Bar Harbor band Coke Weed first came on our radar in the Fall, when we interviewed them and caught a show in Brooklyn, and now they’re prepping for the release of their second LP, Nice Dreams, to be released April 17. The record was produced (completely live in ten days with no overdubs!) by Nick Stumpf (formerly of French Kicks and producer of Caveman’s CoCo Beware) and makes good on Coke Weed’s previous hints of VU drones and psych rock jams. Download the first single, “Magpie,” now, and check out the video below.
Though they call Rhode Island home, we sure do love Brown Bird around here. From their Maine roots to their work with Peapod Recordings and occasional involvement of Maine musicians Jeremy and Jerusha Robinson (South China), the duo of David Lamb and MorganEve Swain seem right at home every time they come through Portland (or Biddeford). This summer the band continues their march along the east coast, including a prime slot at the Newport Folk Festival, all in preparation for the release of their new LP, Salt For Salt, October 18 on Supply & Demand Music (where they’ll be in good company with bands like Dark Dark Dark – who they’ll be sharing some dates with – and Vandaveer). We love the cover art by Will Schaff.
Stream the first single, “Fingers to the Bone,” below and read on for tour dates (including a stop in Portland) and the Salt For Salt tracklist.
The fine folks (namely, Travis Cyr) behind the Arootsakoostik Music Festival happening July 9 in New Sweden, ME, have just released a free, downloadable sampler of 17 bands playing the event. Check out the sampler below and make your plans for the festival now!
What a way to put out a new single: Portland’s post-punk prodigees, Huak, just released a brand new song, “Ex Ghost,” but aren’t content to leave it at just one track with a b-side or two. Instead, they threw in 8 different remixes of the track by local artists, all peppered with more new (improvised) jams from the band.
Stream/buy the maxi-single below or at Bandcamp and come out to see the band tomorrow, Tuesday, May 10 at SPACE Gallery with Goes Cube and Waranimal. Proudly presented by your friends right here at HillyTown.com.
We have little to go on in terms of musical output beyond this single, though there is a Facebook page, an official site, and a Twitter account. The band is signed to Partisan Records (home to Deer Tick, Mountain Man, Doloreon, Warm Ghost) and touring with The Low Anthem (including tonight’s show at SPACE Gallery – buy tickets) and appearing at SXSW in a couple weeks. Their debut self-titled album comes out June 21. The Montague, MA-based psych/folk 5-piece (including Molly Sarle of labelmates Mountain Man contributing vocals) apparently worships/follows/lives in fear of someone named Bobby, who serves as the inspiration behind their music. We’ll all learn more tonight at the show.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Computer At Sea‘s Galen Richmond just wrote to let us know that his brand new album, Palace of the Lightbulbs, is now available online for name-your-own-price via Bandcamp. It’s great to finally hear these songs that have been live staples for so long in finished, recorded form. The vinyl edition of the album will be available in late April.
I know it’s just a coincidence, but I can’t help but feel just a bit like this is a pretty sweet birthday present: local band Dead Man’s Clothes just released a brand new 2-song digital single. “From The Water” is a bit of a deceptive tune, starting slow with a hint of country and weaving through epic rock landscapes (with some fine Fleet Foxes/MMJ vocal hints) before launching into a steadier groove near the 4-minute mark. This is where it gets really interesting: dueling guitarists Don Dumont and TJ Metcalfe bring it back to indie rock territory as the pace picks up through the end of the track with a chorus of looping guitar riffs. Lyrically, Dumont keeps it simple but true: “I want to feel it, not just know it.” The second song, “Post-Future,” wastes little time getting to the poppier punk tempos and keeps it short and sweet at under 3 minutes. Check out the single below – highly recommended for fans of Dismemberment Plan, Tapes ‘n Tapes, Fountains of Wayne, Menomena, My Morning Jacket, Arcade Fire, and Sunny Day Real Estate.
Dead Man’s Clothes are heading southwest next week. As you’ll notice, they have some holes there – if you’ve got a SXSW party in need of a band, definitely get in touch with them. They won’t do you wrong. They kick things off next Wednesday at The Apohadion here in Portland.
Milkman’s Union just released a new 3-song sampler to get fans excited for their upcoming string of shows. We recently announced a HillyTown Presents show in April that they’ll be a part of (speaking of which, that show’s headliners – Milagres – just got signed to Kill Rock Stars! More on them later) but they’ve got a lot coming up between now and the big show. Check out the sampler below, download it (pay-what-you-want), and check out their upcoming tour dates. Between the studio track, live recording, and acoustic take, you’ll get a good idea of the breadth of this dynamic Portland band. Act fast, they say the tracks won’t stay online for long.
Milkman’s Union dates:
2/23 @ The Oak + The Ax w/ the Loom & the Wailing Wall [Biddeford, ME]
2/25 @ Bayside Bowl w/ Visions [Portland, ME]
2/28 @ the Red door w/ south china [Portsmouth, NH]
3/3 @ Empire w/ Jacob Augustine + Wes Hartley [Portland, ME]
3/4 @ Apohadion w/ Brenda & Metal Feathers [Portland, ME]
3/5 @ Colby College [Waterville, ME] 4/23 @ HillyTown Presents (One Longfellow Square) w/Milagres + Husband & Wife [Portland, ME]
When Marie Moreshead played our HillyTown Acoustic Night at Mayo Street last month, she mentioned a new album on the way in the near future. I had no idea it would be quite so soon, but here it is, released today – 1/11/11 – a 10-track, self-titled album. Check out the exclusive mp3 from the album below. Cover art and more info after the jump.
First time here? Start with the blog for news, mp3s, videos, and photo galleries, then check out our showlist to see what's happening tonight, this weekend, or next month. Keep an eye up top for HillyTown Presents events that we're producing!
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