Bahamas – Lost In The Light

MP3: Lost In The Light

Let them see you
See you through
All the hard things we’ve all gotta do
‘Cause this life is long
So you wouldn’t be wrong
Bein’ free, leavin’ me on my own

On my best day, after all is said and done, I realize that I’m still just a boy in a mask – ignorantly believing my strength to be the costume that I wear or that my worth is the resource I possess. But after years spent wandering the desert, I’ve found them to be utterly worthless. There is a purpose to the desert – to forget the paradise that’s beyond the horizon and dwell in the present, allowing it to cultivate thanksgiving for that which truly matters. It’s just something we all have to face. And it’s up to you how you engage it. As Taylor of Dawes puts it, all these lines are born in sorrows and in pleasures, every man ends up with the face that he deserves. To find joy in trying times is the greatest joy one can find. On Sunday, driving home from playing music at church, a song came on that I’d recently come across, but hadn’t truly heard. The flick of a strat perked my ear. Moments passed. A mellow croon. Turned one corner, then the next. A choir of voices broke free with the sun. I rolled the windows down and donned some shades – as it only seemed appropriate. And, finally, a smile. And so it was, on a warm afternoon in April, I found joy in the music of Afie Jurvanen: Bahamas.

Afie has spent much of his career supporting the music of others, playing guitar and piano for artists such as Feist, Great Lake Swimmers, and The Stills. On his own, he has found an incredibly genuine voice. A voice somewhere between M Ward and Jack Johnson, but more soulful as he rises to a howl. Simple, melodic and without fabrication. What you hear is what you get. A smooth baritone voice, a strat, occasional percussion and a pair of gorgeous female voices. Afie and his friends spent a few days at a cabin to record his new album, Barchords, just as they had done for his first. Just a couple takes for each track and it’s a wrap. Incredible. Watching videos of them perform leaves me in awe – of his writing, his technique and the beautiful people he’s surrounded himself with. He’s currently on tour and I’m seriously considering driving to Canada or Portland to catch his show – unless I can convince him to stop in Seattle in between shows. Whatcha say, Afie?

Artist: Bahamas
Photographer: Mando Alvarez

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by Jeremy Spyridon on May 2, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Indie Rock, Singer-Songwriter
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Posted by Jeremy Spyridon on May 2, 2012

http://www.icarusandoccident.com/bahamas-lost-in-the-light

David Ramirez – Shoeboxes

MP3: Shoeboxes

So I suppose you’ll be in every song that I sing
If not written in my words, you’ll be hidden in these strings
‘Cause how could I ever forget my first love
My first woman, first truth, first child from above

She’s coming to Seattle in a week. She doesn’t know that I know or how it affects me. After all, she’s not coming to see me. Six years ago I walked away from her. My penance since that day has been to witness her grow to become an incredible, beautiful woman from a distance – 2,032 miles away. It’s taken years to appreciate who I foolishly threw away. To realize how blessed I was just to be in her presence. But now all I have to hold is a handful of pictures, some faded, distorted memories and these unrelenting, romanticized notions that haunt me. I’ve written – and thrown away – numerous letters. Scrolled past her name in my phone. Browsed plane tickets. But I know she’s no longer the young woman I remember or the woman I imagine she’s become. No. She’s far more genuine than I could ever imagine. More precious. More flawed. And a complete stranger. I’ve prayed to forget her – to learn from my selfishness and just move on, but she continues to visit me in my dreams. I still see her face when I sing the first verse of Josh Ritter’s “Best for the Best.” I still feel her smile as I swoop down to grab an abandoned piece of garbage on the sidewalk. I want to forget. I want so desperately to let go. But I’ll never truly forget. And I can’t help but find peace in that, because she will always be a part of the best in me.

