[Local] The First Few by The Ripples

My alma-mater, The University of Washington, was attended by a slough of musically talented individuals who would later be part of Seattle's greatest bands (Sound Garden, The Long Winters, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Hey Marseilles, PUSA to name a few). With other universities in the general Seattle area, such as The Evergreen State College, Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University and The University of Puget Sound, the Seattle-Tacoma area of Washington State is not short on a creative music scene. Because I moved to DC after college, I often forget about the universities in the district. Georgetown, George Washington, and American, among others, also cultivate musical talent and bring a young livelihood to this city.

Although I wouldn't pigeon-hole them as a "college band", The Ripples, a new folk-rock band, is mainly composed of current students at Georgetown University. To say I'm impressed with their debut album, The First Few, would be an understatement.

The album opens up with Dorothy, a track that immediately tells the listeners which direction this album is heading in, "Midnight, comes around, the day you turn 19. Bags packed, you're ready, cab’s revving in the street." There's a coming to age theme yet the music accompanying the lyrics sounds more mature, in a good way. The energy of 1960's rock and the use of much harmonica will be a common thread as the album progresses.

Woke Up In Mexico, bringing in a more airy sound, turns the whisky from Dorothy into tequila. What I find fascinating is the liquors referenced in both songs actually describe the overall feeling put forth. Listeners will also find fantastic songwriting with clever metaphors to be another foundational aspect of The First Few.

The track I can't stop listening to is Portrait, which is an even-keel, balanced-sounding song throughout. Here, I like to hone in on the lyrics which reminisce on old times with family and friends using painting metaphors - brushes, strokes, and the richest of colors. This isn't the last time we get an art metaphor in this album, an upbeat track, Picasso makes use of the Spanish artist. I'd like to see more art and art history references in folk music - it's a nice change of pace.

Frankie's Song is impeccably composed, with a take on smooth jazz, that surprisingly sounds from California than anywhere else. This is a good example of the interesting characterization The Ripples feature in their tracks. Frankie sounds equal parts frustrating and endearing, but listeners get a good feel for the type of person she is at the core.

Listen to The First Few on bandcamp, soundcloud or spotify. Support Georgetown's newspaper and radio station by checking out their write ups on the album at The Hoya and the WGTB blog. You can catch The Ripples, with a few other local acts, at Rock and Roll Hotel tonight (tickets here).

The Agreeable White Tiger Moth: Vol 1 by Daniel Blue of Motopony

One of my biggest regrets of my last relationship was not being able to run through my backlog of music recommendations - a Netflix-esque queue of ridiculous proportions. You see, it's almost a rarity in my life to be dating someone who is at all musically compatible with me. It was a dream come true. Motopony's self-titled, 2010 release was the next album I was planning to share before the breakup happened. It's an album so full of brilliance, I almost inbox'd it as a "break up gift".

While I have endless thoughts on Motopony, I am highly anticipating the solo work from their lead vocalist, Daniel Blue. The project, The Agreeable White Tiger Moth: Vol 1 gets released sometime soon, with a release show on August 2. This is another one of those moments where I am dying to be back in Seattle. As a plus, it's the grand opening of Santcuary, "a hundred year old repurposed chapel in the heart of downtown Ballard." I can't find too much information on Sanctuary but I'm guessing it's going to be an artist mixed-use sort of venue (much like The Dunes). As an additional plus and major relief, all of Motopony will be playing music written for this show and, despite the solo project, there will be a second Motopony album.

These are exciting times.

Currently, there are two songs released off of the project on SoundCloud. Flower Children is a dreamy track where I'm envisioning myself running through an expansive field with not a care in the world. I know that sounds overblown, but I guarantee you will start daydreaming the same. I also agree with Sean DeTore of The Mixtape -- this song is straight out of the 1960's in the best way possible. I Don't Need to Know features Meagan Grandall of Lemolo -- the duo execute a beautiful, soulful track in unison. Grandall is just one of many collaborations. I'm very much looking forward to the collaborations with Mary Lambert and Jon Russel (of The Head and the Heart).

There's just so much Seattle-goodness involved.

I absolutely recommend checking out the release show if you're in the Seattle area. Go and let me be envious of you.

You can listen to Flower Children and I Don't Need to Know on Blue's SoundCloud page.