Where I’ll Be Tonight (Plus More Free Music!): Cooper McBean and the Vested Interests

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Levi Fuller

The Devil Makes Three is a very popular band, and for that reason only you probably won’t find me writing about them much in this space (although they are popular despite the fact that they get little to no press or radio attention in these parts, so I guess I could make the case that they’re unhyped enough for the Blog of Wax). However, their various members are just too talented to be constrained by the output and touring schedule of one band. Pete Bernhard (heard on Ball of Wax 16) has an excellent couple of solo albums, and now Cooper McBean, the somewhat-less-frontmanly of the band’s two guitarists/banjists/singers, has a soloish project of his own, Cooper McBean and the Vested Interests. Their free/pay-what-you-will debut EP is a fine little collection of rough and ready country folk, half instrumental and half with Cooper’s down-home baritone carrying the tunes just beautifully.

Cooper and the boys will be playing tonight at Conor Byrne Pub in Ballard with Old Man Markley and the Whisky Swillers (that’s two different bands). I will be there with a beer in my hand and a smile on my face. Maybe I’ll see you there?

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Free Album of the Day: Galapaghost – Runnin’ EP

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Levi Fuller

I recently received a very nice e-mail from a fellow named Casey Chandler, who makes music under the moniker Galapaghost. Not only does he have a great band name, but I’m enjoying his music quite a bit as well. There’s a lot of acoustic-guitar-based music with sweet vocal stylings floating around these days, and Casey’s certainly fits in that category, but don’t hold that against him: it’s a fine example of the form. Runnin’, His most recent EP, is available for free on his Soundcloud page. I’ll probably feature one of these songs on the next volume of Ball of Wax, but for now you can check this one out right here:

Galapaghost – Never Heard Nothin’

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Slow Skate: “Aurora”

Posted on March 22, 2011 by Levi Fuller

Speaking of impending albums by Ball of Wax favorites, and music by Blog of Wax contributors, and videos shot on film involving car rides . . . wait, where were we? Sorry.

Here we go: Our own Caitlin Sherman‘s Slow Skate (heard on Volumes 15, 18, 19, 20, and 21) has a new album called Count the Days with Me coming out next month, and it’s quite gorgeous. Unless you’re special like me, you’ll have to wait until April to hear it, but you can hear the song “Aurora” right now by watching this video, a lush 16mm ode to Seattle, Washington’s SR 99, and studio recording.

Slow Skate will be celebrating the release of Count the Days with Me on April 8th at the Columbia City Theater. Get your tickets now!

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Kelli (Corrado)’s Starlight Wishes Gearing Up for Album Release

Posted on March 21, 2011 by Levi Fuller

Kelli’s Starlight Wishes (heard on Ball of Wax Volume 20), the current project of the very talented Kelli Frances Corrado (heard on Volume 15), formerly of Arkade (heard on Volume 2 and seen on Volume 7), have some exciting news! They’ve been working with the ingenious Scott Colburn on their first full-band album, Let the Bells Ring, and word has it they will be releasing said album in August of this year.

Kelli obviously has a long-standing connection with Ball of Wax, and has been one of our most ardent supporters for years. It’s always great to hear new music from her, and this is no exception. Here’s a demo they’ve posted on Soundcloud of a new version of the song “Swan Initiative” with beats and strings.

Swan Initiative by Kelli’s Starlight Wishes

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Free Album(s) of the Day: Virgin of the Birds

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Levi Fuller

Oh yes, the conflict of interest train just keeps on rollin’, I tell you.

Jon Rooney, one of this very blog’s very writers, also happens to be a very talented and prolific songwriter in his own right. Scratch that, there’s no “happens to be” about it. We first came in contact through our mutual music-making, and I’ve been featuring his songs on Ball of Wax for years; so if there’s any “conflict” in me telling you I like an artist that I’ve obviously liked for years, well then I don’t know what.

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Album Review: Car Scars – A.M. Gold

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Louis O'Callaghan

Car Scars – A.M. Gold (2005, Funkytonk Records)

[Note: this review is part of the Bad at Listening series.]

Car Scars is one of the many bands that Tim Leingang of Richmond, Washington has played in. Tim has been a central figure and community-builder in the Tri-Cities music scene since the early 90s. He started Funkytonk Records in 1997 to put out his own music and to highlight other local talent in the Richland/Kennewick/Pasco area, and from 2004-2008 he also ran the all-ages 321 Art Space in Kennewick, which was one of very few stops for bands to play between the West coast and Boise. Sadly, 321 is gone, but I had the privilege to play there twice: in April 2005 and then again a year later. I acquired this EP on one of those trips.

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Posted in Album Reviews, Bad at Listening, Recorded Music | 2 Comments

Album Review: Brad Dunn and Dandelion Gold

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Levi Fuller

Brad Dunn and Dandelion GoldBrad Dunn and Dandelion Gold – s/t
(2011, self-released)
(Purchase or stream at Bandcamp)

Brad Dunn (heard on Ball of Wax volumes 10, 14, 15, and 20) is yet another of Seattle’s all too well-kept secrets (I guess that’s part of the mission of Ball of Wax – trying to spill these secrets and share them with the world). Whether spewing noisy, somewhat-tonal guitar riffs with his old band Sleepy Workers or creating masterpieces of brooding pop music under his own name, Mr. Dunn can do little wrong to my ears. When I heard that he had teamed up with the brilliant duo of Johnny Goss and Ola Hungerford, aka Dandelion Gold, aka Cock & Swan, I knew good things had to be in store, and I was correct.

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Norman Baker: “Treehugger Stomp”

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Levi Fuller

Wow, is it already time again for our mid-month Norman Baker post? As mentioned last time around, Norman is a man of many projects. One of these is, funnily enough, just called “Norman Baker,” and it’s what happens when he straps on an acoustic guitar and writes songs and sings them.

Norman recently released a charmingly hilarious new video, directed by David Reed, for the song “Treehugger Stomp” from his lovely record The Art of Not Knowing. In it, Baker acts out his evolution from climbing trees naked in the rain forest to playing his guitar on the stage of Conor Byrne Pub. (I’m pretty sure this is basically a straight retelling of his life story, if not a documentary.)

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Bluets and Blue Men

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Levi Fuller

As Paul wrote a while back, my Songs about Books assignment is the book Bluets, by Maggie Nelson. It’s a tough book to categorize, but it is quite lovely. I just finished reading it for the third time (it’s very short), and will probably read it at least a few more.

I’ve written one song so far, which I may or may not keep, and which will probably sound very strange to someone who hasn’t read the book (it’s about the author’s friend, who was in a terrible accident and rendered quadriparetic – well, it’s actually about that friend’s feet). Yesterday I started on my second song, and I thought I’d share the route I took to get to its starting point.

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The Lovely Sparrows at SXSW 2011

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Jon Rooney

Even by Ball of Wax’s dubious conflict of interest standards, my writing about Austin’s the Lovely Sparrows constitutes some sort of grave transgression of conscience.  Not only did I release their debut EP and LP on my little label, I also wrote the band’s bio, so any attempt at a “review” would be bad juju on my part.  I met and started working with the band in the couple of years I lived in Austin before moving to the Emerald City and their live show (along with the Alamo Drafthouse) is probably what I miss most about that hip, humid little town.  Those of you brave and bearded enough to head down to SXSW this week will be well served to check out the Lovely Sparrows at one of their three FREE day party shows:

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