Peter Wolf Crier: More Drums, Please

Peter Wolf Crier is not the band it was just nine months ago. When the duo played Salt Lake City last January, frontman Peter Pisano had just completed his debut album, a record filled with heartfelt lyrics and haunting falsetto vocals. He had written the songs in isolation in his Minnesota home before turning to producer/percussionist Brian Moen to put his ideas to tape. The resulting album, "Inter-Be," was a low-key indie gem.

After seven months of heavy touring together, Pisano and Moen were ready to get back in the studio. The effects of the road, however, linger on the band's sophomore release, "Garden of Arms." While Pisano's whispy tenor is still front and center, the songs are backed by an edginess that was largely absent from the band's debut.

"Once we were performing in clubs, we got louder," Moen explains. "That was my fault, probably," he adds with a laugh. It is difficult to underestimate the percussive strength Moen brings to the new album.

Moen says that though he played drums on "Inter-Be," he anticipated Pisano performing the songs as a solo act. As a result, he tried to keep the drums as unobtrusive as possible. Now a full-time member of Peter Wolf Crier, Moen was says he was able to "insert more of myself into the record."

"Garden" was not only impacted by Moen's playing, but by Pisano's approach to writing the songs. While "Inter-Be" was written sporadically over the course of a year, the new album was written in just a month.
"It's more of an immediate snapshot," Moen says of the record. The duo brought in an outside engineer to relieve Moen of his double duty of producer and performer, which meant the pair were able to "pour ourselves into the ideas entirely," he says. "It was much more fulfilling as an artist to just focus on making the best record."

And now it's time to get back on the road. Because "Garden" is even more intricate than its predecessor, Moen and Pisano will be joined by onstage by a keyboardists and Pisano will split time between keys and guitar. While many drummers are happy to be pushed to the back of the stage, Moen has had no problem being 50 percent of the focal point.

"Anyone who has seen me play knows I'm a pretty heavy stage presence," Moen says with a laugh. "[Playing as a two piece] has allowed me the space I'd be taking up anyway."

Last Name London, First Name Theophilus

A black cowboy hat and tight Wrangler jeans isn’t exactly what you’d expect to see on the cover of a hip-hop rec­ord. But as Brooklyn-born MC Theophilus London sees it: “It’s not about hip-hop.”

The cover for his debut album, “Timez Are Weird These Days,” isn’t just a bold fashion statement, but also serves as an homage to the 1982 release by Leon Ware. London says Ware, best known for producing Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You” and writing a hit for Michael Jackson in 1972, has been a “huge inspiration” on his career.

Though his new record could comfortably sit next to releases by Lupe Fiasco or Kanye West, London has more eclectic influences ranging from The Smiths to German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk.

“This is bigger than just a rap record,” London says of his debut. “It’s taking pop-culture references and mashing them all together like a mad scientist would do.”

London has welcomed interesting collaborators into his musical lab, including TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek and Holly Miranda. “Rappers featuring rappers is boring,” he says simply.

He even brought in Sara Quin, half of the sister duo Tegan and Sara, to contribute to a track. “I love her music,” London says of Quin. “I wanted to take her out of her element and put her in my element.”

London never seems out of his element, whether he’s performing as the opening act for Nas or playing a cameo gig on the CW’s “90210.” But performing is just a small part of what’s on the horizon for the young star.

When asked about his plans beyond his current national club tour, London rattles off, “Another mixtape by the end of the year, a new EP at the start of next year, an album in the summer, [and] tons of collabs.”

Oh, and he’s putting out a line of jewelry through his LVRS clothing company. Each of the new pieces will look great with a black cowboy hat.

Lemonheads Revisit 'It's a Shame About Ray'

The Lemonheads
With the Shining Twins
Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 9 p.m.
Urban Lounge

If you’re too young to remember the early ’90s, here’s a quick history lesson: There were a bunch of scruffy dudes in Seattle who took Black Sabbath’s big riffs and added a few extra layers of fuzz and feedback. They wore Doc Martens and screamed a lot and the media found a catchy little title to describe it all: grunge.

But before, during and after grunge there was a band called The Lemonheads. In the late ’80s, the three-piece act from Boston was basically a punk band, in the vein of The Replacements or Hüsker Dü. While bands all around them started playing heavier music, the Lemonheads got softer.

In 1992, the band released “It’s a Shame About Ray,” an album of upbeat pop songs that stood in stark contrast to the teenage angst of the time.

Frontman (and the only constant band member) Evan Dando found a way to fit the world into songs that rarely made it past the two-minute mark. There were bouncy rockers, soft-hearted ballads and flirtations with country music. With the addition of a ramped up version of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson,” the album was the perfect package.

“It’s a Shame About Ray” should have been the start of big things for The Lemonheads. But it never happened. The Lemonheads released two solid post-“Ray” albums, but Dando’s descent into drug abuse became a distraction and led to the undoing of the band.

Fortunately, it wasn’t the end of Dando. After a long hiatus, he released an endearing solo album in 2003 before reviving The Lemonheads name for a self-titled record in 2006 and a covers album in 2009.

Nearly two decades later, things have come full circle. Dando is back on the road, performing “Ray” in its entirety. The tour may be a throwback to another era, yet the songs sound just as good as they did during the height of flannel and goatees.

Let’s hear it for second chances.