Little Hurricane, Live Session #98

by oz on January 27, 2012

Little Hurricane had quite a year in 2011. While many bands struggle for years to fight for the attention of fans, labels and the media, Little Hurricane found the buzz almost immediately.

The two-piece band formed after lead singer/guitarist Anthony Catalano posted an ad on Craigslist for a drummer. I’ve used Craigslist to sell a couch, area rug, and old dog dishes and I’ve encountered my fair share of characters. I can only imagine what type of humans emerge when you post and ad for a drummer in San Diego. Catching a drummer like Celeste Spina is like winning the lottery. She’s beautiful and loves grimy blues music. 90% of our readers just fell in love with her, including the females.

After forming and walking away with San Diego’s Best New Artist award in 2010, the band released their debut album Homewrecker (one of our favorites) last year, went on to perform at Lollapalooza and even had the song “Get By” featured on the ABC show Revenge. It was during their visit to Chicago for Lolla that we caught up with them for a session at Shirk Music + Sound.

The session features three songs from Homewrecker and one cover of “Grounds for Divorce” by English band Elbow. If you haven’t heard the original, go download it and thank Little Hurricane later for making the introduction. I hadn’t heard the original before and it’s already an addiction. It is also a special treat to hear these live takes of “Crocodile Tears” and “Trouble Ahead,” two of my favorite tracks on the album. Just wait for the little interlude at 2:40 on “Trouble Ahead.” It begs for an answer to a complex question, much like similar conundrums throughout our existence: Does a bear shit in the woods? Does a one legged duck swim in circles? Does a shark have a waterproof asshole? Would you like some slide guitar accompanied with cowbell? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Little Hurricane are touring around the NW in February before making stops in other cities on their way to Austin for SXSW in March. Visit their site for specifics on tour dates.

Little Hurricane Band Intro

Exclusive: Little Hurricane – Haunted Heart [Video: YouTube | Vimeo]

Exclusive: Little Hurricane – Grounds For Divorce (Elbow Cover) [Video: YouTube | Vimeo]

Exclusive: Little Hurricane – Crocodile Tears

Exclusive: Little Hurricane – Trouble Ahead

Download the Little Hurricane Live Session as a zip file.

Video: Little Hurricane – Grounds for Divorce (Elbow Cover)

Video: Little Hurricane – Haunted Heart

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Pickwick – Seattle soul group will see you at SxSW

by Woody on January 26, 2012

Remember the Seinfield episode when Elaine was dating a guy who she thought was African-American and in turn, he thought she was Latino? Sometimes it is just so easy to make a snap conclusion. At the end of the day, they both figured out they were both white and headed off to The Gap.

Well upon listening to Pickwick’s brand of neo-soul, it would be easy to conjure up images of an African-American fronting some white hipsters as they tear through their EP. But nope, they are just some boring white dudes like me. However, unlike me, they deliver a mean brand of soul/funk that is something to behold.

Originally a folky Americana outfit, Pickwick completely turned things around after recording a couple of Dead covers in R&B fashion. From that point on, they transitioned into the band they are today with lead singer Galen Disston delivering the punch to the jamming band behind him.

Pickwick has an EP out called Myths and will be taking their live act down to SxSW this year. Their live act ranges anywhere from 6-13 people on stage. As you can see by this video on KEXP, there is a better than average chance that you can hop on stage without being noticed. Pickwick has moved to the top of my must-see acts down in Austin, so hopefully I will see you there; possibly from the stage.


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Craig Finn – Clear Heart Full Eyes (album review)

by Woody on January 25, 2012

Another solo effort from the lead singer of a great band. For me, these are always met with a roll of the eyes and low expectations. Alot of times, the songs come off as castoffs from the main band’s output or the lead singer just trying to broaden their horizon in a way that never fits. It never really satisfies my jones but coming off what I considered to be a subpar Hold Steady album, I was anxious to hear what Finn had up his sleeve.

On Clear Heart Full Eyes, Finn manages to walk that delicate line of delivering an album that stands on its own but still manages to hold some connection to The Hold Steady. And oft-mentioned Gideon from The Hold Steady catalog even makes an appearance on the solo debut to provide a connection.

