We arrived to a packed house full of older folks in their 50′s, guys who look like they do sales for computer software stuff. Todd played two sets, the first was just him and his old box, the second was with a band (including a pretty lil’ girl sawin’ up the fiddle).

The acoustic set was Todd playing ballads. He almost just talks through a rhythmic guitar, says a lot of liberal stuff I really disagree with – but I can appreciate his ole timeyness. Im pretty sure he had overalls on and a hobo hat, and there wasnt an ounce of hipster in him, and that was cool.

I think at the end of the day the best thing about the show was the venue and the fact that Todd wrote a song about Dock Ellis, the professional baseball player who threw a no-hitter in the the 70′s while on an LSD trip, check the video:

The Vinyl Countdown slot machines have many different symbols that relate to this theme. For instance, there is a jukebox and disco ball. The juke box symbol is the wild symbol in this slot machine game. Characters on the reels include a young girl as well as a male character who bears a striking resemblance to rocker, Elvis Presley. The Vinyl Countdown logo is also a symbol in this game. Other symbols found in Vinyl Countdown include food items associated with the era.

Many slot machine games have bonus features or free spin options. Vinyl Countdown does not have these. However, this doesn’t mean that one cannot win big with this game. Unlike other slot machines, Vinyl Countdown does offer a wide range of payout in the middle to high range. Therefore, there are more opportunities to win with the regular game.

The high payout with Vinyl Countdown is 1,000 coins. In order to win this a player must get five Vinyl Countdown logos on any activated payline. The next highest payout is 900 coins which are won with five Elvis-like symbols. The next three highest payouts are 700, 500 and 300 coins. The disco ball is the scatter symbol. Even if it appears in a payline that is not activated, it is still a winning symbol. For the scatter symbol to win, there have to be three of them anywhere on the reels.

SxSW 2013 DAY TWO

For SxSW Day Two, we plunge back on the chaotic and crowded streets of downtown
Austin for some unique concepts, both musically and underlying bands themselves, as
well as some great revivals of classic sounds.

THE BEAUMONTS

This Lubbock, Texas four piece gives the impression of ZZ Top, several members
sporting impressive beards and all in black embroidered shirts and cowboy hats. When
it comes to delivering raunchy, foul-mouthed gutbucket honky-tonk and roots rock,
however, The Beaumonts might have lesson or two even for the Texas guitar rock trio.

The Beaumonts are five-piece, led by Troy Wayne Delco, lead vocalist and guitarist,
belting out honky tonk his honky in a fashion that would do Hank Williams Jr., proud.
“Hollywood” Steve Vegas, handles lead guitar delivering a hard-charging country
rock—with a stylistic nod to 80s rock and roll guitar. The electric bass work of Don
E. Rosewood helps solidify the ZZ Top analogy in my mind, often reminiscent of the
sounds of Dusty Hill in his rootsier moments. Drummer Jimmy Ned Messer and pedal
steel player Chip Northcutt are both engine and anchor for The Beaumonts’ honky-tonk
sound.

The band’s up-tempo, riotous honky-tonk music is choc full of both twang and lyrics that
are an unabashed and joyous celebration of country music’s dark, seedy underbelly: tales
of casual hook-ups and prescription medication abuse. You can call The Beaumonts a
guilty pleasure if you wish—but they are a pleasure all the same.

Driven forward by the most magnificent pedal steel I ever heard at a live show, “East
Texas Girl,” tells the story of a “romance” between an east Texas girl and west Texas
Man, reveling in the worst stereotypes of each—revolving around the memorable chorus
line of “We can fuck until something better comes along.” Of course, it would be difficult
to count the number country songs have expressed that sentiment, only in softer, more
discrete language. In fact, deliberate or not, it’s hard not see in “East Texas Girl” an
audacious, lyrically explicit parody of Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn’s “Mississippi
Woman, Louisiana Man.”

The second song in the set is introduced with, “This next song is about girls.” Fair
enough—it seems like most songs, and certainly most country songs, are. The
Beaumonts’ take on that classic theme, however, begins with “She’s got big fake boobs.”
Again, I wonder how often, when you scratch the surface of a tender country love ballad,
is what the singer really saying, “She’s got big boobs?” The song goes on to humorously
relate a train-wreck relationship of convenience with a much older woman, including the
line that will haunt me forever, “She’s old enough to be my mom, and that’s coming from
a man of 46.” The song, by the way, is called, “Big Fake Boobs.”

“The Boots Stay On” is another pedal steel honky tonk anthem. It tells the tale of real
cowboy, defined in this case as “one who always keeps his hat and boots on.” Always.
Unlike “Big Fake Boobs,” this story ends on a more positive note, with the cowboy
meeting a likeminded cowgirl. Musically, in addition to the strong steel playing there is
some great bass work from Rosewood.

Country music has a long tradition of innuendo and allusion in treating uncomfortable
or unwholesome topics. The Beaumonts revel in showing their audience country really
sounds like when you rip those filters away. They’re definitely not music for everyone,
but I couldn’t turn away.

http://www.thebeaumontstx.com/

THE WARRIOR SPIRIT BAND

Every band has a story behind them. Few, however, are as distinctive and compelling as
the one underlining the Warrior Sprit Band. Formed in 2009, the members of Warrior
Spirit are all combat veterans of Afghanistan, Iraq or Vietnam who have suffered
physical and/or psychological injuries in the line of duty. After their injuries, several of
the band members were told they would never play music again. But, not only do they
play, they play remarkably.

Warrior Spirit Band delivers world-class original classic rock, with a sound that hovers
around the nexus point of Bad Company and Lynyrd Skynyrd. That fusion is epitomized
by lead singer Levon Ingram, whose voice is strongly reminiscent of Bad Company’s
Paul Rodgers singing with the attitude and style of Ronnie Van Zant. Drummer Paul
Delacerda and guitarist Sean Foster reinforce a sound that is both classic and fresh. King
Burton both lends a solid electric bass to the band and serves as their front man between
songs.

Burton introduces the first number by calling-out the infamous Westboro Baptist Church,
saying, “They do some very ugly things at the funerals of our fallen warriors. We’re
pissed off about it, and I hope you are too.” The song, “WB Kansas,” expresses the
band’s anguish at seeing the funerals of soldiers disrupted by Westboro Baptist Church
members, chorusing

If war is hell, it’s killing me,
that some people in Kansas
are protesting the pain of the families.”

The second and third songs in the set, “Heart in My Hands” and “Cross that Line,” are
classic rock songs in much more convention vein: the ubiquitous topic of relationships.
The lyrics of “Cross that Line” seem to reflect southern rock and country influences as
well as Warrior Spirit’s omnipresent classic rock.

The song, “Invisible Scars” chronicles the band members’ struggles with PTSD (“See
what I’ve become. You don’t know half the things I’ve done.”) Not surprisingly, while
still very much classic rock, the song is filled with dark, brooding overtones, bursting
through to the surface during the song’s haunting chorus, a repetition of “Help me! Help
me! Help me!”

“Prisoner of War,” is, musically, something of an anomaly in the Warrior Spirit Band’s
play list. Rather than straight-up classic rock, the piece leans heavier on country, with
lyrics that could have come straight from the pen of Steve Earle.

This is followed by “Not Easy Being a Soldier,” introduced by bassist King saying, “If
you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a solider, check it out.” The song’s introduction
is musically reminiscent of The Who’s “Behind Blue Eyes,” before settling back into
more Warrior Spirit Band’s more typical Bad Company groove.