David Ramirez is a voice in a choir of storytellers resurrecting the folk tradition, now Americana. While accompaniment is proven welcome, with perfect piano accents and sweet harmonies, his songs and his words require none. There are artists who can silence a room with their presence. Damien Jurado, Joe Purdy, Nathaniel Rateliff. I consider David Ramirez to be among them. From his low growl to his broken wail, David’s voice is wearied and poignant. Sweet and demanding. He tells a one-sided story, of one who’s stood in the rain all his life. And during a month drenched by 28 days of rain, his songs have found their home with me. But life is one of seasons and we remember the sun each time the rains come. Today the sun finally shattered the darkened ceiling and warmed my face once again. Today there is a summer soundtrack waiting just over the Olympics.

Artist: David Ramirez
Photographer: Kevin Morris

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by Jeremy Spyridon on May 2, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Folk, Singer-Songwriter
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Posted by Jeremy Spyridon on May 2, 2012

http://www.icarusandoccident.com/david-ramirez-shoeboxes

Howlin Rain: The Sunset 02.25.12


Concert photography by Elias Carlson

MP3: Phantom In The Valley

Somewhere out in the dark
Pass the walnut orchards
And the barroom abattoir
Somewhere into the blue
I can almost see your smile
Fading from my view

Friday night, a tempest ripped apart the remains of Ballard’s Sunset Tavern, leaving only ringing ears and whiskey-soaked beards to remember the fearsome havoc it had wrought. We were repeatedly warned by Seattle’s Whalebones and Wayfinders of the approaching storm, but the emerald skies promised a sight we’d never forget. At midnight, the peace subsided as San Francisco’s Howlin Rain finally took the stage. Front-man Ethan Miller stood lean and tattered, a captain worn by the journey that had brought him to this day. Flickering guitars and shivering cymbals arose from the depths, starting the thunderous set with “Self Made Man,” the self-loathing first track on their third and most recent album, The Russian Wilds. In an instant, lightning stuck the stage as Miller and his fellow wayfarers released a syncopated squall of growling guitars and crashes. With multi-instrumentalist Joel Robinow playing the jester by his side and lead guitarist Isaiah Mitchell meticulously shredding on the other, Miller faced a trembling sea of eager fans. Like the master of a sinking ship screaming into the face of God, Miller howled into his mic, “When you break a couple of bones, they call you a ruthless man.” And when you rock a beard as fierce as Miller’s, you’d better believe there’s madness to back it up.

The set continued with their new single, “Phantom In The Valley,” which perfectly exemplifies the diversity of not only their ever-shifting genre, but the infinite sea of influences that have left their fingerprints on this album. Its combination of illustrative lyrics and sprawling dynamics, like a distant mirage, paints a vast wasteland that shape-shifts before your eyes – as if even its subject were an apparition. After a few more gut-busting jams, Miller set down his guitar as Cyrus Comiskey and Raj Ojha laid down a soulful groove. Guitarless, he unholstered his mic and began walking through the crowd as if parting the Red Sea itself. His voice, while raspy, was gentle with its words as his gaze coaxed some lovely young women who dared to stand in his path. As the song reached its climax, Miller returned to the stage, eyes clenched, clutching the mic as if it were the frayed end of his rope.

These are the meticulously maddened songs of a band living into the audacity of 70s rock… in 2012, which would be laughably absurd if it didn’t come across so genuine. Witnessing Howlin Rain’s performance shatters your self-awareness like a charging locomotive. It is wild and deceptively untamed. But as unruly as their appearance is, it’s evident their craft is the result of years spent perfecting this intoxicating cocktail of soul-infused, psychedelic rock ‘n roll. And while their influences are not difficult to discern, experiencing a moment of their onstage energy will dismiss any notion this band is merely replicating the Golden Age of American rock ‘n roll like an old sailor might fashion a ship in a bottle. These men stand beside throat-ripping acts like Rival Sons and dusty, eye-squinting jams like Jonathan Wilson to those who need it most. The burdened. The broken. And let us not forget, the mad.

Their new album, The Russian Wilds, produced by Rick Rubin himself, is available in all the usual places. But more importantly, if the breeze tells you that they’re passing through your town, do yourself a favor and catch their show. Consider yourself warned.

