News:

Though they tread the thin line between radio-ready fodder and under-the-radar obscurity, Static of the Gods' "Peluche" is a damn fine slice of warm and inspired fuzz pop, the type of attention grabbing single that can only lead to bigger things. Singer Jen Johnson has this familair, welcoming voice; more in line with the Cardigans Nina Persson than a more showy frontwoman like Shirley Manson. The Boston outfit sounds like a slightly more revved-up Velocity Girls—never a bad thing. MICHAEL MANNHEIMER.
LOCAL CUT, WILLAMETTE WEEK

Labels: Static of the Gods

There is a certain caught-between-worlds vibe to the music of Portland, Oregon’s The Old Believers. The musical (and formerly romantically linked) duo of Nelson Kempf and Keeley Boyle are originally from Kenai, Alaska, but migrated to the mainland after graduating high school in order to pursue music professionally. Their sound belies their relative youth (neither member can drink legally), and their songs meld old-timey country, classic pop structure, and Americana with electronic elements in a distinctly mature way. Their debut record Eight Golden Greats should threaten to collapse at any number of moments, but the band’s wise-beyond-their-years songwriting skills and strong melodies keep the record afloat. Kempf credits a break in recording time for the musical dialectic on Eight Golden Greats.
“I was listening to a lot of [electronic music] before we approached that project for the second time,” expands Kempf. “We started recording that CD a couple of years ago and then didn’t have the money to finish it, so we ended up saving for a couple of years and came back at it. I wanted to put a modern perspective on a lot of older sounds. That was what I was infatuated with at the time, so I decided that would be the best format.”
Perhaps owing to their youthful relocation, Kempf and Boyle exhibit a moving sense of wistfulness throughout many of Eight’s songs. Witness, for example, the highlight “Granny’s Song,” a fitting tribute to Kempf’s recently deceased grandfather, sagely sung from his grandmother’s perspective.
“We wrote the songs when we were leaving home, so I think a lot of the songs have sort of nostalgic themes,” he says. “Because of the way that we recorded the album, I sort of wanted to make it like taking a bunch of old photographs out and putting them in a photo book. In any given time in your life, you are in that moment, and you’re so wrapped up in that, but then you look back on something and gain some kind of objectivity. I was interested in that idea, that something can consume you so much, and then you look back, it’s just another chapter.”
Recently, Kempf and Boyle made the decision to split as a romantic couple, but never gave a thought to splitting up their band. Whole The Old Believers are not the only duo or band in history with a complex romantic history, Kempf has a practical perspective on their situation.
“We make sure that we treat that situation delicately,” says Kempf. “The band is out priority. We make sure that we do what we need to so to keep that functional. We are best friends and we have a very good understanding of each other. Musically, we are on the same exact page all the time. Those things are separate in our minds, I think. We know how to keep those two worlds separate, and we know that we have to, and so we do.”

Labels: The Old Believers

Feeling double the love last week from NPR, the Portland Cello Project struck "Gold" with the Weinland collaboration featured on "All Songs Considered." Laura Gibson, a favorite over at National Public Radio, they couldn't resist showcasing the collaboration of "Hands in Pockets" on "Song of the Day."

Labels: Laura Gibson, The Portland Cello Project, Weinland

Like other Swedish bands such as The Legends and The Mary Onettes, The Bell harbors a deep nostalgic fascination with mid-late ‘80s British alternative rock. Vocalist Mathias Stromberg has one of those slightly dark, dusky voices, similar to Guy Chadwick of The House of Love, that seems perfectly suited to the panoramic guitars and dramatic gestures that were staples of that classic era. I wish I weren't so inclined to play "spot the influence" with this LP, but it’s hard not to when the pensive jangle of "I Need Nothing" immediately brings to mind The Sound and the melodic bass and chiming keyboards of "Gone For Days" recalls The Cure. Make may not be terribly original, but it’s competent and compelling throughout, and well worth a listen.

Labels: The Bell

Yes it's true,two of the pioneers of punk are joining forces to release their debut album under the moniker, KATJONBAND, on September 23rd, 2008 through Carrot Top Records. What can you expect? Quite simply, musically and lyrically, KATJONBAND, is a tough album; stripped down, basic and to the point. With Kat on drums and Jon on guitar, the duo shares the microphone, summoning Jon's gruff Welsh pirate howl and Kat's clear-as-a-bell Swabian soar.
The Mekons and The Ex have always been explicitly political bands, so it's no surprise that the Iraq war, globalization, class, greed, patriotism and kinky sex all rear their ugly heads in the album's bone-bare, blood-boiling anthems. Two of the few bands who continue undaunted and unfettered since the heady days of 70s punk-rock, neither The Mekons nor The Ex ever split up.

Labels: KatJonBand, Mekons, The Ex, Waco Brothers

One plug deserves another so we wanted to be sure to send you over to Ryan's Smashing Life to win free tickets to our Green Light Go showcase at the Middle East in Boston this Saturday!

A night worthy of indie cred, we are proud to bring together three artists on our roster to include Static of the Gods, The Motion Sick, and Shawn Fogel. And to top off the night special guest, Pela, will headline the show.

Labels: Shawn Fogel, Static of the Gods, The Motion Sick

It's a tricky dance, negotiating the terrain of uptempo post-New Wave power-pop. You want to be playful, but you don't people to taste the cotton-candy. You love Joy Division so much that you can't help but cover them, but you also want to make heads bop. When you strike gold, you end up with an absolutely killer tune, but when you emphasize one element too much the whole thing sort of falls apart.

