Little Chief @ Solly's

I live for those serendipitous moments where the perfect song plays during the perfect moment. Back in November, while commuting down to rural Virginia for work, I streamed one playlist during that twice-weekly, four-hour commute. I first heard North Carolina by Little Chief the minute as I exited I-95 to I-295. At this junction, the choices were Durham or Rocky Mount. Either way, the Tar Heel state was within reach.

North Carolina and I have this strange relationship, comprised of mostly heartbreak, failed relationships and a blissful weekend at a beach. Two and a half years ago, in the fall of 2012, when my east coast move was full of naivety and new opportunities, Little Chief's North Carolina could be my mantra: "take me to North Carolina, where my baby lives. I won't be there by tomorrow but heaven knows I'm on my way." At the present moment, North Carolina is simply another state on the east coast, one I've visited a handful of times. However, when I listen to the harmonies given on this track, I want the state to mean more to me.

After streaming Little Chief's debut LP, Lion's Den, over and over again since March, I was anticipating their tour and hoping for a date in DC. With any luck, they stopped in DC for a show at Solly's Tavern last Friday. I wear my love for Solly's on my sleeve. The last show I caught there was Charlie Patton's War. Considering they're now opening for PUSA, I always feel that Solly's attracts bands we can all believe in.

The band introduced themselves to the crowd - consisting of a girl taking photos in the corner and the group I had brought. As with the album, Mountain Song was the opening choice. With over two-minutes of instrumental build up and a bang of an ending, I've always thought this was a fantastic choice to hook people on Lion's Den early.

Over the course of the evening, Little Chief did a pretty comprehensive span of their album, including Gold In The Morning, Lion's Den, Shiloh, North Carolina and Brothers. While sitting and listening to Shiloh in person, I realized just how reflective and at-peace I feel when that song streams. Brothers is the song I can't stop playing now and I never figured the last track on an album would be so catchy. In addition to the Lion's Den material, the band covered The Head and The Heart's Rivers and Roads and absolutely did the song justice.

By the end of the show, the crowd at least doubled and every single friend I brought with me to the show loved the band. If you have a chance to catch Little Chief on tour, I highly recommend. I couldn't think of a better way to enjoy a laid-back Friday night.

You can listen to and buy Lion's Den on bandcamp. Currently, the album is also available on Noisetrade as a free download.

Carousel by Miner

Around these parts, I'm not sure to what length I've discussed last summer. It was one of those beautiful times where despite feeling emotionally broken in every way, I pushed out of my comfort zone and accomplished more than I had ever hoped to. One of my favorite songs, going along with these moments, was courtesy of Miner. Hey Love was that warm, happy jam that wouldn't fail to make me grin or roll down my windows. At that point, Hey Love had been around for almost a year. With only one other released track at the time, Golden Ocean, that was all we had of Miner, until now.

Carousel, to be frank, is a relief. I'd come to expect more tracks heavily laced with the banjo and mandolin, upbeat and campfire-worthy, emulating that Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes vibe. On one hand, I find Miner almost more accessible than other bands it could be genre-lumped into with. This is catchy, from the soul, makes you want to fall in love, music and all of their released tracks thus far are solid. I can only hope their debut album will have twelve noteworthy songs.

With a year and a half from initial release to the debut album, husband and wife, Kate and Justin Miner had the time to build a band with Justin's brother Jeremy and other family and friends. It's a familial affair and an environment that can cultivate a grand work of art. Deriving inspiration from travels through Central and South America, with bedroom recording roots, I can guarantee this will be an album worth spending time with.

Miner releases their debut, Into The Morning, on February 25th. Preview the album by listening to Carousel and Hey Love on Soundcloud and by reading the lyrics on their website.

[Weekend Video] Atlantic City and In Spite of Ourselves by Kyle & Danielle

A few days ago, my friend Katie posted a video on my facebook timeline. After both of us being in musical ruts and discussing such sadness at our friend's house party, I shared with her a few of my favorite music bloggers. In return, she drew my attention to this cover of Bruce Springsteen's Atlantic City by Kyle Morton of Typhoon and Danielle Sullivan of Wild Ones. Despite being around for over three years, I had never seen the video and was immediately swooning over the duo's rendition.

Lucky for me, I didn't have to wait long for the next Kyle and Danielle collaboration. In what may be my favorite release of the day, this cover of In Spite of Ourselves by John Prine is really hitting the right spot. While the lyrics are sometimes crass and almost entirely crude, the portrayal of real love is what matters. Is there anything more perfect for Valentine's Day? I didn't think so. 

You can listen to and download the In Spite of Ourselves cover on Typhoon's bandcamp page. It might be that perfect, last-minute addition to a gifted Valentine's Day mix. Catch Wild Ones as one of the opening acts on Typhoon's latest tour. 

