In a contemporary independent music scene inundated with up and coming bands, it takes a unique outfit to break through that noise. A truly exceptional group must exhibit authenticity, raw talent, and electrifying chemistry. This, of course, means there are very few of them. Motherfolk, formed in 2013, is certainly one of those most unique and dynamic acts.
Motherfolk began as a collaborative effort between Nathan Dickerson and Bobby Paver, two college friends with a penchant for writing songs with one another. In the first year of the project, the two songwriters made frequent trips to Nashville to record their first endeavor. In 2014, their eponymous debut album showcased the duoâs musical prowess through a genre-bending collection of elegantly crafted songs.
Since then, Joel Call, Ethan Wescott, Karlie Dickerson, and Clayton Allender have joined Motherfolkâs ranks, and the band has made a name for themselves touring all across the nation. The outfitâs high-energy live performances have won over audiences from coast to coast, and their infectious musical persona has become one of the most exciting rising success stories in the indie scene.
In 2016, Motherfolk released their highly anticipated sophomore effort, Fold. Clocking in with eleven compelling tracks, the album further defines the band as an act that effortlessly melds a slew of influences together to manifest their sound into a splendidly cohesive, original pursuit. From surreal, introspective jaunts to foot-stomping, anthemic rock and roll, Fold stood as tall as one of the most exciting records of 2016 and 2017.
âMotherfolk finds its way through a blend of genres by holding tight to their raw talents.â â Billboard
"[M]emorable, hauntingly gorgeousâ¦the band has never been stronger." - Ghettoblaster
Building on the strength of their radio, press, and touring campaign in 2017, Motherfolk will continue to play dates around the US before hitting the studio to work on whatâs to come in 2018!
The Glitch Mob with Special Guest Elohim - Presented by Opus One & PromoWest North Shore
Roots music legends, Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, have been friends for 30 years, but only recently realized they had never played music with each other before. So in 2017, Grammy winner Alvin and Grammy nominee Gilmore, decided to hit the highway to swap songs, tell stories, and share their life experiences.
Though Texas born Gilmore was twice named Country Artist of the Year by Rolling Stone, and California native Alvin first came to fame in the hard rocking rhythm and blues band The Blasters, they discovered that their musical roots in old blues and folk music are exactly the same. In these spontaneous shows, audiences enjoyed classic original compositions from the two, and also songs from a wide spectrum of songwriters and styles - from Merle Haggard to Sam Cooke to the Young Bloods.
Mutually energized and inspired by these performances, Dave and Jimmie agreed to hit the road again in 2018â¦this time with a full band and some new stories to share.
Too Many Zooz - The Zen Arcade Tour with Special Guests Joe Hertler and The Rainbow Seekers, Big Blitz
Too Many Zooz's manic music, dubbed "BrassHouse" by drummer King of Sludge, is an irresistible rocket that combines styles more diverse and far-flung than any international space station. As heard on the group's EPs -- F NOTE, Fanimals, Brasshouse Volume 1: Survival of the Flyest, The Internet, and the LP, Subway Gawdz -- Too Many Zooz creates a visceral smack-to-the-senses. TMZ's BrassHouse summons EDM, house, techno, and glitch, paired to the indigenous punch of Cuban, Afro-Cuban, Caribbean, and Brazilian Carnival rhythms. TMZ's music is further heightened by the dancing and saxophone soloing prowess of Pellegrino, virtually a bionic Pepper Adams. Like Nortec Collective mashed with Daft Punk by way of a mad sonic scientist, Too Many Zooz has conquered New York City -- your headset's resistance is futile.
"We pride ourselves that nearly every person of every color, creed and background and upbringing can find something in our music to relate to," Matt Doe says. "Someone from Cuba can say 'I hear Cuban music in the cowbells.' Someone into death metal will enjoy it next to a grandmother who hears it as old swing music. Others hear Klezmer. Whatever people want to hear in our music they can seemingly find it."
Many New Yorkers discovered Too Many Zooz at the Union Square subway station, where the trio began busking in 2014. After one of TMZ's videos went viral on Reddit, creating almost a million fans, sales of the band's digital downloads and CD sales skyrocketed.
