music makers, dreamers of dreams, etc.
Just discovering the music of Hank Roberts, and it's a pleasure to be introduced.
There's a lot of fertile crossover here between folk traditions, appalachia, avant jazz, downtown, and idiosyncratic tastes.
Source: Listen - I CAN'T PUT MY FINGER ON IT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8xUxuuokOU
…the thrill of being able to do anything musically and attempt things and accomplish it. And then you have to prove at one point or another that you're technically proficient. And then you go through an ego game type thing where you want to be the fastest gun in the west. And then you realize that it doesn't mean anything anyway, and all you really want to do is find an audience that likes your music that you think you're communicating to, and that you think enjoys what you do. And I think that's my purpose right now I like getting out and playing for people when they seem to be really enjoying it. That's the only thing that makes it worthwhile, especially going on the road… Chuck Greenberg of Shadowfax
I saw Shadowfax perform in the early 1990s at the Historic Everett Theater. It was one of my first concerts, and I remember the drummer tossing his sticks out to some kids in the aisles.
New age/jazz/world/whatever can be a pretentious genre, but Shadowfax and especially saxophonist / lyricon player Chuck Greenberg also seemed to genuinely enjoy being on stage, hanging with their audience. I think that pure joy comes through in their music and sets it apart from a lot of other similar music that can come off as sterile and distant.
I remember hearing the first Alt-J album and thinking there were all kinds of freaky sounds happening. But it's more simple: it's just the 80s all over again, right?
From the KEXP live performance of Bloodflood (?) I really like the icepick quality of the sound they're getting out of that consumer-looking keyboard. (Built in speakers!) I think a good reference would be like Madonna Lucky Star.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcVRrlmpcWk&feature=youtu.be&t=29m38s\[/embed]
Makes one of these look kinda fun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z\_GWFgeGIiY
As played by Mac Demarco.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=94bE204HZ-8#t=39s