David Nail grew up in a small town in Missouri, the son of a former high school band director whose musical collection included Stevie Wonder, Elton John and the Beatles. Nail turned to country in the 1990s, then started going back into its history and became a big fan of Glen Campbell. He moved to Nashville right after high school but returned to Missouri after a year. Two years later, he gave Nashville another try. He completed an album for Mercury Records, but it was not released. After taking a break from the music business to help coach a baseball team, he was introduced to music publisher and producer Frank Liddell. Their musical partnership led Nail to sign another record deal with MCA Nashville. His MCA album, I’m About to Come Alive, is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2009.

http://vevo.ly/IeiGX3

davidnail.com

The Infamous Stringdusters are doing something right. They’ve earned critical acclaim, from their inception, awards and nominations aplenty, host their own successful music festival, have their own record label and a quickly growing and enthusiastic fan base across the country. They sound like no one else, combining virtuosic chops on five traditional bluegrass instruments, with an ethos on pushing the genre forward. The Stringdusters are taking improvised string band music to new places, combining musicianship, songwriting and experimental performance. As the band’s newest record, We’ll Do It Live shows, a Stringdusters performance is ecstatic, with contagious energy flowing between the band and crowd. At each show you’ll see the band relaxed and having fun, while focusing on the music, “podding up” and directing swells of energy from their fans.

The Infamous Stringdusters are at the forefront of a new movement in bluegrass music. Their unmatched virtuosity has enabled them to take acoustic music to a completely new level. They wield an expansive repertoire touching on masters from Jimmy Martin to John Hartford, but their strength lies in their original compositions. Dedication to arrangements sets them apart and extended improvisation makes every performance completely unique. The live Stringdusters experience is anti-formulaic, groove friendly, and mind‐expanding ‐ not your granddaddy’s bluegrass. Unless your granddaddy was Jerry Garcia.

“With all the joy and vitality these boys coax out of their dobros, banjos, standing bass and the myriad other instruments featured, you may find yourself wondering what on earth they’re doing to those strings to create such a pleasing racket, but one thing’s for certain—they sure as hell aren’t just dusting them.” – Paste Magazine

thestringdusters.com

ALO is not a band that dwells in the past. They are always moving forward. Always striving to discover new ideas. Always looking to go on new adventures. Their latest adventure, Man of the World (to be released February 9, 2010 on Brushfire Records), finds the Cali collective flexing their considerable creative powers to craft their finest album yet. Recorded almost entirely live, the 11-song collection is the sound of four players who have truly found their groove together. This is ALO at their most natural, their most organic and their most pure. Man of the World is the next level for ALO.

alomusic.com

Click here for tips on buying tickets!

jackwhiteiii.com

Sunday May 20th at 2:30 PM at the Orange Peel, Make Believers CD Release Show featuring Secret Agent 23 Skidoo and Crew, Mad Tea, Juan Holladay, and More Special Guests PLUS Asheville Hoop Troupe, 40 Fingers and a Missing Tooth, Ultimate Ice Cream and the Jolly Balloonsmith! Special release show discount on the brand new album!

Most typical southern band bios start with the cliché and overused phrase “from the murky swamps” or “bayou born and bred”.

Those sentiments, while holding some air of truth, are too redundant for Down. Down isn’t your typical ‘Southern’ band. This is a band, however, molded and twisted by their environment. Passionate, focused, hanging on to their NOLA pride and upbringing, much like Louisiana’s Spanish moss drifting and swaying from hurricane and termite damaged Magnolia trees.

down-nola.com

P.O.D. (Payable on Death) formed in 1992 has logged a remarkable array of achievements, including worldwide sales exceeding 10 million, a series of chart topping radio hits, and an unprecedented four #1 MTV videos. With a 15-year career under their belts, P.O.D. has released seven studio albums, received three Grammy Award nominations, contributed to numerous motion picture soundtracks, and toured the world over many times. With their third studio album, The Fundamental Elements of Southtown, they achieved their initial mainstream success – the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA in 2000. Their following studio album, Satellite, continued the band’s success with the hit singles, “Alive” and “Youth of the Nation,” pushing it to go triple platinum. The band’s line-up consists of vocalist Sonny Sandoval, drummer Wuv Bernardo, guitarist Marcos Curiel, and bassist Traa Daniels.

