It’s so rare that I get to do a post that fits on both Songs:Illinois and Swedesplease. I like to do them too because I can expose a worthy artist to both groups of readers. Lucas Dawson is certainly worthy. He is a native Australian who moved to Europe, then London, and now resides in Stockholm (thus the Swedesplease connection). His new CD Another Way To Say Goodbye is a slow burn of a record that hashes and rehashes a recent breakup. It’s bitter at times and features J Tilman-esque vocals and instrumentation with occasional blasts of electric guitar. That is to say Lucas has a mellow delivery that is contradicted at times with searing music. This combination helps portray his feelings of pain, hurt, disgust, resignation, and anger. To give you an idea of the theme of the record here are just a few of the song titles: “I’m So Miserable Without You”, “Ain’t Life Cruel”, “I Hate You”, “What Am I To Do”, and “We Were Too Young”.
“Four Catastrophic Years” is the first track on the album and it’s a good example of what I’m talking about. Easiest way to buy the record is here through CD Baby or through Bandcamp here.
I used to be a pretty serious Rilo Kiley fan. But I really had no use for the actual band. I guess I was really a just Jenny Lewis fan at heart. I feel like Rebecca Loebe’s new record has some of the best parts of Jenny Lewis mixed with the whimsical folk music I’m drawn to. Rebecca Loebe has a new record that just came out called Mystery Prize. It’s already charting on Americana charts which may not be the best place for her music, but really what else is there for someone with a guitar and a song to sing.
You can buy the new record here. I’ve been listening to it on repeat for the last couple of days and really suggest that you do.
Rebecca plays three shows next week at SXSW. Here’s her schedule (not to sway you or anything but I’ll be at the first one at Flipnotics – also appearing – Danny Schmidt, Matt The Electician, Devon Sproule, and Raina Rose):
This morning I almost wrote about new records by Matt Harlan and Zoe Muth & The Lost High Rollers but in both cases other blogs beat me to the punch and did a good job sharing their music (here and here). So instead I will mention the new record by Raina Rose called When May Came.
When May Came was recorded in Raina’s living room mostly live and mixed by singer songwriter Jonathan Byrd. It has the immediacy of a record recorded live as well as the energy. “Sun Comes Back” is a perfect song for this rainy Chicago morning despite being a tale of a broken relationship. Any song with sun in the title picks me up just a little and I know the actual sun can’t be far from returning.
Raina Rose’s new record is out now on a little record label called Constant Clip Records created by singer-songerwriter and Songs:Illinois favorite Elam Blackman. Raina also has some shows coming up with the great Aj Roach so check her schedule for more info. You can purchase When May Camehere.
In some quarters Tom Freund is better known for the company he keeps than for the solo music he makes. Tom has been a friend and bandmate of Ben Harper for the last 2 decades. He is also a great stand up bass player and you can hear him playing with Brett Dennen, Graham Parker, and even Mandy Moore. However I’ve always loved his breezy California folk(rock).
He has a new EP called Fit To Screen and multiple appearances at SXSW. The song below is from that new EP. Catch his official showcase on Thursday, March 18 at 1:00 AM St David’s Bethell Hall.
I’m not going to lie to you. I’d never really heard of Sam Barrett. Saw the name around a bit lately though. I guess I could read his bio and then relay it to you but really you could just do that for yourself.
While this song is fairly rough, I think it’s probably a good representation of the combination of acoustic blues, American folk, and traditional British folk that characterizes Sam’s sound. His delivery is much like that of The Tallest Man On Earth. I think I’d venture out to see Serious Sam Barrett.
Catch Serious Sam Barrett’s official showcase on Wednesday, March 17 at 8:20 PM at The Velveeta Room otherwise I imagine you’ll find him at the pub.
Not sure what the gossip is over at Bloodshot Records. But if I had to guess from the lineup of their SXSW parties I’d say that there may be some talk of signing Whitey Morgan and the 78’s. Whitey Morgan is the only non-Bloodshot group playing both of their parties at SXSW. I for one say go for it! Despite their excellent roster and being synonymous with insurgent country I think a band that combines the best of classic honky-tonk with rebel rock would be a welcome addition.
The Bloodshot Records official showcase is Saturday, March 20 at 10:00 PM Red Eyed Fly, but also check out the Bloodshot party the day before at the Yard Dog Gallery (free a to get in and free beer).
Here’s something simple and beautiful from Canadian (by way of Scotland) folk singer David Francey. I’ve loved everything I’ve heard from David so I look forward to hearing more of his music on Saturday, March 20 at 10:00 PM at Stephen F’s Bar.
