The last 10 years have shown a shift in the music industry in many aspects.  How we consume our music, the formats that we aquire, the way money is earned, and so much more.  Another aspect I’ve noticed is the general age of artists and the way they are marketed. Justin Beiber, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, and so many more that pop up here and there.  Some to stay, others to fade into the musical folds of time.

At the time of this writing, I am 27 years old.  I’m finding more and more often that musical artists that are charting with hit songs are under the age of 21.  Is it because kids are getting better at singing?  Or is it because the industry and major labels are pushing artists of that age group more because the music consumer base consists largely of teenage girls between the ages of 10-19 years old?  There is also a huge bump in sales from people over the age of 45 years old.  Is this because they have teenage children that they’re buying music for?  Just a thought to ponder.  I would suggest that teenage girls are the target audience of the major labels.

Anyway, on to the research!  I got curious and decided to dig up the chart toppers from every year, starting with 1960.  Here are a couple of my own charts based on year-end #1 artists.  (Data gathered from http://longboredsurfer.com/charts/, http://www.billboard.com and http://www.wikipedia.com)

We’ve all heard of the Billboard Charts.  The charts that layout who is at the top of the music game.  Billboard publishes charts in varying frequencies in different genres of music.  They also publish year-end charts.  Year by year, it looks pretty random.  And by decade, it’s just too little data at this point.

But does that mean that the labels aren’t pushing younger artists more and more?  Is there more money to be made by promoting a teen pop star? Is it possibly due to the fact that they’re younger, thereby giving them a potentially longer ROI?  Or could it be because we’re increasingly seeing more artists crossing over to acting and vice versa?

These are just some things to think about.  I would venture to say that the major record labels aren’t making great decisions and putting out the music they’re putting out because they really think it’s ground shattering talent.  It’s all about the Benjamins, after all.

So, where does the data leave us?  Conclusivly, I don’t think we can say that the #1 artists are consistenly getting younger.  However, based on what I see and hear in marketing and advertising campaigns, (not to mention what I see teens carrying around or blasting from their iPods), it is safe to say that the labels spend a large amount of their marketing budgets on younger artists as opposed to the older artists.

Thoughts?  Opinions?

Share on Facebook

Most of us have at some point seen an episode of the Fox TV reality show American Idol.  If you haven’t seen an episode, you’ve probably heard a song on the radio by one of the contestants that were on the show.

While many of them are really good, there are many other artists out there that are just as good and sometimes better that are playing shows and putting in tons of hard work and lots of hours travelling, playing, and working at their career.  Does that discount the talent of  American Idol contestants? What do you think?

Look at Aerosmith.  Whether or not you like their music, you cannot argue the fact that they have been making music that people like since 1971.  Did they get on a plane to do an audition and then perform on TV for the country before being signed to a record label?  Not exactly.  It seems today that some people believe they can “get their break” by going on a reality show.  Whatever happened to gigging three nights a week after your 9-5 job, connecting with your local fan base, and making yourself visible to people that might be able further your career and showing them that you’re serious about yourself?  Sure, American Idol can help you get there faster.  But is it a respected avenue to success?

How do other musical artists look at those that take a “short cut”?

Will American Idol artists have the same longevity in their career as those artists that came up on their own?

If you’re an artist, would you take the opportunity to be known as an “American Idol” if it meant it could fast forward your career?

These are just some things I’d love to hear your thoughts on.  My apologies for the recent silence on the blog.  I’ve been slacking in the writing department. Thanks for reading!

Share on Facebook

To start, I’ve never been to the annual GearFest event put on by Sweetwater Sound in northern Indiana.  It’s quite a large production, with four tents of gear and instruments, and indoor workshops covering evertything from “How to Choose a Drumkit” to “Grammy Award Winning Recording Tips”.  They have an “All Stars Producers Forum” and “Pro Tools Master” workshops.  It’s quite the gauntlet of available information.  then there’s the Musicican’s Flea Market where you can buy and sell your own gear.

So far, I’ve found this event to be rather hit or miss.  Some of the workshops have been very watered down with just enough flash and tech talk to get the standard hobbyist interested in buying some new gear.  The Producers Forum, on the other hand, was a panel of Geoff Daking, Fab Dupont, Ross Hogarth, Dusty Wakeman, and Mitch Gallagher.  They went into how they became producers and what all that means to them individually.  They hit on topics such as running a session effectively and how to accomodate artists on a budget.  As a producer/engineer myself, it was great to hear these industry veterans reiterate a school of thought that I already subscribe to.

