Kentuckyseven

Ever since 2007, one album has been haunting me. Stephanie Dosen’s –  ”A Lily For The Spectre” (Bella Union) that had to be one of the greatest, and most well kept secrets of that year.

The album is pure magic, and Dosen’s voice and presence is everything I wish for in genuine music. Her voice. Her distinct yet subtle way of presenting her stories, is nothing less than divine.

Stephanie Dosen, a Wisconsin born singer/songwriter of fantastic proportions, that later moved to UK and in 2008 became the lead vocalist for Massive Attack on their european tour. And the later, toured with the Midlake and also contributed with vocals on ”Bring Down” from the album ”The Courage of Others” (2010).

Been waiting to see what would be following that album up, but it has been really quiet, until the rumors start spreading that an album might be on the way…

An album with Simon Raymonde in the form of a band called Snowbird… And if you read about it on Bellaunion.com, we can expect contributions from Radiohead, Midlake and Jonathan Wilson. This is bound to be great, beyond great.

What you might not know: Dosen is super talented when it comes to knitting and designing… http://tinyowlknits.wordpress.com/

I had the opportunity to ask Stephanie some short questions… here is what she said:

– What are you listening to, right now?

”-My fountain, birds, wind chimes & ambient anything.”

– Best book read in a while?

”The Sea Priestess by Dion Fortune.”

– Your hopes for this year?

”Finish my book and get the Snowbird record out!”

– Three artists who inspire you?

”Joni Mitchell, Indigo Girls, Cocteau Twins.”

– Who deserves a breakthru in 2012?

”Whoever Einstein came back as.”

We are so looking forward to the Snowbird album, meanwhile…

A lily for the Spectre is one of my absolute favorite albums… if that has not already been made obvious… Listen for yourself:

Photo by Mikael Kennedy

The list of great bands from Providence RI can be made long. We have met quite a few of them on our journey here on Kentuckyseven. When we hooked up with The Low Anthem, we asked them about what bands to look out for. They named the band Brown Bird, and the love was instant.

Dave Lamb and MorganEve Swain create something of a supernatural feeling with their music. Nature is present, the great unknown feels present and yet this is as ”close to the ground” as possible. The sensation of rural North America is magical. This is what music is all about. Instruments as well as harmonies shows you pictures of love and struggle and relations between man nature and everything in between.

I just want to sit next to an open fire in a small wooden cabin, and listen to this music. And let myself be swept away to places not yet known to me.

We asked Brown Bird about things that they like to be swept away by:

What are you listening to, right now?

”At this very moment we’re on tour driving from Tempe, AZ to SanDiego, CA listening to the audio book of ”Slow Fade” by Rudolph Wurlitzer narrated by Will Oldham and D.V. DeVincentis. The music we’ve listened to most on this trip has been Erkin Koray, Omar Khorshid and Gabor Szabo.”

Best book read in a while?

DL: ”Henry Corbin’s ”Swedenborg and Esoteric Islam.” I found out about this book on the Museum Without Walls section of webofmimicry.com. To a westerner raised in a household of American Christianity, Corbin’s article on the Imaginal World and his comparisons between the Esoteric Christian and Esoteric Islamic interpretations of the stories of Adam & Eve and Noah’s ark were a breath of fresh philosophy. Or perhaps he’s articulating some of my own views much more eloquently than I ever could.”

MES:” I find it hard to read while on the road, but the last book I completed was ”A Separate Country” by Robert Hicks, which is about a confederate general living in New Orleans dealing with post-war guilt. I read it during a week off that we were lucky enough to spend in the Bywater of NOLA, which heightened the whole experience.”

Your hopes for this year?

”We hope to thoroughly enjoy playing our last few tours of the year. We also hope to record our best full length album yet when we head back into the studio this December.”

Three artists who inspire you?

”It’s really hard to pick just three but if we have to narrow it down here’s the first names that come to mind right now.
Trey Spruance (Secret Chiefs 3, Mr. Bungle) an incredible guitar/prepared instrument player and arranger.
Joel Thibodeau (Stringbuilder, Death Vessel) one of the best lyricists/songwriters around.
Chris Corsano (Six Organs of Admittance, SunBurned Hand of the Man, Bjork, Rangda, etc.) an innovative and very skilled drummer with a great feel and unique style.”