The final song of the set is a more up-tempo and up-beat number dwelling upon the
simpler pleasures of life

There is a depth and poignancy that runs throughout the music of the Warrior Spirit
Band. Certainly, a lot of really great music has come from artists wrestling with issues
and concerns about mortality. As a young man in the audience, Jason Bell (himself, I
believe, a veteran) pointed out to me—this is an entire band that has experienced being
on the edge of life and death. The band has managed to turn that wisdom, and that pain,
in to a font of artistic inspiration.

Sure, this is a band with a unique and high-minded concept. But don’t let that obscure the
fact that this is amazing classic rock. Listening to Warrior Spirit Band is finding a lost
forgotten cassette tape on a dusty shelf. If you like veterans, classic rock or both, this is a
band that deserves to be checked out.

http://www.warriorspiritband.com/.

MOONLIGHT TOWERS

Moonlight Towers is an Austin-based band, named after a series of distinctive structures
that provided the city with public lighting during the 19th century and some of which
are still in use today. Enough with the history lesson: the band’s sound is much more
contemporary—a melodic indie rock that gives occasional nods to power pop and the
British Invasion.

Their first number opens with dark, moody rock and roll driven by singer/guitarist
James Stevens’ string work and Richard Galloway’s percussion. Even when delivering
solid indie rock vocals, Stevens’ voice is smooth, almost velvety, creating an intriguing
juxtaposition when their instrumentation dives in the harder edges of indie-rock.

Moonlight Towers are a very tight band. While vocals are clearly intended to be center of
attention, they do not overpower the band’s high quality instrumental work. Most of the
songs alternate between harder and softer sides: the harder characterized by well-polished
energetic indie rock and irresistible power pop, with a softer side that is more ethereal
and melodic. Both faces of the band occasionally channel the sound and flavor of British
Invasion rock and roll, especially on guitar.

It is good for a band to be tight but it’s even better if they know what to do with it. And
Moonlight Towers does, drawing and building on their tightness so that each musician’s
output is well supported the others. The interplay between Stevens’ vocals and Schulze’s
keyboard is especially interesting, and impressive, to watch

Reinforcing both the indie rock and melodic aesthetics of their music, many of Moonlight
Towers’ songs feature ambitious bass lines, well executed by Jason Daniels. In addition
to his commendable vocals, Stevens is a very credible guitarist in his own right—
comfortably executing some nice higher-register riffs and earning guitar rock cred
through some quality shredding. Keyboardist Jacob Schulze alternates between melody
and harmony, using his electric chords to supplement the sounds of the rest of the group.
Drummer Galloway’s music and presence lend additional impact to the performance,
supplemented by the occasional guttural yell.

.As an impressive collection of press clippings suggest, Moonlight Towers is a band that
could go far. They take three popular sounds, indie rock, power pop and British Invasion,
and blend them together into a consistent and enjoyable yet often hard-edged blend
of rock and roll mellowed by the occasional nod to more melodic rock. Their biggest
liability may be the sheer number of bands currently playing in similar corners of music.
Unlike many of those peers, however, Moonlight Towers seems to have clear vision and
certainly have a distinctive brand for their blend. If they keep up the hard work, inspired
approach to their chosen genre and throw in a little bit of the luck essential for any band,
we may hear a lot more from them.

http://moonlighttowers.com

MISTER LEWIS AND THE FUNERAL FIVE

This Austin-based combo strikes a distinctive sound by taking cabaret rock and infusing
it with a multitude of sounds from jazz, lounge, Gypsy, punk, ska and roots. The resulting
cocktail (or, for a band called Mr. Lewis and Funeral Five, perhaps embalming fluid) is
delightfully unpredictable and musically unstable high energy exploration of the dark
corners of life that needs to be seen as much as heard.

Even potential analogies to the sound of this unique outfit are themselves relatively
esoteric, such as fellow cabaret rockers New Town Drunks, roots-cabaret outfit White
Ghost Shivers or “nuclear polka” practitioners Brave Combo. Perhaps the best label
for their sound is one which the band itself coined, “Macabaret,” a delightfully apt
portmanteau of “macabre” and “cabaret” that captures both their themes and the

dominant component of their sound.

Mostly clad in some variation of hipster mufti (fedora, dark jackets, and dark ties), the
band makes an impressive sight as they take the stage. “Mr. Lewis” is Greg Lewis, lead
singer and guitarist. The Funeral Five are James Sheeran on drums, Rob Metcalfe on
guitar and percussion, Danny Dervish playing a magnificent white lacquered standing
bass, Philthy Howard on keyboard and percussion and James Bonura on tenor sax.

The band leads with one of their most popular numbers, “Black Coffee Night,” which
supplies slow, undulating electrically-buoyed cabaret music, occasionally dancing on
the edge of ska music slowed to a dirge tempo. Lewis’s voice enters the fray with a
mournful, “May your soul rise to heaven.” His vocals, with their twisted intonation and
strange cadence, are almost hypnotic as he relays a tragic tale of love lost and the finality
of death. The pronounced minor chords of guitar and saxophone on this number are both
tantalizing and haunting, the sound of an anguished wail rendered into music.

Their second number focuses on a more traditional cabaret rock sound, if their can said
to be such a creature. Lewis’s vocals are wild and ever-morphing, both charming and
disturbing listeners all at once. Again, guitar and sax dominate the instrumentation, with
an increasing presence by the keyboard as the song progresses. Starting off slow and of
moderate volume, the song builds in tempo and volume until the band’s sound seems in
danger of bursting out of the moderately sized venue.

This is followed by “Count on Me” a delightfully cynical relationship song that could
depress the most jaded country musician (“You can count on me, until I let you down
again”). Musically, the number puts into port closer to true rock than most of the band’s
numbers, occasionally even sounding a bit Raconteurs-esque—if you slowed that latter
outfit down to one-third the speed. “Count on Me” also features great keyboard work and
guitar playing that perfectly match the dire and despondent feel of the lyrics.

Lewis introduces the next song by saying, “This song is about Sunday morning. Unless
you get really fucked up on Mondays, in which case it’s about Tuesday morning.” The
following nihilistic tribute to excess is slower though no softer than most of their work
and is supported by some of the best saxophone of what has already been a great sax set.

An element of melancholy and darkness seems inherent in the sound and imagery of
cabaret rock. Most cabaret rock bands play with that element a bit. Mr. Lewis and the
Funeral 5 embrace it fully, diving into the blackest of themes and lyrics expressed
through a sound that is distinct, even in genre a genre where bands pride themselves on
singularity. That won’t be to everyone’s taste but should hit a sweet spot for many. Plus,
they do give one hell of a live show.

https://www.facebook.com/mrlewisandthefuneral5#!/mrlewisandthefuneral5

WARREN HOOD AND THE GOODS

The 29 year-old Warren Hood, graduate of the Berklee College of Music, is a prodigious
fiddle player and a formidable performer on mandolin, vocals as well as a noteworthy
songwriter. In addition to Warren Hood and the Goods, Hood also fronts Warren Hood
and the Hoodlums, a nugrass/jazz band and plays fiddle for The Waybacks, a San
Francisco-based acoustic folk/American combo.