payableondeath.com

The epic quest of finding one’s identity might be one of the most universal themes found in the pursuit of art. The hopeless wandering replaced by the hope-filled breakthrough has been chronicled time and again in painting, sculpture, prose, poetry, film and, certainly, music. The men who make up the rock band RED have been through those trials themselves. They’ve taken those experiences to heart, mixed them with a plethora of influences – be they observations on art they admire, or communications with fans they adore – and now burst forth with a dynamic new set of songs geared toward finding who we truly are, inside and out.

redmusiconline.com

The Sound Of Sunshine — the inspired and inspiring new album by Michael Franti & Spearhead — is a kind of musical sun shower, a bright, beautiful and often buoyant song cycle created to bring all kinds of listeners a sense of hope during rough and rainy times for so many in our world.

“Music is sunshine,” says Michael Franti, one of the most positive and conscious artists in music today. “Like sunshine, music is a powerful force that can instantly and almost chemically change your entire mood. Music gives us new energy and a stronger sense of purpose.”

“Music is something you can’t hold in your hands, smell it, taste it or even see it, yet somehow just coming together and feeling these little vibrations that tickle our eardrums can somehow lift us all up out of our most difficult moments in life to unimaginable heights.”

michaelfranti.com

Featuring

• Guitar legend, Walter Trout
• Jazz & Blues pianist Eden Brent
• Asheville’s very own Beta Maxx

The expanded Orange Peel gives the festival more footage for festivity, as the hottest show of the year explodes within its walls. Hosted by the sword-swallowing Tyler and Thrill Kill Jill, this evening presents the most phenomenal talent in the Vaudeville world. In addition, we host sexy raffles, sidewalk entertainment and the amazing Burlesque Bazaar. This is the show to never, EVER miss in Asheville. Doors open half hour before each show.

absfest.com

Often compared to the druggy psychedelic pop of the Velvet Underground, the Dandy Warhols do possess more than just a passing resemblance to Lou Reed and company at times, but elements of such modern rockers as Love and Rockets and Ride can be detected in their sound as well. Formed in Portland, OR, during 1994, the Dandy Warhols consist of members Courtney Taylor (vocals, guitar), Zia McCabe (keyboards), Peter Holmstrom (guitar), and Eric Hedford (drums), who signed on with the independent label Tim/Kerr shortly after their formation. In 1995 came the release of the quartet’s debut release, Dandy’s Rule OK?, and while other rock bands may be a bit hesitant to spell out their influences, the Dandy Warhols decided to openly advertise it, as the album contained such song titles as “Lou Weed” and “Ride.”

dandywarhols.com

Since 2002, Abbey Road LIVE! has been rocking the music of the Beatles at clubs, theatres, festivals, and private events. Initially a tribute to the monumental “Abbey Road” album, the band has expanded its scope to include more than 100 Beatles tunes, from all eras of the Fab Four’s career. The band specializes in complete, start-to-finish album performances of masterpieces such as “Abbey Road“, “Magical Mystery Tour” and “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band“.

Abbey Road LIVE! is not your typical Beatle look-alike tribute act; don’t expect mop-top haircuts and vintage Rickenbacker guitars. Rather, this show is about bringing to life some of the more mature and complex Beatles material in a raw & spirited fashion, while remaining true to the original recordings. Combining attention to detail with a creative exuberance, the band always delights its audiences with its diverse repertoire of hits and more obscure favorites.

abbeyroadlive.com

Phantogram is an American Indie pop duo from Saratoga Springs, New York, formed in 2007 and consisting of Sarah Barthel (vocals, keyboards) and Josh Carter (vocals, guitars). They write and record in a remote barn in upstate New York called Harmony Lodge. The band name was inspired by the optical illusion called phantogram. They often describe their sound as “street beat, psych pop”. According to Josh Carter, their music has “lots of rhythms, swirling guitars, spacey keyboards, echoes, airy vocals”. The band released a studio album (Eyelid Movies in 2009), three EPs (Phantogram and Running From the Cops in 2009, Nightlife in 2011) and four singles.

“Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter, the New York-based electronic pop duo better known as Phantogram, make music refreshingly disinterested in pulling punches.” – Pitchfork

“One of the best aspects of Nightlife is Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel’s ability to manipulate the record’s paranoid undertones into a diverse collection of tracks.” – Paste

phantogram.net

w h o k i l l, the sophomore album by Merrill Garbus’ tUnE-yArDs, is a thrill for fans of the live show that left most stunned in 2010. No longer is her artful songwriting and soulful voice obscured by digital fuzz as it often was on her solo debut, BiRd-BrAiNs. Transplanting herself from Montreal to sunny Oakland, California, while touring almost non-stop for over two years, Merrill has stripped tUnE-yArDs away to a more precise, concentrated and vivid sound. w h o k i l l retains the honesty of the lonely bedroom confessional characteristic of her early work, but with the addition of the fangs, claws and dented metal of its new surroundings.

“A uke, a wildly versatile voice, and a frisky attitude.” – SPIN

“When her voice is hopping through her melodies over an Afro-Caribbean groove, she can sound like a collaboration by Dave Matthews, Bjork, Angelique Kidjo and M.I.A.” – NY Times

tune-yards.com

Since her emergence onto the London music scene in 2007 Laura Marling has been quietly securing her position as one the most exciting musical talents of her generation.

Her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim – written and recorded when she was just 17 years old – received international attention and won comparisons to folk icons like Joni Mitchell and Sandy Denny. As part of a very youthful and vibrant British folk scene she quickly rose to prominence along with friends Noah and The Whale, Johnny Flynn and Jamie T. The album was nominated for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize in the UK, an award given annually for the best album from a British or Irish artist. Her sophomore release, the Ethan Johns-produced I Speak Because I Can (2010) was a stunning collection of literary and emotional homespun tales delivered in pitch-perfect swirls of melody. The album’s release brought her further critical acclaim and significant success. Along with another Mercury Music Prize nomination 2011 saw Marling awarded the NME’s Best Solo Artist Award as well as the hotly contended BRIT Award (Grammy equivalent) for Best British Female. The same month she turned 21.

“To say Marling evinces wisdom beyond her years would be a criminal understatement…She’s a wholly developed artist in full command of gifts that may not yet be finished arriving.” – Pitchfork

“Her subtly accomplished guitar parts defy any thoughts of fragility. She makes music that’s haunted, but somehow, through sheer stoic willpower, serene.” – New York Times

“Marling’s voice, rich and tenuous, recalls Joni Mitchell, but her fatalistic screeds – sung over acoustic guitar – owe more to Nick Drake and Will Oldham.” – Spin

“It is not hyperbole to say Marling is already one of the most important voices of her generation.” – Boston Globe

lauramarling.com

The 2012 Orange Blossom Summer Music Camp Schedule is organized by date below.  If a session is FULL, it will be noted beside the camp title. Sessions will be located this year in the Orange Peel’s Pulp Lounge.

We’re kicking off the first week of Orange Blossom Music Camp in the Pulp Lounge, downstairs at the Orange Peel! Kim and Emily will incorporate theory technique, games, music in our culture, and merchandising into the week’s activities as we highlight music written about things In the Sky! Students will be divided into small groups, preparing 2 songs for performance on stage during the art and music show at the end of the week. Must bring your own guitar or keyboard. Please bring a bag lunch! (Maximum 10 students / 2 teachers + intern)

Join us at the Orange Peel to create works of art inspired by things we find in the sky!  We will paint, sculpt, draw, print and more as we explore this fun theme.  The week will be capped off on Friday with an exhibit and music performance from the music camp happening in the Pulp Lounge!  (click here for the music camp description). There will be free art time, snack time and outside time.  The Orange Peel location offers a very large creating space, an outdoor deck, and of course – access to all of downtown Asheville just steps away.  We will take walking trips throughout the week – always notifying parents where and when!  Please bring a bag lunch.  All materials included. (Maximum 32 students / 2 lead teachers + assistants)

