speed of dark

Herman Jolly

Herman Jolly paints both acoustic and grungey pop portraits with a Pixies-style brush and a cracked, slightly nasal voice.

There is also something about his songs I can't quite put my finger on that reminds me of Tobin Sprout, former member of Guided By Voices who is a long-time favorite of mine. Maybe it's the way he uses words to present an off-kilter perspective and frames it all with unforgettable melodies on guitar.

Jolly, former member of Sunset Valley, retired to Montana a few years ago from the rock-band life but never stopped writing and recording. He is back living in Seattle now with a new CD called Bunker Life, which is available, along with his earlier CDs, on both iTunes and eMusic. Don't neglect his earlier work, espcially 2002's Thanasphere. There is a lot to like on both.

Herman Jolly: Days Are Long from Bunker Life (2007)
Herman Jolly: Windless from Thanasphere

Also highly recommended: "1,000,000 Feet Below," "Glowing Wires," "Candy Stairs," "Captainette," "Get Dizzy," "Lost and Spaced," and "Needles and Pines."
Watch: "Candy Stairs" video

MySpace | Label: Fortune Records
Buy at CitrusToCitrus, iTunes, and eMusic

Shows:
Jun 15 2007 - Easy Street After Hours in West Seattle, WA
Jun 16 2007 - Towne Lounge with Hazelwood Motel, Portland, OR

Ford Pier

My first impression upon hearing "Angels On Horseback" from Ford Pier's EP Organ Farming, to be released this Tuesday, was that the original lineup of Weezer had returned from the past--the same wacky, irreverent, guitar-based romp kind of thing that gets thicker and wilder the longer it goes.

Next on the CD is "Employed" with a perfectly lovely guitar riff reminiscent of early Beatles or Matthew Sweet. Oh boy, how can you not like this? But it isn't just a pretty bouquet of tunes. Listen to the words, and you'll hear some sharp opinions on the state of the economy and employment, or lack of it.

Organ Farming is just an appetizer for a full-length CD called Adventurism that is planned for release in fall. Members of the
Ron Sexsmith Band, Fembots and the Weakerthans play on both.

Ford Pier: Angels On Horseback
"Isolated neighborhoods/Dependence on imported goods/The taste of these bananas makes me want to get away!"

Ford Pier: Employed
"I might want to raise a family/I might like my kids to be employed/Like I'm employed."

MySpace | Website | Label: Six Shooter Records
Buy at Six Shooter Records and previous CDs at iTunes and eMusic

Shows:
Jun 9 2007 - Six Shooter Afternoon BBQ, Toronto, Ontario
Jun 9 2007 - Cameron House (EP Release show!), Toronto, Ontario
Jun 12 2007 - The Casbah (w/Peter Elkas), Hamilton