Video Rut--The Cure::Let's Go to Bed (MTV Unplugged, 1991)

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Blitzen Trapper::Furr [Video / MP3]

Regular readers who followed along when I was writing at cvilleMUSE should already know how I feel about Portland, Oregon's Blitzen Trapper. The band's 2008 Sub Pop label debut Furr was high on my list of favorites from last year and to be honest I've been high on Blitzen Trapper since the first time I ever heard "Country Caravan" from their earlier release Wild Mountain Nation back in '07.

And while it looks like we won't be rewarded with an official Charlottesville tour stop this spring, I can report that we can expect a brief layover in "the velvet rut" on Tuesday, March 3rd, as the band is scheduled to stop in the WNRN studios for a live on-air performance and interview. I'll have more details to pass along in the weeks ahead but in the meantime enjoy the video above for the title track from Blitzen Trapper's most recent and most excellent release Furr.

[Blitzen Trapper performs at the Black Cat in Washington, D.C. on Monday, March 2nd. Should be totally worth the trip northbound up Route 29 and beyond. Alela Diane opens!]

MP3: Blitzen Trapper--Furr
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Amazon: Blitzen Trapper--Furr
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Amy LaVere @ Gravity Lounge, 01.30.09

I first discovered the sultry, "gypsy jazz meets country soul" sound of Amy LaVere during my final months in radio back in 2006 with the release of her debut album This World is Not My Home (Archer Records). Later that same year I saw LaVere perform live at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville, TN as part of the 7th Annual Americana Music Conference and she set the room on fire that night with her smoky twang vocals and her knock 'em dead style on the upright bass, a style that I might add has earned LaVere the nickname "the Annie Oakley of the bass".

For her sophomore release LaVere teamed up with legendary producer Jim Dickinson in 2007 to record her critically acclaimed album Anchors & Anvils, once again on Memphis-based Archer Records. That album earned her a Best New Emerging Artist nomination from the AMA that year and LaVere spent much of 2007 touring relentlessly in support of the record. It's been almost two years now since her last record and still no word on when we might expect a third album from Amy LaVere but if you haven't had a chance to see her live you shouldn't pass up the opportunity.

Amy LaVere plays the Gravity Lounge tonight (Friday, January 30) at 7pm. Carleigh Nesbit opens. $5 student / $10 adult. [Watch Amy LaVere perform "Killing Him" from Anchors & Anvils on BBC2's Later...with Jools Holland below]
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Amazon: Amy LaVere--Anchors & Anvils

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Andrew Bird::Fitz and Dizzyspells (Live on Letterman)

Don't know how many of you caught this when it aired earlier this week, but in case you missed it or you'd like to check it out again (and why wouldn't you?!?), here's the incomparable Andrew Bird performing "Fitz and Dizzyspells" from his latest album Noble Beast live on the Late Show with David Letterman. Noble Beast hit stores on January 20 on Fat Possum Records. Andrew Bird performs at The National in Richmond, Va on February 2 and the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. on February 3.

Update: WNRN will be giving away tickets this Monday to see Andrew Bird at The National in Richmond.

MP3: Andrew Bird--Oh No (from Noble Beast)
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Amazon: Andrew Bird--Noble Beast
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Video Rut--Lyle Lovett::Bears (Steve Fromholz cover)

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C'ville Songwriters In-the-Round @ Gravity Lounge, TONIGHT

Four fantastic Charlottesville-based singer-songwriters perform "In-the-Round" tonight (Wednesday, January 28) at the Gravity Lounge. Featuring Joia Wood (pictured above), Blake Hunter (of Trees on Fire), Jesse Harper (of Old School Freight Train), and Adrienne Young (who has recently re-located to the Charlottesville area), this has all the makings for a great night of song. 7:30pm. $8.

[To hear songs from each artist, click on the individual links provided above. Each link opens up the artists' MySpace page]
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Amazon: Adrienne Young--Room to Grow
CD Baby: Jesse Harper--Jesse Harper and his Best Intentions
CD Baby: Joia Wood--Live from the Gravity Lounge
CD Baby: Trees on Fire--The Green Room

[Note: Trees on Fire recently released Organica Vol. One, the first of four 3-song EP's to be released in advance of their full-length album Organica, due later this year. You can purchase Organica Vol. One at iTunes Store]
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Bruce Sprinsteen and the E Street Band @ John Paul Jones Arena, 05.05.09

The Boss returns to Charlottesville for the second time in a little over a year as Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band hit John Paul Jones Arena on May 5. Springsteen last played in Charlottesville on April 30 of last year which at the time was his first performance in town since 1974. Tickets for his May concert at JPJ go on sale February 2 at 10am. [complete listing of 2009 U.S. tour dates after the break]

Springsteen and the E Street will be touring behind their brand new album Working on a Dream (Columbia) which was released yesterday (January 27). Springsteen recently received a Golden Globe award for his song "The Wrestler", which was written and recorded for the motion picture of the same name and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band are scheduled to perform during halftime of this weekend's Super Bowl in Tampa, FL. And just so you know, WNRN 91.9FM will be giving away tickets this weekend to the Springsteen show at JPJ. Tune in or listen online for details.

