Parov Stelar: Groovy Electro Cat

In a moment of serendipity, I discovered the Parov Stelar Band a few weeks before their scheduled show at the Rialto Theatre on April 19th. Usually it works the other way around: I will discover a new artist and think, "I wonder if they are coming to town soon...oh, Tucson is listed on their concert calendar...for last Thursday..." But not this time, fate! This time I am ahead of the game.

One of the reasons I love electronic music is the eagerness of artists to throw genres into a cauldron and create wonderful magic from the ingredients. Consider Parov Stelar, a producer whose music I would label as "electro-swing." Stelar (real name Marcus Füreder of Austria) mixes samples of old-time jazz and swing that have my feet tapping away as I write this post. Blaring horns, groovy sax, soulful lyrics...this is music distilled to its purest form!

Light up your life with The Lumineers!

Name:  The Lumineers
Genre:  Folk Rock
Sounds like:  The Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, Of Monsters and Men, The Avett Brothers

Judging from the large number of holds on their self-titled CD and a sold out show at the Rialto Theatre this past Thursday, it seems that many people are as excited by The Lumineers as I am! One of my favorite new bands, The Lumineers are a folk rock band from Denver whose rapid rise to stardom is underscored by the simple beauty of their songs. As guitarists Jeremiah Fraites stated in an interview earlier in the year, "We're not reinventing the wheel...the ideas themselves are very simple." Those of you looking for blistering guitar solos might try a different band, but anyone who craves songs about hopes and dreams, loss and love, would do well to give this band a listen!