As the story goes, before landing the role of Anita Miller in Cameron Crowe’s semi-autobiographical movie, Almost Famous, doe-eyed actress Zooey Deschanel had originally auditioned for the part of head
Believe it or not, legendary singer-songwriters and avid activists Joni Mitchell and James Taylor were responsible for getting Greenpeace off the ground. Back in 1970, the duo played the Amchitka
With the first six months of 2009 beginning to feel like a distant memory, figured it was time to continue with a tradition we started last year around this time, by taking a look at my favorite albums from the first half of the year with a little something we’ve dubbed Top 6 Of The First 6.
Maybe I’m getting old, but this list is dominated by mainly roots and Americana-tinged albums, so for those of you expecting Animal Collective somewhere here you may be sorely disappoint. So let’s get at it…
6. Conor Oberst & The Mystic Valley Band – Outer South
Outer South may technically be Conor Oberst’s second “solo” release in as many years, but it would be hard to call this record a true solo effort. While Oberst’s prolific songwriting tendencies may rival that of Mr. Mandy Moore, his latest effort with the Mystic Valley Band is a collaborative affair, with band members contributing and singing their own songs often making you forget you’re listening to a record that has the wordy, singer-songwriter’s name attached to it. The album itself is chocked full of breezy, ’70s influenced country and folk-rock, mixed with the aughts indie-sensibility making it hard to avoid giving them the tag of an updated version of the Traveling Wilburys.
READ ON for the rest of Jeff’s Top 6 Of The First 6…
There must be something in the water in the Pacific Northwest. Over the last couple of years the region has once again reclaimed the mantle as the epicenter of music cool, cranking out some of the most buzzed about bands around, which includes the likes of Fleet Foxes, Blitzen Trapper, The Decemberists and Blind Pilot. Among the acts that hail from that region that deserves your immediate attention is rootsy-singer-songwriter M. Ward who calls the Rose City his home.
Matt (that’s what the M stands for) seemed to be everywhere last year as one half of the indie-pop duo She & Him – his teaming with doe-eyed actress Zooey Deschanel. While taking a back seat to the starlet who wrote most of the album’s material, Ward’s stellar production work secured the record a place on critic’s best-of lists at year’s end.
Prior to collaborating with Hollywood A-Listers Ward previously performed as a member of Beth Orton’s live band, toured with Jim James and Conor Oberst as The Monsters Of Folk and co-produced Jenny Lewis’ solo debut – oh and he’s also been making records on his own, most recently releasing his sixth studio effort Hold Time
READ ON for more on Matt and his vintage sound…
While mega-coffee chain Starbucks expects to make layoffs and close a number of stores this year, they still seem to knock it out of the park with their custom-made compilation
Zooey Deschanel (She) is best known for her roles in Elf and Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, while M. Ward (Him) is regarded as a guitar vitruoso amongst the new-wave of indie rockers. Volume One, their debut album as She & Him, is a throwback to old country and pop that reflects in Jenny Lewis’ recent old timey project with The Watson Twins.