Things such as:

- Just because you “make beats” does not make you a producer. There is so much more to producing than most people realize.

- Software and hardware are not what make you a good engineer and/or producer. Knowing how to get a particular performance and sound out of an artist is what sets the best apart from the good.

- Avoid mixing with a timestamp. For example, the snare reverb of the 80′s.

- Try to create an environment for the artist. Sometimes this means doing the tracking sessions out of their home town.

These are some points I have always thought to be true.  I realized at an early age that there were people making music and putting food on the table at the same time.  But I knew that if it were easy, everyone would be doing it (and it seems now as though everyone is trying).  I knew that you had to have an ear for the entire process and be able to communicate with all different kinds of people.

This can be a huge downfall for some engineers.  They could care less about the comfort level of the artist.  They just want the person to play so they can record and edit it.  If you can’t effectively communicate with an artist and make them feel at home and comfortable, you will not get the best possible performance out of them.  This ability is what makes a good producer/engineer a great one.

There is a lot that goes into being a successful and appreciated audio engineer and producer.  Always remember that you are never done learning.

So, if you’re looking to get into the audio industry and are not quite sure if it’s for you, shoot me an email.  Or drop by the studio during a session.  And you can always come out to GearFest 2011 next year at Sweetwater.

Thanks for reading another slightly random post!

Cheers,

Josh Walker

Share on Facebook

Sweetwater Sound recently held a Pro Tools demonstration of the new Eleven Rack.  The event was graciously hosted by the Chicago Recording Company, a beautiful and full-featured recording and post-production studio on the east side of Chicago.

I started out learning how to engineer on Acid (in my barracks room while in the Army), then Pro Tools, Logic, and now am chief engineer at a studio in northern Indiana using Cubase 5.  I got very quick with Pro Tools, but then when it came time to purchase interfacing, Logic became more and more attractive.  I’ve learned many different editing suites on both the Windows and Mac OSX platforms.

When it comes to audio editing software, here’s what I say:

Audio software is like a car; show me where the gas pedal and steering wheel are and I’m good to go.

My personal computer is a Macbook Pro.  I have an iPhone.  I believe that Apple makes great products.  But if another company makes a product that is better, I will prefer to use it.  Believe it or not, I am not a “fan boy”.  It just so happens that Apple puts serious research and effort into their products before releasing them.  They design products for professionals, creatives, and specific niches.

I went to an Apple Logic conference in Chicago last fall where they introduced a lot of the new features including the new Pedal Board and Amp Designer features.  I have Logic Pro on my Macbook Pro and have used it for various projects.  It is pretty impressive.  I have no qualms using it for studio or live recording situations.

The Eleven Rack by Pro Tools is virtually identical to the Pedal Board in Logic.  However,the actual processing power is contained in the rack unit itself, where as Logic’s Pedal Board and Amp Designer are powered by the host CPU.  The benefit to this is that you can really develop some great guitar sounds without detracting from your computers power.  The downside is that you’re using a CPU to develop guitar tones and not an amp.  I would rather use the real deal, whether amp or outboard, any day of the week over a plugin.  However, the Eleven Rack is very powerful and useful for studios and musicians that want efficient, accurate, and cost effective options for their money.

I know this was a slightly random post, but felt like writing tonight.  Thanks for reading!

Cheers,

Josh Walker

Share on Facebook

Being an audio engineer, I am fortunate to live somewhat close (2 hours) to one of the greatest audio gear companies in the country.  Sweetwater in Fort Wayne, Indiana has been my go-to resource for everything from XLR cables to studio monitors, and boom stands to digital interfaces.  My sales engineer has been great in assisting me with purchases, helping me meet my needs and ensuring I’m getting the best price possible.  Not only do they sell new and used audio gear, instruments, and more, but they also have professional recording studio facilities with full-time engineers.  I’ve never actually set foot in the complex, so I’m looking forward to checking it out.

On that note, Sweetwater is once again producing their annual GearFest 2010 event where they will be giving away $75,000 in gear.  This is a two day festival/conference where audio professionals and musicians alike will benefit.  There are workshops, a musicians flea market, live performances, tours, and more.  It is being held on Friday June 25th (noon-7pm EST) and Saturday June 26th (9am-5pm EST).

If you’re an artist, songwriter, recording engineer, band, producer, or involved in the music industry, it is a great place to find new gear and meet some new people in the industry.  After all, it’s all about who you know, right?  You never know either; you just might walk away with a new project studio setup!