Do The Right Thing by AgesandAges and Dirty Flag by Arkomo

What is your ideal concert ticket? I must admit, I cannot be more excited for Lady Lamb the Beekeeper opening for Typhoon in March. Last year I promised myself I would see Lady Lamb in concert if she ever swung by DC, but with Typhoon, one of my favorite bands? I am crawling in my skin with anticipation. While DC often gets great lineups, the Pacific Northwest is a mecca of amazing bands who all seem so supportive of each other. It's common for me to writhe in envy when I see some of the shows gracing Seattle's presence. Modern Kin with Radiation City? Cataldo with Hey Marseilles? I wish.

Portland's AgesandAges is following up 2011's Alright You Restless, with a new album, Divisionary, set to release on March 25th. I'm currently stuck on their current single, Do The Right Thing. While I found the song almost obnoxiously preachy upon first listen, I decided to listen again. For some reason, this song has a knack for hitting the right heartstrings and cultivating earworms. There's a simple lesson the song is trying to convey: "do the right thing, do it all the time, make yourself right, never mind them, don't you know you're not the only one suffering." The lyrics are a mantra that will not leave my mind. With a large-band, pop-folk sound, that anyone could find easy to listen to, in addition to the positive moral taught, I vote everyone streams this track and uses it as inspiration in their day to day lives.

AgesandAges is heading up north to Seattle on January 19th to play with Typhoon and on February 28th for an album release show. The opening act for the album release show is Arkomo, whose track Dirty Flag, is another heavily played song in my current rotation. See, Seattle really does get the best power lineups.

Dirty Flag is experimental without being hard to connect to. While not normally my style of music, delicate harmonies, soft beats and too many techniques to count keep the song fresh and unique. Picturing a flag, slightly dampened with age, waving in the air, sometimes smoothly, sometimes jagged, could be thought of as an accurate visual description. Arkomo is a solo project from Sam Anderson, who is the cellist in Hey Marseilles, among other Seattle area  music projects. Obviously, Anderson has a wide range of talent and it's great to hear something so different.

Listen to Do They Right Thing on Soundcloud and Dirty Flag on Soundcloud or Bandcamp. If you're in the Seattle area, catch the two at their show on February 28th at BARBOZA.
 

[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).

A Marriage In The Dark by Night Beds

I can't help but to follow Bree Ryback of Capitol Romance on her blog and on Twitter. As an alternative wedding coordinator for DC area couples, she posts the most adorable weddings, ideas and engagement sessions! While I am no where near to being engaged or married, it's always a little bit of sunshine reading about local area couples in love who made it to the end of the aisle but to the beginning of a life together.

One of my favorite parts of Capitol Romance is Bree's series: Wedding Music That Doesn't Suck. Let's face it, I have a spotify playlist that is constantly updated, titled: "secret wedding playlist". Oh yes. I am already curating that perfect list of songs that will carry me through one of the biggest days of my life. While some girls have their wedding pinterest boards, I have this and I'm not even (that) ashamed.

Bree already has a few of my favorite contenders covered: Ends of the Earth by Lord Huron, 5 Years Time by Noah and the Whale, Thunder Clatter by Wild Cub, San Francisco by the Mowgli's, It's Nice to Be Alive by Ball Park Music, and so many more. She, obviously, has an amazing taste in music and I'm sold. While I'm in this sappy mood (currently, a few glasses of wine in at Busboys & Poets), I want to share the newest addition to my "secret wedding playlist".

A Marriage In The Dark by Night Beds is a track off of Night Beds EP, a harder to find release from Winston Yellen, who posted the link to download the EP on his Twitter a few weeks ago. I must say, the six tracks on this EP are some of my favorite work from Yellen and from the folk genre in general.

After a scratchy, old-fashioned, dramatic opening, A Marriage In The Dark is a stunningly beautiful song that stands just as grand without music, as a poem or a reading. With alternating rhyming schemes that switch up as the song progresses, this song will not escape my thoughts and wistful daydreams.

In your wedding gown
Is how he sees you now
A life to be found
In your wedding gown

Keep your picture in my shoe
Stomp my feet just to feel you
Come look at what we've found
Our hearts lying on the ground

Come on lets get married
We are more than ready
Come on lets get married
Tell me when you're ready 

What I find most fascinating about this song is how Yellen was able to evoke such honest, good-natured, loving emotions among "basements, a lot of alcohol, a lot of irreverent tuning but not that much need for talk" during the earlier stages of Night Beds. Catharsis the song may be, but I can't help but believe (hope) the story he is singing has a happy ending for him.

