The Tunnel

Tunnels are dark and sometimes kind of frightening. The uncertainty of what lurks out there in the vast and unseen space of its deep recesses often plays tricks on your mind as vertigo sets in, forcing you to shuffle your feet slowly underneath you to feel your way through the darkness, hoping to catch a glimmer of light to lead you out of the blackness and out to safety.

It’s only appropriate that Jeff Wagner and Patrick Crawford named their band The Tunnel. Both dark and full of sinister hooks, the San Francisco duo’s music draws you into an abyss, out of simple curiosity, and sucks you into the vaudeville of sonic dementia.

Wagner’s raw guitar playing and spooky lyrics transport you to the days of old when gypsies roamed in packs and magic potions were sold on dust covered street corners. Part Howlin’ Wolf, part Neil Young on the soundtrack to the film Dead Man, his style of guitar playing is arpeggiated, emotional and sinister.

Drummer Patrick Crawford’s hands reach to the sky and come crashing down on taut heads like an anvil dropping off a ten-story roof. He plays heavy and his drumsticks continually reach that John Bonham-style 12 o’clock position between collisions with the tom, snare and cymbals. Patrick is brothers with French Miami’s drummer Chris Crawford and has participated in stages of Rally of the Dead. He isn’t afraid to ride a bike.

Rumor has it that The Tunnel has recently added another member, Josh Layton, to make the band a trio. I’m looking forward to seeing how it comes together in a live setting. I have a feeling they chose well and he’ll do the band justice and round out the sound, not that there was anything lacking in the first place.

Do yourself a favor and get your hands on The Tunnel’s “Carver Brothers Lullaby.” It’s a solid album and showcases their musical and songwriting talent. Play it loud and often … and don’t be afraid when the lights go out. 

The Soft Hands - Playing SSWC's in Durango, Colorado

Music website Radio Free Silverlake called The Soft Hands “Jangly and nervous and exciting.” I may have to agree after seeing them play live last year and after listening to them further since then. Their music is definitely fast, not in a simplistic punk rock way but in a layered and syncopated way, and Matt’s high-pitched vocal outbursts make them sound a bit nervous and even tense. Drumbeats without a lot of fills, a quickly strummed guitar and driving bass lines give the band a unique yet familiar sound completely free of inertia.

Tight, fast and catchy, the threesome from Long Beach, California played Durango last year at the awards ceremony following the third installment of Rally of the Dead. They definitely created new fans and kept the otherwise exhausted audience shaking their booties late into the evening. My personal favorite is “Imagine Me,” an expeditiously paced gem featuring catchy verses and a beauty of a chorus sang by bassist, Elizabeth. “Know Your Own” is another catchy one that is both moody and soothing at the same time. The future looks bright for The Soft Hands.

You can purchase a copy of their first full length, “Hours Pass By,” at cdbaby.com. Just remember, it’s no wave, not new wave. 

French Miami Scheduled at SSWC '09 in Durango, Colorado

French Miami is a three-piece band from San Francisco. Their music is a delightful mix of synthy pop rock grooves and math rock ala Minus the Bear or Battles – with just enough of a groove to dance to without feeling stupid (or incredibly white).

Roland Curtis’s guitar riffs are unique, much of it coming from the tapping style he uses on his high-slung Telecaster. You can especially appreciate his style on the track “Science Fiction.” Roland also doubles up on instruments by playing keyboards. Baritone guitar player, keyboardist and vocalist Jay Heiselman’s voice blends the band’s songwriting prowess with comfortable harmony and sounds like a friendlier version of Glenn Danzig. Drummer Chris Crawford holds a beat. Down. Using an incredibly simple kit, he’s the backbone of French Miami’s sound and is a Jedi of the start/stop drum roll. The first time I spoke with Chris we got on the subject of Jawbreaker – his heavy hands reminded me of Adam Pfahler’s. Turned out it wasn’t a coincidence, as Jawbreaker was a big influence on his playing style.

“Veterans” of the Durango music circuit (alright, they’ve played only one show there, in 2007, during the Rally of the Dead awards party), the rollicking threesome is going to grace the stage for yet another singlespeed event in what will guaranteed be another raucous and highly energized live performance. In their hometown they have created a regular following and will continue gaining respect as they tour outside of the Bay’s confines. 

Check out their music at www.myspace.com/mrfrenchmiami

Snowden - Anti-Anti

Snowden is from Atlanta, Georgia — but you'd never guess this upon listening to them for the first time. A four piece band with a sound reminiscent of math rock and '80s synth, they bring a fresh sound that is unavoidably familiar, yet typical of the sound coming from Indie hotspots like the Pacific Northwest and New York City — but in a good way. To put it plainly, they rock.

Anti-anti is the band's latest effort. It's a perfect blend of what is current in the Indie scene, with a lot of start-stop intricacies and spacy guitar riffs that render upon listeners a helpless need to dance and move their bodies to the catchy hooks and rhythms.


But, don't let their catchy and user-friendly sound mask over the band's dark undertones. There is definitely a gloomy feel that comes with Snowden's music, and can be deciphered through many of the lyrics that counterbalance the happiness of their sound.

I think we'll hear a lot more about this band in the near future.

Top Ten Albums of All Time

Although it is extemely difficult to choose my top ten favorite albums, these are the albums that come to mind as having the most staying power and influence for what I currently listen to. I don't break these out on a regular basis now, but they will always be in my collection and occasionally warrant a good listen.

Pink Floyd – “Meddle”
Nostalgia, nostalgia, nostalgia. This album has been with me on many of my travels and always puts a smile on my face. Musically, I feel Pink Floyd had more profound albums. However, David Gilmour’s voice on this record is the male version of an angel singing from the heavens. Just listen to "Fearless" and you will agree.

