2009, year of the lap steel?

Sitting on the shores of the bayou, sipping on some Arnold Palmers, HA! For me, it was stuffing myself into a life-jacket converted into a diaper to keep me afloat on the lovely California Delta. Either which way, I’d be listening to the same music.

I’ve been a tad bit obsessed with a few songs/bands these past few months and probably will be until I find my next fix. A few of these albums have been out for a while. My bad for not getting on them quicker.

#1 Coconut Records: Nighttiming & Davy
Actor Jason Schwatzman’s solo project. Indie-Pop with subtle hints of twang is probably the best way to describe his stuff. Here’s his video for the song “West Coast” from Nighttiming, which is great to have on repeat. <3

#2 Mason Proper: Olly Oxen Free
I fell in love with these guys when I was working on some promotions for them over at iMeem. To my delight, they were in town just last week and I got to hang out with their singer, Jon. We stayed up really late watching Talking Heads DVDs and also had a fantastic dance party. Mason Proper is from Michigan, but they should probably move to Oakland. Music is very different, experimental indie pop rock? They do a good job at not sucking. Watch their newest video “Safe for the Time Being”.

#3 Mick Leonardi: Love, Lust, Love
Mick used to be in a punk band back in the day called Divit that was huge in the Bay Area. More recently he’s been playing in Cold Hot Crash, also from San Francisco. Okay, I admit. Mick is one of my best friends. This album was recorded in my spare bedroom, over the span of approximately a year. Regardless, his songs are strong, very raw folky with interesting use of obscure instruments like the ukulele, some spoons, a lapsteel, pretty much whatever thing we found laying around. Mick’s also got some crazy fingerpicking skills.