With Warren Hood and the Goods, Hood has built a top-notch alt-country band filled
with other talented young musicians, Emily Gimble on vocals and keys, Willie Pipkin on
electric guitar, Nate Rowe on bass and Corey Keller on drums. The band builds its alt-
country on a solid foundation of country, roots, bluegrass, western swing and even jazz.

The first song kicks off in a fun alt-country vein, dominated by great electric guitar
leaning on the country-rock side, good bass work as well as Hood’s solid tenor vocals
and blistering fiddle. It’s the kind of great roots music you feel as well as hear.

The second song in the set blends the alt-country notes of Hood’s fiddle with other
elements, especially Gimble’s keyboard, that are pulled from the jazz universe. Adding
another spin to the number is the slightest hint of funk on the guitar work. With this
piece, Hood really shows the audience his fiddle skills, not through speed but through
quality—delivering notes that are solid and sonorous. The song ends with a beautiful and
well crafted medley of fiddle, guitar and keyboard sounds.

For their third number, Warren Hood and the Goods up their volume, coming on like
a slow moving but violent story, with a down-tempo honky tonk number heavy on
western swing elements. The real star of the number is Gimble’s voice, as she takes lead
vocals for the first time in the set, she reveals a glorious jazz voice—a sweet melody of
powerful, throaty alto roars. These are contrasted by mellower sounds on the fiddle and
silky, even tones from Pipkin’s guitar.

The fourth son of the set, “Songbird,” is a popular number for the combo. It leads off
with some old school American fiddle playing by Hood, picking up the pace as the rest
of the band enters with a strong folk beat. Led by Hood’s fancy fiddle work, “Songbird”
echoes with sounds from another era, building tempo and excitement throughout the
piece.

This is followed by “Where Have You Gone?” another alt-country number with strong
jazz elements. The song features great interplay between fiddle and keyboards joined,
towards the end of the song, by electric guitar. Again, the beautiful strains of Gimble’s
vocals shine as she showcases some softer tones.

“Going to New Orleans” is built on a fun beat that invites clapping, even by the typically
sedate Victorian Room crowd. Hood’s fiddle work features a Cajun spin while the
keyboards turn out some funk as the number is carried along by the ambitious percussion.

Like many Austin alt-country outfits, it can be difficult to pin down Warren Hood and
the Goods any further, drawing, as they do, from a musical palette broad enough to

encompass tradition folk music, jazz and country rock. What is not difficult to do is spot
that is an outfit full of great musicians making great music.

http://www.warrenhood.com/

BRONCHO

I came to see Norman, Oklahoma’s BRONCHO (rhymes with “Poncho” and, yes, it is
spelled with all capital letters) through a rather strange and circuitous path. Last year at
SxSW, I saw another Oklahoma punk band, The Boom Bang. While still journeyman
at their craft, those enjoyable young punks embodied all that was best in the spirit and
sound of that genre’s early years. The week before SxSW 2013, I received word that The
Boom Bang was breaking up. With that on my mind, I took note when I saw another
Oklahoma punk band on this year’s schedule. I decided to give them a listen and see if
The Boom Bang was a fluke or if Oklahoma punk was something of which I needed to
take note.

BRONCHO is, nominally, a four-piece outfit. At their SxSW showcase, I only counted
three leaving me to wonder if one of them didn’t make the gig or if I have developed
some kind of musical myopia (this isn’t the only show this year where I ended up a
musician short of their count). Running with the first theory, that they were short a
musician, BRONCHO was represented at SxSW 2013 by vocalist/guitarist Ryan Lindsey,
bassist Jonathan Ford and drummer Nathan Price.

As the band does sound check, the first thing I notice is that their garb is more informal
than many punk bands, past or present, eschewing many of emblems of the genre, they
are unostentatiously clad in knits shirts and jeans. They are also exacting in their sound
check, suggesting a band that cares strongly about its sound.

BROCHO leads with song that is, admittedly on punk’s very relative scale, on the slow
side. The overall effect is a sound and presence that straddles the line between punk and
post-punk. Musically, Lindsey’s strong tenor vocals are a little too smooth for classic
punk. And (as much as I adore classic punk) the band’s musical cohesiveness invokes
post-punk more than punk. Thire energy and attitude, however, is pure punk rock. All
in all, BRONCHO’s opening number offers a sound poised halfway between the Social
Distortion and Green Day, but showing inclinations of a greater reverence for the first
part of that pedigree.

The second number leads with vibrant, undulating bass playing from Ford that is pure
West Coast punk. From this point onward in BRONCHO’s set, the post-punk influences
dwindle, revealing a band that is clearly most at home in punk rock territory. With song
titles such as, “I Don’t Really Want to be Socia,l” “Psychiatrist” and “Pick a Fight,”
thematically, BRONCHO also occupies archetypical territory for punk rock.

Vocalist Lindsay has great stage presence, with short, unkempt black hair, dark, brooding
eyes and an intense performance style. Oddly, his vocals remind me more of British punk

rockers such as Adam Ant than their American peers. And, while he can deliver some
polished vocals, he can definitely also belt out the mandatory primal screams and howls.
Ford really knows how to thrash sounds out of his bass, supplying a ferocious sound that
makes many of the band’s instrumental segments memorable. Price is a blur of energy
throughout the entire set, generating a percussive roar in the best and loudest traditions of
Marky Ramone.

During the fourth song in BRONCHO’s set, the obligatory mosh pit erupts in front of the
stage. In a set characterized by such high-energy punk rock, I admit I am surprised it took
this long. And I need to give a special shout out to the forty/early fifty-something guy
with the pompadour that was holding his own and having a great old time in the pit. No
matter how much we deny it, deep down, I think all of us really want to be that guy.

Prior to South by, a friend and I had been bemoaning the loss of the influence of early
rock and roll, strongly evident in first generation punk, on later evolutions of the genre.
Many of the young punk bands I hear at SxSW this year appear to be brining that flavor
back to the music and BRONCHO is a welcome part of that trend.

My philosophy is that one band can be an outlier and two bands can be a coincidence but
three bands may be a trend. So, while I am still one band away from feeling I have a solid
grasp on Oklahoma punk rock, earlier indications are that those who think great punk is
dead may simply not be looking in the right place.

http://bronchoband.com/

As I get older, my memory gets a little bit fuzzier. This is my fourth (at least?) year to
have the privilege of covering the annual South by Southwest music festival in Austin
for Awaiting the Flood. Keeping in mind that ATF’s regular readers have probably
read previous years’ coverage, including my often lengthy descriptions of the festival’s
background, I will truncate this year’s introduction and limit it to only what you need to
know: that South by Southwest (“SxSW” or simply “South by” to locals) differs from
other major annual festivals in two important ways.

First, it is specifically built around, and for, the music industry, rather than for fans. In
this, it could be just as correctly called a trade show or a convention as a festival. Labels
and agents show up hoping to find the next new hot sound. Veteran acts show up to
promote new projects or help cement their musical legacy. Young bands come hoping to
be discovered or hit the big time when the right person hears their music.

Second, there is the sheer scale of SxSW. Over five nights, more than 2,000 bands
perform at more than 60 venues, from major stages to tiny holes in the wall. The
downside to this is that even the most determined person can barely scratch the surface
of the festival. If you see a band during each of the official evening showcase slots and
if throw in a few of the informal day parties, you can catch, maybe, 3% of the bands
playing SxSW during a given year. On the upside, with 2,000 bands, covering all six
inhabited continents, playing — any genre or style of music you can imagine (and a few
you can’t) is on offer somewhere at the festival.

