Summer Is On It's Way

Summertime is just around the corner.  It's time to prepare your body's for less coverage and prepare your sensory organs for quality entertainment.

With Coachella going on this weekend, the Summer Festival Season is already starting.  Hipsters and music lovers are all preparing for their festival(s) of choice.  I'm looking forward to attending Lollapalooza in August, but there's a lot of time between now and then. 

I watched sets by Jake Bugg and Stars at Coachella on Youtube yesterday.  I was very impressed by Jake Bugg.  I'd been hearing about him for awhile, but wrote him off for whatever reason and didn't actually check him out.  I'm disappointed I did this.  He looks like a normal, young dude (he's 19).  I guess I assumed he was like one of those kids that get played on Disney Radio or something, but he's not.  He's a British kid who grew up with musical parents and has a throwback rock sound similar to the Rolling Stones and lists influences like Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash and the Everly Brothers. Check out "Lightning Bolt".

Other music I've been into a lot lately (and looking forward to see at Lollapalooza) are Haim, Shovels and Rope, Charles Bradley and Frightened Rabbit.  Shovels and Rope I discovered after the Lolla list and then found out they were in the line-up.  They're a very good folk/country duo formed made up of a married couple who switch instruments and just seem to enjoy themselves a lot. Check out "Birmingham".

Haim is a band I've been pumped about since I discovered them a couple of months ago.  It's like Paul Simon had 3 daughters and raised them on Fleetwood Mac.  I urge you to check them out, so enjoyable. Check out "Forever".

Charles Bradley is the "Screaming Eagle of Soul".  He was born in 1948, so he's seen his share of life.  And from his music you can tell he's felt his share of struggle.  He's been taking off recently, and it's no surprise with how the American economy has been the past few years.  There is so much emotion and soul in his voice, anyone can feel the pain and relate to the struggle he sings about.  Check out "No Time For Dreaming" and "It's So Hard".

I've been a huge fan of Frightened Rabbit for years and am super excited about finally getting a chance to see them.  They're a Scottish indie-rock band that may not appeal to the masses, but they appeal very strongly to me.  Check out "The Twist" and "Swim Until You Can't See Land".

Feel free to let me know about any music you're currently jamming or looking forward to seeing.  I'm always looking for new music of all kinds to listen to.

Stay Fresh,
KK

Kentucky Knife Fight - Donnie's Homespun - Springfield, IL

I went to a show last night in Springfield, IL.  It was a band I've seen a few times before, Kentucky Knife Fight.  The show had 2 openers I'd never seen before (The Maintenance Men, Brandon Carnes) at a venue I'd never been to before.

The venue was Donnie's Homespun.  The Springfield location opened in the Fall of 2012.  It was a cool venue; restaurant by day, music club by night (I had dinner before the show, a chicken philly, very tasty).  The restaurant and bar was upstairs in a balcony setting overlooking the lower level which featured the stage and another bar.  I recommend checking it out for anyone in the Springfield area.

The first act, The Maintenance Men were enjoyable.  A two piece band consisting of a drummer and a singer/guitarist.  They had a good sound with rock and blues influences.  I couldn't find any information online, you may be able to.

The second act was Brandon Carnes.  An acoustic singer/songwriter from Springfield.  To me, he sounded a few years out of date.  I personally didn't enjoy his set, but that's not to say you won't.  I did find some dated sites online for him, such as profiles on Myspace and Reverbnation that looked like they hadn't been updated.  Perhaps most of his songs were from a few years ago, which could explain their sounding dated.

The headliner was Kentucky Knife Fight.  I've seen them multiple times in the past.  They were my "college band".  I attended Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.  Kentucky Knife Fight played the end of every semester at The Stagger Inn along with various other shows in the St. Louis/Edwardsville area.  They always put on a good show with their rockabilly sound.  They won the Riverfront Times Award for Best Rock Band in St. Louis in 2011 and 2012, and have been touring a bit the last couple of years.  I recommend their show for anyone who likes rockabilly, southern rock, or just rock and roll.  They played some new material I hadn't heard before, including "Love the Lonely" (which they currently have a video for, and said would be on an album in March) along with standards like "Wild Irish Rose" and "Herschel Walker".  "Love the Lonely" fits right in with those and I'm sure will become a standard at their shows.  The new songs were very strong and showed that they've grown as a band and musicians.

I had a good time at the show and plan to attend more shows at Donnie's Homespun in the future, and I'm sure I'll be seeing Kentucky Knife Fight again.

www.donnieshomespun.com/

http://kentuckyknifefight.net/