A self-described “American rock ‘n’ roll band,” Dawes represent everything pure and true about that fundamental delineation, four talented friends making music together, fueled by a shared belief in the power of their songs. With Nothing Is Wrong, the Los Angeles-based band – singer/guitarist Goldsmith, his brother Griffin on drums, keyboardist Tay Strathairn, and bassist Wylie Gelber – continue to master their blend of singer/songwriter reflection with folk, country, and AOR-inspired arrangements, all ringing guitars, soaring harmonies, and heartfelt melodies. After spending much of the past two years on tour, songs like “Coming Back To A Man” and “Time Spent In Los Angeles” have a restless, unsettled quality evocative of life lived on the road. A collection of songs that expertly builds upon the template laid by 2009’s extraordinary debut, North Hills, Nothing Is Wrong sees Dawes displaying staggering growth and evolution while still manifesting their distinctive, unforgettable voice.

dawestheband.com

Taking the stage for what’s easily the 100th time in almost as many days, Edwin McCain casually joins his band as they start off another set that’s impossibly tight and laid back at the same time. By the time his vocals kick in, it’s clear that this is no ordinary troubadour on the club circuit. This is Edwin McCain, the voice that is romance incarnate, has launched a thousand marriages and stirred up Southern soul for over 20 years.

For the guy who always dreamed of a life on the road, Edwin’s massive pop hits “I’ll Be” and “I Could Not Ask For More” were like pulling into glamorous, exciting towns along his never-ending tour. They were life changing and sent him off with incredible memories and nifty souvenirs but were always just a part of the journey, not the destination. “I’ve been lucky enough to experience a pretty broad range of stardom, and the lack thereof, throughout my journey as a musician,” he once said with a chuckle. “I’ve been on television shows and won awards, but I’ve also lived in the back of a truck, and I’ve even worked the Drive-Thru at Krispy Kreme singing wedding songs.”

edwin.com

The 2012 Orange Blossom Summer Music Camp Schedule is organized by date below.  If a session is FULL, it will be noted beside the camp title.

Time for the second week of Orange Blossom Music Camp in the Pulp Lounge, downstairs at the Orange Peel! Kim and Emily will incorporate theory technique, games, music in our culture, and merchandising into the week’s activities as we explore music about animals-Life’s a Zoo! We’ll be experimenting with making our own sounds too, through composition. Students will be divided into small groups, preparing 2 songs for performance on stage during the art and music show at the end of the week. Must bring your own guitar or keyboard. Please bring a bag lunch! (Maximum 10 students / 2 teachers + intern)

Join us at the Orange Peel to be immersed into the land of the animals!  We will pull inspiration from books, stories, imagery and other artists work from around the world to create or own works from a variety of mediums.  Masks, paintings, sculptures, books – we will try it all!  The week will be capped off on Friday with an exhibit and music performance from the music camp happening in the Pulp Lounge!  (click here for the music camp description). There will be free art time, snack time and outside time.  The Orange Peel location offers a very large creating space, an outdoor deck, and of course – access to all of downtown Asheville just steps away.  We will take walking trips throughout the week – always notifying parents where and when!  Please bring a bag lunch.  All materials included. (Maximum 32 students / 2 lead teachers + assistants)

A lot can happen in the course of two years. People walk out of your life, people special to you – people it’s difficult to imagine your world without. Sometimes, they come back. But when they do, they’re not who they once were. Soft features have chiselled. That teenage flush around the cheeks has faded. And suddenly, that ghost that mooched around inside your head is gone, replaced by something, somebody new.

‘Hello Sadness’ is the fourth record by Los Campesinos!, and if 2009’s ‘Romance Is Boring’ marked a giant step on from their genesis – seven kids and a glockenspiel, ricocheting off the four walls of a Cardiff rehearsal room – ‘Hello Sadness’ constitutes another step, and a turn of the corner. Yes, these 10 tracks cover what we are coming to recognise as core Los Campesinos! concerns – love, loss, heartbreak, football (always football). But this is a record that’s wiser and more focused than its predecessors, confident in its abilities and clear in its aims.

“The music is intensely personal, but it’s equally as inclusive– Gareth paints himself as having it worse than anyone, but the unspoken acknowledgment that makes the band churn is that he really just has it as bad as everyone else.” – Pitchfork

loscampesinos.com

Since the release of their critically acclaimed 2007 debut All Hour Cymbals, Yeasayer has been around the world and back again. While their first record was conceived in total artistic isolation, constant touring forced Yeasayer to finally engage with their contemporaries.

Inspired by musicians hell-bent on sonic experimentation as well as those more comfortable in a pop context, Yeasayer find their domain spanning across the musical spectrum. Studied, road worn, and eager to begin phase two, Yeasayer retreated to upstate New York to begin work on their new album titled ODD BLOOD.

