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Artists! Submit your material for consideration for review! Send your press kits and CDs to:
Music Monthly
2807 Goodwood Road
Balto., MD 21214
Phone: 410-254-6400
Fax:
musicmonthly@comcast.net
Greg Yost
Getaway Car is easily one of the hottest D.C. area bands right now and its new album, All Your Little Pieces, is one of the best local releases of the year so far and is sure to generate national interest in the band. With studio direction from Jeff Juliano, a producer that has worked with artists like John Mayer, Lifehouse and Jason Mraz, Getaway Car has created a masterful piece of power pop – complete with the usual range of emotions that come with tales of love and loss. Not only is the songwriting and playing top-notch, but the overall production has a sheen usually associated with major label releases.
Getaway Car is the definition of a power pop trio with Todd Wright, Chris Reardon and Matt Micelli crunching out high-octane guitar riffs along with harmonies and choruses that induce a lot of head bobbing and humming after only one listen to All Your Little Pieces. While these guys could definitely have a future on the national music scene right alongside pop torchbearers like Fountains Of Wayne and Matthew Sweet, the band is currently planted firmly in the D.C. region. The band maintains a solid local touring schedule in clubs and bars around the region, so if you want to see some of the best local pop music, check out Getaway Car….
Putumayo World Music is one of the most exciting record labels I’ve come across in quite some time. With a catalog that boasts collections featuring the best traditional and contemporary music from the far reaches of the planet, Putumayo literally has the world of music in the palm of its hands.
Recent releases from the label like North African Groove, Afro-Latin Party and Mali demonstrate the true scope and depth of the label by giving the listener a broad sampling of the artists that pioneered the music in the region, as well as the new artists that will carry-on these musical traditions into the future.
On any given release, you might find songs from three or more different languages. This is based on the cultural diversity of the region and helps the listener to grasp the true identity of the people that define the country or geographical region. Another great aspect of Putumayo releases is the extensive liner notes that come in the packaging. Each contributing artist is highlighted with full biographical information and there are always extensive descriptions of the region featured – making these albums as educational as they are entertaining. If you would like to broaden your musical horizons without leaving home, look no further then Putumayo and its ever-expanding catalog of releases from around the world….
Ron Warren is one of the few practitioners of Native American flute music in the region. While his skill with the flute is undeniable, it is his ability to take this traditional acoustic instrument and apply it to new genres like rock, jazz and folk that makes Warren and his latest album Dancing the Full Moon memorable.
Warren, accompanied by a group of proficient studio musicians, adds the unique sound of his flute to these original compositions, adding a very contemporary feel to the ancient tones of the instrument. But some of the best songs on Dancing the Full Moon are found at the end of the recording.
Warren plays solo flute on the final four compositions on the album, all part of the “Night Visions” series. These four songs, named after different color dreams, are haunting and mysterious and serve as a showcase for Warren’s true talent. I have to admit that I haven’t had the opportunity to review many Native American flute recordings, but this exemplary album by Ron Warren will be the standard by which I judge them in the future….
Pennsylvania’s Tar Beach is the latest jam-influenced band to come onto the scene but it avoids being lost in the shuffle by creating some nice music and new sounds. Think what would happen if the laid-back sounds of the Dave Matthews Band were mixed with Nickel Creek’s free-form mix of pop and bluegrass and you would begin to understand what Tar Beach is all about.
Though the band’s music is a lot more complex and subtle than my brief description, you get the idea that these guys are not just another run-of-the-mill band. Earlier this year the band released Theep, a short, six-song sampler that shows what this band is about. All the songs were good and “Tall Grass,” with its rollicking and funky rhythm was my favorite. Though I would love to hear more from Tar Beach, these few songs will have to do for now….
Iris Ann Hirsch claims to be only One Small Voice on her new album, but that simply isn’t the case. Hirsch’s booming voice is anything but diminutive as she powers through 13 songs on the CD.
Hirsch has a voice that is hard to describe and harder to forget. Though the influence of folk artists and pop music singers is evident, her voice is most similar to the booming singers of opera and the theater. Power is definitely not a problem for Hirsch and she delivers each note on the album with confidence and focus on annunciation.
