Late on Monday nights a few years back, I would always get an increasingly agitated series of texts from a friend:
you coming to tower?
you said you would come this time
if you don’t come to tower one of these times I will pluck out your eyeballs with a toothpick and garnish my martini with them
If you find yourself complaining that they just don’t make music like they used to, you need The Smart Brothers in your life. Oscillating between high-energy roots romps and tender ballads of surprising depth, the San Diego duo create charming, old-timey folk just like grandpa used to make. With their finely crafted compositions and intricate, flawless harmonies, The Smart Brothers make music to fall in love with—and fall in love to. Continue reading
For music fans young and old, Ray Manzarek needs little introduction. In the late 60s, Manzarek co-founded and played keyboards in The Doors, who to this day remain one of rock and roll’s most influential bands. He’s written novels, directed films, and, at the age of 71, he’s still cooler than you are.
Manzarek’s salad days are the subject of the upcoming, award-winning documentary When You’re Strange, and, on February 28th, he’ll be bringing his roadhouse blues to San Diego for a gig at Anthology.
We sat down with Manzarek to discuss everything from fine wine to YouTube, and from Iggy Pop to Weird Al. Continue reading
When Casey Dienel and Shawn Creeden of White Hinterland decided to relocate from the Northeastern United States to the Pacific Northwest, they also took their band’s music in a whole new direction.
The change was born out of necessity; being in a new city without access to a piano — the centerpiece of their previous work — forced them to carve out a new sonic template, so they hunkered down in their Portland studio and started tinkering with loops and acoustic guitars.
The result is White Hinterland’s second full-length album, Kairos, set to be released on March 9 on Dead Oceans records. Continue reading
Chicago post-rockers Tortoise are just like the animal that their moniker invokes. Well, not exactly like it; I’ve never seen a tortoise perform a killer instrumental post-rock song, though I wouldn’t mind seeing one try. Rather, it is the band’s unbelievable staying power that makes them so much like the long-lived reptile.
I’d be willing to bet that most fans of indie rock today were just discovering the wonders of puberty when Tortoise’s 1994 debut laid the groundwork for a career that would see the band become one of the most important post-rock acts ever.
Fast-forward sixteen years to Mr. Smalls Theater in Pittsburgh, PA. Considering that the show was on a Wednesday night, the turnout was decent. I really can’t think of a better place to see Tortoise, besides maybe the moon or inside a spaceship. Mr. Smalls is an old cathedral church retrofitted into an amazing music venue. The acoustics are amazing—every plucked string, tapped hi-hat, and stroked key fills the space with beauty. Continue reading