Today’s dose of prog provided by Watertouch

Time for me to get up on my soapbox and spread the word of some incredible sounds worthy of recognition. Yet again, the sounds come from a group of musicians from Sweden, known as Watertouch. I know I talk more about Swedish prog music more than one can sometimes tolerate, but hey.. someone has to do it.

If you take absolutely no interest in prog music in the realms of Frank Zappa, Kansas, Jethro Tull, The Flower Kings, Spock’s Beard, the Dixie Dregs, or Deep Purple, you probably won’t find this interesting. But if the slight mention of these artists spark an interest for you, you’ll come to appreciate the music of Watertouch.

The band consists of fine talent from Peter Holmstedt on bass, Eiron Johansson on drums and percussion, Per Wiber on the keys, and Patrick Salin on guitar and vocals. Swedish Grammy winner Tommy Andersson produced Watertouch’s debut album We Never Went to the Moon. The 7 track album is amazing, the majority made up of instrumentals. The band is inspired by the best classic rock music of all time, showcasing their ability to mold their own brand of prog.

Visit the Official MySpace page of Watertouch to listen to their tracks.
Visit the Official Website of Watertouch

Down home with The Barn Rats

Another surprise to some of you is that I enjoy bluegrass music, a lot.  I have an extensive collection of really good, and really not so good bluegrass music.  And my collection keeps growing.  I’m happy to find a lot of excellent bluegrass music still being played and recorded to this day.  So from time to time I will share info about some of my long time faves as well as some bluegrass musicians I am newly aware of.

My first shout out is to a band in Atlanta Georgia which I discovered not too long ago.  They call themselves “The Barn Rats”.  A pretty awesome name for a good sounding bluegrass band, I must say.  This good ol’ fashion down home bluegrass sounding band has been playing together for quite some time, and it shows.  The band is made up of Scott Morgan on lead guitar and vocals, Jody Hughes (banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin, and vocals), Chuck Sitero (rhythm guitar and vocals), Todd Freeman (mandolin and lead vocals), and Justin Roberts on the upright bass fiddle.

Visit the official site of The Barn Rats at myspace to view some great videos of some of their live performances and to listen to some of their songs.

Groovy jam band the Mojo Farmers

The Mojo Farmers is a fine group of musicians you may be familiar with if you are in the Southwest part of the United States.  Their unique style of music has been heard since the year 2000, when the band formed in Tempe Arizona.  They blend funk, blues, modern, and psychedelic rock to create the perfect jam band experience.  The Mojo Farmers have been quite active over the past few years, playing out extensively across the southwest part of the country, as well as Utah, Texas, and Colorado.  The band has two full length CDs in their collection. and it’ll be great to hear more material from these guys in the future.  They have an awesome gig lined up in Tempe, opening up for Rusted Root on July 11th.  I’ve listed a few other upcoming shows below.  Go on, get groovy with the Mojo Farmers.

The Official Website of the Mojo Farmers
Visit the Mojo Farmers at Myspace

Upcoming Shows:

Jul 11 2007    Marquee Theater – Opening For Rusted Root – Tempe, Arizona
Jul 13 2007    Goat Head Saloon – Mesa, Arizona
Aug 11 2007    Harper’s Bar – Northridge, California
Sep 21 2007    Spirit Room – Jerome, Arizona
Sep 22 2007    Spirit Room – Jerome, Arizona
Sep 23 2007    Spirit Room – Jerome, Arizona