“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.” –Dwight D. Eisenhower The quote above, from Dwight D. Eisenhower, and now adopted by Roger Waters to embody the spirit of Pink Floyd’s famous album The Wall will appear this weekend across various locations in New York and Los Angeles as vivid graphic projections, wheat pastings and chalk drawings. We invite you to check out the locations below and spread the word of Roger’s message. This is a call to arms to a new generation of fans, to not sit idly by and believe what is being told to them, but to constantly question, and find the answers they seek by breaking down walls. Read more...
Swedish indie-rock quintet Shout Out Louds are excited to offer the Fontän Rework of their acclaimed single “Walls.” As a remix of a song that Esquire Magazine recently named “Perfect Pop Song of the Month” for March, the Rework by Fontän, an acclaimed Swedish duo, is an electronic and progressive take on the track that compliments and builds on the exuberance of the original.
Download the Fontän Rework of Shout Out Louds’ “Walls” hereRead more...
Canton, Ohio band Lovedrug is preparing for a very busy summer. In a recent interview with MishMash Magazine leader singer/guitarist Michael Shepard noted, “We’re gonna tour in June and July, put out two more EPs, record a full length record, get a new record deal, move to Nashville, start our own line of sausage links and take over the world starting with Ireland. But, not in that specific order possibly.” Read more...
“The only band we like is Nirvana. The only album we like is Nevermind. The only song we like is “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” No, this is not an obituary for a delusional albeit loyal Nirvana fan that took his own life after realizing that Kurt Cobain was never coming back. And this isn’t even the press release for a Nirvana tribute band that stubbornly refuse to learn, or write any other song, in fear of selling out and dishonoring the aforesaid grunge legends. Read more...
Danish electronic artist Trentemøller has just made the first single, “Sycamore Feeling,” off of his upcoming sophomore album, Into the Great Wide Yonder, available for free mp3 download. Check it out below and feel free to download it! “Sycamore Feeling” is foggy, off-kilter, and unsettlingly seductive, and features guest vocals from Danish singer Marie Fisker. As a first single, it sets a moody tone, a premonition of what’s yet to come. Read more...
Interview hosted by Michael Halloran. Produced by Myles Crawley. Edited by Rich Aquino.
Half Greek, half Latin, the words Alpha Rev pulled together loosely mean “the beginning of something new.” At least that’s how Texas-born musician Casey McPherson describes the name of the group he fronts. He goes on to say, “It’s that feeling when the light bulb goes off, that instant of inspiration and redemption, those moments that keep us going forward.” Read more...
Dangerbird Records is excited to announce a newly confirmed Silversun Pickups headlining tour! The Grammy-nominated, Los Angeles-based quartet, fresh off a hugely successful arena tour supporting Muse, will head out with Against Me! and Henry Clay People opening. This first leg of dates starts in Orlando, FL, on June 15th and ends in Milwaukee, WI, on July 4th. More dates will be added soon. Read more...
San Francisco-based songwriter Sonya Cotton released her second album in 2009 entitled Red River, but only having just discovered it, the album is worth highlighting, as one listen to her hypnotic lyrics is enough to realize that her self-released album is like a small and seemingly undiscovered treasure. Cotton’s overall style can be described as contemplative and intimate. While she touches on subjects that are not only deeply personal, she also expresses great reverence for that which is natural and susceptible to loss and thoughtless destruction. Her songs are delivered in a sweet and hushed manner that emphasizes this sense of loss when preservation is ignored, not only towards our memories, loves and dreams but also aspects of nature. For instance, in the song “Hunter,” Cotton offers a meditation on the act of hunting and the exploitation of wild spaces. Read more...
Interview by Michael Halloran. Produced by Myles Crawley. Interview edited by Charlie Hatley. Performance edited by Ryan Parker.
By Myles Crawley
On the last day of our adventure at Sunset Sessions, Tyler Hilton stopped by to speak with us. While there he played a beautiful song called ‘Sunset Boulevard’. This song will appear on a new EP coming out soon called Ladies and Gentlemen. Read more...
Seattle-based alt-country rockers Band of Horses are set to release their third full-length album, Infinite Arms, on May 18th on Brown Records/Fat Possum Records/Columbia. Like its two predecessors, the album was co-produced by the band and Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Modest Mouse, The Shins). Read more...
