(Photo by Russell Johnson, courtesy of the artist)
Tlingit glass artist Preston Singletary is renowned for visual art. But later this month, he will showcase his musical side. His band Khu.éex’ blends genre and tradition to celebrate indigenous culture through music and storytelling.
The Seattle-based band Khu.éex’ is a super group of indigenous artists with a keyboard player at the center of the sound, known as the “Wizard of Woo.”
The pair kept in touch, and in 2014 they started recording together, with Worrell’s improvisational playing becoming the framework for Khu.éex’.
In 2016, Worrell was diagnosed with cancer, and Singletary invited him to record one final session while he was undergoing treatment. “You know, he didn’t want to just wait around for the inevitable,” said Singletary. “He wanted to be around artists, he wanted to be around friends and, you know, just take his mind off what he was going through.”
After Worrell’s passing, the group suffered the further loss of founding member and master Chilkat weaver Clarissa Rizal, who sang traditional songs and shared cultural guidance with the project. On their debut album, “The Wilderness Within,” Rizal performs her poem, “To Her Grandmother.”
(Photo by Russell Johnson, courtesy of the artist)
“That was another huge, devastating loss for me, because she was such a close friend and taught me so much about, you know, Tlingit culture and context within all the dynamics of the community from all around Southeast Alaska,” said Singletary.
Though they’ve lost key members, Khu.éex’ has continued recording music. Their third album is titled “Héen,” which translates to “water” in Tlingit. The record addresses issues of offshore oil development and the “water protectors” who protested at Standing Rock.
Singletary said he’s excited to bring this music “back to Alaska,” but the upcoming performance hasn’t been without controversy.
Some have questioned use of the word “Khu.éex’” — which translates to “potlatch” in the Sealaska Heritage Institute Tlingit dictionary. But some believe it’s a sacred word and question the band name and elements of their performance used outside of ceremony.
Their concert will host Sitka jazz percussionist Edward Littlefield and vocalist Stephen Blanchett, who is a member of the Yupik musical group Pamyua. Local artist Gene Tagaban is a founding member of Khu.éex’ and plays flute and performs spoken word.
KTOO volunteer DJ Patrick Klacza hosts the radio show Cat Plaza on KXLL 100.7 FM in Juneau. (Photo courtesy of Patrick Klacza)
KXLL DJ Patrick Klacza spins tunes as the host of Sunday night’s Cat Plaza radio show from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. He shared some of his favorite albums of 2018 just in time for the new year.
“Nothing 2 Loose” by DJ Healer
I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the amount of music and information that’s available. In an era when we can listen to practically every song ever made, how do we choose? And how can artists separate themselves from the pack? One possible solution is to opt out altogether. DJ Healer’s “Nothing 2 Loose” is a vinyl-only release; it isn’t on streaming platforms, and nobody knows exactly who made it. I’m drawn to that mystery, and it doesn’t hurt that “Nothing 2 Loose” contains some of the best minimal house and techno tracks of the decade. Come for the mystery, stay for the drum programming, sampling, and immersive listening experience.
If you’re at all invested in the future of guitar-based music, you owe it to yourself to hear “Cloud Corner.” This album is the aural equivalent of waking up early on a Saturday morning, making a French press and looking out on Mt. Juneau as the sun begins to rise. On “Sant Feliu de Guíxols,” Anderson conjures this melody from her electric guitar that fills me with hope. I’m not kidding. I’ve played guitar a long time, and Anderson has quickly become one of my heroes.
I’ve got a soft spot for session musicians. Without them, there’d be no “Thriller,” no “Court and Spark,” no “Pet Sounds.” I don’t want to live in that world! Natalie Prass must feel the same because her new album, “The Future and the Past,” features some truly nasty players. The drummer’s a beast and so is the guitarist. Now please direct your attention to the keyboards on “Ain’t Nobody.” I don’t need to tell you that this player sounds a lot like Stevie Wonder. That being said, Natalie Prass holds it down in her own right. The penultimate track, “Far From You,” is 2018’s best song. It’s a masterclass in economic songwriting, virtuosic singing, and Carpenters worship. I adore it, and so will you.
In 2015, the Berlin-based pianist Nils Frahm created the holiday Piano Day, a global celebration of — what else — the piano. In 2018, he released his best and least piano-centric album to date, “All Melody.” My favorite song of the bunch, “Human Range,” begins in ambient mode. At 0:43, trumpeter Richard Koch enters sounding not unlike “In a Silent Way”-era Miles Davis. The track builds; Frahm adds marimba, tympani, viola and cello. At 3:12, a choir appears. They sing in a fashion reminiscent of Popol Vuh. What I’m trying to say is: Frahm covers a lot of ground on this bad boy. Wearers of expensive headphones, collectors of Deutsche Grammophon LPs, and even techno fans will feel right at home here. 2018’s most contemplative release.
