"Ringing For The Begin Again" - Elfin Saddle

Photo: Pamela Willis

A record I bought at the Northside festival, RINGING FOR THE BEGIN AGAIN has been sneaking up on me slowly, from a long way away. I had noticed it briefly, catching glimpses during truncated listening sessions and on random playlists. Now directly behind me, over me, I feel its presence; I feel folky and Siberian. I have been listening to the record all day, enjoying its mix of Japanese and English lyrics, allowing it to interrupt and do a dance around everything else I have been up to, transported to the lush, verdured world that Elfin Saddle creates. The trio were my dark horse band at the Northside Festival, playing some crazy slot - first opening band for Sunset Rubdown or something similar. I was impressed enough to tote a 12 inch record around for the rest of the night, but it's a difficult record to review. Both members of the band are artists in many respects, and I can sense an exploration in the music, something similar to the visual art they both create. I can hear influences without HEARING the influences. The folk instrumentation, sound arrangements, and beautiful calling vocals are all great, but whatever the extra thing is - the honest artful gumption - that's what gets my toes tapping. I think this is a beautiful, positive record, the accomplishments of which are impressive and enjoyable.

Check out the art of Emi Honda and Jordan McKenzie (the band). And also watch this video of their performance from Northside 2009. This is my favorite track from the record.

"Sakura" by Elfin Saddle download mp3 (with permission)

Buy Elfin Saddle records!!

The cover art is done by the band. Of course!!

Lázaro Valiente in Brooklyn

Friday night I found myself in Brooklyn. It turned out that I had to sneak back into the City for this and that, of course I did not have my video camera with me. I don't think I have ever regretted it so much! After an always excellent nosh at The Flying Cow, we took the short stroll to Zebulon.

A Kronenbourg or two in, as I was familiarizing myself with the space, I became extremely curious about the music. Tables of props and instruments were spilling from the tiny stage; I wasn't even sure that what we were about to see was going to be music. Here is a list of a few items of note to get across what I mean: a hairdryer hanging inverted from a mic stand, a demonic drumming bear toy, the digital 1990's alarm clock we all hate for its mundane and thoughtless beep beep beep, clearly mic'd up. Everything indicated a band, so when Mauricio Pastrana hit the stage alone and began the opening drum solo, I continued to wait for others to join in. The evening went on like this. I never really figured out what was happening, even at the end of the night when the "band" did indeed join in. They appeared to be people from the crowd who just volunteered. "I really need a band for this one. Does anyone want to play anything? Are there any drummers here?" etc. Being in Brooklyn, it was a strangely tight impromptu.

The music itself, whether coming through two cell phones apparently calling each other, amidst the humming hair-dryer-pendulum, or being played completely in reverse at the conclusion, always has this comforting acoustic guitar and voice that seem to emerge from the radio noises and dreamy xylophone. It's like struggling with the radio dial, trying to find that pretty little crackling song that is barely coming through, while you drive across some scorched uninhabitable stretch. It's hard to characterize, but it's enjoyable to allow the extreme shifts to seed one another. The hated alarm clock has become one of my favorite sounds - at the right time it brings such a sweet sense of order and rhythm.

Needless to say, I grabbed one of three records that he had left, and I have been listening to it heavily on the long drive up to Maine. I think one should definitely get his/her hands on one, but it strikes me as much more a companion to the whole LV experience, analogous to the sing-a-long melodies that underlie the music itself. A record without a show seems aborted, and vice versa. Apart from the disc, I received in the packaging some Mexican candy and a Batman figurine who seems to have been poured from a dented mold. The superhero aura seems much less majestic when the hero's collagen appears to be failing - or perhaps he is out for his last adventure. Only having a few discs ready seems forgivable, when the artist hand stitches each case, which I found when I opened the netting that kept the whole bundle in congress.

The Times likened LV to the "Mexican cousin of Devendra Banhart," which I can see after really listening to the record. I personally have never seen a Devandra Banhart show, so I am unqualified to comment, but I would be surprised if any live show is comparable to this. He only has only more NYC show: he will be scoring a film at CINEMA 16, which takes place at The Bell House in Gowanus on August 9th. I am really looking forward to that.

"Alfombran El Día" by Lázaro Valiente download mp3 (with permission)
Buy Lázaro Valiente Records!!
Download a free EP!!