I mention all this because I've been listening to the new record from The Motion Sick, from close-to-home Boston. It's called The Truth Will Catch You, Just Wait... and it demonstrates pretty clearly many of the pitfalls inherent in this sort of effort, while also demonstrating how well it can work on occasion.

First, the lows. There aren't really any bad songs, but there are more than a few entirely forgettable ones. Start with "The Owls Are Not What They Seem" - wonderful homage in the title notwithstanding - and album opener "Jean-Paul" which I think it supposed to be sinister and dark, but which comes off to me as dreary and poorly-paced more than anything else. Oh, and that Joy Division cover turns out to be a pretty straightforward version of "Love Will Tear Us Apart."

On the other hand, there is the delightfully airy "Walk on Water." It's guided by a bouncing, almost alt-country riff and features a chorus which may lose a point or two for corniness but makes it all back up and more for its sheer joy.

And there's there's the final track, "30 Lives (Up-Up-Down-Dance Mix)" - yes, that's the Konami Code, which anyone who also grew up in the 90s will surely recognize. This is a remix of the album's second tracks, and it is one of those remixes that is sure to divide folks evenly into two categories. The first will insist that it completely ruins a great song. The second will absolutely adore it.

I fall firmly into the second category. Sure, it's totally ridiculous, but I just can't resist the exuberance of this version. Anyone can crank out a nice pop melody, but this has a certain joie de vive that is really rare in music.

Heartache with Hard Work

Labels: The Motion Sick

Weinland's newest album, La Lamentor is a beautiful, sometimes haunting tribute to humanity via Adam Shearer's hard won experience. Shearer's vocals on the album are fragile and raw sometimes falling back into a whisper, almost as if to tell his stories without awaking the memories that they are made of. This fragility leads one to sit still and listen hard to what Shearer is saying, to share his experiences, and to take a piece of them away with you.

Pop- Rock Candy Mountain spoke with Shearer about the album and the band's recent tour, and about the making of La Lamentor.

Read full interview at Pop-Rock Candy Mountain

Labels: Weinland

Loch Lomond's music is not typical of contemporary music, it's not typical of anything really, it's hardly reference-able - classical musicians, folk melodies, a chamber orchestra backing a singer songwriter... And, importantly, it's not a mess, not at all - the music's coherent and the musicians are strikingly good. Then, once you dare to check the lyrics, comes the devastation - the gorgeous vocal harmonies, tripping melodies and sweeping orchestrations are woven with a text of tears. Not since Kurt Cobain have I heard such wrenching and yet unaffected lyrics: "I had a thought, that I was a vein, running up your leg, infecting your heart".

Read full interview at Non Starving Artists

Labels: Loch Lomond

Check out Mastan Music Hour's recent podcast featuring The Old Believers and The Portland Cello Project!

Mastan Music

Labels: The Old Believers, The Portland Cello Project

Portland five-piece Weinland (previously known as John Weinland) has made one of 2008's strongest, most beautiful albums yet with their sophomore release, La Lamentor. Led by frontman Adam Shearer, the bearded boys of Weinland wear their hearts on their instruments and produce exquisite indie folk tunes that provide the perfect backdrop for lost loves. Shearer's immense talent as a songwriter and wordsmith is undeniable, and while the band has been compared to the likes of Nick Drake, Neil Young and Elliott Smith, Weinland's strength truly lies in its collective instrumentation. The tracks on La Lamentor may appear minimalist at first, but it quickly becomes evident that this band has a fondness for the progression of a song, and likes to save the big show for the end. This often involves stunning appearances by dobro, mandolin, piano and lap steel.


The theme of love and loneliness is constant throughout the album, yet each song possesses a sonic personality of its own. "The Devil in Me," which warrants the Drake comparisons the most, has a more retro feel and demonstrates Shearer's storytelling at its finest. He sings, "Takes up at a hotel down the corner of 5 / Drinks his load of whiskey, he's got to survive / He knows he'll always love her so he carves it in his arm / Hoping she will call him and break his fucking heart," and a bright plunky piano dances in the distance for a moment. On "Gold," the longest song of the album, Shearer's vocals are haunting and fragile, reflecting the ghost of a girl he can't seem to shake from his mind. Then standout "All to Yourself" is more of an upbeat track despite its protagonist's feelings of isolation.


La Lamentor is such an impressive and rich album, its songs so skillfully written and masterfully produced, that it’s hard not to get lost in its stories and sounds; it’s hard not to keep it a secret. (Badman Recording Co.)

www.weinlandmusic.com

-Jackie Miehls

Labels: Weinland

Why do bands still do hidden songs on their LPs? The cassette tape had the perfect context for that unexpected musical surprise by letting the tape run to the end on side B. You’d get "one more song" completely out of the blue. But now, on CDs, hidden songs either appear on the player’s display as an additional track to what is listed on the album's jacket, or just extended time to the final track, both of which kill the thrill of discovering the hidden song and just leave us waiting for it like any other song on the album.