Who deserves a breakthru in 2012/2013?

”We’re gonna go ahead and show some New England pride here by mentioning a few of our friends whose music we love and want the rest of the world to hear and hopefully love as well. Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons, Death Vessel, Micah Blue Smaldone and Alec K. Redfearn & The Eyesores. All of these groups have new albums coming out at various times over the next year and from what we’ve heard of each, they are not to be missed.

Here at Kentuckyseven we are looking forward to hearing more great music from Dave and MorganEve, so we will be looking out for the next album. That is a promise.

Check out Brown Bird online: BrownBird.net

Listen to Brown Bird:

Swedish band Fibes, Oh Fibes is on our mind. They hit the streets bigtime back in 2003 with epic singles One Hour Baby and This City’s Got No Boulevards. Since then these fellas made a bunch of records – the latest one Album released April 18^th.

Album sounds great. It´s a back-to-the-roots deal for the band, with a hidden gem in song N0 5 Good For My Soul, and they got greatness ahead. Fibes, Oh Fibes excellent bassman Edvin Edvinson (left in the pic) answered a couple of Q´s, enjoy.

¤ What are you listening to, right now?

“New Rufus W, Lightships and Judee Sill.”

¤ Your hopes for this year?

“We are really looking forward for a year filled with long term projects. From our end it will be playing our music and presenting ’Album’ in the best possible way. Meeting loads of new interesting people. Also hoping on caring about eachother becoming the new big lifestyle. Really caring that is.”

¤ Three artists who inspire you?

“Harry Nilsson, Azelea Banks and Arthur Russel. Imagine those in a trio!”

¤ Who deserves a breakthrough in 2012?

“Sea Shepherd.”

Photo by Pär Hugo Kjellén

One of the truly greatest album from a Swedish artist in 2005 was Tiger Lou’s ”The Loyal”.

With the feel of being inside a German car driving at top speed down a wet autobahn in the dark, just sensing the colors on the side of the road rushing by. Barely.

The despair and the joy in Rasmus Kellerman’s voice like a narrator to the movie that is played on the windshield. Pure magic.

The first album ”Is my head still on?” (2004) with the enormous hit single ”Oh Horatio” felt new yet timeless at release, it still does.
Tiger Lou’s most recent album ”A Partial Print” (2008) carries a heavy load, with great dignity. The music is unique in a very Tiger Lou way. Dark with a drive. Drums and guitars that remind us that it is possible to create great music with small means. Those ten minutes that is ”The More You Have To Give” and ”The Less You Have To Carry” is short of perfection in my book.

After three full-lengths as Tiger Lou, Rasmus Kellerman released ”The 24th” as himself. The sound is very different, acoustic, more personal, a diary if you will.

We had to have a talk to Mr Kellerman, to see what’s in store for 2012… and more…

What are you listening to, right now?

”Arrow” by Jacques Greene & Koreless, ”Nova” by Four Tet & Burial, ”Grace” by Keith Kenniff, ”Where Are Your People” by We Have Band, ”Josie” by The Darcys, ”Hold On” by SBTRKT, ”Be There In Bells” by The Pines, ”No Respect” by Machinedrum, ”Just Smile For Me” by Bondax & Bobbie Gordon.”

A regular song salad.

Best book read, in a while?

”I look forward to the two new Chuck Palahniuk books I just ordered. And I’m about to start Blue Nights by Joan Didion. Been a while since I finished a book. I’m an easy starter, hard finisher.”

Your hopes for this year?

”Get my shit together and write more songs for my new project, which is gonna be great. Finish up some new Tiger Lou songs perhaps, do a gig or something. Do a few techno tracks. Go to Greece in the summer. Become a better designer. Be a good husband. Have fun. Live/work in California.”

Three artist who inspire you?

”Right now I think what Burial is doing, and how he does it is very inspiring. That would be my ideal situation, being able to write & record your tunes in peace, and email them to someone and have that be it. No tours, to promo, no fucking around. Just music straight from one heart to another. Jacques Greene does some amazing rule bending, which I love. And Radiohead have their own universe.”

