03
Oct
2007
In
November, bluesman Michael "Hawkeye" Herman will spend a week at
a festival. At night, he'll perform in concert halls and clubs.
During the day, he'll play in schools, jails, halfway houses, and
other social-service institutions.
That probably sounds similar to the Blues in the Schools residencies that the Mississippi Valley Blues Society has been hosting for the past seven years. But Herman's November gig is in Paris, France.
On
its new album, Silver Storms,
the Philadelphia-based quintet The A-Sides has crafted a striking mix
of ephemeral, elusive pop in the vein of The Shins; meaty,
arena-ready guitar parts; half-speed songs with patient crescendos;
upbeat power pop; and surprising accelerations.
Red
Hunter thinks he's pretty good at the music business, which is why
he's doing it all wrong.
Among
the 365 songs written, recorded, and released by Paleo over 365
consecutive days, "This Is the Life" is David Strackany's
favorite. "It resonates with me on a personal level more than the
other songs," he said. "That song seems to speak to me as if it
was written for me."
"Pop culture has always been with us, in one form or another," says Grammy-winning musical comedian "Weird Al" Yankovic, "and it always has its ridiculous elements. Especially in the music world."
"Make a left, Rob. This left right here onto 101 south. Left turn, 101 south. Left!"
Excepting a brief hiatus at the tail end of the 1960s, recording artists The Contours have been performing and touring every year since 1960. It's just that, as original group member Sylvester Potts says, "People just didn't hear of us.
With
a voice that sounds a bit like Michael Stipe gone folk, Richard
Shindell's songs feel instantly familiar even if you've never
heard him before. Those vocals are magnetic and dramatic, and the
singer/songwriter pays as much attention to melody and musical
settings as he does his words. But it's his first-person narratives
that have garnered him critical praise and a loyal following.
There
is nobody like Andrew Bird in the world, a songwriter and a performer
who makes his whistling, his glockenspiel, and his violin at home
with guitars, drums, and vocals in detailed, pitch-perfect pop songs
that never seem precious or forced, as eccentric as they are.
