Three Benson

A Quick Note

2008-03-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

There is a lot going on musically in Albany these days. Actually, there probably has been for a while, but I worked a lot of stupid jobs and was kind of missing out on it. Mercifully, I don't work for any stupid jobs anymore, so I can go see lots of people play lots of instruments and it's a good time.

About two weeks ago, I went to a free show at the Muddy Cup. Some of the bands that played are well known and good so I won't waste space going into it here. However, one band definitely worth mentioning that I hadn't seen before that night is The Luxury Flats from Hudson, NY. They have a mellow-ish indie rock feel and they sounded great live. I really liked the vocals a lot, this band is very listenable. Also, some of them had the sweetest facial hair I have seen in a while (but that really has nothing to do with anything).

On St. Patricks day, I went to see Dunbar play with a band called Barons In The Attic at the Moon and River cafe in Schenectady. Barons In The Attic have been playing together for maybe three months now and for being together for such a small amount of time they sound more put together than you would think. They're still working out the kinks that all new bands have to deal with which just comes with time and experience. This band has a folky sound and would definitely love any support so check them out.

To wrap things up, there are a lot of really good shows coming up, which I will conveniently line up for you in a list-like format:

Sgt Dunbar is playing with Beware The Other Head Of Science at Kings Tavern in Saratoga on March 29th. I can't go, but people who can may want to consider it.

On April 3rd at 8 pm a bunch of newer bands will be playing a showat CDFI; these include littlefoot, The Majestic Moose Club, Blood, The Hoborchestra, and Ryan Starks. Suggested donation is three dollars.

Then the night after (April 4th) you can go see the Scientific Maps play at Valentines with The Red Lions (sweet!) and ladystein. I'm not sure how much that costs but I would assume it costs something. Either way, you should go.

April 11th is another show at CDFI that will have a whole lot of bands playing at it. One of these bands includes Jeneric, who have just finished working on a new album called In the Parlor with The Moon (which has really great album art).

Before I end this blog, I would like to thank Josh for telling me that band was called Perkaisie. Thanks Josh!

I'm going to remember February 15th for a long time

2008-03-02T18:28:00.000-08:00

So, why am I going to remember February 15th? Two reasons: 1) I rode my bicycle into a moving vehicle (don't worry, the injuries were negligible) and 2) I saw Neutral Milk Hotel's "In the Aeroplane Over The Sea" covered in it's entirety with an exuberance that I like to think Jeff Magnum would have approved of.

Ok, so the reason I hit a moving car on my bike was a mix of being cut off, riding much too fast in slush, and the brakes not working properly. After hitting the car and exchanging a mixture of "wow I'm really surprised but ok!" gestures with the people in the vehicle, I hopped back on my bike and rode to Valentines. There was no way I was going to miss this.

Unfortunately, I missed both Littlefoot and Stacey Gets Drunk, but arrived in time for the third band of the night, who's name, I am sorry to say, escapes me. I heard it said several times during the set but I just never really HEARD it. (If you know what I mean.) I did manage to catch that they are from PA somewhere. I think I want to say Lancaster? I am probably making this up. If anyone still reads this blog, my most sincere apologies. Feel free to let me know the correct information. Mysterious name and mysterious origins aside, this band was really good. They were very tight and put together, there was definitely some nice harmonization. Whoever they were, I liked it.

After their set, everyone eagerly waited the few minutes it took Dunbar to get set up. After a few opening questions, comments, and thankyous, Alex Muro informed the audience that the band (and a few guests) would be playing the album straight through, no stopping. With that, Dunbar promplty started playing The King Of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1, and as everyone in the venue sang so loud you could barely hear the vocalist, you just knew the entire set would be an experience you wouldn't forget for a long, long time. Every song was solid, Muro sang with his usual energy and enthusiasm that worked perfectly for the songs he was the lead in, I thought this especially true for Holland, 1945. Oh Comely was covered by Aaron Smith from Scientific Maps and it was really well done. People would join in at some parts or mangle the lyrics, but Smith managed to get through some of the distractions (some people thought he was done once or twice) and cover the song beautifully. His inflections were pretty much right on with Magnum's. All the other members of Sgt Dunbar added significantly to the performance (I could name them all here, but at this point, most people reading this know who they are and furthermore, know they are an essential, talented part of Dunbar) ; their brass section has always been great and this time I think they were in excellent form. What is so awesome about Dunbar is the numerous amounts of instruments every member can play and you could tell everyone cared a lot about making these songs sound as good as they did.

The other good part of the show was definitely the audience. Everyone there obviously knew and loved the lyrics to "In Aeroplane Over The Sea" as well as Sgt Dunbar and the Hobo Banned did. I still run into people who (nearly a week and half later) tell me how awesome they thought that show was. One girl told me how she had the album but it broke and she had forgotten to get a new one until she went to the show that Friday. The next day, she and her boyfriend went to pretty much every media store in the Albany area until they finally found the last copy of the record somewhere in Colonie. Others simply remembered how much they love In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, listened to it again, and gained a new perspective or appreciation for it. To me that album will always be timeless, every time I listen to it I forget that its been ten years since it came out. The lyrics still feel as fresh, stirring, and meaningful as the day I first listened to them.

I think that's what that night at Valentines was all about.

Bri Smith and Jes Seamans are Best Friends Forever

2008-02-02T10:14:00.000-08:00

About two months ago, I had a phone conversation with a good friend of mine. After talking about the usual silly things that people talk about on the phone (like stuff you're doing with yourself and whatever happened to that recipe you said you would give me?) somehow our mutual disillusionment with music these days came up. While I won't go into this issue on here, one of the end results was me asking him whether he had been to any good shows lately (which is one of my favorite ways to listen to music these days) he mentioned seeing an act called "Best Friends Forever." Chuckling initially at how much their name made me think of fifth grade, I hopped on the old myspace and gave this Minneapolis based band a listen.

Bri Smith and Jes Seamans have been best friends for nearly 13 years. After listening to their songs, I kind of want to be friends with them too. Their songs are poppy, fun, and about old dead guys they think are really cool, like Abraham Lincoln and Dwight Eisenhower. The lyrics are silly in a fresh way, there aren't many people are walking around writing songs about how good they would be at being Lincoln's wife. The lightheardedness of "My head in front of your head" and "Eisenhower is the father" kind of made me think of a less produced, girl fronted Of Montreal, the energy is very similar. "handpocket" is about almost dying and being embarrassed about it and "ghost song" is..ghosty. Best Friends Forever is? are? a lot of fun. Give them a try, and you might find yourself feeling the urge to write your own songs about cool dead people.

http://www.myspace.com/bestfriendsforeverandfriends

RPM Challenge; Take 2

2008-01-30T08:42:00.000-08:00

Write and record 10 songs or 35 minutes worth of music. And this year you even have 29 days instead of 28 to do it in. Oh Leap Year. What would we do without you?

February 1st begins the kick off of the third Portsmouth, NH based Record Production Month (RPM) Challenge. 2008 marks RPM Challenge's second year on a worldwide scale.

This is your excuse. This is your every reason for locking yourself in your bathroom and recording until you turn to the water pipes for percussional inspiration. This is your excuse to learn how to play the trombone...just because you can. This is the time when you don't have to feel guilty about calling in sick to work...because you will be sick, you will be very very sick. Only the sickest are the strongest to survive the RPM bug.

Who's crazy enough to write AND record an entire album in one month? Last year it was 850 bands worldwide. With one and a half days to go there are 1414 participating artists signed up from places like Vermont to Texas from England to Uruguay from Shanghai to Australia from Norway to Turkey from Latvia to South Africa.

Come February 29 we'll see how many of these bands will overcome the self imposed boundaries musicians so often inflict upon themselves. How many will brave the sleepless nights, the broken instruments, the used up harddrives, the inband bickering, the music filled nightmares. Who will be strong enough to survive?

Will you?

Sign up here:
http://www.rpmchallenge.com/

Metroland's Best tonight at Valentine's

2008-01-19T08:01:00.000-08:00

You know that can of peas that has been sitting in your cabinet since you bought it in the canned vegetables aisle of Price Chopper when you said to yourself:

"Peas are good for me, I should eat more peas," and then you went back to your drafty dusty home sweet home and placed them on your very own cabinet shelf, where they still sit now because you just couldn't think of anything decent to cook with peas?

Well now you can take that can of peas and do something good with it.

Don't eat it!

Bring it to Valentine's tonight and get into a fabulous show for cheaper than if you hadn't brought that can of peas with you.

Rock out all night long at the Metroland Food Pantry Benefit, featuring some of the Best Bands of 2007 as voted in the Metroland.

upstairs catch

SCIENTIFIC MAPS, KNOTWORKING, SARAH PEDINOTTI, SEAN ROWE, ASHLEY POND &
SGT DUNBAR & THE HOBO BANNED

plenty o more music downstairs too.

All Heavy, All Mighty

2008-01-13T13:38:00.000-08:00

"It Must Be You That's Making Me Feel Like This Wet Dog"

It was many moons ago that I sent Wildebeest a message, asking for the track listing of the handmade, sharpie texted CD that he left at my house, since the only thing inside the case was a panoramic, photocopied picture of a herd of steer with a poem on the back.

He had come to play a show with local luminaries We Are Jeneric at CDFI in Albany, but got lost, and somehow found his way to Valentine's where there happened to be a Sgt Dunbar show that night. He asked if he could play his homemade chimes in the parking lot between sets. Of course he could, and he could also set them up in front of the stage and play with us, we said, which he did. It was magnificent, and his musical acuity instantly became evident to everyone present. It was one of my favorite sets, and he had a lot to do with it.

That night he slept at our couch, like a lot of the people do that I post about here, and the next morning we drank coffee and ate toast in the sun on the porch. Also magnificent. He appreciated the shower and orange that were offered to him, and left his CD on our table in exhange.

It's called "All Heavy, All Mighty" and is filled with impressive blues guitar riffs, intricately timed melodies, varied instrumentation, and a continuous but not overwhelming meloncholy. It's at times similar to alt-country Bright Eyes, other times you hear the likes of Big Bill Broonzy or Leadbelly, and it all ends with a Dylan-esque folk song with an accordion instead of a guitar.

It's this last song, "I Don't Believe" that caused me to take so long to post this. I began to write an entry, which turned into a short story, which then turned into a longer than short short story, which I then felt the need to edit over and over since I am in no ways a writer and therefor unconfident in such ventures. If you are interested in reading it however, you can do so here. It goes somewhat chronologically through the song, and listening to the song first might help make more sense of the scattered story. Be easy on me, it's my first time.

"All Heavy, All Might" is an 8 track disc that you could probably get from him if you asked nicely. He also has others recordings of varying styles, some on tape, that you could also probably get from him. You can do so on his myspace or at shows.

mp3: Wildebeest - I Don't Believe (That We Have Met)
mp3: Wildebeest - Host and Hostage

Wildebeest Myspace

A Poet Named Revolver

2007-11-20T09:34:00.000-08:00

I read lots of music blogs, I spend way too much time on the internet but despite that the music I listen to most is usually recommended to me by people I know and trust in real life. I got A Poet Named Revolver Meets Gruesome for my friends in Bloomington, IN's Dust From 1000 Years last time they stopped through Albany on tour. They left me with a stack of cds from bands they had found while on the road and this album came at the top of their list of recommendations.

When I got the CD it was just a burned copy so I didn't know any of the track names (I still don't know most of them) or what the record was called or what the art looked like. I listened to it a couple times without thinking about it and found that I had songs stuck in my head but I couldn't figure where they came from. It took me a couple weeks to stumble upon it again and find that these were the songs that got stuck in my head(ex meadows in particular). The album is one part the microphones, a half part at the drive in a good dose of Simon Joyner. There is an immediacy and desperation in the songs that really take you into another world for a while, for example the fade in opener ExMeadows puts the listener on the run from what seems like the end of the world. Postwar Pop takes a more folk but yet abstract approach to the end of a city.

Unfortunately A Poet Named Revolver has already decided to call it quits. We think its a shame but are glad for the one record they did make, it is awesome, you should listen to it. You can buy it from here.

mp3:Poet Named Revolver - ExMeadows
mp3:Poet Named Revolver - Postwar Pop
Myspace

Yo La Tengo + Broken Social Scene Live at Cornell

2007-11-15T21:54:00.000-08:00

As usual I was running late to see Yo La Tengo and Broken Social Scene(presents Kevin Drew), but I did get to drive down rt 89 on the way which had a very pretty if somewhat dark view of Cayuga Lake the whole way. I highly recommend it, I bet its even better in the day time.
I'd like to admit before I start really get into this post that I've never really listened to either of these bands all that much despite both of them being somewhat iconic in the indie rock world and the fact that this show provided the one chance to see them together on what are otherwise separate tours, seemed like a good opportunity to check them both out.

I missed the beginning of Yo La Tengo's set and by the end of it I felt like that wasn't all that I was missing. I really just don't get whatever it is that they were getting at in there set which ended with about a six minute songs who's lyrics were mostly "Lets talk about nuclear war, yeah". Thats not my main gripe though, mostly the set seemed to me just sort of uninspired. In my past experience though bands don't get signed to Matador Records or last more than twenty years for nothing and I am willing to bet I really am missing something here, so I would ask you dear reader to please help fill me in. If I was going to put one (of the fifteen) Yo La Tengo records on my mp3 player to give my self a chance to see what they are all about which one would it be and why?

Broken Social Scene on the other hand who I also didn't know too much about before hand was awesome. They put on a rip roaring show all the way through (there were no ballads and no female members, I don't know if there was any correlation) and got the whole crowd to hug itself, literally. Their new record Spirit If is quite good and I have also since been directed to their classic You Forget it in People which I would also recommend.

Mt Eerie live at Bard

2007-11-14T10:46:00.000-08:00

After my ride got pulled over by a cop on the way to pick us up for Mt Eerie last monday we were running late & worried we would miss the beginning of the show. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, Phil's car broke down and after a string of bad luck he showed up at the packed hall at around 11pm looking exactly like he does in this picture.

He had just sold his trusty tour mobile for 100$ to a mechanic and had a rental car he could barely fit all his gear and merch in. He had admittedly had a really bad day and after telling everyone about it he announced he was going to do an all request show!!! Everyone started spasticly screaming the names of songs. Having not seen him before he played the best hour and a half set I could have hoped for including a slew of my favorite old microphones songs off the Glow Pt 2, including I want wind to blow straight into the glow part 2, the moon and he ended with sing along versions of I can't believe you actually died and Human Human. Lucky for me I had my handy mp3 player to record the whole thing.

I've heard that he rarely plays stuff off the glow pt 2, I'd be really interested to hear from anyone else who has seen him on this tour about what he played when you saw him.

mp3: I want wind to blow + The Glow Part 2 (live @ bard 11/5/07)
mp3: Solar System
mp3: Great Ghosts
mp3: 2 Blond Braids

You can check out his new expensive(60$) but worthwhile album/picture book/disc over at pwelverumandsun.com .

Here are a couple of my recordings i have mastered a little, if you are interested in getting the whole set drop me an email at am3081 at gmail dot com.

Anathallo, Your happy makes me go...

2007-10-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

It has been a long hiatus since I last visited the 3 Benson blog. And although this visit will be short, I could not pass up on the opportunity, for I felt it more of an obligation, to write about Anathallo, that seven member band that filled my ears with melodies and harmonies sweeter than any sweet joy this past Sunday eve at Valentine's in Albany. Anathallo hails originally from Michigan, so I hear, and now is based out of Chicago. They have but two shows remaining on this tour, as listed on their myspace page: October 30th in Holland, Michigan and November 9th in Muncie, Indiana.

You can find some of their music at their myspace:

www.myspace.com/anathallo

But don't even think you can begin to understand this band by listening to their recordings. Their studio recordings can't capture half of the energy these guys and gal emit from the stage. You can't see the giant marching band drum that is played more like a sport than an instrument. You can't experience the chills from their sometimes seven part harmonies, for though they harmonize nicely on the recordings, it's nothing like seeing them do it flawlessly live.

Their recordings don't show off what incredibly talented musicians these guys are either. Though the recordings of their multi-part songs melt and flow into one another in true indie fashion, where melodies end abruptly only to introduce an even more meandering and melodic section of the song, coming from seemingly out of the blue, we all know how handy recording instruments are at aiding in these effects. To see these songs pieced together live with all the skill of a conducted orchestra, that still has the energy of a band of friends goofing off on stage, is something to grin until your cheeks hurt at, shake your head in awe at, have band and choir teachers everywhere pointing out to their students that "this is what you can do if you stick with it", and send musicians everywhere back to the drawing boards.

