In preamble, let's examine David Bazan's 2009: Play dozens of intimate, solo acoustic, and very sold-out house shows in living rooms across the country. After wrestling with it for a few years, finish up and release "Curse Your Branches", a genuinely revealing diary of his struggles with faith and alcohol - and the first full-length bearing his own name. While promoting said album through even-more-revealing interviews and acoustic performances, pull together and prepare a top-notch crew of talented friends for his first full-band tour since his days fronting Pedro the Lion. With funds provided from his loyal fanbase, buy a van so they can head out on the road. Embark on that tour and knock 'em dead. Head home to Seattle and his family for some much-deserved rest. Whew.

We here in the Boston area were fortunate to have David visit last year in both forms: An August solo acoustic house show in Beverly, MA (shared here), and just two months later, a club gig with his bandmates: Casey Foubert, Eric Elbogen, Andy Fitts, and Blake Wescott.

With the kind support of both his label and management, here is the sound of those five gentlemen knocking us dead on an October Tuesday night at Cambridge's TT the Bears. See below for even more DB tourdates, including more solo shows and another long U.S. tour that starts in March...


Some David Bazan links...

His official site, MySpace page, Wikipedia entry, Barsuk label page, and Undertow Music page. And if you're more than a casual DB fan, spend some time on the PTL.org forum and marvel at the minutia and occasional attempts at 'humor'.

Buy: Pick up "Curse Your Branches" direct from either Undertow or Barsuk. I highly recommend getting the vinyl version, which was mastered specifically for wax, and sounds phenomenal. Visit the Undertow store for a whole bunch more Bazan-related merch.

Additional Audio: Barsuk offers up an MP3 for "Bless This Mess" here on their CYB page. Download "Cold Beer and Cigarettes" from his first solo EP right here. David provided us with a ton of excellent audio while promoting the latest album, including live solo sessions for Daytrotter, The Current, and WNYC's Soundcheck.

Video: Hoo-boy. If you're ready to dive into live DB video, you need to set aside some time. Despite the relative lack of official videos (the best of which is the "Alone At The Microphone" DVD), there are live clips galore. And by "galore", I mean, "all over YouTube". When you play in dozens of strangers' living rooms over the course of a year, and play a couple months of excellent gigs, that shit is going to end up on the u-tubes, so start watching. Especially great is this very new video of David and Blake doing PTL classic "Bad Diary Days" at a house show just a few days back.

And have a look at the ABC News Amplified feature on Dave, which also had them sharing a couple clips from one of the first full-band shows at Pianos in NYC. Here are direct links to their performances of "Hard To Be" and "Bless This Mess".

Photos: All of my Flickr-hosted DB snaps are here. And here's a full DB Flickr tag search.

Upcoming tourdates: Lots! 2010 sees David emerging from his holiday break with more acoustic living room sets and full band shows. Sadly, none are in the Boston area, but we're a patient bunch, and we were spoiled last year. His solo appearances are on the West Coast, then all over Europe, and the full-band U.S. tour ends up hitting many of the spots he missed last year. Because he cares. See the entire itinerary here.

As always, you can easily stream every 'Nac-hosted MP3 through the Hype Machine.

the fine print... If anyone has an issue with these Mp3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.

And while I'm at it, Happy Birthday to my mom. Who, at the very least, was responsible for me. And so much more. Thanks, Mom.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 10:47 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

Unfairly or not, there's that uncontrollable part of me that shies away from listening to or writing about quote/unquote 'buzzbands'. If I hear too much hype before I actually hear any of the music, well, I may not ever hear it. Silly, I know, but hey... there's just so much other stuff to listen to. Does it mean I miss out on things I might love? Sure. Do I feel sheepish if I eventually connect with one of them? Yeah, it happens. But not a whole lot.

It almost happened with Londoners The XX, but I got lucky. Until a couple months ago I'd heard and read their name all over before I heard single song. Hell, I think I knew more about their lineup change than what they sounded like at some point. But one late-Autumn workday I was streaming some internet radio and heard a song that truly moved me. Not right away - it worked its way into my brain as it played, so I barely had time to check the band name before it faded out - and yes, it was The XX. Over-exposure aversion overcome, and all it took was a single track, their "Basic Space". One album purchase and three full listens later, I knew that song was no fluke. I loved it all, I love this band.

Enough to wait nearly two hours in the early-December Boston cold last Friday to get into their very first area performance, an in-store at the Newbury Street location of Newbury Comics. 200 wrist-banded souls braved the line, and I'd guess maybe 50 of us could actually see the band down the long rows inside the store. But we could all hear it, and that's what mattered. Six songs and 25 minutes later, back out into the cold we went. Worth it? So completely worth it.

