Local Lounge

Friday, January 11, 2013

Pamela Benton

What does it take to make music these days...composition, performance, engineering? Pamela Benton does it all with her own style. She applies her classical violin training and self-taught guitar skills to create a sound that is both esoteric and accessible. Virtuoso string melodies mingle with dream-like sonic backgrounds and uplifting lyrics, all of which are solely Pamela's creation. Her new, self-produced CD "Give Me Wings" saw an excellent turnout during her release concert at nYne Bar & Bistro in November, after catching attention at Pig Out in the Park last summer. She also lent her electric violin skills to many songs by Stephanie Hatzinikolis on her new CD "This Side Up" and during the corresponding release concert. Pamela keeps a regular schedule of performances at bistros and wine bars throughout the Inland Northwest and slightly beyond, providing live vocals, electric violin, and guitar while accompanied by her own meticulously-crafted backing tracks. Pamela Benton will bring both her live experience and several CD cuts to the 103.1 KCDA Local Lounge this Sunday.

Click here for more photos.

Hear Pamela Benton on the 103.1 KCDA Local Lounge on Sunday, January 13th (and catch the replay on January 27th), 2013 at 10 pm PST. Tune your radio to 103.1 FM in the Spokane/Post Falls/Coeur d'Alene area or listen live to the on-line audio stream. You can also hear the live broadcast on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android, or Blackberry with the iHeartRadio app.

UPDATE:

Here is Pamela's entire Local Lounge show as high-quality streaming audio:

LISTEN to Part 1 (12:31)
including "Free Flying" (CD) and "Under the Sun" (live)

LISTEN to Part 2 (11:40)
including "Devotion" (CD) and "Once Upon a Heart" (live)

LISTEN to Part 3 (10:24)
including "Give Me Wings" (CD) and "Drifting Away" (live)

LISTEN to Part 4 (10:25)
including "Rainy Day" (CD) and "Gypsy" (live)

original airdate: Sunday, January 13th, 2013 at 10 pm PST.

To listen to the streaming audio, all you need is Adobe Flash Player. You may need to allow pop-ups on this page, as the media player will open in a new window. If you don't see the media player in the new window, just refresh the page in your browser.

Check back on this page later to see a video of Pamela performing her song "Once Upon a Heart" live in the Local Lounge!

See her perform live in the area:

Saturday, January 12th, 7-9pm at The Pearl Theater (7160 Ash St in Bonners Ferry)
Saturday, January 19th, 6-9pm at Bistro on Spruce (1710 N 4th St in Coeur d'Alene). Please make reservations.
Friday, February 8th, 5-8pm at the Whitestone Winery tasting room (8 N Post St, Suite 8 in Spokane)
Saturday, February 9th, 6-9pm at Bistro on Spruce
Wednesday, February 27th, 6:30-8:30pm at Mezzo Pazzo (2718 E 57th Avenue, Suite 105 in Spokane)

Purchase Pamela Benton's music at CDBaby, subscribe to her email newsletter, find her on Facebook, or visit her official website.

The 103.1 KCDA Local Lounge is produced with love and care by Matt Loi.

Listen live on your smartphone with the free iHeartRadio app!

Friday, January 04, 2013

Joshua "Beardo" Simon

If there's a jazzy, funky, bluesy, or soulful musical project in Spokane, Joshua Simon is bound to be a part of it somehow, live or recorded. From saxophone, guitar, bass, and drums to keyboards (he has a collection of vintage analog/electro-mechanical ones), Joshua is the Inland Northwest's musical Swiss Army Knife. Flying Spiders, Son Dulce, Simon Tucker Group, Charlie Butts and the Filter Tips, Real Life Rockaz, The Groove Patrol, Peter Rivera of Rare Earth, and many others have benefited from his prowess. As fulfilling as it can be, all this work can certainly exhaust one's muse. Lately, Joshua has been laying back a bit: bartending downtown at The Riff and focusing on his own songs. The result is his solo CD "Jim Beam & Juliets", on which he plays nearly all the instruments himself. With earthy classic rock overtones, jazzy/funky/bluesy bits, progressive gestures, and rootsy soulfulness throughout, it's amazing that one man can produce such a well-balanced disc. With his trademark bushy beard and bowler hat, Joshua "Beardo" Simon will spin most of his new solo CD, perform a couple live acoustic songs, and tell his story this Sunday on the 103.1 KCDA Local Lounge.

Click here for more photos.

Hear Joshua "Beardo" Simon on the 103.1 KCDA Local Lounge on Sunday, January 6th (and catch the replay on January 20th), 2013 at 10 pm PST. Tune your radio to 103.1 FM in the Spokane/Post Falls/Coeur d'Alene area or listen live to the on-line audio stream. You can also hear the live broadcast on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android, or Blackberry with the iHeartRadio app.

