The Next Round - Episode 1: Broken Anchor

The wait is over!  My podcast has arrived!

Dry Paint Signs Presents: The Next Round is the only podcast where you'll get to hear me, Dustin Sherman, talking to musicians over drinks.  The first episode is with Broken Anchor's Austin Hartley-Leonard.  I spoke with Austin just prior to his show at Rockwood Music Hall.  Our conversation ran the gamut of extreme humidity to teen pregnancy to the band's excellent debut album, Fresh Lemonade (review here).

You can stream it in the player below, subscribe via iTunes, or download from the RSS feed here.



I'm really excited to hear what you guys think, so leave a comment or send me an email.

Broken Anchor Serves Up "Fresh Lemonade"

Pretty much anyone can make lemonade. It only has three ingredients: sugar, water, and lemon juice. Its simplicity and low production cost make it the commodity of choice for budding sidewalk entrepreneurs like the one featured on the cover of Broken Anchor's debut album, Fresh Lemonade, out 9/17.  When it's good, there are few things more refreshing than a tall, cold glass. But there's also a lot of shitty lemonade: too sweet, too sour, too artificial.  Austin Hartley-Leonard and his collaborators aren't drastically altering the recipe for indie rock music; they're just using better ingredients.  You won't find quality songwriting like this in the freezer section.  The first thing you'll notice is Hartley-Leonard's crackling voice.  It's at once unique and familiar, capable of both soaring to anthemic heights on "Always" or brooding gravely in "Head is a Hole."  While their sound draws heavily from the Pacific Northwest, the SoCal roots shine through unabashedly on the '60s reverb-drenched "Canada."  I dare you to listen to it once without smiling. Then I dare you to listen again without singing along.  My only gripe is that six of the songs were previously released on a handful of 2012 EPs. Thankfully, they are nowhere near filler, and come across more like greatest hits.  So don't judge it by its cover and let the toddler with his middle finger up deter you; you'll miss out on one of the year's best releases.

I interviewed Austin for The Next Round podcast, which will be up as soon as I slash through all the feed-hosting red tape.

Broken Anchor's One-Man Show at Rockwood Music Hall

It's not every day that one of your favorite bands of the year invites you to construct their setlist, but then again, it's not every day that your blog grows a new arm.  The big news is that Dry Paint Signs is branching out into the podcasting world with Dry Paint Signs presents The Next Round.  Last night, I sat down with Austin Hartley-Leonard of Broken Anchor before his show at Rockwood Music Hall, and we talked about topics ranging from addiction to ball sweat.  I'll be posting the interview in the next few weeks, so stay tuned.

Austin recommended that I get to the venue before his set to check out Sometimes We Sing Together, a duo comprised of Ashleigh Haney on drums and Trey Lockerbie on guitar.  And as you may have guessed, sometimes they sing together.  "Thanks for comin', friends and fam," Ashleigh said graciously.  "I thought you said friends and fan, like we had one," Trey admitted with a laugh.  They definitely have a new one now.  After the cowboy folk standard "Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie," Lockerbie relayed a story about how they'd recently opened a "hippie festival" in San Diego, claiming, "We just started playin' and they started comin'," he and Ashleigh imitating the fluid motion of the hippies.  Trey reprised the dance at one point in the rollicking "Big Black Car," but the song's highlight came when he and Haney delivered the line, "People stopped and they stared," and the pair took an extended pause to gaze at each other before jumping back in.  The audience chortled, enamored with the twosome.  But that little bit of comedy was only a taste of what was to come, as SWST put their hilarious spin on Ray Wylie Hubbard's "Snake Farm," getting full-blown belly laughs from the late-night crowd.