ODD BLOOD plays out at a blistering pace, yet it never sacrifices depth or content. It is immediately evident the band has advanced in songwriting as well as sonic craft. Lyrically, it is a more mature and honest album than the first, as the band demonstrates a confidence to explore more personal themes alongside vividly depicted tales. One thing is certain: Yeasayer are accomplished audiologists who are willing to pilfer decades of pop sensibilities and cultural history to create something that is uniquely their own.

yeasayer.net

The 2012 Orange Blossom Summer Music Camp Schedule is organized by date below.  If a session is FULL, it will be noted beside the camp title. Sessions will be located this year in the Orange Peel’s Pulp Lounge.

The third week as all about Love and Peace for Orange Blossom Music Camp in the Pulp Lounge, downstairs at the Orange Peel! Kim and Emily will incorporate theory technique, games, music in our culture, and merchandising into the week’s activities as we dig into rock and pop rhythms. Students will be divided into small groups, preparing 2 songs for performance on stage during the art and music show at the end of the week. Must bring your own guitar or keyboard. Please bring a bag lunch! (Maximum 10 students / 2 teachers + intern)

Join us at the Orange Peel as we study from some of the big master artists of our time. Throughout the week students will learn about five different master artist’s lives, artistic styles and methods. Students would then have choice creating their own 2D or 3D artistic interpretations.  The week will be capped off on Friday with an exhibit and music performance from the music camp happening in the Pulp Lounge!  (click here for the music camp description). There will be free art time, snack time and outside time.  The Orange Peel location offers a very large creating space, an outdoor deck, and of course – access to all of downtown Asheville just steps away.  We will take walking trips throughout the week – always notifying parents where and when!  Please bring a bag lunch.  All materials included. (Maximum 32 students / 2 lead teachers + assistants)

In 1995, Zoso was formed to create the most mesmerizing and accurate portrayal of “the biggest band of the 1970’s” – Led Zeppelin (Rolling Stone Magazine). Each member was selected to portray both the appearance and playing styles of Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones. Zoso almost immediately developed an outstanding regional reputation and were awarded “Best Tribute Act in California” by Rock City News. In 1999, Zoso began touring nationally, playing a remarkable 2,400 live performances, honing their show to become one of the most musically and visually rewarding acts in North America. Their passion, musical ability, showmanship and precise attention to detail earned them critical acclaim, name recognition and a large loyal following. The Los Angeles Times hailed the group as being “head and shoulders above all other Zeppelin tributes,” and the Chicago Sun-Times declared Zoso to be “the closest to the original of any tribute.”

zosoontour.com

Crossfade may not have conquered all of its demons, but the band is sounding a vehement battle cry. The Columbia, S.C., outfit’s third album, due on Eleven Seven Music in July, delves into familiar lyrical themes of betrayal and isolation—but there’s also more than a hint of renewal and resolution. “A lot has changed over the past three years,” offers lead vocalist and co-songwriter Ed Sloan. “Being down and out is something I’ve had to confront like never before. There’s been pain, but I’ve also learned to dwell less on the negative, so there’s a feeling of rebirth, too.” The set’s 10 tracks, produced by the band, maintain the sonic thunderclap of Crossfade’s previous efforts, while propelling its guitar-grinding signature with a tapestry of orchestration and programming, and a flourish of keyboards, thanks to the addition of Les Hall to the permanent line-up, alongside Sloan, bassist Mitch James and drummer Will Hunt. The evolution marks a tidal shift in Sloan’s previous role as Crossfade’s singular commandeering voice, but he is the first to admit that sharing duties with Hall was an organic, if not essential benchmark in the band’s growth.

crossfadeband.com

The Breakfast Club® is the longest running, most recognized ’80’s tribute band in the United States. Formed in 1993, the group was the first of its kind. The mission was simple: create an entertainment group that embodied the enigmatic, creative, and buoyant spirit of music and live performances of the original MTV generation of the 1980’s. That mission remains today.

This is NOT some wig wearing, mall fashion version of an ‘80’s cover band, lip syncing to tracks while pretending to play an unplugged guitar. This is real hair, real 1980s clothes, real vocals, and real musical talent. The Breakfast Club® is the real deal, performing live ‘80’s pop “better than the original artists” – Wilmington Star News.

