Photo by Jamie Moncur

With so many bands in the Twin Cities recording great psychedelic rock, it's hard to keep track of them all. One that may have been lost in the purple haze is Panther Ray, who quietly released their first EP, Parallel Motions, last spring. The disc combines classic psych sounds with '80s jangle and modern shoegazin' rock, all held together by nuanced studio craftwork. On Daily Season, their new EP out this week, Panther Ray has captured some rich guitar shredding that sounds like a lost recording of Arthur Lee and just the right amount of trombone.

Gimme Noise just had to introduce you to these guys, so we chased down their mystery machine to ask them a few questions about the new disc.

More »

Photo by Thomas Dunning

Since releasing their third disc last year, Big Quarters have taken their message to new levels, opening for Atmosphere on the "Welcome to Minnesota" tour and maintained their monthly showcase for aspiring producers, the Last of the Record Buyers.

Brothers Brandon "Allday" and "Medium" Zach Bagaason have been as passionate about mentoring young artists as they have been about promoting their own work. Their new EP, Somos no Joke, captures the duo as full of pride and passion as ever. They'll celebrate its release on Friday at the Icehouse. Gimme Noise met the brothers in their south Minneapolis neighborhood to talk about the past year.

See Also:
Big Quarters change things up: Brandon Allday and Medium Zach release best album yet
Rap duo Big Quarters make big waves: It's self-distribution, hard work, and hustle, all day, every day

More »

It seems hard to believe, but as Gospel Gossip release their new, three-song 7-inch, "Atlantic Blue," Saturday, it will be the first bona-fide recording they've put out in nearly three full years. With the exception of an online-only single that was released last fall, the dreamy, reverb-soaked trio haven't released any new music since the promising Drift EP -- released all the way back in November, 2009.

But it's not for a lack of trying. Even as band members Sarah Nienaber and Ollie Moltaji stayed busy with other projects, in the form of Is/Is and Pony Trash, Gospel Gossip have been at work in the studio. They simply haven't been happy enough, until now, with the results. That sort of frustration is the kind of thing to break a band's spirits, but in "Atlantic Blue," there's reason for optimism: picking up where Drift left off, it feels like the band have never been away.

Ahead of Saturday's release show at the Turf Club, Gimme Noise called up singer and guitarist, Nienaber, while she was on break from a double-shift at work. She elaborated on where the band have been all this while, and where they plan to go from here.

See Also:
Gospel Gossip: Dreamland
Tour Diary: Gospel Gossip on the road

More »

See Also:
Bloodnstuff release new album
Bastille Day Block Party, Red Stag Block Party lineups announced

Listening to last year's Walker Fields disc, Gettin' By, you're bound to wonder why they were asked to play this weekend's Border Battle Beer Fest in Somerset on a bill that includes heavy favorite Bloodnstuff. If each have common roots in the blues, Gettin' By is worlds away from the electric English blues and '70s metal that inspire that other guitar/drums duo.

But the just-released EP Double Down captures the current Walker Fields -- a heavy blues collaboration between singer-songwriter Brad Senne and drummer Chris Tierney. Gimme Noise spoke to them both in depth.

More »

​EMOT sounds like wordplay with a secret meaning, but it really is just a talented group of musicians from St. Paul getting ready to release the secret Trees & Claws EP on cassette.

On their new release, lead singer, Matt Leavitt's vocals really shine through. It's a particularly cozy dream in which you find yourself wandering in a foggy, vast landscape. In short: brilliant.

Gimme Noise sat down with Dan Chroma and Matt Leavitt to talk about the EP release before the show at Hell's Kitchen.

More »