Hazards of Love was on your 2009 year-end best of lists, right? Right? It’s pretty much a fact: the last Decemberists effort was crazily adored by just about everyone we know. That’s why today’s announcement makes us all giddy and squrimy like a newborn pup. Colin Meloy’s gaggle of storytellers and musicians has announced a … Read more
When Orenda Fink released Ask the Night in October of 2009, it was an album that took me a few listens to get comfortable with its words and sounds. I’ll admit right now that my brain always hears Maria Taylor’s voice when I hear Fink’s. If you didn’t already know, Taylor and Fink made up … Read more
Ok, so you already probably know about the new David Rawlings album, which features a countrified cover of Ryan Adams’ “To Be Young (Is To Be Sad, Is To Be High),” a song that Rawlings actually originally co-wrote with Adams (did I just confuse the hell out of you?). What you probably didn’t know is … Read more
Chris McGarry may reside in Denver these days, but his bio tells us he was “raised on Methodist hymns, folk ballads, and vintage country.” And after one listen to “Brooklyn Bound,” off his debut album, And The Weary Eyes Reply, you can sense his car wheels were indeed made for gravel roads. McGarry’s extraordinary sound … Read more
The boys who make up the New York City band, Harper Blynn, truly represent the melting pot that is the greatest city on earth. For our second installment of 10 to Spin, the band’s summer playlist does the same, melding genres, jumping decades, and crossing borders. From quirky Mexican lounge music to of-the-moment indie rock, Harper … Read more
Described as a cross between Neil Young, Gillian Welch, and Martina McBride, singer-songwriter, Jennie Arnau, mixes her down-to-earth Appalachia upbringing with the gritty New York City, her current home. On the surface, “Bouncing Ball” is a refreshingly simple bit of alt-country, given the plucky banjo and Arnau’s cheerful doo-wahs. But dig a little deeper, and … Read more
All photos by Nate Burrell Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings wrapped up their “Spring Fever Tour” last night at the Tivoli Theatre in Chattanooga. Welch and Rawlings will be hitting the road again soon, playing some shows as part of “Dave Rawlings Machine,” including a 6/25 stop at The Sheldon in St. Louis, and others … Read more
Photo by Paul Janovitz “There is no DIY, there is only Do It Together.” Will Dailey believes that, and why shouldn’t he? His upcoming album, due on 8/26, is titled National Throat, and it’s being released independently, despite interest from the “largest record label in the world.” Doing it together means doing it with you, … Read more
Hard times ain’t gonna rule my mind, sugarHard times ain’t gonna rule my mind no more I’m posting this for no other reason than it’s simply one of the best songs written in the last few years, and today, I really needed to hear it. Thanks, Gillian.
The Decemberists sound check at The Pageant / All photos by Katie Guymon Last Wednesday, I attended my first ever sound check. Yes, I, along with approximately fifteen others, had the privilege (courtesy of my favorite indie radio station, KDHX) to witness The Decemberists, along with Nickel Creek’s Sara Watkins, gear up for that evening’s … Read more
It’s the summer of 2001 that I miss the most. I still went to record stores often. I didn’t have an iPod. There was no Facebook or Twitter. I gladly waited for everything, and I didn’t care about the urge to broadcast every little moment that I experienced (something that I’m trying to care less … Read more
Check out songs 100-76 and 75-51. Keep up with our ever growing list on Spotify! 50 The Black Keys – Lonely Boy [buy the album] [more Black Keys on Speakers] 49 Steve Earle – Waitin’ on the Sky [buy the album] [more Earle on Speakers] 48 Frightened Rabbit – Fuck This Place [buy the album] … Read more