Our nation is fundamentally religious. “In God We Trust” is written on every coin, and you have only to walk through the Jefferson Memorial, where Lockean sentiments are etched into its marble walls, to get a sense of the United States’ foundational moralist structure. Christmas, as we all know, is another story entirely. Read More »
Mister Heavenly, some would say, is an unlikely amalgam of musicians. The super group trio consists of Ryan Kattner, better known as Honus Honus of Man Man; Nick Thorburn, also known as Nick Diamonds of The Unicorns and Islands; and Joe Plummer, drummer for Modest Mouse. Unlikely or not, with their debut album Out of Love, they are a welcome breath of fresh air to the indie scene.
The brilliance of Out of Love is its uniquely wacky combination of frivolity and heartfelt seriousness. This band is in the business of love songs, and no one today brings more originality to the love song than the Honus-Thorburn writing team. They jokingly call their music “doom wop,” but doom wop is no joke; it’s the real deal. Read More »
By now Bon Iver needs little introduction. We all adored their debut album For Emma, Forever Ago, and now that their latest effort debuted at #2 on the US Billboard 200, frontman Justin Vernon is a legitimate star. But there’s something I’ve been dying to get off my chest: Bon Iver is not that good. Read More »
Death Cab for Cutie guitarist/producer Chris Walla recently founded his own label, Trans, part of Warner Music’s Independent Label Group. Straight out of Anacortes, Washington, The Lonely Forest are his first signing, and Arrows, their first album under Walla’s supervision, dropped on March 22. Kick ass, right? (Keep reading to find out)! Read More »
The Mountain Goats gave a double encore performance this Friday, to the delight of a sell-out crowd at the 9:30 Club. Touring to promote All Eternals Deck (which drops on March 29), the band played a healthy mix of new material, old material, and even a song about which frontman John Darnielle commented, “If this song had been an infant when it was written, then it could vote now.” Read More »
Visiting from New Orleans, jazz/funk jam band GALACTIC rolled through the 9:30 club promoting their new album YA-KA-MAY (Feb. 9), showing D.C. that, yes, five middle-aged dudes can sell out the 9:30 Club with style. In truth, the band’s age is irrelevant. The show was held in some sort of two hour time-warp where age had no meaning, so it didn’t even matter that the crowd was one part stoner twenty-somethings, one part used-to-be-cool forty-somethings, and one part used-to-be-forty stoners. GALACTIC’s jam-based set had everybody awkwardly dancing together—the unifying elements being a love for funky jazz and drunkenness.
Colin Stetson is your average musician. He’s been playing saxophone for twenty-five years since the age of ten. He grew up in Michigan. He has his own website. He tours and lays down tracks for artists like Bon Iver, Feist, Tom Waits, TV on the Radio, LCD Soundsystem, and most recently the National. Okay, maybe he’s not so average. With his second solo album, New History Warfare Vol. 2, he proves that despite his indie pedigree, he’s out to break the mold. Read More »
Deerhoof might not have ever broken free from their small label status, but the fact that they’ve stuck with Kill Rock Stars this long reflects their refusal to ever conform. Since forming in the mid-nineties, their concert performances have become something of legend, due to their high energy and improvisational style. To see them live is to be “Deerhoofed.” And while I don’t know what it’s like to be kicked by a deer—or any hoofed animal for that matter—now I have a pretty good idea.
