Bloglander

The Long Ear is closing its current Coeur d’Alene location this week, but thankfully for music fans, it will be reopening nearby next month. After more than 15 years on 4th Street, the music store known for its huge selection of CDs, vinyl and more is moving its business to Government Way, in what was formerly the Army-Navy Store.

“It’s only seven-tenths of a mile away, but this is still a big deal,” says Deon Borchard, who has owned the business with husband Terry since 1973, first in California and then Idaho starting in 1985.

The couple was forced to make moves this year after their current building’s owner put the space up for sale. But Borchard sees the change as a way to recharge and expand the Long Ear.

“We’ll be able to spread our wings,” Borchard says. “The new place is so much larger. There’s so much elbow room, people will be able to walk in and breathe better there.” 

The new layout includes 12-foot ceilings and a large rectangular floor plan and is about 1,500-square-feet larger. Borchard says they plan to further expand their lifestyle selections, which includes a lot of fair-trade clothing and accessories, along with their vinyl picks.

A resurgence in vinyl (as well as the popularity of Record Store Day) has certainly helped local music stores like 4,000 Holes and Recorded Memories stay open and give other music entrepreneurs the confidence to open shops like Garageland and Groove Merchants. And Borchard is glad to be able to up her in-store record supply, including a whole aisle of new titles.

“We’ve missed vinyl, it’s a different entity,” Borchard says. "Back in the 80s we were getting rid of so much of our vinyl supply. Now I of course wish we'd held on to it." 

With big changes on the way, Borchard says the only person who'll probably be upset by the move is their store cat, Boots, who’ll have to get used to the new territory. But keeping the rescued feline around is all part of making the store feel like home.

“The Long Ear strives to be the other room of your house,” she says. “When you walk in it feels comfortable. Like that magic door you open up at the back of your house, you come here to listen to music.”

Starting today, the entire store will be on sale until final close Saturday, Feb. 20. The current plan is to open in the new location March 1. 

While fans of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis anxiously await the release of the duo's new album, This Unruly Mess I've Made, on Feb. 26, the Valentine's Day arrival of a new single dedicated to spooning — yes, spooning — caused a bit of an uproar in some circles of the Internet. 

This guy writing on the Stereogum website calls "Spoons" the "blandest, safest, most self-consciously twee piece of rap music I have ever heard," while another writer at Uproxx.com calls the track "corny" and cites its references to Netflix queues, Shel Silverstein and pooping with the bathroom door open as examples why. Esquire showcases the song with the headline: "Cancel the Grammys: Macklemore Just Dropped the Worst Song in Music History."

So, is it as bad as the haters say? You be the judge: 

My opinion: Yes, it's pretty bad. I don't know about worst song ever, though, as long as this song exists. And this one. But Macklemore's tune will probably sell a gazillion copies no matter what the Internet says. 

What do you think? Are the Internet haters just doing what they do, or did Seattle's hip-hop hero (all due respect to Sir Mix-A-Lot) seriously misfire with "Spoons"? Let us know what you think in the comments. 

There’s a lot to love about this Valentine’s weekend full of music. Get out there.

FRIDAY
With all its talk of boots, hats, trucks, guns and ’Merica, pop-country music is an easy target for hate, which music critics tend to revel in. I’ve personally tried liking it. Life might be more entertaining if I just let go and liked pop-country, but it doesn’t work. However, when it comes to Brad Paisley, who’s headlining the Spokane Arena Friday with his Crushin’ It World Tour, even if you don’t enjoy country, you can at least rest assured the man can wail on his gee-tar. Not only in country music, but in all genres, Paisley is one of the best guitar players around. He’s even released an album consisting mainly of instrumental tracks. The show starts at 7:30 pm.

Hear sweet local: The Big Dipper hosts rockers Bullets or Balloons, the Smokes, Goodnight Venus and Sets tonight at 7:30 pm. Cost is $7 at the door for this all-ages show. 

