Archive for the ‘Media’ Category

An interview with The Raintree

The Raintree / Photo courtesy of The RaintreeThe Raintree is a folk/acoustic artist hailing from Phoenix, Arizona. Ryan Osterman, once a member of The Maine, is now a solo artist with an incredible voice and amazing talent. With a hint of influence from artists like Bright Eyes, The Raintree won’t disappoint.

The Raintree — “Pairs” | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/pairs.mp3]

Who are the main influences on your music?:
Well, honestly, just life and love — the people that bring about the sheer joy and accentuate the beauty in all of my surroundings. My musical influences vary and flux quite a bit and often, but I’ve always been a fan of Third Eye Blind, Goo Goo Dolls, Maria Taylor, Bright Eyes, Stars, Jimmy Eat World, etc. I could go on for a while, so I’ll spare you, but a lot of it has to do with what a band or song reminds me of. I embed memories within each song I listen to. Just about anything could influence me.

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Spotlight: Jenny Hallam

Jenny Hallam / Courtesy of Jenny HallamJenny Hallam is an independent, relatively unknown, artist from Worcester in the UK. Her music ranges from piano driven pop to quick paced, crunchy guitar ridden rock. She is yet to be signed or have a self released album, but does has a few demos up for listen on her MySpace page. The song Avoiding the Spotlight starts with quick drums, and dance influenced keyboard sounds, but quickly gives way to guitar solos that harken to the days of Jimi Hendrix and Jefferson Airplane. All things considered, this girl has some great talent and shows real potential.

Jenny Hallam – “Avoiding the Spotlight” | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/03-avoiding-the-spotlight.mp3]

An interview with Chairs in the Arno

Chairs in the Arno Chairs in the Arno, a synth-driven indie pop band in the vein of Barcelona, answer a few questions from MusicGeek.org regarding their music, their future, and the reception of their release, File Folder. Chairs in the Arno have previously been the subject of a MusicGeek.org spotlight.

Chairs in the Arno — “Size Thirty” | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/chairsinthearno-sizethirty.mp3]

You seem to occupy the same general music area as, say, Barcelona and Sprites. How much affinity do you hold to them, and how influential were they in your musical development as a group?

Jeff Excell and Becca Hsu: We are all really big fans of Barcelona. No other band was making such simple but genius synth-pop music. Their singer, Jason Korzen, who later went onto form the Sprites, basically made it seem “ok” to write lyrics about simple and enjoyable things. I would say they had quite an impact on the making of all our music. A couple years ago, Jason made a comment about how we were his “new favorite band” on MySpace. I think we all freaked out about it and almost peed our pants with excitement. Barcelona and the Sprites are WAY underated.

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Spotlight: Aster

AsterAster, a Texas-based pop group, is good. How good? That’s a hard question to answer for any group, but their song “Attempting to Multiply” is interminably pop-ridden and on the cusp of catchiness. The sounds of some sort of keyboard are omnipresent through the track, and we see that Aster has a very keen sense of crafting something enjoyable. “Some Things Seldom Heard Of,” the title track from their album being released today, is likewise good, though a little more downbeat. The breathy vocals and spacey demeanor utilized on both tracks, posted below, make for a nice experience that evokes some musical greats; it’s clear that Aster is on the right sort of path.

Aster — “Attempting to Multiply” | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/aster-attemptingtomultiply.mp3]

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Music Geek #3: Shoegaze, Famicom-style — The Depreciation Guild offers synthesizers with lush guitar work

Matthew Montgomery wears funny glasses in a Cedar City, Utah park.In the time since the writing and subsequent posting of my previous column, in which I probed for quality shoegaze, I have been offered a small variety of options by which I might discover more of this music I’ve found myself so enamored with.

First, I must offer my appreciation to those who answered my call; the suggestions have been greatly appreciated, and I’m putting effort into exploring these artists more.

In my own search, I’ve found some interesting things. The first is a group I discovered not terribly long after admitting to the internet that I was — and still am — on the clueless side of things as far as proper shoegaze is concerned. The group, The Depreciation Guild, is composed of two musicians and a certain device entertainment-happy children in the mid-1980s and, indeed, most anyone who’s spent time in the confines of American popular culture: the Famicom, or, as it’s more popularly known in the United States, the Nintendo Entertainment System.

The Depreciation Guild – “Butterfly Kisses”
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/butterflykisses.mp3]

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An interview with The Gorgeous Hussies

The Gorgeous Hussies / Courtesy of The Gorgeous Hussies, photo by Danny CarverThe Gorgeous Hussies, the previous subject of a MusicGeek.org spotlight, talk to MusicGeek.org regarding their music, their upcoming release, the recording process, and Salt Lake City.

The Gorgeous Hussies – “What Fool Would Feel”
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/track4_what-fool-would-feel.mp3]

Most anybody can listen to music and appreciate it, but it takes a certain kind of person to desire to create it. What influences you to create music?

Ryan Smith: There are a couple of things that drive me to create music: First is desire to play in general. The energy and natural high you get from performing is addicting. In that sense it is more intense and especailly gratifying when you create the music yourself. Anyone can play covers, but playing music you have created, and that people enjoy, is the main reason for creation. The second reason is just to drive ourselves to be better musicians. I like the fact that in this band I can play a few different styles. We are a rock group and since so much has been done with that genre it is hard to come up with new and creative music. It is a great challenge we are taking head on!

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Spotlight: Evangelicals

Evangelicals / Photo by Matthew IsaacEvangelicals are set to release their second full-length, The Evening Descends, on Tuesday. The psychedelia-laced Norman, Okla.-based group fills the attached track, “Skeleton Man,” with noise; guitars crash in and out, synthesizers come and go, and heavily-reverberated vocals permeate the whole of the track. If “Skeleton Man” is to be any kind of indicator, Evangelicals are on solid ground with this release.

Evangelicals — “Skeleton Man” | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/skeletonman.mp3]

Spotlight: The Grizzly Owls

The Grizzly Owls The Grizzly Owls perform a bizarre sort of alt-country: it’s certainly an interesting musical perspective, but it’s one that’s often hard to really latch on to. Regardless, this married couple forges ahead, and they end up creating some interesting music. Mind you, it’s not some groundbreaking release they’ve put together with By Night On My Bed, but this is definitely a worthwhile listen. The Grizzly Owls self-released this album on November 13, 2007.

The Grizzly Owls — “Rifles and Hemlines” | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/thegrizzlyowls-riflesandhemlines.mp3]

The Grizzly Owls — “What’s a Girl To Do?” | download
[audio:http://www.musicgeek.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/01/thegrizzlyowls-whatsagirltodo.mp3]

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