Fang Island

Chris Georges

Fang Island can't be kept down. Set to take their party of their self-titled album - the sound of which is awesomely self-described as "everyone high-fiving everyone" - they got off to a rocky start when their tour van practically immediately upon acquisition. Just another reminder that there is at least one old-fashioned tradition still alive and well in the industry: gear and vehicle theft! But the band is bouncing back in a big way, and they figure to turn some heads at SXSW and beyond, with their irrespressibly peppy rock anthems and chant-along melodies. Guitarist Chris Georges checked in with The Red Alert and talked not of grand theft auto but of the power of pizza, the dirty druggie secrets of a touring buzz band, and the one way you better not get caught executing a high-five at a Fang Island show... More

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Rather quietly, Damien Jurado continues to prove himself as one of the top-shelf singer-songwriters in his generation, doing so with the sort of steady hand that makes him a not especially appealing prospect for the buzz-and-backlash cycle of the blogosphere. His ninth album, Saint Bartlett, will probably arrive in a similar fashion as the ones before it: critically approved, enthusiastically received by loyal fans, and slightly overlooked by the general public (and even general indie public) at large. "Arkansas" is a first-class ambassador for the album, an achingly sentimental song that's already become a live favorite ... More