Spotlight: Charlie Salas-Humara

Posted on October 16, 2009 by jvd

Here’s what I know about Charlie: he’s half of Panther, he uses color about as well as any artist around, and he’s got fantastic hair.

Charlie Salas-Humara

Unfortunately that’s about all I know about Charlie, so to do some justice to this I nagged my friend/his wife Maggie for more. (Because, you know, she’s not too busy or anything.) So here’s a list of the raw IMs that followed:

  • he’s always starting new projects. he’s created a whole horror movie soundtrack for a movie that only exists in his head (http://www.myspace.com/humaramusic)
  • he’s got more energy then anyone I have ever met, constantly creating music/art
  • he’s cuban/italian. his great uncle was batista.
  • grew up outside of chicago, been in portland since the mid 90′s
  • he’s a good cook – wants to invent future food and make a cooking show. not sure what future food actually is yet

Okay I’m stopping there. At this point we got into details about future food. Maggie talked about something with corn chips, peanut butter, and jalepenos that she shied away from. I, on the other hand, was captivated. As a major advocate of the peanut butter burrito I started thinking about moving to Portland so Charlie and I could start the future food burrito stand and television studio. And you can imagine the IM session went downhill from there.

That’s Charlie. Now, Panther, they’re a different story. Panther I know and they’re rad. For starters, the song ‘Violence, Diamonds‘ from their debut is the single best James Bond theme ever written. (No it didn’t appear in a Bond film, but that changes nothing.) Their new record, Entropy, is gaining attention, high praise, and comparisons to Steely Dan. The first two are spot-on. It’s a really good record.

Entropy takes some of the hard edges from Panther and blends them just slightly, keeping the frenetic feel but containing it a bit. It’s true that there’s a bit of classic rock blending its way in, but it really fits. It’s a little ironic, but Entropy feels like a real evolution for Panther — they pushed their sound and found just the right accents to make it something new, keeping the best of the Portland energy and adding another layer to it.

To add a final (and slightly obligatory) CASH fundraiser note: Charlie did one of the three art prints, detail shown above. You can purchase an 18″x18″ giclée print at http://cashmusic.org/

panthertouch.com
Buy Entropy

Spotlight: Jeremy Warmsley

Posted on October 16, 2009 by jvd

Jeremy Warmsley is a uniquely talented singer from London, England.

Jeremy Warmsley

Almost a year ago he wrote out of the blue, saying he liked what we were doing at CASH. I wasn’t familiar with his music at the time, so I looked him up. Jeremy’s records were put out on Transgressive which is a good sign right off the bat. I found his website and listened to the tracks linked there, all really good. What was striking was that each listen brought more depth. Jeremy’s voice is the first thing you notice, then the pace and the playing, then the subtleties in the writing. It gets more impressive as you realize he’s a fantastic musician who’s equally comfortable on guitar and piano, playing live with a natural ease.

Quickly I’m hooked and like the music. I write back to him and we start to chat. He sends more music, get to know each other a bit, and he’s a genuinely good person. He let me into his world a bit, shared in-progress stuff, and I loved his perspective.

He put up a free EP at CASH, but the big news is that he’s been leading a new band called Acres, Acres. They start at Jeremy’s music and build from there. Harmonies on top of his voice add to rich musical accompaniment. There’s is a brand of pop all its own, feeling simultaneously like they could share a stage with the Beach Boys or the Arcade Fire. You can find a few tracks on their myspace page or catch them live as they’re about to play a bunch of UK dates. I’m not sure what Acres, Acres has planned after that, but it’s a good bet it’ll be worth keeping an eye on them.

Jeremy Warmsley’s CASH fundraiser contribution
Jeremy at CASH
Jeremy on Twitter
jeremywarmsley.com

Quick update

Posted on October 15, 2009 by jvd

I wanted to quickly check in about the CASH fundraiser with some minor updates and announcements. (Nothing fancy, and I won’t try to skip out on a proper post later in the day. Promise.)

  • On the whole it’s going really well so far. We’ve raised more attention than money, but both were goals from the start. I’m optimistic about the way it has unfolded so far, and there’s a real sense of momentum building on this end.
  • We’ve gotten some nice coverage online, and I’d like to thank the following outlets: Magnet, Creative Commons, FMLY, Pitchfork, KEXP, Asthmatic Kitty, Kill Rock Stars, and Gold Robot. A nonprofit fundraiser isn’t always considered news but each mention makes a big difference. If I’ve missed anyone please drop a line in the comments.
  • More people have started following our Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/cashmusic.org) and our Twitter account (@cashmusic) — thank you for listening and spreading the word! Growing awareness on a friend-to-friend level is vital to us, so every time you tell someone you know about CASH Music it helps.
  • We just launched our “thank you” mix on the CASH site. There are 12 tracks from artists I genuinely love and you can bet there will be a full post about the whole playlist here soon. But it’s a great mix, half of which can’t be found elsewhere right now. Check out the free stream, but I promise that a couple bucks for the 320k download is well worth the donation to a good cause.
  • We’re adding new items to the raffle in the next few days. They’ll go up as they’re ready but expect a proper announcement sometime next week.

That’s all for now. Thanks for giving it a read.

