Press
REVIEW: The Instruction & The Fervor @ Headliner’s – 9/10
If practice makes perfect then The Instruction is the opposite of Allen Iverson. Thursday night at Headliner’s was the CD Release Party for their debut album, Failure by Design, and they absolute killed it. I can count on three hands the number of times that I have seen The Instruction and they keep getting better every time. Their stage presence is commanding, delivery tight and sound pitch perfect. They have been signed by local label sonaBLAST! and the new album is already getting airplay across the nation (mainly their single “Hello Darlin‘” NOTE: mp3 from EP, so a little different). We can only wait and see how far these guys go. In the meantime, you have two more chances to see them this weekend. They will be playing an in-store show at Ear x-tacy Saturday (9/12) night and then they will head to the Nachbar for a late night show (around 10:30ish).
Until Thursday, The Fervor was my “Why-the-hell-have-I-not-seen-this-band-live-band.” They no longer have that title. Instead, they are now just one of my favorite local bands. They are a little like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs because their lead singer is a woman and a little like My Morning Jacket because they are awesome. Donning a gold mask, lead singer, Natalie Felker, belted siren-esque lyrics over a percussion section that was ridiculous. Wrap all that up with a solid rock n’ roll finish and you’ve got The Fervor. They are playing a free 4th Street Live show with Squeeze-bot on September 18th and another free show at the Nachbar on September 19th. Go to one of these shows. Or both.
Album review: "Burst" by The Pass
Submitted by Jason Ashcraft on December 29, 2010 - www.louisville.com
by The Pass
SonaBLAST! records
Produced by The Pass
Few musicians this day and age dare to try and resurrect - or should I say re-popularize - that whole new-wave retro-80's era approach to music. That is until now. As soon as you pop "Burst" into your player, it's immediately recognizable that The Pass clearly is attempting to do just that. From the album's zesty opening track "Treatment Of The Sun" to the more sultry and smooth sound of "Criminal", you'll immediately be reminded of a time in music when bands like New Order, Dead or Alive, Talking Heads, Erasure and The Cure ruled the airwaves.
Since uploading "Burst" into my iTunes, I've been trying to figure out just why the hell I like it so damn much, considering my own musical palette is defaulted to more of a straight forward rock n' roll sound. Maybe it's because my baby boomer parents somehow etched this genre of music into my musical subconscious when I was a kid. Or maybe it's simply because The Pass has created a refreshing and energized explosion of synthesized rhythmic hooks like no other Louisville-based artist has done since Big Head did it in the 90's. Whatever the reason, "Burst" is a bit ground-breaking for Louisville's usual style-based output.
So whether it's because your baby boomer parents embossed this style of music into your musical subconscious while you innocently rode in the backseat of the car as a kid, or because you just like music that is thoughtfully composed and refreshingly different, "Burst" will satisfy with an energetic listening experience.
Pickup a copy at ear X-tacy.
Jason Ashcraft is a freelance music writer who focuses on Kentucky's original music scene. Visit his blog at www.TheScuttlebuttHour.com
Roy Ruiz Clayton vs. Leonard Cohen
By Jay Allen Sanford | Published Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010
Folk troubadour Roy Ruiz Clayton was raised in the steel-mill town of Fontana, California, before moving on his own to San Diego at age 16.“I started writing songs while playing guitar at an early age because I really couldn’t pull off singing other people’s songs,” says Clayton. “So, I concentrated on writing powerful lyrics and worked on crafting my own sound.”
In his teens in the early ’70s, Clayton began performing on “hoot night” at the Heritage Coffeehouse in Mission Beach, where future famous neighbor Tom Waits was the doorman.
“One night, in a back room of the Heritage, Waits played me a Ramblin’ Jack Elliott record, and its sound would change my life. I found I could sound like Elliott, so I just kind of turned into him for a while. Which made me very unpopular in school. I figured out it was weird to walk around being Ramblin’ Jack, so I dropped that part and just kept writing songs styled for my own voice.” Clayton first came to local attention back in the ’80s, playing an acoustic-themed nightclub in Leucadia called the Old Time Café.
Now a seasoned vet of San Diego’s folk and blues scene, his current album New Army of Ragged Angels, released in September, was produced by local Grammy Award–winning knob-twister Chris Goldsmith (of Karl Denson, Charlie Musselwhite, the Blind Boys of Alabama). Featuring guest players Marc Ford (the Black Crowes) and Jason Yates (Ben Harper’s Innocent Criminals), the album’s cover art was painted by Clayton himself.
“If I hadn’t become a musician,” says Clayton, “I’d be an even more poorly paid painter.”
WHAT’S IN YOUR CD PLAYER?
1) “The kid next door borrowed my CD player a while back, and he jammed it up with a Fudgesicle, so that’s what’s in there now.”
2) “There’s actually a Bruce Springsteen and a Sting CD the kid put in there, too. I can deal with the Fudgesicle, but the Boss and Sting? I think the overabundance of CDs they’ve released is the cause of all the problems in the world. If we can get them to stop releasing so many albums, the world will finally begin healing itself.”
BEST LOCAL CONCERT?
“The Rolling Stones at Petco Park, because my neighbor is the head groundskeeper there. After my sister Nikki passed away, I scattered some of her ashes in centerfield. The only thing Nikki ever listened to was the Rolling Stones. So, when they played there, the stage was right on top of her ashes.”
WORST GIG?
“It was a funeral where nobody seemed to mind much that the guy was dead. The dead guy’s wife danced very suggestively at the reception! Actually, that might be my best gig.”
YOUR CINEMATIC GOLDEN TURKEY AWARD GOES TO?
“Good Will Hunting. There’s no way Ben Affleck and what’s-his-name [Matt Damon] wrote that movie script.”
FAVORITE MAGAZINE?
“True Detective.”
WHAT’S ON YOUR BUCKET LIST TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE?
“To arm-wrestle Leonard Cohen.”
WHAT SONG BEST DESCRIBES YOUR LIFE?
“‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.’ It was written for Nina Simone, and I hear Elvis Costello also did a version, but I always hear it in my head as done by Eric Burdon & the Animals. ‘Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood’ is a line I relate to and love so much. But I don’t understand why.”
POOREST YOU’VE EVER BEEN?
“In high school, I lived in a laundry room in a house with some college guys. They didn’t have a washer and dryer, so it wasn’t as crowded in that room as one might think.”
THREE THINGS WE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU?
1) “I can bilocate. There are stories about other people who could appear in two places at once. I used the concept in my song ‘Collar to the Wind.’”
2) “I started my own holy order, Sanctified Soldiers for the Transfiguration of Light, which anyone can join. Except this one guy I know.”
3) “Having a stroke made me give up the art of juggling.” ■
Album Review | Cheyenne Marie Mize, 'Before Lately'
— Jeffrey Lee Puckett, The Courier Journal
Cheyenne Marie Mize makes a kind of indie music that its fans often describe as dreamy, or dreamlike, and that is characterized by spare instrumentation, hushed sonics and intimate vocals that flirt with pillow talk. The danger is that dreamy can turn sleepy and, on “Before Lately,” Mize sometimes can't seem to negotiate the difference.
Mize, from Louisville, has a sweetly beautiful voice, but much of “Before Lately” gives that voice very little to do, with songs that are lullaby-like melodies that feel as muted as the emotional content.
There are some gorgeous exceptions. “Not” is a powerful ballad about loss and the unbearable weight of resignation. On an album that has a hard time answering the question of whether Mize is a viable solo artist, “Not” is an unequivocal, even compelling argument in her favor.
Stream: http://www.myspace.com/shinymoneymize
Album Review | Love Jones, 'Forever …
— Jeffrey Lee Puckett, The Courier Jorunal
The guys in Love Jones have always been suckers for the Top 40, and from any era —1930s and ‘40s vocal music, Brill Building pop and Vegas lounge shtick from the '60s, and '70s soul all have equal places in the band's collective heart. That's what makes them so vastly entertaining, and also a niche band with no readily discernible niche.
On “Forever …,” the band's first studio album in 15 years, they touch on all of their influences at least once, giving special attention to bedroom soul from the 1970s. “Charm City” busts out the Ernie Isley effects pedal. “Dark and Lovely” is an homage to the Mills Brothers. “Alcohol and Little Pills” sounds like a blurry night in a tattered lounge. “Girl” recalls Burt Bacharach.
A couple of jokes don't work, especially “Player's School,” but bassist Chris Hawpe has his finest moments with the breezy “Hey California” and the absolutely gorgeous “Bittersweet,” a song the Delfonics would have killed for in 1971.
WHAT'S YOUR MUSE? Cheyenne Marie Mize
By Quinn S.
It's time for another edition of "What's Your Muse?"
The concept is simple: We ask a band/artist to choose a song that means a lot/the most to them. Then, they record and send us a video of themselves describing why they chose the song. Think of it like a collaborative video mixtape project.
Cheyenne Marie Mize made her international debut last year with the Among the Gold 10" EP, performing a handpicked collection of late 19th century American parlor music with Bonnie "Prince" Billy. Earlier this year, she was a member of the "Dear Companion" tour, supporting Ben Sollee's and Daniel Martin Moore’s collaborative record released on Sub Pop. And while she may have debuted her talents collaborating with others, it's her brand of indie folk that's sure to make her a memorable songwriter.
Tomorrow, Mize releases her debut album, Before Lately, on sonaBLAST records. With hauntingly gorgeous melodies, thoughtful acoustic instrumentation, and warm, rich vocals, her music is easy to get lost in. It's a careful blend of folk and pop that sounds as though it has deep roots in the rich past of Americana. In her submission, Mize shares a song that stirs up quite a bit of emotion for her. It's a rather fitting choice that evokes a similar mood and strength that lay within the fabric of her music. It's a song off of a classic indie folk album that has more than won the right to be referred to as a classic. And in what I hope is a continuing trend, she goes ahead and performs her choice, delivering a chilling and moving solo performance full of raw emotion that illustrates her strong connection with the song.
Songs for the Feet, And Even the Heart
By JON CARAMANICA
Published: October 8, 2010
The New York Times
Cheyenne Marie Mize
There’s so much space between notes on Cheyenne Marie Mize’s debut album, “Before Lately” (sonaBLAST!), but hardly any air. Last year, on “Among the Gold,” an EP of 19th-century traditionals recorded with Will Oldham, she was a steady beacon for the purposefully erratic Mr. Oldham. On this sometimes startling collection of tough, dreamy, cloudy-sky country and chamber pop, Ms. Mize deploys her tools sparingly but effectively. Ms. Mize, from Louisville, Ky., has a rare voice, sweet without being cloying, and weary without hopelessness. On “Not” and “Waiting” she’s deliberate and undistractable, suggesting a more centered Fiona Apple. At the beginning of “Lull” just a handful of piano notes add up to something oceanic, filling a full minute before she enters with a soft whisper. “Rest” uses just a few tools — a drowsy guitar, a brushed snare — to create a heavy air of expectation. “I just want a piece of your mind,” Ms. Mize sings, drawing the sentence out over several measures, “But your mind is on the rest of the world/And how can I compare to that?”
Burst
The PassSONABLAST!
By T.E. Lyons
Synth-pop is resurging these days, meaning there’s a welcome abundance of fantastic songs that are also super-danceable. The Pass has worked hard at a full, varied ensemble sound, yielding a lively full-length debut. This foursome shares LCD Soundsystem’s modus operandi: borrowing from the entire history of burble-rhythmed hits but never descending to mere pastiche. Brian Healey’s synths naturally dominate many of The Pass’ songs, but “Vultures” finds Kyle Peters interjecting some nimble and pointed guitar. The band occasionally stretches out: The wit of “Large Hadron Collider” is grounded with car-shaking bass, and the quasi-tossed-off quality of “Walk Away” is redeemed by its playfulness. “How To Live” is pure New Order, with everyone firing on all cylinders — it’s one of several showcase songs for an act that only needs some more confident singing and songwriting to quickly rise to the next level. The Pass performs with !!! and Fol Chen Sept. 30 at Headliners.
