Pete Francis
When Dispatch broke up after ten successful years Pete Francis decided to embark on a solo career. Pete’s most recent album, Iron Sea and the Calvary, shows off his talents as a singer/songwriter capable of writing mellow rootsy songs that will have you tapping your toes along with the music. The album kinda reminds me of the best of The Wallflowers mixed with the energy of Cracker, a heady mix to this writer. Perhaps the best part of the album is the instrumentation, which features layers of B-3 organ, lap-steel guitar, mandolin, and a driving rhythm section backing Francis’ soulful delivery. You can catch Pete this summer at Mountain Jam, Wakarusa, Milwaukee’s Summerfest or at any of the numerous tour dates he’s planned. You won’t be sorry. – Scott Bernstein
The Idan Reichel Project
The Idan Reichel Project is a fascinating musical undertaking. To be clear, he is a Blip on our radar screen, but has a huge following in Israel, as well has a devout worldwide fan base amidst Israeli ex-pats and new discoverers. Idan Reichel is a 30-year born in Kfar Saba, Israel. Reichel produces and writes the Idan Reichel Project’s music as well as plays keyboards and accordion, while typically lending lead vocal duties to collaborators for all over the world. The shifting vocalist is most appealing, because it translates to each song soundly vastly different from the next. While the initial impression of a lot of the tunes is that they are perhaps excessively chipper and feel a bit too much like the end of a game show, but I’d ask you to let it settle in.
The various Middle Eastern string instruments add nice color and the positive vibe he creates for areas of the world where not everything is so positive, is inspiring. Ultimately, Reichel is succeeding in uniting people musically with a positive message across Israel, the Middle East, Africa, and beyond. As much as Michael Franti is going to hate us for saying this, Reichel really seems to have a musical revolution underway and we very well may be looking at the modern generation Bob Marley. – Rupert
[youtube]FAJODuLLstY[/youtube]
The Weather Underground
I’m going to come clean here: the only reason I stumbled upon the music of The Weather Underground was just because I loved their name. How could you not want to check out a group named in honor of the ’60s radical group? Don’t expect this L.A. based band to sound anything the like the agro-political rock of the MC5 or Rage Against The Machine though. Their latest EP, Bird In The Hand (their third in less then a year), reminded me of the bombastic organ-drenched sound of The Walkman right off the bat. Lead singer Harley Prechtel-Cortez’s voice has a bit of Eddie Vedder’s warble in it – especially on the EP’s title track. The Weather Underground are playing bills with everyone from Dead Confederate to Matt Costa to the French Kicks, with stops at Bonnaroo and High Sierra mixed in. – Some Dude
[youtube]scR8cfaqMTc[/youtube]
Comments
Loading comments...
Leave a Comment