The in-store set was a precursor to that night's sold-out show at the Paradise, opening for Friendly Fires. The band's second trip to Boston is already booked at the same venue on April 2nd - another (hopefully warmer) Friday night, and likely another sell-out - when they graduate from openers to headliners. Opening duties will be handled by Sweden's jj (making their first U.S. appearances), and tickets can be had right here or at the Paradise box office to save on fees.

Here's the audio from last Friday's intimate in-store, and some thoughts to follow...


Yes, despite losing a member, the band seems to have picked up two off-duty teen heartthrobs, although it was unclear what their tasks entailed beyond brooding (Pattinson was clearly not hired to help offset the band's collective paleness quotient). And about that transformation from quartet to trio? To my ears, it really doesn't seem to have impacted the band sonically. Yes, there were moments where guitarist Romy or bassist Oliver had to lean over to Jamie's electronics table and push a trigger or two, but if anything it added to the human element of the performance (which also deserves a comment - the fact that Jamie reproduces the beats by hand, rather than relying on loops or backing tracks, really adds a lot to their live experience). What I love about them - the spare, almost fragile webs they hang their songs on - it's still there, and maybe moreso. If they were your typical layered, shoegazey band, losing a member would be worrisome, but the XX? No worries whatsoever.

For the most part, the 6 songs closely resembled their album counterparts, though the joining of "Night Time" to "Infinity" was a real treat (and hey, is it just me, or is there a not-so-subtle homage to Bronski Beat's "Smalltown Boy" in that transitional guitar-line? And while we're at it, yes, the "VCR" verse = Bowie's "Heroes"), and the live version of "Islands" is made even more sparse by withholding the almost-danceable beat that kicks off the album version until the later half of the song.

For those who like to look as well as listen, YouTube user (& 'Nac reader, heya Jane) JaneInMa recorded the whole set from the front on video.

Links: Their official site, Wikipedia entry, Rough Trade UK label page, and Beggars U.S. label page.

Additional Audio: Stream songs at MySpace and at their own site, where you can enter your email addy to get access to a download of the "Basic Space (Sampha Remix)" Mp3. For more audio action, here's a XX Hype Machine search.

Video: There are official clips for both "Basic Space" and "Crystalised". Check out an excellent live video of "Basic Space" recorded at Monkeytown in Brooklyn back in August, before the four became three. And in addition to Jane's in-store video linked above, try a YouTube search.

Photos: My Flickr-hosted shots from the in-store are here. Check out the full XX tag search.

Upcoming tourdates: After spending the winter in Europe, the band returns to the U.S. in April for some headlining shows with jj, then jumps on as support for Hot Chip. Check P4K for their entire current itinerary.

Stream any and all 'Nac-hosted Mp3s at the Hype Machine.

the fine print... If anyone has an issue with these live Mp3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info is in the 'nac faq). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav, edited, and shared as 256kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 5:40 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

When I eventually sit down to figure out my favorite live shows of '09, there's one spot filled for sure: Loney Dear's springtime set at Allston's Great Scott. It wasn't my first time seeing Sweden's Emil Svanangen and his wonderful backing band, but it was easily the most intimate, and most moving, so far.

There's something very special about Emil, a welcoming, warm demeanor that brings you into his world, that allows easy access to his hopes and heartbreak, that lets you ride the rise and fall of his gorgeous songs and their breezy melodies. There are pop songs with heart, speedy tunes that propel perfectly forward, and delicate numbers that build like spiderwebs and disappear in the wind of their final chords. There was one particular moment that May evening, just after the first few notes of "I Love You", that Emil stepped to the front of the small stage, almost into the crowd, leaving the microphone behind him. His voice unamplified, accompanied only by his guitar, singing directly to those of us up close... it felt like we were being let in on a secret. The band joined in subtly - a light cymbal wash, some soft keyboard, light floor tom - and the secret spread as he stepped back to the microphone and the music swelled behind him. Just magical.

And lucky us, we get a chance to experience these moments of magic again this very night, when Loney Dear returns to that same venue on the tail-end of a two-week cross-country tour with Asobi Seksu and fellow Swede Anna Ternheim. If you don't already have a ticket, take a listen to the shared songs below, and head over here to remedy that. I'll see you at Great Scott tonight, and if Emil asks you to hang around for a 'minor party' after the show, take him up on it.


Some Loney links...

His official site, regularly-updated Blog, MySpace page, Wikipedia entry, and Polyvinyl label page.

Additional Audio: There are a couple of mp3s ("Airport Surroundings" and "Ignorant Boy, Beautiful Girl") available on the Polyvinyl page. The later song can be found on Polyvinyl's upcoming re-release of Loney Dear's excellent 2004 "Citadel Band" album. The disc was a relative rarity until now, and will be available on vinyl for the first time ever. Pre-order it here for arrival next month. And while you're there, purchase Loney Dear's latest, "Dear John", which arrived last January and still sits squarely in my '09 faves list.

