Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Monday, June 1, 2009
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
The Belle(s) of The Ball
At this point it would probably be pretty redundant to go over again why I liked the following bands, so in the spirit of instant gratification, here's a quick little list of who I was most impressed by and an attempt to somehow forward you to a place where you can listen to their music since I haven't figured out/haven't attempted embedding mp3's yet.
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears:
By far the best discovery for me at SXSW. Here's their website. The main page has a music player on the top, start with 'Bitch, I Love You' and 'Gunpowder'.
Cursive:
From The Hips - Live on Letterman - off of Mama, I'm Swollen
Dorothy at Forty - off of Happy Hollow
A Gentleman Caller - off of The Ugly Organ
The Casualty - off of Domestica
The Avett Brothers:
Punk/Bluegrass. 'Nuff said.
Go to their Myspace and listen to 'Colorshow', the song that got me into them.
Two other gems off the same album are 'Talk on Indolence' (video here) and Distraction #74 (use the music player in the top right corner here)
The Thermals:
Lots of stuff to listen to on their myspace page. Start with Here's Your Future, We Were Sick, and Now We Can See
The Hold Steady:
Myspace. I was a late convert to liking this band. I just hadn't heard much of their stuff until the single Sequestered in Memphis came into the station. Start with that.
Marcy Playground:
Seriously, I know everyone is signing 'Sex and Candy' to themselves right now, but I was really impressed by these guys. Here's a song off the same album.
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears:
By far the best discovery for me at SXSW. Here's their website. The main page has a music player on the top, start with 'Bitch, I Love You' and 'Gunpowder'.
Cursive:
From The Hips - Live on Letterman - off of Mama, I'm Swollen
Dorothy at Forty - off of Happy Hollow
A Gentleman Caller - off of The Ugly Organ
The Casualty - off of Domestica
The Avett Brothers:
Punk/Bluegrass. 'Nuff said.
Go to their Myspace and listen to 'Colorshow', the song that got me into them.
Two other gems off the same album are 'Talk on Indolence' (video here) and Distraction #74 (use the music player in the top right corner here)
The Thermals:
Lots of stuff to listen to on their myspace page. Start with Here's Your Future, We Were Sick, and Now We Can See
The Hold Steady:
Myspace. I was a late convert to liking this band. I just hadn't heard much of their stuff until the single Sequestered in Memphis came into the station. Start with that.
Marcy Playground:
Seriously, I know everyone is signing 'Sex and Candy' to themselves right now, but I was really impressed by these guys. Here's a song off the same album.
Saturday Happenings
Who we saw:
Sky Larkin
Fastball
Anchorsong
Stereo Pony
Octopus Project
Efterklang
An Horse
Voxtrot
Backseat Goodbye
Marcy Playground
Notables:
Stereo Pony was an awesome example of straight ahead J-rock. The all-girl trio started off Japan Nite #2 in great fashion. And, as if they weren't cute enough as it was, knowing no English they read pre-translated messages to the audience in between songs along the lines of 'though we speak no English, we hope that we can share ourselves with you through our music. thank you.'
Caught the end of Efterklang's set on the way in to see An Horse and was very pleasantly suprised with what I heard.
Seeing Marcy Playground capped off our 1990's-early 2000's nostalgic trifecta (having already seen Third Eye Blind and Fastball), but there was a distinctly different feel to this show than the others. Where Third Eye Blind and Fastball both played relatively high profile venues (both being broadcast on tv), Marcy Playground came on stage a little after 1 am in a small courtyard nestled between two bars. The crowd was extremely strange, leaving me with the feeling that most didn't even really know who was about to come on stage. This show was one of the first that Marcy Playground has done in years and watching them was refreshing. It really felt like they were here to come out and play rock music. They made no effort to try and look younger or hip to make up for the fact that they were sick of playing the same songs over and over again. In fact, I think their hiatus did them good because they were able to play some of their older stuff with a grittyness that I think was missing in the very polished versions that Fastball and Third Eye Blind presented. Don't get me wrong, it was fun to see those two, but now that I have it's just kind of like, ok, that was interesting, but I have absolutely no need to see either of them again. Marcy Playground, on the other hand, can count on seeing me in the crowd next time they come through Boston.
