WEDNESDAY: Wild Cub
A little over a year and a half ago, songwriter/composer Keegan DeWitt and multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Bullock stripped down a small Nashville row house to build a custom studio. In this space, and together with friend and drummer/producer Dabney Morris, they would record and eventually form a five-piece band around their debut album Youth. Initially shared digitally a little over a year ago, the album will now see a wide release through Mom+Pop on December 10th, 2013 as infectious debut single “Thunder Clatter” sits in rotation on SiriusXM’s AltNation.
Recommended If You Like:
Pacific Air, On An On, Leagues, Pickwick, Lord Huron, PAPA, Ghost Beach
THURSDAY: CANTHARONE
Cantharone’s enormous 5-piece sound combines edgy guitar harmonies with a dueling drum set rhythm section that can be felt in your very core. The band formed in 2010. Finding their sound as an aggressive trio, they began writing a conceptual album about a werewolf. Two years later they added a second drummer and guitar player, daring to create a bigger, more explosive sound. Whether through the complex dueling drum parts, intricate guitar work, or horrifying vocal imagery, Cantharone is a band unlike any other.
Recommended If You Like:
Heavy Metal, Pabst, Werewolf movies, Invidiosus, Fallen Empire, Ashen
FRIDAY: JONATHAN WILSON
Someone had to pick up the L.A. freak folk flag after Devendra Banhart decamped to New York. In October Echo Park singer-songwriter Jonathan Wilson released Fanfare, a reminder to those worried that computer music is eating our brains that Laurel Canyon folk rock is still a thing. Fanfare is 13 tracks of both hushed and funky psychedelia, bridging the generation gap with contributions from Laurel Canyon OGs Graham Nash, David Crosby and Jackson Browne, as well as Father John Misty and Mike Campbell. With Fanfare, the freak flag flies high. [LA Weekly]
Recommended If You Like:
Midlake, Matthew E. White, Cass McCombs, Damien Jurado, Bill Callahan, Jason Isbell
SATURDAY: THE LAST REVEL CD Release Party
onsisting of three members, The Last Revel uses traditional folk-minded three part harmonies with honest and meaningful lyrics to deliver a passionate and soul stirring performance. On a backbone of rebellious rock attitude and raw traditional instrumentation, they pride themselves on an unrelenting work ethic and a deep hunger to write, perform, and entertain. The Last Revel is known for crafting a rowdy live performance that inspires crowds to move to every tune. The Last Revel honed their style at a weekly open mic night at a dive bar in Southern Minnesota. Their performance spread by word of mouth until the bar was at maximum capacity every Thursday. When the dance floor was full, folks danced on tables. The Last Revel strives for such wild performances at every show.
Recommended If You Like:
The Avett Brothers, Charlie Parr, Davina And The Vagabonds, The Daredevil Christopher Wright
SUNDAY: VERRETTA | MY NAME IS ELLIPSIS | CROOKED SAWS
Crooked Saws has hit upon what makes a great blues duo: Room filling guitar, large vocals, loud drums, and plenty of distortion. Skilled at their instruments, and with tons of passion behind each note, it’s easy to forget that there is just two of them, and that’s why they’re great. The blues is best when done bare-bones, relying on passion and fire rather than complicated instrumentals and generated noises. Singer/guitarist Jesse Damien Revel has a big enough voice for five men, and the vocal chords of an aged bottle of whiskey, and it really shows in the song “Freak.” The song starts with a dreamy-guitar part, and some great staccato drum work, leaving Revel’s voice to wander freely and fill in the gaps before kicking things off with a shout. The distortion hits. The cymbals crash. And you’re in blue-rock bliss. [Music That Isn’t Bad]
To Kids and Families, Verretta’s Neighborhood Fitness Rock-And-Roll tends to be directed towards children because they are without-a-doubt the best fans, and they participate with their whole being. Thus, our lyrics are universal life themes we all encounter, youthful or “curmudgeonly” aged. We politely welcome anyone to enjoy health and fitness with us. Ha. To Pure Rock-And-Rollers, We are a full throttle, high-energy rock band that values charred gourmet meats, fine beverages, a good showing and loving peoples getting their groove on.
Recommended If You Like:
The White Stripes, The Black Keys, Kings of Leon, Cage The Elephant, The Kills
TUESDAY: MATES OF STATE
In the early 2000s, it was not terribly uncommon to meet a punk kid with a soft spot for the Mates of State. Though I’m sure the word “joycore” was often stammered in justification, it actually made a lot of sense: There was an unmistakable DIY spirit to the band’s earliest material. […] A decade later, certain core facts remain: Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel are still happily married, they are still an organ-and-drums two-piece, and you’d still convulse in a fit of sugar shakes if you found a way to bite into one of their songs. But a funny thing happened somewhere between 2003’s rollicking Team Boo and the AM-gold glimmer of 2006’s Bring It Back: Gardner and Hammel became pretty great pop songwriters. Their harmonies got more technically sound, their songs moved more fluidly– basically, the seams don’t show anymore. [Pitchfork]
Recommended If You Like:
The New Pornographers, Rilo Kiley, Bettie Serveert, Rainer Maria, Tilly And The Wall, Stars
