Beatenberg

Recently, a friend of mine introduced me to a website called Miss Moss. Its subhead calls the blog a “compendium of radness,” and indeed it is. While I’m not very into the sections on art and fashion, the blog’s founder, Diana, is a bit of a playlist-ologist. I’ve spent hours browsing through her […]

Fast Romantics

Halfway through every year, I always look forward to Will Oliver’s list of the best songs of the year (so far) at We All Want Someone To Shout For. Will always finds a perfect balance between the obvious BIG tracks that everyone talks about and the under-the-radar gems found in the […]

M.H. & His Orchestra

Hey guys! Missed me? I’ve been away at camp all summer and have greatly missed discovering and sharing music with all the amazing readers of Knox Road. So upon my return, I have good news for you, and for me: I found a really special, cool album for us all to […]

Sweetlife Festival 2012 – The Recap

The Shins!

The Sweetlife Festival was a memorable day of great music and great grilled cheese. And, when it comes down to it, aren’t those two things what life is really all about?

I’m going to break this recap down into two parts, first reviewing the performances at the Treehouse Stage, and then talking about the headliners at the Main Stage.

Continue reading Sweetlife Festival 2012 – The Recap

Interview with Of Monsters and Men

If you haven’t heard of them yet, you will soon enough. On Wednesday, Of Monsters and Men graced the home page of Pitchfork and Spotify with a massive banner advertisement for their debut album, My Head Is An Animal.  Animal hit as high as number two on the top-selling iTunes albums of the day, right behind the “queen of hip-hop” herself, Nicki Minaj.

So how the heck did a 6-piece band from Iceland get famous in America before even releasing a full-length album?

Even the band’s lead singer, Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson, isn’t entirely sure.

Continue reading Interview with Of Monsters and Men

San Cisco

San Cisco has a pep to its step. The band’s music is bouncy and jubilant, with the free-spirited ramshackle instrumentation of Delta Spirit and Cold War Kids. The band is giving away its track “Awkward,” a simple, cute back-and-forth between its easily likable male and female vocalists.

San Cisco – “Awkward” [MP3]

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Hanging out with Pearl and the Beard

Gracing the cover of Pearl and the Beard’s excellent second album, Killing The Darlings, is a sweater made for three people. While this seems like merely a cute, simple way of pointing out that the band has three members, it is actually a completely definitive representation of the trio. Pearl And The Beard is truly a three-headed monster, with no lead singer and no head songwriter, but instead three unique personalities and people who started as strangers, then collaborated to make incredible music, and to become, as singer and drummer Jocelyn Mackenzie put it, “family.”

I had the pleasure of interviewing Pearl and the Beard on Friday, just before their incredible show at the Rock and Roll Hotel in D.C. Due to the band’s charming personalities, it felt less like an interview and more like hanging out with friends. Jocelyn, Emily Hope Price, and Jeremy Styles were all gracious, kind, and willing to talk about anything. In our conversation, we discussed the band’s origin story, their songwriting process, and their reflections on the level of success they’ve achieved.

Pearl and the Beard – “Sweetness” [MP3]

Coming Together

Jocelyn met Jeremy at an open mic night in NYC. ” I heard people playing songs,” she said, “and I thought to myself ‘oh no, it’s open mic night, this is gonna be terrible, get me out of here!’ But then I heard Jeremy playing and he was fantastic.” The two talked and traded numbers, and soon started playing and singing together. At another open mic night they heard Emily sing and play the cello, and were “blown away.” Says Jeremy, “I literally said to Jocelyn, ‘I have to steal her.’”

“Stealing her” was a great decision, too – the ferocious sound of Emily’s cello has proven to be one of Pearl and the Beard’s defining elements.

Continue reading Hanging out with Pearl and the Beard

The Lumineers

The Lumineers make the kind of life-affirming folk music that many bands aspire for, but few actually pull off. Their best track, “Ho Hey” is a perfectly crafted foot-stomper, literally demanding a group singalong – on tour, the crowd will surely “ho!” and “hey!” along with the band after every four […]

Stone Cold Fox

Editor’s Note: We’re proud to announce a new contributor, Adam Offitzer. Please join us in welcoming him to the Knox Road community. You can find him on Twitter at @aoffitzer.

Since this is my first post ever for Knox Road, it’s probably a good place to define my music taste for […]