Gigs We Dig

Soul Cannon: The Mixed Ape Record Release Party

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Baltimore's own Soul Cannon is back with their second full length studio album The Mixed Ape. To celebrate this, they're throwing a record release party with guests the Chris Pumphrey Sextet and Ghostmode this Saturday, July 16th at The Wind Up Space in Baltimore MD.

Soul Cannon is pushing towards the forefront of the hip hop scene because of their polished talent, rambunctious shows, and sick instrumental prowess. Anytime the Cannon plays it is a not to be missed kind of show, but the opportunity to share an evening in celebration of the new album is a rare treat and one the all available should be clambering to get in on.

Soul Cannon: Good Day Dream

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Episodes in Virtuosity: Sergio & Odair Assad

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Sergio & Odair Assad are two of the finest guitar players on the planet and I was reminded of this last night after listening to their performance of Cancao off their album Alma Brasileira again for the first time in a long time.

Hearing this music again made me want to share it with you good people in the Episodes of Virtuosity series here on TWD. Break out the noise canceling headphones for this one because you're going to want to miss a note. You dig?

Sergio & Odair Assad: Suite Brasileira – Cancao

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Videos

Chris Thile & Michael Daves: Rabbit in the Log

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This is what a prodigy looks and sounds like. Chris Thile and Michael Daves perform the bluegrass traditional Rabbit in the Log as good as anyone is performing any music, in any genre, anywhere on the planet – and I mean this pretty much without hyperbole. Their new album Sleep With One Eye Open is the professional debut of the duo and was recorded in a staggeringly short four days. Aside from the violent and breathtaking virtuosity of their instrumental performance, what I enjoy most about this video is the way that the duo interact on stage. 

They are performing around a single microphone for both instrumental and vocal amplification and yet their balance is always spot on. This is allowed to happen because the musicians are watching and reading each other while performing. You can even see that their eyes are locked during the verses because they are watching each other place their diction in order to make their words as crisp and as clean as their harmonies. Their interactions on stage are more conversational than performance based because their preparedness to be there supercedes any technical musical demand. The nail in the coffin is of course the final chord. This gesture is both coy and hilarious because after the previous several minutes of voracious music making the artists are in control enough to pull way back on the reins  and place the final gesture with a smile.

I tend to get obsessive when Chris Thile presents a new project, and his new work with the enviable Michael Daves is no exception. The interwebs is currently saturated with surfacing videos of the new duo and this means that I am currently losing my mind watching it all and cheering at my computer screen. You should be too. Enjoy.

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Unearthed Music

Fitz & The Tantrums

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Fitz & The Tantrums – Breakin' The Chains Of Love

Fitz & The Tantrums – We Don't Gotta Work It Out

There are very few things in this world that get me crazy excited. A really good sandwich or finding the first Bill Withers album on vinyl – sure I'll be hopping up and down freaking out. Music-wise, there's not much that can get me going more than a new Motown/Stax influenced band. I'm really just a huge sucker for soul (a fact that is well documented). Fitz and the Tantrums masterfully mesh together the influences I hold so dear with a modern, fresh poppiness.

The mark of any good Motown band (original or otherwise) for me is always the rhythym section. If the drummer is holding it down and the bass player is making my loins groove the song is bound to be classic. It's the first thing that hooked me on "Breakin' The Chains of Love" off Pickin' Up The Pieces, and it's the last thing you notice on the last track, "Tighter". Interestingly, the album is composed entirely without guitars which makes the loud, dense tracks even more impressive.

All my overanalyzing doesn't really do justice to the fact that Fitz and the Tantrums are just straight up addictive. Pickin' Up The Pieces is ten tracks of a damn good time and if you can't get down with this, you need to lighten up, Debbie Downer.

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Holler Back!

Top 5 Albums of 2011 So Far

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It's July and we have officially reached the half way point of 2011. As it seems the thing to do, I too have been looking back at my new albums from this year and I have to say, it's been a great start to the year! With this in mind I would like to present my list for the Top 5 albums of 2011 So Far.

This is also a Holler Back! feature so blowup the feedback box and let me know what you think of my selections and what your picks for the year in progress would be as well. As always, we love to hear from the Dig Nation so hook it up.

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Videos

The Wood Brothers – Shoofly Pie

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The Wood Brothers are back with the release of their official video for "Shoefly Pie" off their forthcoming album, Smoke Ring Halo. The Wood Brothers have long been a favorite here at TWD and we're all very excited for the new album which can be pre-ordered here. The video is a total throw back and has a very Soundgarden Black Hole Sun quality to it. It also showcases a bitchin' astronaut drummer! If this song is any indication the new album promises to bring a little harder edge sound to the Wood Brothers traditional sense of harmony and musicality. 

If this teaser has got your taste buds workin' and you want more you can find all the Wood Brothers work available via itunes here or follow their Twitter account for frequent updates. 

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