Man or Astroman?

As Austin, Texas, prepares to be overrun by musicians from around the world for this year's South by Southwest, Joe Belock makes life a little simpler by offering his Top 10 acts to check out during SXSW.

Continue reading "JOE BELOCK'S SXSW 2010 PREVIEW" »

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Southern Gothic (EMI/Virgin), the debut album by the style-blending Atlanta-based collective The Constellations, won’t be released until June 22. But curious music listeners can get a taste of the album by visiting the Constellations site or, better yet, by checking out the band (which tours as a five-piece unit) at one of its many scheduled shows during South by Southwest.

Leader Elijah Jones took a few minutes to discuss the making Southern Gothic, the music scene in Atlanta and what's on his shortlist of things to do while in Austin, Texas.

Continue reading "SXSW PREVIEW: THE CONSTELLATIONS" »

Posted by Medleyville at 04:16 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Matthew Ryan gets creative with his own label, new video collection

One man's early leak of a new album is another man's staggered release. Singer/songwriter Matthew Ryan prefers the latter to describe the fall 2009 digital distribution of his latest, Dear Lover (Dear Future Collective), that preceded the mid-February arrival of the physical product in retail outlets.

Whether talking about the thought process behind the two-part release of Dear Lover, why he started his own label or explaining the story arc that runs through the new album, Ryan is not at a loss for words.

Continue reading "TAKING CONTROL" »

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Jimi Hendrix, Texas Tornados, Old Man Luedecke and The Postelles

* Jimi Hendrix -- Valleys of Neptune (Experience Hendrix/Legacy)

Each new posthumous Jimi Hendrix release makes it seem entirely possible that whenever the man plugged in his guitar, a tape machine was rolling to capture whatever he played.

Continue reading "QUICK SPINS: March 2010" »

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The 88 hits the road with Ray Davies

Only time will tell if the rumored Kinks reunion tour will become a reality. Meanwhile, leader Ray Davies hit the road recently with a very capable band in The 88 backing him on classic Kinks songs.

The Los Angeles-based quartet may not be a household name, but its music has made its way into households nationwide via song placements in various network TV shows (such as CBS' How I Met Your Mother and NBC's Community) and through performances on late-night TV talk shows (among them Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Last Call With Carson Daly).

Singer/guitarist Keith Slettedahl recently talked about how The 88 landed the opening/backing spot on the Davies tour, the value of distributing music through TV shows, movies and commercials and what it was like for his band record an entire song using an Apple iPhone.

Continue reading "A KINKY COLLABORATION" »

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Minimalism makes for an intriguing project

For his daring all-covers album, Scratch My Back (EMI), Peter Gabriel reworks classic as well as lesser-known works, and the former Genesis frontman does so with good intentions.

The end result is a grand success and noble failure at the same time.

Continue reading "PETER GABRIEL -- SCRATCH MY BACK" »

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Newseum examines Elvis Presley's impact on popular culture

Jet-black dyed hair, long sideburns, frenzied performances, flashy clothes, innovative music, mediocre movies -- when Elvis Presley's name is mentioned, these are some of the things that immediately come to mind.

But don’t forget about freedom of expression, censorship and massive media exposure.

In its exhibit Elvis! His Groundbreaking, Hip-Shaking, Newsmaking Story, the Newseum in Washington, D.C., takes an all-encompassing look at Presley's personal life, career and overall impact on popular culture.

Continue reading "AN EXHIBIT FIT FOR A KING" »

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