Meet the SXSW Band: Pendant

As we mentioned in our premiere post yesterday, that ‘lil festival called SXSW is going down in just a few short weeks and we at ATH are trying to support bands and artists as best we know how. Before we head to their shows and buy some merch, the best thing we can do is simply talk to the artists and get their varied perspective on what it means to play SXSW. Today I am thrilled to be sharing the next artist in our series, PENDANT, which is the musical moniker for Los Angeles based recording artist Christopher Adams. He offered some truly thoughtful and detailed insight into the festival. See his response along with tunes and current show dates after the jump.

Read more

Fun Fun Fun Fest Interviews: Active Child

When I look at the Fun Fun Fun Fest lineup for the weekend, trend setting new band Active Child is one of my must sees of the festival.  We caught the live act a couple of years ago, serving as an introduction to the band, and the ATH crew has been fans ever since.  Lucky for you and I, the brains behind Active Child, Pat Grossi, made some time to answer a few of our questions.  Follow the jump for more.

Read more

Friday Top 5: Instruments

We spend a ton of time on this site covering music and musicians, but rarely do we ever set our focus on the tools of music-maker’s trade. Excluding voice, clapping, whistling, etc. as instruments, which were almost certainly the first true musical tools, several apparatuses have left indelible marks on human society. Without instruments, some of the finest art and music in the recorded history of man would cease to exist.  The romantic image of a child and a piano becoming the next Chopin lead parents around the world to push their children into musical apathy, but sometimes a musician needs an instrument to find their voice, not the other way around. Throughout the history of music, a few instruments stand out as more important than others, so here is the FT5 of influential instruments.

Read more