Time to refill your Growler September 1, 2008

This posting is a blatant homage to Monsonia, which released the full length album “Growler” last week.  Monsonia is a three piece, with my brother, Carter Browning on guitar and vocals,  Nick Peterson on bass (I got an email describing him as Nick “my bass rig is bigger than your house” Peterson, which is pretty much true), and Andy Willard on drums.  Carter and Andy met a few years ago while playing in another local band called Cold Sides.  After they were kicked out of that band (no comment, but it was lame!!) they created Monsonia.  They had a different bassist for a while, but he quit and they just got Nick on board in the last year or so, after he recorded their album at his studio.

The music is dark and moody.  Folks who know lingo describe it as “math rock” which to me means a lot of very precise tempo changes….very structured music.   It does sound like Shellac, maybe early Sonic Youth.  Monsonia is really good at setting a really tight rhythm that builds and builds and then all of a sudden changes track entirely.  It does have a hint of metal, but not too much (Carter laughingly says the other guys won’t let him indulge his love for heavy metal) Its amazing, and though the album is good seeing them live is even better…I attended Thursday night’s cd release party which was awesome.  My favorite song is “This Mellow Classic”.  You can listen to the album here, or download from Itunes.

Its worth mentioning that Monsonia are lucky to have a lot of pals who are artists,  whom over the years have created great posters and album art.  The Growler cover features a sea monster done by Carter’s pal Jim Potter.

I know you think I am biased and yes, its true, but I am not the only one who loves them!  The new album, Growler, got “album of the month” from the Independent.  See the review here.   Also, Chaz over at Bull City Records loves them too.

Double kick drum by the river in the summer August 12, 2008

I used to be a big music geek (now I am just a plain old geek).   Following music as seriously as I did was practically a full time job…there are SO MANY bands, and so many of them are worth a listen.  Over time, my priorities changed, and now the only new music I listen to is recommended to me (I listen to anything you say, Areseven!) or forced upon me at work in the lab, or found on NPR.  But, despite all this, I have found a new band, a discovered a new appreciation for an old favorite, courtesy of the Wilco and Bon Iver show last Friday in Cary.

Bon Iver (pronounced Bon eve-air, not Bon eye-ver, like we kept calling it) is a mellow, musically stripped down band featuring a guy who sings partially in falsetto.  The music has a vaguely folksy sound to it but more like rock than bluegrass.  Its great stuff, and I highly recommend it.  Skinny Love is a great song.  Bon Iver is not particularly far removed from my other favorite band, The Bowerbirds.

Wilco; what can I say? I go way back with this band, though I had never seen them live, and my music apathy had led me to mostly ignore every album since “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”.   The show played into my nostalgia by playing a lot of older stuff, which was so great to hear.  It was sort of like a visit with old friends.

I went hoping to hear some of 1997’s album “Being There” and amazingly, this was the case.  “Being There” is a particularly evocative album for me; I listened to it almost exclusively when I worked in Texas one summer and hearing it now brings me back to the very flat gulf coast of Texas.   When the horn section came out I thought “oh wow, they could really play ‘Monday’ up right!”  and when they played it it did sound just amazing.  I think they played about half of that entire album.  Other highlights of the show for me included  two joint Billy Bragg/Woody Guthrie/Wilco ventures”Remember the Mountain Bed” (most romantic song ever), and the goofy “Hoodoo Voodoo.”  I enjoyed the songs off of “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot”, too.   The whole show made me want to dive back into Wilco, and go get a bunch of the albums I am missing.

Finally, a word about the venue:  Koka Booth Ampitheatre is a really beautiful and acoustically great setting.  Set on a lake, the gently sloping lawn is surrounded by pine trees.  A large deck across the back and the artistic stage finish the scene.  They even have free parking!  Makes up for the fact its in Cary!