"Little Brite" by Sleep Whale

My girlfriend just walked in. "Is that Sleep Whale?" she asked, flicking a look at the radio. That particular question always seems to come from a smiling face. It's somehow more telling than exposition, which I feel to be my duty, however unprepared I may be. Instrumental music can be in any language, and it can be about anything. It is not information you are privy to, unless you take the constraints of the title and confine your imagination to that. Firstly, how boring. And also, we have to keep in mind WHY the artist chooses this to be the case - something cynicism and ignorance often prevents.

LITTLE BRITE should be the first thing you hear when you get up in the morning, all the way through. It's only about 25 minutes of music, but listen to the whole thing while you perform your morning ritual. See if you don't instantly find yourself to be part of a performance, no matter how square. See if you don't think positively about potential situations, or if you have creative impulses or your own, see if you don't feel something new added to them. If you don't, then several things may be true about you: a particular type of blanket hatred might be preventing you from enjoying yourself, a suicidal depression might be the reason your life is nearing its conclusion (Beware!), you might be literally dead already. In any case, I will mourn for you; I will also wonder what you are doing reading this blog - go and quit your job! With their new release on Western Vinyl, you have to believe Sleep Whale are soon to be adorning the background ubiquitously. Setting their musical sights the way they do, I can't wait to see how the nagging practicalities of the music biz affect them. Will they tour? Will they play at NuBlu in NYC with Opsvik and Jennings? That would be a show!

"Josh Likes Me" by Sleep Whale download mp3 (with permission)

Buy Sleep Whale's Records!!

"Christine" - Magic and Fur

I am a little bit uneasy about an official hiatus from the blog during my holiday, so I have resolved to dip into my review stack, which has climbed to a unstable height. I realize a lot of these bands and records are not as new as they once were, but this sort of situation is a perfect time to explore the unknown.

Magic and Fur are from Bradford, as far as I can tell. For those of you unfamiliar, this is a very nasty place in the North of England, near Leeds. Apart from Emily Bronte and the guy who opened my favorite pub in Houston, TX (The Red Lion), Magic and Fur are only the third good thing the town can boast (unless you count the birth of England's last hangman). In May, they released a single called "Christine" as part of the Too Pure Singles Club. If you have ever said "Holy crap I miss the days of Rough Trade and The Veils," then I think I have some good news for you.

"Christine" is a great love song that's catchy and that grows in my estimations the more I listen. Love songs aren't exactly rife at the moment; one isn't tripping over them. Magic & Fur have allowed me to indulge my insatiable brit-pop appetite without having to go way back in the stacks. It is too soon to call them "retro" - perhaps it is a re-birth. Add to that the fact that the tracks on MySpace that are unreleased are just as great, and you have cause to cheer. "Us" sounds like it could be a lost Go-Betweens record, while "Endgame" shows a competent downshift into a more solemn gear. All of it is tip-top, and the gents from the band have been working on even more tracks, which they are about to give away via their various on-line locales. Be sure to grab "Do Not Toll The Bell" (below) a little bit early.

The Too Pure Singles Club deserves a bit of press as well. It's basically a monthly unreleased 7 inch single from a different great unsigned band delivered right to your door for only 40 GBP per year! Finally, someone has the balls to taste-make again. We have all heard subscription schemes are gonna save all the folks in the Record Biz. I personally couldn't care less about them - let us just save the taste-makers! I am gonna join it as soon as payday comes, because it is only 45 GBP if you live outside the UK! That's half what I paid for my copy of the mega-deluxe IN RAINBOWS with 12 inch vinyl, cd, dvd, and a sample of Thom Yorke's peeled skin from his 2007 Benidorm holiday. If you are a friend of mine, then get ready to receive this for your birthday.

Here's the video for "Christine:"



"Do Not Toll The Bell" by Magic & Fur download mp3 (with permission)

Buy Magic and Fur's Records!!
Join the Too Pure Singles Club!!

Rosanne Cash in Norfolk, CT

I am officially on holiday from The City for a few months, which means I will be increasingly out of touch in Upstate New York, and then even more out of touch in Europe. When I get back, it will be time for the CMJ Music Marathon, and the first anniversary of this blog. *fist pumps* I will be taking my camera with me to Europe to catch as many shows there as I can, but while upstate, I am sans shows or cell phone reception. I did however find myself in Norfolk, CT last night, where they have this very pristine Victorian music hall, called INFINITY HALL. A mate of ours had some extra tickets to Rosanne Cash, and I was very hungry for some live music. Cash played an intimate set accompanied only by her partner, John Leventhal (pictured below supporting his Iron Pigs), and it was blissful to see The Man In Black's little girl charm and serenade a large crowd in a small town very near the center of nowhere.