If you could take Belle and Sebastian and put them in a blender with a choir and a school band, you would get Anathallo. They are talented, they are spellbinding.

See them live.

If You're Not Happy Where You Are, You'll Never Be Happy Where You Go

2007-09-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

It's A Crab's Life

If you tuned in back in March, then you may have caught a story about Jon of the Atom's life in Groton, New York. In that cold and blustery month he was a mad scientist; stirring his dark stew, adding frog lips and hog hair to his steaming cauldron. He was on the brink of a remarkable new musical discovery, or was it aural hysteria?

Sometime around mid-May he opened the door, the fresh country air poured in and overwhelmed him. He gathered a few necessities and headed for the hills. After a short trek he built a shelter of twigs, and traded in the maniacal steps of a scientist for the slow amble of a mountain recluse. He played Elvis and Hank Williams songs in his cabin to the attentive ears of the local fauna. Squirrels, foxes, deer, sparrows and chickadees were all regular sites around his abode and soon they joined forces to help Jon create his latest masterpiece, "Critical Mass: Flying Things vs. Crawling Things".

He would stumble into town now and then, with a new moustache and view of the world. The folks there never expected to see him but we're never surprised when they did. They knew he was harmless, and only wanted to trade his wares for a few kind words, a whiskey sour, and a good nights rest on the couch.

I heard rumor that he will most likely release his new creation upon the world in 2011, most likely the day of the apocolypse. I traded two Little League baseball bats, 16 cherry tomatoes, and a bail of twine for a copy of the disc, and I believe it was well worth it, though I've now resorted to using brooms and pears to get my baseball fix.

You can find some good things to trade to him for his new disc, or go to his Myspace and ask politely for one, though none of the songs from the album are up as his songs as of now, he doesn't get very good wireless in his twig hut.

JOTA's Myspace

mp3: Jon of the Atom - Ducks Flying By
mp3: Jon of the Atom - Moths at the Bug Zapper

Disclaimer: This post went no where and was entirely made up. He was never a mad scientist (to my knowledge), and (to my knowledge) has never been any sort of wilderness recluse. He lives somewhere in mid-Western New York, and occasionaly sleeps on my couch. Flying Things vs. Crawling Things has been on a steady rotation in my room. I hope you enjoy.

Animal Collective: Strawberry Jam

2007-09-16T23:03:00.000-07:00

Other blogs are probably writing better reviews on this album than I ever will, but seeing as how I haven't posted in a while ( and there isn't anything else that I've listened to that has been worth writing about) here we are.

I've always felt like the fairest way to review Animal Collective is to have a rather ambivalent attitude towards them; most people you ecounter or either Animal Collective fanatics or they don't have the patience to sit and down and figure out what this band does. Speaking as an ambivalent listener (in all honesty I can typically take or leave AC) Strawberry Jam is probably the most accessible record from these guys to date. However, they are good enough at what they do to maintain the eccentricities and complex time signatures that have earned them so much respect in the music world. This album is much more poppy than their previous work and differs a lot from their last release. Feels was very spacey and introspective, Strawberry Jam has a much more jubilant, melodic vibe. The songs are almost (dare I say it) catchy. Longtime listeners will appreciate the fact that Animal Collective have not lost their original sound at all when making this record, they've really just enriched it and taken it another direction. What I've always found interesting about AC is how they really don't sound like anyone else, it's as if they come from another dimension, all of their songs could very easily be songs from a distant planet. Animal Collective is one of the very few bands that successfully pushes the creative borders in a way that keeps one interested without getting too annoyed with their pretentiousness. (Because lets be honest, of COURSE they're pretentious.) Avey Tare's vocals only add to the very surreal feel of the band, sometimes his voice can be hard to really get into, but I think it meshes with what this group is all about very well.

Regardless, Strawberry Jam is a good album, it has something for both the faithful listener and the newbie. If you want to read a more specific review of this band I'm sure you will figure out a way to do so, all I am really trying to say here is that I think this a record that truly deserves a listen. Love them or hate them, Animal Collective is a band that consists of some of the most innovative talent of the current music scene. Give them a try if you haven't already.

http://www.myanimalhome.net/

http://www.myspace.com/animalcollectivetheband

The Ants go Marching

2007-09-05T20:11:00.000-07:00

Mirah And Spectratone International - Community

I saw Mirah in chicago this summer and along with playing all of my favorite songs that she has ever written she played small snippets from her new album Share This Place and asked the crowd to guess what each song was about. Community the first song on the album is a beautiful meditation on selflessness and community. Ants of course can't think, well at least about themselves but as a group do some really impressive things. The wonderful wisdom of having no wisdom.

[Website][Myspace][Buy]

Memories of a Muddy Cup Open Mic

2007-08-21T07:42:00.000-07:00

It didn't dawn on me the first time I went to an open mic at Muddy Cup that the event was in its infancy. I was new myself and felt like an outsider looking in through gigantic windows while old friends strummed guitars, sat on couches, and sipped mocha lattes like they must have been doing there for centuries.

It didn't dawn on me that attending that Open Mic would change the course of my life's events forever, for I stumbled upon the Muddy Cup Open Mic somewhat by accident -or perhaps it was the forces of musical fate that were having their way that day. Either way, the Muddy Cup lured us into it's grasp, and hasn't let go.

Having grown up in Albany, yet only having just returned after a long hiatus, Eric and I forced ourselves to the streets, looking for something to do one August evening back in good ol' 2006. Eric decided to surprise me by taking me out to see a film about farmers playing at the Madison Theatre. But, as often occurs when Eric surprises me by trying to take me out to an event, we realized upon arrival that we had arrived on the wrong day...it's kind of a cute quirk of his, his dyslexia. Silly numbers.

But instead of taking our newly purchased champagne colored Honda Station wagon (which at the time had only 187,000 miles on it instead of the 194,000 it does now.... they grow up so quickly!) all the way back to Altamont so we could sit beside the energy of the unfamiliar ghosts we had just moved in with, we decided to grab a cup of joe at the coffee shop next door.

Before we even made it inside a giant poster on the window caught our attention.

MUDDY CUP OPEN MIC MONDAY
SIGN UPS AT 8:00

"Can we go Jenny? Can we?"

I was hesitant about making a mental note of the date and the time, it was rare that I had a positive experience at the various open mics I'd ever been to. I almost wanted to leave it up to Eric to remember the details, and hope his dyslexia would rear it's ugly (but, on occasions like this, helpful) head. I couldn't help the painful images entering into my brain. Memories of open mics rushed back in a flood of crooning, self depricating, and off time strumming musicians that shattered my calm, sprinkled on top were crass bathroom comedians and dark eyed "the-world-is-at-its-nearest-end-at-this-very-moment" poets. I shuddered.

But surely, this open mic would be different.

"Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but we need to set up here." I looked up to find myself engrossed in my book, sitting at the table on the Open Mic stage. How dreadfully embarrassing. I had "freshman" written all over my face. I was so busy feeling akward I didn't notice how akward everyone else looked. It's like the first day of class when you're so busy feeling stupid about studying your class schedule that you don't notice that's what every one else is doing too.

I spent the rest of the night in a haze of dark roast aromas, the drone of tuning guitars, the energy of caffeine-high-wracked-nerves, and attempted to read the same paragraph of my book over and over and over again.

Had we gotten in over our heads?

Suddenly Eric was on stage singing...and dancing?

"I can't believe that it's August, I can't believe we can fly. I can't believe I can't believe, and I have no good reason why. I feel like I am enlightened and I'm in over my head."

And the next thing I knew, from the corner of my eye I spotted these crazy hobos, who by the third verse were singing along...

"Whoo hoo, Whoo hoo. Yeah we're in over our heads. Whoo hoo, whoo hoo...
Yeah, we're in over our heads."

Muddy Cup Open Mic celebrates its one year anniversary...sometime around now.
The weekly event is more popular than ever, having just been voted 2nd best open mic in Albany, with an average of over 25 acts signing up each Monday.

Sometimes it feels good to be in over our heads.

Kudos to you Josh & Tom.

www.myspace.com/muddycupopenmicnight

www.muddycup.com/albany

Open the Book to Page France

2007-07-30T19:59:00.001-07:00

For at least the last eight months I have been hearing the band's name being thrown around or praised a number of times and I finally took some initiative and sought out some of their music. Although Page France have just released an album titled "... And the Human Telephone", their 2005 release "Hello, Dear Wind" is the one I chose to listen to. Or did it choose me? Either way, to my pleasant surprise, I was instantly keen on their melodies made for humming and lyrics which caught my ears with sonic fishing hooks. Each song floats along, sometimes sleepily, other times merrily, with the vocalist (and "brain child") Michael Nau's smooth and earnest lullabies (akin to Ben Gibbard) backed by an acoustic guitar and various added elements and instruments that can't help but work so well together. There's a somber yet joyful air to the music of Page France. This inability to settle feels appropriate for the over riding theme of religion and the main man upstairs J.C. "Jesus" even has a star role as the title of track two. Many allusions and blatantly biblical references are found throughout "Hello, Dear Wind", which with other artists can be sore to listen to, when you start to feel like your mother is in your headphones nagging you to go to church again, but Page France are not preaching. Without the reinforcement of being a firm believer I found solace in knowing Page France is asking the same questions we all do. My favorite line that puts it all in perspective is found on "Dogs" where Nau confesses "I'm not sure what happens when everything here ends, but I hope it's like they say, and I hope it never ends..." To be realistic, sometimes one must come to terms with and embrace the universality and absolute influence of the Bible which has been repeated, retold and transformed through various works in time. The imagery of the roaring lions, gushing streams, hearts of gold, swinging chariots, trumpets calling, and dancing animals playing in a band sounds more like a party than a sermon.

"Hello, Dear Wind" is warm and bright. There are tambourines and bells, hand claps and backing female vocals and songs that I feel I've heard times before, and wish I'd written myself. Fifteen tracks sounds intimidating at first, but Page France are nothing short of a pleasure to listen to, fall asleep to or sing along to, loudly. I find comfort in knowing that Michael Nau has brought all of his friends on this record to share them with us. Although I have read that tidbit of information somewhere else, those loud noises that only friends can make when spending time together is what makes this record great. The album's opening and closing songs together culminate with the repeating lines of "we will become a happy ending.." and I don't know what I feel when it's all said and done, but this one sure is a keeper.

http://www.pagefrance.net/main.html

http://www/myspace.com/pagefrance

Rock Plaza Central and More, Albany, July 19th, 2007

2007-07-24T19:20:00.000-07:00

Sitting in a bohemian victorian living room, building off of a joyous burst of imaginitive one ups, I became a music reporter amidst the quiet reflection that follows a good giggle.

I turned to Fiona, Scott and Blake, the violinist, bass player and percussionist of the band Rock Plaza Central and asked the question: "So what did you guys think when Chris first came to you and said, 'guys I've got this great idea, let's make an album about steel horses'?"

They all laughed.

It was 2:30am and in the other room were various members of Sgt. Dunbar & The Hobo Banned, Big Frank's Corey Hough, and My Friend Peter, blasting away a Langhorne Slim tune, hootin and hollerin through big banjo choruses. This was the big party we'd been planning since the hobos told us that RPC would be coming southeast to Albany for July 19th. Here we were in the Kirk House, christened that night "The Railroad", being joyful with Rock Plaza Central.

The question about steel horses was the first time we had talked about Rock Plaza Central all night. Conversation to this point had covered a swath of topics from the Quebecois and the history of their desire for independence, to Andrew Bird and his Bowl of Fire, the secret society of ghosts, Magritte, and sprial dynamics.

The question made the room laugh. After a series of jokes I can't remember and probably a long hilarious story by Blake I would doubtful do justice to, Fiona said, "But seriously it just kind of happened without us realizing it." She went on to say something about the songs being written on stage and the story unfolding before the eager band.

Scott jumped in with his response to my question, nodding his head in sarcasm, "Okay. I am an excellent steel horse.... Are you fucking kidding me?"

"I was the last person to come on board," Fiona admitted.

Scott went on describing the band's less than enthusiastic initial response, "But then I realized, 'that's brilliant! what a brilliant allegory!'"

Throughout the night Fiona complemented the shear musicianship of her fellow band mates and we got to witness it first hand as members of the band each played songs from their individual musical endeavors.

The Valentine's show was the mood setter. The anticipation upstairs was contagious. A good number of Albanians turned out for the Thursday night bill headlined by RPC, with local bands Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo Banned, Margan and the Red Lions, and My Friend Peter opening.

My Friend Peter started things off, playing an endearing set of longing songs to an attentive crowd. His nervousness was friendly and witty and his delivery polished, at one point even singing the first lines of an Otis Redding song without the help of a starting pitch or a chord on the guitar.

Margan and the Red Lions debuted an exquisite set of original indie jazz pop songs. They played maybe five or six songs and sounded extremely tight for it being their first public performance of this set of songs. They had me thinking of Andrew Bird and Cake with Margan's vocal and piano leading the way.

Next Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo Banned took the stage. They rambled and clammored and strummed, horned, sawed, and drummed through a set of rawlicking indie folk songs. Their melancholly optimism, their melancholly joy, left the upstairs of Valentine's pulsing in anticipation.

So when Rock Plaza Central took the stage and started plucking the opening notes of "I Am an Excellent Steel Horse" the crowd welcomed them with such vocal exuberence that lead singer Chris Eaton was visibly astonished.

The entire upstairs seemed to sing "I am an Excellent Steel Horse!" in unison. This followed the same for "My Children Be Joyful!" and "I Want to Be a Shining Example hull hull!" and the show started to feel less like a rock or folk show and more like gospels and churches full of hymning believers.

Their affirming, reasurring choruses are full of joy and positivity but not too far beneath, one cannot miss the melancholly of wounded faith. Their sing alongs sing like idealistic realistic outbursts overlooking a deep inner disbelief.

Rock Plaza Central's closer, the show's climactic anthemic finale, "We've Got Alot to Be Glad For!" found an a cappela chorus of chanting singers both onstage and off repeating the line over and over as the moment kept building on.

Cancel your plans for Thursday...

2007-07-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

Unless your plans for Thursday include moseying on over to Valentine's on New Scotland Ave. in Albany to catch the show of the summer.

You've seen the bill.

And if you haven't, it's right there---->

To get an overview of the performing artists, conveniently, all you need to do is surf this blog (amazing):

Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo Banned was featured on May 15th in the blog, "First I Was Their Fan" which was closely followed by My Friend Peter on May16th: "First I Was Their Fan: Part Two." The Canadian headliners Rock Plaza Central are found on April 23rd "The World Was Hell to Us."

But that leaves out one act worth not being left out...Margan and the Red Lions.

I thought I'd best give these folks a listen and I was left feeling thoroughly satiated.

Margan and the Red Lions sounds like Andrew Bird dancing in the snow between gypsy cobwebs...but not old and creepy cobwebs...beautifully spiderly crafted cobwebs that leave you sitting and pondering just how long it took that little spider to weave that web of silk. Margan and the Red Lions site influences ranging from Sylvia Plath to Beethoven and sing about glass windowpanes in the morning and winter roses.

I was especially struck by the image of someone's hair having grown since when they last said goodbye...mine tends to do that.

But don't take my word for it. Not about my hair, but about the bands, although my hair will be present at Valentine's on Thursday as well.

And in the mean time break all the rules of concert etiquette. Get out your Sgt. Dunbar t-shirt. Listen to your Rock Plaza Central CD on repeat. And listen to it while parking your car on New Scotland Avenue just before the show. And especially, have your Rock Plaza Central CD playing at the after party that Rock Plaza Central is invited to. Study all participating bands' myspaces. Be a real geek. For a change.

www.myspace.com/rockplazacentral

www.myspace.com/thehobobanned

www.myspace.com/myfriendpeter

www.myspace.com/theredlions

Bark, Hide and Horn (and worms)

2007-07-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

All the men call me Ham, the first space chimpanzee

So according to Eric there were no worms in North America until an English ship dumped soil into Jamestown (happy 400th birthday New World) so that they could grow tobacco... or something to that effect. This greatly paraphrased, second hand piece of information comes from a National Geographic printed at some unkown time to me.

However, I do know that Bark, Hide and Horn, a folk rock band from Portland Oregon, found inspiration in National Geographic's from 1957-1967.

"Folk-rock" is a bit of a generalization that I stole from their myspace. What I hear in the songs is the unpredicability of early Modest Mouse, some well done electronic pop, some formulaic yet immortal country progressions, and melodic folk with a shimmering trumpet.

