"Styled after a modern-day Otis Redding, Williams has used his church-choir and R&B background - not to mention his four-octave range - in high-profile contributions to records by the likes of Petey Pablo and Nas" - NPR
We at Helsinki were blown away by the first visit of The Revelations featuring Tré Williams. This is pure soul!
Here, are no samples: nothing but pure, unadulterated soul sung by a red dirt artist with the vocal chops of yesterday’s soul legends and played by a band with passion and talent. The Revelations featuring Tré Williams represents a renewed dawning in soul music, one that marries the grit of the streets with the midnight blues of the rural South, the rawness of Stax and propulsive drive of Motown .
Tré's soul-shaking sound landed him a record contract with hip-hop icon Nas, and then was the first R&B male singer signed to Roc-a-fella Records.
The Revelations also features band mate, Rell Gaddis, who has worked with a virtual "who's who" of urban music, including: Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, and Dr. Dre. Rell also released a few singles of his own-including the club anthem, Love For Free and wrote the title track to Usher's Here I Stand. Rell has now combined forces with Tré to lend his tenor baritone and proven pen to The Revelations.
The Revelations band are esteemed guitarist Wes Mingus (Leela James), drummer Gintas Janusonis (Erykah Badu,), bassist Josh Werner (Matisyahu,), keyboardist Borahm Lee (Lauryn Hill) and legendary arranger and multi-instrumentalist Patrick Adams.
Tierney Kathleen Jacobson settled in Philmont, NY to study art with the Free Columbia art course. It wasn't long before she became acquainted with the Columbia County music scene. The two will be accompanied by local favorites, Seth Travins (The Wiyos) and Aldo Lavaggi (The Russet Trio) for a small tour around the area, and they'll play a number of new tunes.
"The music ... disguises sneakily deep inquiries into what it means to be alive, struggle with temptation, and every once in a while seek some truth." - Rolling Stone
"Oliver is an unbelievable songwriter - his material is deep." - John Medeski
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Two brothers decide to form a band, adapting the blues, folk and other roots-music sounds they loved as kids into their own evocative sound and twining their voices in the sort of high-lonesome harmony blend for which sibling singers are often renowned. While that’s not a terribly unusual story, the Wood Brothers took a twisty path to their ultimate collaboration. Indeed, they pursued separate projects for some 15 years before joining forces.
You wouldn’t necessarily gather this fact from listening to Smoke Ring Halo (Southern Ground), the duo’s third full-length album - their musical chemistry has never felt more profound. Oliver Wood (guitar, vocals) and Chris Wood (bass, vocals, harmonica) refine their rich, spacious sound on songs like the rousing opener "Mary Anna," the back-porch-funky "Shoofly Pie," the waltz-time plaint "Pay Attention," the elegiac title track, the gospel-inflected "Made It Up the Mountain" and more.
Currents of jazz, pop, and country ripple through The Woods Brothers arrangements, built around Chris Wood's upright bass and Oliver Wood's gentle acoustic and electric guitars. The Wood Brothers, Chris and Oliver grew up the sons of a Poet and a Microbiologist in Boulder. They both took up music at young ages, Oliver moved to Atlanta and played second guitar with Tinsley Ellisbefore forming King Johnson. Chris moved to New York City and a founding member of Medeski Martin & Wood.
After years of musical and geographical separation they have reunited and have begun a collaboration that combines their shared childhood influences with everything they've learned since leaving home. Their music has a rootsy feel that blends blues, folk, and rock music in a guitar/bass duo. It's not simply that the brothers' sweet voices have the genetic gift of close harmony: they're in absolute synch creatively, too. Add the rich dark tones of the bass and, in particular, slide guitars perfectly illuminate their unhurried stories about spiritual discovery and the trials of life. The Wood Brothers' spare, soothing sounds mix in modern folk and blues.
The CKS Band is a powerhouse organ trio and a Blues/Soul & Rock super group. The group features Randy Ciarlante , Bruce Katz, and Scott Sharrard. The band was formed in Sept. of 2011 and has since played the Bearsville Theater, Levon Helm's Midnight Ramble and many other venues to spectacular reviews. An official live album is set for release in the spring of 2012 along with many more shows across the country...
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Randy Ciarlante joined The Band in 1990 and is currently a member of The Levon Helm Band, singing harmony vocals and playing drums. He played and sang on The Band's albums from the 1990s, including Jubilation and High on the Hog. After The Band dissolved, Cialante joined the Jim Weider Band and continues to play with Jim Weider's Percolator.
