Fort Frances - Chicago Alt-Country Trio Plays Pianos on Jan. 28th

Ghosts of California by Fort Frances

DOWNLOAD: Fort Frances - "Hard Earned Heart" (from the band's 2011 debut The Atlas)

"Wilco is an easy comparison to make here, and it’s an apt one; there are times during The Atlas when David McMillin sounds as if he’s channelled Jeff Tweedy." - - Tympanogram.com

What initially began as a solo project for singer/songwriter David McMillin gradually transformed into Fort Frances: a three-piece band whose debut album represents more than two years of drawing their own map for musical exploration. With an all-instruments-on-board approach to writing and recording, their heavily textured style introduces you to a band with a Beatles influence that shines through every note.

Produced by Sam Kassirer (Josh Ritter, Langhorne Slim), The Atlas was recorded in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere Maine. If you listen closely to the album, you will discover some of the hidden secrets of what it means to make a record: trumpets in the open New England air, lampshades substituted for drums, dog barks and a continuing directional thread that runs between each of its 10 songs.



Fort Frances are headlining a show at Pianos on January 28th (11PM set time) and cover is $10. Also on the bill is Camden Joy (10PM), Life in a Blender and Mark Donato.

Links:
Fort Frances

Andy Shauf: Live Video from Roots Cafe, Brooklyn, NY 9-17-10

Andy Shauf just finished a month-long US tour with Lauris Vidal and I caught the tour at the free pass-the-hat show at Roots Cafe in Brooklyn. Given the subtlety intimacy of Andy's songs, I was pleasantly surprised to witness how well the songs came across in a live setting. Roots Cafe is fairly small in size so Andy's songs and direct conversations with the audience made the show feel more like a house party with a group of friends than a 'traditional' concert.

Here are the last two songs from Andy's set:



Andy's new EP, "Waiting for the Sun to Leave", is out this Tuesday, Sept. 28th and the disc contains studio recording of songs that have been a part of Andy's live set for the last few years. "It’s 8 songs that are sort of old. Newer than Darker Days, but older than… brand new." (from Andy's blog)

Links:
Andy Shauf

Mavis Staples Releases "You Are Not Alone" on Sept. 14th with Two Jeff Tweedy Penned Songs

DOWNLOAD: Mavis Staples - "We Shall Not Be Moved" (hosted on Anti.com)

Earlier this week, the Library of Congress selected the Staple Singers' seminal 1968 album Soul Folk in Action for preservation on its National Recording Registry. The album was the Staples' debut for Stax, and the Library of Congress calls it "the pivotal album of their career."

Now in her sixth decade as a performer, Mavis Staples is releasing her third album for Anti, You Are Not Alone, on Sept. 14th. This forthcoming disc was produced by Jeff Tweedy at Wilco's studio The Loft and includes two tracks penned by Tweedy along with unique interpretations of songs by Pops Staples, Randy Newman, Allen Toussaint, John Fogerty, Rev. Gary Davis and Little Milton.

"I have almost everything she's ever recorded, and I dug back through very thoroughly when I was given this job to do," says Tweedy. "I thought that if I refreshed myself about where she's been, it would help her figure out where she wanted to go. I wanted to be sure that we were making a record that she really wanted to make."

This summer Mavis Staples will play the Toronto Jazz Fest on June 30, Lollapalooza on August 6, and the Wilco-curated Solid Sound Festival at Mass MoCa on August 14, with additional US and European tour dates to be announced soon.

Links:
Mavis Staples

JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound - Pre-Show Interview, Southpaw, Brooklyn 5-7-10

DOWNLOAD: JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound - "Get It Together"

Chicago raw-power soul band JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound made their third trip to Brooklyn earlier this month for a headlining show at Southpaw. I had the chance to sit down and talk with the band prior to their set.

JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound released their debut CD Beat of Our Own Drum (Vampisoul/Rabbit Factory) last year and have followed it with a new 7" single, "Get It Together" backed with a funky reworking of Wilco's "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart".

"Get It Together" is razor-sharp in the groove department -- lots of funky riffing guitar, hard-hitting bass, and badass horns -- all a perfect setting for JC's raw soul vocals! "I Am Trying" is great too -- a cut that starts out with a bit of a trippy start, then moves into some hard-stepping funk right away -- a killer, kickass groove that's mighty nice!

