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Author Archives: Bart Cameron
Album Review: Grumpy Bear’s Yield EP: Community Art from the Internet
Grumpy Bear -Yield EP (2019, self-released) A little more than 15 years ago, I met someone who got something positive out of this thing called the Internet. His name is Þórir, and he’s from a small town in Northern Iceland … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 52 Songs: Eggshells – “Bone Marrow”
The width and depth of submissions for Ball of Wax continues to astound. Eggshells’ submission “Bone Marrow” – ethereal and astoundingly rich in its attention to detail – is a signature song. Just coming off a spot at this year’s … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 50 Songs: Tom Pearo – “Plains”
Not that words absolutely have to be the end all be all. Tom Pearo, by appearances a good-natured Vermonter, can say a lot relying on soaring guitar tone. On first hearing “Plains,” I was reminded of pleasant nights when some … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 50 Songs: James Kelly Pitts – “I Knew Those Words”
Leave it to the author of the previously drooled over “Night Shift” to present a somewhat optimal set-closer. You can follow a lot about James Kelly Pitts in the recent issues of BoW. He’s been building expressive seemingly DIY tracks … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 50 Songs: Moe Provencher – “The Light Is You”
I come back again and again to trying to proselytize the appeal of the plainspoken folk blues song. Among well-trained musicians, I feel there is rarely a full appreciation of the craft. Thankfully, Moe Provencher has made my argument for … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 49 Songs: The Ex-Optimists – “DeSoto Down”
From College Station, Texas, The Ex-Optimists know how to plow into a power pop tune. Somehow I’d forgotten that the father of power pop, Buddy Holly, honed his craft in Texas. For this revved up rock tune, there’s a hint … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 49 Songs: Chris Moore – “Relentless”
“Relentless” feels a little like a working title for a song. And as this song by Chris Moore begins, with strummed guitar and a spare kick drum, there is the feeling of a demo. The opening images, that of being … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 49 Songs: Caroline Keys – “Dance Wax”
Proper steel guitar from a Montana country artist sets the scene for this tasteful, gentle seduction without promise of tomorrow song. An understated but damned polished arrangement, Caroline Keys‘s “Dance Wax” feels rooted to a place, with honest small town … Continue reading
Ball of Wax 49 Songs: Who Is John Smith – “Chasing Frogs”
The joy of limitations. Who Is John Smith‘s “Chasing Frogs,” featuring polyrhythms that might have been tapped out on an acoustic guitar [actually that’s Yaw Amponsah on hand drums and prempremsoa -ed.] against a set of pinched guitar chords, is mesmerizing. … Continue reading
Posted in Ball of Wax, Check Out This Song
Tagged Greg Campbell, James Whetzel, Who Is John Smith, Yaw Amponsah
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Album Review: Virgin of the Birds – Secret Kids (Ball of Wax Midwives a Lit-rock Masterpiece)
Virgin of the Birds – Secret Kids (2016, Abandoned Love/Song, by Toad) I. Virgin of the Birds is celebrating the release of a uniquely outstanding record October 22, 2016 at Substation. Secret Kids, the band’s sophomore LP (out today), is … Continue reading
Posted in Album Reviews, Ball of Wax, Recorded Music, Uncategorized
Tagged ball of wax, levi fuller, secret kids, virgin of the birds
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