Cuteness overload.
Johnny Flynn (and a special guest!) left this adorable message for his Twitter fans–the JF-endorsed account @JohnnyFlynnNews just hit 3,000 followers.
And in completely unrelated news, who caught Admiral Fallow’s “Squealing Pigs” in that GE Super Bowl commercial!? I was pretty stoked about that.
Communion Announce ‘Austin to Bostin’ Tour
Even though my SXSW status is still tentative, I’m buying a ticket for Communion’s ‘Austin to Bostin’ tour. They’re getting Ben Howard, the Staves, Nathaniel Rateliff, and Bear’s Den to hop in VW campers and cross the eastern half of the United States–and they’re filming the whole thing. I’m glad Marcus Haney is documenting the tour, but I’d rather catch it live; this stellar lineup makes my SXSW envy hit a new high.
This festival is the place to see up-and-coming bands, and I have no doubt that these four acts are just that. So check out the dates below, and secure your spot at what’s sure to be a fantastic gig. And hopefully I’ll see you in Austin!
March 15-18 Austin, TX SXSW Communion Shows
March 19 Oklahoma City, OK The Blue Door
March 21 Kansas City, MO The Record Bar
March 22 Minneapolis, MN Varsity Theater
March 23 Evanston, IL SPACE
March 24 St. Louis, MO Old Rock House
March 27 Philadelphia, PA World Café Live
March 28 Vienna, VA Jammin’ Java
March 29 New York, NY The Mercury Lounge
March 30 Woodstock, NY Bearsville Theater
March 31 Boston, MA The Red Room @ Café 939
Bear’s Den, “Pompeii”. (Not gonna lie, I’ve had a thing for Andrew Davie for years.)
Better late than never! Laura Marling review
Remember how I reviewed Laura Marling’s third album, A Creature I Don’t Know? Or her fantastic gig with Alessi’s Ark at Bimbo’s? Yeah, me either. One of my new years’ resolutions is to be better about reviewing the things I say I’ll review.
Thankfully, I got a second chance with Ms. Marling’s acclaimed album. It posted on Mxdwn a few days ago. Here’s an excerpt, and click to read more.
Laura Marling began her 2011 Brit Award acceptance speech with an introduction. Heralded on stage by Boy George, the shy 21-year old squeaked “Hello, I’m Laura” before thanking her fans and walking off in stunned silence. She did scoop the title of Best Female Solo Artist from megastar Cheryl Cole—so the shock was understandable.
If the British public didn’t know Laura’s name then, they certainly do now. The petite songwriter seems to have come to that realization as well, as last year’s A Creature I Don’t Know is her most confident album yet. Though still marked by the world-weariness that made her stand out at sixteen, this third offering is assertive, complex, and unabashedly experimental… (Read more.)
NEWS! Lots of it.
Check out ‘Mukraker’ by Conveyor–mark my words, you’ll be hearing a lot from them in 2012.
If I covered all the music news that I’ve found interesting over the past week, I’d be writing this post for three days straight. It’s been nutty. So here are some snippets.
King Charles releases Mississippi Isabel EP
At long last, I can listen to a version of ‘Ivory Road’ that wasn’t recorded in the back of a London taxicab (although I adore that one too). The king’s EP is available on iTunes and Amazon, and features:
1. Bam Bam
2. Love Lust
3. Ivory Road
4. Mississippi Isabel
Andrew Bird reveals Break It Yourself tracklist:
I’m stoked to see Andrew Bird and Laura Marling in April–and if that tour prospect isn’t juicy enough already, those tickets come with a digital download of the new album and two live EPs. Check those tour dates out here, and the tracklist for Break It Yourself is below.
01. Desperation Breeds…
02. Polynation
03. Danse Caribe
04. Give it Away
05. Eyeoneye
06. Lazy Projector
07. Near Death Experience Experience
08. Behind the Barn
09. Lusitania
10. Orpheo Looks Back
11. Sifters
12. Fatal Shore
13. Hole in the Ocean Floor
14. Belles
Three Blind Wolves release video for ‘Echo On the Night Train’
These guys need to be better known–they’re phenomenal. I’m happy just closing my eyes and listening to ‘Echo On the Night Train’, but a video (almost) always makes things better.
Slow Club announce US tour
I’m particularly excited about this one, because it means I finally get to catch this duo live when they hit SF’s Brick and Mortar in March.