Chris Eaton of Rock Plaza Central worried that RPC's new album "Are We Not Horses?" might come off as a bit too cooky for people, being a concept album about robotic horses that think they are real horses. BHH's theme for "Treasure of the Everglades" comes off as even more cooky because the songs are written from the point of view of the different animals showcased in the magainze dealing with various bizzare circumstances. But don't let the silliness of the following playlist synopsis turn you away, the music is beautiful and original and another step toward the masterpiece of the first decade of the second millenium.

The BHH myspace playlist will include: a plea to Jane Goodall from the suicidal astro-chimp Ham, the prettiest song about snail sex you've ever heard, a spider madly in love with his latest catch of fresh fireflies, a freed honey ant slave who was doomed for sacrifice, and a grizzly out for revenge on the naturalists who took his lover away from him.

If ants and snails could make music like this; so bursting with desperation, fear, anger, vengence, and sorrow, more people might realize that we'll be sad when they're gone.

sorry, no mp3s, available, go here: http://www.myspace.com/barkhideandhorn (I'd suggest "The Treasure of the Everglades" as a first listen, it's a superb song)

now to play golf in the house

Hunting for Red Hunter

2007-07-03T10:02:00.000-07:00

I'd like to meet Red Hunter. I think he could teach me a lot about life. Mostly in a reassuring kind of a way. Red would sit down with me on a swingset that first we would build and say "you're alright girl." And then he would pick me a wildflower from the field and I would tuck it in my ear and I'd feel just that much better about life.

The Red Hunters of the world are hard to find, and when you do find them, you hold on to them tight, and don't let go, because it's hard these days to find the people who are doing what they love because they love it, and encouraging others to do the same....not only just encouraging them, but actually helping them to get there, nudging them along, giving them piggy back rides, and picking them wildflowers that smell of approval.

Red Hunter is an ordained Shaker Priest, and wants to get certified as a Unitarian minister too because "there's a lot of rad gay people out there and I want to marry them all."
Red Hunter is the brains behind the indie label Whiskey and Apples where he is committed to helping to promote outsider friends. And Red writes most of the songs for his band Peter and the Wolf.

Peter and the Wolf's new album Experiments in Junk is just out, and with it comes the tour of spooky places that Red so likes to play. I'm sure there's more than a few graveyards in there, and probably a few lake islands, accessable only by canoe. The first part of the tour will be traveled by sailboat.

Although the song "Windows" sounds like it was recorded on a cellphone, Red admits that "Jaywalkin" actually was, while crossing the street in Manhatten...apparently talking on your cellphone while crossing the street is illegal in Manhatten, but I guess playing the ukelele on your cellphone and crossing the street isn't. And if it is, Red don't care.

I feel the positivity oozing.

Whiskey and Apples:

http://www.whiskeyandapples.com/

Check out this great interview with Red:
http://austinist.com/2006/06/22/austinist_interview_red_hunter_of_peter_and_the_wolf.php
Whiskey and Apples blog:
http://www.whiskeyandapples.blogspot.com/

Noah and the Whale

2007-07-03T08:48:00.000-07:00

Here it is. My usual summer slump. Where everything I usually listen to begins to bore me but I'm not bored enough to bother trying downloading some client that will let me download more music. Of course, this means perusing myspace. Which is really the only thing that silly site is good for nowadays, unless you are fourteen and you want everyone to believe you are twenty six. Fourteen year olds aside, one day while I was still in my pajamas at four o'clock in the afternoon reading a bunch of useless articles and myspace cruising I stumbled upon this pleasant sounding folk band from London. I tried looking for more information on Noah and the Whale but I couldn't really find any. I am pretty sure they are one of those bands which has a consistently shifting number of members, but I could be wrong. They have that unproduced quality that immediately makes one think of a bunch of dudes sitting around making music and playing at the local venues. Basically, if I lived in London this is probably a band I would be going to see on a regular basis.

I'm not sure what immediately grabbed my attention. Perhaps it was just that good old accordion sound in the song Jocasta. Perhaps it was the violin part in the song Rocks and Daggers. Maybe it was the way the lyrics manage to be straightforward without being clumsy. I'm not quite certain. All I know is that I'm glad I decided to listen to Noah and the Whale.

http://www.myspace.com/hatracket

Albany gets Even(s)

2007-06-29T08:49:00.001-07:00

In a mostly unpublicized show which I briefly mentioned before, the Evens (Ian MacKaye and Amy Farina) played in the basement of the Howe Library in south Albany and the place was filled with all kinds of people. You could see 3 year olds and 60 year olds dancing to the same music. This was probably one of the best/most attended shows I've seen in Albany in ages. Ian and Amy put on a great show, despite not being the young punk rocker he might have once been Ian MacKaye is still a great front man with an anti-establishment swagger that had the entire room screaming at the top of their lungs, "The Police will not be excused, the Police will not behave". Ian's ramblings about how the people have the power even though the musicians have the instruments to the full room served to show me what a large population of music fans exists in Albany, sometimes it just takes a legend to get them all in the same place.

mp3:Cut From the Cloth [Buy]

Spring Time is Over, But it Can Still Kill You

2007-06-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

I haven't had the pleasure of listening to Jolie Holland's entire new album "Springtime Can Kill You," but every song I have heard sounds as though it could have been plunked anywhere onto her sophomore release "Escondita" and would fit marvelously.

"Escondita" came out in 2004 and still, I rarely put it back in its case. Instead I plop it upside-down on the CD player because I know it won't be long before I'll be reloading it to listen.

"Escondita" has been that way for me ever since I bought it. Yes, I bought it. I rarely by CDs anymore, instead hunt for their slightly more inexpensive vinyl counterparts. But I couldn't afford not to buy "Escondita".

Like "Escondita", "Springtime Can Kill You" is off of the Anti label, keeping good company with Elliott Smith, Tom Waits, The Frames; that Irish folk-rock band I was introduced to while living across the pond, and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds; another band whose music I met in my travels. (Knowing the music of Nick Cave deserves an entire blog in and of itself. It was shown to me by my former boss in Bangkok, a New Zealand bloag who ate enough fruit cake and smoked enough cigarettes to give himself diabetes (that's his diagnosis, not mine). His wife had died ten years ago and still he sat at open mics, shoes off, legs crossed, crooning Nick Cave's music, intermixed with his own, through the gap in his one tooth. The songs cronicled death, loss, suicide, overdoses, and more death. He was quite the jolly chap. Apparently he was friends with the Bad Seeds. Somewhere along the way they had a falling out... this is where the story gets a bit fuzzy, I think in part due to the fact that I was intentionally left out of this classy conversation. So I'll leave this open for a possible future blog....ehem...Eric).

But I seriously digress.

Jolie Holland.

Jangly guitars, drunken trumpets, saloon pianos, lyrical elixers, rail-side drum brushes, and her voice, tainted with the sweet scent of cordials. It really sounds like she's been sitting around sipping cordials. I'd like to sip cordials with Jolie Holland. And I think you should too.

www.jolieholland.com

www.myspace.com/jolieholland

Try and find a world where there's no parents just daughters and sons

2007-06-26T21:05:00.000-07:00

...We offer the best of luck and our sincere hopes that you will conclude this record still if full possession of your life.

Anyone that I've talked to about music/songwriting knows that one day I hope to create a bona fide noise band album, akin to The Music Tapes 1st Imaginary Symphony for Nomad. To me it seems like such a challenge, but I'm guessing a lot of people might disagree with me. That's not music. And now for my overly dramatic response:

I admit that I don't put on a noise album as background music at a party, and honestly I don't really put a noise album on that much at all. It's tough to listen to, it's not something that you put on to kick back and have a beer to after work. It takes some effort, there's so many things to listen to in the recordings, it doesn't instantly give off a feeling or emtotion that is easily recognized by the listener, and worst of all you can't sing or dance to it.

As Julian Koster (Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control, Chocolate USA), the majority shareholder of The Music Tapes, says, "Because The Music Tapes were more 'places' than recordings to me, they didn't have to follow the same rules and structures as the records I bought in stores. They could be as detailed as I wanted to make them. They could form stories, or landscapes of a world I imagined to be better than our own, for me and my friends to visit."

And that's what happens. Instead of listening to an album while sitting at my desk, I am listening to the din of a world that I am in, there's no music. Kickballs, vacuum cleaners, kazoos, and a perpetual lo-fi hiss become the neighbors upstairs, the helicopters landing on the roof of the hospital, and the drone of an oscillating fan.

Here are some mp3s that more closely resemble records that you buy in the stores than some of the other tracks on The First Imaginary Symphony for Nomad, the only officially released LP which was put out by Merge in 1999. Elephant 6 released two rare 7" Music Tapes records and Julian self-released a 7", The American Phoam Rubber Co. Symphony Orchestra Proudly Presents the 2nd Silly Putty Symphony for Edison Wax Cylander, but good luck trying to find any of them.

I have recently discovered that you can download the First Imaginary Symphony in it's entirity here.

mp3: The Music Tapes - Song for the Death of Parents

mp3: The Music Tapes - All Tomorrow's Parties (Velvet Underground cover)

mp3: The Music Tapes - A Warning! (1:32)

* the picture used is of Julian Koster and a 7 foot metronome, a staple member of the live Music Tapes

What kind of animal is a turtle anyway?

2007-06-22T20:34:00.001-07:00

Turtle Dove is the sometimes stage name of one Gabriel Quison, who sometimes plays by himself and sometimes plays with other people. He makes music just to make music, not so anyone will like it, which they do anyway. His myspace page is rather frequently updated with new different tunes. Like really different. For example currently at the page you can find a game boy style dance tune, an old school fuzzed out blues jam a really pretty lo-fi poppish tune and a beautiful little lo-fi folk peice called I don't know that word. Although the music is all over the place the feeling and the recording are rather consistent which makes it interesting to keep up on Turtle Dove's newest song cause you never know what the next one is gonna sound like but it will probably be worth listening to. Unfortunately you can't download any tracks or I would have one for you here but you can listen to them on his myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/cigarettetricks

Turtle Dove is coming to albany and will be playing a set for this months art opening at CDFI headquarters 383.5 Madison avenue.

Architecture In Helsinki Back With More Music?!?!

2007-06-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

Looks like an old underground favorite of mine is poised to release an album soon.

The Music Collective/Band Architecture in Helsinki, whom I first heard about through a friend in exchange for information about Os Mutantes, has a new song posted on their web page http://www.architectureinhelsinki.com/. The song, and its accompanying video, are apparently "out" now. Where they are out and what kind of out they're intending to be outting I'm not sure. But I decided to do a random drop by on their webpage and was freakin pumped to see this song and video sitting there.

Heart It Races is going to be a hit somewhere. It's a great melodramatic pop song full of great hooks and melodies and that ridiculously delicious doo wop bass line: "Bome... Bome... Bome... Bome bud dum bud dum," if it weren't so damn cool it might be annoying. I guess that's a great way of describing Architecture in Helsinki's acid indie techno pop. Almost annoying but mind poking cool.

Their last two albums were excellent. Full of ear worm songs that are easy to get addicted to.
Their sophmore album "In Case We Die" expanded on the sounds and ideas of their debut "Fingers Crossed" and Heart It Races appears to be another step forward in their upward progression toward quirk pop sophistication. The best news is that their new album "Places Like This" should be available soon.

Give this song a listen and if you like it go for the entire catelogue, it's fun.

Some AIH Music: http://www.myspace.com/aihmusic

Son of Adam

2007-06-15T16:39:00.000-07:00

For this interesting entry I have to thank Mama Koch, who as Tim tells me, works with Son of Adam also known in regular life as David Orenday. Based out of someplace in central New York, David it seems records in his bathroom or basement, or wherever it is convenient to put a microphone. A transplant to New York form the booming music scene in Austin Texas, Son of Adam recently released his second record Cranks and Saddles. His tunes seem to be simple finger picking crooning folk songs, reminiscent of Iron and Wine. Unfortunately none of his songs are available for download so I don't have any to post but you can check out a bunch at his myspace. I highly recommend the tracks 134340 and Wierd Bird which features a Shel Silverstein poem for lyrics.

http://www.myspace.com/sonofadam

He is going to be playing at Valentines on July 29th.

Aaron MacDonald / The Leaning Towers

2007-06-14T11:50:00.001-07:00

The Internet is a Hoover Vacuum

I will admit that I kind of cheated... I found this band from reading Said the Gramophone; a much more established planet in the blogosphere. Then I left that planet, which wholly served it's duty as an informative signpost, to explore the life of Aaron MacDonald and The Leaning Towers in the vaccuous internet.

Portlander's Aaron MacDonald and Emily Cosgrove together make the unsigned, The Leaning Towers in 2007. Extrapolating from my research, I believe Aaron and Emily also composed 'Aaron and Emily' in 2006, and Aaron MacDonald was 'Aaron MacDonald' in the years including and preceding 2005.

How did I come to such a conclusion you ask? Well, it's because on the band's website they have at least a good chunk (though I would guess all) of their repitoire of recordings posted on the internet, for free! Each song has the title, the date it was posted, and a snipet of the lyrics, it's fantastic! I started clicking on random songs based on the titles and the bits of lyrics. On Winamp, some come up as The Leaning Towers, others as Aaron and Emily, and others just plain Aaron MacDonald.

Based on the posted dates of the songs you can follow nearly three years worth of creation. You get to learn about all their friends; who has stayed and who has left, share their moments of giddiness and sorrow, and get to know both of their voices as you know those of your closest friends.

Some songs are genius, some are good, and others...well, you know, not every song is your best song. When there's over 100 songs posted, it's hard for all of them be good. That would be an amazing feat. In general, I like the early Aaron MacDonald stuff a bit better than The Leaning Towers, there's a bit too much electronic pop in the for me. The 2006 and earlier songs have not nearly as much synth or other electronic sounds as the Leaning Towers new disc, "The Eleventh Hole", and that's just more my style.

From what I can tell, Aaron is a phenomenal multi-instrumentalist and has a superb sense of arrangement. Banjos, trumpets, tubas...with so many songs you're bound to hear just about everything that makes noise. He and Emily are both in another band, and then Aaron is in 3 or 4 more as well. He is someone who truly lives for music

Leaning Towers Myspace

Aaron MacDonald/The Leaning Towers <-- this is where you can get all the songs. Here is a list of favorites I've found so far in no particular order, just to give you some direction: Fend off Autumn, The Simple Machines, Timothy, In the Snow, A Cure For Meat, Heidi In Her Military Coat mp3: The Leaning Towers - Rich Enough to Ignore It

mp3: Aaron MacDonald - Just Stay Gone

Matt Durfee!

2007-06-13T17:58:00.000-07:00

Just got out of Red Square. Matt Durfee played happy hour. He was all over his songs and played a set full of all of the classic Durfee. It was such a treat. 1st song was a slamming "meet you there." 2nd song of the set was a syrupy nostalgic "it's a good life." Reminded me of my first impressions of Albany. That was followed by start stopping jingjangling "gypsy song." It was so crisp and twisty. "you can write it down, you can cross it out." It was enough to make a person squirm in joy. "A full head of steam" was another high point. Durfee's brother joined him onstage for some djembe drums and Durfee wasn't holding anything back with the song choices, he played Palatypus songs and a cover of a Tom Waits song taboot.

If you live in the Albany area and have never seen Durfee do yourself a favor and go so him when next he plays. If you've seen him before, he's playing again and he sounds spectacular.

Thanks for the music Matt...

http://www.myspace.com/mattdurfee

Josephine Foster

2007-06-13T05:37:00.000-07:00

"You might call Ms. Foster's eerie warbling old-fashioned, except that is evokes a scrambled past that exists only in her own vision: mountain songs that never were, spaced-out hybrids that never will be." —New York Times

When I listened to "There are Eyes Above" my own eyes began to well.

There is something familiar, yet frightening about her vibrato studded voice. Layered on top of meandering harps she sings as though she knew you when you were a child, and witnessed with you, your own ageing, and now has come to remind you that once upon a time you were more simple. Once upon a time you were a child, and she knows all of your secrets. But she would never hold them against you.

Based upon the comments that fill her myspace, Josephine brings this same swooping enchantment when she performs live. Her comments are mostly all from fans, most of whom are strangers, who leave virtual love notes to her and write about her with such glory, such gratitude. Somehow Josephine Foster knows every hidden dream, every relic of memory of her listeners and hides away there with them as she plays. With their soft words they thank her for bringing them to a place that only they thought they knew the existence of. A place they had not traversed in some time, until it was Josephine who led them there.

