It took me awhile to get around to this band from Denver, but I can tell indie-rock act Medic is going to be staying in my head for some time to come. As I listen to this band, there are two words that come to mind: passion and promise. The passion part is because...
Sometimes the best opportunities come from the oddest circumstances. While major news outlets were obsessing over Morrissey’s recent snub of Jimmy Kimmel because he didn’t want to share the show with Duck Dynasty, only a few were paying attention to the band quietly tapped to fill the opening slot on Kimmel’s show last night:...
This one falls under the category of I-don’t-know-why-more-people-don’t-know-this-band. (It also falls under the category of I-should-have-known-about-them-sooner.) Anyhow, a few months ago, Alabama-based indie-folk band Fire Mountain shared their EP Of the Dust with me, and alas, amid tackling the learning curve of a huge new writing project, it didn’t get listened to before now....
Continuing our preview of Denver locals featured at this year’s Underground Music Showcase (which starts TOMORROW! WOOT!)… Denver pop/rock songstress Rachel James has been quite busy lately. Since releasing some great new songs last fall (0ne of which made my top picks for 2011), Rachel has launched a new act called Rachel and the...
As the Denver Post Underground Music Showcase approaches, I’m highlighting a few of my favorite local acts that I think you should come out and see. I first profiled The Raven and the Writing Desk here in January 2011, and their overall sound and vibe has continued to evolve since then. Loosely falling...
In gearing up for this year’s Underground Music Showcase in Denver, I’ll be previewing a few of my favorite local acts here over the next couple of days. I first wrote about Take to the Oars here in February 2011, reviewing their album American Volume. Since that time, I’ve seen had the privilege of...
Hailing from Cincinnati, OH, indie-rock duo Bad Veins is one of those acts that doesn’t necessarily sound like you’d expect them to. Perhaps part of the reason is that this “duo” is more like a “trio”: there’s lead vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist Benjamin Davis; there’s drummer Sebastien Schultz; and then there’s “Irene,” a reel-to-reel tape recorder the...
One of the things I love about music blogging is when I come across “hidden treasures”–bands with a unique vibe and memorable sound that not many people know about–but should. In my view, Brooklyn-based Palomino is one of those bands. Citing influences from late 70′s/early 80′s post-punk, this 3-piece band has a raw, sparse...
When the Fairfax, VA-based band Escape the Armada hit me up to listen to their recent release Monsters, I have to tell you that I didn’t know what to expect–but I didn’t expect this. It’s a great blend of powerpop, rock, electro, dance and even rap–pretty much everything that makes pop music “popular” these...
I love these hidden gems. St. Leonards is an alt-rock band from Sydney, Australia, whom I’d never heard of until a couple of days ago when I was catching up on my email. Listening to the title track from their recently released EP World Alone, I was instantly riveted. Literally with the first breath...