Perhaps it's some artistic philosophy that keeps it alive. Maybe some type of passion for the the original concepts and details which made us fall in love with music in the first place. Kind of like when Burning Fever breaks in with its big, loud 70s-era rock, courtesy of The Swedes, charging up their hook-a-plenty, swaggering glam-powered furor with such uncompromising strength, you'd swear the proverbial amp has been cranked up to eleven. Complete with tempo shifts and all the cocky breaks you can handle, the true surprise lies in its warbling synth quirks, clinching that psychotropic injection of flamboyant musicianship that will help put the strut back into your step.

A Limerick Ox

Labels: The Swedes

Sometimes I lose CD's. Even ones I like. I listened to Peluche, the new EP from Boston's own Static Of The Gods weeks ago. I thought it was great. It reminded me of fellow Boston rockers, The Sheila Divine mixed with B-more's Avec. I actually left the three song EP in my CD player for three days. And then I'm pretty sure my car ate it. I can't blame my car, as it is a delicious EP, but yesterday I managed to dig it out from between my drivers seat and E-brake.

Static of the Gods have a great sound: Poppy enough to grab you right away, but deep enough to keep you coming back. For those who can't be in Boston, catch them at The Fire in Philly on May 16th.

This EP is the follow up to their 2006 LP release Cycles Follow Signs, which also rocks.

Pasta Primavera

Labels: Static of the Gods

24th April 2008 | by Aidan Williamson

"This interview is over!" exclaims The Motion Sick's guitarist Patrick Mussari as he slams his hands down on the table in front of him, and all it took was a small mention of two words, Joy Division.

If there was one over-riding theme of the time Strange Glue spent with the Boston four-piece, it was that things don't always turn out exactly how you'd like them to.

Luckily for us, even the bad is approached with a clear sense of self-awareness and good-humour, meaning that promptly 1.7 seconds after the outburst from the beginning, Mussari sits back down with a smile on his face.

Rad more at Strange Glue

Labels: The Motion Sick

Alaska to Portland seems like a long way but I haven't looked at a map so I could be completely wrong. Nelson Kempf and Keeley Boyle recently made the trip and haven't budged since. The duo call themselves the Old Believers and could become the most ridiculously cute new act of 2008. They remind me of Elephant Parade, for obvious reasons, but lean more heavily (if that is the right word) towards alt country. Most of their dispatches are acoustically set which means that nothing can detract from the sweet home cooked vocals. Their first record came out last year and was called 'Some Song By The Old Believers’ (to avoid confusion), this years effort is titled ‘Eight Golden Greats' (you can bet your bottom dollar they will be if this tune is anything to go by) but won't be released until early June. 'No More' may have a unconventional opening but within a matter of seconds it becomes a thing of understated beauty, something so heart stoppingly fragile and utterly irresistible. Hugs were made for songs like this. KD

mp3hugger

Labels: Old Believers

One of my favorite new blogs is BiBaBiDi. While the site has been around a bit longer than FensePost, I am a newbie in checking it on a daily basis. Simply put, I trust the guy’s opinion. The daily posts cover music I appreciate and the look and feel is very modern and hip. So why all this regarding a separate blog? Well, because a recent post covered an upcoming album I just received. That artist is The Old Believers and their album, out July 10, is called Eight Golden Greats.

The Old Believers' style of old-time folk-pop appears to take hints from the 60s and 70s style folk in the same manner as She And Him did on their recent debut Volume One. There's an abnormally heavy emphasis on percussion, which sets The Old Believers aside from your traditional folk-pop artist, but where someone like The Lovely Sparrows focuses this effort on cymbals, The Old Believers do so on the bass-drum.

Then they switch back and forth between crafty, romantic male- and female-fronted vocals. While I have yet to delve too far into the album, I wanted to begin spreading the word as this release is quite phenomenal. Expect a glowing review of Eight Golden Greats come July.

Fensepost

Labels: The Old Believers

A solid press release is a rare thing and Portland-by-way-of-Alaska's the Old Believers have one heck of a one-sheet.

But I assure you, I'm not posting merely because of the awesome newsprint blurb concerning their forthcoming Eight Golden Greats LP I received. The Old Believers are young but sound old. Very old. Their songs endearingly slink by ... a sublime merging of old folk/"good" country circa 1971 and the lyricism of say, Bob Dylan. Well, maybe not Dylan, but certainly in that vein. There's a cutesy component to the duo's stuff, too ... something childish and naive yet wise and aged.

I'm confused yet allured by the contradictions invested in the pair and that's enough for me. Listen to the below tracks and be sure to pick up the full-length when it's out on July 10.

Labels: The Old Believers

The burgeoning indie music scene has spawned the Portland Cello Project. It's keeping cellists busy, playing classical and rock in non-traditional venues. The Rose City is now Celloland.

By James Bash

Portland's burgeoning independent music scene has done it again. In just a couple of years, the Portland Cello Project, a quirky collective of cellists, has built an eclectic repertoire that extends from Brittany Spears covers to Johann Sebastian Bach arrangements. PCP plays mostly at rock clubs, coffee houses, and other venues not associated with cellos. By performing and recording with groups like Weinland, The Builders and The Butchers, and Horse Feathers, PCP has created a enthusiastic, under-40s fan base that most classical music ensembles would covet.

Read more at Crosscut

Labels: The Portland Cello Project

Whats with all of these great indie folk rock bands popping up all over the place? First, Fleet Foxes and now The Old Believers have taken the thrown for ye ole' folk rock scene. Their sound is similar to that of M. Ward/She and Him/Amos Lee. The Old Believers is made up of two starry eyed kids from Portland, Oregon. Nelson Kempf and Keeley Boyle strum and their hum there way through their freebie release, Eight Golden Greats. The album all together is really cool and nothing gets much better than free right? Check em' out...