Bruce Katz is currently a member of the Gregg Allman Band, and plays regularly with John Hammond, Delbert McClinton and other artists as well. Bruce was a 2008, 2009 and 2010 Nominee for the Blues Music Award (W.C. Handy Award) for "Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year", selected by the Blues Foundation, and has played and recorded with Duke Robillard, Jimmy Witherspoon, John Hammond, Ronnie Earl, Little Milton and many others in his career, appearing on over 70 CDs in addition to 6 CDs as leader of the Bruce Katz Band.
Scott Sharrard is currently best known for his work as a member of The Gregg Allman Band. He has also performed with such artists as: The Allman Brothers, Levon Helm, Amy Helm, Jaimoe's Jasssz Band, Marshall Crenshaw, Kelley Hunt and Jay Collins & The Kings County Band. He is releasing his newest solo album (and follow up to his 2009 release, "Ante Up") in the Spring of 2012.
John's songs are palpable, deep and rich with the pains, losses and victories of his life. His song "shock" from his third self-produced cd "daylight crashing" was awarded and certified as an "international top 100" by the IAIRA (International Association Of Independent Recording Artists).
Ruperto Ifil, on drums, embarked on a path that led to him sharing stages with Parliament Funkadelic and many other heavy hitters.
Rounding out the lineup is Sean North on guitar and Dennis Styles on bass.
Eilen Jewell: "Sometimes as dark as Lucinda Williams, at others as defiant and teasing as prime Peggy Lee and always authentically Americana in the Gillian Welch tradition....She's mighty good." - LA News
Los Straijackets: "This adventurous piece of Americana nostalgia is guaranteed to fill your craving for the good old 60’s, and fun, fun, fun!" - Guitar Digest
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With her latest album, Queen of the Minor Key, Eilen Jewell proves herself a smart cookie with a heart of burnished gold and enough stories to keep even the rowdiest crowd hanging on her every word.
Queen of the Minor Key is the first Eilen Jewell album to feature a significant number of guest players, even as she continues to work in close consort with her longtime trio of drummer Jason Beek, guitarist Jerry Miller, and upright bassist Johnny Sciascia. Zoe Muth and Big Sandy (of Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys) both contribute vocals. "I was writing the songs with them in mind - if I could work up the courage to ask them - so I was really honored that they agreed to sing with me."
Further augmenting the sound are Rich Dubois on fiddle, David Sholl on tenor and baritone saxophones, and Tom West on organ. The arrangements, Jewell insists, occurred organically as the music was fleshed out in the studio; the songs tell her where they want to go. "We don't really think it out that much."
Los Straitjackets are the leading practitioners of the lost art of the guitar instrumental. Using the music of The Ventures, The Shadows, Link Wray and Dick Dale as a jumping off point, the band has taken their unique, high-energy brand of original rock & roll around the world. Clad in their trademark Lucha Libre Mexican wrestling masks, the "Jackets" have delivered their trademark guitar licks to 10 albums, thousands of concerts and dozens of films and TV shows. Viva Los Straitjackets!
Man Man keeps on keeping on, filling the blankness with their weird/beautiful, esoteric/heart-rending, profound/hilarious sounds. Man Man famously does not break between songs during their live shows, but rather moves, revolving-door fashion, from one song to another, commandeering and discarding any of number of the instruments lying at their feet as the mood strikes and the music dictates.
$20 in advance
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Comparisons to the usual avant-garde forefathers - Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, Tom Waits - persist, but Man Man are decidedly not identity thieving or even overtly referencing these spiritual godfathers in their music, but rather are acting as torchbearers of the unusual, the spontaneous and the plainly fucking funny in an increasingly homogenized world.
But it would be a mistake to write off Man Man as simply "experimental," "psychedelic" or even jokesy. Their music is clearly rooted in rock, blues and pop, and they can really play all those instruments. A long list of the most successful, accessible and accomplished indie rock bands working today - think Arcade Fire, Modest Mouse, Cat Power - have asked Man Man on tour.
With Rabbit Habits, their Anti- Records debut, and the natural extension of their body of work begun with The Man In A Blue Turban With A Face and continued with Six Demon Bag, Man Man bring their incomparable vision to bear. Successfully capturing the raw spirit and essence of a Man Man live show, Rabbit Habits is the end product of the efforts of a band that are earnestly saying something important.
Life Fantastic is the first Man Man with Mike Mogis, the Bright Eyes member responsible for the wide screen backdrops of nearly every major Saddle Creek release. The record also features lush string arrangements by fellow Bright Eyes member Nate Walcott.
