Staff & Contributors

Paul Whyte

Content By This Contributor:

The Holy Hootenanners: It’s Time To Let It Go

Paul Whyte

I saw this band on the final day of Homegrown 2014. It was a warm sunny Sunday and the sunlight beamed through the floor to almost ceiling level windows of Canal Park Brewery. The music was mostly original, but unmistakably traditional gospel

The New Old Fashioned

Paul Whyte

Featured Bartender: Josh Roux. As mentioned, Roux is the new owner of the Dugout Lounge. Forrest is now semi-retired and spends his time fishing, golfing and going out to concerts but still can occasionally be found working at the Dugout

Rich Mattson and the Northstars to Release Self-Titled Album

Paul Whyte

Rich Mattson is a name that comes up often when it comes to this area’s music. Mattson goes way back with music and has been playing gigs since the 80s. Some of his more recent bands include: Ol’ Yeller, The Bitter Spills, The Tisdales

Charlie Parr: Stumpjumper

Paul Whyte

Parr is undeniably real with his music and it’s fair to say that his music reflects who he is. This can be said for a lot of musicians, that their music reflects who they are, but Parr stands out.

Gypsy Lumberjacks: Giants of America

Paul Whyte

I’m edging on calling this band almost more of a world band, but they shift around quite a bit but fit it all together seamlessly into something pretty great.

The Christopher David Hanson Band: For Another Year

Paul Whyte

There’s a lot of ways to describe music, and in this case I’m going to call this band professional. Sure, I like a good punk show or some experimental electronic music, and while there’s a lot of bands that fall in those categories

Tin Can Gin: Coming Home

Paul Whyte

People who love Tin Can Gin shouldn’t be disappointed with this album, but the overall sound holds very close to the first album, so it doesn’t feel new.

Crisp Blend of Sweetness

Paul Whyte

“Cocktailing” features experienced area bartenders and takes a look at one of their favorite cocktail recipes.

Space Carpet’s New Self Titled Album

Paul Whyte

On Friday, February 20, the group Space Carpet will be releasing their self titled album at Beaner’s Central. Space Carpet is another branch off what I like to refer to as the “Beaner’s Crew.”

Sam Wall Continues to Emerge

Paul Whyte

The first time we interviewed rapper, Sam Wall, also known as Medicate, he was just 16 years old. At that age he already had a number of unmastered tracks that were fairly well put together and made it apparent that Wall was well on his way

2014 Top Music Picks

Paul Whyte

The amount of talent, originality and production put into a lot of the music that I had a chance to listen to this year is astounding. Making a “top picks” list is a little bit of a daunting task

A Look at National Music Stories from 2014

Paul Whyte

Although I like to primarily focus on highlighting local and regional music, there are obviously plenty of things happening all around the nation and world with music.

Local Musician Releases First Folk Tale

Paul Whyte

The story is filled with rhymes and is set in the fictitious setting of the town, Mealdathyme. It brings out colorful chartacters such as the ill tempered Mr. Borkinszankersneer and of course the mild mannered Lefty Stepanovich

The Modern Era: Where Was I (When I Needed Me)

Paul Whyte

This week will continue on with reviewing Twin Cities bands. If you’re just now reading this and missed the last few weeks, I really enjoyed the latest albums from The Great Depression and Bae Tigre.

Bae Tigre: Memoir of a Happy Drifting Chemical

Paul Whyte

Once again I’m on a dry spell of local albums so I’m returning to my stack of new regional CDs and looking south to the scene from down in the Twin Cities.

The Great Depression: In A Starry State

Paul Whyte

There’s really never a dull moment on the album. A song like, “A Dreamy Brochure for Elsewhere,” is aptly named. It utilizes an array of sounds ranging from acoustic guitar to various synth sounds that are woven together into beautiful soundscapes.

Wes Hadrich & Greg Tiburzi: Naturally Blue

Paul Whyte

For those who occasionally make it out to venues like Sir Benedict’s, the musicians Wes Hadrich and Greg Tiburzi might be familiar names.

Fever Dream: Hey, What’s Up?

Paul Whyte

When it comes to this project I can’t help but feel that Gartman had a plan, and what a plan it was. There’s something about the 80s that is amusing and entertaining with how cheesy it was but it still has a certain appeal.

Wolf Blood Brings Out the Dark and Heavy: Head Out on Tour

Paul Whyte

If you don’t like Black Sabbath or The Misfits, just quit reading this right now. I’m not saying Wolf Blood is exactly just like these bands, but it’s fair enough to say that if you’re not down with horror obsessed old school feeling stoner metal

Amazon vs. Superior Street

Paul Whyte

America has become so obsessed with consuming what’s fast and cheap that this is where we are starting to undermine ourselves and any sense of the American Dream. More jobs are being shipped overseas and the jobs that aren’t fall on desperate America

Tiny Moving Parts: Pleasant Living

Paul Whyte

Focusing on furthering their sound, whether it be more experimental, down tempo, or perhaps even more hardcore while still hanging on to this band’s overall presentation will be something that I hope will happen.

Venus DeMars

Paul Whyte

Venus DeMars remains one of the longest lasting, most tenacious and hard rocking individuals that I’ve ever seen since I’ve been hanging out in bars and going to shows for over a decade.

Average Mammals: Life Under The Influence

Paul Whyte

It’s hard to stay on top of all the music that comes out of this region. Even those who take chances on shows where they aren’t sure of who is playing or surf Youtube videos for hours can miss a band here and there.

The Slamming Doors: Road Beneath the Wheels

Paul Whyte

This Iron Range group brings a lot more to the table than just being a run of the mill country band. Actually, the country edge is just a fraction of what is happening with this music.

Legendary Creole Musician Terrance Simien to Play the Big Top

Paul Whyte

While there are touring artists in the area year round, the summer months in particular bring in a wide array of music acts who play at venues ranging from small bar gigs to larger shows such as the Bayfront and Big Top Chautauqua

Tin Can Gin’s Debut Self Titled Album

Paul Whyte

Whether it’s to drown out problems or sorrows or just to have fun, there are multiple references to hitting the bottle. The album keeps an optimistic feel overall while acknowledging the hard times that sometimes happen.

The Formal Age: 1923-2319

Paul Whyte

This is one of those albums where I could go on and on about everything from the breakdowns to the production to the decisions made on what the keyboards sound like.

The Whales They Weep Vol. 23

Paul Whyte

On the second track, “Harpooned Through the Heart,” it stays consistent as there is still tape hiss but this time there is an intermittent crackling sound.

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