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Amazon: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band--Working on a Dream

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 2009 U.S. Tour Dates

April 1: San Jose, Calif. (HP Pavilion at San Jose)
April 3: Glendale, Calif. (Jobing.com Center)
April 5: Austin, Texas (Frank Erwin Center)
April 7: Tulsa, Okla. (BOK Center)
April 8: Houston, Texas (Toyota Center)
April 10: Denver (Pepsi Arena)
April 15: Los Angeles (LA Memorial Sports Arena)
April 1-22: Boston (TD Banknorth Garden)
April 24: Hartford, Conn. (XL Center)
April 26: Atlanta (Philips Arena)
April 28-29: Philadelphia (Wachovia Spectrum)
May 2: Greensboro, N.C. (Greensboro Coliseum)
May 4: Hempstead, N.Y. (Nassau Veterans Mem. Col.)
May 5: Charlottesville, Va. (John Paul Jones Arena)
May 8: University Park, Pa. (Bryce Jordan Center)
May 11: St. Paul, Minn. (Xcel Energy Center)
May 12: Chicago (United Center)
May 14: Albany, N.Y. (Times Union Center)
May 15: Hershey, Pa. (Hersheypark Stadium)
May 18: Washington, D.C. (Verizon Center)
May 19: Pittsburgh (Mellon Arena)
May 21, 23: E. Rutherford, N.J. (Izod Center)


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Video Rut--Booker T. and The MGs::Green Onions

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MP3--Justin Townes Earl::2 New Songs (from Midnight at the Movies)

If by chance you didn't hear Justin Townes Earle's full-length debut The Good Life (Bloodshot) last year then you probably missed out on one of the best country albums of 2008. The Good Life easily ran circles around anything put out by the pop-circus that parades itself about to the masses as country music. His highly anticipated sophomore follow-up Midnight at the Movies, also on Bloodshot, is slated for release on March 3. Justin Townes Earle is the real deal and here's two cuts from the forthcoming album that back it up.

MP3: Justin Townes Earle--What I Mean to You
MP3: Justin Townes Earle--Mamas Eyes
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Amazon:
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Jorma Kaukonen::River of Time

Jorma Kaukonen's legendary career spans the better part of five decades. While he is probably best known for his role as an electric guitarist in Jefferson Airplane during the late 60's/early 70's and as a founding member of the acoustic blues/rock group Hot Tuna, Kaukonen is also considered by many to be one of the preeminent practitioners of the Piedmont finger-picking style of acoustic blues. Two of the finest examples of his acoustic guitar work can be found on his 1974 solo album Quah (which is a masterpiece) and more recently on 2002's Blue Country Heart (which earned Kaukonen a Grammy nomination).

On Jorma Kaukonen's brand new album River of Time (Red House Records) we find the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee not only highlighting his renewed passion to write and perform new material, but we're also shown his continuing desire to pay tribute to his country/acoustic blues roots. Whether through his own words or through the songs of artists both past and present, on River of Time the waters of Jorma Kaukonen's music not only run true they run deep. [read my review of River of Time, including details on Kaukonen's upcoming Charlottesville performance after the break]

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Amazon: Jorma Kaukonen--River of Time



Backed on River of Time by a core of musicians which includes Lincoln Schleifer on bass, Hot Tuna contributing member Barry Mitterhoff on mandolin, and album producer Larry Campbell on guitars, dobro, fiddle, and mandolin, Kaukonen delivers a strong thirteen track set that includes six original compositions, the highlights of which are the album's opener "Been So Long" and the instrumental number "Izzie's Lullaby". But if you're truly looking for the brightest moments on River of Time then you'll have to check out the collection of cover songs including versions of Rev. Gary Davis's "There's a Bright Side Somewhere", Mississippi John Hurt's "Preachin' on the Old Camp Ground", and the Delmore Brothers' classic "Nashville Blues". Adding yet another layer of musical greatness is a guest appearance by Levon Helm on drums for three of the album's tracks, most notably on the standout version of "Trouble in Mind".

And while much of River of Time's focus is centered around the acoustic country blues from some of the genre's time-honored masters (of which Jorma Kaukonen should definitely be included,) the album does turn its spotlight briefly onto one of Kaukonen's peers during his rock-n-roll days in San Francisco. Ron "Pigpen" McKernan was the "blues" in the Grateful Dead's early sound and Jorma pays his respects with a tip of the hat and a sweet cover of Pigpen's "Operator". It's just one of the many celebrated musical currents in Kaukonen's own personal "river of time".

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Jorma Kaukonen performs at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville on Friday, February 13. 8pm. He'll be joined by special guests Robben Ford and Ruthie Foster. Tickets are currently on sale. $39.50 - $49.50. [buy tickets] And while you're at it, check out the classic 1970 performance of "Hesitation Blues" featuring Jorma and Jack Cassidy, aka Hot Tuna, below.

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MP3--Fiction Family::When She's Near (from self-titled album)

Fiction Family is the name given to the musical meeting of the minds and melodies from Switchfoot frontman Jon Foreman and Nickel Creek guitarist Sean Watkins. The duo's self-titled debut album was released last week on ATO Records and Fiction Family is currently out on the road touring behind the new record. Fiction Family will be making a stop in Charlottesville on Tuesday, January 27 at the Gravity Lounge. Tickets for the show, presented by 106.1 The Corner and Starr Hill Presents, are currently on sale. $15 advance / $18 door. [buy tickets] Doors at 7pm. "When She's Near" is the first single from Fiction Family's self-titled release.

MP3: Fiction Family--When Shes Near
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Amazon: Fiction Family--Fiction Family
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Video Rut--Chris Thile::Morning Bell (Radiohead cover)

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O'Death / Pattern Is Movement @ Gravity Lounge, 01.30.09

O'Death the five-piece band of punkbilly gypsies from NYC, will be making their way to Charlottesville to play the Gravity Lounge on Friday, January 30. O’Death will be bringing with them their most recent collection of songs Broken Hymns, Limbs, and Skin (which came out in late October on Kemado Records) and a reputation for putting on a wildly chaotic live show. Think of it as Slim Cessna's Auto Club meets the Hallowed Ground-sound of the Violent Femmes wrapped up as a whiskey-soaked urban string band.


Philly’s math rock duo Pattern is Movement opens. Featuring Chris Ward on drums and Andrew Thiboldeaux on vocals, bass, and keys, Pattern is Movement released their latest album, All Together, on the Portland, Oregon-based indie label Hometapes back in the spring of 2008.