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by Jeremy Spyridon on February 27, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Psychedelic Rock, Rock
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Posted by Jeremy Spyridon on February 27, 2012

http://www.icarusandoccident.com/howlin-rain-the-sunset-02-25-12

Aunt Martha – Blue Buildings

MP3: Blue Buildings

And I wonder were you with me when I broke my bones
Are you starin’ into nothing but a brilliant glow
If I’m calling then it’s certain that I can’t come home

It is 2am in Pasadena. My bare feet are resting on the cold linoleum floor of my brother’s ten foot by ten foot apartment, an ashy reminder of the cigarette we’d just shared tickling the back of my throat. I douse the dry patch with a gulp of red wine as he cracks open a decrepit laptop. It stutters and creaks to life like an old man roused from a nap. My brother’s fingers flicker briefly over the keys, and music begins to trickle faintly from one crackly speaker. We lean in closer, close our eyes and soak in the music. I glance up and he’s looking at me. Matching grins spread across our faces as the music swells. Neither of us need to say it, we both know, this night is perfect.

Aunt Martha’s music is simple, subtly gorgeous folk. Blue Buildings is a testament to the pleasure found in a clever guitar line and a well turned verse. Lead singer Tim Noyes crafts a somber, abstract tale of directionless wandering, and the chorus creates a haunting contrast to the quick pace of the main verses. It’s the kind of music that makes late nights deeper, darker, and just a bit sweeter. Like the warmth of a fire just beyond reach in the blue night.

Artist: Aunt Martha
Photographer: Cody Cobb

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by EliasCarlson on February 21, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Folk, Indie Folk Rock
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Posted by EliasCarlson on February 21, 2012

http://www.icarusandoccident.com/aunt-martha-blue-buildings

Branches – Helicopter

MP3: Helicopter

Come on you heart – you restless child
Open up your hands and wait here awhile

I need you to listen. I need for you to not lose heart. I need for you to always choose hope over despair. I need you to know that all seasons pass. I need for you to be courageous in moments that pass without a swelling orchestra or standing ovation. I need for you to believe with all your heart that you are beautiful and created not only to witness, but to participate in beauty and wonder. I need for you to know these truths because someday I will need for you to remind me. I will lose faith just as you have. I will cling to doubt and self pity. And one day you’ll forget what we fought for and why we laughed, and I will remind you of the life we chose to live, believing we’re meant for more than we could ever imagine.

I’m inspired by artists like Branches, whose family-style folk creations seem to spring from the collaboration of individuals firmly-rooted in who they are and why they sing. These are songs drenched in questions and hope. With lush instrumentation that nods to Freelance Whales and wailing harmonies reminiscent of Mumford & Sons, Branches shows promise of a maturing band, but its lyrical innocence is somehow refreshing. Like the crafts of Nickel Creek or Noah Gundersen, with each listen, I find myself in awe of this simple album. And when I write “simple,” I do not mean to discredit it’s rather intricate orchestration, but wish to illuminate its good heart. And that is something to remember.

Artist: Branches
Photographer: Fiona Watson

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by Jeremy Spyridon on February 17, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Folk, Indie Folk Rock
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Posted by Jeremy Spyridon on February 17, 2012

http://www.icarusandoccident.com/branches-helicopter

Reid Jamieson – Sunny Day

MP3: Sunny Day (Sesame Street Theme)

Sunny Day
Sweepin’ the clouds away
On my way to where the air is sweet
Can you tell me how to get,
How to get to Sesame Street

If living in Seattle has taught me anything, it’s how to long for the sun. And if longing for the sun has taught me anything, it’s to look for it in other places, ’cause we’re not going to see it again until July. You learn to find it in the most unexpected places. Community and the things that bring us hope. Playing cards at the end of the day as the turntable spins. A movie from Redbox. A glass of Jameson. But more importantly, I’ve learned we can be the light in the lives of others. To be the listening ear or a needed hug. And that is something worth longing for.