 

Salt by ear to the ground/ Salt by Wyatt Overman

Between being raised in a non-religious family and my tendency to be oblivious to idioms, I didn't know what the phrase the "salt of the earth" meant until a few months ago. The "salt of the earth" are those humble, unpretentious, just good people who are appreciated, loved and respected by all. This makes sense, as salt has been used metaphorically to represent loyalty, value and purification in the Bible and was a coveted mineral in ancient times.

The genre of folk is no stranger to religious undertones and harsh self-awareness. When the two are combined, dramatic symbols, such as salt, convey the woes of judgement, regret and disappointment.

Representing yet another idiom, ear to the ground is a project by Frank Hurkmans, based out of Utrecht in the Netherlands. While the music is a little rough around the edges, there's a lot of emotion and genre-blending wrapped up in the six-track self-titled EP. Salt, makes direct use of the "salt of the earth" idiom: "the salt of the earth I never was". This is in response to a judgement day, a once-promised future and the inevitable new start that comes with disappointing the ones cherished, "when August ends, I'll start all over again".

On the other hand, there's Wyatt Overman, who released this album, Two Winters, that I can't get enough of. This is an album so delicate, so fragile, so brilliant that I keep trying to write words to describe my feelings and constantly feel like I'm falling short. His Salt is much more indirect but conveys the theme of judgement and "salt of the earth" just as well as ear to the ground did. Here, there is a different take. Overman challenges his cherished one, "darling please, please listen to yourself. Who they hell have you become?" He mocks when he doesn't quite believe the words she has spread that they "are the salt, in/and the undertow", when in reality, their unit is falling to pieces.

You can listen to ear to the ground and Wyatt Overman over on their respective bandcamp pages. Listen to both takes on this classic idiom and think about those you consider to be the "salt of the earth". Or, live up to the expectations set forth and survive the judgement that will follow.

Only Time Will Tell (Demo) by Neal Martin Amundson

I have a soft spot for demos. In a way, a musician is trusting listeners with their vulnerabilities. These are honest words, the visions of a single song-writer or the few members of a band, and a raw sound that truly captures an artist's abilities. Sadly, while demos can be the bridge between recording songs in a bedroom and the possibility of mainstream success, it can be difficult to track them down. Nowadays, with sites such as bandcamp, soundcloud and the easy ability to upload songs for the world to hear, so many talented individuals are coming forth. There are the songs and albums recorded in basements, in living rooms, with family, with friends... Songs and albums that are so homegrown and so outstanding. These songs and these albums are the reason why I blog.

The current demo stuck in my head is this track, Only Time Will Tell by Neal Martin Amundson. To be honest, this is another Reddit find. Much like how Matthew Fowler posted Beginning once upon a time, "CrispyNeal" wanted r/indiefolk to take a chance on his music. I went for it.

Only Time Will Tell appears to be a coming of age/ moving on story that is stark and realistic. I'm not sure what Amundson's background is, but these are insights one usually only has after moving away from home, betting on yourself, and following your dreams. The song starts out steady but with no hook. Usually, I know I'll love a song after a few seconds. I almost gave up until the chorus changed everything,"but only time will tell, if I'm across the state line and living well. Well, they say that's what passion's for, stepping out and seeing more. So, kick me passionately out the door." These wise words are consistently stuck in my head as of late.

Listen to Only Time Will Tell on soundcloud and marvel at how great the music climate is these days.

Shadow of A Man by Neulore

In an era of acts such as Lord Huron, Wake Owl, Field Division, and even Local Natives, bands that blend folk with thunderously big harmonies, picturesque soul searching lyrics and a touch of dream pop are making the genre more accessible to everyone. I have this theory that, at least for a while, we've seen the last of new "Mumford" bands getting radio play. The move towards a more alternative or pop sound is sure to win out over campy, mandolin-laced tracks, in my opinion. 

Shadow of a Man by Neulore would be another move in that direction, speaking to the part of our instincts that aspire to go home after a period of wanderlust. While the band is composed of two guys (+ friends) from Nashville, I find the sound teetering between the forests of the Pacific Northwest and the deserts of the Southwest. However, according to their bio, the duo is focusing on bringing "heartfelt songs to the masses", the pursuit of wisdom, community and telling stories to their listens. Those sentiments are Southern.

In 2010, the two released Apples & Eve, and appeared to remain quiet for a period of time. Shadow of a Man was released in March this year, though tonight is the first time I've heard the track. What I find even more shocking is how this track appeared in an episode of Grey's Anatomy and it still completely slipped under my radar. With a record deal, TV placements, and new merchandise in 2013, 2014 is surely the year Neulore will strike even bigger. I can't wait for a full album release.

