The first time I heard of Martin Sexton, it was in college circa 1998. A member of my vocal group had arranged an acappella cover of his song “Love Keep Us Together.” It was a beautiful arrangement, and I loved singing the background tenor 2 part every time our music director called it. Continue reading
Brothers McCann, a folk-rock trio from Boston, MA, opened for Martin Sexton at the El Rey Theatre on 3/13/15 and we snapped some pics of their performance. Continue reading
I’ve got a full time job. It takes a lot for me to drive 45 minutes to catch a band play on a weekday. When I found out that The Janks and Rachel Goodrich and the Grrrls were playing on the same bill at the Bootleg HiFi on a Thursday night, the 90 minutes of driving and the subsequent lack of sleep for a 9am conference call is definitely worth it. Continue reading
THOUGHTS (Excerpted from M. Sloves’ terrifically written concert review that you can read by CLICKING HERE!):
“[Pete is] clearly a charming guy and extremely talented. I think he falls into that category of “musician’s musician” – the guy that pro jocks want around when they’re at a recording studio or a house party because he can jump in on any song without a lot of ego stroking or maintenance costs. Continue reading
THE ACT: The War On Drugs | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
SOUNDS LIKE:
THOUGHTS: When people ask me what music has been turning me on lately, I usually rattle off a list new LP’s that I’ve purchased at the local record shop. The one album that hasn’t left that list? The War On Drugs’ “Lost In The Dream”.
I remember when I bought the LP. I was thumbing through some racks of LPs at Origami Vinyl, when the text of “Limited Edition” and “Purple Vinyl” on the sticker caught my eye: “. Silly as it may be, since I’m a collector, things like that always interest me. I asked the proprietor about the album, and he told me that it was a solid album, giving me the history behind the band (how founding member Kurt Vile left the band in 2011, leaving Adam Granduciel to helm the band) and suggesting that if I purchased it, he was pretty sure I wouldn’t be disappointed. He was correct. In fact, he had gotten me to purchase an album that I have very high on list of “best albums of the year”. Well done, Origami Vinyl.
The album is brilliant. It’s a cohesive masterpiece of brilliantly engaging, dreamy rock, melding understated synths with soaring guitar licks. The album is only 10 tracks deep, and runs slightly over an hour, but the listening experience seems to conclude too early, as if the “dream” is the music causing the listener to get “lost” in it. A dream that you simply don’t want to wake up from. The lyrics, honest and emotional, is Adam’s voice … but really, it’s the voice of the everyman. When he sings about that moment of realizing heartbreak or admitting depression, he’s really writing, whether he meant to or not, for everyone one who has been there.
The War On Drugs’ live show is just as amazing as their album. Pulling from the band’s entire catalog, their set, and pardon the pun, was like an ocean with waves (a song of theirs is titled “An Ocean Between The Waves”). From sublime smoothness, to relentless ardor, the room swelled with the kind of natural energy only great music can create; hitting the right peaks and valleys with an emotional fervor.
And the music was played to perfection. Though they may have jammed out, extending songs longer than what are on the album, I closed my eyes at times and couldn’t hear the difference. The musicianship, and the technicality with which they played, was effortless.
After their performance, I hung out a while to see if I could get Adam to sign the LP that I had lugged with me in my camera bag. As his band was on stage taking down their equipment, I asked a stage hand as to whether Adam would be cool signing the LP for me. He shouted up to Adam and he jumped from the stage to greet me. A very real, and modest man, he was happy to sign my LP and was genuinely pleased (I could see it in his eyes) when I told him that their performance blew my mind. I asked him some more questions about the rest of his tour, and then went on my way; but needless to say, knowing that the man behind the music was as genuine and modest as the other, looking me in the eyes and paying attention to me with my small talk, made me appreciate his art more than ever.
SETLIST:
VIDEO CLIPS:
PHOTOS:
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
THE ACT: Lucinda Williams | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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THOUGHTS: Lucinda Williams. What can you say about this woman and her incredible music? Honestly … you can’t say much since it’s already been said. Having won multiple Grammy awards and being recognized as one of America’s best songwriters, it goes without saying that when she sings, you have to listen to every word, or your just missing out.
PHOTOS: Wish I had had more time in the pit for Lucinda’s set. Though the pics below aren’t bad, I feel like I should have been able to do a better job shooting around shadows and the microphone.
VIDEO CLIPS:
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
THE ACT: Joe Fletcher | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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THOUGHTS: Though he usually plays with his backing band The Wrong Reasons, Joe Fletcher performed solo acoustic set at Way Over Yonder’s carousel stage. Gritty and raw, and under the hard red stage lighting, Joe performed American roots music with a passionate intensity that had his audience spellbound.
PHOTOS:
VIDEO CLIPS:
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
THE ACT: The Wild Reeds | Facebook | Twitter
SOUNDS LIKE:
THOUGHTS: With tight harmonies singing folk songs about the everyman, you probably would’ve guessed that this band came from the midwest or the south. Nope. These talented musicians are Los Angeles based, and delighted the audience that came to the Carousel Stage to watch them perform with their light and carefree tunes.
PHOTOS:
VIDEO CLIPS:
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
THE ACT: Houndmouth | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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THOUGHTS: The first band I was able to catch taking the main stage was Houndmouth; a band from New Albany, Indiana with a sound that’s a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll. Their tight harmonies sounded very polished over their textured music and I was instantly smitten. A little bit Head and the Heart and a little bit Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, their style of music was definitely something I would purchase,
PHOTOS:
VIDEO CLIPS:
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
THE ACT: The Far West | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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THOUGHTS: The first band that I saw at Way Over Yonder was The Far West. I got to the venue a little late due to the transportation issues, but from what I was able to hear, their music was a combination of Americana and roots music, honest and true the way folk music should be.
PHOTOS:
VIDEO CLIPS:
To Check Out Other Acts that I Caught At Way Over Yonder, CLICK HERE!
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