As always, I want to thank the Awaiting the Flood team for their support as well as for
their willingness to look the other way when I (not so occasionally) cover an act that is
beyond the site’s main focus. With all that out of the way, on to the music…

SxSW DAY ONE: The Edge of Roosts: Surf, Garage Folk and Punk

Without deliberately trying, I have established a tradition that the first show I see at
SxSW each year is something a little bit outside of the box and off the beaten path. This
year proves no exception, as find myself at Latitude 30, a club just off of 6th Street, the
main drag of Austin’s downtown entertainment district. This year, Latitude 30 is serving
as the British music industry’s official outpost for the duration of SxSW.

Y Niwl (pronounced “Uh Nule”) is a Welsh band (which should come as no surprise with
a name like that) that specializes in delivering instrumental surf rock with a number of
twists and turns. Officially listed as four piece, I only counted three (perhaps it was just a
bad vantage point?): Gruff ab Arwel on guitar and electric organ, Sion Glyn playing bass
and percussion supplied by Llyr Pari.

The band kicks off the first number in their set with classic surf guitar and drums. Their
twangy sound instantly calls to mind the work of genre icons such as Dick Dale or The
Ventures. And, like all good surf rock, looming behind everything is the musical DNA
of guitarist Duane Eddy. Y Niwl quickly throws their first musical twist into the mix,
supplementing surf’s airy twang with some nice electric organ work by ab Arwel.

You would expert surf instrumental songs to be short and, at least in Y Niwl’s case, you
would be correct. The band packs 12 songs into a 40 minute set. Before I know it, the
band is onto their second piece (On a personal level, I love instrumental bands. As a
music journalist, they bring an added degree of difficulty because I almost never know
the names of the songs)

Again, it’s an archetypical surf intro, quickly turning into a flurry of minor chords and
frantic plucking. After a short interlude, another twist appears, as Y Niwl slides into a
style more reminiscent of 60s pop than surf, alternating between styles for the rest of the
song. The number is characterized by very smart guitar work from ab Arwel, appropriate
for surf but also reflecting more contemporary nuances.

The third song shifts to a more mellow tempo and sound, again with strong 60s pop
overtones. There is some nice, subtle cymbal work (I’m not sure I’ve ever described
cymbals as “subtle” before) by Pari, underscoring the song’s more chilled sounds.

The fourth song in Y Niwls is a definite break with the previous sounds of their set,
starting off with sounds that give a nod to psychedelia before settling into a more
contemporary rock aesthetic. This number makes their freest use of the electric organ
thus far, using glorious chords to supplement the baseline while also nodding back to the
psychedelic feel of the song’s beginning.

Their fifth song is another down-tempo surf anthem. I notice, to my surprise, that
instrumental surf rock in its slower forms has odd moments of convergence with ambient
rock and even trance music. As the song progresses, the electric organ again moves to
forefront, providing melody with some inspired, if counterintuitive, chords.

The band then returns to a faster pace, again in the vein of raucous 60s pop music. Y
Niwl continues tweak both surf and pop conventions by emphasizing the organ for
melody, delightfully complimenting Glyn’s electric bass lines. As the song nears its
conclusion, ab Arwel executes some great long organ runs reminiscent of carnival music
before majestically collapsing into a fury of subtly discordant chords.

Seventh on the set, the band returns to hard-charging surf rock, building in speed volume
and intensity throughout the piece. Near the end of the song, the band again throws a
twist into the mix, as the guitar work moves into the kind of frenetic shredding that
definitely postdates the surf rock heyday.

This is followed by more surf rock, this time emphasizing the skills of Pari, whose
relentless drumming drives the number forward.

The ninth song leads with powerful tandem string and percussion work is buoyed by
lengthy ascending scales on ab Arewl’s guitar, lending the number a soaring, upbeat
quality.

A slow intro on the next number curiously calls to mind Ben E. King’s “Stand by Me”
in its rhythm and tempo, onto which Y Niwl quickly layers their trademark surf sound,
contrasted by a heavy pop spin on the keyboards. In the second half of the song, the band
builds to a powerful crescendo before equally dramatically dialing it all back at the very
end.

Eleventh in the set, the band returns to haunting, thumping twangy surf with hints of
more contemporary rock. It showcases nice alteration between emphasis on strings and
nice percussion work by Pari.

The set concludes with a song anchored in classic surf, but displaying some interesting
and well executed tempo changes. Glyn’s bass work really shines during the final
number, pulling deep sonorous tones out of his instrument.

Of all the bands I put on my Day One schedule, I will admit that Y Niwl was the one
about which I was most hesitant. In retrospect, I’m very glad I did. They offer a great
contemporary take on classic surf rock. They are no simple “surf rock tribute band,”
however, putting a distinct spin on their surf and spicing it up through their extensive use
of the electric organ as well as the influences of 60s pop and more contemporary rock and
roll.

THE LONE BELLOW

After Y Niwl, it’s time to hoof it south to the newly trendy Rainey Street neighborhood.
Five years ago a quiet residential area, today Rainey Street is lined with trendy bars and
venues.

Superficially, Brooklyn folk outfit The Lone Bellow belongs to the same surge of groups
as Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers—plumbing a sound, that at its strongest (like
those two groups) could be called a Post-Folk reimaging of traditional sounds and, at its
weakest (like the legion of imitators they have spawned) can be written off as “Fauxlk.”
Scratch the surface, however, and the slow, sonorous songs of The Lone Bellow seem to
reach a little deeper down to get to the spirit, if not always the sound, of the golden age of
Folk music.

The core of The Lone Bellows is vocalist and songwriter Zach Williams, vocalist Kanene
Pipkin, guitarist Brian Elmquist, Ben Mars on standing bass and Brian Griffin on drums.
Their music is dominated by the stylized vocals of Williams and Pipkin, delivered with
a traditional folk roughness and minimalism as well as fondness for folksy harmonizing.

The vocal interplay between Pipkin and Williams is executed especially well in their
number “All I Ever do is Wrong.”

The band’s instrumental work, conversely, alternates pleasantly between traditional folk
and post-folk revival influences.

Occasionally, Williams’ vocals morph into something more surprising, building to
a throat growl or even roar during songs. Such transitions give The Lone Bellow a
distinctive sound that is neither folk nor folk-revival and is fascinating to watch: his face
turning red as he sings to the audience with a manic intensity—looking like a vocalist
from the louder, harder corners of rock and roll that has suddenly been dropped in the
middle of a folk-rock combo.

One interesting device, used by the band on several songs, most notably “Two Sides
of Lonely” are openings that are so soft as to be almost, but not quite, inaudible. It is a
risky move, forcing the audience to either completely commit to the music or turn away.
But The Lone Bellow seems to pull it off well. They draw the audience in, straining to
hear, before exploding into music evocative of supercharged Smithsonian Folkways
recordings.

A final song of special note from their set is a cover of county music singer/songwriter
John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery,” a song that has lent itself to numerous genre-
crossing covers in folk, rock and even blues as well as country. In their take on the song,
The Lone Bellow chooses an interesting middle ground between Prine’s countrified
original and out-genre interpretations by artists like Bruce Hornsby and Ben Harper.