The set comprised material from her latest release "Black Cadillac" as well as some beautiful classic country songs from her next project "The List." "Black Cadillac" is a solid folk record, with a really interesting production layer on it that makes it more dynamic than most modern folk records. Cash herself is a beautiful vocalist, as you can imagine, but I was particularly taken with her vocal performance live and her personal touch added to some of those classic covers. I particularly loved “Sea of Heartbreak” which is a duet w/ Bruce Springsteen on the upcoming record.

I have to admit I was probably the only person in town who knew nothing about Rosanne Cash, so you readers must excuse my "revelatory" tone. The story of "The List" puts a young Rosanne, just 18, on tour with her father. When asked about a number of what Johnny deemed "essential" songs, Rosanne's shrugs prompted him to hand write "100 essential AMERICAN songs" on a piece of paper. Having kept this homework assignment for some 30+ years, it seems Cash plans to release recordings of a dozen or so sometime in October of this year. It expect it will be a keeper.

Buy Rosanne Cash's Records!!
Buy Tickets to see the Iron Pigs!!

Terre, Sidiki, and Pablo Maybe

Last Monday, bright and early, the Living Room was hosting Terre, Sidiki, and Pablo Maybe as part of a month-long residency (something unique to the Living Room). Granted 7pm on a Monday is tough to get to for some, but I find Mondays to be the most pleasant night on the LES, completely free of imports. The show itself is a lovely mix of Sidiki's Guinean tunes with Terre's obviously more western influence. The result is a really solid and beautiful repertoire, both catchy, rythmic and at times quite complex in song structure (New York, Pakistan).

As it is Monday tonight, they will be on at 7pm. See if you can get out to see them; It is a unique LES experience, and if you see Pablo there on the Banjo, consider yourself lucky. The band name is somewhat literal. Terre is obviously of The Roches and Sidiki Conde is a fascinating guy, paralyzed from the waist down at at 13 or so, he became a dancer (re-choreographing all dances to be performed on the hands). He plays all traditional African instruments that you nearly never see (the bolong) and writes sweet melodies about the rain and the farmer's toil (in Guinean). I believe he is the artist in residence somewhere in Brooklyn, doing untold work with children etc. One of the best and sweetest human beings around from what I can tell. When wielding a bolong, he's all the more endearing.

* Unfortunately, apart from a live NPR recording, there is nothing to post in terms of sample tracks. These guys are just too new. Here are links to Terre's and Sidiki's music individually - Buy Terre Roche Records!! / Buy Sidiki Conde Records!!

Monday Night Music Club Recap

So last night was my unofficial birthday party at the Gramercy Theater, giving Monday Night Music Club a go. Great bands who aren't typical Live Nation acts (in fact they are quite good) pumped through the venues amazing system. They spared no expertise in the sound and lighting quality. For some of these bands, I know this was the biggest venue they have played, but no one would have known by the performances. A great time was had, and I always forget that the Gramercy theater has Newcastle Brown Ale in cans! Probably the only place on earth that you can see live music and have a 12 oz can of Newcy Brown outside of the Steel City itself. Indulgences like these are the icing.



Thanks to Gabe and Margaret for preventing my well-deserved trouncing at the door. Walking into a commercial venue with a video camera is like dangling a live electrical wire in front of a kitten.

"I Am Become Joy" by Adam Arcuragi

When the music festivals end and I wake up to find my shoes still on - sometimes my trousers - then a familiar cycle begins: long glances out the window, an impulse to wander, a lull in the blogging. All of the Northside music that saturated me has diminished in potency, no longer toxic to action, and now I am ready to resume. After a long break, reviewing Adam Arcuragi's record is a good way to get back in; a Glass Joe.

I AM BECOME JOY is his third, following a S/T debut and then a vinyl EP called SOLDIERS FOR FEET, the release of which was where I saw him perform for the first time. There is a common thread through the three: Gospel stylings, a huge band, choir parts, traditional folk instruments - all of the things that strengthen Adam's live performances. At SXSW, I saw a stripped-down, acoustic version of his material, which made me more aware of the thoughtful songwriting and the intense, poetic moments in the lyrics. Equally ubiquitous throughout his incipient catalog, THIS is predominantly why I am so fond of the songs and why I think Adam is not the typical gospel/folk singer.