"Horn players, especially baritone saxophone players, look so lame on stage!" Pellegrino notes. "I just watched an NBA half-time show and this band's horn players were killing my eyes. I wondered 'why does the horn have to be such a lame instrument visually?' I began dancing in the subway and people loved it. I realized that I had been brainwashed, all my teachers telling me not to move. I'd been told that was improper technique, but that became my key to success."
Too Many Zooz's songs are marvels of simplicity born of musical complexity. Pellegrino, Doe, and King of Sludge condense multiple -- what might be considered clashing styles -- into a riveting jackhammer brew. King of Sludge's staccato eighth-note rhythms performed on a unique bass drum/cowbell/jamblock/cymbal setup forms the music's gritty rhythmic bed. Matt Doe's trumpet provides melody and harmony, while Leo Pelligrino's saxophone follows rhythm directions and solo revelry.
"I don't like using standardized terms when describing our music," Matt explains. "We're all doing things that are out of the ordinary. I provide the synth sound you would hear in a dance track. Leo plays saxophone but he's also providing the bass sound you would hear in electronic music. When Leo solos, it's like a breakdown when the bass is the featured element of the band. I don't solo per se, but I am playing nearly the entire show. It doesn't make sense for me to play more!"
TMZ's seeds were formed when Indiana native King of Sludge, and Boston-born Pellegrino played in subway busking band, Drumadics. Fellow Manhattan School of Music classmate and Pittsburgh native Doe played in various ensembles with Pellegrino, the threesome eventually busking together by chance -- their chemistry sparking an instant bond.
"From the start, we were all bouncing off each other, listening to each other and not thinking too much," Doe says.
What's next for TMZ? The trio's upcoming EP will feature a rawer sound, the group returning to their original roots, and most likely, their original 14th Street subway station.
"When we began, it was just trumpet, saxophone and drums," Leo says. "Our first EP was pretty straight up, then we added production and guests and vocalists on Subway Gawdz. This next EP is back to our roots."
While those in a Tokyo karaoke bar may not have realized it, they were witnesses to a life-altering experience for four-year-old Bishop Briggs. As she sang her first song in public, Bishop fell instantly in love with performing, and her auspicious debut served not only as an indelible touchpoint, but also the initial indicator of an unmistakable identity.
Born to Scottish parents, raised in Japan and Hong Kong, immersed in American pop-culture, and having attended college in Hollywood, Bishop is a true world citizen. She began writing her own songs at the age of seven, and would perform these unfiltered observations about her life to a captive audience: her family. It is now recognized that this precociousness, coupled with her upbringing, would draw a clear line to who she would become.
During her early years in Los Angeles, Bishop hit the pavement; focused and on a clear mission, she was never too proud to play any venue that would have her, often to crowds smaller than would gather in her childhood living room. While many would have given up, not only was Bishop undeterred, but, through her perseverance, every challenge and obstacle provided her with much of the life experience that comes through in her music. Now fine-tuned as a performer, Bishop is an example of what happens when ability meets determination.
Her voice has grit and heft -- it is lived-in and unafraid -- putting her solidly in the lineage of female vocalists such as Janis Joplin, Florence Welch, Aretha Franklin, and Alabama Shakes' Brittany Howard. Like those who have left a mark before her, Bishop foregoes restraint and defies categorization, forging a path that is uniquely hers. Though she now sings her own songs in larger, crowded venues, Bishop still performs with the abandon and intimacy of someone addressing a handful of people in a small room. Deceptively composed, Bishop is often only a heartbeat away from howling with joy or being paralyzed by tears. The result is beyond inspiring, and promises to be as much of a transcendent experience for the audience as it is for Bishop.
"Wild Horses" and "River" are singles that present a rising artist who has spent years developing her craft. The emotions are timeless, the sounds are now; "River" juxtaposes the heartfelt, idiosyncratic soul of Jack Garratt and Hozier with the brash, brassy production of Yeezus or TNGHT. Composed in bedrooms, and destined for festival tents and arenas, Bishop claims her music comes from a place of sadness, though it might be more accurate to say it comes from a place of substance. While the words themselves are direct and precise, they encompass grand emotions which are deeply personal yet rendered in a way that invites listeners to project and examine their own experiences; isn't that what music is supposed to do?