FEBRUARY
14 – Washington, DC – DC9
15 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
16 – Brooklyn, NY – The Bell House
17 – Boston, MA – TT The Bears
18 – Montreal, QC – Casa Del Popolo
19 – Toronto, ON – Rivoli
21 – Pontiac, MI – The Pike Room
22 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
MARCH
06 – Vancouver, BC – Media Club
07 – Seattle, WA – Sunset Tavern
08 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
10 – San Francisco, CA – Brick & Mortar Music Hall
11 – Los Angeles, CA – Echoplex
12 – San Diego, CA – Casbah
SXSW 2012 dates TBA
Laura Marling discusses her poem and website for The Beast here
Laura has posted a poem on the-bea.st; it’s inspired by the album and narrated by Gil from Old Crow Medicine Show. Read about her multimedia process and inspiration in the interview above.
Eugene McGuinness releases free download and trailer for ‘Thunderbolt’
Though we’re still waiting on a release date for Eugene McGuinness’s upcoming album, at least he’s given us another taste of the new material. You can grab the track here and watch the trailer below.
Summer Camp hits LA, NY, and DC on upcoming tour
I’m bummed that they’re not stopping in San Francisco, but you can catch Summer Camp at the following dates:
02/06 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
02/07 – Brooklyn, NY @ Glasslands Gallery
02/09 – Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
02/13 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo
And finally…. if you’ve been on Mars and haven’t caught the Coachella lineup yet, click here. Or, for heat-averse San Franciscans like me, check out the Bay Area’s Fauxchella dates.
Summer Camp Announce US Tour
It’s only fitting that Summer Camp would stop in LA on their upcoming US tour–after all, Welcome to Condale (which would grace the top of my 2011 best albums list if I’d made one) is set in a fictional SoCal suburb. Maybe that’s why their LA date at the Echo is the wonderful price of free.
I’m thrilled that the duo is heading to my side of the pond, but I’m praying to the concert gods that they find their way to San Francisco. Today is the last day to submit music to Noise Pop, so maybe they’ll hang in the US an extra couple weeks and hit up the West Coast’s premiere indie music festival.
02.06 New York, NY: Mercury Lounge
02.07 Brooklyn, NY: Glasslands Gallery
02.09 Washington, DC: U Street Music Hall
02.13 Los Angeles, CA: The Echo
Get a year membership to Daytrotter, courtesy of the Ridges!
Remember when I wrote about Ohio band The Ridges? Well, they’ve been busy since I reviewed their EP in May. They hit up Daytrotter in the fall, and have now released the gorgeous session. The band is all about atmosphere (the EP was recorded in an insane asylum, remember), so it’s no surprise that they met up with Daytrotter in an old, dusty barn.
The band is now giving away a free year-long membership to Daytrotter, and all they’re asking is a tweet or share. Just post this on your Facebook, or retweet this by noon (EST) tomorrow for a chance to win.
“[Victor] Rasgaitis, percussionist/vocalist Johnny Barton and cellist/vocalist Talor Smith – along with an assortment of auxiliary players and characters – make the kind of Americana music that falls off the bone, but it’s hidden with turn of the century and Dust Bowl-era themes that make it understood that there’s bone there still.” Read more from the session here.
Daytrotter session tracklist:
1. Welcome to Daytrotter
2. Not a Ghost
3. Dawn of Night
4. War Bonds
5. Overboard
6. Jackson Pollock
Public Humiliation Be Damned: My High School Soundtrack
That’s right. I’ve decided to bare all (okay–some) and put my high school soundtrack online. It’s part of the Owl Mag’s High School Reunion feature, and I’m this week’s victim. My intro is below, but you’ll have to check the site for my tunes.
As I was coming up with this playlist, I realized: I’ll know the lyrics to these songs for the rest of my life. That may only help me with karaoke or Trivial Pursuit: 2000s Edition, but it just goes to show that you can never really escape high school. I spent my adolescence blissfully unaware of my lack of coolness, embracing my status as a music nerd (choir, vocal jazz) and generally enjoying those four years of braces and bad haircuts. I realize now that my small high school was unusual: it wasn’t plagued by cliques, and many of the alleged cool kids were also music nerds. It probably had something to do with our bizarre but quaint hometown; Carmel, smack dab in the middle of the California coast, is home to everything from the Carmel Bach Festival to Clint Eastwood. We grew up with the Monterey Jazz Festival in our backyard, and even as I was listening to OK Go I was also delving into Ella Fitzgerald.