Share on Facebook

Recently I was listening to a podcast in which Tom Silverman of Tommy Boy Entertainment was talking about the music industry and album sales. He touched on the idea of “buying songs vs. buying artists.”

When you go to the record store (wait, what’s that?  I thought those were mythical places that people only dreamed of) or iTunes, what music are you buying?  Are you buying the stuff that you’ve loved your entire life, or songs that you have heard ten times a day for the last three weeks?  Are you getting the Top 40, or are you getting the latest stuff that nobody else has heard of?  Do you buy music for the content and what the artist stands for, or do you buy it because it’s the coolest new thing?

A Look at the Numbers

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) posts some key information on their website.  This is important when considering trends in the music industry because it helps show how different mediums or formats are doing in their respective sales.  According to the RIAA:

CD singles have decreased by 12.5% ($3,500,000 to $3,100,000) from 2008 to 2009, while digital download purchases increased by 20.2% ($1,032,200,000 to $1,220,300,000).

Full-length album sales for CDs decreased 21.9% ($5,471,300,000 to $4,274,100,000), while digital download purchases increased 18.2% ($635,300,000 to $763,400,000).

What does this mean?  It means that more people are buying digital formats over physical CDs.  As for overall sales, physical CDs are bought in full-length albums more often than singles, while digital downloads are more often single songs than full-length albums.  Physical CD full-length album sales still make up the majority of sales in the industry from a dollar standpoint.  I’m not going to get into it in this post, but there are many factors that impact these sales numbers.  When you’re comparing physical goods to digital goods, you really need to take into consideration manufacturing, shipping, and general overhead costs.  You don’t have nearly as much costs involved with a digital product.  Again, that is another post for another time!

Buying Songs

So, what exactly does “buying songs” mean?  To start, we need to realize that it’s how people perceive the music they listen to.  Is it a commodity like a bottle of soda, or is it a piece of art like a painting?  Let’s try to be objective while defining this:
If you listen to the radio, and especially Top 40, you’re being sold on songs.  Not artists.  The record labels do their research on various demographics and attempt to create an artist and sound that will appeal to that market.  Instead of letting the people choose by way of calling in to radio stations, buying tickets to shows, and showing their support, the labels are increasingly packaging artists to look, act, and sound a certain way.  Then they are marketed to a particular audience and pumped up on the radio stations.  When a 14-year old girl hears the same song over and over on the radio, she makes the assumption that it must be good if it’s being played so much.  People must be calling in to request it, right?  So what does she do?  She calls in and requests it.  Downloads it on iTunes.  And repeats the process with the next song.  She doesn’t buy the full album because she could care less about the other songs on the album.  The rest of the album isn’t being played on the radio.  That one song is.  And that’s what she wants.  Just like that pair of shoes or some McDonald’s.

People who buy songs listen to the radio.

How, then, does this impact the sales for an artist? For an artist on a major label, chances are his or her singles are being purchased much more than his or her full album.  The musician is not making money because the kids are only buying one song at 99 cents (most of which goes to the label, management, producer, etc).  The label gives the group tour support so that the artist can make a couple bucks doing shows, though.  So the musician goes out on the road to support his or her album, most of which a lot of people probably haven’t even heard because they only bought the single.  It seems as though buying singles wouldn’t be as beneficial to the artist as buying an entire album.  Or better yet, going to his or her show and buying the full album.

Buying Artists

People that buy artists are supporting them.  They show that they enjoy the art that these musicians are creating.  By purchasing full albums, we get to experience the full intentions of that artist.  Many albums are written that have a dynamic flow to them from song to song.  I’m all for buying a single of a new group if you’re not quite sure whether or not you like them.  But if you’ve heard the group before and like them, why not buy the full album?  You often get a discount, especially when you go and get the digital format.  On iTunes, single releases range from $0.99 cents to $1.29.  For instance, Timbaland has an album on iTunes.  ”Shock Value II” is 17 tracks (There’s also a 13 track album by the same name).  Each track individually costs $1.29, bringing the total of all songs on his album to $21.93.  But, if you purchase the full album, all at one time, digitally, you’re looking at $12.99 on iTunes.  That’s a savings of $8.94, or almost 41%!  It only makes financial sense to buy the whole album in that case.  Additionally, you as the listener become exposed to more of the artist’s creativity, hearing things you may very well appreciate even more than the single you heard on the radio.

