WTF is going on: Friday Musings
Record Store Day: Celebrating 5 Years! A lot can happen in 5 years. It’s not a lot of time, but it’s enough time for the world to shift and turn you around. Five years ago the auto industry was taking a nose dive. The world was introduced to Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. Most of us had a Myspace account that we actually paid attention to AND Red House celebrated its 25th Anniversary. Wow, where did the time go? However, another important event was introduced to the world as the music community began celebrating Record Store Day 5
WTF is going on: Friday Musings
Screenless Concerts: Perhaps you’ve been to a show or two in the last decade or so and seen those glowing screens light up like lightning bugs throughout the audience. They’ve replaced (sadly) the lighter at rock shows during the power ballad and some folks are texting/posting about the concert they’re currently enjoying as if the world needs to know at that moment how awesome where you are is and where they are is not. Some are just trying to distract themselves, while others are trying to record/videotape or take pictures of the show. Which by the way wouldn’t have flown
WTF is going on: Friday Musings
Coffee, an addicting inspiration There was tragic news percolating in the news last night as we learned of the death of a man who has inspired us all in one way or another. Sam Glazer, the pioneer behind the drip coffee maker, better known as Mr. Coffee passed away at the age of 89. Make no mistake, this invention that he helped usher into our homes has touched us all in some way, whether you drink coffee or not. I would venture to guess that most of the articles we read (on-line or in print, including this little doozy), books
Andra Suchy talks about Little Heart, Prairie Home Companion, & Yoga
Andra Suchy is one of our latest artists to sign on to the Red House family. Her debut record on Red House, Little Heart (named after the river that runs near her home town of Mandan, ND) is an irresistible mix of folk, pop, country, rock, and blues. We’ve really been enjoying this one in the office and hope you all will take to it as we have. Andra was kind of enough to take some time to answer a few questions for The Blog Cabin about songwriting, the album, her frequent appearances on A Prairie Home Companion as well
WTF is going on: Friday musings
Let the Light in and ease the madness of March It’s no secret that March seems to be one of the craziest months of the year. Maybe everyone is ready to shed the winter doldrums, but these 31 days can be crazy. There are millions of students released on spring break, St. Patrick’s Day, there’s the NCAA basketball tournament affectionately dubbed March Madness, and of course there is music’s equivalent of the all-you-can-eat buffet… South-By-Southwest (or SXSW or “South-By” for all you folks in the bizzzzz). We’ll focus on the two mainstream media bohemiths. March Madness and SXSW are meant
WTF is going on: Friday Musings
Stage Banter: The unspoken art form As any singer/songwriter or fan knows, good stage banter is an important element to any show. Whether it’s a random joke while tuning that erratic ‘B’ string or an anecdote that inspired the proceeding song. These between song monologues can turn a good show to great or bring it to a sputtering hault. The good performers make it look easy, but it’s way harder than it sounds. But like learning the guitar or writing a song, for most it takes time and a lot of missteps to get your banter groove. So I can’t
Drew Nelson and the characters of Tilt-A-Whirl
Drew Nelson recently released his Red House debut, Tilt-A-Whirl. A crossroads between Springsteen roots-rock and Nanci Griffith storytelling, the record gives a fresh voice to tough times and resilient characters. We asked him to take some time and answer a few questions so you could get to know bit more about him and the songs from Tilt-A-Whirl. A lot of your songs are character driven, is there a specific story that you’re attracted to when writing? Most of the stories come from me listening in on others’ conversations whether at the local diner or Home Depot or just hanging out.
The Pines New Video
Never underestimate the power of the video. While anyone can sit in front of their Mac and churn out a “music video” there are people out there actually MAKING music videos the old fashioned way with story lines, thoughtful shots and cool effects to enhance the song. I for one have been underwhelmed by plenty of tunes on first listen only to have my opinion swayed by a crafty video. Take for instance Wilco’s record The Whole Love. This one did not get my whole love until I watched this gem for their song “Dawned on Me.” Twelve dollars later
The Decade of The Wailin’ Jennys
It’s hard to believe we’re celebrating our 10th anniversary as a band, and yet, there’s so much to look back on, so much of which to be proud. I’m proud that we’ve thrived as an independent band for this long, working at a grassroots level with other smaller organizations (our agents and labels – yay, Red House!) and proud that we’ve worked hard to produce music that is true to our hearts. That our music has been embraced so lovingly by our fans all these years is such a thrill. During the last decade, we’ve seen much of the world,
Mailroom Soundtracks
2012 is already out of the gates like a thoroughbred at The Derby. With a whole slew of new releases coming out in the next few weeks: The Pines Dark So Gold (1/31), Drew Nelson’s Tilt-A-Whirl (2/14), Dave & Tracy Grammer’s Little Blue Egg (2/14) and Andra Suchy’s Little Heart (3/27). All of this action means we’re busy burying ourselves in mountains of padded envelopes, press kits and of course CDs in our mail center! Anyone that does this or has done this knows that stuffing envelopes with CDs can quickly go from an exercise in zen to a mind-numbing drag. Some
