands to cover them. The renditions are unexpected and at times pretty mindblowing. Who wouldn't want to hear Reggie Watt's cover Van Halen's "Panama"?

One of the best and most notable covers to come out of this year's Undercover series is Grouplove's take on the famous (or infamous depending on your personality) "Party Hard" by the delightfully raw and energetic Andrew W.K. When you first think of Grouplove, their summer hit "Tongue Tied", rife with poppy beats and a smiling chorus probably comes to mind rather than hard driving guitar riff riddled anthems. The two seem like an odd match, a square peg in a round hole and yet when this song and this group come together things just get a little better. Your ears are taken on a beautiful journey to a land where partying hard isn't a pass time but rather a wonderful way of life.

This fine cover is the perfect way to keep the party going hard while maybe giving your ears a much needed rest for the loud, fast paced, blow your ear drums sound of the original. You'll listen to it over and over again and enjoy every minute of it. Bloody nose not required.

Check it out HERE.

Allston Pudding July Mix Tape

Photo courtesy of Allston Pudding

First happy day of independence (from whatever you're trying to be independent of). What better way to celebrate than with a MIXTAPE!

That's right folks, yet another wonderful bit of music spewing forth from the land of baked beans, Sam Adams, and the Charles. This time its courtesy of the fine folks over at Allston Pudding. These guys have SERIOUSLY got it going on. Not only is their site fun to look at, but it also encompasses all of the glory that Allston has to offer, not an easy feat. It has everything from upcoming concerts, to a catalog of Boston bands and venues and a plethora of excellent downloads.

So if you're looking for a sweet new mixtape, and I assume you always are, head over to Allston Pudding NOW to check out their July Mix Tape. It features ten tracks by a slew of local Boston bands including The Sun Parade, Infinity Girl, and Seer Group.

Here's the track listing, but if you want the FREE download, you'll have to click HERE and pay your respects to those splendid music junkies.

1. Infinity Girl - "Blood and Dirt"
2. John Blaze - "Butterfly"
3. Kid Astro - "Deck It"
4. Hands and Knees - "Dreamt"
5. California X - "Mummy"
6. The Sun Parade - "Need You By My Side"
7. Lady Bones - "Self Control"
8. Camp Hope - "She!"
9. Potty Mouth - "Shithead"
10. Seer Group - "Year of the Flame"

Thanks Allston Pudding!

Tallest Man on Earth: "There's No Leaving Now" Album Review

Kristian Matsson a.k.a. The Tallest Man on Earth is back with a new album, There's No Leaving Now and its beautiful. Matsson once again explores love, innocence, letting go and adventure through the creation of beautiful if not abstract, imagery and harmonies that evoke daydreams of the open road. He's found a niche in the folk genre, propelling his albums through the use of alluring, lyricism; a stream of consciousness that migrates from his lips to listeners' ears.

Rife with dextrous finger picking, introspective musings and his signature throaty drawl, There's No Leaving Now is another expose on life. The simplistic nature of his compositions remains, but on this latest endeavor Matsson has opted to rely, ever so slightly, on more instrumentation. "Revelation Blues" has a static-y, hazy quality as if it was recorded on an old phonograph and contains a secondary guitar part and soft wind section. "Bright Lanterns" utilizes a sliding guitar and faint string progression to create ruminations that are enticing, if not ever truly understood. "Criminals" is a surprising departure from the rest of the album with a more upbeat and whimsical construction and "To Just Grow Away" seems to be the overarching lesson of the album. It is here, on the album's very first track, with an utterly uplifting melody, that Matsson shares the most straightforward and poignant piece of advice, to accept what is and grow from it.

There's No Leaving Now is a continuation of Matsson's relaxed wandering and prophetic musings. Like any true folk artist he attempts to convey emotion and opinion in a way that is both alluring and mysterious, albeit a bit vague. He does so with beautiful chord progressions, gently ambling melodies and on this project the infusion of new instrumentation. Its a form of growth, an exploration into new compositions and styles of play while still holding strong to the sound that has gained him such noteriety. He has an impressive ability to layer lyricism upon instrumetation in an enticing way but it will be interesting to see where this album takes him next.

Five Bands You Should Know About - July 2012

Hallelujah the Hills

Let's hear it for the great city of Boston and its ability to produce a wealth of truly talented musicians including Hallelujah the Hills. This six piece band has developed a sound that is at times limitless, that pushes boundaries in an expansive and adventurous way. They blend creative, if not at times odd lyricism with a wealth of sound that includes horns, percussion, bass, guitar, and more. They have an edgy and alternative sound but refuse to be pigeon holed, straddling multiple genres at once. They'll keep you on your toes from song to song with surprises around every corner.
Notable Track: "Let It Wave"

Said the Whale
Prepare yourself for a blast of indie-rock hailing from Vancouver and rife with enticing hooks and chord progressions. The quintet formed in 2007 and since then has been making impressive music that has landed them slots at notable festivals (SXSW), won them several awards, and even made them the subject of a documentary. They move from fast paced, slightly dark compositions into well harmonized upbeat endeavors each driven by well constructed lyricism.
Notable Track: "Camilo (The Magician)"

1,2,3
Whoever said nothing good comes out of Pittsburgh was tone def. 1,2,3 has earned themselves a cult following and accolades from some of music's most notable critics. Why? Because, they blend an impressive alternative style with innovative instrumentation, and harmonies that perk up the ears. They exist as a bit of contradiction, pulling for a odd array of influences including 70s guitar-riff heavy tunes and upbeat psycadelic creations, but it works for them. They've taken pop and given it a personality, one that you'll want to get to know better.
Notable Track: "Work"

Sydney Wayser 

Sydney Wayser has an alluring voice that softly croons over lyrics that are both introspective and flirtatious. Her bi-coastal, bilingual upbringing and playful demeanor create a lively and spontaneous music adventure. The multinstrumentalist dabbles in pretty much everything, including children's toys,  creating layers upon layers of sound.  Her latest album, Bell Choir Chorus is a beautiful and emotional project that displays, rather wonderfully, her expansive range of talent. If you've haven't heard her yet, I advise you to change that, now.
Notable Track : "Atlas"

Matthew and the Atlas 
London, well the entire U.K. really, has been churning out a surprising number of folk artists over the last couple of years. Somehow the banjo and mandolin have made their way from Appalachia across the pond and into the hands of some very talent Brits, like Matthew and the Atlas. The band formed in 2010 and since then they have been spinning folk tales that drip with the genres foundational themes- heartache, longing, rebirth, and wanderlust. Their inspiring blend of fiddle, banjo, and passionately sung lyrics is uplifting, even on the most downtrodden of tracks, is intoxicating and there is a beautiful simplicity in what they do. You may think you've had all the British folk you can take, but trust me, this band is well worth listening too.
Notable Track: "I Will Remain"