Camper Van Beethoven introduced an eclectic, often humorous blend of hippie psychedelia, avant-garde improvisation, country-western shadings, pseudo-ethnic sounds, and a hardcore punch to the mid-’80s postpunk scene. What saved the group from novelty status was its genuine talent for making interesting, adventurous music. After its breakup, Lowery went on to greater commercial success in his [...]
Three and a half years in the making, the efforts of writing and recording THERE IS NO ENEMY led Built to Spill founder Doug Martsch to wonder whether this would be the last album he ever makes. As his wife, I watched him work, pouring hour after hour , day after day into writing. Song [...]
Alligator Records has set a May 5, 2009 release date for “LAY YOUR BURDEN DOWN”, the stunning label debut from American musical legend, Stanley “Buckwheat” Dural Jr. and his band, Buckwheat Zydeco. The New York Times says, “Stanley ‘Buckwheat’ Dural leads one of the best bands in America. A down-home and high-powered celebration, meaty and [...]
Beijing. A smoke-filled club bustling with people, clanging of bottles, chatter. There is a woman on stage with her banjo. She begins to sing old-time Appalachian music in Chinese. The effect produced is entirely original, a cultural mash-up between two distant yet not so different worlds. The crowd quiets down to listen. Abigail Washburn never [...]
Barrage – A high-octane fiddle-fest that features an international, multi-talented cast performing an eclectic mix of music, song and dance. “Barrage is too Wow for Words !” – Denver Post Barrage has entertained millions of people around the globe . Fans in Europe, Asia and North America have enjoyed Barrage at International Festivals, Concert Performances, [...]
The B-Side Players make music without borders or boundaries. On Fire In The Youth, their seventh album and first for Concord/Picante, they continue exploring the multifaceted grooves of Latin America and the Caribbean, incorporating the sounds of Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico and Brazil with the funk, rock, jazz and hip-hop rhythms of their homeland. With Latin [...]
Twelve years after becoming the first hip-hop act to put the Twin Cities on the map, Atmosphere has grown into one of the most accomplished MC/producer duos around. Between Slug and Ant, they’ve released seven albums, 13 Sad Clown tour albums and various side-projects like Felt – amounting in well over a million units sold. [...]
It’s been quite a ride for Aphrodesia since their birth in 2003: a pilgrimage to the legendary Shrine nightclub in Lagos, Nigeria in 2006, a cross-country voter-registration tour in a vegetable oil-powered bus in 2004 and accolades everywhere from National Public Radio to USA Today. Through it all the San Francisco-based 11-piece ensemble has won [...]