What the Kids Don't Know

Labels: The Old Believers

It's still a pop song. It's just not what you'd expect. The electronic bends, twists and contortions that Sweden's The Bell applies to the average hook-laden musical construct are similar to what you'd expect from a band influenced by the British '80s scene. And even though it's an increasingly crowded subgenre, The Bell are thoughtful enough to stand out on their own.

In the last several months, The Bell have made their way stateside thanks to Badman Recording Co. (My Morning Jacket, Innocence Mission) and their debut, Make Some Quiet, is simply great music. Luckily for us, the band took some time out to answer our questions about their label choices and dealing with the overly sensitive persona of an artist.

Read more at Stereo Subversion

Labels: The Bell

In the banner of his MySpace music site Shawn Fogel is referred to as a "modern, somewhat Jewish Buddy Holly," but in reality he is more like a "contemporary, somewhat country Ted Leo"; and this sentiment is adequately exemplified by the most recent release of his EP, One Day in the Desert. This short but sweet five-song collection showcases all of Fogel's talents: intelligent songwriting, strong musicianship, and sparse yet well-structured arrangements. The album shies away from heavy-handed studio production, allowing the simple songs, which often times tread a line somewhere between folk and rock, to speak for themselves without a barrage of digital effects or overly complicated recordings. The result is an endearing EP with lyrics that focus upon love and loss, personal progression, and anti-conformist assertions. Fogel combines his direct lyrical prose with a musical backdrop that recalls the albums title. A delicate mix of acoustic and electric guitars, understated bass lines, and well-placed keyboards create an intriguing yet subtle sonic landscape that serves to compliment upon, without overriding, the lyrics.

The opening track on the album, "The Season I Love Best," begins with a snare drum gently tapping out a rising and falling pattern, which is soon joined by carefully restrained guitar and a lilting harmonica that introduces the main melody. As the track develops it discretely beacons to the listener with its playful melodic progression, which at once recalls the lonesome atmosphere of the desert. Fogel astutely manipulates his music allowing his inventive lyrics to play an integral role in the song. Here the lyrics portray a cautious optimism in which the speaker acknowledges the, "cosmic give and take" inherent to a mortal existence yet encourages self-reliance with the refrain of "the climate we created is the season I love best".

The album quickly segues from the opening track's relaxed introduction to one of two songs on the EP that seem to be directly channeling Ted Leo without coming across as mere replication. From the three chord intro to the bright vocal harmonies, "Leaves, Corners, and Stones" maintains its firm foundation in rock music from beginning to end. In this testament to personal evolution the speaker asserts he is, "Turning the leaves, turning corners, and turning stones" deftly altering three colloquial statements into a unique expression of individual progression. As the song progresses, the music echoes the manner in which the lyrics are in dialogue with popular expression by beginning with a rather mundane foundation, but later developing interesting melodic nuances from the familiar rock paradigm. Later, on the next to last track of the album, Fogel will return to this upbeat indie-folk- rock with the high energy cautionary tale, "Dead Petals."

As this EP reaches its close, Fogel continues to alter his sound. The closing track on the album "Athens" slows things down yet continues to maintain its appeal. The song relies heavily on the steady, soothing acoustic strumming and blues based keyboards. Once again the lyrics of this song encourage optimism in the face of oppressive forces, but here it is the rich sonic landscape that envelops the listener. While listening to this final song it is difficult to recall that, apart from occasional contributions from co-producer Ryan Ball, Fogel created every sound on the album; and by the close of One Day in the Desert I find I have transitioned from initially viewing this album as just another average take on indie rock, to truly admiring Fogel as both a musician and a songwriter.

Gregory Brown currently resides in San Francisco. He likes books and music.

Stereo Subversion

Labels: Shawn Fogel

On my list of "Things to Blog About" is the band Weinland. KCRW gave me a great reason to write about them today as they selected the band's song "God Here I Come" as their Today's Top Tune. It is not the most uplifting song and something you have to be in the right frame of mind to appreciate but it is beautiful nonetheless.

Labels: Weinland

Think life ends when turning 50? Writers Lynn Hull and Julie Molner believe it’s only the beginning when dreams become reality. In Your Life Your Way: The Essential Guide for Women, these professional co-active coaches want every woman to push aside their insecurities and stand up for a more satisfying life. Unlike most self-help books where authors merely give advice, Hull and Molner create exercises that not only evaluate the living situations of females, but also provide a hands-on approach in completing any goal, no matter how big.
Read more at Feminist Review

Labels: Your Life Your Way

Think you're too unsophisticated to appreciate classical music? Well, you're probably right, but the Portland Cello Project can help, with accessible, inventive arrangements of classical and pop pieces. There'll be lots of those things that look like giant violins, and plenty of guests too, including Stephanie Schneiderman of Dirty Martini, radio personality Rick Emerson, and local folk-rock bands Weinland and the Builders and the Butchers.