What unequivocally distinguishes Bishop is there is no duality -- no difference between Bishop the person and Bishop the artist -- they are one in the same. There is no construct or persona, there's just her. Whether it is the defiance of "Wild Horses" or the rapture of "River," they are all inspired by what she calls "the biggest, most toxic and tragic love affair I've ever had": her lifelong commitment to music.
Bishop is not offering merely a piece of her heart -- she's giving you the whole thing.
Tracyanne & Danny (Tracyanne Campbell from Camera Obscura and Danny Coughlan from Crybaby) with Special Guest Lomelda
Tracyanne & Danny is a new collaborative project between singer-songwriters Tracyanne Campbell (Camera Obscura) and Danny Coughlan (Crybaby).
Tracyanne hails from Glasgow, Scotland. London-born Danny is based in Bristol, England.
Their paths first crossed in 2013 when introduced by mutual music industry pals. Tracyanne dug Dannyâs Crybaby album (released on Helium Records) and invited him to open some Camera Obscura shows in the UK.
Mutual artistic respect led to the swapping of song ideas, but tentative plans to work together were set aside while Camera Obscura wrote, recorded, released, and promoted their fifth album Desire Lines.
Following the death of Camera Obscuraâs Carey Lander, all band activity stopped. Time passed.
Tracyanne and Danny revisited the idea of collaborating.
A pool of songs were honed and crafted. On the suggestion of their manager (and Teenage Fanclub drummer) Francis Macdonald, they recorded at Clashnarrow, a studio in Helmsdale in the highlands of Scotland owned by the esteemed Edwyn Collins.
Sessions took place throughout 2016 and 2017. Edwyn co-produced along with engineer and multi-instrumentalist Sean Read (Dexys).
They had the use of Edwynâs vintage gear (including the guitar pedal which features on his global hit âA Girl Like Youâ) as they invoked a range of shared influences: The Roches, Dion, Lou Reed, The Flamingos, Serge Gainsbourg, Santo & Johnny, and The Style Council.
Edywn pops up with a guest vocal on first single âAlabama,â an intentionally âjoyousâ tribute to Tracyanneâs late friend and band mate Carey Lander.
Tracyanne & Danny is not a diverting curio or a wee stop on the road to someplace else. It is a shared artistic aesthetic, forged over time. They have figured out how to fit round each other and work together, creating a rewarding musical synergy. There will be more songs.
Meanwhile, they are looking forward to releasing and promoting the first fruits of their labors with live shows throughout UK, Europe, North America, and beyond.
Davina & The Vagabonds with Special Guest Robin & Bob
DAVINA SOWERS AND THE VAGABONDS have created a stir on the national music scene with their high-energy live shows, level A musicianship, sharp-dressed professionalism, and Sowersâ commanding stage presence. With influences ranging from Fats Domino and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to Aretha Franklin and Tom Waits, the band is converting audiences one show at a time, from Vancouver to Miami and across Europe. In 2011 Davina released her first full length, all original album Black Cloud . It was named one of the 10 best releases of the year by the Minneapolis Star & Tribune and awarded 4 ½ stars from Downbeat Magazine. Their next release in 2014, Sunshine, hit number 13 in the Billboard Blues Chart and led them to landing a performance on the hit BBC2 show, Later with Jools Holland.
DATVâs shows are filled with New Orleans charm, Memphis soul swagger, dark theatrical moments that evoke Kurt Weill, and tender gospel passages. Davinaâs voice and stage presence defy category in a different way. Davina has been compared to Etta James, Amy Winehouse, Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday and Betty Boop, but comparisons donât suffice: Sowers is a true original.