Sky Larkin
Fastball
Anchorsong
Stereo Pony
Octopus Project
Efterklang
An Horse
Voxtrot
Backseat Goodbye
Marcy Playground
Notables:
Stereo Pony was an awesome example of straight ahead J-rock. The all-girl trio started off Japan Nite #2 in great fashion. And, as if they weren't cute enough as it was, knowing no English they read pre-translated messages to the audience in between songs along the lines of 'though we speak no English, we hope that we can share ourselves with you through our music. thank you.'
Caught the end of Efterklang's set on the way in to see An Horse and was very pleasantly suprised with what I heard.
Seeing Marcy Playground capped off our 1990's-early 2000's nostalgic trifecta (having already seen Third Eye Blind and Fastball), but there was a distinctly different feel to this show than the others. Where Third Eye Blind and Fastball both played relatively high profile venues (both being broadcast on tv), Marcy Playground came on stage a little after 1 am in a small courtyard nestled between two bars. The crowd was extremely strange, leaving me with the feeling that most didn't even really know who was about to come on stage. This show was one of the first that Marcy Playground has done in years and watching them was refreshing. It really felt like they were here to come out and play rock music. They made no effort to try and look younger or hip to make up for the fact that they were sick of playing the same songs over and over again. In fact, I think their hiatus did them good because they were able to play some of their older stuff with a grittyness that I think was missing in the very polished versions that Fastball and Third Eye Blind presented. Don't get me wrong, it was fun to see those two, but now that I have it's just kind of like, ok, that was interesting, but I have absolutely no need to see either of them again. Marcy Playground, on the other hand, can count on seeing me in the crowd next time they come through Boston.
The Biggest Rube in Austin...
Story Time:
So, it's Friday afternoon and Third Eye Blind are playing at the Austin Convention Center in the Lone Star Lounge, which is one of the SXSW Live! venues, which I mentioned in the previous post as being a venue used to broadcast various groups live on DirectTV.
This is what the place looked like:
Back to the story. Other than Lone Star, there was one other venue, directly next to it, that they used for the same purposes. Outside the two rooms, it was chaos. There were probably 5 or six different lines depending on if you had a badge, wristband, were part of the general public, and which show you wanted to go see. Problem was, no one knew which line was for what, and there were no SXSW or Convention Center people around to ask. I did see, though, a bunch of people with headsets further down the hall in the opposite direction of the venues, so I figured I'd go over and ask them what the deal was, and at the very least they could direct me to who would know, even if they didn't specifically.
I go up to the little group and ask which line is for Third Eye Blind. Right away one girl is staring at me kind of slack-jawed, while another starts giggling. Something's up. They ask me how much I like Third Eye Blind, now all of them kind of smirking/laughing to themselves. Great, music snobs. Whatever, I just want to get in the right line, so I say, 'Yes, I really like them and I've got all their albums, blah, blah, blah, now where the fuck is the right line!' (okay I may have just thought that last part to myself). Now one of the girls starts taking pictures of me. I have no idea what's going on, so I appeal to the guy standing to my left, he seems almost like he feels bad for me, and tells me where to stand. As I thank them, one of the girls with the headsets standing behind the guy, points to him and silently mouths, 'don't you know who this is?'
Embarrassment swept over me as I realized that he must be part of the band. I quickly thanked them and turned tail and walked to the back of the line, only to have the same headset girl who clued me in come over to me in line to make sure that not only was I talking to someone in the band, but it was the lead singer! Oh boy.
In my defense, I stand by the fact that I'm a big fan of their music, and for that very reason I don't feel that bad about what happened; I'm a fan of their music. I never really payed attention to what they looked like, and never having seen them in concert I never had a chance to see them up close and personal. Still, I think it makes for a pretty funny story.
Has anyone else had any embarrassing/awesome stories of running into musicians/celebrities? If so, comment away!
