FEATURE: Groove Armada
“If either of us had to leave one CD behind for the grandchildren, it would be this one.”
Read the rest of this entry »
“If either of us had to leave one CD behind for the grandchildren, it would be this one.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Three things I think about when someone mentions Minnesota: Prince, James Laurinaitis, and the preferred stop-over en route from LAX to the home office for my old company in Madison, Wisconsin. It wasn’t until I first heard Brother Ali that I started investigating Minneapolis as a hip-hop town, and it wasn’t until I started checking out Minneapolis as a hip-hop town that I heard about Dessa. An accomplished MC and songwriter, Dessa is a part of Minneapolis’ famed Doomtree Crew. Her first EP, entitled False Hopes, debuted in 2005 to much local acclaim, but she’s about to splash in a big way with A Badly Broken Code. Hip-hop, balladry, confessionals, raw shit. It’s all in here, and it’s all good. Read my interview with her after the jump.
A Badly Broken Code is out on Doomtree Records. Purchase it now via the Doomtree store or on iTunes.
MP3: Dessa - Children’s Code (3:11)
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
“The last record just was six people creating a racket.”
Read the rest of this entry »
“Nothing was really planned.”
Read the rest of this entry »
“I’m one of the biggest geeks in the world, but I choose to do quite glamorous things.”
Read the rest of this entry »
“It was all very tribal.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Psychedelic. Smooth. Humored. Catchy. This is the music of Dios, a Southern California band that crosses a menagerie of experimental sounds with a sunny disposition that’s as colorful as the beach towns each member comes from. From heavily ‘verbed surf rock guitars, field recordings, and Beatle-esque keyboards to non-sequitur jams with Halloween style backdrops about buying ice cream sandwiches for a friend, the songs on We Are Dios are saturated with texture and unhinged creativity. If you’ve got $7, you can download the album and hear it for yourself. Better yet, save up $500 and have the band play a show at your house. Live outside the LA area? Not a problem. For the cost of a plane ticket, lead singer and guitarist Joel Morales (above) will play a solo acoustic show in your living room. He explains more in the interview after the jump.
We Are Dios is out today on Buddyhead Records. Purchase it now via the band’s own online store.
MP3: Dios - Epileptic Tunnel Visions (5:25)
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.