The single “Worse Than I Think” carries more significance than its tight compositional structure and the flowing melodic lines reminiscent of (2011) Young The Giant. Williams will attest to the fact that: “It is the first song he ever wrote that he liked.” Connected in body, mind, and musical taste, he continues with the upbeat pop tune, “Witness,” highlighting again both songwriting skills, and the ability to execute a basic vision on a keyboard into an arranged track worthy of repeated radio play.
 
“So why fight it?” Williams questions, on “Head In The Clouds.” Surely he has given into the best of guilty pleasures: making music that’s just as fun to play as it is to listen to, and that as the musician, you can be quite proud of having created. It’s a great moment to “see my reflection and never run away,” as he mentions in “Tired of the Night.” In Goodhue, Williams embraces his various musical talents, hones them, and constructs a release that is only the beginning of both OSO and his burgeoning career.  

Goodhue was recorded and produced by Brett Bullion (Bad Bad Hats, Tungsten) and recorded with instrumentalists Alex Young (Warehouse Eyes, Fathom Lane, On & On), Andrew Foreman (Reina del Cid, Nooky Jones) and Steve Bosmans (John Mark Nelson, Charn) who also will be in the live band. ​

After almost two years in the making, Joseph De Natale offers up his debut release Redoubt, under the moniker Faint Peter, on February 25, 2016. Self-described as cinematic indie-folk, De Natale brings his many talents as singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist to the table for his Seattle-based release. It has involved many local places and people, from living rooms to basements, and players including Philip Kobernik (Hey Marseilles) and Greg Kramer (Macklemore, Otieno Terry). Nine tracks, 37 and a half minutes, and many years of emotion make up Redoubt: a personal assertion of experience, desire, and longing for the yet unknown. 

At first it may seem simply another folk record from the Pacific Northwest - until the last minute of opening track “Wherever We Go” echoes out into a blissful moment reminiscent of (violinist/looping artist) Kishi Bashi. Yet these cinematic elements at the start of Redoubt are only a tease, as the album runs straight into the start of “The Well,” which rolls and swells and dips; enticing the ear in quiet moments and celebrating a greater sound by the end. Intricate guitar picking keeps a steady rhythm and adds depth, tickling the ear side to side - if you’re listening with headphones.
 
“Waiting” is De Natale’s classic love ballad, proclaiming, “And you are all I ever wanted and more / And your love is everything I waited for” – although it is sung to someone perhaps yet to exist in the protagonist’s life. This eternal - and internal - conflict is in pondering the merits of something worth waiting for, and the agony in such waiting, as De Natale asks sweetly: “please don’t keep me waiting anymore.” It’s a shame that Redoubt didn’t release earlier this month, as “Waiting” would have make the perfect tune on a romantic Valentine’s Day playlist. For those who celebrate it, anyway. Luckily Redoubt is out now for those of us who observe emotion on a year-round basis.  
 
The beat picks up for “Ways to Die,” as De Natale jams out vocally as well as instrumentally. Raw and vibrant, the elements in this song are polished, but the urgency underneath comes through strong. This flow between quiet confessions and proud hollerings is a hallmark of the album, a testament to both De Natale’s vision and talent, and the production of the release. There’s a reason you don’t have to constantly be turning the volume on your radio dial up and down; most mass-produced music aims for a narrow range of dynamics and volume output. But in the artistry of small releases, niche genres, and tunes that may only hit local stations, creativity reigns supreme. With Redoubt, De Natale has made something your ear wants to hear, picking from a wide palette of volumes, textures, beats, and tones to make one acoustically colorful piece of art.
 
When listening to a new artist, there is often a song that when discovered, makes or breaks them for me. Either my reaction trends toward, “yeah no, not so much,” and they fade into obscurity. Or (or) that song has me thinking, “yes – more of this please” and I go on to keep track of that artist on and off for years. It's easy for me to say that “The Cure,” especially in the moment De Natale dips his voice low and sings, “I am defeated by the way you sing / You make a sound and silence everything,” has won me over. The upbeat jam in the middle, contrasted by the introspective interludes, and the joyous finish all point to the star track of the album, whether that was its intention or not.
 
