OUTSIDER MUSIC PRESS ON HIATUS

Hello dearest readers,

For now, I am putting Outsider Music Press on a hiatus. There are many exciting projects ahead, and unfortunately, I cannot keep up with updating this blog as much as I would like to.

Good news though – I am a staff writer for Sergeant Sparrow magazine. It is a really nice, glossy print zine ran out of the Martha’s Vineyard area, and covers all sorts of music and music culture. You can purchase the magazine in print or digital online.

My band, The Happening, is also prioritizing my time. We are gearing up to release our first tape and play more shows. Check us out on Facebook.

Probably most exciting – I have costarted a new tape label called Cassingle and Loving It Records with a friend. We will be releasing limited cassette tapes by our favorite budding artists. Check out our website and befriend us on Facebook for updates!

I value your readership since the beginning of this blog. I probably will return to it someday, but for now…. I leave you with this song:

Thao and Mirah!

I am in love with Thao and Mirah’s new album out now on KRS! Here is a video of them performing lo-fi style

My Writing in Print in Sergeant Sparrows Magazine!

Sorry dearest readers, this blog has sort of turned into a video blog (one that is not maintained regularly). Bad news for yall but good news for me since some of my writing has been published! Yes, my dear friend, Angel Russell, has been rolling out issues of her new music magazine, Sergeant Sparrows, out of Massachusetts and she has made me one of the top contributors!

Issue #3 is out now and you can get your copy of the real deal (or a digital version) via www.sergeantsparrowrecords.com

I still love you though.

MUSIC VIDEO MONDAY: Starfucker

I admit, I haven’t really been a Starfucker fan until I heard/saw this video! Now I can’t get enough!

MUSIC VIDEO MONDAY: BETH DITTO

MUSIC VIDEO MONDAY: THE KILLS “SATELLITE”

Pocket Vinyl: New Video!

Pocket Vinyl is back with another inventive music video combining the sonic art with the visual arts for Record Store Day!

MUSIC VIDEO MONDAY: PJ Harvey

BABIES s/t

What happens when Cassie Ramone (The Vivian Girls) and Kevin Morby (Woods) take a break from their acclaimed projects? They make Babies – and it’s a beautiful rosy cheeked love child of sound. Just after Valentines Day The Babies released their self titled full length on Shrimper, and since then it has been a favorite rotating on my turn table. The record flows from hit to hit with lo-fi catchy gems perfect for the coming summer. If you like garagey boy/girl vocals it will be hard to ween you off The Babies. It’s no surprise that opening track “Run Me Over” has been deemed an unofficial single of the album. The track starts slowly with a surfy guitar before breaking into a propelling garage rock jam, setting you up for a collection of nicely crafted pop tunes. Over all, The Babies sound is easy to digest and isn’t to be taken too serious. After all, the band was formed to be a fun side project and the songs have a timeless quality. “Breakin’ The Law” will make you flash back to the moments when you met your first partner in crime. Mid album Babies go on to channel the Velvet Underground in campfire sing-a-long “Voice Like Thunder” while “Meet Me In The City” showcases Morby’s raw vocal quality that is similar to a young (un-jaded) Frank Black. The tail end of the album is more artistic and jam oriented with tracks “Wild I” and “Wild 2” where Ramone and Morby each tell their own perspective of the demise of romance. “Caroline” serves as the perfect closer to the album, beginning with a drawn out instrumental where the guitar carries the melody until the buildup is too much to bear and the band explodes into one last hurrah of up tempo hollers and shouts. While the Babies was formed to be a fun side project for Ramone/Morby to return to simpler times and smaller audiences, this record is too hot to keep them cooped up for long.

SXSW 2011 Photo Recap

Phew! Finally life has gotten back to normal after my SXSW trip. here are some live photos I took of Agent Ribbons Dirty Beaches, The Dodos, and Social Studies.