Monsters of Folk is the self titled debut album of the musical collaboration of Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), M. Ward, and Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes).  The album was released in 2009 but the group was percolating back in 2004 while in a mixture of stages of touring with their respective band or as a solo artist.  Due to the diverse schedules and the artist’s core projects, it took almost five years to wrap up the album.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO) is the hippie, trippy, California band that brings the good time vibe to everything they play.  The band was fashioned by high school buddies Zach Gill, Steve Adams, Dan Lebowitz.  They all contribute to vocal responsibilities and play an array of instruments. 

They grew into a nine-piece band featuring a brass section and dubbed themselves The Animal Liberation Orchestra and the Free Range Horns, they began receiving considerable attention in the Santa Barbara area with their exciting live shows. Read the rest of this entry »

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Mention folk music today, and many Americans would think of the 2003 movie spoof, A Mighty Wind.

Yet the folk music revival of the late 1950s and early 1960s was a powerful influence on American youth. Folk music nourished college kids who rejected the mainstream pap offered by Frankie Avalon and Connie Francis. Read the rest of this entry »

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BOSCH are (from l to r) Christopher Brown, Charles Greenleaf, and Kevin Sims. I dig `em daddy-o!

I find it hard to find new music I LIKE.  Yeah, yeah, there are satellite channels, pay-radio, web-radio, TV “music” channels, friends, etc.  But just because there are multiple sources of input does not necessarily yield categorical output.

I like BOSCH.

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“Record Store Days” by Gary Calamar and Phil Gallo (Sterling Publishing)

For better or worse, the digital revolution has certainly altered the way people listen to and purchase music. While there’s no denying modern tricks make music immediately accessible, the business, on a financial level and, depending on your personal point of view, artistically, has suffered greatly. Musicians no longer need to rely on labels to package and promote their wares. As time marches on, actual recordings are quickly becoming a thing of the past. A mere click of the mouse on the computer allows one to download any song or album they desire. Such practices, which once could have only occurred in a science fiction novel, are clearly responsible for the demise of countless labels and record stores. Read the rest of this entry »

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Princeton Record Exchange kicks off their 30th anniversary celebration on Record Store Day! 

2010 marks the 30th year of the Princeton Record Exchange, one of the leading independent music and movie stores in the USA. We are happy to invite our fans, friends and families to join us in a weeklong celebration including live music, raffles with prizes awarded every day, scores of freebies and a huge amount of limited edition merchandise. The party begins on Saturday April 17 with the 3rd annual Record Store Day, and continues through the week, culminating on Saturday April 24 at Princeton’s Communiversity festival. Read the rest of this entry »

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For those of you not aware of this, I have the unique fortune of having two very good friends in some influential situations.  The first person I met, then had the great fortune to re-connect with, is author, musician, promoter, and more, Billy James.  The second of these unique folks is Doug Ford of RundgrenRadio.com.

But this blog isn’t about Rundgren (I’ll wait for the cheers to subside).

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Pour a cup of coffee, walk into the den, dim early morning light trickles in through the bent blinds as my cat wraps himself around my leg. Pull a fresh new vinyl out of its sleeve, place it on the table, and pull the needle close, let it fall onto the grooves, pure energy releases and suddenly music fills the room. Ambient sounds at first, then synths accompanied with vocals ethereal. A beautiful female voice escapes through the speakers and bends your ear, reminiscent of Bjork as the hook does just that, reel you in. A beacon of light shining through the wash and tide of music mediocre. Read the rest of this entry »

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Joe Purdy is an anomaly in the current music industry scene.  He releases, writes, produces, and sings everything himself.  Not signed to a major label, an indie label, or any label at all. His music is not sold in any record store.  Purdy has been offered a major label contract on numerous occasions and he’s turned them down every time.  With ten albums behind him, songs on several of TV shows (Lost, Grey’s Anatomy) and two commercials (Kia & Dawn) it would appear that his lack of a label has not hurt his ability to make a living or make incredible music.  Read the rest of this entry »

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