All posts by owl and bear staff

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Contest: Win Tickets to see Frightened Rabbit with Plants and Animals (San Diego)

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By now you probably understand the sheer awesomeness that is Frightened Rabbit, so allow us to sing the praises of another excellent band: Canada’s Plants and Animals.

The group just released its second LP, La La Land, in April, and the album’s balance of mellowness and electric fuzz is the perfect companion to Frightened Rabbit’s whisky-soaked Scottish blues. Plants and Animals’ first LP, Parc Avenue, was shortlisted for the 2008 Polaris Music Prize and nominated for two Juno Awards in 2009. (And speaking of Juno, they share a hometown — Halifax, Nova Scotia — with Ellen Page.) For a sample of the band’s sound, check out the song “The Mama Papa” (MP3).

We’re offering two tickets to see Frightened Rabbit and Plants and Animals at San Diego’s House of Blues on 10/14. To enter the contest, just comment below, and include your email address in the form (your email won’t be visible to the public). The winner will be chosen at random on October 12, 2010. Plants and Animals tour dates are below.

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Poetic Memory: The Prids (List)

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Over the course of their career, The Prids have released a slew of excellent records. But it wasn’t until this year — when the rural Missourians released Chronosynclastic — that things really got going.

Chronosynclastic is about experience, and Prids primaries David Frederickson and Mistina La Fave have plenty of it. Their tumultuous relationship has taken them from love to marriage to divorce but, all the while, they’ve kept the band alive. That hard-won balance between harmony and conflict is reflected in their songwriting.

Sometimes dark, other times steeped in joy, but always surprising, Chronosynclastic‘s melodies, boy/girl vocals, and addictive hooks make this band an underrated gem of 2010.

In the midst of their current U.S. tour, La Fave sent us a list of ten songs that comprise her Poetic Memory. The band doesn’t have any San Diego dates on the schedule, but we hope they’ll come back soon. Mistina’s Poetic Memory, a video for The Prids’ song “Break,” and a full list of tour dates are below. Continue reading…

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“Echotone” is a Documentary About the Austin Music Scene (Video)

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In conjunction with October’s Rumble — which will highlight Echotone, a new documentary about the Austin, TX music scene — we are pleased to post the official Echotone trailer. The film follows a range of indie bands and their culture over a two-year period, spotlighting everything from the musicians to the venues, promoters, and city itself. According to the filmmakers, Echotone is best described as “a cultural portrait of the modern American city examined through the lyrics and lens of its creative class.”

The October Rumble in San Diego (more on that later) will feature two bands from the film, as well as a sneak preview of the documentary itself. Enjoy!

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Poetic Memory: Old Tiger (List)

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San Diego’s Old Tiger will play the Tin Can Alehouse this Saturday, October 2. In anticipation of their show, they sent us a list of 10 YouTube videos. This is a Poetic Memory first — and an excellent idea — and I’m a bit surprised that nobody has done it before.

For Old Tiger’s list, the self-described “visual learners” did something that they’d normally do anyway: “we sit around one of our places with a laptop, bringing up random videos to show each other that inspire us musically (or are just something fun or so old we’ve never seen it before).”

The first five items in the list were chosen by guitarist/vocalist Dustin Lothspeich; the second five were selected by Old Tiger drummer Eric Boone. The band also has an EP available for free download, which I highly recommend that you check out. Old Tiger’s Poetic Memory is below.

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Jamuel Saxon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. to Crash September’s Rumble

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This month’s Rumble at Bar Pink features indie up-and-comers Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and local musical hitman Jamuel Saxon, and will be held on Saturday, September 11.

Joshua Epstein and Daniel Zott are the Detroit-based duo behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.. They are known for incorporating many styles and substances into their music — they like samplers and drum machines, but they’re also not above playing to the indie-folk crowd.

Epstein and Zott describe their debut EP, Horse Power, as a “quasi-psych mix of folk, hip-hop inspired drum programming, and effervescent pop within which Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. machines a series of chicanes, straightaways, washboards, and u-turns that when assembled make for quite the interesting ride.” Additionally, Epstein and Zott like to wear Nascar outfits onstage. For a sample of their sound, we’ve got the video for “Nothing But Our Love,” and two MP3s — one of which was remixed by Jamuel Saxon — below.
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