UPDATE:

Here is his entire Local Lounge show as high-quality streaming audio:

LISTEN to Part 1 (10:22)
including "Take Me On Down" (CD) and "Zen and the Birds of Appetite" (CD)

LISTEN to Part 2 (11:04)
including "I'm Gonna Climb" (CD: The Daily Mix by Simon Tucker Group)
and "It's All The Same" (live)

LISTEN to Part 3 (11:59)
including "Are You Gonna Be My Lover?" (CD) and "Grooviticus" (CD)

LISTEN to Part 4 (11:35)
including "Oh, Lonesome Me" (live) and "Beyond The Mountain" (CD)

original airdate: Sunday, January 6th, 2013 at 10 pm PST.

To listen to the streaming audio, all you need is Adobe Flash Player. You may need to allow pop-ups on this page, as the media player will open in a new window. If you don't see the media player in the new window, just refresh the page in your browser.

Check back on this page later to see a video of Joshua performing his song "Oh, Lonesome Me" live in the Local Lounge!

Bring your own vinyl records for Joshua to spin during his shift at The Riff (215 W Main Ave in downtown Spokane) every Sunday night until late.

Purchase Joshua "Beardo" Simon's solo CD "Jim Beam & Juliets" locally at The Riff, The Bachelor Pad (2810 N Monroe St), 4000 Holes (1610 N Monroe St), The Long Ear (2405 N 4th St in Coeur d'Alene), or online at CDBaby.

The 103.1 KCDA Local Lounge is powered by Northern Quest Resort & Casino

and produced with love and care by Matt Loi.

Listen live on your smartphone with the free iHeartRadio app!

Thursday, December 27, 2012

The Best Of The Local Lounge 2012

Yes, 103.1 KCDA has been around for a full decade! In the early days, the Local Lounge was a chance for area musicians to spin a few CD tracks and perform a couple live songs on an acoustic guitar or two in our little radio booth: a rather standard "local artist feature", with the major exception of the musicians hosting the show themselves. Sam Hill started the station as we know it, and Stella Mar took the Local Lounge to the next level, making use of our dedicated music studio to bring in larger musical arrangements. Yours truly, Matt Loi, took the reins of the show in mid-2007, incorporating in-studio photos and videos on our website, along with the ability to listen to any particular episode on-line after it airs. Nearly three years ago we gained a much larger studio space, finally bringing in fully-amped bands for live-in-the-studio performances.

In the year 2012, the Local Lounge has seen further refinements: every artist's show gets rebroadcast at least once, giving them more exposure. Our new imaging (aural and visual) has been a breath of fresh air. Plus, we had our first-ever 103.1 KCDA Local Lounge LIVE battle of the bands at The Knitting Factory Concert House this past summer. Now it's time for the end-of-the-year special broadcast: The Best of the 103.1 KCDA Local Lounge 2012, thanks again to our sponsor Northern Quest Resort & Casino!

This Sunday at 10pm, we have 45 minutes to fill with the best in-studio performances of 2012. As far as what constitutes "the best", I'll take into account the following:

my own personal opinion of the quality of the performances (admittedly subjective, yet fair)
the already-existing Facebook "likes" on every artist's Local Lounge article
any new "likes" and Facebook comments for a 24-hour period: from Thursday, December 27th, 2012, 10pm PST to Friday, December 28th, 2012, 10pm PST

It's true that a few of these groups are on hiatus, have disbanded, or have moved away from our broadcast area. However, those musicians, in some form or another, in some community or another, are still making music and deserve some recognition, so every 2012 artist is valid. Also, there will be no hierarchy: The Best is simply The Best...no order is needed.

Yes, you can still affect the results, but only for a little while! Here's what to do:

Log in to your Facebook account
Go to your favorite 2012 Local Lounge artist's article in the list below
"Like" the article (if you haven't already) using the Facebook plug-in
Post a Facebook comment on that article stating your preference for the artist, e.g., "I vote for..." or something to the same effect. Please keep all comments positive! Any negative comment that you post will cancel out any positive comment of yours, and both will be subject to deletion.

UPDATE: Thanks for voting!

Here are all the artists featured on the 103.1 KCDA Local Lounge in 2012, in chronological order by initial airdate:

Jesi B and the All Rites

Angela Marie Project

The Perennials

Cami Bradley

Evolutions Per Minute

My Pinky Has a Name

Wolves in the Woods

Tommy G & The Nug Jug Band

Kari Marguerite (Transitions benefit)

Nicole Lewis (Transitions benefit)

Stephanie Hatzinikolis

After 10pm PST on Friday, December 28th, I'll crunch the numbers and make my decisions. You will hear The Best of the 103.1 KCDA Local Lounge 2012 on Sunday, December 30th, 2012 at 10 pm PST. Tune your radio to 103.1 FM in the Spokane/Post Falls/Coeur d'Alene area or listen live to the on-line audio stream. You can also hear the live broadcast on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android, or Blackberry with the iHeartRadio app.

