THE STARLINGS RECORD EXCHANGE IN-STORE TONIGHT (SEPT. 9) AT 6 P.M.!

The Starlings will return to The Record Exchange for an in-store performance at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 9. As always, this Record Exchange in-store event is free and all ages.

Since emerging on the Americana/folk scene in 2005, The Starlings have been releasing records and touring the nation in a short, yellow bus called Saunders. En route to a dusty venue in the southwest, a cozy listening-room in the Midwest, or a well-burnished club in Boston, they are spurred on by the guitar strum, the kick drum, and the music in the spinning wheels all around us.

“Bright Light” the album was well into production before “Bright Light” the song appeared and jumped to the top of the list. Mills wrote the song in an apartment in the Ballard borough of Seattle, quietly strumming so as not to disturb the tenants above, who were known to bang on the floor. “Bright Light” was written in spite of it, and in homage to the perseverance of musical friends. Once introduced to the band, it became the name of the album and the title track. It also became a highlight of the recording process, as they rounded up local musicians to record the final chorus of the song, as well as film a video, in their local haunt, Conor Byrne Pub.

Known for their three-part harmonies and melodic hooks, The Starlings’ country-folk sound is influenced by the variety of their backgrounds. Original members Joy Mills, Tom Parker and Aimee Tubbs were reared with the juicy mixture of old country, rock ‘n’ roll, musicals, the ’80s, and a long list of songwriters. The Starlings’ previous albums and tours have garnered extensive reviews, chart-listings, spots on year-end lists and favor both here and abroad. Their debut album, Songbook (2006), put them on KEXP’s “Top Ten Northwest Bands” for eight weeks. The Starlings have performed with Todd Snider, The Avett Brothers, Fred Eaglesmith, The Wood Brothers and Eilen Jewell. They are touring nationally in the fall of 2010 in support of “Bright Light,” including a show at Reef on Sept. 9 following their Record Exchange in-store.

“Call it lilt with an edge.” – Leicester Bangs (UK)

JJ GREY RECORD EXCHANGE IN-STORE WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15 (6:30 P.M.)!

JJ Grey will perform live at The Record Exchange at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 15. As always, this Record Exchange in-store concert is free and all ages. Purchase JJ Grey’s new album Georgia Warhorse at the in-store and get a free ticket to his show at the Knitting Factory later that night!

From raw funk to deep soul, blues and rock, JJ Grey & Mofro deliver devastating live and recorded performances. And now JJ Grey takes another giant step forward with his newest effort entitled Georgia Warhorse. With eleven new original songs, including one co-written with songwriting icons Chuck Prophet and Angelo Petraglia (Kings of Leon), one featuring Derek Trucks, and the single “The Sweetest Thing” featuring a duet with Grey’s long-time musical hero and reggae icon Toots Hibbert. Having just hit the streets at the end of August, Georgia Warhorse debuted at #74 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart and was #26 on the Billboard Rock Album Chart. JJ is set for a breakout year and Georgia Warhorse is the real deal!

JJ will be in Boise for a performance at The Knitting Factory on Sept. 15.  The show starts at 8 p.m. and JJ Grey & Mofro take the stage at 9:15 p.m. But, JJ and his label Alligator Records wanted to make this visit special and have also lined up the FREE solo, acoustic in-store performance at The Record Exchange.

And, if you come to the in-store and are one of the first people to purchase a copy of Georgia Warhorse, you’ll receive one (1) FREE ticket for the JJ Grey & Mofro show at the Knitting Factory (while supplies last).

Stop on in for this special solo, acoustic performance by JJ Grey, buy a copy of the new release and then have him autopgraph your own personal copy of Georgia Warhorse.  Then head on over to The Knitting Factory for the full on JJ Grey & Mofro show later.

