Matthew Ryan Demos/Live

I’ve been listening to Matthew Ryan’s new CD, Matthew Ryan vs. The Silver State a bunch recently, and I really like it. Especially the track “It Could Have Been Worse” – it’s one of his best ever. Anyway, it’s put me in a Matthew Ryan kind of posting mood – so here’s a few demo/live versions of some of my favorite tracks from one of his earlier albums, East Autumn Grin.

MP3: I Must Love Leaving (demo) – Matthew Ryan
MP3: Me & My Lover (HearYa Live Sessions, 5/13/2008) – Matthew Ryan
MP3: Still, Part Two (demo) – Matthew Ryan

A Case of the Fridays - Monday Edition

Yeah, a little off-schedule with this column, but I’ve been a bit busy recently. We kick things off with The Jones’ “You Don’t Have The Stones.” The Jones (pictured) make it low down and bluesy, with a pounding, driving rhythm that’s not too far from Zep’s “When The Levee Breaks” while tossing out a few nice lyrical lines and dirty guitar licks along the way. Like what you hear? They power trio’s got a CD release party this Friday, June 27th at The Red & The Black in DC.

MP3: You Don’t Have The Stones – The Jones

Yep, that’s right, Toadies are back on tour, so throw on your flannel, and head out for some stomping riffs and Todd Lewis considerable vocals. You remember the 90s classic “Possum Kingdom,” now don’t you? (“Do you wanna die…yada yada yada?”) It still rocks. They’ll be at the Black Cat this Wednesday, June 25th.

MP3: Possum Kingdom - Toadies

A Banjo and its Grandpa

Tuesday night, about 350 lucky moviegoers witnessed a unique concert by banjo master Béla Fleck and his friend from Mali, n'goni player Cheick Hamala Diabaté. The pair played live in the Silver Theatre of the American Film Institute after a screening of "Throw Down Your Heart", a documentary about Fleck's journey through Africa in search of his instrument's roots, and part of the ongoing SilverDocs festival. The n'goni is a three-string pluck-and-strum device and one of the ancestors of the modern banjo. Attired in a glorious Malian robe and kufi hat, Diabaté, a griot or musical storyteller, graciously acknowledged Fleck, the audience, and the presence of his country's embassy. Then he picked up his polished, hand-made instrument and sang songs of welcome and dancing. Fleck performed his usual wizardry, first accompanying the traditional music, then interpreting it into new, layered sounds. As Malian etiquette demands, a woman from the audience approached the pickers and showered them with money, which a smiling Diabaté tucked into Fleck's shirt before retiring from the stage. Fleck then rained down an inimitable solo medley that started with a Tanzanian tune and wound up with the theme from "The Beverly Hillbillies", the song that hooked him on the banjo as a child. The music from the movie, featuring dozens of other African musicians, should be available next year; details at www.throwdownyourheart.com.

-- Joel Sparks

Modern Skirts at Iota

I will freely admit that I get most of my new music by watching those teen shows on the CW network. I’ll even own up to the fact that I have at least three volumes of soundtracks from The O.C., One Tree Hill and yes, The Hills on MTV.

Cut me some slack! I’m 35. It’s not like any teenagers are beaming me the latest hot tunes from their iPods to my Blackberry.

This is all a very long lead-up to telling you about Modern Skirts, a little band from Athens, Georgia, with a polished sound. In my opinion, Modern Skirts tunes should be picked up by a network as background for angst-ridden teen drama. They’ve nailed the sound, and they don’t fall into the common “emo” trap of most newer bands.

On the first song of their set at Iota June 22, the lead singer sounded a little like Bob Dylan – if he had enunciated and never smoked. The band’s harmonies are fantastic and unpredictable. The set led off with the song Motorcade, that had a “rallying cry” hook with a strong beat. The second song, Soft Pedals, was more melodic and slower. Sometimes a song is so good you can’t hum along to it. You just have to kind of ride the wave of the chord changes – that’s what Soft Pedals was like.

Sorano, their third song, recalls Elvis Costello and Ben Folds. The Ben Folds comparison is one the Modern Skirts probably can’t escape, particularly when they put their talented pianist to good use on tunes like Sorano and NY Song. Radio Breaks was more plodding, but just as I started to get a little bored, the beat picked up and I found myself tapping my feet again.

Pasadena is possibly my favorite song. Modern Skirts played it toward the end of their set, and I listened to it several more times in the car on my way home. Excellent piece with sharp, professional harmonies. These guys are ready to be discovered. Lucky for me, I don’t have to wade through dreadful teen soaps to hear Modern Skirts – I’ve got them on heavy rotation on my iPod already.

MP3: Pasadena (live acoustic @ HearYa Live Sessions) - Modern Skirts
MP3: My Bully – Modern Skirts

A Case of the Fridays

And…we’re back for another edition, kicking off with a very boppy track from The Bloodsugars, “Bloody Mary.” It’s poppy, it’s got a nice beat (you can dance to it), and it’s got some sweet synth lines. If you like what you hear, they’ll be at the Metro Gallery in Baltimore this Saturday, June 7th.

MP3: Bloody Mary – The Bloodsugars

And we close out this week with another uptempo number, “Make Some Sense,” from De Novo Dahl (pictured above). The sad lyrics contradict music that’s giddy and catchy, building to choruses that swell with keyboards. These guys (and one girl) put on a high-octane live show with some snazzy outfits – so if you like what you hear, De Novo Dahl will be in town at the Rock and Roll Hotel Wednesday June 11th.

MP3: Make Some Sense - De Novo Dahl

Everclear @ Crystal Rocks Concert

If you’re still an Everclear fan, they’ll be in town this weekend playing a free show at the 4th annual Crystal Rocks Concert over in Crystal City (Arlington) on Sunday June 8th. The festival is going on between 2 and 6, so plan accordingly…

MP3: Santa Monica - Everclear

Yell County, The City Veins and Julie Ocean @ IOTA

Three DC bands will be having their CD-release parties at IOTA this Friday night, June 6th. Julie Ocean’s jangly indie power pop is ultra-catchy, and they’ll have copies of Long Gone and Nearly There waiting for you. The City Veins bring a well-propelled indie-rock sound to the table, and they’ve just released their first EP, Cracks In The Floor. Yell County have got a 60s garage rock vibe, and if everything goes as planned, they’ll have copies of their new album, A Real Fine Hole, available at the show.

MP3: Freedom After The Fall – The City Veins
MP3: #1 Song – Julie Ocean
MP3: Conveyor Belt – Yell County