Monthly Archive for October, 2007

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TANDY

Published by Geordie on October 24, 2007 in Acoustic, Alternative, Country, Folk and Singer Songwriter. 2 Comments

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Tandy are from New York and are led by the extremely gifted singer/songwriter Mike Ferrio. They have been around for as far as i can gather, about 9 years and i cannot believe a band this good has escaped my ears for so long. They are somewhat of an enigma. Even when you google them or look up on youtube there is very little information, how can this be? Steve Earl say’s they are his favourite New York band which is high praise indeed and he thought good enough to be the first band he played on his radio station. With their mix of Blues/folk/country/Americana and Ferrios gruff voice and songwriting skills, Tandy could quite possibly be the best band you have never heard. On ‘To a friend‘ Songs of love, loss and at times to be honest i’m not quite sure, are created using at various times, Mandolin, 6 and 12 string acoustic guitars, harmonica, pedal steel and drums. The album ‘To a friend’ is like being in a dream, abstract lyrics that you are not sure the meaning of but it doesn’t seem to matter when you have backing vocals by Ana Egge to support Ferrios rather talkative style. Fans of Lambchop, Sam Baker and David Gray will love Tandy i’m sure. On their last album released Did you think i was gone ?’ they worked with the great Malcolm Holcombe which is a more bluesy affair than the afore mentioned ‘To a friend’ which for me is their greatest album so far.

I had the priviledge to see them play recently in Brighton with Mary lee’s corvette and was totally blown away by Ferrios songwriting skills and musicianship.

Check out the couple of Mp3′s i’ve uploaded and if you like please buy the album. Been going for a long time now and could really use your support.

Peace.

 

JUSTIN RUTLEDGE

Published by Geordie on October 21, 2007 in Acoustic, Alternative, Country and Singer Songwriter. 0 Comments

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First of all don’t tell Justin Rutledge he sounds like Ryan Adams, He hates it. However, there is no getting away from the fact that he sometimes does, Perhaps not vocally but musically? Yes, for sure. That should be where the comparisons stop though. Firstly Mr Rutledge is from Toronto, Canada and has been making big waves over there as well as a growing fan base here in the U.K. He has that uncanny knack of making music that sounds so sweet and joyful but when you read his Lyrics you realise how dark he can be and you kind of feel guilty that you are tapping your foot along to it. Uncut magazine described him as the ‘Master of gothic understatement’ which is pretty much spot on. For example, on the song ‘The suffering of Pepe O’malley (part iv)’ he sings about a world where the death of Poetry and art is imminent ! It may sound strange but listen to the mp3 i’ve uploaded and hear for yourself, a beautiful song with superb lyrics, ending with screaming horns and haunting piano which, in the middle of an album that is often simple country chords more akin to Dolly Parton,George Jones and the like, comes as a pleasant surprise.Taken from the album ‘The devil on a bench in Stanley Park‘ it was one of my most played albums of last year and still so far this one. There really isn’t a bad song on this album. I predict massive things from him and he could be the artist to bring the sound of Alt-country much more to the mainstream.Apparently at his gig in Brighton recently ( a gig i could not attend sadly) he already had Girls screaming at him, always a good sign that stardom Beckons i think :-) I cannot rave about this guy enough and i hope after you have listened to the tracks posted you will go out and buy everything he has ever done, including his previous album ‘No never alone’ and you will do the same.

Peace.

 

Matt Nathanson – Some Mad Hope

Published by Trini on October 19, 2007 in Acoustic, Indie, News, On Tour, On Youtube and On iTunes. 4 Comments

Wednesday, Nov. 7th, 7:00pm – Matt Nathanson In-Store Performance @ Fingerprints

Opened my email account today and found this little piece of news from my favorite indie record shop Fingerprints. I’ve reserved my spot, can’t wait to see him live. I have a feeling this is going to be a treat.