Listen to Shadow of a Man and give yourself hope that mainstream folk will proceed in this direction. The track is available to listen to and buy on bandcamp and soundcloud.

Sonsick by San Fermin

No posts in November? Life has been kicking my ass lately on pretty much all fronts: 70 hour work weeks and commuting to a client four hours away on a weekly basis, getting back into running, going to and hosting random events with friends, and unsuccessfully fading away on a boy who refused to be faded away on. It's November 30th and I have not only survived this month but I've come out on top. I don't want this outlet to go away when I'm stressed but it's been difficult to find inspiration in even music these past few weeks.

I've had the usual staples on repeat - there's been a lot of Lord Huron and Valley Maker, which despite my adoration, do nothing but further the depressive cycle. I'm positive I've streamed Grace for Saints and Ramblers, Keep Yourself Warm and I Need My Girl about a hundred times a piece. Several other tracks have been sprinkled through this scrobbled history. I've kinda-sorta-actually fallen in love with someone else's playlist for a change. This "Morning Commute" mix, by Melissa Ecker, has held together my sanity while driving the total of eight hours to and from the middle-of-nowhere, Virginia each week.

While there are many gems to be found on her list, Sonsick by San Fermin was the song that shouldn't have grown on me the way it did. When driving long distances, I tend to tune out a bit more than normal. There's no reason to be as hyper aware of my surroundings as I would be during my normal commute. During one morning, around 6:30AM, the track didn't at all capture my attention until the chorus, which is purely shrill but in a pleasant way. At the time, I needed to identify the song and to remind myself to listen to it again at a later point. Dozens of streams later and I'm obsessed.

I've talked at length about end of summer songs and this one also fits that bill when reflecting upon my disastrous summer of flings, false hopes and ultimate disappointments - "it's a summer kind of sickness". Transitioning into slowing down and caring about other human beings again (other than just myself) has been a refreshing, but weird process. "I'll fall for you soon enough, I resolve to love" is an ongoing mantra right now. I want to give up the emotional shitshow. I want to get attached to people again. My friends alone in this city are worth it.

The overlapping and warring thoughts in the chorus ground me when I start to panic about extending an olive branch to those in my life I want to keep around for a long time.

"Oho, don't be scared / That it's a harder kind of feel
Hold on tight / You must hold on unless you're in it
Ease your mind / And when you think, you're thinking clear
It's alright / You're really tied up and committed
Won’t you say? / But it’s an awful lot of talk
Stop the fight / Before the fire burns too quickly
Don't be scared / Why do you wanna hurt at all?
Hurts all right / Someone's summer kind of sickness"

The rest of the song progresses into whimsical thoughts about future plans and settling. The picture it paints is simplicity at its finest but absolutely mediocre: "Maybe find a place where we could rest/ when we're old enough/ we can have a dog and all the rest/ we can live it up/ all dressed in my Sunday best." I question whether slowing down and caring is really all that.

Listen to Sonsick when you want a little bit of confusing comfort playing in the background of your life.

Chicago (Sufjan Stevens Cover) by Fort Frances

With Sufjan Stevens' Chicago, any city could be substituted for the windy city and any individual coming to age, starting over or finding themselves would be able to listen to and understand the complexities behind lyrics. I've always loved Stevens' approach here - upon first listen, the song almost sounds upbeat and peppy. However, peeling back each verse as a layer, the song grows progressively melancholic and any hope for a story to aspire to goes out the window. While some of us can relate here, none of us should really want to.

Fort Frances' cover wears the song's emotion right on the sleeve. From the beginning, anyone will know this story does not have a happy ending. At the very beginning of the song when "I fell in love again" appears, it's predictable by the end of the song a point will be reached where "I've made a lot of mistakes".

I can imagine myself streaming Fort Frances' cover over and over again the minute I decide the district isn't the place for me anymore. I've fallen in love with DC over the past two years, but as flighty of a person as I am, there will likely an incident that propels me to run. With every city there's this cycle one experiences where you: recreate your life, grow as a person, fall in love with the city and everyone within it but inevitably make mistakes and leave.

Within this cycle, I'm somewhere in between falling in love and making mistakes. Sometimes, I'm not so sure how much longer DC will have a hold on me.

You can listen to and download Chicago, as covered by Fort Frances, on Soundcloud. As an additional note, their new EP, Breathing Room, was released last week and is truly fantastic.

Typhoon @ Rock and Roll Hotel

How many more instruments will appear?

Typhoon was arguably my most anticipated show of the fall. I fell in love with Typhoon, the boy I was falling for fell in love with Typhoon and neither of us could listen to anything else. There was a pact or a common idea that if/when the band played in DC, we'd both end up at that show at any cost. When announced in late June, after spending a month heartbroken, I had this grand realization that no one has the ability to ruin music for me.

