It’s been a bit slow around here, huh? Sorry about that! I’ve been teaching three classes, working on a research project, and dealing with the Zombie Dissertation From Hell ™! I really do want to be a good blogger again… honest. But until that day, it’s time for a quick recap of some of the stuff that has gone whizzing by in my absence. I hope you enjoy!
Delta Rae is a North Carolina band with four lead singers, and a whole mess of harmonies. Their sound fuses Americana, Blues, Gospel, and Rock, and it comes at you like a freight train. In their new, Halloween-friendly single, “Bottom of the River” (video and free download below), the band creates an enormous sound that combines layered harmonies and driving, bodily percussion. The result is an earthy track that feels, fittingly enough, like a spell being cast.
Continue reading “Mailbag: Delta Rae: “Bottom of the River””
Hey, everyone, and Happy Halloween! I’m taking a moment to break radio silence, so that I can share a little Halloween mix I made with you. I’ve been kicking it around the house for a while, and it seemed like a good candidate for this week’s Mix-Tape Monday! So, here you are: One Halloween mix. And no, there’s no “Monster Mash.” You’re welcome. Have a great holiday!
Continue reading “Mix-Tape Monday: “Spooky, Scary” Edition!”
Saintseneca is a band of lifelong friends from Columbus, Ohio who write songs that move easily from tender to frenetic and back again. With pop-folk songs built on traditional, Appalachian instruments (banjos, fiddles, dulcimers, and “other forms of frontporch percussion”), Saintseneca’s sound is both modern and traditional. And mesmerizing, at times… it wouldn’t do to not mention that their new album – Last – is an impressive blast of hungry, vigorous, even anthemic pop-folk. It’s awesome, and you should definitely follow me for more information…
Continue reading “Music for a Rainy Day: Saintseneca – Last”
Summer-Winter is a band from Pittsburgh, PA that features Terry O’Hara and several contributing musicians from Pittsburgh and NYC. The music that results is mature, nuanced, and beautiful. On Terry’s most recent album – Bewildered – the influence of bands like Mojave 3 simply can’t be overlooked. The album is gentle in its langour, and recalls introspective moments of sitting on someone’s back porch and sipping whiskey deep into the twilight. Perhaps even more compelling, however, is the path that this album took to arrive into the world. A journey that its simple disclaimer – “The second album from Summer-Winter, Bewildered, was feverishly written in a week during dreamlike spells of insomnia.” – doesn’t really capture. Let’s take a look…