The guys of The Breakfast Club® have shared the stage with numerous music legends, including but not limited to, Whitesnake, The Romantics, Poison, Drivin’n’Cryin’, Hootie and The Blowfish, White Lion, The Smithereens, Edwin McCain, and many others.

The Breakfast Club® has had the privilege of performing for rockstars, movie stars, many of America’s top corporations, NASCAR legends, and millions of the most amazing, fervent fans any band could ever hope for.

thebreakfastclub.com

The 2012 Orange Blossom Summer Music Camp Schedule is organized by date below.  If a session is FULL, it will be noted beside the camp title. Sessions will be located this year in the Orange Peel’s Pulp Lounge.

This week it’s On the Go for Orange Blossom Music Camp in the Pulp Lounge, downstairs at the Orange Peel! Kim and Emily will incorporate theory technique, games, music in our culture, and merchandising into the week’s activities as we use songs about travel to explore songs structure. Students will be divided into small groups, preparing 2 songs for performance on stage during the art and music show at the end of the week. Must bring your own guitar or keyboard. Please bring a bag lunch! (Maximum 10 students / 2 teachers + intern)

Join us at the Orange Peel as we get moving by creating works of art inspired by things that go!  We will look at other artists and styles of art, fun books and the real world around us!  From drawing to sculpture to bookmaking – this session will be super inventive!  The week will be capped off on Friday with an exhibit and music performance from the music camp happening in the Pulp Lounge!  (click here for the music camp description). There will be free art time, snack time and outside time.  The Orange Peel location offers a very large creating space, an outdoor deck, and of course – access to all of downtown Asheville just steps away.  We will take walking trips throughout the week – always notifying parents where and when!  Please bring a bag lunch.  All materials included. (Maximum 32 students / 2 lead teachers + assistants)

The Tallest Man on Earth released The Wild Hunt in April 2010, and the album found its way into the hearts of fans everywhere. The connection that the Tallest Man on Earth (aka songwriter Kristian Matsson) has with his fans is a sight to behold – he has performed around the world, at clubs and festivals, and the bond between Matsson and his audience is breathtaking. Matsson is the rarest of performers, charismatic and captivating, and his passion for performance bleeds through every single time he takes the stage.

“…a songwriter with a folk-revival revival sensibility, and a guitar player with an impressively agile fingerpicking style.” – Pitchfork

“The Tallest Man on Earth writes modest, deeply inspired folk songs with penetrating melodies and a howl that harks back to Dylan while simultaneously carving out its own distinct gravelly sweetness.” – Consequence of Sound

tallestmanonearth.com

This show was rescheduled from March 19th. Tickets for the March show will be honored at the door.

Childish Gambino released his Glassnote Records debut album CAMP on November 15th, 2011 and has emerged as one of the most exciting young talents in music. Landing at #11 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart and #2 on the Billboard Hip-Hop charts, CAMP has received critical acclaim from publications such as The Source, XXL, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone, NPR and more. Childish Gambino, with his unique blend of hip-hop genres and lyrical genius, has gone from a viral cult following to a mega sensation. The New Yorker praises, “With a vocal attack reminiscent of Pharcyde’s Bootie Brown, Glover delivers rapid-fire stream-of-consciousness one-liners, along with in-depth and intelligent assessments of the recording industry, fame, and fortune.”

Childish Gambino has released two mixtapes,” I Am Just A Rapper” and “I Am Just A Rapper 2” and in March 2011, Childish Gambino released an untitled EP that featured the hit “Freaks and Geeks“. Most recently, Childish Gambino wrapped the sold out “Sign Up” Tour and performed on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, CONAN and The Late Show with David Letterman.  Childish Gambino is tearing up the airwaves as his single “Hearbeat” is seeing major support from KIIS Los Angeles, Power 106 Los Angeles and Hot 97 in New York.

Next Up for Childish Gambino is the upcoming “Camp” Tour that hits a total of 35 cities across the United States and Canada, including performances at Coachella, Sasquatch and Bonnaroo Music Festivals.

For all “Camp” Tour dates and more information on Childish Gambino check out www.childishgambino.com and www.iamdonald.com.

