Postcards from the Pit: Woods
The evening I saw them, Woods was the last band of a four-band show at the Bowery Ballroom. They shared the bill with Widowspeak (ethereal on top, solid and dark on the bottom, very good); White Fence (high quality surf punk, even better when I wasn’t being moshed into a wall); and Ducktails (he has … Read more
Comrade Plymouth: Bodies of Bones and Breasts and Unmapped Chambers of Hearts
Being moved to tears by live music is one thing – the confluence of proximity and energy can be powerful – but have you ever been moved to tears by something you heard on the radio? I had that singular experience once, not long after I had hosted Christopher Porterfield and Nick Berg for a … Read more
Diamond Doves, Brooklyn Bowl, 8.19.11: “We Always Want People To Dance”
NTSIB friend and cohort Joy Wagner kindly offered this sweet little interview/show review to us and the good dudes at Citizen Dick. Check out Diamond Doves’ music at their MySpace (and then entreat them to get off of MySpace). The odds are good that, if you’re a regular follower of this blog, … Read more
Southern Independent, Vol. 2
The XXX movement is moving ahead and gaining steam. The project, spearheaded by Shooter Jennings, aims to promote and provide a support network for music that is “too rock for country, too country for rock”, music that is often invisible to the eye of the larger public because the bigger record labels and radio … Read more
Bonnie “Prince” Billy & the Phantom Family Halo: I Want Love to Eat My Mind
It’s a simple equation: for instant creepy backwoods elegance, just add Will Oldham (a.k.a. Bonnie “Prince” Billy). Oldham has found a worthy collaborator in Phantom Family Halo helmer Dominic Cipolla. On their 4-song EP, The Mindeater, Cipolla and the Phantom Family Halo construct huge, echoing warehouse chambers of sound for Oldham’s voice to travel … Read more
Ones to Watch: Barry
Barry is a folk-rock band from Hume, New York, made up of three brothers: Patrick Barry (guitar/harmonica), Benjamin Barry (bass), and Bradford Barry (drums). Barry formed in 2011, in the wake of Patrick and Benjamin’s former alt-rock band, Navar. Here are some reasons why I am extremely fond of their very first EP, Yawnin’ in … Read more
Caryn Rose: B-Sides and Broken Hearts
Lisa Simon, age 37, still loves loud punk rock and hates Dave Matthews with an all-consuming passion. So begins the synopsis of Caryn Rose’s first novel, B-Sides and Broken Hearts. If this book is for you, you know it just from that sentence. You’ve already heard the click of recognition and know you’re about … Read more
On Joe Strummer’s Birthday: The 101ers
Time again to pay tribute to NTSIB’s patron saint, Joe Strummer, who would have been 59 years old today. Before he was known as Joe Strummer, John Mellor was nicknamed “Woody” after hero-idol Woody Guthrie (he looked a bit like Guthrie, too). And before he was boldly stolen from them by a couple of fellow … Read more
Friday Eye Candy: The Guitars of the Sunset Strip
It’s Friday, have some pretty things to look at! These guitars are part of Guitar Town Sunset Strip, a public art installation sponsored by the Gibson Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Gibson guitars. According to the Gibson website the exhibit was supposed to last six months and then the guitars would be sold at auction … Read more
Hell and Half of Georgia: Build It Up
Our old friends Hell and Half of Georgia just dropped this new little tune, and I think it’s the best they’ve done yet. Build It Up by Hell and Half of Georgia Listen, love, download – because as with all Hell and Half of Georgia’s musical fare, it’s free. If you’re in … Read more