So, what about fan loyalty?  How does that compare with the current Top 40?  If I show you that it’s on the top of the charts, then it must be good, right? Seriously, though.  Take 10 songs from the top 40 and pull them out.  Pretend with me for a second that these were artists you’d never heard of.  Strip away the large marketing budget.  Disable the Autotune on the vocals.  In many cases, the opinion of the general public would probably change.  (But now we’re getting into reasons why artists are artists, and that’s an entirely separate blog.)

Now, take your favorite band that is playing in your home town this weekend.  They work 9-5′s, practice in the evenings, and drive themselves to their shows every weekend.  They are truly talented musicians writing great music that really connects with their fans.  Why aren’t they in the Top 40?  Because the labels have determined that you won’t like them.  Or more accurately, they’ve determined that the 14 year-old girl who will buy the music won’t like them.  And by “determined,” I mean, “we have had our decision made for us.” And those decisions aren’t always based on quality of music as much as profit potential (again, an entirely separate blog).

Conclusion

So, is it better as an artist to push your singles, or your full album?   That depends, really.  It depends on how the pay structure is broken down, who you have to pay before you get paid, whether your fans are more likely to buy singles or albums, and a whole lot more.  One thing to keep in mind, though, is how iTunes works.  For example, Apple will not let you sell your album in its iTunes store unless you make each of the individual tracks available for single sale.  Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Did you realize that there are artists who don’t release their albums on iTunes or break them down into single tracks?  Kid Rock, AC/DC, The Beatles, Tool, Jay-Z, and more have not released their albums on iTunes.  The usual reason for not selling their music on iTunes? They want their album sold as one piece of work to represent their musical creativity, not split into many fractions.  As a musician, I completely appreciate where they’re coming from.  Tool’s latest release, “10,000 Days” is a perfect example of the previous statement.  After listening to that album I realized very quickly that they had written the entire album with each song in mind.  In an interview between Guitar World and Tool guitarist Adam Jones, they talk about the full album in this way:

“[The songs] start in one place, go somewhere else, and end in a completely different place altogether. It’s as if the songs are telling a story in a linear fashion.”

Think for a moment about the last time you heard a song on the radio, in a friend’s car, or in a restaurant.  A song you’d never heard before.  Perhaps you found out who that artist was and found them for sale online, only to realize that you had to buy the full album in order to get that one song that you’d heard.

Now, say you went on over to iTunes and found that same album for sale digitally.  But you also had the option to purchase the one song that you’d heard.  You buy it for 99 cents (or $1.29) and listen to it for a few days.  Then you go back to iTunes and buy the whole album because you liked that single so much.

Obviously it varies from person to person and artist to artist, but I do believe that it is a good thing to purchase singles and then go back and get the entire album. There are many positive benefits to buying full albums from the beginning. You become an invested fan; you almost feel a sense of  ownership in that artist’s creative output.  I’d say that the tendency to really hear the artist’s music increases when you’re listening to the other songs on the album, when you’re critiquing their work.  But what if you buy a full album and you’re sorely disappointed?  Well, first of all, you probably wouldn’t have bought the album if you hadn’t heard at least one good song you liked.  Secondly, you now have a well-rounded perspective of the band and who they really are.  Plus, at least you made that judgment call yourself–you were able to base your opinion off of your own perspective. If more fans were music critics instead of radio junkies, I’d guess that our world of music, as we know it, would be drastically different.

Conclusion? Stop buying songs and instead buy artists.   Support the artists that you like.  Don’t buy music for the sake of buying music, either.  Don’t get the song because you want to have it at the next party so people think you’re cool, which leads you to create a party mix of overrated musicians just because they get played on your local Top 40 station every hour.  Critique musicians like you critique ball players or actors or politicians. Get music that you like, that connects with you.  Music that moves you and makes sense to you.  Don’t settle for less.

Thanks for reading, guys!  Let’s hear your thoughts and feedback now.

Share on Facebook

Recently, a friend of mine was putting together a lesson plan and asked me to comment on the following questions.  While they are very broad subjects, I’ve tried to touch on the base of each one.  Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.  Who knows?  Maybe I’ll turn each topic into a post of its own.  Each subject has plenty to write about!

1: How does music affect a person?

