The Painted Horses’ sophomore record has a familiar richness
This month, Santa Cruz-based the Painted Horses released their second, self-titled album and it is a collection of folk rock songs we are delighted to have found. Following the release of their debut album Ponderosa Pines, The Painted Horses has pushed the band into a new level of musical mastery with songs that are a little more upbeat but sticking to their roots. Like a more country version of M. Ward and Elvis Perkins with a touch of the Wallflowers (especially opening track “Spokane”) Horses at times feels more folk, at times more country and all the times: pretty good. [...]
Video Premiere: The Painted Horses “I Wanna Tell Ya,” the first of a special video series with Gadgetbox
Santa Cruz folk trio The Painted Horses grabbed our attention with their lovely 2015 debut LP, Ponderosa Pines. Today, we're excited to share with you a new live video for "I Wanna Tell Ya" off the same album. The video is the first of Gadgetbox's "One Night Stand" series: each month is offering up a free 24 hours of studio time to a filmmaker and artist to record a video. Here are the details: Beginning in January 2016, Gadgetbox Studios is proud to present the One Night Stand live music video series. The goal of the showcase is to pair [...]
Swoon worthy folksters The Wild Reeds hit Leo’s tonight
About a month ago while inside of the historic Hyde Street Studios, I witnessed the ladies of The Wild Reeds make an entire Sofar crowd go gape-mouth. As is the Sofar way, the mini-set was all acoustic, and even without two of their band members the presence and charm of The Wild Reeds was staggering. Tonight, drummer Nick Jones and bassist Nick Phakpiseth will be rounding out the full band while they headline Leo's in Oakland's Temescal neighborhood. Fittingly, creators of The Wild Reeds, Kinsey Lee on vocals and banjo and Sharon Silva on vocals and guitar, met while both attending a Lisa Hannigan concert (side [...]
Mixtape: New Music from Santa Cruz’s Best Bands
http://media.libsyn.com/media/thebaybridged/Santa_Cruz_Mixtape.mp3 Download: Mixtape: New Music from Santa Cruz's Best Bands (Podcast #367) The Thrills once said, "Santa Cruz, you're not that far" -- a statement far truer for San Franciscans than for a band from Dublin, Ireland -- but the truth is, the Santa Cruz music scene has always felt a little remote, tethered to the Bay Area by that treacherous Highway 17. That feeling of distance isn't for a lack of talent, mind you: from Camper Van Beethoven and Comets on Fire through The Devil Makes Three, Battlehooch, and Mammatus, plenty of great bands have emerged from Santa Cruz [...]
Get to Know: The Painted Horses
The Painted Horses might just become your new favorite Bay Area Americana band. Their debut album Ponderosa Pines, set to be released March 27, is full of the folk trademarks: gorgeous acoustic guitar lines, charming, weaving harmonies, and singalong melodies. But the trio delivers the music with such a strong sense of pastoral serenity it transcends the conventions and instantly transports you to another era, one blissfully free of sprawling strip malls and congested highways and corporate logo eyesores dotting the landscape. It's music that makes you slow down your hectic, stressed-out urban existence, a soothing meditation on all the [...]