Spotlight: Portugal. The Man

Posted on October 14, 2009 by jvd

I’ve got seven words that should make you love Portugal. The Man:
futuristic space grizzly punks in white suits.

portugal

Portugal. The Man is a new kind of band, or at least they’ve built a new kind of crowd. They could play on a hill in Texas, far from their Alaskan home, and pack it. They roll into Georgia, Wisconsin, or Rhode Island and fill a room. For a long time now they’ve flown just under the mainstream radar and have built an impressive following by tirelessly playing music to an audience almost every night.

Sure, perseverance pays, but Portugal also brings dedication to every detail, a great sound, and a style that’s approachable without being dumbed down. There’s art in all aspects of what they do, and it dangles like a carrot pulling you forward into their world. From John Gourley’s illustrations to his lyrics there’s an imagery woven throughout everything Portugal that builds a sense of grandeur or greater vision.

Lately they’ve been getting more notice, so don’t expect them to stay under radar much longer. Kanye West and Justin Timberlake both dedicated time on their blogs praising their video for ‘Do You’ — in which the band turns into the futuristic space grizzly punks shown above.

(In addition to the lithograph they donated to the CASH fundraiser, Portugal also let us use ‘Do You’ as part of our thank you mix. Thanks guys!)

Here’s the thing to love about Portugal. The man: they make real art that’s fully palatable to the world of pop, but won’t ever be tamed by it.

Portugal. The Man’s CASH fundraiser contribution
Portugal. The Man at CASH
Portugal. The Man on Twitter
Buy The Satanic Satanist
portugaltheman.net

Spotlight: Thao with The Get Down Stay Down

Posted on October 13, 2009 by jvd

Today was the release of Thao with The Get Down Stay Down’s new record, Know Better Learn Faster, on Kill Rock Stars. I hope it shatters the most optimistic projections for sales, becomes a cultural touchstone for Autumn in 2009, and gets in on that Nobel prize action. Why the enthusiasm? Well it’s a great record, and success couldn’t happen to a nicer person.

I asked Maggie Vail if she’d talk to Thao about the CASH Music fundraiser. Not only did Thao say yes to getting involved, she literally offered us her heart.

thao

Seriously. Thao offered to send us the paper mache heart from the Know Better Learn Faster cover. She didn’t stop there, and asked if it would be okay if she did a sort of singing telegram for the fundraiser. A song written just for the winner, carrying any message as long as its positive. Such a great idea, and it holds all the charm and energy you hear in this latest record.

As for the album itself, Know Better Learn Faster will make a lot of favorite lists by year’s end. The band got a good deal of attention with their We Brave Bee Stings And All debut, and this record is a nice step forward. All the infectious energy is still present, hitting hard in tracks like ‘When We Swam,’ but there’s also an added degree of smart introspection in tracks like ‘Body’ and ‘Good Bye Good Luck.’ Thao also shows off her voice a bit throughout the record, carrying softer tracks with some really beautiful singing.

In a sentence, Thao with The Get Down Stay Down is a band that makes you feel good about music. They’re headed out on tour right now, so catch them when they’re close and put Know Better Learn Faster on your list of records to check out.

Thao wTGDSD’s CASH fundraiser contribution
Thao wTGDSD on Twitter
Buy Know Better Learn Faster
thaomusic.com

ps
Una’s rad ‘Bag Of Hammers’ video

Spotlight: Willard Grant Conspiracy

Posted on October 11, 2009 by jvd

It’s Sunday night after a pretty perfect fall day in Newport. There’s a part of me that wanted to skip the blog entirely in favor of a more mellow night with my wife. But when I say I’m going to do something, even something simple like write a post-a-day for October, I do it.

Of course, there’s a loophole.

The perfect compromise is to write about Willard Grant Conspiracy, which in my mind means Robert Fisher. I’ve never been exactly clear on the membership in said conspiracy, but it’s safe to say that whatever band exists under that name revolves around Robert. And I think that Robert, more than most, could appreciate a short note of thanks with the knowledge that its brevity came at the hands of a perfect Newport evening.

Picture-1

Robert Fisher is someone I’ve gotten to know more through anecdote than actual conversation. We’ve spoken a couple of times, but I sort of appreciate the limited view. The Robert I know is comprised of his music, stories from friends, and short email exchanges about espresso and cheese. In the limited time we’ve had actually speaking he’s shown himself to be kind, knowledgeable, and passionate about his music and the craft that goes into producing it. In his records Robert is all those things and nothing more. He offers bare, honest, and intelligent take on Americana; always with an appreciation of the finer details.

Willard Grant Conspiracy’s new album, Paper Covers Stone, is out now with a streaming preview available at willardgrantconsiracy.cashmusic.org. There you’ll find purchase links for various regions, including iTunes for those that can’t directly purchase from the small labels that support WGC.

Robert’s offering for the CASH Music fundraiser is beyond generous, as he’ll play a house show for the winning bidder. This is limited to cities/times around the Willard Grant Conspiracy tour schedule.

Willard Grant Conspiracy’s CASH fundraiser contribution
Willard Grant Conspiracy’s at CASH
Willard Grant Conspiracy on Twitter
willardgrantconspiracy.com