Andy Fenstermaker is a music lover, writer, marketing professional, and entrepreneur who has dedicated his life to sharing his passion for music with others. He is the founder of FensePost, a renowned music blog that has been sharing the latest and greatest in indie music since 2006. Andy has always been fascinated by the power of music to connect people, and he started FensePost with the aim of sharing his love of music with others. Andy developed a passion for music at a young age. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Andy grew up surrounded by a vibrant music scene that left an indelible mark on him. He attended Washington State University, where he studied Communication and Business. He holds a BA in Communication and a Masters in Business Administration. After graduating, Andy started writing about music and created FensePost as the outlet. The blog has a strong focus on indie music, but also covers a range of other genres including folk, indie pop, psychedelic, garage rock, and experimental. Andy and the blog relocated to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in 2020.
In retrospect, Fishboy‘s Albatross should have garnered my #1 album slot for 2007. Seriously: the album remains one of the most-listened-to albums even today. The oft dubbed Twee Rock Opera was a truly brilliant concoction. And, as front-man Eric Michener quietly hints at a follow-up, he releases Nom, a nine-song EP consisting of rejects from the original concept album. Read More »Fishboy: Nom [Album Review]
There are times where you just need some good ol’ fashioned classic rock. But the classics can sometimes get a bit stale — after all, they’ve been sitting gathering dust or wear for decades. I guess that’s the attraction of a band like The Lonely H; their music has the gritty rock sound of the 70s south, but it’s fresh in that it’s new. Read More »The Lonely H: Concrete Class [Album Review]
Megafaun (MySpace) was originally birthed from the remnants of DeYarmond Edison and released Bury The Square in 2007. Gather, Form & Fly is the follow-up to that widely-hailed album, and it warrants all the hype one can give. The band consists of Joe Westerlund and brothers Phil and Brad Cook. The main Edison absentee is Justin Vernon, who now goes by Bon Iver. Despite Iver’s greatness, there’s a lot to be said about these three — the music they create, in my opinion, is just as great as For Emma and Blood Bank. Read More »Megafaun: Gather, Form & Fly [Album Review]
I must say, I’m quite obsessed with a few select songs off Royal City‘s latest release, 1999-2004. Those tracks are 1) “Here Comes Success”, thanks to its eclectic guitar breakdown toward the end of the tune, and 2) “Bad Luck” due to a clever lead guitar riff. 1999-2004 is an album of rarities and b-sides collected over the tenure of this short-lived band. Read More »Royal City [Feature Band]
OK, this may be an odd question: How would a mash-up between Rasputina and Tilly And The Wall sound? It’s hard to think about as one would believe the result would be a bit awkward. But it’s not; just listen to “Sleep” by Blue Rabbit. There’s the dark cello, a Rasputina signature. And pop-riddled vocals are sung by multiple individuals in a manner quite like Tilly And The Wall. And here’s the kicker: it works, and it works well. Read More »Blue Rabbit [Feature Band]
Songs like “Young Sensualists” and “Yucatan Gold” off Throw Me The Statue‘s debut LP Moonbeams were, in my opinion, far greater in depth and personality than the song that initially garnered them fame: “Lolita”. Thus is often the curse of the first single; luckily their sophomore follow-up to Moonbeams debuts with “Ancestors”, a song that has just as much character as the aforementioned greats off Moonbeams. The new release is dubbed Creaturesque and will find a comfortable home yet again on Secretly Canadian. Read More »Throw Me The Statue: Ancestors [Album Preview]
Railcars is Aria Jalali and his music is heavily influences by that of Jamie Stewart of Xiu Xiu. Stewart, in fact, mixed Jalali’s debut single, Cities Vs. Submarines, a fact we noted in the FensePost feature of Railcars. Railcars’ latest release appears to continue in a similar vein with noise-ridden instrumentation and wild, piercing yelps. Read More »Railcars: Passion Of St. Edmund (Rebirth) [FensePost Exclusive/Debut]
Mat Brooke has long been a favorite musician of mine, back from the days of Carissa’s Wierd. From there he partnered with fellow Wierder Ben Bridwell in Band Of Horses, but his participation with the Horses was short lived. He dropped out of the band to focus on Grand Archives (MySpace) as well as his Seattle bar, Redwood. So the latest is that Grand Archives are prepping to give us the follow-up to their 2008 self-titled debut. Read More »Grand Archives: Silver Among The Gold [Album Preview]
The Cubists set up Mechanical Advantage with the outstanding “Fire In The Backyard”, a song that swirls between the realm of pop and epic rock with catchy hooks and a wild guitar solo or two. Then The Cubists drop into the slow and dreamy “The Orchestra Breathes”. It brings in electronic elements, draped over the percussion that picks up double-time as the song continues.
Read More »The Cubists: Mechanical Advantage [Album Review] 
After receiving London Bridges in the mail from Ivy League‘s Ryland Blackinton, I excitedly ripped open the package to find an album with quite interesting cover art. My sole thought was this: how odd. But only after cracking the jewel case to find a web address for the artist, Hope Gangloff, did I understand the power behind the drawing. Read More »This Is Ivy League: Ivy League [Album Review]
