I’ve been down with pink eye for a couple days, so we lost some momentum at the end of the week. Here are the tracks we discussed last week prior to the sickness. First, from our live session with A.A. Bondy:
I first caught wind of the Athens, GA based Futurebirds courtesy of Aquarium Drunkard. Their write-up went something along the lines of this – blah, blah, blah sounds like Tennessee Fire. Comparing any band to My Morning Jacket will get me interested.
After spinning the EP, it was easy to see the early MMJ comparison. I’d also draw a comparison to the now defunct band, Vietnam. The album has that same hazy, psychedelic drug-inspired southern folk feeling. The recording is a raw and slowly grooves along while layered vocals float on top. “Dirty D” and “MJB” are the two tunes that have stuck out for me, but the 30 minute EP is strong throughout.
While the EP is raw in terms of recording, you can’t help but feel that Futurebirds have a very special LP in store for us. Who knows? Maybe in 2020 when I am 50 and still writing for free for this god-forsaken website, I will be saying that some new band’s EP reminds me of the Futurebirds. In the meantime, you can catch them down in Austin during SXSW 2010.
Drive-By Truckers will be releasing The Big To Do on March 16th via the fabulous ATO Records. They’ll be touring in support of the album with a stop in Austin at SxSW 2010.
The band and label were generous to release the first single as a free download with an explicit song title.
A.A. Bondy first visited us for a live session in December of 2008 while on a solo tour in support of his debut, American Hearts. While the solo acoustic Bondy is quite alright with me, I was excited to hear that his sophomore effort, When The Devil’s Loose, would employ the help of a band. That album became our favorite album of 2009.
I’ve since seen Bondy + band at The Earl in Atlanta and noticed that the band was really just two multi-instrumentalists that traded off between bass/keys and pedal steel/drums. What struck me during the concert was the new found intensity the band revealed in familiar songs. Even the acoustic tracks from American Hearts became new again with electric guitars, drums and lots of effects.
That’s part of the allure of Scott Bondy. He started off his musical career in a grunge band called Verbena that drew comparisons to Nirvana. He then took a step back and became a folk singer under the A.A. Bondy moniker. Perhaps he’s starting to find a balance between the two, as evident in the jam near the end of “Slow Parade.” And on stage with an electric guitar, he’s often less folk and (dare I say) more punk than his album leads on.
I fell in love with the warmth in his voice and his songwriting, but it’s this constant tinkering with sounds and songs, both old and new, that has me in suspense. He’s both subtle and provocative and he’s one of the most refreshing artists to emerge in several years.
The Tallest Man On Earth emerged in 2008 with one of my favorite records of the year, Shallow Grave. I described his sound as follows: The Tallest Man On Earth’s fingers dance along the guitar strings and, without pretense or arrogance, he delivers stunning poetry with a weary, youthful voice that’s wise beyond its years. [...]
Justin Townes Earle and Dawn Landes recently collaborated on a song called “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind.” He’s also getting some unexpected attention as one of GQ’s most stylish men in the world, up against the likes of Johnny Depp and LeBron James. Eh? Justin Townes Earle and Dawn Landes – Do I Ever [...]
Here are the tracks we discussed last week. Real Estate – Fake Blues Seabear – Lion Face Boy Eels – Little Bird Left Lane Cruiser – Crackalacka April Smith – Terrible Things Dawes – When My Time Comes Tweet
By now, hopefully everyone has heard of Dawes. If you haven’t, I feel really guilty for not letting you know about them sooner. This is a band I was first exposed to last year at SXSW, when they played a great set right after The Love Language and right before The Felice Brothers. And I [...]
HearYa favorite, Langhorne Slim, is hitting the road with his high energy show and he’s bringing along April Smith and The Great Picture Show. She seems to be a natural fit as her music embodies music from a different time. Here’s what their EPK had to say about them. April Smith and the Great Picture [...]
I’m trying to get better at reading other blogs and music websites to share posts I wish I’d written. Gapers Block posted a fantastic feature on Chicago’s tunnel musicians complete with images, audio recordings and interviews. Really amazing stuff. Click here to read it. Tweet