I have emotional layers built into certain artists. With Typhoon, the surface layer involves a bit of heartbreak. I discovered Summer Home and it was immediately shared over g-chat and adored by the boy. We spent hours streaming it in the background of our conversations, I sourced The Tender Loving Empire NW Pale Ale from Seattle for us to share (we never did), and us finding out about White Lighter is still a day I remember.

However, the surface layer is just that. There's no depth, no actual substance and the layer is easy to flake off and forget about. Typhoon, to me, at the core relates back to the chronic illness angle and how easily I can identify with their music. That will always triumph over someone who was only in my life for a mere four months.

I didn't see the boy at this show. I won't lie and say it wasn't a relief.

Lucky for me, I had fantastic company no matter the outcome. My friend, Katie, had always loved Hunger and Thirst, but disliked A New Kind of House. She was a bit wary of how White Lighter would sound but streamed the album in anticipation for the show. I'm so happy she ended up back on the Typhoon bandwagon. We arrived early and managed to score front row spots. Unfortunately, front row meant right in front of the twin drum sets and I'm pretty sure I permanently lost hearing that evening.

Radiation City opened. I've tried countless times to love and appreciate their music in the past, however, their opening set ended up being the missing piece I needed. They played quite a few songs from their newest album and rocked them all. I found myself highly drawn to their catchy 1960's-retro vibe and it's a style that is not overdone right now. Above all, every member of this band was extraordinarily talented and really attractive to boot. We enjoyed their performance and how it ended up being enough to tide us over in anticipation for the main act.

Shortly later, one by one, we watched as all eleven members of Typhoon crammed themselves on to the relatively small stage at Rock and Roll Hotel. It was quite the sight to see. Kitchen Tile started the set off and I'm glad it did. For such a short song, there's a lot of punch. From here on out though, we'd primarily be hearing White Lighter, in order, in its entirety. I'm still not sure if I particularly enjoyed that aspect, but the album order is there for a reason.

When White Lighter initially came out, I honestly thought it sounded over-produced. I changed my mind hearing the album played live. Every sound, every instrument, every part of every song was organically created by one or more of the members on stage. There's no over production involved - just eleven musicians able to create many but cohesive sounds. The timing was particularly tight as well - I found myself anticipating certain little standout sounds from the tracks and hearing them perfectly executed on the stage.

Artificial Light was as spectacular as anyone would expect it to be. Young Fathers was the first anthem song, where everyone chanted that last portion, "I just called to tell you, I just called to say, learn all your mistakes, passed down through generations". I held onto the "two minutes of morbid bliss" that was Possible Deaths and remembered why it could be my favorite song. Summer Home, my first introduction to Typhoon, was played in the middle of the set somewhere. Unfortunately, I hated how this sounded live - compared to the White Lighter tracks there was energy missing.

During the later half of the set, Dreams of Cannibalism was the anthem song - I'm pretty sure the crowd sang the entirety but especially "unhand me, I am not criminal". Hunger and Thirst was more popular than I was expecting, as was Common Sentiments. This is proof that Typhoon can carry a whole album, as there is no where during White Lighter for anyone's mind to wander off. As I've noted before, Post Script was a gorgeous end to the album and to the live set. For the encore, Caesar kicked off. I didn't particularly miss it during the main act, but I did enjoy hearing the little clip. Rules of the Game, their latest b-side, was the final song of the night.

Through and through, I adored this show and three weeks later, I think I'm still riding the show high. This is the fourth out of five amazing fall concerts that I just can't stop daydreaming about. Someone, please, take me back to that night.

Weekend Video: Ghosts by Folly and The Hunter (Southern Souls Session)

It's no secret that I adore Montréal band, Folly and The Hunter. Tragic Care refuses to be trumped by any other releases this year, as my favorite album of 2013. Bold as that statement may be, I can't stop listening to their insightful lyrics woven through their unique quiet-folk sound.

In anticipation for their European tour with Half Moon Run, they released an acoustic video of Ghost with Southern Souls. There's a lot to love here, but Nick Vallee's stripped down vocals really adds something to the poignant melancholy of the song. That moment in the song, when the music quiets down just a notch with "And the ghost keeps calling so you’re driving down the road and you’re not going back", especially stands out in this video. I like when songs build up to these hooks at the end. This one isn't loud but is prominent.

If you're fortunate enough to be in any of their European tour cities, go see them with Half Moon Run. Is there a better duo for a folk show? I don't think so.

