Last Friday I made my substitute teaching debut so I apologize for being late on my new indie music spotlight list. I have an abundance of awesome indie music from all over the genre board sitting in my inbox but below are some of my most recent top picks.
I’ll be back with another list later in the week.
Links and info about each artist below.
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Steve Salter – Exquisite Planet
Steve Salter created the Gleaming record with the idea that the guitar can “sing” songs in its own voice, without the album becoming a shred-fest of technical skills against backing tracks. With so much music being defined and judged largely by lyrical content, Gleaming strips away words and their meanings to leave just the music as the emotional vehicle. The opening 16 bars of Salt of This Earth were inspired by a biker fan of Steve’s that had a magical way of dancing while holding a mug full of draft beer. This spawned the saying “what can’t be put into words…should be put into guitar notes”.
Gleaming was produced by Grammy-Winning Chuck Alkazian and also features Jason M. Hartless on drums…who will tour with Ted Nugent this summer.
The Captain Ledge Band – Threadbare
This is what happens when Bob Marley and Americana Roots music are combined. Throw in a good dose of Pink Floyd for style along with 80’s hair band energy and you’ve got The Captain Ledge Band.
SUMif – Every Ring (Zombie Love)
SUMif is the electro-pop moniker of Steph Wells, who traded in her acoustic guitars for midi controllers on a mission to share her all time favorite experience with others – dancing her face off with friends at shows.
After graduating from NYU with a degree in Music Business, Steph moved to Nashville, TN to chase the songwriter’s dream in Music City. Though after a year in Nashville and hundreds of songs later, the LA native realized neither the South nor country music were her thing, so she ventured back out West, settling in San Francisco, where she currently resides.
Nick Byrne – Through The Tall Grass
Driven by a desire to create something lasting and beautiful, Nick Byrne has created his ‘Through The Tall Grass’ EP. Various lyrical symbols work their way onto the 5-song offering, many based on distinct visual memories. With his live performance, the music takes on an emotive, intimate tone, as seen supporting the likes of Adam Barnes, Spring Offensive & The Lion & The Wolf.
antrru – Мрамори
‘Мрамори‘ (read as ‘Mramory’) is a debut long play album by St. Petersburg-based producer Anton Kiltsov. Album title has a hidden meaning: ‘Мрамори’ is a made up word consisting of two Russian words: ‘мрамор’ (marble) and ‘море’ (sea). It’s something firm and age-old like a rock, and changeable like a sea at the same time.
Lyrics are full of abstractions and sea metaphors, as well as self-reflection and thoughts about society.
“It was really hard for me to write lyrics in my native language — Russian, it was a great challenge for me. At the start I was thinking of getting back to English.”
When questioned if it was easy or hard to record the album he says:
“Neither one thing nor the other. All I can say now, having it finished, is that I feel as if I graduated from the university. I feel ease.”
According to him the best songs are always written straight off, during several hours. That’s exactly the songs contained in ‘Мрамори’.
Pema – Not Looking For Love
Pema is the strange new musical baby coming from Alex Cohen, front woman of Austin-based quartet Alex Napping. Cohen claims to have developed her latest persona on the stage of a local karaoke bar stating, “You can find Pema there most Tuesday nights.” A stark divergence from the guitar-driven indie rock of Alex Napping, Pema is a confident first step for Cohen into the world of electronic pop.
Bay Station Band – Going Doing
California-based songwriters Deborah Crooks and Kwame Copeland hail from Alameda, an island on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay, and the historic “Bay Station” rail stop from which they take their name. A landscape with rich coastal and geographical influences, just a short commute from downtown San Francisco, Alameda was once crisscrossed with thriving railroad lines and busy shipyards. Faded industry now giving rise to revitalization, it’s the shore upon which Bay Station is standing, the lens of their perspective, deeply reflected in their Americana crafted tunes. Drawing upon their collective literary chops and post-punk and twang tendencies, Crooks and Copeland released Your Own Reaction (under their former name, KCDC), a 10-song collection of Americana and rock, in 2014. Now with their follow-up recording, Go Out and Make Some (March8th 2016) they hit their stride with at true melting pot of original Americana, blues, jazz and rock infused songs about love, lust, sandy beaches, dusty roads, wandering holy men, wolf birds and more.
Eli & the Itches – Haunt Me
“Haunt Me” came together in a completely different way than “What A Funny Feeling”. What you hear on the record is actually the original demo of me playing everything, recorded in a bedroom. We ran everything through Jason Hiller’s equipment to beef it up, Producer Luther Russell (Weezer, Those Pretty Wrongs) added a vital tambourine, and I recut the vocal. Lyrically, this song couldn’t be further from autobiographical. It’s sung from the perspective of a man is convinced he’s in an s&m relationship with the ghost of a victorian woman. He feels like he’s falling for her but is also aware that due to the complicated nature of their relationship, it will never be more than what it currently is. It’s left open ended as to whether this is really happening or if the guy is just off his rocker and handcuffing himself to his bed every night.
Color Out – Anything but Everything
Fast forward to 2014, I moved to Chicago and joined a band called Vandalay. I spent the next 8 months with them writing and touring and getting a lot of on stage experience. After 8 months I decided to go my own and form Color Out. I really felt that I was writing some of the best material in my life and it didn’t really fit the sound Vandalay was going for.
I am really proud of this EP and I think it really showcases a diverse sound. There are really heavy songs with screaming and then there are really soft songs with acoustic guitars and strings. When I write a song I really try to make it relatable. I think anyone that listens to these songs can relate to them in some way or another. I am really influenced by emotional rock, not only with lyrics but with the music as well and I hope that is captured with the EP.
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