The celebrated avant-garde rock outfit Man Man will release their brand new album entitled Life Fantastic this May 10 on Anti-Records.
Victor Lemonte Wooten is a unique human being. Born the youngest of five boys, he began learning to play music at the tender age of two. He started performing in nightclubs and theaters as the bassist with the family band at age five, and at age six, was on tour with his brothers opening shows for legendary soul artist Curtis Mayfield. Soon after, he was affectionately known as the 8-year-old Bass Ace, and before graduating high school, he and his brothers had shared the stage with artists such as Stephanie Mills, War, Ramsey Lewis, Frankie Beverly and Maze, Dexter Wansel, and The Temptations. But, this only begins to tell the tale of this Tennessee titan.
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Wooten, now a five-time Grammy winner, hit the worldwide scene in 1990 as a founding member of the super-group Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. Continuing to blaze a musical trail with the band, Victor has also become widely known for his own Grammy nominated solo recordings and tours.
He has also won every major award given to a bass guitarist including being voted Bassist of the Year in Bass Player Magazine's readers poll three times (the only person to win it more than once.) In 2011, Rolling Stone Magazine voted Victor one of the Top Ten Bassist of ALL TIME.
Wooten's sought-after skills and growing popularity have led to recordings and performances with artists such as Chick Corea, The Dave Matthews Band, Bootsy Collins, Branford Marsalis, Prince, India Arie, Keb Mo, Dennis Chambers, Stanley Clarke, and many others.
His respected reputation as a teacher and speaker/lecturer on the subjects of both Music and Nature have garnered invitations for him to speak and teach at schools, universities, classes and spiritual centers around the world.
Along with recording Grammy winning and Billboard charting albums with Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Victor also spearheaded the formation of the super-group SMV with two of his childhood heroes, Stanley Clarke and Marcus Miller. He continues to record and tour with the Flecktones, various other artists, and as a solo artist. He also currently leads six to eight camps at Wooten Woods each year (which he takes part in all day every day). With all of this going on, it would seem like Victor Wooten would have no time for anything else, but that is not the case.
Taking matters completely into his own hands, Wooten has recently formed his own record label. Vix Records, Wooten's self-proclaimed "Label of Love", entered the scene in 2011 with a re-mastered version of his pioneering debut solo CD. The new version, A Show of Hands - 15, contains three bonus tracks and is also released on vinyl.
He was my bosom buddy friend to the end, one of the last true great spirits of my or any other generation. - Bob Dylan.
He saw the birth of rock and roll - though he’s too much of a gentleman to say it. - Dawn LoBue.
It is with incomparable gratitude for the Life, Legacy and Transcendent Spirit of beloved neighbor, musical hero, and rock and roll giant, that Helsinki and a gifted roster of dazzling musicians present: A Celebration of the Life and Legacy of Levon Helm.
The cascade of celebration includes performances by:
The Felice Brothers, Elvis Perkins and Dearland, Ambrosia Parsley from Shivaree, Carl or A.C Newman of The New Pornographers, Diamond Doves, Elegant Too and special guests.
Music is food for the soul, food for the heart. You've got to have a happy heart. Without music, your soul goes suffering. Music is the language of heaven. - Levon Helm.
"The group brings exuberance and intensity to these vintage styles, and its performances are layered with vaudevillian stage antics" - The New Yorker
In the beginning, The Wiyos cut their teeth busking on the streets.
While the early Wiyos' masterfully embodied the performance styles of the 1920's and 1930's, they approached touring life with the attitude of the rock and punk music they grew up with.
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They were known for crashing booking conferences instead of applying for official showcases, playing in the halls and in hotel lobbies. From 2003 to 2008 their shows (over 200/year) were entirely acoustic, typically gathered around one mic. Their reputation for "taking the room" made them darlings of the folk circuit, a must see act, and landed the band tours in Europe.
The buzz of these high paced Vaudeville-esque performances reached its zenith when they were featured in the BBC television documentary, Folk America - Hollerers, Stompers and Old-Time Ramblers. Later that same year, Bob Dylan hand-picked the band to be the openers for his 28 date minor league baseball stadium summer tour with Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp.
It was their mastery of vintage acoustic performances that drew the attention of many in the folk music scene, and in 2008, The Wiyos hit the road with The Bob Dylan show, laying down opening set after set of grungy harp, crazed steel guitar, rockabilly bass, human beat box and three-part harmonies.
