• Sorry we didn't have time to give you the heads-up before the show, but the BALTIC SEA debuted a new five-man lineup Sunday night at the Big Easy. They've added NATRON JOHNSON on guitars and keyboards. Things are ever denser. In a good way.
• On another short-notice item, you might want to check out SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE on NBC this weekend; RAY LAMONTAGNE will be the musical guest. Though some singers cameo in skits, we're not making any bets in that direction for Ray.
• If you're looking for a new indie hip-hop thing to ogle, might as well check out the GRANT STREET ORCHESTRA, featuring MINT on the mic, ANDY BARBO on guitar, and a loop machine doing everything else. For their gig Thursday at Geno's, though, they'll have a suite of USM music majors providing bass, drums, and a full horn section to get the place all funked up. We think they're Massholes, but don't hold that against them. Massholes can bust a rhyme just as well as anyone else.
• It's been a tough month for Maine roots music. The "Sibilance" staff sadly passes along the news that RONNIE CAOUETTE, a former Maine Country Music Vocalist of the Year and a founder of the CHAPPARALS, died February 23 in Fryeburg after a long struggle with injuries suffered in a car accident following a gig in 2005. He was 69.
• GRAHAM ISAACSON has a new EP out on AUTHENTIK ARTISTS, The Primer EP, which is available on iTunes and elsewhere. It's six songs of Isaacson's gravelly baritone, with a jazz backing that's heavy on the stand-up bass and the snare. If you like your vocals thick as molasses, check this out in a hurry.
