Email Author Rob van Alstyne

2010 Stories by Rob van Alstyne

• Local Natives prove they're more than hype

  published May 18, 2010

  I'll be the first to acknowledge that on paper there are a lot of reasons to be skeptical about Local Natives, both practical (blog buzz bands often fail to live up to the hype generated by web-hot si... More >>

• Tarlton takes slow-cooked lyrical approach

  published May 12, 2010

  Particularly in the (apparently never-ending) age of American Idol, it's all too easy to assume that every aspiring musician grows up... More >>

• Rogue Valley's Crater Lake is first album of four to come

  published April 7, 2010

  As band goals go, the one Chris Koza set roughly 18 months ago—to release four full-length albums tied to the changing seasons in one... More >>

• Luke Redfield's nomadic ways make for memorable debut

  published March 17, 2010

  As the title of Luke Redfield's debut album handily suggests, Ephemeral Eon is the product of an eternally restless man. Drawing... More >>

• Chicago's Owen bringing solo project to Varsity for "Quiet Please"

  published March 10, 2010

  Throughout his decade-plus career, Chicagoan Mike Kinsella has often seemed like a man apart. With roots in the noise-damaged spectrum of the... More >>

• The Wapsipinicon: San Geronimo

  published March 10, 2010

  A rough-hewn folk-rock record bursting at the seams with impassioned performances, San Geronimo marks the official arrival of the... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Foreign Born's Matt Popieluch talks surfing, growing up in China, and playing in multiple projects

  published Mar 03, 2010

  Person to Person, the recently released sophomore album from Los Angelino quartet Foreign Born, is as dazzling and diverse as the city that birthed it. Its 10 tracks encompass gospel-tinged anthems ("... More >>

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  FEATURED STORY

  Laura Veirs talks touring, home recording, and experimentation

  published Mar 02, 2010

  Portland's Laura Veirs has come a long way since her days as a nascent punk-rocker at Carleton College in Northfield back in the '90s, growing into a critically acclaimed and ever-evolving singer/song... More >>

• Michael Morris finds new direction in full-band project Dewi Sant

  published February 17, 2010

  For the past few years Minnesota native Michael Morris has embraced the open road, splitting time between Northfield, Portland, Seattle, and... More >>

• Ten Centuries' White Pines

  published January 27, 2010

  The burden of expectation has sunk many a would-be great record. With the clock ticking on expensive studio time and songs that have been honed... More >>