Album Stream: Jessie Baylin ‘Pleasure Center EP’
New Jersey native and Nashville transplant Jessie Baylin released an EP worth getting excited about last week. Pleasure Center EP clocks in at just under 21 minutes, achieving an astonishing amount of fun in such a short time. The EP features four covers and one original.
I was immediately intrigued by the variety of artists that Baylin chose to cover: Thin Lizzy, Stevie Nicks, Sonic Youth, and Arthur Russell is a diverse group to draw from. Yet Baylin makes each track her own, much the same way that Cat Power was able to achieve on her 2000 release The Covers Record.
Pleasure Center EP is a direct departure from Baylin’s 2008 release Firesight. She trades a full, studio sound for the stark simplicity of the 4-track. The EP was produced by Richard Swift (The Shins), giving Baylin an indie credibility that until now was nonexistent. Here’s hoping her new sound rubs off on hubby Nathan Followill of The Kings of Leon.
Baylin will release a LP of original material in mid-January entitled Little Spark. Listen and download the entirety of Pleasure Center EP below. Connect with Baylin via Facebook and Twitter.
Written by Rob Peoni
Do317 Launches As Indy’s Premier Events Calendar
The day has finally arrived. Do317 is here. No more hunting and scavenging from site to site, newspaper to gig poster. No more, how did I miss that? No longer will my social life revolve around Ted, our resident office in-guy, who spends entirely too much time at the water cooler talking about what he saw (and what we missed.)
Do317 lists every event, gathering, pow-wow and rendezvous in the greater Indianapolis area. The site will serve as much more than a simple calendar. Users are invited to “like” the events that interest them or that they plan to attend. This will allow each day’s most popular events to rise to the top of the page. With a few clicks, Indy residents can tell promoters and event planners what they want from the social scene in this town.
Fortunately, there is no shortage of things to do. Who knew, in a city called Naptown that any given night offers a worthwhile reason to leave the couch and explore? I look forward to discovering new watering holes, new faces and new bands.
Hoosiers are a surprisingly talented and creative bunch. Many of our artists deserve a wider voice and a larger audience. Do317 should lead to just that. We are also the beneficiaries of a position at the crossroads. Our location at a hub of highways in the Midwest results in a steady stream of the country’s most talented entertainers.
No more excuses, folks. Never again can you say, “Well shit, I would’ve gone but nobody told me.” It’s all here for the taking. Thanks Do317.
Log in. Interact. Participate.
Written by Rob Peoni
Thought on Tracks 
Live & Reel + Daytrotter Session: Andrew Combs
Texas-born Nashville, TN resident Andrew Combs has had a big year. The singer-songwriter’s debut EP, Tennessee Time, has been steadily gaining momentum since its May release. The five songs harken back to the writing of country legends like Hank Williams and Guy Clark, feeling as if they have been staples of Music City jukeboxes for years. Listen to my personal favorite, “Too Stoned to Cry”, below:
In November, Combs offered fans a pair of terrific supplements to his initial release. He recorded a trio of new tracks with our pals at Live & Reel. “Heavy”, “Devil’s Got My Woman”, and “Playing The Part” fall in line nicely with the foundation Combs built on Tennessee Time. Watch “Devil’s Got My Woman” below and visit Live & Reel to see the rest of his session.
The release of Combs’ Daytrotter Session came a few days later. The visit featured a combination of songs from his EP and his newer tracks. Listen and download the full session HERE. Connect with Combs via Facebook | Twitter | Bandcamp.
Written by Rob Peoni