Nothing quite matches the touch of class a small string section can bring to a recording, usually added as an afterthought. Ra Ra Riot has used a cello and violin to transport its Vampire Weekendtangent Afropop from an Ivy League frat party to a garden soirée, as cellist Alexandra Lawn and violinist Rebecca Zeller are […]
Joshua Boydston
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Brilliant disguise
Stillwater indie-rock outfit Deerpeople is no stranger to costumes. In the past, pre-show rituals involved cloaking themselves in any number of disguises, and although the band moved away from that in recent performances, Friday’s Hallopolis show at Opolis gives them a chance to relive it. “It’s fun to go back and revisit that,” drummer Jordan […]
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Body Language — Social Studies
At the same time, the band shines in its own unique ways, taking an artier approach to crafting equally catchy tracks and spinning out more funky moments. Indeed, Body Language’s debut record, “Social Studies,” digs further than “Manners” ever did, pulling from a deeper well of electronic and house authorities in creating a proper debut […]
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Balkans — Balkans
Naturally, the discovery of Atlanta act Balkans was a highlight of my week, being that they merge the two worlds in a way few others have. The band’s self-titled debut came out in early summer, but buzz around Balkans’ CMJ appearances has led the figurative noise of the group to match that which it literally […]
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Growth pattern
Drew Grow could have planted his roots anywhere, but he could hardly be happier with his decision to do so in Rose City. “Portland has a loose-cannon quirkiness,” he said. “It’s a pretty great place to play music. There’s a lot of support for all sorts of creative endeavors and a lot of energy from […]
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Name value
Band-to-band comparisons are a necessary evil in the universe of emerging acts. However, media outlets like NPR and Interview take a little of the sting out by making comparisons to Radiohead, Arcade Fire and Bon Iver. “From a musician’s standpoint, you want to be your own thing and not necessarily compared to anyone,” said Kyle […]
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Sweet charity
It took but one quick trip home for the guilt racket front man Bobby Reed to realize he wasn’t living right. “My dad, he always did a lot of charity work, the entire time I was growing up and even still. I went home for Christmas about a year ago, and he asked what community […]
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Great ’grass
Given that Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival aims on being a world-class festival, it only makes sense its acts come from all over the globe. Besides The Gatlin Brothers as headliners, this year sees Fragment flying in from the Czech Republic, the Kruger Brothers making their way from Switzerland, and the Bluegrass Boogiemen taking a long […]
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Cagle exercise
Life as a touring musician has left country’s Chris Cagle with plenty of lumps. Somehow, he’s taken them all and poked fun at the experience, titling his last album, “My Life’s Been a Country Song.” The narrative has seen Cagle stumble over all the trappings of country stardom — divorce, label drama, legal battles — […]
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Paws command
Kitten front woman Chloe Chaidez had played in a cover band — performing alongside the likes of Band of Horses and Midlake — for three years before she decided to pursue something more mature and artistically satisfying than those cute, little cover songs. She was 13 at the time. One year of songwriting led her, […]