Jen’s Music Picks for April 2008.

Here are a few audible gems that I have come across that may get you through the month of April. I decided to mix things up a bit with a variety of music genres. Enjoy!

For those that like rock/metal check out the Austin, Texas quartet known as ‘The Sword’. Go ahead and place your thumb across your middle and ring finger as your index and pinky fingers reach for the sky. ‘The Sword’ will rock your socks off in the same vain as Black Sabbath and Metallica. Their latest endeavor Gods of the Earth was released March 24, 2008 on Kemado records. ‘The Sword’ will rock The Casbah on April 17, 2008, this show will most likely sell out.

Next, from the land down under, the electronic trio ‘Cut Copy’ released their newest album In Ghost Colours on March 22, 2008. ‘Cut Copy’ started out as a solo project back in 2001 by DJ Dan Whitford. ‘Cut Copy’ just began their tour on March 30, 2008 in Australia. The band will have one stop in London before they start the U.S. leg of their tour on April 25, 2008 at the Coachella Valley Arts & Music Festival in Indio, CA.

Sophomore efforts tend to make or break a band but ‘The Raconteurs’ managed to take their sophomore effort Consolers of the Lonely to a level that shows growth from their debut album. ‘The Raconteurs’ are members of ‘The Greenhornes’, Brendan Benson and Jack White (a.k.a. Jack White III) of ‘The White Stripes’. Brendan Benson produced ‘The Greenhornes’ albums and splits producing and writing credits with Jack White in ‘The Raconteurs’. Because of a leak, the release of their album was set for an earlier date. Consolers of the Lonely was released on March 25, 2008. ‘The Raconteurs’ will play The Coachella Valley Arts & Music Festival on April 25, 2008.

And looking ahead…towards the end of April, local band ‘The Night Marchers’ will release their debut full length album See you in Magic on April 22, 2008 (Swami and Vagrant Records). ‘The Night Marchers’ are; John Reis (Drive Like Jehu,Hot Snakes, Rocket From the Crypt, etc.), guitarist Gar Wood (Hot Snakes, Beehive and the Barracudas), drummer Jason Kourkounis (Hot Snakes, Mule, Delta 72), and bassist Tommy Kitsos (CPC Gangbangs).

Tour dates have just been announced in support of See you in Magic and ‘The Muslims’ will open for ‘The Night Marchers’ a majority of the time. The tour kicks off on April 25, 2008 in Arizona and the band will make a stop at home in San Diego at The Casbah on April 26, 2008. You can save money on surcharges by purchasing your tickets here: http://thenightmarchers.ducatking.com/.

Band Watch: Check out ‘Birthday Suits’. This duo from Minnestota recently killed it at Bar Pink Elephant. According to guitarist and singer Hideo, “we just released two split 7″s, one w/ The Blind Shake on Learning Curve Records and another one w/ Peelander-Z on Crustacean Records. We’ll most likely record a new album this year.”

Tags: april music picks, birthday suits, cut copy, in ghost colours, jen correia, the night marchers, the raconteurs, the sword