William Elliott Whitmore - Field Songs (2011)

Field Songs unfolds like the musical score to a film on agricultural life. I can't help but think of digging my hands in the dirt, hammering cracked barn siding and tilling long stretches of soil on a rusted-out tractor. With this album as my soundtrack, such a life almost sounds appealing. The vivid imagery speaks to Whitmore's ability to channel so much soul, old-timey grit and emotion with just his unique voice, banjo or acoustic guitar and crickets, birds and frogs as backup singers. Field Songs is even more simplistic than Animals In The Dark, Whitmore's fantastic 2009 release, which is fine from my perspective. It also helps that Whitmore seems like a genuinely likable and humble guy—someone I'd really enjoy sharing a Black Star sixer with on a front porch somewhere where the stars glow like floodlights. The title track (below) is probably my favorite, but in truth, I could listen to the whole album over and over without interruption. For additional individual highlights, check out: "Everything Gets Gone" and "Not Feeling Any Pain."

The man will be playing Slim's in San Francisco on September 23rd with James Vincent McMorrow. Should be an amazing show.

The Gaslight Anthem @ Slim's

Headliner: Somewhere between Bruce Springsteen and Social Distortion their sounds meet at a junction called The Gaslight Anthem. With a combination of punk and rockabilly instrumentation and lyrics that pay homage "the every man's" real-life experiences, it is difficult not to be swept up in the energy of the music and the passion of the vocals and harmonies. There is certainly a charming element to the rough-around-the-edges appearance of the band members, which had the female portion of the crowd swooning, but what impressed me most was their spot-on live renditions of songs off of Sink or Swim, Señor and the Queen, and The '59 Sound. They played all my favorites and there were very few people in the audience who were not at least signing along with all the choruses. A fantastic performance.

2nd Act: If The Black Keys added two members, and Dan Auerbach was a female vocalist, then they would be the Heartless Bastards. As a HB first timer, I was blown away by Erika Wennerstrom's blue-eyed soul vocals and reverberating garage rock. They are definitely worth a listen, so check out their 2009 release, The Mountain. For San Franciscans, HB will be back for Outside Lands... so plan accordingly.

Opener: The opening act, A Death in the Family, were familiar sounding Australian punk rockers. Familiar because their sound was a combination of The Bouncing Souls, Rancid, and Bad Religion. A solid, energetic opener, but lacking originality... or maybe my pure punk days are behind me, which is possible.