$7 advance / $10 door. Presented by Starr Hill Presents. [buy tickets]. “Lowtide” is the first single of off O'Death's Broken Hymns and "Right Away" is taken from Pattern Is Movement's All Together.

MP3: ODeath--Lowtide.mp3
MP3: Pattern is Movement--Right Away.mp3
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Amazon: O'Death--Broken Hymns, Limbs and Skin
Amazon: Pattern is Movement--All Together

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Kevin Kinney::Mercy Lounge, Nashville, 11.20.04 [Stream]

I actually knew the music of Kevin Kinney before I ever knew the name. If like me, you were listening to radio at the start of the 1990's you definitely heard Kinney countless times on rock radio as the frontman for the Atlanta-based Southern rock band Drivin' N' Cryin'. The title track to the band's 1990 release Fly Me Courageous was in regular rotation across the U.S. and it remains Drivin' N' Cryin's highest chart hit to date. And while I owned that record as well as the band's 1989 release predecessor Mystery Road, I was just sixteen at the time and I had yet to develop my habit of diving through the liner notes and seeing who's who and what's what. All I knew was that I liked what I heard and that was more than good enough for me.

To finally arrive at my proper introduction to Kevin Kinney we have to fast forward to 2004. That was the year that Kinney released his fifth solo album Sun Tangled Angel Revival on Compadre Records and when I finally put two and two together. While Sun Tangled Angel Revival will never be remembered as a classic record, there's still plenty of great material packed into thirty-nine short minutes.

Produced by David Barbe (Drive-By Truckers, Son Volt) and featuring a line-up of musicians that includes Dave Schools (Widespread Panic), Edwain McCain, Joey Huffman (Soul Asylum, Meat Puppets), and guitarist Gibb Droll (who was a local fixture at JM's Bar and Grill during my college days in Harrisonburg) Sun Tangled Angel Revival was in regular rotation during my radio disc jockey days and I still find myself reaching for the album in order to re-visit a number of its musical high points. Mixing a range of styles and influences from country-folk to straight ahead rock-n-roll, Kinney is at his best on songs like "Everything's So Different Now", Madman Blues", and the album's title track, but it's the near eight-minute long classic "This Train Don't Stop at the Millworks Anymore" that remains my favorite of the favorites. (What can I say? I'm a sucker for long story songs and steel guitar!).

Two of those stand-outs can be heard on the live Kevin Kinney solo performance posted below (courtesy of Internet Archive). The show was recorded at one of my favorite Music City venues, the Mercy Lounge in Nashville, TN. You can catch Kevin Kinney and his band perform at the Gravity Lounge in Charlottesville tomorrow night (Sunday, January 25). Kathryn Caine opens. 7 pm. $15 door. Kinney's most recent album Pre-Approved Pre-Denied was just released earlier this month.



Kevin Kinney: Mercy Lounge, Nashville, TN, 11/20/2004

01. Sun Tangled Angel Revival -> Epilogues & Epitaphs
02. Gotta Move Along
03. This Train Don't Stop At The Millworks Anymore
04. 40 Miles of Mountain Road
05. Wrapped In Sky
06. Scarred But Smarter
07. The Country Song
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Amazon: Kevin Kinney--Sun Tangled Angel Revival
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Alejandro Escovedo @ Gravity Lounge, 01.26.09

[photo]

Alejandro Escovedo's Charlottesville concert is just around the corner and if you haven't already made plans to attend you should do so now. A widely-celebrated singer-songwriter who was named No Depression magazine's Artist of the Decade in the 1990's, Escovedo in recent years has battled back from a bout with Hepatitis C that nearly took his life to record some of his strongest material in years. His latest album Real Animal (Manhattan/Back Porch Records), released in June of last year, has been lauded by critics and music fans alike.

Real Animal landed at the top of numerous "Best Of" year-end lists and the album's jubilant and vibrant rock-n-roll sound has finally started to earn Escovedo the kind of recognition his three decade long career was long overdue in receiving. Alejandro Escovedo appears at the Gravity Lounge on Monday, January 26. Tickets for the show, presented by WNRN and Starr Hill Presents, are currently on sale. $20 advance / $25 door. [Purchase tickets]. Shannon Worrell and Sam Wilson open. Doors at 7pm.

MP3: Alejandro Escovedo--Always a Friend
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Amazon: Alejandro Escovedo--Real Animal
Related: Sundown::The Rank and File of Alejandro Escovedo

Bonus Video: Alejandro Escovedo--"Pale Blue Eyes" (Velvet Underground cover)

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Ben Kweller::Changing Horses Sweepstakes

Ben Kweller, who will be releasing his latest album Changing Horses (ATO Records) on February 3rd, has announced a special sweepstakes drawing for anyone who pre-orders the album between now and the official release date. Kweller has all the details in the video above but essentially the way it works is like this: The names of everyone who pre-orders the album will be put into a hat and from those names five sweepstakes winners will be selected on February 3. Four winners will receive their order for free and a special Kweller "merch pack". The grand prize winner gets their free order, the "merch pack", and dinner with Ben Kweller. All orders placed before February 3 come with an autographed poster and if you order the album on vinyl, the CD is included. Changing Horses is being described as a "straight-up country charmer" with Kweller producing the album himself.

Ben Kweller embarks on a world tour in support of Changing Horses on February 16 and the tour will include a stop at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. on February 26. [complete list of announced U.S. tour dates after the break]. In addition, you can catch Kweller performing "Fight", the first single off of Changing Horses, on The Late Show with David Letterman this coming Monday, January 26.