The only thing we really know about Blind Blake is that he was a hellish good guitarist. His bass notes are like a rock, steady as a metronome. His melody and grace notes are imaginative, jazzy, and impeccable.
Blake approaches the guitar like a ragtime piano, syncopated, and innovative. If you listen closely, you can hear how he influenced artists as diversified as Hank Williams, Gary Davis, and Keb Mo.
Marked by musical sophistication, a sly sense of humor, and an earthy outlook, Blake’s music echoes vaudeville, minstrel shows, and cakewalks. All we have of him is one picture, and the 79 sides he recorded for Paramount.
Compare Police Dog Blues to Blind Willie McTell’s Statesboro Blues. The Reverend Gary Davis summed it up best, “Blind Blake was a sportin‘ guitar player. Yes, he was.
Hosted by Michael Halloran. Produced by Myles Crawley. Interview edited by Rich Aquino. Performance edited by Ryan Parker.
By: Myles Crawley
I heard Reni Lane for the first time while she was sound checking at Sunset Sessions. Getting a look was imperative because sonically I could tell there was something unique and above par about her. The visual supported that. She sports this shocking red/orange hair that suits her perfectly. Funny enough, when she sat down to talk to Halloran, she picked up a copy of David Bowie’s Low album that I had brought with me. She told us she was a huge fan of Bowie’s and dresses up as him at Halloween every year. As it turns out, her hair was the exact same color as Bowie’s on the front cover of Low. Coincidence? I think not. Read more...
Following the worldwide success of their first three albums, the members of Keane announce today the release date of Night Train to be released on Cherrytree/Interscope Records in the U.S. on May 11. The band who has had three consecutive #1 albums in their native UK and have played sold out shows throughout the US will also soon announce tour dates in North America for this coming Spring. Read more...
When you listen to Dr. Dog, you would swear that you’ve heard the song before. Paul McCartney crooning those melodies, Brian Wilson producing those harmonized chorales, all backed by The Band’s Americana guitar riffs. But this is not imitation; this is homage; this is nostalgia.
Though the woodsy Pennsylvanian quintet channels the greats of yesteryear in its sixth LP, Shame Shame (first on indie Mainstay Anti-), the influences are scattered sparingly enough that the sound is still original. And with co-producer Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith) calling the shots, Dr. Dog has released yet another catchy, hook-savvy indie pop record. Read more...
Hosted by Michael Halloran. Produced by Myles Crawley. Edited by Charlie Hatley.
Holding Air Hostage is a four-piece band based in San Diego, California, and is centered around the writing of award-wining singer/songwriter Jeremy Geltman, who first teamed up with guitarist/vocalist Tony Cafiso as an acoustic duo in January 2008. They were later joined by local musicians Jeff Ludwig and Dusty Norberg on bass and drums, respectively, and the band transformed from an acoustic duo into an amplified indie rock band. Read more...
Laidback hipster, Citizen Cope, has once again captivated his listeners with what many people would consider to be his best work yet. In his newest album, The Rainwater LP, Cope, aka Clarence Greenwood, has beautifully blended soul, hip-hop, rock ‘n’ roll, blues and reggae into one giant, sonic masterpiece. The name says it all: this album is fresh, clean, and pure. With its vinyl-like sound, it delivers the un-watered down musical interpretation that Cope intended for his listener to hear. Read more...
Brooklyn-based indie rock favorites The National are set to release their fifth full-length album, entitled High Violet, on May 11th on 4AD Records. The release marks the band’s return since 2007’s critically acclaimed Boxer and was co-produced by the band and Peter Katis at both the band’s own studio in Brooklyn and at Katis’ Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, Connecticut. In anticipation of the release, The National have created a website for High Violet , which features exclusive clips of the band in the studio recording the album, as well as the digital release of one of the album’s key tracks, “Bloodbuzz Ohio.” Read more...
Sara Petite is a hard working girl. If she’s not on the plane right now, then she just recently touched down in the UK for a new tour through Ireland and England. Sara’s not the kind of girl to wait around for an opportunity. A few years ago, after the death of her grandmother, she decided that she was going to become a working musician. Getting laid off helped her along a little as well. So she booked herself a tour through Ireland, made a record and started living the life. Sounds crazy to some I’m sure. There are those who are reading this right now and thinking, “Holy shit, I could never do that. What if I were to fail?” But the word fail is not in Sara’s vocabulary. Read more...
