Langhorne Slim Bringing Charisma to Lollapalooza / Newport / Philly

Langhorne Slim and the War Eagles are ripe for festivals, big or small Lollapalooza, The Newport Folk Festival, and The Philadelphia Folk Festival. Slim's voice is soulful and passionate, and The War Eagles drummer Malachi DeLorenzo and new bassist Jeff Ratner back it up enthusiastically.

This magical three-piece can stir a crowd into bursts of energy and slow the tempo for heart-driven ballads. Although Slim is mild-mannered off-stage, his charisma on stage is larger than life. This ain’t about ego but a transference from artist to audience. This willingness to share and connect is special and should be experienced. I speak from the heart I’ve seen them at least nine times.

Catch just a taste of the magic that is Langhorne Slim. Below is a new song uploaded by Breakfast On Tour from the Wakarusa Music Festival earlier in June.

Check here for more US dates and to hear "I Love You, But Goodbye" from their third full-length release, Be Set Free, and the second released by Kemado Records, recorded in Oregon with producer Chris Funk (Decemberists). Release Date September 29t!

OCM Everything Langhorne!

Silent Barn Kills It With Estrogen

Oh, I’ve been a virgin up until last Friday, I finally made it to the Silent Barn in Ridgewood, an all-ages DIY venue. It was the smoothest all-age event I’ve been to. Starting time was at the time listed, all the bands played, and there was a pretty close to seamless time break between bands. There is no sound check at the Silent Barn, they do their best, and duct tape is a helpful aid. The community spirit is alive in this large way place, and Joe Ahearn was a wonderful host. The Hop Along / P.S Eliot tour was on its eighth night, and two additional bands, The Diamond Sea and Little Lungs, joined them for a second night.

Hop Along formally (Hop Along Queen Ansleis) played first, to the disappointment of some late fans. It was her turn to test the unknown sound factor. She played a solo electric set. Yes, it would have been great to see her with the band, but she handled the new material well. A new song, “Sally” had whispers and vocal intensity. She employed great fast strumming and a few pedal adjustments revving it up when needed. The band would be proud! “Junk Yard James,” the vocals were the star with a few muffled strums, guitar body hits, and slow, steady kick drum by Allison Crutchfield of P.S Eliot. There was quite a large crowd, and Hop Along (Francis Quinlan) could silence a crowd and move them. So as loud and as fast as she got when it came time to hear her whispers, everyone could! WOW, I bought a 7-track demo!! It offers a diverse mix of styles, including all the festive quirky folk elements only morphed into an edgier and much louder electric recipe. Impressive!!

Next was an Australian group, The Diamond Sea, making their second appearance at the Silent Barn. Three female players and a male drummer create a smart intricate dialogue between instruments in the spirit between punk, noise, and rock. I was fascinated to look and listen.

P.S. Eliot, those awesome youngins from Alabama bring a straightforward down-home punk that is very catchy, bouncy, and rich in melody. The sing hook-along high-pitched yelps are to die for in songs like “The Troubled Medium.” The 5 song demo I bought has a muffled garage sound with megaphone vocals and is the kind of contagious fun I live for.

Little Lungs enthusiastically closed the show with high energy and great playing. With this group, it is not just making sure they play the songs it is totally about doing it. Nice bass playing as well. The multifaceted Angie Boylon plays guitar in this outfit but was the drummer for Each Other’s Mothers (reunited show in August Silent Barn) and Cheeky. I left the Silent Barn with a beautiful feeling about women musicians. I am from the generation raised during the beginning of the women's movement. Technically these are the children of my generation. It is great to see young women taking command of their lives booking and driving across the US for one Epic adventure and doing it with skill, conviction, and love. What was really cool was that the next young wave of female musicians not only came to the show but was allowed to be there! Three groups have released with Salinas Records Hop Along 10-inch Wretches P.S. Eliot Introverted Romance in our Troubled Minds, LP Debut Little Lungs Hoist Me UP 7 inch released in 2008 Flickr set HERE.

Honne Wells Gots Some Dates

The mysterious Honne Wells will be playing with Juan Comas @ Starr Space the space looks awesome!
 

I'll be in town for this afternoon's free music Friday series at the American Folk Art Museum

5:30 pm sharp. HONNE WELLS banjo solos and hollers July 24th!

Deer Tick Hometown Promotion

"hung with pride" Photo credit Deer Tick Twit Pic by fan/friend.

Providence is proud of Deer Tick and shows some hometown pride and love. I remember going to Deer Tick's Myspace site a couple of years ago, where John McCauley posted something like help Deer Tick sell out. Today similar sentiments are touted "Any consideration for your McDonalds or Chevy commercial will be greatly appreciated," Deer Tick. For many talented bands today without a national following, the commercial route can be one way to make some dough. Deer Tick has gotten a lucky break with Brian Williams's interview, and I'm happy for them. They deserve the attention and are capitalizing on the ride by utilizing social networks like Facebook and Twitter. I love their updates from the road. Favorite Deer Tick tweet so far: If you'd like to see us play in Reno tonight, please come pick us up in auburn, ca. Radiator exploded. We're the guys on the highway. More hometown love for Deer Tick: Providence rockers are ready for a national breakthrough with Born On Flag Day, as seen here on the cover of Providence Phoenix. Some cool shit from the road. I just love Hank Williams, and so does John McCauley!

Benjamin Verdery Video Selections

Back in May of 07, I wrote about Benjamin Verdery's performance @ The Monkey. Here. Although there is nothing like a live performance in an intimate space, these videos capture most of it. Enjoy and spread around like butta!

Be Kind All The Time, part 1

Be Kind All The Time, Part 2

hop along / p.s. eliot tour 2009

Chinchillin/ Forever Young Tour 2009...

I've been posting about Hop for a while, but she's still only 22. Here's what I've been saying!