Sheboygan's home for original music
Calendar
January 2010
Cedarwell and We Are The Willows
01/02/2010 10:00 PM
Just before the morning, while the nervous sun hesitates beyond the horizon, Cedarwell wakes up at the bottom of the ocean. Slowly gasping for a breath and swimming towards the surface Joel Philip Stokdyk (drums, percussion, harmonica) realizes they are far away from home. Erik G. Neave (acoustic guitar, voice) gets sucked up behind him and grabs a glossy tuft of seaweed peeking out from a slit of darkness and screams up to his shrinking partner "I will never let go. I can never let go."
The usual sounds brought to mind at the sight of a cityscape are typically loud, harsh, and overbearing. Roaring bus engines, rumbling trains on their tracks, and buzzing markets and cafes all amplify the sounds of people coming and going. These sounds create a constant, yet ever changing hum - a tune that can provide limitless resources for creative minds, but can also pummel the creative spirit. It is from this constant hum that We Are The Willows' Peter Miller conceptualized the tonal sound-scapes of his debut full-length, A Collection Of Sounds And Something Like The Plague.
Originally from Eau Claire, WI, Miller now resides in Minneapolis, MN where he attended college. At the age of 24, Miller has spent the majority of the last six years immersed in the Minneapolis music scene, actively recording and performing in bands throughout his college years. Since graduating, while working his former full-time job as a preschool teacher, Miller has concentrated fully on music. We Are The Willows is one of two current projects; Miller also lends his songwriting, guitar playing and vocals to well accomplished Minneapolis-based indie rock band, Red Fox Grey Fox. We Are The Willows started as a side project - a place to write songs outside of the structure of a full-band, but has slowly become a main focus for the singer/songwriter.
We Are The Willows Official Page
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Pezzettino and The Plutoniates
01/09/2010 10:00 PM
Margaret was trained on classical piano at the local convent until age 12, when she quit because she didn't like the pressure of competition. She has a BA in Art History and MA in Oriental Medicine. At age 25 she called off an engagement, joined a band, and taught herself how to play her father's accordion. "The songs just began pouring out, it was like opening a flood gate." Less than six months later, she released her first album and began touring as a solo artist. "Pezzettino" translates to "little piece" or "little square" in Italian, and depending on how strict copyright laws are, it may or may not be a reference to the children's illustration book by Leo Lionni.
Pluto has been reduced to a dwarf planet in recent years, and The Plutoniates are not very happy about it.
"We are an outpost for the solar system, keeping the Earthbound humans safe, yet the scientific community shows a lack of respect by downgrading our home ... perhaps that is because they deny the existence of all lifeforms outside of Earth," said Ross Fale, Plutoniates front man.
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01/16/2010 01:00 AM
It was a serendipitous meeting at a Black Crowes concert that brought friends Winters and Bowers together with Massey. A decade later in May ‘08, the three found themselves in California recording Grace and Melody, their fourth full-length studio album, with Grammy winner Marc Ford as producer-the musician widely regarded as The Black Crowes' finest guitarist and integral to their prime years. The Steepwater Band met Ford while sharing a bill at a festival in Spain in the summer of '07. They invited Ford to sit in on Neil Young's "Cortez the Killer," a song banned in Spain for years. A friendship was forged and Ford expressed interest in collaborating with the band shortly after producing the critically acclaimed debut album from Ryan Bingham, Mescalito (Lost Highway 2007).
Grace and Melody was recorded in just nine days at the organic and inspiring Compound Studios in Long Beach, California. With Ford's direction, the band dug deeper into the swamp and grit of their past records while exploring new influences that give the new record a fresh sound. From the top-down catchiness of "Lord Knows," to the extended guitar jam of "Waiting To Be Offended," to the hypnotic bounce of "Healer" and Lennonesque strum of "One Way Ride," this album runs the gamut of rock n’ roll roots with progressive style. Songwriting has long been a strength for The Steepwater Band, but it has never been more palpable than on Grace and Melody.
