
Brooke Waggoner is hard to describe, which is a wonderful thing. Here's how the cliches break down: She IS: a female singer/songwriter who sits at the piano She ISN'T: a female singer/songwriter who sits at the piano and lulls the audience to sleep She IS: classically trained She ISN'T: stuffy and snobby She IS: based in Nashville She ISN'T: Country [...]

Speaking of Teitur earlier, I've been meaning to post something for the longest time about this next artist who has recently been touring with him. From CD Baby : Brooke Waggoner began playing piano at age 4 and took classical lessons for a grand total of 17 years. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in music composition and orchestration, hoping to one day score films and orchestrate her own projects. She says her songs tell of a "lone 23-year-old girl, sagas of daily life, [and] bits of poetry" that are "all melded with honest proclamations [...]

1. Brooke Waggoner - I Am Mine - Don't you just love how good three chords can sound? Isn't music amazing? [from Fresh Pair of Eyes | buy ] 2. The LK - Stop Being Perfect - You know this guy is not from the US when he says "daft" in the second line. This song has grown on me wonderfully, with its bitcrushed factory steam percussion and playful melody. [from Vs. the Snow | buy ] 3. [...]

I figure now is as good a time as any to do a little plugging/bragging about the upcoming MACRoCk music festival in Harrisonburg, VA this weekend. To an outsider it might seem an unlikely location to host a weekend of coordinated rock concerts featuring handfuls of the best up and coming bands in America, but Macrock is nothing new to regional locals. The festival, first done completely by JMU's radio station WXJM, now done in tandem with the city of Harrisonburg and local volunteers, began in 1996. Alumni of the event are an all-star [...]
(as featured on This Week's Finds , Mar. 16-22) "Torn Blue Foam Couch" - Grand Archives This is one of those sweeping, evocative, thoroughly impressive songs that everyone more or less has to like--until, of course, everyone does like it, at which point there will be those who decide they don't like it because too many people like it. You know the drill. Lovely melodies are front and center in "Torn Blue Foam Couch"; they feel like bygone [...]
So many of us are getting psyched for the annual trip to SXSW music next week. Two day party's you should consider putting on your already full agenda are the NPR Music day party at The Parish on Thursday with Shout Out Louds, Jens Lekman, Yeasayer, Bon Iver and Vampire Weekend, and the Paste/Stereogum Present The Dell Lounge World Cafe broadcast on Friday with Lightspeed Champion, The Weakerthans, Kaki King, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Liam Finn, and The Whigs. I've just started to look [...]

Music City is the nickname for Nashville, Tennessee. When people hear Nashville, their minds undoubtedly go to cowboy hats, country music, and the ever loving southern accent. Nashville has a plethora of music genres and artists entering the city with a dream of making it big. "Look Out Music City 'Cos I'm Here Now and Ain't Never Leaving!" was a line from the movie Thing Called Love , which depicts the lives of singer/songwriters trying to make it in this overly saturated town. There are so many talented singers/songwriter in this city that it was hard for me [...]
Three for one longnecks and half price mixed drinks until 10 p.m. But the music doesn't stop. Brooke Waggoner - Hush If You Must Website | Myspace Emily Haines and the Soft Skeleton - Doctor Blind Website | Myspace Kate Nash - Birds Website | Myspace [...]

One of my favorite discoveries of 2007 was Nashville's Brooke Waggoner . Her excellent six-song EP Fresh Pair of Eyes still remains a pleasant surprise from the very first moment I listened to it . I was also lucky enough to see her perform here in Auburn , and she managed to sway the entire audience, albeit small, with her tender voice and masterful ability at the piano. It's not often that I lavish praise like this on the blog, but I think it's well deserving for a [...]

1. Liam Finn - Wide Awake on the Voyage Home - There will be a day where talking about Liam Finn will not require the identification of his famous father Neil (Crowded House, Split Enz). Judging by his incredible debut album, that day is just around the bend. This track smolders with hypnotizing sadness, a beautiful melody in 3/4 time. "Tell me love isn't true. Is this just a trick to procreate?" [from I'll Be Lightning (out 1.22.08)| buy ] 2. Broadcast 2000 - [...]
Yes, you heard me right - we have some decent shows here in Auburn this week at both the Olde Auburn Ale House with Brooke Waggoner and The Winter Sounds on the 11th and Roosters with Misfortune500 on the 12th. It would be great if people showed up in support, because this town needs great live music. It's something that Auburn's been lacking for many years now. I'll definitely be at both of these shows, so feel free to say hello to the lone asian with the [...]

Plain and simple, there are some girls that have been killin' it lately. In swarms. These are the girls that are currently shaking my tree. M.I.A. : If you've spent more than a minute near a music blog in the last few months, then you know M.I.A. While I liked her first release a couple of years back, it's " Kala " that has me going. " Paper Planes " sails in on The Clash's "Straight to Hell" riff [...]

Sometimes when I hear new songs, it's rare that it has enough impact for me to write something about it right away. It usually takes a while for a song's quirks to make themselves apparent, for it to actually click with me. I'm usually like a robot as I listen to music now as i'm discarding music if it doesn't appeal to me after only a few tracks. It's a terrible way to listen to music, but that just seems to be the nature of blogging about music. That wasn't the case earlier tonight when [...]