Friday, March 2, 2012 at 7:04AM Share Article | tagged Charles Bradley, JJoe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons, NNewport Folk Festival, Robert Ellis, Spirit Family Reunion in Live Video, Preview, Scott 
Thursday, March 1, 2012 at 12:00AM
Newport Folk Fest 2012
July 28-29 - Fort Adams State Park - Newport, RI
My Morning Jacket
Jackson Browne
Conor Oberst
Iron & Wine
Patty Griffin
Guthrie Family Reunion
Dawes
The Head And The Heart
Deer Tick
Punch Brothers
City & Colour
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
The Tallest Man On Earth
Tune-Yards
Tom Morello
Trampled By Turtles
Gary Clark Jr.
Alabama Shakes
Blind Pilot
Of Monsters And Men
New Multitudes (feat. Jim James, Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker)
Sharon Van Etten
First Aid Kit
Sara Watkins
Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires
Brown Bird
Johnny Corndawg
Jonathan Wilson
Spirit Family Reunion
Deep Dark Woods
Carl Broemel
Robert Ellis
Frank Fairfield
Spider John Koerner & His Rag Tag Boys
Joel Rafael
Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons
HoneyHoney
Sleepy Man Banjo Boys
The Kossoy Sisters
The Berklee City Music Choir
Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 1:55PM Words // Adam Sharp
Michael Kiwanuka - "Lasan" (featuring Dan Auerbach)
Whoa. This collaboration is just too damn smooth. (website)
Shakey Graves - "Late July"
First you get the story behind the name, then you get an idea of why it's a name you need to remember. (website)
Greylag - "Black Crow"
This song makes me uneasy due to never committing to a rhythm for more than a few bars. But that's also why I like it. (website)
Josh Ritter - "Come and Find Me"
Sometimes you forget how brilliant Josh Ritter is. Then a song like 'Come and Find Me' comes on and you remember all over again. (website)
Pickwick - "Blackout"
If you are going to SXSW: this is the band you need to go out of your way to see. If you aren't going: get familiar- they are going to blow up soon. (website)
Share Article | tagged Greylag, Josh Ritter, Michael Kiwanuka, Pickwick, Shakey Graves in Adam
Wednesday, February 29, 2012 at 7:25AM Words // Scott Pingeton
Video // Steve Legare
As part of the partnership between Kitchen Sessions and Visible Voice, we'll be digging back into the KS archives and pulling out some of our favorite audio and video from past house shows. This is the first in what we hope will be a series of monthly installments - and it features some incredible stuff. Enjoy - and please let us know what you think in the comments.
KS #18: The Wooden Sky
The Wooden Sky is one of my favorite bands in the world, and I've made no secret of that fact over the past few months. Gavin Gardiner's songs are so finely crafted, and the band so adept at conveying a feeling through music. But what's so great about this band is that they can pull off an echo-drenched jam or a banjo-folk shuffle, a whisper-quiet folk tune or a stomping call-to-arms. Or, for example, "Malibu Rum" from their fantastic new record Every Child a Daughter, Every Moon A Sun - a melancholy lament set against a breezy coconut-scented melody - perfectly evocative. (website)
KS#21: Swear and Shake
I discovered Swear and Shake by accident, but I fell in love immediately. I was at the BOMB festival in Hartford and was on my way between stages when they caught my ear. A song or two later I was convinced I had to book them for the Newport Nightcap afterparty - which they agreed to do. Kari Spieler's voice is other-worldly, and the band's mix of indie folk and pop is irresistible. I am anxiously awaiting their debut LP, which will include "These White Walls". This video in particular really captures the spirit of Kitchen Sessions - great music in an intimate space. (website)
KS #1: David Wax Museum
This set pre-dates the Kitchen Sessions name - and in many ways it inspired what Steve and company have done since. I was lucky enough to be there that night - a cold, rainy, miserable night in March 2010. I didn't know David Wax Museum at all, but I left a lifelong fan. Hearing these songs - many of which would not be released until nearly a year later on Everything is Saved - was a revelation. This was pre-Newport Folk, pre-NPR Music...just four incredible musicians playing to a room full of strangers and blowing away every single one of them away. House shows like these were the bricks in the foundation on which they continue to build greater and greater success. (website)
David Wax Museum
Kitchen Session #1
March 30, 2010
Beekeeper
Beatrice
The Persimmon Tree
Unfruitful
(Banter)
Rosamar
Yes, Maria, Yes
Donkey In My Soul
Banter
Look What You've Done To Me
Carpenter Bird
Si Te Vas
That's Not True
Let Me Rest
Colas
When You Are Still
The Great Unawakening
Full set download: mp3 zip
Share Article | tagged David Wax Museum, Kitchen Sessions, Swear and Shake, The Wooden Sky in Kitchen Sessions, Live Audio, Live Video, Scott
Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 4:40PM 
