For fans of Kaki King, if you are like me, then you probably miss hearing her lyric-less ambient acoustic guitar playing. Understandably so, since this is originally how the songwriter-singer—because her vocals really are secondary to her songwriting—got her start and why so many people were drawn to her in the first place. Over the years, she has gradually incorporated a few more instruments and some soft singing into her music here and there, which was actually quite a nice for a change. But on her last album, Junior, King almost left the whole solo instrumental guitarist act behind, introducing a full rock band sound and an unmistakably Tegan And Sara influenced full singing voice. Many fans, while welcoming the new style, still felt a bit like something was missing. If you are one of those fans, then slip on your mittens, warm woolen hat, and scarf because the original Kaki King we know and love is back with an autumnal instrumental album called Glow. Continue reading ‘Album Review: Kaki King – “Glow”’
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Album Review: Kaki King – “Glow”
Sell-Out: Is Music Licensing The Saving Grace For Artist Income?
Let me just bypass the whole “record industry is failing” and “illegal downloading is on the rise” introduction. We all know that professional musicians need to get paid, but this means finding new means of doing so other than record sales and royalties. Over the past 5 to 10 years it has become increasingly apparent that music can be used as a marketing tool—one that can help sell products by adding a coolness factor or a down-to-earth credibility to advertisements that says “hey, we know what you like.” In the past, allowing your music to be used in advertisements or by big corporations for financial gain was known as “selling out.” Now it seems like this might just be survival. Continue reading ‘Sell-Out: Is Music Licensing The Saving Grace For Artist Income?’
SoundTrax: Silently Sleeping
In the age of the playlist, everyone has access to collections of songs hacked together due to arbitrary similarities. But what does that accomplish other than aid our forever shortening attention span, while making the idea of an “album” obsolete? SoundTrax is here to provide you with playlists that are more thought out, but still provide you with that instant gratification.
As much as we love music’s belters and crooners, I often feel that not nearly enough attention is given to instrumental pieces, at least in the mainstream industry. In the classical world, instrumental music is viewed as the highest art form there is. But this playlist focuses on instrumental music for an entirely different reason; sleep. I find it increasingly difficult to fall asleep to music with vocals, especially if I happen to know the lyrics. My mind latches on to certain words, and even when I try to concentrate on sleeping, I inadvertently find myself humming the hook a few minutes later. So, for this weeks edition of SoundTrax, we’ve picked eight instrumental tracks that will help slow your breathing, calm your heart rate and shut your eyes. Don’t let the bed bugs bite, kids.
THE PETTICOAT JUNKIES’ VERY SCARY RUN-IN WITH THE LAW
Last week when OurStage artists shared their opening act experiences, there wasn’t enough space to fit in all the great stories we received. We promised you more and here it is! The Petticoat Junkies’ lead guitarist Stephen Scott shared with us the band’s incredible story from their time opening up for The Mountain Goats and Kaki King.
“Although these shows were so much fun and a great opportunity, it was the unluckiest week we’ve ever had on the road. Herein lies a sordid tale filled with flat tires, broken keys, nightclub shootings, Austin police, alleged crack cocaine use, and fights w/ fast food employees.”
The band had just finished playing a killer set at Antone’s in Austin, Texas. Bassist Cody Ruth was absent; he’d gone with some friends for the night… and taken the keys to the band’s truck with him. After standing outside the club for about two hours and paying a locksmith $60, the remaining three members were finally on their way to find their beds. It wasn’t long before they noticed a police car was following close behind them.
“A few seconds later there’s another, then another, then another. We eventually realize that there are four or five cops following us through this neighborhood. We get around a corner and, like a flash, all the lights go on and we are surrounded by seven police cars. The three of us no sooner pull over to the side of the road and get the window down, when hear a megaphone shout, ‘Driver! Turn off the vehicle with your right hand, throw the keys out of the window and step out of the vehicle with your back facing me. Hands up, a**hole!’”
As you can probably imagine, this wasn’t the best way to have a conversation start with a bunch of police officers.
Continue reading ‘THE PETTICOAT JUNKIES’ VERY SCARY RUN-IN WITH THE LAW’
