Hellooooooooooo music fans and lovers! A couple months ago I did a short interview with the up and coming band, Miner, whom I absolutely adore. Miner is an indie folk band that consists of Justin Miner (lead vocal/guitar), Kate Miner (lead vocal/ukulele/mandolin/harmonica), Jeremy Miner (lead guitar), Amanda Koosed (keys), Justin Krook (bass), Dave Schechtman (drums/percussion), as well as some rotating musicians. Their music is heartfelt and will have you tapping your toes in no time.

Just today, Miner released their new video for that song I’m obsessed with most, “Hey Love.” I think this video not only captures the true essence of the song but it also paints a lovely picture of what this band is all about. Lucky for you, you get to check it out here first! So, stop everything you’re doing, including munching on those cupcakes, and enjoy =) (Make sure you watch all the way to the end – after minute three is my favorite.)

Lastly, in case you’re one of the lucky few that get to live in the beautiful state of California, you can check out Miner at The Echo w/ Dead Ships, Future Ghost & Blonde Summer this Thursday (Nov. 8th, 2012) @ 8:00PM. (Go for me!!!) Here is the information:

• FB Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/297250767042445/
• Echo Event page and Tickets: http://www.theecho.com/event/174965/

You can check out my previous post on Miner here: http://theunconventionalgeek.com/sing-me-sweet-artist-miner

Hope you fabulous people had a great start to the week! Enjoy the new tunes! =)

Hi folks!

As I mentioned earlier today in my most recent post, I have a new interview for you with the band, An Atlas to Follow. I adore this band and now even more so after I had the pleasure of hearing more about their journey and their music. They are a folk band that has such heartfelt music with beautiful melodies. I’m not even going to bother to keep talking…just check out my interview with them below. :)

UG: Who are your band members (please include any instruments and vocals)?

An Atlas to Follow (AATF):
Thomas Smith – Lead singer, guitar, mandolin, banjo, violin
Zac Smith – BGV’s, percussion, cello
Amanda Kinney – BGV’s, guitar, mandolin, banjo, ukulele
Josh Jones – BGV’s, bass, percussion

UG: When did you form your band and what inspired you make music together?

AATF: The guys started playing back in 2009 after I (Thomas) met Josh in college under the name Suite C. Zac (my brother) and I had done a few things off and on together before then but once we added Josh we began a more full band approach to the music.

Amanda joined us in the fall of 2010. Amanda and I met in the fall of 2009 at a study abroad music program called the Contemporary Music Center. While at the program, we played in each other’s “bands” for the semester and sang BGV’s (background vocals) for each other.

UG: What musicians inspire you?

AATF:
Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab for Cutie)
Jon Foreman
Gregory Alan Isakov
Preston Lovinggood (of Wild Sweet Orange)
The Avett Brothers
The Decemberists

UG: Is your new EP your first production album together? What is your EP about?

AATF: “Golden Sun” is our first project as a four piece under the name, An Atlas to Follow. We released an ep in 2010 when we were Suite C called “Do you believe me now?”

“Golden Sun” has a lot to do with unrequited love, or rather, unrequited feelings, with the two bright spots on the EP being Call this Home and the title track.

Louisiana was born from the frustration of still carrying around the weight of regrets and remorse from a failed relationship. Really it wasn’t a relationship at all; I was just very emotionally involved. The song does it’s best to say without saying that I was tired. Tired of having her in the back of my head every other day. Tired of not being able to move forward due to the delusional hope that something where I was might change for the better.

Be Kind to Boston, If Only You Knew and Too Late to Say I Love You all come from the same situation where I had some very strong feelings toward a certain someone but knew that they weren’t shared. If you listen to them in the order listed earlier you can see the thematic arc of the “situation”: from hope to desire to desperation to loss. It all worked out in the end though, she changed her mind… and that album is in the works :)

Golden Sun and Call this home were written as more from a hopeful perspective rather than a reflective one. I wrote these while not in a relationship, making an attempt to express some of what my hopes and desires were. In a way, I guess they kind of lent themselves to the line in Louisiana that says “I’ll keep writing love songs just to feel like I’m in love”

UG: How would you describe your music to others?

AATF: Within the subgenres of folk we’ve had quite a time trying to pinpoint exactly where we lie, but most often we’ll stick with singer/songwriter, indie folk, modern folk.

UG: Do you prefer cupcakes or cookies? =)

AATF: Cupcakes ;)

Huge thanks to An Atlas to Follow for this awesome insight on their band and music. It’s such a beautiful record and I absolutely love the descriptions Thomas gave me of the songs.