View from a crowded stage while The Low Anthem cover Leonard Cohen's "Bird on a Wire" in Somerville MA
Word // Scott Pingeton
One of your favorite artists covering another one of your favorite artists is a beautiful thing, and The Low Anthem covering Leonard Cohen makes perfect sense. Cohen is a clear influence on their music, and an artist they often cover in concert. Here they do "Stories of the Street" for MOJO magazine, putting their own mark on the song while honoring the original:
The Low Anthem - Stories of the Street (Leonard Cohen)
Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 7:05AM 
The Wooden Sky's fantastic new album Every Child A Daughter, Every Moon A Sun is out today, and to celebrate we have one hell of a giveaway! The band stopped by the Kitchen Sessions house last November for a memorable show - but in their rush to get back to their Canadian homeland, they forgot to pack up their merch table. Seriously, they left one of everything:
If I Don't Come Home, You'll Know I'm Gone (CD+Vinyl)
The Wooden Sky (CD+Vinyl)
Bedrooms + Backstreets EP (CD)
City of Light EP (Cassette)
Tank Top (Mens Large)
Steve offered to mail it all back to them, but they graciously suggested that he give it all away to fans - that's where you come in. One lucky winner is going to win the ENTIRE package.
Also, do yourself a favor and get the band's new album - it is fantastic. You won't be sorry. Listen to a stream here.
Monday, February 27, 2012 at 7:11AM Words // Scott Pingeton
Steve Legare started Kitchen Sessions, a house concert and video series in 2010, right around the same time I started Visible Voice - but our story goes back much farther. Steve and I met in college where we bonded over a shared love of music. A few years later we both found ourselves inspired to do what we love - share the music that we're passionate about. I was there at the first Kitchen Session (David Wax Museum) and Steve was there for the concert that became the first post on Visible Voice. Steve has gone on to shoot hundreds of live videos and host over 20 house concerts. You can see his (and KS-cohort Maria Romero's) work on Paste.com, NPR Music, Pitchfork, The Voice Project and others too numerous to name. Over the past two years Steve and I have collaborated countless times, but today we officially join forces.
What does this mean for each site? Kitchen Sessions will become a permanent, recurring feature on Visible Voice. That means you can count on lots more exclusive content - take-away shows, live video, audio recordings and lots more. From now on, Visible Voice will host all KS videos, freeing up Steve to spend more time filming/editing and less time updating the website. We also have some very exciting new projects in the works that we'll have more info on soon. I think it will be a win-win for everyone.
This video may represent the genesis of both Visible Voice and Kitchen Sessions - a recap of the 2009 Newport Folk Festival, the weekend that inspired both of us to start our respective projects:
Thursday, February 23, 2012 at 6:32AM 
Words // Scott Pingeton
Sharon Van Etten's Tramp is one of my favorite albums of the year so far, but that's no surprise. It has the fragile emotion I originally fell in love with on Because I Was In Love and the mature songwriting of Epic - plus a newfound confidence. A little anger never hurts in rock and roll, and Sharon does it well. That emotion, songwriting and confidence are evident on this demo version of "Serpents":
Sharon Van Etten - Serpents (Demo Version)
Sharon will be at the Paradise in Boston tonight with Shearwater - a show you really shouldn't miss. If you've procrastinated on getting tickets, you're off the hook this time...it's (surprisingly) not sold out (yet). Come on Boston...if NYC can sell out 3 shows (2 Bowery, 1 Music Hall of Williamsburg), can't we sell out one? Buy tickets here
Check out our live recording of Sharon Van Etten last April at Brighton Music Hall - it's absolutely pristine, and one of the most popular recordings we shared last year.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 at 1:34PM Words // Scott Pingeton
Timothy Showalter is a man whose words are able to transcend time, space and the music by which they are delivered. One of music's great storytellers and a songwriter who is constantly looking to evolve musically and expand the scope of his songs. Leave Ruin was a dramatially personal album, and the music reflected the mood with fingerpicked acoustic guitars and hushed vocals. The powerful and ambitious storytelling on Pope Kildragon was matched with a broader sonic pallette - louder guitars and more synths. On "Spacestations", a new track recorded for my new favorite blog Shaking Through, the sound gets even bigger. Piano, synths and effects-laden drums give the song a lush, immense sound and pop sheen that only serves to enhance the already-huge-sounding vocals - it's a song that totally envelopes you. Listen below and watch a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the recording process...music geek porn if ever there was such a thing.
