Dragon Tattoos, Breaking Bad, and Rayland Baxter

So a few random things on my mind.

Just finished the final book of the "Dragon Tattoo Trilogy" by Swedish author Stieg Larsson (very interesting guy, sadly died before any of his "Millenium Series" books were published).  I certainly enjoyed The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest (the final installment of the series and apparently the highest selling book in the US in 2010) and the entire trilogy for that matter.  Sure, it's a trendy book and therefore it is easy to read.  It's dark, it's sexy, it's referential...everything a trendy book should be.  You may even say it could fall under the "Summah Reads" category.  And of course I'm late to the party as always, these books are way passed the trendy realm.

But nevertheless, the trilogy is a wild ride of suspense and mystery.  Of course, I have seen the American-produced movie version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo directed by David Fincher (one of my personal favorite film directors).  But I have not seen the Swedish-produced film versions of the trilogy, so that is next up on my list and I will have comments on that for you I'm sure.

So.

Breaking Bad.

Best show on television.

Again, late to the party, I just caught up with the current season and it presently occupies a disturbingly large fraction of my limited mental capacity.  This show is so f***king good.  I don't know how else to say it.  So if you're not into it, get into it.

Finally, Rayland Baxter.

I literally listened to his song "The Mountain Song" seven times in a row today.  It was during a beautiful late afternoon drive in the Cleveland Metroparks from Guitar Center back to Lakewood.  Maybe it was just the environment but it was a magical drive.  I mean, it was perfect.  This song embodies all that a great song can, it brings goosebumps to the back of my neck, it just says everything so perfectly.  The kind of song that gives you cause to roll down the windows, put your left arm out to flow leisurely through the wind, and smile.



So please enjoy this tune and look him up.  His debut album Feathers & Fishhooks was just released this passed week (hey, I'm not actually late to the party on this one!) and it is really great.

(#WayTooManyParenthesesInThisBlog)

On another note, I got stung by a bee last week for this first time in many years.  That sucked.

Til next time,

Ty

Album of The Month: Langhorne Slim - "The Way We Move"

Time for another edition of Album of The Month 28 North blogspot stylee.

For this month, I am choosing Langhorne Slim's The Way We Move.

What to say about Langhorne Slim.  He's a truly distinct presence in the music world.  Hailing originally from Langhorne, PA with a wailing voice and infectious intent, Langhorne Slim has got some serious mojo brewing.  With four LPs and two EP's under his belt, Langhorne has become a staple in the "indy-folk" movement.

His fourth LP release, The Way We Move, was released earlier this year and Langhorne is currently supporting it on tour.  Sadly I missed his show at Troubadour this month and thus, I will commend him with Album of The Month.

I must admit, this record may be Langhorne's best effort yet, it has everything.  It has the horns, it has the groovy stylings of the Fender Rhodes, it has the delicate bluegrass picking of banjo player David Moore, it has the thwapping, thundering swing of drummer Malachi DeLorenzo (son of Violent Femmes drummer Victor DeLorenzo), it has the thumping, bouncing bass lines of Jeff Ratner, and of course the beautiful, heartfelt song-craft and raucous hollering of Langhorne Slim.

And holler he does as though his voice was meant to be a powerful battle cry for life.

For life just to be life.

To continue on through whatever happens to us.  And it is about US when you're listening to Langhorne Slim.  We work and suffer, but we've got each other.  And that's the point of music, to bring people together, and Langhorne delivers.

So cheers to Langhorne Slim!

Find him here online: www.langhorneslim.com
Find him here on iTunes
Find him here on Spotify

For those of you hungry for some fresh 28 North, here's a little intimate vid of Mike and Ty singing Monster at One Gun Ranch in Malibu, CA:



Ty

Phish, Justin Bieber, and Pittsburgh!

That is right.  We went to see Phish.

Now, I understand that Phish is a loaded topic in the music world, it's a love/hate kind of thing.  And by my ambivalent nature I have claimed to have such a relationship with Phish and their music.  But the truth is this:

I love Phish.

Sure, the scene is a conglomeration of hipped-out-crunchy-adventure-party people, the music is weird, and maybe you just don't get it.  But the fact remains, in my opinion, that Phish continue to be the most fiercely unique phenomenon in music.

No one plays like Phish.  No one has a more loyal fan-base than Phish.  No one consistently sells out arenas across the country for as long as Phish has.  No one else has played nine festivals for tens of thousands in which the only band playing was themselves.

It may not be for everybody but I certainly love Phish.  I guess the point of this post is to essentially declare myself a Phish fan.  However you choose to judge me is your own prerogative.

Btw, you can actually see me in this picture from the concert at Long Beach Arena, can you find me? (Hint: I'm wearing a yellow shirt):

You can check out some sweet video footage from the Long Beach show we attended on YouTube here.  If you're into lengthy improvised music you will enjoy this:


Also, even more importantly, Justin Bieber was at the show.  You can read about it here.  Apparently Bieber had a hankering for some mushroom chocolates and glow sticks.

