The Head and the Heart, Self-Titled

EB and I went to see Dr. Dog at Minglewood Hall here in Memphis this month and I decided to give the two opening bands a preview before we went to the show.  What I discovered was that Dr. Dog chooses great openers.  Buried Beds was the first opener and they were pretty entertaining.  The Head and the Heart followed them and they were really good.  They had more fans in the crowd singing every word than I would have ever imagined.  I was sick as a dog and they even had me getting into their show.  They call Seattle home and are making a name for themselves with a sound full of harmonies, bouncy pianos, downhill drums, and sing-a-longs a plenty.  This would appeal to those that enjoy The Avetts, Blind Pilot, Dawes and any sounds that are easy on the ears.  I strongly recommend the entire album available for download by clicking here.  I had a difficult time deciding on just two tracks to post as a preview below, but here they are...

Rivers and Roads

Ghosts

Welcome back

Since I have been without the internet for a little while and watching the snow melt, I kinda got out of the loop.  It is nice to do that sometimes though because you come back to some great stuff.  Daytrotter has released at least 2 great sessions while I was away in Dave Rawlings Machine featuring Gillian Welch and Roadside Graves.  Laundromatinee also debuted a session by Horse Feathers.  And if that wasn't enough to warmly welcome me back to the wonderful world of the internet, iTunes released an exclusive live session with Blind Pilot.  You can sample below, but to download the free sessions visit Daytrotter.com and Laundromatinee.com...Blind Pilot isn't free, but you will not miss the $5 spent on the session - trust me.

Dave Rawlings Machine - Sweet Tooth

Roadside Graves - Ruby

Horse Feathers - Working Poor

Blind Pilot - Look At Miss Ohio

Ben's Best Albums of 2009: Number 10

Starting today, our best albums of 2009 will be posted daily counting down from number 10. I hope that you enjoy what you see. If you do, please go and buy the album. Enjoy and your comments are very welcome.

10. Blind Pilot, 3 Rounds and a Sound

A friend mentioned Blind Pilot to me many months ago and even played a song for me over the telephone, but I didn’t really pay any mind to the band. That was until I downloaded a track off of the album from another blog and quickly become hooked. Israel Nebeker’s vocals are crystal clear and the harmonies are spot on. The Portland, Oregon band is even better live and sound just as clear as they do in the studio (I threw a live track in there as a special treat).

An interesting aside, Nebeker and drummer Ryan Dobrowski received a good bit of press in 2008 for a bicycle tour from Bellingham, Washington to San Diego, California with their instruments in tow.  My dad actually mentioned this to me one day after he heard an interview with them on public radio.  Following the bicycle tour, the two mainstays added a few new members to the band and you should definitely check them out live if given the chance.

Blind Pilot - 3 Rounds and a Sound


Blind Pilot - I Buried a Bone (Live at The Vollrath Tavern)