New album you should listen to:
Delta Spirit – Into the Wide
It drops on September 9th. If you are unfamiliar with this San Diego – now NYC – band, check out 2010’s excellent History From Below. Lead singer Matthew Vasquez‘s distinctive vocals carry the day, but the song arrangements themselves are deeply layered without being busy, conveying an almost gospel type feeling at times.
Do it.
Friday, September 5th
Washed Out at the Granada in Lawrence
If you’ve ever watched an episode of the hilariously satirical Portlandia, then you’ve already enjoyed a bit of Ernest Green’s (aka Washed Out) downtempo electronica. His tune, Feel it All Around, is the punchy, shimmering theme song as the credits shift from 30-somethings skateboarding, to bearded dudes smoking hand rolled cigarettes and riding bicycles. This is an all ages show that I expect to be packed, so get your advance $15 tickets here.
Buzz Beach Ball at Sporting Park
The latest installment of 96.5 The Buzz’s concert series features a pretty cool lineup. The headliners are the Arctic Monkeys, followed by Weezer and the grossly poppy The 1975. But I’m most pumped for J. Roddy Walston and the Business, the Virginia swamp rock band that owes a little bit to bands like My Morning Jacket and Delta Spirit. Lead man J. Roddy leads the charge with his manic banging on the piano, while his backing band delivers crunchy guitar to match his howling vocals. When I saw these guys for the first time at Wakarusa in June, I tabbed them as one of the best of the fest.
Check out the Cherub all ages show at the Bottleneck on September 18….If you’re unfamiliar with them, here’s a sample: http://www.vimeo.com/47066822