indie Archive
20 Jan 2021
Album Review: Gretchen’s Wheel — Such Open Sky
On Such Open Sky, her latest album as Gretchen’s Wheel, Lindsay Murray takes a turn that’s both darker and more energetic than what has come before. From the opening strains of “You Should Know,” it’s clear that Gretchen’s Wheel circa late 2020 is a great leap forward. While her previous work has been highly melodic
18 Jan 2021
Hundred-word Reviews: January 2021 #2
Here’s five more brief reviews; this time we’ve got progressive rock, powerpop, indie chamber pop, goth rock and one album that’s simply beyond easy classification. What they all have in common is that they’re new, they’re indie, they’d be likely to escape your notice if you didn’t visit Musoscribe, and they’re all quite, quite good.
17 Jan 2021
Awen Family Band: Prolific Family
The concept of family can be a fluid one: beyond genetic connections, for many it represents a circle of people with a common set of concerns, goals or values. In the case of the Awen Family Band, it represents a shared focus on musical expression. The group has recently released Back to the Source, an
30 Sep 2020
Album Review: The Black Watch – Fromthing Somethat
It’s difficult to keep up with the steady stream of output from The Black Watch. Just last year the group led by John Andrew Fredrick released a pair of albums – the 31 Years of Obscurity compilation and the all new Magic Johnson. Those were followed in short order by Brilliant Failures, reviewed in April.
17 Sep 2020
Album Review: Venus Furs — s/t
If you’re going to launch a musical project that evokes memories of a Velvet Underground song (“Venus in Furs” from 1967’s The Velvet Underground & Nico) you had better deliver the goods, or at least be prepared to get called out for not doing so. The plain fact is, while Venus Furs is quite appealing,
14 Sep 2020
For Orgatroid, The ‘Future’ is Now
Electronic music is sometimes unfairly characterized as cold, sterile and lacking in emotion. But the music of Orgatroid – an Asheville duo of Jason Daniello and Jeffrey Richards – is none of those things. Created almost completely from electronic elements, the music benefits from the very non-electronic backgrounds of the pair of musicians who make
06 Sep 2020
Brother Bluebird: Summer All Year ‘Round
Asheville-based brothers Adam and Tim Reaves are Brother Bluebird, an Americana/folk/indie duo. They’ve been making music together most of their lives, but got serious about it in 2015. Their 2019 EP, Summer is equal parts tuneful melodies, creamy harmonies and thoughtful lyrics. There’s something special about vocal harmonies by siblings; they seem to fit together
15 Aug 2020
30 Days Out, August 2020 #2: Jazz Night, Lovely World, Consider the Source, Steep Canyon Rangers
This edition of “30 Days Out” features four shows in or near Asheville. The roundup is a mix of live-in-person and livestream events. For the non-virtual ones, the standard caveat continues to apply: check your local listings before heading to the venue. You never know what’s going to happen these days. Artist: Jazz Night at
15 Jul 2020
30 Days Out, July 2020 #2: Travers Brothership, Free Planet Radio, Up Jumped Three, Jeff Santiago & Los Gatos
Because of the manner in which the pandemic response has been criminally mismanaged by our federal “government,” and because of the contingent that digs in its heels and refuses to do what’s needed to help beat this thing back (hint: social distancing, masks, contact tracing … in other words, what civilized countries around the globe
15 Jun 2020
30 Days Out, June 2020 #2: Hearts Gone South, Angel Olsen, Natural Born Leaders, The Get Right Band
If you’re at all like me, you may have noticed this phenomenon: when you take on a new task, you stumble as you learn your way through it. And by the time you finally figure out the most efficient and effective way to do it, you’re nearly done. Perhaps that’s the case with musicians and