Bringing you 100 years of American music and Davinaâs originals, which lend themselves to the American Songbook, the band brings edgy nostalgia to older generations and fresh new music to younger ears. This rollicking quintet is held together by Sowersâ keyboard playing, with acoustic bass, drums, and a spicy trumpet and trombone horn section. The groupâs focused, clean sound and emphasis on acoustic instruments is novel to both blues and jazz worlds, and sets the show closer to New Orleans than to Chicago. This has set the Vagabonds apart at festivals in Thunder Bay, Ontario; Sighisoara, Romania; Sierre, Switzerland; Kemi, Finland; the 2012 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and 2013 Monterey Jazz Festival ( in 2014 was asked back to play their main stage in 2014, Vache de Blues in France, and North Sea Jazz Festival. Catch this one-of-a-kind live show while they are in town!
Cut Copy with Special Guest Sinkane - Presented by Opus One & 91.3 WYEP
It's hard to believe that Cut/Copy once only existed as an idea in the Melbourne bedroom of frontman Dan Whitford, who was at the time running a very successful local design studio and immersing himself in club culture by night, both in front of and behind the decks. Whitford's early blend of samples and newly learned instruments has since evolved into a full-fledged band with guitarist Tim Hoey, drummer Mitchell Scott, and bass player Ben Browning, with each member handling a multitude of instruments.
In the past decade, Cut/Copy has truly become an international act. Touring across the world, headlining massive sold-out shows, and slated on prime slots of prestigious festivals worldwide such as Coachella, Ultra Music Festival, and Lollapalooza in the US; Primavera in Spain, Pitchfork in Paris; Summer Sonic in Japan; and Big Day Out in Australia. They've released four critically praised albums and accumulated more than a thousand tour dates in the process, the great majority of which have been to sold out audiences.
Cut/Copy's high-energy live show is matched only by the beautiful complexity of their songs. They layer large swaths of melody, sections with dissonance, nods to many genres, and package them into coherent pop songs. The result can make large groups of people gather together and explode with joy. There is a Cut/Copy song for everyone, and their songs tend to be ageless -- suitable for both teenage angst and cocktail parties.
Each of their four records have garnered great critical acclaim, and Cut/Copy's catalog has won or been nominated for such prestigious awards as the GRAMMYs and the ARIAs, in addition to underground Awards such as the Webbies or the J Awards. Cut/Copy's diversity has also landed their songs into movies like 30 Minutes or Less and Savages, television shows such as Nip/Tuck and So You Think You Can Dance, video games including FIFA 12 and Madden, and ads for PlayStation, Blackberry, Levi's and Orange.
DJing and mixes have also been a big part of Cut/Copy's identity. From their famed Fabric mix, Fabriclive.29, to the release of 2014 Melbourne dance compilation Oceans Apart, Cut/Copy mixes are highly anticipated, often duplicated, and profoundly inimitable. Whitford and Hoey also perform as Cut/Copy DJs, and embarked on their first DJ tour in the summer of 2015. You'll still hear the Cut/Copy sound within the songs they include in their DJ sets, but they're known to include the best of underground dance music and perhaps-forgotten classics.
Cut/Copy is constantly full of surprises. With each album they've grown stronger as songwriters, performers, experimenters, and curators. As those who have been lucky enough to witness the ride can attest, it has been an amazing evolution for this Melbourne band and the journey is far from over.
Seth Tiven (Dumptruck) with Special Guest Hank the Businessman
Veteran singer/songwriter guitarist Seth Tiven is spotlighting his talents with a new self-produced CD, fittingly titled Solitude. Purely by coincidence, Rykodisc recently released a collection of some of Dumptruckâs best music titled Haul of Fame, covering several decades of Tivenâs music career.
Co-founder of the â80s college radio darlings, Dumptruck, Tiven got his start playing music in the New Haven and Boston indie-rock scene. His first band, Saucers, included drummer Mark Mulcahy, who went on to be singer of the now-defunct Miracle Legion, and bass player, Craig Bell, who had previously been in the Cleveland proto-punk band Rocket From the Tombs, which spawned the legendary punk group the Dead Boys and art-punk pioneers Pere Ubu.
