Matthew Keefer's Blog: Music Ravings by Matthew Keefer, page 5

Put Your Ear to Sunny War’s “Shell”

It's not easy to tell that LA-based Sunny War comes from a lineage of punk music. And on her fourth studio album, that sonic past feels even more distant, seemingly replaced with dreamy, beach-faded nostalgia and bossa nova.Read More →

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Joe Pug Washes Off the Electric in “Flood in Color”

For ten years we've been following the Dylanesque folk stirrings of Greenbelt, MD singer/songwriter Joe Pug. His 2009 debut EP Nation of Heat is eternally on our playlist, sporting some of the most dense lyrics since Wilco's 2002 masterpiece Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.Read More →

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Aan Loses More than a “Shadow”

The center of Portland, Oregon's five-piece Aan (Amor ad nauseam) is Bud Wilson, a musician versed in synth, echoes, and the other accoutrements of electronic pop. Wilson knows what he's doing with these tools, but yet we struggle to find the freshness on this third full-length.Read More →

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Loebe’s “Ghosts” Fade from Memory

Austin, TX Rebecca Loebe saunters onto her fifth full-length with a pop-inspired folk style. Give Up Your Ghosts centers its sound around Loebe's vocals and acoustic guitar, with occasional percussion, backing electric guitar, and other electric elements.Read More →

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Patty Griffin Relaxes on Self-Titled Tenth

Patty Griffin – Self-Titled PGM -out now 3.5 / 5   Patty Griffin has been writing and performing her stripped-down, bare-your-soul brand of folk for more than twenty years. And on her self-titled Patty Griffin, her tenth studio album, she delivers another polished set of acoustic songs our way. We are huge fans of this talented folk-star, and have adored 2013’s American Kid and her long-bootlegged hidden album Silver Bell released the same year. While we are in favor of musicians’ growth and...

Our Favorite Album of All Time

This has been a tough decision. It’s always difficult to come up with a handful of top albums. But in writing this, we have to say that, excluding jazz (too complicated to factor in), the Kinks are our favorite band. Ever.           The Kinks – Are the Village Green Preservation Society [Deluxe remastering] Sanctuary Records -out now Rating: over 9000     …And Are the Village Green Preservation Society is our favorite album of theirs. Bear in mind, people will cite the Beatles, or maybe Lou R...

The War and Treaty Preach Gospel (Music) in New England

Mohegan Sun, Wolf Den, Montville, CT. Thurs. 11-1-18, 8pm. FREE FREE FREE. Great Scott, Allston, MA. Fri. 11-2-18, Doors 9pm. $20. Narrows Center for the Arts, Fall River, MA. Sat. 11-3-18, 8pm. $25 adv., $27 day of show.   The Albion, MI duo of Tanya Blount-Trotter and Michael Trotter, Jr. blew us the heck away at the Newport Folk Festival. And their debut album Healing Tide from this year is a solid gospel/soul release with a strong handful of singles. In short: we love The War and Treaty a...

Gospel Reclaimed by the War and Treaty

The War and Treaty – Healing Tide Thirty Tigers -out now 4.5 / 5   Husband and wife duo Michael and Tanya Trotter wowed us at the Newport Folk Festival earlier this year. We mean, really really wowed us (they were the standout performance of the year, after all). The Albion, MI duo debut a soul/gospel LP here that, for being but a shadow of their live performance, is still beautiful in its earnest, soulful performances. We’re cutting to the chase: pick up this album, but moreover, catch them...

Newport Folk Fest, Sunday: The Folk Also Rises

We’re here, we’re finally here: the final day of the Newport Folk Festival, 2018. We know y’all have been anticipating our secret little pick for the best performance of the year. Well, we’ve got it (and how we’ve got it!). Let’s get a-cookin’ right away. Y’all may not know this, but we love Mahalia Jackson. So when we heard this gospel duo was going to come up to Newport, we knew we had to see if they are the real deal. Well, are they? Let’s just say we guarantee you will be fans of the self...

Newport Folk Fest, Saturday: Of Folk and Men

So, on Saturday, you brought a new band to our attention, Newport Folk Festival. Yes, we were incredibly excited to catch some of the old standbys, but one stood above all in terms of energy, excitement, excessive rock. Too, just too much rock. But first, the opening notes of Saturday, all photos (c) Matthew Keefer: CAAMP took the Harbor Stage at the folk fest, and gave us the banjo pluckings we didn’t know we needed. (That’s Taylor Meier in guitar, by the way.) We appreciated the more tradit...