INdy Music Blog

INdy has Moved

2009-04-03T15:11:00.000-07:00

Hey friends, I have moved to a site where I am enabled to deliver a better quality of interactive music experience to my readers.. please go to my new homeHERE and say "G'day" ok? I think you will like the upgraded features such as embedded Mp3 players ;0)

To See You Through the Week

2009-04-01T18:26:00.000-07:00

It's hump day and and wet and rainy one at that here in Portland. The long winters here have made my skin as white as, "The Whitest Boy Alive", but no worries, this song brought out the sunshine (High on the Heels.mp3) inside and warmed me up. Hope it does you good too!

And if that doesn't do the trick, listen to some Passion Pit (Sleepyhead)

SXSW 2009

2009-04-01T16:44:00.001-07:00

Here are a few standouts from this huge week of indie music in Austin:

Little Boots

Scott Avett from the Avett Brothers

Handsome Furs - Legal Tender

Mumford & Sons - Thistle & Weeds/ Dustbowl Dance

PJ Harvey and JP

official SXSW Site

It's A Sleepy Sun in California

2009-03-31T09:05:00.000-07:00

I just had a hit of this San Francisco band, Sleepy Sun, today and woa, I seriously like their sound! It was flashback to my old rock and roll early 70's era. I was tranformed into Humbolt County, on a lazy summer afternoon, walking along the shores of Santa Cruz where this band had its early beginning. On a very non-sunny day here in Portland, their music was just pure escapism... my ears were buzzing with a mix of the Doors and Zepplin and perhaps a zing or dash of Journey thrown in. I especially like the new single off their debut album, "Embrace", New Age which was just released yesterday.

Myspace site

Wolfmother- Back Around!!!

2009-03-31T01:16:00.000-07:00

Wolfmother- Emerging out of Sydney Australia circa 2006
The Australian hard rock band that formed in Sydney in 2000 is back after less than a year hiatus since the news of their breakup hit the press.

I was a fan of their music prior to their first tour and exposure in the States in 2006. As such, I took the news of their breakup hard when I heard it first hand from their Label A & R rep on his flight to ‘save the band” back in October 2008. Yes, of all people, to have booked a flight with Wolfmother’s label sitting next to me, this Yank was tied to the hip with the news sort speak.. My first exposure to Wolfmother and other Australian bands, (some of which I still follow and hope they succeed in making that long jump across the Pacific) came while living in Sydney in 2004 and 2006. I was listening to a CD that was a compilation of the bands and songs from the big festival in Sydney on “boxing day” the 26th of January called, Big Day Out. WM featured their single, Woman. on this particular year. They were good; I liked the old retro sound of the 70’s rock. It stirred my interest enough to continue to follow up on their progress. And, as a lot of bands I seem to take interest in do, they grew in popularity.

Although I never caught them LIVE in Sydney, when I arrived back from my “Aussie Holiday” sponsored by my employer there, “Thank You”, I kept a close eye on WM and, when the news hit that they were planning a tour to the US, I was one of the first and perhaps the last to see them perform here in Portland. They had just released their “Dimensions” EP. Just prior to the tour. The band was on fire at that time. It was a very packed house and a wild night of rock and roll in ole Portlandia. I was rekindling an old friendship with a mate of mine I had not seen in years. He was a big rock and roll fan.

Both Andrew and Chris were just amazing that night as the performed to a small but very packed venue in an old theatre in town. I was very pleased with their live presentation, solidifying my dedicated fan hood to the band. They came off just as I had imagined them-simple solid rock and roll in the style I was brought up on in the 70’s. No doubt we were hot, and sweaty, and singing along (five feet from the stage) and bouncing around with the mass of humanity to their music that night. But no worries mate, as they say down under, we had primed ourselves earlier with the appropriate beverages (Our first experience with the infamous-Jaeger Bomb) which coursing through our veins that night complemented the whole Wolfmother experience.

Wolfmother Sizzled and Fizzled
Apparently my one time acquaintance label rep was not very successful that day- as it started out on the wrong foot or shall we say “wing” in our case that day when upon arrival to Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport that day we had to be diverted to Brisbane for an hour due to severe visibility from the fog in the early morning hours.
As it has been reported, “On 7 August, the band's record label, Universal Records, announced that drummer Myles Heskett and bassist/keyboardist Chris Ross had decided to leave the band due to "irreconcilable differences," and that Stockdale planned on searching for a new line up over the coming months as well as continue working on new materials.

The New Wolfmother – The Latest Update“The new members were confirmed as guitarist Aidan Nemeth, bassist and keyboardist Ian Peres and drummer Dave Atkins in February.(1] On 24 February it was confirmed that the band would perform at two benefit concerts to be held in Melbourne and Sydney on 14 March for Sound Relief, supporting victims of the Victorian bushfires.[2] The new lineup is due to begin recording its first album at the beginning of March; approximately seventeen songs, described as "heavy” and "riff driven", have been written by Stockdale for these sessions.[3] The reformed group also headlined the Clipsal 500 event in Adelaide in March 2009. The new Wolfmother also played a new song confirmed as Back Round live at the MTV Australia Awards on the 27th of March. In an interview Stockdale said that he and his bandmates were leaving for L.A. the next day to start recording. The song Back Round has been released as a free digital download on the Wolfmother official site. The song will also be the first single off the upcoming album”
1. "Wolfmother unleash new lineup". Triple J. 2009-02-12.. Retrieved on 02-17-09
2. "Latest News". Sound Relief. Retrieved on 2009-02-24.
3. “Wolfmother exclusive: Andrew Stockdale on old tensions and new album". Triple J. 2009-02-27. Retrieved on 2009-02-27.