Video: There are, of course, a number of videos on YouTube, including official clips for "I Am John", "Airport Surroundings", and "I Was Only Going Out". Baeble Music welcomed a four-piece version of the band to their Manhattan "Guest Apartment", where they performed the seldom-heard "Here Comes The Lonely Ones" and live set highlight "Violent" on a comfy couch. OPBMusic had them in their studios for a five song performance and interview session.

Photos: My Flickr-hosted shots are here. Check out the full Loney, Dear Flickr search.

Upcoming tourdates: Just a few dates left on the current tour...

Tonight, 10/14/09 @ in Allston, MA at Great Scott
Thursday, 10/15/09 in Hoboken, NJ at Maxwell's
Friday, 10/16/09 in New York, NY at Bowery Ballroom
Saturday, 10/17/09 in Philadelphia, PA at Johnny Brenda's

Easily stream any and all 'Nac-hosted Mp3s at the Hype Machine.

the fine print... If anyone has an issue with these tracks being made available, just let me know (my contact info is in the 'nac faq linked above). Live sets are captured with a Sony minidisc recorder, converted to .wav, then edited to 192kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 12:50 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

Many of us are feeling (or, rather, listening to, or playing) the after-effects of the recently-ended 'Beatles Week', but for me it was immediately preceded by what was most definitely 'Bazan Week'. It started on Friday, August 28th in the afternoon when Seattle-based David Bazan arrived in Massachusetts and gifted his Twitter followers with an impromptu dry-run online-webcast (sadly, since deleted) that had him and his longtime pal/collaborator TW Walsh (behind the drum kit) running through a couple of old Pedro the Lion tunes ("When They Really Get To Know You They Will Run" and "Penetration") in TW's basement. It was a nice teaser for the reason he'd hit our state: An intimate, acoustic house show in Beverly, MA to showcase songs from his almost-out solo record, "Curse Your Branches". I'm going to resist getting all hyperbolic here, and let the recorded songs that follow sing for themselves. These digital files won't fully capture the vibe, but in short: It was the kind of night that'll spoil regular club shows for while. Very little else compares. Picture the set below being performed about 4 feet in front of your seated spot on a candle-lit livingroom floor. Yeah.

That special evening was made slightly more special in an additional way: It was the first time fans could hold the new DB disc in their hands, to have a look at the spiffy packaging, to take one home and dive on in. For me, well, I'd pre-ordered it, so I'd have to wait... but not for long. Just 8 hours after driving back to Boston my mailman handed me a package from Undertow: A copy of "CYB" and the limited edition bonus 7" that has David sharing his versions of two covers he'd been performing for awhile: Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and Dylan's "The Man In Me". Now that's what I call a good start to a Saturday.

An aside on that little seven-inch - Yes, "Hallelujah" has been covered way, way too much. Hell, that's been the case for quite awhile, and with Cohen having taken his own version on the road this year, any new interpretation is long-since redundant. But having seen Dave play it live, well before LC's road reemergence, I'd been hoping we'd hear DB's own run-through somehow. So it arrives, and yes, it's beautiful. According to the man himself, he'd put down this recording before L.C. asked people to stop covering it, so rather than burying it forever, he figured a very limited pre-order vinyl gift was in order. To get it out there, but kind of not. A good call. By the way, if you happened to miss out on that limited wax, you can get "The Man In Me" digitally via iTunes. No "Hallelujah", though.

As solid as the "Curse Your Branches" online pre-order/preview stream sounded, headphoning the real-deal disc made for a wonderfully soundtracked weekend (next up: the vinyl). The aforementioned Mr. Walsh outdid himself in the mixing/mastering of this sucker... you can hear the attention to detail on all 10 tracks.

To put a fine point on that weekend, and to mark the official release of "CYB" on Tuesday, Sept. 1st, David hit Brooklyn for another house show on Monday night, and for the first time, the entire intimate event was live-video-streamed online (and archived!). Next best thing to being there. And the very next day, he debuted his new full band with an invite-only show at Piano's in NYC, a couple of clips from which can be found at ABCNews, who also interviewed DB for their online Amplified program. That's a genuine media-blitz, ladies and gents. "Curse Your Branches" is charting on Billboard, fer chrissakes. How 'bout that?

David will be bringing that full band out on the road for a 5-week tour starting on October 1st (speaking of which, help him buy a van to make that happen, get a cool t-shirt), and any Boston-based readers would do well to get advance tix for the October 20th show at TTs (openers are Say Hi and TW Walsh's The Soft Drugs, even more reason to get tix early). If you missed out one of the many house shows David's done this year, have no fear, he's going to keep doing 'em. And if you're lucky, one will be close to you (and you'd better be paying attention... they sell out fast). Until he comes your way, enjoy this...


