Coming from a tiny place can both be a blessing or a curse, you are limited in your influences, limited in your exposure, but that seems to not be stopping a band from a small town in Prince Edward Island, Canada. That doesn’t seem to be slowing down Paper Lions. After their breakout video for “Traveling,” back in 2007 the band captured a huge following and has put them into the position of following up that big success. Their new single, “Philadelphia,” has  Paper Lions displaying an explosive indie rock energy that will buzz your ears, marrying distorted guitars with hook laden pop rock.

The band is about to release their second LP, My Friends, on August 20 via Fountain Pop Records.

The troupe that is Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros has finally released another track title “Better Days,” which will appear on the band’s forthcoming self-titled third studio album out July 23rd. Better Days feels like an extension of their previous work, rattling percussions, boatloads of gang chorals, an uplifting tone, and almost gives a feeling of spirituality a warm and fuzzy kind of feeling, which seems to be their shtick. It’s definitely a catchy tune that people are going to gobble up.

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Troubadour Gregory Alan Isakov was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, raised in Philadelphia, and now calls Boulder, Colorado home.  He’s a traveling man who creates music that compliments wanderlust and the beauty of the places he has seen on the road.  His third album The Weatherman will be released July 9th on Suitcase Town Music, and the first single “Saint Valentine” has just been released for our listening pleasure. The new track is a beautiful representation of Isakov’s romantic narrative and it is the perfect song to introduce yourself to this worldly musician. Another great way to introduce yourself to his work would be to catch him live when he is in our neck of the woods July 20th at Club Passim in Cambridge (Tickets and info).

It’s a safe bet you will be hearing more from him on Music Savage as the release date draws near. Until then, enjoy “Saint Valentine.”

Portland, Maine quartet Tricky Britches have a brand new album out titled Good Company and for all you folks that like to get up and dance around to your music I highly suggest you check it out. The latest release follows the band’s first EP, Hop On a Train, and debut album, Hard Fought Day, which made them the bluegrass champs of New England. Tricky Britches came together as a harmonizing three-piece in 2009 with Seth Doyle on mandolin/guitar, Tyler Lienhardt on fiddle, and Jed Bresett on bass. They played every street corner they could find from Maine to Massachusetts, quickly becoming the go-to-band for every party and wedding thrown throughout the area. The guys noticed there was a musical element missing and in 2011 filled that banjo void with the picking prowess of Ryan Wilkinson.

Good Company is music that just flat-out makes you feel good. There is something to be said for a fast played fiddle and slap-thumping, stand-up bass that clears away one’s troubles and in the opening track ,”Leave My Troubles Behind,” you get all that and then some. It’s a do-si-do of a song and sets the good time mood found throughout the album. Now that’s not to say that there aren’t a few life-pondering, soul searching songs thrown in the mix but even the jail bound woe of “Black & White Stripes,” and the hell bound hijinks of “Creepin’ Up On Me,” can’t keep you from shaking those hips. The instrumental tracks “Monadnock,” and the album’s closer “Sally Ann/Rye Straw,” are hoedown highlights that showcase some mighty fine fiddle and harmonica talent. This is the kind of album you’ll want to play again and again to keep the spirits high. Put in on at a party in need of a good kick in the dance-pants and see how quickly your guests start swinging their partners around the room. Just be sure the punch bowl is safe and secure.

Now for all our local friends, you will get a chance to kick up your heels this Wednesday (May 22nd) at Club Passim in Cambridge for the Good Company record release party. If you’re like me and need a little re-energizing come midweek then this show is for you. Show of your fancy footwork (and finest pearl-snap cowboy shirt) while showing the Portland boys that Boston music fans can keep a boot tapping beat with the best of ‘em. The show gets going at 8pm and tickets/information can be found on the Club Passim website.

Take a listen to the fantastic opening song “Leave My Troubles Behind” above and follow Tricky Britches on Facebook, Twitter and on their band website.

Upcoming shows:

May 22 Club Passim  – Cambridge, MA
June 16 Compass Music and Arts Center – Brandon, VT
June 21 Harry Brown’s Farm – The Hill – Starks, ME
August 7 Mainely Brews Restaurant and Brewhouse – Waterville, ME

Don’t sleep on this one folks.

