The xx @ Oakland's Fox Theatre on 9/23/10

Bobby Bare Jr. @ The Underground 9/2/10

Blue Giant Pics

Blue Giant opened for and played with Bobby Bare Jr. at The Underground on 9/2/10.

It was a fantastic show. Why weren't more of you Reno-ites there?

You make me sad, you really do.

Support good music when it comes to town dammit!

Did you know that Blue Giant has a female lead guitarist? Hell yes they do and she is kick ass.

Also, she and her husband make up the band Viva Voce.

What?

I love Viva Voce.

BBJ Pics to follow.

Have you heard this new album by JUNIP yet? You might wanna.

The story that leads to Junip’s 2010 release is one of patience and perfectionism, frustration and persistence, sheer bloody-mindedness, inspiration and success. The place to which it takes you, however, is one of pastoral contemplation, autumnal grace and inscrutable, haunting serenity. A cosmopolitan three piece from Gothenburg, Sweden – featuring Tobias Winterkorn (keyboards), Elias Araya (drums) and José González (vocals & guitar), the latter of whom you’ll be familiar with from his solo work – Junip have existed since 1999, maybe even 1998. It’s so long, frankly, that none of them are quite sure. FIELDS, however, is the album that they’ve been itching to make ever since. González and Araya have been playing together since they were 14.

Loving this today ~ Maximum Balloon.

Some of my favorite NYC singers guest on this album, love these pics too.

http://www.maximumballoon.com/

Check this Band Out: Tired Pony

“A gentle and mellifluous set of songs, it’s an album that’s haunted by a deep and evocative sense of fragile melancholy…an album for lost, lonely times.” – Clash

“The instruments and textures enter, drop out, augment, hold back, enter again, with a subtlety that, without warning, will burst suddenly into violent visceral life.” – Sunday Times Culture

“It’s the best work Lightbody has done….” – Q Magazine

Tired Pony, spearheaded by Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody, is a collaborative project featuring the talents of R.E.M.’s Peter Buck, Belle and Sebastian’s Richard Colburn, acclaimed producer Jacknife Lee and more. Their debut album – The Place We Ran From (which released September 28th; Mom + Pop) was born after Gary Lightbody decamped to Portland, Oregon’s Type Foundry studio. He invited along Troy Stewart, a regular touring member of Snow Patrol; Iain Archer, a longtime Snow Patrolcollaborator; Richard Colburn, Belle & Sebastian’s drummer and former collaborator with Lightbody in Reindeer Section; and producer Garret “Jacknife” Lee (U2, Bloc Party), who helped to recruit Tired Pony’s final two members: Peter Buck from R.E.M. and Scott McCaughey, R.E.M.’s full-time auxiliary member since 1994.

Inspired by his love of Wilco, Calexico, Lambchop, Palace, Smog and more, Gary set out to make what could be called an American gothic album, a country-tinged gem that looked at the darkness of America. Bringing in She & Him’s Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward and The Editors’ Tom Smith for guest turns, the album was made quickly, with the entire recording session lasting only a week. At the end of it all, the players felt so close and so connected, they decided to take Tired Pony out of the studio and into the world.

Grass Valley in October

Tuesday, October 26

The Center for the Arts and (((folkYEAH!))) present

Bonnie 'Prince' Billy plus very special guest TBA

8:00PM, $15 in advance, $18 at the door

Saturday, October 30

The Center for the Arts presents Punk / Folk Legend

Billy Bragg

8:00PM, $30 General Admission