Artists In Residence
You may already be familiar with Futurebirds due to their extensive touring and intense live performances. If not, Baba Yaga is a document of a young band finding their signature sound, combining experimental atmospheric textures, alt-rock tones, earthy harmonies and solid songcraft. Fans have been awaiting a new album since 2010’s Hampton’s Lullaby, and they won’t be disappointed.
Through the years Denison has received critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Pitchfork and more. He has also inspired younger artists, such as Sufjan Stevens, William Fitzsimmons (who play on his new album), Damien Jurardo and Noah Gundersen. However, after eight albums, he has flown just beneath the radar and has remained a "best kept secret." "Denison Witmer," the self-titled new album just released on April 30 via Asthmatic Kitty Records, may change all that.
Like most of us, Brent Knopf watches a lot of YouTube videos, only he’s not watching kittens playing piano. Rather, his tastes err on the more experimental side of things – like people who attempt perpetual motion machines using magnets. “I love that they’re trying to harness an endless supply of energy,” says the Ramona Falls frontman, “and that they go against conventional wisdom in the hopes of true discovery.” Which is exactly what Knopf did last year, when he decided to quit the acclaimed art rock trio Menomena and devote his time to one epic, personal vision.
Futur Primitif is the new project from songwriter and singer Daniel Lefkowitz. Though currently performing as a duo, the upcoming album Machineteeth was recorded live with a full band made up of members of the Low Anthem. In a change of direction for Lefkowitz, Machineteeth drifts thru garage band rock and roll numbers, abandoning the persistent topic of love in exchange for an extended riff on the new, globalized American landscape.
Cory Chisel is an old believer. You can hear it in his music – there’s a wisdom beyond his years in that voice. You can see it in his story – the son of a preacher, sheltered from pop music, raised on hymns and Johnny Cash. “Mom played piano and organ, my dad did the preaching, the thing that my sister and I could add to the service was to sing.” As fate would have it, the kid was born to do it.
After a successful Kickstarter campaign and the release of their first single and video ("The Region of the Summer Stars"), Come On Pilgrim! is poised to release their debut self-titled LP on August 25. Come On Pilgrim! seeks to make the kind of rock music that reminds you what you might have forgotten.
Steve Almond's prose takes no prisoners, unless they come bearing candy. He is the author of a new collection of stories called "God Bless America," and he also isn't shy about putting pen to paper when it comes to Glenn Beck, "I Bless The Rain Down in Africa" by Toto, and the sugar rush one can procure from a Kit-Kat bar.
Chances are that you haven’t heard of Tristen Gaspadarek. That’s because the Nashville based singer-songwriter is from the “other” Nashville, a burgeoning scene of independent rock acts that has little to do with the mainstream country hit-making machine that the city is best known for. In other words, she comes from the part of Nashville that is actually still producing some good music.
Joel Alme is a decorous singer-songwriter hailing from Gothenburg in the south of Sweden, and currently residing in the wilds of Stockholm. He received grant money from the Swedish Arts Council for his critically acclaimed second album Waiting for the Bells (2010). The big swelling sound of Waiting for the Bells brings out all of the strange drama and seriousness of Alme’s voice. He will release his dashing new record—'A Tender Trap' (RAZZIA)—on May 9th. 'Trap' is Alme’s 3rd solo record after Bells and A Master of Ceremonies.
After a long hiatus, Rustic Overtones are back to doing what they do best - touring the country and igniting audiences with their unique brand of funk-rock-soul-pop. While you're sleeping on the couch, they're rocking original tunes that defy genres and bring more energy than all the Four Loko you stashed in your fridge.