I don't agree that "being a singer-songwriter is basically like walking around with a sandwich board that says 'I HAVE DICK LEPROSY',"* but I do understand that the popular indie taste of the moment is firmly in the Progressive corner. That being said, I AM BECOME JOY has the advantage of being one of the best things going in a unique variation of the S/S genre that makes it appealing to different types of music fans. I am often surprised at the reaction it gets from friends who play and listen to completely different genres: electronica kids, folk fans, mainstream music lovers too. It seems to be a little bit random, which I think is evidence that the underlying emotive nature of the sentiment is universally magnetic. Good, poetic songwriting can do it with one line; the only people immune to that are non-English speakers, and people who lack thoughts.

I am particularly pleased with how allusive it can get in the verses. References to Rimbaud, Absalom etc. are constantly sending me to Bullfinch or Wikipedia for a refresher. I like that. And a funny side note about the NYC release show for SOLDIERS FOR FEET: After Adam's 12-piece band got off stage, I whirled around on my bar stool, my own sort of indication at the conclusion that the show had been a success. Mike Doughty was sitting there semi-incognito, right next to me, and all I could do in that vulnerable moment was blurt out his name. It turned out he was doing a secret DJ set that night. After he calmly dodged my first exclamation with a slight tilt, my next (and first ACTUAL) line of speech was: "So I hear there is this weird DJ on next - is that who you are here for?" As obnoxious as I seemed unable to avoid being, he was very nice - a veteran under fire. He mentioned that he had enjoyed Adam's last song, confirming my glee. After that, I normalized, and we just talked about Angry Dave stage diving on the Jeff Buckley DVD - a subject he is asked about constantly.

Adam consequently has a gig tonight in New York: 8 pm at the Gramercy Theater. I believe he goes on 3rd of 5 acts (doors 7pm).

"She Comes To Me" by Adam Arcuragi download mp3 (with permission)

* from Adam's HIGH-TWO page.

Northside Festival - Day 3 Recap (part two)

Photo: Katz Hernandez


Photo: Katz Hernandez

SUSU managed to turn up the volume for the second half of the evening, and by the time Wild Yaks came on, I was out of film. It was just as well really, because the people were packed in so tight that I wouldn't have been able to get a good angle (or even raise my hand above my head). SUSU played tracks from their Win EP as well as a couple of new songs that I didn't recognize. The venue seemed to get darker and darker on film, so I had to get a little creative with the footage (notice the exposure all the way up). Here are "Seeing Octagons" and "Sawtooth" from the WIN EP






Photo: Katz Hernandez

Wild Yaks. What can I say about these guys? They are the absolute best band to close out a night. I know I organized the show, but I have never been so into the music at the very end of the night before. They just kept building and increasing everything. No one wanted them to stop. We didn't even hesitate breaking curfew, which bought us about 15 more minutes of Yak. I could have used another hour.


Photo: Katz Hernandez


Photo: Katz Hernandez


Photo: Katz Hernandez


Photo: Katz Hernandez


Thanks again everyone. Until next year.

Northside Festival - Day 3 Recap (part one)

photo: Katz Hernandez

Bad weather and a minor malfunction with the Casio digital watch couldn't stop us from rockin' out at the SS / Thru Windows Showcase Saturday night! Thanks so much to all of the bands for playing, and thanks to Bar Matchless and Northside collectively for entrusting me with this show. They clearly have no idea what a reckless decision that was, or they don't care. Either way, I applaud them, and I think we had one of the best shows of the Fest! I have posted some video below, there is more on Vimeo and YouTube.


photo: Katz Hernandez


photo: Katz Hernandez

Adam Arcuragi, who played our SXSW show, started it out early with some foot-stomping indie-gospel-folk-rock numbers. He has a new record called I AM BECOME JOY, which is coming out soon. I have a review copy that I can't stop listening to. Guitar, singing saw, singing chics, organ. That's difficult to beat. Here are "She Comes To Me" and "Bottom Of The River" from I AM BECOME JOY and "1981" from his first record (S/T).








photo: Katz Hernandez


photo: Katz Hernandez


photo: Katz Hernandez

Since touring down to SXSW and back, The Boy Bathing has been recording new material for an EP (untitled) to be released in the Fall. As it is the first Northside though, and The "L" Magazine has been so kind to them, we decided that we had to get them out for a show. They obliged. David and Co. rocked some tracks as well as a couple from A FIRE TO MAKE PREPARATIONS, released in 2008. Here are "Love Nothing" and from AFTMP, "The Questions Simple."

Northside Festival - Day 4

Day 4. As I spent most of the day uploading and editing video from our Showcase the previous night, I didn't make it out to Brooklyn until late afternoon. It seemed from the schedule that Public Assembly was the place to be, so we just camped there all night. The Bloodsugars, who we tried to book at SXSW opened it up at the Engine Room Recordings stage. I find this band very interesting in their arrangements and the overall musicality of each member. Seeing them live reveals that they also know how to shake their asses.