Music is just as powerful as smells, sights, and the sensation of touch.  I might even go so far as to say that music is more powerful than the other senses in terms of emotions.  It has the ability to affect our mood  When we have emotional ties to a situation, our brain will associate whatever we were listening to with that emotion. This is why certain songs conjure up feelings of sadness (a song that was on the radio when your girlfriend broke up with you or when your dog died), feelings of happiness (the very next song you heard when you found out that you got first place in something), or just simple reminiscing (songs that you used to listen to when you were younger or lived in a different place).  Music also has the ability to affect us in conjunction with our sense of sight.  If you’re watching a movie, music plays just as important a role as what you’re seeing on screen. It helps take you up and bring you down with the mood of the actors. It can evoke feelings of sadness that the actors are feeling or make you anxious along with them.  Or it helps build suspense and puts you on the edge of your seat. The sounds attached to the screen are powerful tools that build dynamics and ensure that your emotions are going in the direction the filmmakers intended.  Music is powerful!

2: What are some brief issues when downloading music illegally?

By “sharing” files and then propagating those to even more people (without paying), you are literally stealing from the artists, labels, and management companies. Sure, nobody wants the major labels to make any more money than they already are without justly compensating their artists, but the bottom line is that it’s stealing. Period. The artists don’t always make much money as it is, but by using online services (or even swapping external hard drives), we are cheapening the music. We are saying to the artists that their music isn’t worth our 99 cents. We pay $1.50 for a bottle of water, but we won’t pay $1 for a song that we really, truly appreciate? There is something very wrong with this. Pay for the music you consume. Get rid of the illegal music that you’ve traded online or borrowed other peoples CDs. It’s hard, but it’s the right thing to do. If you were a painter, you wouldn’t paint for free and pass out your artwork to thousands of people without expecting even $1 for it. Come on, people. You’d hate it if it happened to you, yet it happens every day. Do something about it.  Don’t help the industry crumble even more; the major labels are taking care of that.  We need to help compensate the artists with what they deserve so that after the industry has evolved into its next form, the artists will still be there.

3: Do we spend too much time listening to music?

I don’t believe so. You can listen to music while driving, working, studying, working out, sleeping, and eating. It helps to pass the time, and often encourages creative thought. At the same time, music can be mathematical and highly structured.  This is one reason that so many people in so many different walks of life appreciate it.  It’s a common bond between us.  It helps break the ice in conversation.  But with all things, one can consume too much.  It becomes too much when we replace conversation with human beings with music.

These are my quick thoughts on the three questions my friend presented me.  I hope they spark some interest in you as they did me!

Cheers,

Josh Walker

Share on Facebook

For those of you that live in smaller towns or cities, it can be frustrating to drive to the “big city” on a regular basis just to see shows. Take, for example, Plymouth, Indiana. This is a place with a lot of culture, history, and character. The people are business owners, artists, musicians, animal lovers, and sports enthusiasts. And more often than not you’ll find them driving north to South Bend, Indiana, west to Chicago, or south to Indianapolis. They’re putting their money into the arts, but not into their local arts and businesses.  Why not support the local economy if possible?  It’s fun, rewarding, and you you get to know the people you live around.

If you’ve got hundreds, or thousands, of people in your area that share common interests, why not engage the local businesses and partner together to host events, shows, and festivals? Not only will this bring the businesses revenue from their local (and hopefully regional) patrons, it also shows the community that they don’t need to drive 40 minutes to do something fun. Bringing in regional artists and musicians will help the community remember why art and music are important in our school systems. The arts promote creativity, innovation, and raw emotion. These are characteristics that one carries for a lifetime and are applicable in all different arenas of life.  I am a big fan of all different types of art.  I find things to be art that others might not.  And I truly appreciate it when people take action and create their art in various forms.

Being a part of a smaller community, I’ve decided to help take action and try to help the arts regain that traction that was once great. To do my part, I’m helping put on regularly occurring shows with some regional (and even international!) artists. We’ve got a great venue, art gallery, and recording studio in Indiana (not to mention The Sisters’ Tea & Eatery!) that all come together to make great things happen.  It’s $5 at the door, and there are great local eateries within walking distance that will fill your stomach with their specialties. It’s a great way to reconnect with friends as well as discover the undiscovered.  This month we’ve got The Great Flood Catastrophe, The Rendition, The Jill Hagen Band, and From the Rooftop.  Not only will you get to see and hear some great music, you’ll also witness the visual art of Sayaka Ganz, Angela Leed and Adam Parsons.

I encourage you to do the same in your community. Talk with your local businesses and artists and see what kind of ideas are floating around. Sometimes all it takes is a few like minds to get together. Before you know it you’ve got more on your plate then you can handle and are forced to bring in more people to help make everything happen. It’s a beautiful thing and a good problem to have. If you’re in the northern Indiana region and want to find out how you can help, let me know!  The most simple of ways that you can help make an impact is by going to the local events, shows, and businesses. Just showing up is more than enough support. Let me hear your thoughts about ways to help impact the local communities, businesses and arts!