“What You Took,” gets really personal – or at least we are to think so. A bitter end and a grudge not yet forgiven leads De Natale to wail, “I’m just making up for what you took,” as he holds his own instrumentally, just him and the guitar. Almost hinting at an older style of country, it’s the most specific song lyrically, and the one that holds Redoubt down to Earth amidst other vague or seemingly fantastic thoughts.
 
Unfortunately, “Texas” turns in a different direction, playing off stereotypes of roaming off to find oneself by love of a foreign woman. While it’s an old traditional type of tune, De Natale’s song feels forced. The rest of the album portrays him as a hopeless romantic who won’t settle for anything but the truest of loves. So for him to run off and “find a dark-skinned beauty and present her with a ring,” just doesn’t ring true. However, “Ontario” closes the album on an authentic note, musing lightly over the words, “Breathe out, breathe in / Fill the space inside your chest.” The gentle strumming and low-key vibe close Redoubt on a calmer wave than I was hoping for, but it’s not uncharacteristic or unfitting. 

In the end, Redoubt is a genuinely beautiful album. The instrumentation alone is enough to carry its weight, although the narratives De Natale weave move Redoubt past having only beauty, but meaning. And the moments which might, in a lesser songwriter’s hand, fall prey to the tender danger that is gooey sentimental thought, remain steadfast and mature. I happen to prefer the first half of the album over the second, with tighter songwriting and a more cohesive nature between the tracks. But the album as a whole is worthy of a listen, if not many – depending on your taste. You’ll never know, however, if you don’t give Redoubt a listen in the first place. 

Casey Dubie and MISCH
February 25th / 9 - 11pm / $7 
Aster Cafe, Minneapolis

With twinkling lights, the majestic riverfront, and a ​cozy seat in front of live music (with drink in hand), there's no better place to be this Thursday night in Minneapolis. Join me, Casey Dubie, and MISCH in Northeast for a night that will heal (or break) your heart. 
​

Released in November 2015, Casey Dubie's latest EP Strangers is both her third and a charm. Dubie hails from Vermont, although this release was produced in Nashville, and she's now on a cross-country tour to share it with all of us. And how lucky we truly are to receive it. 

She's evolved from "folky singer-songwriter to moody and percussive with some electronic elements," as her bio states. This latest stage of evolution displayed on the EP may not be her final form, so to speak, but it is one with moments of perfection and true talent - both for the choices in its making and in the literal making of it. So, sure - it's trendy and hip to combine folk, singer-songwriter, and electronic elements. In fact, it's my favorite genre to date. (It's even the genre combo that I, myself, try to make music in.) I'm biased, I get it. But to use these pieces in a way that creates a greater whole, and not a scattered attempt at novelty, is a rare accomplishment, even in the plethora of indie music today.

In "Fugitive," a tune with folk and piano pop influences, Dubie relates to the life of a musician, but also perhaps the broader modern experience as a career-chasing woman. She lightly sings, "this is all I know / always on the go / always looking over my shoulder, to see if you're gonna catch up with me," only giving away a little of the emotional exhaustion that might be lying under the surface. Her luminescent vocals highlight the notes she carries when she sings "you make me feel" in the track of same name. It could be mistaken for a happy tune, if "You Make Me Feel" wasn't riddled with lines of "disappointment's all you provide" and "it's been a hell of a something" that illuminate the underlying feeling as likely sadness of a sort, over joy. The "bah-dum"s in the background soften the blow, but the eternal question remains in mind, despite the contemporary vernacular. Is it really better to have loved and lost?

The final and title track, "Strangers," doubles as a finale to the story on this EP. In a heartbreaking narrative, Dubie poetically chronicles the post-breakup journey that so many can identify with: "now we're like strangers who pretend / closest of friends [...] keep thinking maybe it'll change, but it won't." She laments, "why can't you just give me what we both want?" while her vocals soar, the instrumentals behind her build, and it all comes to a glorious, musically-layered climax. If this song doesn't make you feel something, you might want to get that checked out. 

