Alt folk

Full of soulful urgency and longing, of lost sailors, cruel pirates and creeping inevitabilities, the new solo album Old Devils by Jon Langford and Skull Orchard travels o'er the seas and malls, from the pubs of Wales to the swamps of the settled life, steeped in the haunted, never-ending search for place. Old Devils sits on the tuff wharves of the world and swaps stories and worries, the lies told much better than the truths, conjuring the ghosts of mates-in-spiritual-arms from Dylan Thomas to Johnny Cash

It’s been six years since celebrated female duo Azure Ray released their critically acclaimed album Hold On Love. The highly anticipated new full length from Orenda Fink and Maria Taylor is a sublime future classic titled Drawing Down the Moon, set for release on Saddle Creek on September 14, 2010. The record was produced by Eric Bachmann at Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, North Carolina, mixed by Michael Patterson in Los Angeles, CA, and features guest appearances by Andy LeMaster and Liz Durrett. With three prior full-lengths and an EP, the duo drew fans from around the globe with their transcendent songwriting and stunning vocals, and Drawing Down the Moon is an even more impressive and beguiling delight. Their undeniable talents lie in balladry so breathtakingly visceral that it soars straight through the ears into the veins until it pumps firmly into the heart.

It's the return of the tree huggin’, love makin’, pro choicin’, gay weddin’, widespread diggin’ barefoot hippie Todd Snider! He’s taken on Conservative Christians, hippies, Republicans, and frat boys. In his most recent album, “country’s conscience” (Spin, August 2006) and “top wiseass” (Blender, August 2006) Todd Snider shows us how to get through this economic crisis with ‘The Excitement Plan’ (Yep Roc). The album features GRAMMY-winning producer Don Was (Bob Dyan, Rolling Stones, Bonnie Raitt) and a guest appearance by Loretta Lynn.

As a teenager, Thao Nguyen spent hours in her mother's laundromat, working the counter while simultaneously writing songs and tinkering on her guitar. Years later, Nguyen's capacity for multi-tasking is paying off: after recruiting drummer Willis Thompson and bassist Adam Thompson (not related, but both from Nguyen's home state of Virginia) to serve as her backing band, the Get Down Stay Down, Thao has spent the past six years performing, touring and recording, as both a solo artist and a band. Along the way, her earnest, gritty voice and bluesy brand of guitar-driven indie folk have attracted an impressive list of collaborators and admirers, including Laura Veirs, Andrew Bird, and the Portland Cello Project. Two years ago, Thao and the Get Down Stay Down moved to San Francisco, where they received a warm welcome from fellow West Coast musicians (and touring partners) like Xiu Xiu and Rilo Kiley.

2009 was the year everything blew up—in a good way—for the indie folk trio Megafaun. Megafaun had its roots in the Eau Claire, WI band DeYarmond Edison that brothers Brad and Phil Cook, and Joe Westerlund formed with Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver) until the band's demise in 2006. When Bon Iver went off to lick his wounds and write his now famous For Emma, Forever Ago album, Megafaun was born. After releasing their debut Bury the Square in 2007, the band  toured extensively, collaborated with artists of all stripes, and generally, had their musical horizons stretched to the nth degree. Read more »

Join the party as Kristoff Krane, known for his pleasantly concoctive performances, seemingly effortless vocal improv-skills and eagerness for direct human connection, celebrates the release of his sophomore solo album debut Hunting For Father at The Cedar.  Blending simplistic guitar chords, eerie piano progressions, oddball samples and an amalgam of ambient noise, Krane’s new album is dynamic and moving. His lyrical content retains continuity through an unabashed expression of personal struggle and familiar observations on the world’s hand of chaos and fortune.