Band to Watch: Whistle Peak
Some intriguing sounds are floating their way up I-65 these days. Louisville band Nerves Junior’s release As Bright As Your Night Life made a significant splash across the indie blogosphere last year, despite their lack of mainstream coverage as recently noted by hometown champion The Decibel Tolls. The latest band from south of the border to catch my attention is Whistle Peak. Their sophomore release, Half Asleep Upon Echo Falls, from Karate Body Records is due to drop on Valentine’s day. The album’s first single “Wings Won’t Behave” has a bounce in its step that makes me nostalgic for Motown, with vocals that maintain the uncanny ability to feel at once melancholy and deceptively cheerful. The lyrics of lead singer Billy Petot have a tendancy to wash over the listener like a brief summer rain on a lake – before you can adjust the drops have passed and the sun has returned. Listen below:
Whistle Peak is yet another Midwestern group that deserves a larger regional following. Last summer the band dropped a video for the song “Gold Teeth” from their debut self-titled LP. The video footage appears as if it could be from some pre-cursor to the Planet of the Apes, where primates have overran a rural, early American outpost. Like “Wings Won’t Behave,” this track exudes the same sleepy frivolity. From the video, we can discern that this is not a band that takes themselves too seriously. If there is a hidden artistic agenda in watching a monkey barber, then it is over my head. For those of you who prefer your sounds via vinyl, Whistle Peak will be issuing 250 copies of their new LP on wax. Act fast.
Connect with Whistle Peak via Facebook | Twitter | Bandcamp
Written by Rob Peoni
Kory Quinn Returns for Midwest Shows
Butler University grad and Portland, OR resident Kory Quinn is returning to the Midwest to retrace the steps where he cut his teeth a few years back. Quinn is currently on the road with his backing band The Comrades. He fronts the four man outfit that specializes in the type of new grass, Americana that has remained a constant across this region for decades. Think a less sappy Old Crow Medicine Show, without the fiddle.
Last summer, Quinn released a nine track LP entitled Waitin’ for a Train. The album was recorded during a two week stint on a cross-country train tour. Quinn and the Comrades will be playing a sold out show tonight at Hideout in Chicago. Watch a recent video during a visit to Park City’s KPCW below. The video features Quinn in collaboration with his pals from Bitterroot under the alias The Low Down Whiskey Rebels. He will be playing Indianapolis’ The Melody Inn on January 19th along with Mark Alexander and Cincinnati’s Young Heirlooms. The venue holds sentimental value, as it was the first place the artist ever had a gig. Tickets are $5. Visit Do317 for the details.
Connect with Kory Quinn via Facebook | Bandcamp
Written by Rob Peoni
Fresh Track + Video: Little Jungles “Nothing Will Grow”
Some songs take a few spins to embed themselves into your brain. Others resonate immediately and then fade upon repeat listens. The best, though, hit hard from the start and stay there, stuck in your subconscious like giant immovable objects. Such was the case with “Nothing Will Grow,” a new single from Canadian band Little Jungles. The song is the first from their forthcoming LP I Would Kill For Some Sunlight – a relatable sentiment this time of year as we shuttle to and from work in the darkness. The LP is the follow-up to their debut Wuts Goin Thru Yer Head, released independently last March. Track “Winter Was Warmer” is a sure-fire winner, but the release is solid top to bottom.
Matthew Niemann, the brains behind Little Jungles, combines immediately addictive synth lines, fuzzy rhythms and gloom-ridden lyrics to create the kind of auditory environment that tugs on my heart muscles. In fact, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that “Nothing Will Grow” is, by far, my favorite track of 2012. Okay, so it’s only the 6th, but an award is an award damn it! Stream the song and watch the video below. (WARNING: audio doesn’t kick in on the video for a few seconds, so be patient assholes.) Stop by Little Jungle’s bandcamp page and name your price for a copy of Wuts Goin Thru Yer Head.
Connect with Little Jungles via Facebook | Twitter | Bandcamp
Written by Rob Peoni
Thought on Tracks 