Woah, awesome! Our favorite alt-folky power-duo Horse Feathers have been nominated in the very fitting “Best Americana Album” category over at the second annual PLUG Independent Music Awards. This is all the more awesome given that the nominees are decided on by a panel of music industry insiders, writers, etc. You can cast your vote here. Way to go guys!
Our girls Swan Island and Alela Diane received some very kind words from the good folks at Pitchfork this week.
John Motley reviewed Swan Island The Centre Will Hold, saying:
“Swan Island have packed their debut with songs that are incendiary and dynamic without lapsing into cliché. For all of the classic rock influences that inform the band’s sound, the group demolishes standard structure with songs that refuse to stay in one place for very long. […] If Swan Island’s music at times borders on chaos, it is an exacting and tightly orchestrated version of it– one that numbers them among the Northwest’s most promising new bands.” [link]
Meanwhile, Stephen Deusner chimes in with a (four star!) track review of Alela’s deeply sublime “The Rifle”:
“Diane wisely keeps the storytelling vague and impressionistic: Her grave intonations (especially about “too many heavy boots”) and the ominous backing vocals imply violence occurring just beyond her words, something too horrible to express directly. This strategic reticence, however, gives the song its particular power as it demands repeat listens.” [link]
Pitchfork just posted a great, in-depth interview with Gang of Four bassist Dave Allen regarding his recent work with PDX art punks Wet Confetti. Click here to check it out. As previously noted, Dave co-produced their forthcoming Laughing, Gasping, plays bass on it, and is releasing it on his label. So yeah, at this point I think it’s pretty safe to say he’s a supporter.
Says Dave:
“I suppose what it is, is that every now and again, along comes a band that you feel there’s something important about what they’re doing…I like the three people in the band a lot, and the chemistry is important. So it just felt like a really worthwhile project.”
“Their aesthetic is very punk rock, although the music isn’t necessarily so, because it’s a bit jerky and, what do they call Gang of Four? Jerky funky punky? [Laughs] That’s it right there. I wouldn’t know what genre to put them in. They’ve been compared to Blonde Redhead and I think people like that, but we’ll see. The world will have to decide.”
Legendary Gang of Four bassist Dave Allen recently teamed up with former Shriekback bandmate Mike Cozzi to produce the sophomore album from Portland, Oregon art punk trio Wet Confetti. Entitled Laughing, Gasping, the album will be released February 6th on Allen’s Pampelmoose label, and also finds Allen contributing bass on standout track “Sorry Dinosaur”.
This release marks the first time Allen has produced or guested on bass in over a decade, and follows on recent activities with his new band Faux-Hoax, featuring Menomena drummer Danny Seim and Tracker guitarist John Askew.
Laughing, Gasping also marks Wet Confetti’s first new material since performing on the Portland installment of Fugazi drummer Brendan Canty’s acclaimed Burn to Shine series, alongside an all-star cast of Portland bands including Sleater-Kinney, The Thermals, The Gossip, The Decemberists, and The Shins.
Click here for more on Wet Confetti.
Portland, Oregon folk songwriter Alela Diane has announced extensive tour plans in support of her new album, The Pirate’s Gospel, released next Tuesday, October 24th, on the Holocene Music label. Following a very special hometown show supporting Juana Molina and Adem, Alela will be teaming up with the supremely talented Tom Brosseau for a string of East Coast and Midwest dates, including a stop at CMJ, and joining darkly brilliant singer/songwriter Lisa Germano for West Coast, Northwest, and Southwest dates in December.
Hailing from the deep woods and winding rivers of Northern California Gold Rush town Nevada City, Alela Diane grew up singing songs with her parents (both musicians), and performing in the school choir. During a stay in San Francisco in 2003, she began teaching herself guitar and writing her first songs, blending tense, trance-like arpeggios, with warm, thick vocals and meditative lyrics about family and nature. These soon caught the attention of friend and fellow Nevada City native Joanna Newsom, who in turn invited Alela to play her first live show.
Written in response to a loss of home and familiarity, The Pirate’s Gospel is a powerful document of personal reevaluation and renewal set against the backdrop of generations past and future, mothers and fathers, life, death, and birth. The songs were composed during a trip to Europe and recorded in her father’s studio in Nevada City.
This tour marks Alela’s first time touring outside of California and Oregon, and presents a welcome opportunity for new fans to witness her thoroughly mesmerizing live presence.
Alela Diane Tour Dates
* w/ Tom Brosseau
^ w/ Lisa Germano
# w/ Akron/Family, Lisa Germano
10/21 Portland, OR - Doug Fir w/ Juana Molina
10/26 Boston, MA - Passim *
10/27 Rochester, NY - Bullwinkles *
10/28 Burlington, VT - Radio Bean *
10/29 New Haven, CT - Bar Nightclub *
10/30 Albany, NY - Valentine’s *
11/03 New York, NY - CMJ Festival - Rockwood Music Hall - 8pm
11/04 Brooklyn, NY - Pete’s Candy Store w/ Dodo Bird
11/06 Arlington, VA - Galaxy Hut
11/07 Norfolk, VA - Relative Theory *
11/09 Lexington KY - Mecca Gallery *
11/10 Cincinatti, OH - Publico Gallery *
11/11 Chicago, IL - Schubas Tavern *
12/08 Los Angeles, CA - Echo #
12/09 Tucson, AZ- Plush ^
12/10 Phoenix, AZ - Rhythm Room ^
12/11 Albuquerque, NM - Nelson House ^
12/13 Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge ^
12/14 Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge ^
12/15 Boise, ID - Neurolux ^
12/16 Portland, OR - Holocene #
12/17 Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern ^
12/20 San Francisco, CA - Hemlock Tavern ^
12/21 Santa Cruz, CA - The Attic ^