Dinosaur Feathers were next up on the big stage. I had only heard their MySpace page, which makes them sound sort of pop-ish. In person however they have a lot of interesting elements to their sound and a really rich 3 part harmony. I thought they put on a great show, and by the late stages of a music festival I am generally uncompromising about what I am going to stick around for. This is "History Lesson."



I was really bummed about running out of tape before Wild Yaks came on to headline our showcase, so I caught this song towards the end of their set at Public Assembly. Wild Yaks is an earthquake of a band.

Northside Festival - Day 3

Just a quick note: The Sitcom Serf / Thru Windows Showcase pics are not quite ready, so I will post this tomorrow or the next day. The video of all of the bands has been uploaded to the inter-web though, so check it out in the mean time.

Sitcom Serf on Vimeo
Sitcom Serf's YouTube Channel

Northside Festival - Day 2

Friday at Northside was for me six bands, two free Heineken, two reasonably priced / unreasonably sized pieces of pizza, four business cards, several ales at regular cost, one 12" record, one immaculate size 12 pair of Kangaroos and no hangover. I am realizing this morning that I came very close to festival perfection. The one blip being that I missed filming any of Sean Bones' set. In an effort to be more accommodating, I will sometimes ask a band when during the set they would prefer me to film (some are subtle about it, some aren't - Bryan Dunn). I must have missed the signal, because when I looked up at one juncture the band was already on their way out. Sorry Bones.

As for the rest of the performers: Elfin Saddle sold me a lovely 12" of their new record RINGING FOR THE BEGIN AGAIN. This was the only show on at 6:30pm, so it was difficult to get to. I am really glad I made it; they have a very beautiful style. Zaza gave me an out of body experience. The Rabbits played a great new song called "Song Of The South" (below) and Drink Up Buttercup gave me the perfect ending to the night. A lot of bands I missed of course, and for the rest I did see, I would rather let the video speak for itself:

Northside Festival - Day 1

So far so good for the Northside Festival. Badge pickup was a dream (at 7:30pm), there was free Heineken in the press lounge (yikes), and Williamsburg is properly becoming like a mini-Austin. In my excitement at all the new places to eat, I stopped into a really nice pub on 8th and Berry (can't remember the name) where I was actually laid low by the biggest burger I have ever eaten. Feeling gut-shot, I managed to stagger to Spike Hill to catch Discovery et al. As for the late night plans, they had to be swapped for lying face down on the bed with my arms wrapped around myself, dissuading a possible rupture in my bloated innards.



These videos are from Discovery's set @ Spike Hill. Oh, and if you find the official schedule a little hard to download and print, I have put it into moderately print friendly text files on the right, just above the Northside Logo.

POSTSCRIPT - Monday after the fest, I just heard is the official release show for Opsvik & Jennings' "A Dream I Used to Remember" @ NUBLU (Monday June 15th - 9:30pm $10). This will be a great show. I reviewed the record a few weeks ago.

Deastro Does It Right

Detroit electronic rock quartet Deastro (pronounced like your favorite G.I. Joe villain) are an absolute MUST SEE band for everyone. I am tempted to end the blog there, but I feel obligated to expound just a touch.

Putting the music aside for a moment, Randolph Chabot, the soul and face of Deastro is very nearly possessed while he performs. If you aren't moved even a little bit by him then you belong in the morgue. Manipulating his table-top of wires and gadgets, he repeatedly hurls himself away from it, diving at the rest of the stage and the crowd, incorporating visits back like a trips to the surface for air. And here is where it really gets good: the music. The tunes. Every electronic band out there should take a lesson from Deastro about the importance of the substance behind the blips and bleeps. I was a little hesitant to see a show the night before the Northside Festival began, sort of like courting a bar fight before a prizefight. In the end a good punch in the face was just fine. Armed with a music-high, I feel all the more ready to go into the ring today. Here's the single from MOONDAGGER, which a grabbed on vinyl (with a free limewire EP) for 12 bones. If that isn't enough, there are 4 albums on Deastro's Myspace page that you can download for free.