Tiven was born and raised in Connecticut. He received his bachelorâs of arts in music in 1980 from Wesleyan University in Middletown. In 1981 he moved to Boston, and in 1983 formed Dumptruck with Kirk Swan. Mulcahy was the bandâs first drummer. Dumptruck performed and recorded in Boston for eight years, often featured on college radio stations and garnering favorable reviews. In 1984 the band released D is for Dumptruck. Positively Dumptruck followed in 1986. After a year of extensive touring in support of Positively Dumptruck, Swan left the band and moved to L.A. to pursue a solo career. The following year saw the release of the bandâs bestselling effort, For the Country. While touring in support of the record, a bitter legal dispute between the band and its former record label began to brew. The band would later defeat the suit, but the litigation kept Dumptruck from signing a major label deal. Dumptruck was left idling until the band eventually fell apart in 1991.
That year, Tiven moved to Austin. âI got sick of winter,â he says. In Austin, Tiven and his ex-wife, violinist Amy Farris, played as a husband-wife duo. He also played in a variety of bands, including Blind Willieâs Johnson with singer/guitarist Mick Buck and Jean Caffeineâs All-Night Truckstop. In 1995, Tiven reconstituted Dumptruck from his Austin headquarters with a local lineup. The resurrected Dumptruck released three more albums. The first, Days of Fear, was originally recorded in 1991 in Boston, and was finally released in 1995 by Unclean Records. Meanwhile, Tiven subsidized his music career by working in the high-tech industry.
In the making for three years, Solitude features old songs Dumptruck had tried, âbut they didnât fit the Dumptruck mold exactly,â Tiven says. Half way through recording the self-released Solitude, Tiven decided the project felt more like a solo recording than a band record. All basic tracks were done in the studio, but all overdubs were recorded by Tiven in different locations. The resulting songs have a more carefree quality without losing the edginess that defined Dumptruck. âBelieve,â âSalad Daysâ and âSome Brighter Daysâ were approached differently with fresh ideas. Swan sang backing vocals on those songs and on a lot of the new material. Old and new songs feature guest players on certain tracks. Ian McLagan of Faces/Small Faces fame plays piano and organ on three songs. Jimmy Ryan of Bostonâs Blood Oranges added mandolin tracks to several songs. Tiven brought in Austin clarinetist Ben Saffer to bring a different flavor to several tracks. âI approached Solitude with less of a preconceived notion about what things should sound like,â Tiven says.
In 2004 a SXSW showcase brought Swan and Tiven together again. That led to another reunion gig with Swan in Lawrence, Kansas, the following year. When playing with Swan, Tiven says, he was reminded that the two create the essence of Dumptruck. The band lives on when Swan and Tiven collaborate. The two recorded basic tracks for a new CD in March 2007, and hope to finish it by the end of the year. âThat lineup and dynamics is more of what Dumptruck is,â Tiven says.
Kuinka with Special Guests Ryan Hoffman and the Pioneers and The Living Street
Described by NPR Music as joyous folk pop, Kuinka "laces modern folk and Americana with an electronic jolt, waltzing along the grooved edges of dream-pop, synth-pop, and Brooklynâs mid-aughts guitar-rock revival" (Vanyaland). Their genre-defying music features several different lead singers, four-part harmony, and eclectic instrumentation including cello, banjo, synthesizers, ukulele and electronic percussion. For all of their sonic experimentation, the Seattle quartet's songs and live shows are linked by an infectious energy that remains present in everything they do. Their new EP Stay Up Late is available now on Spotify, iTunes, and at www.kuinkatheband.com.