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Pre-Order: Ben Kweller--Changing Horses



Ben Kweller 2009 Announced U.S. Tour Dates

2/16/09 Slowdown - Omaha, NE
2/17/09 Varsity Theater - Minneapolis, MN
2/18/09 Turner Hall - Mikwaukee, WI
2/19/09 St. Andrews - Detroit, MI
2/20/09 Buskirk-Chumley Theatre - Bloomington, IN
2/21/09 Case Western Reserve Univ. - Cleveland, OH
2/22/09 The Mod Club theatre - Toronto, On
2/24/09 Somerville Theatre - Somerville, MA
2/25/09 Town Hall Theatre - New York, NY
2/26/09 930 Club - Washington, DC
2/27/09 Theatre of the Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA
2/28/09 Diesel - Pittsburgh, PA
3/01/09 Cat’s Cradle - Carrboro, NC
3/03/09 Headliners Music Hall - Louisville, KY
3/04/09 Mercy Lounge - Nashville, TN
3/05/09 40 Watt Club - Athens, GA
3/06/09 WorkPlay Theater - Birmingham, AL

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The Dead @ JPJ::Tickets On Sale Today

Tickets for The Dead's concert at Charlottesville's John Paul Jones Arena go on sale today (January 23) at 10am. The show, which takes place on April 15, is the third stop on a 16 city tour which was first announced back on New Year's Day. Joining surviving Grateful Dead members Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, Mickey Hart, and Bob Weir will be guitarist Warren Haynes and RatDog keyboardist Jeff Chimenti on what will be The Dead's first tour since 2004. Doors open at 6pm for the April 15 show at JPJ, concert kicks off at 7:30pm. Buy tickets. [for a complete listing of tour dates click here]

As a little bonus treat, I've included streaming audio from the Grateful Dead's April 17, 1971 performance at Princeton University courtesy of Internet Archive. (hat tip to The Upstart for the heads up). The set list is posted below. Enjoy.




The Grateful Dead: Dillon Gym @ Princeton University, 04/17/71

Truckin', Big Railroad Blues, Big Boss Man, Bird Song, Playin' In The Band, Hard To Handle, Loser, Mama Tried, Casey Jones, Sugar Magnolia Good Lovin'-> Drums-> Good Lovin', Me And Bobby McGee, Deal, Beat It On Down The Line, I'm A King Bee, Bertha, Sing Me Back Home, Goin' Down The Road Feelin' Bad-> Turn On Your Love Light
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Andy Friedman & the Other Failures @ Gravity Lounge, TONIGHT

Former New Yorker cartoonist and Brooklyn-based hillbilly poet Andy Friedman makes a return concert trip to Charlottesville as he rolls into town with his band The Other Failures in tow for a show at the Gravity Lounge tonight (January 22). 8pm. $8.

Their performance here in town comes just days before the official January 27 release of the group's brand new album Weary Things on City Salvage Records, the label he co-founded and which also serves as the current home to recordings by Charlottesville artists Devon Sproule, Brady Earnhart, Keith Morris, and Paul Curreri. While the official CD release party for Weary Things is to be held next Tuesday in Brooklyn, you will be able to pick up copies of "Idaho", the first single off the record, at tonight's show. To further help get you in the mood for Andy Friedman & the Other Failures, check out the video below for "Freddy's Backroom", which is also taken from the forthcoming release.

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Mark Olson & Gary Louris::Ready for the Flood [Video]

As a long-time Jayhawks fan I have to say that I'm pretty damn excited about the release of next week's Ready for the Flood album from Mark Olson and Gary Louris on New West Records. The pair were the early driving force behind the Jayhawks through the mid-90's until Olson left the band following the release of Tomorrow the Green Grass in 1995. Together the pair only recorded three albums together under the Jayhawks name (four if you count the incredibly hard to find self-titled debut on Bunkhouse Records), but it's those three albums, Tomorrow the Green Grass, 1992's Hollywood Hotel, and my personal favorite Blue Earth from 1989, that are widely considered the band's best work. So one can only expect great things from this long overdue creative reunion.

The pair are planning to hit the road in support of Ready for the Flood in early February and they'll be making a tour stop at the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA on Tuesday, February 10. Tickets for that show are currently on sale through Ticketmaster. $25. The promotional video above comes from New West Records and features snippets of the duo's performance last October at San Francisco's Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in addition to interview material with both Olson and Louris.

In addition, the music blog Muzzle of Bees has a free and legal MP3 download available of "Doves & Stones", which is one of thirteen tracks to be included on next week's official album release. Get the MP3 here. MoB also posted an interview with Olson and Louris last Friday which includes this noteworthy local shout-out. When asked what live concerts and records from 2008 stood out, Olson replied: "I thought Devon Sproule both live and on CD was exceptional." Read the entire interview here.
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Amazon: Mark Olson and Gary Louris--Ready for the Flood

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Handsome Furs::I'm Confused (from Face Control)

If any of you were ever regular readers of my music ramblings over at cvilleMUSE you should know by now that I truly love the Handsome Furs. Featuring Dan Boeckner (of Wolf Parade) on guitars and his wife Alexei Perry on keyboards/electronic beats, the Handsome Furs simply blew out my windows and my doors with their debut album Plague Park in 2007 and then proceeded to kick down the remaining frame of my rock-n-roll house when they rolled through Charlottesville in April of last year, putting on what would become my favorite show from all of 2008 at the Satellite Ballroom.

And while Boeckner spent much of the last half of 2008 supporting Wolf Parade's latest effort At Mount Zoomer, he and Alexei are kicking off 2009 with a return to the Handsome Furs highlighted by the release of the duo's sophomore album Face Control on Sub Pop Records. The album hits stores on March 10. The Handsome Furs will spend much of February touring through Europe before kicking off a string of North American tour dates starting in mid-March. So far none of the announced dates are close to home, but I'll definitely keep you updated. In the meantime here's "I'm Confused", the first single off of the Furs' forthcoming new album.

