New songs from Austin artist gfire - and her birthday party show tonight

If you haven't heard of her yet, gfire is an incredibly hard-to-define Austin singer-songwriter with an unusual Kate Bush-inspired sound. Her music has been featured on over 200 radio and television stations around the world and two of her songs (less is more (rm 61 mix)) and (i wouldn't stop) have recently been added to NPR's Undercurrents.

I was lucky enough to get a rare preview of "fade to blue", one of the songs from her upcoming albums choosing her own colours!!. It's a mix of blues with minimal electronic beats and features Danny Barnes on banjo, Warren Hood on fiddle and Danny Ray Young (in his last studio appearance ever) on washboard. Great sound.

"pink" is a trippy sitar-guitar (Denny Gilbert from Lizzi and the Lovers) melded with ethereal vocals (gfire), tabla (Jason McKenzie from Atash) and viola (Andrew Noble from Death is not a Joyride). This one is a favorite of mine. gfire has a free download of "pink" via her website along with a presale option on her new CD.

Tonight, July 24, she is hosting her 3rd annual “hot pink birthday party” at Austin Java, 12th and Lamar from 8-11 p.m. The show is completely free, open to all ages and partygoers are encouraged to either wear a pink outfit or bring a pink birthday item. A grand prize will be awarded to the person with the best pink costume. Guests will enjoy a diverse serving of all original sounds and are invited to show off their own hot pink colors.

The “hot pink birthday party” is a fundraiser for the production of gfire’s new CD “choosing my own colours!!” gfire will be pre-selling copies of the new CD and showcasing new songs from the album, giving fans a sneak peek at what’s to come.

Mumford and Sons - Sigh No More Review

Mumford & Sons' "Little Lion Man" was one of those rare songs that stopped me in the moment, made me turn the radio up, shush my boyfriend, and immediately google the lyrics to find out... "What the hell is this?!" (like, as in, "I have to have it"). I loved the song so much I went ahead and bought the full album, trusting that it would live up to "Little Lion Man," and it has. I obviously wasn't the only one who felt this way - they've been touring worldwide and, according to their website, their debut album ultimately shot up to #1 on itunes.

Most of the album evokes the exact same feelings as the aforementioned song- It is purely gorgeous. But it's not just gorgeous - the lyrics are beautiful and touching, the instrumentation is unique and perfectly produced letting the vocals share the stage equally, and the harmonies will give you chills (I'm willing to bet on that). All that banjo rocks, too. Not all of the songs are as memorable as "Little Lion Man" but, as a whole, the entire album is fun, emotive, and totally listenable. It has ample feeling and intensity without being weepy.

The bio on their website describes their style as "a gutsy, old-time sound that marries the magic of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young with the might of Kings Of Leon." I hesitate to compare them in any way to Kings of Leon but the truth and purity behind the music could definitely be compared to CSNY. This one will definitely be on frequent rotation on my ipod.

Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More