I don’t know if you realized it but these are not your typical, obvious SXSW reccommendations. You could go to a hundred other sites for safe, easy choices of who to see at SXSW. These however are a bit out of the way.
Drew Smith’s Lonely Choir is an Austin based band that doesn’t sound anything like this Texas city. His hyper, catchy, hook laden pop is sugary on the surface but as you’ll hear in “Bank Ain’t Got The Loan” it’s got substance in its center. This is a new song that may show up on one of two records planned for 2010. Check him out late night at Momo’s on Saturday, March 20 at 1:00 AM.
What little press there has been about the americana band The Overmoutain Men has focused on the fact that Avett Brothers member Bob Crawford is a part of this group. The theme of the record is loosely based on a number of historical figures and stories. However for my money it’s really the presence of David Childers that excites me. While his music is hard to find and often hard to pin down, it is always full of emotion whether it’s his solo records or his work with the band David Childers and The Modern Day Don Juans. He’s a notorious character and a very talented singer songwriter and the unofficial poet laureate of North Carolina. I’m not sure if all of these historical based songs suit his talent but a number certainly do.
If you are interested in more about David Childers check out his back catalog and I encourage you to watch the 37 minute video below. It would do more than any university music appreciation class to explain roots music and its appeal. Get the debut record “Glorious Day” from the band here.
What is it about drinking and country music. If songs aren’t about trucking than they are invariably about drinking. And more importantly why do I like these songs? Me, a guy who has to stop drinking soon after the first one. I wrote about the Austin based band (duo) The Texas Sapphires back in 2006 here. There new record is called As He Wanders… and is out on April 6. You can order it here now.
“How Did I Get So Sloppy Drunk When I Was Drinking Neat” is the drunkenest song on the new record. Enjoy and treat this as a cautionary tale for the weekend ahead.
I made a pact with myself about 4 years ago never to post major label schlock on Songs:Illinois. One reason for my boycott is that on the whole major label releases equate to overproduced, lowest common denominator crap. The second reason is that the majors aren’t thrilled with music blog coverage and I’m not that keen on having my site summarily deleted.
But I couldn’t resist with this new record by Isaac Russell due out in 2010 on Columbia/Sony. Isaac is a Provo, Ut based singer songwriter who has recently been on tour with Pete Yorn, as well as recording with Dennis Herring (The Hives, Elvis Costello, Counting Crows). I’m not sure how he got all these big breaks, but I’m willing to guess at least part of the reason is his hard work, his songwriting ability, and his velvety vocals. “House of Cards” is from that forthcoming, as yet untitled, major label debut. Catch Isaac Russell in Austin at SXSW on Wednesday, March 17 at 8:00 PM at the The Ale House.
Mostly we (bloggers) are writing about the known. Usually we’re writing about a band or artist that we are familiar with in some way or another. Sometimes the person has been in another band that we’re familair with or the producer is a known commodity or there are guest stars we can sink our proverbial teeth into. We rarely write blind. Today is one of those days. Somehow in my travels around the web I encountered the angelic voice of Nell Robinson and her new record Loango.
“Butch” is one of the few Nell Robinson originals on the new record and it fits in so well alongside the beautiful cover renditions that it’s as if it’s a classic itself. Nell is planning a tour this summer so sign up for her emails here so you can be alerted to her upcoming performances. The new record is for sale at Nell’s website here or through CD Baby here.
Day 2 of this throwback Californian cosmic americana thing (Whispering Pines led off the series yesterday) is represented by the band The Ravenna Colt. The back story is that this is the band from ex My Morning Jacket member Johnny Quaid. He left the band in 2004 and moved west to California. As a result the band’s new record Slight Spell has a bit of that California vibe.
Hold on to your hats or your bootstraps or something. We’ll be having an interruption of regular blogging service and particularly SXSW coverage to bring you two days of Band/Dead/Stones inspired hippie rock. First up is Whispering Pines. And it’s not like you haven’t heard it before. But you can always expand the genre. And in this case this LA based band adds boozy blues harmonica, Muscle Shoals soul, and West coast stoner rock to their take on Band-era rock `n’ roll.
At times the band’s new record Family Tree is derivative and you could probably get close to the same experience from slapping on Big Pink. But I like these guys and this debut record is a keeper. Pick it up through CD Baby here.