Cheyenne Marie Mize - "Friend" Video
Cheyenne Marie Mize may seem for all intents and purposes to be a newcomer, but she’s been working with a number of indie singer-songwriters for the past few years—Bonnie “Prince” Billy and Ben Sollee mainly. Recently Mize and Will Oldham recorded a set of 19th century parlor music called Among the Gold that is available via free download at bandcamp.com. Mize has also been touring of late with Sollee on his Dear Companion dates. October sees the beguiling singer take the spotlight with her debut album Before Lately, releasing 12 October via sonaBLAST! Records. Today we present the premiere of her video for “Friend”.
Friend by Cheyenne Marie Mize from Crash Avenue on Vimeo.
Forward Pass
Joseph Lord
Velocity MagazineExpectations are high for The Pass, and they are eager to live up to the hype
The Pass began as a couple of roommates recording electronic tunes in a spare bedroom with little more than a notion of being an indie rock band along the lines of Spoon.
The trajectory of the collaboration between bassist Will Roberts and singer-guitarist Kyle Peters changed when they saw the New York dance-pop duo French Horn Rebellion at the now defunct Pink Door. The show fell on the night of the January 2009 ice storm and only about 15 people showed up, but the band's electronic-infused dance style made enough of an impression that Roberts and Peters decided to revamp their band-in-progress.
“It opened our eyes,” Peters said. “You don't have to be afraid to dance.”
Goodbye Spoon, hello LCD Soundsystem.
The decision seems to have paid off. Gill Holland's SonaBlast Records signed the band, and an album, “Burst,” is slated for release this month. A spot opening for !!! on Sept. 30 at Headliners is also on the agenda.
The band has caught the attention of prominent blogs such as You Ain't No Picasso and Indie Shuffle, which called The Pass “a band with sharp dance music sensibilities and soaring potential.”
“Burst” will give a glimpse into how far The Pass has come. After the ice storm epiphany, Roberts and Peters — who grew up together in New Jersey — recruited Brian Healey to play synthesizer and Neil Lucas for drums and recorded songs for a demo, which they packaged as the EP “Colors” and delivered to bloggers, music writers and radio stations. (SonaBlast gave “Colors” an official release in February.)
Like “Colors,” “Burst” was recorded in a house Roberts and Peters rented — their apartment neighbors didn't much appreciate the noise — near the Louisville Zoo. They turned down an opportunity to record in a proper studio, instead settling for the ability to tinker in the basement long into the night. The Pass, Roberts said, is still a developing band, and recording themselves aided the development.
“We wanted to experiment and let the best sounds come out, even if it was in the middle of the night,” Roberts said. “We're still learning, and doing this ourselves was a total learning experiential thing.”
The album was mixed in New York City by Alex Aldi, who has also worked Passion Pit and The Walkmen. Geoff Pesche of Abbey Road Studios in London — who has has worked for Gorillaz and Coldplay — mastered the album.
Peters and Roberts are excited about these details, but they're aware that “Burst” could drop with a thud upon release. In a sign of how the band is still a work in progress, they have yet to get a booking agent to take them on. Thus, The Pass is booking its own shows for now, which means hitting the road in spurts — four dates one week, three dates the next.
“We have a desire to tour,” Roberts said. “We want to play live — a lot.”
BBC World Have Your Say
Watch a live, global conversation as it happens. Connect with 180 million BBC listeners around the world in this innovative, highly interactive radio broadcast. Plug into the international zeitgeist for ideas in the making – worldwide – via email, SMS and phone. More about World Have Your Say…
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Thursday, September 30, 2010
Friday, October 1, 2010
1-2 p.m. Live Broadcast
The Green Building
732 E Market St
Doors open at noon.
You must be seated by 12:30 p.m.
Advance tickets must be seated by 12:30 p.m. for guaranteed seating.
The live broadcast begins at 1p.m.
sonaBLAST! Redirects and Refocuses
SonaBLAST! has moved its headquarters from NYC to Louisville, Kentucky. The aim? To become the best indie label in the region. Started in 2002 mainly for singer-songwriters like Mark Geary (SXSW 2004) and Ben Sollee (SXSW 2009), sonaBLAST! now has several exciting bands like Lucky Pineapple and The Seedy Seeds (both SXSW 2009), and The Pass (see video above). Based out of The Green Building, sonaBLAST! is a "green" label that operates under a sustainable philosophy. As you can tell from the attached video, they even recycle their music videos!
Want to be a part of the excitement in March? Register to attend SXSW 2011 today!
This week’s Off The Record guest is Amber Garvey of sonaBLAST! Records, located here in Louisville @ The Green Building. They representsuch artists as Ben Sollee, Lucky Pineapple, The Seedy Seeds (who will be part of this Friday’s Live Lunch at noon on WFPK), The Pass and more. Amber works with artists to see their albums through production, works on licensing, contracts, etc. Amber has noticed this record hot summer in Louisville as have the rest of us, so her theme is weather related. She’ll start with some heat, build up to a storm and then cool things down:
- John Hartford: Long Hot Summer Day
- Billie Holiday: Stormy Weather
- The White Stripes: 300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues
- Led Zeppelin: The Rain Song
- The Beatles: Here Comes The Sun
Best of What's Next: The Seedy Seeds
Hometown: Cincinnati
Album: Roll Deep EP
Band Members: Mike Ingram (vocals, banjo, guitar, kazoo), Margaret Darling (vocals, guitar, accordion, kazoo), Brian Penick (drums)
For Fans Of: Mates of State, The Moldy Peaches, The Postal Service
Reposed from Paste Magazine
If you ever find yourself in a Cincinnati parking lot witnessing an impromptu concert by a band that seems to combine equal bits of folk, pop and electronica, chances are you’re watching The Seedy Seeds in action. While the trio loves playing in just about any sort of venue, they name non-traditional spaces — like backyards, art galleries and parking lots — among their most treasured performances.
