Stream/Download "Purgatorial Hearts" Album by Guy Grogan
"Purgatorial Hearts" is the new release by Sante Fe based indie rock artist Guy Grogan...
"Purgatorial Hearts" is the new release by Sante Fe based indie rock artist Guy Grogan. This album is Guy's 11th and perhaps most personal release to date. As with his previous records, he tracked all the parts himself and teamed up again with local award-winning Santa Fe musician and producer, Dennis Jasso at Fw Studios. The net result is a record that maintains Guy's reputation as a "self-avowed genre swinger", retains his trademark DIY vitality, but possesses a finesse and production quality his songs richly deserve. In speaking about the album, Guy says,
"Purgatorial Hearts" is a meditation on a collapsed relationship and, as the title suggests, an ode to others I encountered in the aftermath that were also navigating their way through the wreckage of their own relationship battlefields. Lyrically, this is not something I would choose to write about per se, but as a songwriter, I've learned that subjects have a way of choosing you until you have sufficiently told their story."
Stream/Download "Purgatorial Hearts" on Bandcamp
Connect with Guy Grogan: Soundcloud | YouTube
Interview: Singer-Songwriter Christina Holmes
Check out our exclusive interview with singer-songwriter @christinaholmes...
Christina Holmes is a talented singer-songwriter who recently released her second album, "Stand Up", via her record label Cove House Records. She has toured with the likes of Trevor Hall, Xavier Rudd, and Nahko of Medicine for the People. Christina’s honesty and empowering music has captivated audiences and has prompted her to share more of her life story. Her song “Forget Me Not” is a heartfelt track written about her journey of finding love with her fiancé and becoming comfortable in her identity as a queer woman and “Always” was written for her father who recently passed away and features a recording of his voice. Perhaps one of her must upbeat songs, “Positive Day,” captures Christina’s infectious energy and encourages people to see the light in their everyday life and to live life to the fullest.
Check out our exclusive interview with Christina Holmes and after reading it, be sure to connect with Christina via her social media streams as well as stream/download "Stand Up".
What prompted you to get into music?
I got into music at a very young age thanks to my Father.
Does music serve as a form of catharsis for you as you go through life's ups and downs, and how?
Yes, always. Music is my emotional outlet. Whether I am writing about the positive or the negative, music give me the outlet to be able to get out those thoughts. I express myself better through song then I do through just talking so when it comes to writing music and lyrics I tend to get deeper into the meaning/ lesson of whatever the situation was that inspired the song.
How does your personal sense of identity tie into your sense of identity within your music, and the musical community?
I am who I am and always have been no matter what the situation. I always say who I am on stage is who I am off stage. I am me.
Can you tell us about your recent tour with Nahko? How do you come to find the artists you collaborate with, and what's essential to you in terms of collaboration?
The Nahko tour was incredible, in all aspects. It was a dream come true and I am honored and blessed to have been able to be a part of it. When it comes to finding people to tour with it really just comes from people I listen to and am inspired by. Then my manager and I go about reaching out to their team and seeing if we could be a good fit. Sometimes it takes months, even years to get to the point of agreement but at the end day I never give up. All anyone can say is no.
Was going acoustic a conscious choice, or is it just stylistically what you fell into? And how did you find your sound?
I have always been in love with acoustic and it's always been something I knew I wanted to play and make music with. I found my acoustic sound at a young age and experimented with a couple different sounds and genres on my first album, Peace Love and C.Holmes. Even with the different sounds on that album I still would always perform them acoustically. There is just something about it and I will never leave the acoustic behind.
What's the importance of your music being uplifting, and affecting listener's state of mind or mood?
My main goal has always been to spread music to help change someone’s day for the better. I think it’s important to show people it’s ok to feel their emotions no matter what it is and to believe in yourself even when it feels impossible. I want my music to help heal people but also allow them to see that anything is possible if they try.
Who are the biggest inspirations in your life, and in your music?
My biggest inspirations in life would have to be my parents. Throughout my life they have shown me how to be the best person I can be and they also believe in my dreams as much as I do. They have also been the hardest working, most loving parents and have always supported me in whatever I set my mind too. My Dad unfortunately passed away two years ago but still impacts my day to day as my inspiration to never give up. My biggest musical inspirations are Tracy Chapman and Bob Marley.
The Top 10 Indie Songs 2000-2009
“Indie” is a big word. It’s hard to define, and, as you’ll see from our top 10 Indie Songs of 2000-2009, it doesn’t necessarily have a distinct style...
“Indie” is a big word. It’s hard to define, and, as you’ll see from our top 10 Indie Songs of 2000-2009 below, it doesn’t necessarily have a distinct style.
It’s more of an ethos than anything, and all of the tracks below have tons of it. When you think about indie at the beginning of the 21st century, these are the tracks that encapsulate what it was all about.
10. Sleater Kinney – Jumpers
At this point, Carrie Brownstein might be better known for Portlandia than for her band, Sleater Kinney, but just listen to “Jumpers” for one of the finest pure indie rock songs of the aughts.
9. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Maps
This song has become iconic since its release in 2004. Included in the video game Rock Band, covered in live sets by The White Stripes, Radiohead, Ted Leo, and scores of other musicians, “Maps” is perhaps the perfect indie song.
