I never thought I liked bluegrass until I heard The Steep Canyon Rangers. The Grammy award-winning band consisting of Woody Platt, Nicky Sanders, Mike Guggino, Graham Sharp, Charles R. Humphrey III and sometimes Steve Martin […]
Philly welcomes folkies for 53rd annual fest
More than 50 years of musical tradition will continue at the Old Pool Farm for the Philadelphia Folk Festival Aug. 15-17 in Upper Salford Township.
The lineup for the 53rd annual Folk Festival includes Old Crow Medicine Show, Steep Canyon Rangers, Janis Ian and Loudon Wainwright III. These performers are mixed in throughout an intoxicating three days of crafts, workshops and a variety of musical performances.
New releases by Adult Jazz and Spoon this week
Adult Jazz – “Gist Is” The quartet hailing from Leeds debuts with “Gist Is” a critically acclaimed and compared to Frank Zappa by one NPR writer. Contemporary, free forming and as erie as Nessie of […]
This Week: We see “The Voyager” Through a “Hypnotic Eye”
New releases by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Jenny Lewis are dominating my playlist Tuesday, July 29. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have returned to the studio for a loose and bluesy 13th album. […]
Brief update on my hiatus
Things have been busy at the High Note and WordSmith. I've been steadily picking up work and also keeping up with music. The Firefly 2014 story is pretty epic so I'm going to break […]
Atley Moon acoustic May 31 at Maynard’s in Margate
The soulful summer sounds of Atley Moon and the Say Something Sound Machine will bring Motown to Margate with an acoustic set 6-10 p.m. Saturday, May 31 at Maynards’s Cafe, 9306 Amherst Ave.
The band has a strong following in both South Jersey and Philadelphia and are summertime mainstays at Yesterday’s in Marmora and The Whitebriar in Avalon. Philadelphians have shown the band a lot of love after years of great gigs and a stellar performance at World Cafe Live.
New Music Tuesday April 22, 2014
A new feature to The High Note will round up what music rises to the top each Tuesday when new albums are released. My highlights for Tuesday, April 22 include new music from old favorites […]
Real Estate hits home with “Atlas”
Why can’t it feel like summer? I’m not just longing for beautiful weather and endless days spent wandering the miles of New Jersey shoreline. “Atlas,” the latest release by Real Estate, has given me a new perspective on summer fun. As I waded into immersive sound that comprises the third album by the band that hails from Ridgewood N.J. I found myself seeing the entire world through the warmth of summer’s glow.
Real Estate has a modern rock ‘n’ roll sound. Leading off with a sultry and bluesy guitar intro, “The Bend” is among the best songs on the album and features some of the best guitar work including a very Zepplin-esk outro. One of my favorite aspects of this album is the jammy riffs that are prominent throughout the 10 tracks here and is a signature of band.
Beck gets better with age
Beck‘s latest album, “Morning Phase,” has steadily grown on me like a new haircut since its release on Feb. 21 on Capitol Records. Sonically, this mellow and folky album paints a pastoral landscape of twisting hills divided by ribbons of asphalt and old cars. That’s the world that Beck has created with his first album in six year.
Fanfarlo shows evolution with ‘Let’s Go Extinct’
Fanfarlo takes listeners on a musical and philosophical journey into the future with its third third full-length album, “Let’s Go Extinct.” The album is an adventurous leap in the time machine both back to 80s by incorporating synth melodies and into the future with progressive, futuristic themes by the London folk quartet.
Released Feb. 10 on the Fanfarlo’s own New World Records label in the United Kingdom and by The Orchard in the United States, the 10 tracks of “Let’s Go Extinct” were enjoyable and weird. I fell in love with the eclectic band after hearing the heavily trumpeted “The Walls Are Coming Down,” from its first album, “Reservoir” released in 2009. Although I didn’t find “Rooms Filled WIth Light” from 2012 until late last year, Fanfarlo has held a warm spot in my inner-ear.