SATURDAY
A place that’s not usually full of live music, Rated R Tattoo is hosting a whole slew of local acts Saturday including: Punks In Drublic, Minds Decay, Children Of The Sun, acoustic by Zaq Flanary and Ariah & David from Thunder Knife. Bring non-perishable items and receive a discount on your tattoo (that you're getting in-store that day). Also, expect homemade chili and cornbread for this all-ages event starting at 6 pm.

The sun keeps teasing us. Recently, the yellow orb has come out to warm our bones and thaw our streets. Some folks have even been spotted wearing shorts (ugh). But that doesn’t mean it isn’t still winter. To warm up your seasonal spirits, you probably need to get away for a weekend and experience some music.

The following four regional concerts play to a wide variety of musical tastes and fall during a long weekend in March. Plan to take advantage of them immediately. In the meantime, be sure to check out all of the awesome live music happening in our area. 

March 10 - Umphrey’s McGee
The Hive, Sandpoint
$30-$109
The feel-good jam band Umphrey’s McGee frequently plays large theaters and music venues — and are playing Seattle’s Moore Theater March 11 — but you can catch the band in a much more intimate setting (1,000 capacity) at Sandpoint’s Hive Thursday, March 10. The precision-focused yet experimental six-piece has captivated rock fans with their constantly changing setlists since the mid-90s. We’re not here to tell you to take a long weekend, but feel free to take advantage of Sandpoint’s hotel, bed and breakfast and airbnb options for this show. Let loose.
March 13 - Justin Bieber
Moda Center, Portland
$50-$116

And now it’s time to update you all on the music career of Spokane's own Cami Bradley.

Yes, the America’s Got Talent sixth-place finalist only continues to make headway with her cinematic folk-pop duo, the Sweeplings. Earlier this week, Billboard.com unleashed the Sweeplings newest music video for "Under Your Spell," along with a profile article on Bradley and her music partner Whitney Dean.

So far 2016 has treated the act kindly, with a recent sold-out show in Huntsville, Alabama — where Dean lives with his wife Bethany — multiple radio appearances and a music video feature on Ditty TV, an Americana music TV platform.

Last year, along with releasing their debut album and performing around the country, the band’s song “Carry Me Home” was featured on NPR’s All Songs Considered and iTunes later named the track one of the Top 25 singer-songwriter songs of 2015. Also, Spotify included "Snow May Be Falling" on its Acoustic Christmas playlist in December.

Yet with all of the accolades, Bradley and her husband Eric still have no plans to leave Spokane. However, that didn’t stop the pair from searching out a second home in Alabama. They were recently seen on FYI network’s Tiny House Hunting show purchasing an especially small house in Huntsville. Now the band can more easily get together.

Look for a national tour in the near future as well as more music, potentially collaborating with John Paul White of the Civil Wars (which this band pulls many comparisons to). The Sweeplings have come a long way from when we first profiled them in 2014. 

Is a concert really happening if an announcement doesn't tell you where the artist is playing? 

We'll have to wait a while to hear where Bonnie Raitt is going to strap on her six-string and slay the joint with songs from her new Dig In Deep album, arriving Feb. 26, but we just got word from her publicist that Raitt will be in Spokane for a show on Wednesday, Sept. 14.

The announcement makes no mention of exactly where the show will be, so you'll have to watch this space or Raitt's website for updates. On-sale information will be made public on March 3, but if you're a big fan of the blues-rock pioneer, you can sign up for her mailing list and get word on pre-sales and opportunities coming during February, before tickets go on sale to the public. 

UPDATE: Raitt will play at the INB Performing Arts Center, and tickets go on sale for the Spokane show on Friday, March 25, at 10 am. Prices are $40, $65, $75 and $85, and available through all Tickets West outlets. 

The show is part of a 21-date run added to the tour for her 20th album, and she'll be joined by her long-time touring band: James "Hutch" Hutchinson (bass), Ricky Fataar (drums), and George Marinelli (guitar), along with Mike Finnigan (keyboards). 