Dirty Projectors have been a part of my life since I heard their first album, The Glad Fact. At the time, I knew nothing about Dave Longstreth or the album he’d recorded under his own name as a college freshman, The Graceful Fallen Mango – an album I’ve always wanted to call “a fine slice of New England soul music” (whether or not that’s really accurate). The Glad Fact inspired me to write my first and only record review, in which, with all the awkwardness befitting an inexperienced and overzealous writer, I proclaimed, “Dave Longstreth is making his own fucked-up version of American music.” It’s funny to think that I would go on to play in the DPz touring line up and have my keyboard playing make it on to the New Attitude EP – let alone become budz with the dude!  - Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend)

“…breezy without a hint of slightness, tuneful but with its fair share of tumult, concise and inventive and replayable and plain old fun.” – Pitchfork

“The control and detail of the musicianship, the intricacy of the guitar lines, the complexity of the vocals, the impulsiveness and delicacy and force of Brian McOmber’s drumming, are breathtaking.” – The Guardian

dirtyprojectors.net

The name might as well be a movie title: Twin Shadow in … Forget. Only it’s not a movie; it’s a panoramic LP that introduces us to the twilight zone tale of George Lewis Jr. The troubled son of a hairdresser and a “teacher who lived many lives” (semi-pro football, massage therapy, film maker and other things we’ll tell you about when you’re older), George was born in the Dominican Republic and spent his formative years in Florida. Not in a happening spot like Miami, though. Try an island that happened to be the winter home base of the Ringling Brothers’ Circus and palm tree-flanked old people. If you think that’s strange? You don’t know the half of it. And neither does George, although he’s trying to remember; trying to piece the sepia-toned scenes together along with a debut album that’s all about letting go. Or is it? Like an art-house double feature that leaves you wondering what the hell just happened in the best way possible, Forget tells a spellbinding story without spelling everything out.

“The songs may be catchy, but their intricacy and thoughtful storytelling makes them stick.” – Pitchfork

twinshadow.net

Bittersweet is the word the Söderberg sisters prefer. “We like bittersweet songs, songs that affect you differently depending on how you interpret them,” says Klara, the younger of the Swedish siblings that make up First Aid Kit. “Making the melodies and lyrics head in different directions is very deliberate,” adds big sister Johanna. “A song like ‘Emmylou’ sounds cheerful, but the lyrics are the saddest thing you ever heard.”

First Aid Kit’s first US-recorded album, The Lion’s Roar, juxtaposes sadness and beauty in the best traditions of folk and country music. They even cite the Louvin Brothers’ cheerfully brutal version of the old murder ballad “Knoxville Girl” as the perfect example of the sweet and sour they adore. And this new carefully constructed collection deftly succeeds in setting references to their hometown of Stockholm and long, dark Scandinavian winters against a backdrop of country-rock swing.

“Even though Johanna and Klara are especially doe-eyed they are mining a hard-worn, ramshackle blend of country music with a little bit of folk injected for that added kick and heft.” – Popmatters.com

“Their songs are filled with wisdom gained from memories that seem to stretch a thousand years or more into the past. These are the words of truly old souls.” – Paste

thisisfirstaidkit.com

“Rawness improbably balanced by a mixture of danger and delicacy,” says one Rolling Stone writer, “is what gives Citizen Cope his edge. As a singer, songwriter and producer, he stands alone—an artist immune to corruption.”

Dug deep into the rich soil of American music, Cope’s roots are complex. You may think of Bill Withers or Neil Young or John Lee Hooker or Van Morrison or Willie Nelson or Al Green. Yet, listening to Cope, you also may think of none of the above. You may not think at all, but rather feel a man exposing stories that haunt his heart.

He was born Clarence Greenwood, a child of the seventies, and his life journey is as singular as his art. He is the radically mashed-up product of Greenville, Mississippi; Memphis, Tennessee; Vernon, Texas; Austin, Texas; Washington, DC; and Brooklyn, New York. These locations are felt everywhere in his stories. His sounds are southern rural, big sky lonely, concrete urban, and painfully romantic. In the past nine years, he has produced four albums of depth and distinction, each a critical chapter in his search for a sound that paints an auditory American landscape in which despair wars with hope and hope, tied to love, is elusive.

citizencope.com