Some Bazan-flavored links...

His official site, MySpace page, Wikipedia entry, Undertow Music page, and Barsuk label page. You may also wanna keep tabs on the PedroTheLion.org forum for the latest DB happenings.

Additional Audio: Hit up the Barsuk Mp3 page for a couple of free tracks, including "Bless This Mess" from the new album, and "Cold Beer and Cigarettes" from his 2007 "Fewer Moving Parts" EP. And thanks to the ptl.org forum, I learned that DB's got a track (the traditional "Hard Times") on a new compilation titled "Come O Spirit! Anthology Of Hymns And Spiritual Songs Volume 1". He gets vocal backup on the song from Rosie Thomas, J. Tillman, and John & Chris Totten.

For future audio action, keep an eye on Daytrotter, as David recently stopped by there for a session. He'll also being doing a session for Sirius XMU on Wednesday, Sept. 23rd, which will be replayed a few times in the days following. Glad my VW came equipped.

update: oddly, as I was publishing this post, someone on ptl.org mentioned that Dave was on Sirius XMU right now. Sure enough, when I hit the online stream, there he was. Got to hear him perform an acoustic version of "Bearing Witness", before which the host said "thanks for spending time with us this week." So I have no idea what that means for the 9/23 date, or the replays. We shall see. speculative update: Perhaps the 23rd will compile his appearances that happened throughout this week? That's my guess.

Video: Well, in addition to the scads of clips in a YouTube search, there's that Brooklyn house show and the two Amplified clips mentioned above.

Photos: My Flickr-hosted DB shots are here. Check out the full Bazan tag search. I am greatly amused by the first pic that appears in that search.

Upcoming tourdates:The dates for the upcoming David Bazan full-band tour are...

10/01 - San Francisco CA - Independent
10/02 - Costa Mesa CA - Detroit Bar
10/03 - San Diego CA - Casbah
10/04 - Los Angeles CA - Troubadour
10/05 - Tucson AZ - Solar Culture
10/07 - Austin TX - Mohawk
10/08 - Denton TX - Dan's Silverleaf
10/09 - Memphis TN - Hi-Tone Cafe
10/10 - Murray KY - Lovett Auditorium / Murray State
10/11 - Birmingham AL - Bottletree
10/13 - Orlando FL - The Social
10/14 - Atlanta GA - Drunken Unicorn
10/15 - Chapel Hill NC - Cat's Cradle
10/16 - Washington DC - Black Cat
10/17 - Philadelphia PA - Kung Fu Necktie
10/18 - New York NY - Bowery Ballroom
10/20 - Cambridge MA - TT the Bear's
10/21 - Montreal QC - Il Motore
10/22 - Toronto ON - Lee's Palace
10/23 - Pontiac MI - Pike Room
10/24 - Chicago IL - Schuba's
10/25 - Champaign IL - Highdive
10/27 - Madison WI High – Noon Saloon
10/28 - Minneapolis MN - Turf Club
10/29 - Iowa City IA - The Picador
10/30 - Lawrence KS - Jackpot Saloon
10/31 - Omaha NE - Slowdown
11/01 - Denver CO - Hi Dive
11/02 - Salt Lake City UT - Kilby Court
11/05 - Vancouver BC - Media Club
11/06 - Portland OR - Mississippi Studios
11/07 - Seattle WA - Neumos

Every one of those dates get you the added bonus of Say Hi. As I mentioned, our Cambridge show also hooks you up with some Soft Drugs, and Seattle delivers The Sea Navy. That's as it should be.

Easily stream any and all 'Nac-hosted Mp3s at the Hype Machine, because you can.

the fine print... If anyone has an issue with these Mp3s being made available (since I got permission, that'd be weird), just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq link on the left). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed, even if you beg. Sorry 'bout that.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 10:54 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

I regularly visit my home-state of Vermont to spend time with family and friends, but I require a damn good reason to make that drive in the dead of winter. It's cold and blustery enough here in Boston in mid-February that purposefully heading to an even colder clime has little-to-no-appeal. Sorry, parents and pals... you can wait a couple more months, right?

But schedule a Pains of Being Pure at Heart show in a small VT bar on Valentine's Day, which happened to be on a Saturday night this year? Ok, well, ya got me.

And so it was that we traveled a few hours north and caught the beautifully noisy quartet at the tiny Monkey House in good ol' Winooski (just a few doors down from a now-closed bar where my first band often played many years back... lots of memories on that block), with their tourmates The Depreciation Guild (who pulled off a great set despite their ill and absent drummer) and the wonderful Let's Whisper, a duo playing a few songs as a quartet for the special occasion. The place was filled with old friends, and more importantly, my better half was able to be there thanks to my folks and their built-in-babysitter status. All the ingredients for an extra-happy V-Day were in place, and the bands provided the perfect soundtrack.

