Twiddle
This week’s Follow Friday begins with the Vermont-based jam band, Twiddle! For a four-piece, their sound is massive, and they get plenty of milage out of their simplistic set-up. Inspired by blues, R&B, jazz, and funk, this folk-rock crew keeps some surprises up their sleeves during performances.
Why I do what I do? Because music has the power to evoke all kinds of emotion. It can heal as well as help in times of grief. I’m also really into energy and there’s nothing on Earth like the sharing of energy between a crowd and the band. On top of that, I love the power a single song can harness. One tune can turn someone’s day around or remind you of something super special.
Mihali Savoulidis, Huff Post
The sound of Twiddle is ephemeral — their penchant for improvisation means you will never hear the song the same way twice, unless you hit repeat, of course. Check out their best live performances below and download their tunes wherever you get your music!
Twiddle runs with Ernie Ball Power Slinkys.
Circa Survive
Up next we have the progressive, post-hardcore group: Circa Survive. Since 2004, this quintet has stuck together to bring the world some of the most innovative tracks in their genre. Their music is so out-there, in fact, it has even been dubbed as “psychedelic” hardcore.
Today, CS consists of those same five members, who have lived through a decade of personal tragedy, addiction, the growth of families, and more record labels than can be counted on one hand. With many one-off reunions and sudden attempts at reinvention after long silences, how many bands have stuck together and continued to make music – let alone music that is worthy of sustained attention from their once hormone-addled fans who have since graduated into adult life?
Get Alternative on The Amulet
Their latest album, The Amulet, recently released to praise for its ability to capture their original sound from the early 2000s while innovating and pushing into new, creative tracks. You can listen below, or get all the innovation of their live performances on their official website.
Circa Survive rocks Ernie Ball Power Slinkys on guitar and on bass.
Hear the best of Circa Survive down below.
Dovydas
Dovydas hails from Lithuania, and has been taking his tunes international since 2008. He might be best known for his YouTube series, “When Someone Requests A… Song,” but he should not be underestimated as just a cover guitarist. His skills and original songwriting command merit of their own.
Hello, I’m Dovydas. I’m a musician, composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer songwriter. Currently electric guitar is my main instrument but I went to music school for drums and picked up piano, bass, and harmonica along the way. I post daily videos related to my music. You may see me do a live looping one man band show, or playing with my band. I love writing original music and producing various ideas that come to mind.
If it is Dovydas content you want, there is plenty to go around. His YouTube channel is full of his original works, covers, and interesting insights into the music world. Check it out here! Or, you can listen to his latest album, Jumping In Solitude (53), down below.
Dovydas gets technical with Ernie Ball Paradigm 7-String Regular Slinkys.
Le Shiv
Le Shiv cares less about what to label themselves and more about making killer music; they are self-described as “rock or something?” Their tracks fall somewhere in the realm of indie pop, and they have style for miles.
Le Shiv are a blister hot branding iron just come out of the fire on the path to searing the eardrums and bass drums and every last bastion of six string sinners from Sydney to the City of Angels, terms and conditions need not apply sunscreen, son of a filth-sand beach will you ever find a band that eschews eccentricities reeking of The Flaming Lips and theatricality reeling of Queen, such is the raw deal, reek ‘n’ reel will never die; so say the collective we of wee thought and greater jab, for that’s all that’s left and right of us until, of course, Pencil, Mossy, and Jarleth — less jar, more lisp — plug in and the music plays.
The comparisons that they draw are apt; though their discography is sparse, a little Le Shiv goes a long way. You can have these tracks on repeat all day and never get bored. The trajectory is good for these Aussies; it is only up from here.
Le Shiv rip it up on Ernie Ball Cobalt Regular Slinkys, Power Slinkys, and take it to the bass with Regular Slinky bass strings.
Short but sweet; hear the best of Le Shiv below.
Suntitle
South Jersey locals, Suntitle, should be on anyone’s radar looking for the best modern alternative and emo music. Full of passion and grit with the riffs to match, the Suntitle crew is not afraid to be raw and honest in their tracks.
The Northeast is home to frigid coastal winters and New Jersey, both of which have worked hand in hand in shaping some of my favorite artists of the last decade or so. Music from the Garden State has always felt like it has something to prove — there’s a roaring determination behind even the most delicate of performers to breach the state lines that just can’t be ignored. I’ve talked about this a handful of times in my run with Substream, and I’m happy to say that Port Republic’s Suntitle are keeping that tradition going full-bore.
Substream Magazine’s Joel Funk on Suntitle
Funk makes a great point in this review — Suntitle has a distinct East Coast tinge to their tracks and their aesthetic. Their most recent release, “Big Jawn,” is a blistering single that released earlier this month. Give it a listen and check out their website while you’re at it.
Suntitle plays Ernie Ball Paradigm Power Slinkys and Bass Power Slinkys.
Take a listen to Suntitle down below!
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