WYEP Music Blog

New local stuff for March!!! Podcast it or tune in to The Local News (Mon-Thurs @ 9 PM)
Enjoy,
Cindy 

Colonizing The Cosmos- “Dear Citizens” (The First Frontier)
This band has potential to be one of the best local debuts this year. They have a great snappy sound that emulates The Mountain Goats, The Flaming Lips and Sufjan Stevens. It’s a little weird, but still very catchy- not one clunker on the disc. The trio is made up of multi-instrumentalists who’s day jobs list as an attorney, a filmmaker and a photographer.

summer-winter- “It Makes You Cry” (Alone Is Yes)
This is for fans of the shoegaze genre (Mazzy Star, My Bloody Valentine). The CD is full of slow, sombre songs with delicate instrumentation. This song might be the most exciting track on the album. It’s very pretty, though. Good for crying times.

JD Eicher and The Goodnights- “The Shape of Things” (The Shape Of Things)
Fronted by 20 year old JD Eicher, the band has a Celtic/Indie rock sound in the tradition of The Waterboys and Carbon Leaf. They have been together for 4 years and stretch across Youngstown, OH and Pittsburgh. This is their first album. 

The Wreckids- “Millions In Money” (Singing You To Sleep, But Giving You Nightmares)
Formally know as Scotts Roger, this adorable husband and wife duo have finally released a collaborative EP together as The Wreckids. Scott and Sarah sing sweet funny songs together that will make you wonder if Scott has listened to tons of Loudon Wainwright III (he hasn’t by the way- he’s more of a Dar Williams Man).

Ali Farka Touré and Toumani Diabaté perform “Kala Djula” off Ali and Toumani, their second and last album pairing, recorded in London in 2005. Ali and Toumani has just come out even though Ali Farka Touré passed away in 2006.  Enjoy the video for ‘Kala Djula’.

Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate \’Kala Djula\’

‘Sugarcoating’ is the new release due out April 6th from soulful singer-songwriter Martin Sexton.  Martin’s been busy in the studio and video blogging during the live recording experience for his upcoming release. There are samples of a few of his new songs on his website www.martinsexton.com

Okay! I know the month is almost over, but I had to shovel out this blog (#SnOMGPgh!) and it took longer than I anticipated. Soooooo here’s the featured local artists of the month airing on The Local News (Mon-Thurs @ 9 PM or on the podcast) for my birthday month…. xoxo Cindy

Paul Luc- “Aftermath” (A Revival. A Roadsong. A Rearview Mirror.)
This is Paul’s second release. He’s working with the same band- who make up a large part of The Paul Luc sound. This is not a singer-songwriter-folk album. This is a roots-rock anthem-filled rock-rocky album. This song serves as a great opening to the record.

Bill Toms & Hard Rain- “Sweat Stained Shirts” (Live At Moondog’s)
Solid live album from one of Pittburgh’s finest Blue-Collared Soul/Blues musicians. This tracks shows Bill’s pride in his Pittsburgh roots through the town’s steel mill history. Someone get this song to Bruce Springsteen ASAP.

Nicole Reynolds- “Crazy as You” (A Fine Set of Fools)
Nicole’s delicate, yet effective, dynamic is ever-present on this sonically diverse album. This song is a fun upbeat sweet indie rock number which features smart witty lyrics. Sounds great!

Beware Fashionable Women- “Rock Bottom” (Beware Fashionable Women)
BFW’s sound captures that ironic alt-rock we all love from the 90’s. They remind me of bands like Weezer, Blink 182 and They Might Be Giants in certain ways. They also have some sweet Beach Boys-esque harmonies on this song.