Archive for the ‘Regional MusicGeek’ Category

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Music Geek: Record stores at crossroads, but there’s time to recover

Matthew Montgomery

See, I can look classy every now and again.

While in Phoenix for a computer-assisted reporting conference — NICAR 2010, which has a name nearly as exciting as possible for this sort of this — I took a jaunt over to a couple record  stores, interested, of course, in seeing what sorts of wares were on offer. What I found was surprising and depressing, inspiring and enlightening.

My first stop, Circles Records & Tapes was one which I’d recently discovered was either closing or had already closed. To my delight, I found it to have not yet closed, and a large advert touting their 50-percent-off liquidation sale made the whole thing all the more tantalizing. It was, then, a bit unfortunate to discover that the store was very much into the process of closing its doors, and the merchandise being liquidated included a few miscellaneous albums on vinyl — nothing of real note, excepting one of the many Brian Eno collaboration projects — and a slew of very cheap, obscure, and low-quality CD releases. It was no real pain to walk from the store empty handed, as I’d already assumed it had closed for good, and my plans were primarily to visit a store a few blocks away, Revolver Records. Anything I would have picked up at a Circles would have been merely a happy accident.

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March 13, 2010 Tags:
Posted in Music Geek by Matthew Montgomery, Record Stores at the Crossroads, Regional MusicGeek No Comments »

Groovefest lineup promises musical surprises

Matthew Montgomery

The Packway Handle Band at Groovefest 2007 / Matthew Montgomery

After a multitude of revisions by Tim and Lisa Cretsinger, the lineup for the 2010 Groovefest American Music Festival has been released. Tim and Lisa own Groovacious Records in Cedar City, Utah, and have been organizing Groovefest for nine years. Groovefest is free to the public, and the main event — two full days of music — will take place at the Cedar City Main Street Park on June 25 and 26. Further events are being planned from Wednesday, June 23 to Sunday, June 27.

Friday, June 25

  • 1:00 – 1:45 John Sotter
  • 2:00 – 2:45 Molly Venter
  • 3:00 – 4:00 Kort McCumber Band
  • 4:15 – 5:15 Karling Abbeygate
  • 5:30 – 6:30 Oakhurst
  • 6:45 – 7:45 John Lisi & Delta Funk
  • 8:00 – 9:15 Great American Taxi
  • 9:30 – 11:00 Traveler

Saturday, June 26

  • 11:30 – 12:15 John Batdorf
  • 12:30 – 1:15 Joe Baker & His Barefoot Brakemen
  • 1:30 – 2:30 The Gabrielle Louise Show
  • 2:45 – 3:45 Trevor Green
  • 4:00 – 5:00 The Henhouse Prowlers
  • 5:15 – 6:15 Chris Laterzo & Buffalo Robe
  • 6:30 – 7:30 The New Familiars
  • 7:45 – 9:15 The Scott Holt Band
  • 9:30 – 11:00 Lubriphonic

March 6, 2010 Posted in News, Southern Utah No Comments »

People Eating People, Nouela Johnston’s jazzy new solo project, is catching fire

Scott Mathews

Nouela and Brian at The Sunset (credit: Christen Shaw)

People Eating People is the solo piano pop project of Seattle artist Nouela Johnston, and it is absolutely astounding. Johnston has gone through much turbulence to arrive at her current position. In 2007, Johnston was locked into a contract with Mon Frere, the band who won the SoundOff! Battle of the Bands in 2007, which she immediately regretted. Johnston dropped from the band which caused her “[…] a shit-ton of legal messes,” as she explained to The Stranger earlier this week. Unable to release her own music until, among other things, the sum of $5,000 be paid to Cake Records, and she played and toured for-hire with three other bands: Say Hi, Fall of Troy, and Creature Feature. All the while, Johnston was recording a demo which eventually reached the hands of Nabil Ayers, current label manager for 4AD, who offered to release her full-length album.

Her self-titled album, People Eating People, released in November 2009, is an emotional outpouring of jazzy vocals and piano. Johnston is classically trained in jazz piano — she began performing recitals by the age of 4. Being that she is classically trained, her music is technically masterful and complex — her vocals are to match. Her lyrics are personal and emotionally driven; we can see such in “I Hate All My Friends.” Pounding and fast jazz keys supplement her apparent anger as she sings a tale of lies and deceit. With “All The Hospitals,” Johnston shows her flexibility as a jazz pianist. Fluctuating, complex rhythms, all the while delivering the similarly fluctuating jazz-style vocals. A highly emotional tale of depression, making references to suicide amongst other things; “don’t cut too deep, take all those pills…don’t swallow… everyone you love is on your side.”