8. The Kills – Last Day of Magic
With its dissonant guitars, industrial beat, male/female vocal harmonies, “Last Day of Magic” blends punk, indie, and pure pop into an unforgettable track.
7. The Decemberists – The Mariner's Revenge Song
Who can turn a steampunk, 8-minute song about being eaten by a whale into an epic tale that begs to be listened to on repeat? The Decemberists. There’s an entire novel buried somewhere in the lyrics of this track.
6. Feist – 1234
This is what pure love sounds like, especially the last 40 seconds of the track.
5. Arcade Fire – Rebellion (Lies)
From the very first seconds of “Rebellion (Lies),” you have a driving bass line and kick drum which signal that something epic is coming. Then the song slowly but surely builds to one of the best choruses ever written.
4. The Avalanches – Frontier Psychiatrist
The Avalanches took sampling to new heights on Since I Left You (2000), perhaps most so on the track, “Frontier Psychiatrist.” It also led to one of the most absolutely bonkers music videos of all time.
3. M.I.A. – Paper Planes
This track only becomes better known with time—having been in the films Slumdog Millionaire, Pineapple Express, and Hancock, performed by scores of rappers, punk bands, and other artists, and featured in video games, “Paper Planes” is M.I.A.’s best known work to date. You only need to listen to the chorus once before it becomes forever stuck in your head.
2. Explosions in the Sky – Your Hand in Mine
Perhaps the finest post-rock track of all time, “Your Hand in Mine,” is, quite simply, one of the most beautiful instrumental pieces ever written. It is stark, uplifting, and immensely powerful–perhaps made even more so from its association with various incarnations of Friday Night Lights.
1. Wilco – Jesus, Etc.
Just the lines “tall buildings shake/voices escape/singing sad sad songs” alone can effectively summarize post 9/11-era America–an especially daunting realization when considering the song was recorded before the attacks (though released after). All of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is a masterpiece, but this track specifically is one that will forever be associated with the era.
Former Faces Vocalist Ryan Parmenter Discusses Their Upcoming EP "Swimming In Circles"
@formerfaces Ryan Parmenter is a Silverlake-based multi-instrumentalist and vocalist who enlisted the help of David Lee (guitar), Brian Blake (bass), and...
Ryan Parmenter is a Silverlake-based multi-instrumentalist and vocalist who enlisted the help of David Lee (guitar), Brian Blake (bass), and Abraham Kim (drums) to shape his live act, which aims to bring a complete audiovisual performance to the stage. Together these artists are the band Former Faces and they will be releasing their EP "Swimming In Circles" very soon. We connected with Ryan to discuss the EP, the significance of the name "Former Faces", their typical live performance and much more.
After reading this exclusive Q&A with Ryan Parmenter, be sure to follow Former Faces on social media and listen to the band's new single "Weekend Mountain Man" below. Last but never least, stay tuned because we'll be publishing our review of "Swimming In Circles" early next week.
Tell us about the name "Former Faces"; where did it originate and what is its significance?
The name echoes a phrase I came across while reading Borges' The Draped Mirrors. It signifies the distortion inherent in any effort to recapture the past.
In three words, how would you describe the music that you create?
Immersive
Emotive
Reflective
Describe a typical Former Faces stage performance. What techniques and effects do you incorporate to take the audience's experience to the next level?
Despite the serious and oft times melancholy tone of our songs, we have a really fun time performing! We're a new band and have only played a handful of shows so our stage performance is still evolving but I've prepared hours of hypnotic visuals (similar in style to our music videos) that we are excited to incorporate into our live show in the near future. In the meantime we rely on our chemistry, musicianship, and slinky dance moves :)
If your music was designated to be the soundtrack to any movie, which movie would you select?
"The movie adaptation of the sequel to your life." (Couldn't help it, thanks Malkmus!)
What are you most proud of with your upcoming EP "Swimming In Circles"? Have you had the opportunity to perform any songs from the EP for audiences yet?
I'm most proud of the song 'Back Up a Minute' and to have completed something that required so much sustained focus and effort. We've played all the songs on the EP (as well as several others) for audiences and I'm happy to report that the response has been extremely positive!
Describe your songwriting process. Do you need to be in a quiet and serene location to write or does a lot of ambient noise get your creative juices flowing?
My process varies from song to song - some begin with a drum beat and bass line recorded at home, others with a melody hummed at the beach or in the woods. Rarely do I have a complete vision for a song before I start it. The process and song inevitably and unpredictably evolve together. I try to nurture creative moments into meaningful ideas whenever or wherever they're born.
How does the "Swimming In Circles" EP differ from your earlier work? And what message do you aim to convey to the listener with the EP's five songs?
The difference is that I'm singing! This is my first foray as a lead singer and primary songwriter, so while I've been making music for years, this project is uniquely rewarding. I wouldn't say we are aiming to convey a particular message so much as hoping to provide a soundtrack that elicits reflection. The songs on Swimming in Circles are very personal but purposely open to interpretation.
BLOG: How to Build a Following as an Indie Artist
In this blog post, Scotty Banx gives tips on how to cultivate a loyal fan base as an indie artist in an over saturated market. To read the full blog post, click here.