The comments are intermixed with art, drawings, paintings, and photography created by her listeners. Sometimes music can not be expressed with words, and only can be expressed with visions. Her fans that have no words leave her with these images. I too find it hard to put words to Josephine Foster. And so perhaps Josephine Foster is best described by the drawings of her many fans she has gathered across the globe. See drawing above.

www.myspace.com/josephinefoster

http://www.100songsising.com/

Dear Nora Appears

2007-06-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

Last wednesday night there was a wonderful little show at the tiny little space at 383.5 madison avenue owned by the capital district federation of ideas. I went to see Troy Pohl (of the Kamikazee Hearts) play a solo set, which wasn't really solo but it was excellent. A loosely thrown together collection of songs played with his a few of his band mates that showed off their high level of musicianship and his powerful voice.
Dear Nora was the other act, all the way from sunny California, and you could tell. She was just different from us albanians, maybe a little bit calmer or just worried about different things. Her guitar parts were mostly simple although not as a rule but her melodies were fresh and different and beautiful and her poetic imagery kept at least me interested. From the show's rambling conversations it doesn't seem Dear Nora will exist for much longer than the completetion of this tour but not to worry because she is just moving on to her next project Lloyd and Micheal.

mp3:Dear Nora - My Friend and I
mp3:Dear Nora - Caribou and Timber

ps. Check this out, Ian MacKaye is coming to albany, I will see you all there.

Wheatie Mattiasich

2007-06-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

That's Wheatie muh-TEA-uh-sitch

or moddy-ahh-sitch...

so they say.

I decided I would go on a bit of an adventure through the myspace labyrinth in order to find some good music to write about today.

I made a promise to myself that I would not start over. I would start in once place and click and click and click until I found something good.

Unfortunately I got stuck, really far deep in the labyrinth.

I couldn't find my way out.

And I couldn't find any good music.

So I broke my promise. But you'll thank me for it.

Because I found Wheatie Mattiasich.

One of her influences is Mother Goose.

She says she sounds like the malarchy of a four year old who thinks she's time travelling.

I'd say that's about right.

Wheatie Mattiasich also sounds like front porch rocking chairs next to glasses of sweating lemonade and rickity old metal fans blowing the hot air and the magnolia's all around.

You can pick up the CD for only $5 or a trade.

All you have to do is email wheatiemattiasich@gmail.com

with the subject line: heeba deeba geeba neeba

the body of the message should contain your name

and right below something that sort of rhymes with your name

ex: Molly O'Connell

Pollywogs caw at Bill

Those are Wheatie's orders.

www.myspace.com/wheatiemattiasich

W*Burg Will Oldham

2007-06-04T17:12:00.000-07:00

"Today I went to Major Maps to remaster my old album and on the L Train in the morning I was pretty sure I saw Will Oldham. He was wearing the same sunglasses he had onstage at the bowery ballroom. Had he come to walk among the Williamsburgers of his kingdom and like the Burgers of Calais will a sacrafice be demanded?" foreshadows Jeff Lewis to start this masterpiece of spoken indie folk: Williambsurg Will Oldham Horror. (Actually, to be more precise, in this veggie salesman's opinion, this is a masterpiece of guitar and vocal. There have been many types of guitar and vocal combinations set down on record over time, this song is like none I"ve heard before.)

It's a story songs that flows out faster than Subterranean Homesick Blues but with a slacker's nervous anxiety and an ironic 21st century geek sense of humor. It's a song about artistic uncertainty. It asks the ever burning questions in the back of many self conscious artist's minds "is this artist life worth it? could I be doing something better with my time? how come my mom and my friends are my only fans? and how did Bob Dylan become so much better than Arlo Guthrie, who was Dylan comparing himself to? Ginsberg? and who was Ginsberg comparing HIMself to? and why did the Stones need satisfaction in '65 but by '69, if they couldn't get what they wanted, they got what they needed?"

And so he pulls you through the subterranean Brooklyn subway deeper and deeper, wondering if that really IS Will Oldham, until he can't take it anymore. And by about the halfway point his voice has gone from a slick slacker drawl to a stressed out excited pubescent telephone call. The whole thing moves together. His delivery and his lyrics tumble like a locomotive toward the climax on the train tracks.

Listen to the song for yourself. It's brilliant.

Actually be sure you listen first before you watch the video. The song alone is excellent and you'll find yourself trying to keep up with it while you listen, catching your breath. After a few listens move over to the video. It's a perfect fit for the song.

Song: http://www.myspace.com/jefflewisband

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSdZ_yZP8bk

Lyrics: http://mv103.blogspot.com/2005/12/jeffreyjack-lewis-city-and-eastern.html

Ghost of Corporate Future

2007-05-29T18:18:00.000-07:00

About three hours into the five and a half hour drive to Cape Cod I wore out my go-to CDs and popped in a mix my brother made for me. My brother and I share a love for music, but I will admit that at times our tastes desperately clash.

Ben Folds is to my brother what Jeff Buckley is to me.

He has Ben Harper, I have Stevie Wonder...(although we shared a beautiful sibling moment after a choir concert of his when he was in middle school where he performed, but had never heard "Sir Duke." I'll never forget the look on his face when I laid "Songs in the Key of Life" onto the record player to show him just what exactly it was he had been singing. I've never seen a smile like when he first heard those horns, and he couldn't believe that his choir teacher hadn't played the song for them before they were asked to perform it. It was a tacit musical joy we shared that evening).

I admit that most of the songs on the CD I skipped. But not only did I not skip "Ghost of Corporate Future" by Regina Spektor, I played it on repeat four times.

I'd never heard this woman before, but she reminded me of Bjork, except with a happy sarcasm.

Apparently Regina Spektor has already gotten pretty big, I'm usually the last to know about these sorts of things. The newest of her three CDs "Begin to Hope" is her first on a major label and was given a 7.5 on Pitchfork.

But "Ghost of Corporate Future" is off of her album "Soviet Kitch" a minor release.

I read that she's playing Bonnaroo, and Lollapalooza, and so probably doesn't need this seriously huge press I'm giving her, but that's life.

Unfortunately all of the songs I have heard off of her new album are too much for me to handle more than ten seconds of (although after hearing "Ghost of Corporate Future" I forced myself to go back and listen to "Sampson" which my brother also included on the CD. Admittedly the song gets exponentially better around 00:35, though the version included on "Begin to Hope" lacks the energy of the version my brother put on my mix).

There are times when her music sounds like the clone-female-musician that crowds the seats of open mics and chokes the radio waves. It may be a horrible analagy, and I've probably been spending too much time in the garden but her songs are like weeds. Some should be pulled, tossed in the bin, burned even (though burning things I normally do not advocate, except for candles, wood, and the occasional credit card statement). But then there are the ones that have flowered before you've gotten to them, and they're so lovely, and they grow on their own without your planting of them, and they spread, and you don't mind, in fact, it's downright wonderful.

I'm not sure what I think about Ms. Spektor as a whole, and I think that it's too late for me to continue thinking about it, and in fact I most likely won't come back to thinking about it. But "Ghost of Corporate Future" is a great song. And worth listening to at least four times.

Les Savy Fav <3's cartoons

2007-05-21T22:10:00.001-07:00

I found this at Muzak for Cybernetics but haven't seen it anyplace else so I figured I'd post real quick cause people might be interested but adult swim released a new Les Savy Fav track (as well as tracks from Broken Social Scene and TV on the Radio among others. Its pretty cool, check it out here. Les Savy Fav have yet to set a release date for their newest album other than to say it will be out this year, some time.

Kamikazee Hearts

2007-05-18T21:43:00.001-07:00

I once played a show with the Kamikazee Hearts in northampton massachusetts a couple of years ago, before I even knew who they were. I didn't stay to see them though because it was at a bar and my under 21 friends that had come along for the show weren't allowed in and had to wait outside. So I just left. I still haven't seen them live to this day, although thats mostly my own fault.
The Kamikazee Hearts signed to One Little Indian last year, making them in theory the most important band in Albany, that I know of. (One little indian is Bjork's own label in case you were wondering and strangely their website gives little mention to the hearts). They also maybe one of the longest running, having just released their fifth album Onieda Road (and having survived the metroland cover curse). I haven't heard much of their older records, but I don't really know what to think about Onieda Road. The Kamikazee Hearts often get billed as porch sitting folk music or alt country, I guess because they have a mandolin player but I just don't really see that in these guys at all. These guys owe more to 70's rock like the Doors or Journey than they do to folk. Tangentially they remind me a lot of Matt Durfee, who existed subsequently to them but who I knew first.
They don't have a lot of scheduled dates coming up, maybe they are already working on their next album but I'm not going to put it off anymore, next time they play in Albany I am there.

You can check out a couple of Songs on their myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/kamikazehearts
or By the Album at Emusic:
http://www.emusic.com/artist/11689/11689531.html

Holy Canada! Let's Have Some Fun!

2007-05-18T14:44:00.000-07:00

So here's the deal. I'm going to let you in on a secret.. psst.. you should probably know about this band.. they're named Malajube.. and they are amazing!

That said, I stumbled upon the masterpiece of Malajube in the fall of 2006 when they released their second album, Trompe L'oeil. If I used a CD player it would have been melted at this point by over play. Malajube, like many recent bands of great prowess hail from the greater state of Canada. Montréal to be exact. Malajube sing entirely in French, but despite the fact that I can understand a total of.. six maybe seven words, they are action packed and full of fun. In interviews, I've read how they can (and do) speak fluent English, but given that they were so affected by anglophone American music during their youth, they wanted to grant the same experience for us non-francophonies.

It's difficult to equate Malajube's musicianship to anything in particular, considering that every other song brings a new monster of noise and melody, so I refuse to try. But the range is from catchy but entirely novel pop songs (Montréal -40°C, Pâte Filo) ominous and thundering choruses (Casse-Cou, Fille À Plumes) to piano led upbeat saloon sing alongs (Ton Plat Favori) and ridiculous electronic songs (La Russe).

Their lyrics could be god awful and possibly be promoting some of the most vile degrading shit you've ever heard, but I'm entirely ignorant to them. (An online translator told me they were singing about "ejaculate", but you can't trust those things!) The interesting thing about non-anglophone music (for me) is that the experience is more that of instrumental songs. The melodies of Malajube's vocalists come off as complementary innovative instruments. I find myself screaming along in my own French gibberish like a little kid, whose ear is too slow to make out the lyrics to the songs playing on the radio.

The real nail in the coffin for me was listening to Malajube while staying in Paris in January. At this point in time I had developed such an appreciation for the French language I was ecstatic to be able to connect with something that the culture which was blowing my mind at the same time would probably appreciate.

So here's the rub. Malajube. They're playing a FREE show at the Prospect Park Band Shell in Brooklyn on June 30th, my birthday! I would kill to see them. That may mean I have to kill everyone I invited to my party.. we'll see.

Here's their really well done music video for Montréal -40°C

And their website. http://www.malajube.com

Enjoy!

First I Was Their Fan: Part Two

2007-05-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

Ok so, my title is a bit of a falsehood, but I liked Jen's idea so much I couldn't resist ripping off it. My post is about a little acoustic act called myfriendpeter. The great part is he is actually my friend peter. Cute, right?

Peter Philip Lawrence Mollica hails from "the great jungles of southern Brooklyn" and is widely known as the kid in the really tight pants (which he looks great in by the way). Like the guys in Dunbar he plays a collection of instruments; one of the phrases one is most likely to hear Pete say is "Ohhh mannn I want a "insert some sort of instrument here." The latest addition to his collection that I know of is a lobstermonica, which is a harmonica shaped like a lobster claw. He bought it for about two dollars at a rest stop when we were coming home from Boston. It sounds pretty ghastly when you blow on it but knowing Pete I'm sure he will find a way to make it sound good if he wants to.

Instruments aside, there is something else you should know about my friend peter. Or myfriendpeter. He is a wonderful songwriter. I'm not just saying this because he is my friend, Pete's lyrics really grab you. Every song. Every time. His songs can be about squirrels, bugs, sex,trees, ice cream, it doesn't matter. What I like about Pete's music is how personal it is, and it's difficult to achieve that without falling into the "emo" trap a lot of young songwriters tend to get stuck in. The fact of the matter is Pete's songs are more than just happy or sad. They're reflective in creative way that can only be done by a visionary. They are completely transcendent of the simple "emo" label most people would want to put on them. They're way more than that.

I'm not an overly passionate person and typically recieve criticism for my predominantly blase attitude. However, I have screamed myfriendpeter's lyrics at the top of my lungs. I've harmonized softly on the quiet parts. I've participated in an "all girl chorus" in a song about zombies. I've felt longing, desire, and joy. And I know it's not just me. While I'm sitting around surrounded by friends and see them singing pete's songs, their heads thrown back, brows knotted fervently, their voices rising above and beyond not just the instruments but the room itself, I know they are feeling the same way I do.

I don't think everyone is capable of affecting people that way.

I really like myfriendpeter. I'm glad he is my friend (peter).

http://www.myspace.com/myfriendpeter

First I was Their Fan

2007-05-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

It may not be fair of me to write this blog about some of my favorite people, but a vast part of my unbiased mind tells me I’m allowed to. Before I was their friend I was their fan.

The B3nson blog was set up so that members of the B3nson Collective could share with our readers the bands and music that has struck a real chord with us. But what happens when the music that has become the most prevalent in your life, the most listened to, the most stuck in your head, is the music made by the people in the very Collective you are a part of? Is it something you ignore? I’m afraid it can't be.

I first saw them sometime at the end of last year’s summer. They knocked their way into the Muddy Cup coffee shop, banging hard cases against door jams and their own shins. The hard cases were covered with stickers like the one that says “Love your Enemy.”

I didn’t know them. I’d never seen them before. But they had handkerchiefs hanging out of the back pockets of pants they wore in three quarters lengths and lumberjack looking shirts and musical saws and Jacques Cousteau red knit hats. I hoped their music would live up to the expectations I had of them. I elbowed my own partner in crime. He was tuning his guitar, trying to figure out what two songs he would play at the open mic.

Open mics can be awful painful at times. But this band was the reason we kept going back. We sat in hard chairs from 8pm until 11, just to watch them play two songs. Just to watch them pull out their choose-your-own-adventure combinations of instruments…accordion, typewriter, French horn, trumpet, trombone, saw, guitar, ukulele.

I’d never seen anything like them; their joyous lyrics, their magical earwormish melodies, their phenomenal musicianship, and their exuberance on stage made them an act I didn’t want to miss.

Sgt. Dunbar & the Hobo Banned released their newest CD While Waiting for the Space Age this past Saturday at a show held at the Capital District Federation of Ideas. Each time I see them live I’m impressed by them. They have managed to grow and evolve as musicians even in the less than a year that I’ve known them. On stage they work. They sweat. They laugh. They stand on tables. They play two instruments at once. They get the crowd shouting for more.

I am their friend, but first I was their fan.

They impress me.
And so does their music.

www.sgtdunbar.com

http://federationofideas.org

I Like Listening to Ponies in the Surf

2007-05-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

I don’t exactly remember the first time I listened to Ponies in the Surf. I think it must have been in 2004 at a show they played somewhere in Boston at a place where they served beer and there was art hanging on the walls, but I can’t be any more specific than that.

I watched them up on stage, just the two of them, brother Alexander and sister Camille. I watched the way they interacted. I watched how she stood still and gracefully stiff, clutching her microphone in her little hands, while he sat and played an orchestra out of his guitar. I watched the way they looked at one another, how she followed his fingers up and down the neck so that she knew when to sing the next harmonic note on time with her in-his-own-world-melody-making brother.

I felt a connection to them right away. Maybe it was because I had been in their place before. I had studied the changes and cues of my own in-his-own-world-melody-making band mate; I had learned his own unlearnable, unpredictable, and fascinating indications of changes and progressions. I had, on many occasions, stood quietly and still on stage, as Camille did often throughout the set, watching her own band mate with pleasure, as though she were hearing the songs she had co-written for the very first time.

They impressed me with their stage presence. It seemed as though we might have been sitting in their living room while they played, and even in their living room they were as soft spoken, polite, and joyous as they were on stage.

I forget who they were opening for, we hadn’t come for the headlining act. And during the headlining act we stood around the Ponies in the Surf merchandise table, chatting sheepishly to the band that was so grateful we wanted to purchase their album, that they gave us a few free Ponies in the Surf buttons.

A demonstration is the kind of album where each time a new song comes on I think it’s my favorite, until I hear the next one. There is something sweet, something innocent, something French and polka dotted, something wildfloweresque about each song. There’s the long and catchy chorus of See You Happy, followed by a Linda Rich cover of More to Living which sounds so much like one of their own songs that I thought it was until I read the liner notes. I loved Ventricle so much that we covered it a few weeks later at a show we played in Boston, the parumpapumpum in Government Brand recalls for me my Burl Ives childhood, the lyrics to Je T’aime were written by their ten year old neice… I could go on.

