Poetic Memory: Gun Runner (List)
After returning to San Diego from Berklee School of Music, Sean Davenport wanted to get a band together, so he got in touch with his old friend Diego Rojano. In late 2009, Davenport and Rojano recruited local songwriter Tommy Graf (guitar) and Carlos Ortiz (drums), and they formed Gun Runner.
Since then, they’ve drawn from a variety of influences — including Wilco, Pavement, and Sonic Youth — to create a unique sound. This year, they released the excellent EP Bad Neighbors, an interesting work that evokes the psychedelic blues of Bob Dylan’s 2007 masterpiece, Time out of Mind.
Davenport’s soulful voice isn’t much like Dylan’s though, and that’s a good thing. Tracks like “Zelda” find him repeating “I can make this all better for you,” as if he’s been telling it to a few beers. Meanwhile, the reverb-laden instrumentation frames his half-drunk delivery. On the nostalgic “2 out of 3,” where choral intro harmonies are juxtaposed against Rojano’s lilting bass and Davenport’s voice, Gun Runner creates a kind of zombie R&B. It’s well worth a few listens, and you can stream it on MySpace or purchase it on iTunes.
Gun Runner will open for Maren Parusel at the Belly Up Tavern on Tuesday, August 31. While you wait, check out their Poetic Memory (below).
Live Review – The Swell Season at House of Blues, August 17, 2010
It’s hard not to love The Swell Season. Since winning the hearts of audiences — and an Oscar — with the 2006 film Once, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova have maintained that adoration through rigorous touring, refreshing humility, and the recent release of their second album, Strict Joy.
Before The Swell Season took the stage at House of Blues on Tuesday, singer/guitarist Ryan Bingham opened up with some astonishingly derivative blues and folk. His raspy voice dripped with affectation as he rambled on about times changing and winds blowing like some copy of a copy of a copy of Bob Dylan. Continue reading…
Poetic Memory: Mark Olson (Interview)
Photo credit: Ingunn Ringvold
Mark Olson co-founded The Jayhawks with Gary Louris back in 1985, and even though he split from the band 10 years into its 25-year existence, he left an indelible mark on one of the first great alt-country bands — and on lots of great bands that followed in the Jayhawks’ footsteps.
Olson hasn’t stopped working, either. Between 1995 and today, Olson has released seven albums with The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers, a celebrated 2008 reunion album with Gary Louris called Ready For The Flood, and (soon to be) two solo albums.
Olson will release Many Colored Kite, his second solo album, on July 27. The album was produced by Beau Raymond (engineer for Devendra Banhart) and features collaborations with Jolie Holland, Vashti Bunyan, and Neal Casal of Ryan Adams’ band the Cardinals. For a sample, check out “Little Bird of Freedom” (MP3), the Jolie Holland-collaborated first single from the album.
In anticipation of Many Colored Kite, we asked Mr. Olsen to send us a list of his influences. He obliged, and even though it’s not exactly a list, it’s still awesome. Check it out below.
Review: Josh Ritter; June 22, 2010; Belly Up Tavern, San Diego
Photo credit: T. Loper
Josh Ritter is an anachronism. With his suspenders and curly head of red, newsboy hair, he could be a turn-of-the-century busker or a character out of a Dickens novel. His minimalist, acoustic folk albums fit snugly alongside 1960s Bob Dylan and 1930s Woody Guthrie. But the thing that most sets Ritter apart from modern-day musicians isn’t his wardrobe or his music. It’s his smile. Continue reading…
Josh Ritter Conquers ‘The World’
Photo credit: Brian Stowell
When your music draws frequent comparisons to that of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon, and Bruce Springsteen, you must be doing something right. Continue reading…
O&B’s Guide to Bonnaroo 2010, Part 1: Survival
Since its inception in June 2002, Bonnaroo has become the premiere North American music festival. This year’s outing will be my third excursion to the farmlands of Manchester, Tennessee — I was there for Wilco and Bob Dylan in 2004, and I returned for Beck and Radiohead in 2006.
