2009.09.17
New discs from Kat Mills, Bug, Kevin Selfe and the Tornadoes
Technically, only one of these CDs is local, but more about that later.
> Kat Mills, a coffeehouse and FloydFest favorite, has a new CD out. It's called "Townie" (Sweet Cut Music) and you can find it via her Web site, katmills.com. I haven't had a chance to listen to it, but knowing her music and live performances relatively well, I'm guessing it's a laid-back, folkie affair with strong lyrics and confident performances. Mills herself wrote in an e-mail: "I made this one in Virginia, and it's got a nice homey, live, back-porch feel."
Next, let's check in on a couple of musicians who used to ply their trade around the valleys but have since moved to Oregon.
> James Miley was a jazz instructor for a while at Virginia Tech, but he's since joined the faculty at Willamette University, in Salem, Ore. He continues Bug, a band with his guitar-playing brother, Jeff Miley. Check out their new record, "The Gadfly" (Origin) at bugtet.com. This is a great bunch of players.
> Kevin Selfe is a friend of the late and (sometimes) lamented TimesCast. Selfe, who has a degree in meteorology from N.C. State, is a bluesman by trade, and he would come over to our studio, talk about the weather and play some tasty blues licks. That segment was a favorite of mine. For the past couple of years, Selfe has been in Portland, Ore., where he has embedded himself nicely into that town's roots scene.
Selfe took his guitar, his harmonica and his band name, The Tornadoes, with him. The act is releasing a new record, "Playing The Game." You know what to expect from Selfe -- tight and tasty playing, and a solid backing band -- you can hear that on this record. Release date is Oct. 2. More info at kevinselfe.com.
