Princess Possum - Songs of a Depressed Anarchist (album review)

Rhythmic rollercoaster of raw dirty acoustic awesome, the debut release from Princess Possum - “Songs of a Depressed Anarchist” gets you up to dance and keeps you up to raise a fist, especially once the breakdown hits in “I’ll take the bus” followed by the epic shanty that is “within a devil” weaving the torture of our inner demons. “Small Chapters” starts off the second half of the album in a pure melancholy of despair with just a dash of hope for the future we all really want. Possibly my favorite track on the album “The P.O.S. Song” is the modern anthem that causes one to drink, chant along with friends and punch a white nationalist. The sing-along doesn’t end when we get to “Shower Beer” because I feel like we can all relate to the sentiment of small comforts during hard times on some level and the comedy of the little things. The record ends with “Dysphoria And You” a message that speaks strongly to the current culture, and to see and hear an artist so honestly place their heart on their sleeve, I can only hope helps inspire people to see the world from another perspective.


Article by Colin Carroll (Contributors)

Interview: Jessica Pietrzykowski of Tail Light Rebellion

Today we're talking with Jessica Pietrzykowski, accordion player with Tail Light Rebellion, a roots rock and folk punk band in the Fistolo Records family and with Outlaw Waltz Media Group.

So you've been with Tail Light Rebellion about a year now, right? What's it been like stepping into the band?

I will have been with TLR for a full year, as of early May. It was honestly really intimidating at first. I had no idea if I was going to have what it takes to keep up with these guys, seeing as I hadn't been playing for very long, but these two have been really encouraging and helpful. All in all, it's been one of the best experiences of my life. Trying to adjust to tour life as opposed to hobo life has taken some time, but the two match up pretty nicely. I really enjoy the constant challenges and being in an environment that always strives to be better.

What has the transition from hobo life to tour life like? Were there any particular struggles or challenges?

Honestly? Money management has been a bitch to try to learn. Having a financial base has become important because I dont have nearly as much time to busk, fly a sign or pick up random craigslist work and I fall into self loathing when I cant feel autonomous in my own self care, so it will be an important skill for me to learn. Also, going from never using a phone or social media to needing to have a presence for promotion and booking took some time to adjust to. It was and still can be really overwhelming to have so many conversations going on at once, when I'm much more used to being engaged in those directly in front of me. I've come to learn that it's all about striking a balance. The skills and mentality that I gained from riding freight and hitch hiking have come in handy though. There is a certain level of thoughtfulness about others around you, combined with self accountability and humility, that I believe is required to make a community function smoothly, and I personally learned that through being homeless. Also, hobo hacks are always good tools to have under your belt. The ability to creatively problem solve is invaluable. It gave me a sense of self reliance that has greatly helped me these past few months.

So you're just coming off a tour? What were some of your favorite moments?

You ask that like I can remember them! Really, there have been so many great moments and badass times with some of the best folks I have had the pleasure of meeting. We saw a lot of old friends, and made some fantastic new ones. Like I said, it's hard to pick favorite moments when they have mostly all been unbeatable.

What made you choose to play accordion?

I was in a really shitty engagement and we used to escape by trying to find new music. Well, he had a Gogol Bordello CD (I believe it was Trans-continental Hustle) that he hadn't listened to, so we threw it on. To say I was enchanted is an understatement. I was never really exposed to music growing up outside of classical and whatever throw backs my parents listened to, so their sound and their passion overtook me completely. Hand in hand with a healthy lust for constant movement, the accordion just possesses a sound that fills me with that same fire that I heard in Gogol Bordello years ago.

Do you have any particular influences?

World/Inferno Friendship Society, The Zydepunks, Mischief Brew, earlier Gogol Bordello, and the desire to live a life that I deem fulfilling, on my own terms. Something about working to make a corporation or rich asshole money, just so I can die 'comfortably' paying off debts and rotting in front of the television just doesn’t do it for me. I want to be so much more than that, and I want to encourage others to do the same if they so choose.