Each year challenges attendees to survive three days of camping, sweating, and drinking with 80,000 of your strangest friends. So, in part one of Owl and Bear’s Bonnaroo preview, we’ll let you in on a few secrets to surviving a sweltering — but inevitably fun-filled — weekend at Bonnaroo. Continue reading…
Blind Boys of Alabama to Play Belly Up Tavern on Sunday
Photo credit: Getty Images
“I can see as well as you,” says Blind Boys of Alabama leader Clarence Fountain. “There’s somebody up there watching over me.”
When the Blind Boys play the Belly Up Tavern this Sunday, March 7, you should be watching too. (more…)
Interview: Kurt Vile
Kurt Vile - December 29, 2009 at the Howlers Coyote Café
Psych/folk singer-guitarist Kurt Vile (yes, that’s his real name) has been enjoying some serious buzz since the October release of Childish Prodigy on Matador Records. We recently had the chance to sit down over a cold beer with Mr. Vile before a packed show in Pittsburgh, the first on a two-month U.S. tour. Here is how the conversation went. (more…)
Poetic Memory: The Moviegoers (List)
In the 1960s the average band enjoyed fame for a couple of months, if that, before people’s attention shifted to the next rising (and soon to be falling) stars. Being a one-hit wonder wasn’t a failure, it was the norm, and accomplishments by bands like The Beatles and The Kinks were rendered all the more impressive by the fact that any kind of longevity was exceptional, and enjoyed by only a small percentage of groups.
Not much has changed since then: nowadays most bands—particularly in the realm of indie rock—still amount to little more than passing fads, soaking up their proverbial fifteen minutes before succumbing to irrelevance. But one thing that has been accelerated by the internet is that entire genres seem to rise and fall in the space of a few months, leaving up-and-coming groups scrambling to tap into the next sound du jour and ride the Wavves waves of recognition before they fizzle out.
Then there are bands who are content to just create great music. Unfazed by meaningless trends, they place emphasis on great songwriting, captivating melodies, and a distinctive but inviting sound. They may not get drooled over by Pitchfork (and if they do, it’s only so long until P4K’s drool runs dry and the inevitable backlash begins), but they do create a body of work that speaks for itself, and will outlast the one-MP3 wonders that permeate the blogosphere. San Diego’s The Moviegoers are one of those bands, and though they may not auto-tune their vocals or mangle their guitars with lo-fi crunch, they do create moving, memorable songs accented by rich harmonies and understated confidence. And that never goes out of style. (more…)
Poetic Memory: Chris Hickey (List)
Chris Hickey has recorded with musical luminaries like Joe Henry, Michael Penn, and Indigo Girls, and he’s a former member of the bands “Uma” and “Show of Hands”. Now, he’s released Razzmatazz, his third solo effort.
One highlight of Razzmatazz (among many) is Hickey’s tribute to Jack Kerouac. He says, “I’ve only recently discovered Kerouac and I agree with Allen Ginsberg when he said that Kerouac’s work is ‘The most sincere and holy writing I know of our age.’” Hickey does the man justice with “Kerouac” (MP3).
The album was written in song-a-day fashion over the course of three weeks, and the result is “16 songs, vocal & guitar, recorded on a hand-held voice recorder…so, for better or worse, it’s sketchy, low-fi, quirky…but it might be charming or something.” It’s been listed listed as a New and Noteworthy on release on iTunes. You can purchase it here (iTunes).
We recently sat down with him to talk Poetic Memory (below). He used his own formatting when he sent us his list, and we decided that it works best that way. Enjoy! (more…)
Poetic Memory: Frank Turner (List)
English punk turned folk singer-songwriter Frank Turner just released Poetry of the Deed, his third solo record. To celebrate the occasion, he sat down with us to talk Poetic Memory.
For a taste of Turner, check out this MP3 of “Front Crawl“. He’s also currently on tour, traveling everywhere from the midwest to the southwest. Dates are at the end of this post.