Since a demonstration, Ponies in the Surf has come out with another album, Ponies on Fire, and there is talk of another, with some unreleased tracks available on their myspace site for listening and download.

http://www.poniesinthesurf.com/
www.myspace.com/poniesinthesurf

Young Folks by Peter Bjorn & John

2007-05-07T19:06:00.000-07:00

Here I am writing about music from 2006 again.

A friend of mine sent me an email late last year from a cafe in Bangkok alerting me to the Peter Bjorn & John song "Young Folks". I found the video on Youtube, watched it twice, then continued to play it on repeat a couple more times while working. This song is infectious to say the least. It's definately a great song and I'm surpirsed it wasn't on radio repeat until the whole world was sick of it (i'm thinking of Modest Mouse's big hit Float on).

The song is on Peter Bjorn & John's latest release "Writer's Block". It's their third LP, all of which have garnared wave reviews from the critics. Peter Bjorn and John were formed in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1999 and released a self-titled disc in 2002, followed by the excellent album "Falling Out" in 2005. "Falling Out," like "Writer's Block," is a set of new wave inspired pop, arranged with everything from glockenspiels to Speak & Spells, to zithers, omnichords, and cheap synths

But I'm stuck on Young Folks. I think it's my favorite Peter Bjorn & John song, although "object of My Affection" is right behind. Young Folks is one of those genius songs. It's the type of song that teaches a songwriter how to write the basics again. The melodies seem easy in their simplicity, the topic of the song and the arrangment are like why didn't I think of that?!?!? I really hated them when I first heard the song. Hatred is one of my lesser qualities and it happens when I get jealous. I don't really hate for long, just a second or two and within days of hearing the song I had encorporated the maracas into a recording, a month later my band We Are Jeneric wrote our first song that included a boy and a girl talking to eachother .

Search youtube for the Young Folks, you'll know you found it when you see a cartoon with two people on a park bench. There is also a great live version on youtube. On Peter Bjorn & John's myspace you can find a great sitar version of the song called "Sitar Folks". Also don't miss "Objects of My Affection" it's gooooood.

http://www.myspace.com/peterbjornandjohn

I'll be your friend Camera Obscura

2007-05-06T07:52:00.000-07:00

As I write this blog, there is currently a stack of cds sitting next to my elbow. No matter how hard I try, I can't make myself complete a single one of them without coming back to this charming little band from Glasgow. Camera Obscura formed in 1996 but didn't get around to recording an album (called "Biggest Blue Hi-Fi") until 2000. After that break through recording, the band followed it up with several others; "Underachievers Please Try Harder" was one of the first to be released in America. Currently, my favorite is their latest release "Lets Get Out Of This Country."

Why do I like this band? Mostly just because they are just so darn adorable. Listening to their music makes me feel like I am driving down an old French road in some retro-fancy European car. To be more succinct, they just make me want to do cute things. Their sound is definitely a throwback to the sixties and seventies with the kind of cheesy string sound in their songs which, I believe, was a fairly common characteristic in music from those eras. It works for them really well though. If you are familiar at all with Jens Lekman I can see him either a) working on a song or b)touring with these guys because the songwriting for both bands is very very similar. Jens Lekman's lyrics are a bit sillier though. (Which is why they are so great.) But enough about Jens; the point here is, you aren't going to walk away from Camera Obscura blown away with their songwriting skills, but you will be smiling, which in my opinion is more than par.

Two tracks from "Lets Get Out Of This Country" that I keep coming back to in particular are the title track and "I Need All The Friends I Can Get" How can you not love lyrics that utilize the phrase "it's the bees knees"? I sure as heck find them pretty irresistable, hence my current inability to focus on any other records I am trying to review right now. (Or my fifteen page paper.) Anyway, listen to Camera Obscura if you haven't already, and don't be surprised when after doing so you will be seized with the sudden urge to go on a bike ride wearing some kind of bright article of clothing. That being said, I guess I have a paper to get back to.

P.S. Check these links out peoples.

http://www.camera-obscura.net/

http://www.myspace.com/cameraobscuraband

Don't Forget about Matt Durfee, Matt Durfee

2007-05-02T16:27:00.000-07:00

i sincerely hope that matt durfee as a distinct musical entity is not entirely gone. his recent collaboration with a long time friend Mike Poulopoulos in the country-blues duo "Palatypus" has been keeping him very busy between recording EPs and playing a plethora of shows in New York and the surrounding provinces.

but for those of us who have been following the Durf-star around for months/years Palatypus is a bit of a trade-off. There's something about watching Matt Durfee alone with his guitar...maybe its his long skinny fingers dancing on his guitar doing things that normal fingers don't do, or it could the charming rural Schoarie county twang of his voice that he doesn't try to hide, or it could be the way he bobs his head, or maybe it's just the man-crush i have on him, and i know i'm not the only one.

he won much aclaim in the capital region before forming Palatypus, including Metroland's "Best Singer/Songerwriter 2006", which we used to start a fire one night when the b3nson crew went out to Indian Ledge southwest of Albany, the name of which they took for their music collective which includes Matt Durfee, Palatypus, Turtle Writing and Alta Mira.

"It's a Good Life" is a song that always makes me feel good. It's not gushing with optimism, in fact it's not even really that optimistic at all, but when he say's it a good life, you know that he's right.

last month he played a rare solo set somewhere in Troy for something, i missed it and am very dissapointed in myself for that. i will not miss the next one, which hopefully there is at somepoint. for now, Palatypus will suffice. don't get my wrong though, I'm as big a Palatypus fan as the next guy. they're much easier to catch around town, they play all over all the time and are definitely worth a trip to see.

but...

dear matt durfee,
please don't forget about matt durfee. "It's a good life" has a very special place in my heart, and the Gypsy Song makes me smile a smile that smiles for nothing else.

http://www.myspace.com/mattdurfee

http://www.myspace.com/palatypus

http://www.indianledgerecords.com

mp3: It's a Good Life

mp3: Etched in Red

(the mp3's will not be uploaded until later tonight or tomorrow for all of you up-to-the-minute Bensonites, you can no longer download them from his myspace so I have to track them down, but I will find them, for now go the ol' myspace-a-roo)

If I Were An Owl

2007-05-01T15:57:00.000-07:00

I first heard Tinyfolk last Thursday while tuned in to the awesome Albany radio station 90.9 FM. The song was “If I Were an Owl.” I was in the kitchen, watching hawks fly overhead.

Talk about romantic... “If I were an owl and you were a mouse I’d eat you up for breakfast, I’d take you under my owly wing and I’d buy you presents for Christmas… I’d hunt the oak tree late at night…tryin’ to figure out whoo whoo whooooo you were.”

“If I Were An Owl” is off of Tinyfolk’s multi-syllabic release Platapeasawallaland: A Rainy Day Owlbum. Yet another band from what is turning into be the music capital of the world, Bloomington, Indiana.

When I listened to their song “William You Were On To Something” I immediately thought of Ponies in the Surf. Whom I will devote an entire blog to next week. The song smacks of Alexander McGregor’s vocal and guitar songwriting, and that makes it good. That, and the fact that following the song there’s an audio clip from the film Annie Hall. I love Woody Allen. He’s a funny guy. He’s like when you take a sip of coffee and then say, “hey, this ain’t coffee…this is kool-aid.”

Tinyfolk will shortly be touring the country, mostly with the band Real Live Tigers, which hails out of Austin. So if you happen to find yourself in Indiana, Nevada, Iowa, Arizona, Oregon, Washington, Kansas, or Wisconsin it would be an owlfully good idea to check them out. And if you’re not heading west, just go online and check them out. They’re a hoot.

www.myspace.com/tinyfolksings

Ramona Cordova is Heavy on My Head

2007-04-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

I'm a little behind the times musically speaking. I didn't listen to the Beatles until I was a Freshman in college, didn't hear Belle and Sebastian until two years ago, Neutral Milk Hotel, last October. And there's a few very good reasons for my lag. I won't burden you now with the reasons, just know part of one of them has to do with Christian parents, a steel curtain and the impending apocolypse.

So I don't feel like it's a problem to be writing about an album from last year right here in the middle of April. Especially when songs from this album are haunting me more every day that passes.

I'm speaking of the Ramona Cordova album; The Boy Who Floated Freely. The best part is: I've never even listened to the entire album.

I was introduced to Ramona Cordova through a campfire sing along in which every person singing busted a neck veign trying to hit the high notes of a serpentine beautiful melody. The song was Heavy on My Head and every version I've ever heard, from the first to the last is as good as the first time. I love this song.

It's achingly wonderful. It's so proximus to where you sit. No matter how loud or quiet you listen, how energized or mellow you are this song pulls you up next to the troubador and his guitar. It's starlight. I'm not exaggerating.

The album only gets more and more intruiging. Heavy on My Head is on the list of the best songs I've heard but other Ramona Cordova songs fit right in. Maybe thats because the album is concept album. Its a story about a boy marooned on an island away from home. Each song tells a piece of the story at large but each song is solid on its own. The Giver's Reply seems to get stuck in my mud like an ear worm no matter how long ago I listened.

It's Ramona's falsetto. It's one of the best falsettos to hit music since Al Green. And his vibratto is comparable to Devendra Banhart. His melodies... I don't think there's a comparable person in my small encylopedia. I leave that open for comment.

Give his music a listen on his myspace

http://www.myspace.com/ramonacordova

[strawberry] fields. [forever]

2007-04-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

fields is an Anglo-Icelandic band formed in London that has been popping up on the indie scene/college radio stations these days. They've done some touring with the old Wolfmother and the old Bloc Party but now that their first full length album entitled "Everything Last Winter" is out they will be venturing off on their own.
Hearsay tells me that Pitchfork gave this record a nine out of ten. I tried checking, but couldn't find the review, most likely because I am internet-challenged. Regardless, I am not sure how I feel about "Everything Last Winter." The whole time I was listening I kept waiting for something significant to pop out at me and nothing ever truly did. The first two tracks really weren't all that significant, but the rest of the album was decent. fields reminds me a lot of MBV but much more subdued and poppy with a rather produced sound. (However this may be my extreme partiality to low-fi kicking in.) I think I would like this album better if each song had some sort of climax but the pacing of every song was always strikingly similar to the one before it. "Everything Last Winter" is a leisurely listen by a decent band that will probably do cool things in the future; but, for now, I'm sticking with the better bands they remind me of.

Don't Smoke Get off the Internet

2007-04-28T09:17:00.000-07:00

I only recently stumbled upon this record on a blog entry, and I couldn't believe it. Phil Elvrum is recording under the Microphones moniker again and I hadn't even heard about it. Everybody should be flipping out, I am flipping out, how did I miss this? I don't know when the record was officially released but it says on the case "early 2007". I swiftly paid the 7$ that the record costs of at pwelvrum and suns and soon was the proud owner of some pretty white vinyl. The songs are awesome, it sounds like the Microphones, I highly recommend all interested parties get their hands on a copy, cause I don't have any mp3s to post. I wonder if this means there will be more new microphones? Maybe a full new record? Who knows.

Hop Along {with}, Queen Ansleis

2007-04-25T20:49:00.000-07:00

take everything you've ever thought about girls with guitars and throw it out the window. i think i can confidently say that if you were to listen to only one of the bands i've written about in the last few months...i would recommend Hop Along, Queen Ansleis. in a world where seemingly every female songwriter is a genetic splice of sarah mclaughlan, jewel, and ani defranco; Hop Along's Francis Quinlan is a mutation that Darwin would hold to his heart and praise as the paragon of natural selection.

brash as it may seem, these opinions come from hearing only 6 of her songs. 4 on her myspace, and 2 more on her pure volume site. The 2005 release "Freshman Year" is on my list of things to buy, along with one of Chris Eaton's novels (check out Dave's post on Rock Plaza Central), a new tire (to replace my slashed one, those bastards) and pay a parking ticket, most likely all purchased in that order.

Whereas the gene pool of Mclaughlan-DiFranco monsters jump up and down the vocal registers to show how pretty and versatile their female voices are, Quinlan puts them all to shame without really trying to. sometimes she whelps, other times its almost a cry, and here and there she hops octaves into a beatiful falsetto; often times all of those and more jammed into one 3 minute song, creating a consistently up-tempo melody and showing her exceptional talent. yet in no way will you think she does it as a fanfare of her skills. the songs are humble and fragile, they might shatter into pieces if you stop listening, yet they burst out of the speakers with energy and excitment about her seemingly infinitely loving family, bonzai trees and spinach.

while frances' voice is a dominant force in the songs, often times with 4 or 5 distinct vocal tracks all happening at once, its not the only noteworthy sound going on. her brothers and friends contribute to the recordings on banjos, drums and kitchen utensil percussion creating a delightful sound that i envision can only come from a warm, sunlit room where you can see the dust particles in the air and everything in there has been placed in its location for some specific reason, which may or may not make itself known and that doesn't really matter.

maybe i'll do a follow-up post once i get the album. but if not, go to her myspace and copy down her address in brooklyn and send her $10 and wait as the days crawl by like a millipeed with a blister on every foot until it gets to you. there's only one song available for download, which i will post at the bottom, the others you will have to stream from her myspace and purevolume.

i fall in love with her all over again everytime a new verse starts.

i'm only posting one mp3 out of lack of having anymore than one, but my suggested tracks would be "Of My Brothers..." off her myspace and "Bruno is Orange" on her purevolume.

mp3: the bonzai tree u bought 4 me

www.myspace.com/hopalongqueenansleis

www.purevolume.com/hopalongqueenansleis

Jorge Ben Makes Me Hot

2007-04-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

Normally I’m not a very definitive person, but I can say without a doubt that Jorge Ben’s recording of “Menina Mulher da Pela Preta” on his 1972 album A Tabua de Esmeralda is definitely the best song ever recorded. I was recently introduced to Ben by a friend whose Latin music mixed CDs will be pumping through the speakers of a vegetable mobile perusing the inner city streets of Schenectady, Albany, and Troy.

Ben is the epitome of warm weather inner city music, and his recording of “Menina Mulher da Pela Preta” (which freetranslation.com tells me means “Girl Wife of the By the Black One” and since my Portuguese isn’t very good I’ll have to take their word for it) captures in 2 minutes and 57 seconds the equatorial feel of Brazil (which I’ve never been to but I imagine to be hot).

As a lover of samba, salsa and other hot music, I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to find out about Ben, who wrote arguably one of the most well known bossa nova songs “Mas, Que Nada” (or “But That Nothing”) which was covered by numerous well known artists, such as Sergio Mendes. You probably know it, (think: women with high voices singing “oooh, waaaadeeeeaaah ooo oooohh baaa oohhh baaa”). I never knew it was Jorge Ben that wrote this classic song. “Mas, Que Nada” is one of those songs that you think doesn’t have an author, it just exists and always has. I felt the same way about “This Land is Your Land” until I found out that Woody Guthrie wrote that song. And the mystery authors revealed never disappoint me.

The only downfall to this recording of “Menina Mulher da Pela Preta” is that some silly producer cuts off his absolutely mind blowing vocal jam at the end of the song. But the same way in which some jazz connoisseurs say that the biggest mistake ever made in the history of jazz recording was arranger Gordon Jenkins’ addition of a Protestant Choir behind Billie Holiday’s unchoirlike voice in “God Bless the Child,” we realize that big mistakes cast upon great songs make the listener realize just how tough great songs really are. They can stand up to the mistakes and still leave you shaking your head in awe of it all.

Check out Jorge Ben’s sweet tropicaliaish web site, full of song clips and even sheet music, but brush up on your Portuguese because I don’t think freetranslation.com will be able to help you out with his lengthy biography.

www.jorgeben.com.br

Illinois: Not From Illinois?!

2007-04-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

Some albums are meant to be listened to like most novels are meant to be read, from front to back. They may tell a story, or convey an overall idea when aspects of each track are compiled chronologically. Who knows? There are even times when the music can't help but flow effortlessly like a cohesive work of art. But some albums just don't, and that's cool too. Right?

Take the sophomore EP by a band called Illinois, titled "What the Hell Do I Know?", released on Ace Fu records. It's seven tracks long, and each one takes from something else, grabs for some new sound and is distinctly different from the next. Have you ever tried to rip a mix CD your friend gave to you? And when you do, the CD ripping program (I use Windows Media Player) asks you to identify the genre. Identify the genre?! But it's not in just one genre! How absurd! That's how this feels.

