(Upcoming Release) Snowblink Reissues “Long Live” on Fire Records

Posted on November 5, 2010 by mike

One of the vivid memories I have of Daniela Gesundheit of Snowblink is of her standing on the Grand Old Opry-style stage in Green Island, IA during the first Barnstormer tour framed by twinkling strings of Christmas-tree lights– the small crowd armed with small brass bells to ring on cue. Her mellow ambient set was a departure from the mostly-rocking lineup of those shows, but her otherworldly naive charm seemed to dislodge even the most jaded PBR-fueled hipster from their folded arm vantage point. Her music was dew clinging to the small plants on the forest floor. The kind of stuff that faeries would be streaming from their Pandora accounts whilst updating their Facebook statuses.

Daniela and her small band were performing songs from her at-the-time self-released CD Long Live. Songs like “Rut and Nuzzle,” “Ambergris,” and “Stand Where a Fruit Tree Drops the Things It Doesn’t Need” from this album were standout songs I waited anxiously to hear these songs at each of the stops during the Barnstormer tours.

She announced yesterday that Long Live would be re-issued on Fire Records in Europe on November 8th on CD, MP3 and vinyl (yay!) in conjunction with a tour of Europe. Fire will release in the US and Canada in February. The new reissue gets new cover art, too and features the little boy from the “Ambergris” video (below). Long Live is an album I’ve enjoyed for over a year and its one that I always felt should get more exposure, so I hope that Fire can put some promotional support behind it. I plan on picking up the vinyl when it’s available.

Track Listing for Long Live:

1. Rut & Nuzzle
2. Ambergris
3. The Tired Bees
4. Stand Where A Fruit Tree Drops The Things It Doesn’t Need
5. Membrillo
6. Green to Gone
7. Bulb, For Later
8. Divining Rod
9. Sea Change
10. None
11. Heckling The Afterglow
12. This Is This
13. Go Deep (Fon Frank)
14. The Fish of Little Thoughts
15. The Haunt

Click Here to listen to “Rut and Nuzzle” from Long Live (with lyrics!)
Click Here to listen to “Green to Gone” from Long Live (with lyrics!)

Click Here for Snowblink’s Website

Click Here for Snowblink’s Facebook Fanpage

Click Here for Snowblink’s MySpace Page

Click Here to follow Snowblink on Twitter

Click Here for the Long Live page at Fire Records.

Snowblink’s First Daytrotter Session (3/27/2008)
Snowblink’s Second Daytrotter Session (10/22/2008)
Snowblink’s Third Daytrotter Session – Michael Jackson Covers (3/12/2010)

Daytrotter Barnstormier II Announced! October 8 – 13

Posted on September 18, 2009 by mike

This week Daytrotter.com posted the details of the upcoming Barnstorm Tour– to be called “Daytrotter Barnstormier II” and will start Thursday, October 8th in Milwaukee, WI and wrap up on Tuesday, October 13th in Johnston, IA.

Via the @realdaytrotter twitter account and the weekly e-mails Sean Moeller (master of ceremonies, general cool guy) had been dribbling out details about the upcoming shows so very little of this is a surprise to those of us who watch Daytrotter goings on closely.

This tour, which is apparently “Barnstormier” than the July shows, happens to hit three of the same stops– the barn of the very cool Biehl’s in Maquoketa (now called Codfish Hollow), Mooney Hollow Barn in Green Island south of Bellevue and the Seacrest Octogonal Barn. Sean also added on two Wisconsin stops– the very cool Turner Hall Ballroom on 10/8 and the Treinen Farm in Lodi on 10/9. The tour wraps up on the 13th at the Simpson Farm outside Johnston, IA (Des Moines).

As with the previous shows, these will be free and all-ages– except for the Lodi, WI show where you will gain admission to the other attractions for a measly $5-$8. The bands and Daytrotter are just tryin to recoup expenses by selling posters, teeshirts, records and other stuff in addition to passing the hat.

The bands are a mix of new and some from the July run. Dawes is kind of the headliner– their sound is one that evokes the 70’s SoCal sound– slightly country rock with impeccable harmonies– think Eagles, CCR and CSN with a little Band thrown in. Christopher Denny has a unique sound that at times reminds me of Dylan’s Nashville Skyline period. The Suckers from Brooklyn sport an angular almost No-Wave pop sound and Milwaukee is bringing the guitar power pop. Listening to the Daytrotter sessions linked below, I’m getting pretty stoked for this run! On a couple of the shows we get Paleo and Snowblink from the first tour.

