Artist of the Month: Pete and Mike Band

Turns out Dr. Robert Ballard isn’t Woods Hole's only success story. April’s artist of the month calls themselves “The Pete and Mike Band”. “100% Home-Made Jams” for your listening pleasure. What’s great about what musicians like Jack Johnson, Matt Costa, and the Old Silver Band (another product of down Cape music) have given us is that their cool beach sound leaves us wanting more. Well, there is a new band out there that manages to satisfy our subconscious need for the surf (the genre). Straight out of Cape Cod come the Pete and Mike Band. Who are Pete and Mike? Combine Immortal Technique’s refusal to submit to the standards of mainstream music with Jack Johnson’s laid-back attitude. The music itself sounds like a mix between James Taylor, Sublime, and Guster. If you like any of the aforementioned bands, try to get a hand on any of P&M’s three albums; On The Road, Afloat, and Waiting on the Summer. Pete and Mike are currently in the studio working on their fourth LP entitled “Wordplay”. Expect it to drop this June.

The band itself is comprised of two members. Pete McNamara is credited as singer/songwriter. Mike Schanbacher is the band’s multi-instrumentalist and engineer. The two have a fan base driven by their love for P&M’s self-produced music, merchandise, and videos. Let’s hope that the two continue to do what’s working. It would be sad to see one of acoustic music’s up and coming bands fall to the music industry’s detrimental nature. You can catch one of Pete and Mike’s local shows at The Landfall in Falmouth or the Red Sky if you’re in the city (Beantown). I’ve recommended my favorite’s below. Let me know what you think.

Andrew

Songs to get a hold of:

• On Your Side
• Cryin' Shame
• On Fire
• The Fisherman
• 2817 Blair Blvd.

A video of "On Your Side"

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niylsThcdO0]

Artist of the Month: Coconut Records

So, we have decided to start what we are calling the Artist of the Month. The whole idea is pretty self explanatory. We are going to find a band or artist that may not be that well known among the general public and introduce you to their music. The first Artist of the Month is the solo project of actor Jason Shwartzman. Shwartzman, a former as well as founding member of the band Phantom Planet, has returned with his solo project entitled Coconut Records. Although this is a solo project, Shwartman has collaborated with other artists including Brandon Boyd, Zooey Deschanel, and Ben Kenney. Coconut Records has released two albums thus far. Coconut Records is quickly becoming one of my favorite bands, and I think the songs that are posted will show you why. I hope you enjoy.

--Bobes

Coconut Records-West Coast

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTzEp4CeWT8]

Coconut Records-Microphone

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lojg4p21gvU&feature=related]

La Blogotheque: The Take-Away Shows

What could it possibly feel like to stand on a stage with hundreds of fans screaming and yelling? It's got to be mind-blowing, that's for sure. Every time I get to shake hands with a musician my mind runs wild with curiosity. I can’t believe that this person actually gets paid to play music, and on top of that, travels to the most beautiful places in the world to perform. Where have they been? Who have they met? Who have they had the chance to play with? If I did have the chance to meet one of my favorites, I wouldn’t be gushing over how much I love their latest single or asking for autographs. I’d just want to hear their story, and tell them a little about mine. A couple months back I met Lisa Hannigan, a talented musician who sang back-up vocals for Damien Rice (she's now solo and her album is chart-topping over in Ireland). We ended up Christmas caroling in a nearby 7/11. Speaking with her and seeing how down-to-earth she was made me realize how annoying it must get being a famous musician and rarely being able to have a normal conversation with a fan. On that note, I want to introduce the topic of my post. For our first entry, Bobes posted a few videos from “La Blogotheque.” I felt like the videos deserved a little exposure since they are much better than your average live YouTube performance. They give you the feeling that you are sitting in a room with the artist as a friend rather than a fan. Some of the more popular artists that they’ve filmed have been Fleet Foxes, Jason Mraz, Vampire Weekend, and Bon Iver. In addition to those, make sure to check out the Cold War Kids and Andrew Bird videos. The founders of “La Blogotheque: The Take Away Shows” were two men named Chryde and Vincent Moon. They’ve found a unique way to share music with the world, taping live music sessions in bars and on street corners. What makes these videos great is the raw, unedited footage. The music wouldn’t be the same without the distant conversations of a European café’ heard in the background. Some of my favorite videos are posted below. I’ve also posted the link to the English version of the website. Feel free to leave some feedback and let me know what your favorites are.
Click to visit La Blogotheque

Jason Mraz - Live High

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKZQXnmbCxk]

Fleet Foxes - Blue Ridge Mountains

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1tbX_NJn98]

Beirut - Nantes

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jc3ZAs17uAg]

PS. If you'd like to see a couple Bon Iver videos, scroll down to our first post.

