Month: May 2015
Take a fun-filled listen to “Long Way Down” (above). I like it. I really, really like it. It is the new single from London-based duo, Vienna Ditto. ‘Portishead doing a Tarantino soundtrack’ is how Huw Stephens of BBC Radio 1, described the band. Vienna Ditto’s upcoming LP Circle is said to epitomize the band’s flair …
For those who do not follow basketball, the Golden State Warriors have made the NBA Finals for the first time in 40 years. On this, I have two observations: 1. The members of the last Warriors team in the Finals are old enough to collect Social Security, if not Medicare. 2. If this were any …
Today is Miles Davis’ birthday – as Joe Zawinul said about him “a genius isn’t someone who invents one great thing and keeps doing it over and over again, a genius is someone who keeps changing and evolving” – In 1970 Miles and company (including tabla and sitar) cut a version of Crosby Stills and …
Today, Richard Thompson is sharing “All Buttoned Up”, a new track from his masterful new album Still, due for release June 23rd, 2015 via Fantasy Records (Concord Music Group.) Spiked with Thompson’s acerbic wit and masterful word play, “All Buttoned Up” is one of the lighter counterpoints on an album that is filled with emotional …
Within the last decade or so major league baseball stadiums have piped in player-selected songs when the batter approaches the batters box. The practice then spread to the high school level. When my son played varsity ball as a junior I noticed to my chagrin that all but two of the players chose a song …
I met two of the guys in this band this afternoon. I drove them from their hotel to the Rose Theater in my cab. It took two trips. We also moved a goodly amount of equipment. Like so many musicians these days, the lads were from Sweden. Nice fellas. little-dragon.net
Over the last couple of weeks several Washington state school districts have conducted one day rolling strikes to protest the state inadequate funding of public education. Today, May 19, 2015, the biggest district in the state, Seattle, walked off the job and were joined by Mercer Island and Issaquah districts in solidarity. Washington ranks 47th …
Jennie Vee’s second EP, Spying, is due out this summer. With a sound that music blog The Autumn Roses describes as “guitars chiming like bells and with satiny melodies, gentle and humane, despite the heartbreak,” Jennie has earned comparisons to Metric, Slowdive, and Black Tambourine. Her songs capture her brilliant pop juxtapositions: radio friendly …
Kim Rendfeld will serve on a panel about midwifery at the 2015 Historical Novel Society Conference, June 26-28, and talk specifically about the practice in early medieval times. Childbirth was so risky in early medieval times the expectant mother confessed her sins as her time drew near. If her baby was in jeopardy, the fate …
Already a strong contender on most ‘Ones To Watch’ lists thanks to his acclaimed inaugural releases of ‘Only Wanna Be With You’ and ‘Redemption’, Samm Henshaw’s hugely anticipated debut EP is set for release on 13th July. Having already garnered mainstream radio support from Radio 1’s Dev and Phil & Alice, not to mention James …
The Memphis Grizzlies made the series far too interesting, but last night the Golden State Warriors closed it out and reached the NBA Western Conference Finals for the first time since Rick Barry shot granny-style at the foul line. As to how the Warriors managed it, this video of Stephen Curry’s 62-ft basket last night …
Fresh off the first leg of their first-ever national tour, a marathon stint of SXSW shows and a current string of west coast dates in support of Spoon, Sweet Spirit will bring its spiritual thrill-ride of garage soul joy and endearing mayhem for their first-ever Portland show, setting up shop at Kelly’s Olympian on Saturday, …
As an opponent of the militarization of American society, I always oppose the Pentagon’s continuous bloated budget and wasteful spending. In December 2014, the Wall Street Journal reported that in 2013, “the Pentagon’s top 85 major-defense acquisition programs experienced overruns of nearly $411 billion.” According to the same WSJ article, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter …
Formerly known as Y-O of Hip Hop duo U-N-I, Yonas Michael has always renounced the norm. Here Yonas Michael shares his new single, “South Pacific” the follow-up to his buzzin’ single “Blessed.” Both tunes will appear on his much-anticipated solo debut, Black Swan Theory, scheduled for release in June 2015. “Welcome aboard, we made it …
On Thursday night, May 7, I ventured out to what is now the new Fun House location. The venue which used to be known as the Lounge at El Corazon is now the new Funhouse. The five piece all women pop punk band from Minneapolis was playing. I’d seen Sick Of Sarah a couple years …
It’s a Tuesday night, but Seattle’s Crocodile Cafe is packed pretty tight to see super group Dead Men Walking. When I say super group, I mean Captain Sensible (The Damned), Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats), Mike Peters (The Alarm) and my personal favorite, Chris Cheney of the Living End. This was not a show to …
Eddie Murphy has just released a new video for “Oh Jah Jah,” his catchy and moving old-school reggae tune. I like it.
Take a listen to “Fate,” a tune I really like by a band called, XING, which is pronounced, “crossing.” XING is a London-Los Angeles duo made up of Jack Moore and AR Smith. Moore is the son of Gary Moore of Thin Lizzy and a stellar solo blues-rock career. Moore is also a friend of …
One of my least favorite guitarists of all time gives an ego driven guitar interview. – Richard Lloyd richardlloyd.com
After the Blazer-Warrior game I attended back in March, I spent some time in the hallway outside the Warrior locker room with Steph Curry and some of his friends, just being a fly on the wall and listening to their conversation. One of the comments I remember was one of Curry’s friends telling him, “Good …
It’s Friday night in Seattle and a lot is going on, not the least of which is a clash with Black Lives Matter protesters and Seattle police. I was at the Central Tavern in Seattle’s Pioneer Square neighborhood. Seattle’s own Boss Martians were headlining and though I’ve known of the Boss Martians for some time, …
As the dim light of dawn illuminates the eastern horizon and intensifies into awakening light, so too The Black Atlas’s single “Moonsong’s” tapestry reveals and unfolds itself, calling forth and drawing out an unseen virulent potential, until at last, unable to be restrained, “Moonsong” bursts forth in an explosion, a powerful, satisfying manifestation that expands …
Tony Tokyo’s single “Move Along” mixes a refreshing beat and synth backdrop with delicious vocal flavor used to good effect. Sans lyrics, this moving house track is upbeat and tasty, however the conflict between music and message left me staring at the plate. – Paul Johnson http://soundcloud.com/tonytokyo https://twitter.com/TonyTokyoLDN https://www.facebook.com/tonytokyomusic