EventsRodrigo y Gabriela
This post is somewhat of a departure from most of our other reviews on this site. Pretty much all of the others are for a rock/metal band or hip hop act. Rodrigo y Gabriela are a Mexican acoustic guitar duo with a background in metal.
Animals as Leaders
Animals as Leaders is a project based out of Washington D.C. with an absolutely phenomenal guitarist. Few people can eloquently harness an 8-string guitar and even fewer can actually bring emotion to shredding. I was instantly hooked by the guitar, but it’s the fact that every piece of this band is just as incredible that got me addicted.
Portico Quartet
I’ve come across a band that has me questioning the already loose definition of jazz I thought I knew.
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Just in case I haven’t made it clear enough how eclectic my taste in music is, I decided to pull out an old gem by the name of Godspeed You! Black Emperor (GYBE). Yes, their name includes an exclamation point… shouldn’t yours? GYBE is a nine piece post-rock band from Canada. To be honest, I never thought to call them post-rock until I researched them a little bit before writing this post. I always thought of them more as a mixture of rock, classical, and experimental meant to be played as a movie soundtrack. Personally, I think they’re a little too abstract to be called post-rock… but what do labels really mean anyway, right?
If These Trees Could Talk
I’m inclined to call these guys a heavier and guitar oriented God is an Astronaut. Granted, God is an Astronaut has a guitar player, but If These Trees Could Talk has three…
Kairos 4tet
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I love it when great music finds me. It wasn’t long ago that I published an interview with Jasper Høiby regarding his band Phronesis. It turns out Høiby plays bass in another band that goes by Kairos 4tet (not to be confused with the California based Kairos Quartet). Kairos 4tet is led by a saxophonist, Adam Waldmann, which is a bit of a divergence from most of my modern jazz collection. I’ve been in a bit of a rut of finding only jazz trios consisting of keys, bass, and drums. This, along with the connection to Høiby, was enough to entice me.
Danger Invites Rescue
We Invite you to check out this video interview from Danger’s recording studio to learn a little about the band including how they plan to Rescue the music industry.
Green Delay | Phronesis
There is this unfortunate, and almost regular, occurrence of finding a great band that has already parted ways. Phronesis fell into this category briefly. Lucky for us all, Jasper Høiby managed to find Anton Eger on drums and Ivo Neame on the keys. The newest album from Phronesis, Green Delay (2009), is due to be released May 13th… so mark you calendars!
Shifting Sands | Parhelia
Two big occasions occurred with the information I left you in the artist profile of Parhelia I wrote this past January. First, I’m no longer a jobless bum, and more seriously, Parhelia has released their third album. Shifting Sands (2009) was just released and, so far, is only available directly through the band’s website. Parhelia has also had the privilege of sharing the stage with Anathema and God is an Astronaut in the past few months. Their new album is certainly stronger than their first two. By now they’ve developed their own sound, but I can tell they’re still growing musically. Parhelia is still on their way up.
Phronesis
I first heard Jasper on his album Organic Warfare (2007) released under his own trio, Phronesis. I was hooked immediately and promptly published a review. Jasper is releasing his trio’s second album this May entitled Green Delay (2009). We’ll have a review of Green Delay shortly before it’s official release, but in the mean time we have an exclusive clip from the upcoming album not found anywhere else and an interview with Jasper Høiby! Enjoy!