Weekend Video: Typhoon @ Room 125 Productions

I'm happy the school year has started once again. Although I'm no longer in school, September means the return of Room 125 Productions' Classroom Sessions. In what may be the coolest class of all time, at Lawrence High School, students have the opportunity to meet with artists and develop their live film-making skills. The Classroom Sessions have featured a wide variety of artists since its inception in 2010, including many of my favorites: Hey Marseilles, Pickwick, The Local Strangers, Water Liars, and The Head and The Heart. Most recently, Typhoon stopped by to perform.

I'll have enough to say about Typhoon's live performances once I publish my recap of their concert at Rock and Roll Hotel, last Wednesday. With this, however, I want to highlight Kyle's response to the question about whether Typhoon's songs are paradoxical. Because, the songs sound upbeat but actually reflect morbid realities. I think his answer here is exceptional and guiding, evidence that he is someone high school students can and should look up to. Despite all the darkness in his life, there's opportunity to make the most out of it (to cast out the light) and I love that sentiment.

By My Side (Everlasting Life) by Valley Maker

In the last twenty-four hours, I've discovered Yes I Know I’ve Loved This World, an album by Valley Maker; listened to By My Side (Everlasting Life), decided that I immediately needed to buy the album without making it past the first few lines of that first track; woke up at 3AM and re-streamed the song; biked to Union Station; endured four hours of my train ride before deciding that I needed the song in my life again; struggled with spotty Amtrak wireless; and was finally able to listen via the Soundcloud app. All the trouble was worth it.

By My Side (Everlasting Life) had that instant chemistry with me from those first few lines: "When the sun lights up your face/ don't give me time/ don't give me space/ just give me something that I can taste/ like you right by my side". After the opening, there's another three minutes of open and beautiful verses. My feelings about music and my feelings about people operate with similar mechanisms. Personally, I'm never sure how to describe the sensation when I meet someone who clicks and takes my life to a whole new plane, however, this song does a pretty damn good job. I want to feel about someone as passionately as the song describes, but I think I'd settle for feeling about someone the way I feel about the song. It's just that good.

Honestly, I've already purchased the album without listening to anything else. Something tells me I'm in for a real treat and I'll save it for the eight-hour trip back to DC.

Austin Crane is the force behind Valley Maker. Some of you may be familiar with his work already - I know I've had a few of his songs pop into my life before. After recording this album in Columbia, South Carolina, he moved out to my lovely city of Seattle! He'll flourish in that scene.

Listen to By My Side (Everlasting Life) and the rest of Yes I Know I’ve Loved This World on Bandcamp or Soundcloud.

Faultlines by Field Division

I can vividly remember where I was and what I was up to when I first heard music by the Local Natives. Airplanes was streaming at my favorite University District coffee shop, Cafe Solstice. Never before in my life, had I heard anything comparable. I somehow captured enough of the lyrics in my mind to later figure out what the song was. Discovering that song and later all of Gorilla Manor, ended up being one of those charming defining moments that helped shape my music tastes into what they are today.

Upon first listen of Faultlines by Field Division, my mind was yearning to feel the same way as I felt when I first heard Airplanes. There are definitely technical similarities between Field Division and Local Natives, but the common thread between the two is truly how the music makes me feel.

Here's a short list of why I adore this song : the beginning harmonies, the lushy vocals, the scenic descriptions but air of mystery contained within the lyrics, more harmonies, that moment half way through the song where the vibe noticeably darkens, the subsequent build up that actually makes it feel like clouds are moving in for a big storm, the tribal-esque but campfire sound delicately layered in... I could go on and on. When I listen to this song, I have wanderlust for the Southwest and can visualize the rich turquoises and tans in the back of my mind. Considering my drab surroundings at the moment, I find that impressive.

Field Division is a project from Des Moines, Iowa, currently stationed in Nashville, Tennessee, by Taylor Hiatt and Nick Frampton. From what I can tell, this is the only song they've released right now but I'm highly anticipating more.

You can download Faultlines on Bandcamp, Soundcloud and a few other places.

Big River/ The Next One/ When That Day Comes by Red River Outlaws

There's something so intriguing about the Red River Outlaws and I can't entirely wrap my finger around what it is. Late night browsing on r/indiefolk is occasionally fruitful. However, last night, I couldn't decide if their songs were good because it was dark out or good just in general. Considering it's morning and I still can't stop listening, I'm convinced this is some solid work of folk. Dark, and occasionally sinister but keen.

Big River starts out with the narrator confessing all of his reasons for wanting to live outside of the law. At first, I'm not aware of what the motives are behind this desire or what the crime he's confessing to really will be. On one hand, the narrator is indubitably wise - if you make anything out of yourself, attention will be drawn to you and not everyone wishes for that fate. However, I find him less wise and far less charming when he further discusses, in vivid detail, his conversations with the devil. Conversations which likely motivated his crime of shooting the mayor. By the end of the song, I can't figure out if the narrator is evil or just mentally estranged, with the admission: "I've never found a single institution that could deal with my mind's confusion and I'll have to live in this delusion until the day that I die".