"Kuinka crafts songs that are engaging and original with a proper amount of established canon and innovation. Stories are laced through the lyrics, there are celebrations as well as lamentationsâthere is synth and cello! It is such a wonderful thing to hear a sound you've adored for so long ameliorated like this, with nothing missing, only new possibilities added to the mix." -Paste Music & Daytrotter
"Seraphic vocals bookended by ukulele, cello, and heavy percussion will leave you feeling giddy and glad to be alive." -The Stranger
***SOLD OUT*** Mick Foley - Twenty Years of Hell Tour
Climb on board the âTWENTY YEARS OF HELLâ tour for a thrill ride TWENTY YEARS in the making - as Mick Foley, professional wrestlingâs hardcore legend, takes audiences along for an in-depth look at the most famous match of his hall-of-fame career - and perhaps, the most talked about match in sports-entertainment history. With his trademark blend of wit and wisdom, wildness and warmth that shot two of his memoirs to the top of The New York Times best-seller list, Foley will use every tool in his arsenal - dozens of classic promos, hundreds of hours onstage, thousands of matches, and almost a MILLION published words - to weave a spell-binding web of stories, designed to take fans along on a journey back to June 28, 1998 - the night of the infamous âHell in a Cellâ match. It was the night that Foley somehow survived two spine rattling falls off of, and through the ominous Cell structure, shrugged off a stint of unconsciousness, and finished the match with a front tooth lodged in his nose. Finding humor in the most unlikely of places, âTWENTY YEARS OF HELLâ brings the laughs, but is much more than just a comedic one-man show. He will make you feel like you are thereâ¦RIGHT THERE - in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, watching history write itself. By equal turns laugh out loud funny, stunningly surreal and heart wrenchingly real, âTWENTY YEARS OF HELLâ is a once in a lifetime chance to hear wrestlingâs finest story-teller talking about the night he walked down an aisle a wrestler, and walked away a legend.
Each show begins with Mickâs recollections of wrestling in the town he is performing in and will conclude with a candid 30-45 minute Q&A where all subjects are fair game.
(Late Show) The Rainbow Ends (CD Release Show) with Voodoo Circuit and B.B. Guns. Hosted by Alonna Breisch.
Nick Barilla
While social media numbers and blue verification check marks might define success for some; the pursuit of happiness and inspiring otherâs to do what they love describe Nick Barillaâs blueprint for success in a constantly changing music industry. Since turning his passion for music into a career in 2016, his soulful-pop sounds and honest lyric writing have been positively influencing audiences all over the country. He has shared the stage with a list of artists that include: Aaron Carter, Howie Day, American Idol winners Kris Allen and Lee Dewyze, as well as Elliot Yamin, Kina Grannis and more! In addition, his original music has received commercial song placement on AT&T Sports Network in consecutive years for the Pittsburgh Pirates; as well as other radio stations and media outlets both locally and nationally. Never straying from his humble beginnings, his relatable stories and soulful sounds have continued to inspire people from all walks of life no matter what stage he is performing on!
Marie Miller
When Marie Miller writes a song, she does what all gifted writers do: She looks at her life and into her heart to make sure what she creates comes from real emotion and experience.
She also does something none of peers likely do: she searches through classic literature, whether it be Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy or Homer. There, she finds parallels for what she wants to say, channels that inspiration into her lyrics and comes up with something unique: Music thatâs immediate and timeless, driven by feelings all listeners can relate to yet infused with a perspective that transcends the present.
âI have a song called âStoryâ on my new album,â she explains, referencing Letterbox, scheduled for release in the spring of 2017 on Curb Records. âIt brings in a lot of epic characters: Heathcliff and Catherine from Wuthering Heights, Hectorâs wife Andromache from The Iliad. Iâve always loved epic stories â Anna Karenina, The Brothers Karamazov, Crime and Punishment â because theyâre filled with relationships that are super serious and dramatic. Sometimes I feel like Iâm right there in the midst of them.â
Yet Letterbox is no droning lecture on literature. Itâs a celebration of freedom. Miller has paid plenty of dues to get to the point where she feels she can write what she wants how she wants to, and sing without constraint. Still young, she has survived years in the music business. She impacted initially with the infectious, âYouâre Not Alone.â More than 115,000 downloaded that single on Amazon. ABCâs Dancing with the Stars featured her second single, â6â2,â in 2014.
Thatâs a success story for sure, one that Miller is grateful to have had. Still, she realized that this was only the first of many steps she needed to take to achieve her goals.
Much more than literature feeds into Millerâs unfettered performance on Letterbox. First and most enduring is the foundation she received from being born into a family that loved and performed music. They gravitated toward bluegrass and cultivated Marieâs obvious talent through lessons with banjo virtuoso Murphy Henry. Around age 12 she began singing with her family and later with her sister as a duo, appearing at churches, festivals, community picnics and, every Saturday, on the porch of the winery her father and a partner had opened in rural Virginia, across the road from the Miller family home.
