My pal Kurt just put some video of a live performance up on You Tube. Kurt is very much in the recently dubbed "popicana" genre.
Showing posts with label Kurt Hagardorn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kurt Hagardorn. Show all posts
Monday, September 17, 2007
Monday, April 09, 2007
Review: Kurt Hagardorn's "Ten Singles"
I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy of Kurt Hagardorn's new CD, titled "Ten Singles" when he came up to play the powerpop night at Mars Bars about six weeks ago. I'm only now getting around to doing a review. But, I'd recommend you not be so lax about picking up a copy, because it's a really solid release.
Kurt assembled this album over the course of about eight years, primarily recording whenever inspiration and time would allow. Usually when you pick up an album it reflects a small portion of an artists mindset -- typically a year or so of their songwriting life. The interesting thing here is we get insight into Kurt over a longer period of time.
The results are pretty wide in terms of genre and production value. But, rather than coming across as uneven or inconsistent, it plays as interesting and varied. The perfect example of this is the transition from song one to song two on the disc. The opener, titled "International Travel Advisory" has a Beatles-march feel with a slab of Elephant 6 on the side. Kurt somehow manages to have this song lead comfortably into "You Are My Girl," replete with pedal steel opening and laid back Bakersfield vibe.
And there you have it, a mix of indie/powerpop and alt.country. Of course, this reflects Kurt's own background, having spent time in both of those worlds (he was in Chapel Hill band Gumption and played guitar for Thad Cockrell).
Of course my favorite tunes are the ones that fall down on the powerpop side of the fence, and songs like "Rock Scissors Paper," "Leanne," and "Last Time Rewind" all fulfill my harmony jones quite well. Interestingly, if you visit Kurt's myspace page, you only hear the quieter, more acoustic side of what he's doing (including a cover of Harry Nilsson's "lifeline."). I'm not sure why none of the more rockin' tunes are represented there.
But, the disc is out now on Bladen County Records, who have some other interesting artists like Montauk Ghosts that are worth hearing.
Blogger's update: You can hear Kurt's more powerpoppin' side by vising the CD Baby site that has the disc for sale. Not sure why I didn't think of that before!!
Kurt assembled this album over the course of about eight years, primarily recording whenever inspiration and time would allow. Usually when you pick up an album it reflects a small portion of an artists mindset -- typically a year or so of their songwriting life. The interesting thing here is we get insight into Kurt over a longer period of time.
The results are pretty wide in terms of genre and production value. But, rather than coming across as uneven or inconsistent, it plays as interesting and varied. The perfect example of this is the transition from song one to song two on the disc. The opener, titled "International Travel Advisory" has a Beatles-march feel with a slab of Elephant 6 on the side. Kurt somehow manages to have this song lead comfortably into "You Are My Girl," replete with pedal steel opening and laid back Bakersfield vibe.
And there you have it, a mix of indie/powerpop and alt.country. Of course, this reflects Kurt's own background, having spent time in both of those worlds (he was in Chapel Hill band Gumption and played guitar for Thad Cockrell).
Of course my favorite tunes are the ones that fall down on the powerpop side of the fence, and songs like "Rock Scissors Paper," "Leanne," and "Last Time Rewind" all fulfill my harmony jones quite well. Interestingly, if you visit Kurt's myspace page, you only hear the quieter, more acoustic side of what he's doing (including a cover of Harry Nilsson's "lifeline."). I'm not sure why none of the more rockin' tunes are represented there.
But, the disc is out now on Bladen County Records, who have some other interesting artists like Montauk Ghosts that are worth hearing.
Blogger's update: You can hear Kurt's more powerpoppin' side by vising the CD Baby site that has the disc for sale. Not sure why I didn't think of that before!!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
SPB Powerpop Night photos
It was another fun evening of music at the 3rd SPB Powerpop Night. Here are some thoughts and photos:
Kurt Hagardorn opened the show. I realized last week that I've known Kurt for 20 years, since we were both in bands in Tennessee. We both ended up in the PacNW, with him in Portland and me here in Seattle. So, it was cool to have him come up and be on the bill.
Kurt Hagardorn
Kurt and his pedal steel player, whose name completely escapes me right now.
