Divided into two discs in the same fashion as their debut, The Boxmasters work the same angles all over again on Modbilly and offer up one side of original compositions and one side of covers. Comprised of W.R. “Bud” Thornton on vocals and drums, J.D. Andrew on guitars and bass, and Mike Butler on lead… [Read more…]
April 27, 2009
When one takes a look at Cannonball Adderley’s 1958 Somethin’ Else, it’s hard not to be overcome with copious amounts of jazz enthusiasm. With Julian on sax, Miles Davis on trumpet, Hank Jones tickling the ivories, Sam Jones (no relation) on bass, and Art Blakey doing his thing on the drums, the line-up is about… [Read more…]
April 26, 2009
Back towards the closing notes of high school, my best friend and I would take drives in his colossal Oldsmobile. We’d just drive and drive, off in the middle of nowhere with nothing but trees and night sky and the smell of warm summer evening around us. No cell phones, either. Our best piece of… [Read more…]
April 24, 2009
When I was a child, I used to pretend that my bed was a ship taking me off somewhere. I didn’t particularly have a destination in mind, but in my years of uneasy sleep I’d soothe myself with the notion of drifting off with the comforting pull and push of the ocean beneath. In making See… [Read more…]
April 22, 2009
Charlie Kohlhase’s Explorer’s Club is all about the tête-à-tête between members of his probing musical collective. Kohlhase’s sax is joined by Jeff Galindo’s trombone, Matt Langley’s tenor and soprano sax, Jef Charland’s bass, Eric Hofbauer’s guitar, and a pair of drummers in Miki Matsuki and Chris Punis. With the aptly-titled Adventures, this Explorer’s Club introduces listeners… [Read more…]
April 18, 2009
With instruments like the violin, guitar, and accordion, chamamé became music for the people in the Argentine Northeast. In its earliest embodiment, this form of folk music was considered to be of little interest to the upper classes. It was the song of the lower-class, of the bottom rung, like the beginnings of American blues and Portuguese fado.… [Read more…]
April 16, 2009
Within seconds of “Hard Way Learner,” the leading track to Chris Velan’s Solidago, it isn’t hard to imagine swaying palm trees and fruit-flavoured cocktails. There’s something peaceful, tellingly so, about the way Velan’s even-tempered nature squeezes out over the spring of guitar. It’s no wonder that Velan’s third record drips with such breeziness. The singer-songwriter, classically trained… [Read more…]
April 14, 2009
With the popularity of Slumdog Millionaire, India’s rich musical heritage and incredible variety has once again been rightly brought to the attention of the masses. India has long had a vivacious musical tradition, with Bollywood, pop, acoustic folk, and even lounge music coming out of the diverse country. The popular music scene, reflected in the astounding… [Read more…]
April 29, 2009
0