MP3: Handsome Furs--Im Confused.mp3
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Jim Waive @ Blue Moon Diner (every Wednesday night)

If you have yet to make it out to the Blue Moon Diner to catch one of Jim Waive's solo performances, you really should get on the ball. They're held every Wednesday night at Blue Moon starting at 8pm. And they're FREE. Here's an older piece that I wrote back in September of last year that just about sums up everything you need to know and hopefully gives you good reason to go and check it out:

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Jim Waive inspired me to pull out my old John Prine records. The origin of that statement? I went out Wednesday night to the Blue Moon Diner and caught Jim’s recently began weekly solo acoustic set. The evening felt like a well-planted seed in good soil. It’s free. They pass a bucket for your music tips. You eat meatloaf or corn beef and cabbage. Drink coffee or PBR’s from a can. Smoke cigarettes. Play and sing country music and praise Jim Reeves and George Jones. Fly Away on eternal hymns. Order a Jack and coke. Eat spicy fries. Listen to John Prine songs. Marvel at Jim Waive songs.

Jim played four Prine songs throughout the evening, all of which were from John Prine's glorious debut album. The whole place got quiet for “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore” and clapped and cheered wildly when it was done. That was followed by one of John Prine’s saddest, right down to the bone songs, “Sam Stone”. When Prine wrote it he was still a postal worker in Chicago. It was one of the first three songs he ever wrote. “There’s a hole in daddy’s arm where all the money goes / And Jesus Christ died for nothing I suppose /Little pictures have big ears, don’t stop to count the years / Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios”. They loved that one too for it’s honesty.

Strike while the iron is hot is a cliche for a reason and a third Prine song followed “Sam Stone”. We blew up our TVs and burned all our papers with “Spanish Pipedream” as our inspiration. We built us a home, we ate a lot of peaches, but Jesus eluded us. It wasn’t Sam Stone’s fault. We weren’t really looking for Jesus at the time. It was Hank Williams we sought. We found him. And “Paradise” too. (On a personal note, I also heard my first live version of Jim Waive’s haunting tale of a murder ballad narrowly averted in the form of “Why I Hunt”. The feel of this song is one of the reasons why I love country music.)

They delivered speakers during the first half of Waive’s set. He never used them. I heard him say “It’s more fun this way”. It was. Jim Waive singing country songs beneath the Boulevard of Broken Dreams. Wednesday nights at the Blue Moon Diner. All by his lonesome. 8-10pm. Free. Leave a couple bucks and a wide path for that “Crooked Man”.

MP3: Jim Waive and The Young Divorcees--Sweet Dream Baby

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Neko Case::People Got a Lot of Nerve (from Middle Cyclone)

Anti- Records has just made available the first single from Neko Case's forthcoming album Middle Cyclone which is due to hit stores on March 3. "People Got a Lot of Nerve" is just one of fifteen tracks to be included on Case's latest effort which is her first release since the widely praised Fox Confessor Brings the Flood in 2006. Middle Cyclone finds Neko Case working once again with the same core band that appeared on Fox Confessor and the new album will also include guest appearances by M. Ward, Garth Hudson, Sarah Harmer, as well as members of The Sadies, Calexico, Los Lobos, and The New Pornographers.

As an added bonus, between now and February 3rd Neko Case and Anti- will donate $5 to the animal rescue organization Best Friends Animal Society for every blog that re-posts "People Got a Lot of Nerve" on its pages. Well then here's my five bucks for the cause. Enjoy.

MP3: Neko Case--People Got a Lot of Nerve

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WNRN Interview/Live Performance::Yarn

Yarn, the five-piece roots/alt-country band whose latest album Empty Pockets has been taking the Americana Music Charts by storm (it's currently at #5 this week), just recently made their second appearance in Charlottesville in the last seven months, performing at iS on Thursday after last playing at the Gravity Lounge in June of last year. Hailing from Brooklyn, NY Yarn has drawn numerous comparisons to the alt-country sound of such stalwarts as Whiskeytown and the Old 97's, but what sets Yarn apart is its desire to mine their country influence a little deeper and even take it a step farther by adding touches of bluegrass instrumentation into the mix.

If you missed Yarn's performance on Thursday here in Charlottesville, which included an opening set by the Sam Wilson Band, you can give a listen to the band's live in-studio performance and interview that took place yesterday morning with Anne Williams on WNRN's morning program "Acoustic Sunrise". In addition Yarn returns to Virginia on Saturday (January 17) to perform at Clementine Cafe in Harrisonburg before heading back home to the NYC. Tonight's show at Clementine's kick off at 9pm.

Listen: WNRN Interviews: Yarn on Acoustic Sunrise
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The Avett Brothers::St. Joseph's [Video]

I came across this video featuring the Avett Brothers earlier today while checking in on my MySpace and just had to post it. The video was shot as Bob, Scott, and Seth were riding in a gondola out in Jackson Hole, Wyoming where the band was one of the featured performers at last year's debut of the Jackson Hole Music Festival. Jay Sweet, who writes a blog for Paste Magazine, was along for the ride and has a first-hand account of the moment here.

If you haven't already grabbed a copy of The Second Gleam, the band's latest EP which includes "St. Joseph's"( seen performed above), you need to get on it. [You can read my review of The Second Gleam here.]

2009 is already shaping up to be a huge year for the fellas from Concord, North Carolina as the Avett Brothers will be releasing their highly-anticipated major label debut sometime later this year. That is album is slated by to be released on American Recordings and is being produced by the guiding hand of Rick Rubin. In addition to the new record, you can catch the Avetts on a number of recently announced spring dates opening for the Dave Matthews Band beginning April 22 in Raleigh, N.C. [for the complete listing of Avett Brothers' tour dates with DMB click here].

In the meantime enjoy watching this superb unplugged performance from high in the Mountain West.