For fans of post-folk revival looking for something a little different, The Lone Bellows
is a solid bet, eschewing a few conventions of the genre, adding a few of their own and
holding on a little more tightly onto the original material that inspires the revival.

http://www.thelonebellow.com/

Formed in 1975, The Krayolas are a Texas-based garage rock responsible for such up-
beat, “can’t get them out of your head” numbers as “Aw, Tonight” and “I Just Want to be
with You.” While the band never really went away, they were caught up in and returned
to the spotlight as part of the rediscovery of Texas garage rock, including other notable
acts such as Kenny and Kasuals and The Five Americans, that occurred in the late 2000s.

Both yesterday and today, The Krayolas fuse garage rock with 70s pop as well as the
Southwestern and Tejano sounds of their native San Antonio—producing a delightful
cocktail of happy, melodic and up-tempo sounds that has led some to call the group
“The Tex-Mex Beatles.” Another musical influence is paid tribute to the in band’s name.
Karyola’s lead singer and co-founder Hector Saldana spelled the band’s name with a “K”
in homage to his favorite band, The Kinks.

Four of the band’s five original members are on hand for the SxSW showcase: lead
vocalist and rhythm guitarist Hector Saldana, lead guitarist Van Baines, organist Barry
Smith and drummer David Saldana, The band looks resplendent, many of them donning
pastel-colored, elaborated embroidered jumpsuits reminiscent of (or perhaps actually) the
ones they wore during their heyday.

Like all good vintage bands, even ones like The Krayolas who have an impressive
contemporary discography, they know to lead with a long-time favorite, in this case “Aw
Yeah.”

Saldana has pleasing, relaxed vocals, an easy-going stage presence and clearly enjoys
entertaining the crowd. Baines and David Saldana deliver great garage rock licks and
beats polished with decades of practice. Smith’s keyboards are boisterous, uplifting and
deliver much of the band’s southwestern flair.

In the classical sense of the term, “garage music” can vary significantly from local scene
to local scene. Perhaps “Garage” can be said to be an attitude or an aesthetic more than
a genre. The Krayolas, more than anything else, make fun music—the essence of the
garage aesthetic. If garage rock is known for being fun, music that is ponderous, heavy
or serious is typical not part of the genre. On that point, a few Krayolas songs do defy
conventions.

The song “La Inundacion de Piedras Negras” (The Flood of Piedras Negras) comes
with an interesting back story. It was written in 1954 by Santiago Jimenez, father of the
legendary accordion player Flaco Jimenez, after a flood wiped out the Mexican border
town of Piedras Negras and went on to wash out bridges and cause damage as far away as
Laredo, Texas.

As with the title, the lyrics of “La Inundacion de Piedras Negras” are in Spanish. And,
as is often the case with Tejano-influenced music, sounds which to the untrained ear
(including mine) seem upbeat, energetic and even joyous can treat topics that are serious
or even sad. The instrumental work on “La Inundacion” is beautiful, especially the guitar
work by Baines.

A more recent song, “The Ballad of Tony Tormenta” tells the story of the rise and fall
of notorious Mexican drug lord Tony Tormenta. It begins with a slow, acoustic-flavored
intro on the guitar by Saladna before being joined by the rest of the band. Saladna
delivers his vocals in a more reserved manner than most Krayolas numbers, at times even
approaching a spoken-word performance. This is a slow ballad, full of sounds of regret,
not for the titular Tony Tormenta, but for the pain and grief he caused. The song pulls no
punches in its lyrics, consider the verse:

Beheaded priests in the church archway
Burned-out ranchitos on the old highway
Killing babies in the street
Strike a deal but it just won’t keep

Nobody crying for Tony Tormenta
No time for tears once the storm has passed
Nobody crying for Tony Tormenta
The last man he killed this time was his last

Another song in The Krayola’s set with interesting origins is “Little Fox.” The song was
written in 1967 by musician Augie Meyers, seminal member of both the Sir Douglas
Quintet (fronted by Doug Sahm) and The Texas Tornados. None of the groups with
which Meyers performed ever seemed right for the piece so, in 2007, after the song had
been sitting on the shelf for forty years, he approached The Krayolas about recording
it. The Krayolas agreed (along the way, the Saldanas’ mother added a few lyrics) and
Meyers produced the recording session. “Little Fox” begins with a strong nod to Tejano
flavor before kicking a little rockabilly into The Krayola’s heady guitar mix.

The Krayolas have pulled off a tough balancing act: being known as a “classic” or
“iconic” band while continuing to release new material that is high quality both musically
and in its content. I suspect the secret may be that, unlike many bands in that position,
they don’t seem to worry too much about it. They love to play, the audience loves to
listen. What else really matters?

As part of that ethos of putting their love of making music above all else, The Krayola’s
new record is current available free through Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/The-
Krayolas/e/B001LH48HC). But, while you’re there, I’ll bet you can’t resist checking out
that back catalogue.

http://thekrayolas.com/

TURNPIKE TROUBADOURS

There are few bands at SxSW this year that I am as excited to see as the Turnpike
Troubadours. Based out of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, this five piece specializes in good old-
fashioned Red Dirt country music, with an emphasis on traditional instrumentation and
vividly descriptive lyrics.

Active since 2007, the Turnpike Troubadours really began to gain traction and attention
with their 2012 album, “Goodbye Normal Street,” which hit #14 on the U.S. country
charts, 7th on indie and 3rd on folk. Your reviewer would argue those numbers still do
insufficient credit to an album that featured some of last year’s strongest output from any
corner of country music, especially the track “Gin, Smoke and Lies,” which was easily
one of the year’s best country songs.
The Troubadours played at the White Horse, a venue at the far eastern edge of
downtown. It is a venue with which I, admittedly, have a love/hate relationship. On one
hand, it is one of the best places in Austin to see a country show. It has great acoustics
and it looks and feels exactly like a honky tonk in a hip country music town should. On

the other hand, it is one of the worst places in Austin to review a show. The stage is short,
inconveniently placed and the venue is often packed. The upshot is, especially during
SxSW when I’m popping in for a forty minute set before running back out to another
showcase elsewhere, I often have a terrible view of the proceedings.

The Turnpike Troubadours are singer and guitarist Ryan Felker (also the source of much
of the band’s songwriting chops), Ryan Engleman on electric guitar, Kyle Nix on fiddle,
R.C. Edwards on standing bass and Giovanni Carnuccio on drums.

First number leads off with a sonorous fiddle, hoedown drums and fierce country
harmonizing. “Long Hot Summer Day” is a song of ‘hard work, bad pay and worse luck’
in the tradition of Tennessee Ernie Ford.” But the music is louder, more intense and more
danceable than Tennessee Ernie ever was. But the end of the first chorus, the crowd is
clapping, swaying and dancing along.

The Turnpike Troubadour’s set is sprinkled with songs from each of their albums. While
anchored in Red Dirt territory (both musically and geographically), their numbers present
a variety of influences, themes and instrumentation. The entire set is solid but there are
noteworthy standouts.

On the surface, “Every Girl” is a classic country chronicling of a man talking about his
woman. In some ways, the song is like is a thousand others from every genre of music.
What lends “Every Girl” a distinct charm is that, rather than falling back on country’s
relatively short list of relationship archetypes, the Troubadours paint a picture of a
relationship that is a mixture of sweetness, frustration and irony—in short, a believable
portrayal of a real relationship.

“Easton and Main,” a reference to the geography of Tulsa, the closest city of size to the
Troubadour’s Tahlequah, is a song of hopeful but as of yet unrequited love. Musically,
it’s a little bit less traditional than most of their repertoire, with rollicking, upbeat
instrumentation that invokes ‘90s country radui and vocals that remind me of the Old
97s’ Murray Hammond.