So, it's Friday afternoon and Third Eye Blind are playing at the Austin Convention Center in the Lone Star Lounge, which is one of the SXSW Live! venues, which I mentioned in the previous post as being a venue used to broadcast various groups live on DirectTV.
This is what the place looked like:
Back to the story. Other than Lone Star, there was one other venue, directly next to it, that they used for the same purposes. Outside the two rooms, it was chaos. There were probably 5 or six different lines depending on if you had a badge, wristband, were part of the general public, and which show you wanted to go see. Problem was, no one knew which line was for what, and there were no SXSW or Convention Center people around to ask. I did see, though, a bunch of people with headsets further down the hall in the opposite direction of the venues, so I figured I'd go over and ask them what the deal was, and at the very least they could direct me to who would know, even if they didn't specifically.
I go up to the little group and ask which line is for Third Eye Blind. Right away one girl is staring at me kind of slack-jawed, while another starts giggling. Something's up. They ask me how much I like Third Eye Blind, now all of them kind of smirking/laughing to themselves. Great, music snobs. Whatever, I just want to get in the right line, so I say, 'Yes, I really like them and I've got all their albums, blah, blah, blah, now where the fuck is the right line!' (okay I may have just thought that last part to myself). Now one of the girls starts taking pictures of me. I have no idea what's going on, so I appeal to the guy standing to my left, he seems almost like he feels bad for me, and tells me where to stand. As I thank them, one of the girls with the headsets standing behind the guy, points to him and silently mouths, 'don't you know who this is?'
Embarrassment swept over me as I realized that he must be part of the band. I quickly thanked them and turned tail and walked to the back of the line, only to have the same headset girl who clued me in come over to me in line to make sure that not only was I talking to someone in the band, but it was the lead singer! Oh boy.
In my defense, I stand by the fact that I'm a big fan of their music, and for that very reason I don't feel that bad about what happened; I'm a fan of their music. I never really payed attention to what they looked like, and never having seen them in concert I never had a chance to see them up close and personal. Still, I think it makes for a pretty funny story.
Has anyone else had any embarrassing/awesome stories of running into musicians/celebrities? If so, comment away!
(three) Friday('s ago) Happenings
OK, so maybe I wasn't as prepared for coming back to school as I thought.
Friday and Saturday were pretty hectic, so I was planning on just writing about them when we got back from Texas, but taking a week off for SXSW in the midst of midterms and class projects starts to look like a little less of a great idea on the flight home at 1:30 Monday morning when you've got class later that day. So here we are, about two weeks after SXSW ended and I'm still only up to Friday :/
Anyway, here's the rest of our adventures in a slew of hastily written posts before I forget any more details.
Who we saw on Friday:
Moth!Fight!
Bear Hands
Crystal Antlers
Cursive
The Thermals
The Hold Steady
Third Eye Blind
Dananananakroyd
Camera Obscura
Paper Chase
Sarah Jaffee
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
Notables:
Good God I Love Cursive! Even though the sound was a bit off (the backup vocals were WAY louder than lead) this has to be one of the best shows I've gone to so far. Between the 1/2 set we caught on Thursday and the whole set we got yesterday I heard almost all the major songs I was looking forward to.
The Thermals, again, were wholly satisfying, and to have them followed directly by The Hold Steady was seemed like the perfect continuation.
Third Eye Blind played in a venue used to shoot live concerts this week for DirectTV. It was a little strange being in a huge room with cameras whizzing by on cranes throughout the whole set, but it certainly succeeded in providing me my Third Eye Blind fix. It's got to be tough for a band like them, who most know almost exlusively from radio singles, to be expected to play the same songs over and over again, but I think they did a good job of spreading the field. By the end of it all I think they played 2 songs from each album, as well as a couple new ones. No 'semi-charmed life', although I'm pretty sure I saw a girl crying next to me during 'Jumper'. All in all it was an enjoyable experience even with a good deal of humiliation mixed in; more to come on that topic later...
Dananananakroyd, unlike Moth!Fight!, had the balls to back up their obnoxious name. Though I'm normally not a fan of the screaming-style of singing, but this group just looked like they were having so much fun on stage it was impossible not to become infected by it. Most of the time they had two lead singers, but on multiple songs, one of the singers (both of them could do this) would sit in on a second, full-sized drum kit and join in with the band flawlessly.