In other news, we are super-psyched to announce that 28 North will be returning to play a show in Pittsburgh!  It's been far too long so we are extremely excited to be playing at Thunderbird Cafe on Saturday September 1st.  It is going to be an epic evening, mark your calendars Pittsburgh!

More sooooooooon.....

Ty

TYENCE!

Throughout our travels across this beautiful nation we inevitably have run across an abundance of wildlife, whether it be insects, plants, or dog-based critters.  I myself am very fond of discovering new types of plant and animal life, I enjoy taking pictures of them and reading about them and basically being a bona fide geek.

I call this section of the blog: TYENCE.  For the kick-off TYENCE edition I'm going to cover a few different weird bugs I've run across in the passed few years.

I'll start with one of the insects I found most interesting, the Velvet Wasp or Velvet Ant as it is referred to occasionally.

I stumbled upon one of these at a campground in North Carolina.  I had never encountered one of these insects before and it was quite a sight.  It's a terrific bright red color and looks like a giant ant, the size of a large wasp.  The female Velvet Wasp does not have wings while the male does.  There are roughly 3-5,000 species of this insect and it typically lives in very warm, dry, sandy climates.  Most commonly it is found in the Southwest in North America, but apparently there was at least one in North Carolina.  So I came across a female and fortunately I did not attempt to pick it up, apparently it has a devastating sting and is even nick-named the "Cow Killer".  Yikes.  Here's some footage of its stinger.



Another of my favorite rare insects to stumble upon is the Praying Mantis.  Hands down, in my opinion, the Mantis is THE coolest.  How bad-ass is a Praying Mantis?  The answer is very.  And how ambiguous is its name?  Is it "Preying" or "Praying".  They are both applicable and sound exactly the same.  Whoa.  The Mantis is somewhat elusive in the States, at least I have very rarely stumbled upon them.  There are about 20 species that are native to the U.S. and two (the Chinese Mantis and European Mantis) were introduced specifically to control unwanted pests that were damaging crops.  So the Mantis is like the Enforcer.  Totally bad-ass.

Here is one I encountered a few years ago in Atlanta.  It happened to land directly on my shoe and remained for a few minutes just hanging out.

I also came across a little baby mantis a few weeks ago at the studio.  Never seen one quite so small and adorable.

So there you have it.  The first edition of TYENCE evah!  Hope you enjoyed it and I apologize if you are creeped out by bugs 'n at, but hey, it's not that serious.  Really this is just a chance for me to post some goofy photos.  Anyway.  Don't forget we've got the Viper Room show next Monday, August 13th, it will be a kickoff party for the Sunset Strip Music Festival and it is guaranteed to be a hell of a show.  Hope to see you all there!  Facebook event page


P.S.  The link to Alex Kelly's website in my last blog post was not current, so in case you did or did not visit his site, here's the site I strongly encourage you to visit: www.harvardink.com.  He's got a kick-ass post about a reupholstery project he's doing, great stuff.

Til next time,

Ty

The Master Has Arrived!

That's right folks, the master audio of our latest record has arrived in our hands!

And we could not be happier, it's been a long, tedious process but we have achieved what we set out to do from the beginning: Create our best record ever.  In honor of this moment here is an exclusive behind the scenes of making "World On Fire".



Very soon we will have the first single available, we'll do the video, and the record will move and rock the masses for all of history.

We are currently in the process of completing the art work for the record with our brilliant, dear friend Alex Kelly.  You can find samples of his work at harvardink.com.  You may recognize some of the art as pieces we have used in the past.  It is an honor to have Alex as part of the team and an enormous pleasure as he is one of our best friends.  And if you are in the Cleveland area, please check out the Proximity Art Gallery which Alex runs with his fiancee Beth Whalley.  It's a beautiful space, always with an amazing show.  Check out the website at proximitycleveland.com/home.

Oh, and I did choose my Summah Gum.  I'm going with the wildcard, I did not include it as an option in my Summah Blog, but sometimes life throws a curve ball.  Either way, I am excited to announce that my Summah Gum is...

Wrigley's 5 Prism.  It's watermelon flavor and it is delicious.  I hope everyone is still havin' a summah out there and enjoying themselves.

Talk to ya soon.

Ty

SUMMAH!

That's right, this edition of blog is a SUMMAH FEATUH (feature).

Well folks, it is nearing the end of July, we are well into the Summah season.  I hope you have all been enjoying 2012's time of fun and sun.  And just in case you haven't, I will do my best to inspire you to go out and have some summah fun, via this blog.