People Eating People — “All the Hospitals,” from People Eating People (2009) | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/PeopleEatingPeople.mp3]

See below for upcoming shows, live videos, and a video interview.

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March 4, 2010 Tags: , , ,
Posted in Artist Spotlight, Seattle, Washington No Comments »

REVIEW: Panther Attack! gives us heart-pounding, funky post-rock

Scott Mathews

Panther Attack! @ Club Tropical (credit unknown)

Panther Attack!’s full-length album, Martyr Bonus, was released in 2007. The quartet, from Seattle, Wash., is composed of a bassist, guitarist, and two drummers — with one drummer often trading out as the second guitarist. Martyr Bonus is their first and only full-length album to date, with Sharp Moments EP being their only other recorded release. Martyr Bonus is a wonderful instrumental album tilting from groovy post-punk to shoegaze.

The first track on the album, “Frolic, Just Don’t Lick,“ is slow to crescendo and has a shoegaze feel. It lays out the groovy standard to come throughout the album. The guitars have a muddy feel in this track and, appropriately, croaking frogs. Layered cleverly through the guitars, the bass pulls us slowly forward through the mud, reminiscent of plodding through a swampy, hazy field. The drums are absent through the entirety of this track.

Moving forward two tracks to “Stands About, With Dumb Look On Face,” we are immediately greeted face paced guitar and dual drum kits wailing away. Jazzy scales take us from fast and loud to quiet and slow, and back again. The drum kits in this track are a delight. They are responsible for much of the feverish feeling throughout this six-minute-long track. From here on out, the entire album feels much more jazzy than the initial two tracks.

February 25, 2010 Tags: , ,
Posted in Album Reviews, Reviews, Seattle, Washington No Comments »

NEWS: SLC record store Slowtrain plans customer appreciation party

Matthew Montgomery

Slowtrain, one of Salt Lake City’s few independent record stores, is planning a customer appreciation party for March 28 from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Not the first party of the sort they’ve thrown, the event includes a performance from David Williams and acts as a preface to a live show from Laura Gibson and Ethan Rose.

In other Slowtrain news, the store has placed their Blue Note reissue series LPs for sale online, with each running from $50 to $60. The store is the only outlet selling the LPs in Salt Lake City, and their stock is limited.

Slowtrain is located at 221 E Broadway in Salt Lake City and sells tickets to upcoming shows in the greater Salt Lake City area. Read on for a list of shows Slowtrain is selling tickets to — tickets are only available for cash and include a $1 service fee.

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February 24, 2010 Posted in News, Salt Lake City, Utah No Comments »

Exciting new Puget Sound psych-folk quintet The Cat From Hue embodies Seattle environment

Scott Mathews

The Cat From Hue, indie/psych-folk quintet from Camano Island, Washington, are an interesting listen. Clearly influenced by other indie bands from the northwest, Modest Mouse and Portugal. The Man, this young group uniquely portrays the Puget Sound in their lyrics alongside upbeat, folksy instrumentals. In “Welcome Back The Rain,” through well constructed folk guitar, slow drum beats, tambourine, and high keys, their music emulates the sound and feeling of a typical rainy day in the Puget Sound. Their lyrics in this song are delivered strong and sleepy, with the verse declaring “We watch the days run down to the hour change/We watch the green leaves turn around, and walk through the sleet and the rain…” and more cleverly sour lyrics regarding the Seattle music scene: “I hear the Puget Sound is Land of the Green/I reciprocate the meaning with the speech about the scene […] just a crow in my crow’s nest/tippin’ back my Seattle’s Best Coffee.”

The Cat From Hue — “Welcome Back The Rain,” from Shoreline
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/04-Welcome-Back-The-Rain.mp3]

The Cat From Hue — “Stumble On,” from Shoreline
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/03-Stumble-On.mp3]

The Can From Hue are currently unsigned and have many shows lined up. To see more information about the band visit their myspace, myspace.com/catfromhue, or visit them on Facebook. See below for a video of them live, acoustic, as well as a look at their upcoming shows.

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February 23, 2010 Tags: , ,
Posted in Artist Spotlight, Seattle, Washington, Video 1 Comment »

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.

February 22, 2010 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 »

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