The Coal Porters are an odd little band based out of London. They are led by American, and Long Ryders founder, Sid Griffin. They recorded their new record Durango over two weeks they spent in that Colorodao town. They will be returning to the states to bring their brand of bluegrass to SXSW on Wednesday, March 17 at 11:00 PM at Opal Divine’s Freehouse. But they’ll be playing a bunch of other shows in Austin:
Mar 17 2010 3:00P SXSW: The Independent Austin, Texas
Mar 17 2010 11:00P SXSW Official Showcase: Opal Divines Freehouse Austin, Texas
Mar 18 2010 8:00P SXSW: Waterloo Records Austin, Texas
Mar 19 2010 3:00P SXSW: Waterloo Bicycles Austin, Texas
Mar 20 2010 1:00P SXSW: Flipnotics Austin, Texas
Mar 20 2010 3:45P SXSW: Yard Dog Austin, Texas
Mar 20 2010 5:30P SXSW: Antones Records Austin, Texas
Here’s a new song from their 2010 release Durango. Buy it here.
No More Chains (the song takes a few extra seconds to load)
This is the start of a bunch of SXSW Preview posts that I will do over the next month. The bulk of these are going to be of official showcases but you’ll hopefully get a chance to see more of these bands around town at the day parties. I’ll also be talking about some of these unofficial day parties in the next few weeks.
I’ve written about Steve Poltzsomanytimesthat I am out of pithy openers. The guy’s pretty great. Loved him with The Rugburns. Dude’s basically responsible for Jewel. And now as a solo act he is writing clever song after clever hummable song. The new record is produced by Joel Plaskett which is reason enough for me to be excited. “Dreamhouse” is the title track. It’s available here.
Catch Steve Poltz Thursday, March 18 at 12:00 AM at the 18th Floor at Hilton Garden Inn.
You had me at Will Johnson. Will Johnson from Centromatic has produced the new record from Houston native Austin Collins. Wrong Control comes out March 2 and from the songs I’ve heard and from the video below the record is full of buzzing guitars and pulsing drums. On record Austin Collins has a full band sound that brings me back to the robust sounds of early Replacements and Uncle Tupelo. High praise indeed but I really like these songs and the wall of sound that encompasses them.
There were a couple of factors that drew me to the music of Catl. First was the name of their new record – With the Lord for Cowards You Will Find No Place. Second was their groovy cover art. And third was the fact that their brand of blues was described as dirty and scuzzy and punk. So yeah this isn’t the polished sound of blues coming out of Chicago or LA. It’s more akin to the delta sound except infused with rock and punk.
You can get this release from their label Electro Fi here or here through Emusic.
The band Big Smith from Springfield, Mo. had some nice high resolution pictures available for the press to use. But it’s this shot that gives you that “a picture is worth a thousand words” take on the band and it’s working class roots. I don’t know if Big Smith is one of these guys in the picture (they’re all pretty big as far as I can tell!) or if it’s just used for the collective. They are rather a large band at 6 members.
I’ve been a fan of the band in the past and always like their stuff. Word is the new record rocks a little harder than previous releases. On the song “Brady And Duncan” you can hear just that heightened level of urgency. The new record is called Roots, Shoots and Wings and is available here through MayApple Records. It’s a good `un.
Catch the band at their record release party at Off Broadway in St. Louis on Feb 20.
I like Josh Rouse, Josh Ritter, Ron Sexsmith, Brett Dennen, Mason Jennings, Tom Brousseau, etc., etc., etc. Something about this group of guys with their unusual delivery, solid songwriting, and indie folk tendencies appeals to me. Sean Hayes deserves to be in that group, but I’m not sure if he is yet. His new record is due out March 16 and is titled Run Wolves Run. Perhaps with this release he’ll enter this upper stratosphere of singer-songwriters.
He does some unusual things with both of these songs off of Run Wolves Run. On “Garden” he uses an odd assortment of percussion, bass and guitar (including a slow searing electric lead). On “When We Fall In” the instrumentation is simple enough but this time he adds a slightly unusual call and response section. Point is Sean Hayes is willing to take risks with his music. Take a risk yourself and pre-order the new record here (there’s a cool option to get the vinyl, a download code and a free ep).
Glad you found me at my new url. Songs:Illinois is committed to writing about music that is under-appreciated and unique. I've found that the music I write about shares a couple of traits. And they are: lyrical integrity, musically diverse, and written/performed by compelling characters.
Most songs found here are free and legal and have been provided by either the artist or label. If for some reason you'd like to have a song removed, please email me at cbonnell (at) gmail.com.