You’ll notice that the tunes are more restrained in tempo and there are no big finishes you come to associate with The Hold Steady. There’s also a nice alt-country feel to the album which gives it a different dimension from straight-ahead bar rock of The Hold Steady. Working with members of Heartless Bastards, Phosphorescent, White Denim, Centro-matic and Mike McCarthy, Finn really put together a band an album that has its own dynamic.

Solo or fronting The Hold Steady; Finn can spin a yarn with the best of them. His ability to tell a tale about on a variety of subjects is what makes his music so special. Whether it be breakups (No Future), potential redemption (New Friend Jesus) or a friend stuck in a rut (Terrified Eyes).Jackson, which Finn explains in great detail on AV Club, contains a line I preached last year at SxSW, “he was sort of like a shark, he had to keep on swimming.

So I don’t know why Craig decided to bang out a solo album. Most of these lyrics could have worked on a Hold Steady album. Maybe he wanted to dabble in the twang a bit. Maybe he wanted to get back to playing in some smaller clubs. Whatever the reason, I am glad he stepped out and got it done.

Craig Finn – New Friend Jesus by Vagrant Records

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Trampled By Turtles – New Album, Alone (MP3)

by Woody on January 24, 2012

There are not many bands that can take me to a state of euphoria like Trampled By Turtles. Getting an email about a new album can turn any crappy day into a great day. Stars and Satellites will be released on April, 10 via the fine folks at Thirty Tigers. I think I speak for the entirety of the HearYa crew in saying that this was one of our most anticipated releases of the year. Below is the lead single, Alone, and a video on the making of the album.

If you have never seen them live, check out the video below. This is from SxSW 2011 at HomeSlice Pizza. While the sound quality is not the best, it does a great job of catching the shear joy they bring to a crowd. At the 1:20 mark, the crowd loses their rag. One of the best sets I have ever seen at SxSW. Here is a link to our live session.

Alone by TrampledbyTurtles

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Yellow Ostrich’s Marathon Runner [new mp3, SXSW 2012]

January 23, 2012

Yellow Ostrich is set to release their sophomore album, Strange Land, on March 6th. This album should mark a step forward for the band. Their previous album, The Mistress, was self-produced and created by Alex Schaaf doing it all. He played every instrument on the album. Strange Land is also self-produced, but Schaaf is joined [...]

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Amber Alert: NOW That’s What I Call Country Ballads Drops Jan 24th

January 20, 2012

FYI, the NOW! music series continues with NOW That’s What I Call Country Ballads (seriously) or, their alternate title… NOW That’s What I Call Music for Whoopsily Impregnating Your High School Sweetheart and Then Being Forced to Marry Her by her Mustached Father Who She’ll Call ‘Daddie’ For The Rest Of Your Lives and Eating [...]

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New Bruce Springsteen – We Take Care of Our Own

January 19, 2012

Bruce Springsteen is releasing his new album Wrecking Ball on March 6th. Here’s a video (with lyrics) of the first single, “We Take Care of Our Own.” Tweet

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River Whyless – A Stone, A Leaf, An Unfound Door [Album Review]

January 19, 2012

River Whyless came to us via an email from one of their fans. She said, “If you have some time to take a listen you won’t be sorry.” No lofty band comparisons included and no hipster name-dropping – just a bold proclamation. Not knowing if I was about to hear electronica, metal or some blend [...]

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Lucero’s Women and Work, out March 13th

January 18, 2012

Ben Nichols has been playing some new Lucero tunes during his solo tour last Spring and Women and Work is the album I’m most looking forward to this year. It’ll be released on March 13th, right before they hit Austin for SxSW. I expressed my regrets to Woody yesterday for missing Lucero two years ago [...]

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Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls out on 4/10/12

January 18, 2012

Exciting news for the best thing to come out of Alabama since DBT. ATO is putting out their full length debut titled Boys & Girls on 4/10/12. We had the pleasure of having them in for a session this past December and it was jaw-dropping good. We heard a couple of the new tunes during [...]

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