Poetic Memory is a regular Owl and Bear feature in which musicians disclose their influences—whether it’s albums, songs, artists, or something random. If you’re interested in being featured here, send us an email. (more…)
Poetic Memory: Wheat (List)
For this edition of Poetic Memory, Wheat drummer Brendan Harney summed up his intentions better than we could’ve:
The visual aspect of music and images associated with sound, melody, etc. have always played a major role in what we do as a band. So, as I mined that a bit, I started to think about all the images related to music that have greatly affected me throughout the years. Through all of them, none have left such a deep and lasting impression as the images that I looked at as a young boy while I played the records that my mom brought home. I was fortunate to have someone in my life who collected a wide variety of music, and it’s these early images that burned themselves, along with the music of course, into my soul, and continue to influence the way I feel about what great art is really about. Some are the covers of records, and others are from the inner sleeve or gatefold—whichever struck me the most then.
Wheat released White Ink, Black Ink, their first album of new material since 2007, on July 21. Check out their single, Changes Is (MP3). You can also watch the video (above).
Here’s Brendan Harney’s Poetic Memory: (more…)
Poetic Memory: The Rest (List)
The last time Ontario, Canada’s The Rest played at the Casbah, we missed it. But we won’t make that mistake again. After all, according to their MySpace page, The Rest like all the things that we like: doing push-ups, shooting each other with water guns, howling at the moon, and delicious Thai food. (More details below.) We have other reasons, too. For one, their new album, Everything All At Once, is amazing. For another, they graciously agreed to write the latest installment of Poetic Memory. Also, they use the word “rascal” in their lyrics.
We’ve featured The Rest on our podcast a few times, but in case you missed it, here are a couple of MP3s. The wondrously haunting “Drinking Again” is definitely one of our favorite songs of 2009. Also, be sure to check out “Everything All At Once“, the epic titular track from their new album.
Poetic Memory is a regular Owl and Bear feature in which musicians disclose their influences—whether it’s albums, songs, artists, or something random. If you’re interested in being featured here, send us an email. (more…)
Interview: Adam Balbo
NorCal musican/humorist Adam Balbo just released Fix, his excellent and umpteenth album. Featuring instant classics like “The Girl at My Pity Party” and the tongue-in-cheek “Obligatory Highway Analogy” (MP3), the album sounds like a cross between Bob Dylan and Mason Jennings, but is set apart by Balbo’s drier-than-bone wit. As a service to our readers, we commissioned Fancy Dan of The Fancy Dan Band to interview the self-aware, self-deprecating musician. Balbo’s insights about Legos, mosquito-shooting lasers, and how to invite someone to be in your porno can be found below. (more…)
An Open Letter to Douglas Wolk and Pitchfork, RE: Bob Dylan’s ‘Together Through Life’
Dear Douglas,
Your review of Together Through Life is really bad. You dismiss the album as derivative, yet your review reads more like an amateurish “pastiche” (in your case, of bad Pitchfork reviews) than Dylan’s work ever will, even considering his efforts to compile music of the past and be a “one-man preservation society.”
“He might have something good in him sometime. He’s worth keeping an eye on.” You accuse Dylan of the sin of “lazy” writing, yet that was the best closing you could come up with?
It’s also pretty hilarious how you pretend that you’re an expert on old time music by name-dropping Willie Dixon and making like you’re remotely familiar with “Nadine” and “Lucille.” I agree, Dylan’s “Jolene” sucks (so does Dolly Parton’s, kind of), but your argument against it only makes you look like a pretentious ass.
Maybe I should congratulate you for not trying to conceal the fact that your review is just an attention grab, but I’m more inclined to say that you (and Pitchfork) should be embarrassed. A bad Dylan review can be be done well but this wasn’t the way; your sloppiness made your motives all-too-apparent.
