Words By Low

Low is an american alternative group from Duluth, Minnesota. The group was formed in 1993, by Alan Sparhawk (guitar and vocals), Mimi Parker (drums and vocals) and original bassist John Nichols (bass guitar). Zak Sally replaced Nichols after Low’s first album and tour. In 2005, Sally quit the band; Matt Livingston replaced him shortly thereafter. In 2008 Steve Garrington took over on bass creating the current lineup of Sparhawk, Parker and Garrington.
   
Their music is commonly described as “slowcore,” a subgenre characterised by slow tempos and minimalist arrangements. They are one of the earlier bands to adopt and popularize the style, making them considerable contributors to the slowcore movement. (It is worth noting that the band dislike this label. In an interview Alan Sparhawk says of descriptions of their music: “What’s the cheesiest? Slow-core. I hate that word. The most appropriate is anything that uses the word minimal in it, but I don’t think anybody’s made one up for that”) Parker and Sparhawk’s striking vocal harmonies represent perhaps the group’s most distinctive element.

 

 The Way That He Sings By My Morning Jacket

        My Morning Jacket formed in 1998 in Louisville, Kentucky, consisting of Jim James on guitar, Tom Blankenship on bass, J. Glenn on drums, and Johnny Quaid on second guitar. James said the band's moniker comes from the letters "MMJ" embroidered on a discarded coat he once saw.

        The band's debut, The Tennessee Fire, was released on Darla Records. In 2000, the band was augmented by the addition of Danny Cash (layout and keyboard instruments). Although the second album At Dawn was recorded with drummer J. Glenn, he had already left the band by the time the album was released by Darla in 2001. J. Glenn was replaced by Chris 'KC' Guetig. In May 2002 James' childhood friend Patrick Hallahan replaced Guetig. 

      My Morning Jacket were signed to ATO Records in 2002. In 2003 they released It Still Moves, their major-label debut. The release of the album was followed by the live EP Acoustic Citsuoca. This EP was notable for the absence of hall reverb on Jim James' vocals, a sound very different from their earlier works.

      January 2004, Quaid and Cash left the band and were replaced by Carl Broemel and Bo Koster respectively. In November 2004 the band released two collections of early work, which included old demos, live versions, and covers. These discs, entitled Early Recordings Chapter 1 – The Sandworm Cometh and Early Recordings Chapter 2 – Learning, document the formation and progress in the band's early years.

      October 2005 saw the release of the critically acclaimed album Z. The band was featured (under the name Ruckus) in the 2005 film Elizabethtown and contributed the original song "Where to Begin" and (billed as Ruckus) their version of a song called "Same In Any Language" (composed by Nancy Wilson of Heart, who scored Elizabethtown) to the soundtrack albums.

         In 2007, the band recorded their album Evil Urges, which was released on June 10, 2008 and was followed by a June 20 show at Radio City Music Hall. They performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in April 2008 as well as the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in June.

      They performed for a fifth time at the Bonnaroo Music Festival 2008. They played an almost four hour long set starting at midnight on Friday; it featured guest appearances by Kirk Hammett of Metallica and comedian Zach Galifianakis, as well as the Nashville-Louisville horns. Thirty-five songs were performed during the marathon set, including many covers (e.g. Erykah Badu's "Tyrone", Kool and the Gang's "Get Down on It", Sly and the Family Stone's "Hot Fun in the Summertime", James Brown's "Cold Sweat", Bobby Womack's "Across 110th Street", Funkadelic's "Hit It and Quit It", Velvet Underground's "Oh! Sweet Nuthin", and Mötley Crüe's "Home Sweet Home"), and all but two tracks of their latest album Evil Urges.

        The band's 2008 album Evil Urges was nominated for a Grammy for Best Alternative rock Album Their most recent release, Celebración de la Ciudad Natal, was released on Record Store Day, April 18, 2009. It is an eight song EP taken from two live recordings, notably the band's Summer 2008 Waterfront Park concert in their hometown of Louisville, KY.

