Unnecessary Subtitle: Crush of the Week I was interviewing Kasey Anderson last week (look for that feature in the next few weeks) and when I asked him what he was listening to he mentioned Joe Pug, adding, “Not that that kid needs any more press.” Indeed, leading up to an immediately following the February 16th [...]
Horse Feathers is one of my favorite Portland bands to emerge in the last few years. Loosely described as indie folk, they create sparse, atmospheric music that somehow manages to sound full and lush at the same time. Most of their tunes are mellow, but they maintain a level of energy that makes both their [...]
I first stumbled upon Portland’s The Builders and the Butchers by accident during a particularly frustrating evening spent trying to navigate 2007′s MusicFest NorthWest. MFNW is a well-intentioned local festival that hasn’t quite figured out how big it wants to be, or rather, how to manage how big it’s become. After getting shut out of [...]
There are undeniable similarities, both musical and topical, that connect a lot of of my favorite artists– The Hold Steady, American Aquarium, and these Jersey boys–The Gaslight Anthem. The thematic threads are youth, nostalgia, the romance of cars and front porches, premature death, the dark side of the party, and the agony of growing up. [...]
The Low Anthem are a trio out of Providence, Rhode Island consisting of two Brown grads and a NASA technician. Their latest album, Oh My God, Charlie Darwin, is a loose collection of songs musing on the concept of evolution and the current state of human affairs. It was originally self-released then snapped up by [...]