Although it was towards the end of his life, so when well past his electrifying best, I was fortunate to see the inimitable James Brown, ‘Godfather of Soul,’ perform live.
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A best-of collection might seem an unusual choice for inclusion in a run-down of 2019’s best music, but when it comes to the extraordinary sound of the great German-born British composer, Max Richter, we at Fascinating Rhythm would love it to reach as many ears as possible.
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Nanaimo’s Chris Thompson is a man of many talents. A singer, songwriter, producer, recording engineer and multi-instrumentalist, Chris is unarguably one of the pivotal figures of the city’s independent music scene.
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Although hailing from Saskatchewan, the sweet folk music created by cousins Kacy Anderson and Clayton Linthicum are firmly rooted in the classic British folk and folk-rock scenes of the late 60s and early 70s, recalling such as Richard & Linda Thompson and Fairport Convention.
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The 2018 issue of the previously unreleased material on John Coltrane’s so-called ‘lost album,’ Both Directions at Once, was greeted with great excitement, as anything of substance from the legendary jazz saxophonist’s vault would and justifiably should be.
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Described by AllMusic’s Timothy Monger as “fusing gritty punk ethos with traditional bluegrass and old-time string band music,” Regina’s The Dead South dropped their 3rd fine full-length album, Sugar & Joy, in October.
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A couple of years back I had the privilege of seeing the incredible Tinariwen perform at Vancouver’s Chan Centre for the Performing Arts; it was an evening unlike I’d ever previously experienced, and will live with me forever.
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We're big fans of vintage soul music at Fascinating Rhythm, so it’s rare that a day goes by without something from that genre receiving a spin.
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I’ve been in thrall to the music of Sharon Van Etten for many years, particularly her 2012 masterpiece, Tramp.
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Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, but now based in Asheville, North Carolina, Angel Olsen is proving to be something of a chameleonic artist, her sound developing or, as displayed on the brilliant All Mirrors, changing completely with each successive album release.
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Who could have predicted that one of 2019’s internationally popular indie albums would have been by a queer county-noir singer, resplendent in cowboy threads and a fringed Lone Ranger mask?
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Hailing from Louisville, Kentucky, Joan Shelley has worked very hard to finally attain widespread acclaim in 2019 with her delightful 7th album, Like the River Loves the Sea.
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Nanaimo’s psychedelic behemoth Moths & Locusts have long been at the heart of the local scene, but in many ways beyond simply being a band.
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Guided by Voices and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard aside, how many bands or artists can you name that have released TWO great albums in any given year?
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As odd as it may sound, in respect of my age (59) I cannot help but feel some kind of paternal pride when friends of mine in the ever-exciting Nanaimo scene turn in an amazing new release, but, in truth that is becoming an all-too-frequent occurrence these days.
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On several occasions when in-store we’ve played Titanic Rising, Weyes Blood’s beautiful breakthrough album of lush art-pop, customers have commented that her voice sounds like that of the late, great Karen Carpenter.
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One of a great many hilarious quotes from the late Frank Zappa was “Jazz isn’t dead, it just smells funny,” and in the best possible way the British hipster jazz trio The Comet is Coming is a perfect illustration of what he meant.
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Like so many fine bands in our town, Sweetdreams pretty much came together within the hallowed walls of the Vault Café.
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