new video from Tumbledown

here is a brand new video from Tumbledown, a catchy anthem of life on the road. Like the true country singer here's a song about the rambling life. "It's a great big world and I'm roaming around." front man, Mike Herrera sings "we come to party in your town." the song is comes country complete with chicken picking guitar, cross harp harmonica, and just enough city's named to know they been on the road.

Fort Union

Jace Krause has been around, his band Friday Mile had gained a good reputation in the northwest, played some good venues and gotten some radio play, but when the band disbanded in 2010 he and his fellow band mate Jake Rohr started Fort Union. "we wanted to work out with Ryan Lynch. He agreed to help us flesh out the songs, and ended up taking them to new places. We decided to use that momentum and make these songs have a spacey/folky feel." The "messy and Lo-fi" feel of what has so far been two released songs by this band truly sound spacey. Ethereal and raw, Fort Union's songs drift, like a trip though time and space, a little 90's pop, a little 60's folk and a lot of the future. the floating vocals sound comfortable and the bubbling bass lines make your feet helpless but to tap. the band sounds Happy with where they are and that communicates well in the music. "The Northwest is an inspiring place to live. I love the natural beauty of the landscape, but I also love the brand of people here." Jace says about living in the northwest. There is some great music coming from Seattle and Portland these days and Fort union is definitely part of that. Fitting in nicely with Portland's laid back environment and hospitality, Fort union have found everything they need to thrive and write. "I get inspired just as much from the landscape as I do the people that I know. And I know some really amazing people. The Northwest is an inspiring place to live"
Much like many artists coming up these days in the midst of economic turmoil, the DIY approach to life, music and art is booming and Fort union are attempting to release a vinal in the coming months. "We just finished mixing this record with Gary Mula in Seattle. We are going to press vinyl with the help of a Kickstarter." the website dedicated to helping raise money for bands and organizations that need the help. The album should be out soon, with the help of friends, family, and fans so
check out fort union on facebook to stay up to date with how thats going, and keep coming back for more great news, here at the Independent...
http://www.facebook.com/#!/fortunion?sk=info
Photo by Dylan Priest
http://dylanpriest.com/

Video of the day: Bryan John Appleby

Here is a great Live video of one of the northwest's most brilliant songwriters. Appleby is the pride and joy of Seattle right now. And with songs like this it makes sense. His songs are well crafted, and with his delicately placed sorrowful wailing, the song's true emotion is in no way hidden.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/bryanjohnappleby

I don't believe in a normal world

She has been playing in and around some of LA's most important musicians and trend setters for close to ten years, but ask most people who Morgan Nagler is and you will most likely get blank stares. this is a problem. More people should know about Morgan, who goes by the stage name Whispertown (previously known as whispertown 2000, the whispertown 2000 and at one point vagtown). Her relaxed vocals and playful melody's are catchy as anything playing on the radio, and her approach to music as pure as anything on NPR. After experimenting with a variety of line up's Nagler simplified the process and worked with a select few on this album and the selection shines through on the dancy first single Open The Other Eye, with harmony's from the likes of Maria Taylor and Jake Bellows (Neva Dinova) and co produced by Bellows and Andy LeMaster (Bright Eyes).

"So Jake and I went to Athens, Georgia, with bag full of songs and an open mind. I have a psychic connection with Andy" She muses "so we turned the songs into dreams."
not that that is a new thing for her, whispertown has always had a sort of dreamy quality but the difference is this time the dream seems possibly more modern, where as her past work has always seemed to have a sort of honky tonk nostalgia, this album seems to have deluded that quality and added a little more electricity.
"The songs have all come from the same place they always have. I wanted to experiment with removing my jingle jangle acoustic strum that normally serves as the bed, in which the songs lay." Nagler says, and I for one love it.
Whispertown has always been in great company, from her close friendship with Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennet early on to touring frequently with Maria Taylor and/or Taylor's band Azure Ray to signing as the first outside artist on Gillian Welch's Acony records and this album seems to have encapsulated that.
"we really are all one and United" Nagler say's when talking about the new song, and thats what you feel when listening to Open the Other Eye. A sense of community and connection.
Whispertown have two video's in the works and plan to tour a ton behind this release so keep an eye open for them, you need to see this band, you need to hear these songs, Morgan Nagler needs to be known by more people, she deserves to be known by more people.
keep on coming back for more new music.
http://www.whispertown.com/

Video of the day: briertone

Here is a great acoustic version of I am Jacob by Briertone. Briertone are a dark folk rock band from the central coast. After taking a break to play some less dark solo stuff, Adam Pasion and the gang are back with a new EP and renewed sense of purpose. doing what they do best, the Tone deliver on this boot stomping anthems of hope and life. the music video(below) is a great representation of what this band is all about, dark and sorrowful epics of mankind with wild west back drop.

Video of the day: pithy sweet

The Pithy sweet are that band I wish more people cared about. What the pithy Sweet have going for them is great song writing, great players, and a really cool groove. this is live session they day a year ago, playing on the beach in, lead singer Ben Kent's beloved Big Sur. The band lays down one great originals and then Cranks out an incredible cover of Coconut by Harry Nilsson, who like the Pithy Sweet was under rated and never appreciated the way r should have been in his time. Here's an great band playing great music with a great back drop. In short I really enjoy these videos and this band.