Labels: The Portland Cello Project

Portland Cello Project: Stephanie Schneiderman, Rick Emerson, Weinland, the Builders and the Butchers
[CELLO-CENTRIC] Portland Cello Project returns to the Aladdin tonight with plenty of notable local personalities—from Dirty Martini's Stephanie Schneiderman and notorious radio host Rick Emerson to Weinland frontman/man about town/PCJ emcee Adam Shearer; also in tow are compositions old (the Elgar Cello Concerto, Bach's Chaconne for solo violin) and new (two pieces by Horse Feathers' Heather Broderick, as well as re-worked tunes from Weinland's recent La Lamentor), not to mention plenty of cellos, which, you know, are the conglomerate's steeze. The real treat of the night, or the real chaos at least, will most likely come by way of funereal folk maniacs the Builders and the Butchers, who plan to perform with "as many cellos as we can fit on stage." Strings shall be shred. AMY MCCULLOUGH

Labels: The Portland Cello Project

I don’t like stuff like this but I like this very much. John Adam Weinland Shearer has a delicate voice, and he seems to revere Folkie Indie Neil Young rather than Rebel Feedback Neil Young, to the point where he throws in stuff like tack pianos (on “The Devil in Me”), but it’s okay because his songs are hard and sharp, like industrial cardboard that actually has more tensile strength than metal. Okay that is a pretty bad comparison, and not quite true because there is some mushy softness here, and more banjos than with which I am comfortable, especially on the unfortunately-titled “For Land, For Love, For Time.” But the band is tight, the vibe very Portland (shoutout to my peoples in the 5ive 0h 3hrizzle), and overall there is some seriously great music here on the alt.indie tip.

Cave 17

Labels: Weinland

Late last week I received a tasty li'l bit of e-info from Weinland frontman Adam Shearer. Under the heading, "In Coffee," on a recent newsletter of sorts, Shearer claimed the following:

More news on this soon...but a prominent local roaster is making a special dark roast of coffee with a misting of Maker's Mark whiskey applied during the cooling of the beans... it will be called WEIN-MARK. A great band and a great potable coming together for good. Some proceeds will benefit p:ear, a local music education charity.

To which I replied, "For reals?!" I also mentioned that, if it were indeed true, Shearer and the at-that-time-nameless roaster (Badbeard's MicroRoastery) were my heroes.

Read more at Willamette Week

Labels: Weinland

Our musical tour of Sweden continues with today's guide, Matthias Strömberg of The Bell. The Stockholm and Malmo based trio released their debut LP "Make Some Quiet" in February to a fair bit of critical acclaim. They've earned comparisons to 80's icons like Echo & The Bunnymen, New Order and The Church. These are fair, but "Make Some Quiet" is undeniably a 21st century record.

Some readers may know that A Free Man recently became A Free Dad. Any of my fellow Dads out there probably know that fatherhood infiltrates every feature of your being. So, apologies to the non-parents out there, but when I heard that Matthias welcomed his second child a few months ago I had to ask for some parenting tips. Don't worry, though, we talked about music as well.
Read more at A Free Man

Labels: The Bell

Weinland makes folk music. If that term has lost all meaning I'll put it this way:The first sound we hear on the album is an acoustic guitar, which is followed in time by a cello, banjo, mandolin, dobro, and a handful of un-folky instruments I won't list. However, unlike, say Iron & Wine’s latest, Weinland’s strength lies in the consistency in which it explores a genre and sound that won't seem all that unfamiliar to anyone who’s been around the musical block a few times. There's a strength in establishing a sound and theme on track one and carrying it through the entire album, slowly building on what's already been revealed, and sticking with a melodic core.
Read more at Patrol Magazine

Labels: Weinland

NPR.org, April 3, 2008 - Beatnik Turtle is a remarkably prolific and fiercely independent rock group based in Chicago. The eight-piece band includes a full horn section and has been making music for the past 11 years. Beatnik Turtle spent all of 2007 releasing a new song every day through their Web site. With that kind of output, it was relatively easy for the band to produce a full album in just one month as part of the RPM Challenge. The result was a collection of Irish drinking songs called Sham Rock.

This is the second year Beatnik Turtle has done the RPM Challenge. For this year's album they decided to reinvent traditional Irish folk songs. "I'll Tell Me Ma" was originally a children's song. "It seemed the best candidate for a pop-rock treatment," says Beatnik Turtle's Jason Feehan. "The original song has its roots as an Irish children's song - you know one of those playground sing-a-longs. However, we opted to rock it up, building it off an active guitar line. From there, we added some thick harmonies and horns."

In their 11 years of making music Beatnik Turtle has released 7 albums. They write music for TV, film and theater. This year they plan to release 12 albums that will feature the 365-plus songs they wrote in 2007. Feehan and band mate Randy Chertkow also writes books, including The Indie Band Survival Guide: The Complete Manual for the Do It Yourself Musician due out later this year.