In “Blue Star” the Turnpike Troubadours turn away from romance to examine the
challenges of being a veteran or loving a veteran in the modern world.

“Shreveport” chronicles the adventures and misadventures of a trip to that eponymous
northwest Louisiana city. It features some beautiful guitar work by Engleman and nice
bass fiddle Edwards. As a shout out to their SxSW audience, Felker reworks some of
the lyrics to revolve around Austin rather than Shreveport. Musically, the instrumental
breakdown at the end of the number is especially delicious, including some guitar
shredding.

One of the tracks off “Goodbye Normal Street” to have received a lot of airplay, “Good
Lord Lorrie” is another Red Dirt country song detailing a hopeful relationship gone
wrong. It is little surprise that the song has proven popular: the melody of the chorus is

one enormous hook. The Troubadours’ live rendition of “Good Lord Lorrie” shows off
some impressive harmonizing that is less obvious on the recorded version.

“Before the Devil Knows We’re Dead” is one of the most instrumentally impressive
numbers in their set. Straying slightly from Red Dirt, it moves towards a speedy, joyous
and almost reckless bluegrass with a few hints of Cajun. The song offers perhaps Nix’s
finest fiddle work of the night—long, bold runs and reels that would elicit a satisfied nod
even from the likes of Charlie Daniels.

The final song of the evening is the one much of the crowd has been waiting to hear,
“Gin, Smoke and Lies.” The biggest hit off “Goodbye Normal Street,” (even generating
a music video) the song has received significant amounts of airplay, especially in the
Red Dirt homelands of Oklahoma and Texas. Like most critics, I may occasionally look
disdainfully at a song precisely because it has mass appeal. “Gin, Smoke and Lies,”
however, has found popularity for a reason. It is one of the finest good ol’ fashioned
country murder songs ever written – bar none.

Instrumentally, “Gin, Smoke and Lies” may be the Turnpike Troubadours’ most
traditional song: pulling away from their typical confines towards traditional
American folk music with more than a hint of Appalachian music on the Nix’s fiddle.
The instrumentation and vocals of “Gin, Smoke and Lies” are unrelentingly and
unapologetically bleak, mournful and fatalistic. Even the most ardent Goth could find
nothing at which to sneer in the song’s attitude or approach. The Troubadours’ live
rendition of the song at White Horse is slower and less rushed than the recorded versions,
accenting its darkly irresistible elements.

The lyrics of “Gin, Smoke and Lies” are masterfully crafted, arguably Felker’s very best
work. Like most country murder songs, the motive is adultery. The song’s chorus sets the
stage:

“Well, if you’ve been true,
You better look me in the eyes.
Cause all I smell is cheap perfume,
And gin, and smoke and lies.”

And, like all the best country murder songs, “Gin, Smoke and Lies” flashes past the dark
deed itself to grimly but subtly capture the aftermath with vivid descriptions.

“Well, a spade is make for digging dirt,
And an axe is made for chopping.
And darling, my heart is as hard as nails
They hammer in a hardwood coffin.”

Taking the song’s post scriptum/postmortem one step further, the final verse takes the
song back to scene long after the event itself:

Well, way down in the bottom land,
A big black crow is laughing.
No one dares to go down there.
Wonder what has happened?

Many bands have big shoes to fill. The Turnpike Troubadours are an unlikely position
in which the shoes they must fill are their own. After a band that had never charted
before busts out with an album like “Goodbye Main Street” and songs like “Good Lord
Lorrie” and “Gin, Smoke and Eyes,” a lot of eyes are on them and a lot of questions
are whispered. This reviewer, for one, doesn’t expect “Goodbye Main Street” to be a
fluke. Songs like these don’t come from nowhere and the band has proven they have the
performance chops to delight a crowd. The Turnpike Troubadours have given themselves
a very tough act to follow but I expect to hear a lot more really good music coming out of
the boys from Tahlequah.

http://www.turnpiketroubadours.com/

SOMETHING FIERCE

Something fierce is a three-piece punk outfit out of Houston, a city with a punk scene
that, quite frankly, has never gotten the love it deserves. Unlike a lot of young punk
musicians, singer/guitarist S. Garcia, bassist Niki Sevven and drummer Andrew Keith
seem indifferent to many of that mutable genre’s later incarnations, deliberately reaching
back to the sound and attitude of First Gen punk rock.

From the first song of their set, Something Fierce lives up to their moniker, delivering a
hard-hitting wall of loud, fast fuzz punk, with the occasional harmony that harkens back
to a 1970s punk that had not forgotten its roots in surf and old time rock and roll.

Garcia is a compelling punk front man. Again the band’s name is appropriate for his
vocals: fierce and energetic. As he bellows out their lyrics, he is red-faced and at times
seems in danger of swallowing his microphone. Sevven peppers the band’s numbers with
a biting punk bass line. Drummer Keith is a standout for several reasons. He appears to
have rejected the standard punk percussion ethos of sacrificing precision on the altar of
intensity. His drumming, while full of punk fury, is also tight and precise. That seemingly
small, subtle change goes a long way to lending Something Fierce a truly distinctive
sound.

The lyrics are little difficult to follow, but whether that is due to the acoustics of the
venue, the sound technician or that this is the punk, I can’t tell. There is the occasional
hint of post-punk or even alt-rock to the sounds of Something Fierce, but those brief
touchstones are few and far between. It would be inaccurate to describe Something Fierce
as simply aping the style of First Gen punk. One gets the impression that Something
Fierce is doing what they want to do but, most of the time, that’s making the inspired
noise of original punk. SxSW 2013 ultimately gave me a lot of hope for the future of
punk rock, and Something Fierce is the first taste of that.

http://www.somethingfiercemusic.com/

Some other music journalist out there is doing his or her job. When I saw Elle
(pronounced like the letter between “K” and “M”) King described as sounding like
“Billie Holiday having a shot of whisky with Johnny Cash,” she went straight onto my
SxSW schedule. After hearing her performance, I might tweak that analogy to “A young
Tina Turner having a shot of whisky with a young June Carter Cash.” Still, that is a
minor point.

In addition to vocals, the Brooklyn born and raised King plays banjo and other
instruments. Her backing band includes electric bass, keyboard and drums.

King’s voice is, indeed, a commanding one—a husky, smoky blend of (as suggested
above) June Carter, Tina Turner and Billie Holiday (yes, I do hear it) with perhaps just a
dash of Kim Carnes. Her music is a rootsy blend of country, blues and southern-fried soul
with an occasional old time rock and roll kick—all with lyrical stylings to match:

“Good to be a Man” is an examination of gender double-standards, seemingly with a
specific eye towards the conventions and lyrics of roots music. As King sings about
wanting to be the kind of man who either just “done someone wrong” or is about to, she
belts out the number in an enchanting fusion of southern soul and folk

With “No One Can Save You,” King wraps her glorious voice around another classic
roots music theme: the righteous recriminations of someone wronged after a failed
love affair (“I’ll bet you’re sorry, but you did this to yourself). King clearly enjoys the
number, gliding and striding around the stage as she sings.