In 2010, Michael and Teddy regrouped with bassist Sauerkraut Seth Travins. The trio holed up in the Hudson Valley, NY for numerous months, only emerging for the occasional short tour. They released one EP, Foxtrots, Polkas And A Waltz. Teddy and Michael, inspired by a recent run as the pit band to a modern dance production of "The Wiyos of Oz" at Wichita State in Kansas, began fleshing out the concept of a new album. The band commenced work at Old Soul Studios in Catskill, NY in the fall of 2010. Adam Matta joined in for the early sessions. Later Kenny Siegal and Brian Geltner of Johnny Society joined the recording and are now members of the touring band. The new album 'Twist', loosely based on Frank Baums, The Wizard of Oz.
Jonathan Richman has been writing songs, making records and performing live for most of his life, winning fans and making friends around the world with his guileless honesty and playfully catchy compositions. He's revered by countless fellow artists, and has built a remarkably loyal international audience through his tireless touring. His deceptively straightforward songs embody timeless qualities of humanity, optimism, emotional insight and a boundless sense of humor, untainted by cynicism or transient notions of hipness.
LIVE! ON STAGE
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The records that Jonathan Richman has made over the past 30 years have long held a special place in the hearts of his fans. He began playing guitar at the age of 15, and in the early 1970s formed the Modern Lovers, whose raw, minimalist sound and emotionally forthright songs helped to lay the groundwork for punk rock. But by the time the group's landmark debut album (including the much-covered "Road Runner," a Top Five single in Europe) was released in 1976, Jonathan had already moved on to a quieter sound and a gentler lyrical focus. Since then, he's continued to record and tour prolifically, first with a series of Modern Lovers lineups, later on his own, and eventually as a duo with drummer Tommy Larkins. Over the years, Jonathan's music has absorbed a multitude of influences, from doo-wop to country to a variety of international styles, without sacrificing the artist's effervescent personality.
Jonathan's fans have remained fiercely devoted over the years, and his audience expanded substantially in the 1990s, thanks to his frequent guest spots on TV's Late Night with Conan O'Brien, his prominent appearance in the 1998 film comedy smash There's Something About Mary, and the inclusions of his Modern Lovers classics "Ice Cream Man" and "I'm A Little Airplane" on Sesame Street.
For much of his career, Jonathan has toured almost almost nonstop around the world. "Traveling and playing for new people in new places is one of my favorite things," he notes. "It's great playing places that are off the beaten track. You can learn a lot when you play in a little town in Holland or Western Australia, and you learn different things than you would learn playing a big city. This year we're going to try to play in Extremadura, which is the southwest of Spain--we might become the first American entertainers ever to play there. I'm hoping that we can able to play the Canary Islands soon.
"Playing shows and making records keeps been getting easier and more fun," Jonathan states, adding, "Me and Tommy play totally different than we played two years ago. We already play a different style than we played on that live DVD, and the way we played then was totally different from the way we played three years before that. I still feel like we're just starting out, and I still learn new stuff every night."
Lloyd Cole is probably best known for his work as front man and songwriter for UK band The Commotions in the mid-1980s, producing such classics of literate, pop song craft as "Perfect Skin" and "Rattlesnakes." During the 90s Cole relocated to New York City and produced a series of fine solo albums working with some of the best musicians of the time. Around 2000 he joined up with Jill Sobule and others to record and tour as a group called The Negatives. Recently however he has chosen to become more of a singer songwriter, recording and touring solo, based out of his new home in Massachusetts.
History has been kind to Lloyd and many younger artists now see him as groundbreaker in the indie genre. As an tribute to his stature as a songwriter and icon of what is now a cultural movement, indie-rock darlings, Camera Obsura referenced one of his finest songs in their "Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken" single in 2006.
Lloyd's latest album "Broken Record," out in May, finds him recording with a full band for the first time in many years and has already reaped high praise in Europe and the UK.
"It's those singular lyrics, burnished to that ever-arch shine, that make Broken Record compelling" - Mojo
Described by Relix Media as "addictive and hip-grinding," Living Breathing Magic, BuzzUniverse’s latest studio album, showcases the brilliantly crafted songs, incredible vocal harmonies and boundless energy that has delighted live audiences across the country."
Club Helsinki welcomes three of the top up and coming bands from the Northampton area.
These three bands have played a ton of shows together including a killer "Northampton Comes to Austin" showcase at this years SXSW music festival in Austin TX.