Miller also began writing songs when she was about 12 years old. âThe first one I started performing was an original melody and lyrics based on a poem Iâd read in Lord of the Rings,â she says, with a grin. âI was really into American music at the time â the kind of music youâd hear in a Ken Burns documentary, the peopleâs music, the storytelling of bluegrass and Irish music. I was attracted initially to the New Grass artists, like Nickel Creek and Alison Krauss and mainly Chris Thile. She pauses and then laughs, a little embarrassed. âI was actually 100 percent certain when I was 14 that Chris Thile and I were going to get married someday.â Miller then found herself diving into the lyrics and melodies from the likes of The Eagles to Stevie Wonder to modern hitmaker Sara Bareilles. This wide range of influences impacted her music making when she signed with Curb Records in Nashville at the age of 16 where she fulfilled her dream to write songs. âI began my life as a traveling musician then,â she says. âI love performing, but it was so uncomfortable to be 16 or 17 and have everybody telling me what to do. I remember one time five people criticized what I was wearing. When youâre 17 years old youâre uncomfortable with yourself already, so to have a bunch of old people talk to you about your clothes, it was just really weird.â
Discouraged, Miller returned to Virginia. She took time off from music, went to college for a while, but kept practicing and writing. With a new confidence, she eventually went back to Nashville. Before long she had made her mark in music. And from there, we come to this pivotal moment in her story.
Working with producers Eric Rosse (Sara Bareillis, Tory Amos) and Chad Copelin, Miller moved decisively into a new creative milieu with Letterbox. Begin with the title. âItâs from the Beatlesâ song âAcross the Universe,ââ she points out, and then sings the John Lennon lyric: âThoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letterbox.â
Why do these words speak to her? âI still write letters to my friends and to my grandparents and to my boyfriends ⦠when I have them,â she says, smiling. âIâve discovered that sometimes, when you want to say something, you just canât. Itâs too awkward. So Letterbox is about how I love to write letters but itâs also radically relational, about friendships, parents, a child or romance. Itâs about how we affect each other as people.â
Miller describes the songs on Letterbox as âalmost literal letters to people in my life. âGlitter Gold,â âBoardwalkâ and âAngelineâ are like letters you leave on someoneâs doorstep â teenage, broken-heart messages. âMoreâ is a letter that you never sent. âStones You Throwâ is about how the world feels ripples from every little thing we say or do, whether we like it or not. We live constantly in the ripples of other peopleâs actions, whether theyâre from love or hatred.â
The albumâs exultant first single, âThis Side of Paradise,â which Miller describes as âhopeful and daringâ ⦠the promise to wait, in the language of many a folk song, for âthe day that I see my own true love againâ on âLonely Endsâ ⦠compelling imagery, vocals that whisper and soar, from a lover âLost at Seaâ ⦠Every moment on Letterbox rings true and lingers afterwards, like a memory or a passage from a favorite book.
This is the true Marie Miller, breathing in all that life has to offer and crafting it with her own sense of hope, wonder and enchantment.
And, in case youâre wondering, âNow, if people tell me what to wear or what to say, I just totally ignore them.â
She laughs out loud. It feels good to be free. It feels good to share that freedom through music. With Letterbox, we savor it all, as if delivered to us alone, from a friend not so far away.
(Late Show) Antz Marching - A Tribute to Dave Matthews
Celebrate we will.....â Antz Marching was formed when a gathering of like-minded musicians came together with the hopes of recreating the essence of a Dave Matthews Band live performance. Antz Marching is comprised of 6 members, each of which has been involved in the professional musical scene for the majority of their career. Serving as veterans of the local Pittsburgh music scene, Antz Marching provide Dave Matthews fans a live experience, channeling the music, energy, passion and artistry of the original band.
Additionally, Antz Marching includes an acoustic duo set mirroring the intimate and enchanting ambience of Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds. The acoustic set of Antz Marching features Matthewâs unconventional chord changes and inspiring lyrics performed by guitarist/singer Vee Sharma, and violinist Heather Pinson interprets the fast and furious musicianship of Tim Reynolds. The duet is a must see event, and welcomes all to âcelebrate we will.â
Kinky Friedman's Circus of Life Tour with Special Guest Brian Molnar
Doors will open an hour early at 6pm for extended kitchen service. Come have dinner with us before the show!
