Tag Archives: low

The Owl and Bear Podcast vol. 175

[audio:owlbear-podcast175-stream.mp3]

San Diegans in this podcast:
Erika Davies, Hills Like Elephants, The Midnight Pine, Mrs. Magician, A Scribe Amidst the Lions, Zozo Fiasco

Upcoming shows:
Chelsea Wolfe, Sarah Jaffe – Wednesday, 2/6 at the Loft
Gram Rabbit, Hills Like Elephants, Privet, The Midnight Pine – Saturday, 2/9 at the Casbah
The Night Marchers, Mrs. Magician – Sunday, 2/24 at the Casbah
Califone – Wednesday, 2/27 at the Casbah
Heartless Bastards – Monday, 3/25 at the Casbah

Two ways to subscribe:
1) Subscribe to the podcast via RSS feed by following this link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/owlbearpodcast
2) Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes by following this link: itpc://owlandbear.com/category/podcast/feed

Click here to view the tracklist…

Poetic Memory: Montalban Quintet (List)

MP3: Montalban Quintet – “Besa Sorta”
Full album stream: Montalban Quintet – Montalban Quintet

San Diego’s Montalban Quintet is not a quintet. And no, it’s not named after the late actor Ricardo. Continue reading…

Retribution Gospel Choir Play the Loft 1/23; New Low Album Gets Title, Release Date

MP3: Retribution Gospel Choir – “Workin’ Hard”
MP3: Retribution Gospel Choir – “Hide It Away”
MP3: Peter Wolf Crier – Crutch & Cane
MP3: Peter Wolf Crier – Hard As Nails

Low devotees looking for a place to worship in San Diego have reason to sing hallelujah: front man Alan Sparhawk’s other band, Retribution Gospel Choir, will play the Loft on January 23.

For the past few years, Sparhawk’s comparatively fast-rocking side project has provided an uptempo, noisier outlet for his haunted musings. Retribution Gospel Choir’s self-titled debut came out in 2008, and their latest, 2, was just released on Sub Pop this month. A little poppier than their debut, 2 is a leap forward for the band. It is also a satisfying stopgap for fans anxiously awaiting April 12, the day the next Low album — titled C’mon — will be released. Retribution Gospel Choir played the Casbah a couple years ago and it was awesome, so don’t expect January 23 at the Loft to be any different.

Fellow Minnesotans Peter Wolf Crier are supporting Sparhawk & Co. on their tour. The duo released its first album, Inter-Be, to critical acclaim last summer.

Get your tickets here.

Jonneine Zapata Casts Out Demons, Mark Lanegan Saves Souls (MP3)

Jonneine Zapata

Plagued by demons? Don’t worry about it. Is your immortal soul in need of saving? We’ve got just the thing. Do you enjoy the pairing of “magnificently mournful” musicians? We’ve got you covered there too.

Highland Park songstress Jonneine Zapata will be on hand to exorcise your demons this Saturday, September 12th, at the Casbah. Lending a hand for the night’s rites will be former Screaming Trees front man Mark Lanegan, backed by the UK’s divine Soulsavers.

Zapata combines the pacing of Low with the grittiness of P.J. Harvey (with whom Lanegan has recorded, to much acclaim), to create a style as beautiful as it is intense. She’s relatively new to the music scene; she’s been writing for several years, but only got serious in November 2008. It didn’t take long for her to make a name for herself, though, and she just released an album, Cast the Demons Out. For a sample, check out the track “Good Looking” (MP3).

In addition to Mark Lanegan’s work with the Screaming Trees, he has released a slew of solo albums, including 2004’s terrific Bubblegum. Of late, he is best known for his collaborations, which include duets with Belle & Sebastian’s Isobel Campbell, his Gutter Twins album with the Twilight Singers’ Greg Dulli, and two records with Soulsavers, the UK-based production team with whom he’s currently touring. They’re here to support Broken, their latest effort together.

Blending gritty melancholia with morose wisdom, Jonneine Zapata and Lanegan are pretty much kindred spirits, which makes their Casbah appearance seem so promising.

Even if you’re going just to see Lanegan—who rarely plays anywhere, let alone San Diego—be sure to get there early to catch Ms. Zapata. With any luck, there will be duets. We’ll be there to report the results and sip on some Jameson holy water.

Full list of Soulsavers/Lanegan/Zapata tour dates after the jump. Continue reading