 

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She Sends Kisses By The Wrens

     The Wrens formed in the late 1980s in New Jersey, consisting of Charles Bissell (guitar, vocals), Greg Whelan (Whelan G. E.) (guitar, vocals), Kevin Whelan (Sett) (bass, keys, vocals), and Jerry MacDonnell (Jerome MACDonnell) (drums). Their influences range from Guided by Voices to the Pixies, but they have developed a unique sound since their initial formation.

      The Wrens are known for their explosive stage presence, despite each member being well past 35, and are steadily gaining a fanbase across the world. Their debut album, “Silver”, was released in 1994 to a moderate degree of critical acclaim. However, it was their second LP, “Secaucus” (named in reference to the town in New Jersey where they resided), that established them as one of the top bands on the indie rock scene. Both of these albums were released on the now defunct Grass Records label.

      After the release of “Secaucus”, Grass Records came under new ownership, who decided to make The Wrens the flagship band of the label. After the band turned down a million-dollar contract stipulating that the band record more “radio friendly” songs, The Wrens were dropped by Grass Records. “Silver” and “Secaucus” were only recently reissued in 2006 after years out of circulation because of this.

       Hindered by their label issues through much of the 1990s, the Wrens managed only to release one EP, “Abbott 1135”, in 1997 under the label Ten23 Records. The band’s third full-length album, “The Meadowlands”, finally surfaced in late 2003 (seven years after the release of “Secaucus”) under Absolutely Kosher Records to enormous critical acclaim, topping critics’ polls for the following two years and suddenly jump-starting an otherwise plateauing career.

       The Wrens are currently being filmed for a documentary by the production company Little Quill, and are working on another LP and a re-recording of Abbott 1135.

 

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 Black Cab By Jens Lekman

      Jens Martin Lekman (born February 6, 1981 in Angered, Sweden) is a Swedish pop musician residing in Melbourne, Australia. He has released three albums and several EPs since 2003. His music can be described as guitar-based pop with heavy use of samples and strings; the lyrics are often witty, romantic, and lachrymose. His work is often compared to that of Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields, Jonathan Richman, and Morrissey.
       Lekman recorded and released much of his material privately from 2000 to 2003 on CD-R. Because one of his songs during this time was entitled “Rocky Dennis’ Farewell Song to the Blind Girl”, Lekman was mistakenly referred to as Rocky Dennis for a while (the song was actually written from the perspective of the main character of the 1985 film Mask). Lekman says that it was a “mistake”: “someone thought that was my real name cause I had a song about him, and then radio picked up on it, and I never had a chance to change it”. He put the confusion to rest with his Rocky Dennis in Heaven EP (2004).
         His self-released 7” vinyl EP Maple Leaves caused a big stir in 2003, mainly due to sound files circulating on file sharing networks. When the same EP was released on CD by the Swedish independent label Service Records in the autumn, he was already a well-known name. The songs “Maple Leaves” and “Black Cab” were heavily played on Swedish national radio. He soon signed a contract with the American label Secretly Canadian for releases outside of Sweden. Heavy touring and his debut album soon followed.

 

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Oh My God By Ida Maria

         Ida Maria (full name Ida Maria Børli Sivertsen, b. July 13th 1984) is an indie rock/punk artist from Nesna, Norway, currently living in Sweden. Her first album, Fortress Round My Heart, was released in Norway and the UK on May 5th, 2008.

         Ida Maria won Zoom Urørt in 2006 and the Urørt-competition in 2007 (both are Norwegian competitions for unsigned artists) and played some of Norway`s biggest festivals. In 2007 she also won Alarmprisen (Norwegian music awards). Her band consists of:  Ida Maria: guitar, vocals, bass Stefan Törnby: guitar, backing vocals

Olle Lundin: drums, backing vocals Johannes Lindberg: bass, backing vocals.