The Next One regales a fleeting lust story that ends with betrayal, death and supposed revenge. The narrator begins the tale prefacing the story will end with his death by the gallows. The story actually begins with a girl coming into town where she and the narrator make love, get caught and she sells him out to her father and the local sheriff, claiming she was forced into the situation. It's an unfortunate death sentence for our narrator. He continues in the song on how he'd rather leave his body behind than live without her and that he'll catch her in the next life. Except, he'll catch her in the next life... with a loaded gun. While revenge makes enough sense in this story, it's almost unexpected. By the end of the song, with the apt descriptions of how he'll never forget her betrayal and the painting of all these grim pictures, I'm floored with the story-telling and how the song makes my skin crawl.

When That Day Comes doesn't quite continue with the themes of the prior songs - the tale here is much more legend-based and folklore. The narrator is trying to escape the cruel hands of the earth, a seemingly-immortal who cannot convince a god to send him peacefully on. The gods here are interesting choices, a mountain god, an ocean god and a city god, each with their own excuses for keeping the narrator around.

Surprisingly enough, there's a lot to process with this project thus far. I am hoping whatever this ends up being stays true to the campfire tale/ folklore/ classic blues storytelling - it's a subset of folk music that is largely under appreciated, in my opinion. This aspect of folk music isn't always the easiest to pull off and the Red River Outlaws can execute it well. I'm also completely enamored with artwork that accompanies the videos and it adds a whole 'nother layer to the eerie vibe. The third video, while a different artistic direction than the first two, makes a wonderful use of videos in public domain.

What do we know about the Red River Outlaws? Not much. It's a project spearheaded by Seth Cronin with Sarah Rothert contributing vocals and gorgeous violin strings. We're supposed to see a new song posted about every week in September and a record is apparently on the way. I really need more of this in my life.

Listen to Big River, The Next One and When That Day Comes on Seth Cronin's Youtube channel.

I Can by the Dancing Hats

It's Friday. I didn't take the day off of work, per se, but I did decide to forgo my miserable car commute for a walking commute to the DC office. I'm almost regretting this decision entirely. I barely have any work to do, it's a perfect day outside and I'm in the dreariest office of all time. No windows. No company. The lights keep turning off because no one acknowledges my presence.

On the upside, I have plenty of privacy to jam out to I Can by the Dancing Hats all afternoon. The Dancing Hats, from what I can find out, appear to be a fun-party-sort band out of Portland, Oregon, with varying numbers of individuals contributing. Are they the next big folk super-group (ala upbeat Typhoon)? Who knows? But, I think there's a lot of potential for something.

The track is catchy and multi-dimensional. There's truly a lot going on, both lyrically and aurally. I'm not one-hundred percent sure what this song is about, but my guess is rebellion against a stereotypical life and shooting down everyone who tells you you can't live extraordinarily. At first I wasn't sold on how slightly jarring the lead male's voice sounded, but as the song goes on and he experiments with different styles, it's highly enjoyable. The female vocalist is equally fantastic and provides the balance the song needs. The random, instrumental portions prove that the band can rock out and have fun while doing so.

I don't think there's a better song to capture the end of summer.

You can listen to and download I Can on the Dancing Hats' bandcamp page (for name your price!). If you do, please rebel against office culture with me and participate in some Friday cubicle dancing.

Weekend Video: Life is a Highway as covered by Folly and the Hunter

Folly and the Hunter is a criminally underrated folk band out of Montreal. While I need to devote an entire post to why Tragic Care is my favorite album of 2013 (despite White Lighter, despite The Hurry and the Harm, etc), now is not the time. I spent a few minutes of my afternoon excitedly discussing Folly with a new friend and I'm inspired to post something.

For now, enjoy this cover of Tom Cochrane's Life is a Highway. I adore how quiet the cover is. The original song and Rascal Flatt's versions embody this upbeat vibe, where the "highway" is nothing but an adventure. Here, we have a much more reflective take, where I can imagine this song accompanying me on a late night drive as I'm pondering where my life has been and where it is heading. It's honest to the intent of the original song and pulls it off in a much different, but appropriate way.

I'm convinced this band can do no wrong.

Volcano Choir @ The 9:30 Club

"This is going to be a religious experience."

