Drummer is the side project of The Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney and four other drummers from Ohio bands. Seeing how The Black Keys are my most favorite living band and all of these guys are from my middlewest motherland, not writing about them was not an option. If you were wondering who plays drums in drummer? It is not Mr. Carney (he’s on bass), the kit is manned by Greg Boyd of Cincinnati’s Ghostman and Sandman.
The Japanese outfit Workers is known for producing some of the ultimate reproduction of classic American work wear. The company came to my attention last year and I have been keeping an eye on it ever since. Recently, that voyeurism became much easier with the launch of the Workers blog. While I can’t read Japanese (and don’t bother translating it), I do like to follow the links and it is a good place to get a better look at the Workers goods. It is sort of like Free & Easy, but I don’t have to trek all the way up to Kinokuniya to get a copy.
Another recent discovery (and something that is linked on the Workers blog) is the old-timey obsessed site Your Old Pal Jim. I had a chance to meet the man behind the blog, Mr. Jim Christensen at The Pop Up Flea and was impressed with his encyclopedic knowledge of all things work wear, denim, garment making and seemingly everything in between. I was really impressed with Jim’s level of interest in this sort of thing and humbled by his command of the topic.
LP by Discovery (the side project of Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij and Wes Miles of Ra Ra Riot) is to summer what Bon Iver’s Blood Bank was to winter, on repeat. I thought for sure Passion Pit’s Manners was going to make it all the way through the sunny months, but here we are barely past July 4th and I might have over done it. Discovery is a nice mix of electronic and pop that strikes me enjoyably, especially if I am on a beach or en-route to a beach. In addition to lots of great vocals from Wes, the album features collaborations with Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig and The Dirty Projectors singer Angel Deradoorian. LP by Discovery officially drops tomorrow (July 7th), but is available now at Amie Street (see link and preview tracks below).
When you listen to the soulful harmonies on the new album from the band Dawes you would guess that the guys were from Alabama, not California. Dawes is one part The Band, one part Eagles with a little country mixed in for good measure. Not a bad list of names to be compared to, if you ask me. When my pals Josh Moore and Jason Ross put the record on the other night, Dawes became an instant classic. The good news is the California quartet is out and about touring with San Diego’s Delta Spirit, check them out if you have a chance. (Note to NYers: Dawes is playing Bowery Ballroom on May 22nd.) Two tracks from Dawes’ self titled album after the jump.
There are a few blogs that really get my aesthetic and inspire me to push ACL to better places — smart gents like Reference Library and Ready for the House in particular. Well, time to add another name to that list, A Time to Get. More than anything I have seen recently, A Time to Get is my perfect storm. The site is so on-point for me that I felt compelled to reach out to the author and extend my well wishes. As it turns out the guy behind the site — Los Angeles resident Mr. Nick Maggio — had worked for the same company as me a while back and we share a few mutual friends. We were both amazed at how small this world can be. Take a moment to read, obsess over and bookmark A Time to Get.
ACL Endorses is a chance for me share recent discoveries that I think are worth a closer look.
The fashion insider behind TSY has great taste and a good eye for images. The site covers everything from denim, to design, to art, and tends to lean toward the classics. Good stuff like James Dean in his Jack Purcells pictured below.
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