“I really appreciate when there are, like, twenty 8-year-old kids running around in circles in front of us, and their parents are like, ‘Hey, I’m enjoying this,’ and then there are also music fans that came intentionally,” says Mike Ingram, one-third of group. “So when we sort of create a neighborhood bonfire experience, those are generally my favorites.”
It makes sense that these eclectic experiences are where the band feels most at home — you don’t have to devote much time listening to The Seedy Seeds to realize their sound is any anything but traditional. Even the bandmates themselves have trouble articulating the kind of music they play. “People always ask us what we sound like or what we call our sound, and to try to pigeonhole it is difficult,” says percussionist Brian Penick. “But I would say pop-folk with an electronic dance beat.”
“Lots of hyphens,” adds vocalist and accordion player Margaret Darling.
Whatever you call it, it’s served the The Seedy Seeds well. Though they’re still relatively low-profile nationally, they’ve released two full-length albums and one EP since 1999, and in April dropped a three-song 7’’ EP, Roll Deep, in celebration of Record Store Day. The band’s summer is shaping up to be full of festivals, with performances scheduled at NXNE in Toronto and a slot secured at Louisville, Ky.’s hallowed Lebowski Fest. Part of the secret to making the band work, according to Ingram, is their ability to view the outfit as as functional fusion.
“It’s not always fun and awesome and party time,” he says. “It’s basically like we’re all married and we all have to respect each other and arbitrate things and be political with each other.”
Colors: The Pass
Leo Weekly
4.7.10
By Pawl Schwartz
The Killers. Franz Ferdinand. Passively emotional vocals over electronics, and catchy, quick disco-punk. Sound like five years ago? Wrong. This is The Pass right now, a band that plays around town mostly at bars with DJs, not other bands, and with one listen, we see why. Really, though, this album is catchy. When the songs hit hard, like “Red Square,” they go all out: female backup vocals, lots of chorus returns and a deep bass thump that carries the hook like a dealer peddles crack. You can’t help but like it. This band seems cut out for singular hits. The rest of the songs have their moments but are for the most part the same and, despite the production quality, can sound a little empty. “Red Square” and “Colors” deserve their radio airplay — it may just need a time machine.
Off The Record: Heidi Howe
Our guest this week is a familiar name to long time WFPK listeners: Heidi Howe. She was the first guest to perform on WFPK’s Live Lunch series, and according to her Bio:
Heidi Howe is a singer, songwriter, music educator and mom from Louisville, KY. She has recorded 5 full length CD’s (2 on the Ear X-tacy label) and has played clubs across the country. Most recently, she produced the Louisville Lullabies CD with Gill Holland (of sonaBLAST! Records) as a benefit for the Home of the Innocents.
Heidi is also the founder of Louisville Preschool for the ARTS where she makes music with kids and their parents.
Here are Heidi’s five “Non Traditional” Lullabies:
A hometown hero returns to the Island
By ELIZABETH SHEPHERD
Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber Arts Editor
Mar 02 2010, 11:34 AM
The Blue Heron will be the site of a homecoming this Saturday, when singer/songwriter Max Gabriel and a full band take the stage for a concert.
What makes the concert special is that Gabriel grew up on the Island — Islanders may remember him as Gabe Judet-Weinshel, a talented Vashon youth who performed as a juggler and unicyclist at Strawberry Festivals, and drew crowds to his performances in Blue Heron youth theater productions.
Gabriel, the son of Island artist Pascale Judet and John Weinshel, moved to New York more than a decade ago, and he’s been honing his craft as a musician and filmmaker ever since.
Gabriel’s Web site, www.maxgabriel.com, provides visitors with a dizzying array of his recent projects, which include a number of music videos, documentaries and short films that have been shown at San Francisco International Film Festival, The American Film Institute, the Nashville Film Festival, on Nickelodeon, Fox, MTV and other venues.
He has won two New York Emmy Awards and directed Martin Scorsese in a short piece that screened at Lincoln Center.
He’s also drawn accolades for his music.
His debut recording, “The Exile of St. Christopher,” was produced by iconic producer/keyboardist Scott Healy, and featured a band full of well-known players and rock music sidemen.
Gabriel and Healy are now working on a new project, which will feature 25 new songs.
Critics have been wowed by the Vashon-bred artist, comparing his voice to Leonard Cohen and David Byrne.
Ian Mathers, a writer for The Village Voice and other New York publications said, “He’ll treat your heartbreak right, with the sense of devastated whimsy all real romantics have.”
Gabriel will perform with a full band on Saturday, and Islander Alex Davis will open the show.
The Max Gabriel concert is at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 6, at the Blue Heron. Tickets, $13 and $15, are on sale at Books by the Way, Blue Heron, Heron’s Nest, brownpapertickets.com, and by calling 206-463-5131.
Top 10 Videos of 2009
The Muse in Music
I’m not a person that would consider themself “artsy” in any way. When I watch a music video I don’t look for cinematography or camera angle, I look to be entertained for a few minutes, for something that is going to keep me interested and guessing as to what is going to happen next. That being said, making a list of top ten videos of the year without them being also my favorite tracks of the year is difficult. But I’ll try.
Ben Sollee's Acoustic Cafe Tour with Carrie Rodriguez January 20th - February 6th
Ben will be out on the road touring solo with Carrie Rodriguez as a part of the Acoustic Café Tour through February 6th... try to catch them if you can!