Give a listen to the track above — the lead single from Christopher Paul Stelling’s second album False Cities — and I seriously doubt you’d be ready for sleeping, anyway.

The second album from Brooklyn-based troubadour comes just over a year after his impressive debut Songs of Praise and Scorn. Stelling’s latest effort once again finds the protagonist of his songs dancing the line between intensely determined (see “Brick x Brick”; “Every Last Extremist”) and beautifully reassuring (see “You Can Make It”; “Go Your Way Dear”). At the peak of fierceness, Stelling shows all the exuberance of an innocent man on trial for his life, refusing to admit guilt or defeat. When the track changes, however, that mood can hair-pin into a moment of beauty and confidence without the slightest of hesitation.

Being able to pull off that range of emotion believably, without the listener feeling that it’s part of some sort of elaborate ruse, can be a difficult thing to do. Stelling is able to make that transition fairly seamlessly without losing any credibility.

On top of the performance range, Stelling accentuates his story telling with some awe-inspiring technical proficiency. From simply listening to him play, you’d believe the man has more than two hands. But there are no post-production tricks here, simply practiced skill.

For all the emotion conveyed in this recorded work, it’s still not nearly as engrossing as seeing these songs performed in person. I highly suggest you make an effort to do just that.

Grab the new album now (and stream his debut) over on his Bandcamp page.

Upcoming shows:

• 06/15/13  – Boston, MA – The Brewery Sessions
• 07/13/13 – Cincinnati, Oh – Bunbury Music Fest
• 07/17/13 – Spring Green, WI – Shitty Barn Sessions
• 07/18/13 – Rochester, MN – Thursdays on First and Third
• 07/26/13 – Floyd, VA – Floyd Fest
• 07/27/13 – Floyd, VA – Floyd Fest

Christopher Paul Stelling: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Official

Photos by Carrie Johnston

The Black Angels’ spin on 60’s psych-rock is nothing short of monumental. Jim Morrisson died too soon, but thank goodness people like Alex Maas are alive now to channel his voice and break through the haunting spectrum of sound that The Doors (Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, et al) established. Their newest album, Indigo Meadows at once guides and disorients. Stephanie Baliey’s drumming leads a stampede of soldiers onward through a dizzying maze of fuzz, wobbles, and foreboding lyrics while the crushing power of it opens the mind and forces meditation. This is to say that it is doing precisely what music should do – exalting all cluttered opinions, weighty responsibilities, and tangled sentiments, letting them swirl and mutate until they are rendered absurd in its light. A moment perhaps, in the words of Grace Slick, “when logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead.”

The Black Angels have been doing psych-rock right since 2006 with their debut album, Passover. And now, marching into the future with Indigo Meadow, Maas has written moody, but not scary, lyrics while still maintaining the high hypnotic reverb levels, layering, repetition, melodies and short song styles that guided 2010’s Phosphene Dream.

All things considered, this was a near-perfect concert experience. The 21+ stipulation meant that no irritating barrier separated the wet from the dry, and somehow this made a dramatic difference in the overall crowd temperament. Everyone was happy, but not annoyingly so. The Black Angels stepped onto the darkened stage after a dramatic silence and started with “Vikings,” a down-tempo track from Passover featuring Maas’s chants against Bailey’s stark drumming. This song set the mood for the show like “The End” by The Doors set the mood for Apocalypse Now. In it, Maas recites, “Gonna see you tomorrow…On a German warplane…We’re gonna bomb you til Tuesday…”). Then, breaking the hypnosis, they exploded into “I Hear Colors.” It clambered up with the help of eerie organ melodies and entire verses unaccompanied by percussion, then crashed into each another again in the next verse until the whole song spun into a crescendo with “I don’t need nobody’s help, need nobody’s help…”

No individual band member hogged the stage or stood out as the definitive “rock-star,” even with Mass’s subtle onstage provocations (okay, he purses his lips when he sings sometimes, and does this adorable little, I don’t know… pigeon-toed “pee-pee dance” when he backs away from the mic), or Bailey’s blonde locks being tossed around by an upturned fan. The band worked seamlessly as a unit and in every movement proved themselves to be seasoned performers. They had no rehearsed onstage antics, jokes, sweet dance moves, lectures, tricks, or rapturous convulsions. Everything they had to assert was wrapped up in the music; we could take it or leave it.