This EP isn't just country, or pop, or spoken word, or your standard indie-rock fair, but at times it is all that. On the track that will most expectedly catch your ear, "Nosebleed", Illinois take an inventive approach to folk and blue grass using a rolling banjo line with electronic beats in the background and distorted vocals. Think Langhorn Slim getting his hands on a drum machine and keyboard. They appropriately fain a southern drawl for the song and it comes together quite nicely. I was disappointed to find the rest of the album not sounding like that, but that's not to say the rest isn't plenty enjoyable.

Further tracks like "One on One" exhibit a bigger band sound they are capable of, with the synths and guitars adding much depth and volume. Songs tend to be quite short which makes for quick flow through various sounds, keeping me, the listener on my toes. Vocally, Illinois are hard to pin down as well. Each song sounds like there's someone new singing. In the song "Headphones" a vocalist with a slightly shaky voice sounds like he's singing through a telephone giving an old school Conor Oberst feel. The closing track "Bad Day" delivers booming drums and bass with someone in the background monotonously complaining about random events in his day, cursing a bunch and eventually bringing about the chorus harmony of "Now I'm Free!". What the hell?

These Pennsylvanians (there are four guys in the band, three of which sing [they are NOT from Illinois!]) have a knack for compelling and appealing songs harmonies and lyrics, yet they keep their sound borderless. Illinois dodge the silver bullet of being confined to one genre, preventing them from being beaten down by it. And yes. they are werewolves. There's a lot of potential in a band like Illinois. After listening to their EP you'd have no idea where they are going to go with a full length and I doubt they do yet. Sometimes It is nice not to know what's coming next.

Check them out at www.myspace.com/illinois or www.illinoistheband.com.

The World Was Hell To Us.- How Chipper, Rock Plaza Central.

2007-04-23T15:43:00.000-07:00

Novelists are sad, sad people. Rock Plaza Central's lead singer Chris Eaton has written two novels: The Grammar Architect and The Inactivist. I haven't read them, but if his prose is anywhere near as good as his songs (which I have a sneaking suspicion that they are) they are probably better than anything I will ever write, especially this little post. I recently picked up RPC's first indepedent release The World Was Hell to Us (2003), and its much different than their runaway hit Are We Not Horses? (2006), but these discrepancies are forgivable, even applaudable. Their newer record is big: a concept album questioning subjectivity, epistemology, perhaps even Cartesian mind/body dualism, which is accompanied by big instrumentation (nearly every song teems with accordians, mellophones, trombones, banjos, violins,etc.) The World is more sparse, but in this simplicity there is no-nonsense heartache. After just a few listens, I would claim that the highlights is "You Don't Need" a song about the autonomous self, and the loneliness a life surrounded by others selves with whom you will never actually connect. The themes from Are We Not Horses are still here, but in less metaphoric, one could say, poetic sense. Horses is a poem; The World is a novel.

The single for this album is "The Things that Bind You", vaguely reminscent to my favorite song on Horses "How We Go, When We Go Pt. 1". The raw eroticism and pangs of unrequited love and acceptance excudes from every pore of this band and this album outlines the heights of where this band can and will go. Don't get me wrong, this album is not an outline, but a fully fleshed out work of art. I agree with Chris Eaton, and I almost have my self convinced that "I don't need" anything outside myself. Except this album.

Check out their songs from both albums here:
http://rockplazacentral.com/index.html
http://myspace.com/rockplazacentral

And Eaton's Novels here:
http://rockplazacentral.com/novels.html

Frog Eyes; Tears of the Valedictorian

2007-04-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

It has been 5 years since the release of Frog Eyes first record The Bloody Hand. They have been listed as influences for such popular indie acts as Xui Xui and Wolf Parade (with whom they share a member, Spencer Krug). Krug sings (and I assume writes) some of the songs on this album and the rest are fronted by Carey Mercer (also of Swan Lake). Some of the Krug songs on the album could very well fit on to a Wolf Parade album and the whole record in general shows some of the same reverence for Modest Mouse although for the most part its wierder and more jumbled than anything Isaac Brock ever put out. The songs are very varied in sound, feeling and length (ranging from 1 minute to 9) making for a very interesting album which doesn't necessarily feel like an album as much as it does a really good collection of songs.

mp3:Reform the Countryside
mp3:The Policy Merchant, The Silver Bay

if you digg, you can pre order here.

A Very Dynamic Duo

2007-04-18T16:15:00.000-07:00

Redbear./Super Famicom

When I first met Patrick and PJ, I was pretty sure they were on hard drugs and I didn't really want to have to deal with them. I sadly kind of shrugged them off for the first hour I knew them, then that all changed when Patrick (aka Redbear.) took the stage at the Oneonta Youth Center on April 14th.

I remeber his opening song very distinctly which happens to be the first track on his new full length "Love Songs for a Nihilist", and according to his live track of the song is his classic opening song about ghosts. His body instantly started a kind of spastic twitch that kept up with the speed strumming of the song and then he started belting out the lyrics in his Devandra Banhardt-esque squeal (and in "Brains!" he says 'sexy stingray', if you haven't heard Devandra Banhardt's "Little Yellow Spider" I would high suggest it). He takes Devandra and Dylan and morphs it into an ominously opaque cloud that's impossible to see through, but inside you're fairly certain there's something beautiful and honest.

Then PJ Famicom (aka Super Famicom) took the 8 people watching the show (5 of them being people in bands) into the backroom of the building, which is the old Armory, donned his facemask (look left), pulled out his travel guitar and began to frantically pace around, ramble about tornadoes and tigers, and play 2 minute songs here and there whenever the mood struck him. Did I mention this room smelled like shit? Did I mention he rolled around on the floor doing backwards summersaults without missing a note? If not, I suppose I didn't mention that afterwards the whole place smelled like crap, for the rest of the night. After the inital shock of their extreme physical weirdness (which many couldn't get past) I realized that I was witnessing something that is truly unique, maybe a little over the top, but as my eyes were questioning what they were seeing my ears were really digging what they were hearing.

Redbear. played along for most of Famicom's set, whether on guitar, banjo, mini-Casio or just carelessly singing along. "Everybody Else In My Band is Romantic" (Tract 045) is 12 tracks that span a whole 25 minutes. In fact you could listen to both Redbear. and Super Famicom's new albums in under an hour, which works well for all us hustle and bustle people. ha, oh man, thats a good one.

All 12 tracks are questions, and the recordings are very different from what I remember in that nasty ass room. There's a lot of Microphones-y sounds going on, and in that vein its kind of darkly melodic, trippy songs that always overwhelm the not so sober brain. I could easily imagine myself getting swallowed by a Lazy Boy while listening to these songs, I think I would be confused... but not in a stressful way, in a way that proves there's still new things to be discovered in the world.

Redbear. sums himself up pretty well in "Fiber!":

"And I know that sometimes my songs can seem a bit sad

so find my underlying message of hope

and this is a song that you can sing out loud when alone

or a song to sing when you want to come home"

www.myspace.com/redbearperiod (there's a really fantastic live sing-a-long version of My Ghost that I highly highly recommend available here)

www.myspace.com/superfamicom

p.s. they are on a crazy long tour/adventure right now playing shows and generally being weird dudes. so if they come anywhere around you, go see them, it will probably be free and it most certainly be like nothing you've ever seen before.

p.p.s. i'm really bad about chosing mp3s to post, i debate deeply with myself, so once again i can't help but post a lot of them. but listen to them all, they're good.

mp3: Redbear. - My Ghost-Love Jam

mp3: Redbear. - Brains!

mp3: Super Famicom - What Are the Hills White Like?

mp3: Super Famicom - Is This Being Recorded?

(i dont know why i can't get this to space right, but we all must learn to deal with that)

"Local"

2007-04-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

I keep all of my CDs filed in an old dresser drawer. Each disk sits in its own plastic sleeve cut from the old CD book that grew too heavy for me to ever put CDs away in. The albums are arranged alphabetically, because at times I have obsessive-compulsive issues, but moreover –alphabetization just makes sense.

Of course, some CDs pose a problem to categorize. Would Django Reinhardt be filed under D or R? Others lend themselves to easy categorization. I would never consider putting Jolie Holland under J. Without hesitation she was filed under H, but Django…well, Django sits in D because when for the week I did stash him under R, I found myself shuffling through the D’s only to find that old Depesche Mode CD tucked in between Miles Davis, Bob Dylan, and Nick Drake.

Then there are the albums that don’t easily fit into an alphabetized system. Such albums are filed under “Mixes” or “Soundtracks”. But this week I found I had to make an entirely new category altogether for a growing section of my collection: “Local”.

In the past week alone I have acquired three new disks from the Schenectady based band Desperately Obvious (see Tim’s blog from April 4th), Albany based Laura Boggs’ new album Whiskey & Springtime, an album by Schenectady musician Erin Quillinan, and another Albany gem: Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo Banned’s new disk While waiting for the Space Age. Add that to the formerly acquired disks –The Greatest Gravity, a project of Sgt. Dunbar’s Tim Koch, Get off the Moon, the album of Albany based Scientific Maps, along with my stack of impressive underground Hobo Banned recordings and demos, and you’ve got yourself a worthy cause to start a new category in the CD drawer.

Falling in the genre of local musician myself, I have been beyond fortunate that all of this incredible music was bestowed upon me in exchange for nothing but for my own time and efforts. I have found local musicians incredibly willing to trade you their hard work, manifested in CD form, for your hard work manifested in CD form. I am encouraged to know that although starving artists may not have the monetary funds necessary to help feed each other in order to support art, they still have the ability and the willingness to support one another in an often more impacting form. In place of money they offer muse, encouragement, and track after track of inspiration. Not to mention a reason to create an entirely new category for a collection of CDs.

I see a darkness

2007-04-15T23:17:00.000-07:00

In a week where this blog has taken a week to reflect on old favorites or new found old favorites (except for tim who's always forging ahead) I decided to go with the trend. If this blog entry had been on time it would have been on friday the 13th a day held to be bad news in many modern cultures. Paraskavedekatriaphobiaks all across the globe fretting with the badness of the day it seemed appropriate to do an album that has a minor space and thus I was going to talk about my recently blooming love for I See a Darkness by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy aka Will Oldham. I was actually turned on to this album by fellow b3nsonite dave a couple months ago and I keep coming back to it. Here are a couple of my favorite tracks.

mp3:I see A Darkness
mp3:A Minor Place
mp3:Madeleine-Mary

For all things B 'P' B check out drag city records.

The Red Rogue

2007-04-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

Alt-Country From the City

The Red Rogue hails from Staten Island, but at least one or two of the Rogues are originally from the area and their toe tappin', knee slappin', foot stompin', hand clappin' country tunes are sure to put a smile on your face.

The lead vocalist (who I'm almost positive is Tim Cushing) has a charming baritone voice and when he reaches up for the higher registers it becomes a little more unpolished, but for all us who prefer home recordings for their honesty and faults, it is perfectly unperfect in the line of Langhorne Slim. Their instrumentation fills up the whole audio spectrum with a jug-band type thump bass, 16th notes flying off the mandolin strings, and Carolyn's accordian which can add to the driving tempo of the song as it does in "Flight" or float along melodically with the vocals like it does in "Have Not". From the pictures I've seen it seems that Billy Jock plays a make-shift drum kit consisting of a snare and tambourine with his hands, though he may also use sticks sometime as well.

I am absolutely ecstatic to see these guys live. There's an awesome video on their myspace thats clips from their shows with people dosey-doh-ing arm in arm, and then Evan Jagles comes down and joins them with his mandolin and the mayhem only amplifies.

They were recommended to me by a co-worked after he came out to see a Dunbar show. Most music recommendations coming from outside of my small circle of friends usually don't pan out very well, but this one was a direct hit and was a welcome blast of new music that has sunk in deep enough to effect my own songwriting.

They'll be in Troy at the Kismet Gallery on April 27th and I am counting the days. Just today I've also asked them to come back on or around May 12th for a tentative show at the Capital District Federation of Ideas and have my fingers crossed. Keep checking their myspace to see where they'll be and when.

I would like to write a lot more about them, but 1. i have time constraints right now, and 2. there's a very limited number of songs of theirs availabe to listen to. You can listen to them on their myspace (no downloads) but you can download three of the from their Sonic Bids Electronic Press Kit, under the Media tab. Word on the street is they've recorded a 5 song EP, but I have yet to get my hands on it. So for now, listen to the mp3s and see them in Troy on April 27th (and hopefully again in Albany on May 12th) and warm up your thawing winter feet with some tunes you can't help but jump around to.

The Red Rogue MySpace
www.myspace.com/theredrogue

SonicBids Electronic Press Kit (you can download songs here)
www.sonicbids.com/theredrogue

mp3: This Is the Last Time

mp3: Flight

mp3: Help Out

The Faintest Ideas

2007-04-11T05:59:00.000-07:00

My Apologies to Peter who wrote this like a week ago and I haven't posted it yet. Hopefully this week we'll make it so he can post himself and he will be added into the regular (or not so regular) rotation on Sundays.

Recently working at SUNY Albany's WCDB 90.9fm, has taught me two things; Douglas Schieder can never be replaced, ever; AND Sweden is slowly taking over the world with their cute and catchy indie-rock. Of course, Sweden is no stranger to the world of independently awesome music, bringing us some monster acts such as Refused and The (International) Noise Conspiracy, but the multitude of artists emerging from that far region of the earth is growing. Quickly. And frankly, I'm terrified. NOT!
Swedish artists have been getting plenty of attention as of late. Here's a few who've been mustering up some sick hype: Loney Dear, The Knife, Jens Lekman, I'm From Barcelona, The Concretes, and Frida Hyvonen are all quite wonderful acts, but one band I find much overlooked is The Faintest Ideas. This four piece from Gothenburg Sweden take the lower road approach toward the heart of today's indie rock scene. Rather than finding fun dance beatz circa 1987, 43 members all holding different instrument, a cute female vocalist or a bubbly keyboard to make a wonderfully childish and endearing album, TFI make for nitty gritty punk rock; something lacking in the "scene", if I do say so myself.
TFI were formally known as Javelins, but according to their website, Javelins was a hot moniker over in Sweden. They formed in 2003 on a whim taking advantage of available studio time their former bands neglected. Since then they've put out 4 sold out EPs and since then have compiled them and unreleased tracks on an album released January 2006 titled "Terrific times and unrehearsed crimes". TFI are Martin Cannert, Christoffer Lärkner, Daniel Svanhög and Joel Görsch. The bands first full length release, "What Goes Up Must Calm Down", released on Magic Marker and Club Pop Records clocks in at a wopping 28 minutes and 21 seconds [divided between 15 tracks]. The longest track, "Try Too Hard" measures 2 minutes 47seconds which is a minute longer than most on the album. Needless to say, its starts out fast and ends before you know it [not to be confused with myself in the bedroom, ohhhh]. It's raw. It's fun! It's Lo-Fi. It's fast! It's sincere. It's awesome!
The guitars are a goddamn mess. The vocals, buried beneath the sloppy riffs and drums, are difficult to understand but the melodies sink to into your ears. I get an 80's feel from TFI. Not the exhausted new wavey 80's feel, the early punk, Clash-esque 80's feel, to be exact. The lyrics don't attempt to be particularly poetic, they're mostly honest songs of love, heartache and being young and stupid, including the brief opening track "You're Beautiful".
It's hard to find extreme differentiation between the fifteen tracks, although there are definitely those that stick out among the rest. The majority contain a similar fast paced drum beat and overdriven guitar melodies accompanied by the dual vocal power of the two guitarists Christoffer and Daniel . Joel on bass offers back-up vocals as the drummer Martin whacks away on drums. Christoffer and Daniel have separate vocal ranges allowing lower melodies to compliment high-pitched whines and at times you can catch a scream or squeal. It's great. The Faintest Ideas are trying to bring heartbreak back in the simplest ways possible and I love it. Their music breeds youthful veracity and it will get you shaking your ass and a put a smile on your face. I recommend beer with this album. And friends. It's a good time and that's that.

Recommended Tracks: You're Beautiful, All Stars, Missed Misses, Gun Totin Hooligans, Nosebleeders On The Track, Dexter's Got A Sinister Heart, Everything Is Black

A video for "Beautiful" and some Bio can be viewed here.

mp3:Everything is Black

An Elegy to Sleater-Kinney

2007-04-10T16:53:00.000-07:00

By the time I got around to listening to Sleater-Kinney, it was already too late. They broke up just a few months ago, but not before releasing an album that has been called their masterpiece: The Woods (SubPop, 2005). That album's great, but the disc that really kicked my ass in their second release, Call the Doctor (Chainsaw, 1996). It opens with the title track, a rock 'n' roll song, epic in its simplicity. Coming from the Riot Grrrl movement, reductively the female counterpart of grunge, (posthumously mostly because of the tragic love affair of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love), but musically S-K sound punk, hard punk, political punk. "They got a DC sound, shudder to think Fugazi." Listen to the first few songs of this album, then listen to the beginning of Cursive's Domestica (Saddle-Creek, 2000). Okay, good. Now hear, Sleater-Kinney was writing better hard emo than my favorite emo bands, at least four years before. Sleater-Kinney doesn't rock because its comprised of three girls, S-K rocks because they are fuckin' brillant.

