Don’t miss the all-ages Trampled by Turtles tonight for a KXLL Beeraiser, brought to you by our friends at the Pint Size Bus.
The Duluth boys will be peforming at Centennial Hall hot off the boat from Haines. Doors open at 8:00, will call’s at 7:00 -look for the pint size bus to claim tickets.
Price is $25 at the door with bar and beer garden by the Rendezvous.
See you there, Juneau!
Words and photos by Annie Bartholomew/KTOO
There really is nothing like seeing Hillstomp at the Southeast Alaska State Fair. Before this weekend I’d seen the Portland duo twice down in northern California, in my school’s school cafeteria. They were still loud and high energy then, but nothing like the screaming mosh pit of shirtless kids I had to fight to see them in Haines.
Being a guitar-drum pair with fuzzy vocals and amazing fret work, they get a lot of comparisons to the early Black Keys. But after you get past their equipment, Hill Stomp is a whole different band. The energy of a punk rock show, the soul of Mississipi Delta, and the grittiest country blues you’ve heard in your life. While other forms of American folk and country music have become more refined and pure, Hillstomp gets back to the roots with an unforgiving, in your face aesthetic.
The Haines Fair was the perfect venue for yet another peformance from Hurricane Henry and Lord Johnny Buckets. I know from personal experience there were sore necks and bruised knees Sunday morning from all the hair whipping and head banging that happened at the Fairgrounds.
Katey Blagden/KRNN
He was wearing a crisp cowboy hat and suspenders, his steel toed boots stepping down on a tambourine and a homemade kick-drum that was made out of an old, yellow briefcase. I first saw Shakey Graves perform in a small bar in Eugene and I was shocked to discover that such a large sound was being made by only one man.
The Austin native, Alejandro Rose-Garcia’s, voice erupts with an energy that is unique in modern day music. He is not just a musician, nor a wonderful performer, but he is a storyteller. He tells tales of his experiences on the road and his life in Austin and does so in such a way that is irresistibly intimate and relatable.
And when he plays he transforms, his music sends you from spinning across the dance floor to slowly swaying back and forth to high energy foot stomping all within a verse. His voice howls and then whispers, his feet calmly tap and his body bounces energetically. Shakey’s persona embodies the spirit of traditional Texas music. He not only physically resembles something of a young Townes Van Zandt, in his tall slim stature and his dark features, but his guitar picking does as well. His raspy voice adds in an element of Texas Blues; like he has been smoking cigarettes around a bonfire under the Texan stars.
My discovery of Shakey Graves has been a well kept secret for quite some time now, but I think it has been long enough. The live performance was all a gal from the North Country could ever dream of a Texan musician and his recorded tracks have a similar effect. Right now, his recorded music is limited, but watching and listening to live videos is worth investigating and I will leave you with a couple of my favorites. I am heading down south to visit family for a few weeks, but first I am making a detour to catch another live performance of his at Pickathon Music Festival outside of Portland. I will be back after with more new music to report. Until then, stay cool Juneau.
It was a busy weekend for music southeast Alaska. Juneau songwriter Liz Snyder kicked the Southeast Alaska State Fair for Homeskillet Festival. We caught up with her to talk about Sitka and her new project, the Wool Pullers.
Excellent: Who are the Wool Pullers and how would you describe your sound in one sentence?
LS: The Wool Pullers are Liz Snyder and Alex Kotlarsz. Our sound is… Acoustic folk rock. An unexpected thrill of female and male harmonies atop the rhythm of two acoustic guitars. Kinda catchy stuff.
Excellent: Why did you choose Homeskillet over Haines Fair?
LS: Originally, I didn’t know they would be scheduled the same weekend. But Haines has never been appealing to me as a musician in the sense that music is not its main focus. Homeskillet is ALL about the music. The genres were all over the place with hip hop, electronic, acoustic, folk, blues, indie, experimental, etc. The artists were mind blowing. It was something I did not want to miss out on.
Excellent: Have you performed at Homeskillet before?
LS: This was my first year.
Excellent: Which artists were you most looking forward to seeing there?
LS: I was excited to see all of them. I hadn’t heard of many of the artists on the line up and made a point not to listen to any of them beforehand so it would remain a surprise for me. And what a surprise it was. It still hasn’t all sunk in. I am still asking myself if this festival even happened or if it was all in my head. What a treat to admire these artists in action while also being able to hang out with them and talk music/get to know them as more than just musicians.
Excellent: How do you think Homeskillet fits into southeast Alaska’s music scene?
LS: It needs to be more known. Its a wonderful opportunity for local Alaskan musicians to share and network with up-and-coming artists from outside of Alaska. Not only that, it it provides the people of southeast with a very special and unique opportunity. Face it, good shows are hard to find around here. More people need to attend this festival. It is a diamond in the rough. I was surprised to find out none of my friends from Juneau had even really heard of it. We need events like this within our community. All ages shows where the focus is to appreciate the art, the music, the passion rather than just going out to get drunk while maaaybe hearing the music in the background. That would be impressive.
Excellent: Anything you else you want to tell people about Homeskillet, yourself, ect.
LS: I’ve never been more inspired by a music festival in my life. To quote Mikey Nice from Kingdom Crumbs, “damn.. People like this actually exist?” Yes. We do and we are starving for more.
KXLL Voter Registration and Rock the Vote:
Last fall KXLL, Juneau’s radio station for youths aged 18-28 took on the issue of voting with its audience. With the help of the Alaska Director of Elections, Gail Fenumiai, three staff members and one volunteer were trained to become voter registrars to launch a campaign to get young people registered to vote in both our municipal, state and national elections. By setting up tables in high visibility and unlikely areas including the university, grocery store, and outside of some of Juneau’s popular bar and food establishments, our campaign was able to reach people who may not be able to take advantage traditional voter registration locations like DMV. The registration push culminated with a “Rock the Vote” event on September 15th, with 3 local bands, the League of Women Voters and both major parties represented. We were successful in registering several dozen first time voters. This registration campaign was also coupled with heavy PSA campaign encouraging people to “get out and vote” for the causes that mean most to them. This has been a great public service for the young KXLL audience, instilling the sense of civic responsibility.
“Finding the KXLL register to vote booth was such a pleasant surprise! I’d talked to friends earlier that week about how and where to register; KXLL made it so convenient! After I signed up I texted a couplepeople who I knew were interested. Woot woot, making political efficacy easier!” -Kitt Burroughs first time Alaska voter
