Singer Songwriter/Local

Wes Weddell: By the Side of the Lake

www.wesweddell.com/

Wes is ever the impeccable musician and these are finely crafted tunes. The arrangements pull me into the movement of the bass but nothing is cluttered. I can hear every word. The lyrics are not contrived, Wes is speaking to me. An urban setting for a country boy ‘Not Where I was Supposed to Be.’  There’s a bit of Rock arrangement in ‘Remember When.’  Wes has a good voice and he’s at his best

Local/Singer Songwriter

James Gordon: My Stars Your Eyes

www.jamesgordon.ca

James Gordon press kit mentions a 30 year career as singer-songwriter.  Gordon’s voice is basic but the production is adequate to present his songs.  ‘How?’ reflects on how we should live our lives now and is a decent song with a message. ‘At the Whim of the Wind & the Sea’ is pleasant with its harmonies. ‘Virtue Jane’, about a young woman

Singer Songwriter/Local

Brian Ellefson: Panoramic View

www.BrianEllefson.com

Brian Ellefson is a very promising local songwriter. On this CD he plays all the instruments, which include bass, guitar, electric guitar, and drums. He has a nice, expressive voice and the songs are the stuff of life, clear, simple, not so dylanesq. I would describe his lyrics as Indie “real time.” The guitar work is simple, understated and

The Tequila Mockingbird Orchestra: The Blanche Album

2009  self-released
http://www.thetequilamockingbirdorchestra.com/

It’s a cardinal rule that bands that sound great onstage often cut terrible studio recordings, and bands that sound amazing in the studio can leave you cold onstage. Case in point: The Be Good Tanyas sound gorgeous on CD. I bought each of their albums and played them over and over. Yet they’ve consistently given the worst performances I have ever seen. Completely devoid of emotion and connection, I even watched lead singer

Handful of Luvin’: Life in Between

2010 self-released

I must confess that I have tried very hard to dislike Handful of Luvin. It’s the name. I just can’t deal with the name. Handful of Luvin’ sounds like a Whitey-McWhiterson blues band from the Midwest. And yet no matter how much I try to dislike them, I have completely failed. I think it’s impossible not to like this band. I booked them at Folklife when I was working there because their music sounded like so much fun, and I see that they were booked last year at

Guitar/instrumental/Northwest

Truck Mills: The Day After Yesterday

www.truckmills.com

This is a warm, slide guitar album from depths of Idaho. Truck Mills is joined by Marc Clarke on drums and Brian Hibbard on marimba. The title track is my favorite for the simplicity and guitar quality. In ‘Carmelita Del Barco’ the marimba joins the relaxed Latin beat.  ‘Dorothy with the 800 Legs’ is quite wanky with guitar effects and shows off Truck’s ability to deliver a full sound with just drums for accompaniment.  Truck adds his expertise