Photos & Videos by Various Sources
Mike from the Henry Miller Memorial Library was awesome enough to point me in the direction of some bands local to the Big Sur, CA area. So, here's a peak at a few of the acts working the indie circuit in The Golden State.
Levi Strom
Oregon native Levi Strom describes his style as being a blend of folk, rock, country, new wave, jam and electronic; "heartfelt but bold, with gravity heavy lyrics and oddly catchy melodies." He first appeared on the West Coast scene back in 2005, when he released his self-titled debut album. After five years of songwriting, and another year of recording, mixing and mastering (in both Big Sur and L.A.), Strom released his follow-up album "The Lone Wolf" in September of 2011. According to the artist's website, "Many of the tracks were recorded live, some right as they were being written...If you want a taste of the many styles Levi is capable of, this record will not disappoint...".
His new single "Songbird" was released this past December, and has been featured on the Stanford Soundtrack 2011 Compilation. For those of you who live in the New York area, Levi Strom will be playing with Cave Country, who you'll learn more about in just a moment, at Pete's Candy Store in Brooklyn on Friday, June 8th.
Cave Country
Comprised of members Jim Reynolds (Vocals/Guitar), Evan apRoberts (Vocals/Guitar), John Thompson (Drums/Percussion) and Andrew MacIver (Vocals/Keys), Cave Country "is a contemporary blend of country, indie rock and folk, colored by rich vocal harmony that emanate from their home on the California coast." Reynolds, apRoberts and Thompson had been playing together in a progressive outfit called 'Madeline Flats,' when in 2008, they took the advice of a friend, and decided to focus on creating "songs from the heart." Cave Country released their first self-titled effort in 2009, and have since come forth with their full length album, "Just a Little Coal." They have been noted by Deli L.A. writer Hugo Gomez as being "...warm, melodic and honest -- the way folk music should be."
The sounds of Cave Country are consistently associated with the state they call home, evoking notions of sunshine, wine sipping and life on the road. They have been compared to popular artists such as Buffalo Springfield, Wilco and The Byrds. Below is the video for their soft, breezy, harmonious track 'Constant Arrival.'
The Range of Light Wilderness
Based in, and inspired by, Big Sur, this Gnome Life Records band consists of Tommy Frank MacDonald (Vocals/Guitar), Jessie Campbell (Vocals/Drums) and Nick Alves (Vocals/Bass). They released a 16-track self-titled album in June of 2011, and can make you feel like "...that old beach blanket in your trunk might really be a magic carpet...It's all moonlight and waves here, pine-pitch and sunshine."
Last year, The Range of Light Wilderness was interviewed by San Francisco publication Broke-Ass Stuart's Goddamn Website, a really entertaining, irreverent site designed for "...busboys, poets, social workers, students, artists, musicians, magicians, mathematicians, maniacs, yodelers and everyone else out there who wants to enjoy life not as a rich person, but as a real person." Honestly, the whole endeavor is worth taking a look at. Anyway, the interviewer lovingly pegged them as both hippies and hilarious people, whilst referring to their sound as being "beautiful beachy surfy folk music."
The Shrouded Strangers
Take a quick look at their Facebook page, and you'll see that the members of The Shrouded Strangers have placed themselves in these genres: "Psych-Honky Tonk, Guitar Cubism, Appalachian Jazz." Guitar Cubism? Creative placement. Creative group. They individually hail from all over the USA (DC, Pennsylvania, Virginia, California), which adds to the diversity that comprises their style.
The Shrouded Strangers' latest undertaking, the "Lost Forever" LP, was released in early 2012, and can be purchased via the band's website. This past April, their new single 'Featherbed' was featured on My Old Kentucky Blog, who translated the track's energy as "...thick guitar fuzz, made-in-heaven riff, and, and yummy psychedelic effects." The child of the '90s in me feels right at home hearing a band that jogs my memory into spitting out the name Eric's Trip.
Sidenote: The Shrouded Strangers played at Le Voyeur in Olympia, WA in March of this year. About five years ago, I spent a very lovely night at that bar with some old friends and their friends (some of whom worked at the establishment), drinking beers way after they'd shut the doors to outside customers. Great night. I bought a T-shirt. I still wear it.
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