What's your life like outside of music?

What life outside of music? I spend most of my time booking, practicing, writing, and playing shows. We try to go to the gym daily just to keep up with our mental/physical health, and occasionally I find time to read a book or sketch in my notebook. I wouldn't have it any other way. What else has Tail Light Rebellion been into recently? We have been really into Rhymesayers lately, which has been influencing Jonny and myself in our own writing. Expect the next album to be a real booty shaker.

What are some projects you're working on now, or are anticipating?

I, personally, am writing some new accordion songs and we are working towards recording a new album this year on top of releasing a traditional folk EP that will consist of Irish/American/Canadian/Slavic folk songs.

I saw there was a recent re-release of Six Strings and Gasoline?

Yep! More notably, we released Broken again with both Richard on acoustic bass and myself on accordion. You can check it out on Bandcamp and Spotify!

Go listen to some Tail Light Rebellion! Also, check out this interview with Isaac Alexander of The Hills and the Rivers!

Interview: Isaac Alexander of The Hills and the Rivers

Today, we're talking with Isaac Alexander of  rising folk group, The Hills and the Rivers, whose album Apocalyptic Dreams was previously reviewed by Musically Dependent.

What should people not familiar with The Hills and the Rivers know about the band, and how would you describe your music? 

We're a family band centered around 4 Hill siblings. We're an acoustic ensemble that uses the limitations of our instruments and voices to explore influences from many genres, and we focus on creating music that attemps to transmit healing, inspiration and illumination.

Who or what would you say some of your biggest influences are? 

Neutral Milk Hotel, Sufjan Stevens, Black Bird Raum, Rail Yard Ghosts, Leonard Cohen, Fela Kuti, 60s folk revival, old school jazz, old time music!

You played quite a few fests this past year, I remember seeing. What were some of your favorites? 

We had a blast at FloydFest in Virginia, the biggest fest we've played at by far. Xtreme Folk Society Fest was a nice, intimate festival with a welcoming family feel. Pyro at Nelson Ledges was awesome, Starwood was an interesting pagan festival with lots of educational work shops, but 4th River Fest was my favorite, being our own hometown featival that we run from our own DIY show space.

Were you excited to share the lineup with anyone? 

Oh yeah, playing with bands like Old Crow Medicine Show (a busking band with real deal chops that made it HUGE) Infamous Stringdusters and Jason Isbell (plus so many other great bands) at FloydFest was amazing. It was also awesome to open for Rising Appalachia at Pyro!

Are there any fests you played this past year that you would like to, or are planning on, returning to? Or new ones you might be looking at? 

We're returning to Starwood, and a few others that I can't announce yet, and we've set the dates for 4th River to be August 16-18. We're always looking for new fests and audiences to share our music and message with!

What about this tour you're getting ready to go on? What are some shows you're looking forward to? 

Excited to get to the west coast again! NOLA is always a blast, and we love the Pacific Northwest, also thrilled to be playing two shows with Mama Said String Band in Louisville and Cincinatti.

What are some other things The Hills and the Rivers are working on right now?

We're working on setting up 4th River Fest and have begun practicing new songs for our next release, which will probably be out in 2020!

What's some of what goes into running a festival like 4th River Music Fest?

Its a relatively small festival, which is good because theres not a lot of space for people to camp, but we are blessed with a lot of abandoned lots around the house and cool neighbors. We had about 300 people over the whole weekend last year.

When will people get an initial look at the lineup this year? What should interested bands know?

Well we'll be playing, obviously, and many acts from the 4th River Music Collective, but we do have a couple tentative headliners we're waiting to announce. We'll probably announce an initial line up after we get back from tour, probably some time in March. We're not really taking submissions, we always have more people that we want to play than we actually have time for!

Don't forget to check out The Hills and the Rivers, and catch them on tour or at a festival near you!