KristinG's blog

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a new Primus album!

Submitted by KristinG on July 30, 2011 - 11:15am
in
Primus

Can it really be? After a 12 year hiatus, Primus is back together as their original, pre-studio-recording lineup, with a new album and a summer tour. The Primusphere is brimming with anticipation, wondering what this bass-driven, carnivalesque rock group is about to hit us with.

Primus debuted with the album Frizzle Fry in 1990. I won't attempt to accurately report their full and long history, but I'll do my best at the gist--by this time, after playing locally in California for years, the band had already split with their old drummer, Jay Lane, and went big with Tim Alexander, with whom they recorded many of their albums.

Cello Rock!

Submitted by KristinG on June 25, 2011 - 4:18pm
in
Ian Cooke

Who says the cello is just a classical music instrument? In recent years, a whole slew of cello rock bands have popped up, overturning old paradigms and revealing how surprisingly apt the instrument is to other music styles, not to mention spicing up the often guitar-dominated arena of rock genres. If you're curious, check out the music; two big names will even be coming to play concerts in a town near you this July!

Rasputina is arguably the reigning queen of cello rock; after they pioneered their way onto the scene in 1996 with their debut album Thanks For the Ether, garnering a cult following and performing with the likes of Nirvana, a whole bunch of other up and coming cellists have begun to share the limelight.

Rainy Day Music

Submitted by KristinG on May 17, 2011 - 11:14am
in
Norah Jones

Do you get the blues when it's cold and overcast for days on end? I certainly do, so I was thrilled to find just the fix for it during our recent cold spell. What's your favorite music to listen to when spring seems like winter all over again?
 

Norah Jones' 2007 album Not Too Late is like a big mug of tea in a cozy coffee shop, only it's magically portable.

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Submitted by KristinG on April 13, 2011 - 10:27am
in
RyG playing in Paris in November 2010

There's a reason why Rodrigo y Gabriela's upcoming concert in Boulder is sold out—the Latin acoustic guitar duo is getting too big for little venues. Their powerful songs defy accurate comparison and genre. Out of Mexico and residing in Dublin, Ireland, this group's rhythms will make you wish they were local.

From adventurous originals like Tamacun to an all-acoustic guitar version of Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven, truly each and every song is musically impressive and interesting. The band has said that though your ears might hear flamenco, that's not what it is. More specifically, they blend "Latin harmonies and rhythms but the structure is rock," according to their bio on Jambase (a great band profile website). Their influences include salsa, classic rock, and Mexican metal.

Indie Near You - Thursday, March 10

Submitted by KristinG on March 10, 2011 - 3:36pm
in
Artwork by Pan Asral

Indie fans, do you ever feel like your favorite music genre has become so mainstream that it's not Indie anymore? If you're looking for the most independent Indie out there, look no further than your own backyard. Local bands all over the country represent where this music got its start.

Tagged on their website as experimental Indie rock electronica, local act Pan Astral sticks out from the crowd, blending ethereal vocals with integrated chaos in rhythms that range from trippy to poppy. The subtlest hints of rock, grunge, psychedelic, 80s synth pop, trance, and even folk country somehow all find their way into these meandering streams of notes. If you're 18 or older, catch them at the Hi-Dive this Thursday, March 10 with Lamp! and &One.

Local Indo-Jazz Fusion

Submitted by KristinG on February 19, 2011 - 3:21pm
in
Aakash Mittal's Videsh

Do you like music that defies genre and blurs boundaries? Local musician Aakash Mittal blends the sounds of India with classic instrumental jazz. That might seem unlikely, but he pulls it off with ease to create a rich and piquant experience for your ears.

Mittal's songs range from shamanic and meditative to bustling and chaotic, combining the undulating melodies of traditional Indian music with your classic groovy coffee shop and lounge jazz.

Heavy Metal Poetics

Submitted by KristinG on February 10, 2011 - 3:14pm
in
Scurrilous

Today’s heavy metal music shares surprising similarities with the classical music of the past. In Beethoven’s day, his music was thought by some to be distasteful and chaotic; Bach and Vivaldi shocked with their upbeat and technical compositions.  How will the future judge musical pioneers of the present?

"Every word ever written will fall short of its intent

Even sung or spoke or screamed they will betray what they have meant

Language is the heart's lament, a weak attempt to circumvent

the loneliness inherent in the search for permanence"

Syndicate content