July 31st, 2009 11:26am
LHB’s Shorties (Joe Pernice, Avett Brothers and More)
Wicked Local interviews Joe Pernice about his new novel, It Feels So Good When I Stop.
Q: Let’s talk about your upcoming tour, which is a balance of both music and reading so you could do something with the book and the companion album all at once. Something a little different, yes?A: That’s kind of why I did it, yeah, because you don’t see too much of it. I just thought it was a refreshing and cool way to combine the two and promote the two things at once. I think I’ve chosen three passages from the book, which might total about 20 to 25 minutes of reading. I’ll read a passage and then play a handful of songs from the album and the book, then read, play some tunes, read, play some tunes. I’ll open it up a little bit – I only recorded 10 or 11 songs mentioned in the book because I didn’t have a chance to do them all, and I might do some that never made it to the soundtrack. Depending on how the time goes and if people are into it, I might pull out some older tunes or finish the show with ’em.
The Boston Globe profiles the Avett Brothers.
Over the last seven years, the trio has perfected a blend of folk, country, bluegrass, and rock that is more Cash and Kristofferson than Commodores. But that early, top-40 influence (Avett was also a Hall & Oates man) is clear on the band’s splendid major-label debut, “I and Love and You,’’ out Sept. 29. It’s audible in the easy-like-a-Sunday-morning melodies of the soaring “And It Spread’’ and the dark romanticism of “January Wedding.’’ Harder-edged inspirations like Nirvana and the Pixies creep into the margins of rockers like “The Perfect Space.’"
The A.V. Club lists gateway points to the Guided By Voices discography.
The New York Times notes the challenges facing modern music festivals.
NPR examines the 50 year history of the Newport Folk Festival.
The Austin American-Statesman profiles M. Ward.
