The Henry Clay People Circus Band Intro

Exclusive: The Henry Clay People – End Of Empire (new track)

Exclusive: The Henry Clay People – The Switch Kids (new track)

Exclusive: The Henry Clay People – Keep Your Eyes Closed (new track)

Exclusive: The Henry Clay People – Randy, Where Is The Rest Of Me (new track)

Exclusive: The Henry Clay People – Something In The Water (old track)

Exclusive: The Henry Clay People – Running On Empty (Jackson Browne Cover)

Download The Henry Clay People Session as a zip.

Then from our live sessions with The Rural Alberta Advantage:

Exclusive: The Rural Alberta Advantage – Untitled New Song

Exclusive: The Rural Alberta Advantage – Rush Apart

Exclusive: The Rural Alberta Advantage – Luciana

Exclusive: The Rural Alberta Advantage – Edmonton

Download the entire session as a zip.

Then from our live session with The Love Language:

Exclusive: Love Language – Nocturne

Exclusive: Love Language – Providence

Exclusive: Love Language – Manteo

Exclusive: Love Language – Blue Angel (Unreleased)

Exclusive: Love Language – Graycourt

Download all the tracks as a zip file.

And the rest:

The Avett Brothers – I And Love And You

The Dodos – Fables

The David Wax Museum – Colas

San Francisco’s Or, The Whale released Lightpoles and Pines to wider national distribution on January 20th and are gearing up to visit Austin for SXSW 2009. I really enjoyed this album during its first go around in 2007.

Or, The Whale – Rope Don’t Break

Or, The Whale – Call and Response

After a long frigid weekend, I ventured downtown to Schubas to catch quite a trifecta of acts. While the other lineups at Schuba’s Tomorrow Never Knows series didn’t inspire me, it was quite convenient for them to line up the three bands I wanted to see on the same night – Tulsa, The Donkeys and Bishop Allen

First up was Tulsa led by Carter Tanton. Their last EP, I Was Submerged, has been in steady rotation for quite some time. They have been busy recording the debut LP in Chicago and I was hoping to hear some new tunes sprinkled with some of old favorites. Other than “Breathe Thin,” the rest of the set was all new stuff and it did nothing to defuse my anticipation for the upcoming release. Unfortunately it isn’t coming out until August, but we’re working on getting the band in for a session sometime soon.

Next up were San Diego’s The Donkeys. I picked up their Dead Oceans debut last year and that album has become quite the creeper. At first I thought it to be a good listen; solid but unspectacular. I’ve since found myself consistently reaching for it and it’ll be the perfect album for my trip to Cabo this week. In spite of having a drummer that sings (its an unfair prejudice, but I am up front about it), it was good set.

Finally, it was Bishop Allen who made barely made it after a 12 hour trek from Toronto. Due to the late arrival, the transition was a bit delayed and led to me leaving before the end of the set. I’m old. It was a school night. Before I split, they banged out “Castanets,” “Click and Monitor”and several new tunes that immediately shot their new LP high up on my ‘09 anticipated releases.

Tulsa – #2

The Donkeys – Walk Through a Cloud

The Donkeys – Nice Train

Bishop Allen – Rain

Bishop Allen – Click Click Click

The Annuals are a force to be reckoned with. They’re no strangers to the indie pop music scene, but I finally randomly found them tonight as I meandered through iTunes browsing strangers’ iMixes. Sometimes I’m a laggard on these things.

The Raleigh, NC band produces layered, lush pop songs with a hint of experimentalism. They remind me a little of Arcade Fire at times (but less over the top) or the old Wheat stuff (but brighter). Their most recent EP, Wet Zoo, has 3 great new songs that build off their 2006 release, Be He Me. Look for more from these guys in the coming months. With an EP and single release already this year, they’re poised to take the world by storm when their full-length album, Such Fun (which features a Bob Ross painting as cover art) hits the airwaves on October 7.

In the meantime, take a listen to “Sore” off the Wet Zoo EP and their latest single, “Confessor”. Both are instant classics.

MySpace | Canvasback Music

Annuals – Sore

Annuals – Confessor

I’m running out of Dan Auerbach steam, but here are some other artists that Dan Auerbach has helped produce. Black Diamond Heavies (pictured above) are touring now, including some Chicago dates with Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, so check out their website for details.