The Backdoor Preachers

The Backdoor preachers are great old time rock and roll band, reminiscent of 1970's MC5, Iggy pop, or the Rolling Stones. Mike Castellano has been part of the LA and Orange County music scene for over 25 years, most notably playing bass in Hellbound Hayride for over 15 years. Along with Friend and fellow bass player Preston Peck and fellow Hayride guitarist Louis Ramos, the Backdoor Preachers were born out of a desire to just play some good music, the way they wanted to.the band has found a bit of a home down in Long Beach, Ca at Di Piazzas and has played there on decently regular basis, including a few slots with punk legend Mike Watt of the Minute Men and stooges fame. The Backdoor Preachers sound like a rock and roll band playing rock and roll music at a rock and roll bar, and that's just what they are.
the band swings from heavy and hard hitting pre punk sounds of VooDoo Love and Can't Find the Good times all the way to the almost classic country rock sounds of Texas all the way to the ethereal and dark Strange Days Like These. These are simple songs, played by musicians that are anything but simple, the genius guitar playing and slight vocal harmony's push these songs past the simple and nice into the classic and powerful.
For anyone who longs for the days when you could go see a good rock and roll band with out having to pay atleast 30$, this is the band for you.
Backdoor Preachers will be playing at Di Piazzas in Long Beach Sat. Feb. 18th at 10:00pm.
for more info check out
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Backdoor-Preachers/10150134129345226?sk=info
http://www.reverbnation.com/backdoorpreachers
Photography by Allisonmilenephotography.com

Flaming Lips have a new friend HOTT MT

Here's the story. HOTT MT recorded an album, they made a special edition of it, packaged it up in an amazing box designed by lead singer Ashleigh Allard, drove across the country to the home Of Flaming lips front man Wayne Coyne and gave it to him on his birthday, he asked them to stay, They recorded a song with him, then a video for the song, then they came home. Here's the video,I'll let you know when I know more... a full feature on the band(exclusive photo's and interview) coming soon. so pay attention.

Bonnie dune

Bonnie dune is everything you love about southern California. Dreamy pop tunes about the ocean, love, and summer fun. Bonnie dune may seem like an off kilter super group, given that three of the members are all involved in the entertainment business in some way (lead singer Justin Wilczinski is an actor/model, Seth Roberts has seen his fair share of the stage with his bands watashi wa and lakes and on tour with MXPX, and then there is the drummer; some guy from a show called Glee.). But there is a lot more to this band than just fame and stardom. These boys actually know how to write a good pop song. The band's sound floats in and out of pumping dance numbers like the rocking Endless Summer or soaring number Sea Sick and the hushed beauty of songs like Haunting or Better View. The boys in Bonnie dune are currently working on a debut album and the mass army of Bonnie Dune fans wait anxiously. In theory it would Make complete sense that a band, who's major pull is the fame of their drummer would in all actuality be over rated if not down right awful, but thanks to years and years of songwriting and waiting between Roberts and Wylczinski this band is not just tolerable but quit good. So if you have not checked out this pop thunderstorm then you should. Head on over to Facebook.com/Bonniedune to check out some tunes and get the latest info and keep following us here at the Independent... For more up and coming music.

The Traveling Man

Last time we heard from Luke messimer, the singer songwriter had just broken up his southern California pop rock band Mississippi Man and had begun working on an untitled solo project. Weeks after talking to me, Luke changed directions, the solo project was put on hold and Luke threaded north. "A strong need to get out of all that smog." Luke told me when I emailed him last year about his change. Years before a close friend of his, Josiah Johnson had done the same and had done quite well starting a little band called The Head and The Heart and So Luke did the same, packed up and left for the great Northwest and Seattle's legendary music scene.
Within weeks of arriving Luke began to get sucked up into the musical land scape and quickly began playing a variety of instruments with just as much a variety of Artists. But still Luke wanted to play his songs, his way.
So Months after leaving southern. California Luke returned, as part of the Bryan John Appleby band, the newest singer songwriter to emerge from the great northwest. Upon arriving in LA they met up with the head and the heart, also on tour and spent some
Time together. " they told me that thy
Missed my solo stuff and wished I was still making my own stuff. I took that to heart.".
Luke has yet to return to Seattle since leaving that tour. Being Leon Russell to appleby's Joe Cocker, however great that would have been, was not what Luke had in mind.
For years Luke has used his family's cabin in Northern Arizona as an escape, a place to go and write and rethink things. So as he had done before he settled down in Williams a town his family has been a part of for 90 years and started to do what he loves and what he has wanted to for quite some time, record that solo album.
With a lot arcade fire, M83 and Simon and Garfunkle on the radio. Luke got to work crafting a highly textured sound that floats in and out of arcade fire grandiose and Elliot smith like emotion.
Northern Youth is what Luke is calling this project, and it's his reflections on what he learned in the place he now calls home, Seattle that inspired the name. Reminiscent of the opening scene of Portlandia Luke says "The idea of being an office-job adult doesn't exist there. In Seattle people are doing what they love and being young." Northern youth.
Luke says that no matter where it is he is playing music Seattle will forever be his home. He likes to quote his friends in the head and the heart when dealing with this "your already home where you feel loved."he says. So no matter where it is he travels and no matter who he is playing with Luke messimer knows that he loves the northwest and he loves music. So the traveling man will always have a home.
Northern Youth have a double single out currently that you can find by going to Facebook.com/youthmusicband.
Northen youth plan to release a full ep by around may and a full length after that.