Posts by Shane Handler

With a light rail stop practically onsite and the bars, coffee shops and restaurants of the Roosevelt Row district just a block away, and high rise hotels looming a few more blocks further down,  this year’s McDowell Mountain Music Festival will prove you don’t have to be on a farm in Manchester, TN or on a polo ground in Indio, CA to have a memorable three day weekend of music, food and anything else you dare to conjure. 

Nashville singer-songwriter Brad Mackeson says that when it came time to release his first recording, one plainly called “Nostalgia, “ he confidently declared he wasn’t ready to introduce himself to the music world with that effort. “ I didn’t think Nostalgia was a pure expression of myself. I didn’t know who I was as an artist and you could tell” recalls Mackeson.

With a band name like Taddy Porter, you might picture a six pack of something seasonal that costs around $8.99. However, after listening to the hard rocking soul of a band rightfully coined Taddy Porter, you’ll think more of Otis Redding, Bob Seger and a little Alabama Shakes.  Not many bands can actually pull of sounding like their influences with sincerity and confidence, but this Stillwater, Oklahoma quartet nails it.   And what’s even more appealing, these youngsters look nothing like the aged veterans they sound with a polished groove/stomp atop earthy vocals that howl of legitimacy.

We all know songwriters like Bill Carter, but none are perhaps as successfully incognito as the masterful Austin based lyricist and songwriter.  Over 200 artists have seen their names go into regular jukebox rotation from Carter’s songs including Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Robert Palmer,The Counting Crows, Storyville, Omar and The Howlers, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Ruth Brown, John Anderson, and Waylon Jennings.

It never works this quick for most bands, but somehow brother Ryan and Taylor Lawhon made the record deal thing happen pronto.  In March 2012, the Lawhons uploaded three original songs to a Bandcamp page under their initial moniker KO KO, the name of a boat they considered buying in the Newport Harbor. They had tracked the music on a laptop in the bedroom of their home, utilizing everything from guitars and bass to keyboards, synths, and organ.  Growing up on their mother’s eclectic taste in new age music, it’s no surprise that the brothers captured their sound as more organic than outrageous.

Considering they are both first cousins, Brian Wilson and Mike Love hold a rockier relationship than the NRA and Piers Morgan.   Forget the past lawsuits and nasty comments between the two, Love was already booking his own Beach Boys with his touring band (minus Wilson, Al Jardine and David Marks) in the middle of this past summer’s 50th reunion tour, which saw the Beach Boys reunite with the five surviving members with connections to their 60’s prime. 

Ari Hest doesn’t like to think of himself as a veteran pop rocker but after seven full length albums he admits, “Weird to call myself that, but I suppose it fits.” From his six albums, three EPs, and "52" in 2008, an innovative project whereby he wrote, recorded and released a new song every Monday for a full year, “prolific” might be an understatement when describing Hest.

Star Lake 98 DVD demonstrates the quartet's unconventional approach and surprising cover selections to reach maximum impact, while The Palace of Auburn Hills recording offers a reminder of the spectacular prowess and patient swagger of Fall '97.

As confident on accordion, saw and banjo as he is on keyboard or guitar; Nicolay’s music fuses elements of all his influences through literature, music, film and travel, but on his Kickstarter-funded third release Do the Struggle he goes to even darker places courtesy of industrial beats and an overall incensed theme.

Enter Venice Beach’s Terraplane Sun who define raw vintage with a compelling mix of psych blues which spawn a modern take on the Doors while honing an edgy organic rock flair that creates a bond between Teva and Chuck Taylor.  With instruments that include mandolin, lap steel, trombone, harmonica along with gritty guitars, soulful keys and ominous vocals, it’s no wonder that band has created such an intriguing relationship between the fans and band, as evidenced by its successful residency in July at LA’s Satellite.