A Thank You from Extra Golden

Formed in the Buru Buru neighborhood in Nairobi,Kenya, Extra Golden began as a stripped-down experiment undertaken by Ian Eagleson and Alex Minoff of the Washington D.C. band Golden, and Onyango Wuod Omari and Otieno Jagwasi of the Kenyan benga band Orchestra Extra Solar Africa.

It has been five years since the quartet converged to record its debut, Ok-Oyot System, and much has changed for better and for worse. Jagwasi succumbed to liver disease in 2005 and was replaced by his brother, Onjango. And violence in Kenya splintered the collective, threatening the lives of Omari, Jagwasi and their families. Despite these challenges, Extra Golden has continued its unique collaboration, with the help of Chicago's Thrill Jockey Records, the band's music has been unleashed on the world.

Thank You Very Quickly, the quartet's third release, is comprised of six funky, percussive compositions that bristle with infectious style. Despite the struggles that have inspired the music, it plays out with dance-floor ease, succinct playing propelling songs both political ("Onyango") and carefree ("Fantasies of the Orient"). Speckled guitar, driving rhythm, and astute verse in both English and Luo are the hallmark of the band, a multi-cultural mash-up that is spirited and fresh.

Extra Golden is a sonic bridge between two very different worlds; one of wealth and greed, another of violence and turmoil. But there, in between the two, the music shines with a livelihood that defies differences and strife. Thank You Very Quickly proves that it is Extra Golden that deserves the thank you.

Extra Golden will tour the U.S. in April.

April 9 - Johnny Brenda's, Philadelphia, PA
April 10 - Floristree, Baltimore, MD
April 11 - Le Poisson Rouge - Manhattan, New York
April 12 - Middle East Upstairs - Cambridge, Massachusetts
April 14 - Comet Pizza - Washington DC
April 15 - B-Sides at Messiah College - Grantham, Pennsylvania
April 16 - The Horn Gallery/Kenyon College -Gambier, Ohio
April 17 - Ladies Literary Club - Grand Rapids, Michiga
April 18 - IU DeVault Center Field - Bloomington, Indiana
April 19 - Cactus Club - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
April 20 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, Illinois
April 22 - Harbor Lawn at Waterfront ParkLouisville, Kentucky
April 23 - Northside Tavern -Cincinnati, Ohio
April 24 - Rumba Cafe Columbus, Ohio

Look:
Extra Golden Online

Listen:
Track 1 - Anyango

Buy:
Thrill Jockey Records

Yarn: Real American Music


Yarn has made short work of establishing itself in the national music scene. And the band has done so playing a sonic brand that binds all corners of American music together into a well-formed clamor colored by California sunshine and Appalachian moonshine with a touch of New York City buzz.

Empty Pockets, the Brooklyn-based quintet's sophomore release, is acoustic-hewn and vibrant, stringed and understated. Blake Christiana, Trevor MacArthur, Andrew Hendryx, Rick Bugel, and Jay Frederick are most comfortable lounging between country, folk and bluegrass; however, a relaxed, acute sense of style threatens to burst the seams of these timeworn formats. Cascading pedal steel introduces the rusted-Ford ramble down "Christopher Street," and Edie Brickell's lilt enlivens Christiana's dusty reading of "I'm Down," both tracks seeping sepia warmth characteristic of Empty Pockets as a whole.

Despite Yarn's youth, success is quickly emerging. Empty Pockets received eight first-round Grammy nominations, and the band is joined on its debut by notable players including Brickell, Tony Trischka, Caitlin Cary, and Casey Driessen. Yarn is American music at its best, and it will only get better with time.

Yarn's tour through the Southeast begins tonight in Raleigh, NC.

March 14 - Berkeley Cafe, Raleigh, NC
March 16 - Acoustic Coffeehouse, Johnson City, TN
March 17 - The Garage, Winston Salem, NC
March 18 - Evening Muse, Charlotte, NC
March 19 - Surrey Tavern, Augusta, GA
March 20 - Droopy's, Myrtle Beach, SC
March 21 - The Pour House, Charleston, SC (Free afternoon show)
March 21 - Livewire Music Hall, Savannah, GA
March 24 - 12th and Porter, Nashville, TN
March 25 - The Dame, Louisville, KY
March 26 - Gerstle's Place, Louisville, KY
March 27 - Jack of the Wood, Asheville, NC
March 28 - Capital Ale House, Richmond, VA
April 3 - Main Pub, Manchester, CT
April 10 - Empire Dine and Dance, Portland, ME
April 11 - The Muddy River, Portsmouth, NH
April 17, The Electric Company, Utica, NY
May 10 - NPR's Mountain Stage, Charleston, WV

Look:
Yarn Online

Listen:
Track 1 - Music's Only Outlaw
Track 2 - I'm Down
Track 3 - Lies I've Told

Buy:
Yarn on iTunes

The Movies with Justin Townes Earle

Playing music wasn't much of an option for Justin Townes Earle; it was inherited.

But being the son of songwriter Steve Earle and the namesake of the late Townes Van Zandt allowed Justin more opportunities to carelessly spill his God-given talent than to carefully pour it into a repertoire of songs. Growing up in Nashville, Tennessee, he resented the touring schedule that kept his father constantly on the road and endlessly away from home. And even after finding his own muse, Earle's demons found him, and he was eventually fired from his dad's backing band.

But it's no secret that trouble is at the root of every good country song, and not only did Earle clean up his act, he began writing his own career with 2008's The Good Life. Midnight At the Movies, his sophomore release, further illuminates his timeless approach, revealing the tipped-hat, country classicism of Hank Williams ("Pour Fool"), the paper-cut lyricism of his father ("Mama's Eyes"), and a guitar case overflowing with youthful ambition (a vibrant take on The Replacements' "Can't Hardly Wait").

Whether stirring the spirits of old-time Americana, or exorcising his roots with clean-cut finesse, Earle's songwriting defies his youth. Years from now, Midnight at the Movies won't simply be remembered as a solid sophomore album; it will be remembered as Earle's resolute promise of even better things to come.

Midnight at the Movies is out this week on Bloodshot Records.

Look:
Justin Townes Earle Online

Listen:
Track 5 - Mama's Eyes
Track 2 - What I Mean to You

Buy:
Bloodshot Records