 

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The Rat By The Walkmen      

The Walkmen are an American indie rock band, with members based in New York City and Philadelphia. The band formed in 2000 with three members from Jonathan Fire Eater—Paul Maroon (guitar, piano), Walter Martin (organ/bass), and Matt Barrick (drums)—and two from The Recoys, Peter Bauer (bass/organ) and Hamilton Leithauser (vocals, guitar). All but Bauer attended St. Albans in Washington, D.C.
        They prefer the sound of vintage musical instruments, particularly the upright piano, and have often recorded at Marcata Recording, a recording studio built in Harlem in 1999 by the three former members of Jonathan Fire*Eater and later relocated to upstate New York.
         Each of the members of The Walkmen grew up in and around the Washington, DC area, played in many of the same bands from early in their careers, and even attended the same Washington-area high school. The bandmates eventually moved to Harlem and became a part of the burgeoning New York City rock scene.
          The band was formed in 2000 following the breakup of two separate bands: Jonathan Fire*Eater, whose members included Martin, Maroon and Barrick, and The Recoys, whose members included Leithauser and Bauer. The three members from Jonathan Fire*Eater, which had recorded for Dreamworks Records, had money left over from that past recording contract and used the remaining funds to construct a rehearsal space in uptown New York. The rehearsal space featured a 24-track recording studio and was dubbed Marcata Studios.

 

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Bring It On By Leon Jean Marie

        Leon Jean-Marie’s first involvement with music came aged 10, when his dad bought him a guitar, kindling an early love of Nirvana and Led Zeppelin. In his mid-teens he was part of a five-part R&B group called Syndicate. ‘You know, five black guys, bit like Damage…’ He laughs at the memory of his ultra-smoove former self.

       But Syndicate had recorded some demos in a top-flite London studio. In those windowless rooms full of kit Leon felt he’d found his calling. One of the owners of the studio spotted his enthusiasm and gave him as a job as runner. As he learnt his way round a mixing desk, Leon began experimenting with his own tunes, and immersing himself in the arcane world of music production.
        Thing is, at home Leon was also being told he was wasting his time. His mum and dad - like most of his family, they were born in St Lucia - are old-fashioned. Leon’s dad felt that music was no job for his son. It was bound to end in disaster. He needed a proper job, and a degree.
         So Leon went to college, albeit to study Performing Arts, then landed a place at University. But he deferred his place and went to live back home. He had so many song ideas, ‘I just wanted to dive into the industry’. He was a studio whiz and a gifted multi-instrumentalist, skilled on drums, bass and keyboards. But still his dad was having none of it. ‘I was as stubborn as my dad,’ he says guiltily. The barneys got so bad that Leon moved out, roaring off into the night in his trusty Fiat Punto. He lived in his car, at mates’, semi-rough. It was a period of, he admits, drugs, sex and occasional depression.

 

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Flash-Back Friday (No school like the old school)

Have Love, Will Travel By The Sonics

        The Sonics are a garage rock band formed 1960 in Tacoma, Washington, United States, the band’s original members were Gerry Roslie (vocals, piano, organ), Larry Parypa (guitar), Andy Parypa (bass), Rob Lind (saxophone) and Bob Bennett (drums). The band’s loud, powerful sound is often considered to be extremely influential on the later psychedelic and punk genres.
       Forming in the wake of the early-’60s success of local favorites The Kingsmen and The Wailers (whose Etiquette label they recorded for), the Sonics combined classic Northwest-area teen band raunch with early English band grit (particularly influenced by The Kinks), relentless rhythmic drive, and unabashed ’50s-style blues shouting for a combination that still makes their brand of rock & roll perhaps the raunchiest ever captured on wax.
       Lead singer Gerry Roslie was no less than a white Little Richard, whose harrowing soul-screams were startling even to the Northwest teen audience, who liked their music powerful and driving with little regard to commercial subtleties. With hit after hit on the local charts (and influencing every local band that ever took the stage), the band inexplicably was never able to break out nationally, leaving its sound largely undiluted for mass consumption. Breaking up between 1966 and 1968 (after one ill-fated album attempt to water down their style for national attention), the Sonics continue today to be revered by ’60s collectors the world over for their unique brand of rock & roll raunch.

