Al Howard likes to keep busy. The songwriter behind The Heavy Guilt and The Black Sands could easily fill his time with those two groups (not to mention writing for Owl and Bear), but he’s just added a third project to the mix. Continue reading…
It’s quite impressive to watch Andrew Bird take a riff, hit a loop pedal, and add more layers until an entire piece of music is created. Continue reading…
If you’ve ever seen The Heavy Guilt play — and, given the group’s knack for drawing big crowds around town, chances are you have — you’ve probably noticed songwriter/multi-instumentalist Al Howard. Continue reading…
Just a few days ago, L.A. duo Big Harp kicked off their Fall tour opening for Saddle Creek labelmate and former Azure Ray singer Maria Taylor. The twosome is touring to support its new album, White Hat, and they’re celebrating its success by playing shows in the Southwest and Pacific Northwest for the first time ever.
Recorded by Pierre de Reeder (Rilo Kiley), White Hat sees lead singer Chris Senseney drawing inspiration from a variety of influences, including (but not limited to) classic country and folk. On the album, Senseney finds many interesting ways to accommodate his heroes — there are echoes of Townes Van Zandt, Nick Cave, and even Captain Beefheart — but it’s Senseney’s wife/drummer Stefanie Drootin who holds the whole enterprise together.
If their shows are as eclectic or interesting as their recorded work (check out their video for “Everybody Pays,” above), the band’s gig tonight at the Casbah should be a hell of a time. Full list of tour dates is below.
MP3: Richard Buckner – “Traitor”
MP3: Richard Buckner – “Escape”
Nobody’s ever tried to deny that the music of longtime indie songwriter Richard Buckner is a little reminiscent of Townes Van Zandt. Continue reading…