AltWeeklies Wire
Brooklyn's Clare and the Reasons Make Charmed Chamber Popnew
Clare Muldaur’s honey-sweet vocals and fanciful soundscapes may belie the sophistication of her compositions and her husband’s arrangements of brass, strings and woodwinds, but it’s that levity and wonder that make Clare and the Reasons so charming.
Montreal Mirror |
Lorraine Carpenter |
01-22-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
John Hammond Recalls His Meetings With Clapton, Hendrix, Dylan and Waitsnew
John Hammond's latest Grammy nomination is for last year's Rough & Tough album, which he recorded at the landmark St. Peter's Church in New York City. Were he not so talented and accomplished in his own right, it would be easy to dismiss Hammond as the music world's version of Woody Allen's Leonard Zelig.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
01-21-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: John Hammond, Rough & Tough, The Band, Tom Waits, Satan, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Grammy
Grammy-Nominated Red Helps Rock In a New Era of Christian Musicnew
“[Christian rock] has evolved and changed so much that nowadays it’s a little bit different in our eyes, so call it what you will,” says Red guitarist Anthony Armstrong. “We’re Christian guys who write music in a band and play rock songs, so at the end of the day, we’re just a rock band.”
Monterey County Weekly |
Adam Joseph |
01-21-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Nine Minutes With Exene Cervenka of L.A. Punk Band Xnew
On January 5, I had the odd pleasure of a telephone interview with Exene Cervenka, lead singer of the quintessential Los Angeles punk band X. Founded in 1977, X combined poetic lyrics with rockabilly arrangements and eerie harmonies to create a sound no one had ever heard before.
San Antonio Current |
Bryan Rindfuss |
01-20-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Israeli Folk Group HaBanot Nechama is Ready to Comfort America Nextnew
HaBanot Nechama's soulful, acoustic songs revel in femininity. Layers of lush vocals, in a fluently shifting mix of English and Hebrew, dance over lurching reggae rhythms and finger-snapping folk. These ladies are feisty — maybe a little gypsy in spirit — but they also seem sweet.
San Diego CityBeat |
AnnaMaria Stephens |
01-13-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: HaBanot Nechama
Quinn Peaks: Calgary-Bred Duo Reaches New Heights With Sainthoodnew
For every moment of unabashed sentiment in the pair’s music, there is a moment of calculated self-awareness, like the sisters are following their hearts. With their latest release, Sainthood, Tegan and Sara are finally letting go of their fixation on the mystery of their art, and just letting the songs be songs.
Fast Forward Weekly |
Matt Learoyd |
01-07-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Born Under a Blues Signnew
Lurrie Bell's nomination for a Grammy Award earlier this month was the latest confirmation of the blues inheritance that sustained his career and even saved his life.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
01-07-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Nellie McKay Talks 'A Prairie Home Companion,' Politics, and Doris Daynew
As a forward-thinking musician, Nellie McKay has jumped all over the map in the last decade, with albums spanning pop music, funk, disco, and hip hop. Her most recent, Normal as Blueberry Pie, veers into surprisingly traditional territory with a collection of Doris Day covers.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
01-06-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Los Cenzontles, a Group at the Cutting Edge in Latin Musicnew
I find it particularly sad and absurd that a band like California’s Los Cenzontles (sehn-SONT-less, Spanish for “mockingbirds”), except for a private event here in 1995, are busier and more appreciated in Scotland and Ireland than they are in San Antonio.
San Antonio Current |
Enrique Lopetegui |
01-06-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
Former Seattle Weekly Editor Aja Pecknold’s a Fleet Foxnew
As the paper's former clubs editor, Aja Pecknold churned out blurbs for The Short List, maintained her "Behind the Scenes" column, and penned some lively features. She now serves as point person for all things Fleet Foxes.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian J. Barr |
01-04-2010 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Awkward Hit-Makers: Berkeley's The Cataracsnew
There's a studied, left-brained pragmatism to The Cataracs' approach: Perhaps because they don't have classical backgrounds or industry connections, they've spent years examining and analyzing what it takes to make a hit and applying this knowledge to every new track.
East Bay Express |
Ellen Cushing |
12-30-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Born Under a Blues Sign: Lurrie Bell Carries on a Family Legacynew
Lurrie Bell's nomination for a Grammy Award earlier this month was the latest confirmation of the blues inheritance that sustained his career and even saved his life. His father, Carey Bell, was nominated for his own Grammy three decades ago.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
12-29-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Alan Palomo Scores With Neon Indian's Hazy Soundsnew
Mapping out a universe of spongy synth leads and canned beats, Dallas-bred knob-tinkerer Alan Palomo has managed an offbeat triumph in Psychic Chasms, the debut of Neon Indian, his mostly one-man bedroom project.
Dallas Observer |
Doug Wallen |
12-28-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Last Frontier: Portugal. The Man Are Like No Othernew
In lieu of resting on the crutch of their regional association, the band turned the calendar pages of 2009 by recording a pair of albums—The Satanic Satanist, their most successful release to date, and American Ghetto, due out next spring.
The Portland Mercury |
Ezra Ace Caraeff |
12-17-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: American Ghetto, Portugal. The Man
Marquez! is Ready to Become San Diego's Premier Rock en Espanol Bandnew
For Jared Armijo-Wardle and Cesar Zuñiga to have made it this far seems a fair example of their passion and commitment to the music they play: a lovely and introspective blend of American indie-rock and the regional Mexican music that Cesar Zuñiga grew up listening to.
San Diego CityBeat |
Seth Combs |
12-16-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