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears brought it again, proving that their performance at the paste party a couple days earlier was far from a fluke, but rather was indicative of their ease in bringing a high energy and booty-shake-inducing set to any venue.
Friday and Saturday were pretty hectic, so I was planning on just writing about them when we got back from Texas, but taking a week off for SXSW in the midst of midterms and class projects starts to look like a little less of a great idea on the flight home at 1:30 Monday morning when you've got class later that day. So here we are, about two weeks after SXSW ended and I'm still only up to Friday :/
Anyway, here's the rest of our adventures in a slew of hastily written posts before I forget any more details.
Who we saw on Friday:
Moth!Fight!
Bear Hands
Crystal Antlers
Cursive
The Thermals
The Hold Steady
Third Eye Blind
Dananananakroyd
Camera Obscura
Paper Chase
Sarah Jaffee
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears
Notables:
Good God I Love Cursive! Even though the sound was a bit off (the backup vocals were WAY louder than lead) this has to be one of the best shows I've gone to so far. Between the 1/2 set we caught on Thursday and the whole set we got yesterday I heard almost all the major songs I was looking forward to.
The Thermals, again, were wholly satisfying, and to have them followed directly by The Hold Steady was seemed like the perfect continuation.
Third Eye Blind played in a venue used to shoot live concerts this week for DirectTV. It was a little strange being in a huge room with cameras whizzing by on cranes throughout the whole set, but it certainly succeeded in providing me my Third Eye Blind fix. It's got to be tough for a band like them, who most know almost exlusively from radio singles, to be expected to play the same songs over and over again, but I think they did a good job of spreading the field. By the end of it all I think they played 2 songs from each album, as well as a couple new ones. No 'semi-charmed life', although I'm pretty sure I saw a girl crying next to me during 'Jumper'. All in all it was an enjoyable experience even with a good deal of humiliation mixed in; more to come on that topic later...
Dananananakroyd, unlike Moth!Fight!, had the balls to back up their obnoxious name. Though I'm normally not a fan of the screaming-style of singing, but this group just looked like they were having so much fun on stage it was impossible not to become infected by it. Most of the time they had two lead singers, but on multiple songs, one of the singers (both of them could do this) would sit in on a second, full-sized drum kit and join in with the band flawlessly.
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears brought it again, proving that their performance at the paste party a couple days earlier was far from a fluke, but rather was indicative of their ease in bringing a high energy and booty-shake-inducing set to any venue.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Thursday Happenings
For as good as Wednesday was, we got tripped up a little bit on Thursday. I think we got cocky. Wednesday was very easy to jump from party to party and we got to see everyone we set out to see. Yesterday was all about standing in lines. I hate lines.
The day started off great, with free BBQ and drinks at a Memphis Music Party, but as we went to make our next move, things started degenerating. We got to the Paste party about an hour an a half before who we wanted to see went on (rookie move) and ended up waiting that long just to get in (the place was at capacity, so badge or not you had to wait for people to leave before they let more in).
So we get in and Cursive was already about halfway through their set, which translates to us hearing about three songs from them. It's kind of a mix of good and bad. The bad was obviously that we didn't see the whole set, but of what we did see a) was great and b) decided it for me that I have to see them again before this week is over.
We also caught what I think is the last time the Avett Brothers are playing here and they brought it just the same as the previous night at Stubbs. Even through technical difficulties (couldn't seem to get rid of feedback from the standup bass) they still were great, debuting a song off their upcoming album that I will definitely be picking up.
Saw a couple things later on, but nothing too noteworthy. However, in the spirit of full disclosure, I did see an artist who used pre-recorded backing tracks that I wasn't morally offended by (see: Ladyhawke review in previous post). I think the big difference was that this was one guy (Colin Munroe) who wrote, produced, performed, mastered, etc., etc, his own album. On the album he did everything, but physically couldn't do it all on stage. He had a friend play guitar, he played drums/keys and sang, and used a laptop for the extra flourishing touches. That may have been part of it as well, the fact that the recorded stuff he did play was intended to fill out the compositions, rather than other groups having their main melodies, or even main vocals (!), pre-recorded.