 

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 Lines In The Suit By Spoon

         Spoon is an American indie rock band from Austin, Texas. The band was formed in late 1993 by lead singer/guitarist Britt Daniel and drummer Jim Eno. Current members also include: Eric Harvey (keyboard, guitar, percussion, backing vocals) and Rob Pope (bass, backing vocals - replaced Joshua Zarbo in 2007).

         After releasing their debut LP Telephono on Matador Records, the band signed with Elektra in 1998, but the contract was dropped soon after the band released A Series of Sneaks. In response the band released a two-song single titled The Agony of Laffitte (referring to Elektra A&R man Ron Laffitte). Eventually they signed to Merge Records.
        Spoon has been met with widespread critical acclaim. Girls Can Tell, released in 2001, sold more copies than both their previous releases combined. Kill the Moonlight accomplished the same feat a year later. Gimme Fiction was released on May 10, 2005 and continued the trend of increasing popularity for the band.
        Britt Daniel wrote much of the soundtrack to the 2006 film Stranger Than Fiction. Four tracks by Spoon are also featured.
       The band released their sixth studio album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga on July 10, 2007; those who purchased the first pressing also received a bonus disc titled Get Nice!.
       Transference is their seventh studio album. It was released on January 18, 2010 in Europe, and on January 19 in North America, to moderately positive reviews.

  

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Jane By The Days

The Days are a 3-piece British band, formed in 2005, originating from south Devon, UK. The band consists of brothers Luke & Dan Simpkins and Harry Meads. They are currently signed to Atlantic Records and were set to release their debut album in 2008, however it has since been delayed.

The band were discovered by Fierce Panda, the same small heat seeking label that discovered Coldplay and Keane.

       Their style is indie pop. They got the idea for their name when they spent 4 days and nights jamming shortly after the formation of the band. All four went to Ivybridge Community College.

They set out on their own headline tour earlier in 2009, alongside doing several HMV signings along the South Coast for the releases of No Ties and Never Give Up, a promo day at Drake Circus, Plymouth back in February 2009, and two "Never Give Up" dates. They have also played at Home Park, home of Plymouth Argyle, before a match between Plymouth and Barnsley and have also played in the BBC tent at the Devon County Show in May 2009. They were headliners at Ivylive at Filham Park, Ivybridge on September 12, and played a set at Modbury Music Festival.

           Their cover of Love in This Club (originally by Usher) has attracted more than 200,000 hits on YouTube, the music video for it was shot in their tour bus whilst they were on tour with Scouting for Girls. They also covered I Kissed a Girl by Katy Perry exclusively for the 'Fan Members' part of their official website.

In November 2007, they released an EP for "Evil Girls". "Give it Away", "Kate" and "The Days (acoustic)" were b-sides for the EP. 

Their single "No Ties" reached number 91 in the UK Singles Chart.. The video for "No Ties" was played on music channel Q as the 5th best new music video of the week, and the song was also played on an advert for BBC Three show Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps. Their second single released is "Never Give Up", but it failed to make the charts.

           They recently released a "The Days photo book" with a copy of their CD. The Days are set to announce a new tour in June 2010 which will see them visit the UK, Europe and America.

 

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 Life On Earth By Band of Horses

 Band of Horses, known early in its life simply as Horses, is an Indie band formed in Charleston, South Carolina, United States by Ben Bridwell, Mat Brooke, Tim Meinig and Chris Early. Creighton Barret and Rob Hampton Later replaced Meinig and Early and in February 2006 Joe Arnone joined the troupe. They are currently signed to Fat Possum Records. The band often draws comparisons to the indie rock band My Morning Jacket largely due to the vocal similarities between Bridwell and My Morning Jacket lead singer Jim James. Bridwell’s vocals have also been compared to Perry Farrell of Jane’s Addiction, early Neil Young, and Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips by All Music Guide.