Mike Park had one hell of a year. His label Asian Man Records released fantastic new music by Warm Thoughts, the Smoking Popes, and Jabber. And as one-half of Ogikubo Station, he put out 2018’s most effortlessly catchy album, “We Can Pretend Like.” This is music for jumping into lakes, riding bikes and drinking around the bonfire. It’s fun, in other words, and fun music is in short supply these days. Shout-out to Maura Weaver, Ogikubo’s lead singer, for turning in one of 2018’s finest vocal performances.
“The Day Before the Peaches Rot” by Tim Rutili & Craig Ross
Tim Rutili is the most underrated songwriter in the game. Bold statement, I know, but I stand by it. After all, he brought us “Red Red Meat,” “Califone,” and now this collaborative album with Craig Ross, “The Day Before the Peaches Rot.” On the highlight song, “Choke,” Rutili and Ross take their winning melody and slather it with noise and reverb, then throw in a ripping guitar solo for good measure. Eight sturdy songs let loose in a funhouse. Folkies, noise rockers and disciples of Eno: unite!
“I Went Swimming Alone” was the soundtrack to my summer. Musically, it’s as upbeat and optimistic as any record that came out this year. The hooks just do not stop. But what distinguishes “I Went Swimming Alone” is singer Eliot Babin’s introspective and often self-deprecating lyrics. He opens the album with, “I’d just prefer a daydream to living in real life.” Boy, can I relate to that. And what a set of pipes. If you’ve ever bought a Jimmy Eat World CD or pogoed at a Motion City Soundtrack concert, you know what to do.
The band Yo La Tengo formed in 1984, two years before I was born. They’ve put out 15 studio albums, 15 EPs, and 22 singles. Of course, prolificacy means nothing if you can’t write a song, but that’s not a problem for YLT. Their newest LP, March’s “There’s a Riot Going On,” is seriously inspired. I get chills when I hear Ira Kaplan’s barely-there singing amid the motorik thrum of “For You Too.” And seeing as I’m a freak for ambient music, I just love the textures and patience of tracks like “Shortwave” and “Dream Dream Away.” With Riot, YLT adds another highlight to their reel. This band belongs in the Hall of Fame.
F***** Up is hardcore’s most consistently inventive band. They’ve held the title for at least a decade, and on Dose Your Dreams, they somehow find new genres to absorb and regurgitate. Industrial? Check. Shoegaze? Check. “Normal People” begins with a spoken word passage, transitions into power pop, and ends with lead singer Damian Abraham laying waste to everything. Fun fact: I met my wife Kathy at a F***** Up show in Chicago, but I was too busy moshing to ask for her number. That’s how good this band is!
Young Guv is the solo project of Toronto’s Ben Cook. Cook plays guitar in F***** Up and vocalizes for No Warning. You already love those bands, so please don’t sleep on “2 Sad 2 Funk,” Young Guv’s sophomore album. When I listen to this thing, I imagine I’m at a late-night dance party. I’m alone and wearing black, of course, but having been energized by Guv’s oblique melodies and tasteful use of autotune, I tear that dang club up. “2 Sad to Funk” exists at the intersection of chillwave, Ariel Pink and Prince. Bonus points go to Cook for writing 2018’s best dumb lyric: “Here’s a stupid question / do you want to go for ice cream?”
The Seattle-based band Revilla visted KTOO during the Alaska Folk Festival to perform a Red Carpet Concert. With roots in Southeast Alaska, high school friends Alejandro Chavarria, Patrick Troll, Alex Nelson and Chazz Gist played their song “Car Broke Down” from the band’s May release, “The North Sea EP.”
Though they played Folk Fest as Amish Robots, the group recently changed its name to Revilla as a tribute to Revillagigedo Island, where Ketchikan is located.
Created in collaboration with Justin Smith of Rusty Recordings in Gustavus, this video is part of our Red Carpet Concert series, an ongoing music video project by KTOO Public Media. Watch this video and other Red Carpet Concerts, including Whiskey Class and Liz Snyder, at KTOO.org.
Alaska songwriter Aurora Bowers stopped by KTOO during the Alaska Folk Festival to play a Red Carpet Concert. She performed her original song“Rattle Those Chains” as a trio, with her brother Ryan Bowers on upright bass and Alan Bent on resonator guitar. The Fairbanks fiddle player splits her time between Alaska and Mississippi, performing with Anchorage’s Hannah Yoter Band.
Created in collaboration with Justin Smith of Rusty Recordings in Gustavus, the video is part of our Red Carpet Concert series, an ongoing music video project by KTOO Public Media. Watch this video and other Red Carpet Concerts, including The Murphy Beds, at KTOO.org.
This April the Anchorage Americana band Tanana Rafters came down to Juneau for the Alaska Folk Festival. We caught them for a Red Carpet Concert, performing their song “The Cellar” at KTOO. Written by guitarist and singer Jamie Whiteman, the track appears on their 2017 debut album, “All My Fault.”
Created in collaboration with Justin Smith of Rusty Recordings in Gustavus, the video is part of our Red Carpet Concert series, an ongoing music video project by KTOO Public Media. Watch this video and other Red Carpet Concerts, like this performance by Andy Miller, at KTOO.org.
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