With just one fine full-lengther under their belt, PoBP@H's performance was naturally heavy on that, though they kicked off their too-short set with a track from their '07 debut EP, and threw in two brand new ones ("Falling Over" and "103"), both of which will be appear on the imminent "Higher Than The Stars" EP (out 9/22 on Slumberland). While their songs are of course the main reason I love the band, it was their signing to Slumberland that first got me to listen, and their subsequent design aesthetic hits a long-standing sweet spot with me. The fact that this aesthetic comes by way of frequent vinyl singles with those non-album b-sides, well, let's just say it appears someone has custom-created a band based on a peek inside my brain. I mean, Field Mice references and chord progressions borrowed from East River Pipe? Resistance = futile.

While VT-based fans of the Pains will have to wait who-knows-how-long for them to return (especially now that ace promoters Tick Tick have packed it in), Boston-area fans will have a chance to see the band again very soon - They'll be downstairs at the Middle East in Cambridge on Labor Day weekend with Cymbals Eat Guitars and, once again, The Depreciation Guild (no small surprise, as Pains' drummer Kurt is also the D.G.'s singer/guitarist). Can't wait to hear the band perform the "Higher Than The Stars" title track live, and to catch the D.G. with a drummer this time around. Tickets of your own can be had right here, or at the MidEast box office to avoid those pesky fees.

Here's the Pains of Being Pure at Heart's full Vermont Valentine's Day set...


Some PoPB@H links...

Their official site, MySpace page, Wikipedia entry, and Slumberland label page.

Additional Audio: You can stream the flat-out fantastic title track from their upcoming EP right here, and pre-order it on vinyl or CD. Download a couple free Mp3s from the band's own site, or stream a bunch at MySpace. There's an excellent 5-song WOXY session (which includes new song "103") that the band recorded in-between playing about a dozen sets at SxSW earlier this year (that's only a slight exaggeration).

Video: There are official clips for "Everything With You" and "Young Adult Friction". Have a look at an in-store performance of b-side "Falling Over" at Groove Records in London, their performance of "Young Adult Friction" on Last Call, and, of course, there's always a PoBPaH YouTube search. Best of all, though, is this 22-minute, full set video from their February performance at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Baeble Music. So ace.

Photos: My few Flickr-hosted shots are here. Check out the full PoBP@H Flickr search. The band has their own selected shots at their own site.

Upcoming tourdates: Their show at the Middle East on Saturday, Sept. 5th kicks off a month-long North American tour...

9/05 - Cambridge, MA - The Middle East
9/06 - Montreal, QC - La Sala Rossa
9/07 - Toronto, ONT - The Legendary Horsehoe Tavern
9/08 - Chicago, IL - Logan Square Auditorium
9/09 - Madison, WI - Orpheum Stage Door
9/10 - Omaha, NE - Slowdown
9/12 - Morrison, CO - Monolith Festival
9/13 - Salt Lake City, UT - Kilby Court
9/14 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
9/15 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
9/17 - Portland, OR - Doug Fir
9/18 - San Francisco, CA - Great American Music Hall
9/19 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour
9/21 - San Diego, CA - The Casbah
9/22 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress
9/24 - Fort Worth, TX - Lola's
9/25 - Austin, TX - Mohawk
9/26 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks
9/27 - Tallahassee, FL - Club Down Under/FSU
9/28 - Atlanta, GA - Earl
9/29 - Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506
9/30 - Washington, DC - Black Cat
10/01 - Baltimore, MD - The Ottobar
10/03 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
10/05 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church

... and they head overseas in November. More details and ticket buying links are here. Yet another reason to love the band? They push to play all ages shows, or at least 18+, whenever possible.

Listen to any and all 'Nac-hosted Mp3s at the Hype Machine.

the obligatory fine print... If anyone has an issue with these Mp3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 5:11 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

I've had the good fortune of seeing Telekinesis play live a couple times in the six months since the release of their gloriously catchy self-titled debut disc - once here in Boston on the eve of the album's arrival back in late March, and again just two weeks ago down at XX Merge in North Carolina. While the album showcases the songs and multi-instrumental talents of Seattlite Michael Lerner, he's taken a far different approach than most singer/songwriters (who might hit the road with a guitar and a microphone) and brings along a couple guitarists and a bass player to surround him as he handles vocals and drums with ease. And despite being anchored to a drum throne, he provides an energetic focal point for the four-piece, propelling his already-infectious songs along with rock-steady floor tom beats and perfectly-placed cymbals strikes. It really is a joy to watch.

