Hands Off Cuba; The Website

Awhile back I did a little bitching and moaning about the lack of Internet presence from Hands Off Cuba. I’d been told that their new album, From Arrival to Survival, was a fine piece of work but I couldn’t actually investigate anything further than that. Being an avid Internet nerd, this was frustrating. I even threw down the gauntlet to the band – if they really wanted a site, I’d make it for them. Well, turns out they wanted a site!

I ran into principle member Ryan Norris one night and discussed my little rant and he agreed; it was appropriate for the band to be online beyond a Myspace page. Now, a few weeks later, we’ve launched the first iteration of HandsOffCubaMusic.com; there’s more slated for the site at a later date but this is great deal more than what was already out there, so it’s a huge step forward.

Long story short, visit the bands site and be sure to snag the two free tracks from the new album.. you won’t be able to resist getting the entire thing after hearing them.

Sondre Lerche Lake Fever Session

To be completely honest, I’m rarely a fan of the Lake Fever Sessions artists that come in by themselves and play some half-thought out acoustic versions of their songs. It seems like a missed opportunity not to get the whole band in there and really give it the full treatment. So, when the new Sondre Lerche session launched I was a bit disappointed to see him hanging by himself but I gave it a whirl anyway. As usual, my initial judgment was wrong and entirely misplaced. There is obviously no lack of enthusiasm or full force treatment coming from Mr. Lerche regardless of the performance being just himself and an acoustic guitar. His voice is emotive and engaging while his playing is energetic and dynamic; just as you’d expect from a full band. Please do yourself a favor and watch the whole thing.