Maiah Manser

Photo by Nathan Dziewiontkoski

  

  Having gone to see a variety of different artists I'm more and more convinced of the kind of artist I want to be and what it means to be an independent artist today.  Art is a representation of our culture, my goal is to be the change and to leave an impression of the change I want to see in the world. And to me art is a practice of stepping outside my comfort zone to make a regular connection with people I wouldn't otherwise meet.
  Man, was I impressed by Maiah Manser (for some reason I want to spell it Manswer, like answer) and I can't wait until she comes out with more solo artist material because I know it will be amazing.  Us Lights, from Oregon, was awesome and Wye Oak was incredible as always. Both of those bands are amazing, as well, but we were there to see Maiah perform.  I think my friend Oscar said it best when he said, "I hope I didn't leave mess because she blew my mind."  Her graceful use of electronic effects, including vocal effects and loops; she built the song in front of our eyes/ears? She successfully fuses the digital and the organic.  Spiraling stacked vocal harmonies and intelligent lyrics that resonate. A Seattle artist to keep your eyes on.


https://uslightsmusic.bandcamp.com
https://wyeoak.bandcamp.com

http://www.maiahmanser.com

Mary Lambert Part 2

Well, it was really easy to think of a follow up title.  I'm trying to think of a word to describe how the show left me feeling.  I think I felt the full gamut of emotions.  Damn, this girl is talented! It's good to know if for some reason she ever lost her singing voice (knock on wood) she's got a career in comedy.  I was immediately captivated by the music and forgot to take pictures like I planned.  Mary was so open and vulnerable on stage as she performed some "New shit" as as its called in the poetry world and it was so real and so great.  She also told us about a secret surprise she was planning in Everett and we're not supposed to tell.  Very hush hush. And Oh my God, when she hit that note, you know the one, it was magic.  There was romance, a standing ovation a couple of times and for the encore song everyone was dancing.  She's so comfortable on stage, you know that's where she belongs.  It's no surprise why she has an enormous following and I will be one of those following the life of her career.

Mary Lambert part 1

It's been a quite a while since I've made a blog post.  Summer has passed and here we are already in the month of November.  Time sure flies when you're busy, but I think it's important to stop for a moment and reassess life and goals and direction.  And a great way to slow down and enjoy life is to go see a show.  Tomorrow I'm going to see Mary Lambert perform in Tacoma, WA at the University of Puget Sound field house.  I've seen her one other time at the Tractor in Ballard at a fundraiser for the Oso Mudslide victims and it was incredible.  This chic is a local hero and a real class act and makes me so excited about music, but also the message.  She is an indie musician, and she is maintaining creative right and speaks her mind about things she believes strongly in.  These are the qualities of an indie musician if you ask me.  She has no qualms about calling out the bullshit she sees in the world and that's one of the many things I like about her.  (Not to mention her brilliant poetic lyrics and angelic voice).  Other things that really impress me; she spoke and performed at the United Nations HQ for Human Rights Day.  I'm very excited for this show!! I will give you the details in my next post Mary Lambert part 2.

The Weepies

The Weepies left quite the impression on me, at the Neptune Theater, having never seen them live before and my only experience with their music was someone else’s cover of one of their more popular songs.  I don’t know how to explain it, but they had an aura of love.  You know how you just get a feeling from certain people, how you just know in your gut whether you can trust someone or not.  It sounds ridiculous.  Sometimes words are not enough to describe the feeling you are left with after a show.  You could just tell every word in every love song they sang was the truth and how much they loved singing it.  You could tell every band member believed it too.  Their instruments and voices melded so well to create a single work of art.  So much more than the sum of its parts. I think about how much time they have spent on the road, what dificulties they have overcome to get to this one performance and how many times they may have played these songs already, but still they were so untiringly sincere.  Sirens is their 5th Album release.

S, Jenn Ghetto, Jenn Champion

On May 1st I went to a show at the Neumos in Seattle to see S open for Sera Cahoone.  It was my first time seeing them play live, although I had heard S' song Vampires, the artist also known as Jenn Ghetto, numerous times on KEXP and on the internet.  You might know her from her former band Carissa's Wierd. My spell-check really wanted to fix that.  It was a great show.  Sera Cahoone played with a full band and it sounded so full.  I was also introduced to another band, Horde and the Harem.  They were unique and played a skillful show and I appreciate both of those things.  They really appeared to believe in their performance and I think that is a vital component to putting on a good show.  I have to say, though, that when Jenn Ghetto performs it really feels like she is exposing her soul. These are three extremely talented local artists/bands that you should definitely see live.

Support independent artists! #seattlemovement

Lowland Hum

Yesterday, I met Lowland Hum, an incredibly talented and kind husband and wife duo from South Carolina. I got to set up their mics and sit in on their awesome performance and interview with Ron Taffi on 90.7 KSER which you can listen to on kser.org.

I've gotten busy and put the blog on the back burner, but I'm going to try to update it at least once a week and keep you posted on what I'm up to and the great music that I've found.

Here's my short CD review of Lowland Hum:

Daniel and Lauren Goans, the married folk, duo Lowland Hum and their album by the same name, evoke serenity and splendor.  From rural North Carolina, they weave their appealing high-tenor and soprano voices into intricate harmonies over string-band arrangements.

Includes acoustic guitar arpeggios, ghostly vowels and thoughtful poetic lyrics.

lowlandhum.com

Vulfpeck

I have to talk about Vulfpeck today, a funk instrumental group made up of Jack Stratton, Joe Dart, Theo Katzman and Woody Goss founded 2011 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  I wanted to find out as much as I could about these guys.

Vulfpeck is so inventive in their musical stylings, humor and in their publicity, i.e. their recent Spotify stunt, Sleepify.

Congratulations are in order for their successful kickstarter campaign in which they raised more than their goal of $5,000 for their upcoming free September "Sleepify" tour.

The title of their recent album is Fugue State.  Fugue has a couple of definitions, one being musical and the other psychiatric which just makes this album more clever and amusing.

These guys are brilliant and sound especially brilliant with the addition of Antwaun Stanley's smooth vocals heard here in their newest video 1612.

This group displays incredible musicianship from the University of Michigan.  As everyone knows Detroit has a history of great music, such a long and rich heritage of notable musicians I'm not even going to name a few.

Their video Synth Party will make you laugh your ass off.  Their sense of humor is ingenious and ridiculous. Theo Katzman is seen jamming out on a pillow with a stray sock? and Joe Dart makes himself comfortable laying on the bed while rocking out on the bass.

I'm pretty upset these guys aren't coming to Seattle during their September Tour.  Buy their album on bandcamp and if you're close by, go see these guys live!!