SOUNDCHECK
Sam Griffiths, The Howl & The Hum’s chief singer and songwriter, discovered over years embedded in York, England’s, artistic open mic scene, it’s those experiences that really whip you into shape. He was hanging out at open mic and poetry nights, a strange Yorkshire version of Greenwich Village in the ‘60s, when he met the other members of the band. They cut their teeth playing in and learning from local bands and busking, with a strong songwriting core and an inventive, progressive view on what place guitar music has in today’s culture. It’s made for one of the most exciting debut records of the year, “Human Contact,” which incorporates all sorts of sounds that meld together in a way that is nothing short of electrifying and adventurous.
Since the release of their debut LP “Girls Like Us” in 2013, PINS has exuded strength in their danceable alternative post-punk transmissions and earned the trust, endorsement and creative blessings of rock royalty such as Iggy Pop. They’ve returned with “Hot Slick,” featuring 10 new original tracks finding the trio of singer/guitarist Faith Vern, guitarist Lois MacDonald and bassist Kyoko Swan welcoming a rotating cast of collaborators following the departure of their original rhythm section. The result is a bevy of ready-for-the-club bangers, stirring and powerful odes to womanhood and a whole lot of attitude.
THE HOWL & THE HUM: “27”
PINS :“Bad Girls Forever” Allan Holdsworth: “Tokyo Dream”
Cady Groves: “Bless My Heart”
Liddy Rodenbough: “Colors” Danielia Cotton & The Church Boys: “Cheap High” Sweet Spirit: “Llorando”
was Van Halen who brought the British-born Holdsworth to the attention of Warner Bros. Records, while Zappa once called him “one of the most interesting guys on guitar on the planet.” “Frankfurt ‘86” features the prog rock/jazz fusion guitar great captured live in performance at the Deutsches Jazz Festival in Frankfurt, Germany, on Feb. 16, 1986, at what was arguably the peak of an illustrious career.
Country pop singer/songwriter Cady Groves had finished work on the vocals and overdubs for the EP “Bless My Heart” when the COVID-19 pandemic struck. Like so many Americans, she put her dreams on hold, hunkered down and focused on the set-up for the album’s release. Tragically, she passed at the beginning
Sweet Spirit is releasing its third full-length effort,
of this month at age 30, but the release of the EP is a posthumous reminder of her talent. On it, she covers James Blunt’s “Bartender,” her own “Camo” and “Cigarettes and Sunshine,” as well as a reprise of her equally life-telling “The Crying Game.” In many ways, it’s the essence of Groves: shining, bright, uplifting and finding the love in every single moment, summing up a life lived to the fullest.
Most widely known by music fans as one-fourth of the indie Americana band Mipso, Liddy Rodenbough’s distinctive fiddle tones and ethereal, lilting vocals are well-accustomed to sonic settings that push the boundaries of traditional genres into new territory. “Spectacle of Love,” her
first solo record, sees this spirit of artistic exploration and expansion remaining a constant for the Durham, N.C., violinist/songwriter. Plucked from the Mipso collective, Rodenbough adds acoustic and electric guitar, piano and synth and much more to her personal repertoire of instruments, all while inviting a widened family of stellar North Carolina musicians to help bring the record to fruition.
“A Different War” finds gutsy New Yorker Danielia Cotton swimming through the tumultuous social issues of racism and greed and the tempestuous waters of love and relationships. The songs are deeply rooted in the protest anthems of
Sweet Spirit started as a solo project when garage punkers A Giant Dog’s Sabrina Ellis wanted to hone their ability to write and perform on their own. Lustful, sassy and passionate, the band’s third full-length effort, “Trinidad,” is named after Ellis’ great-grandmother, or “abuelita.” Growing up as a third-generation Mexican American, Ellis would hear their mother and grandmother speak both Spanish and English. The songs are stripped down, yet more intricate than ever before. It’s a pop record made by punk rockers; sonically happy and lyrically bitter, it pulsates with more LinnDrum and synth than guitar.