​Strangers is not only beautiful and insightful for its lyrics, but for its arrangements, melodies, harmonies, layers, and sounds you can't quite put your finger on. Each of the five songs is a piece of something greater, of a greater experience that she has shared and we can now share in. For us, the listeners, the answer is easy: it is better to have loved and lost, if it means that we get to live in a world where EPs like Dubie's are created. 

I got to ask Dubie a few questions about this latest release, and the related tour that brings her here to Minneapolis. 

KS: Congrats on your latest EP Strangers out last November. As it's your third release, what were your goals this time around for the EP, and how does it differ from older work you've made? 
 
CD: My goals this time around were to present myself in a professional way and to take a serious step forward as an artist, versus before, I would randomly put out content to see people’s response and because it was fun, honestly! I was kind of testing the waters. This time it’s exploring a career path. Strangers is fully produced compared to my past stuff, which was acoustically driven. It was fun to hear my music become more sonically interesting.
 
KS: What was the process of recording Strangers like? I'm curious perhaps who you worked with, time frame in which you worked on its completion, or what influenced its creation. 
 
CD: These songs were written in my living room. I had the opportunity to play them with a full band for the first time in Nashville, where I gained confidence in myself as an artist and in the songs themselves. I ended up doing a Kickstarter for the EP and got connected with Micah Tawlks, who is an incredibly talented producer in Nashville. He has a great ear and really took my songs to the next level. The project only took about a week to record. A lot of the songs are processing through conflicted relationships and spirituality.
 
KS: I'm especially taken by the title track, "Strangers." Beautiful, and heartbreaking. It has actually provided, for me, some much needed processing of recent emotion. I'm curious, do you use music more as a way to work through events in life, or as a way to escape from them? 
 
CD: Thank you so much, I’m glad to hear that it helped you sort through some things, because that’s the reason I write. I want to sort through things myself as well as help people name experiences they may not have the words for. I like to think of songs like swimming pools where I push people in and force them to experience something that I have. When they get out, their clothes are wet, clinging to their frames and they’re left to process the emotions of the song, whether they wanted to or not.

KS: You opened for Seattle's Lemolo in December, and you list an influence of yours as Valley Maker, also from the Pacific Northwest. I've been a fan of both for years, and got to see Valley Maker just this past week in Minneapolis. As a musician from Vermont, how did you end up getting to know these projects from across the country? 
 
CD: I think just word of mouth. Valley Maker especially is such an inspiration lyrically and such a good example of simple production but excellent songs. I’ve listened through his album dozens of times and I still get something new out of it, which is the mark of a good song. Also, it was a privilege to share the stage with Lemolo. It’s really cool as a fellow female artist to see such a talented musician like Meagan. Her music is so interesting and beautiful and complicated. 
 
KS: Also, what is the music scene like in the NE? I assume it's a folk-friendly area of the country, but am curious what else might be happening up there outside of New York that the rest of us don't know about. 
 
CD: You’re right that there is a huge emphasis on folk music, which are definitely my roots. There are a lot of amazing artists that may not get the attention they deserve but are still making music and trying to make a living. It is definitely on the smaller side, scene-wise, but it’s fun because there is a camaraderie and a supportive community among local musicians. 
 
KS: This show at the Aster concludes a winter tour of the PCNW (and Midwest). What's been your favorite part of recent touring, and what other exciting plans are in store for 2016? 
 
CD: This was the first tour that my team put together ourselves. It was impossible to know what to expect but we were pleasantly surprised by people’s responses and how well it went. It’s so fun to go into a venue where no one has any expectations, you don’t know anyone, and you get positive feedback. You meet new people every night and get different perspectives and reactions every time. I have a lot of anticipation for 2016. I’m going to keep writing for my full length, as well as try to book a lot of shows and maybe a tour of the Midwest and the East Coast. ​

Known legally as Michelle Lynn Stevens, MISCH is both a person and a project - and a dream. Recently a student in music at North Central University in Minneapolis, Stevens has been hard at work to make the most of her inspirations and creative motivations. Her excitement is infectious, her music spellbinding, and the best part is that it's all still beginning. 

I'm having a hard time describing her music (past "awesomesauce"), so I'm going to cheat and say you'll just have to come see her live! Opening for Casey Dubie this week, I asked Michelle some questions about herself, her music, and what we can be looking forward to next. 

