independent thoughts on indie rock, alternative, and indie pop music
When you finally get a chance to see a group you’ve liked for years perform live for the first time, the excitement and anticipation is next level. You spend more time getting ready. You rush your friends out the door so you’re sure to get a good vantage point. You’re amped the minute you walk... Continue Reading →
“Why on earth would I do that?” recalls Molly Parden of her initial reaction to the suggestion that she write songs several years ago. “There are already so many songs out there! So typical of the middle child—‘Why would anything I do matter?’” she laughs. Parden, who grew up with six sisters and two brothers,... Continue Reading →
“When there’s creativity in the air, it breeds more creativity. We caught that wave I think, and we found each other and a sound. There’s a ton of great music coming out of this town. We’re so much more musically talented than Nashville, it’s crazy,” laughs Tim Arnold, one-third of folk rock trio Good Old... Continue Reading →
Full disclosure – I’m a 31 year-old dude who likes to write songs. Usually, when I decide to write them, I do so using an acoustic guitar. I grew up listening to punk rock as a kid, until someone played me “Like A Rolling Stone” on a road trip, and off I went. I was 18... Continue Reading →
“Let me pull you closer to me, as we waltz ‘round the room,” sings 5j Barrow’s Jason Hite, in the opening verse of “Seagreen Dress,” the first song on their forthcoming EP, The Journey Vol. 1. His beautiful tenor ebbs and flows with the pulsating strums of the accompanying acoustic guitar—and then in an unexpected... Continue Reading →
At only the second debut of their new album Wendigo, Penny and Sparrow had a crowd full of eager listeners hanging onto every word, harmony, and strum recently at Marathon Music Works. Since the release of their breakthrough album Let a Lover Drown You, the dynamic folk duo has had a faithful following waiting and... Continue Reading →
Nick Pankey and Kaston Guffey, who seem more like brothers than life-long friends, met each other in the Ozark, Missouri middle school equivalent of home economics class. “It was a great class, and of course we met girls,” says Pankey with a laugh. The pair bonded over music in high school, and made basement recordings... Continue Reading →
At the risk of sounding cliché, the best word to describe Bonnaroo is “magical.” There are many ways people try to define what makes it so-- hugs, high-fives, and cool vibes are usually mentioned—but for factual proof, look no further than the hordes of people that flood The Farm each year in Manchester, Tennessee. The... Continue Reading →
Philadelphia-based indie alt-folk outfit Mt. Joy is headed to The Farm in Manchester, Tennessee to make their Bonnaroo debut on the New Music On Tap Lounge stage from 8:45-9:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 8th. Co-founders Sam Cooper, a former lawyer, and Matt Quinn, a former law student, began performing together in 2005. Mt. Joy has only released three... Continue Reading →
Sunshine. Movement. Energy. These are all words that come to mind when considering California alt-folk trio Magic Giant, whose celebratory, food-for-the-soul brand of music bears undeniably hopeful optimism and spreads light and love to willing ears. Last time we spoke with the band, they were recording songs in their bomb-shelter-turned studio affectionately referred to as... Continue Reading →