Raitt first came to prominence in the 1970s for her stinging slide-guitar style and rootsy albums blending rock, blues, folk and country aspects. She hit her commercial peak in the late '80s and early '90s with some huge albums like Nick of Time, which earned several Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, and sold millions. She's stayed in the public eye since through solid albums, some hit singles like "I Can't Make You Love Me" and political activism for various environmental causes, from supporting the No Nukes movement to playing benefits for tsunami victims. 

Here's Raitt's stellar cover of John Hiatt's "Thing Called Love:"

If you've made it this far, congratulations. You are not someone who hates the band Phish, which happens to be a band that a lot of people hate because, well, hippies and drugs and guitar solos that surpass the standard attention span of an adult human. Also, people are jerks.

If you are someone who, like me, does not hate Phish, and, in fact, believes Phish to be one of the most interesting and high-quality live acts still touring, you have a treat. Phish is coming to the Gorge again this summer for the first time since 2013.

The heralded jam band is set to play the Gorge on July 15 and 16, which is a Friday and Saturday, respectively. You can request tickets at the band's website right now, because that's something the band does for its many fans. Regular tickets go on sale on Feb. 26.

For those in the know, Phish has been playing some very good shows as of late. They recently played a string of dates on the beach in Mexico, which sounds like a hell of a time. Here's some video from that experience.

FRIDAY
Tonight, there are three shows, all featuring local indie rockish acts worth their salt. First, over at the Bartlett you can dance along to the Marshall McLean Band. The Big Dipper hosts Boat Race Weekend, Bad Hex, Griffey and Traveler of Home, who are all sure to make you feel many feelings. Finally, the Viking stage will be taken over by the Backups, Friends of Mine and Joshua Bellardo. Basically, you should probably show up at all three concerts, but no matter where you show up, it’s going to rock. Get more show info here. 

SATURDAY These aren’t cool folksters clapping and singing “ooh” over banjo-laced stomp music. Instead, Futurebirds’ use of a banjo and even a pedal steel guitar and mandolin seems utterly organic and necessary to their psych-country sound. On their 2015 record Hotel Parties, the band, originally from Athens, Georgia (most of the members have since moved away from the musically influential Southern college town), chose to highlight a more stripped-down rock sound than on previous efforts. That doesn’t mean the weight of their music has gone away — they have six members, after all. Some of the songs are mood-enhancing and dreamlike, accomplished through fuzzy guitar riffs and occasional keyboard solos. At it for more than six years, the Futurebirds have finally settled into their sound.

GA’s Too Broke to Rock series continues at the Knitting Factory on Saturday with touring act Trivium headlining and Moscow’s own Vial 8 opening along with Invasive. Read our recent article about the series and the state of Spokane radio here.

SUNDAY
The intro sounds like a whale is dying, or a dial-up modem. But slowly, the piercing guitar feedback of the Versing song “1896” takes shape, becoming a harmonious landscape of reverberation. The song, off the Seattle-based band’s Nude Descending EP, which came out last week, gives you a taste of what the ’90s lo-fi-inspired quartet is capable of — they’re just as willing to compose catchy pop hooks as off-putting introductions. Touting their new record at Baby Bar Sunday at 9 pm, the band will make you sway and sing along, and then, when the music gets gloriously loud and screechy, wish you’d remembered your earplugs. The 21+ show is free.

MONDAY
Today, Dr. Dog releases its newest album The Psychedelic Swamp, which has been in the works since before the band even officially started 15 years ago. Read our profile on the six-piece indie group here. The band rolls through the Knitting Factory Monday night at 8 pm, with awesome opening act Hop Along. Seriously, check out Hop Along right now, you’ll be crazy in love. I promise. 

After months of waiting, the local hard-rock/screamo act Light Up the Sky has announced a national tour and album release for March.

