World History began in the winter of 2006, as a collection of songs written and recorded aboard several boats in Seattle, Washington. The project has since evolved into a laughing, stomping, yelping collaboration between Neil Campau and Jamie Menzel. They most often write songs about historical characters and events that are rarely talked about in compulsory school textbooks, and their lyrics provide hints of their anarchist anti-politics. Campau provides the majority of the vocals, alternately strumming his rusty autoharp and breaking guitar strings, while Menzel lends her soft vocals and intricate flute melodies, and from time to time, breaks something in a percussive fervor. Whether performing a raucous, triumphant historical retelling or a foot-stomping sing-along, World History continues to captivate audiences from living room to back porch.

-http://worldhistoryband.com/

World History – Shine

World History – Mustafa Kemal Ataturk

World History – You’re a Machine

Yarn Forest, aka William Jiles, has a mesmerizing, ethereal sound that saturates the room.   Its like magic and mist and moss and the occasional woodland fawn.  In fact, I think his act could even pull off a fog machine (and I mean this as a compliment).  Obviously, I encourage you to come and hear for yourself.  But in the meantime, here are some nice tracks, below–!

Check out the song Syndication on Yarn Forest’ Myspace. It’s my new favorite song.

Yarn Forest – Stones

Yarn Forest – Holy Grounds

Yarn Forest – A String and a Bone

LISTEN FOR FREE!!!

The tour that Greg is about to embark on is in support of the album, White Wool Fog or the Cave of Light Within, which was recently released. (According to the website all cassettes are sold out, but more are on the way.) Here’s a little review of the album from the wide world wide:

The band name ‘MANNERS’ always seemed to be a serendipitous self-aware joke, the music poking fun at its sound.  Quiet, lulling guitar paired with Beson’s polite whisperings. White Wool Fog is most noticeably an aggressive surprise in contrast to previous releases.

White Wool Fog feels like a very three dimensional piece due to its repeated motifs, which make it into a spiritual journey down a dark cavern to find the light within.

-Mango Nebula

As of today, here’s the “White Wool Tour” sched:

9/14 Jamaica Plain, MA – The Whitehaus*
w/ The Cups, Ambitious Tugboat, Mega Bog & iji

9/15 Allston, MA – Gay Gardens*
w/ The Cups, The Needy Visions, The Points North

9/16 North Hampton, MA – The Fly Wheel*
w/ Emma N. Young & TBA

9/17 Tivoli, NY – Bard College*
w/ The Great Valley

9/18 Brooklyn, NY – Silent Barn*
w/ The Great Valley

9/19 Philly, PA – Bodega*
w/ Emma N. Young & TBA

9/20 Greenville, NC – Tipsy Tea Pot*

9/21 Asheville, NC

9/22 Columbus, OH – Monster House*

9/23 Cleveland, OH – Menstrual Mansion*

9/24 TBA, IL

9/25 Bloomington, IL – Maison Fause*
w/ Teaadora

9/26 Chicago, IL – Ball Hall*
w/ Teaadorra

9/27 Lincoln, NE – Cultiva Cafe*
w/ Little Teeth

9/28 Denver / Boulder, CO

9/30 Nevada City, CA*
w/ John Deux

10/1 Berkeley / SF, CA*

10/2 Oakland, CA*

10/3 Shane & Emily’s Wedding* ++
w/ The Family

10/4Oakland, CA – Om Sweet Om* ++
w/ Selaroda

10/5 Eugene, OR – Stonehenge* ++

10/6 Portland, OR ++

10/7 Portland, OR / Olympia, WA ++

10/8 Olympia, WA – The Professors Lodge* ++
w/ Light House

10/9 Seattle, WA ++

10/10 Seattle, WA – Hollow Earth Radio*++

10/13 Anacortes, WA – The Business* ++

10/14 Bellingham, WA – Hoot House* ++
w/ Friendship & the Fawn

10/15 Vancouver, BC – Lions Den* ++

10/15 Vancouver, BC – Blim* ++

10/17 Vancouver, BC – The Precipice* ++
w/ Unreliable Narrator
HERE is the face space event.