Matt is a phenomenon…a quiet phenomenon, but a phenomenon none the less. He managed to beat us to the announcement on this one and we are, in less than 24 hours, at almost 50% capacity. This is a Jack Johnson level of excitement, so if you have the night free please call us immediately and we’ll get you on the guest list. Matt’s music is emotional, loaded with songs that explore the heavy things: life, death, relationships – I guess that’s kind of the usual stuff for songwriters (who don’t just write about beers and girls) but Matt brings a pretty fresh look and feel to these topics (check out the Car Crash link below) and beside the food-for thought aspect of his songs, you get the genuine feeling that he’s a decent guy.

Here’s a bit from his bio:
Nathanson lived his life as the very model of the modern independent artist, journeying from town to town, logging literally hundreds of thousands of miles, all the while captivating audiences with his confessional songs and spontaneous, uncensored stage banter. This hard work has garnered Nathanson a remarkably devoted following — folks willing to cross many a state line to spend a couple of hours communing with Matt and his band (and to spread the gospel through an intricate network dedicated to trading recordings of the live shows). Matt has toured as the opening act for Tori Amos, John Mayer, Guster, and O.A.R. but is currently on a sold-out headline our (He sold out the Troubadour in one day!)

Matt says of the new album “I think of [Some Mad Hope] as an album in the classic sense and not just a collection of songs. There’s definitely a theme there, a tracing of the ups and downs of a relationship. It gets dark in places, but it ends on a note that’s hopeful — it’s not cut-and-dried, but it points to the future in a way that I see as positive.”

 

Elvis Perkins in Paris

Published by Olivier on October 19, 2007 in Acoustic, News and Singer Songwriter. 0 Comments

Check this recent take-away show from La Blogothèque featuring Elvis Perkins. Two great tracks are amazingly captured in Paris. I wish, I had more time to write a couple of lines about Elvis Perkins but those days are just so busy…
Don’t hesitate to comment !

 

BAND OF ANNUALS

Published by Geordie on October 17, 2007 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment

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Band of annuals (Formely the Annuals) hail from Utah, Salt lake city.

Alternative country meets sweet pop melodies. This album ‘Let me live’ which is available here was recorded with the help of Scott Wiley who has worked with Ryan Adams as well as Elliott Smith and you can certainly hear the former on this great album. Some real sad bastard stuff mixed in with some sweet melodies (Think Ryan Adams dueting with Gillian welch) fans of alt country will love this album. They have toured with magnolia electric company, Neko Case and Damien Jurado in the past which may give you a slight feeling for what they sound like but for me I hear a lot of Ryan Adams. Alternatively you can just listen to the two tracks i’ve provided and make your own mind up.

Peace.

 

Alexi Murdoch

Published by Geordie on October 17, 2007 in Acoustic, Folk and Singer Songwriter. 4 Comments

Alexie Murdoch - Time without consequence

The first thing you think when you hear Alexi Murdoch is ‘He sounds a bit like Nick drake’ which he undoubtedly does but he isn’t just a Nick Drake clone. At times i hear a little John Martyn and some James Taylor which is no bad thing let me tell you. Some sweet acoustic guitar playing with a great voice to match.His four track EP was the all time selling cd on cd baby. A couple of tracks here for download from the ‘Time without consequence‘ album. Firstly ‘orange sky’ which has featured on numerous adverts and tv programmes. Secondly the wonderful ‘all my days’ which really is rather spookily like listening to Nick Drake. Enjoy.

 

Josh Ritter on NPR

Published by Laura on October 14, 2007 in Artist/Band Interview and Singer Songwriter. 3 Comments

From Josh’s myspace:

Josh is on Today’s “Weekend Edition” on NPR Radio!

Airing today (Sunday, October 14th) is an interview and peformances by Josh on NPR’s nationwide program “Weekend Edition Sunday.” You can hear it on your local NPR radio station!

Find your station/air times here.

You can also watch an amazing live performance from the Paradiso, amsterdam here http://www.fabchannel.com/ from Sept 2007.

 

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