Band of Horses was formed by Ben Bridwell (guitar, vocals) and Mat Brooke (guitar) in 2004 after the break-up of their previous band, Carissa’s Wierd. Rob and Creighton were formerly of the mathrock band The New Mexicans before joining Band of Horses. The group initially got attention from Sub Pop Records after opening for Iron & Wine in Seattle area shows. In 2005, the band released their debut EP, Band Of Horses Tour EP, which was sold exclusively at shows and on Sub Pop’s website. Their debut full-length, Everything All the Time was recorded in 2005 with producer Phil Ek and released on March 21, 2006 to generally good reviews.

On July 13, 2006, Band of Horses appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman sans Brooke. As of July 25, 2006, Mat Brooke left Band of Horses to focus more on his other band, Grand Archives, who had also signed to Sub Pop.   The band’s second album, Cease to Begin, was released on October 9 2007. The band has recently moved its base of operations from Seattle to Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina.

 

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 Like A Brick By The Mommyheads

The Mommyheads were an American indie pop band who played from around 1987 through 1998. Starting in New York City as the brainchild of singer Adam Cohen (name later changed to Adam Elk), the band produced a string of quirky and highly inventive releases on various independent labels - most notably Simple Machines. Their music has been compared to XTC. They relocated to San Francisco in 1990. The band signed to Geffen Records in 1997, producing a single album for the label before breaking up in 1998.

This Adam Cohen is not to be confused with Leonard Cohen’s son, also named Adam, who has released major label solo albums as well as recordings with the group The Low Millions. The Mommyheads’ Cohen performed solo (and released an album) under the name Adam Elk, to avoid confusion with the other Cohen.

The first official Mommyheads record, Magumbo Meatpie, was released in 1987 on the Sit and Spin label, which was run out of an NYU dorm. The 7” vinyl EP featured 4 songs that were recorded by Sonic Youth’s engineer Wharton Tiers. 3 of the songs later appeared on the Fang records compilation LP Antipop: New York Underground Mix (1988). Their first full fledged release was Acorn, on Fang Records in 1989, featuring Cohen (vocals, guitar, other instruments), Jan Kotik (drums) and Matt Patrick (vocals, bass), and produced by Chris Rael (of NYC band Church of Betty). The songwriting was split evenly between Cohen and Patrick. Both of these recordings were released while the band members were still in high school. Rael’s liner notes to the Acorn CD re-release allude to XTC, James Brown and Pussy Galore as primary musical influences.

 

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Your Ex-Lover Is Dead By Stars

Stars is a Canadian indie pop band signed to the Arts & Crafts label. Originally formed in Toronto in 1998 by vocalist Torquil Campbell and keyboardist Chris Seligman, the band relocated to New York City and then subsequently to Montreal. The band also includes singer-guitarist Amy Millan and bassist Evan Cranley. Drummer Pat McGee has toured with the band for years, despite not appearing on their albums until the release of Set Yourself On Fire.

The band’s breakthrough single was “Ageless Beauty”, from their 2004 album Set Yourself on Fire. While released to minimal fanfare in Canada in October of 2004, Set Yourself on Fire slowly gained a strong following and critical praise soon after its 8 March 2005 U.S. release.

Millan, Campbell and Cranley are also members of the indie band Broken Social Scene; Seligman, although uncredited, has contributed to past Broken Social Scene albums. Millan has since embarked on a solo career, releasing a record entitled “Honey From the Tombs” in July 2006. Campbell has a side-project with friend Chris Dumont entitled Memphis; their latest album, A Little Place In the Wilderness, was released in August 2006.

 

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Walking on a Dream By Empire of the Sun

Empire of the Sun is a collaborative project between Pnau’s Nick Littlemore and Luke Steele of The Sleepy Jackson. Steele’s vocals were recently featured on Pnau’s self titled album. Empire of the Sun’s debut album, Walking On A Dream, was released on the 4th of October 2008. The first single from the album is also called  Walking On A Dream and the second single was We Are The People. The video for We Are the People was shot in Mexico and a trailer can be viewed on Empire of the Sun’s homepage. The song “Standing on the Shore” was recently used in the credits for Entourage season 6 and followed as the albums 3rd single. The Band recently made their live debut at the Australian Touring music festival ‘Parklife’, in conjunction with this debut the band released a re edited version of the song Without You and it was released as the 4th single of the album.