With the recent departure of drummer Mike Duffy, Broken Anchor has become a solo project for Hartley-Leonard.  Though he's currently developing an act that relies heavily on sampling, for last night's gig, he took the stage with only his guitar and a vocal effect pedal to emphasize certain parts.  By the third song, "Dear Diary," Austin had the room rapt with attention, everyone listening so intently to the haunting guitar that you could hear a pin drop, or as it turned out, a text message being received.  The only time I missed the drums was in this song, following the line "Something deep inside of you burned deep inside of me."  I guess I've just gotten too used to listening to the studio version where everything kicks in at that moment.  "This is a song written by one of my favorite guys in the world, A.A. Bondy," revealed Austin. "Yeah," offered a voice in the dark.  "One guy also feels that way maybe," Austin said, starting up "Oh the Vampyre."  "Ohio" was dedicated to his Uncle Mike from Cleveland.  "C-Town.  Do they call it that?" asked Austin.  Mike, sitting on a stool by the wall, shook his head horizontally.  "That song isn't about you, Mike. It's about a woman," Austin clarified.  On the closer, "Never Leave Me Alone," Trey Lockerbie rushed the stage to sing backup into a spare microphone.  I was worried I'd miss Duffy on this one too, so accustomed to his rapid fills and tambourine shakes, but by the time Austin wrapped it up with an elongated yell of "Never leave meeeee alone!" it was like this was how it always had been.  Having now seen Broken Anchor as an electric duo, an acoustic duo, and Austin solo, I'm stoked to see the sampler incarnation once he rolls back into town.

BROKEN ANCHOR - 07.17.13 - ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL (29 minutes, 15 seconds)

SET -

Leave the Light On / Broken Anchor Blues / Dear Diary / Oh the Vampyre / Ghosts / Ohio / Always / Never Leave Me Alone

Broken Anchor Pre-Selling Fresh Lemonade

Normally you wouldn't buy fresh lemonade before you knew which kid on the block was selling it, but when it's Broken Anchor, rest assured, it's going to be tasty.  And probably spiked.  That's right.  My most anticipated album of the year now has a name (Fresh Lemonade), cover art (pictured), and a pre-order page on Pledge Music (click here).  Check out the Felliniesque music video for the first single, "Never Leave Me Alone" below:

Broken Anchor Close Out Northeast Tour at Folk Museum

Broken Anchor finished their Northeast tour Friday with a stop at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City.  Set against the backdrop of portraiture by William Matthew Prior, the duo performed seven of their original tunes acoustically.  They began with "Leave the Light On," with Mike Duffy banging out the beat on cajon and jingling the bells strapped to his ankle.  Austin Hartley-Leonard used a vocal effect on parts of the song, but quickly realized that he could utilize the natural echo of the space in his favor, and abandoned the pedal by song two.  The highlight of the set was a slowed-down "Never Leave Me Alone," which Austin performed solo, his voice reverberating wonderfully in the the open gallery.

A word of advice to artists performing at the American Folk Art Museum: Be prepared to verbally spar with the curator of the show, who will constantly try to turn the program into an improv comedy act.  Two songs into the set, she started asking where people could buy the band's music.  Austin, having forgotten to bring those hand-stamped CDs he mentioned last week at Rockwood, suggested that audience members sign up for the mailing list, give a donation, and he'd send them a CD by mail "just like you used to with Woody Guthrie."  The host pried, "How much does it cost to sign up for your mailing list?"  "Let's barter.  Folk-style.  Wampum accepted," Austin countered.  Before final song "Ohio," he thanked the crowd and the museum: "What an amazing environment. Very academic. I'm not smart enough to be here."  "There's pictures of naked girls over there," the host offered, pointing to the Women's Studies exhibit.  "That's where I'll be," quipped Austin.  The band is heading back to the other coast, but let's hope they drop anchor here again sometime soon.

BROKEN ANCHOR - 02.22.13 - AMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM (29 minutes, 28 seconds)

SET -

Leave the Light On / Broken Anchor Blues / Ghosts / Stencil Heart / Dear Diary / Never Leave Me Alone / Ohio

Broken Anchor Drops on East Coast at Rockwood Music Hall

"For the first show of a tour, we like to play small, unimportant markets," Austin Hartley-Leonard of L.A.'s Broken Anchor informed the New York crowd.  "That's a joke.  It's important.  It's also large."  Their first time touring in the Northeast, they drew a pretty sizable Friday-night audience at Rockwood Music Hall's Stage 2.  When their debut LP is finally released this summer, I have no doubt the Anchor's going to make a big splash in this little town.

