Silver Jews and the power of the written word.
Jenny Tatone
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Shake Shake Shake
The Warm Soul of the Shaky Hands
The Shaky Hands bring sunshine and soul to Lunglight.
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World Class Mathletes
Love for I Love Math
About two years ago, the Deathray Davies singer/songwriter John Dufilho rounded up a few mates—bandmate Jason Garner, Old 97’s drummer Philip Peeples and bassist Andy Lester—to play Sunday nights at a pub in Dallas called the Barley House. “Basically, we wanted to drink for free and have something fun to do on Sundays,” Dufilho tells […]
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Life Is Agony
Xiu Xiu Bring the Pain
One wonders where Xiu Xiu’s Jamie Stewart would be without his songs. If songwriting is his way out of pain—his way to contextualize life’s darkest moments—one might imagine he’d be in a world of hurt without music. Instead, Stewart morphs his pain into the painfully beautiful. By translating heartache and darkness into striking lyricism and […]
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Digging the Cradle
Sam Beam Expands His Horizons
“No one is the savior they would like to be,” Sam Beam laments on “Lovesong of the Buzzard” from his new, much-lauded album, The Shepherd’s Dog. A certain spiritual longing exists deep within the songs Beam—who records under the name Iron & Wine—so carefully crafts out of vivid imagery, striking lyricism, and thoughtful arrangements. Throughout […]
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Looks Good to Me
Fred Thomas: You’ve Changed, Man
For about half his life, Fred Thomas—mastermind behind Saturday Looks Good to Me—has been doing what Black Crowes’ Chris Robinson has only dreamt of: He makes whatever—and I mean whatever—kind of music he wants. “Robinson used to come into Other Music [the famed New York record store] and talk about Animal Collective,” Thomas says by […]
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The Overlooked King
Please Pay Attention to David Kilgour
David Kilgour fronted the Clean—perhaps New Zealand’s most successful independent rock band—in the ’70s and ’80s, inspired groups like Pavement, Yo La Tengo, and Camper van Beethoven, and helped change college radio from a station to a genre. And while he will always be best remembered for his association with the pioneering Kiwi-rock band, Kilgour […]
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The Human Condition
Film School’s Sense of Place
In one short year, everything changed for Film School founder Greg Bertens. He had been feeling disillusioned and disconnected. In fact, he was questioning whether he wanted to continue making music at all. But when the San Francisco group’s gear was stolen and 160 people turned out to show their support, Bertens realized that Film […]
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Black Francis: Never Been Booed
And it’s Not Hard to See Why
I’m not normally the star-struck type. Stars are regular humans like everyone else, right? Right. Well, unless they’re someone whose music reshaped your entire teenage existence and beyond. So don’t mock my heart for pumping hard against my ribs as Black Francis, Frank Black, Charles Thompson—whatever you wish to call him—talks to me (to me!) […]
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Young Lion, This Is Your Kingdom
Transcending Time and Space with Old Time Relijun
When Arrington de Dionyso was a 13-year-old living in the colorless doldrums of Spokane, Washington, he met a homeless street musician who told him something he would never forget: “You’re a lion, not a lamb.” He’s been striving to transcend the herded life ever since. At 14, he too played street corners, slapping on his […]
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Embracing the Mystery
Cloud Cult Find Purpose in the Unknown
Craig Minowa has been writing songs in an attempt to understand life for years. The mastermind behind indierock band Cloud Cult, Minowa didn’t stop searching for answers until he wrote the set for Cloud Cult’s most recent release, The Meaning of 8. “I realized it’s about embracing the mystery,” Minowa said over the phone, taking […]
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Word of Mouth
Jake Gyllenhaal Just Can’t Quit Viva Voce
WHEN KEVIN AND ANITA Robinson—a married couple who record under the name Viva Voce—toured with the Shins earlier this year, they made it all the way to live TV; namely, Saturday Night Live and Late Night with Conan O’Brien. “I just got drunk on free beer backstage,” Kevin said from a phone in Minneapolis. “Oh, […]