Recognize this song? Thought so. Yes, it’s the theme song to Sesame Street, brought to you by singer/songwriter Reid Jamieson. If there’s one you should know about me, it’s that I love a good cover. And Mr. Jamieson delivers just that – over and over. And over. After some idle searching I found seventeen covers by this man. Many of them personal favorites of mine. Amazing. Which leads me to our next topic of conversation – we will be sharing covers with you all on a more regular basis now. So during these days of waiting for the sun to show its face once more, I hope these songs will help to brighten your lives just a little bit more.

Artist: Reid Jamieson
Photographer: Mando Alvarez

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by Jeremy Spyridon on February 10, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Cover, Folk
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Posted by Jeremy Spyridon on February 10, 2012

http://www.icarusandoccident.com/reid-jamieson-sunny-day

Mansions On The Moon – Rest Of Your Days

MP3: Rest Of Your Days

If I gave you a ride home tonight,
would you spend the rest of your days by my side

We don’t deserve it as much as we desire it, but still the sun shines in our lives when we need it to most. You may think the eleventh hour is at hand, but the clock only strikes 10. You may be on your knees, begging for mercy, as a warm breeze touches your face as if to say, “hold on, just a while longer.” We all encounter these times of waiting. Times of uncertainty and the space between. The wilderness before the promised land. The trick is to see and engage it rather than longing for the other side. There is purpose and worth in the waiting. There is beauty in the gray.

Mansions On The Moon is the collaborative creation of Lane Shaw, Ben Hazlegrove, and singer/songwriter Ted Wendler. Since their inception about a year ago, they’ve collaborated with N*E*R*D, Diplo, DJ Benzi, Xaphoon Jones, and are about to release their LP, which was produced by Pharrell Williams. The result is a lush orchestration of acoustically grown melodies, full-bodied harmonies and electronic chill wave textures. Some tracks break free of gravity and drift into the cosmos, carrying the torch of artists like M83 and Washed Out. Others, like Rest Of Your Days, seem to gaze heavenward, keeping the textured weight of guitar and percussion, as the layered vocals remind us that there’s no reason we can’t reach out and touch the moon.

Downloads of their EP are free on their site for the price of a Facebook like. Also, check out their hybrid mixtape/album for free here. And now we all wait, with baited breath, for the LP to drop. Hold on, just a while longer…

Artist: Mansions on the Moon
Photographer: Mike Stacey

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by Jeremy Spyridon on February 8, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Electronic, Experimental, Folk
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Posted by Jeremy Spyridon on February 8, 2012

http://www.icarusandoccident.com/mansions-on-the-moon-rest-of-your-days

The Stone Foxes – I Killed Robert Johnson

MP3: I Killed Robert Johnson

When you poison a man with alcohol
The liquor gets the blame
But I killed Robert Johnson
Just the same.

Robert Johnson died on August 16, 1938. He was 27 years old. A true storyteller, his stories grew to be larger than the man. One such story takes place at a crossroad where he met a large man cloaked in shadow at midnight. Beneath the moonlight, the man took Johnson’s guitar, tuned it, and played a few songs before handing it back. Johnson left the crossroad forever changed. He had met the Devil – and Robert Johnson had sold his soul. There are also several stories about how this young blues legend tragically met his end that night in Greenwood, Mississippi. One such story takes place at a bar, where Johnson was performing. The weeks leading up to the performance found him playing for the country dance, at which he met a woman. Exchanging glances from a distance, the two shared a moment, but the moment passed innocently enough and wilted in an instant. On the night of his performance, however, the woman walked in as Robert Johnson took the stage. After his set, she greeted him and offered a bottle of whiskey on behalf of the bar – not knowing that the owner, her husband, had poisoned the bottle with strychnine… or so the story goes.