Video of the Week

Iron & Wine - Flightless Bird, American Mouth

Here is our first-ever video of the week! Iron & Wine is the stage name of singer-songwriter Samuel Beam. Beam was a professor of film and cinematography at the University of Miami before he turned to music. This is one of his performances. Flightless Bird, American Mouth is off of his album "The Shepherd's Dog".

-Andrew

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYUFcxBq1y4&feature=related]

God Bless the Irish

“I want to tell you how the next song we’re going to play was written. One night, I was at a party with my girlfriend. Everyone was dressed in his or her nicest suit or dress, and the mood that filled the room was perfect. I was talking with my girlfriend in a corner of the room when she offered to get us some punch. Of course, I couldn’t refuse. She was gone a few minutes when I found myself absorbed by a woman in a backless red dress. Imagine how I felt. I had come to a beautiful party, on a beautiful evening, with a beautiful woman by my side; and the only thing I could find myself thinking about was another woman. Then it happened. The woman turned around, and I was happy to see that it was actually my girlfriend I had been floored by. The funny sense of love, happiness, pride or whatever I was feeling became the base for this next song.”

I’m a lucky guy. Above are the words spoken one night in Boston before one of the greatest concerts I’ve ever seen. My Irish music experience started with Damien Rice, eventually Fionn Regan. Somewhere in between I ended up in a seat at the Orpheum Theater, surrounded by Damien Rice fans and Boston’s music types. The concert was a success, and not only for Damien. I think everyone left that night wondering who Glen was, and how to get their hands on his music.
The Frames is a band started by Glen Hansard in the 1990s. Ireland has produced some great artists in the past, and Glen’s talent has proven that it’s not only the British who can produce special music. Glen’s home, “the house of frames”, got its nickname after friends were sick of maneuvering around bicycle frames when they visited his Dublin residence (Glen worked in bicycle repair shop.) Hence, where the band got its name. Although The Frames have put out a number of great albums and are extremely popular in Ireland, they’ve yet to make a big impact on American music. That’s just fine with me, though. I think Glen made his mark when he released “The Swell Season”, a beautiful album combining his powerful voice and soulful guitar with the talent of Czech singer and pianist Marketa Irglova. The Swell Season became the soundtrack for “Once,” a movie released in 2007 (Worth seeing if you haven’t). So what does the music sound like? For starters it is powerful. The Swell Season takes you on a roller coaster that shows you first hand what it is like to have loved and lost. His music is sweet sounding and emotional, but can still be enjoyed by anyone willing to appreciate strong lyrics and an even stronger guitar.
I think the most important quality of a great musician is being able to make your listeners feel how you feel. Not only do I love an artist willing to give it everything they’ve got, I also respect them. I think this is a test that Hansard’s music passes with flying colors.

On an ending note, the introduction I quoted at the beginning of my post today was a story Glen told before playing “Falling Slowly”. Falling Slowly won an Academy Award for Best Song in 2008. Below are some of the videos I think showcase Hansard’s talent. Let me know what you think.

-Andrew

Albums to download:

• The Swell Season (Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova)
• Fitzcarraldo (The Frames)

Songs to make sure you get a hold of:

• Falling Slowly
• When Your Mind's Made Up
• Leave (rumored to have been co-written by Damien Rice)
• Lies

Clip from the film "Once", song played is "Falling Slowly"

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoSL_qayMCc&feature=related]

Live recording of "When Your Mind's Made Up" by Glen and Marketa

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdQhFXaUqLM]

Let's get it goin

Hey everyone,

Just a couple of videos to hold you over until we have our actual first post. These videos are a couple of amazing performances by Bon Iver done for an online music show called "La Blogotheque." If you wish to leave any comments about these videos, please do. Say whatever you want. Do you love it? Do you hate it? Let us know and let's get the ball rolling. Lastly, don't forget to check out some of our best friends that have blogs as well. The links to their pages can be found on the right under our Blogroll. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy what we are trying to start here. Cheers.

--Bobes

Bon Iver-For Emma, Forever Ago

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Swa9CYgRk&feature=related]

Bon Iver-Skinny Love

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLOr_FrJJWA&feature=related]