Dec 2nd, 2008 · Arliss Parker is really Chris Parker, a former Colorado resident turned Brooklyn transplant. After arriving in New York in 2006, Parker dove into his music, transforming his acoustic guitar compositions into folktronica pieces, using toy keyboards, glockenspiel and any other random instrument he came across. The result became his recent debut EP, Handsome Like a Lion.
Dec 2nd, 2008 · Normally, The Gaslight Anthem performs as a four-piece rock band, but in a session from KEXP, frontman Brian Fallon came alone with an acoustic guitar. Fallon opened up about his songs and what it means to abandon adolescence, both as a performer and as a person.
Nov 21st, 2008 · Singer-songwriter Karla Adolphe and percussionist Caleb Friesen make up the Manitoba-based duo Jacob & Lily. On their recent Mountain Stage appearance, the two show off Adolphe's powerful, passionate voice and steady guitar strumming, along with Friesen's meticulous and driving rhythmic work.
Nov 21st, 2008 · Guitarist Mimi Fox is a rising star, invigorating the jazz guitar tradition. With an amazing set of chops and a crystal pure tone, Fox cooks whether playing bebop or ballads. She plays an original and tears it up on a Cole Porter tune with McPartland and bassist Gary Mazzaroppi.
Nov 19th, 2008 · Recorded at his home in Lyon, France with little more than an acoustic guitar and hand claps to accompany his vocals, Francois Virot's full-length debut, Yes or No, is indeed spare. But don't expect a typical singer-songwriter CD. Yes or No is lyrically rich, brimming with personality and charm, and produced with surprising layers of vocals and guitars that create a warm and vibrant sonic landscape.
Nov 17th, 2008 · Australians Kate Cooper and Damon Cox make up An Horse. The two recently released their full-length debut, Rearrange Beds, on which they tackle a simple enough formula: drums, electric guitar, and failed relationships for lyrical fodder. It's dangerous territory for some bands. It's easy to turn those ingredients into melodrama or an exercise in the trite. But An Horse uses its confessional lyrics to create 10 immediately recognizable tunes, with toe-tapping beats. It's a combination that led the duo to opening spots on tours with Death Cab for Cutie and Tegan & Sara.
Nov 14th, 2008 · There were great rock drummers before Mitch Mitchell, and there were even better drummers after him. But Mitchell's jazz-influenced drumming was just as indispensable as Hendrix's guitar in The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Mitchell was found dead in his hotel room early Wednesday. He was 61.
Nov 10th, 2008 · Alexander Tucker got his start in the early 1990s in a hardcore band called Suction. Later he played synths in a space-rock group in Detroit. These days he lives in the U.K. where he writes and records as a solo artist. Tucker recently released his third album, Portal, through the London-based ATP Recordings. It's a rich mix of styles, featuring the finger-picking folk of Tucker's guitar, along with psychedelic rock, drones, detuned guitars, and sound loops.