Red Fox Grey Fox

We’ve all encountered moments in our lives when we come across a band that is so unlike any we’ve heard before we’re almost hesitant to give them a second listen. Such is the case with Red Fox Grey Fox. The first song I heard by them is entitled “Bring Back the Coast,” off of their recently-released album, From the Land of Bears, Ice, and Rock. It begins with a drawn-out lyrical sequence sung by Red Fox’s lead vocalist, Pete Miller, who is both a keyboardist and guitarist in the band. At once, Red Fox reminds me of Copeland’s vocal methods, but with a more subtle, soothing aspect. In further comparison to Copeland, Red Fox’s music is more of the minimalist variety, which, surprisingly, allows the listener a more in-depth experience. This minimalist approach, however, doesn’t imply that Red Fox is missing a fundamental element of the music process. Instead, it lets the listener know that each instrument and set of lyrics receives special treatment. Red Fox Grey Fox completes itself with drummer/keyboardist Stephen Lindquist, guitarist/keyboardist Jeremiah Satterthwaite, and bassist/keyboardist Ben Pien. On some of the tracks, Lindquist even plays the bells!

As a self-described aficionado of music, I am always first struck by a band’s musical arrangements. If I’m satisfied, I begin an over-the-surface analysis of the band’s lyrics. With Red Fox, my journey was no different; however, the lyrics I heard immediately resurfaced memories of when I studied American Transcendentalist poetry, which is poetry that is heavily impacted by nature. My shock was apparent; even more, my respect was abundant. It isn’t often that a band manages to reflect standardized poetic techniques. Furthermore, for a band simultaneously to create both music and poetry that are able to stand alone without the aid of the other is rare indeed; so to find a band like Red Fox Grey Fox is quite the feat, but to discover such talent within your own city is nearly unbelievable.

UPDATE: Red Fox Grey Fox’s album, From the Land of Bears, Ice, and Rock, can be purchased through their Myspace.

Four Letter Lie: More than Even the Average Minnesotan Expects

Some might label them as hardcore for their influx of screamo. Some might label them as an overrated band unable to choose merely one genre (how dare they not be mainstream!). Then again, some might label them as an upstart band that’s an ill-bred product of the punk-rock alliance. Personally, I call them my first introduction to the Minnesota music scene.
It was the end of my freshman year in college, and looming before me was the deadline for a twenty-page paper on the Napoleonic Code. Sounds fun, right? So, what’s a girl to do when desperately trying to avoid the word document glaring at her from the screen? Well, I’ll tell you what I did. I began listening to an online radio service and came across Four Letter Lie . With the now-minimized document still on my mind, I became instantly intrigued. At this point, I did what any other product of this generation does: I looked them up on Myspace. Unexpectedly, their geographical locale was listed as Minneapolis/St. Paul. Cliché as it sounds, they had me hook, line, and sinker.
Four Letter Lie’s sound consists of a distinct, infectious blend of the punk-rock (post-hardcore, if you will) and emo genres with a subtle screamo influence I had yet to come across in my own musical journeys. Unlike most bands, they place a special emphasis on each instrument within the musical composition, treating each instrument’s part as if it’s the most significant to the overall quality of the piece. With devotion like this, how could anyone not be at least marginally excited?
At last, here is where I reach the actual purpose in writing this article (yeah, I know, it took me long enough). Those of you who are taking the time to read this (i.e.: the friends to whom I sent the link) may be thinking, “Hey! Four Letter Lie isn’t new! And they’re signed to freakin’ Victory Records!” Well, I can’t argue with you there; however, I will point out that Four Letter Lie is just the sort of overlooked, often mislabeled band that can remain under the radar to those living within their own hometown while making headlines in the indie-world across the nation. For this reason, I hope to hit upon someone, somewhere within the vastness of Minnesota who is unfamiliar with not only Four Letter Lie, but the richness that is the Minnesota music scene and become, like me, irrevocably addicted. As Brian Nagan, co-vocalist of Four Letter Lie says, “We embrace everything and…never forget where we came from.”

UPDATE: Four Letter Lie recently finished recording their sophomore release for Victory Records, entitled What A Terrible Thing To Say. It hits stores 2-19-2008.

Linden is: the Future

I’ll be honest with you: female-led rock bands rub me the wrong way. For whatever reason, I tend to believe women cannot properly ‘rock out’ like I expect members of a rock band. And maybe, very secretly, it’s because I like to look at hawties (i.e.: men) singing and grooving with their mic (think Adam Lazarra) to my favorite songs. Consequently, it was against my better judgment when I decided to check out a band I’ve come across on local-music flyers for quite some time. I was marginally impressed by their sound, and by ‘marginally impressed’ I mean, “OMG!? Where have you been my whole life?!!?” Their name is Linden.
To my ever-loving dismay, though, Linden is from Wisconsin— Menomonie, Wisconsin that is. Fortunately for me and my fellow Twin Citians (I just made that up), Linden’s following is fairly sizable in the Metro area. With recent additions of three Minnesota musicians, drummer Matt Decker, lead guitarist Jacob Sharbono, and bassist Zac Ojeda, there’s no denying that Linden is as much a Minnesota band as it is a Wisconsin band. Along with the addition of Minnesota musicians, they threw into the mix fellow Wisconsin musician, rhythm guitarist Steven Keller. You may be asking me (or rather yourself): yeah, but who are the original members? Well, I shall tell you. As I mentioned earlier, Linden is a female-led band; moreover, they have two female members, both of whom work equally to create a foundation for the band. And! Get this: lead vocalist Kara Carlson is 18 and co-vocalist/keyboardist Casi Carlson is 17! At this point, Linden has quite the recipe for something amazing.
So, what exactly is Linden’s sound? The Linden sound is based heavily on the keyboard and an emphasized undercurrent of percussion, with undulating guitar hooks, and just the right amount of electric smoothness from the bass to produce a unique vibe that is reminiscent of poptronica, but much more endurable. Oh, and did I mention Kara and Casi can actually sing?
In short, Linden is the sort of band that knows what they’re doing and are prepared to guarantee that you are able to revel in their absurdly delightful creations without hesitation. Plus, it’ll only take roughly three minutes and forty-four seconds of your time to be completely enamored with Linden’s music forever. Who doesn’t have that sort of time?

UPDATE: Linden recently released a five-song EP entitled The Future Is…, which is available for purchase online through their Myspace.