Underground Bands and Indie Music Reviews

First hitting the scene from the east coast, Mike Posner recorded his own lyrics to popular songs to add a new spin to them. This new American singer, songwriter, and producer was born in Southfield Michigan and later attended Duke University as a member of Sigma Nu Fraternity.

In early 2009, he hired manager Daniel Weisman of Elitaste Inc., who also manages Wale, to work on his first mixtape, “A Matter of Time” along with Don Cannon and DJ Benzi. In July 2009, Posner signed a major label deal with J Records (RCA/Sony). However, he chose to return to Duke University after signing his record deal, and toured on the weekends while at the same time recording for his debut album. Posner’s second mixtape, “One Foot Out The Door” was released on October 27, 2009. The mixtape is hosted by Clinton Sparks, and features the sounds of Kid Cudi, Big Sean, Bun B, Saigon, GLC, 3OH!3, Freddie Gibbs, and XV. Interestingly, it was originally released on iTunes U, the education division of Apple’s iTunes, but was taken down after Apple deemed it uneducational.

His debut album entitled “35 Minutes to Takeoff” is to be released August 3rd, 2010. He will be performing at Bonnaroo and all 42 dates of the 2010 Warped Tour this summer. The first single from the album, “Cooler Than Me,” as of June 3 had climbed the Billboard Hot 100 to reach No. 8. On May 31, 2010, Posner appeared on Lopez Tonight with a performance of Cooler Than Me.

His single has caught on quickly and is helping raise his name awareness before the launch of his next album. We look forward to hearing more from this up and coming artist.

Parlor Hawk “Every Bone” from The Occidental Saloon on Vimeo.

To be completely honest, the first time I heard Parlor Hawk, I was not really impressed. My brother brought home their new cd Hoarse and Roaring and I tried to listen through it multiple times but would have to stop after the first few songs, because I felt like each song had the exact same tempo and feel to it. Hence, I was inspired or impressed…but my brothers raved about the band. So, I gave them yet another chance.

And after seeing the above music video of “Every Bone,” in which I felt of the band’s fervent folk fusion, I completely changed my mind. Parlor Hawk is a remarkable band and they are going somewhere and already have.

Their music is touching with its tender and yet tremendous truth. I cannot imagine a better name for their first album, which released June 15th, than Hoarse and Roaring. Their music is both soft spoken and yet piercing with its intimacy, just as the album cover suggests. When you see the band in their music video, you really do sense and feel a part of their passion for what their music is relaying.

Chase Larson perfectly described Parlor Hawk’s new album when he said:

“Listening to ‘Hoarse and Roaring‘ is like driving alone down a long, open road off into a sunset tinged landscape, leaving plenty of time to contemplate life’s hopes and struggles.”

I would just add that the flow of the album may be a little too contemplatative, causing the driver to either lose focus of the road or to drift off into dreaming.

Parlor Hawk is still a mystery to me though. I tried to learn a little bit more about their forming of the band and honestly didn’t find much. Here’s what I found:

Parlor Hawk is a local Utah band, which originally started as the band Moses until 2009 when they changed their name and their music. The band consists of Drew Capener, TJ Nokleby, Andrew Dyer, Mark Garbett, and Jay Tibbitts. The band now has two record labels with the help of Joshua James, and they are busy sharing their soul symphonies to others in Ohio, California, Las Vegas, and so on.

This talented Americana Folk-rock band appears to be really down to earth and friendly. Most of the band, if not all of them, are married and have families. I read an interview about them in which they all had a great sense of humor too. Although their music is sensitive and serious, the band is all really down to earth.

Parlor Hawk is an attractive band, both physically and musically. I’m excited to see what this band will accomplish in the next little while. I expect them to continue to get better and to bring more juicy musical fruit to us in the near future . I only suggest, that the band work a little on the format and flow of their next album, so as to show their true talent.

Ingrid Michaelson, always a crowd pleaser, was just one of the draws at the Bonnaroo music festival in Manchester, Tennessee over the weekend. She brings her quirky spirit with her everywhere, even on stage. She really knows how to liven up a crowd and get them as invested in her music as she is.

One of the ways she got the crowd interested was by playing a few bars of Lady Gaga’s hit “Poker Face” in her own fashion which is sure to grab anyone’s attention as it is a break from her traditional style. She then transitioned from “Poker Face” into her own tune “Soldier,” giving fans what they wanted to hear.

Naturally, it was pretty hot there for the 80,000 people who turned out for the festival. And with most sleeping in campgrounds for the weekend, Michaelson noted it wasn’t the cleanest place in the world.

She said, “We smell like a bunch of slightly dirty music lovers. And what is better than that?”

Other artists performing at Bonnaroo included the Kings of Leon, Jay-Z and Stevie Wonder.