Root Down in the Shadow

Swelltone Music's Shana Hartzell interviews Pine Barons Any year where you get main stage your city's NPR station's festival and a split Daytrotter vinyl with The Districts , it's a great year.   The Pine Barons are clearly ascending the indie ranks, but they still have time to chat with their blogger friends.   After their set at WXPN's XPoNential Festival presented by Subaru, the Pine Barons sat down with the Root Down In The Shadow crew and our friend Shana Hartzel of Swelltone Music to discuss the highlights of the show, their thoughts on WXPN, playing live, the new album, and more!   Check out our XPoNential Festival preview , featuring Pine Barons..    Check out the interview below: Pine Barons at XPoNential Festival : Photo by Dan McGurk Pine Barons are back this fall as part of the TJ Kong Halloween Murder Show VI.   Get Tickets now for Pine Barons, TJ Kong, Satellite Hearts and mor...

There has been many recent visits from some local bands to the  Daytrotter  studios out in beautiful Illinois. To join the list including The Lawsuits , Toy Soldiers , DRGN King  is Doylestown's own Night Panther ! I highly recommend checking this session out for a more stripped down version of their take on 80's dream synth-pop. Night Panther 's specialty is getting a party started, so if you want to see them in full action they'll be performing at the TLA November 2nd opening for Holy Ghost!

In early 2011, I was excited for the release of the Iron & Wine album Kiss Each Other Clean .  I had been keeping an eye on their website for details of shows and maybe a free single.  At the time, the depth of what you could find on the internet for music was burgeoning.  The fans had spoken and wanted more music, but the free-for-all that was Napster, etc was over.   With Kiss Each Other Clean, s omething happened, that I had never experienced before.  All the promo stuff that happened previously city by city, limited to local fans at record stores and radio stations, this now was out on the web for all to see.  There were many session from stations across the country.  Included in this promotional explosion was a video session at Daytrotter.com! Here it was a Daytrotter session in video form. Iron & Wine pre-Kiss Each Other Clean  - Jan 12, 2011: Daytrotter Studio, Rock Island, IL This was and still is a beautiful piece of recordi...

Joe Fletcher live @Fergie's Pub   Recently I came across perfect synergy as a fan.  A national indie act that I've been following joined forces with a local indie act that is ready to hit the national stage! Rhode Island based Joe Fletcher is on tour now with the Toy Soldiers , and just played two gigs in Philadelphia with them over the 4th of July!  I had the pleasure of catching both sets, at Fergie's Pub and the Jamaican Jerk Hut, and sat down with Joe betwen sets to catch up on the world of Joe Fletcher! The new album, You’ve Got the Wrong Man, what’s the current status?  The album started out as an EP last year, and has evolved into a full album .  We're preparing for release in late October! The new tracks haven't really been getting much play on tour?  Is it a fear of a crappy cellphone-video early-release on the internet?  That does play a part, but I've either been playing with bands such as Brown Bird or Toy Soldiers along ...

I've never been a fan of end of the year lists that down allow you to experience the selections.  Just reading about some great songs doesn't allow validation of the list.  For this brief list, I placed a playlist on the Daytrotter.com website, so everyone can hear it! You do need to register for the site to listen to the list, but it is so worth it.  For $2/month you get access to some of the best sessions out there for live music PERIOD.  You can register for a free trial, to see how great it is on your own.  If you are not interested in the site.. Here's a rundown of the list! Although a short list, I didn't want to waste time with so-so songs.   The first two are from the must have session, Mumford & Sons and Friends . #1 Reincarnation , is a Roger Miller standard. In this take, the "friend" of Mumford & Sons is Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes . It's such a simple and pure song, that I find my self singing it to my daughter durin...

Free Music ALERT: I've been browsing the net a lot this week, searching for some cool places for music to share.  Here's the best of what I found:  Brown Bird - Fingers to the Bone by supplyanddemand This is one of the singles from the new Brown Bird album Salt for Salt, released in October a few weeks ago.  This album and the corresponding E.P.  The Sound of Ghosts are just infectious.  If you start listening to them, it will be very hard to stop. Brown Bird just started touring with the Devil Makes Three another incredibly enjoyable band.  Catch them if they come to your town.  Regrettably this match up won't be coming to Philly just yet.  For more info on Brown Bird , check out the interview with one half of the band MorganEve Swain ! While browsing SoundCloud.com for some free tracks, I came upon more of the Dum Dum Girls. They are currently on tour in support of  Only In Dreams .  Feel free to p...

2. People are ready for new music! A few weeks back, I was hanging with some friends.  My pal Bud (charles Bud, not kevin Bud for those of you keeping score) likes punk, so I was playing him Those Darlins . Yeah, they're not punk, but I love their lo-fi sound, and they're playing @ Johnny Brenda's June 14th and I needed some friends to go with. After some iPod "spinning", we listened to Ponderosa, Cake, Danger Mouse, Hayes Carll, Balkan Beat Box , and the Black Keys ! Likewise, another friend came over for some back yard hang out & grill time.  I put on my Newport Folk Fest best of Playlist ( Smart playlist with bands from the '11 Newport + ***** ratings) and she got her introduction to David Wax Museum, Freelance Whales , and Pokey LaFarge !  In both cases, each friend was looking for MORE!!! It's always exciting after listening to some new stuff, and you get energized to write down some names and do some shopping/downloading!    I myself ...

9. Daytrotter Split LP featuring Iron & Wine and the Low Anthem! What a great reason to break out the record player!   Before the end of the Spring tour featuring Iron & Wine and the Low Anthem, there was a wonderful announcement for this split LP.  Each band had been touring for their new 2011 albums Kiss Each Other Clean and Smart Flesh respectively.  They also completed some of the best Daytrotter sessions of the year.  If you haven't heard these Iron & Wine songs do yourself a favor and get to it.  Especially for all you boo birds out there, that aren't a fan of the new record because of Sam Beams new sonic experience!  These are stripped down and beautiful.  'Godless Brother in Love' is tremendous track!  Rosie Thomas provides just the perfect amount of backup to Sam's vocals.  Iron & Wine Daytrotter session (Sam Beam & Rosie Thomas) Track listing: 'Tree By the River', 'Godless Brother in Love', 'Naked As...

Through the last few years, I have gone deeper into archivist mode, looking for more and more music to enjoy.  I look for new music in many places, and during my week day drives around Philadelphia, I listen, and rate, listen, and rate, and listen some more.  When I start to compile a solid best of playlist, it is very exciting.  I start the year with nothing, and by the end of the year there are so many gems, so many artists I had never heard before, and now love.  In many cases, I wouldn't have the funds or means to go beyond the single free track or download, but I have been trying to make a point to rewarding those artists that put their intellectual capital out on the line and look for more songs that I love of those artists.  As mentioned in the Sean Hayes post, I recently hit a bonus of iTunes cards for the holidays, and I've used that to dig deeper into my new found loves.   Especially now that I have found a voice for my music obsession, I've been...