The band's March set at Cambridge's Middle East was a too-short, first-of-four opening slot (with Blind Pilot, the Broken West, and Say Hi), and I've been hoping for a proper (i.e. headlining) return to town ever since. Well, the wait might be awhile longer, as a broken hip has sidelined one of Michael's bandmates, and a personal loss kept the other two from joining him at XX Merge. If you're a SCORE! subscriber, you've seen the gorgeous new mini-book that reprints the artwork of every single Merge release from their first 20 years, and you'll find the Telekinesis cover on the very last page. I couldn't imagine there was any way Merge's most-recent signing and anniversary book-end was going to miss the party down in Carrboro. I'd heard whispers of some unfortunate circumstances causing the pre-fest band-scramble, and wondered if we'd actually get a rare Telekinesis solo set this time, until I saw a drum kit and a couple of amps being lined up on stage. So while it appeared we get some kind of last-minute line-up, I certainly didn't expect who walked out on stage - Nada Surf's frontman Matthew Caws on guitar and backing vocals with Ivan Howard of the Rosebuds on bass. And after just one practice, well, the trio simply nailed it.

While we patiently wait for audio and visual evidence of that special set to see the light of day, and while the Boston area awaits the live return of Telekinesis, here's my recording of their Spring set (minus the missing opening song), shared with M.L.'s permission. Note that it includes the non-album "One Step Forward", as well as a version of "Calling All Doctors" that differs pretty dramatically from the album recording...


Some Telekinesis links...

Their MySpace page, Wikipedia entry, Merge Records artist page, the Telekinesis Merge news blog posts, and Michael's own Flickr page.

Additional Audio: You can stream the entirety of the Telekinesis debut over at Merge, sample some songs on MySpace, and make sure you listen to both this KEXP/NPR live session, where four songs were laid down, and an excellent set for KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic. Buy your own copy of "Telekinesis!" right here.

Video: There are official clips for "Tokyo" and "Awkward Kisser", and lots of live video through a Telekinesis YouTube search (filtered by music, unless you were hoping to see some mind-induced movement). The above KCRW set has video, as does an in-studio appearance at The Alternate Side.

Photos: My Flickr-hosted shots are here, including the ones from XX Merge. Check out the full Telekinesis Flickr search (which will include photographic evidence of attempted mental motion).

Upcoming tourdates: Just the one - an appearance at the Bumbershoot fest in Seattle on September 5th.

As always, stream any 'Nac-shared Mp3s at the Hype Machine.

the finest of prints... If anyone has an issue with these Mp3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 12:05 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

If you need to put a smile on your face, or at least widen your already-existing one, there's no surefire way to do that than to see Tullycraft play live. There's an exuberance to their shows and songs, a sincerity of sweetness and light that could knock over even the most jaded hipster. So it was with no slight sadness that I read their MySpace update back in March that said the following...

"Each of us has had a wonderful time, but over the years it's become increasingly difficult to balance our personal lives (i.e. Chris' goat farm, Cori's adult bookstore, etc...) with our time in the band. While we're excited to continue to write and record music together, we've decided to take a step back from playing live shows".

To say goodbye, at least for now, the band played two more (west coast, unfortunately) shows in the spring, including a May appearance at the SF Popfest (setlist), then packed their tour cases away. Being a Seattle-based band, we didn't get a ton of Tullycraft visits here in Boston, but when they did come, it was a guaranteed good time. The world needs more of those, not less, but we can take comfort in knowing that the band hasn't clearly not called it quits (more on that below).

To mark their live hiatus, I figured it was time to (finally!) share up this set I recorded last summer at PA's lounge, with the kind permission of TC's Sean Tollefson. Even though he claims this wasn't the best performance of the tour, and the fact that the sound at PA's is rarely perfect, he gratefully gave his consent anyway (and I quote: "Tullycraft has never been a band that has been known for being tight or our playing ability, so I'm cool with [it]."). Thanks, Sean.

Here it is, a rough and ready 12-song set from Somerville, MA last summer. Be sure to scroll down below for some info and links...


As regular readers of the 'Nac know (or at least those that read the fine print below), I capture all the shows I go to on a little Minidisc recorder, a little machine that never really caught on, but still has a few loyalists. Was nice to find out from Sean that Tullycraft guitarist Chris is a fellow MD fan. Sean also let me know that while things are now quieter in band-land, they're not completely quiet: Sean is working on new song demos and Chris is rebuilding their recording studio, which includes setting up a new 16-track analog machine (their last four albums were recorded on 8 tracks). So fans take heart that more music is on the way.

Some Tullycraft links...

Their official site, MySpace page, Wikipedia entry, and their Magic Marker label page.

Additional Audio: The band has freely downloadble songs from each of their albums on their own Mp3s page, and you can stream 5 tracks on MySpace.

