Author Archive

Unique multi-instrumentalist Whitney Flinn of Hooves and Beak advances to Sound Off! finals

Hooves and Beak, credit: Brady Harvey

Whitney Flinn of Hooves and Beak, originally from Lawrence, Kansas, is currently on extended hiatus in Seattle, Washington. A participant in the Sound Off! Battle of the Bands, Flinn advanced to the finals of the Sound off! Battle of the Bands with a performance Saturday.The Sound Off! Finals will be held on March 6th at the EMP|SFM, the Experience the Music Project, and Science Fiction Museum.

Flinn is the sole member of Hooves and Beak and an inspiring musician. She masters the layering of strong, emotional vocals with harp, piano, accordion, banjo, and guitar — all self-taught. The vocals in her current recordings are vaguely reminiscent of other female indie vocalists — namely Joanna Newsom. Setting her apart is the clear emotional influence behind her words and supplemental strings. Flinn plays her harp in a colorful, folk style unlike any I’ve heard. Her voice is strong and clear, and her strings emulate this. In “Doorman’s Song,” Flinn sings of lost love, an addiction to drinking — all wrapped in her uniquely forlorn harp she creates a heart-wrenching and beautiful anthem.

More information about the Sound Off! may be found at their website, empsfm.org. You may also hear Flinn’s recordings on her Myspace profile, myspace.com/whitneyflinn.

Sasquatch! Music Festival promises exciting lineup

Sasquatch! Music Festival @ The Gorge

With imminent arrival of the Sasquatch! Music Festival I thought we should give you a bit of insight as to what you’ll be seeing throughout the festival. Sasquatch! is on Memorial Day weekend, the 29th, 30th, and 31st of May, located at The Gorge in George, Washington. Tickets go on sale tomorrow, Feb. 20 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time. Get your tickets early — discount 3-day passes are only available the first day of ticket sales, ending at midnight on the 21st. Purchase tickets at sasquatchfestival.com/#/tickets.

 

Some of the major headliners one should look forward to seeing on the first day (May 29) include My Morning Jacket, Vampire Weekend, Broken Social Scene, OK Go, WHY?, and Minus The Bear. Sunday, May 30, we expect an equally stellar day with Massive Attack, Pavement, LCD Soundsystem, Tegan and Sara, and City and Colour. Monday’s lineup looks to be a memorable close to another awesome Sasquatch! with The Mountain Goats, MGMT, Band of Horses, Drive-By Truckers, and The Low Anthem.

Obviously this is not the full list for this year’s Sasquatch!. Please read below to see each artist and the day on which they are playing. You can find out more information for the event, such as ticket pricing, and camping information at the Sasquatch! website here: sasquatchfestival.com.

(more…)

BRIEF: The Low Anthem ready tour, 7″ release

The Low Anthem

The Low Anthem are a American folk-rock group currently comprised of four members. With a range of interesting musical instruments and vocal harmonies, they create a comforting blanket of sound to easily float away in. The Low Anthem are incredibly talented across the board and are worth a serious listen.

The Low Anthem’s first headlining tour begins February 23rd in Pittsburgh, PA with stops at SXSW Music and Media Conference and Festival and Sasquatch! Music Festival at The Gorge in George, WA. The Low Anthem are set to release a limited-edition 7″ of their single “Charlie Darwin,” on the A-side and previously unreleased tracks on B-side. The 7″ will be available for purchase March 2nd, 2010. Their latest album, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, released with Nonesuch records in 2009. It is available for purchase on CD as well as 12″ vinyl here: www.lowanthem.com/store

The Low Anthem — “Charlie Darwin” | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/charlie-darwin.mp3]

(more…)

SPOTLIGHT: Panther Attack! sets jazzy, groovy standard

Panther Attack! @ ChopSuey 4/18/07

Panther Attack! have, to my mind, set a new standard for post-indie/punk/instrumentals. They have a unique ability to create a profound soul unmatched in their genre. Their dual-drum kits, bass, and guitar (often multiple) meld together to create free-flowing instrumental bliss — almost jazzy, definitely groovy.

They are from Seattle and have been preforming together since 2002. Panther Attack! has a self-released full-length album, Martyr Bonus, released in 2007, and in 2008, they released Sharp Moments EP on vinyl. Panther Attack! is not on tour, but they are currently booking new shows. The latest information about when and where they are playing can be found on their MySpace profile at myspace.com/pantherattack, and detailed bio, release info, and more here at the site for Triple Down Records, their record label, tripledownrecords.com.

Continue reading for a video of Panther Attack! performing in Glendale, Calif.

(more…)

PLAYLIST: Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love for many and a reminder of loneliness for others. In the spirit of love and loneliness, I have organized — in no particular order — some of the best indie love songs over the last 10 or so years or so. Each of these songs are draped in melancholy while also delivering a powerful and heartfelt message of love. Throughout my life, I have used these same tracks to wallow in sadness, whereas now they supplement my feelings to the one I love.

So, whether you are feeling down and out or deeply in love, this playlist will help you make it through the day.

1. Radiohead – “Lucky”
A song I often listened to when lost and lonely. I now clearly see the very powerful and forward-looking message Thom Yorke passionately delivers.

2. Augustana – “Coffee and Cigarettes”
Escape and love: the clear message behind this song. Escape from ourselves for some, escape with love for others. Beautiful.

(more…)

News: Broken Bells, incoming indie rock darling the result of James Mercer, Danger Mouse collaboration

James Mercer, lead man for The Shins, and Danger Mouse have put together a soothing and funky collaboration: Broken Bells. “The High Road” is a tantalizing peek of what will likely be one of the better albums we see this year. The single, the first from the upcoming self-titled album, is the current iTunes Single of the Week.

Snippets of the entire album are available on the iTunes, along with the entire first track, “The High Road.” At this time, we can only speculate the possibility of a tour; if tour dates are set, we will promptly update that information here. For more on Broken Bells, visit brokenbells.com.

As a side note, James Mercer will also be appearing in filmmaker Matt McCormick’s film, Some Days are Better Than Others. The film will be screening at South by Southwest Film Festival, which will take place from March 12–20 in Austin, Texas. More information may be found at somedaysthemovie.com as well as sxsw.com/film. Specific screening dates have not yet been announced.

Spotlight: City and Colour

City and Colour -- Courtesy of Dine Alone RecordsCity and Colour, also known as Dallas Green from Alexisonfire, will be releasing a new full-length album coming February 12. The indie and folk-rock driven acoustics and enchanting vocal melodies that Dallas creates strongly accentuate the emotion behind his lyrics. A great success of a solo career! Dallas, a native of Ontario, will be kicking his tour off with a show at MuchMusic in Toronto on the 12th. They have also recently released a video for “Waiting.” Full tour dates can be found at cityandcolour.ca. Read after the jump to view the video.

[asa]B00127I3W2[/asa]

(more…)

Spotlight: Grand Archives

Grand Archives / Courtesy of Sub Pop RecordsGrand Archives, consisting of five – Mat Brooke, Jeff Montano, Curtis Hall, Ron Lewis, and Thomas Wright – bring us bright, experimental pop recordings. “Torn Blue Foam Couch” is particularly lush with a chirping summery tone and beautiful four-part vocal harmonies. Perfect walking music, as great pop should be. To kick off their album release (Feb. 19th) Grand Archives will be performing Live at KEXP 90.3 FM and a live (free!) show at Sonic Boom later that evening in Seattle, WA. Full tour dates will be listed here. Their self-titled album will be released Feb. 19 on Sub Pop Records.

Grand Archives — “Torn Blue Foam Couch” | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/torn_blue_foam_couch.mp3]

(more…)