First/Last-Charlie Dakota & The Spirits

"Residing somewhere between Field Report and War on Drugs is Charlie Dakota & The Spirits. Awash in synths and pedal steel, the Mississippi quartet is in no hurry on the pensive “Glow,” the last song on their just-released Songs from Motel 43, indicative of the melancholy and spartan arrangements that inhabit the album." - Bucket Full of Nails

Charlie Dakota & The Spirits is an 'alt-country shoegaze' band (there's a genre you don't see everyday) from Mississippi who's independent debut release "Songs From Motel 43" dropped last week. The 'band' is songwriter Knowlton Bourne who handles most of the production and instrumentation. I want to thank Knowlton for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
This might be a little embarrassing but the first album I remember buying with my own money was “Stunt” by Barenaked Ladies. ‘One Week’ was a damn hit.

Your last album bought?
The last album I bought was by and band from Philly called Hop Along. The album is called “Painted Shut.” It's a really incredible album from start to finish. Wonderful lyrics, the production is top notch. It's definitely one of my favorite albums of the year.

Favorite album of all time?
Ooh that's a hard one. Damn. I'd have to do it by genre or something. I grew up with my Dad playing “The Joshua Tree” all the time, so that album definitely hits home. “In Rainbows” is something I could listen to day in and out, the production on that album is unmatched. But I also love the self-titled Townes Van Zandt record. Those are some phenomenal stories set to great country music. I love that album.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
This is also hard. I feel like I've probably shelved/forgotten it due to the fact that it was disappointing. Maybe “Stunt” by Barenaked Ladies.

First concert attended?
I think I saw Collective Soul with my parents when I was super young. But the first concert I remember seeing and loving was U2 on the ‘Elevation Tour’. That was big for me.

Last concert?
I saw Beck last weekend in Memphis. That was great. He is still having a lot of fun playing music. I really dug that.

Favorite concert ever?
I saw Dirty Projectors at the House of Blues in New Orleans a couple of years back. They put on a hell of a show. Harmonies out the wazoo. I also saw Mastodon with some friends in college. That was pretty wild.

Least favorite concert?
Probably some festival show where dehydration, drugs, heat exhaustion and claustrophobia all culminate in a crowd of thousands of people, but even those experiences are fun in their own right.

Any thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
I have never been, unfortunately. But I imagine a lot steel, metal and friendly faces. I'd love to make it up that way soon.

Thanks, Knowlton. LOVE the record! Would love to see you play here, man. Let's make it happen.

First/Last-The Boy & Sister Alma

"The Boy & Sister Alma is the electro-pop project of Montana natives Jennifer Murphy and Lenny Eckhardt. Formed in late 2012, their music is a blend of nostalgic sounds and modern production - mixing styles of synthwave, ’80s pop and electro, italo disco, dreamwave and 21st century synth pop. While tapping into a variety of moods and genres, the group’s material consistently embodies a “new-retro” vibe with a cinematic flare. Their tracks have recently caught the attention of bloggers, producers, and remixers in the retro/synthwave scene, resulting in several remixes and a collaboration with UK producer Sunglasses Kid.
The Boy & Sister Alma's debut EP 'T B & S A' was released July 30, 2013."

The Boy & Sister Alma is an electro synth pop duo hailing from Helena, MT. They release remixes and their latest original single was 'One Eye, One Arm, One Man' a Twin Peaks inspired track featured on The Next Peak Volume III from Retro Promenade. As they continue to build buzz, please join me in thanking Lenny Eckhardt and Jennifer Murphy for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
Lenny Eckhardt: “Tragic Kingdom” by No Doubt.
Jennifer Murphy: “Whitney” by Whitney Houston. I wanted to be her.

Your last album bought?
Lenny: “Inner World” by Electric Youth.
Jen: “Burn Your Fire for No Witness” by Angel Olsen.

Favorite album of all time?
Lenny: “Loveless” by My Bloody Valentine. Because duh.
Jen: “Hounds of Love” by Kate Bush.

First concert attended?
Lenny: The first one I remember is Dino Kartsonakis. I went when I was just a tot with my mama and papa.
Jen: Styx & REO Speedwagon. Spinning keyboard and all.

Last concert?
Lenny: Boris and SubRosa. It blew my mind.
Jen: Future Islands. Great show but I walked out of there loathing guys with backpacks.

Favorite concert ever?
Jen: Lenny and I both agree on a single Flaming Lips concert in 2006. We didn't know each other then but through the power music, skulls, fetuses, blood and balloons we were united in spirit and truth.

Least favorite concert?
Lenny: Midlake. They were way too jammy for my tastes.
Jen: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Worst sound guy ever.

Any thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?

Jen: We have never been and honestly know nothing about Pittsburgh.
But, we'd love to play there some day!

Thanks to both of you. I loved the one Flaming Lips show I attended but feel that that band in particular has a been there done that vibe. The amazing spectacle that there are can't be repeated the second time around for me.

