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NEWS: Minus the Bear set ‘Omni’ release date

Matthew Montgomery

Photo Credit: David Belisle

Minus the Bear, widely loved within the indie rock community, announced today the May 4 release of Omni, their fourth full-length album. Produced by Joe Chiccarelli, who has worked with artists as diverse as My Morning Jacket, Frank Zappa, Oingo Boingo, and Counting Crows, and is the man said to have found Tori Amos, Omni promises new ground from Minus the Bear.

Omni is set to be the band’s first release on Dangerbird Records, whose roster includes Silversun Pickups, The One AM Radio, and The Dears. Shortly after the release, the group will set out on a six-week tour of North America.

February 22, 2010 Posted in News No Comments »

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

Scott Mathews

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.

Posted in Artist Spotlight, Seattle, Washington No Comments »

NEWS: Cedar City songwriter compilation, Cedar Breaks Out!, hits shelves after release party

Matthew Montgomery

Cedar Breaks Out!

Saturday saw the release of the latest project from the home of independent music in Cedar City, Groovacious Records. Cedar Breaks Out!, a 14-track compilation consisting of some of the town’s best singer-songwriters, made its debut last night at the record store, which was nearly bursting at the seams with attention.

The compilation features 14 artists from the Cedar City area, and 11 of those performed at Saturday evening’s celebrations. It serves as a refreshing reminder that not only are Open Mic nights at Groovacious packing a punch with their unique performances and evocative covers, but these musicians can provoke an emotional response with their own music.

The album sees a street release date of Tuesday, when it can be purchased for $9.99 at Groovacious Records. The album is being released on Groovacious Platters, the record label run by Groovacious Records owners Tim and Lisa Cretsinger.

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Posted in News, Photos, Southern Utah, Video No Comments »

SPOTLIGHT: Jack Conte, one-man band, destined for limelight stay

Jared Montgomery

Jack Conte

Jack Conte

Ladies and gentlemen, meet Jack Conte. He is a San Francisco native that has only been on the scene for about three years, but will stay in the limelight for much longer than fifteen minutes if he continues releasing EPs like he has in the past.

I first discovered Conte after finding “Lonely Ghost” on YouTube. I made the mistake of not watching the video the first time I listened through it, but thankfully glanced a peek after feeling hypnotized into listening to the song a second time. It was then that I discovered that he is a one-man band – something you don’t see very often. At one point he even uses a homemade method of voice distortion by singing into a tube and waving it vigorously in front of a microphone. He then proceeds to put the beat down on some organ pedals. It is clearly stated in the YouTube description that there are no hidden sounds: “If you hear it, at some point you (will) see it.” Also included in the video: an electric Wurlitzer and him releasing a can of confetti, played in reverse. (more…)

February 21, 2010 Tags: , , ,
Posted in Artist Spotlight, Reviews, Video No Comments »

The music of “Chrono Trigger” continues to evolve after 15 years

Jared Montgomery

"Chrono Trigger" box art

Box Art from the SNES game "Chrono Trigger"

Since “Chrono Trigger” was released in 1995, it has been widely regarded as having one of the best soundtracks on a video game. It helped spur the scene of video game music remixes and has had many iterations over the years. The soundtrack by Yasunori Mitsuda, originally in just 16-bit audio, still contends with full orchestral music heard in today’s games and has a large cult following in the video game scene.

One of the most notable renditions on the soundtrack is the acid jazz album Chrono Trigger Arranged Version: The Brink of Time. The album was released just over three months after the game and features ten remade tracks. Initially, the album had very mixed reviews with critics claiming to either love it or hate it. Personally, I enjoyed this acid jazz arrangement of the soundtrack quite a bit. It has all the workings of an enjoyable acid jazz album mixed with memorable songs that incite great memories. The choice of acid jazz seems like an obvious one simply because the sounds used, if not emulate, at least do justice to the original 16-bit sounds.

Yasunori Mitsuda arr. DJ Ali Haeri – “Kingdom Trial” remixed with “1, 2 Step” by Ciara feat. Missy Elliott from Chrono Trigger Mixtape, Vol. 1
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/2-05-1-2-Step-Ciara-feat.-Missy-Elliott.mp3]

Yasunori Mitsuda arr. DJ Ali Haeri – “Underground Sewer” from Chrono Trigger Mixtape, Vol. 1
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/3-08-Underground-Sewer.mp3]

Yasunori Mitsuda arr. Daniel Floyd – “Morning Sunlight” from Chrono Symphonic (2005)
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/02-Morning-Sunlight.mp3]

 

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February 20, 2010 Tags: , , ,
Posted in Downloads, Features, Video Game Music 2 Comments »

Sasquatch! Music Festival promises exciting lineup

Scott Mathews

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.

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February 19, 2010 Posted in News, Seattle, Washington No Comments »

Music Geek: Woody Allen’s Manhattan and Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” combine for engaging musical perspective

Matthew Montgomery

That famed, prolific director Woody Allen — the auteur behind greats like Annie Hall, Interiors, and, of course, the subject at hand, 1979’s Manhattan, the three of which were released over a three-year period from 1977 to 1979 — has always displayed a penchant for musical ingenuity.

So when the black-and-white, self-affirming Manhattan opens with George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” a musical masterpiece said by some to be a portrait or tribute to New York City, we aren’t really surprised. When Allen, with his wry wit and self-deprecating demeanor, juxtapositions his opening narration, a stop-start, neurotic monologue serving as the opening to the equally neurotic Isaac Davis, even obliquely mentioning Gershwin, we’re given a distinct image of the film to come.

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Posted in MovieGeek, Music and Film, Music Geek by Matthew Montgomery No Comments »

BRIEF: The Low Anthem ready tour, 7″ release

Scott Mathews

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]

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February 18, 2010 Tags: , ,
Posted in News, Photos, Video No Comments »

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