Who deserves a breakthrough in 2012?

”I think SBTRKT should be a household name. Him and Jacques Greene. The sheer melancholy, beauty and groove of the music they keep producing amazes me. I wanna be in their sphere. Me and everyone else.”

Kentuckyseven suggest you check out the sweetness created up until now…

Spotify: Tiger Lou, Rasmus Kellerman

Trummor & Orgel is intense stuff! Instrumental, darting, heavy. The band smell of a 1965-joint, Hansson & Karlsson, Swedish hammond-psychodelia with a vengeance. It´s a jazz volcano ready to hit the streets.

Their new album Out of Bounds is released today, Sept 21, and we vote for a immediate success. Thanks to the two brothers Anders Ljunggren & Staffan Ljunggren of Trummor & Orgel who took time out of their busy schedule to answer our five Q´s.

Photo: Daniel Olsén.

¤ What are you listening to, right now?
”At the moment we’re listening our own album “Out of Bounds”, haha. No but really, we’re very satisfied with the result and feel that this album is the one you can listen to many times. Otherwise, we have rediscovered a lot from the nineties like The Charlatans and the Stone Roses.”

¤ Best book read in a while?
”Well, we don’t necessarily read the same books, but “Recording the Beatles” by Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehew helped out a lot during the making of the record.”

¤ Your hopes for this year?
”A: Well, most of all, with our new record out we hope to reach out to even more people and find new venues and festivals to visit. It is a fantastic feeling to be able to meet the fans and to have the opportunity to actually get more fans.”

¤ Three artists who inspire you?
”Musicwise, at the moment we are inspired by bands like Death Cab for Cutie and Two Door Cinema Club for their immediate melodies and pop tunes. However, in the background you will always find The Cure and My Bloody Valentine mixed with Brian Auger and Small Faces.”

¤ Which artist or band deserves a breakthru?
”There are a lot of great bands out there that makes fantastic music. Side Effects is a young Swedish band which sees huge potential, playing psychedelic pop at its best. I’m sure we will hear more from them in the future. Frantic Sunday is a band from our home town Uppsala which is a great live act. Also, Andreas Stellan (also in The Works) who is currently recording his own Swedish material has a great voice and really deserves some serious attention.”

¤¤¤Check out their first single, Worlds Collide:

Liam Bailey is a rising, folksoul star from the UK. He mixes it all with a voice who stands up to legendary artists as Otis Redding, Sam Cooke and Bob Marley. Kentuckyseven got a couple of words with the man.

¤ What are you listening to, right now?

– I´m listening to a lot of talk radio like LBC fm, radio 4 and Various drum and bass tracks from my mates spotify playlist.

¤ Best book read in a while?

– The best book Ive read in a while would be one called ’The Book Of The Law’ by Aleister Crowley.

¤ Your hopes for this year?

– I hope to be happy and at peace. I also hope to go on holiday soon, maybe to Thailand or Sardinia.

¤ Three artists who inspire you?

– Richie Culver, Jean-Michel Basquiat and John Lennon.

¤ Who deserves a breakthru in 2011?

– I’d say me and anyone else who’s doing it for the right reasons.

¤¤¤ As a bonus we got Bailey´s rather fabulous video for the new single ’It’s Not The Same’ which was shot in Cuba.

’It’s Not The Same’ is taken from the EP of the same title out July 3rd on Polydor Records. His next gig is at Glastonbury Festival, June 24.

¤ Kentuckyseven are proud to present an interview with the amazing David Mayfield, frontguy of our new favband The David Mayfield Parade. They just released a debutalbum with guest stars as The Avett Brothers, Caitlin Rose, and David’s sister, Jessica Lea Mayfield.

Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Songs called the album ”an absolutely brilliant record”. Anyway. This is great, bearded outlawmusic. You believe me. It´s love and energy all around, addictive like nicotine on a Friday night. I just keep coming back for more unfiltered stuff.

