MP3: Abe Vigoda – “Throwing Shade”
MP3: Abe Vigoda – “Crush”
MP3: Wild Nothing – “Golden Haze”
MP3: Wild Nothing – “Summer Holiday”
Abe Vigoda are a band of self-described rock-and-roll fuckups from Chino, CA, but it’s the good kind of dysfunction, they assure you — and they open for Wild Nothing at the Casbah tomorrow. Continue reading…
Acclaimed acoustic guitarist Leo Kottke will play Anthology on January 29.
Kottke, considered a genius in his field, started playing music at a young age, but guitar wasn’t his first choice. The Georgia-based songwriter cut his teeth on the trombone, something that Kottke says he loved, but with which he eventually grew disillusioned: “I never considered that a life in trombone might differ from the one I was imagining…a life lived in hotels, in black suits and skinny ties, Ray-Bans indoors.” Sometime around age fifteen, Kottke intentionally bombed a trombone recital and moved on with his life. Continue reading…
San Diego’s musical mad scientist Rafter is releasing his newest LP, Quiet Storm, as a pay-what-you-want download. The album comes hot on the heels of last year’s critically acclaimed, booty-shaking Animal Feelings. Whereas that album’s aesthetic was firmly rooted in pop — filtered, as always, through Rafter’s trademark gonzo sensibilities — Quiet Storm‘s genesis can be traced to an altogether different genre: metal.
“When [drummer Nathan Hubbard] and I were touring around the US after Animal Feelings came out, we listened to a lot of black metal demo tapes in the car,” Rafter explains on his website. “It was really inspiring, extreme, blown out, ridiculous but heartfelt… I made [Quiet Storm], fed by those inspirations and a wave of existential freakout, human mind explosion. In my fantasy, it’s like Darkthrone meets The Kinks meets Lee Perry…”
For a taste of Quiet Storm, check out the hard-hitting “Oh No” (MP3), then head over to his Bandcamp page to download the whole album. Be sure to show your appreciation by paying generously.
Or if you prefer music of the live variety, head on down to the Tin Can tonight for Rafter’s impromptu record release show. He’ll be joined by the equally dancey Jamuel Saxon, who just released the 3-song Time Is Money EP for streaming and download on his own Bandcamp page.
UPDATE: According to the Loft website, the show has been canceled.
MP3: “Bad Day” (Javelin Remix)
There are few musicians out there as unabashedly quirky as Darwin Deez.
The Brooklyn singer/guitarist, who describes his outlandish fashion sense as “hipstered out to the max” and plays in his own invented, secret tuning, made a splash last year when he self-released his terrific full-length debut. From the Radiohead-esque opener “Constellations” to the electronic beats of closer “Bad Day,” the self-titled album is an endearing collection of unpretentious, poppy fun. In fact, it’s so good that it’s going to be re-released by Lucky Number Music on February 22. Continue reading…
Pop debutante Tristen will play the Soda Bar this Sunday, January 30, and all of us at Owl and Bear are very, very excited. The Nashville resident’s debut album, Charlatans at the Garden Gate, has been in constant rotation at the O&B offices lately, and all that listening has only increased our admiration for her silky vocals and whip-smart songwriting.
So naturally, we can’t wait to hear instant classics like “Eager For Your Love” (MP3) and “Baby Drugs” (MP3) live, and we want you to be there with us.
As if creating a terrific album like Charlatans at the Garden Gate wasn’t enough, Tristen was also kind enough to share her Poetic Memory with us. Check out her list of “favorite albums released in the 1980’s” below, then head down to the Soda Bar on Sunday for what promises to be an incredible show. We’ll see you there. Continue reading…