“Indie record stores,†says Chrys Hansen of Modern Music, the Caribbean’s most visited record store, “are where you go when you first realize there’s a whole new world of music for you to explore.â€
Poetic Memory: The Midwinters (List)
MP3s: The Midwinters – Hinges (EP)
Back in 2006, a bunch of San Diego scene regulars decided to try something new. Soon, Americana was introduced to power pop and The Midwinters began to catch on. The band — currently comprised of Paul Donovan on vocals, Chris Hobson on keys, Jeff Hoyer on guitar, Matt Cliff on bass, and Erik Ekdahl on drums — has been writing, playing shows, and recording ever since, with the excellent EP Hinges released last year (download it for free at the link above), and another scheduled for 2011.
The band will play the Tin Can Ale House tonight, April 13. If you’re lucky, you might hear some of those new songs. In anticipation of the show, Paul and Matt sent us lists of their influences. Check it out below…
The Month of April
MP3: April Smith and the Great Picture Show – “Colors”
April Smith has some of the most powerful pipes in all of music, and she’s bringing them to San Diego. The New Jersey native and her trusty band, The Great Picture Show, have just announced that they’re stopping at M-Theory Records on April 25 for a special in-store performance.
Most artists who play the beloved Mission Hills record shop play proper shows in town later that night, but Smith and Co. are for some reason breaking with that tradition. This means that if you want to get an earful of the singer’s immense talent and charm, you’ll have to head over to M-Theory for the 7:00pm performance. And, seeing as how her album, Songs For a Sinking Ship, made our oh-so-prestigious Best of 2010 list, we’d strongly recommend you do just that.
The San Diego excursion comes near the end of April Smith and the Great Picture Show’s month-long tour, which has them supporting the fast-rising soul men (and woman) of Fitz and the Tantrums. You can see the full list of tour dates below. Continue reading…
944 Magazine Calls Owl and Bear “Favorite Local Music Blog” Second Year Running!
We’re a modest bunch here at Owl and Bear. We don’t do what we do for the money, or the fame, or for the hundreds of thousands of beautiful San Diego babes who want to go out with us.
Instead, Owl and Bear is a labor of love: we pride ourselves on our writing, our taste, and our insanely snobby high standards. We don’t do it because anyone tells us to, we do it because it’s in our blood. Our blood. So, rather than spend a lot of time applauding our (admittedly) high-quality work, we like to let the content do the talking.
That said, we fucking rule. This month, Owl and Bear was named one of 944 Magazine‘s “Favorite Local Music Blogs” for the second year in a row! Continue reading…
Poetic Memory: Emily Long (List)
MP3: Emily Long – “Dirty Face”
If it were 1995, Emily Long would be huge.
That’s not a backhanded compliment, either. Listening to the Tucson native’s second album, Dirty Face, transports you to a time when flannel was worn un-ironically, the Empire Records soundtrack was wearing out your CD player, and MTV played videos instead of bottom-feeding reality show tripe.
From the opening moments of Dirty Face, you can hear the influence of bands like Veruca Salt and Letters to Cleo in the forceful but delicate vocals, fuzzed out guitars, and flogged drums. Long’s voice may conjure women like Nina Gordon, Louise Post, and Kay Hanley, but there’s also a bit of Tegan and Sara in the way she projects ripples of vulnerability into her rock-star belting.
It’s a compelling combination, and repeat listens makes Long’s music even more rewarding. The ass-kicking musician was kind enough to share some of the things that make her tick, which you can find below, along with a behind-the-scenes video on the making of Dirty Face. Continue reading…