Jan 20 Iron Horse Music Hall Northhampton, MA
Jan 21 Infinity Hall Norfolk, CT
Jan 22 Fairfield Theater Fairfield, CT
Jan 24 Maxwell's Hoboken, NJ
Jan 26 One Longfellow Square Portland, ME
Jan 27 Club Passim Cambridge, MA
Jan 29 IOTA Arlington, VA
Jan 31 The Southern Charlottesville, VA
Feb 02 Rex Theatre Pittsburgh, PA
Feb 03 Wealthy Theatre Grand Rapids, MI
Feb 04 Callahan's Auburn Hills, MI
Feb 05 The Livery Benton Harbor, MI
Feb 06 Kent Stage Kent, OH
If you're in Louisville, Ben just recently announced the Louisville performance of Dear Companion featuring Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore on February 26th at The Kentucky Center for the Arts. You can purchase tickets HERE!
Dear Companion To Be Released February 16th on Sub Pop
Dear Companion, out February 16th on Sub Pop Records, is collaboration between three Kentucky musicians: the songs are written and performed by Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore, produced by and featuring Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket and Monsters of Folk.
Recorded in the first half of 2009 in their home state, Dear Companion explores their ties to the place they love and aims to draw attention to the problem of mountaintop removal coal mining and its impact on the people and heritage of central Appalachia.
A portion of the proceeds from Dear Companion will benefit Appalachian Voices, an organization devoted to ending mountaintop removal and finding a better way forward.
More information on the release, Ben, and upcoming Dear Companion dates can always be found at bensollee.com
Announcing Survival Kit 2K10 – A Panel Discussion, Jan. 23
LOUISVILLE, KY — sonaBLAST! Records and Crash Avenue Publicity, in conjunction with Forecastle Festival, are pleased to announce, Survival Kit 2K10: The Path to Relevance in the New Decade.
Survival Kit 2K10 is a special music networking event on par with the conference discussions hosted at Austin’s South By Southwest and New York’s CMJ Music Marathon. As a warm up to this month’s Halfway to Forecastle, a variety of music media will be in Louisville to attend and discuss issues in the ever-changing and complicated world of independent music publishing.
Survival Kit 2K10 will host a panel of speakers and participants both locally and nationally to discuss issues and offer advice, focusing on the tools and the objectives necessary for a budding artist to thrive in the new decade. This event aims to be helpful to the talented pool of regional musicians around Louisville, as well as a chance for musicians, tastemakers, and industry insiders to connect.
Survival Kit 2K10 will take place at The Green Building before Halfway to Forecastle on Saturday, January 23, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The event kicks off with a meet and greet, then leads into our panel discussion and Q & A. Light appetizers and cash bar will be available (with drink specials – it’s still a recession) courtesy of 732 Social.
This event is free and open to the public. Seating is non-ticketed and on a first come basis. Additional details will roll out as confirmed, so please check back with Crash Avenue, or email Amber Garvey at sonaBLAST! for more information and updates.
The Five | Albums for children
The trials of parenthood are not limited to interrupted sleep, frustrating meal times and the futile struggle to keep a clean home. Once baby graduates into toddlerhood, he or she won't be satisfied with “Rockabye Baby!” and “Baby Mozart.” He or she will want words, stories and funny noises.
Most children's music is outrageously goofy, clownish tunes that are impossible for an adult to enjoy but so relentless that they get stuck in your head anyway. It doesn't have to be that way. Some great musicians have made children's records recently. Here is a selection:
"Robbert Bobbert and The Bubble Machine"
Robert Schneider — frontman for the poppy indie band Apples In Stereo — released this little-noticed gem last winter. Schneider is something of a science buff, which is reflected in sweet and catchy songs such as “Gravity” and “I Am a Clock.” The tunes stay true to the Elephant Six quirkiness that Schneider fans love, but tykes will love the silly voices and fun attitude.
"Yo Gabba Gabba! Music Is Awesome"
Various artists
“Yo Gabba Gabba!,” the psychedelic kids' show on Nick Jr., is outrageous fun. It's not just the vibrant colors and trippy costumes, but the endless stream of hip musical guests playing sing-along songs — Sun Kil Moon, Of Montréal, The Shins. The highlight is The Roots' catchy-but-simple “Lovely, Love My Family.” It's not the first tuba solo on a children's record, but it's certainly the best.
"Louisville Lullabies"
Various artists
These 13 sweet songs from Louisville artists are meant to lull children to sleep. Conceived by SonaBLAST! Records founder Gill Holland, it features the experimental group Lucky Pineapple, subtle singer-songwriter Leigh Ann Yost and mad singer-songwriter Heidi Howe, as well as such inspired choices as outlaw poet Ron Whitehead, who teams with jazzman Harry Pickens.
"B Is for Bob"
Bob Marley
Ziggy Marley stripped down some of his dad's easier-to-digest tunes about love, life and freedom and reworked them into subtle children's songs. Some songs are completely re-worked, while others, such as “One Love,” are just as they were originally released.
"S'More Songs"
Tommy Paxton
Venerable Aspen, Colo., musician Tommy Paxton's DIY affair (www.cdbaby.com/cd/tommypaxton) is an example of how compelling kids' songs can be if performed with passion and conviction. Paxton's “Bob, Bob, Bob” is a delight, and the kids in the background chorus seem to be having a blast, too.
Review: The Pass
On Saturday night, I was witness to one of the bests local shows in recent memory. Three of my favorite local bands under one roof (and for charity)! Dude Plays Saxophone started off the night and You’re My Density followed up, both with great sets to a packed house at the Zanzabar. The Pass was the last band on the bill and blew the crowd away. I knew their set was something special simply by looking at the dance floor. Initially only a few people braved the area in front of the stage, but with each song the dance floor lost its space. By the final song, everyone was shoulder-to-shoulder going nuts. I had heard their EP, Colors, and enjoyed it thoroughly. They are not your average dance rock band. While many bands attempting the same sound fall victim to relying on one catchy song and ignorable lyrics, The Pass have a early catalog of songs that each can stand on their own. I saw them play on the rooftop of Glassworks, but this was something different, something more. I have a feeling that in a year or two, I’ll look back at this show and be thankful that I got to witness them “way back when.” They recently signed with SonaBlast Records and should have new material out next year. Put it on the board, The Pass will make waves in 2010.