Case in point: "Good Things", the sixth song on the album. Lyrics include "We can't be friends, we can't be enemies...The hardest part is things already said/ Getting better words I cannot tell/ Why do good things never want to stay?/ Some things you lose some things you give away." Imagine these lyrics bellowed over a curdling baseline and crunchy guitars. Yeah, its amazing. And the next song is ever better. And they stayed together for 10 years after.

I haven't digested The Woods yet, but so far I can say: think Sunny Day Real Estate with balls. The guitar work is out of this world,surreal. The soundscape is haunted by guttural, inhuman screams and booming drums. It rocks, girl style.

So I missed my moment, I should have payed attention before the broke up, but tardies like me rejoice! Janet Weiss, S-K's drummer, recently joined Stephen Malkamus's band the Jicks. Carrie Brownstein is writing for McSweeney's Believer and Corin Tucker has started releasing solo-stuff. Better late than never, but I'm telling you. One day more is too many days to not listen to Sleater-Kinney.

Edith Piaf and Vivaldi: I am Waiting for Spring

2007-04-10T11:23:00.000-07:00

I’m waiting for it to get warm, for it appears that it is still cold. I am waiting for the day that my hands stop bleeding from this perpetual cold and I can shove them into the earth that is my garden and they’ll come up warm and covered with dirt.

But for now the ground is frozen, the poor worms.
And all I can do to stay warm is to curl underneath quilts, drink red wine and listen to the sultry voice of Edith Piaf.

Once when I was in middle school I had to do a listening assignment for music class. We were told to listen to a piece of classical music and write what we heard. I wrote that while listening to Vivaldi I thought that it really did sound like spring. I wrote that I could almost hear the crocuses and tulips poking through the ground and I could see the birds flit from tree to tree.

I got a D on that paper.

Apparently my music teacher wanted us to write what INSTRUMENTS we heard, not the vivid imaginings of life that were evoked from the music.

I still think that Vivaldi chose a very good title for his piece called “Spring” and perhaps it was because of the discouragement of my middle school music teacher that to this day I continue to enjoy describing music in non-musical terms.

Perhaps it was what got me to the point of thinking that Edith Piaf’s Volume III on vinyl sounds like warmth –it sounds like a hot Paris basement bar, where the walls are made of sweating stone and everyone sitting at little tables seems to be drinking big pitchers of warm sangria, filled to the brim with sun kissed fruit.

Okay, it may be unfair of me to evoke that image, because I did actually hear an Edith Piaf record played in a hot Parisian basement bar where the walls were made of sweating stone and everyone sitting at little tables was drinking big pitchers of warm sangria filled to the brim with sun kissed fruit, but that most certainly was not the first time I heard Edith Piaf. When I did hear Edith for the first time it STILL evoked that image for me, so much so that when I finally was listening to her in Paris in that oven of a bar, I thought that the sangria had gone to my head, because the coming to life of my anti-music-class-listening-assignment-images was so synchronistic.

Sometimes I find it difficult to describe music in musical terms. Music can be complex, and an attempt at pigeon holing it into one genre or another, or even four overlapping genres can leave out crucial aspects to it. I could easily call Edith’s music a combination of gypsy-French-cabaret-pop, but that would exclude far too much. Edith’s music is like being at the top of a Ferris wheel at a carnival in the center of Moulin. Edith’s music is like a day you spend alone in the city, spending your money only on bouquets of flowers –for yourself. Edith’s music is like when everyone inside is wearing feather boas and sleeveless dresses and everyone outside is wearing wool overcoats and scarves. Edith makes me warm.

So until it gets warm I will listen to Edith, and as soon as it does I will swap in Vivaldi and while I shove my fingers into the earth he will be the perfect accompaniment to the wriggling of the worms and the budding of the trees.

Take that music teacher! (She was just a substitute anyway.)

Andrew Bird, The Veggie Mobile and The Indie Aesthetic

2007-04-09T18:01:00.000-07:00

Coming into this week Veggie Mobiled out I have decided not to write about anything new. The reason for the decision is that I don't have anything musically new to write about. I could write about the possible shows we might have or might see in the near future but those haven't happened yet. And besides they mostly involve B3nson collective bands. Except for the Green Light Tour www.myspace.com/greenlighttour, which comes through on May 15th.

I'm fresh out of hip.

I was thinking about writing about my favorite album of the past five years. It isn't a straight shot favorite or anything. It hasn't been sitting ontop for five years running. It is just consistently at the top of my list of albums. And by list, I mean, that it is consistently in my five disc changer. I don't usually make lists.

Full Disclosure: Myself and five friends made a collective top fifty songs list in a sweaty hot room in Bangkok one night. It was a terrible list. And I swore I'd never make another list again.

So I was going to write about this album, which I may or may not reveal the title of, but in reading Alex's post, which for anyone who cares, was 3 days late, I was stopped by a theory he stated about the term indie.

I have been chasing the term indie for a while now. And I'm not going to say that the words "indie is more an aesthetic than a genre..." ever came out of my mouth in any conversation Alex and I have had, but I will say that the topic has come out on more than one occasion. Each time I make some claim that indie is a sensibility that should include most sophisticated arthouse pop. And I usually say something about Wes Anderson films, Dead Man, Belle and Sebastian, and the mix of melancholy and Joy.

I will at some point expand upon this indie sensibility/aesthetic. Not tonight. I'm too tired and Veggie Mobiled out.

So I've decided to write about Andrew Bird and The Bowl of Fire: Thrills, because Andrew Bird just recently came out with yet another album that sounds nothing like Thrills. Thrills is always in my disc changer. It is brilliant. I can't believe he was 25 when he put it together. It's genius.

The album has tastes of jazz, caberet, German Weimer Republic nightclubs, Edith Piaf's French chanson mixed with Bertolt Brecht, drunken drums, and the Gypsi jazz of Django and Stehpen Grapelli. And that's just the music. I can't help but find dust, vinyl, orangy light on a grimy wall, Tennyson, Browning, and my imaginations of Budapest in there as well.

This album is timeless and should be listened to by all connoisseurs of tasteful music.

Recommended for dinner parties, driving long distances, or deep into a night of drinking whiskey or wine.

Dust From 1000 Years (Live / Buzzard)

2007-04-09T07:40:00.000-07:00

I think Tim was going to do this as his entry this week but I can't really help myself, sorry tim, this cd is so good. We (aka Sgt Dunbar) had the pleasure of playing with Dust From 1000 Years last monday night and I had little idea of what to expect knowing only that they were the touring band of the night. I was highly impressed with their set of haunting songs and perfect melodies, they had the entire room hanging on every note, up in arms with their rhythms and back again. As hard as I try I can't really think of anyone to compare these guys too, though they definetly fit into the indie folk genre but in a completely different way from us I think maybe because indie and folk are more aesthetics than genres.
After the show we swapped cds, and I got my hands Buzzard. Its now a week later and I still haven't stopped listening to it. I really wish I could have heard the cd before I saw them live cause the show would have been magnificent. I really can't wait to see them again and sing along. 13 Tracks spanning 40 minutes with an eerily wonderful sense of melody & harmony, deftly crafted lyrics, amazing ambience and beautiful lo-fi hiss these songs get stuck in my head non stop, especially Bad Thing.
You can grab this cd and their two older cds at their myspace. They are still on tour and anyone who reads this blog from brooklyn, richmond, atlanta, nashville or a few other places south of the mason dixon (aka nobody) would be well advised to check them out.

mp3:Bad Thing
mp3:Goin on forever
mp3:Immortal Hair

"Awesome Band" (from MySpace.com, 4 April 2007)

2007-04-04T15:34:00.000-07:00

Desperately Obvious at the Capital District Federation of Ideas

April 2nd was another wonderful night to be a local hipster; my confidence in the people of the Albany area to be creative and entertaining has been gaining strength all throughout 2007 so far and Monday was another testament to that. The Capital District Federation of Ideas (CDFI) hosted their first ever full blown show at Point 5, their house/gallery at 383.5 Madison Ave. This included Sgt Dunbar, Desperately Obvious (as far as I believe, mostly local) and Dust From 1000 Years, on day 4 of their 16 day tour out of Bloomington, Indiana.

Desperately Obvious kicked off the show and continued to impress me song after song as the small space began to fill up and heat up with students, graduates, bosses and random passers-by. I was finding some very good influences in their tunes, starting with vocalist/guitarist Richard Nolan's wailing voice's similarity to that of Willy Mason. Add the rest of the band: a stripped down drum kit played with brushes, a very pretty bass, slide guitar and keys and you end up with an alt-emo-country pop-bluegrass band entering your head. If you're as big an Okkervil River fan as me then these guys are right up your alley, and their cover of "Westfall" was true enough to the original to see the bands respect for their influences, but also creative enough to be what is somewhat rare, a good cover song, and well adapted to their lack of a mandolin player.

CDs were swapped and I ended up with a copy of their press kit, the album art of which was done in my favorite meidum: pen on lined paper, along with Dust From 1000 Years full length called "Buzzard" (check out next Wednesdays post) also done in one of my favorite mediums: crayon on construction paper. I enjoy when bands post their lyrics, and when I read along with the songs on their impressivly available myspace, www.myspace.com/awesomeband where their lyrics are posted,I really began to appreciate the lyricism that's there when you can get past the excellent instrumentation and composition.

The disc starts with "New Flower", a very humbly poetic love song to a flower that evokes deep and honest longing. Then slows right down into "Cheatin' Heart", a mellow sort of Pink Floyd-ish bob your head bluesy kind of song, leaning towards more of a dramatic, fictional lyrical subject... at least I hope he didn't dump a mans body in a river. (these are the two mp3s i will post, so i suppose i should have described some of the other songs, but...tan tan tan).

You can see them in Utica, at the Resonance Center with Sgt Dunbar and Fig Mints (of your Imagination) on April 28th at 8pm.

They have at least one album out on Make Your Fate Records (comprised of them and the Mathmaticians), possibly two at this point. You can buy it from the MYF website (synonomous with the Desperately Obvious site) or probably just by sending them a message on myspace. For their presumably newer radio/press kit, you'll probably have to just go out and see them, which is a pretty good deal if you ask me.

mp3: A New Flower

mp3: Cheatin' Heart

Desperately Obvious

www.myspace.com/awesomeband

Pink font, stars, smiley faces, cleavage:

www.myspace.com/desperatelyobvious

Make Your Fate Records/Desperately Obvious

www.desperatelyobvious.net

Capital District Federation of Ideas:

www.federationofideas.org

RPM Challenge Recap Parts II-IV

2007-04-03T15:16:00.000-07:00

“Excuse me, could you tell me where the Portsmouth Music Hall is?” Eric leaned out the car window toward a woman who exuded “I’m a local” from her pores.

“Right there.” She pointed to the large brick building directly in front of us.

We’d made it.

Musicians mingled in the mezzanine, sporting name tags like “Hello My Name Is: Lithia Spring and the Beatniks of Destruction.” People stood in line, plastic cup of wine in hand, waiting to hop on stage and get a glimpse of the cover art for just a handful of the 850 CDs that had been turned in for this years RPM Challenge (see yesterday’s blog: RPM Challenge Recap Part I). The stage was covered with new music. There were office supply store branded CDs scrawled on with Sharpie, there were hand painted cardboard cases and there were inkjet printed cases. I even saw a hand quilted CD case. Already I was giddy. But the fun had only just begun.

Soon the packed Music Hall was greeted by RPM organizers Dave Karlotski, Chris Greiner, Jon Nolan, and Karen Marzloff, who took the time to bestow as much credit as humanly possible to the musicians in the audience and around the world for making the RPM Challenge possible. The humble nature of these hardworking folks became a theme throughout the night. The behind the scenes work of organizing such a massive musical endeavor as the RPM Challenge, not to mention the Global Listening Party alone, is no small feat (especially when they were doing it for free, and still writing for, editing and publishing The Wire magazine…all just because they love music). But the organizers never once focused on their own sleepless nights uploading 8,500 new songs into what Dave Karlotski called “one of the biggest free independent music sites that I know of.”

This Listening Party it seemed was not a place for the godly organizers to unload about how in the past two months they’ve drank more coffee, had less sleep, torn open more manila envelopes, or stared at more computer screens than ever before. No, this was a time for celebration. And what better way to celebrate than with surprises?

The 550 person audience cheered ecstatically when Bob Boilen, director of NPR’s All Things Considered, and creator of All Songs Considered, as well as RPM Challenge Participant himself, joined us Back to the Future II style when his face glid across the massive projector screen on a live Skype Internet call.

Independent musicians everywhere were crying in their beers after his inspirational and heartfelt words. Okay, maybe it was just me that was crying. I was glued to every word that came out of his mouth. I absorbed the image of the shelves and shelves of vinyl and CDs that were stacked in the study that was the background of his massive face. I marveled at how his eyes looked even more tired than the organizer’s. And I grew weepy when he said exactly what independent musicians around the world know so deeply: There is something more personal about music that is recorded by the musicians themselves. The recording process itself becomes an extension of your art. Whether you’re recording in your bedroom, or your kitchen, or your basement, it’s you that’s doing the recording. It’s you that has the final say. There’s no more of this getting in your car to drive for your 10am appointment at the studio. Every artist knows you can’t make an appointment with creativity.

The time of unfeeling, expensive, professional recording is over, Boilen said, “and it should be.”

Boilen’s unseen audience cheered so loud that he stopped talking and laughed, raised his hands and shook his head in disbelief. Comprehending aurally just how many independent musicians were in the audience he was speaking to.

The intimate call from Boilen was followed by a video, yet another massive undertaking by the RPM organizers. It included still shots played in fast time of every single CD that was handing in to them, interviews with musicians about the highlights and lowlights of their month (one memorable quote was: “it’s takes a lot of work to put all of your energy towards procrastinating on such a gigantic project”), and home videos sent in documenting recording processes (one guy recorded his entire album on a reel to reel tape player). The Music Hall occupants then dispersed to six different venues around Portsmouth to listen to varying set lists.

Some musicians handed out their CDs for free, others exchanged email or recording techniques. I jotted down notes of artists I wanted to look into further after hearing their preferred track streamed through a warm, crowded, smoky (it’s New Hampshire remember –live free or die) bar.

The party’s over, but the work for the RPM organizers isn’t finished yet. Right now you can visit http://www.rpmchallenge.com/ and hear the 2007 Jukebox of 850 songs, amounting to one track per artist. But in the next few days all 8,500 songs will be available. As Dave Karlotski said when asked what the organizers would do once they’re finished: “we have a lot of new music to listen to.”

links:
RPM Challenge: http://www.rpmchallenge.com/
The Wire Magazine: http://www.wirenh.com/
Bob Boilen’s All Songs Considered: http://www.npr.org/programs/asc/

The RPM Challenge Recap Pt. 1

2007-04-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

I wonder what might have happened if Pitchfork never covered the RPM Challenge. I wonder if it would have quietly worked its way up in size or if it would have fizzled out. I may have found out about it through some other avenue, who knows. But it first crossed my eyes on Pitchfork. I read the article, clicked on the website, played the jukebox, read the rules, picked up the phone, called Jen, told her to read the article and within twenty minutes we had agreed we were in. We were making an album in 28 days. The month of February was going to be Record Production Month.

Last year was the first year of the RPM Challenge. It was organized by the alt-weekly magazine The Wire, out of the cool seacoast town of Portsmouth New Hampshire. Loosely modeled after the February Album Writing Month (FAWM), which was a take on the National Novel Writing Month (nanowrimo), The RPM Challenge was going to challenge songwriters in New Hampshire to write AND record an entire album in a month. Record it on whatever you can find: tape recorder, four-track, Protools, even your mother’s answering machine. 10 songs or 35 minutes of recorded music, noise, whatever you want to call, however you want to make it, you got 28 Days to complete it.

28 days is not a lot of days. That’s entirely the fun of it. The lure of the RPM Challenge is that you can’t get things perfect if you want to get things finished.

This year a lot of people were lured. People from outside New Hampshire, people all the way out in Albany and beyond. Chicago, Seattle, Tokyo, Bangkok, all the way to Dublin and below the equator. Get out your maps. Put a pin on a globe. Chances are you’re striking a country with a RPM Challenge participant living in it. Actually, you can just go to http://www.rpmchallenge.com/. They have a map there.