 

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 Time Won’t Let Me Go By The Bravery

          The Bravery is an alternative rock band with electronic influences, formed in New York City in 2003. Their musical style has been compared to The Strokes, New Order and The Killers, amongst others.   The band consists of Sam Endicott (vocals, guitar), Michael Zakarin (guitar), John Conway (keyboard), Mike Hindert (bass) and Anthony Burulcich (drums).

         “We’re called the Bravery because that’s the mindset I was in when I was writing the songs,” explains Sam now. “Everyone in my age group wants to know what they’re going to do with their lives. They all think that they’re worth nothing and they’re heading nowhere. People are drowning in these thoughts and I just got sick of it. I didn’t want to be like that.”
        “The name is also connected with living in New York in this really weird time. People are constantly waiting for something bad to happen. I wrote these songs and formed this band to make sure I didn’t get overcome by that sense of fear. That’s what this band is about—standing tall and not being afraid.”
        “I don’t really like mainstream music at all,” admits Sam. “When I listen to the radio or watch MTV, 99% of it is like listening to an air-conditioner or a hair dryer. Sometimes, though, something comes along that jolts you. When I was growing up, it was bands like Nirvana and Jane’s Addiction. Those bands elevate culture. I don’t think there’s any point in aiming for anything less.”
        The Bravery are now signed to Loog in the U.K. and Island Def Jam in America. Their first release arrived in November, 2004 in the form of a brilliant three-track EP. The Bravery have since had success with their self titled debut album, released in 2005, and a top ten hit in the UK with their single ‘Honest Mistake’.
         The Bravery performed songs from their forthcoming third studio album at various shows, including those whilst supporting Green Day on their 21st Century Breakdown North American Tour. These include 'Hatefuck' and 'Red Hands and White Knuckles'. In a Billboard feature, Enidcott describes the new album as "more like the first record (in 2005) in that there's a lot of electronics on it, but it still sounds very human. It's also like the first record in that it's a party album. It's uptempo, fun music, although it does have a range of things. There are slower, dreamy songs, and our bass player (Mike Hindert) wrote a song ('She Is So Bendable') that sounds like a '50s ballad

 

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Country Girl By James Iha

          James Yoshinobu Iha born March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois, USA is a Japanese American rock musician and runway model. He is most famous as the rhythm guitarist in the highly successful alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins.

          In 1998, Iha released a moderately successful solo album, Let It Come Down, his only solo effort to date. One music video was produced from this album, for the song Be Strong Now, which was also released as a four-track single.
        Since the Pumpkins’ breakup in 2000, Iha has pursued many projects. He continues to contribute to other artists’ recordings, such as Don’t Be Sad on Whiskeytown’s Pneumonia released in 2001 and further guest appearances for Ivy, but made bigger news when he joined rock band A Perfect Circle in July 2003 in time for their Thirteenth Step club tour. He has since appeared on their 2004 album eMOTIVe as well as contributed remixes of Blue and Outsider. In 2003, he formed Vanessa and the O’s. The group released an EP Plus Rien in Sweden the same year.
           Iha also collaborated on two tracks with Japanese musician Chara for her 2001 album MADRIGAL. The tracks are called “Boku ni Utsushite” and “Skirt”.
            More recently, Iha has collaborated on musical and fashion design projects in Japan. With the help of longtime friend and manager Isao Izutsu, Iha started the clothing label Vapor in 2001. Iha also scored the Japanese film Linda, Linda, Linda, released in late summer 2005.