Louisville Lullabies: Cradle Rockin’ Sleeper Hits
A benefit for Home of the Innocents
Hipster parents looking for music that they can enjoy with their children will be thrilled to hear the latest release from sonaBLAST! Records. Louisville Lullabies: Cradle Rockin’ Sleeper Hits features 13 musical acts from Louisville performing original and traditional lullabies. Artists include: Carter Wood (a recently returned Louisville native who had George Strait record some of her songs while living in Nashville), Love Jones (regrouped for this benefit), Arnett Hollow (who recently performed at Forecastle and WFPK‘s Live Lunch), Lucky Pineapple (on the heels of their sonaBLAST! Release), Harry Pickens (pianist, composer, teacher and organizational consultant), Sandpaper Dolls (amazing a cappella trio), Ron Whitehead (author of 19 books with appearances on more than 20 CD’s), Yardsale (Louisville's self-proclaimed ‘Second Most Rootin-est, Tootin-est Band‘), Danny Flanigan (performing a song he wrote for his son), Leigh Ann Yost (marketing director at Louisville‘s School of Rock), Justin Lewis (performing ’Dream a Little Dream’) Alistair Shell (Stephen George performing his first released recording) and Heidi Howe (Louisville performer, author and co-producer of the CD). All of the proceeds from the CD benefit the Home of the Innocents.
The CD is the brainchild of Gill Holland, the founder of sonaBLAST! Records, who wanted to do something for his neighbor, The Home of the Innocents, located in the East Market district. Gill produced the CD with Louisville musician Heidi Howe, the founder and director of Louisville Preschool for the Arts.
There will be an all-ages, family-friendly CD release party on Sunday December 6th, 2009 at the Comedy Caravan, located at 1250 Bardstown Road in the Mid-City Mall. The party begins at 2 pm and ends at 5 pm. Many of the musicians from the CD will perform. There will also be face painting and games for kids. The party is FREE. Refreshments will be available. Donations will be accepted for the Home of the Innocents.
For more information, please email heidihowerocks@yahoo.com or call (502) 415- 3643.
Kelly McRae
Highrises in Brooklyn From: Pretty Much Amazing
“Highrises In Brooklyn” is a nice coffeehouse lounger that will surely please those disappointed with Regina Spektor’s latest album- or at least fill the gap until her next. Up-and-comer Kelley McRae is one of those likable, smart pop-folksters who is easy on the ears and makes for a very pleasant listen. She played at Barnes and Noble the other night in New York City, and I can’t think of a more perfect environment for her kind of music.
Sit back, relax, and let McRae’s calm voice and soothing melodies chill you out. And if “Highrises In Brooklyn” isn’t chill enough, head over to McRae’s MySpace and listen to the brilliant “Johnny Cash,” in many ways a superior song, a perfect addition to your bedtime playlist.
Ben Sollee
Ben Sollee's August performance on NPR's Mountain Stage airing Oct. 16-18th. For a complete list of stations that carry the show, click here Mountain Stage affiliates.
The Bubble Has Burst Again!
On Friday August 28, we would like to invite you to the Zanzabar to celebrate the national release of Lucky Pineapple's most recent record, The Bubble Has Burst in Sky City on sonaBLAST! Records. The night will feature the band presenting two sets of music, with one being a performance of the albumin its entirety.
This will be the first local show featuring newly added Pineapple, percussionist Alex Molina. In addition, numerous guest musicians will be joining the band throughout the night.
As usual, you can count on plenty of weirdness, including, but not limited to, an appearance by Guy, the 7 foot tall star of the bands upcoming music video. The night will feature an opening set by Asthmatic Kitty artist, Jookabox, in what is set to be the first full band performance outside of their hometown. Don't miss it! The show starts at 10 PM. Admission is $7. The Zanzabar is located at 2100 S Preston Street.
Lucky Pineapple:
"Lucky Pineapple's songs are built up out of dark, suspenseful melodic lines and solid, funk-influenced drum patterns, with guitars, trombone and other instruments layered over them. (The band brought with them a huge array of guitar effects pedals, as well as a plastic bin of unusual percussion instruments.) These multi-part compositions earn comparisons to Captain Beefheart through their use of unexpected rhythmic shifts. The band was remarkably tight..."
- Nashville Scene
"Like kinda if Zappa was in Slint and they went vacationing in the Peruvian Andes and then came back and recorded an album immediately. See, my number one complaint about prog and proglike dreck like math rock is that it is boring as fuck. I rented a Tortoise album once from the library and it nearly killed me. I have the scars to prove it. But Lucky Pineapple is really fun and entertaining and surprising. This is a really great album and it throws in a lot of disparate elements together while being totally engaging."
- Last Days of Man on Earth
Jookabox:
“There is something to be said about an album that defies all explanation.”
- Billboard
http://www.myspace.com/luckypineapple
http://www.myspace.com/grampalljookabox
http://www.zanzabarlouisville.com
Forecastle Roundup: Day 3
July16, 2009
Forecastle 8
Day 3
July 12 2009
Christ, after three days of chronicling my adventures I feel like Doogie Howser, but instead of a teenage doctor I’m a 27-year-old music writer, go figure.
The shady afternoon was perfect for a third full day of music. The temperature was just right, and the sun could barely make its way through the overcast cover. We couldn’t have asked for better weather today had we thought about it.
"And The Instruction was a solid, hard-rock band with an infallible ear for pop hooks this is definitely a band that will probably be smeared all over modern rock radio stations in the very near future." - LEO Weekly Magazine |
As the sun set, it smeared a neon glow through the low canopy of clouds and all over the downtown sky. When Widespread Panic took the stage for a second night, a radiant orange dusk was just falling over the crowd. They were going to be on tonight; even I could tell that – from the first song they were far more compelling than last night. They played a sick rendition of the J. J. Cale classic “Ride Me High” that would make even the biggest jamband skeptic think twice about dismissing these guys. Although it was during that song I heard the sloppiest bass solo ever from a concert stage; but I guess that’s their appeal … it’s live, warts and all.