I got to the venue early and caught the last two songs of Portland's McDougall, stomping his feet to accompany himself on a banjo with a guitar's neck.  There were maybe ten of us in the room, but his gusto was infectious.  He was a nice, bearded amuse-bouche for the meal I'd been waiting for since I first heard Broken Anchor on NoiseTrade a little less than a month ago.  I've listened to all three of their EPs about sixteen times, and as you may remember, they grabbed the number one spot on my Top 15 Most Anticipated Albums list, beating out the likes of Bowie and Phoenix.

Austin took the stage with his lone bandmate, Mike Duffy, who manned the drumkit and a laptop that provided backing vocals and electronic washes.  They eased in with the song that shares their name, "Broken Anchor Blues."  For "Dear Diary," Austin slapped a vocal effect on his microphone that would remain for several more songs in the night.  I was initially turned off by it, but quickly realized its purpose in doubling his output to make everything sound like it was coming from a bigger band than the duo onstage.  "Say Serenity" was great all the way through its explosive ending, and halfway through "Stencil Heart" it ultimately hit me how relieved I was to finally be hearing these songs live.

For new tune "Head is a Hole," Austin cut his number of strings in half, trading his guitar for a bass with only three strings that he played capoed and with a pick.  While most of Hartley-Leonard's lyrics at least flirt with melancholy, this was clearly the most despondent song I've heard from them, with the chorus "My head is a hole in the ground."  "Automatic Midnight!" yelled someone from the balcony at its close.  "We have a Hot Snakes fan in the audience.  Dad?" deadpanned Austin.  It was, however, the perfect spot for the dour ditty, juxtaposed against "Always," which soared to anthemic heights, propelled by Duffy's blows on the toms with mallets instead of sticks.

After a more upbeat newbie, "My Marie," Austin took the opportunity to hawk some CDs: "Hand-stamped. Cardboard sleeve. Ink. Hand-stamped by me. You're welcome. Makes a great stocking stuffer."  He suggested more seasonably, "Late 'I'm sorry' Valentine's Day gift?"  After "Leave the Light On," which was more relaxed than its recorded counterpart, the sound guy noted the time.  "We got two more songs.  Right on track.  Pros," said Austin.  They chose "Ghosts," which was recently heard on "big-ass TV show," Private Practice, and "Never Leave Me Alone," the first single off the upcoming album.  The latter actually got a few crowd members dancing, which is a good sign.

I talked to Austin after the show, who told me the album would probably come out in June.  It's still at the top of my wantlist, and I'm predicting this band to take off, especially if they snag a bassist and keyboard player for live gigs.  Broken Anchor are performing a live acoustic concert at StageIt.com on the 19th, and will play a free "stripped-down" show as part of the American Folk Art Museum's Free Fridays next week.

P.S.  I stuck around to watch the thirteen members of King Holiday cram onto the tiny Rockwood stage.  I wanted a bit more range in the sparkly lead singer's voice, but he impressed me with his pained shouts into a telephone during "Dub of Love."  The Bed-Stuy crew will be playing Pianos on February 20th.

BROKEN ANCHOR - 02.15.13 - ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL (40 minutes, 30 seconds)

SET -
Broken Anchor Blues / Dear Diary / Say Serenity / Stencil Heart / Head is a Hole / Always / My Marie / Leave the Light On / Ghosts / Never Leave Me Alone

Top 15 Most Anticipated Albums of 2013

2013 is shaping up to be a stellar year for new releases, so I put together a list of 15 albums I'm jonesing for.  Hopefully they're all released on vinyl...

15. Charles Bradley - Victim of Love
Release Date: April 2
Why I'm Excited: I saw the "Screaming Eagle of Soul" open up the second day of the Great GoogaMooga Festival, and he was a treasure to behold.  Bradley will be backed by Menahan Street Band again, but this time delving into Temptations psychedelic soul territory.

14. Hellogoodbye - TBA

Release Date: TBA

Why I'm Excited: HGB have started playing some of the new songs live and at Daytrotter, and they're just as catchy as anything they've done before.

