Friday nights were made for whiskey drinkin' and relaxin', so why not start your Friday evening early with a few tracks from Burlington, VT's Saint Lou? The group's latest EP, The Buffalo Tapes, is a great mix of folk/blues/50s doo-wop grooves. It's the kind of stuff that makes you want to pour a glass of whiskey, kick off your shoes and soak up the weekend. The band will be on tour for a few dates in April and May, with a smattering of gigs in Vermont and NYC.

For more updates about the band and their current shows, click here.

-Dan McMahon (@dmcmhn)

If you’re looking for a little fiddle, banjo, and soul on Valentine’s weekend, Folk-pop septet Haint Blue is coming to the Velvet Lounge in Washington, D.C. on February 13th. This band’s sound is alive, with bluegrass fiddle and banjo, powerful harmonies, and melancholy lyrics. One lyric in “Company of Ghosts” (the title track to their newest album) is, “Promise myself I’d retire much older, but I still abide,” hauntingly beautiful due to the sparse instrumentation and seamless harmonies that go along with the words. Though the album is only seven tracks, it feels cohesive and complete, due to the range of emotion and sound of the songs. “Father Abraham” is an upbeat, foot-tapping song with spiritual lyrics, while “Wherever You Go” is a cynical, slower, and darker song with lyrics that are not afraid to surprise the listener. This band promises energy, passion, and musical finesse.

The show on the 13th is a must-see, with Big Hoax and Dear Creek joining them at The Lounge. If you have to miss it, though, Company of Ghosts is on sale on iTunes and Bandcamp. They are also playing closer to their Baltimore home the next night at Cafe Nola in Frederick, MD on February 14th. --Nancy Macmillan

 DC's hottest band Wanted Man have released a video for their garage-rock blitz "Slow and Steady." Ahahaha! It's funny 'cause the title is misleading. I know you have less than two minutes to check out the video below, recorded at DC's house of houses The Paperhaus. When does this album drop? I need it. --Natan Press

BRNDA is releasing a new single, called "Apple King," this Saturday, 9/13 at Comet Ping Pong. The lineup for the night is a superb collection of local favorites. Paperhaus will be headlining the show, fresh from tour, including a stop at the Hopscotch Music Festival, in advance of the release of their new album. Before the tour, Paperhaus released the lead single "Cairo" to much acclaim, and the locals are restless to see them tight off of tour with new material. 
Also on the bill are DC favorites, and perpetual performers, The Sea Life who also recently released a new single, "Prozac & Merlot." Between sets, DJ Outputmessage will be spinning his magical sound-webs. Earlier this ear, Outputmessage released the ambitious and fantastic album The Infinite Void.
This show is a superb collection of local powerhouses, all with new material. It is not to be missed. --Natan Press

 Richmond's The Milkstains put up a preview stream of their new album Broken Bones (officially due September 4th). I knew I liked this band already, but this album surpasses expectations, seemingly running down a checklist of my favorite sounds and styles. Every track makes me love them more.

"La Adelita" is an expertly crafted surf instrumental, psyching the listener up for what's to come. "Sidewalk" is Replacementsy pop-rock, as engaging as that description can suggest. "Let Us Down" is an 80's proto-indie rocker, ferocious and meek, strong and sweet. "Caroline O'Keeffe" is some wacky low-fi garage version of Leiber/Stoller pop (with a blistering guitar solo). "Carrion Crow" is the desert and death, heat and haze, all gritty and sexy, like the loners and rebels your mom warned you about. "Heart of Mine" is a straightforward garage stomper, pounding drums and kinetic guitar-work. "Invisible Friends" is more dynamic garage with clever psychedelia conjured by the all analog studio. "Heavy Water" is the appropriate name for the next song; another instrumental surf track, but truly heavy, deep, crushing guitars. "Sonic Kick" fools you at the start with another heavy growling tone out of the bass, but turns immediately into a sweet and smooth indie-rocker, with shimmering guitars playing anthemic hooks. All too soon the album ends on title-track "Broken Bones," an even more anthemic indie-rocker with room to jam on some noise, like a combo of early 90's Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr., riding waves of electricity, blazing through hooks, into Siamese Dream-like walls of sound.

Broken Bones is a triumph of non-stop excitement, head-shaking goodness, taste and ambition. It's like a shrine to analog sound and psychedelia, collecting iconography from 60's surf to 90's alt-rock, and everything in between. The Milkstains aren't copycats however. They channel an energy all their own through each song, a growling tiger ready to pounce from beneath each track, and harness their musicianship and the skills of their producers to create a seemless passionate journey.  

You can catch them next at Richmond's Fall Line Fest, where they'll have the first solid copies of the album for sale. Get this album, however you can. --Natan Press