And get this: Tullycraft's Sean maintains his own date-appropriate "Mp3 of the Day" feature on the TC blog, offering up songs he likes by non-Tullycraft artists. It's a daily visit, and you'd do well to throw this feed link in your RSS reader.

Required reading: Tullycraft wears their "Twee" badge with honor, and Sean took some time to pull together a little "Twee Primer" for the Washington Post's Post Rock music blog last summer. Some great recommendations to be found in there.

Video: There's one for "Georgette Plays A Goth" from their latest album, "Every Scene Needs A Center". You can try a full Tullycraft YouTube search for live clips.

Photos: My Flickr-hosted shots from the PA's show are here. Check out the full Tullycraft Flickr tag search.

Easily stream any and all 'Nac-hosted Mp3s at the Hype Machine.

ye olde fine print... If anyone has an issue with these Mp3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 2:29 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

Tonight Andrew Kenny returns to town with his Austin-based combo The Wooden Birds for their second area show at TT the Bear's in just three months. The TT's stage is a very familiar one to Kenny, who played there many times with his former band, American Analog Set, and more recently as a touring member of Broken Social Scene. Had AmAnSet continued beyond the 2005 release of their last album, it's possible that subsequent visits would have necessitated a larger venue, but with their break-up/hiatus, Kenny has essentially started over from scratch. Their April show was a bit underattended (at least relative to latter-day AAS appearances), although it did precede last month's release of The Wooden Birds' debut album, "Magnolia" (on Barsuk), and the publicity and praise that followed. Here's hoping tonight sees a healthier crowd welcoming back the band with current tourmates Other Lives and the UK's Hatcham Social.

My love for the songs of American Analog Set runs very, very deep, and it took me a little while to wrap my heart and head around the new direction Kenny has taken with his Wooden Birds songwriting. While the sonics still fall on the softer side, his compositions are far different animals - keyboards have been abandoned; the vibra-ma-phone is left at home; gorgeous harmonies have been added (thanks to Leslie Sisson); and on record, a standard drum kit is largely absent, the rhythms stripped down to bare essentials. In fact, were it not for his distinctive voice and the occasional trademark guitar line, you might be hard pressed to guess this was an AK creation.

It's all extremely organic, and very precise, occasionally to a fault. In fact, it wasn't until seeing the band in April that it all clicked together for me, that I finally fell for it. I was able to stop holding them up to AAS standards and judge the songs on their own, in their rawer, less sterile form. And with not just one drummer, but a percussionist as well to help flesh things out. The inclusion of a live rendition of AmAnSet fave "Kindness of Strangers", done "Wooden Birds style" helped bridge a gap, and it all made a lot more sense. I've since come to appreciate "Magnolia" far more than on my initial listens.

With Kenny's permission, here are a few songs from their April set at TTs, including my favorite WB track ("The Other One"), and their version of "Kindness of Strangers". And don't be surprised if you hear yet another American Analog Set song tonight...



To get yourself ready for this evening, hop on over to the Ash Gray Proclamation, who have a brand new Andrew Kenny interview, and be sure to visit Luxury Wafers, who have just shared up a six-song live session, including video footage of "Sugar". More audio-visual treats: The band performing "Seven Seventeen" and "Hometown Fantasy" on a Valencian street earlier this month (via Au Agenda Urbana). Update: They Shoot Music Don't They has a couple of wonderful clips of the band performing acoustic in a Vienna park.

Upcoming Wooden Birds tourdates (all with Other Lives):

Tuesday, 6/23: Cambridge, MA @ TT The Bears
Wednesday, 6/24: Brooklyn, NY @ The Bell House
Thursday, 6/25: Philadelphia, PA @ North Star
Friday, 6/26: Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
Saturday, 6/27: Asheville, NC @ Rocket Club
Sunday, 6/28: Chapel Hill, NC @ Nightlight Bar & Club
Monday, 6/29: Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Tuesday, 6/30: Birmingham, AL @ Bottle Tree
Wednesday, 7/1: Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
Thursday, 7/2: Houston, TX @ Walters on Washington

Listen to any and all 'Nac-hosted Mp3s at the Hype Machine.


the fine print... If anyone has an issue with these Mp3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.

Labels: livemp3s

posted by brad at 11:31 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

I was gearing up to write this intro for my recording of The Radio Dept. live at the NYC Popfest last month, then I re-read Chromewaves' recap of the night and realized I (and you) would be much better served by sticking with his summary. So go read that and come back. Ok. Done? Alright then.

Like Frank, I traveled to Brooklyn specifically for the Swedish trio, fulfilling a longtime wish to watch them play, and like him, I'd agree that seeing them was simply about the songs, not about any on-stage energy (or any lack thereof). My compulsion to see them perform their heartfelt (and heartstring-tugging) music directly in front of me wasn't going to be defeated by any possible deficiency of stage presence, or the absence of a drummer. In fact, the only stage presence I required was that they were standing on one. And they were, so I was happy.

