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Today the Seattle  by way of Juneau band SHIVERTWINS premiere their new single and video for “Rearrange.”

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm_poJ30IaU

The music video for SHIVERTWINS’ new single “Rearrange” starts unassumingly, with guitarist and lead singer Eric Mountcastle looking into the camera before placing an LP labeled “Rearrange” onto a record player. Though the opening chords, bright guitars and hand claps seem to promise upbeat power pop chorus, Mountcastle’s droning, Ian Curtis-inspired vocals reveal they aren’t the same boys singing tongue-in-cheek Black Lips covers.

Mountcastle’s lyrics describe the journey the band has taken since 2014, moving away from Juneau to making things work as musicians in a real city, “I ain’t got my parents’ money but I got my own change. And I think it’s time for me to rearrange.” But the single is more than a clever hook, it’s symbolic of their second year as a band. Last fall the SHIVERTWINS experienced lineup change, welcoming drummer and longtime collaborator Cole Paramore to the band. In January, they released an 8-track EP called 19 AGAIN.

The single was recorded between Paramore’s Bellevue practice space and the band members’ North Seattle apartment where guitarist Lance Fohrenkam recorded, mixed and mastered the songs, while bassist James Rosales and Paramore were touring in New York.

Filming took place in the same apartment, with band members seated in a circle in their practice space, appearing to pass the camera to each other. Recorded in a single take, the  video is marked by memorable vignettes of each band member in front of the camera, some awkwardly self-aware, but very telling of their personalities.

At about three minutes in, a switch flips and things get manic. The video’s catastrophic end was suggested by their roommate and Juneau buddy Kurt Wade, who has a cameo at the 2:43 minute mark.

The release arrives just before their yearly pilgrimage to the Southeast Alaska State Fair where they’ll take the main stage Friday, July 29th at 2 p.m.

 

Kidney failure, Obamacare, and sounds of hospital rooms all inspired Playboy Spaceman’s latest releases.

Playboy Spaceman’s latest recordings veer away from the guitar solos of their past, entering the ethereal. The song “Get Me Out of Here” teases with electronics reminiscent of medical devices. Songwriter and front man George Kuhar’s vocals are hazy and echo, grounded only by gritty drum machine fills.

He says song was recorded while  visiting a kidney specialist last year.

“It was a solo journey and I had some health concerns. I spent a few days in Seattle doing some blood work, tests and things.”

The lyrics came to him throughout the day. That night, he finished it from his Travelodge hotel room where he laid the electronic beats and vocals that would become its framework.

The song closes out their new EP, which complements Playboy Spaceman’s second full-length album that went live for download last week. Kuhar named the album “And His Father,” in honor of dad who passed away unexpectedly this spring.

The album was recorded at Peabody’s Monster, a South Franklin cooperative music space, where many of Juneau’s rock musicians can be heard practicing at night.

“It definitely has the feeling of a place where a lot of music has been played,” says Kuhar. “There’s cigarette stains in the carpet, posters all over the place and other profanities. ”

Band members Bridget Kuhar, Jason Messing, Nick Wagner and Simon Taylor all took a week off to record in their rehearsal space. But Kuhar says, the vocals just sounded wrong, “I wanted to be like a samurai and be like, swoosh swoosh — you know and done, let’s put it out there. I had to learn how to sing all over again.”

Kuhar’s experiences with the health care industry are a central theme on the album and inform his songwriting. In 2008 he received a kidney transplant from his now wife and collaborator Bridget, who plays keyboards in the band. Because of the Affordable Care Act, Kuhar was able to treat his pre-existing conditions, allowing him to take time off from his job at the hospital to finish the album.

He says he was inspired by the human perseverance he observed working in surgical services at Bartlett Regional Hospital, patients making hard decisions to overcome their medical issues, and how things become complicated with the business of medicine.

“I have a lot of frustration with the way money plays into health care. Profiting off someone’s ailment,” says Kuhar. “That part’s hard to swallow. And how we do we make that right? I don’t know.”

For now, Playboy Spaceman is taking their music north. They’re playing at the 49th State Brewing Co.’s locations in Anchorage on Friday and Healy on Saturday.

In our final Folk Fest Session Red Carpet Concert, we present this year’s Alaska Folk Festival guest artists: The Carper Family. The Austin-based quartet is Beth Chrisman on fiddle, Sophia Johnson on guitar, Jenn Miori on guitar and Melissa Carper on bass. Here is their tune “Making Memories.”

The Folk Fest Session Red Carpet Concerts are a collaboration between KTOO Public Media, Juneau filmmaker Ryan Cortes, and Gustavus sound engineer Justin Smith. Watch other Red Carpet Concerts with Foghorn Stringband, Kim Beggs, and Harrison B.

In our ninth of 10 Folk Fest Session Red Carpet Concerts, we present Austin-based Shaidri Alrich and Ezra Reynolds with “Paint the Town Blue.”

The Folk Fest Session Red Carpet Concerts are a collaboration between KTOO Public Media, Juneau filmmaker Ryan Cortes, and Gustavus sound engineer Justin Smith. Watch more performances with Harrison B, or Kim Beggs. Our tenth and final concert with the Alaska Folk Festival’s guest artist, The Carper Family, will release on Tuesday.

In our eighth of 10 Folk Fest Session Red Carpet Concerts, we present Cordova-based musician and fisherman Mike Mickelson. Listeners may recognize him as the longtime guitar player for Bearfoot Bluegrass. Here is his tune “She Don’t Like My Coffee.”

The Folk Fest Session Red Carpet Concerts are a collaboration between KTOO Public Media, Juneau filmmaker Ryan Cortes, and Gustavus sound engineer Justin Smith. Watch more videos with musicians like Caleb Klauder and Reeb Willms, or Liz Snyder and Patrick Troll. Tune in Friday for Austin-based Shaidri Alrich and Ezra Reynolds. Our tenth and final concert with the Alaska Folk Festival’s guest artist, The Carper Family, will release on Tuesday.

In our seventh of 10 Folk Fest Session Red Carpet Concerts, we present Foghorn Stringband. The quartet is Nadine Landry on bass, Sammy Lind on fiddle, Caleb Klauder on mandolin and Reeb Willms on guitar. Here is “Cumberland Gap.”

Watch additional Red Carpet Concerts with Kim Beggs, or Sean Tracey and Nate May. Stay tuned for Mike Mickelson’s video on Wednesday.