KS: So, tell me about MISCH! How long as this musical project been in the works? And is this a solo or collaborative effort on your part? Also, where does the name come from? 
 
MS: My music has been officially "MISCH" since December 2014. It's a nickname coined by my first college roomies! My first burst of shows and songs recorded were part of my senior project in college. I write all of the songs I record and perform, but have had a lot of incredible people help with band production along the way - I have WAY talented friends!
 
KS: I found your singles "You'll Find It" and "Maybe" online, which are superbly fabulous. It's obvious to me that there was a lot of time spent on the quality and production of these recordings. I'm curious who these songs were recorded with, and if you have any other songs out or in the works currently, such as an upcoming album or EP?
 
MS: It was recorded by a good friend Luke Hundeby - a music business major and classmate in college! Again - my friends are WAY talented!! I plan to record an EP this spring/ early summer. Release date coming soon!

KS: The music video for "You'll Find It" was released last spring, featuring landscapes from the North Shore. It's a gorgeous video and song! Can you tell me about what it was like to film that, and who it was with?
 
MS: "You'll Find It" was filmed by a friend at Relive Films. They mostly shoot weddings, but we decided to venture out and try something new! That shoot was such a fun experience! Both the videographer (Alyssa Katane) and I learned SO much from that day (I learned how to brave 40 degree weather with minimal clothing, yikes) and hope to work together more in the future.
 
KS: Have you ever played the Aster Cafe before? Anything exciting to expect at this show (such as new songs)? And do you have any other upcoming shows in 2016?
 
MS: I have never played at Aster as MISCH before! I'm excited to hang in the cozy environment and see Casey [Dubie] and Ben [Noble]'s shows! It's right in my neighborhood, so I hope for it to be a good homey feel with new and old friends! I am playing a few songs that I don't have recorded yet, so I'm pumped to share those with everyone! I do have a few shows lined up for the year, but a lot of them are still in the works, so I just ask that everyone follow my social media pages to catch updates!

Find MISCH on Facebook, Twitter (@mischlynn), and Instagram (@mischlynn). 

Special thanks to Liz, Casey, and Michelle. 

Despite the undertones of another time and place lingering in their music, Reddening West is a band in the here and now, presently located in Austin, Texas. The people involved and their musical influences hail from places afar, and the possibility of this collaboration almost never happened. Yet like the many persistent mysteries of life, sometimes people and places come together just at the right time to make something beautiful we never knew we needed.
 
Matt Evans, Niamh Fahy, and Kevin Butler met by chance in 2014. By early 2015, they were writing music together and creating the songs that would become their first release, Where We Started. This debut EP is out shortly on March 4, 2016. A local affair, it was recorded at Fathom Tree Recording Studio, and mixed and mastered at Test Tube Audio, both studios in Austin. Joining them on bass for this EP is a friend of the band, Nick Seaman. 
 
About a year ago, Evans contacted me online about his band Sleepy Holler, whose music I quite enjoyed. (Especially “Call Me Home.”) We got to talking, and I suggested he check out Sofar Sounds down in Austin, to play a private living room show. Then just recently, Evans got back in touch to let me know 1. he’d had the chance to play a Sofar show and 2. his other band, Reddening West, was releasing an EP soon! He explained: “Whereas Sleepy Holler remains mostly a ‘long-distance’ project with my friend Jon who lives in DC, Reddening West is a band I put together here in Austin to capture the value and energy of in-person collaboration.”
 
And while I liked what Evans was doing with Sleepy Holler, I loved what has been made with Reddening West. Joined by Fahy on violin (plus keys, some guitar, vocals) and Butler on drums/percussion (and guitar, backing vocals), Evans is part of a dream team of musicians. Fahy, an “incredibly accomplished violinist,” as Evans is not shy to admit, is originally from Ireland and spent five years touring internationally, only settling in the US in 2014. Butler is a talented recording engineer by day, and therefore had a heavy hand in engineering, mixing, and mastering Where We Started. It reeks of originality, of genuine craftsmanship, like something that was built and made for a commission: full of purpose, a singular vision in mind, handiwork proudly showing.
 