If any part of the crowd was tense or distracted, it was eliminated by the middle of the show when the band played their title track, “Indigo Meadow.” By this time, even the stone-faced tough guy in the shadows had his eyes closed and head down, nodding in surrender. At the stage-front, pretty goth girls flung their hair and floated their arms up, dancing like sinister gypsy-love-children in their greatest element, sending their praise where praise is due — to a band who sings nostalgia in a nostalgia decade.

If there is one thing the we’ve all come to expect from Athens, GA its that there will always be a steady stream of good bands at the ready for our musical enjoyment. Multitalented, Athens-native Nate Nelson seems to know this expectation all to well. He’s been creating, producing, and engineering music since his teenage years, slowly and surely making a name for himself outside the sleepy little college town. Nelson has joined many a friend’s bands on the road as a touring musician and has even shared the stage with Music Savage favorite Cary Ann Hearst (Shovels & Rope). In 2012 the singer-songwriter formed the band White Violet after recording a bunch of songs solo and realizing the sound he was looking for could only be achieved with a band full of equally talented friends.

The bouncy new single, “Autumn Grove,” is the first song from White Violet since the release of their debut album, Hiding, Mingling, last August. It explores the suffocating elements of small-town life, which I’m sure we all feel now and again. The song has an unmistakable 60′s, doo-wap, rock n’ roll feel to it and would be a perfect addition to that summer road-trippin’ soundtrack we are all thinking about putting together right about now. Check out your new favorite song above and imagine yourself on the beach rather than your office.

Follow White Violet on Facebook and Twitter.

It’s obvious on Spectrals new single, “Sob Story,” there’s a heavy Elvis Costello influence, the slow ambling song croons like a bedroom recording, with the slight country tinge of pedal steel, it embodies the name, but really displays an elevation in Jones’ songwriting and quality of recording over his previous shtick. This record is shaping up to be quite a coming of age record for the budding musician, and definitely is keeping my interest as we get closer to release date..

“Sob Story,” comes from the upcoming record of the same name, out June 18th.

Typhoon is back, and touting a new album White Lighter, due out in August we’re getting our first taste of new tunes and this one is a good one. The slamming piano riffs, and Morton’s vocal stylings give this one a powerful, emotive sound from somewhere deep within the songwriter’s soul. As the waves of sounds crash from pounding drums, to soaring horns, this one grabs the attention, and begs for multiple plays. It’s got a little Frightened Rabbit bombast, and a little Decemberists flavor from the PNW, and then gang chorals all of which creates a high level of dynamism that a lot of bands probably can’t match… it doesn’t hurt there’s like 25 members.

This is damn exciting. Download it and get ready for the record later this summer.

Photos by Carrie Johnston

In his fourteen-year career as a rapper, Sage Francis has garnered fans through clever navigation of language around topics ranging from personal anguish and societal distrust, to being awkward around girls. His DIY approach has kept those fans loyal since making his first recordings out of his apartment in Providence, Rhode Island in 1999. After working with the big labels for the middle section of his career, he has gone back to his homemade label, Strange Famous.

Thankfully, Sage’s success has not catapulted him through the roof of fame and fortune. He is still essentially on the floor of that Rhode Island apartment, making music, booking tours, and embracing social media as a means to connect with fans. And I mean, really connecting. There are dozens of threads on his Facebook page and Twitter account revealing conversations with friends, fans, and passers-by alike. Sage seemingly has no bias against which people he engages with, provided it’s genuine. But his affections aren’t limited to behind-the-computer-screen small talk. After his show at the Alhambra Theater, he descended into the crowd offering hugs and handshakes to anyone within arm’s reach. He also made time to (affectionately) embarrass the girl who had “begged” him to squeeze this particular show into the tour roster by gushing and pointing at her between songs. Essentially, this is what draws fans to his music; it reaches out.

After two opening acts that buttered the audience oh so well, Sage made his entrance without fanfare. Dressed in a black and white gown and a flag bearing his label’s name, he commenced “Sea Lion,” an old favorite that most of the crowd chanted along with. Periodically, Sage would splice in samples of classic songs like Mr. Mister’s “Take These Broken Wings” and “Swingtown” by Steve Miller Band so we could all karaoke for a moment before he dropped back into the original track.