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING:

“Smoldering Otis Redding-inspired ballads…full-bore blues-rock, down-home roots and country-soul…uproariously funky and melodic homespun tales that are gritty and deeply personal…Grey’s resonant vocals are potent and authoritative, mature beyond his age.” –Harp

Luther Dickinson (of the Black Crowes & North Mississippi All-Stars): “JJ Grey is an inspiration and a source of strength for anyone fighting for the future while trying to preserve and celebrate the good of the past.”

PROMENADE MUSIC FEST 3-DAY PASSES ONLY $25 THIS WEEKEND, ONLY AT RX!

The inaugural Promenade Music Festival will take over downtown Boise in October, and this weekend only you can get 3-day passes for a special price of $25, only at The Record Exchange! That’s $5 off the regular ticket price, in case you were curious. The sale ends at 7 p.m. Sunday.

Dozens of national and local bands will perform at various venues during the Promenade Music Festival, including Frog Eyes, Surfer Blood, K-OS and many other rad artists. You can see the full lineup and learn more about the festival HERE.

RX 33 1/3 ANNIVERSARY: IN-STORES GALORE, SPECIAL SALES AND MORE!

September is here, and so is The Record Exchange 33 1/3 Anniversary! This month-long celebration includes tons of in-store events, giveaways, sales and merry mirth-making.

To start, we have tons of in-store concerts and events scheduled and more to announce shortly. Here’s what on tap thus far: (more…)

CHUCK PROPHET AT ALIVE AFTER FIVE TONIGHT! LOCALS SLEEPY SEEDS OPEN!

This summer, the Downtown Boise Alive After Five Summer Concert Series celebrates 24 years of providing Boise with fun and music. The event takes place from 5 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday on the Grove Plaza in downtown Boise now through Sept. 29 (Record Exchange Day featuring BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet). This free summer concert series is a community favorite in downtown Boise.

The DBA is excited to offer an exciting lineup of bands on the Bud Light Stage for this season. This week’s headliner is Chuck Prophet along with local openers Sleepy Seeds.

Chuck Prophet shapes his restless career with inimitable subtle flair: a vivid parade of razor-edged one-liners camouflaged in a slack-jawed drawl, songs about heartbreak and everyman heroism, drenched in twisted lines of rude Telecaster.

When the early stages of a financial melt-down coincided with a rare San Francisco heat wave in the summer of 2008, with the window open wide and Dwight Twilley, Iggy, Thin Lizzy and the Knack blaring out the hi-fi, Prophet wrote a collection of political songs for non-political people. Later, in April 2009, he journeyed to Mexico City, where, in the clutches of a Swine Flu panic and earthquakes, he recorded ¡Let Freedom Ring!, his most incendiary record, every bit as urgent as the title demands.

His search for a new perspective paid off, much like at eighteen when he left his native Whittier, Calif., for San Francisco, which he still calls home, and before too long joined Green on Red, a gang of interloping Arizonans with no small impact on L.A.’s Paisley Underground. During an eight-year run with Green on Red, he cut his first major label session with legendary Memphis producer Jim Dickinson, burned through a couple of big record deals, and ventured a debut solo effort, Brother Aldo (1990). These were the first steps in the career that shaped Prophet into a prolific rock ‘n’ roll classicist.

But now, he has created his career high-water mark. ¡Let Freedom Ring! wanders into the fractured, surreal state of the American Dream and emerges with the most vital document of Prophet’s vision, a reflection of life and love for troubled times.

Purchase music from the headliner at The Record Exchange Alive After Five booth! We also have ticket giveaways, freebies, coupons and other fun waiting at our AA5 booth. Stop by and say hi!

Go Listen Boise organizes the lineup of local openers for Alive After Five, pairing some of Boise’s best musicians with the headliners each week. GLB also maintains an information booth at AA5 so you can learn more about the organization and when and where you can see local music.

For the full summer lineup, click HERE. You can also read Idaho Statesman music critic Michael Deeds’ annual AA5 preview, which includes band descriptions and other useful information such as what you’ll be able to eat each week.