Sunglasses Piano Alone

‪William Dawson of The Wiley Fosters performs “Johnsburgh, IL”‬

William Dawson plays guitar in the new Chapel Hill group The Wiley Fosters. He has also tickles the ivories for the likes of Squirrel Nut Zippers and Katharine Whalen’s Lucky.

Today, we find Will being possessed by the one and only Tom Waits as he channels his “Johnsburgh, IL” to his fingertips and vocal chords. Notice that Will is ALONE on a porch with his PIANO…good thing he has on those suave SUNGLASSES and that hat, so the neighbors can’t identify him.

For more information on THE WILEY FOSTERS:
http://thewileyfosters.bandcamp.com/

The song is available for download at their bandcamp page, and all the money goes to Durham Parks & Rec to help their Special Olympics after-school program.

“Money Honey”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Qj1XXWddk

For more information on KATHARINE WHALEN’S LUCKY:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Katharine-Whalens-LUCKY/65670447618

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http://www.sunglassespianoalone.tumblr.com

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‪Django Haskins of The Old Ceremony performs “Skylark”‬

Django fronts the North Carolina band The Old Ceremony, one of the areas top drawing groups. But today, we find Django ALONE at his home in Durham, NC playing an American classic called “Skylark,” which was written by Johnny Mercer & Hoagy Carmichael in 1941 and has been performed by Ella Fitzgerald and many others. Django sure likes the classics, just check out those SUNGLASSES circa 1977, all he needs now is a TAB soft drink while cruising around town in a T-top Trans Am. And you know his PIANO playing is pretty darn good.

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Described variously as “an intersection of Randy Newman’s gruff flamboyance, Nick Cave’s gothic élan and Leonard Cohen’s pithy wisdom” and “a pop stylist, with a quick lyrical wit and a card shark’s finesse in delivering a hook” Durham, NC based songwriter and author Django Haskins makes mongrel American music.

Django has recorded nine albums of his songs and has had his music featured in many indie and major films and TV. His music has received rave reviews in Pitchfork, Billboard, CMJ, and his mother’s letters, but it’s in the live shows where the music really comes alive, thanks to good old-fashioned showmanship and grit. Django tours both solo and with his band, The Old Ceremony.

Excerpts from his upcoming non-fiction book, The First Class Passenger were recently selected for the “Best Non-Fiction of 2010” by NYC-based arts & culture blog Frontier Psychiatrist.


For more information on DJANGO HASKINS:
http://www.djangohaskins.com

For more information on THE OLD CEREMONY:
http://www.theoldceremony.com
http://www.facebook.com/theoldceremony

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http://www.sunglassespianoalone.tumblr.com

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‪Shirlé Hale of Free Electric State performs “Chumming The Ocean”‬

Shirlé Hale sings and plays bass guitar for the noise-rock band Free Electric State. Prior to that she spent time in the neu-wave pop group Gerty! and was a founding member of the riot grrrl band Womyn of Destruction. Shirlé was born in California, raised in Northwest Philadelphia, lived in Spain and graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston before landing in Baltimore and eventually Durham, NC.

Shirlé brings us the mournfully sweet “Chumming The Ocean” by Archers of Loaf from their fantastic swan song ‘White Trash Heroes’. She is kinda ALONE at home, with the exception of her 16 year old dog Nico, who occasionally pops her head up in the background of this video to make a guest appearance. Shirlé is rockin’ some ‘70’s Father Guido Sarducci-style SUNGLASSES that she scored at H&M in Chicago while banging out the chords on her 1928 Lester upright PIANO.

Here’s a bit about her current band, Free Electric State:
Often big, often lush, the group’s engrossing sound is generated by guitarists Koslowski and Williams’ wall of blissfully dense guitars, while drummer Tony Stiglitz steadily pounds out heavy, driving rhythms. Singer/bassist Shirlé Hale’s mournful voice adds a somber element to her dark and often impressionistic lyrics of loss, lust and regret.

“The must-see Free Electric State, takes an interest in pulses and applies it beneath thick, glistening washes of sustained tones. Like shoegaze kids on a cocktail of psychedelics and uppers, they power tunes with twin guitars and arching vocals and propel them with sharp, heavy drums.” — Grayson Currin, Independent Weekly

For more information on FREE ELECTRIC STATE:
http://www.facebook.com/freeelectricstate
http://www.reverbnation.com/freeelectricstate
http://freeelectricstate.com

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Miyuki Furtado (Dead Sands, Divining Rod, & The Rogers Sisters) performs “Birds”

Miyuki Furtado is a multi-instrumentalist from Brooklyn and is currently playing drums with psych-rockers Dead Sands and has a solo project called Divining Rod. He was also the bassist / singer for one of Brooklyn’s original “breakout” bands of the early 2000s called The Rogers Sisters, who recorded for Too Pure Records (Stereolab, PJ Harvey, Electrelane, Th’ Faith Healers).

BUT, here we find him ALONE at his home in Irvington, NY playing a beautifully chilling version of Neil Young’s “Birds” from his ‘After The Gold Rush’ album. Please take a moment, if you can take your eyes off Miyuki’s sweet ‘stache, to notice his cop-style SUNGLASSES circa 1963. Obviously he’s ALONE, so who is that singing with him you might ask…why it’s him via a loop pedal.

More information about DEAD SANDS:
http://soundcloud.com/dead-sands
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dead-Sands/189148531124493

More information about DIVINING ROD:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Divining-Rod/222235734470338

More information about THE ROGERS SISTERS:
http://www.myspace.com/therogerssisters

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Andrea Connolly of Birds and Arrows

Andrea Connolly sings and plays guitar for BIRDS and ARROWS. But, here she is ALONE in the recording studio with some pretty rad SUNGLASSES laying down a beautifully haunting version of Loverboy’s “Working For The Weekend” on PIANO.

BIRDS and ARROWS create unique music that is “full of romance and energy”, “enchanting”, and “the kind you fall in love with”. The trio, based in Chapel Hill, NC, is Andrea Connolly(vocals and guitar), Pete Connolly(vocals and drums) and Josh Starmer(cello), and together they create a rich sound that is much more than the sum of their parts. The romance between Andrea and Pete’s voices is distinctly captivating and intertwines with beautiful yet haunting cello melodies. BIRDS and ARROWS accomplish an elegant, warm sound that is truly their own. Their compelling and road tested live show appeals to a surprisingly wide range of audiences; they are the cherished rock band for folk lovers and the favorite folk group for rock fans.

More info about BIRDS and ARROWS:
http://www.facebook.com/birdsandarrowsmusic
http://www.birdsandarrows.com/

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