Spyderhuff “Desert Rain”
Spyderhuff takes you down the country road with “Desert Rain”, to a dim, smoky southern bar.
Spyderhuff shares southern blues single “Desert Rain”
Spyderhuff takes you down the country road with “Desert Rain”, to a dim, smoky southern bar where the mournful sound of blues harmonica intertwines with road-worn vocals that are filled with life stories. Captivating melodies seem to resonate and echo with your own journey, the soaring guitar jam lifts the roof just a little higher so it could reach further to the sky.
“Desert Rain” is all about the groove and the feel, the soul that softly mourns to the sound of harmonica and the stories behind the lyrics. Spyderhuff has so perfectly orchestrated a timeless track that one could fully immerse themselves in. Rhythmic and soulful, “Desert Rain” is easy to groove with and dance to, lighting up a cigarette, thinking or not thinking about the day, getting lost in the saucy southern twang.
Spyderhuff has a very special touch that comes to manipulating this balance between live instruments and electronic elements, creating cloud-like soundscapes that enhance the feel with synth while maintaining the edgy, authentic feel of the blues/country music genre.
ALBUM REVIEW: LITTLE OIL “LITTLE OIL”
Album of the Week
As an experienced session musician in the Bay Area who has played in many live bands in the past years, Little Oil, aka Victor Mitrani, produces a solid full-band sound that is easy to vibe with and sink into. Being tired of comprising his artistic vision and freedom, Mitrani decided to be the music director as he was born to be. Absorbing various influences from folk, rock, blues, country, and pop, Little Oil presents a vast palette of sounds and colors while remains raw and authentic. Little Oil where it takes you on a sunny, kaleidoscopic journey.
“Losing Game” opens with a warm, optimistic road trip vibe featuring captivating strumming riff and charming slide guitar along with Little Oil’s soothing vocal that immediately lightens up your mood and puts you behind the driver seat where the landscape opens up as the wind strokes your hair. "Blind enough to see the light; Blind enough to seem alright” is the spirit. “So I Call His Name” hits the southern blues spots with a swamp, gospel characteristic. Blending a classic rock vocal style with a rich, soulful choir that responds to the lead vocal’s desperate calling; a harmonica soaring in a near-distance.
“Tied To Him” revolves around a nostalgic, mesmerizing chorus that reminds you of many familiar sounds while adhering to Little Oil’s own aesthetic. It’s a personal song that reflects his upbringing with a father who has a gambling problem. “Through The Trees” retreats to a reverberant country landscape where one stands at a crossroad looking back and forward. Dreamful and smoothing with an underlying intensity that gives you a sense of sacredness and destiny: “Up the road, cannot see, 'round the bend, through the trees.”
“Big Mistake” concludes the album with a truthful, heartfelt song about blame and regret. It takes you back to the initial fuzzy warmth that reminds you of the beginning, at the same time, its storytelling makes you want to linger longer in the sonic world of Little Oil.
Written by Katrina Yang
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EP REVIEW: BURR ISLAND “BAKER ST. BLUES”
Staff Pick
Photo credit: Eddy Massarella
Baker St. Blues is a collection of four interconnected, magnificent short auditory films. Cinematic and dramatic, Burr Island has a very extroverted presentation in combination with their sensitive, introspective lyricism that forms a fascinating internal hurricane of tension and contrasts. They adhere to the folk spirit that often captures the grim truth of reality with wittiness and seemingly cheerful sonics. Acoustic guitar and a vocal duet with a sprinkle of production are all Burr Island need for its meaningful, heartfelt storytelling.
The album spirals inward with emotions and depth, self-examining as well as contemplating the outside world. “Why Is It?” reflects on the way our lives seem to rely entirely on technology. It stores our activities, memories, and dictates our thoughts and opinions. It’s horrifying in a way and it makes you wonder how far we have gone with “reality.” “All I Am” passes through the surface-level desires/needs to find peace from within. It peels off the glittering mask of the material world and questions our existence. “Courtroom of My Minds” takes on a brand new angle and examines the very process of doubt — the clouded room that is always filled with voices struggling between self-sabotage, social norms, and seeking for truth.