NPR

Labels: Beatnik Turtle

The Swedes are Chris Edwards (keyboards), Phil Crain(bass), Phil Harbut (drums), Tony Dilella (guitar), and Jon Gray (guitar & vocals). The style is best described as eclectic rock.
The first track "Julie Walker" has the 70s glam vibe that brings to mind Imperial Drag, and this is a great stunner of a track with Brian May-like guitars and matching keyboard riffs. "Making Up Words" is a bit quirkier with toy piano and heavy bass line leading the way to a Queen-like melodic composition. Sometimes the vocals of Jon Gray are closer to Mika than T-Rex, with a warbling falsetto and it works on best "Patriot" a song that does a perfect Robert Pollard meets Bowie glamfest. It's my favorite here, and a really catchy one at that. Up next, "Lava Lamp" has so many mini-melodies and different time signatures, it resembles Bryan Scary and The Shedding Tears a little bit. "Stretched Too Tight" is another marvelous melange of Queen, T-Rex and The Move. "Burning Fever" continues this formula with an added pysch-pop chorus that's closer to Roy Wood's Move than Jeff Lynne's version. Things get a bit tamer later on the album, with the guitar anthem "Brixton" but no less impressive. If you liked any of the above mentioned groups, you will enjoy this music. Like Bryan Scary, a quick listen does not do it justice -- it takes a few listens to appreciate the craftwork here. It's also obvious that The Swedes are having fun with this. And I think most of you will too.
Powerpopaholic

Labels: The Swedes

Like Bon Jovi, the name Weinland is both a man and a man's band. And really that's where the similarities between the Jersey boys of Jovi and the Portland gents of Weinland come to an abrupt conclusion.



Having started as a solo act and attracted the attention of some of the local Portland press, John Adam Weinland Shearer realized he was "no longer in control" of his music, which - slowly but surely - had drawn a proper band to Shearer's doorstep.



The group's new album, La Lamentor, is one of the true treats of the spring. While the band Weinland offers the man Weinland plenty of support - with a rich tapestry of steel guitars, banjos, mandolins and much else - the cores of the songs would be compelling even if stripped away to Shearer and an acoustic guitar.



Shearer took some time to discuss the new Weinland record with The Red Alert, along with his relationship with the band's esteemed co-producers (Adam Selzer and Dylan Magierek) and his former day job, in which he confronted a broken mental health system. Read full interview at The Red Alert

Labels: Weinland

Badman Records [CD, 2008]

Managing the day-to-day activities of one's life, especially when one is as busy as I am, can be quite a chore. It's difficult to stay on top of everything that must get done, from the career which took you nearly twenty years of education to reach, to making sure bills are paid on time, to maintaining a constant upkeep of your hobby—in this case, FensePost.

That being said, in the most strenuous of times, like now, in which time is short, this becomes increasingly difficult. Thank God for press releases.

Weinland is often likened to two artists and it is readily apparent in the songwriting style and the way frontman John Adam Weinland Shearer crafts his vocals. The good news is that the two artists are somewhat similar in nature to begin, which does not leave La Lamentor disjointed.

Part Sam Beam (Iron And Wine) and part Neil Young, Shearer's music maintains the light acoustics of these two beloved artists. Not surprisingly, when his vocals tilt toward Beam, he picks up a very Beam-ish slide guitar; the same is true for his Young-like songs, packed with a soft acoustic guitar loaded with powerful chord progressions.

Where "Sick As A Gun" and "The Devil In Me" have the craft of Beam, "Gold" pegs Young to a T. Despite two powerful and distinct influences, which are readily apparent in the first half of La Lamentor, Weinland molds the album into his own style toward the end with "All To Yourself" as a key highlight.

Labels: Weinland

Presidential Review
As I was typing away this morning on my YASR musings and thinking about where to take this review, my Grandma asked me "what on earth was I doing." I said "I’m working on a review of an album by a group called Loch Lomond…you know, like Loch Ness but different." Read more at You Are So Relevant

Labels: Loch Lomond

March 5, 2008
by David MacFadden-Elliott

The first band-backed outing by Portland's John Adam Weinland Shearer, Demersville (2006), put him on the alt-folk map, drawing comparisons to Portland's fallen saint Elliott Smith as well as the original article, Nick Drake. The record garnered much praise stuffed with the adjectives "haunting" and "beautiful," sometimes both at once: "hauntingly beautiful." The band John Weinland cut the prenom last November—opting for the simple Weinland—and officially dropped their sophomore effort on March 4th.
Read more at Crawdaddy

Labels: Weinland

When Static of the Gods takes the stage in Portland, Oregon tomorrow night - they bring a little Boston with them. This most-promising band have a special something - a talent level, their tight play, an enigmatic charm - that lends me to believe they will be the next Boston band to make a mark on the national level. When I recently saw Static of the Gods in Cambridge, I was very impressed by how effectively singer Jen Johnson (voice, guitar, & keyboard) worked the crowd. All-the-while, she never missed a beat with the band (Mike Latulippe on drums and Ben Voskeritchian on bass & guitar). That, of course, raises my next point... That's a whole lot of beautiful rock 'n' roll to come out of just three people!
Read more at Ryan's Smashing Life

Labels: Static of the Gods

The Bell - "Make Some Quiet" cd (Badman)
Although certain musical styles come in and out of vogue, it seems that early '80s-styled dark electro-pop has enjoyed a much longer place in the sun (strictly metaphorically, of course - the sun is otherwise shunned) than most others. Oh, I remember when they tried to call it "new-romantic" in the '90s, but nobody fell for that. Hailing from Sweden, The Bell are another in a long line of bands to embrace the genre, but I'd have to say that they do it better than most others I've heard. Sure, they've got the sound of bands like Echo And The Bunnymen and the Chameleons down cold (ample synths, delayed guitars and reverb everywhere) - that part isn't hard to do; however, they also know that catchy songs are more important than just looking/sounding the part, and there are certainly an abundance of catchy songs all over their debut record. The songs have a very dark sound, but I wouldn't say they were gloomy, as a number of them sound deceptively peppy. Likewise, the lyrics are not the usual brooding fare you'd expect to find, and you can even find some veiled optimism in "Celebrate The Good Times". Though they may not be terribly original, I'd still say this is one of the best dark electro-pop records I've heard in ages. MTQ=11/13

IndiePages

Labels: The Bell

SxSW 2008 Live: The Motion Sick
15th March 2008 | by Aidan Williamson

Ranking amongst the hardest to find shows of the week, The Motion Sick certainly rewarded all who trekked out of downtown to find this 'unofficial' showcase.