Now, before I get started I must give credit to the singular champion of Summah, THE, Howard Kremer.  In case you have not seen his wonderful tutorial on YouTube, please take a moment to hear some words from the master:

Now, as you may have absorbed from the above video, it is important that one must pick out a "Summah Gum".  You proceed to "chew this gum aaaalllll Summah long, that is your Summah Gum.  As long as that gum is in your mouth you know it's Summah."  I know it's late in the Summah but I unfortunately have not made a final decision, so I've narrowed it down to three possibilities and they are as follows:

Trident Splashing Fruit:

Orbit Wildberry Remix:

Wrigley's 5 RPM:

So stay tuned to see which one will conquer the others and have the honor of being my Summah Gum.

Now, I've made a Summah Playlist for all to enjoy during these Summah months.  You can find it here on Spotify.  Here are the selections and a little synopsis on each tune:

1. Allah-Las - Tell Me What's On Your Mind

I had the privilege of seeing these fine gentlemen perform at the Troubadour and this song particularly sucked me in.  The Summah vibe is strong with this one with a retro surf rock sound and a jangly-fun-in-the-sun type of attitude.  Check out the video to get a better idea. 

2. Hacienda - Natural Life

One of my personal favorite bands, this tune has a great message for all the Summah enthusiasts out there as Summah is undoubtedly a magical part of nature.  This song's Summah vibe is off the charts.

3. Blitzen Trapper - Country Caravan

Many people like to take trips in the Summah, some may do it by "caravan".  That is why I chose to include this delightfully bouncy track about traveling by caravan.

4. Dr. Dog - Nobody Knows Who You Are

Summah time is a time for parties, and this track makes me think of partying, so it is thus included.

5. Buena Vista Social Club - Amor de Loca Juventud

Many nations across the globe have the great fortune to have never ending Summah seasons, one of these places is Cuba, where Buena Vista Social Club was formed.  The song is also about the love crazy emotions of youthful persons.  And we all know that Summah is a time for lovin'.

6. The Black Keys - Gold On The Ceiling

The content of this cut may not have much to do with Summah, but it is my personal favorite Summah Groove, something about those fuzzed out guitars...

7. Blitzen Trapper - Astronaut

I know, a repeat artist on a playlist is poor form, but just listen to this tune and tell me the groove at the 1:25 mark doesn't just ooze that Summah Vibe.

8. Deer Tick - Axe Is Forever

From what I can understand from the lyrics in this track, it's a bit about fuck school and the conventional life and all that, and Summah ain't no time for school and that type of shit, that's for goddam sure.  Plus for me there is not a Summah without Deer Tick.

9. Bob Marley - Small Axe

It's certainly not Summah without a little reggae and what better than some Bob Marley.  This is one of my personal fav Marley cuts.

10. Darwin Deez - Radar Detector

This is just a fun song that brings a smile to my face and Summah is definitely a time for smiling.  Plus the song mentions Los Angeles which is most certainly a Summah destination hot spot for many.

11. Howard Kremer - Take Your Back To School Sale and Shove It

Last but most certainly not least we have the Grand Champion of Summah himself Howard Kremer.  He just recently released his "Have A Summah" album, you can find it here and on iTunes, and I strongly suggest you check it out along with his free podcast Who Charted.  You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes here.

So there it is, my Summah Playlist, I hope you all enjoy.  So get out there, have a Summah, and I'll talk to you soon.

Ty

Album of the Month

Apologies for the lack of blogging in the last month.  Let's just say I've "had blog-bloc".

Much has been happening for 28 North recently.  The record is 90% complete right now and it's fitting to be a revolutionary album of epic proportions.  We've also had some great shows at the Roxy and in Ventura, which is becoming almost like a second home to us, we love it there.

So last month was lacking our Album of the Month selection so I will have two coming up in the next few weeks to make up for it.

For this edition I'm going to feature Maps & Atlases' recent release "Beware and Be Grateful".  This Chicago-based quartet comes from an indie/math-rock background.  With their last two full length albums M & A has blended intricately complex musicianship with ultra-pop sensibilities and very sensitive, personal lyric content.

"Beware and Be Grateful" begins with the hypnotic guitar pulsing of the master soundscaper guitarist Erin Elders that is commonplace in most M & A cuts.  The song "Old And Grey" continues to build with the swirling layers of singer Dave Davison's luscious harmonies, the brilliant tribal drumming of Chris Hainey, and the masterfully nuanced bass lines of Shiraz Dada.  This first tune travels through the sentimental musings of a terminated relationship and culminates with a very exposed Davison bursting with Eastern-tinged melodic embellishments that are nothing short of heartbreaking.

The record continues in this vein, displaying much musical prowess and a keen sense for concocting subtle intricate layers that form beautifully complex atmospheres.  This is a very dense album that provides much to fascinate and ponder.  It comes highly recommended by yours truly, hope you enjoy.


Maps & Atlases on iTunes

Maps & Atlases on Spotify


-Ty