High school awakened my passion for music discovery. Sure, many of those discoveries kind of suck–I’ll admit that I had an embarrassing love of The Killers, and even a brief but awkward Green Day phase. I spent my time making mix CDs for friends and for my coffee shop shifts, filling them with Spoon or Feist or whatever struck me that week. I started collecting concert t-shirts, and taking guitar lessons (those failed miserably). I sang everything from Italian art songs to jazz standards to Motown. They were baby steps, yes–but as I said, you can never really escape high school. I’m glad to have left much of my pre-adult self behind, but I’m even gladder that part of it stuck with me: because, after all, I’m still a music nerd. Just hopefully a little less awkward. (Read more.)
All I Want for Christmas Is…
…to hear something other than Mariah Carey’s version of “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Is that too much to ask? (It might be.)
I hooked you guys up with some holiday party alternatives over at The Owl Mag, but I’ve just discovered a few more. The first is brought to you by everyone’s favorite Scotsmen, Frightened Rabbit: “Cheap Gold” is available for free over at Listen Before You Buy. You can probably tell by the title that it’s not exactly cheery, but more musicians should pull a Joni Mitchell and acknowledge Christmas’s depressing, eggnog-filled underbelly.
The second is a lovely mash-up from the king and queen of knitwear (as they said at the 405, these guys rock Christmas sweaters all year long), Summer Camp. They’ve combined the aforementioned “All I Want for Christmas Is You” with Paul McCartney’s “Wonderful Christmas Time.” The real Christmas miracle is that the combination actually works–without making my ears bleed. See for yourself below.
Want more Christmas goodies? Don’t forget to download the free Folkroom compilation, and also check out Subpop’s magnificent selection of singles from their artists. It’s also free, and below.
And don’t forget Marques Toliver‘s mixtape. If you think you’ve heard anything like it–think again. His album is out on Bella Union next year.
WTF? Cover of the Day
This came out four months ago, but I missed it; I think I was on a plane, heading to the motherland. This is a case of ‘better late than never’, though, because Noah and the Whale covering Robyn is too weird to miss. It’s not that it doesn’t work–eventually the band gets into a groove–but it’s just such an odd juxtaposition. It’s weirder than when they and the Vaccines covered Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind” (second track below). Enjoy the weirdness.
Noah and the Whale, “Call Your Boyfriend”
Noah and the Whale feat. the Vaccines, “Where Is My Mind?”
And check out my holiday music recs on the Owl Mag too. It features the For Folk’s Sake Christmas album, Emmy the Great, Anya Marina, and more.
Christmas music: seasonal highlight or necessary evil? Whatever your opinion on the overall genre, some songs definitely are better than others. If you’re having a holiday party and want to update your playlist, here are some great new tunes—with as few references to fat, bearded men as possible. You’re welcome. (Read the rest here.)
Folkroom: New Album & Launch Party
Aside from my raging Anglophilia, there’s a reason I follow the London folk scene: it’s just good. The city is a hotbed of talent, and there are plenty of supportive locals trying to harness it. I owe a lot to these folk evangelists–not only are they helping artists record and release great tunes, they’re helping people like me discover them. From across the globe.
Like fellow folk community Communion, the label I’m here to introduce grew out of a live night. If you’ve ever stumbled upon the Queen’s Head pub on Acton Street, you may have seen an event called Folkroom–run by Stephen Thomas of We Write Lists and guitarist extraordinaire Ben Walker. These two folk aficionados, along with (fellow 405) writer Robbie Wojciechowski, have decided to turn the fortnightly gig into something bigger and better, and are starting with Folkroom Presents: Anthology One. It’s an album showcasing some of Folkroom’s star performers, and it’s honestly the most exciting thing I’ve heard in some time.
The album is about discovery, and I’ve already discovered some artists fit for my favorites list. It features tracks from the following superb musicians (links to Soundcloud pages):
Laura Boyle
Jessie Moncrieff
Andrew Butler
Camille Delean
O. Chapman
Lucy Cait
Worry Dolls
Woodford Green
Josienne Clarke
Salwa Azar
Dave Gerard
Want to know the best part? You can download the album FOR FREE this Saturday December 17th, at 12pm UK time. And you should–if only so I can finally talk about it with you. I’m getting antsy not being able to share, so head to Bandcamp as soon as the clock strikes noon.
If you’re in London, it gets even better. There’s a December 17th launch party at the Queen’s Head, and most of these fine folksters will be performing. This ten-plus act gig is also the wonderful price of FREE. Check out more info here.
