AltWeeklies Wire
Brave New Worldnew
The Bravery forges through criticism toward fresh musical horizons.
San Diego CityBeat |
Staff |
01-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: The Bravery, The Sun and The Moon
Mr. Pitifulnew
When you're Matt Costa, the sun is always shining.
San Diego CityBeat |
Jessie Nelson |
01-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Matt Costa, Unfamiliar Faces
Vampire Weekend's Debut is Solidnew
It's an impressive first outing on what should be a shaky premise at best: four pasty indie dudes taking a stab at Afro-pop.
Dig Boston |
John DiSalvo |
01-30-2008 |
Reviews
Tags: Vampire Weekend
The Pack Heeds a Higher Callingnew
As hip-hop continues to falter -- falling from high art to hi-fi ringtone factory -- it's quite possible that the salvation of the culture lies in four Vans-wearing skateboarding teens from Berkeley, CA.
Dig Boston |
Martín Caballero |
01-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Based Boys, The Pack
Harmony At First Listennew
Dynamic husband-and-wife country duo shines brightly on American Songwriter Magazine's Winter Tour.
Charleston City Paper |
T. Ballard Lesemann |
01-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: The Wrights
Terence Blanchard Leads the Waynew
Using his music to help shed light on the entire Katrina tragedy, the horn player recently wrote and performed the music for director Spike Lee's highly acclaimed HBO documentary, When the Levees Broke. Then Blanchard went a step further by adding to the music used in Lee's film to create the recently released album, A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina).
Charleston City Paper |
Alan Sculley |
01-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Miranda Lawnew
Four years after placing third on Nashville Star, 24-year-old Miranda Lambert is able to say, once and for all, that she’s glad she failed to win.
San Antonio Current |
Cole Haddon |
01-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Able Baker Fox Delivers Impressive Debutnew
When the band’s at its most aggressive and least hook-driven, it brings to mind Make Believe-era Tim Kinsella (and just how good that band’s records actually are), but also shows how impressive this band is, and how the sound is rather polished for a first record.
Chicago Newcity |
Tom Lynch |
01-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Able Baker Fox, Voices
Jack Of All Tradesnew
Dave Powers is truly a jack-of-all-trades. He is a producer, composer, keyboardist, lyricist, live visual artist, web developer and DJ. His latest studio project is a highly anticipated forthcoming solo EP for Klectik featuring a remix from Berlin-based producer/label owner/DJ Camea.
Chicago Newcity |
Elly Rifkin |
01-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Dave Powers
Together Againnew
Spawned from an initial one-off show last June at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, "The Hard Sell" has blossomed into a complete full-length album collaboration and extensive world tour that will be assaulting listeners with a seamless live mix constructed entirely from vinyl 45s.
Chicago Newcity |
Brad Knutson |
01-30-2008 |
Reviews
Meaty Rock and Funk Coming Your Waynew
Is there such a thing as cerebral rock that doesn't suck? Johnny Sketch and Co. may be proving so with its immodestly titled fourth album The Big Awesome, which flexes the band's conservatory chops on meaty rock and funk in a way that's smart but not snobby.
Asymmetrical Tapestry of Soundnew
As science-y sounding as the title, the album is sonically understated, yet complex. It plays like a collection of lost sounds naturally magnetizing to one another and then spinning off into the atmosphere.
Apollo Missionnew
Valerie Fernandez takes her soulful pipes to legendary Harlem theater and emerges with new ambition.
San Antonio Current |
Gilbert Garcia |
01-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Valerie Fernandez
Hot Gypsy Jazznew
The sextet definitely rocks the tunes with aplomb, particularly Pierre Pichon's sizzling acoustic guitar, which isn't as front-and-center as one might assume from the material. The full band is constantly in play, getting the most out of the earthy sophistication of the familiar style and arranging the tunes in a perfect balance to assert its own stamp on the material while paying homage to the near perfection of the original compositions.
Tags: Swingphonicity, VaVaVoom
New Orleans' Other Saintsnew
At 73, Roger Dickerson, the 2008 honoree for lifetime achievement at the Big Easy Awards' 14th Annual Tribute to the Classical Arts, is Louisiana's de facto pianist laureate, the classical counterpart to James Booker and Allen Toussaint.
Gambit |
Noah Bonaparte Pais |
01-30-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Roger Dickerson