First/Last-Talk in Tongues

"Los Angeles foursome Talk In Tongues didn’t come out of nowhere, although it sounded that way when their debut single “Still Don’t Seem To Care” suddenly appeared online. And it felt that way for them at the beginning, too, when each member was a refugee from another band that just wasn’t working right. Back then, they were barely acquaintances-guitarist and singer McCoy Kirgo remembers seeing his future bandmates at shows in their other bands, and then at parties after the shows. And if you looked into the music they’d already made, it didn’t quite make sense for them to put a band together. (Future bassist Waylon Rector wrote constantly, but all his songs were laptop-made synth-pop.)"

Talk in Tongues is an L.A. based psychedelic dream pop band who just released their killer debut album, "Alone With a Friend" last week. You can catch them on tour this Summer supporting Blonde Redhead and Veruca Salt. I want to thank McCoy Kirgo (Lead Vocals) for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
Ludacris "Word of Mouf". I convinced my dad to buy me this record at borders books and music. I must have been 10 years old.

Your last album bought?
Joni Mitchell "Wild Things Run Fast". My girlfriend is a huge Joni fan, so I picked this up for her when I was in Seattle recently.

Favorite album of all time?
I can't pick one, but Father John Misty's "I Love you, Honeybear" is an all-time favorite. My girlfriend and I listened to this record nonstop the first weekend I spent at her house. I love that weekend and that record.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
Anything Fidlar puts out.

First concert attended?
Violent Femmes at the House of Blues in Hollywood. 7th grade.

Last concert?
David Crosby at the Troubadour.

Favorite concert ever?
Beach Goth Fest 2014. Most fun I've ever had a concert/festival.

Least favorite concert?
I went to see Earl at FYF with high hopes, I really like Earl. But it ended up being a huge disappointment. The quietest concert I've ever been to. And the fans were talking the whole time.

Any thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
I've never been to Pittsburgh, but I really want to visit the Cathedral of Learning one day.

Thanks, McCoy. Believe me, the Cathedral of Learning is as bad ass (if not more) as it appears.

First/Last-Adam Torres

"At the age of twenty, Torres wrote and recorded Nostra Nova, an album greatly inspired by the visual art of Adolf Wolfli and the writing of Swiss psychologist C.G. Jung. Torres developed these inspirations from summer visits to his parents' home in Switzerland, where they lived from Torres' late teens through his mid-twenties. A long-time member of Ohio folk-rock band Southeast Engine, Torres originally recorded and released Nostra Nova in a very DIY fashion in 2006, with the album amassing a strongly devoted cult following over the years. Lyrically, Nostra Nova falls within alternative song structure found in folk an popular music tradition but its unorthodox sonic execution elicits idiosyncratic responses, drawing comparisons to the architectural aesthetic of Frank Gehry. Condensing a vast tract of of memories into one record, Nostra Nova is a forty minute coming of age meditation on love, longing, and the unconscious mind. After touring with Southeast Engine from 2005 through 2008, Torres moved to Cuenca, Ecuador, where he lived off-and-on from 2009 to 2011. In 2012, DZ Tapes, a podcast/blog-turned-cassette label based in Washington D.C., released Torres' self-titled album of demos written and recorded while living in South America. After signing with Misra Records in early 2015 to re-issue Nostra Nova, Torres has fastidiously begun to sort through the 100+ songs he has written since 2006, and plans to release a proper studio follow-up album within the next year."

Adam Torres is a singer-songwriter originally from Ohio, now residing in Austin who has recently re-released his fantastic debut LP "Nostra Nova" via Misra Records. He just began a tour to celebrate and will be in Pittsburgh tonight to play a few songs at Acousticafe. I want to thank Adam for taking the time to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
​First one I remember getting was this kind of strange compilation that Rykodisc put out called "Here it is the Music, Vol. 1". I liked how shiny it was in its CD case. I bought it when I was seven.​

Your last album bought?
“Loyalty” by ​The Weather Station. Tamara Lindeman has a staggering voice; I'm a big fan.​

Favorite album of all time?
​Townes Van Zandt “Live at the Old Quarter”. To me, this record is way better than any studio album TVZ made. Its intimacy gives me the chills, even though it was put out eight years before I was born.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
I'd rather not talk too much about albums or artists that personally disappoint me so I'll just say that any band or musician that uses one of those 'dentist drill' sounding 'laser' instruments (you know the one) is pretty depressing.

First concert attended?
​The Beach Boys in 1989 at the Jersey Shore. They were touring off of 'Kokomo', I think. My memory is a little hazy. John Stamos may have been there.

Last concert?
​John Prine last weekend here in Austin, Texas. He played for two hours and every minute was spell-bounding.

Favorite concert ever?
​ Jonathan Richman and Vic Chesnutt were touring together, in 2005 or 2006 and I saw them play a really intimate show in Athens, Ohio to a crowd of about 80 people. I felt like I was watching the best absurdist theater imaginable -- Vic Chesnutt's acerbic writing and singing voice hushed the crowd to pin-drop silence and then, minutes later, Johnathan Richman did some salsa moves with his guitar into the audience, starting a spontaneous dance party.​

Least favorite concert?
​Any show I have ever seen that involves a drum solo exceeding 10 seconds.​

Any thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
​ It's been a while since I've been to town but I've really loved playing at Brillobox in the past. Each time I've played in Pittsburgh, I've had a real good time.​

Thanks, Adam. I haven't seen you in so long, buddy. I am thrilled with all the buzz about the album. So well deserved, my friend.