I know. And you can see them tomorrow (Friday June 12th) at Studio B as part of the Northside Festival. I can't recommend them strongly enough.
"Parrallelogram" by Deastro download mp3 (with permission)

Demander / Art Brut @ Mercury Lounge

photo by Mike Strapp

Monday night is my favorite night at Mercury. A lot of things are dark, and the rest of the LES usually books the uninspiring. Demander, opening for Art Brut, played an amazing set. A big bouncy rock band was just what I needed. Hardish rock with a vivid female vocal - I thought it was great. I bought the record THE UNKINDNESS OF RAVENS, but didn't actually hear my favorite song from the show on it. This is always a good sign - It means I can buy the next record without misgivings.


photo by Mike Strapp

Art Brut were charging $18 at the door, and they were playing 5 nights in a row with all but Monday sold out. I know their first record was very well received in 2005 - I think Pitchfork put it in the top 50 - but I was still taken aback to hand over 18 big ones to the venue before having even touched beer to lip. Art Brut were unlike anything I have seen recently; I read a review that basically said something along the lines of "Every generation needs an Art Brut." I'm not sure if it was insinuating that Art Brut are the newest stars of an old genre, or that Art Brut have created a genre that it must pass on via its many "franchise" bands (We Are Scientists). I think it is the former. And I think the genre is basically every-man punk. The message of every-man punk is pretty classic: I'm hammered, I like mainstream art that wasn't mainstream at it's inception but has since created its own fans, I want to essentially f*ck and fight spurred by a deep urge within that I think it criminal to deny. Not my cuppa, really. That being said, the show was rammed. The band were spot on, and the crowd looked ready to do anything they were told. Check out Eddie Argos doing the "punk rocker in the crowd" thing. I bought Brut's first disc, BANG BANG ROCK N' ROLL. Demander is a little more my genre, so here is "Hollis."
"Hollis" by Demander download mp3

The Prigs, Kara Suzanne, Adam Arcurgi, Putnam Murdock @ The Gramercy Theater - June 29th

Here's a strange thing. On Monday June 29, Live Nation are putting on a show with Adam Arcuragi, Kara Suzanne and a couple of other NYC bands at the Gramercy Theater. Why is it strange? Well: Live Nation. Non-lame acts. $7 cover. Free for college students!

Apparently as Mondays are not their best nights, Live Nation and the beautiful Gramercy Theater want to open it up to lesser indie bands and try to farm a bit of talent. I think it is a great idea. Adam and Kara are friends of this blog who have played in some of our past shows, and this will be a really great opportunity to see them in one city's better sonic venues.

June 29 is consequently my birthday, so after my swanky B-Day dinner, I will be enjoying beers on all of my friends. Mark it on your calendar and start photoshopping your old school ID. Here are some free tracks from the performers.
"TV Reporter" by The Prigs download mp3
"Stumblin'" by Kara Suzanne download mp3
"Broken Throat" by Adam Arcuragi download mp3
"Bright Future" by Putnam Murdock download mp3

Buy Tix here.

Micah P Hinson

--written March 20, 2009--

Waterloo Records on March 18th was an interesting scene. Justin Townes Earle was on stage doing hillbilly songs, Dept. of Eagles were hanging around outside, and I was thumbing through the stacks looking for Micah Hinson's record. A lot of people were buying records at Waterloo, something I rarely see. Hell, I rarely see record STORES anymore. Maybe it was just SXSW week? Maybe Waterloo has managed to figure out how to make American super-consumers spend their cash on stuff? My small contribution cost me 8 big ones. A bargain.

Micah P. Hinson's NEW record was not there. What I got was THE BABY AND THE SATELLITE, which for me is one of the best things to come out of SXSW 2009. All I know about Micah the person is that he is from Abilene, TX, a town whose main fixtures are 2 christian universities and a Waffle House. I also know after asking around that my friends here in New York have all heard of him, but aren't intimately familiar. Someone joked that his first demo was called "Jesus and My Short Stack." Whatever.


photo by Andy Sheppard

So let's get to that record, which I have been listening to for months. The whole thing is driven by lovely melodies in the vocal and in the lead instruments which alternate in and out with the verses. The album's anima and "slow-song" feel convey a sad backdrop, but the lyrics themselves and the way the songs resolve is incredibly uplifting.

Instrumentation on the record remains fairly constant, and musical themes occasionally mirror one another between songs (with slight variation), making the album seem like a more cohesive work than if one only were to hear isolated tracks. I am not sure what about one record versus another makes it work out this way, but I feel like the songs from TBATS must be heard all together. That being said, I have posted "The Dreams You Left Behind" below all by its lonesome.
"The Dreams You Left Behind" by Micah P. Hinson download mp3 (with permission)

Oh and if you ever tour through Decature, GA:

The Waffle House Museum (who's pic I stole above)
2719 East College Avenue
Decatur, Georgia 30030
Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
*By Appointment Only* - WTF.