I like the new song, still hoping for a bit more and will wait until I get more exposure to this new lineup before I pass judgment on them. Meanwhile grab a free copy of the new single , Back Around!

Blitzen Trapper- Whatzin Whosin?

2009-03-30T17:15:00.001-07:00

This band literally came out of nowhere this past year and hit many of the top 10 album lists on multiple blogs and polls by year end with the latest album- Furr. Today, I found a great LIVE video of BT doing an amazing cover with Stephen Malkmus "Funky49" a James Gang song. One of my favorite album hits from last year's, Furr, has a newer video, one of thier first professionally produced. They are expert story-tellers as you will find in this song, Black River Killer,off the same album.

Black River Killer

It was just a little while past the Sunset Strip
They found the girl’s body in an open pit
Her mouth was sewn shut, but her eyes were still wide
Gazing through the fog to the other side

They booked me on a whim and threw me deep in jail
With no bail, sitting silent on a rusty pail
Just gazing at the marks on the opposite wall
Remembering the music of my lover’s call

So you make no mistake
I know just what it takes
To pull a man’s soul back from heaven’s gates
I’ve been wandering in the dark about as long as sin
But they say it’s never too late to start again

Oh when, oh when
Will the spirit come a-callin' for my soul to send
Oh when, oh when
Will the keys to the kingdom be mine again?

It was dark as the grave, it was just about three
When the warden with his key came to set me free
They gave me five dollars and a secondhand suit
A pistol and a hat and a worn out flute

So I took a bus down to the Rio Grande
And I shot a man down on the edge of town
Then I stole me a horse and I rode it around
Til the sheriff pulled me in and sat me down

He said, you make no mistake
I know just what it takes
To pull a man’s soul back from heaven’s gates
I’ve been wandering in the dark about as long as sin
But they say it’s never too late to start again

Oh when, oh when
Will the spirit come a-callin' for my soul to send
Oh when, Oh when
Will the keys to the kingdom be mine again?

Well the sheriff let me go with a knife and a song
So I took the first train up to Oregon
And I killed the first man that I came upon
'Cause the devil works quick, you know it don’t take long

Then I went to the river for to take a swim
You know that black river water is as black as sin
And I washed myself clean as a newborn babe
And then I picked up a rock for to sharpen my blade

Oh when, oh when
Will the spirit come a calling for my soul to send
Oh when, oh when
Will the keys to the kingdom be mine again?
Oh when, oh when
Will that black river water wash me clean again
Oh when, oh when
Will the keys to the kingdom be mine again?

-Blitzen Trapper

Myspace/official

As you can see they are on tour and selling out fast!

Upcoming Shows

Apr 12 2009 8:00P
Crystal Ballroom w/ Fleet Foxes!! -- SOLD OUT Portland, Oregon
Apr 13 2009 8:00P
Arcata Community Center w/ Fleet Foxes Arcata, California
Apr 14 2009 8:00P
The Filmore w/ Fleet Foxes -- SOLD OUT San Francisco, California
Apr 16 2009 8:00P
Rio Theatre w/ Fleet Foxes Santa Cruz, California
Apr 18 2009 8:00P
Coachella Fest Indio, California
Apr 20 2009 8:00P
The Hub @ UCSB w/ Fleet Foxes Santa Barbara, California
Apr 21 2009 8:00P
Fox Theater w/ Fleet Foxes Oakland, California
Apr 22 2009 8:00P
McDonald Theatre w/ Fleet Foxes Eugene, Oregon
May 25 2009 8:00P
Sasquatch Fest George, Washington
Jul 31 2009 8:00P
Pickathon Pendarvis Farm, Oregon

MP3's
Black River Killer

The Carpenters Redux?

2009-03-29T13:33:00.000-07:00

They may not have the gleaming smiles and clean cut look as Karen and Richard that stood out so much from the crowd in the 70's rock era but they do come with their own unique style of music and, as such, deserve a serious look and listen. Having personally lived in Sydney where this band was formed, I discovered their music proably before many of the Aussies did as they were featured in an interview on a local Sydney AM News show I watched. From that time they did not appear in the bigger part of the news in Sydney until a year later where they played in many of the outdoor music Festivals in town like Big Day Out. I knew from the first time I heard there music they had great potential. Since then, they have progressively grown in their popularity on the Australian front. Now, they are hitting the ground running on thier North American introduction this year. They have been featured on several blogs this past month and have played with such great talents as Brett Dennen, The Magic Numbers, David Gray, and Newton Faulkner in sold out shows. They are currently touring here in the US and have just added another show in LA at the Troubadour in April. Here is a few samplea for you to preview of their work: “Mango Tree”. "Hollywood".

Recently they came to Portland Oregon at the Crystal Ballroom opening for another favorite of mine from the bay area, Brett Dennen. This was their third appearance now in the States. They were not a bit nervous and a whole lot laid back as the Aussies seem to portray. This brother and sister duo exude that raw talent that just can't wait to be heard and experienced from their northwesterly mates. Here’s a video I took of them at the Crystal a few weeks ago. Check out the multi-talented Julia as she sings, dances, plays the horns, and the audiences response in a song off thier latest EP, A Book Like This “Private Lawns”. I would say it was a very “challenging” Portland audience that night as even with the star act, Brett Dennen, they were talking over the music as if they had come to see each other rather than the bands ( a very atypical experience at the Crystal).

INdy x

mp3's: Private Lawns
Mango Tree
Wasted
myspace/official