The band with a penchant for punctuation are back with a fourth album. In case you haven’t heard, the Wasila, AK-born quartet have been making waves with ’60s pop-inspired “The Satanic Satanist,” released in July of this year. I got to stake out a few minutes with this busy band to talk merch before their upcoming concert at the Paradise Rock Club in Boston (10-18-09 at 8:15p, $15 www.livenation.com). Bassist Zachary Scott Carothers reveals what it’s like to be psychedelic in a recent phone interview. (Photo, L to R: Ryan Neighbors – keys, percussion, Jason Sechrist – drums & percussion, John Baldwin Gourley – guitarRead More →

Minnesota’s all-string quintet make an especially hirsute stop in Fall River’s Narrows Center for the Arts this Friday (7 p doors, 8p show; $15 adv., $17 day of www.ncfta.org); needless to say, if you’re a fan of frenetic banjoing and bluegrass mandolin, you might just fit in. Coming off their fifth album, last year’s hometown-inspired “Duluth,” singer-songwriter-guitarist Dave Simonett found some time on the road to wax nostalgic about racing turtles in a recent phone interview. (Photo, L to R: Erik Berry (mandolin), Ryan Young (fiddle), Dave Carroll (banjo), Dave Simonett (guitar/lead vocals), Tim Saxhaug (bass)) MK: Where did your name come from?DS: Our mandolinRead More →

This week, I’m all in favor of Catie Curtis, who not only has a new album out, but has taken it upon herself to start Aspire to Inspire, a program that gives guitars to kids who can’t afford them. Props to that, Catie; here’s the recent phone interview: Did you do the cover art for “Hello, Stranger”?No, I didn’t. The woman who drew it is a good friend of mine who’s also a best-selling author. She wrote and illustrated the book, “All I Needed to Know I Learned from my Cat.” She’s the real deal. We asked her to make up something for the coverRead More →