Sound Stories & Interviews

Blues through the fisheye.Tim Langford has seen some of the wildest weather of his life in the
recent weeks. More than a foot of snow fell outside his downtown
Seattle home, which forced someone to abandon a city bus in front of
his house. Not long afterwards he was dealing with flooding from the
melting snow. And the road didn't offer any refuge for Langford, better
known as Too Slim, who had a large-scale Christmas show slated in
Spokane canceled before the holidays when some five feet of snow fell
on that city - which happens to be his hometown.

But with I-5
reopened and a freakish warming trend hitting the Northwest, all looks
good for Too Slim and the Taildraggers' show at the Domino Room on
Friday night. With the tumultuous weather behind him, Langford is
excited to get back on the stage - something he's been doing for much
of his life and more than 20 years alone with his current band.

Doesn’t look like a golfer, does she?Jessie Baylin, who relocated to Nashville after a six-year stretch in
Los Angeles, has just received her Tennessee-issued driver's license.
And she's not all that excited.

"I kind of look like a dweeb in it. My California license was really
cool and I'm kinda upset about this one," she says from the home in
Nashville that she shares with her fiancée Nathan Followill, the
drummer for Kings of Leon.

The new license and its accompanying dweeby photo has hardly been the
only change for the 24-year-old Baylin over the past year. During 2008,
Baylin saw her disc, Firesight, become one of the most well received
singer-songwriter albums of the year, played at Bonnaroo, and made a
name for herself on the pop music landscape. With a soulful sound laced
with folk and rock flavors, Baylin has earned spots on several
high-profile tours, including her opening gig for Marc Broussard that
brings her to the Tower Theatre on Tuesday night.

The pig plays the kazoo…sometimes.There's little reason why The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band
shouldn't be embraced as one of Bend's next favorite acts. They've got
the twang of long-standing Bend favorites the Gourds, the gritty blues
feel of Hillstomp and enough energy to hold court alongside any of our
town's favorite bluegrass bands.
The Indiana based trio (not
exactly the enrollment you'd except from an act billed as a "Big Damn
Band") rides on the quintessentially countrified voice and fingerstyle
guitar playing of Reverend Petyon and is anchored by the percussion
provided by his wife Breezy on washboard and his brother Jayme on the
drums. The familial nature and instrumentation of this band might
suggest a novelty act, but the Big Damn Band uses its intensely
simplified approach to produce quality sounds that have allowed them to
tour widely and attract a dedicated fan base. Some of these fans have
joined on after taking in the band during their opening appearances
opening for Celtic/punk crossover act Flogging Molly (who are also
their label mates on Side One Dummy Records).

Reservoir Dogs: bluegrass style.For the first time in as long as he can remember, Mike Guggino of the
Steep Canyon Rangers has New Year's Eve off. The previous years have
seen the Asheville, N.C.-based bluegrass quintet playing high-profile
shows, including a pair of shows the past two years opening for the
legendary Del McCoury Band.
But on the last day of 2008, Guggino, who
plays mandolin and contributes vocals in Steep Canyon Rangers, is on
the other side of the country, sitting somewhere ambiguously loud
(which is largely acceptable with it being 6:30pm on New Year's Eve)
and filling me in over the phone about the current state of bluegrass.
Although Guggino is only 30 years old - much younger than what you'd
expect for someone in a traditional bluegrass band - he has a tight
grip on the past, present and future of bluegrass and also is acutely
aware of his own band's standing within the genre.

It might not be the first description the band would like attached to its name, but Eleven Eyes is a party band. The Eugene sextet (which sometimes morphs into a septet) isn't a party band in the vein of booty shaking or "Brown Eyed Girl" covers, but they can throw a good party.

This is probably why the band is booked (or was booked depending on when you're reading this) for a New Year's Eve show at the legendary Eugene watering hole and music venue, Sam Bond's Garage. And this is also why they rocked the town's historic McDonald Theater (along with fellow Eugene band Reeble Jar) on Halloween.
Eleven Eyes, not unlike other Eugene bands, has roots in the University of Oregon music program, where Tim McLaughlin earned the classical training he employs on the trumpet, keys, sampler, percussion and effects. The band has morphed over the years, straying from its jazz roots to become what might best be described as a cluster-F-word of jazz-fusion, electronic, hip-hop and world music. Sometimes Eleven Eyes is one of those things, but mostly, it's all of them all at once.

Another New Year's Eve is on its way, bringing with it an array of
nightlife options for you to pick from. It's nice to have choices on
the one night in which you are allowed, nay, encouraged to let yourself
go bonkers or bananas or both. And we'll give you plenty of choices but
first, we'll cut to the chase…