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.
Breathe Owl Breathe is Micah Middaugh, Trevor Hobbs, and Andréa Moreno-Beals. Together they live in a cabin in rural Michigan, which means it must be getting pretty cold there this time of year; poised to just get colder. Their new album is called Magic Central and it’s a righteous title as the album is quite magical. But perhaps a better descriptor is unexpected. Read More »Breathe Owl Breathe: Own Stunts [Video]
They call it transcendental dance pop, which sounds pretty good to me. I’d add in hints of punk and plenty of noise to that description, though. Tunabunny is the latest great thing to come out of Athens, Georgia, a place that needs no introduction when it comes to great independent music. And their new self-titled LP is on Happy Happy Birthday To Me, a label that should also need no introduction. Read More »Tunabunny: I Miss You (You Miss Me Yes) [Video]
The Asteroid #4 are masters at psychedelic pop. It was rampant on the band’s fifth album, These Flowers Of Ours…,… Read More »The Asteroid #4: Ignition Slated For Eight [mp3]
Doing stuff in front of projection screens is nothing new in music videos. We’ve seen a few of these lately, and if you think real hard you can probably pull one or two out of your hat from years ago. The Fresh & Onlys give it a new vibe with their song “Waterfall”, especially in the creepy opening moments. Things quickly lighten up and the band jumps around wearing white while waterfalls gush projected on them and the screen behind. It’s colorful and fun and just dark enough to be interesting. Read More »The Fresh & Onlys: Waterfall [Video]
Megafaun has returned after last year’s Gather, Form, and Fly to give us their mini-album Heretofore, out now on Hometapes. On the new one, the band continues with their off-beat folk style, comparable to those they’ve toured with of late, from Bowerbirds to Akron Family to former band-mates Bon Iver. They’ve got a bit more energy though, and they’re a bit further out into the foothills and backwoods of rural America. Read More »Megafaun Returns with Heretofore [Feature]
From the remnants of Sarah Records and the twee movement come The Orchids, who have spent the past few decades mastering their craft. The band has a new record out now on Pebble Records, and their song “The Girl & The Soldier” comes from it. What makes the song so endearing is accompaniment by the Cairn String Quartet, who has also worked with Camera Obscura. The song itself is relaxed and laid back, soft and slow. It’s the perfect ballad for an indie pop slow dance, and nerds everywhere will rejoice upon hearing it. I know I did. Read More »The Orchids: The Girl & The Soldier [mp3]
Last month… actually, two months ago now that it’s officially November, Danish artist Bjarke Bendtsen released his debut album under the guise of The Migrant. That work is titled Travels In Lowland and it is a wonderful mix of pop and psychedelic folk. Bendtsen’s life seems a dream; he spent the past year traveling through the states with a guitar and a suitcase only to return to Denmark to record this album. And he did so from a cottage on the coast. That is, I assume, where the cover art comes from. Then he returned to the states to record his second, which we will see next year. Read More »The Migrant [Feature]
Just in time for Halloween comes La Sera‘s video for “Never Come Around.” The song finds Katy Goodman (formerly of Vivian Girls) enacting a massacre Dexter style, but without the vigilante-ism and with an eerie complacency. The video comes from the mind of Brady Hall, who also directed two for Vivian Girls — “When I’m Gone” and “Moped Girls.” This terrifying display of gruesomeness begs the question: why don’t more horror movies have pop soundtracks? If they did, the result would be much creepier and horrific than most of today’s ridiculous cinematic blood-baths. Read More »La Sera: Never Come Around [Video]
Creating a music video, in my opinion, should be about creating art. There are so many intricate elements that should go into a video that are so often left forgotten or, at least, unattended. First and foremost is the song itself — a video must compliment the art to which it is expanding from audio to video. Connecting the two is extremely important. Second is theme. The best videos have some storyline, vague or distinct. Or at least something visually interesting. Read More »25 Great Bands, 30 Great Music Videos
There’s something a little off about the music Troy Von Balthazar creates, and that’s a good thing because there’s also something a bit normal about it. The normal meets the slightly off; quite interesting. How To Live On Nothing is Von Balthazar’s latest work and it combines the standard traits of folk and pop and rock with bits that are slightly more original. How To Live On Nothing may, for the most part, be normal, but it’s the electronic and psychedelic subtleties Von Balthazar ads are what makes his music so interesting. Read More »Troy Von Balthazar: How To Live On Nothing [Album Review]