Upcoming Tour Dates:
Jun 11, 2010 -- KDHX Twangfest @ Blueberry Hill, St Louis, MO
Jul 03, 2010 -- Taste of Chicago, Chicago, IL
Jul 16, 2010 -- Dawson City Music Festival, Dawson City, Yukon , CA
Jul 17, 2010 -- Dawson City Music Festival Dawson City, Yukon , CA
Jul 27, 2010 -- Empty Bottle, Chicago, IL
Aug 27, 2010 -- Ravinia, Highland Park, IL

Links:
JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound

JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound Play Southpaw on May 7th (Chicago Soul)

DOWNLOAD: JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound - "Get It Together"
DOWNLOAD: JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound - "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart"

JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound had me at "hello" - fresh sounding soul from a young Chicago band that has a sound that is one part Booker T and one part James Brown; all with a little garage rock thrown in on the side. Mojo Magazine calls the band “one of the hottest US soul acts right now”.

JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound released their debut CD Beat of Our Own Drum (Vampisoul/Rabbit Factory) last year and have followed it with a new 7" single.

"Get It Together" is razor-sharp in the groove department -- lots of funky riffing guitar, hard-hitting bass, and badass horns -- all a perfect setting for JC's raw soul vocals! "I Am Trying" is great too -- a cut that starts out with a bit of a trippy start, then moves into some hard-stepping funk right away -- a killer, kickass groove that's mighty nice!

JC Brooks is headlining a show at Southpaw on May 7th with The Revelations and Ex Caminos. Advance tickets are $10 and the show starts at 9PM.

Links:
JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound

Andy Shauf - "Darker Days" CD Review (P Is For Panda Records)

DOWNLOAD: Andy Shauf - Three Cuts from Darker Days are available as a Free Download on iSound.com

Andy Shauf's full-length debut Darker Days came out last week on P is for Panda Records. The disc is a collection of the best of Andy's bedroom demos but, unlike most demo tapes, the songs are surprisingly mature. Andy wrote, produced and played all the instruments on this disc; on only two of the eleven cuts does he bring on friends to help out on backing vocals.

Andy has a silky-smooth voice but he doesn't use his voice alone to cary the songs. The backing instrumentation plays a major role in most songs and it ranges from acoustic guitar to electric grunge chords, handclaps and a banjo. While Deb Hansen adds some beautiful backing vocals to "Crushes", one of the real gems on this CD is "Gone" where Andy provides his own backing vocals and sings in glorious Beach Boys-like harmony with himself.

The themes of a lot of the songs are about love and relationships but the disc doesn't come off as a bland folk/emo disc. While there are a few slow spots, Andy keeps the disc moving by changing up the tempos, the instruments and his vocals. Some of the strongest cuts ("The Greatest Moments", "Your Heart" and "Crushes") are streaming on Andy's MySpace page.


Here is the first of Andy's video blogs which features an acoustic performance of "Your Heart". This is the lead-off track from Darker Days and it is a great segue into the rest of the disc.



Andy is currently touring in Canada and here are his upcoming tour dates:
June 2, 2009 -- 7:00PM, Estevan Comprehensive School Cafeteria, Estevan, Saskatchewan
June 12, 2009 -- 8:00PM, Haar Theatre (Grant MacEwan Arts Campus), Edmonton, Alberta
July 8, 2009 -- 7:30PM, TCU Place, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
August 7-9, 2009 -- Regina Folk Festival, Regina, Saskatchewan

Soundfix Is Hosting Wilco DVD Screening with Open Bar on Monday, May 14th

Below is the post from Soundfix's site:

We're celebrating the release of Wilco's great new record, "Sky Blue Sky," with an exclusive screening, an open bar (yes, free) and a midnight sale. We kick things off at 10pm with the band's new DVD, featuring eight live performances and interviews in Wilco's loft, followed by an open bar at 11pm (yes, free). Be the first to purchase the new album "Sky Blue Sky" at midnight and receive an exclusive EP featuring two unreleased tracks. The first 20 people to buy the album will also get a free Wilco T-shirt. To top it off, everyone in attendance will have the chance to win (1 of 5) Wilco t-shirt/tote bag prize packs.