Cheers,

Josh Walker

Share on Facebook

Indie rock band As Tall as Lions have a solid release on their hands with “You can’t Take it With You”, their fifth album to date (if you don’t count their self-released EP, “Blood and Aphorisms).  The band at the core is made up of the New York quartet (that has been together since high school, nonetheless) and have seen some rough times in the last few years, as is evidenced in their dynamic and versatile work on this album.  This album was a somewhat stressful experience for singer Dan Nigro.  The group has experienced a handful of traumatic experiences including the departure of a musicians and eventually vocalist Nigro.  The band reformed before beginning work on their self-titled album.  While working on “You Can’t Take it With You”, the group went through three different producers in the production of the album.  Yet you can’t tell when listening to it.  As a whole, the album is a cohesive piece of work, all the while allowing each track to stand on its own individually.

I was able to talk with the Dan Nigro (vocals/guitar), Saen Fitzgerald (guitars), and Cliff Sarcona (drums) before one of their shows and ask them a few questions about their band, their music, and how it all works.

On You Can’t Take it With You there is a great mix of musical styles throughout.  Vocally, the album is pretty consistent and similar from track to track.  Instrumentally, they really keep you on your toes.  This is one of those albums that grows on you.

Opening track Circles is a perfect fit for the track #1 slot.  If you’ve never heard As Tall as Lions before, it serves as a great introduction to the group.  This is the first work I’ve heard from them, so it was a good first impression.  This track has backing percussion and drumming that is very uptempo and syncopated, with Nigro’s vocals laying nicely on top.  About three and a half minutes in, you’re formally introduced to the electric guitar.  It’s there from the start, but pretty standard.  At this point we hear Fitzgerald’s guitar break out of the standard with some tremolo picking and high sweeping notes.  This is a great way to introduce the album and band.

The title track You Can’t Take it With You is a relaxing number to start.  It has some easy-going bass with some dissonant bells and electronic drums at the intro, before breaking into a pleasing melodic chord progression at the chorus.  This is what I refer to as a “ying-yang” song, with the verses and chorus not being of quite the same vein, though when played in conjunction they flow seamlessly.  Song writing like this shows a groups ability to grasp the concept of music in general without sticking to the typical chord progressions and musical styles.  If a band can pull off a track like this and make it sound legitimate, I really appreciate it.  When they actually write the song from their feelings and cast aside any preconceptions of how it should sound, I commend that.  ATAL did just this on the title track.

In Case of Rapture is a track that opens up with a catchy “aye-yi-yi” melody from Nigro.  This is another example of the bands ability to mesh multiple influences together and have them work together.  A subtle pad from a smooth church organ and the tireless drumming of drummer are another example of balancing the music in yet another aspect.  Nigro’s vocals are enjoyable in the way that you get the sense that he is just singing what he feels like singing without paying to much concern to the standard constraints of the usual musical writing technique.  Just after two and a half minutes, the band goes into a half-time feel before bringing it right back into the normal format of the song, doing so quite smoothly.

We’s Been Waitin’ has an old time feel to it with Nigro’s gritty radio-EQ’d vocals and a sultry piano layer.  The background vocals and tamborine really help take you back a few decades, all the while keeping you in the 21st century.  A touch of horns and it rounds out nicely to help differentiate it from the rest of the album.

Overall, the latest release from As Tall As Lions is an album worth checking out.  It’s an interesting piece of work by a few guys that have been playing music together since high school.  Years later they’re still at it playing shows and making ears happy nation wide.

You can follow As Tall As Lions on MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook.  They are currently touring, so check out their schedule and catch a show in a venue near you.

Share on Facebook

I recently did a review of The Civil Wars “Live at Eddie’s Attic” release.  The Civil Wars are made up of Joy Williams and John Paul White.  Their music is raw and real.  I enjoyed it enough that I was compelled to learn more about them.  Here you’ll get to check out be talk with them.  They are currently working on a full-length album, but you can get their EP and live album in the mean time.  If you’ve never heard this group, give the singe “Poison and Wine” a listen.  These guys are great at taking you back a few years to a slower time through their music.  Also, follow The Civil Wars on Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace while you’re at it.

Check out the interview and then go on over to NoiseTrade.com to pick up their current album, “Live at Eddie’s Attic”.

Interview with The Civil Wars from Josh Walker on Vimeo.

Share on Facebook