Golden Animals are amazing. They wheedled their way into my heart and my listening ears like a virus that keeps giving. Let them not be mistaken for any other - Golden Animals are a species unto themselves. Still, you'll hear strong musical influence from the Beatles (Big Red Rose) to Jim Morrison to B52s (Love Tap) to even John Lee Hooker (Queen Mary). Their mystique is no put-on. Gentle creatures with heightened sensitivity, they've been dwelling in the desert, communing with the nature gods and each other, digging deep down in a musical groove [...]
On the 1st stretch of their trip, the 5 members of James Jackson Toth's touring band are still adjusting to being crammed with their gear into a little modern family van they rented in San Fransisco. Fiddling with pedals, cables and batteries, the big sweet teddy bear of a guy, James Jackson, patiently goes through a list out loud of ways to streamline their set-up in the 40-odd days that will follow. This easygoing attitude is an unexpected surprise. The press picture we saw before meeting James depicted him as potentially psycho-scary ... [...]
String trio Marcus Very Ordinary played a sparse live set in the studio, striding the dark, atonal side. This would be nice music for mud bathing in a swamp, among other more traditional listening venues. The group cites Tom Waits and Randy Newman as influential to their music. You can hear the Waits influence in their jazzy, minor arrangements strung with curious, sometimes eerie lyrics. Singer Jojo's strong voice harkens a moody Ben Harper in quality, leaking elements of a naughty, restrained, tightly-wound internal world in character. Slug Fest and Billions, additionally [...]
Molino is a motley assemblage of four interesting musicians who come together and create thoroughly spaced out music in a marvelous way. Cliff on bass, Suki on keys, Jason on drums and Abraham, the creator, on guitar and extremely David Byrne-esque vocals - they play songs that are kind of about love - sucky love - and freedom that isn't so free....like a relationship in which you're not really sure if you're in or out - all with a sticky rhythm like the gum on the bottom of [...]
He's witty, smart, polite and charming. Clean cut and well-kempt, a bit of edge and some interesting twists. Austin Hartley-Leonard recently graced Chessvolt Studios, playing acoustic guitar and singing his original songs backed by buddy and bandmate, Matt Ramsey, on tenor banjo and vocal harmonies. Influenced by Ryan Adams, Austin Hartley-Leonard (his name is a mouthful that goes back to his grandmother who hyphenated way-back-when) writes memorable songs with a pretty wholesome vibe - aside from an occasional yet nicely enunciated 'fuck' (Heroes). His sweet melodies accompanied by guitar, banjo, [...]
"For the Benefit of Mr. Kite, Bob Dylan challenges Jeff Lynne to a game of Pac-Man in the green room at the Ed Sullivan Theater." That was Peter's description of the band's track, Dark Dark Night. An adaptation of a famous operatic orchestral interlude written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in 1899 swarms the opening of the song like a dizzy hive of drunken bees that just got stirred up. It's a brilliant composition with all of the elements to keep you eager for more till the last drop of the song. [...]
Mellifluous tunes with valerian undertones ooze naturally from the 'songcatching' team, Renee and Jeremy. They are a vibrant and complimentary pair, like salt & pepper or bacardi & ice: Renee supplies the smooth, Jeremy adds the energetic and together they bring the fun, in a comfy, feel-good way. Renee's voice is velvety melted chocolate you wouldn't mind having smeared all over your skin. Jeremy is the foundational sunshine, playing guitar and offering vocals from a whisper to an occasional lead. Together, they are a bomb of enveloping warm enthusiasm, delivering uplifting [...]
These adorable girls are sweet as sunshine and mind-bogglingly talented. Don't let their innocuous laughter or their air of innocence fool you: The Bowmans, who have shared a rhythm since conception, are dead-on. Creating a rich sound adventure as though from a bygone era, the pair is not afraid to linger on a note or in a mood. They'll lull you into the eye of their hurricane and then surprise attack. Claire, the spokesperson for The Bowmans out in [...]
We first met Ben at Chessvolt Studios last year. A mutual friend sent him our way. He came and sat on a stool in the middle of the tracking room with his guitar, prepared with about 20 songs to sing and play, just in case. "How many songs do you have?" Peter asked. "Alot more," Ben confessed. After the first couple, we were intrigued. Here's a bit of what came out of our first session with Ben. Bearing striking similarities to Elliot Smith, some of Ben's songs are edgy, like a punk Jack Johnson [...]
Matt Ellis and Josh Norton @ Chessvolt Studios It's easy to be in the humble company of Matt Ellis and his guitar player, Josh Norton. Quiet and relaxed, the native Australian and his LA mate set up easily, ready to dig in. Which is just what they did. A skilled player with deep blues roots, Josh added the ambiance to round out Matt's steady acoustic accompanied by his determined, pleading vocals. He sang his heart out till he was hoarse (he was also on tail end [...]
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