A Free Man

A Free Man’s Best of South Australia series continues with Adelaide’s No Through Road. Founded by Matt Banham in 2000, No Through Road has been churning out fetching lo-fi tunes at a heady pace. Matt’s hooked up with a regular band these days and their most recent record “Too Much or Not Enough” has just […]

 

 No Through Road - "Hey Ya!" [2:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (301)

 

 No Through Road - "Black & White" [3:47m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (143)

 

 No Through Road - "Reason To Fight" [2:18m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (136)

I listened to k.d. lang’s album “Drag” on repeat while I was quitting smoking last year, so she’ll always have a special place in my heart. Her new LP, “Watershed” came out in January and what I’ve heard of it is outstanding. The steel guitar alone on “I Dream of Spring”, an appropriate track for […]

That’s the way one of my favorite live albums starts, that deep baritone voice, with the soft Southern accent. This is followed by one of the most familiar guitar licks you’ll ever hear and…
“I hear the train a comin’
It’s rollin’ ’round the bend,
And I ain’t seen the sunshine,
Since, I don’t know when,
I’m stuck in Folsom […]

Since becoming a parent, actually since I knew I was to become a parent, I’ve been planning my strategy to avoid spending the next several years listening to The Wiggles. In addition to exposing my baby boy to my favorites, I’ve been checking out the occasional “kids” compilation by “adult” artists. Last autumn, my partner […]

 

 Great Lake Swimmers - "Your Rocky Spine" [3:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (281)

“When the shadows of this life have gone
I’ll fly away
Like a bird from these prison walls I’ll fly
I’ll fly away…”
-”I’ll Fly Away” - Traditional Hymn
On the rare occasions that I get homesick for the U.S. it’s for the Deep South, where I spent about half of my life and the good part of my formative […]

As you may or may not know, A Free Man is bound for Down Under. In anticipation of the imminent move, I’m on a mission to discover the best up and coming bands from my soon to be home. We Grow Up is an Adelaide quintet that got some attention last May after winning […]

More frequently these days I find myself veering towards the crotchetiness that advancing years tend to thrust upon men. This often manifests itself by actively ignoring hot new acts with a “these kids today” kind of dismissal. This really doesn’t hurt anyone except me, as I miss out on some really great music.
I had directed […]

A Free Man will be headed Down Under in a matter of weeks. In anticipation, South Australian music blogger Ringo Stalin at Champignons for my real friends hooked us up with his choices for the best bands from SA. Head over and see what Adelaide and environs have to offer. My fav was Home For […]

The Deal sisters are back with a new LP. The Breeders‘ “Mountain Battles” is due on April 7 from 4AD. It’s their first since ‘02 and if the first single, “Bang On”, is any indication - a stylistic departure. They come at you with a fuzzy, hip-hop bass beat and Pixies-esque vocals. A must. Pre-order […]

Larsen & Furious Jane flew onto my radar after an interview with Steve Adams of highly recommended by Steve Adams of The Broken Family Band. Torsten Larsen, frontman for the Danish septet, provided the horns for one of the tracks on “Hello Love”. Adams says, “they’re a Danish band, based in the fine […]