Martin Sexton is a gifted songwriter and a one-of-a-kind live performer. It is simple buy every title then (or simultaneously) see him live. Every single time he is within 200 miles of your home it is worth a trip. I saw him once at a local renovated vaudeville stage, he sang a copula on the last song and brought the house down. He is in my top five of all time. Definitely an artist I can listen to over and over.
This is a hip-hop singer from British Columbia that has great skill. I first heard her with my wife at the Winnipeg Folk Festival this summer. Her music is very entertaining with a good beat and a good message.
This is a fun jam band style, but they actually have good lyrics. We saw these guys first at the WFF as well, but heard of them before. They are good friends with Mason Jennings (he even sings on one of their tracks). They have a very energetic live show and a well-produced album. The tough part is album availability. Since they are from Australia the discography is hard to locate in the States. However, it is worth it.
This is a band that is starting to receive a lot of the major media attention, mostly due to my interest in them. Some friends turned me on to them. I loved the album, but I did not expect the all out hair-rock show. Either way it is a good act.
This is the year’s new-to-me folk singer. And you can understand what he is saying.
This is a good straight up British rock band. No big message in the songs, they are simply rock songs.
Danny Michel is an Ontarian and a great songwriter. His lyrics create vivid portraits of his subjects. Whether they are a 60s era hearse, a no-good woman, or a motel in Toledo, he is able to convey the stories of his life. He couples these narrations with fun poppy rhythms that will sometimes remind you of another song from another era further strengthening the experience. Danny released his fifth full-length album Valhalla this year and I have not stopped listening to it. If you want to try him out, his website has a number samples, and if you like you cannot go wrong with any of the selections (except the Loving the Alien album which are all David Bowie covers and I have not purchased this one). Since he is Canadian he does not venture south of the border much, but if he hits Minneapolis, I will alert everyone.
After a lengthy discussion with some friends a few months back, I found that I am in the minority for my stand that I feel Frank Black is far better than his former life with the Pixies. Now do not read into this statement that I do not like the Pixies, I do, but Mr. Black has aged well and provided better music with each offering. His new double album Fast Man Raider Man continues this trend.
For those who remember Revolution Radio (I still miss it) you will remember a young trio out of Philly – G. Love and Special Sauce. I could not stop listening to their self-titled debut album, I even snuck into the Uptown to see them play – great show. Well, I grew away from their music when their sophomore release Coast-to-Coast Motel was not up to my high standards. I have done this in the past, I panned the Beastie Boys Paul’s Boutique as awful. I can be a music snob and pass judgment too quickly. This year I came across Philadelphonic and was blown away. This and the new release Lemonade are on high rotation on the Mac.
This is a local god in Minneapolis, Mason is a transplant from Pittsburgh, I think, but most of you in Minneapolis know this guy as the popular local bar artist that is making it big. Since I lived in bubble for a number of years and stopped watching the local music scene (see snobbish tendencies above), but after one of the Jug Band Festivals a couple of years back, I received an introduction to this developing singer-songwriter. This year he received a lot of play and has my theme song for the year California, Pt. 2. I do not own many of his titles since I have a bootleg from a 2004ish bootleg from a concert at the State Theater and that has pretty much ruin my interest in buying additional albums.
I too get sucked into popular trends from time to time. Plus this is really fun music.
This is a given. Don’t you think?