Here are the shows broken down with links to the bands’ Daytrotter sessions where you can find out more about them:

October 8

7 pm — Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Turner Hall Ballroom: 1032 N. 4th St. (Performing — Dawes, Christopher Denny, Suckers, Maritime)
Dawes Daytrotter Session
Christopher Denny Daytrotter Session
Suckers Daytrotter Session
Maritime Daytrotter Session
Maritime Encore Session

October 9

6 pm — Lodi, Wisconsin (15 mintues north of Madison, WI): PUMPKIN PATCH!! Treinen Farm Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch , W 12420 Highway 60 (Performing — Dawes, Christopher Denny, Suckers, Maritime)
Dawes Daytrotter Session
Christopher Denny Daytrotter Session
Suckers Daytrotter Session
Maritime Daytrotter Session
Maritime Encore Session

October 10

6 pm — Maquoketa, Iowa: BARN SHOW #1: Codfish Hollow Barn, 3437 288th Ave. (Performing — Dawes, Christopher Denny, Suckers, Snowblink, Paleo, Brooks Strause)
Dawes Daytrotter Session
Christopher Denny Daytrotter Session
Suckers Daytrotter Session
Snowblink Daytrotter Session
Paleo Daytrotter Session
Brooks Strause Daytrotter Session

October 11

6 pm — Green Island, Iowa (Near Bellevue, IA): BARN SHOW #2: Mooney Hollow Saloon Barn, 12471 Highway 52 (Performing — Dawes, Christopher Denny, Suckers, Snowblink)
Dawes Daytrotter Session
Christopher Denny Daytrotter Session
Suckers Daytrotter Session
Snowblink Daytrotter Session
Paleo Daytrotter Session

October 12

6 pm — West Liberty, IA: BARN SHOW #3: Secrest 1883 Octogonal Barn, 5750 Osage St. (Performing — Dawes, Christopher Denny, Suckers, Snowblink)
Dawes Daytrotter Session
Christopher Denny Daytrotter Session
Suckers Daytrotter Session
Snowblink Daytrotter Session

October 13

6pm — Johnston, Iowa: BARN SHOW #4: The Simpson Barn, 6169 Northglenn Dr. (Performing — Dawes, Christopher Denny, Suckers, Snowblink)
Dawes Daytrotter Session
Christopher Denny Daytrotter Session
Suckers Daytrotter Session
Snowblink Daytrotter Session

Upcoming Show: Roadside Graves at Mooney Hollow Barn 8/25/09

Posted on August 2, 2009 by mike

In what would seem to be an intersection of coincidences, a band out of New Jersey gaining a lot of indie-lovin’ blog praise will be playing a barn ballroom outside of my childhood home of Bellevue, IA.

Roadside Graves is a seven-piece band serving up a hearty stew of folk and rock with a heapin’ helpin’ of rootsy country with a pinch of Celtic reel to taste. Listening to their new album My Son’s Home on Autumn Tone, I’m impressed how this band packs all of these flavors in. But, as with any good stew, the longer it sits, the flavors mingle for every spoonful (hmm… it must be time to eat). Music blogs reach to define this band and include references like Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue, Springsteen, John Prine, Son Volt– and certainly all of those influences are heard.

Mooney Hollow Barn is a music institution in Jackson County, IA. Built in the 1930’s, it was a farm until 1977 when it was converted into a place to have monthly barn dances. In the 1980’s Mooney Hollow Barn played host to many Nashville legends including Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb, Faron Young, Porter Wagoner, Kitty Wells, and Bill Anderson. Bill Anderson will be back to the Mooney Hollow stage 27 years after his first appearance on 9/19. In 2006 Kevin Petesch bought the barn reopened it after being closed for five years.

Last week the inaugural Daytrotter.com Barnstormer tour stopped in Mooney Hollow bringing with it a line up of some of Daytrotter’s favorite acts. It was this appearance that brought Mooney Hollow to the attention of Roadside Graves who were looking for an overnight stop on their tour between their Milwaukee and Chicago appearances (and I bet a Daytrotter session in Rock Island just south!).

Somehow the idea of this newer band standing on the Mooney Hollow stage playing their unique blend of country, rock and folk in the same place the old guard of Nashville greats is comforting. “Will the circle be unbroken,” indeed!

It would be worth the trip to see this amazing barn, and possibly check out the sights in this great little Mississippi River town.

Click Here to listen to “Far and Wide” by Roadside Graves from My Son’s Home

Click Here to listen to “Ruby” by Roadside Graves from My Son’s Home

Click Here to visit Roadside Graves’ website

Click Here to visit Roadside Graves’ MySpace page

Click Here to visit Roadside Graves on Facebook

Click Here to read a review at one of my favorite blogs Aquarium Drunkard

Click Here for the Mooney Hollow Barn website

Upcoming Shows for Roadside Graves (lifted from their MySpace page)

Aug 3 2009

9:00P

Martin’s