Kate Nash

I discover most of my music from listening to MPR's The Current or from Pandora. Both fabulous...um... things. Services? I dunno. Fabulous in any case. I heard Kate Nash for the first time this morning while streaming The Current.

I love the beatbox beats and the piano in this song is a nice touch. I mostly get into songs because of an interesting rhythm to the lyrics. On a not-so-side not, I also love her accent. Love it.

Some of her music kind of reminds me of Regina Spektor, who I also love. Kate's song Merry Happy especially sounds like it could be sung by Spektor. After watching the video above, head on over to Kate Nash's myspace page and give her a listen! I'm sure you'll enjoy.

Andrew Bird

I spent most of July 2005 listening to Andrew Bird's The Mysterious Production of Eggs. My sister sent it to me while Kate and I were out of the country. It's a great album, but it's definitely taken a back seat to others over the past few years. With the release of this new CD entitled Noble Beast, my interest in this Chicao-based violinist has been renewed. Thank God for that!

In listening to some new songs on Andrew's MySpace page, I came across this video showcasing some awesome, Casio-enhanced fiddling. He's even playing at our very own Guthrie Proscenium stage! Yayness!

Check out his MySpace page for more awesome videos and a taste of the new album.

Mates of State

When I have to take the car to truck stuff around the school district, I'm usually listening to either college radio or Minnesota Public Radio's alternative station, 89.3 The Current. The Current is generally a pretty mixed bag, but I heard this song on the way to work today and really enjoyed it. Hurrah for unexpected gemstones! The song above is called My Only Offer and it's off their 2008 CD entitled Re-Arrange Us.

Now it's time to listen to more music and see what else the Mates of State have to offer! Yay!

Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps

As I mentioned in the previous post, Kate bought us tickets to go see Jeremy Messersmith for my birthday. The concert started much later than expected, but it was well worth the wait. The concert was scheduled to begin at 9:00, the first opening act didn't start until 10:00, the second didn't start until 11:00 and Jeremy started well after midnight.

The opening act was Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps. Wow! Give them a listen over at their MySpace page. I like all of the music I've heard form them, but Clench My Teeth and Birch Trees and Broken Barns are both particularly fabulous tracks.

Listen and enjoy!

Jeremy Messersmith

So, it's ma' birthday this weekend and Kate got us tickets to see a wonderful local musician to celebrate! Jeremy Messersmith is fabulous. He and his band members use Casio recording loops to create their unique sound. "Miracles" is from Jeremy's second CD, The Silver City. While the video above is not terribly engaging, the music is fantastic! Check out Jeremy's myspace for more info on him and his wonderful band.

Jeremy Messersmith's MySpace

Allison Weiss

I first heard of Allison Weiss through the Lunch Bag Art blog. One of the lunch bags that Papa Lunchie chalked up had a cute little parachuting singer on it. Clicking the link below the picture, I was taken to a myspace page and fabulous music started playing. I especially like the track "I'm Ready". Listen to Allison's music and support her by buying her CD! And then support me by writing her copious emails to get her to come play in Minneapolis. This cold Minneapolis winter needs a bit of the rockin' melancholy sunshine that Allison weaves.

Check her out!

Au Revoir Simone

Let me lay it out plainly for you all. When I first saw Au Revoir Simone's video for Sad Song (above), I got hit with a musician crush for all three of these women. Based out of New York, the all-keyboard trio toured Europe this summer. This brought me some hope that they may go on tour in the states soon. It doesn't look like they play much outside of New York City and warm locales, though. I can only hope that something will draw them northward to play in the Cities sometime.

Sad Song has an awesome beat and I love the cadence of the lyrics. Also, whoever directed the video deserves a trophy (and perhaps a pizza too). Beautifully choreographed! Listen above and then click on over to their website for more musical goodness.