David Mayfield grew up in Kent, Ohio, surrounded by bluegrass music. I really hope we´ll see him in Europe soon enough. His next tourdates; May 5 Greensboro, NC and May 6 Southern Pines, NC. Check out the great track ”I Just Might Pray” featuring the Avett´s.

David Mayfield Parade – Youtube

¤ What are you listening to, David?

“I’m listening to lots of Randy Newman, Tom Waits and Dylan’s ”Time out of Mind” mostly the sad stuff.  I find on tour that it´s actually hard to go to sleep without ingesting a little alcohol and listening to Randy sing something completely hopeless and depressing.”

¤ Best book read in a while?

“You know I don’t read as much as I used to.  I get car sick so when we are on the road I don’t read much and when I’m home I’m usually running around.  I did just read Rob Bell’s new book ‘Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived’.  For about two years I played in a band called Cadillac Sky, and I was the only Agnostic in a band of evangelical Christians so I found myself in lots of heated debates.  This book is very interesting even if I don’t believe any of it.”

¤ Your hopes for this year?

“I just hope people will like what I’m doing.  The response so far has been tremendous and there has been a lot of momentum.  I just hope after all the hype dies down folks will still be excited about our live show, the theatrics.  As long as we keep putting on a unique show with lots of compelling moments and build our fan base the old fashioned way without the help of radio and big record labels I’ll be a happy man. For the most part.”

¤ Three artists who inspire you?

“Paul Simon, Doyle Lawson and Randy Newman.”

¤ Who deserves a breakthru in 2011?

“Well I’m feel like I’m currently watching my little sister Jessica Lea Mayfield breakthru right now.  She just put out her sophomore album and its been getting great reviews.  I couldn’t be more proud of her and I think she deserves a breakthru for sure.  She’s been out there touring heavy for almost 5 years and she’s only 21!”

Nerina Pallot, the Brit-nominated singer-songwriter, returns in style with her new album ’Year of the Wolf’ out May 30th on Geffen records.

The album is entirely produced with guitar legend Bernard Butler and contains euphoric pop songs with that big heart-bursting choruses we dig. It´s life in widescreen, big letters and ”all the way into the tiles”

Nerina, born in the Kentucky-year of 1975, wrote and recorded the album during her pregnancy last year. She did have a baby boy (Wolfgang Amadeus) in September 2010 and a great album this May. Please check out the highly addictive first single ’Put Your Hands Up’.

Kentuckyseven got hold of Nerina and asked her five Q´s. And by the way, that Magus-book is a must-read. Enjoy!

¤ What are you listening to right now?

– The self titled album from West Indian Girl from 2002.

¤ Best book read in a while?

– The Magus by John Fowles.

¤ Your hopes for this year?

¤ Three artists who inspire you?

– Elton John, Prince, Steely Dan.

¤ Who deserves a breakthru in 2011?

– Bright Light Bright Light.

One of 2010 best albums,  came from this man. Thomas Jonsson, AKA I’m Kingfisher. The album, ”Arctic” was released by Playground Music, the harbour of great swedish music. I’m Kingfisher is one of the greatest in that crowd.

The man has toured with artists like Ed Harcourt, and has recorded stuff with artists such as Rosie Thomas (one of my all time favorites) Damien Jurado, Ned Oldham and other great acts.

He is currently on tour with Damien Jurado, and will be playing @ Pustervik (Woody West, again with the majestic bookings) and later in Malmö and Stockholm.

Thomas is a man with a plan, Arctic is just a part of a trilogy plan, and one can only imagine the great stuff that is coming our way. We’ll be waiting. Impatiently, but still.

Got a word with the awesome swedish singer-songwriter that is I’m Kingfisher…

What are you listening to right now?

– A lot of instrumental drone stuff. I just fell in love with Earth’s newest album ’Angels of darkness, demons of light I’. This year I think Earth, Mogwai, Tennis, Thomas Hine and James Blake have done really good stuff.

I’ve also recently listened a lot again to last year’s best album ”St Bartlett” of Damien Jurado, since I just got it on vinyl after our show in Copenhagen a couple of days ago. And oh, it has also been a lot of Efterklang’s newest.

Best book read during 2010?

