by Dominique Barron
Rating: B-

If all you knew about Sage Francis was that he is a hip hop artist you might be a little confused when you first start listening to his latest album release, Li(f)e. The intro to the opening track, “Little Houdini,” sounds as if it belongs in a folk song, far away from the thought-provoking lyrics of a heartfelt rapper. I am a big fan of artists who aren’t afraid to create music that bends genre expectations and Sage Francis does just this. If you were to separate the instrumentals from the lyrics it would sound like two completely unrelated albums. Read More »

by Fiona Hanly

Rating: B-

Zach Tillman’s self-titled debut into the folk scene did not strike a chord with me—but the name, the name did. Zach Tillman is Joshua Tillman’s brother. Most recognizably a member of the folk darlings Fleet Foxes, Joshua has also been a member of several other groups and has released prolifically as a solo artist. Big brother Joshua, little brother Zach, meet WGTB. To be completely honest, it is unclear which brother is the older and which is the younger—however, several clues, including each brother’s respective time spent being a presence in the indie folk scene, and especially the raw, even unpolished sound of this album itself, indicate Pearly Gate Music is very much Zach’s little-brother-debut. Read More »

by Gerard McCarthy

After postponing their February performance due to illness, the folk-pop duo Kings of Convenience fronted an expectant crowd at the 9:30 Club on Sunday night. Few left disappointed. The Norwegian duo Eirik Glambek Bøe and Erlend Øye (also of The Whitest Boy Alive) delighted with a variously moody and energetic set interspersed with the bands witty repartee. It’s rare to see such a well-heeled performance from two musicians that are, on-stage at-least, so relaxed about their public persona. At times it bordered on the overly staged- the interlude stories that reference local geography worked too well; and the sense of musical theatre was amplified by the clown-like Øye who happily took the center of attention, grooving, crowd-surfing and conducting the audience along with Bøe. Read More »

Mike Shanahan goes into Meridian Hill Park to capture the sounds of the drum circle and the community that forms around it for the second edition of The District Dialect.

The District Dialect: Meridian Hill Park Drum Circle by igorgerman

by John Kenchelian

Rating: B

The new album, featuring music by Nick Levinovsky(who also conducts the band) from Russian saxophonist Igor Butman’s Big Band is interestingly titled: Moscow @ 3 AM. It starts out with a dark vamp on the first song, “Russian Passion,” which makes one think of a late night in Moscow. However, once it gets going this song really grooves, featuring at different times, the trombone, trumpet, and sax sections. Maybe this was just the fact that I was playing it on iTunes, but one can barely hear the piano when the entire band is playing, and as a piano player, that disturbs me. Butman doesn’t wait to bring out the biggest star on this album, Wynton Marsalis, featuring him with a solo on the very first tune. Read More »

by Britt Shaw

Rating: A-

As Deer Tick’s frontman, John McCauley, says on the band’s no-frills website “We like to put on memorable shows, the kind of shows that you don’t see very often. If you don’t want to get covered in beer or confetti at one of our shows, I’d suggest not standing up in the front.”

Rhode Island’s contribution to the budding alt-country genre, Deer Tick, came to my attention a year ago when I heard “Easy” on Seattle’s KEXP radio, and from that point on I had to have more. More raucous southern rock-inspired guitar riffs. More gritty vocals and Let-me-tell-you-about-having-the-Blues lyrics. More music that didn’t sound like it was made for listeners aged 15-22 but instead by a young band that appreciates older, great musicians like John Prine, Hank Williams, and Chuck Berry. Read More »