Category Archives: interviews

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Interview: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

In case you haven’t noticed, we are big fans of Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros here at O&B.

Their breezy debut, Up From Below, topped our Best of 2009 list, and it’s still in heavy rotation here at O&B headquarters. The album has just been given the iTunes Deluxe Edition treatment, with three bonus tracks and two music videos added to sweeten the deal. You can purchase it here.

We had the pleasure of sitting down with messianic frontman Edward Sharpe, né Alex Ebert, to discuss his personal transformation, hadron colliders, and the new solo album he just finished recording.
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Poetic Memory: Mammoth Life (List)

New bands can take a while to warm up to, but the art pop of Mammoth Life is instantly endearing. Resting somewhere between pop and folk, the Lawrence, Kansas band’s bouncy sound is sugary yet rugged, equally suited for dancing or riding a horse.

In addition to their musical prowess, Mammoth Life have an eye for style. They’ve got their own clothing line — aptly named Mammoth Life Apparel — and they recently released a seven-inch called Enlightenment: A Romantic Gospel on fancy, transparent blue vinyl. The gorgeous record is individually numbered to 250 copies.

You can snatch up a copy on Friday, June 2nd, when the band brings its catchy melodies and Midwestern charm to the Soda Bar. The Hot Moon and Flying Objects will be joining them, so don’t miss it.

Band leader/box guitarist/producer Nicholas Goss was kind enough to share his Poetic Memory with us, which you can find below. Continue reading…

Interview: Dr. Dog

O&B Best of 2008-ers Dr. Dog get more popular by the day, thanks to a solid discography and some of the best harmonies around. Despite their ever-expanding acclaim, the band wasn’t too busy to talk with us at this year’s Bonnaroo festival. We sat down with bandmates Toby Leaman and Zach Miller to discuss their latest release, Shame, Shame, and they even dropped some juicy details about new material that they have planned. Continue reading…

Poetic Memory: Alex Kemp (List)

Up and comer Alex Kemp has been in three bands — The Godrays, Small Factory, and Assassins — that have taken him from New York City to Rhode Island to Chicago and everywhere in between. Now, the nomadic Kemp has set up shop in Los Angeles — this time to pursue a solo career.

In a short period of time, Kemp has raised eyebrows with his smooth, breezy grooves and heart-on-sleeve lyrics. He is currently preparing a series of limited edition, hand-screen-printed EPs for release over the next year, to be followed by a debut LP. Kemp was kind enough to take some time out from all that recording to share a Poetic Memory with us:

There’s a lot songs, tied to a lot of moments, that make up a sort of weird musical mosaic of our own personal histories. Everybody’s is so different though, so I don’t expect that anyone would see these song/moments of mine and relate, necessarily. But maybe they’ll go listen to the songs again, which would be fine, because they’re pretty fucking great songs. And we would have that in common — I’ll go listen to them again too.

Alex Kemp’s list of songs that have inspired his love for music is below. Continue reading…

Poetic Memory: Audra Mae (List)

L.A.’s Audra Mae is not your average folk singer-songwriter. With pipes that approach Neko Case and a soul like Janis Joplin, she possesses a kind of sincerity that speaks to you but doesn’t succumb to the over-sharing that plagues the genre.

She might be best known for covering Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young” (and it is an excellent cover), but you don’t really get a sense of what she’s capable of until you hear a song like “Cliche.”

In anticipation of her show with Good Old War and Yukon Blonde at the Soma side stage this Wednesday, June 9, we got a chance to hear her top ten moments to seize.

Stream: Audra Mae – “Cliche”
[audio:am-c.mp3]

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