A last note on waiting in line, though it was a drag, Marybeth is now sporting a pretty gnarly t-shirt tan. Hilarious.
Below: Pictures of Colin Munroe before security came over and asked for my photo credentials
The day started off great, with free BBQ and drinks at a Memphis Music Party, but as we went to make our next move, things started degenerating. We got to the Paste party about an hour an a half before who we wanted to see went on (rookie move) and ended up waiting that long just to get in (the place was at capacity, so badge or not you had to wait for people to leave before they let more in).
So we get in and Cursive was already about halfway through their set, which translates to us hearing about three songs from them. It's kind of a mix of good and bad. The bad was obviously that we didn't see the whole set, but of what we did see a) was great and b) decided it for me that I have to see them again before this week is over.
We also caught what I think is the last time the Avett Brothers are playing here and they brought it just the same as the previous night at Stubbs. Even through technical difficulties (couldn't seem to get rid of feedback from the standup bass) they still were great, debuting a song off their upcoming album that I will definitely be picking up.
Saw a couple things later on, but nothing too noteworthy. However, in the spirit of full disclosure, I did see an artist who used pre-recorded backing tracks that I wasn't morally offended by (see: Ladyhawke review in previous post). I think the big difference was that this was one guy (Colin Munroe) who wrote, produced, performed, mastered, etc., etc, his own album. On the album he did everything, but physically couldn't do it all on stage. He had a friend play guitar, he played drums/keys and sang, and used a laptop for the extra flourishing touches. That may have been part of it as well, the fact that the recorded stuff he did play was intended to fill out the compositions, rather than other groups having their main melodies, or even main vocals (!), pre-recorded.
A last note on waiting in line, though it was a drag, Marybeth is now sporting a pretty gnarly t-shirt tan. Hilarious.
Below: Pictures of Colin Munroe before security came over and asked for my photo credentials
Thursday, March 19, 2009
First day in the books and my legs already want to fall off (standing room only)
Ok, so our first two days in Austin have been pretty hectic, what with our plane being canceled and having to reschedule, picking up badges, a little bit of sleep, a full first day of concerts, and more little-bit-of-sleeping, so forgive me for not going too in-depth right now, but here's a little re-cap of our first day. Also, amateur photography of the shows to follow at some point....
Here's the master list of bands we saw on Wednesday:
Lemurs
Amanda Palmer
Port O'Brian
Loney Dear
Black Joe Lewis
Marnie Stern
The Thermals
Ladyhawke
Heartless Bastards
The Avett Brothers
The Decemberists
Notables:
Lemurs actually brought us in from the street. As you might know, SXSW turns virtually every building that has space for a drum kit and a couple amps into a venue from about 11:30am to 2am the following morning. While we were walking around trying to find some food, we heard them playing, stopped in for a couple songs, and got some free swag in the process. I'm looking forward to hopefully catching another set of theirs later in the week.
Amanda Palmer represented Boston well with an energetic set with only her and a piano on stage. (yes, I realized I am horrible at reviews, but I stand by my neandrathal-like statements of 'they good/not so good')
Black Joe Lewis is a contender for best set of the day. A full band with keys and a horn section, they were incredibly fun and entertaining to watch.
The Thermals put on a solid, if quick, set.
Wasn't impressed with Ladyhawke. It's hard to get into a band that is obviously using a backing track (main synth melodies on many of their songs played with no keys player on stage, as well as the chorus on their final songs recording overpowering the actual singers voice), when so many other bands are here that are doing all their own stuff. I understand using samples and whatnot, but they weren't even triggering their own pre-recorded media. I found myself paying more attention to picking out what wasn't actually being played by the band than actually listening to the group as a whole.
The Avett Brothers provided a great (but again, too short!) set that was incredibly intense and enjoyable with only the two lead singers/guitarists/banjo-ists/pianists/drummers (they're very versatile musicians) a cellist, and a stand-up bassist.