Perhaps his motive here (and to provide some unnecessary analysis to an act that was more likely just a goofball antic) was to move the attention away from “the man” and toward “the message,” which varyingly celebrates joys like classic rock and condemns sorrows like war and arrogant rappers. Although his songs often revolve around grim topics, Sage was careful to never let things get too dire. To aid this aim, he brought a paper bag full of broccoli crowns to share with us, and romantically serenaded his exalted sneakers. He was also loaded with quips; one particular zinger was in reference to Portlandia’s famous “Put a bird on it” skit (https://vine.co/v/b2mjZjWp6uA), to which we were instructed to laugh uproariously (the brilliance being in that this was the least funny thing he did).

Self mockery is a trait that’s consistently woven into his songs, even the dismal ones about childhood, masochistic siblings, and deception. Take the chorus to his autobiographical song, “Different”  – “I’m different! Ooooooh! So different! Ooooooh!” His sense of fearless self-expression is the reason Personal Journals became an album that his fans listened to so much in 2005, it should have warped like an oven-baked vinyl record. And we come back to it every year since it’s always just as powerful. His live shows, as I was delighted to discover, are a pure extension of his records.

There are quite a few amazing Boston bands that shaped the sound of my younger days, but no other band has truly represented what I would soon come to define as “my style” of music more than Buffalo Tom. I can always find a song of theirs that represents a specific moment in my life, be it extremely happy or downright sad, and throughout the years the trio has continued to release album after album of time defining rock n’ roll. Now it is not my intent to simply wax nostalgic about what Buffalo Tom has meant to me all these years but I do want to lay the groundwork down as to my appreciation of nearly three decades worth of music and why I am excited about their weekend stint at The Sinclair in Cambridge.

In 1988 the guys released their debut self-titled album, with the help of a certain Dinosaur Jr front-man by the name of J Mascis, on the legendary Fort Apache record label. Filled with excellent guitar-driven tracks like “Racine” and “Sunflower Suit” the album quickly hit regular rotation on college-rock radio stations across the country. J Mascis also lent his production work to 1990′s Birdbrain, an album that kicks into high-gear right away with Tom Maginnis beating the drums like a man possessed on the title track and keeps up that intensity with songs like “Skeleton Key” and “Fortune Teller,” which became fan favorites at live sets and also showcases some stellar guitar playing from lead-singer/guitarist Bill Janovitz.

Released in 1992 Let Me Come Over is Buffalo Tom’s transitional album. When I ask fellow fans of the band for their favorite BT record this is the one that comes up most often. It is likely because Let Me Come Over sounds most like Buffalo Tom to people and the songs contained within are filled with nervous energy and heartfelt longing. Chris Colbourn’s opening bassline in “Staples” sets the tone for this introspective album which twists and turns through the quiet despair of  “Tailights Fade” and “Frozen Lake,” and the carefree recklessness of  “Velvet Roof” and “Porchlight,” with the ease of a band coming into its own.

The rest of the nineties would see Buffalo Tom’s star rise that much higher with the release of what would come to be known as their breakthrough album, 1993′s Big Red Letter Day. It is one of their most successful records to date and introduced them to a whole new fanbase after an appearance on the teen-tastic TV hit of the decade, My So Called Life, in 1994. The band benefits from this exposure and the release of Sleepy Eyed in 1995 is well received by a both old and new-found fans alike. 1998′s Smitten closes out the decade and would be the last release by the band for quite a while.

After 9 years away the band returns with 2007′s Three Easy Pieces, followed by Skins in 2011 which was released on their own label Scrawny Records. Both albums gained positive reviews from critics and fans alike who were happy to have the trio back after all those years. There is even word on the streets of a new album in the works! I cannot giveaway my source on that tidbit of news but let’s just say it is from a highly credible informant. If this album does come to fruition you can be assured you’ll read about it here.

So there you have it folks. I hope that I have successfully translated my appreciation for Boston’s one and only Buffalo Tom and that these words have inspired you to grab your favorite album of theirs and give it a listen. Perhaps it has been a while since you have seen them live as well. To remedy that all you will need to do is head on over to The Sinclair in Cambridge as the guys have two headlining shows this weekend. Tonight (5/10) the fantastic band Sleepyhead open the show and Saturday (5/11) Mike Gent (The Figgs, Candy Butchers, The Gentlemen) and his new band The Rapid Shave kick the rock n’ roll off in glorious fashion. FYI Saturday’s show is sold-out but you still have a shot for this evening’s show and tickets/info can be found on the venue’s website.

