 |
Upcoming concert previews of note
 |
Peter Mulvey
|
Peter Mulvey
Saturday · Molly Malone's (Covington)
It seems too spartan and incomplete to merely call Peter Mulvey a singer/songwriter, like calling Salvador Dali a painter. Poet, troubadour, musical shaman -- perhaps these are better descriptors for the kind of artist that Mulvey has evolved into since the 1992 self-release of his debut album, Rain. In the decade and a half since then, Mulvey has been hailed by his peers, acclaimed by critics and adored by his fans for his ability to write songs that are grounded in the everyday and yet shimmer with an atmospheric delicacy.
A Milwaukee native, Mulvey began playing in bands as a theater major at Marquette University then relocated to Dublin, Ireland, after graduation, where he became wise in the ways of street performing. He eventually made his way back to the U.S. where he plied his busking skills on the streets and in the subway stations of Boston.
Mulvey self-released five albums on his own Black Walnut label until 2000, when he signed with indie Signature Sounds for his sixth record, The Trouble with Poets. In 2002, Mulvey returned to his busking roots and recorded the fascinating Ten Thousand Mornings, an album of amazing cover choices tracked entirely in the Davis Square T-stop subway station in Somerville, Mass. The following year, Mulvey joined longtime friends Kris Delmhorst and Jeffrey Foucault for the collaborative Redbird album project.
After 2004's Kitchen Radio and 2006's The Knuckleball Suite (and his "Look Ma, No Gasoline" bicycle tour of southern Wisconsin), Mulvey released Notes From Elsewhere, his 2007 career retrospective ... with a twist. Mulvey re-recorded all of the previously released songs on the album alone with an acoustic guitar.
Like an ephemeral mind-melding of Mark Knopfler, Dave Matthews, Lyle Lovett, Tom Waits and Bruce Cockburn, Peter Mulvey continues to translate his worldly experiences into transcendent music for a grateful audience.
(Buy tickets, check out performance times and find nearby bars and restaurants here.)
The Sword with Torche and Stinking Lizevata
Monday #183 Mad Hatter
Steve Martin used to do a bit in his stand-up routine about saying words that have never been assembled together in the same sentence, like ¨Im going to suck this piano into my lungs.
With the rise of The Sword and the excitement generated by their first two albums (their acclaimed 2006 debut, Age of Winters, and their newly released sophomore album, Gods of the Earth, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboards Heatseekers and New Artists charts, and No. 5 on the publications Tastemakers tally just over a month ago), Martins litany could now include the following diametrically opposed string of words: ¨Brain-bubbling Metal from Austin, Texas.
While the Lone Star State capital may be known for a lot of oddball musical contributions -- And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead and Daniel Johnston, for instance -- it has not yet produced a dense slab of celebratory Stoner Metal riffage resembling anything quite like The Sword. The Austin quartet churns out impenetrable walls of lethal yet melodic guitar squall reminiscent of the shuddering best of early Black Sabbath while remaining rooted in the blessed-out, amps-to-11 contemporary tar pit of Mastodon and Spirit Caravan.
 |
The Sword
|
Guitarists J.D. Cronise and Kyle Shutt plow through dual leads with the brutal glee and focused ferocity of godfather Tony Iommi over The Swords thunderous bedrock bottom (provided by bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Trivett Wingo, perhaps the most viscous and loudest rhythm section in Rock). Cronise delivers the bands imagery-laden, Tolkeinesque lyrics with his effective Ozzy howl coursing through the thick sonic maelstrom.
Unlike the Sabbath that pummeled before them, The Sword have been praised by both Metal and mainstream media, from Kerrang! and Metal Edge to The New Yorker and Rolling Stone. Like Sabbath, The Sword careens with bone-rattling intensity -- both are voluminous masters of reality.
(Buy tickets, check out performance times and find nearby bars and restaurants here.)
E-mail Brian Baker
 Printer-friendly version
Previously in Sound Advice
Ra Ra Riot, Gods of Kansas, Ace Frehley Upcoming concert previews of note
By Staff
(April 30, 2008)
Backyard Tire Fire, Rev. Horton Heat, NAshville Pussy, The Cops Upcoming concert previews of note
By Brian Baker
(April 23, 2008)
Sound Advice: More Concerts of Note Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Duke Spirit, Armor For Sleep, Saves the Day, and More...
By Brian Baker
(April 16, 2008)
more...
Other articles by Brian Baker
Locals Only: Souse Jazz/Fusion outfit Souse sets its sights on the future with debut album, Push (April 30, 2008)
Restructural Reinforcement John Schmersal looks to the past for Enon's future on new CD (April 23, 2008)
Voegele Training At an age when many performers are getting started, former Miami student Kate Voegele is a seasoned vet (April 16, 2008)
more...
personals |
cover |
news |
columns |
music |
movies |
arts |
dining |
listings |
classifieds |
mediakit |
promotions |
home
|
|
Hiders Seek
The Hiders do things their own way again with Penny Harvest Field
Def Con
Canadian imports' star continues to rise in the U.S. with The Con
Spill It
Celebrating King
Cash Flagg
Rock quartet Cash Flagg is nasty when it counts
Music Listings
|