Following Kurt's set, The Riffbrokers took the stage. This was my first chance to see them with their new/old fourth member, Scott Sutherland (from The Doll Test and Llama). It was a great set with good energy (and excellent guitar tones). In the interview I did with them last week Heather said they're either a powerpop band with a twang problem or vice versa, and that really came through on this night. Excellent, catchy tunes, but with a bit of twang in the guitar and vocal delivery.
The Riffbrokers: Scott, Heather and Nick (l to r)
The Riffbrokers: Nick & Heather
Closing out the night was Vanilla. They were missing a few players and had a different rhythm section sitting in. But, they still did a great job all around. I think it caught some folks off-guard, because the guys of Vanilla are so completely unassuming. I said to a friend that if you saw any one of them walking down the street you'd have no idea that they were involved in a powerpop group of this quality.
Vanilla: Jayson
Vanilla
Kurt Hagardorn opened the show. I realized last week that I've known Kurt for 20 years, since we were both in bands in Tennessee. We both ended up in the PacNW, with him in Portland and me here in Seattle. So, it was cool to have him come up and be on the bill.
Kurt Hagardorn
Kurt and his pedal steel player, whose name completely escapes me right now.
Following Kurt's set, The Riffbrokers took the stage. This was my first chance to see them with their new/old fourth member, Scott Sutherland (from The Doll Test and Llama). It was a great set with good energy (and excellent guitar tones). In the interview I did with them last week Heather said they're either a powerpop band with a twang problem or vice versa, and that really came through on this night. Excellent, catchy tunes, but with a bit of twang in the guitar and vocal delivery.
The Riffbrokers: Scott, Heather and Nick (l to r)
The Riffbrokers: Nick & Heather
Closing out the night was Vanilla. They were missing a few players and had a different rhythm section sitting in. But, they still did a great job all around. I think it caught some folks off-guard, because the guys of Vanilla are so completely unassuming. I said to a friend that if you saw any one of them walking down the street you'd have no idea that they were involved in a powerpop group of this quality.
Vanilla: Jayson
Vanilla
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Really freaking late mp3
It wasn't Monday morning, it wasn't even Tuesday morning this week. Nope, this week it's the Tuesday Evening mp3. That's not as catchy as "Monday morning mp3," but it will have to do.
So, here's a great song by Kurt Hagardorn, out of Portland. Kurt is going to be opening the next SPB Powerpop night, which is March 10 at the Mars Bar. He's got this great roots pop thing happening that seems equally influenced by the Beatles, the Everly Brothers and some of the modern-day alt.country folks like The Jayhawks (with perhaps a bit of 1990s indie pop a la Portastatic thrown in for good measure).
The song I'm linking here is called "It's Okay, It's Alright," and it's a more delicate number. Altogether pleasant, while still aching with sadness and ending with an unexpected layer of guitar feedback.
You should pick up his record, titled Ten Singles, because it's really chock full of tunesmithy goodness.
So, here's a great song by Kurt Hagardorn, out of Portland. Kurt is going to be opening the next SPB Powerpop night, which is March 10 at the Mars Bar. He's got this great roots pop thing happening that seems equally influenced by the Beatles, the Everly Brothers and some of the modern-day alt.country folks like The Jayhawks (with perhaps a bit of 1990s indie pop a la Portastatic thrown in for good measure).
The song I'm linking here is called "It's Okay, It's Alright," and it's a more delicate number. Altogether pleasant, while still aching with sadness and ending with an unexpected layer of guitar feedback.
You should pick up his record, titled Ten Singles, because it's really chock full of tunesmithy goodness.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
March 10 SPB Powerpop Night annoucment
It's time to make the formal annoucment about the next SPB Powerpop Night. Here are the details:
Saturday, March 10
Mars Bar & Club Venus
SPB Powerpop Night featuring
Vanilla
The Riffbrokers
Kurt Hagardorn
I'll have the formal graphic up soon. It's a ripoff/tribute to Andy Warhol. :)
Saturday, March 10
Mars Bar & Club Venus
SPB Powerpop Night featuring
Vanilla
The Riffbrokers
Kurt Hagardorn
I'll have the formal graphic up soon. It's a ripoff/tribute to Andy Warhol. :)
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