Photo: Brad Elterman Things can move pretty fast — faster than you want, sometimes. Just 22, Canadian garage rocker Mac DeMarco recorded his 2012 debut EP, Rock and Roll Nightclub, as a personal, private experiment of Ramones-influenced power pop slowed to a creep, and brandished the cover with a lipstick-smearing selfie. An unexpected hit, it […]
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Unknown soldiers
Photo: Neil Krug Unknown Mortal Orchestra is about as digital age as it gets. The Portland-based project, helmed by New Zealand export Ruban Nielson, has generated a substantial amount of buzz in less than three years of existence — largely because of a rigorous touring schedule in which the gasps for air are scant. Yet […]
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One in Three
center Nathan Mickle “My parents always had a bunch of Frank Sinatra records lying around, along with Tony Bennett and Harry Connick Jr. … all of those guys I would sing along to,” Mickle said. “The records actually taught me how to sing before I even really got into it professionally.” A music career almost […]
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Big time
Dominic Lalli and Jeremy Salken — the two minds behind electronic duo Big Gigantic — met while playing in various jazz and funk bands around the greater Boulder, Colo., area before rooming together and deciding to collaborate. Old habits die hard. “[Lalli] said, ‘I’m making these beats, and I want to play sax over it.’ […]
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The Grown Ups — Dark Hearts
Take “Catalina,” for example: the consummate portrayal of the group’s strengths. The song’s first half consists of a hushed guitar strum, sparkling piano and a steady, mid-tempo rhythm to guide them. It’s morose and contemplative in a way that’s almost reminiscent of the dampened grandeur Modest Mouse perfected on The Moon & Antarctica. Yet at […]
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Samantha Crain — Kid Face
Likewise, her music sounds like the kind of earthy Americana that could have emerged from any of the last five decades. Both her vocal efficacy and reverential know-how have been and remain a testament to the uncommon maturity of her skill set. But if anything was holding the Shawnee native back, it was her aversion […]
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Road to everywhere
His trio, Horseshoe Road, has been chosen as one of 12 ensembles to partake in a monthlong international cultural exchange tour as part of the American Music Abroad program. Nearly 300 groups nationwide auditioned for the program, which is administered by American Voices on behalf of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and […]
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Sam I am
Photo: Keisha Register They say home is where the heart is. For musicians, however, the grind of touring often can be a blessing — an escape from personal demons or the perils of comfort and complacency. But if you’re anything like Samantha Crain, life on the road is just a desire coming to fruition. Crain […]
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Mumford’s the word!
Guthrie is one of only five cities in the world — three in the United States — that will host the tour. The mini-festival will span two nights, with Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros performing Friday, Sept. 6. Other confirmed featured guests are Alabama Shakes, The Vaccines, Willy Mason, Bear’s Den and Half Moon […]
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Jingle bell prog rock
Roaring ’round the globe for almost 20 years, Trans-Siberian Orchestra —TSO, for short — is the unlikeliest musical group to become not only one of the top concert acts ever, but a holiday tradition equal to Santa Claus himself. TSO brings this symphonic-prog/classical-metal gift to the Chesapeake Energy Arena for two shows Saturday. But, according […]