Pitchfork overshot greatly by giving Dylan’s previous album, Modern Times, an 8.3, but giving the comparably much better Together Through Life a 5.4 isn’t going to make up for past bad judgment. In this case, it only serves to hurt Pitchfork’s dwindling credibility. Better luck next time; Pitchfork is now 0 for 2 on the last two Dylan albums.
I hereby give your review a 2.8, and Bob Dylan’s album a 7.7.
Best regards,
Harry
Bob Talks Barack
In anticipation of his surprise new album Together Through Life (out April 21), smart-crazy (crazy-smart?) coot Bob Dylan talks to the TimesOnline. In the interview, he touches upon Barack Obama, U.S. Grant, and Civil War ghosts, among other things.
Well, a number of things [have struck me about Obama]. He’s got an interesting background. He’s like a fictional character, but he’s real. First off, his mother was a Kansas girl. Never lived in Kansas though, but with deep roots. You know, like Kansas bloody Kansas. John Brown the insurrectionist. Jesse James and Quantrill. Bushwhackers, Guerillas. Wizard of Oz Kansas. I think Barack has Jefferson Davis back there in his ancestry someplace. And then his father. An African intellectual. Bantu, Masai, Griot type heritage–cattle raiders, lion killers. I mean it’s just so incongruous that these two people would meet and fall in love. You kind of get past that though. And then you’re into his story. Like an odyssey except in reverse.
Exactly?
When Has Bob Dylan Not Been a Harbinger of Doom?
Wonkette worries:
Bob Dylan’s got a new record coming out next month, and you should be terrified…his past two studio albums were also Harbingers of Doom. Love and Theft was about America in flames, and then under water, and it was…released on September 11, 2001.
His next record, Modern Times, was released in the autumn of 2006–it was named after a Depression-era Charlie Chaplin movie, as the stock market hit new heights and the housing bubble was just beginning to pop, and it was filled with grim songs of working people losing ground…[A] commenter asks below, “When has Bob Dylan NOT been a harbinger of doom?” … On September 22, Dylan appeared for the first time at Carnegie Hall, part of an all-star hootenanny. This show was his first public performance of “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall”, a complex and powerful song built upon the question and answer refrain pattern of the traditional British ballad “Lord Randall,” published by Francis Child…One month later, on October 22…John F. Kennedy appeared on national television to announce the discovery of Soviet missiles on the island of Cuba, initiating the Cuban Missile Crisis.
[Wonkette]
New Bob Dylan Album to See ‘Late April’ Release
The as-yet-untitled album will arrive in “late April,” and it “came as a surprise,” says a source close to Dylan’s. Last year, filmmaker Olivier Dahan, who directed the 2007 Edith Piaf biopic, La Vie en Rose, approached Dylan about writing a song for his next feature. Dylan responded with “Life Is Hard,” a bleak ballad with mandolin, pedal steel and him singing ina dark, clear voice, “The evening winds are still/I’ve lost the wayand will.”
[RS]
January 12, 2009 Link Roundup
Merge Records has posted a video for ‘Hold Time,’ a new M. Ward track (above).
More links after the jump.
Download: Owl and Bear’s Honorable Mention of 2008
Owl and Bear’s list of albums that almost made the cut in 2008.
MP3: Alt. Version of Bob Dylan’s “Mississippi”
From GloriousNoise:
Bob Dylan – “Mississippi” from from Tell Tale Signs: the Bootleg Series Vol. 8, out October 7.
This excellent, sparse version of “Mississippi” is available free for a limited time, so get it while you can. It’s well worth the hassle of downloading Amazon’s MP3 store app. Your download experience should be hassle-free.
I’m Not There
I’m Not There kind of depends on the fact that any straightforward Bob Dylan biopic wouldn’t live up to expectations, and director Todd Haynes has lovingly exploited that fact by making a film so deliberately obtuse that it’s hard to actually criticize.
Review: Bob Dylan & Elvis Costello; Saturday, October 20, 2007; Bloomington, IL
Cross item number fourteen of my list of things to do before I die: I have seen Bob Dylan (number fifteen, touch Dylan, is still unaccomplished).