13. The Black Keys - TBA

Release Date: TBA

Why I'm Excited: The Keys rushed to get El Camino out into the world, and while it didn't live up to Brothers, it was a pretty good album.  They're taking the same approach here, so not sure what to expect, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to it.

12. Bill Baird - Spring Break of the Soul

Release Date: February

Why I'm Excited: His previous LP made my top ten list last year.  Originally conceived as a musical, Spring Break is a sprawling 17-song double album influenced by Captain Beefheart.  Watch Baird in a dolphin costume in the weird promo video below.

11. Matt Costa - Matt Costa

Release Date: February 12

Why I'm Excited: Matt originally wanted to record a folk album akin to his debut, but if the horn-filled "Good Times" and the T. Rex-inspired "Loving You" from last year's Sacred Hills EP are any indication, there's no telling what it's actually gonna sound like.

10. Ben Harper & Charlie Musselwhite - Get Up!

Release Date: January 29

Why I'm Excited: No stranger to recording whole projects with different bands and artists, this time Harper teamed up with renowned harmonica bluesman Charlie Musselwhite.  Here's a little taste.

9. The Postelles - ...And It Shook Me

Release Date: April 23

Why I'm Excited: The bouncy pop-rockers introduced a handful of new songs at Cameo Gallery back in September, and they've still got it!

8. Frank Turner - Tape Deck Heart

Release Date: April 23

Why I'm Excited: Turner recorded the album with his touring band, the Sleeping Souls, and he's apparently "pleased as punch" with it.  While "Wherefore Art Thou Gene Simmons" sadly only made it to the deluxe version, those who were awarded the title of Dance Champions of the United States of America will be delighted to know that "Four Simple Words" is track 7.

7. Cookies - TBA

Release Date: TBA

Why I'm Excited: I got an email in December saying Cookies were working on their first album, which was "great but taking forever."  Let's hope forever isn't literal.  Until then, download a bunch of free songs here.

6. Streetlight Manifesto - The Hands That Thieve

Release Date: TBA

Why I'm Excited: Now that the release date has been delayed twice, I'm seriously hoping this record will see the light of day and doesn't go the way of the oft-rumored Bandits of the Acoustic Revolution full-length.

5. Phoenix - Bankrupt!

Release Date: April

Why I'm Excited: Phoenix broke into the mainstream with Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix in 2009, winning the Best New Alternative Music Album Grammy and serving as the soundtrack to several commercials.  But we haven't heard a peep from them since.  Now it's time.

4. Phish - TBA

Release Date: TBA

Why I'm Excited: As the band celebrates its thirtieth year after a spirited 2012 tour and New Year's run, they're planning on heading back to the studio for the third album in their third era.  (I'm counting Party Time, so spare me the arguments.)

3. Jim James - Regions of Light & Sound of God

Release Date: February 5

Why I'm Excited: After fifteen years of fronting My Morning Jacket, James is going solo for more than just a few George Harrison covers.  I've already got my ticket for Music Hall of Williamsburg.

2. David Bowie - The Next Day

Release Date: March 12

Why I'm Excited: I think a lot of people were shocked the other day when Bowie revealed that he'd be unleashing his first album in a decade.  Although leadoff single "Where Are We Now?" is a ballad, producer Tony Visconti claims the album is a rocker.  Visconti produced some of Bowie's most acclaimed works, including The Man Who Sold the World and the Berlin Trilogy, so expect a solid LP.  Even if it's not, Bowie is already prophesying another album starting with four tracks that didn't fit on this one.

1. Broken Anchor - TBA

Release Date: TBA

Why I'm Excited: Who the hell are Broken Anchor, and why are they at the top of this list?  Two days ago, their sampler appeared on NoiseTrade as a free download.  I decided to give it a whirl.  Though they're based out of L.A., the only things Californian about their sound are the Pet Sounds-inspired reverb and vocal harmonies.  The rest owes more to the Northwest, with Austin Hartley-Leonard's vocals recalling Kurt Cobain and lyrics reminiscent of Death Cab for Cutie.  And I can't stop listening.  Download the sampler below.

What releases are you looking forward to?  Share in the comments.