interviews, listen, san diego

Poetic Memory: Adam Haworth Stephens (List)

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If you’ve heard Two Gallants, then you know how Adam Haworth Stephens‘ voice can stick with you. The singer/songwriter’s distinctive delivery and poetic lyrics have helped make the San Francisco duo one of indie rock’s most compelling acts, and now he’s venturing off on his own.

Stephens’ solo debut, We Live on Cliffs, is set for a September release on Saddle Creek. You can download the album’s first single, “The Cities That You’ve Burned” (MP3), from his website.

To celebrate the impending arrival of We Live on Cliffs, Stephens is taking his pop-inspired alt-folk on the road. And because no self-respecting tour is complete without a stop in America’s Finest City™, he’ll be headlining at the Casbah on Sunday, August 15th. Proving that two great acts are always better than one, San Diego’s favorite songbird, the always-charming Miss Erika Davies, will be opening.

Two Gallants may be on hiatus, but Stephen’s gallantry is still going strong — the scruffy musician was kind enough to share some of his influences with us. You can read his Poetic Memory, along with the rest of his tour dates, below. Continue reading…

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North Park Music Thing is Upon Us

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Writer (photo by Brad Swonetz)

If you’re a local musician, a friend of a local musician, or otherwise dipping your toes in the San Diego music scene, then you don’t need us to tell you about the North Park Music Thing. But if you haven’t heard of it, here’s what’s worth knowing: NPMT is a combined conference and music festival in the style of Austin’s South by Southwest, albeit on a much smaller scale. This year, the event starts on Friday, August 13 and continues all the way into the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Non-industry folk won’t be too interested in the conference portion, which consists of lectures and panel discussions aimed at bringing budding musicians up to speed on the quirks and pitfalls of the industry, but for the rest of us there’s a huge lineup of local acts lighting up 14 music venues scattered across Midtown.

Personally, we’re stoked  — stoked enough to actually use the word stoked — that a ton of our favorite local bands, and lots that (we’re embarrassed to admit) we have yet to see, are all playing over the course of two nights. Here’s where you’ll find us, obvious schedule conflicts notwithstanding: Continue reading…

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Contest: Win Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs on Vinyl

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“The Month of May” is a standout track on Arcade Fire‘s stellar new album The Suburbs, but it ain’t got nothing on the month of August.

So far this month, the indie rock sensations have played two sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden — one of which was webcast under the direction of film auteur/Monty Python alum Terry Gilliam — and their performance at last weekend’s Lollapalooza was the festival’s most talked-about event (ok, second most talked-about). Oh, and did I mention that The Suburbs just beat out some guy named Eminem for the best-selling album in America?

Not too shabby, and the month isn’t even halfway over yet. To keep the awesomeness going for the rest of August, our friends over at Merge Records are giving away a copy of The Suburbs to one lucky Owl and Bear reader. And this isn’t some CD or 8-track or whatever format you kids listen to nowadays — this is a freshly pressed double-LP of pure vinyl goodness. Top that, Slim Shady.

For your chance to win Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs on vinyl, send an email to contest@owlandbear.com with “Arcade Fire Contest” in the subject line and your name and mailing address in the body. The winner will be selected at random on August 30th.

interviews

Interview: Sleigh Bells

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The first thing you notice about Sleigh Bells is how abrasive their sound is. The mangled notes of Derek Miller’s guitar come at you with all the volume and deadliness of helicopter blades, but beneath all the eardrum-shattering noise, the band’s pop roots take hold. Thanks to Miller’s carefully constructed riffs and Alexis Krauss’ delicate, ethereal vocals, Sleigh Bells’ high-energy, lo-fi rock is much more inviting than it is off-putting.

Miller recently took some time out of his crazy touring schedule — which includes stops at just about every major music festival on the planet — to answer a few questions for us. Continue reading…

interviews

Poetic Memory: Sonny and the Sunsets (List)

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San Francisco-based Sonny & The Sunsets are preparing for the release of their new album. Out on August 31st through Fat Possum Records, the aptly titled Tomorrow Is Alright envelopes the listener in its soothing melodies and sun-soaked guitars, washing away even the smallest hint of pessimism.

Frontman Sonny Smith was kind enough to give us a glimpse of the influences that help him create perfect tunes for the endless summer romantic in all of us. Check out his Poetic Memory below. Continue reading…

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