The Elms’ new studio album, “The Great American Midrange”, is out on August 25 and will have 12 brand-new songs, recorded in Nashville and Seattle from February – April of this year. Their new single, “Back To Indiana”, will have its official premiere this Sunday on ABC during the national television broadcast of the Indianapolis 500 race
Of the local bands (regional bands?) that flip my Americana switch, they are one. And they team with an up-and-coming band to hit the Rathskeller in downtown Indy Friday (5.22) night. The Elms just wrapped recording a new album, and are out playing tracks from it. More of their crunchy, literate heartland rock. Henry French and the Shameless open up. Check out their webpage, ’cause you may not be familiar with who they are. If you are reading this, you will like it.
BONUS TIP: It is the outdoor biergarten with French from 7-8p and Elms rock from 8-11pm. Hands down, it is the best place to see live music in the summer. Stop arguing. Go see. Good beer.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IF3KBPD8hk]
Summer Roots Rock album releases…and more to come.
TODD SNIDER – THE EXCITEMENT PLAN
RHETT MILLER – RHETT MILLER
JUNE 23
TIFT MERRITT – BUCKINGHAM SOLO
LEMONHEADS – VARSHONS
PATTERSON HOOD – MURDERING OSCAR
JUNE 30
WILCO – WILCO (THE ALBUM)
LEVON HELM – ELECTRIC DIRT
JULY 7
SON VOLT – AMERICAN CENTRAL DIRT
THE JAYHAWKS – MUSIC FROM THE NORTH CO…
John Mellencamp will release a four-disc, 72-track box set titled “On the Rural Route 7609” this fall. The number 7609 is a reference to the fact that the set spans Mellencamp’s entire recording career from 1976 to 2009. It will include a disc of early demo recordings, two discs of various versions of well-known songs and previously unreleased songs, and a fourth disc that will include different versions of other material. It is estimated that 65-75% of the material on the box set will be previously unreleased recordings, whether they are demos or alternate versions of familiar songs or songs that were never released for one reason or another.
INDIANA AMERICANA: Stella and Jane
Even when comparing artists to other similar-sounding bands, there seems to be a musical flavor that runs through many of the artists who come from Indiana. A lack of pretension. A small, almost unnoticable degree of dirty rock in the sound. And usually a nod (or more) to some kind of 60 or 70’s rock sound, even from today’s younger bands.
Stella and Jane are Stella Weakly and Bobbie Jane Lancaster, based in Bloomington, and with harmonies Indigo Girl-like. But there is far more twang from these two (and the band that comes along) than to stop with that comparison. Soulful, folky and even three-chord rockish in places, the album “On With the Show” also features multi-instrumentalist Jeff Foster.