Upon a makeshift stage in a neighbourhood courtyard, the Boston four-piece took to the stage and proceeded to perform a few new tracks, one of which saw a return to the trumpet circuit for their bassist Matt.

Illustrating their intelligent approach to songwriting, frontman Mike Epstein explains a little bit about the story of their song "Jean Paul" before playing it. The rather sad story of betrayal and intrigue during the French revolution is crafted, culminating in the dark ending of a man being murdered in his bathtub in the name of politics.

Rather than being the history channel set to music, The Motion Sick are a brilliantly eclectic band never afraid of stupidity and a sheer sense of fun, as evidenced by the ridiculously danceable chorus to "30 Lives", all together now: "Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right A B Select Start".

Strange Glue

Labels: The Motion Sick

The Motion Sick is the winner of this week's CMJ Sonicbids Spotlight. Hailing from Boston the foursome made their debut with Her Brilliant Fifteen in 2006, and followed up this January 1 with The Truth Will Catch You, Just Wait.... Known for its socially conscious lyrics, the Motion Sick draws inspiration from Kurt Vonnegut's prose and sets political musings against poppy melodies.

Labels: The Motion Sick

We came to know Loch Lomond through some of their fellow Portland musicians and MoB favorites like Horse Feathers, Weinland, and Norfolk & Western. Upon revisiting Paper Thin Walls over the course of a long journey home today, it sounds just as good as I remember it. Actually, it sounds better. We caught up with them for our continuing 5 Questions with Muzzle of Bees feature.
Read more at Muzzle of Bees

Labels: Loch Lomond

This week's Sunday Spotlight shines bright on the sun deprived Portland band Loch Lomond. The group, which includes anywhere from six to nine members depending on the track, released their third album last year titled Paper the Walls. In tone it very much brings to mind a Henry David Thoreau quote: "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." It holds a desperate melancholy to it that aches while not sniveling or choking itself up on tears. The texture of the album is very reminiscent of another group that also got their start on Hush Records: The Decemberists, albeit perhaps a little less poppy and a little more contemplative.
Read more at Mainstream Isn't So Bad

Labels: Loch Lomond

Static of the Gods: One to Watch in 2008

When Static of the Gods takes the stage in Portland, Oregon tomorrow night - they bring a little Boston with them. This most-promising band have a special something - a talent level, their tight play, an enigmatic charm - that lends me to believe they will be the next Boston band to make a mark on the national level. When I recently saw Static of the Gods in Cambridge, I was very impressed by how effectively singer Jen Johnson (voice, guitar, & keyboard) worked the crowd. All-the-while, she never missed a beat with the band (Mike Latulippe on drums and Ben Voskeritchian on bass & guitar). That, of course, raises my next point... That's a whole lot of beautiful rock 'n' roll to come out of just three people!

Static of the Gods just finished recording a new 2008 album. ("Peluche" - the first single EP has been released in anticipation...) It was just last year that Static released the thoroughly impressive LP, Cycles Follow Signs, which peaked at #103 on the CMJ charts. Expect even bigger things from the band this year.

This band has a bright future! You can find out for yourself on tour - and if you're reading this in Boston that will be on March 21st for a show at Bill's Bar. A hand numbered limited edition litho exclusive to that particular show will be given with every pre-sale ticket purchase.

Ryan's Smashing Life

Labels: Static of the Gods

Get out your thinking cap, because The Motion Sick are here to play with your mind. This Boston-based indie rock group provides musical social commentary by mixing pop melodies with dark, twisted lyrics written in the style of author Kurt Vonnegut. Read more here

Weinland Celebrates Record Release
by Audrey Dilling


Portland folk band Weinland first came to my attention via a Live Wire podcast. In an interview that followed the band’s opening song, singer and founder Adam Shearer explained his song-writing process. While I don't remember his exact words, I do recall him discussing the role of reality in that process — that is, whether or not his songs were about his reality or his past.

Shearer explained that he often takes a very concrete subject from his life or present situation and creates a story around it that might not be true, but expresses a true emotion. The example that he used to illustrate this was a pile of clothes on the floor of his room that became the subject of the aptly named "Pile of Clothes."

"Pile of Clothes" begins as a narration of the singer staring at a pile of clothes, but song is actually about lost love. The pile of clothes comes to represent the lingering presence of a broken heart and the inability (and unwillingness) to forget.

It's hard to tell what's more impressive about Weinland's music: the poetic lyrics or Shearer's uncanny ability to sound like Neil Young. If I didn't know any better, on my first listen to the song "Gold," I might have easily mistaken it for "Heart of Gold." Normally I don't like to compare musicians this way, but really, it's almost eerie.

As a recent convert to folk-music fandom, the growing local folk scene excites me. In the past year or two, Portland has put out some excellent folk bands, such as Horsefeathers and Laura Gibson. I am happy to see that Weinland will be joining the ranks.