Jamie Kent is a 26-year-old singer-songwriter with big dreams and an ever-expanding fan base. Drawing on influences from modern artists like Jack Johnson and Jamie Cullum, as well as paying tribute to classic greats Johnny Cash and Frank Sinatra, Kent’s perfectly mellifluous tunes are roll-the-windows-down, soak-up-some-sun kind of good. Jamie is currently touring in support of his new record "Navigation". In the past year they have toured extensively across the US, playing over 200 shows throughout 40 states. Additionally, they have received national radio play on over 120 stations, and recently signed licensing agreements with MTV, VH1, Bravo, and The Discovery Network!
Lux Deluxe is, at its core, a family band that conjures echoes of The Band, Springsteen and Wilco. Formed in by musical phenom brothers Jacob & Caleb Rosazza on bass and guitar, cousin Gabe Bernini-keyboards, Ned King on lead vocals, who at 21 possesses the voice and swagger of a seasoned front man twice his age. Along with drummer, Jake Edwards the band played its first gigs in 2010 and killed from the word go. The band released their debut record " Hollow Ground" last summer and recently a single of the their song " Never Coming Back " featuring legendary harp player , Magic Dick from the J.Geils Band.
The Sun Parade grew out of the creative realm spawned by Elliot Smith and Deer Tick. Chris Marlon Jennings and Jefferson Lewis share front man duties with intricate guitar work accentuated by harmonies that could only be produced by longtime friends blessed with the vocal range of Jeff Buckley and textures of The Zombies.
The young, raw talent found in twenty-year old Chris’s writing is described as "emotions that are played out in music". These emotions are especially evident in the hit single "Need You By My Side", which has risen to the top of regional radio charts in New England and has been declared the "Top Song of 2011" by WRSI 93.9 and 101.5, ahead of notable national acts (Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Beirut-amongst many others).
The Sun Parade has just released their first full length record "Yossis" and is on tour to support the release.
Satie feather-drops, gorgeous string plucks, transfixing rattles. Stillness is the move. - Rolling Stone
The sounds that Volker Bertelmann creates with (in) a piano are nothing short of astonishing... a triumph. - Mojo ****
Ingenious and exquisite - New York Times
Hauschka is the alias of Düsseldorf-based piano virtuoso Volker Bertelmann and is internationally recognized as a 21st century exponent of prepared piano technique, a tradition dating back to late 19th and early 20th century French composer Erik Satie.
The piano is prepared when "preparations" (consisting of nearly any conceivably applicable object or material) are inserted between the strings or onto the hammers of the instrument; a wider application of the term takes in all manner of additional modifications that expand the sonic and operative possibilities of the piano. Hauschka has successfully combined the chamber music aspect of prepared piano much like composers Henry Cowell, John Cage, Christian Wolff, Max Richter, Maurice Delage, and Arvo Pärt with pop, rock, and electronic sensibilities.
Hauschka, has collaborated with Torsten Mauss as the club/electronic duo Tonetraeger. Bertelmann often releases more than one Hauschka album a year, such as 2005's Substantial and Hauschka: The Prepared Piano and 2007's Versions of the Prepared Piano and Room to Expand. With 2008's Ferndorf, which featured a string duo, Bertelmann reached a new level of prominence; the Snowflakes and Carwrecks EP followed in 2009. Hauschka collaborated with San Francisco's Magik*Magik Orchestra on the following year's full-length Foriegn Landscapes, and 2011's Salon des Amateurs featured members of Calexico and mum.
Nick Zammuto and his talented group are in a state of self sufficiency musically from the rest, pushing a lush landscape of cinematic pop into extremes of beauty never felt before...The drumming is incredible on this debut, with Sean Dixon paving a new road for Nick and the rest of the group to play on... Zammuto is a record we can't get enough and one that we feel is pushing the evolution of positive forward thinking exploratory music to even newer unseen heights. Erik Otis - Sound Colour Vibration.
Mr. Zammuto hasn't changed his mission, only his backup. - THE NEW YORK TIMES
Zammuto is the offspring of Books co-founder/songwriter Nick Zammuto, on a more solid tact towards organic songwriting by the splicing of a galaxy's worth of found samples. Zammuto is the Books explored and expanded, refined and premeditated over a decade, as if The Books was an incubator and Zammuto was the egg.
Aside from performing in the sonic collage duo the Books, Nick Zammuto recorded computer-based music on the side under his surname. Zammuto's first albums were atmospheric, starting with 2000's Willscher and the 2001 triple CD-R Solutiore of Stareau. These early works were ambient, hypnotic, and glitchy. However, over time, playing with the Books influenced Zammuto to branch out and incorporate live instrumentation. After a stopgap to concentrate on the Books' The Way Out, Zammuto returned with a self-titled album for Temporary Residence.