Tonight instead of two sets – the band did one long set … and by an hour-and-a-half in, I wish they had taken a break. The middle of the extended set fell flat like the dribble at the end of pee. It was at this lull in the action, that downturn toward boredom when Backyard Tire Fire took over for me. Their combustible brand of southern rock should’ve reduced Panic’s stage to nothing more than a pile of smoldering embers. These guys tore through some glorious covers like Warren Zevon’s “Lawyers, Guns, & Money” and Neil Young’s “Cinnamon Girl.” And by the time they closed with “How the Hell Did You Get Back Here” I was sold to whatever these guys were selling. By the time Backyard Tire Fire was finished, Widespread had risen from their lull like a phoenix from the ashes – and was back into the rockin’ set they had started with, and ultimately ended on a high note.
So after two nights of Panic, I admit, I kinda get it. It might be the fact that I was in a different “mind-set” tonight than last night. Regardless, I get it. A Widespread Panic show: where a $35 ticket and a half-sack of schwag you can make the whole night last all day.
The Avett Brothers were moderately disappointing to me. I love their modern twist on Appalachian folk music, and live music junkies have been telling me how great they are live for years. Well they were alright, they sounded good and all – but it wasn’t the life changing live show I had been led to believe I would see. But I only say disappointing in the sense that no one could possibly have lived up to the expectations that were built for those guys in my mind. When they played the beautiful heartache of a tune called “Murder in the City” I was almost bummed that the sun was still up. I can only imagine what it would’ve been like for that song to just float off into the abyss of the evening ether.
Yonder Mountain String Band played a fun set of modern bluegrass that filled the belvedere with joy. Their stomping sound, and the good natured banter from its members, helped these guys fit perfectly into a mid-afternoon time slot perfectly. And Umphrey’s McGee played a hell of a set considering they were on stage in another city at four o’clock this morning, drove here, slept for four hours and was able to make it on stage here in Louisville by 3:30 in the afternoon. Kudos, to them and their crew, on that one.
Gringo Starr was a pleasure to watch. Their spacey take on southern rock made for a really fascinating set on LEO’s East Stage. Not to mention, all the band members were trading instruments back-and-fourth and switching up vocalists from song-to-song. At the beginning of each song you never knew which would be singing and who would be playing what. And The Instruction was a solid, hard-rock band with an infallible ear for pop hooks – this is definitely a band that will probably be smeared all over modern rock radio stations in the very near future.
After three days of total musical submersion at Forecastle, I’m sold. Fuck middle-of-nowhere farm festivals – urban music festivals are the way of the future. Swirling stage lights rising from the depths of a city skyline just seems to make sense.
Cello fellow
Ben Sollee's sharp blend of R&B, folk and more is getting attentionJeffrey Lee Puckett | The Courier Journal
When Ben Sollee's name started popping up on the Louisville music scene a couple of years ago, it came attached to a surprisingly handsome — and extremely stealthy — resume.
Sollee appeared to be the new kid in town, barely in his 20s and looking even younger. He had a voice infused with classic blue-eyed soul that was capable of going on stratospheric flights right to the brink of losing control, and he played a miraculous cello. He was clearly a rising talent to watch.
But Sollee had, in many ways, already arrived.
By 2007 he had toured internationally (since his senior year in high school); was working on a major-label record with Abigail Washburn and Bela Fleck as part of The Sparrow Quartet; was recording a solo album, "Learning to Bend"; and had been name-checked by National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" as one of America's "Top Ten Unknown Artists of the Year."
That was an understatement. Sollee was unknown in his adopted home of Louisville, much less America, and a lot of people wondered: Just who is this guy?
"I think what generated that feeling is that I didn't actually promote myself well enough," says a soft-spoken and thoughtful Sollee, serving up another considerable understatement. "I've always been not a good promoter — of what I've made, what I'm selling, my shows. I've always just loved doing it for whoever's there, but I don't really try to make a huge thing about it."
That approach has been changed for him. With the release last year of an EP, his solo album, the debut album from Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet, and a solo appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," the 24-year-old Sollee has had to deal with a new level of media attention.
He's also working on an EP with My Morning Jacket's Jim James and Cold Spring, Ky.'s Daniel Martin Moore — a fact he failed to mention in an interview, proving his shaky promotional skills — and his first national solo tour, with Moore opening, stops in Louisville Friday, May 8, at the Bomhard Theater.
Sollee, a Lexington resident who lived for six years in Louisville, appears poised to be Kentucky's next breakout musician, the first since My Morning Jacket. It was bound to happen sometime, but who could have predicted it would be a cello-playing soul singer whose music was inspired equally by Otis Redding, Bill Monroe and Odetta?
"Ben is a very talented man," James said. "His voice is like a sword, and I have never seen anyone play the cello with such intensity. He is a beast on that thing."
A fast start
When growing up in Lexington — where he lives with his wife, Caitlin, and 16-month-old son, Oliver — Sollee was raised on his parents' collection of soul music and encouraged to follow his muse, which led to Kentucky's folk and bluegrass traditions. Music wasn't a choice so much as an inevitibilty. Maybe even a compulsion. His family had several generations of musicians, and he learned mountain music from his fiddle-playing grandfather.
Sollee enjoyed an unusually supportive family. At age 17, he met cultish blues singer Otis Taylor at a Folk Alliance conference and was immediately invited to join his band, which used a variety of instrumentation. His parents let him tour the world for three years, earning what he called a "primary music education" from the unpredictable Taylor, who never exactly qualified as a role model.
"He was awful," Sollee said, laughing. "He was a very eccentric dude. But in the end, I learned a lot from him about rhythm and building excitement through rhythm, because his music is trance-based and he'll play only one chord for an hour that'll just drive you nuts in the good way."
