Posts by Chris Calarco

While “folk” may be the most apropos moniker for what The Low Anthem creates, the band is magnificently unique in the way members shuffle between instruments. All four members are adept at navigating the singing saw, a strange xylophone hybrid, pump organ, stand-up bass, hollow body guitar, banjo, clarinet, and brass.  The unit radiated a passionate intensity with every plucked string and nimbly created exceptional warmth that few bands can muster.

Ocean Colour Scene is kind of a big deal in England. While five top ten albums and six top ten singles across the pond have made them a household name, after forming in Birmingham in 1989, the Brit-pop band never made noise in America and thus their musical high point, 1996’s Moseley Shoals, has gone relatively unheard in the states. Let’s remedy that. While an album that has sold over a million copies can hardly be thought of as a lost treasure, for most in America, Ocean Colour Scene will bring blank stares. 

By going full throttle and stomping through each track with the confrontational force of a back alley brawl between Black Sabbath and The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Black Angels turned the Wonder Ballroom inside out. Throbbing with urgency the night felt like waking inside a Hells Angels Acid Test.

When recording their new album Collider, Roberts decided to challenge the band by moving the process to Chicago. Instead of recreating the searing rock n’ roll vibe of their live show, Roberts pushed forward in an attempt to expand and diversify the band’s sound. Califone percussionist Ben Massarella and Antilbalas woodwind player Stuart Bogie served as honorary band members during the recording process and allowed the band to branch out in search of a more refined, cohesive sound. 

LA’s Dengue Fever is gaining momentum in music critic and indie rock circles thanks to their genre blurring. World grooves meet psych pop, new wave and a little classic rock as Cambodian singer; Chhom Nimol leads the charge in her quirky, Blondie-esque croon. The band drops Cannibal Courtship on Concord Records.

Glide's Chris Calarco was able to catch up with Marc Brownstein, bass player for The Disco Biscuits and Conspirator when Conspirator played Portland, Oregon on Wednesday February 9th. After some BBQ Korean Tacos Calarco sat down with Marc, one of the most enthusiastic and accessible musicians you will ever meet.

Tom Hamilton is an amazing and underappreciated songwriter. While his work in Brothers Past and American Babies has steadily produced memorable hook after memorable melody across a diverse range of musical styles (from electro jam to indie-electro brooding to pastoral country rock) his name is not particularly well known. Hamilton’s penchant for producing a majestic elegance inside all his musical voices is second to none and on his new American Babies release, Flawed Logic, he further cements his reputation as major talent.

Bigler and Lykes deserve much respect for their ambition, creativity, and passion. Solid musicianship and production qualities make the record more than just a D.I.Y. declaration. Kudos for creating an interesting musical tour told through the journey of one man transcending our broken society and his selfish desires.

There is a collaborative, one for all spirit on Top Hat and if you like the new wave of Americana acts like Deer Tick and Dawes you will have a soft spot for Band of Heathens. Its not a perfect album, there are lulls in the generic country rock of opener “Medicine Man” and the blues bounce of “Enough” but it is abundantly clear this is a group of focused songwriters and tour hounds, a unit to be reckoned with. “Gris Gris Satchel” ends the album solemnly with each vocalist taking a turn on the slow cooking chorus.  Feel this.  

Jason Robert Quever's friends and former teammate Beach House has made a massive splash with their version of modern dream pop and the genre continues to gain steam in the mainstream. While Fading Parade is artfully constructed its power does not last, literally wilting from a lack of punch as the album plays on as perfectly fine background music for a rainy day. This is lush vicodin pop but it’s a little gloomy, a little hollow.

This is a collection that blends together so seamlessly it sounds as if the whole album was birthed in one torrential, tropical downpour. There seems to be a vague island/ocean theme to the record that ties the mood together in a strangely epic way. The songs themselves don’t sound particularly tropical or influenced by any notable oceanic culture but there is a wondrous, hazy feel that sprawls across the album.

Our Own Time is the second album from New York City’s Tiny Animals.  A mainstream power-pop trio from New York City the band has gained notoriety through placement on MTV shows Jersey Shore, 16 and Pregnant, and The Real World.  Strong reviews of their live show at last year’s Bonnaroo created a buzz for the band that remains with North Street Records. 

Sister Sparrow and The Dirty Birds, a two year old, nine piece big band chock full of sultry soul, funk, reggae, lounge, and rock grooves has recently released their self titled debut album on Modern Vintage Recordings.  “Modern Vintage” is a fairly apt descriptor for this band at whose core sits 22-year-old singer Arleigh Kincheloe and her brother Jackson on harmonica.   With a sound that is one part Nawlins funkified horns another part 1950's sultry lounge act and a few helpings of deep pocket, big band arrangements; The Dirty Birds have come chirping out of Brooklyn harkening back to a different era but grounding themselves in the modern live music scene.

For only the second time in ten years members of the Disco Biscuits stepped onto the fertile ground of the Pacific Northwest. The sane ones of us here in Portland, Oregon and the Northwest at large have long given up hope of Marc Brownstein and Aron Magner’s titanic livetronica innovators returning to our beautiful corner of the country but for one night at Peter’s Room inside the Roseland Theater we were fortunate to have another chance to dance with their side project Conspirator.

Birds of Avalon must be one of the few touring bands that sports a dueling, husband and wife guitar attack. Paul Siler and Cheetie Jumar’s churning, melodic and quirky axe work propels the LP forward alongside a vibe that mixes melodically rhythmic bass patterns, Merseybeat’s steady, thunder pop drumming and pleasantly spacey vocals.

Playing to a packed 600 seat Aladdin Theater, Daniel Lanois and his band lured the crowd into their cozy lair with a mix of material from Black Dub’s wonderful self titled debut and Lanois’ previous solo work.  It is obvious Lanois chooses only to surround himself with the highest quality musicians,

If you walked out from inside a cave and straight to the Free Energy show at Portland’s Doug Fir Lounge last Wednesday night you sure as hell wouldn’t know the economy is in the shitter, unemployment is skyrocketing and our country is hanging on by the last vestiges of the fading American Dream.

Social D ‘aint changing for nobody.  Rocking the soul country punk since the Carter administration, Mike Ness and the boys return for the first time since 2004 with Hard Times and Nursery Rhymes.  Storming out of the gates with the instrumental “Road Zombie”, the band declares their intention to pick up exactly where they left off – chunky power chords remain front and center and the pounding, punchy drums thrash on.

A laid back precision may be Bright Examples hallmark.  That place where music surges gracefully like a passing river in a crystal moonlit night.  This music is simultaneously hushed and vibrant, pulsing and meticulous, lucid and a little scruffy. 

Sweetkiss Momma, a five-piece rock n roll band, hails from the Pacific Northwest, (most of the band grew up in the churches of Pullayup, WA) but their sound is straight blues based southern rock.  With a regrettable moniker recalling the comical jam band names of the late 90s, Sweet Kiss is nonetheless a barnstorming sensation according to their press release, selling records across Europe and garnering huge sale numbers on independent music distribution website CD Baby.