 

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Datura By Or,The Whale

      Or, the Whale is the band that if ever caught off guard by an onstage power outage would say, “Fuck it,” pull in tighter, and play and sing harder and louder than you’d hoped for in the first place.

       Sure, the San Francisco-based band harbors seven members, so you could argue for strength in numbers. But writing off the impression that they inevitably leave isn’t so easy; with such a diverse group of musicians, there’s no shortage of skill and influence. Some members toured in punk bands, others played roots and funk music, and still another tested her pipes as a chamber music vocalist. At first glance, their histories seem random. But weave those experiences together and you get a sound you can feel.
        Or, the Whale’s songs range from danceable, rhythm-charged country-rock ditties with swaggering bass lines and articulately stomped-out drums to indie pop-rock tunes with bopping piano, snapping drums, and loops of finger-plucked guitar that explode into electric riffs to add fuel to fervent vocals. Slow it down and throw in some four-part harmonies, vibrant organ passages, and rippling pedal steel, and songs escalate into thoughtful ballads.
        When it comes down to it Or, the Whale’s music can fly spirited and boisterous or topple lonely and bereaved. Hell, sometimes it does all those things in one song. Stories of hope and longing emerge from soothing, stirring vocals and twangy rock instrumentation. The latest evidence of this is on their first full-length album, Light Poles and Pines.

 

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If You Don't Love Me (I'll Kill Myself) By Pete Drodge

                 Pete Droge is an American alternative/folk rock musician from Bainbridge Island in Washington State's Puget Sound. His debut album Necktie Second, released by American records in 1994, featured the tongue-in-cheek "If You Don't Love Me (I'll Kill Myself)", (which also appeared on the soundtrack to the movie Dumb and Dumber), as well as the songs "Sunspot Stopwatch" and "So I am Over You."

Droge's next album, Find A Door, was released two years later in the summer of 1996 under the name of Pete Droge and The Sinners; his backing band included Dave Hull (bass), Rob Brill (drums), Peter Stroud (guitar/vocals) and Elaine Summers (guitar/vocals). This album met with critical success but received little airplay. Notable songs include "You Should Be Running", "Dear Diane" and "Mr. Jade."

               Droge subsequently released two more solo records, Spacey And Shakin' and Skywatching; the latter was released on his own label, Puzzle Tree Records, through United Musicians.

                  In 1996 Droge contributed the title song to the movie Beautiful Girls. Other credits include contributions to albums by Kim Richey and Stone Gossard. In 2000, Droge appeared as a "Hyatt Singer" in the movie Almost Famous, performing "Small Time Blues" with Elaine Summers. The small part was a tribute to Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris According to Cameron Crowe on the Director's Cut Commentary of the movie. He mentions he met them in 1973.

              His latest project, The Thorns, is a three-part harmony Adult Alternative super group, which features other notable artists Matthew Sweet and Shawn Mullins. His song "Going Whichever Way The Wind Blows" from the album Under The Waves can be heard on a Toyota Sequoia commercial. Most recently, his song "Two of the Lucky Ones" plays in the background in the 2009 movie Zombieland.

 
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Flash-Back Friday (No school like the old school)

Bloodline By Ultra Vivid Scene

Ultra Vivid Scene was an American alternative rock band, started by Kurt Ralske.

Former Nothing But Happiness and Crash guitarist Ralske started Ultra Vivid Scene in 1987, was signed to 4AD Records in 1988, and released his first UVS EP, She Screamed, in 1988. The debut album Ultra Vivid Scene released October 1988, was written, produced and performed entirely by Ralske, whose influences include The Velvet Underground and The Jesus and Mary Chain.  The second album, Joy 1967-1990, was released in April 1990. The same month they played their first tour dates in the UK.

             The last album, Rev, was released in October 1992, and was performed by a band comprising Julius Klepacz (drums) and Jack Daley (bass) with Ralske on vocals and guitar. This album was picked up by the Chaos imprint of Columbia Records (Sony Music Distribution) during the time rival Warner Bros. was having some success with its imprints' 4AD relationships (4AD/Sire, 4AD/Elektra, 4AD/Reprise).

