Denise Dill |
Why did Jesse Gertz break up Glass Fingers, his one-horse electro-hop noise jam, to start LEVERET, another solo project? We'll receive a clue June 8, when he releases Beak, the first EP of new material. According to Gertz, Leveret is supposed to be more "serious stuff" than Glass Fingers, but that could really go in any direction. Visit leveretleveret.com for more details, and keep ears to the ground.
As many fans learned when news broke on May 10, David Lamb of the post-folk duo BROWN BIRD became stricken with a case of severe anemia in Houston, Texas, causing the duo to cancel a large chunk of their national tour and return home to Providence. Falling on the heels of the release of their new album Fits of Reason, the band's supporters quickly reached an impressive fundraising goal of $40,000 to cover a week's worth of emergency medical expenses. They're not technically a Maine act, but Brown Bird have deep connections to our state — most notably in their frequent collaborations with Jeremy and Jerusha Robinson of the Southern Maine folk group SOUTH CHINA — and just played two very well attended sets here a month ago. Visit brownbird.net for news.
In addition to Swans, Black Flag, Rhys Chatham, and the Walkmen, this year's Northside Festival in Brooklyn will feature a nice little cross-section of Maine indie bands. Pop group SUNSET HEARTS, the darkened blues-punk/rock and roll unit COALSACK IN CRUX, and haunting folk act LISA/LIZA play sets amid the frenzy. Check the schedule at northsidefestival.com.
Quite tickled to see a new solo release from DENISE DILL, the multi-instrumentalist songwriter from Lewiston who also fronts the trio Pineries. On Heavy Joi, her first solo release in over three years, Dill's songs are simple compositions of looping synths, guitar, and drum machines, led by a resounding, courageous voice. She's no stranger to heavy themes — desire, gender, and departure figure prominently on this record —but Dill's emotional stakes always seem way high without ever feeling ingratiating. She also just wrapped a soundtrack for Household, a film about four families outside the spectrum of normativity. Visit denisedill.bandcamp.com to hear a fine voice from the fringes of Maine folk music.
