Interviews

Eef Barzelay, founder and creative force of the much-loved alt-country combo Clem Snide and noted filmscore composer, has recently released his second solo album –Lose Big. Adorned with distinctive musical textures ranging from mid-tempo rock to lighter acoustic flourishes (the album was recorded in Ben Folds’ studio), the songs are charged with a heightened sense of intimacy that Barzelay had not tapped into under the support of his former band.

Take a journey through Rachael Sage’s newest album, Chandelier, and you’ll find an independent artist asking many questions. Some are basic, some are personal, and some probably don’t have worthy answers. But the point is, Sage still doesn’t hesitate to inquire, and that is something you’ll need to know as you listen to her music.

After spending all of 2007 writing and recording a new album future Phish bassist Mike Gordon has come back in a big way in 2008. Mike’s new album, The Green Sparrow, contains some of the most straightforward rockin’ songs he’s ever written and shows off yet a different side of his wacky personality. To support the album, the man known as Cactus put together a tremendous group of musicians who seem to impress at every stop on their cross-country tour.  

Before Nirvana hit, Mudhoney began clearing the way for the new genre that wasn’t quite punk, wasn’t quite garage rock, wasn’t quite classic rock, but was somehow all three at once.  Now, 20 years after their first recording, Mudhoney is back with a new album, The Lucky Ones.  Glide caught up with Turner to talk about his career, the new album, and just what the hell happened in Seattle all those years ago.

On the hit TV show The Office, Melora Hardin wants to fool you.  Her character, the quirky, crazy, and emotional Jan, although anything but one-dimensional, doesn’t exactly give off the vibe that she’s multi-talented.  An accomplished singer and songwriter with two CDs, Hardin also starred in At the Water Cooler, a one-woman show that took place at the Catalina Jazz Club in Los Angeles last January and will be starring as  Fantine in Les Misérables. 

Glide had a chance to catch up with Marc Brownstein (bass) and Aron Magner (keyboards) of The Disco Biscuits over the weekend to discuss their festival, its progression, and their intent to give their fans exactly what they want.

Southern born tenor sax madman John Ellis cooks up a hot blend of New Orleans soul and scorching New York City swagger in his latest release. With Dance Like There’s No Tomorrow, his fifth album as a leader, and third for uber-hip label Hyena Records, Ellis releases a directed fury of jazzy blissfulness. The album is a gem from front to back.

 After years of solo tours and spot projects, Tim Reynolds is not only back in the spotlight with DMB but has revived TR3 (if not former members) in a new configuration. 

Bad jokes aside, Back Door Slam truly is mature beyond their years (and the name is really a Robert Cray nod). Behind frontman Davy Knowles' volcanic guitar chops, growling vocals, and distinctive blues-rock songwriting, Back Door Slam is living up to all the lofty comparisons. Thus, Glide jumped at the opportunity to chat with Davy K about the band, the hype, and livin' the life.

Somewhere between authentic dub reggae and California surf-inspired melodic structures, Slightly Stoopid has carved out a successful niche with an independent music model that is clearly more than slightly stupid.

“All I can do is keep breathing,” Ingrid Michaelson sang on “Keep Breathing,” a song that helped close out the 2007 season of Grey’s Anatomy.  And she’s taken quite a few buoyant breaths since that moment, including another slot on the 2008 Grey’s season finale, offering up the previously unreleased “Giving Up” to keep a healthy buzz glowing around her music.

Following in a tradition of fusion era artists, Marco Benevento has blurred the lines between these two traditions with his heralded experimentation in The Duo, and currently The Marco Benevento Trio, featuring bassist Reed Mathis and drummer Matt Chamberlain.

You might know him as Mr. Telluride, the King of Newgrass, or just the curly haired red-head who never stops a wailing on that mandolin – unless of course to wail on the fiddle or howl at the moon. As we gear up for the heart of festival season and that special little bluegrass jamboree just north of Durango, let’s get down to business and chat with one of the brightest sounds and smiles of every summer.

Every indie label has its niche, but Parks & Records also has a mission. They've combined a commitment to great music with the broader purpose of making the world a better (and greener) place.

Yoav…a star yet to be so named.  This young musician, who until earlier this year hadn't released a full-length album, has already had quite the trajectory, including scoring the opening slot for Tori Amos.

Accolades don’t seem to stick to Doug Martsch. The singer, guitarist and songwriting force behind indie rockers Built to Spill has seen his share of praise in close to two decades with the band. He is often touted as one of the genre’s best guitarists, and the group has released six albums to critical acclaim – most recently 2006’s You in Reverse.

Mason Jennings has always done things his own way. Jennings forged a loyal cult following as one of the most talked-about new independent singer-songwriters, while selling his homemade CDs out of the back of his van without the help of a major label publicity department.

What do you get when you mix bluegrass, butter, and biofuel? Hot Buttered Rum – a band that blends traditional Americana music with modern musical influences and a shot of progressivism. As pioneers of the music industry’s biofuel revolution and lyricists of social and environmental change, they are among the growing cadre of artists who are holding a microphone for the Earth.

Although most music fans are only familiar with Claude Coleman Jr. as the drummer for Ween. Little do they know that he’s created an intriguing body of work with his soul-rock group Amandla. The band’s sophomore release, The Full Catastrophe, is the result of a four year journey for Coleman following a 2002 horrific car accident that left him having to reacquire his abilities and motor skills to play instruments again.

With four albums, Jackie Greene, 27, hasn’t really come out of nowhere, but he reached a whole different level of visibility when he joined Phil Lesh and Friends in the summer of 2007. Greene’s diverse skills have allowed him to become this group’s de facto front-man, a role to which he has conveyed a commanding stage presence as he sparks both his band-mates and the audiences who come to see them.