SSM Spotlight: The Caves and Nathan W. McKee

The Caves are a "post-indie" band from Kansas City that weave mellow semi-acoustic tunes about growth, decay, and deceit. Bassist/Producer/Engineer David Gaumé is an old friend of SSM. The band is rounded out by Andrew Ashby (Guitar, Voice), Elizabeth Bohannon (Keys, Percussion, Voice) and Jake Cardwell (Drums, Percussion). A highly recommended EP has just been completed. Head on over to their Myspace for some sample tracks. For KC-area listeners and internet seekers, you can catch them live on 96.5 on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 (about 9:00 a.m. CST).

The Shadowbox #1- The Caves from Gnarly Enterprises on Vimeo.

Also happening this week is a free EP from Nathan W. McKee. The release is entitled For Leanne Marshall's Runway and compiles the tracks McKee composed for her shows. This work is a densely electronic affair, reminiscent of Four Tet and about half of TNT. McKee's next release apparently features vocals (but whose vocals is unclear). Download the EP here.

New Music: Nathan McKee - "Cookie Breath"

Not sure how many SSM readers caught the finale for Project Runway Season 5, but if you did, there's a good chance you're wondering about the awesome track that anchored winner Leanne Marshall's final collection runway show. The song is called "Cookie Breath" and it was composed and performed by Nathan McKee, Marshall's boyfriend, who may go by the stage name "William Holley".

Employing "guitars, clarinet, voice and magic", it is a track that beautifully layers organic and looped sound elements, traversing its way through an experimental wonderland. It's unclear what else McKee has in his bag of tricks, but he apparently made a "folk-pop" album last year that will be available online soon, so keep an eye out for that.

Listen to an edit of "Cookie Breath" on McKee's MySpace or do the guy a favor and plunk down $1.20 for the full-length mp3. C'mon, the economy's not that bad!