With their wailing chorus, The Stone Foxes – now Shannon and Spence Koehler, Aaron Mort, and Elliott Peltzman – assume the charge for Robert Johnson’s murder and inject themselves into blues legend. Suffering from a broken heart, drummer Shannon Koehler struggled to find the toxic, whiskey-soaked words that could release the poison he’d digested. The riff and structure were written, but the words remained a mystery. In the end it was a poem, written by former band mate Avi Vinocur years ago, that struck the raw, embittered lyric Koehler was searching for. With the theme in place, the song took on a story larger than the man – and once again became legend. Without mention of the Devil, the account loses its mythological shroud and becomes a story we know far too well. Well, not necessarily one of murder, but of the warm gun we’re all drawn to hold. During the chorus, the Foxes belt out in unison, “I killed Robert Johnson,” as if to proclaim that we all share the blame – or maybe one voice just isn’t enough to carry the weight. Regardless of their intent, The Stone Foxes have crafted the grit, both lyrically and musically, that blues-rock demands. It’s the Jack meets Coke relationship. From the pounding heart of “Stomp” to the sweet-as-honey slide of “Come Again,” the album charges ahead with eye-squinting harmonies, lip-biting licks and foot-stomping percussion. It’s apparent these songs were crafted over time, on the road. It’s what sets studio recordings of living songs apart from untried songs shaped in a box. And if that wasn’t enough, each musician is a contributing writer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist throughout. The result is a craft – like the stories surrounding Robert Johnson – larger than the men who form it. Here’s to a legend that’s only just begun.

The guys have released two new tracks, Psycho and Serious People, which can be downloaded for free from their website. Get ‘em while they’re hot!

Artist: The Stone Foxes
Photographer: brnd

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by Jeremy Spyridon on January 5, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Blues, Rock
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Posted by Jeremy Spyridon on January 5, 2012

http://www.icarusandoccident.com/the-stone-foxes-i-killed-robert-johnson

Best Albums of 2011

I have no interest in writing as a critic. Critics certainly have their place amongst the arts – dissecting and analyzing the details that cast greatness, but a critic’s opinion is only a shade of the experience they critique because it – by definition – is objective. What makes creation and the arts so powerful is what we bring to it – a key that unlocks a door to a world that only we can know. Music meets us where we stand, walk, drive, dance and weep. For me, it is these intimate experiences that define the “best” albums of a year. These are the albums that are inseparable from my memories from 2011.

5. Blitzen Trapper

Blitzen Trapper – American Goldwing

American Goldwing

Love The Way You Walk Away
I took this album to Spokane, Washington during Thanksgiving this year. Most, if not all, of my friends in Seattle have some connection with this city – therefore, most of my friends also share a love/hate relationship with the place. It was their college town – a place with so much history, but only short-term memory. Worn, familiar and stagnant. My love/hate relationship was with a town called Elgin, Illinois – a college town of similar endearment. This brokenhearted album found its home here, amongst the faded memories that drift along forgotten streets and pale golden hills.
Favorites include: Love The Way You Walk Away, Astronaut, Stranger In A Strange Town.
Buy > American Goldwing

4. The Antlers

The Antlers – Burst Apart

Burst Apart

Rolled Together
This album found me long after I first heard it. I caught them when they came to The Neptune in Seattle and witnessed the entire album live. Their patient set built upon tension and layered falsettos until the space was transformed to the surreal. The lush noise washed over us and – for a submerged moment – we forgot the ground upon which we stood. Since then, it has become a reliable album for entering into a creative, emotive space while designing. The moment his vocals pierce the silence, I’m submerged once again.
Favorites include: I Don’t Want Love, Rolled Together, Hounds.
Buy > Burst Apart

3. Boy & Bear

Boy & Bear – Moonfire

Moonfire

Part Time Believer
Summer brought rooftop parties, crabbing trips and mountain expeditions – and none of it would have been the same without the jubilant, stampeding harmonies of Australia’s Boy & Bear. Part Time Believer, in particular, brings smiles as its nostalgia meets us where we are – invoking memories of America’s A Horse With No Name and sun-worn summer days. I have great hopes for this young band and can’t wait to see what becomes of them in the near future.
Favorites include: Lordy May, Feeding Line, Part Time Believer.
Buy > Moonfire