My personal favorite is “Ain’t Gonna Drown,” a soulful, bluesy piece full of religious
imagery (“Preacher man can’t save a soul like mine. Miracles are just too damn hard to
find. Ain’t gonna drown in the water.) The song features great instrumentation, especially
on guitar, and an inspiring instrumental breakdown towards the end. Musically, however,
my favorite aspect of this number is its extensive use of electric organ—inviting
comparisons to church music and, therefore, musically playing off of the lyrical imagery
of the piece.

industry dreams about getting their hands on. The accolade which announces to the world the said
artist(s) remarkable achievements in the world of music.

Chris Brown , a man who remains loved around the globe for his music, his dancing and all round
charisma. That was until he admitted to beating up his former Caribbean girlfriend Rihanna back in
2009 and destroying everything he had worked hard for in his career.

So, how did Breezy get on when he travelled to Los Angeles for the 2013 Grammy Awards?

Well, the day prior he was believed to have been involved in a crash in an incident with the press,
causing him to damage his much loved Porsche – and this was before the awards had even started!

A bad start, but did it get any better for the RnB star?

No. Once the event had started and he had found his feeble partner Rihanna to give a little cuddle,
Brown was quick to stir up even more controversy. When the artist that Brown had thrown punches
at just a few weeks ago, Frank Ocean, picked up the Best Urban Contemporary Album award ahead
of him for ‘Orange Rain’, Brown was the only person in the building not to take to his feet for
applause.

It was clear for all to see Brown’s disappointment of getting the Grammy given to the man that he
attacked in a car park and reportedly called a fa***t, and it was also apparent that British sensation
Adele, who picked up Best Pop Solo Performance for ‘Set Fire To The Rain’, was also angry at
Brown’s childish refusal and glared at him incensed at his actions.

Will Chris Brown be invited to the future awards? Perhaps not. However, he has a new movie due
out in November of this year called ‘Battle of the Year: The Dream Team’. The film focuses on a
dance group who travel to France in order to compete in The Battle of the Year and become the first
American group to do so in the previous 15 years.

Will Brown’s career in acting be less scrutinised of his singing career? Again, I doubt it, but do we
care?

It’s not accurate to say Bobby Long reinvents himself with every album, however much evidence the music gives. Instead, I think each EP and LP is a step toward something greater, and Wishbone is no exception. Bobby Long told me he never intended to be labeled a singer-songwriter—that every song in his head was accompanied by full band even if we heard it first with just his guitar and voice. A Winter Tale was recorded in two weeks with musicians he’d never met. Wishbone, he says, was a little more thought out. “I was always very pro-analog and tape, recording live, but the music…I always like to do different things. So we recorded this album on digital for the first time, and we did record some stuff live….It was more thought out. I thought more about writing parts and structures. We had more time…Time is such a valuable tool.”

That time was used to great advantage with Wishbone, which showcases a much deeper, nuanced artist. “It’s a heavier album—a bit more playful than the others.” Ted Hutt produced, which Long says was a wonderful experience. “He’s a great guy. Similar to Liam [Watson, producer of A Winter Tale] in his positivity and enthusiasm… We made a really great record together, and I’m really happy about it… I view the record as much his as it is mine. It’s a team effort.

The team effort produced an incredible album with multiple layers and intense musicality, but Long’s true magic, as always, lies in his words. He credits Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie, with the ever-present nod to Jeff Buckley, too. The first track, Devil Moon, is an immediate departure from his acoustic past, opening with a driving rock riff that will stick with you for quite some time. “It was one of the first written for the album. The rest were written six months or so before we recorded, so I’ve been playing that one longer,” Bobby says. I’d heard it live and was excited about the new edge to his sound, and he delivered with the album opener.

Slide guitar features heavily in She Won’t Leave, the second track. This tune showcases his trademark vocals, salted caramel, with country-infused guitar that warms this Nashville girl’s heart. This flavor carries right through to the next song, In Your Way, but this isn’t a cry-in-your-beer ballad. The lilting lyrics hold a bit of bite, softened by the velvet in his voice and the weeping of the slide guitar.

Blood in the Orchard quickly became one of my favorite songs, with its deep roots in southern rock and, I think, a darker message—maybe a murder ballad cloaked in driving percussion and high-energy guitars? I do love my murder ballads. I really, really do. Long has an affinity for the murder ballad, too. “I love the goriness of it…the darkness. I think every songwriter I love has a thrill for that. Johnny Cash…Dylan, especially. You know, Leonard Cohen, Randy Newman. Everyone I love has a thing for it. It’s just really powerful.” He credits his father for this…maybe. “He used to put me to sleep with this song called Hangman, Hangman, Slack the Rope. Probably the starting point.”

But then I think perhaps the next song, Help You Mend, is my favorite. This tender tune shows a softer side, and Long gives a lighter, loving turn with his voice. The transition isn’t startling, but it is impressive. He handles a raucous rock tune and a sweet ballad with the same skill.

As I listened to each track, I quickly fell in love. Every song has something unique and memorable and simply Bobby Long. My Parade is another standout, giving him a chance to flex his vocals with soaring lines and pervasive emotion. Yesterday, Yesterday takes yet another step toward greatness, with raw vocals, rough-edged guitar riffs, and a chorus that will stick in your head for days. That same tone carries right through into Waiting for Dawn, where we get some of the classic Bobby Long war poetry in his lyrics.

The crowning achievement, the song I just didn’t see coming, is the closing To the Light. This victorious tune of hope is his triumph, and I think he knows it. I could hear it in his voice. As each layer is added, each guitar chord, each cymbal crash, you’ll feel the build to a rousing chorus filled with driving percussion, guitar countermelodies, lush backing vocals… It’s all there and used to such incredible effect. I played it on repeat and felt the chills again and again as though listening for the first time. Well done, Mr. Long. Well done.

Buy the Album

Wishbone is available today from ATO Records. You can order the full album in several formats on Bobby’s website, on Amazon, on iTunes, and on ATO’s website.

Follow Bobby Long

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Featured image credit: James Minchin

Image credit: Drew Gardner

Guys. Let’s get serious for a minute. You know that album you listen to with the windows down and sunroof open, winter weather be damned? Yeah? Hit the eject button and switch to Heyrocco’s Dark Summer for a few. This four-song EP, a selection of tunes from a future full-length album (as I heard it told), will satisfy that need deep inside for infectious melodies, intelligent lyrics, and driving rhythms without an ounce of sugar.

The opening tune, a new-love, blushing-boyfriend confection titled Elsewhere, is anything but bubblegum, but you’ll dance along like a high schooler at the prom. Where Nathan, Chris, and Tanner could have settled for common time and common lyrics, they instead give us something a bit off-kilter. The seven-four time signature during the verses and story of a romantic gesture wrapped in teenage rebellion (with the potential for double entendre here and there) will make you long for happier times when being grounded was the worst thing that ever happened to you. And then you’ll hit repeat.

This leads into Coma (Love It All), a powerful message about teenage anxiety and feeling uncomfortable in your own skin—a sentiment we all remember clearly, no matter how old we get. The guys twist a bouncing beat—courtesy of drummer Tanner’s inimitable skill—and lilting voice into something darker, with veiled lyrics about bullying, fear, and hiding our true selves behind a mask of smiles just to survive. Consider such words as I crawl in someone else’s skin/and make believe it’s mine/everyone loves the boy that can’t ever say no and you’ll understand why the guys go ahead and call their self-created genre dark pop. And then you’ll hit repeat.

