Jess Hill “A Common Bird” Despite the song title above, Canada’s Jess Hill is a very uncommon bird indeed. For starters, she comes across as an old soul thriving in an increasingly modern world, and somehow she makes it look easy. Recombining traditional folk and blues elements to fit her unique artistic vision seems to
San Francisco’s Blind Willies is the kind of band whose music sharply divides listeners’ opinions almost instantly. While some might take that as a knock, I consider it a testament to the intensity and tenacity with which they explore their own boundaries. A heady mix of americana, blues, folk, and rock ‘n’ roll, their latest
The Farthest Forests, a two piece band featuring Anne Marple vocally and our old friend, Peter Squires, providing the music, were born of the lush woods and epic tides of the New England seacoast; two golden babies united musically by an artistic challenge: to write and record, Strange Wool, their first full-length album, in only
Fans of Slang Chickens seem to go through a three part process upon discovering the band: first they’re intrigued by the name, then blown away by the crackling energy of their live performance, and then addicted to the way their songs manifest themselves in any number of ways. I find myself humming the chord changes
There’s a lot to like about Scott Bartenhagen. When I first saw his performance of “Delta Fog” (see video below), I was struck by his haunting voice and dextrous guitar playing. It was immediately apparent that he’s a talented musician, as further as evidenced by the fact that the NorCal native has already scored a
The expanse between a freshman and sophomore album is perhaps the hardest distance for an artist to travel. The product of such a journey can delight or betray fans, and oftentimes does both. As it seems almost impossible to avoid comparing a band’s first and second bodies of work, I approached the follow up to
Thurlow is the musical project of Augustus Green and Jacqueline Caruso, husband and wife duo from Washington, D.C. that now resides in Los Angeles. They recently released an eight track EP called Training Wheels, now available for free download on their Bandcamp page. The first track “The Hour Glass,” was recently chosen for the compilation