Sound of Birds

Sound of Birds has released a generous sixteen track
cd of "home demos & such" with beautifully crafted songwriting by Michael Red. The atmosphere on Home Demos & Such ranges from acoustic meditations to bone-crunching downtempo melancholy. This band takes shoegazing one step further - right through the stage floor. A DIY ethic infuses this CD with incredible energy.
This cd is one to listen to in the late nights or hushed mornings.

For more information visit myspace.com/soundofbirds.

Little Somebody Records

The psychedelic folk underground / aboveground / forest is alive with voices, guitars and bells. I'm just discovering Little Somebody Records, an independent label that has birthed releases by Arrowwood, The Joy of Nature, and novemthree.


Given time I may write more in depth reviews of these releases, in the interim, when you emerge from the mists, log onto http://www.myspace.com/littlesomebody for a delighful sample for the ears. Little Somebody Records plans releases by Cloud Temple & Green Mistletoe among others. We are truly blessed with new music of the woods.

The Boy With A Broken Leg

More proof that the revolution won't necessarily be broadcast, televised, or brought to you by corporate music industry behemoths. The Boy With A Broken Leg is from Lisbon, Portugal & a unique voice in the realm of indie music. His recordings feature hushed voices, otherworldly melodies, waking dreamscapes and an abundance of songwriting craft. I'm looking forward to introducing listeners to his music on my radio broadcasts.





For information & song samples check out
http://www.myspace.com/theboywithabrokenleg

Nobody and the Mystic Chords of Memory

Recently I have been exploring new worlds of 7" vinyl and songs & sounds that delight my esoteric ears. One outstanding discovery is the new 7" single by Nobody and the Mystic Chords of Memory released on Earsugar Records http://earsugar.com.

These two songs "Memory" and "Broaden a New Sounds" are glimpses into their forthcoming cd Tree Colored See. Nobody (DJ Elvin Estella) collaborates with the Mystic Chords of Memory (Jen Cohen and Christ Gunst) on a sunshine-soaked folk pop masterpiece. If these two songs are any indication, the forthcoming cd will be timeless and a must have for any psychedelic pop music affectionado. Gunst's vocals are dreamy to the point where they float unassumingly over an immaculately balanced production while Nobody blends in bubbling shuffles of percussion as subtly as possible. Pure bliss.

Seldom Heard Radio special broadcast on shortwave!

A special broadcast of Seldom Heard Radio will be heard on shortwave in Europe on 6240 kHZ this coming week via Jolly Roger Radio International in Ireland. Thank you Joe Vincent! The photo at right is part of JRRI's broadcast studio. More shortwave transmissions will hopefully be forthcoming!

Shine On You Crazy Diamond

Late last week, the planet lost another light warrior.

Author, peace advocate, film producer, spiritual seeker, father, lover and friend Steve Diamond moved on to another dimension. Steve was a nomadic ambassador of spiritual devlopment, an original member of the Liberation News Service and co-founder of a long running New Age commune in northwestern Massachusetts, which he chronicled in his 1972 book What The Trees Said - Life on a New Age Farm.

Rather than type a lot of words that can not possibly express my deepest feelings for the wonderful soul that Steve is, please check out his essay The Wand and the Lake at www.colorwheeljournal.blogspot.com.

Safe journey and many blessings, Steve. I know that wherever you are, you're shining.

an interview with Josh of The Harpeth Trace

Independent bands like the amazing The Harpeth Trace are a major reason why I broadcast on radio and publish this blog - to play lesser known music over the airwaves that needs to be heard & to share information among the alternative radio community. I am working on the capacity to host on-air interviews with musicians and indie media folks (the technology at both WNEC and WSCS is primitive at best - kind of the way I like it!) so please stay tuned as this effort evolves over the coming semester. In the interim, written interviews will continue to appear in this blog.

Thankfully Josh Kasselman from The Harpeth Trace agreed to a written interview for the Seldom Heard Radio blog:

DJ Frederick: What are the origins of your band’s name (The Harpeth Trace)?

Josh: My family lived on Harpeth Trace Drive in Nashville for a couple of years when I was growing up. It's got to be one of the most unwieldy band names ever, but I like to think it's memorable--even if it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue.

DJ Frederick: How did your band form? What has the creative process been like for songwriting and arrangements?

Josh: Rune (bass) and I were in a band called Boxing for a number of years, and Rob (drums) was very nearly brought on as the drummer of that band when we needed a replacement. It didn't pan out (he was in another band at the time and the schedules didn't jive), but we'd always run into him at shows and it seemed pretty likely to me that we'd work with him at some point. When Boxing split, The Harpeth Trace formed very gradually, with people drifting in and out. It's been organic if not immediate, and the lineup is continuing to evolve. For Man and the Cousin, I basically wrote the songs on guitar and then everyone chipped in ideas for parts and arrangements. Pretty standard. We completely lucked out and found a private recording studio (complete with dusty piano) that we rent by the month, so we had the luxury of trying lots of different stuff without having to pay for studio time by the hour. We recorded everything ourselves onto an 8-track cassette deck, which is what I've used to record just about everything I've ever done. I love the thing dearly.

DJ Frederick: What are your current projects & future plans for the Harpeth Trace?

Josh: We have a new addition to the band, a fella named Barry. He plays a variety of instruments and brings a tremendously open approach to songwriting and arranging with him. It's been a huge shot in the arm, and we're currently wading through all the new material we've come up with in the month or two he's been around. We hope there's an LP in there. Probably there is. In the meantime, we're just putting out Man and the Cousin in mid-January, so we're going to tour a bit in support of that.

DJ Frederick: What are your thoughts on the state of radio in the United States?

Josh: Heh. Uhhh… well, I think satellite radio is the most interesting point of discussion. On one hand, the breadth of stations allows for a more individualized approach to broadcasting. However, there's surely a danger that such a specialized approach might create narrow-minded listeners. Still, I can't see it being any worse a prospect than what we have now; save a few college and community stations--whose playlists are growing increasingly similar if you ask me--the radio is pretty much pointless. I guess I still get my news from NPR.

There's the obvious rant about payola and about the commercial stations being too scared to take a chance on anything. But the scary thing is when you look at it on a smaller scale… It's nearly impossible for an independent artist to get widespread college radio play anymore unless they can afford to hire the same promoters that the other larger indie labels use. It's like a JV version of what happens on commercial radio. Ahem, sorry to get so bleak on you. Thanks for the forum.

Editor's note: The Harpeth Trace debut EP grows more intricate with each listening. For more information on ordering Man and the Cousin check out the band's website at www.theharpethtrace.com

The Harpeth Trace

The Harpeth Trace
Man & The Cousin EP
2005 Robert Barry Construction Associates

1. Cottontail
2. A Letter to the Room
3. The Man & The Cousin
4. Ghost and You Know it



I first listened to The Harpeth Trace while driving into town on an overcast pre-dawn morning after little sleep the night before. This cd has rarely left my stereo in the handful of days since. Mercurial and dreamy, these songs are infused with mystery. "A Letter to the Room" starts off uptempo like a Clientele riff then flows into jazzy territory. "The Man & The Cousin" opens with delicately strummed guitar, reverb soaked vocals, and melodica & piano drifting in on a minor key that feels rooted in traditional blues and folk. By the fourth track "Ghost and You Know It" this DJ was fully under the spell of The Harpeth Trace's creative energy. Man & The Cousin EP is available for purchase from www.theharpethtrace.com