Over the years, my ex-bandmate always tried to push Quasi on me like
he was Natalie Portman genuflecting before the altar of The Shins in
Garden State (This band will change your life!).
Two Gallants hit the nail on the head with What the Toll Tells. Their second full-length album is chocked full of brutal yet comical stories.
Sludge Test, Gutbucket’s third release, finds the quartet invariably manipulating time signatures and sewing together misplaced keys with a flippant regard for concrete song structure.
At the Jammy Awards, the musical reach is broad and a sense of history is cherished. Not only that, but it's done so in an organic way that, despite similarities in intent, manages to pull off the type of shaggy genuineness that the museum-enshrinement theatrics of the Grammys and the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame just can't seem to nail.
Photos by Brian Diescher of “What is Jazz?” at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston, MA on April 8th, featuring Bobby Previtte, DJ Logic, Charlie Hunter Trio and the Christian McBride Band.
One of the biggest challenges of reviewing a 17 year-old singer is giving an honest opinion of her music and performance abilities, as opposed to commenting on the quality of her music and performance relative to her age. This challenge is headily evident in the case of 17 years of age, singer-songwriter Sonya Kitchell, whose impressive performance is countered by relatively unimaginative vocal stylings.
Evident throughout, The Strength of Weak Ties offers the listening public a more mature, well-rounded Lotus. The Philadelphian quintet ventures deep into a plethora of vibes, ranging from down-tempo driven to full funk forays. With an eclectic mixture of synthesized beats, male vocals (Steve Yutzy-Burkley guests on several tracks), quick, funky guitar and textured harmonies, the album delivers a punch that Nomad may have lacked on the whole.
In the midst of their current U.S. tour the California 4-piece, Mellowdrone, took the stage Tuesday night at the Knitting Factory. The one-stop singer, songwriter and front man Jonathan Bates was joined on guitar by Tony DeMatteo, keyboardist/bassist Cami Gutierrez, and uniquely rhythmic drummer Brian Borg.
Ten Silver Drops is a leaner effort than Nowhere, with an evidence of staying power, which none of us Machines freaks ever doubted. More importantly, Ten Silver Dropsis just frayed enough to suggest the trio is still just warming up, and their magnum opus may still await.
We Are Scientists don’t offer anything new in the listening stakes, as their speciality is serving up instantly accessible slices of pop rock loveliness to get your head bobbing and those feet a tappin’.