The Steepwater Band Official Site
The Steepwater Band on Myspace
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Kelly Underwood, Circus in Your Mouth and Plutoniates
01/29/2010 10:00 PM
The Plutoniates unique sound is hard to define. Although led by Ross Fale's mostly fingerstyle acustic guitar playing, the band has more of an alternative rock sound than one would expect. With Ryan Kolosovski on drums and Steve Bossler on bass, the rythm section continues to evolve to give the Plutoniates a groove all there own. Throw in Dave playing electric guitar, melodica, and even a theremin, and what you get is a very instrument-driven band.
Though their arrangments are complex, the Plutoniates have the ability to blend together to make it very accessible and catchy music. The reason why they have become one of the most popular and talked about bands in the area.
Circus in Your Mouth is the latest moniker used by the band that was formerly known as A thousand Others and The Collective. In early winter of 2008, Ryan Messner met John Pena (among others) for the RPM challenge, an internet challenge that was meant to get musicians to write and record ten songs in one month. Since then, Messner and Pena have formed a musical partnership and plan to play there first full band show in many months with as many different area musicians as possible, keeping in the spirit of "The Colective."
Whether energizing her audience or soothing them, Kelly Underwood consistently draws her listeners into a truly emotive experience, offering a vicarious catharsis for all. Underwood's heartfelt originals seem as genuine as her stylistic cover songs because every song is rich with self-expression, revealing a deep sense of authenticity throughout. Her vivacious performances embody the fresh energy of uninhibited enthusiasm, a passion that she funnels directly to the audience with an unrelenting gaze.
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Purgatory Hill (pat mAcdonald and melaniejane)
01/30/2010 10:00 PM
In the summer of 2006, pat mAcdonald was given a gift that would change his life. The Lowebow "Purgatory Hill Harp" cigarbox guitar/bass, at first, struck him as a funky piece of folk art with limited musical potential until he plugged it in and realized it was the sweetest, meanest, most badass instrument he'd ever played!He slipped a slide onto his pinkie and all the lowdown, dirty blues and rock that had haunted his younger dreams - always lingering just beyond his fingertips - seemed to flow effortlessly from this crazy little thing.
Appropriating "Purgatory Hill" as a pseudonym for his newfound alt-blues persona, he started writing, learning, and remembering songs.
After two failed attempts to record an album of cigarbox guitar material, he finally got what he was going for - the 2009 album "Purgatory Hill" was recorded with his touring partner melaniejane on percussion, keyboard, and backing vocals. Most who heard it were impressed.
The duo continued to tour and develop their sound, and the cigarbox took an increasingly prominent role in their live performances. The Purgatory Hill set, due to the instant appeal of its unique sound and format, became the climactic highlight of shows and soon took on a life of its own. For bookings requiring a shorter set, pat played cigarbox guitar only and these shows were billed simply as "Purgatory Hill"
Now, Purgatory Hill is more than a pseudonym or the name of another pat mAcdonald solo project. Purgatory Hill is now a band!
-Martin Jack Rosenblum, Shepherd Express (Click HERE for the whole review)
-TJ Dewey, GBNightlife.com (Click HERE for the whole review)
"SLINKY, GROOVY, BLOOZY, BOOZY, DIRTY, SWAMPY, SEXY, DANGEROUS, WIPE-THAT-DROOL-OFF YOUR MOUTH, SON, HOWL-AT-THE-MOON MUSIC"
-Paddy Fineran, Kenosha News
“AN ADMIRABLE TESTAMENT TO A LITTLE MUSICAL TRUTH GOING A LONG WAY"
-Brady Bell, Detroit Metro Times (Click HERE for the whole review)
"DARK AND DIRTY... ALL THAT IS SWAMP, GUTS, AND GLORY"
-Lane Klozier, Maximum Ink (Click HERE for the whole review)
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