We’ll conclude Dan Auerbach week in a couple hours with a guest contribution from the owner of Alive Records.

Radio Moscow – Frustrating Sound

Nathaniel Mayer – Lonely Man

Brimstone Howl – Bad Seed

SSM – Sick

Black Diamond Heavies – Everythang is Everythang

Blitzen Trapper – Furr

Okkervil River – Lost Coastlines

Noah and The Whale – 5 Years Time

Cory Chisel and The Wandering Sons – Home In The Woods

Kings of Leon – Sex On Fire

Mason Proper – Lock and Key

Sam Champion – Be Mine Everyone

Hacienda – She’s Got A Hold On Me

Grayson Capps -  Going Back To The Country

Brimstone Howl – A Million Years

Conor Oberst – Danny Callahan

James Jackson Toth – Doreen

Wild Sweet Orange – Ten Dead Dogs

Mates of State – My Only Offer

Stoney Clove Lane – Chasing Rainbows

Jim James and M. Ward – Wonderful (The Way I Feel)

Kings of Leon – Sex On Fire

Mason Proper – Lock and Key

Sam Champion – Be Mine Everyone

The Mumlers – Red River Hustle

Birds and Batteries – Turnstyles

Birds and Batteries – Jungles (Oceans)

Hacienda – She’s Got A Hold On Me

Here are the tracks from our live session with Danny Malone.

Exclusive: Danny Malone – Close Enough

Exclusive: Danny Malone – Basement

Exclusive: Danny Malone – Silence

Exclusive: Danny Malone – In The Darkness

Congrats to Carie for winning the Shearwater ticket giveaway.

Shearwater – Leviathan, Bound

Shearwater – Rooks

Shearwater – Red Sea, Black Sea

Dead Confederate – The Rat

Port O’Brien – Close the Lid

Port O’Brien – I Woke Up Today

Blitzen Trapper – Furr

Okkervil River – Lost Coastlines

From the inbox…

TK Webb and The Visions – Teen Is Still Shaking

Brimstone Howl – A Million Years

The Ettes – Marathon

Joseph Arthur – A Lovely Cost

Joseph Arthur – Pretty Good Company

Lackthereof – Choir Practice

Aw, snap. Sub Pop just posted the title track from Blitzen Trapper’s upcoming release, Furr. Take a listen below. I love it and I promise you will too. The album is set to drop on September 23, their first record on the Sub Pop label (which can only mean great things). Mark your calendars and be careful not to put “Furr” on continuous repeat until then.

Blitzen Trapper – Furr

Georgia’s Dead Confederate are releasing their debut full-length album, Wrecking Ball, on September 16th on Tao Records.  According to their press release, they conjured the haunting sound of the album the old-fashioned way: by making it in the tiny concrete box of a studio in Austin, Texas, where the sound effects for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre were recorded.

Dead Confederate – The Rat

Here are their upcoming tour dates:

08.22.08 – Drunken Unicorn – Atlanta, GA
09.11.08 – Exit/In – Nashville, TN
09.12.08 – Sky City – Augusta, GA
09.18.08 – The Hummingbird – Macon, GA
09.19.08 – 40 Watt – Athens, GA
09.20.08 – The Earl – Atlanta, GA
09.23.08 – JJ’s Bohemia – Chattanooga, TN
09.24.08 – The Bottletree – Birmingham, AL
09.25.08 – Sticky Fingerz – Little Rock, AR
09.26.08 – Emo’s – Austin, TX
09.27.08 – The Cavern – Dallas, TX
09.29.08 – The Bluebird – St. Louis, MO
09.30.08 – Jackpot Music Hall – Lawrence, KS
10.01.08 – The Waiting Room – Omaha, NE
10.02.08 – The Annex – Madison, WI
10.03.08 – Mo’s Irish Pub – Milwaukee, WI
10.04.08 – Schubas – Chicago, IL
10.07.08 – TT the Bears – Cambridge, MA
10.09.09 – Mercury Lounge – New York, NY
10.10.08 – Union Hall – Brooklyn, NY
10.14.08 – Cat’s Cradle – Carrboro, NC
10.16.08 – Exit/In – Nashville, TN
10.17.08 – Proud Larry’s – Oxford, MS