For 2012's Zammuto recording, he incorporated a four-piece rock setup: Zammuto plays guitar supported by his bassist brother Mikey, drummer Sean Dixon, and multi-instrumentalist Gene Back.
A NEW SHOW FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY THAT WILL LEAVE YOU SINGING, DANCING, AND LAUGHING ALL DAY LONG.
Local multimedia artists, Lizzie West & Baba Buffalo, aka Lizzie & Baba, have created a family oriented television show that will, during its pilot season, be performed and filmed live at Club Helsinki.
"Camp Now" will be filmed in front of a live studio audience for the first time on June 30th. The show blends music and story with a unique palate of mixed media, live looped tracks and audience participation. "We have a really fun way of offering timeless values in a 21st century way," says West. The programming encourages both parents and children to ‘give thanks' and ‘enjoy the moment of now'.
Lizzie and Baba will be playing a variety of fantastical characters from "the other side of time", singing songs, playing games, and hosting both local and national guests. Children from the Hudson Valley will be invited to audition for spots on the show as "the Camp Now Kids."
In June of last year, the duo successfully raised over $30,000.00 on Kickstarter - through their worldwide fan base - to support the creation of a children's book, app, cd and live show about the positive power of gratitude. In June of this year, they will be further developing that concept with the launch of "Camp Now".
Lizzie and Baba are a husband and wife team. They are musicians, composers, performance artists, teachers, illustrators and authors. Separately and together, the duo has released music on Warner Bros. Records, Appleseed Records, and, independently, through the web. Lizzie and Baba have toured internationally performing and teaching music since 2000. Their music has been featured in films, TV shows, commercials, and on the radio worldwide.
"Camp Now" engages and inspires the whole family while sharing valuable messages. "We envision families waking up on Saturday mornings, coming over for a delicious brunch and then enjoying an amazing show." Doors open at 10:00 am, Club Helsinki Hudson will be offering brunch bags from 10:15am -11:15am. The show begins at 11:30am sharp.
Sidi Touré leads a band in hypnotic, absorbing, North African dessert blues played by four masters of the tradition.
Ali Farka Touré may be gone, but his music he championed is doing pretty well without him. Side Touré performs in a similar style to his predecessor. His voice, a similar nasal grain, his guitar playing the same purposeful ambling bluesy rhythm.
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Koïma, is the second full-length album by Malian songwriter and guitarist Sidi Touré. Sidi’s music comes from Gao, a city in the north of Mali, and draws inspiration from traditional music and religion, but is informed by western blues, rock, and culture. The winner of two Malian national awards for best singer, Sidi was leader of Gao’s regional orchestra, The Songhaï Stars, and is a nationally renowned figure in his home country.
On Koïma, the music is still distinctly Gao, but represented this time in a much richer and luxuriant way. We move from the intimacy of a quiet meeting between friends to the celebration of an evening of dance. On Koïma, Sidi is able to more fully realize his vision for his music.
Accompanied by a guitarist, calabash player, traditional violin (sokou) player, and singer, Sidi has given us ten new songs that naturally mix tradition and modernity, African magic and city-dwelling dilemmas. The songs are personal tributes to the Songhaï folk music traditions, which, depending on the rhythm, are called Takambas, Holleys, Gao-Gaos, or Shallos.
The album title Koïma literally means "go hear." Koïma is an emblematic place, "a Dune with his feet in the waters of the river Niger, and with his head touching the sky," says Sidi. In Malian folklore, Koïma is the meeting place for the most powerful wizards of the world. Sidi received permission from the dune’s chief to go on the dune and to swim in the Niger. The album is an offering to the mystical power of that place. Hypnotic, absorbing North African dessert blues.
Wye Oak is the Indie duo of Baltimore natives, Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack. Wye Oak’s latest release, Civilian, was named one of NPR music’s top albums of the year list.
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After recording and mixing two albums themselves, Wye Oak brought in mixing engineer John Congleton (St. Vincent, Shearwater), who played a pivotal role in the sound of their new release, Civilian.
Civilian is a kind of 21st-century folk music, imbued with dense shoe gaze guitars, nearly melodic rhythms, and impeccable splashes of electronic color. Without leaning on conventional structure, the songs beguile with fascinating chords and melodies, Jenn’s sultry voice, the bands riveting lyrics, mesmerizing rhythms, and an intoxicating aural landscape. Just as good writing has meaning between the lines, Civilian has meaning between the sounds: the combinations of harmonies, timbres, and words summon vivid and ineffable associations just beyond reach.
The band has spent the past few years playing hundreds of shows opening for bands like The National, Yo La Tengo, and the Decemberists.