But don’t be fooled into thinking that Iris Ann only shouts in her songs. The dynamics of songs like “Ocean Lullaby” show that the woman has control also. Though her voice may not be ideal for the pop music she performs on the album, it is clear that Hirsch is vocally gifted and she knows how to use it….
Baltimore’s Yeveto is one of the more interesting bands in the area. The trio was formed in 2004 with the specific goal of creating an original instrumental score for Paul Wegener’s 1915 silent film, “Der Golem.”
The film, considered a classic of the German Expressionism Movement, deals with a clay creature that is brought to life by a rabbi to protect the Jewish community in Prague from anti-semitic attacks.
Yeveto, comprised of Russell de Ocampo, Ben Hoffman and Gregory Rago, has taken the five chapters of the DVD release by Kino on Video and created five chapters of complementary music. Each musical movement captures and conveys the emotions of the scene and the characters portrayed, adding a whole new level of depth to this classic piece of cinema. Along with developing a great concept and project, the members of Yeveto can be credited for their skill and proficiency as instrumentalists. Each movement of the score finds the band tackling a different musical style and motif. From the dark and ominous tones of the opening notes to the light and airy sounds of the fourth chapter, this band has created a piece of music that runs the gamut of human emotions.
It has long been theorized that Pink Floyd created Dark Side of the Moon as a soundtrack for “The Wizard of Oz,” but there has never been concrete evidence to support the theory. Whether or not Yeveto was inspired by this rumor is irrelevant, they have created an inspired and original score that gives new life and a new perspective to a classic of silent cinema….
ADIDAM stands for All Day I Dream About Music and this is the moniker used by violinist/producer/performer John H. Littlejohn to bring his musical vision to life. With a background as a classically-trained musician and a full understanding of the nuances of modern hip hop and R&B music, ADIDAM has the potential to create some ground breaking music – a promise that is met on the new album All Day I Dream About Music.
Littlejohn seamlessly blends his classical violin with modern programming and instrumentation throughout the album and the combination works every time. The hybrid sound ADIDAM unleashes on this album is definitely a breath of fresh air for local music. After listening to this album I can say that is truly a good thing that Littlejohn dreams about music all day….
The Avett Brothers are one of the most innovative and exciting bands in music today. This trio has taken the world of traditional country music by storm y blending elements of country, bluegrass, rock, folk and old time to make a sound that is truly unique. Recently, the band made several stops in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. region – spreading laughter, joy and cheer to anyone lucky enough to catch the shows.
Though they are originally from Concord, North Carolina, the band members seem to have found a second home in tiny Chestertown, Maryland. This little colonial town on the Chester River is the epicenter for one of the band’s largest and most passionate groups of followers. Every time Seth Avett, Scott Avett and Bob Crawford come to town, they are greeted with packed clubs and theaters and this success has resulted in an expanding fan base that reaches all across the region.
Over the last few months, I was fortunate to be able to see the band perform at both the Rams Head in Annapolis and IOTA in Arlington, resulting in two amazing nights of music. Though highly proficient in the studio, The Avett Brothers is one of the few bands that is best when playing in a live setting. A constant whir of frantic motions, foot stomping, spinning and jumping, this is one band that can really tear it up on-stage. Scott and Seth attack their fragile acoustic instruments with reckless abandon, which leads to a lot of string changes and prolonged tuning sessions throughout the course of an evening’s performance. Spontaneity is definitely king at any Avett Brothers show. The sets for both the Rams Head and IOTA shows featured a nice mix of older tunes like “Love Like the Movies,” “November Blue,” “Salvation Song” and “At the Beach” alongside new songs that are sure to soon become fan favorites. One of the best new songs in the band’s repertoire is “Distraction #74” with an infectious opening guitar riff that is guaranteed to have you humming along after only one listen and a final verse that features all three members of the band trading words back and forth.
While The Avett Brothers already has a strong underground following in the region, these recent shows as well as an active national tour schedule that features upcoming local stops at The Funk Box and The Birchmere Music Hall will only make the band’s following grow.
Until next time, enjoy the music!