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The Never / Birdlips @ iS Venue::01.22.09

The Never, the ambitious young indie band from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, makes a winter tour stop at iS (formerly Starr Hill Music Hall) in Charlottesville on Wednesday, January 22. I call them ambitious for a reason because it's not everyday that a band decides to release a concept album that also includes a 50-page book of original color paintings. But that's exactly what The Never achieved with their second full-length album Antarctica back in 2006. Released on Trekky Records, Antarctica received glowing reviews not only for the artwork by the band's Noah Smith but also for the trio's sound which reaches for ambitious heights in this quote from the band: "Imagine if Brian Wilson and Pink Floyd teamed up to battle Danny Elfman and Queen".

And while name-dropping Pink Floyd might be a stretch for any band, I like the idea of possibly listening to a version of "God Only Knows" in the hands of the man who has brought so much mad-cap musical color to The Simpsons. If The Never can come close to the mark live I'll definitely be impressed. If you're looking for another reason to stop by iS and check this one out, it never hurts to have Charlottesville's own guitar and keyboard indie-duo Birdlips on the bill. Virginia Beach's Tokyo opens. 9:30pm. $6 /$8 under 21. All ages.

MP3: The Never--When You're Gone
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Amazon: The Never--Antarctica

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Frightened Rabbit @ iS Venue::01.28.09

Frightened Rabbit is actually a band that has only in the last six weeks popped up on my musical radar. This discovery is due in large to part to coming across their name time and time again on numerous '2008 Best Of The Year' album lists from across the blogosphere. All the praise was directed at the Scottish quartet's sophomore album The Midnight Organ Flight which was released back in April on Fat Cat Records and after listening to a number of the album's cuts I'm left only to scratch my head and ask "What took me so damn long to find these guys?!?"

Led by brothers Scott and Grant Hutchinson on guitar and percussion respectively, and joined by guitarist Billy Kennedy and bassist Andy Monaghan, Frightened Rabbit is set to embark on a string on U.S. East Coast tour dates that begins on January 16 in Philly and will include a late month stop in Charlottesville before wrapping up in NYC on February 2.

Frightened Rabbit performs at iS Venue (formerly Starr Hill Music Hall) on Wednesday, January 28. Joining them are one of my favorite Richmond-area bands, Awesome Few (led by the one and only Marshall Costan), and Crozet's Zack Orion. 8:30pm. $10. All Ages. Presented by WNRN. Advance tickets on sale at Sidetracks Music, Si Tapas, and online here. (You may not want to wait too long as three of the 15 East Coast dates have already SOLD OUT).


MP3: Frightened Rabbit--Good Arms vs Bad Arms
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Amazon: Frightened Rabbit--The Midnight Organ Flight

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The Heartless Bastards::The Mountain [MP3]

The Heartless Bastards latest album The Mountain is set for a February 3rd release on Fat Possum Records. Here's your first listen to the album's title track. The Heartless Bastards perform in Charlottesville at the Gravity Lounge on Wednesday, February 11, the day after the band's performance on The Late Show with David Letterman. Tickets are currently on sale. $10 advance / $12 door. [buy tickets]

MP3: Heartless Bastards--The Mountain

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6 Day Bender @ Gravity Lounge::01.09.09

It's been awhile since I last saw 6 Day Bender play live. Actually it's been too damn long. It was almost a year ago, on my birthday to be exact, when I happened to catch the band at the now-defunct Orbit in Charlottesville back in mid-January. It was late, it was my birthday, and at best I recall a cover of Old Crow Medicine Show's "Wagon Wheel" and a young man covered in sweat, wearing a red bandanna, playing a banjo, and leading the band like some cross between Patterson Hood meets Scott Avett. In truth they could have been just another band playing the Charlottesville bar scene, except the place was packed, the crowd was really into it, and everyone seemed to know all the words to the songs that I was hearing for the very first time. [article continues after the jump]

MP3: 6 Day Bender-Jail Blues
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Offical Band Store: 6 Day Bender--Self-Titled


Fast forward a year and some things surrounding 6 Day Bender remain unchanged. They still know how to pack in a crowd as evident by the 160+ folks who showed up to see the band's show at Gravity Lounge on the eve of 6 Day Bender's three-week long tour that will find the band traveling through much of the Southeast this month. And while most of the crowd sat in the wings during the opening set from The Palominos, who made the trip up I-64 from Richmond, as soon as 6 Day hit the stage the floor quickly filled up and stayed that way the rest of the night. These guys still have the fans behind them for sure and this time around those fans were singing the songs a little bit louder than they were a year ago. Like I said, somethings remain unchanged. And while the crowds at a 6 Day Bender show are much the same as how I remember them, what has definitely changed are the four men playing music on the stage. In twelve short months 6 Day Bender has went from a band playing bars in Charlottesville to a band on the verge of breaking down the bars in Charlottesville...in a big way.

Featuring the incredibly solid rhythm section of Corey Gross on drums and Danny Breen on bass, the outstanding Clayton Avent on lead guitar, and that sweat-covered, banjo playing frontman Luke Nutting behind the mike, 6 Day Bender rocked and rolled their way through an hour-plus set of songs both old and new that highlighted not only their growth as a band but their maturity as both musicians and songwriters. Many of the songs highlighted from Friday night's performance can be found on the band's 2008 self-titled debut album including "Best I Can", "Kick Out the Fire", and "Blood on the Pillow". In addition to these crowd favorites 6 Day also pulled out some new material that they've been working on in the studio with producers Andy Gems and Chris Kress and this latest batch of songs, due for release on an EP later this year, is some of their strongest work to date.

