Remember that band Ima Robot, who had that catchy song “Dynomite” way back in 2003? Yeah, me neither. However, I won’t be forgetting former Ima singer Alex Ebert and his new band Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros. Talk about a 180: he’s gone from an indie/punk/dance band to a down-home folk collective that makes songs so endearing that they might just bring a tear to your eye. If Arcade Fire decided to move to a log cabin in Alabama, drink whiskey, and drop the pretentiousness, From Below would be the result. It’s knee-slappin’ fun for all ages. Check out their appearance on Letterman, performing my new favorite song “Home”.
All posts by j. walkos
Bowerbirds Show Their Teeth (MP3 & Video)
Hailing from Raleigh, North Carolina, Phil Moore and Beth Tacular of Bowerbirds create acoustic music for the soul. With their subtle arrangements that boast guitars, piano, autoharp, violin, percussion, upright bass, and a cornucopia of other musical instruments, Bowerbirds are perched on the cusp of indie rock stardom.
Their new album, the excellent Upper Air, dropped on July 7th through their Dead Oceans record label. We’ve got two songs (“Teeth” and “Northern Lights”) from it, as well as their upcoming tour dates, after the jump.
Can’t hear so good, but love pretty visuals? Don’t sweat it: we’ve got the Alan Poon-directed video of “In Our Talons”, from their maiden release Hymns for a Dark Horse, for you too. Continue reading
A Girls Tale
San Francisco’s Girls craft lo-fi, hazy pop songs that get in your head and leave you with a euphoric Oxycontin buzz. Singer/songwriter Christopher Owens’ life has been a picaresque tale of sex, drugs, and the saving graces of rock and roll. He was born into the Children of God, a cult founded in California in 1968. As a child, he was forced to endure a barrage of psychologically damaging events, such as traveling through Japan with his mother, an unwilling prostitute forced to raise money for the cult.
Despite his troubled upbringing, Owens was able to find solace in music, and began playing guitar at a young age. Interestingly enough, his first guitar was given to him by Fleetwood Mac’s Jeremy Spencer, also a member of the Children of God cult. To this day, Owens still records with the guitar.
At the age of sixteen, Owens escaped the cult and moved to Amarillo, Texas, where he fell in love with its burgeoning punk scene. Unfortunately, he also fell in love with the town’s drug scene, launching into a downward spiral that would nearly kill him. Continue reading