Two Can Win

Tonight is a big night for The Fairer Sex. After months of recording and mixing at both Sweat Lodge and Black Lodge studios, the Lawrence group will be playing a CD release show at the Eighth Street Taproom. Their new album, "Two Can Win," is out now on the Ionik Recordings Label and features some great tunes, mostly written by frontman Zack Hart, and a few written by brother Deez. You can hear a couple FS tracks on the Ionik Records Web site and a couple more at lawrence.com. I'd also like to take the liberty of leaking my personal favorite track by Zack, "Tattoo." If you listen closely to the last 30 seconds or so, you can hear Andrew Connor make an appearance on guitar and me strum a bit of background banjo.

My other songwriting sibling, Laura Wetzel, is doing well with her debut album, which is available on iTunes. If you'd like to get some great songs and help pay for a kid's college in the process, check it out. To hear a few tunes and read a bit more about her album, you can read this from a few weeks ago.

My other new favorite songwriter is Suzannah Johannes, who debuted by winning last year's KJHK-sponsored Farmer's Ball. One night last month I was driving up to Lawrence to see her show, and as usual I was listening to a compilation of various garage and folk recordings from the sixties. I started to feel a bit guilty that so much of what I listen to is from decades past, and that I haven't been able to get as excited about the music that's going on around me.

Suzannah's show -- an opening slot for Holly Golightly at the Jackpot Saloon -- made me forget that concern completely. She started out playing a few solo songs and was eventually joined by Ghosty's David and Josh on keyboards and drums. The crowd was almost as shy as she was at first, but as the set went on she seemed to gain confidence. I was deeply impressed by her songs, and I think everyone around me was, too. You can hear a few of them here, and more excitingly, you can see her play in Lawrence this Friday, also at the Taproom.

On a completely different note, I'd like to offer a sneak preview of the chaos and cacophony that the Galesburg, Illinois art/noise duo ReeYees plans to bring to the Midwest. They don't have any proper recordings at the moment (thanks to some equipment-plundering hobo who broke into their house) but a few tracks and one short video offer flashes of what could very well turn out to be the most enjoyably obnoxious and delightfully dissonant duo outside of Fort Thunder (RIP). Here's the video, but I warn you -- and I mean it -- this is not for sensitive eardrums.

Birdos last call


This next video I'd like to link to could not be more different than the last. It features the brilliant and refined Elliot P. playing a Bach prelude on classical guitar. I think it was recorded at his senior recital at KU, but it also might be footage from last year's Bacharusa. Either way, it's great and he's got a few enchanting electric tunes you can listen to here.

Bach: Cello Suite No 3 Prelude


Thanks for tuning in, and more from me at the end of the week.