Monthly Archives: January 2011

Phonies beware: Fergus & Geronimo are on Holden’s side, and they come armed with the powerful weapon of Rock N’Roll, wielded forcefully, as it should be. But the force of Jason Kelly (Geronimo) and Alex Savage’s (Fergus) full-length debut, “unlearn”, does not come from face-melting guitar riffs or head-banging drum solos – they use the term Rock N’Roll more in the social, “stick it to the man,” sense than in the strictly musical sense. The Denton, Texas duo instead draws their power from aiming past the superficial façade, straight to the core; they have set themselves the lofty goal of liberating your oppressed mind.

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It’s tempting to compare The King is Dead with last year’s July Flame by Laura Veirs, who recorded a duet with the Decemberists on 2006’s The Crane Wife, and toured with them the following fall. The albums were released just within a year of each other, both were recorded in barns, and both are subtly gorgeous. They also represent a return to roots for both artists, with Veirs stepping down from the Chinese dragons and picaresque fantasies of “Saltbreakers” to extol the soft, cool taste of a summer peach or the career of beloved bassist, while the Decemberists leave the library for a road trip across sun-drenched fields of alt-country and folk. The difference is that, for the Decemberists, this means abandoning the whimsical, lit-geek tone that has defined their sound since “Leslie Anne Levine,” and the fact that they pull off this change in theme so effortlessly proves once and for all that there is, and always has been, far more to the band than the coy delights of their eighteenth century subject matter. Read More »

Anybody who knows anything about anything knows that after the show, it’s the after party. So after Twin Door Cinema Club rocks the 9:30 Club this Thursday night, head over to the All Things Go after party for DJ sets from Twin Door Cinema Club, Yes Giantess and WGTB’s very own Afternoon Youth Party. The best part? It’s fo’ free. All you’ve got to do is RSVP to AllThingsGoMusic@gmail.com with your name and show up at Bourbon in Adams Morgan at 9pm. Oh, and you should also make sure that you’re 21+, preferably before you show up. Read More »

“Can you feel what I’m feeling? / What is this? Just a maybe? / Spend my time wondering if you’ve / Fallen in love with me” Although replete with romantic emotion, these lyrics also more or less describe Smith Westerns‘ relationship with the music industry, as well as their audience at large. Since the release of their first album in 2009 the blogosphere has been buzzing about this young foursome, anchored by brothers Cullen and Cameron Omori and high school friend Max Kakacek. If you’ve heard anything about this group so far, it’s most likely a comment on their infectious, garage-band sound or the fact that they are all extremely young (a year or two out of high school). On that score, not much has changed with their second album. The kids are still kids (none of them are old enough to drink), and almost every track is unabashedly catchy. Read More »

I tried to pick up a girl in my philosophy class once. I was like, “I will Kierkegaard your heart forever.” She didn’t dig it. Now I don’t know what Patrick Riley said to Alaina Moore when they were studying Philosophy together in Denver, but it must’ve been special. Yeah, she married him, but that’s not what’s impressive.  What’s impressive is that they built a bond so tight that they agreed to live the life of philosophers for a while by dropping everything and sailing the eastern seaboard. They crawled along at five miles a day, and had no prior knowledge of how to sail other than what they picked up from a couple DIY videos. Looking for an outlet to express the experience of the trip that a travel blog couldn’t satisfy, they formed a band—Tennis. Now they have an album, named after their boat—Cape Dory.

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