I almost didn't attend this concert. Last Thursday, I was scrolling through my twitter feed while half asleep in bed. I saw a submission from r/washingtondc of someone offering up a free ticket to the Volcano Choir show at the 9:30 Club. The submission had been posted for 7 hours and no one had claimed the ticket. I joked in my message, "I bet if you had posted anything about VC being related to Bon Iver, everyone would have jumped". While true, luckily the submitter was just like me: she wanted the ticket to go to someone who was a fan Volcano Choir, not necessarily Bon Iver. We met up and she took me up on my other for my spare City and Colour ticket for Tuesday. It was another successful Reddit experience to add to my list. I'm hoping this will pan out into have a real concert buddy in DC.

Around 4PM yesterday, the weather went haywire and thoughts were pondered on facebook about whether the "9th plague of Egypt was invoked upon us by God". Less eloquently put, it poured. I listened to Repave during my last hour at work, accompanied by green tea and dark chocolate, with the rain battering against our office windows. The right mood was present.

The doors opened at 7PM and I was right on time. Upon first arriving, there were approximately twenty folks ahead of me, some with umbrellas, some without. This was fair. I had high ambitions of getting a front row spot, but it was possibly a pipe dream. When we were let into the venue, I scored a second row spot, and I thought, "this will do".

I maintain the opinion that the only downside to attending concerts by yourself is all the waiting by yourself. A man in the front row started making "pacts" and "forming unions" with the other front row attendees - it was sacred territory and no one was to push their way through.. I started chatting with him and another guy about all the other amazing music that exists in today's world. I got scolded for disliking the new Local Natives' album (I'll have to give it another shot), was given recommendations to listen to Beth Orton and Kathleen Edwards and called them out for not knowing who The Shouting Matches or DeYarmond Edison were. After giving them their space and proving I was worthy of a front row spot, they opened one up for me.

Sylvan Esso opened and more than deserved to. Currently, they have two songs on the internet, Hey Mami + Play It Right and I can't get enough of either of them. Based on what we saw, the rest of their eventual release will also be fantastic. The stage presence was playful - I adored Amelia's fun attitude and dancing. Nicholas not only did a front row shout out, but also encouraged everyone to turn the last 15 minutes into a "dance party". Unfortunately, akin to Seattle, DC doesn't really dance at shows either. I told my front row friend once their set ended, "when they headline a show here next year, I'll also be in the front row for that". Hold me to it.

After the opening, our suspicions were confirmed. NPR was in attendance to film Volcano Choir's act. The videographer set up shop right in front of me. I'm really hoping I end up on this concert video - as they usually feature the audience as well.

Luckily for us, it was a short waiting period before Volcano Choir entered. While most of the audience was holding their breath for that first look at Justin, I don't think I let it out until the entire band assembled on the stage. I drew in more deep breaths as Tiderays started playing - we were in for a religious experience and I knew it was my only chance to compose myself before the music picked up. Tiderays was the perfect opening song for this show, much like it is the perfect opening song for Repave.

Comrade encapsulated everyone into this drugged-out trance state and it was the first (but, not last) time during the night where this happened. I looked around a few times and across the venue, people had the same exact look on their face and in their eyes. When Justin crooned with the synth at the end of the song, I experienced goosebumps running down my arms.

Keel, while being my least favorite song off of Repave, gave off this aura of comfort. I leaned over to my front row friend and expressed that "I had never felt more anchored in my life".

The song that stole the show was, surprisingly, Alaskans. This is another slower song off of Repave, yet it showcases so much of Justin's abilities. However, the audience cohesively singing "Rely, rely, rely, rely, behave, behave, behave, behave/ Decide, decide, decide, decide, repave, repave, repave, repave/ Inside, inside, inside, inside, the lade, the lade, the lade, the lade" at all the right moments and with all the right sound was *magic*. Even the band was floored at how perfect the audience participation felt - they quipped about how they should have recorded the vocals then and there.

The entire concert was building up to Byegone. Or, more importantly, that moment a little over half way through the song, where we're all bellowing "SET SAIL" with our hands up in the air. At this point, I was emotionally exhausted. The closing song was Almanac. I appreciated how the concert opened and closed with Repave's opening and closing songs.

By the end of the night, Volcano Choir played everything off of Repave, Island, IS, Still and two new songs. I'm relieved that new music, or "songs without a home yet" will be coming in the future. The two new songs sounded more rock, which demonstrates the vast range of styles this band can pull off.

To close, I want to express how grateful I am to have seen Justin Vernon in a more intimate setting. Having a front and center spot, meant seeing all the intricate details that did nothing but add to the experience: his moleskine which he referenced every song (in which, we can only wonder what brilliance is contained within), the way he'd kneel behind the podium after a particularly emotional song, the crocheted piece of art covering his podium, and how he didn't speak to the audience at all during the show. Volcano Choir isn't Justin Vernon, it's absolutely not Bon Iver and and there was never any doubt of that.