Nobody harnesses the distinctive sound of a Fender Telecaster quite like Chuck Prophet and, as the opening chords of ‘Play That Song Again’ ring out with an undeniable twang, Prophet starts his new album, Temple Beautiful. His most focused and concise work in years; Prophet’s twelfth studio album is ultimately an open love letter to San Francisco.
For most of his life, San Francisco has been Chuck Prophet's muse...or more accurately,
his drug of choice. "It can suck you under. That first hit. It really does a whammy to
you. And if you're like me you can find yourself chasing the San Francisco dragon for
the rest of your life. That's what the new record is about."
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Named for the ill-fated rock club of the same name, Temple Beautiful was "made in San
Francisco, by San Franciscans about San Francisco." Roy Loney, vocalist and wildman in
legendary Bay Area band The Flamin' Groovies contributes guest vocals to the title
track.
One of the driving forces behind cult heroes Green on Red and the influential L.A.
Paisley Underground scene in the 1980s, Prophet's creative mold was actually cast in
San Francisco. Recalls Prophet, "Temple Beautiful is the name of a long closed rock and
roll club which was between Bill Graham's iconic Fillmore Ballroom and the tragic
storefront church founded by the Reverend Jim Jones. It's where I saw my first gigs."
Inspired by current San Francisco artists, Prophet felt compelled to pay tribute to the
history and weirdness that brought him to the city nearly 30 years ago. "There's a kind
of rock and roll psych renaissance going on in this town at the moment with bands like
Thee Oh Sees, Girls, The Fresh and Onlys, Kelley Stoltz and Sonny and the Sunset's. I'm
very encouraged by all this stuff going on here."
Part love letter and part unsentimental tour, Temple Beautiful attempts to capture San
Francisco in all its forms: romantic port-of-call, bohemian utopia, but even more so,
an often unforgiving pioneer outpost filled with the freaks and characters not welcome
in America's heartland. And musically, there is no doubt that San Francisco is one of
the country's most enduring scenes, home to decade after decade of classic artists and
albums. Temple Beautiful is at once a look back at the inspirations that spawned them
and the next installment in its discography.
In addition to releasing two amazing albums in Soap & Water and ¡Let Freedom Ring!
over the past several years, Chuck's music has been heard in hit television series True
Blood (HBO), Californication (Showtime) and Sons of Anarchy (FX). Prophet also cowrote
all the songs on Alejandro Escovedo's critically-acclaimed album Real Animal.
"Bathed in the flickering glow of passing headlights and neon bar signs, Smither's roots are as blue as they come. There is plenty of misty Louisiana and Lightnin' Hopkins in Smither's weathered singing and unhurried picking. So fine." ROLLING STONE
"Smither is an American original, a product of the musical melting pot, and one of the absolute best singer-songwriters in the world." Associated Press
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Chris Smither returns to Helsinki on the heels of his 12th studio album, Hundred Dollar Valentine and early word says it's his strongest work to date. Sporting his unmistakable trademark blues sound: fingerpicked acoustic guitar and rich sonic textures mixed with spare, brilliant songs, delivered in a hard-won voice.
Born in New Orleans, Smither breaks his long-standing tradition of performing other writers' work, Hundred Dollar Valentine, is his first-ever outing comprised entirely of self-penned songs.
Chris Smither's previous efforts have had at least two lush song covers of artists from Bob Dylan's "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry," to Mark Knopfler's "Madame Geneva's." And he's found a lot of traction from getting covered himself, almost exclusively with female singers: "Love You (Me) Like a Man" has been recorded countless times, with the best known versions by Bonnie Raitt and Diana Krall, "Slow Surprise" by Emmylou Harris and "I Feel the Same" by Raitt, Candi Staton and Esther Phillips among others.
There's something to Smither's live show, not just that he's a remarkable story teller and an out of sight guitar player with a story to tell, but he breaks the fourth wall down and creates a fireside feeling that only a few great performers can do.
Banjo whiz Noam Pikelny takes his instrument to new levels of intensity, incorporating contemporary elements with a classic old-time drive. His extraordinary playing has made waves in Leftover Salmon, the John Cowan Band, and more recently in envelope-pushing Americana chamber group the Punch Brothers, as well as on his solo projects like the recent CD, Beat the Devil & Carry a Rail.