– Der Ganze Weg by Kristin Berget, Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer, Fantasiön by Henrik Brandao Jönsson and Poetry of Birds (anthology)

Your hopes for this year?

That I will tour as much as I want while finishing the recordings of my next album, as well as an album with a new Swede-Swede-French collaboration project I’m a part of. That mink farming will be banned once and forever. That sound engineers on my shows from now on and forever will set my guitar sound as loud as I want without questioning me.

Three artists who inspire you?

Recently: Victoria Legrand, singer of Beach House.
For the Arctic album: Six Organs of Admittance. Forever: M Ward.

Who deserves a breakthru in 2011?

– Dear Euphoria, my favorite Swedish band, whose 2010 EP ”This Night will Flee” contains ”Rescue”, one of last year’s two best pop singles (together with Sleigh Bells’ ”Rill Rill”). It’s on Spotify!

I for one, is going to see I’m Kingfisher on sunday, and I know for a fact that you can still pick up some tix.

Listen to the magic that is ”I’m Kingfisher”…

I’m Kingfisher – Artic by Playground Music

Born in a small town in the farthest north of Sweden, she was in love with music from the start. Moved to Stockholm as a 20 year old determined artist.

Jennie Abrahamson started her own record company ”How Sweet the Sound” in 2007. Released two albums ”Lights” (2007) ” and “While the sun’s still up and the sky is bright” (2009), while working with a lot of other artists. Nowadays she can be seen in Ane Bruns band, as a multi-instrumentalist. When she finds the time.

Her new and third album will hit the stores April 13. The single ”Hard To Come By” is frequently played on Swedish radio, for good reasons. She will be playing across the country, and will play in Gothenburg @ Pustervik May 13.

We just had to talk to Jennie, to see who this brilliant Swedish pop wonder was…

What are you listening to right now?

– I discovered PJ Harvey’s new album when it was just out and I can’t seem to let it go. I’ve always admired her but haven’t been all to keen on the actual music before, but this album just blew me away. I think it will stay with me for a long time. When I work in the studio I try to not get too much input, and thus listen to music a lot less. Now when the album is done it feels, ironically enough, like I’m returning to music. So I’m digging deep into my lp- and cd-boxes and the Spotify library and dig out a lot of old stuff. I’m so into Neneh Cherry’s “Raw like sushi” all over again. And some old Pat Benatar, and Joni Mithchell, and…

Best book read during 2010?

– Pattis Smith’s “Just kids”. It’s beautiful and poetic, a fantastic read. It will be a classic.

Your hopes for this year?

– On a global level I hope that even if this year started out like shit, we will end it in a more peaceful way. I hope people will be free of oppressing leaders, and I hope Mother Earth calms down a bit. I also hope that people will open their eyes and see what we’re actually doing to her, and start repairing the damages we’ve made. On a personal level I hope to stay healthy and that my new album will do well enough for me to continue this musical journey I’m on.

Three artists who inspire you?

– For me, inspiration is so changeable. Of course I have a bunch of old “idols” from childhood that I still look up to a lot; like Peter Gabriel, Eurythmics, U2 and Kate Bush. And then later discoveries, like Bob Dylan. But that immense feeling of inspiration is often given by what or who you have around you, or a spur-of-the-moment thing. Today, writing this, I’m inspired by:
Ane Brun; great friend, great musician and writer, inspiring thinker and a pioneer.
James Rhodes; English pianist that is tearing down the wall between the classical music and the audience. No suit, no mystery, no stick up the arse. He’s making classical music accessible to a wider audience. I also love hiw view on Bach interpretation.
Robyn; for doing her thing and completely owning 2010. Judging from her spring concerts at Cirkus she has a lot to give this year too. I love how she a re-created herself, in a much more down-to-earth manner than say Madonna. She has worked hard and ambitiously, and it has paid off.

Who deserves a breakthru in 2011?

– The brilliant young Robert Svensson, and also the equally brilliant Swedish band Torpedo.

Kentuckyseven is hoping for an awesome year for Jennie Abrahamson, which we are pretty sure is bound to happen.

Watch the video for ”Hard To Come By”… and take a listen to the magic that is great Swedish pop music at its very core…