Live PDX

Labels: Weinland

Life's jagged edges exposed
Friday, February 29, 2008
COREY duBROWA
Special to The Oregonian

Most critics have lost count of the number of young singer-songwriters they've heard who've been assigned the "next Neil Young" label. Many are the voices capable of imitating Young's quavering timbre; fewer are those whose songwriting can achieve the nosebleed-altitude heights of human truth routinely reached by Mr. Soul.

Portland's Adam Shearer is one such hopeful whose work lives up to the hype. "La Lamentor," the sophomore release by his band, Weinland, goes a long way toward establishing bona fides as worthy of such a lofty mangle.

Shearer spent the past six years working with emotionally disturbed teenagers. His songs bear the scars of a man who has had a front-row seat to the emotional struggles encountered in this line of work.

Shadowy images pervade every corner of the album. Guns, dive motels and, yes, hearts of gold amid the ruins abound, set in reverb-rich echoed environments that are as lonely as the characters they essay.

"God Here I Come" and "In This the End" are the perfect bookends for such an album. Both represent hard-luck poetry shards buried pointy-side-up, with the sharp edges exposed to inflict maximum pain. The latter song consists solely of one line: "I'll help you pack up your books and your clothes and forward the letters of friends who don't know."

"La Lamentor" is country in the same way that Dylan's "John Wesley Harding" is country: informed by the genre's rustic sounds and rural myths but refusing to bow down to the tradition the genre typically demands.

My early contender for local album of the year, "La Lamentor" is a disc to cherish even if it occasionally makes you wince.

The Oregonian

Labels: Neil Young, Weinland

The Weinland proclamation
With a new album, La Lamentor, local folk band Weinland aims for your eardrums
By: Marcella Barnes

John Adam Weinland Shearer says his band is part of the Portland music scene's class of 2006.

His fellow classmates are local favorites that are gaining national attention: Norfolk & Western, Laura Gibson, Horse Feathers, The Shaky Hands and Loch Lomond. And while his group may not be as well known, they're looking to break out with the release of their newest album, La Lamentor. Read more here.

Labels: Weinland

Caretakers of the Heart
Weinland's Sorrowful Folk-Rock
BY NED LANNAMANN

When Weinland played "For Land, For Love, For Time" the first time, Adam Shearer told the audience it was written by his niece, Hannah. It wasn't, of course, but people took him at his word. "I made that story up because the song is so blatant. It says, 'I won't help anyone who won't help anybody else.' I feel like we got twice the applause because people believed a 12-year-old wrote it. It's two chords, it's really slow, and every single line is very honest—it's not shrouded in any kind of mystery. Read more here.

Labels: Weinland

Local Music: Weinland
Torment, hope merge in one thoughtful CD

By BARBARA MITCHELL
The Portland Tribune, Feb 29, 2008,

Weinland's songs may speak of loss and despair, but the darkness is banished by the feeling that all will work out in the end.

With a new album just coming out on Badman Recording Co. (which has been home to such artists as the Innocence Mission and My Morning Jacket), the local up-and-comers in Weinland are looking ahead to an eventful 2008.

While the band recently changed its name from its previous moniker, John Weinland, to clear up confusion about whether it was a band or an individual, "La Lamentor" is an album with confusion and conflicted emotions as its major themes. Read more here.

Labels: Weinland

BY AMY MCCULLOUGH

[February 27th, 2008]

[AMERICANA] To rock or not to rock? That has long been the question facing Weinland frontman Adam Shearer. But the real issue at hand for this solo songwriting project-cum-three piece-cum-folk ensemble is how big a sound to have. La Lamentor has an answer. Read more here

Labels: Weinland

The Bell (MySpace) released Make Some Quiet on Badman Recording Co. to much acclaim last year, and now the Stockholm trio's back with a couple remixes of their stuff with another on its way.

Make Some Quiet was an Interpol-esque post-punk record; dark and brooding; energetic, rhythmic, and clean; heavy on the warble-y bass lines and gritty rhythm guitar; a great production, in short.

The below two remixes are good if you're looking for an excuse to dance to the Bell at your local club ... the Joe & Will Ask remix of "I AM History" sounds a bit like a Junior Boys edit or something; this tinny, pulsating synth rhythm extends throughout the song, making it reminiscent of say, "In the Morning." The remix of "Target Group" is shorter and features Happy Mondays-esque chanting, LCD Soundsystem-esque cowbell usage, and a fat, robotic synth line that lays atop everything else. They're both pretty damn good.

BiBaBiDi

Labels: The Bell

Soundcheck
5 Minutes Or Less With ... Shawn Fogel

New Jersey indie-popper Shawn Fogel and Ryan Mallott (of 500 Miles to Memphis) perform tonight at Northside Tavern - despite the snow onslaught here.

Fogel, who has opened for Thurston Moore and Ben Lee, is a one-man touring act. His latest EP, One Day in the Desert, came out in 2007.

He arrived in Cincinnati a couple hours ago. Soundcheck just got off the phone with him.

Q: What are you doing right now?
"I'm in Shake It Records."

Q: Finding anything cool?
"Ah, man, I feel like I'm seeing everything."

Q: Would you rather be in the desert or some snowy landscape?
"I don't like it too hot. I've had good karma with the weather on this tour so far. And I've been through Toronto and Chicago already."