The album’s one ballad, Slowdance, carries all the wistfulness and wishfulness of a first broken heart. Lead singer Nathan will tear you to shreds with his ethereal vocals as he laments lost love. Everyone remembers the first breakup, brought back with stunning clarity when they sing Come back home/don’t you want to/Come and crawl/through my window/There’s a slow dance waiting there for you. Though subdued and dreamy, there is nothing simple about the song—not even the memories it elicits. And then you’ll hit repeat.

Wrapping up this stellar EP is Sleepsong, which is a misleading title. There is nothing sleepy about this relentless tune, which features bassist Chris in some pretty impressive acrobatics. Jumping right back into youthful anxiety and paranoia, the lyrics here give a stronger message: Every time you open up your mouth all I’m thinking about/how I wish I had a razor I could cut it out/Then I wouldn’t have to hear you when I’m trying to dream. In spite of the dark words and deeper revelation, this is the one you’ll crank up. This is the one you’ll skip to when you’re dying to blow off some steam. This is the one you won’t get out of your head when you’re trying to sleep. And then you’ll hit repeat.

I won’t mince words. I love this EP. I love this EP. I’ve been a fan of the band for a while now, and I have a hard time believing they could do anything wrong. The truly scary thing—and it’s not really scary at all—is that these guys are still too young to drink. They sing so eloquently about real teen issues because they’re not long out of high school themselves. They’re clever, talented, and grow by leaps and bounds with every EP and LP they release. In a few more years, they’ll be downright dangerous, and I sometimes feel like I’m the only one who knows this. If you want to check them out and see if you agree, you can find them on their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Bandcamp. If you want to buy Dark Summer for yourself, you’ll have to catch them live and pay Nathan, Chris, or Tanner personally.

Featured image credit: Kathleen Tompkins

Whatever plans you have for February 28th, cancel them. You are not going to want to miss the event of the year at the High Watt in Nashville. Peeled Labels Entertainment is rolling out the red carpet for Fuzz Face and The Granny Whites as they present their self-titled debut albums in a 1930′s themed event. Nashville funnyman Peter Depp and sexy burlesque superstar Siren Santina host the party.

Meet Fuzz Face

Genre-busting Fuzz Face create their own sound with a mix of bluegrass, pop, and punk – a fusion of sound with a message of acceptance and belonging. Backed by their fan-supported fundraiser, Kickstarter, which supports the Ben Cohen Foundation for equality and anti-bullying, Matt, Chris, Sam, and Lucian—the men behind the Fuzz—sing it loud and proud as they prepare for the release of their album.

Meet The Granny Whites

An equally awesome music trailblazer, The Granny Whites make their own genre, mixing traditional guitar, drums, and keys with instrumentation like the ukulele, banjo, accordion, and even spoons. The five-female group, when they aren’t rocking, are involved with several charities including the Second Harvest Food Bank, Make A Wish Foundation, Nashville Humane Association, Women Rock For The Cure, and YWCA Nashville.

These talented local bands create an original sound that will seep into your soul and make you want more. Join the celebration on February 28th with Peeled Labels Entertainment Group and special guests Johnathan Kayne from Project Runway, Salomé Cabaret, Annette Williams Crabtree, two-time Grammy Award Winner John Hill, and many more.

Get Your Tickets

Doors to this unforgettable night of music open at 6:00pm, and the party starts at 7:00pm. You can buy tickets at the door for $8, or for extra perks, purchase the pre-sale tickets here. The pre-sale tickets include debut party passes for you and a guest, your very own copy of the Fuzz Face and Granny White CDs, and a limited edition poster, all for $40. If you absolutely can’t break your plans to make the party, the CDs will be available for purchase on CD Baby, iTunes, Amazon, and the bands’ websites.

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Follow Fuzz Face

Follow The Granny Whites

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M L Gammella has been writing on and off since high school, where she was often found scribbling in her notebook instead of following along in class. She finally made the leap to make writing a paying career and began freelancing after being laid off. M L Gammella lives in Ohio with her husband and their three pets. She is currently working on her first novel, a paranormal suspense based in Maine. You can follow her on Twitter @MLGammella.

Justin’s tour dates can be found here.

In the midst of strong reviews of his last album, Harlem River Blues, Justin Townes Earle made the kind of splash he undoubtedly did not want to make.  For various reasons, Earle entered re-hab (again) for drug addiction.  I mention this mainly as a reference point for the songwriting on the album.  While there are few (if any) outright lyrical references to drug abuse, “Nothing’s . . .” songs certainly reflect a frustration that is in line with Earle’s recent circumstances.  It’s an album of sad, frustrated, lonely songs;  luckily, it’s from a guy who is a strong enough songwriter to make it work.

These songs speak to a need to change as well as the difficulty of accomplishing that change (The chorus of the album’s closer is, “I’m trying to move on.”).  The mood is so consistent it might make the album a little difficult to get into for some.  Then again, it may make it a favorite for others (I can tell you that it’s a great one to play on a rainy day.).

The songs speak to failed relationships more than anything else, which makes them much more universally accessible than they might otherwise be.  The tempo varies from  slow to up-tempo, and the arrangements, which include a horn section reflect Earle’s interest in Memphis Soul.  The sound fits Earle well – with one exception.  For whatever reason, his vocals sound strained here.  It’s not a deal breaker, but it is noticeable — especially on an upbeat song like “Baby’s Got a Bad Idea.”

Earle’s a great songwriter, and I’m sure there are plenty of us waiting for him to release a truly great album.  I don’t think this is it, but it’s a strong song cycle none the less.  He continues to broaden the scope of his music, which can make it hard to accept a new album, but probably makes it better in the end.

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund, founded in memory of the world-renowned voice of Dio, Rainbow, Black Sabbath and Heaven & Hell, will participate in the upcoming Icons & Idols-Rock ‘n’ Roll Auction at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, California on Saturday, December 1 at 2PM.  Nearly 100 donated guitars signed by a variety of celebrities from the music world will go on the auction block to benefit the Fund’s mission of cancer prevention, research and education.

The collection includes guitars signed by the Jonas Brothers, Slash, Tom Morello, Tony Iommi and members of Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, the Alice Cooper Band, Metallica and Iron Maiden.  Among the rarities are a prototype electric guitar made for and signed by Eddie Van Halen and a custom hand-carved Ronnie James Dio memorial guitar created by DBZ Guitars.  Also in the collection is an Epiphone electric guitar signed by a host of country music stars, among them Taylor Swift, Keith Urban and Kenny Chesney, an ESP acoustic electric guitar signed by “Twilight” film star Robert Pattinson and three guitars hand painted by the famous elephants of the Asian Elephant Art & Conservation Project in Thailand.

Online bidding has already commenced, and items included in this auction are available for viewing at:

http://www.juliensauctions.com/auctions/2012/icons-and-idols-rock/index.html

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund is a privately funded 501C3 charity organization which has already raised more than $600,000 in its short history.  Monies raised have been committed to the cancer research work of the T. J. Martell Foundation for Cancer, AIDS and Leukemia Research and the gastric cancer research unit of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where Ronnie was treated for gastric cancer during the last six months of his life.

Julien’s Auctions, which specializes in entertainment memorabilia, is located at 9665 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 150, Beverly Hills, California 90210.  A free public exhibition of many of the items included in the auction will be available for viewing during the auction house’s regular business hours of 10AM to 5PM beginning Monday, November 19 through Friday, November 30.  For hours, visit: www.juliensauctions.com.