Linescratchers welcomes Jim, a new writer/reviewer from Kentucky. Long-time Linescratchers fan, with experience as a radio host and pretentious new music reviewer, Jim brings a non-Mormon whistle-blower perspective to our elite circle. – Syphax
The Sweater Friends – Dear Abbey EP and Everyone We Know album
Recommended if you like: great boy-girl harmonies, coffee shoppe acoustic guitar pop, sweaters, friends
Recommended Tracks: Dear Abbey EP: “Dear Abbey”, “Sinners in the Repentance Club”, Everyone We Know: “Filo Sophia”, “The Last Pirate Song”, “Breaking the Azeotrope”
Upon first listen, The Sweater Friends’ music sounds deceptively simple. A boy and a girl, each equipped with an acoustic guitar, and nothing else. However, underneath that plain appearance first impression are songs about the difficulties of love and life, featuring music with beautiful lyrics and gorgeous melodies and harmonies.
It’s hard to believe that someone as laid-back and cheerful as Kirby Heyborne could incite any sort of controversy whatsoever, but being an LDS celebrity comes with a price. Many know Kirby as an actor, from LDS-themed films such as The R.M., Sons of Provo, and The Singles Ward, but he’s also a heartfelt, passionate, and sincere musician. Kirby’s acoustic-based folk is touchingly simple, yet texturally complex, and the strength of his lyrics are in their honesty. In this interview, Kirby talks about the pressures of being a celebrity and the motivation necessary to succeed in music.
Not too long ago, Chance Thomas was just a performer in a cover band on a cruise ship. Now he’s an Academy Award-winning composer. If you’ve played Avatar (the video game), Lord of the Rings Online, Quest for Glory V, King Kong, or X-Men, or if you’ve seen the animated short film The ChubbChubbs, you’re probably very familiar with his music. Chance Thomas is a highly skilled and highly popular composer for video games, film, commercials, and television. His projects have won major awards, such as Oscars and Emmys, and was one of the very first people advocating full orchestral soundtracks to video games. Chance has had a long and powerful history in the entertainment industry, and he’s taken a little time out of his busy schedule to give Linescratchers an interview.
Those of you interested in the growing LDS hip hop scene will no doubt find something to love in the music of Maurice Dew. Maurice is a witty, smart rapper originally from Colorado, who has been making a name for himself in Phoenix, Arizona. Maurice, a returned missionary who has started his own record label, Pioneer Productions, has an active online presence, and frequently blogs about politics, the music industry, and current events. He is currently promoting his second album, For the People, and has answered a few questions for Linescratchers.
Right next to the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, the music of Jeff Zentner is a visceral reminder of the spiritual roots of the South. Jeff is a soulful, bluesy Southern Gothic musician and member of Alt-Country band Creech Holler, and is, incidentally, related to successful LDS artist Michael R. Hicks. After a time playing in Nashville, Tennessee (where many a musical dream is born and dies), he has since moved to Asheville, but continues to create and record solo music. Earlier this year he released a solo album, The Dying Days of Summer. His music is a testament to the music that echoed in the deepest, darkest hollers of Appalachia in the early 1900s.