From the Womb to the Tomb |
• Everyone's bored with acoustic folk, but most of those people haven't heard BILLY CARR's new EP, Family Planning. It's an expressive little romp full of delights and experimentation, and only about 20 minutes long. Billy's a former member of Pamola and the Waldos, so there's a ton of jazzy-technical acumen being tossed about in these songs, but all its adventurous noodling is justified by the songwriting, which relies on free associative lyrics and unique, tumbling passages. Hot stuff; reminds us of Tim Kinsella jams without all the pretense. Check out billycarr.bandcamp.com.
• The youth rock camps of MAMM get all the attention, but we're almost more charmed by their programs for adults. Very little is more heartwarming than a dude in his 50s finally getting his chops together and throwing down some rock sauce over a weekend. A video documentary from a SALT INSTITUTE student captures one such session — watch Claire Jeffers's From the Womb to the Tomb at Salt's Vimeo page (vimeo.com/storytellah). Consider enrolling for a mature rock fantasy of your own this weekend at the Breakwater School, 856 Brighton Avenue in Portland, as MAMM hosts another big-kid jam.