2. Dawes

Dawes – Nothing is Wrong

Nothing is Wrong

Time Spent In Los Angeles
It should be no surprise to those who know me that Dawes should be featured in this list. It’s been a long time since I could claim to have a “favorite” band, but lately Dawes has fit that category for me. And it isn’t so much any particular detail of their craft that finds me so enchanted, but something in between. Somewhere between Taylor’s songwriting and impassioned delivery and their classic Americana sound and flawlessly flawed production – a spark is lit within me. I was blessed to witness them live two more times this year, sharing my love for a band with friends that agreed to come along. There’s something to their music that tells me that I’m exactly where I belong. Earlier this year, I was beaten down by hardships at work and loneliness. My friends banded together and threw me a surprise party to lift my spirits. When I walked in the door to our apartment, I was greeted with a room filled with smiling faces shouting SURPRISE… and Nothing Is Wrong spinning on the turntable. I am exactly where I belong.
Favorites include: Time Spent In Los Angeles, So Well, My Way Back Home.
Buy > Nothing Is Wrong

1. Fleet Foxes

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues

Helplessness Blues

Helplessness Blues
This album and it’s anthem found most of us exactly where we stood this Spring. Thematically and aesthetically, Helplessness Blues felt timeless the first time it played. Since then, we’ve taken it everywhere this year and it’s rung true every play – seemingly gaining gravity with each listen. This Summer I brought it on a trip to the Rockies. My family always took our vacations in Colorado, so I was very familiar with Rocky Mountain National Park. This time, however, for the very first time, got to drive through it. Everything about Estes Park seemed smaller, but those mountains kept their majesty intact. I was returning to this place as a man, but I felt my eyes looking at those mountains once again as a child. Soaring down the mountainside, hugging the cliff with every turn, Helplessness Blues resonated from the open windows of my car. It was a surreal moment that felt as if it was not chained to time. I had found Heaven.
Favorites include: Montezuma, Helplessness Blues, The Cascades.
Buy > Helplessness Blues

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by Jeremy Spyridon on January 1, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by Jeremy Spyridon on January 1, 2012

http://www.icarusandoccident.com/best-albums-of-2011

Bob Dylan – Tomorrow Is A Long Time

MP3: Tomorrow Is A Long Time

If today was not a crooked highway
If tonight was not a crooked trail
If tomorrow wasn’t such a long time
Then lonesome would mean nothin’ to you at all.

Sharing a smoke and a view of Spokane’s starry ceiling on a bitterly cold Thanksgiving evening, Zach and I also shared a general, if not specific, brokenness. Standing frozen to the driveway, our bodies trembled beneath the frosty diamond starscape, as if our shoulders alone held up the heavens. I’m tired of being cold. I’m tired of the aching in my bones. I’m tired of being lonely. I’m tired of being tired. It’s far too easy to assume the burdens of the world, let alone the burdens of our own misfortunes, transgressions and weaknesses. But that’s what Advent’s all about, Charlie Brown – realizing the void in the world, the void in our lives, and looking to the Hope that is coming.

To live with hope in the midst of winter. This is our struggle. This is our calling – to choose hope, day by day. And the Spring will be sweeter for it.

To live everyday as if it had been stolen from death, that is how I would like to live. To feel the joy of life, as Eve felt the joy of life. To separate oneself from the burden, the angst, the anguish that we all encounter every day. To say ‘I am alive, I am wonderful. I am. I am.’ That is something to aspire to.
- Garth Stein, “The Art of Racing in the Rain”

Artist: Bob Dylan
Photographer: Marta Lozo

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by Jeremy Spyridon on December 6, 2011  •  Permalink
Posted in Folk
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Posted by Jeremy Spyridon on December 6, 2011

http://www.icarusandoccident.com/bob-dylan-tomorrow-is-a-long-time

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