[This piece appeared in All the Rage]

Raleigh, NC’s The Rosebuds have been perfecting their dour pop songs since 2001 when the duo of Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp got married. They met in college after Ivan broke both his arms, ending his basketball career. After nuturing their relationship with rock shows and literature, the couple married and set off to pursue music together. Their music is sown with their affection for each other and they infuse their melancholy tones with hopefulness. (more…)

[This piece appears in the Rage.]

Maria Taylor is perhaps best known as half of Athens, Georgia’s Azure Ray or a quarter of Now It’s Overhead. She’s also sung on releases from Moby, The Faint, The Bruces and Bright Eyes. Finally, she’s stepped out on her own with her first solo album 11:11. Her gossamer voice finds its perfect match in the lazy, atmospheric music here. (more…)

[This piece appears in All The Rage.]

The seven member ensemble known as Girls and Boys is a pop music melting pot. Their lyrics directly and indirectly reference great pop touchstones; their music fuses the big back beat of Motown with the shimmering guitars and keys of power pop. Terah Thompson and Adria Heimburger sing sunny harmonies and sultry kiss-offs backed by a band of boys: Ben Patton, Brian Fuzzell, Jim O’Shea, Joe Baine Colvert, and Mike Styles. Joe suggests that the band is like a “Lambchop you can dance to.‿ All The Rage corralled five of the seven for a chat that attempted to sum up the septet. (more…)

[This piece appeared in All the Rage.]

Though you’re probably familiar with local rock bands The Pink Spiders, Slack, The Privates, Feable Weiner, Character, and The Hotpipes, you may not know that all those bands have turned to Lake Fever Productions to make records. Lake Fever—the studio run by Jason Bullock, John Baldwin and Joe Colvert—has been making a name for itself for the past three years in the indie rock scene in Nashville. But their recent move to Music Row opens up new possibilities for the young team of engineers/producers. (more…)

[This appears in the Rage as a preview for the L&T's show.]

When Shiner parted ways two years ago, fans were left stunned. The band seemed to be at the top of their game. Nonetheless, Shiner’s leader Allen Epley had other designs. Rather than continue to construct songs with difficult rhythms and complicated chord progressions, Epley recruited a new band to explore the challenge of simplifying his music. (more…)