New songs, old songs, b-sides, they played 'em. The 12-song set felt painfully short, but I'd be saying that even if it had lasted all night (although the army of post-show indie-pop dancers might have been slightly let down). I did spend 8 hours alone in my car for it, after all. The band played a couple songs that will no doubt be found on the eventual next album ("Clinging To A Scheme"), although the absence of new single "David" (out June 24th, downloadable below) was notable (they did perform a b-side, "Messy Enough").

Here's their set, and here's hoping they return to our shores sometime in the next, oh, decade or so. More please.


Some Radio Dept. linkage...

The RadioDept.com website is invaluable, and in fact, you could have downloaded someone else's recording of this set earlier if you'd been paying attention over there. Also hit their MySpace page, Wikipedia entry, and Labrador label page.

Additional Audio: As I mentioned their next single is "David", and Labrador has made the track available for free.

[Mp3] The Radio Dept. - "David"

Order the single from Labrador to get 3 extra tracks. Frank Chromewaves also has lots of RD Mp3s linked in his post, and the RadioDept.com downloads section has tons of studio and live material. Seriously, it's the mother lode.

Video: Official videos and more over at the RadioDept.com video section, and a mess of live clips with a YouTube search.

Photos: My few Flickr-hosted shots are here, but as with the words, you're better off at Chromewaves for his excellent shots. And of course there's many more on Flickr.

Stream this entire set, and all 'Nac-hosted Mp3s, over at the Hype Machine.

the fine print... If anyone has an issue with these Mp3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.

Labels: livemp3s, radio dept.

posted by brad at 7:04 PM | direct link | rss (1:2) |

Taking a break from, well, taking a break, to finally offer up my recording of what ended up being Mogwai's last North American performance of 2008 (and just two days before the U.S. release of "The Hawk Is Howling"), up in the Catskills during the final night of the first New York edition of All Tomorrow's Parties. If you know Mogwai, you know it was equal parts gorgeous and ear-blistering... although the ear-blistering aspect was quickly forgotten once Dinosaur Jr. took the stage shortly after, followed by festival-closers (and last-day curators) My Bloody Valentine. Can sustained sonic waves actually melt a pair of earplugs? Came close.

The band was in the home stretch of a road trip that never finished, as ace drummer Martin Bulloch's faulty pacemaker, which had been bothering him all tour, necessitated a trip to an area emergency room (and then a flight back home to Scotland) shortly after he walked off the Kutsher's Country Club stage (and the fact that he kept himself together, and played a flawless set under what must have been trying circumstances, says as much about the man as it does about his drumming). The band was forced to cancel the remaining six dates of the tour, including the next night's show back here in Boston.

They'd return though, as part of a just-finished month-long journey that brought them back to Boston on May 1st. The scheduling of that show was personally painful, as it was announced just after I'd put together a four-band bill on the very same night across the river at TTs. It wasn't just that many people would (and did) opt to see Scotland's pride instead of my modest little lineup, but that I wouldn't be able to see them myself. Despite the competition, we ended up with a good crowd at TTs, and missing out on Mogwai made me appreciate their ATP performance even more. Here it is...


Some Mogwai links...

Their official site, MySpace page, Wikipedia entry, and Matador label page. Be sure to check out the indispensable Bright Light! fansite.

Additional Audio: Mogwai is live-taper friendly, and allows the wonderful Live Music Archive to host (123!) recorded shows for download in a variety of formats. The band also has their own podcast with loads of audio (here's the iTunes link). Be sure to hit up Bright Light! for their links to more audio/video action. Matador's free Mp3 from "The Hawk Is Howling" was my personal fave from it...

[Mp3] Mogwai - "The Sun Smells Too Loud"

Video: Their latest video is for "Batcat". They've got many more on their own site. La Blogotheque filmed the band live performing "Mogwai Fear Satan" on Valentines Day in Reims, France. A Mogwai YouTube search will keep you busy for hours.

Photos: My Flickr-hosted shots are here. And here's a full Mogwai tag search (Gremlins shots included).

Upcoming tourdates: The band has a handful of dates remaining in May and June in the EU, and goes festival-crazy in July and August. See Bright Light! for a complete list of upcoming gigs..

As ever, stream any and all 'Nac-hosted Mp3s at the Hype Machine.

the fine print... If anyone has an issue with these Mp3s being made available, just let me know (my contact info in the 'nac faq). Live sets recorded with a Sony ECM-719 mic and a Sony MZ-RH10 minidisc, converted to .wav and then edited to 192kbps Mp3s. Files are made available for a limited time, and are not reposted once removed.

Labels: livemp3s, mogwai

posted by brad at 8:32 AM | direct link | rss (1:2) |