As a live act, Ultra Vivd Scene performed only a handful of US dates in support of the first album in 1989. The second album in 1990 was supported by one month of touring in Europe and two months in the US. 1993 saw one month of US tour dates for the third and final album.

Ralske has gone on to do solo work, and has also produced albums for such artists as Rasputina, Ivy and Charles Douglas. His last known musical endeavor was the solo release in 2001 Amor 0 + 01. Since that time, Ralske has achieved acclaim as a visual artist.

 

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 Mexico By Jump Little Children

           Jump Little Children (JLC or Jump) was formed in 1991 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Known for their unique sound, energetic live performances, and willingness to interact with fans, the band built a strong following over their fourteen years. They played their final show on December 30, 2005 in their adopted hometown of Charleston, South Carolina.    The band’s name is taken from a song by blues musicians Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee.  
           Jay Clifford, Matthew Bivins, Ward Williams, and Christopher Pollen met and formed Jump, Little Children at the North Carolina School of the Arts in 1991. They played their first show on January 1, 1992 as part of a New Year’s Day festival in downtown Winston-Salem.
            The group was performing Irish music at the time, and in the winter of 1992 Clifford, Bivins, and Pollen traveled to Ireland to learn their craft firsthand.  After arriving in Boston in late 1993, Jump Little Children recorded and released a self-titled cassette featuring original songs and traditional Irish works. Pollen then left the group to join a religious community, and Clifford and the Bivins brothers returned to Charleston in the summer of 1994.
           Jonathan Gray and Ward Williams joined the lineup soon thereafter and the band was frequently found busking on the corner of Church and Market Streets in Charleston. Their Irish influences began to blend with an alternative rock sound, and the public took notice. They continued to gain local notoriety and received regional radio airplay for the song Quiet. Jump Little Children recorded and released The Licorice Tea Demos in early 1995, and toured the Southeast with vigor. Regular touring continued throughout 1996 and 1997, including the first of what would become a yearly tradition: New Year’s shows at the Dock Street Theatre in Charleston.
            Buzz, a live EP, was released in early 1997, and the band was courted by various record labels. They eventually chose Breaking Records, a subsidiary of Atlantic Records started by Hootie and the Blowfish, in 1998. Jump Little Children’s first and only album released under Breaking Records, Magazine, was recorded during the summer of 1998 with producer Brad Jones. Magazine was released in the fall of 1998, and the single Cathedrals achieved radio play nationwide over the following year.
           Looking to build on that success, the band reentered the studio in the fall of 2000 to record Vertigo. Produced by Clifford and Brad Wood and mixed by David Leonard, the album is an artistic high-watermark.  Even without the backing of a major label, Vertigo reached #44 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart.
             The band regrouped over 2002 and 2003, expanding their touring to include the Midwest and West Coast and recording and releasing a DVD titled Live At The Music Farm. They also expanded EZ Chief Records, launching a website where users could create custom CDs using tracks from independent artists. In the summer of 2003, the band took its first hiatus, but soon returned with an abbreviated name, “Jump,” and plans for another album, Between the Dim & the Dark. Produced by Rick Beato and released on Brash Music in April 2004, the album was well-received. Between The Glow & The Light, an EP of B-sides to Between The Dim & The Dark, was released in April 2005.
             On June 16, 2005, the band announced that the 10th annual Dock Street Theatre shows at end of 2005 would mark their split. Their final show was a black tie affair in Charleston on December 30, 2005, and featured material from each of the members’ future projects. The show ended with the band and audience of 500+ walking from the theatre to the corner of Church and Market Streets for a busking session typical of the band’s early years. Jump little children was the last song played.

           Evan Bivins was quoted as saying “This is pretty much it. We’ve been saying ‘never say never,’ but for all intents and purposes, these are the last shows. We’ve been planning this since the end of last year.” During the final show, Amanda Kapousouz announced the formation of a scholarship fund at the College of Charleston in honor of the band.

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