I have to admit, I didn’t know about this one. I have been to Hog Rock, Lollapalooza, Big Muddy Blues Festival and more, but I had never heard of Pickathon. I think the fact that it is held in the evergreen forests of Oregon is the main reason. (I live near St. Louis and the Mississippi River.)
Apparently, this music gathering has several key parts: 35 bands, 5 stages and indie-roots music foundation. Not bad. They’ve held this event for 10 years on the Pendarvis farm near Portland. Musicians attending included Jolie Holland, Bad Livers, The Gourds, Langhorne Slim, and many more. Some were enamored of Loch Lomond. From what I’ve heard of them, it’s not a surprise. I might actually consider traveling out there next year to hear the music.
I liked the one photo I saw on the Web, that shows the light, airy atmosphere of the central festival grounds. No heavy, 40-year-old canvas tents here. In addition to great independent music and some fine acoustic pickin’ this festival features a lot of workshops too! If you didn’t want to listen to Cross-Eyed Rosie, you could take a Yoga class or learn something about songwriting. This event is held in early August. Put it on the calendar.
Who Went to Pickathon? on MySpace
Tags: indie, music, who went to pickathon, indie music, independent music
In the movie, “Trading Places” the street-wise Mr. Valentine (played by Eddie Murphy) says the way to hurt rich people is to make them poor. Of course that’s a paraphrase of the actual line, but you get the idea.
It seems that is one of the priorities of true independent music, as well. Perhaps the goal is not to make people poor, but to spread the wealth by getting good musicians recorded and heard without giving into the handful of large, corporate giants who think first of the bottom line.
At earBuzz.com, there is something even more exciting taking place. Billed as “supporting artists 100%,” this Web site and the folks behind it are trying to make sure that the artist earns a true 100% of the proceeds from CD sales and downloads.
The site states, “earBuzz.com and BandsOfTheBay.com formed a partnership, announced to the world this morning, that is unprecedented in music and media.” The day referred as “this morning” is August 28. So, this is new, and exciting, stuff that may have great benefits for the up-and-coming artist.
Here’s how it works, according to the organizers: “Sign up to BOTB and you’ll have option to sign up to earBuzz to sell your music there. Once processed, encoding, etc.. your music will appear to the world on both sites. Current artists can sign up to BOTB free and have their player on the BOTB page as long as they’re at the $5/mo. level with their earBuzz membership.
“BandsOfTheBay is a property of Bay Area News Group, with media properties that include the Contra Costa Times, San Jose Mercury News, Marin Independent Journal, Oakland Tribune, 19 other daily newspapers, and websites that command over 7 million unique visitors each month.”
BandsOfTheBay.com started in April, while the founding of earBuzz.com goes back to 1999. There’s a lot more to it. The site contains a wealth of good information, testimonials from true believers and so on. In addition, the search and listen functions seem very clear and easy to use.
Check it out!
Tags: independent music, indie, music, indie music, what’s the buzz
Don’t fire up the Truth in Fiction CD or hit the play button on a download, then expect some heavy rock-and-roll music. This is “pop” stuff.
I am intrigued by “Drunken Phone Call” from Fireflies 2008. While this may not be my favorite style of music, it’s rather well done, after all. “Oh, No” from the same recording, is much more upbeat. But the atmosphere remains the same.
The Web site asks, “What’s the truth about Truth in Fiction?” The answer apparently lies in several states, with past girlfriends, and in those biting Wisconsin winters, to name just a few influences. Singer and guitarist Mike Wisth joined with guitarist Daniel Beres in Milwaukee and the roots of Truth in Fiction played with some good bands. During this time they were a self-described do-it-yourself band. Eventually the group added a bassist and producer, Kristian Riley. Eventually, the L.A. connection was made with Scott Seiver, a drummer who “provided the Live Drums for the Grammy-award-winning HBO series ‘Flight of the Conchords’ as well as Jason Mraz and many others.”
This lineup and the music it produces are considerably changed from the 2000-2003 band and sound. If you don’t believe it, check out “Bullseye” the Punk Track of the Week in 2004, according to information from www.garageband.com.
Tags: indie, music, independent music, indie music, truth in fiction
Already I like this music. I know it’s only a few bars of “Testing II” from The Pom Poms (unsigned) but this tune is the sort of understated effort I enjoy. Good voices, interesting choice of “words.” The tune, “Buggin” is pretty good too, with that childish but important sound that we oldsters heard on songs such as “Winchester Cathedral” and some of the ’60s guys like Donovan. But the horns on this song bring it to a different level.
For now, you will find this group on MySpace, because, as their marketing information states, the band Web site is “not ready yet.”
The Pom Poms, from Santa Barbara, California, consists of: Rob Kuznia: vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric bass, trumpet, production; Edgar Oliveira: drums, backing vocals, production; Shane McKillop, bass (live); Per Danzl, lead guitar (live); Justin Dullum: backing vocals (on recording), electric guitar on Mephastophiles, CD mastering; Alta Peterson: backing vocals, half-lead on “Fool,” cover art.
Here’s a nice description from the The Santa Barbara Independent, “Despite its rather rough conception (the album was recorded in a series of garages and dining rooms) and quaint, all-in-the-family backstory (Kuznia’s girlfriend and The Sympathetics band mates all provided backing vocals and instrumentation), the end result is a splendid, whimsical record that could easily replace all those Belle and Sebastian CDs I’ve long outplayed.”
After all, if you list among your influences Mozart, Modest Mouse and Willie Nelson, how bad can it be?
Tags: the pom poms, music, indie music, independent music, indie
“Something’s Wrong” Brace 2008 does have a bit of that early Brit pop sound. It may even be a bit punk. Some have billed them as sounding like Manchester natives of the early ‘80s. That’s part of it too. But this listener hears some David Byrne, some techno, some sharply cut rhythm that was key to a few bands in the past 20 years.
Whatever the reality, Sam Tyndall, Oliver Edsforth, Nate Lithgow-bass, Adam De Rosa-guitar, and Michael Chap Resnick are The Kiss Off. They state that they sound like or may be influenced by Echo & The Bunnymen, Bowie, Wire, Nine Inch Nails, Peter Gabriel, Bauhaus, King Crimson, Kate Bush, YYY’s, Celebration. De Rosa and Lithgow take credit for the start of this venture. By the way, they hail from Brooklyn. Nice, huh?
I particularly like “Laying Dead.” Something reaches me individually, with both that pop sound mentioned earlier and then some ‘60s fun as well. This is one of the really good songs on the CD. Try out “Amplify” if you think you’ve heard all the recent music you wanted to hear. You’ll wait awhile on this tune if you are seeking poetry. It’s sound and rhythm with some meaning.
The Kiss Off will be at Blender Theater in New York City on November 17. Look for these players elsewhere as well.
Tags: indie music, the kiss off, music, indie, independent music
