New Digs, Vol. 22

It's June. Wow.
This month I will hit the quarter-century mark in my life.
Kinda scary.

I like having a June birthday - it splits the year perfectly in half. This way, I'm never more than six months away from a substantial gift, either from the family or as a treat to myself. I'm hoping to get a real camera this year - a digital SLR. I'm fairly certain I wanna go with Canon/Nikon, but I don't know which, so shoot me a line if you have any intel on the matter.

However, I did just spoil myself with a brand new iPhone and I'm pretty sure it's already changed my life in less than a week. The fact that I'm such a fan of iTunes/iPod/now the iPhone makes me wonder why I haven't yet made a full-on MAC switch.

Having the world at my hands with a simple tap has reawakened my quest for music across the web as well as my desire to get back to regular posting here. I've re-upped my RSS feeds on the new phone to reflect a handful of new blogs I've been reading, been listening to Pandora again lately, and I've been refining my music library with artwork and details so my iPhone looks as good as it's supposed to.

To help quell the lack of updates here, I've been going through the list of feature posts (sidebar) with the intention of getting out a couple new editions each week. New Digs has easily been the most prolific post feature here; this post making the total 22.

Middle Distance Runner - Brother John

I came across this DC band by accident. I thought I was clicking on a link to a cover of the song 'Middle Distance Runner' (Sea Wolf) by a band named Brother John. I obviously had this backwards but was surprised to really enjoy what I was hearing. As I checked out all the songs I could find from MDR, I was continually impressed. This band strays slightly from my usual realm with their subtle electronic/hip-hop influence, but I can't seem to get enough. They sound a little like Spoon (heavy piano riffs, hand claps, etc.) and, interestingly, a little like Sea Wolf.

Middle Distance Runner - Momma

Middle Distance Runner: MySpace/eMusic/iTunes/Website

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals - Stop The Bus
from This Is Somewhere (2007)

I had seen Grace and her band mentioned in alt-country circles for a while, but hadn't payed much attention until I learned that ex-Cardinal Catherine Popper was now thumpin' bass for them. The addition of the long-legged bassist with the already smokin' Grace makes this band an equally visual and aural knockout. 'They have a new album nearly complete, although it has no title, produced by T-Bone Burnett. It's Grace and band's third studio album.

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals: MySpace/iTunes/Website

Those Darlins - Whole Damn Thing

Another band that, for whatever reason, I simply passed up despite numerous mentions is Those Darlins. They've opened for such acts as Deer Tick and Dan Auerbach and played at this year's SXSW. The subtle hints of punk influence fused with undeniable country roots make this female trio one to watch out for. I'm not too late jumping on their bandwagon though, because they have yet to release their debut album. You can pre-order it now on VINYL and CD. Also check out their Wild One [Single] at the links below.

Those Darlins: MySpace/eMusic/iTunes/Website

As always, enjoy responsibly.
Go to shows.
Buy their stuff.
Tell your friends.

Check out all the past New Digs....