Below is a poster for the tour
Drawn by Shon Mahoney

Dewi Sant, who come mostly by way Northfield, MN (with some rogue Austin and Seattle counterparts as well), has added a few folks to its cadre since the last time around, but still possesses a healthy dose of ‘Minnesota nice’, as one band member put it.  They also had a few new songs as well, as the gang prepares to record a follow up to their debut “May”.

Throughout the set, the band ably followed frontman Michael Morris through his delicately wrought songs of love and and pain, happiness, whimsy and regret.  Michael also treated us to a few Daniel Johnston covers as well – wonderfully fulfilling a promise made after his first time through Back40.

It was a truly joy-filled evening, and we felt lucky to get some more time to hang out with these awesome folks.  Be sure to check out Dewi Sant the next time they roll through a town near you.

Yarn Forest, aka William Jiles, has a mesmerizing, ethereal sound that saturates the room.   Its like magic and mist and moss and the occasional woodland fawn.  In fact, I think his act could even pull off a fog machine (and I mean this as a compliment).  Obviously, I encourage you to come and hear for yourself.  But in the meantime, here are some nice tracks, below–!

Yarn Forest – Stones

Yarn Forest – A String and a Bone

Yarn Forest – Holy Grounds

Grand Hallway - “ singer/multi-instrumentalist Tomo Nakayama and a cast of some of Seattle’s finest musicians. Their lush, melodic chamber pop songs evoke influences such as Andrew Bird, Sigur Ros, and Nina Simone. Since their inception in 2006, the octet have self-released two full-lengths (2007′s “Yes is the Answer” and 2009′s “Promenade”), and an EP (“We Flew Ephemera”, 2008). “Yes is the Answer” was also released in Japan by Sideout Records (Bright Eyes, Nada Surf, Cursive, The Velvet Teen).”
-myspace

Shenandoah Davis – “Don’t let Shenandoah Davis’s simplistic arrangements deceive you. With a voice like an old timey fiddle, she adds on contrapuntal guitar, piano and xylophone parts to round out the subtle symphony. “These Rocks” sounds like something Feist would come up with, only better. “Now We All All” shows off the sheer power of conviction present in her vocals, matched only by the powerful bang with which she hits the final low piano key. “Take Ourselves Out” plays like a Parisian cobble stone street dance. “Well Well Well” has an air of Vaudeville about it, if Vaudeville took place under water. In fact, it’s here where the simplistic arrangements clear away like a pair of heavy velvet curtains to expose the true playful mastery of Davis’s compositions. This happens just in time for the quick, trotting piano and castanet arrangement of “Milagros.” “Skeletons” finishes it all off—a dark, lonely waltz that takes the album full circle, back to the simple basics of vocals and piano, as the heavy curtains close once again.”
-Kim Ruehl, Seattle Sound

Paleo – “Profound in a way that you’ve never heard. There’s so much at work in all of these miraculous songs about some of the roots of evil and wonder. A man this enlightened might glow in the dark.”

-Sean Moeller / Daytrotter

The Awful Truth – Brent Colbert (The Awful Truth) shows us, some of the most trying things in this world come to us or leave us through wanderlust. The road, in all its symbological glory, is our escape from whatever it is we no longer want; hence the begrudging attitude Colbert seems to have for it. Some things he speaks about we don’t want to leave”
-OrchidCollective.com

Drew Danberry – “considers his whereabouts to be California and/or Utah, has a way with his verbosity, his long and stretchy way of just letting it all come out like a pile of slick spaghetti noodles. He lets his thoughts and words just flop out like a meal, like a rainbow trout unhappily and suddenly sun-dappled and fearful of what’s coming next – the shortness of breath can’t be a good sign.”
-Daytrotter

Joshua James – “Joshua James has been writing and singing songs for only six short years, but the 25-year-old heartland poet has the perspective of a wise, old soul. On his second album, Build Me This, the follow-up to his critically acclaimed The Sun is Always Brighter, produced by industry veteran Shannon Edgar, James expands his musical palette to foreboding doom-laden hard rock.”
-myspace

Band of Annuals – “A Saturday night, hundreds of miles from home, a packed audience, in the prime of life: If you play music, this is as good as it ever gets.”
-Peter Blackstock, No Depression