Noam played for two years in Boulder's iconic jam band, Leftover Salmon, leaving them to join the progressive bluegrass virtuosi of the John Cowan Band in 2004. In 2006, he joined Chris Thile of Nickel Creek in forming the forward-thinking string quintet that eventually settled on the name the Punch Brothers. In 2010 Noam won the inaugural Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass, and he made a memorable appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, playing a comedic version of "Dueling Banjos" alongside Martin.
In the words of legendary banjo player Bela Fleck, "He's already better than most banjo payers on the planet, but where he could go is what becomes very interesting."
Find out tonight, when Noam takes the Helsinki stage accompanied by Aoife O'Donovan (vocals), Chris Eldridge (guitar), Luke Bulla (fiddle), Dominick Leslie (mandolin), and Sam Grisman (bass)!
"Fred Eaglesmith's latest release 6 Volts is rapidly becoming our most played disk since we scored a copy" - Houston Press
Acclaimed singer, songwriter and bandleader Fred Eaglesmith is a genuine iconoclast and true original. It's the natural result of following the cue of his musical career and now 19 albums with the January 2012 release of 6 Volts. The result is one of the most fascinating and musically rewarding careers in contemporary music.
$20 in advance
$25 day of show
6 Volts is yet another landmark on a journey. The album takes its title from the battery that powered the game-changing transistor radio - introduced in 1954, the same year that rock'n'roll emerged into popular consciousness - and embodies the notion of back to the future. Captured live in the studio with one microphone onto a one-track reel to reel recorder like so many enduring classics, 6 Volts also bristles with contemporary urgency.
By bringing the recording process all the way back home to its technologically basic origins, Eaglesmith succeeds in creating authentic and meaningful music. "There's still a certain love to it that's better than multitracking," he observes. Music doesn't get any more real than when you can't overdub, autotune, or fix it in the mix.
The album draws on the spirit of the era when the transistor radio generation of musical artists and listeners keyed into the electricity of fusing rock'n'roll with country and Southern roots. "That era really felt like that was a powerful place to refer back to," Eaglesmith notes. "I did not want it to sound like, say, 1963. I wanted it to sound like a record that referenced that but was still made in 2011."
Eaglesmith has gathered a unique set of accomplishments: a Juno Award for Best Roots & Traditional Album, had his music used in films by Martin Scorsese, James Caan and Toby Keith, wrote a hit #1 on the bluegrass charts ("Thirty Years of Farming," recorded by James King), wowing David Letterman in his U.S. network debut in 2010, and finding his songs included in the curriculum at two colleges. His followers are so devoted that he is the host and centerpiece of a number of music festivals in the U.S. and Canada.
Helsinki welcomes Sharon Van Etten, along with her band. Garnering much critical praise in her quick trajectory since releasing her solo debut album, "Because I Was in Love" on Drag City, her rather frank, confessional ballads, have been likened to artists such as Cat Power and Edith Frost. Van Etten shifted to a full band approach, for her second release, "Epic" on Jagjaguwar Records, and her latest release, "Tramp", produced by Aaron Dessner of the National. She has shared the stage recently with artists such as Neko Case, Bon Iver and José González.
Having established herself as a reliable performer around New York, and coming off the release of her spartan first effort, Because I Was in Love, Van Etten created a short album of diverse songs connected by a shared goal of expanded sound and her unmistakable voice. Fans quickly picked favorites, discovered their choices changing, then changing yet again. That is the magic of epic; the intricate, understated record covered so much ground within its 33 minutes, it required more than an initial half hour to absorb. Since epic's release, she has opened the Pitchfork Music Festival, played The Hollywood Bowl with Neko Case and at Radio City Music Hall with The Antlers, sung on new records for Beirut and Ed Askew, and collaborated with Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and Megafaun on the Songs of the South project.
Aaron Dessner, a member of The National, heard Van Etten early on, and in collaboration with Justin Vernon, performed a cover of "Love More" at the 2010 MusicNow Festival in Cincinnati. Van Etten heard about this and contacted him. Almost immediately they formed plans to work together, with Dessner offering both a location for Van Etten to record new songs, as well as the opinions of a wise producer.
Now, one year later, Van Etten unveils Tramp, an album showcasing an artist in full control of her powers. Tramp contains as much striking rock (the precise venom of "Serpents," the overwhelming power of "Ask"), as pious, minimal beauty (the earnest solemnity of "All I Can," the breathtaking "Kevins," "Joke or a Lie"); it can be as emotionally combative ("Give Out") as it can sultry ("Magic Chords"). Contributions from Matt Barrick (Walkmen), Thomas Bartlett (Doveman), Zach Condon (Beirut), Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak), Julianna Barwick, and Dessner himself add a glowing sheen to the already substantial offering.
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