The Decemberists played a special set last night, consisting of their new album, The Hazards of Love, in its entirety. As a long-time Decemberists fan, it was cool to hear this, but at the same time I just wished it were a normal Decemberists show, where I could hear a mixture of songs from all of their albums. The encore, however, gave me a taste of the Decemberists I love, by ending the show with "I Was Meant for the Stage." [Marybeth]
Here's the master list of bands we saw on Wednesday:
Lemurs
Amanda Palmer
Port O'Brian
Loney Dear
Black Joe Lewis
Marnie Stern
The Thermals
Ladyhawke
Heartless Bastards
The Avett Brothers
The Decemberists
Notables:
Lemurs actually brought us in from the street. As you might know, SXSW turns virtually every building that has space for a drum kit and a couple amps into a venue from about 11:30am to 2am the following morning. While we were walking around trying to find some food, we heard them playing, stopped in for a couple songs, and got some free swag in the process. I'm looking forward to hopefully catching another set of theirs later in the week.
Amanda Palmer represented Boston well with an energetic set with only her and a piano on stage. (yes, I realized I am horrible at reviews, but I stand by my neandrathal-like statements of 'they good/not so good')
Black Joe Lewis is a contender for best set of the day. A full band with keys and a horn section, they were incredibly fun and entertaining to watch.
The Thermals put on a solid, if quick, set.
Wasn't impressed with Ladyhawke. It's hard to get into a band that is obviously using a backing track (main synth melodies on many of their songs played with no keys player on stage, as well as the chorus on their final songs recording overpowering the actual singers voice), when so many other bands are here that are doing all their own stuff. I understand using samples and whatnot, but they weren't even triggering their own pre-recorded media. I found myself paying more attention to picking out what wasn't actually being played by the band than actually listening to the group as a whole.
The Avett Brothers provided a great (but again, too short!) set that was incredibly intense and enjoyable with only the two lead singers/guitarists/banjo-ists/pianists/drummers (they're very versatile musicians) a cellist, and a stand-up bassist.
The Decemberists played a special set last night, consisting of their new album, The Hazards of Love, in its entirety. As a long-time Decemberists fan, it was cool to hear this, but at the same time I just wished it were a normal Decemberists show, where I could hear a mixture of songs from all of their albums. The encore, however, gave me a taste of the Decemberists I love, by ending the show with "I Was Meant for the Stage." [Marybeth]
Monday, March 16, 2009
It's Called Speed Stick...It's Not Expensive
Well, we're off to SXSW tomorrow!!! Thanks to everyone for suggesting shows to go to, and don't be afraid to mention anything you might hear of while we're out there too, cause we'll be checking in and posting (hopefully) at least once a day.
We figured we'd leave you with a couple cool things that we've come across in getting ready for this trip, so enjoy!
The Chap - Proper Rock
Colourmusic - Put In A Little Gas
Clemits - Whut Chu' Got To Lose
Common Market - Trouble Is
Sky Larkin - Fossil, I
Marco Benevento Trio - Atari
and last but not least,
Bomani Armah - Read A Book
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Call To Action
So, as we said earlier, we need your help! SXSW in Austin is one of the best music conferences in the world for independent artists and we will be trying to see as many acts as possible during our time there. We've been listening to the official sxsw radio, looking through show listings, and scouring other blogs and websites for day parties and unofficial shows, but with so many things going on, there's bound to be things we're missing.
We are incredibly lucky to be able to go to this festival for WRBB, so we want to make the best of it. This is where you come in. Check out SXSW's official list of bands here and tell us anyone who you think we need to see and why! ANY and ALL of your comments will be appreciated!
To get things started, below is a list of who we are excited about on our first glances at the main listings:
Dan:
Abstract Rude
Cage
Cursive
The Hold Steady
Marcy Playground
P.O.S.
Reflection Eternal
Third Eye Blind
The Thermals
Yak Ballz
Marybeth:
Bishop Allen
Andrew Bird
Black Lips
Camera Obscura
THE DECEMBERISTS
Earlimart
Okkervil River
Superdrag
The Thermals
The Wrens
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