“Baker St. Blues” is the fearless, passionate color in a world of grey. Dream and love work its way into the sonics and remind us there’s always something worth fighting for in seemingly mundane life. It’s about the person you used to be and who you dream to be. Does the dream still exist? The song brings tears to your eyes as you start to remember and realize.
Burr Island is a band you can’t help stamping your feet and humming its mesmerizing melodies along the way. Their music is heartwarming and touching in the sense that it connects us through our very human experiences in its truthful, authentic, spirited storytelling. They give something back with their music and offer a moment of contemplation and pause.
Written by Katrina Yang
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PREMIERE: SEAN GRINSELL “R IS FOR REDEMPTION”
New Music Friday
Music speaks louder than words in Sean Grinsell’s R is For Redemption. Revolving around words starting with the letter R, R is For Redemption is a collection of epic sonic poetry.
Hailing from Chicago, United States, Grinsell is a multi-instrumentalist and composer. Inspired by Led Zeppelin, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Deep Purple, and Christone Kingfish Ingram, the artist narrates blues first.
“Rogue” is full of personality. A bossy guitar carries out a captivating idea while the flamboyant, flaming synth is pumped into the sky. Darker, contemplative keys navigate themselves into the melodic ideas. Destiny rings in the cinematic statement. A low, soulful moan concludes the first half.
Photo credit: LaMar Price
Being thrown into a festive second half filled with cheerful keys, notes chase its tails in a circle. Then the theme returns with an anthemic development, hovering over the scene.
“Rush” portrays the idea of rush featuring a stirring bass and brisk percussion. Sequential melodic ideas are slightly psychotic. The track takes a darker turn towards the end. On the contract, “Rift” is a slow dance with a bluesy, groovy atmosphere.
“Reflection” enters a reflective space where the time is still. The track paints a sensitive, transparent environment, evoking thoughts and feelings. Adhering to a thematic characteristic, it’s hard not to expect a grand gesture. Through-the-roof guitar solo creates a special moment of self-expression.
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SINGLE REVIEW: ARNOLD MITCHEM “TEACH ME HOW TO LOVE”
Just like the best tunes in the blues-rock spectrum revolve around the constant theme of heartbreak and loneliness, “Teach Me How to Love” is no exception. The interplay between Arnold Mitchem’s ragged, road-worn voice and a somber bluesy guitar set the mood on a lonely country road.
Written by Arnold Mitchem and Ron Finn, “Teach Me How to Love” has the nostalgic remembrance of traditional country’s authentic storytelling with a flavorful classic rock and rhythm & blues undertone.
Misty backing vocal set off the captivating chorus with a hint of spiritual endeavor. “Teach me how to love again, teach me how to be my own best friend. I can’t seem to find a way to let it go.”
“Teach Me How to Love” brings back warmth and memories from a real band sound after a long year under covid restriction. The emotions tied to moving on and leaving the past behind resonate beyond the term of love and relationships. There is a sense of heaviness and vicissitude in the smooth tone.
SINGLE REVIEW: THE ROADSIDE BANDITS PROJECT “WASTELANDS”
A lonely soul riding down a lonesome road at sunset. Leaving everything behind or heading towards an inevitable future. Those big feelings are brewing in the air. Looking at the horizon and lighting up another cigarette, when guitar speaks louder than words.
“Wastelands” has the classic sound of last century’s drunken, mellow rock n roll with a touch of modern dream pop. Stemmed from the blues, the rock aesthetic always has a dark, tragic twist on the back of its story: wistful, introspective, and truthful but always heartening.
The Roadside Bandits Project traces down the lost sounds, walking down the history of rhythm & blues, hat off to those before us. Eventually, they sit back down at the crossroad where the two were one, to begin with.
You can’t pinpoint the blues by a heavy southern accent or a specific sound, but it’s there and everywhere. It’s an impression, a feeling, and a memory subtly telling the story behind the sliding atonal expression.
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