U2 – “Joshua Tree”
Perhaps one of the best traveling albums ever, Joshua Tree was U2’s “Exile on Main St.” They captured the vastness of America’s Southwest and the spirit of lost and aching souls. Before Bono became a world healer in cool glasses, he was a singer and a songwriter. And this album proves it.

Sonic Youth – “Goo”
This was an incredible effort from one of the genre’s greatest bands. It is also one of the most “user friendly” albums by Sonic Youth. Original riffs and odd tunings melt the wax that binds the candle on this one. It captures teenage lust, angst, heartbreak and despair with a twinge of hope to keep you coming back for more.

Pavement – “Slanted and Enchanted”
The debut album from a band that almost single-handedly started what is now known as indie rock. Armed with simple power chords, spacious melodies and quirky lyrics, the album continues to be revered by longtime listeners as well as new listeners who are just now discovering this little gem.

Ween – “The Mollusk”
A remarkable album from the brothers Ween, The Mollusk defies all normality while much of it copies earlier styles of music, and that is what Ween does best. For me, the album particularly stands out due to its spacious and otherworldly soundscape. Synthesizers, guitars and original lyrics, the album has just enough old fashioned rock and roll mixed in there to avoid keeping your distance from its detailed intricacies.

Tribe Called Quest – “Low End Theory”
Tribe’s second album, Low End Theory fuses hip hop with jazz, funk, quirky rhymes and intelligence. It’s almost impossible to not bounce your head to the album’s funky and original beats and laugh at Phife Dawg’s outlook on life and “love.” Q-Tip’s smooth voice creates a certain seriousness and toughness to the tracks, giving the Tribe legitimate street credibility while pleasing those who don’t ordinarily listen to hip hop.

The Cure – “Pornography”
Early Cure albums are so much different than what the band has produced the past 15, or even 20 years. Robert Smith’s latest attempts to remain musically relevant are comparatively lackluster. 1982’s Pornography was as dark and sullen as the Cure gets. Songs like “One Hundred Years” and “Hanging Garden,” the band’s magnum opus, were responsible for spawning a new breed of music fans. Suddenly college kids liked dark music.

Slayer – “South of Heaven”
In my opinion, South of Heaven is the best metal album ever made. Although Reign in Blood is widely considered their best, I feel that South of Heaven is better musically and sonically. The transition of the album’s opening track into “Silent Scream” is absolutely blood curdling and still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand at attention. Rick Rubin knew how to capture the band’s torrential downpour of sound and exploit their talent as musicians, even though it was his first attempt with a metal band. This was the last album they recorded on Def Jam Records.

Beastie Boys – “Paul’s Boutique”
Following the commercial success of the Beastie’s first album, Licensed to Ill, must have been extremely hard. And it was. Parting ways with legendary producer Rick Rubin and exiling to Los Angeles from their native New York City surroundings, the Beastie Boys had something to prove. And they did. The entire album is worth listening to from beginning to end, every time. Much of it is due to the ample sampling, taken from 105 songs and sounds total, which was done before the industry became so sue happy. Paul’s Boutique is timeless and will always be at the apex of hip hop’s greatest achievements.

Johnny Cash – “At Folsom Prison”
The man in black’s raw 1968 live recording at Folsom State Prison will always be embedded in my brain. I found the album at a very early age and was mesmerized by the authentic and manic presentation in which it was recorded, and Cash’s unmistakable bass-baritone voice. Songs like “Cocaine Blues” and “The Long Black Veil” will always have a life of their own and this live recording spans many musical genres and has inspired musicians from many different backgrounds. It is as punk rock as it is country.

Bon Iver's Soul

Normally, I am not one to listen to a lot of the new singer-songwriter type of artists. Much of it reminds of me of the same over-played radio friendly Jack Johnsonesque music that is in constant rotation on college radio stations throughout the U.S. However, I do like much of the lo-fi music that has been recorded in the past few years such as Iron and Wine, Sun Kil Moon and even some of Mason Jenning's recordings (yes, I know he is on the same label as Jack Johnson).

Bon Iver's "For Emma, Forever Ago," is an album seething with emotion and raw energy, tapped from Justin Vernon's experiences with his former bandmates, family and relationships. Bon Iver, which means "good winter" in loose French tongue, is perhaps a reflection of the winter Vernon spent writing and recording the majority of the material for this album — in a remote cabin in Northern Wisconsin.

Just like the woods he resided in, the album is mysterious, emotional and somewhat haunting. The first track, "Flume," is a simple song, both lyrically and musically, but somehow stokes the fire for the rest of the album. Using steel guitar type echoes, it ebbs and flows throughout. At three minutes and forty seconds, it seems much shorter than it is.

The album's second song, "Lump Sum," starts off as kind of a monkish chant which leads to a palm-muted acoustic riff and several effects. It reminds me of cold winter evenings and heavy breathing.

"Skinny Love" is the album's "hit" and is reminiscent of traditional folk artists. The vocals range from an almost whisper like soprano to a guttural yell, offering listeners a taste of the pain inflicted by a former lover.

"Team" is the album's most upbeat and fastest track. It is also the shortest in length, coming in at just under 2 minutes. The reverb-soaked guitar complimenting the background riffs give the song an ethereal sound.

"For Emma" has a nice mellow swing to it, incorporating more echo-laden stringed instruments, horns and catchy melodies. The background vocals add to the ambient aspect and match Vernon's original melody and the horns that give the track a little spiciness.

Overall, I would rate "For Emma, Forever Ago" high on the list of my current background music favorites. It's an easy listen, and there are no songs that initiate me to skip to the next. It's refreshing to hear a singer-songwriter that is both fresh and familiar.