From start to finish, 6 Day Bender looks and feels like a band growing more confident by the day. It also seems like they've found a sound that suits their style. The whole night just felt as if the band has moved beyond taking swings with their music. Now it seems as if they're waiting on their pitch and when it comes they just plain hit it hard. And that's what 6 Day Bender does best...hard-hitting 'mountain rock' that owes as much to the Rolling Stones as it does to bluegrass or Americana or any other collection of influences and comparisons. This is the dirty country-blues with a banjo out front, this is straight-ahead rock-n-roll with a beer in hand, and by the time 6 Day Bender had finished ripping through their encore cover of the Stones' "Loving Cup" I was pretty damn sure that this is a band to definitely keep an eye and an ear out for.



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Ryan Adams::Black Cab Sessions

"One song. One take. One cab." That's the Black Cab Sessions' motto. To date the site has captured over seventy live performances featuring the likes of Daniel Johnston, Fleet Foxes, Death Cab for Cutie, My Morning Jacket, Bon Iver, and Calexico. Hell, even Charlottesville's own Paul Curreri was featured in one session when he accompanied Baby Dee on guitar. For their most recent live performance the ebony taxi service squeezed Ryan Adams and Neil Casal into the backseat for this performance of "Sink Ships" all while being driven around the merry streets of London. Enjoy.

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Larry Keel and Natural Bridge Hit the 'Backwoods' For New Album

Larry Keel and Natural Bridge, who just last month appeared on the nationally syndicated radio show Mountain Stage, have just announced the release of their second full-length album Backwoods. The latest effort features seven new original tracks along with three covers (including a version of the Beatles' tune "Mother Nature's Son") and was co-produced by Keel and longtime friend and collaborator Keller Williams. The pair most recently worked in the studio together on the 2005 release Grass from Keller and the Keels.

No strangers to Charlottesville, Larry Keel and Natural Bridge last performed in town this past summer when they just plain tore it up back in August for Fridays After Five at the Pavilion. But then again, tearing it up is just what Larry Keel does. Over the past decade and a half the two-time national flat-pick champion has made a name for himself through his fiery-fingered guitar mastery, his almost other-worldly vocal style, and his wild, progressive mountain sound that has one foot firmly planted in tradition while the other reaches out beyond the boundaries. In the end there is very little in the world of bluegrass music that comes close to sounding like Larry Keel.

It's still too early in the year to know when Larry Keel and Natural Bridge might come blazing back through Charlottesville but in the meantime do yourself a favor and check out the new sounds. You can hear two of the new tracks from Backwoods on the band's MySpace page and I've included a complete tracking listing below.

Larry Keel and Natural Bridge are: Larry Keel on guitar and vocals, Mark Schimick on mandolin and vocals, Jason Flournoy on banjo, and Jenny Keel on bass and vocals. [album art and track listing after the break]

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Purchase: Larry Keel and Natural Bridge--Backwoods


01. Faster Horses (Tom T. Hall)
02. Diamond Break (Keel/Chris Jones)
03. Bluegrass in the Backwoods (Kenny Baker)
04. Ghost Driver (Mark Schimick)
05. Bohemian Reel (Jason Flournoy)
06. They (Keel)
07. Mother Nature's Son (Lennon/McCartney)
08. Bitten By a Snake (Keel)
09. Crocodile Man (Keel)
10. Swarmin' Bees (Schimick)


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Ben Nichols::The Last Pale Light in the West [MP3]

One of the first albums of 2009 that I'm looking forward to getting my hands on is set to hit stores on January 20 as Ben Nichols, the frontman for the Memphis-based band Lucero, releases his solo debut The Last Pale Light in the West (The Rebel Group). In truth the upcoming release is more of a mini-album or an expanded-length EP (depending on how you chose to look at it.

Containing just seven songs, The Last Pale Light in the West is base on Cormac McCarthy's gritty Western novel Blood Meridian and from the three tracks I've heard so far the album feels like the sound of the wide-open plains soaked in whiskey and smoke. The songs themselves are stark, acoustic affairs that stand in contrast to much of Lucero's rocking punk country but if you're a fan of the band, it's the rough-edged vocals and songwriting of Ben Nichols that will surely draw you to this solo effort.

With the physical release of the The Last Pale Light in the West just one week away the wait is almost over. However if you're really itching to hear the new sounds, you can pre-order the CD now and once you submit your payment you'll receive an instant digital download of the album complete with accompanying album. The pre-order is available through Lucero's Online Store. In the meantime you can check out the album's title track below.

MP3: Ben Nichols--The Last Pale Light in the West
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Pre-Order: Ben Nichols: The Last Pale Light in the West

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You Gotta Love Jon Dee Graham

Jon Dee Graham is the man. He's an often over-looked artist whose music deserves much more attention than he often receives. I saw Graham perform for the very first time back in 2004 at the Americana Music Conference in Nashville, the same year that he released his unbelievably great record The Great Battle. The night that I saw Graham he was the opening act for No Depression's conference-opening, five-act set at the Mercy Lounge that also included performances by Tift Merritt, Buddy Miller, Dave Alvin, and Delbert McClinton. If not for Buddy Miller's stunning set that night (which included the debut performances for much of the material off of his album Universal United House of Prayer) Graham would have easily been the evening's stand-out performer. As it was Jon Dee Graham blew the roof off the mother and I have been in awe ever since.

Jon Dee Graham has been a fixture in the Austin music scene for years. He was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame back in 2000 and can be found most Wednesday nights opening up for James McMurtry at the city's legendary Continental Club. Graham is probably best known as the guitarist for the True Believers during the 1980's when both he and Alejandro Escovedo were members of the group. The video above is taken from the full-length documentary Jon Dee Graham: Swept Away, which was released in May of 2008 and was directed by Mark Finkelpearl.
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Amazon: Jon Dee Graham: Swept Away
Amazon: Jon Dee Graham: The Great Battle

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Interview::Justin Tenuto (of Birdmonster)

I wanted to include this interview I did back in late September with Justin Tenuto of the San Francisco-based indie-rock band Birmonster. The band was just preparing to embark on their national tour in support of their second full-length album From the Mountain to the Sea (which also happened to include a stop here in Charlottesville back in early October).