“All You Need” is the perfect soundtrack for a road trip out west, staring out the windows as the foliage whips by and the mountains remain ever present. It echoes and rolls, Evans’ vocals calmly layering in-between, asking “is it all that you’ll ever need?” Fahy’s gorgeous violin acts like the lead guitar, improvising in the breaks like that’s how indie music has always been. There’s something unusually tight about this trio’s performance, and for so few instruments, a strong sense of richness - a lush and full sound.
 
For bordering on folk, there’s nothing “folksy” about these songs, but more so something acoustic and natural. In “Golden Light,” the instrumental elements bounce back and forth effortlessly, likely due to Butler’s skill behind the board. Evans’ lyrics reflect a sense of longing, of reflection, asking many broad questions, such as: “your wild heart, wasn’t it always some place else?”
 
There is no need, however, to be anyplace with dramatic scenery to enjoy Where We Started. These three paint scenes through their instruments, through their words, that can transport you from a simple living room to anywhere your heart desires. Whether it’s working your way through an emotional hurdle, or enjoying a moment of positive personal reflection, Evans and company have created an album you never knew you needed - and now you won’t want to do without.
 
To understand more about the band and the EP, I asked Matt to share some insights on Where We Started and where Reddening West has consequently ended up. 

​KS: You mention that the three of you met by chance, but with this EP, it feels more like fate. Many people, including musicians, meet only to soon part ways. What led you three to continue with musical collaboration after meeting?
 
ME: Thank you for saying so. One factor that definitely helps our continued collaboration is that Niamh and Kevin are actually engaged - they’ll be tying the knot this coming summer. So that’s super exciting, and definitely a contributing factor in our cohesion.
 
But more than that, I think we’ve all been around the block a little bit musically, and we know how rare it is to find a group of people who all share a vision about the sound and path you want your music and band to take. And, personally, I feel super fortunate to have connected with these guys - I think our respective talents complement one another, and I know I’ve become a better musician by having the opportunity to play with both of them. We work really well together.
 
I also think we all share a mindset about pursuing music. We’re all working full-time jobs - I’m a grant writer for a local nonprofit, Niamh is a music therapist and teacher, and Kevin spends his days as a recording engineer and producer - so the time we do have to create is really sacred.
 
I also want to mention Nick Seaman, who was an integral part of this EP. He joined up with us this summer to play a few gigs and help us record this EP, and his contributions were invaluable. Sadly for us he’s since moved back to Boston to finish his degree at Berklee, but we were really fortunate to have him join us for this EP.
 
KS: Where We Started is a release that I would more expect to come from perhaps the Pacific Northwest, with its theme and the feel of the album: an indie folk base with western American influences, and a soothing manner throughout. Then there's almost a jazz section in "Handful of Dust" towards the end, and overall some classical elements. I'm curious what some of the musical influences are for different band members, and what sounds may have influenced this EP specifically?  
 
ME: Wow, you hit the nail on the head. I’m from Tucson, Arizona originally, but after college I moved to Seattle. I lived up there for about five years. Those were incredibly formative years for me (and where Sleepy Holler was formed). A number of these songs were started during the time I was up there, and nature, and most specifically, the environment of the Pacific Northwest, continues to be one my primary sources of inspiration.
 
I would also say the Austin area and the Hill Country represent a very special landscape to me, too. I didn't realize it during the writing process, but so much of the dry, earthy simplicity of this landscape has also infiltrated these new songs. I think there’s something of Arizona, the Northwest, and Texas in these sounds - all of the places I’ve lived have made their way into this collection somehow.
 
I would certainly name jazz and classical as inspirations for all of us - from Mingus, Monk, and Parker to Debussy, Satie, and Part. We all love those genres. The part you mention in ‘Handful of Dust’ was actually written in the studio, in that take. So that was a bit improvisational for us - it was built around these two guitar lines, but we decided going in that we would let that part do what it wanted, and we wouldn’t try to control it too much.
 
Overall, as a group, I think our influences are pretty expansive, from Irish folk to saccharine pop. But I would name artists like Grizzly Bear, Andrew Bird, Feist, Sam Beam, The National, etc., as musical influences for this group’s sound in particular - but that’s just scratching the surface. So much old and so much new finds its way into the “influences” category.
 
