
I haven't had much time of late to write. The house project of repainting walls, painting trim, pulling up carpets, and laying down bamboo has absolutely dominated my time. That and working on my BMW, which in the past few weeks has received a full tune-up (with exception of replacing points and cleaning the carb). I'm hoping that come mid-week, I'll be back in my normal post routine. As time has been limited, I thought "Desert Island Picks" would be a good topic for the week. Unfortunately, I left off [...]

A hibernation mix for your winter blues: --Click here to download the entire gapless mix of mp3s-- Radio for the Daydreamer – 01 Curl Up, Time to Die (from Mother Superior and Her Fields of Migraine ) The Black Heart Procession – 02 Blank Page (from Blood Bunny/Black Rabbit ) Matthew Dear – 03 Headcage (from Headcage EP ) Work Drugs – 04 Flying Zambo (from Aurora Lies [...]

"She gave you the keys to unlock the door, but only while she was away" laments Donald Ducote on the opening track for Ancient History 's Tracks . While 'She Gave You the Keys' is a slow, plaintive, Will-Shef -esque introduction, the bulk of the album is ornate, atmospheric, and sufficiently murky and dour to suggest The Black Heart Procession – albeit without the strident, childlike vocals of Pall Jenkins. Ducote's voice fits the tracks quite well, as his wispy tenor glides seamlessly among the acoustic & electric guitars, piano, and sythns. In addition to [...]

Katie Swezey I was surprised at how few people were at Tuesday night's Black Heart Procession show. Maybe it was the icy cold that set in, keeping everyone in. Either way, the eerie, orange mist hanging over the streets set the perfect stage for the moody crooning of this (apparently) still secret band. Anyone who is a Three Mile Pilot or Ugly Casanova fan should give them a listen—they have a solid discography of brooding, love-sick and love-lost songs that are perfect for dark Pacific Northwest [...]

As the days and nights get colder, and we enter full-fledged winter, it becomes more and more difficult to justify taking the BMW out. In the cold, it's almost better to just walk. But I braved the chill and barely-working defrost on December 2, taking the car out for one last night show before the new year. It would be a good one, filled with dreamy music pretty much throughout. Here's the playlist. No follow-up coverage today, as I'm saving them for later this week; it'll probably be another [...]
► KCRW's "Are Friends Eclectic?" holkiday benefit at the Orpheum Theatre features Jimmy Cliff, Iron & Wine, Brett Dennen, Other Lives, Mia Doi Todd, White Denim, the Belle Brigade, the Secret Sisters, Zee Avi and others. ► Jane Birkin makes her first Los Angeles appearance in seven years at Cal State L.A.'s Luckman Fine Arts Center. The Serge Gainsbourgh muse, who will be backed by a Japanese band, will present a program titled "Serge Gainsborugh & Jane Via Japan." ► With Noel Gallagher recently having stormed L.A. for two successful shows, brother Liam brings his band [...]

The lupine lady is coming to San Diego // Follow Owl and Bear on Facebook and Twitter for contests, MP3s, and links that don't make it onto the blog.

Papercuts w/ Tim Cohen's Magic Trick (of the Fresh & Onlys) Cassorla Friday 12/2 Tickets & Info [ ENTER TO WIN TICKETS ] The Black Heart Procession w/ Chelsea Wolfe Dirt Bird Saturday 12/3 Tickets & Info [ ENTER TO WIN TICKETS ]

Company – Waiting For Saints To Arrive [mp3] (from Holy City , out now) Company – Heaven Is Gone [mp3] (from Holy City , out now) Company – The Departed [mp3] (from Holy City , out now) Charleston, SC's Company offers three tracks from the recently released Holy [...]

These mixes were posted in January and February 2010, the winter of our discontent. Seriously, the blog was on life support during this time. We're through that storm now. 2010 was such a great year for music, and these early mixes show why. Many of the tracks were available in late 2009, but appeared on 2010 releases. Tracks are from late October through late November 2009 Gapless mix ripped at 256k VBR. Download all tracks in one zip file [...]

The SD supergroup is like the musical version of The Avengers // Follow Owl and Bear on Facebook and Twitter for contests, MP3s, and links that don't make it onto the blog.

Well, we're just about halfway with the reposts... Today, we feature volumes 9 and 10, which were originally posted in August 2009. Volume 10 holds a special place in this blog's history, because that's when Aaron from Tsururadio offered to post the mix on his blog. That started a bit of following and it has grown ever since. Aaron's moved onto Tsuruphoto, following his passion for photography. He now has a nudie-zine featuring some edgy but tasteful art, several videos to promote the zine and Tsuruphoto, and the occasional mixtape. We owe a big thanks for his early support, and [...]
The songwriter is throwing a CD release party at Bar Pink on June 23. Follow Owl and Bear on Facebook and Twitter for contests, MP3s, and links that don't make it onto the blog.
The Dinosaur Jr. frontman treated the Casbah to songs both new and old. Follow Owl and Bear on Facebook and Twitter for contests, MP3s, and links that don't make it onto the blog.
![[Photos] J Macias and Black Heart Procession at The Independent](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/3420999_lg.jpg)
Photographs by Eric Lawson & Written by Justin Gillet Dinosaur Jr. frontman J Mascis and supporting act Black Heart Procession played The Independent on Wednesday and managed to showcase a slightly doleful style of music that's oftentimes a rare find amid today's music scene with hyperactive musicians full of faux jubilation. Though Black Heart Procession was scaled down to a duo for its performance, the two guys on stage didn't have any trouble keeping the gaze of the audience affixed (especially with one of the members occasionally playing a saw with a violin bow to create an eerie, [...]

Il RockER festival giunge nel 2011 alla sua 6^ edizione e anche quest'anno proporrà al pubblico dell'Emilia-Romagna alcuni dei più blasonati nomi della scena rock indipendente internazionale, molti dei quali in esclusiva nazionale. Il festival è organizzato dai due più importanti live club di Bologna, l' Estragon e il Covo Club , con il patrocinio della Regione Emilia-Romagna. Proprio la sinergia tra queste due attivissime realtà è risultato essere nelle scorse edizioni uno dei punti di forza del RockER festival. Fra gli eventi previsti anche quelli legati ai libe di The Books, Mercury Rev, [...]
Maren Parusel drummer Eric Brozgold chronicles the band's SXSW experience. Follow Owl and Bear on Facebook and Twitter for contests, MP3s, and links that don't make it onto the blog.

The gang sets up in Texas. Follow Owl and Bear on Facebook and Twitter for contests, MP3s, and links that don't make it onto the blog.

The gang sets up in Texas. Follow Owl and Bear on Facebook and Twitter for contests, MP3s, and links that don't make it onto the blog.
On the eve of SxSW, four bands played to a packed house at Soda Bar. Follow Owl and Bear on Facebook and Twitter for contests, MP3s, and links that don't make it onto the blog.