Listen to the fantastic song “Mineral” from Let Me Come Over above and keep tabs on any and all Buffalo Tom news on their Facebook page

The Lone Bellow keep adding more and more fans to the fold and the trio’s dizzying assent to the top of the folk-rock food chain has been something to behold these past few months. They wear their hearts on their finely tailored sleeves and no where is this more evident than in the fantastic track “Bleeding Out,” from the self-titled debut album released back in January. Having written posts on the Brooklyn band a few times already this year it pleases me to no end that our fellow music lovers out there in blog-land feel the love for The Lone Bellow as much as I do.

Enjoy the brand-spanking new video for “Bleeding Out” above, and for chrissakes Bostonites get to The Sinclair on June 14th to see them live for “The Road to Newport” show! This goes for all you awesome Music Savage fans across the country…. if they stop in your town check them out. You won’t be disappointed.

If you haven’t already …get yourself a copy of their self-titled album.
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Dallas Green aka City and Colour has released the title track to his new album out June 4. The track starts with a building white noise before pedal steel and Green’s voice enter to soften the track. Green will be touring in support of the album this fall, starting in Boston and ending in San Francisco. See below for the full list of dates. Read On »

One of my new favorite records that I’ve been spinning is the upcoming release of Treetop Flyers, a UK five-piece that ironically sounds quite a bit like America. They are releasing a second single here “Houses are Burning,” off their upcoming album The Mountain Moves, which releases here stateside on June 25th. They have a great, 60s folk-rock vibe with cool and breezy 4 part harmonies, and shimmering guitar work.

More Treetop Flyers
Web | Facebook | Twitter

Photos by Carrie Johnston

A prominent downtown venue on a warm Saturday attracts all species of night crawlers. Due to this, nothing exclusive or particular about VietNam playing at Dante’s on such a night struck me. The noncommittal crowd was thin to begin with, then fattened when VietNam started, and mostly disappeared before the end. Save for the second opener, Small Arms, the whole experience– the crowd, the music, the low red lights, the air… was like the low hum of a car engine on a three-hour highway jaunt. The most desolate moments were during Daydream Machine’s set with their psychedelic moon-gaze rock that winded-in the most spaced out strands of Sonic Youth and Leonard Cohen circa I’m Your Man territory. Even during Small Arms’ relatively upbeat garage rock jams, half the crowd retreated into tables and booths on the outskirts of the stage area. Some out-of-towners I talked to asked where they should go to hear “music that wasn’t shitty.” I told them that VietNam was top notch and they should stick it out. I guess they didn’t believe me…

The tour was on the heels of VietNam’s new album, An A.merican D.ream; a collection of songs influenced by songwriter Michael Gerner’s time making film scores in LA as well as the residual psychedelic-blues-rock prevalent in previous albums. The lineup includes a violin and keyboardist, which add fresh texture to a sound that might otherwise be undesirably similar to said previous work.

The band sauntered on stage nearly undetected after a two-hour long slog through forgettable openers. A tentative crowd stood a safe five feet from the stage, leaving plenty of room for girlfriends of the band members to film the whole set from whichever angle they wished. Amongst the un-shy, were two older gentlemen who appeared to be in the midst of a monumental life-change spurred by VietNam itself. Maybe that’s what crazy people always look like at concerts. The two men, one in a black wicker cowboy hat and Led Zeppelin shirt, the other in a sleeveless muscle tee, swayed together, clapped each other’s back, hi-fived, shot their tongues out, and devil-signed the band in a dizzying cycle that could have only been ignited by alcohol and psychological squalor. These men’s antics, sadly, were more fun to watch than the band.

I took a gamble on this concert, thinking that what I’d heard of VietNam was intriguing enough to warrant attendance of a live performance. But overall it was neither captivating nor electrifying, and with six musicians on stage, the volume became so enormous that no one and nothing stood out. So I left after the show, which ended abruptly with no encore or goodbye or fireworks whatsoever, feeling nothing other than an intense desire to escape that faceless swarm of night crawlers and retreat home.