Posts by Peter Zimmerman

Jessie and Jennifer Clavin returned to writing music together after a brief pause, but this time under the name Bleached. Fully entrenched in the SoCal scene, their music is beginning to spread around the country, thanks in part to the well-received Carter 7inch release and their wildly enjoyable and raucous live show. Look for the Clavin sisters this fall as they tour to and from the CMJ festival.

For an artist so deeply in touch with her musicianship and songwriting, it’s important for the listener to cede some control and go along for the ride. If Carlile has proven anything since her debut in 2005, it’s that she’s fully capable of taking her audience on a journey that remains firmly and fondly affixed in their minds.

Still Right Here fits nicely into her catalogue and reminds listeners why Melissa Ferrick is such a venerable force in the music industry, and, despite some missteps, it’s a fine work from a wickedly gifted artist.

Building from the open-hearted honesty of her debut, Tori Amos has amassed one of the most impressive discographies of any artist over the last twenty years. The one thing, however, that she has never shied away from is concept, and its first truly successful fruition in the last ten years is Night of Hunters, out September 20 on Deutsche Grammophon Records.

While their sophomore release Burst Apart veers away from any heavily constructed concept and instead soaks in the electronic rock stratosphere, it is in no way a disappointment. Glide Magazine’s Peter Zimmerman recently spoke with Silberman about the writing and release of Burst Apart.

Oftentimes hype way exceeds the result, but in the case of the Avett Brothers, it really is a act you have to see and experience for yourself, because you sincerely won’t regret it. Here’s to next year’s West Coast tour!

[rating=4.00] When Dave Stewart’s new album, The Blackbird Diaries, opens, the initial shock of finding a smoking, swinging roots-based rock jam is quickly assuaged by digging into the caliber of the musicians present. Stewart’s band, put together by John McBride, features many of Nashville’s best sessions players, such as Tom Bukovac, Chad Cromwell and Mike […]

Surprising, then, are the few rare times when language meets product, and an album breathes new life into a seemingly static journey. A great example of this is Catie Curtis’ new record, Stretch Limousine on Fire, which after a string of fairly nondescript and traditional Curtis folk/pop records thrusts her square back on top of her game.

Glide Magazine’s Peter Zimmerman had the pleasure of speaking with Shara Worden as the wheels behind the gradual unveiling of All Things Will Unwind started to turn. Among many other things, they spoke about the history of the collaboration with yMusic ensemble, her approach to songwriting and rhythmic construction, plans to tour this record and why she loves the musical Annie.

Sunday was the final day for Outside Lands 2011, with arguably the most stacked lineup of the weekend. Whereas many chose to show up around 2 PM on Friday and Saturday, a huge number came to catch local favorite The Fresh & Onlys start right at noontime. While it would have been nice to see […]

Glide Magazine was there to take in the wide array of entertainment, from music, food and wine, to dancing and general shenanigans. And a little tip to those who may be contemplating: start putting in your vacation requests for 2012.

Glide Magazine was there to take in the wide array of entertainment, from music, food and wine, to dancing and general shenanigans. And a little tip to those who may be contemplating: start putting in your vacation requests for 2012

In anticipation of the 2011 Acoustic Tour, Glide Magazine’s Peter Zimmerman had the distinct pleasure of speaking with both Deb and Steve about the tour and their career in general. What resulted was a enjoyable conversation about the daunting task of choosing (and rehearsing) forty songs for the tour, devising varied setlists, their approach to writing, and perhaps most intriguing, what constitutes a typical day in the life of The Weepies.

Civilian is the most concise and compelling example of Wye Oak’s artistry, unafraid to leap into the depths of sorrow, heartbreak and melancholy, but without losing their sense of adventure and humor. It’s certainly one of the finest releases of 2011, and is worthy of the praise through and through. 

Even though Marissa Nadler’s most recent offering, the eponymous Marissa Nadler (out on her own imprint Box of Cedars), is her most articulate and sophisticated release yet, it’s exceedingly difficult to define

Paula Cole’s career in pop music has enjoyed its fair share of successes and obstacles; however, what remains in 2011 is an artist fully devoted to her craft, ready to create work that is artistically bold, aesthetically dynamic and inextricably tied to her journey.

Rabbits on the Run is unequivocally Carlton’s best effort yet; a beautiful culmination of years of soaring highs and devastating lows, rolled into an elegant, thoughtful collection of ten songs.

For an evening teeming with humor, reflection and aesthetic exploration, Neko Case and her band kept the audience rapt with their superlative set. It’s further evidence that Case is unequivocally a significant voice in music today, deserving of her success, yet still looking to the future to investigate increasingly the depths of the human heart and mind.

Throughout the entirety of Ben Sollee’s second solo album, Inclusions, there’s a struggle waged between genre, between metaphor and the literal, between engaging and utterly distancing. Over the course of the album’s eleven tracks, Sollee presents music that jumps between traditional pop/folk and atonal structures with the ease and whimsy of a single chord, revealing Inclusions’ central investigation of aesthetic pollination. If anything, it appears that Sollee desires to question the experience of listening to and identifying with music.

Frustrating, then, is Holland’s newest work, Pint of Blood. So much of the raw building blocks are present for this to be a superb record. Holland’s voice is in fine form, gliding between thoughts and words, melisma intact, bending and caressing notes to forge them into wholly new beings and shapes.  But these songs feel emptier and more hollow than Holland’s previous work.