KINKY FRIEDMAN'S CIRCUS OF LIFE TOUR
The Kinkster Walks The Highwire With Release Of His All New CD
(Austin) At long last, Kinky Friedmanâs second musical act begins. With the proclamation that it âis what music was, before it came homogenized, trivialized and sanitized,â Kinky is dropping his first all new cd of original tunes in four decades. Called Circus Of Life, it presents a side of Kinky that few would have suspected in the halcyon days of the Texas Jewboys, laying perhaps legit claim to the title, âThe Leonard Cohen of Texas.â
And on July 3rd, he will be releasing it on his own terms and on his own Echo Hill Records label. A monster summer tour will follow in June, July, and August. Yep, Kinky is finally doing it his way. Harking to his early years, he has chosen to ignore the Nashville ethos, that all must be concertedly âradio friendly,â sweetened, and over-produced. What he and producer Brian Molnar have delivered is simply one of the most beautiful albums of this year or any other. The first single, Autographs In The Rain (Song To Willie) is already in heavy rotation on SiriusXM Outlaw Country, and there are at least four more top shelf A sides.
Speaking of Brian Molnar, he will be touring as Kinkyâs opening act for most, if not all shows, promoting his new cd, Within Blue, also on the Echo Hill Records imprint. Kinky and Brian have worked a number of tours together and now deliver a seamless performance, opener to headliner.
It started with a call from Willie (Nelson, of course), who asked Kinky what he was doing at that moment. Kinky answered truthfully that he was watching Matlock, the old TV chestnut, to which Willie replied, âThat is a sure sign of depression, Kinky. Turn Matlock off and start writing.â
Kinky did just that and started writing the songs he hadnât written or even contemplated for decades, tunes like Jesus In Pajamas, Me And My Guitar, and A Dog Named Freedom. After writing several songs, Kinky called Willie to let him know how successful his advice had been. When Kinky asked Willie how he was doing, Willie replied, âA little up, a little down. By the way Kinky, what channel is Matlock on?â The Circus Of Life, by way of Matlock. Via Willie.
With Joe Cirotti on multiple instruments, and Mickey Raphael, Augie Meyers, Original Jewboy Little Jewford, Clay Meyers and Jim Beal providing amazing grace notes, not a single track on the album fails to reach its very high mark. Kinky may âjust have to stick with songwritingâ after all. To verify this, heâs taking it on the road, for one of the longest, most comprehensive tours of his storied career. After flash mob-style appearances in Galveston, Houston and Nacogdoches, TX, the Circus Of Life Tour begins in earnest in Pittsburgh, and rumor has it that it will continue on forever. Yes, the second act has begun. May it never end.
Dan Baird & Homemade Sin with Special Guest Bill Toms and Hard Rain
Dan Baird is a singer-songwriter, musician and producer best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist from the chart-topping 80âs rock band The Georgia Satellites. Baird formed The Georgia Satellites in 1980 and the group ultimately released the self-titled debut Georgia Satellites on Elektra. Their most successful release; the album featured the track "Keep Your Hands to Yourselfâ which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and went into heavy rotation on MTV.
Baird left the band in 1990 to pursue a solo career and released his first solo album, Love Songs for the Hearing Impaired, in October 1992. "I Love You Periodâ, a single from the album, charted and peaked at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100. A follow up single "The One I Am" charted and peaked at #13 on Billboard's "Album Rock Tracksâ chart.
In 2005, Baird began touring and recording with his band, Homemade Sin which today features two ex-members of The Georgia Satellites, Baird and drummer Mauro Magellan, along with bassist Micke Nilsson and guitarist Warner E. Hodges (of Jason & the Scorchers).
Known for their blazing high-energy live shows, Homemade Sin performs a mixture of Baird's solo material in addition to the hits and fan favorites from his years with the Georgia Satellites. The band has built a solid name and touring history across the UK and Europe.
RSVP