But I think for this EP, we were mostly trying to capture something I don’t think any of us had a name for or an artist to point to - just some vague sound in our heads. I do remember during the time we were in the studio I was listening a lot to Other Lives, Mimicking Birds, and Damien Jurado - I don’t think a ton of that is coming through, but for some reason I remember those being present at the time.
 
Niamh has spent a lot of time with different Irish folk groups, most notably Riverdance - she toured with them internationally for five years. She also played in a cool orchestral folk sort of group in London called SixToes for a while.

KS: Matt, you mentioned that: "While I had written the bulk of the songs already, they grew so much more once we started collaborating." Can you elaborate more on how that process evolved, and at what point you went into recording the EP?
 
ME: I had some of these songs kicking around for a while - as I mentioned above, I started writing a few of them when I was in Seattle, as far back as 2008 or 2009 (‘Golden Light’ comes to mind). By the time I started playing with Niamh and Kevin I had moved them forward, but getting together and making group decisions helped shape these songs and get them finished - from deciding on final arrangements to adding new instruments or elements to provide texture, depth, and dynamics to the songs. I would say we went into the studio thinking the songs were mostly ready to go - we had been playing them at shows, etc. - but inevitably, we made some eleventh-hour changes to some of them, just based on how we were feeling in the moment.
 
KS: It's hard to ignore the lyrics in this EP. While the sounds themselves may be calm, the words are heavily focused on self-reflection and emotional themes. I wouldn't call it sorrow, but there isn't quite a jovial message being communicated here. Are there recent experiences in your life, or of the other members', that found their way into these lyrics? Or are they greater expressions of the general experience of living?
 
ME: No, there isn’t much joviality - haha. I don’t know - I have a hard time keeping things light lyrically. I would say the lyrics are a mixture of my own experience and my own observations, with a dusting of commentary and storytelling. The most impactful stories to me - whether film, literature, or visual art - try to shine a light on the darkened corners of our emotions and our experiences. I think exploring the difficult and traumatic things we experience is what resonates with me lyrically - when I strike an emotional nerve within myself, I know I’m onto something I like. Most of the lyrics on the EP are vignettes of people or situations familiar to me. Some are my own stories. Some are my stories mixed into the stories of others. Some are my experiences or observations extrapolated to apply more generally.
 
KS: So, Reddening West had an opportunity to play a secret living room show as a part of Sofar Sounds (in Austin, I assume?), which I have been a part of in Minneapolis, as a coordinator of the shows. What was that experience like, performing as a band? 
 
ME: Yes, we did get the chance to play for Sofar Sounds Austin, but, at the time, we were booked under the Sleepy Holler name (we hadn’t yet decided on a name at that point and we were operating under that umbrella before I made the final decision to officially split the projects). I don’t think they posted anything on the blog - just social media (some photos here).
 
The experience was great. Kevin and Niamh had both played Sofar shows previously in London - Kevin with Black Books and Niamh with SixToes. And the best part is that they actually met for the first time at Kevin’s Sofar show. So it was really amazing for them to get to play together here in Austin and bring it full circle.
 
We loved the gig and the setting. It was almost disconcerting at first being in a room with people very intently listening to us play, but we relished it. It was really special. We had the option to plug in and use mics, but we wanted to do it in true Sofar spirit, so we played entirely unplugged (with the exception of our bass player, Nick). We had the chance to share the bill with a couple of great Austin acts, Reed Turner and Emily Wolfe, who were both incredible. I think that kind of stripped down setting suits us quite well - I hope we have similar opportunities in the future.
 
KS: You also mentioned you played an unofficial SXSW show last year. Any shows at SXSW again this year? Or what are the exciting elements of 2016 for Reddening West, besides the release of this debut EP?
 
ME: We are in the process of figuring it all out as we speak! Being residents of Austin, SXSW is hard not to participate in in some capacity, so we anticipate doing something, but we’re not sure yet what that will be. Other than that, we’re in the process of making plans for local and regional shows and we’re writing new material, starting to think about what’s next. So, we’re really looking forward to a great year.

​Special thanks to Matt Evans.