Birdmonster's Gravity Lounge show was indeed a highlight for the year as it also included an opening act appearance by one of my favorite local bands, the incredibly talented indie-duo Birdlips. As for the interview, it was probably one of the most entertaining chats with a musician I had all year. Justin (and all the Birdmonster guys for that matter) are just real down-to-earth great guys. [read my interview with Justin Tenuto of Birdmonster after the break]

MP3: Birdmonster--Born to Be Your Man.mp3
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Amazon: Birdmonster--From the Mountain to the Sea


So I guess first off, let me ask how this band first got together?

Well Dave (Klein) and I have known each other since we were kids and we played in bands and stuff together since we were in middle school. Then we met Zach (Winter), the drummer, in college and the three of us just kinda clicked. But without Pete (Arcuni) there probably wouldn’t have been a Birdmonster. I met Pete when I was a waiter at this restaurant, and we just started talking and the next thing you know we’re all in a room together playing music. And he could sing which was something we needed and he had written a few songs, and once we all got together it just felt right. And then one day we just all just looked at each other and said let’s do this. And the band was born. We all just made the commitment that this would be what we were going to do

Did you ever think that you’d be in a rock band touring across the country?

When I was in middle school it was always a dream, when I was playing Iron Maiden songs with Dave in my basement. So the idea that I wanted to play music in a band has been there, but you know, it doesn’t always work out like that. As Birdmonster goes, again meeting Pete was the catalyst I guess, but everyone in the band is equally motivated to make this work and it is a lot of work sometimes, writing, recording, touring. But we all get along really well and we love what we’re doing, so the work doesn’t always feel like work.

Birdmonster’s music doesn’t necessarily fit easily into one style or genre. I mean it’s been compared to Modest Mouse, the Pixies, and a whole host of other bands. Describe the band’s sound as you hear it or as you’d like to hear it described.

At its heart, it’s just good ol’ rock n roll. I mean there’s a lot of our own individual influences that we’ve rubbed off on each other but we all grew up listening to the Tom Pettys of the world. Our music is rootsy and simple, I mean we’re not going to do long extended jams or big instrumentals. It’s just rock n roll. And when we perform live there’s a lot of energy in our show and we just try and bring that live energy to the recording process.

The band recently released its second full-length album From the Mountain to the Sea. I read somewhere that you went to a cabin to do the songwriting for the record. Tell me about that experience.

Yeah, well we have a friend whose dad owns this cabin out near the Mojave Desert, and we just went down there for a couple weeks to work on these songs. It was a really amazing experience. I personally recommend that every band should do it. We just brought a bunch of wine and set up our gear and we probably wrote eight or ten of the songs on the new record out there. It was great because you’d wake up in the morning with no schedule and just get up and play music. On a personal level, everyone in the band was already really close but it was a real bonding experience from a songwriting perspective. It all came together well and it’s just a great way to make music really.

And on the new record you guys worked with producer Tom Schick, who has worked with some really impressive artists in the past. Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Ryan Adams, and Rufus Wainwright just to name a few. What was working with Tom like?

We loved Tom. When we were getting ready to record the album, we did some producer shopping and we talked to a lot of great producers. But Tom was the one who was really excited to work with us. And he was very down to earth. When we talked with him on the phone, he didn’t do a lot of name-dropping, and he could have, because as you mentioned, he’s worked with Ryan Adams and Rufus Wainwright, and those are artists that everyone in the band loves. But he didn’t do that and he flew out here from New York and he really created an environment to make music in. There wasn’t a lot of laboring or trying to get everything just so. He just wants you to play music. He let us do our jobs and we of course had tons of confidence in letting him do his. We recorded twenty-three songs, which was a lot more than we had ever hoped to record, and some of them will probably end up on our next record.

On past albums, the EP in 2004 and the full-length debut No Midnight in 2006, you decided to release the records yourselves and even turned down a few record company offers. Now with the new album you’ve signed a deal with Fader Label. Maybe you could just talk about the band’s approach to making records and your feelings about finally being on a label.

When we first started out the music industry was changing and we looked at it more as economic choice more than an artistic choice. We could sell an album that cost us one dollar to create, charge ten bucks and the band would make nine dollars. It just seemed smart. And that allowed to pay for our tours and to book studio time to make our new record and it’s worked out for us. With Fader, we’ve been talking to them for a couple of years now and it just felt right. They gave us a really fair deal and allowed us a lot of say and we’re really happy with the way it’s turned out. If I have any regrets personally it’s that there was so much time between this record and our last one. I’m hoping we can get back from this tour and head back into the studio and start on the next record, you know, while the creative juices are really flowing. And we’ve still got a bunch of songs that didn’t make this album all set and ready to go. I mean look at Led Zeppelin, didn’t they record their first four album in two years or something like that? I would just like to see us keep it going you know.

And speaking of going, the band is a couple of days away from hitting the road once again. Are you looking forward to heading out on another tour?

Yeah. It’s been crazy this last week, trying to tie up all the loose ends, pack, buying plenty of strings, absentee voting. It’s crazy how many things you have to think about when you getting ready to be on the road for seven weeks. We’re actually going to be in Ohio on Election Day, which should be interesting. This is our third tour now and we’re really itching to get back on the road. And we’ve spent so much time living with these new songs that it’s going to be really nice to finally play them live in front of an audience. It’s always nice going on the road and getting that live reaction. That’s what makes it all worth it. And we’ve never played in Charlottesville before so we’re looking forward to being in a new town. To be honest with you, some our best shows have been outside of the big cities. The smaller towns and smaller venues sometimes seem to have more energy and more vocal crowds. Tell your friends because we’ll be seeing you guys soon.

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