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.
Port St. Willow is the project of Nick Principe of Portland, OR, who says his album Even // Wasteland is “a record about standing in your own way.” After scrapping the origins of the project, Principe built it again from scratch. After an hour with Even // Wasteland (and knowing nothing of what came before), I still declare that it was well worth it. Read More »Port St. Willow: Even // Wasteland [Album Review]
I drove down to Seattle about mid-month in January, and in typical form my iPod was on shuffle. I had tossed a bunch of albums on it from my FensePost file, and was looking forward to some new tunes. One band in particular popped up a few times, with interesting synths, clean guitar licks and slightly higher pitched vocals. Each time, the band caught my ear, I had to check out who it was — and it was Jonquil. Read More »Jonquil: Fighting Smiles [mp3]
I’m finding it hard to get over how trippy this video is, and I’m not entirely convinced that’s a good thing. Case in point, I felt the same way about “Casual” by Here We Go Magic. That video was so raw and shocking, it made me look at the song… differently… for a while. And maybe that’s the problem. I’ve only listened to “Tiny Head” by The Luyas while watching the video. Read More »The Luyas: Tiny Head [Video]
There’s something about the music Virgin Of The Birds creates that is seemingly timeless. It’s absolute, in the present, yet it hints of a time long past. Perhaps it’s the simplicity of the songs, with poppy guitar melodies and an ever consistent percussion. The songwriting is where complexity dominates; a lyrical prowess filled with story-like mystery. This mystery has dominated the library Virgin Of The Birds has built. And you can hear it thoughout “They Wake”. Read More »Virgin Of The Birds: They Wake [Video]
To me, Mogwai‘s music, were I to pare it down to a single description, portrays a journey in progress. This video conveys that thought; there’s always that sense that something big will happen, whether or not it ultimately comes to pass. “How To Be A Werewolf” never reaches that anthemic moment, that climactic explosion, but it moves forward through life as would a calming daydream. Transcendence comes to pass and we are more aware of our existence through the experience. Read More »Mogwai: How To Be A Werewolf [Video]
BOAT is prepared to release their fourth album, Dress Like Your Idols, in March and we have here the first single from that album. The song is called “(I’ll Beat My Chest Like) King Kong” and it maintains BOAT’s wild throaty vocals, packed with a seemingly self-deprecating sarcasm and a penchant toward pop culture. It maintains those rockin’ guitar riffs and bouncy percussion. It maintains all those lovable rock hooks, catchy as all hell. Yet it’s slightly different from their past three releases — it’s more mature, refined a little bit, almost grown-up.
Read More »BOAT: (I’ll Beat My Chest Like) King Kong [mp3] 
Split releases are always a love-hate thing for me. On the love side, I’m always introduced to a new artist, such as Sam Humans in this case. Humans’ music is a modern style of biting folk rock, filled with wild guitar riffs. “Hate Is The New Love” begins this process with interesting, angular chords, which is heightened with eccentricities and improvised ferocity of “Firedrill”. This song takes the cake, pulling out all the experimental folk brilliance of artists like Royal City or the master Vic Chesnutt himself. Read More »The Heligoats / Sam Humans: Live Free & Let Loose [Album Review]
If there was anything that mesmerized me about last year’s We Built A Fire by Icelandic band Seabear, it was their ability to craft deep, heartfelt pop songs backed by heart-wrenching orchestral movements. At times their songs even come close to being upbeat. With Gem Club, upbeat isn’t an option. Like Seabear, Gem Club’s songs are orchestrated, but instead of percussion and guitars and full movements they focus solely on the strings of a cello and the keys of a piano. And they front the sounds these instruments make with wispy, longing vocals. Read More »Gem Club: Acid And Everything [Album Review]
In the first few moments of Fergus & Geronimo‘s “Where The Walls Are Made Of Grass”, we’re treated to a jazzy percussion and a cool, laid back upright bass line. This is the basis for the music Fergus & Geronimo create, blending genres in a most unique way. Rounding out the sound are odd vocal harmonies, folk-pop guitar hooks, and traces of an alto saxophone. Combined, they make up one of the most refreshing sounds we’ve heard in quite a while. Read More »Fergus & Geronimo: Where The Walls Are Made Of Grass [Video]
Slowwave astounds with mesmerizing hazy vocals, hypnotic echoing melodies, and the clash of indie pop and electronic pop. The band is the freshest thing to come from Tacoma, WA in a while and it’s about time. Nestled between the musical meccas of Seattle and Olympia, Tacoma should be a hotspot for unfettered undiscovered talent; Slowwave shows that it can, will be, and (at least in their case) is. “Pour” blends just enough of that northwest sound to be recognizable, while maintaining a sizable amount of locational and genre-specific ambiguity to be highly intriguing. Read More »Slowwave: Pour [mp3]