Sitcom Serf Showcase @ Northside Festival

For the first annual Northside Festival, we will be co-sponsoring a showcase with our trusty production partner Thru Windows at Bar Matchless on Saturday night. Here is the lineup:

11:30pm - Wild Yaks (Brooklyn) - myspace.com/boyhoodforever
10:30pm - Susu (Brooklyn) - myspace.com/susuband
09:30pm - The Boy Bathing (New York) - myspace.com/theboybathing
08:30pm - Adam Arcuragi (Philadelphia) - myspace.com/adamarcuragi
08:00pm - Doors

Bar Matchless will have 30 spots reserved for badge holders; the rest will be charged $5, which goes directly to the bands. This is Northside policy, over which we have no control. That's not to say it is a bad idea. I applaud them for trying something new. And don't forget, badges to Northside are only $45. Buy a badge here and support local music!

Cake @ Terminal 5

With one foot out of a cab at 11th and 56th, the thought of braving Terminal 5 - something I swore I would never do again - was itself enough to make me reconsider. The carnival that could not be contained within had spilled on to the street in a wave, and as it touched my one outstretched foot, my first instinct was to dive back into the car. Cautiously, I moved to the door, where a very male crowd throbbed in a semi-circle around the ticket checkers. On the outskirts, a man with an ipod in his mouth and his eyes locked downward was kicking rocks around while a different man, obviously an employee of the venue was weaving around him sweeping up the adhesive backs to the sticky wristbands with a half broom and dustpan. His method was fascinating; he meticulously swept each individual "back" into the pan. One sweep, one less little white square on the pavement. He even grew annoyed at pairs stuck together, prying them apart with the satellite fronds of the broom, before pushing them in one at a time, satisfied. Of course there was no shortage of squares snowing down from the ID-checkers standing only a few feet away. When I asked the gent putting my wristband on about it, he exhaled and muttered only one word, "Sad."

I made it inside, had a couple of Stellas to calm myself, and then pushed into the man-tangle just before the band came on. The only trouble is that I was deceiving myself from the beginning. There was no way I was ever going to enjoy this show, no matter what the crowd was like or how much the beer would cost or how many insane people I was to encounter in the first 5 minutes. The reason is simple: To me, Cake is not really a band anymore. They are fantastic musicians. They played flawlessly. But they felt more like a cover band playing the Cake catalog. What is interesting to me here is that moment of transformation. Is it gradual? Is it a conscious monetary choice? Does a young band's songwriting impetus disappear as more and more people scream for established songs, or does playing what the people want leave no time for anything else? I guess as I get older I don't want to hear anything I already know, see anything I have committed to memory, etc. The band's choice to transition may be more about the audience than anything else: away from the fickle towards the loyal. I can understand that. We the fickle are starving for artists to keep pushing and feeding us new brilliant, intelligent fodder for our own experience. I guess that's a lot to ask.

Ocean Colour Scene - A NEW RECORD

According to a post on the OCS homepage from Simon Fowler, the band is going into the studio to record a new album, which should be released in February 2010. A tour to support the record will start in January, and although the chances are slim, those of us in the provinces can't help but fantasize that we might receive a visit.

I heard that OCS literally named themselves by picking out three random words from the dictionary. Religious zealots call this a "bible dip", except you know, with the bible. I guess that sort of thing flew in the 90's. I discovered them much later, when someone put some tracks from "Marchin' Already" on a mixtape for me. They were still unknown mostly in the U.S., but they became a favorite of mine and of the other people in my circle. I just assumed that they were too small to tour to the US, that we had discovered a gem. When I subsequently moved to London, I had the displeasure of discovering that my favorite little English band sold out stadiums with Oasis and Paul Weller. I hate large venues, so there went that, as they say. I had to wait for the day I would be back in the U.S. and I could sneak in on them, sort of like Canadians who marvel when they can see The Tragically Hip in a normal bar in the U.S. That was almost three years ago, and no tour.