The Inlander profiled the band in September, when they had recently announced signing to label Rise Records (a BMG subsidiary out of Portland, known for its stable of screamo and hardcore acts). When we last checked in with the group, they were sitting on their March 2015-recorded album, just waiting for the label to give it a green light.

Bass player Isaac Luna says the group is beyond ecstatic about progressing forward.

“We’re finally doing this,” Luna says. “The national tour was never for sure, and then it actually happened.”

The tour includes other Rise Records acts, with Like Moths to Flames headlining and Ice Nine Kills and Make Them Suffer also opening. While the caravan is playing all over the country, there is no Spokane show scheduled at this time. Luna says he hopes that can change.

For Light Up the Sky, getting to quit their minimum-wage jobs was just another perk.

“Everyone at my work didn’t believe me when I said I was going on tour,” Luna says.

In the meantime, the five-piece band practices hours a day, just wishing that March would get here sooner. The band’s guitarist Brian Van Buskirk recently moved up from Portland to make rehearsals more efficient. Even if more emotional rock music isn't everyone's cup of tea, Luna says the rest of the Spokane music community has only been supportive since the tour and album news hit last week.

The new album, NightLife, includes 11 tracks of “pop rock, heavy rock and acoustic songs — a little bit of everything,” Luna says. The record drops March 18. 

The band’s new music video for “Breather” was also released last week. Since then, the YouTube post has received nearly 50,000 views. 

“We’ll be living on the road for all of 2016,” Luna says. “That’s the plan. This is everything.”

We’ve made it to the last weekend of January. Now get out there and listen to some live music.

FRIDAY
Along with singer-songwriter the Co Founder (Hayden Eller), the City Hall drives their sad-dude lo-fi rock through Jones Radiator tonight for what they’re calling the Corps of Discovery Tour. Although original City Hall members Luke Hogfoss and Casey Dunau started making music in Bellingham, they moved to Seattle last summer to try their hand at getting a little more famous. While the band can swell to a five-piece, its core remains the original two guys. The act will clearly have to play their gorgeous recent single “Palouse 509” while here. Also take note that the Co Founder’s summer release Old Programs/New Beliefs is worth a couple of spins. The show is free and starts at 9 pm.
Mama Doll, after losing one of its singer-songwriters last year, is still going strong. After taking some time off from performing, the four-piece takes on the Bartlett tonight at 8 pm for $10. Moorea Masa opens. The band also plays Taps at Schweitzer, from 4 pm-6 pm Saturday.

SATURDAY
Bringing his full band to the Bartlett Saturday, Seattle musician Kris Orlowski is back in town to give us yet another taste of his indie singer-songwriter music. For all of those Beyonce’ fans out there, Orlowski’s cover of “Halo” is even more angelic than the original (not that he’s able to sit some of the same diva notes).
Meanwhile, the Bartlett owners play their first show at the Observatory with their indie rock act Cathedral Pearls. The $5 show includes Mondegreens and Lukas Brookbank Brown. If you haven’t checked out the new downtown music venue yet, now is the time. Starts at 9 pm. 

MONDAY The cover art of the Outer Vibe’s latest album Full Circle features a brain in a blender surrounded by pineapple, coconuts and mangoes. That’s how it feels when you listen to this music — which they describe as cinematic surf disco — like your noggin is getting chopped and smoothed into a musical piña colada. It’s untamed rock packed with summery hooks and loud trumpet and ’60s-sounding good feelings (even during the ballads). You never know what will happen next — there’s even a track called “Mystery.” The five-piece out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is clearly trying to make listeners smile and dance and forget about their troubles, at least for a little while. At the band’s Checkerboard free performance next Monday, the smiling, dancing and forgetting should come all too easily. Show starts at 9 pm.

ALSO: For anyone headed to Leavenworth this weekend for the Timbrrr! winter music festival, be advised that weather is looking terrible, because it's winter.