While touring with Taylor, Sollee met Washburn, with whom he also began touring and recording. Meanwhile, he managed to graduate from Lexington Lafayette High School and enroll in the University of Louisville's School of Music to study under Paul York, who found himself with a precocious talent.
"I trained him as a classical cellist, but there was no question he wasn't going to be a classical cellist," York said. "I wanted to give him as much technical background as I could so he could do anything he wanted. I didn't want him to feel like he was limited.
"There was no question that he was a major talent when he first played for me. It's great to hear someone play like that. It's really special."
Sollee didn't decide until his sophomore year at UofL that he would try music as a full-time career, a dicey choice made even dicier when you're a cellist singing pop songs over a foundation of R&B. It usually means years of nightclub shows and living in vans, but Sollee had already done that. So, instead, he started a band with Bela Fleck, one of the world's finest banjo players.
Washburn introduced Sollee to Fleck, who produced and performed on her 2005 album, "Song of the Traveling Daughter," which featured Sollee as cellist and arranger. Violinist Casey Driessen also performed on the album, and the four musicians formed a bond that led to a tour of China and an album, the acclaimed "Abigail Washburn & The Sparrow Quartet."
This was another reason he wasn't playing the Nachbar every third Tuesday.
"I didn't really do the whole build-up from club to club, the keep-playing-them-every-two-months thing, because I got the opportunity to play as a sideman for lots of different groups," he said. "It really helped me to A) get a leg up, and B) learn how to put on a show regardless of the venue. Big, small, house concerts, community centers. I was really fortunate."
Learning to bend
Despite having rubbed shoulders with some inspired musicians, Sollee's most impressive moment so far is "Learning to Bend." It's a record that's difficult to describe and hard not to love, anchored by his nimble cello playing and lifted by his wild, expressive tenor.
It isn't accomplished enough to rate its own genre, but there's something about the songs that feels new, or at least relatively unexplored.
"I don't think I thought, 'Hey, this will really sound different from what's out there,'" Sollee said. "I just think it's a really organic product of my development, the strong folk element I got from my grandfather, and around my house there was a lot of R&B music, so that was really my bread and butter. But then I chose an instrument that had a whole institution of learning behind it that was always tugging at me.
"In the middle of all that stuff sort of vying for musical attention, I think a sound developed in my head out of all those little pieces, and when it came time to write, all of that came out. ... I think as I matured, I learned to carve my own thing out of those influences as opposed to more straight-ahead imitation. We're all sort of piggy-backing off of what came before us."
We'll get a taste of where Sollee's music is headed Friday night. He has put together a special show for his second hometown, recruiting fellow former students on strings and woodwinds. Atlanta's DJ Second Nature will program beats, and Sollee will occasionally step out from behind the cello as a traditional lead vocalist.
He has plans to make an "intricate" second album and take things to the next level, which begs the question: Where is that level, and is there a mainstream audience big enough to carry a cellist who wouldn't mind being the next Sam Cooke?
"There's a lot of talk about the NPR crowd, which is a huge and varied audience, but I don't know if there's any one crowd," he said. "Right now it's so varied. At almost every show I'll have age 16 through 72, so if there's a demographic it would be a half-seated, half-standing audience.
"I intend to sort of follow my own upbringing — I have all of these different influences — and I want to follow that path honestly and let the audience find the music."
Reporter Jeffrey Lee Puckett can be reached at (502) 582-4160.
CONTACT: MIKE O’CONNELL
(919) 218-5792
CONCERT FUNDS REPLACEMENT OF TOXIC SCHOOL, PROMOTES CLEAN ENERGY
Pittsboro, NC – Spending a summer weekend listening to music will help to ensure a safe school for hundreds of children. How? The Mountain Aid concert June 19-20, 2009 at Shakori Hills Farm in Chatham County, NC benefits Pennies of Promise, a grassroots campaign to construct a new building for Marsh Fork Elementary School in West Virginia.
Tucked into the heart of Appalachia, Marsh Fork Elementary sits in the shadow of a Mountain Top Removal coal mine, just 225 feet from the coal silo and 400 yards downstream from a leaking dam holding back nearly three billion gallons of toxic sludge. Independent tests prove coal dust contaminates Marsh Fork Elementary, a direct threat to the children’s respiratory health. Grandfather Ed Wiley began Pennies of Promise after his granddaughter got sick and West Virginia leaders told him the state could not afford a new school in a safer location. The goal? Raise eight million dollars and create a healthy future for the children of Appalachia. That’s where Mountain Aid comes in.
Grammy-winning singer and songwriter and West Virginia native Kathy Mattea will emcee and headline Mountain Aid. “Hosting Mountain Aid is the best way I can think of to spend my 50th birthday. I love these mountains, and to celebrate them and unite with others who love them, through music, is a great opportunity,” Mattea says. Other performers include Ben Sollee, named one of NPR’s “Top Ten Unknown Artists” of the year for 2007; American music icon Donna the Buffalo; and roots rockers the Sim Redmond Band.
Advance tickets for Mountain Aid are on sale now for $22.50 ($30 at the gate). On-site camping, food and craft vendors will be available. For more details, visit www.mtnaid.com.
Why hold Mountain Aid in North Carolina? According to Duke Energy, North Carolina is the number two consumer of Mountain Top Removal coal in the country. Additionally, a bill before North Carolina lawmakers would ban the use of Mountain Top Removal coal in the state. Mountain Aid organizers hope both to raise funds for Pennies of Promise and to create awareness and support for clean energy.
Mountain Top Removal mining, the practice that causes the environmental harm in and around Marsh Fork Elementary, is the subject of the award-winning documentary, “Mountain Top Removal,” directed by Michael O’Connell. “Mountain Top Removal” has played film festivals domestically and internationally and won the Reel Current award selected and presented by Vice President Al Gore at the 2008 Nashville Film Festival. In conjunction with Mountain Aid, the film will screen on June 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Carolina Theatre in Durham.
Mountain Aid thanks our generous sponsors Ohio Valley Environmental Coalition and Coal River Mountain Watch.