Check out some of my favorite tracks from their EP, “Golden Sun” – I hope you all enjoy!

xoxo

Oh, gosh! What a wonderful week it’s turning out to be! First and foremost, I finally bought my precious new Mac. I have been waiting to buy this beauty for 5 years!!

Y’all, it’s so pretty I can’t even really contain myself as I’m typing this post.

Second awesome thing this week…I launched my greeting card business! When I went to San Diego for work back in June, I found this adorable anchor charm that I wanted to send to my cousin (she’s obsessed). I didn’t want to just throw it in an envelope but I quickly found that I didn’t have any cute “just because” cards. So, it sparked me to just create my own. It’s been a long 4 months and more so a long week – I literally was in tears fighting with shopping cart plugins all week. But needless to say, my baby is alive and ready to be purchased! Here are some of my favorites:

I think I’ve told you all before that I’m not much of a horoscope person but I think that’s kind of a lie, because I now read it religiously every day. Anyhoo, I thought it was pretty funny because today’s actually said “happygolucky” in it! Here it is:

This should be a really fun day for you, Aquarius. Your charm is extra high today and those who cross your path will be lifted by your kind heart and your jubilant spirit. You may even find that special invitations and opportunities pop up all day long. You can magnify the joy of this fortunate time by assisting those in your midst who need a helping hand, some words of encouragement, or just a smile. And with your happy-go-lucky aura, you may also attract a wonderful chance to get ahead financially and personally.

So crazy, right? (Do you think the app on my phone reads my emails or something? It’s always so dead on!)

Okay, sorry for my horoscope tangent – back on track…

I already had a handful of people asking me if I was going to create holiday cards and my first thought was, “but I just made all these!” Then I realized today that holiday cards might be a fun adventure too. So, I’ve been sketching a little and coming up with some cute holiday cards ideas so stay tuned.

(If you wanna check out my greeting cards, go here: http://www.hglcreations.com)

Lastly, I have a new fun interview with a recent band crush that I will be posting later today to the Sing Me Sweet series and I am so excited! And it’s only Wednesday! I cannot wait to see what else the week has in store. Oh, and my nephew recently turned two and I just had to share this cute photo of him. Hope you all are having a great week, too!

xoxo

Hello, friends and music lovers! Y’all know I couldn’t stay away too long. =) I’m going to be sharing some music love from time to time from now on so buckle up and get ready!

Miner is an indie folk band that I stumbled upon earlier this week and immediately fell in love with. The band consists of Justin Miner (lead vocal/guitar), Kate Miner (lead vocal/ukulele/mandolin/harmonica), Jeremy Miner (lead guitar), Amanda Koosed (keys), Justin Krook (bass), Dave Schechtman (drums/percussion), as well as some rotating musicians. Their music is heartfelt and will have you tapping your toes in no time. I had the pleasure of doing a short interview with Miner so sit back and enjoy!

UG: When did you form your band and what inspired you make music together?

Miner: Miner was born from the creative burnout of songwriter Justin Miner, which led him to an extended musical hiatus late last year. After letting music sit in the background for a bit, he bought a tambourine and taught himself the banjo while immersing himself in the music of the 60s and 70s LA folk scene. He started reading Kerouac and wandered California’s central coast seeking enlightenment in the redwoods, meditated in a room filled with other musicians in Hollywood, then roamed Central and South America and listened to no music at all except the sound of the oceans and mountains. He returned home, recruited family members and several friends to sing and stomp, and thus Miner was born.

UG: What musicians inspire you?

Miner: So many, but the ones that find themselves coming back are old country like Merle Haggard and Cash — or stellar songwriters like Jackson Browne or Neil Young or Paul Simon. Not to mention….. The Beatles :)

UG: Is your new EP your first production album together? What is your EP about?

Miner: The EP is called ‘Hey Love’ and is the first release for Miner. It’s all about…. LOVE!

UG: How would you describe your music to others?

Miner: We have been using the term ‘indie folkplosion’ — as annoying as the term ‘indie’ has become and whether that’s accurate or not…it’s sure fun to say.

UG: Do you prefer cupcakes or cookies? =) (you know I had to ask)

Miner: Hmmm — cupcookies?

Hmmm…I wonder what cupcookies tastes like? Anyone want to make some? =)

Without further adieu, check out their first single, Hey Love:

If you dig the above, make sure you take advantage and download it! And lastly:

Hope you enjoyed today’s music feature! Be sure to keep an eye out for their EP release in August!

*Photo credit courtesy of Miner