UPDATE:

Here is the entire Local Lounge show as high-quality streaming audio...all songs were performed live in our studio:

LISTEN to Part 1 (10:39)
including:

Janet Johnson -- "In My House" (October 14th)
The Finns -- "The Red Queen" (November 4th)

LISTEN to Part 2 (10:32)
including:

Jerad Finck -- "Madeline" (November 11th)
Stephanie Hatzinikolis -- "In Dreams" (August 5th)

LISTEN to Part 3 (14:18)
including:

VanMarter Project -- "Drown" (June 10th)
Nicole Lewis -- "Movin' On" (May 13th)
The Camaros -- "Tim's Song" (December 2nd)

LISTEN to Part 4 (9:31)
including:

Chelsey Heidenreich -- "Hearts" (June 3rd)
Andy Rumsey -- "Chasing the Sun" (August 12th)

airdate: Sunday, December 30th, 2012 at 10 pm PST.

To listen to the streaming audio, all you need is Adobe Flash Player. You may need to allow pop-ups on this page, as the media player will open in a new window. If you don't see the media player in the new window, just refresh the page in your browser.

Check out The Best of the 103.1 KCDA Local Lounge from previous years:

Thank you for listening and participating!

See ya in 2013,

~Matt Loi

103.1 KCDA Local Lounge producer

The 103.1 KCDA Local Lounge is powered by Northern Quest Resort & Casino

and produced with love and care by Matt Loi.

Listen live on your smartphone with the free iHeartRadio app!

Friday, December 07, 2012

Trickster Fox

A living environment will have an impact on a musician. Haley, performing under the banner of Trickster Fox, has used this to her advantage. She recorded an album back east, drawing upon the urban experience to create a cohesive work that ranges from solo a capella to a full-band acoustic stomp. Piano (both grand and honky-tonk), acoustic guitar, harmonica, cello, choir, and rhythm section mingle with bird songs and sundry sounds to illuminate the story of a woman in love with a gamblin' man. The result is the six-song, 23-minute vinyl record "The Misadventures of, Vol. I", rendered at 45 RPM onto a 12" disc for maximum analog audio fidelity...and a larger canvas for the exquisite artwork. Her label, The Same Ghost Collective, is a small conglomeration of talented friends, supporting one another across the country.

Since Trickster Fox moved from New York to Spokane, the lush Inland Northwest has inspired Haley to take a minimalist approach to her music. She currently uses only a finger-strummed acoustic guitar and harmonica to support her breezy, nonchalant, yet pure voice. Still, she's certainly not above collaboration. During her regular Tuesday night gig at Luxe Coffee House in downtown Spokane, Andy Rumsey and others occasionally join her. Thus Trickster Fox is more of an open-ended, evolving project than strictly a solo artist name.

So, just how good can a vinyl record sound? Listen this Sunday as Trickster Fox literally spins several tunes from her album on our long-underused turntable, in addition to performing some solo songs live at the 103.1 KCDA Local Lounge.

Click here for more photos.

Hear Trickster Fox on the 103.1 KCDA Local Lounge on Sunday, December 9th (and catch the replay on December 23rd), 2012 at 10 pm PST. Tune your radio to 103.1 FM in the Spokane/Post Falls/Coeur d'Alene area or listen live to the on-line audio stream. You can also hear the live broadcast on your iPhone, iPad, Kindle Fire, Android, or Blackberry with the iHeartRadio app.

UPDATE:

Here is her entire Local Lounge show as high-quality streaming audio:

LISTEN to Part 1 (9:20)
including "Big Black Soul" (live) and "Mister Crook" (LP)

LISTEN to Part 2 (14:36)
including "The City" (live), "What I Want" (LP), and "Colorado" (live)

LISTEN to Part 3 (6:56)
including "Mama's Alleluia" (LP) and "High Drive" (live)

LISTEN to Part 4 (14:08)
including "Rescue Me" (LP) and "Dear John, Segue I" (LP)

original airdate: Sunday, December 9th, 2012 at 10 pm PST.

To listen to the streaming audio, all you need is Adobe Flash Player. You may need to allow pop-ups on this page, as the media player will open in a new window. If you don't see the media player in the new window, just refresh the page in your browser.

Check back on this page later in December to see a video of Trickster Fox performing her Spokane-inspired song "High Drive" live in the Local Lounge!

See Trickster Fox perform live in downtown Spokane every Tuesday night at 8pm at Luxe Coffee House (1017 W 1st Avenue, Suite A). On Friday, December 21st at 8pm, she will perform with several other local solo musicians live at Luxe.

Find Trickster Fox on Facebook, purchase t-shirts and her vinyl album "The Misadventures of, Vol. I" at Big Cartel, or download the digital simulacrum on iTunes.

The 103.1 KCDA Local Lounge is powered by Northern Quest Resort & Casino

and produced with love and care by Matt Loi.

Listen live on your smartphone with the free iHeartRadio app!

Your Music. Your Station. For Spokane!

Cedar & Boyer in the Local Lounge

Matthew Sonntag in the Local Lounge

Bristol in the Local Lounge

Pamela Benton

Joshua "Beardo" Simon

The Best Of The Local Lounge 2012

Trickster Fox

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