Anyway, as I realize people won't read this unless there is some insight or booty: Before OCS formed, a bunch of the members including Simon were in a band called "The Fanatics". I found some mp3's of their only record "Suburban Love Songs," which is quite rare on ugly.co.uk. Here they are:
"My Brother Sarah" by The Fanatics download mp3
"Suburban Love Songs" by The Fanatics download mp3
"Tight Rope" by The Fanatics download mp3
"1234" by The Fanatics download mp3

Jeff Buckley "Grace" Video

Holy Shit. So it appears there is a new video of Jeff Buckley performing "Grace" on the BBC late show. I say holy shit, because it isn't some video from Sony produced in 2004, with a Miwa Yanagi-style elevator girl wandering around the Tokyo airport, but a solid rock performance on TV from what appears to be one of the original promo tours Buckley took to the UK. I never look at youtube or vimeo or any of that (despite using both), so if I am wrong and the thing has been around forever, I bow humbly. If I am right, it is still sort of a "big whoop." I think we have all seen so many images of Buckley from this time, a long siege waged on us by Sony/Columbia/BMG and his estate, neither of which seem to tire of new greatest hits rearrangements and B-sides. This could just be a new type of shell falling on us from a different vantage, though obviously with the same trajectory. There are few bigger Buck fans than myself - this video made me initially excited and then empty and depressed. BUT CHECK IT OUT!!

BBC Show: Jeff Buckley (on MySpace)

Here We Go. Magic.

Ahh, the "secret show." The only secret being how news can actually travel so fast. Here We Go Magic - I assume as a gesture to all of their friends and fans left sad and ticket-less for the Grizzly Bear dates - put on a free show last night for rogues and penny stinkards alike at Union Pool. The crowd was dense; only in an NFL huddle are heads closer together. Through these many consciousnesses came what I can only describe as concert-going bliss. HWGM are almost the perfect live band. They have a great span with their catalog, though it is essentially only two albums worth of material. The band opened with a lot of new songs (which bodes well for their second record), but eventually they managed to cover almost everything. I climbed to the top of the stairs in order to film a song or two*, and looking down, it was as if we were all in the galley of a ship. The live music show seems to be the last beautiful place where people don't feel entitled to anything, and strangely, the ache in my bones and the sting in my eye made the experience sweeter. A great band, great musicians, great art. I don't really want to analyze this one or say anything else; I just want to enjoy it. Buy their record (I could only find it on Amazon) and get some tickets to go and see them with Grizzly Bear.
"Fangela" by Here We Go Magic download mp3

* My camera suffered a deathblow. RIP Sonny the Sony.

Isle Of White

I am not sure how this ended up in my review folder, as there doesn't seem to be a record or an EP or anything released by these guys. Anyway, Isle of White is both my favourite vacation spot when I was 9 and a band that sounds sort of like Green Day meets The Stills. Basically, this is straight-up rock n' roll. When it's good (Jen Young, Far Away), it's good. When it's not, it's a little conventional. Self-confessed classic rock geeks, these guys do cave to some of the more tried and true rhyming pairs, and I think the band itself is new-ish - so lets wait and see how their sound settles. Just to compare, I listened to a few tracks from Think Lizzy's "Jailbreak" mixed in. Romeo and The Lonely Girl put this into perspective very well. If you do head to the Isle of WIGHT, don't miss Blackgang Chine; they have a wicked tiny model village.
"Jen Young" by Isle of White download mp3 (with permission)

"A Dream I Used To Remember" - Opsvik and Jennings

photo: Michelle Arcila

So If you hadn't gathered, I am catching up on a few album reviews. I am really lucky to have a stack of great records in need of ears - it isn't always the case. A DREAM I USED TO REMEMBER is the third record from Opsvik & Jennings, who I only discovered recently, but who continue to impress me. Not to dance about architecture here, and although I will admit that I think O&J must be seen live, the new record is a treat.

ADIUTR takes a much more "band" approach the O&J sound, meaning that there are less electronic elements to this record, which to me makes it sound a little more like a jam, but not at the expense of the dynamics that continue to makes the songs build within themselves and as an album. At the highlights (Canada, Swimming Back Into The Picture) it is as good as anything they have done before. The moments that I found to stagnate a little bit (Sleepy Rush, The Good Eye) are at worst great background for the highlights. I have done a few excellent things this week with Opsvik & Jennings in the background, urging me along with an almost pedagogical nudge to pick up the pen or the guitar myself. Something in it is just really lovely; I am irrationally attached to it.

More impressive even than all of that, from May 1st until the release date (May 26), you can download the entire album for free. That's correct. Either these are some extremely generous gents, or someone at Loyal Label has been huffing paint. Here's "September and Starry-Eyed" and a link to the free download (for a limited time):

"September And Starry-Eyed" by Opsvik & Jennings download mp3 (with permission)

Opsvik and Jennings FREE ALBUM

So download the album, go and see them play at Nublu on May 25th and tell them how much you like the record - with some cash.