850 bands made albums for the RPM Challenge in 2007. 850 Albums that might never have been made otherwise. 850 albums from all over the globe. So what does a little alt-magazine from Portsmouth do in response to such a response?

They threw a killer global listening party March 30th. That's what they did.

It was a listening party played over the web. The RPM challenge asked each participant to choose one song off of their album to be put into a custom built high-tech juke-box to be streamed over the web (once again http://www.rpmchallenge.com/). Registered gatherings in major cities across the U.S. were given set lists full of the songs written by attendees to those parties. The beer flowed like wine. The hipsters, the Goths, the hippies, the freaks, the lumberjacks, the white collar 9-5ers all came out to see and be seen, to hear and be heard.

I was in Portsmouth for the big soiree, along with the other half of the band We Are Jeneric. It was awesome. I drank a lot of Old Grandad and I danced like a fool.

I’ll let Jen fill in the rest for tomorrow.

The Ashes of Vesuvius - The New New Beirut EP

2007-03-31T10:08:00.000-07:00

Beirut is a spatial band. Their new Pompeii EP is only available digitally at EMusic helps us circumnavigate their short but illustrious travels. Their old new ep, Lon Gisland, presumably named in reference to the band's migration to Williamsburg BK from Albequerque NM, was a logical continuation of their Gypsy Folk stylings of my #1 album of last year, Gulag Orkestar. The "move to Brooklyn" has come to signify a band's immersion into the hipster capital of the universe, availabliity to a larger listening public and an fight for distinction of a unique sound in the polyglot of musical happenings. Ironically, just as Pompeii is a forgotten subterrean city, so is this album, devoid of any the eastern European, or Northeastern American flair. It's placeless. This two-song b-side, a digital 7", submerges the organic sounds the flittering mandolins and accordions of Eastern Europe under a ethereal synthesized piano gobblety-gook. Releasing an online only b-side has morphed their sound into a sterile "scenic world."

Zach Condon's wavery voice sounds more like Kid A Thom Yorke than ever before; you can actually tell he's singing in english, and the multiple recorded layers of his voice gives a haunting robotic overtones than the proletarian mumblings of his occidental influence the of string driven/horn bubbling/ accordion bellowing/ gems "Postcards from Italy" and "Elephant Gun." Excavations take a long time, and Beirut rushed this one. You have to admire Condon's proflicacy, but this EP probably should have stayed buried.

http://www.emusic.com/album/11008/11008224.html

New Music: Dinosaur Jr

2007-03-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

Dinosaur Jr haven't released a record proper since 1997, although Rhino Rereleased Green Mind & Where You Been just last year. They haven't released a record with Lou Barlow(Sebadoh, Folk Implosion) on it since the 1989 Bug. Now with their original lineup erm.. in line? Dinosaur JR is back with a vengance. I expect you will start to see this album all over the muso-blogo-sphere pretty soon because 1) it comes out May 1st 2) its really good. Honestly this is the first Dinosaur JR album I've listened too all the way through (I was 12 the last time they really released something) , I'd say it kinda sounds like pavement and sebadoh but I guess its not really fair cause Dinosaur JR was around before either of those bands and spawned one out of its own members. You can check out the album opener over at fat possum records website.

mp3:Dinosaur Jr - Almost Ready

Ps. Nike is making limited Edition Dinosaur Jr skate shoe, I can't figure out where you can buy them but you can check them out here.

Jon of the Atom's Life in Groton, NY

2007-03-28T15:18:00.000-07:00

As promised last Wednesday, today's post is on Jon Fink's (of The New Wave Dirt) side project Jon of the Atom. I unexpectedly received this album is my mailbox in a sort of unofficial album swap that occured between myself and Jon, both mine and his being pseudo-side-projects of the bands we're currently in.

Similar sounding to NWD's "The Apple", Jon takes his solo project in a trippier and more electronic direction. His distinct voice is still there innocently creeping into your skull. The instrumental "The April Fool Song" is sort of Portishead-esque with a very synthetic drumbeat, and immediately following is "Bicycle", which my first description of was that it was a song that Jon would be singing to an adult who is tripping balls, laying in an oversized crib crying about his imaginary bicycle being stolen.

There's three cover songs on the album: Beck, Woody Guthrie and D. Johnson, and besides those self proclaimed influences I hear a little bit of the Olivia Tremor Control, a pinch of Pinback, and some Middle of Nowhere, New York country blues. The last two tracks are unlisted, "I'm a Hard Working Pearl Diver" (which was on NWD's first release "Elephants Tap Dance Recital (Cozy Home Records)" and a magnificent cover of The Microphones "I Felt Your Shape", another influence that can be heard: off time strumming, crazy panning, and fuzzy drum beats.

Most distinguishing for me is Jon's voice. On anything that's come my way from his direction the quality of vocal recording is just phenomenal. Almost in the way that Robert Schneider commented that he was most pleased with how we captured Jeff Mangum's voice for Neutral Milk Hotel, I feel that Jon's voice is recorded in such a way that absolutely captures the emotion that you would hear if you were spying on him while he was playing the song alone in his room. Sometimes it's off key, sometimes it's off time, sometimes there's two vocal tracks singing in octaves...no matter what, its up front, its incredibly clear considering Jon's drawling sort of Thom York-ish drone; innocent, wanting, and sometime downright eerie. He is up there on my list of favorite distinct voices, including: Willy Mason, Jeff Mangum, Ramona Cordova and Thom Yorke.

I couldn't help but put four mp3s up, I know its a lot, but I could'nt choose between them. Other tracks I would highly recommend are: his cover of the Microphones "I Felt Your Shape", the instrumental "April Fool Song" and the 12th song of the seemingly 11 track disc, "I'm A Hardworking Pearl Diver".

Here's Jon: www.myspace.com/jonoftheatom

Here's Jon and Megan Geiss: www.myspace.com/thenewwavedirt

mp3: Bicycle

mp3: Church Bell People

mp3: A Ride Without A Fair

Bonus mp3: I Ain't Got Nobody (Woddy Guthrie)

Roots, Nests & Limbs; multi-media is cool

2007-03-27T15:48:00.000-07:00

Outside the old church doors you could hear a thumping sound. The kind of sound a hunk of wood makes when an axe has pierced it and won’t let go. The kind of sound when the arm holding that axe continually bashes the wood against floorboards trying to pry the tool free. I’d never heard the sound of chopping wood indoors before, but some things you can just sense.

The stained glass doors swung open, The Sanctuary for Independent Media was fuller than a church on Sunday. Behind the old altar a screen broadcast the scraggily branches of naked trees. The audio wind howled and groaned. Sara Worden and Ryder Cooley were already in motion, Sara moved in perfect rhythm with Ryder’s axe chops.

Roots, Nests & Limbs, a series of three performances put on at The Sanctuary on the 23rd of March included, along with Sara and Ryder’s Hoofprints of a Spooked Game, two other multi-media performance pieces conceived by Aryn Zev and Melle Dragon. It was my first time at The Sanctuary and already I was hooked.

I watched on eagerly as Sara disappeared behind yet more stained glass, relics of the former life of the building The Sanctuary for Independent Media is now housed in. She reappeared behind a backlit sheet, part human, part deer, as her title so foreshadowed. At the same time Ryder exchanged her hatchet for a saw, but instead of putting it to wood she made it sing while still clad in her lumberjack gear.

So mesmerized was I by Sara’s undulations intermingling with the shadows of antlers that I didn’t see Ryder leave, picking up her accordion en route, until she appeared like Pan’s shadow behind the curtain. Babies and children gurgled and cooed while the silhouette of this fairy evoked all of my childhood fantasies. The human form outlined on that sheer cloth, simultaneous with the melancholic poignancy of the instrument strapped around her, caused each eye in the house to twinkle with the same glory as all the babies’ who struggled to be free from their parents’ grasp. At show’s end parents hung their heads, lost in their own childhood memories, inadvertently loosening their grip on the straps of their children’s overalls, allowing them to dart to the stage and be close, if only for a moment, to the pixies.

None of my review has even included their “shadow dance of the game”, or Ryder’s haunting accordion lament sung to the deer head while the audience, like eavesdroppers at a cemetery, listened on secretively, or even the moment when Sara emerged on stilts and proceeded to take up the hatchet one last time in order to free herself from them.

Nor did it discuss Melle Dragon (who organized the show) and her orange faced insect buzzing around her three dimensional hive lairs, or the final performance, Recapitated by Aryn Zev and friends, which followed the life of a woman (mannequin) through the stages of womanly life as she literally loses her head to the expectations of society, perfectly in counterpoint with man’s anticipated obligations of construction and deconstruction. The captivating performance included actual flying saucers, top hats, and a head toss, all fully accompanied by live improvised electronica music.

If I thought the talent on the stage was impressive, it wasn’t until intermission that I realized how incredibly saturated with gifted artists the Capital Region is when I looked around and found myself sandwiched between band members of local acts zahnarzt, Evolution Revolution, and Scientific Maps, as well as members of The Federation of Ideas, and scads of other artists of all mediums that I as a novice to the place certainly didn’t recognize. All were out that evening to support the independent art scene we are very much a part of.

Growing up as I did in Albany, I always itched to leave this place in order to find the artists that at one time were lacking. I am seeing ever so clearly that the artists have come back to roost.

The Sanctuary for Independent Media:
http://www.thesanctuaryforindependentmedia.org/

Why The Casio Keyboard is Coming Back

2007-03-26T17:31:00.000-07:00

(Full disclosure: I’ve never even touched a Casio Keyboard).

There comes a time in a songwriter’s life where they realize that more is more. They realize that an acoustic guitar and a voice, or a banjo and a voice, or two voices, two guitars, and a bass and drums, or even the wet rubber squeegee and acorn shell approach just doesn’t cut it anymore.

In the age of Do-It-Yourself music, a songwriter with tight pockets and a vision will often grow bitter trying to keep up with the lush arrangements of The Flaming Lips, Belle and Sebastian, Beck, The Beatles, the Beach Boys, Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo Banned and Enya. The baroque orchestral arrangements of those musicians can seem like a dauntingly impossible hope when a songwriter's musical network consists of their-self, their girlfriend, their four-track, and the musically limited openmic’ers they’ve met who, just like them, only really play guitar.

If you’re a songwriter and have reached this point in your writing I suggest it’s time to turn to craigslist or yardsales to find a cheap used multi-instrumental piece of shit keyboard. You might actually spend nothing by doing a quick search beneath your bed or your girlfriend’s bed where that keyboard they asked for in ’89 is dustcovered and waiting.

Grab it, dust it off and plug it in. You’re about to add a dumpster full of sounds to your repertoire.

The keyboard I found in my girlfriend’s bedroom was a Yamaha PSR-300. I nicknamed her pisser 30-oh. Her hot red power button and even hotter yellow pre-recorded demo song button fired me up. As I poked around on the electronic interface I was filled with eighties anticipation. In no time I set to finding the perfect sounds to orchestrate the voices in my head.

Quickly I found that none of the guitar sounds were worth using, except maybe the bass guitar. The bass guitar, when used in conjunction with an actual plugged in electric guitar played at equal volume makes the bass sound almost real. The actual plugged in electric adds the sound of plucking to the clean smooth sound of the keyboard bass thus rescuing it from sounding like smooth Weather Channel jazz.

Highlights of the Pisser 30-oh include Pipe Organ 1. I’ve used this sound in many different songs and during live music jams. It has no drawbacks. Neither does the Glocken for that matter. The Glocken is awesome and is worth the 20 bucks you may have spent on the keyboard. All of the mallets are cool and have no trouble finding their way into songs. The accordion is great although in non-French sounding songs it has to be pushed to the background in order to sound realer than fake.

Other good for background sounds include the choruses, which sound nothing like choral music, the violins and the cello, which are best on the low end of the keyboard, and the trombone which sounds perfect in conjunction with actual trombones. Also note: the electric organs are a versatile mix between Reggae, Motown, radio soap operas, and 60’s retro pop. They’re good enough to use as front sounds when played right.

Some of the drumbeats are worth using too but they’re difficult to arrange and they sound pretty awful. On second thought the drums are amazingly bad. I did use the kick bass drum and the snare drum in one song but I hardly listen to that song anymore. I also like the robotic “One, Two, Three, Four” option.

The other major drawback of the Pisser-30-oh is the placement of the hot yellow demo song button. It sits exposed to the wind on the far right side of the keyboard. So when you place glasses of wine down on the keyboard, or your notebook falls over during an exciting piece, these things tend to land on the hot yellow button thus kicking on the worst eighties synthesizer song of all time. The song is so loud and fast and terrible that it immediately ruins whatever mood you might have been in and makes you wish you were willing to spend 30 minutes cutting the rubber yellow button off.

With all this said, if you can make multi-instrumental friends you’ll make better music. The keyboard is definitely a temporary solution, and don’t let a Yamaha keyboard stop you from using the Little Tikes xylophone you love to slam on, don’t let it stop you from learning the trombone and the violin, don’t let it stop you from doing the mouth trumpet.

Tom Waits: Why Wasn't I listening to this Guy?

2007-03-23T15:41:00.000-07:00

This is supposed to be an Albanian Music Blog. But unfortunately, I live in Pittsburgh. So this review is a little bit of stretch, but here's my hook: Tom Waits played Rudy in the filmic rendition of William Kennedy's Pulitizer Prize winning Ironweed. So first of all, this is a reccommendation to read Ironweed, a magical realist novel set in little old Albany, NY that documents a bum's travels from North Albany's St. Agnes Cementary to the hollows of past, to the spectral demons who punctuate his life, to the emptiness of death & friendship, and nearly to the shores of redemption. Not bad for a nearly 200 page book set in the 5-1-8, huh? Well, stop reading this blog right now and read it. Then, once your hooked on it come back and read some more of this blog, I guarantee that all of our reccomendations will be that good. Seriously, we have our finger on the button here people. Oh yeah, and check out the Ironweed Collective, I've never met them myself, but if they are cool enough to take on that name they must be awesome.
On to Tom Waits. His latest album is the three-cd epic Orphans (Anti 2006). The albums nearly sixty songs are arranged according to three different personas, Mr. Waits has embodied during his thirty-three year career: Bawlers, Brawlers, & Bastards. Tom is old. He's real old. Old enough to be my grand-dad.Hell, he's even old enough to be a depression era bum, convincingly. This guy's old, but he's still more badass than almost anyone on the music scene, especially major-labels. He's been called a drinking man's Billy Joel because of his penchant for ballads, but fuck that, he's the self-respecting man's Billy Joel. And we all know that a drinking man is a self-respecting man.
If you've never listened to Tom Waits, definaltey don't start on his disc "Bawlers" which mostly contains spoken word fables of lost love, existential gloom, and some covers of older songs mutilated by Waits's gnashing, curdling voice, that remains his most distinctive characteristic. The highlight of this album for me is a drunken barroom crowd cover of the old Leadbelly song "Goodnight Irene." If you're not singing along with the chorus when the blitzed bandleader cheers "EVERYBODY", turn off your cd player right then. You don't have an iota of passion left in your bloated body and don't deserve Tom Waits, let along Leadbelly. So i guess, you should listen to this disc even if you hadn't heard Tom Waits, but listen to Track 14 first.
So there's alot more to be said about this monster 3-disc album. But I fear I don't have time or authority to say it just yet. But stay tuned, next week's post will include a detailed textual analysis of the parallels between Ironweed and the Bastards disc. Or maybe Brawlers, I haven't decided.
Til then I'll give you a little help for your upcoming Choral Performance:
Irene, goodnight Irene. Irene Goodnight. Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene. I'll kiss you in my dreams.

P.S. Note the Ghosts on the Tom Waits's Cover...

This Week in Music: Cotton Teeth and If the Ocean Gets Rough

2007-03-23T15:19:00.000-07:00

March 20th was a big music day with cd releases with Modest Mouse, LCD System, Panda Bear, Low and Andrew Bird. All over the internet bloggers raced to their keyboards to talk about the albums that pitchfork liked, and with good reason becuase they are all good albums. I haven't seen as much coverage for Willy Mason's sophmore release If the Ocean Gets Rough, his first on his new major label home at alstralwerks (which got a less favorable pitchfork review).
The story goes that Willy Mason was discovered by Connor Oberst playing guitar backstage at a Bright Eyes show and was subsequently signed to Oberst's Team Love where he released his first EP and the full length Where the Humans Eat. Both the EP and LP were beautiful stripped down fold albums, and all the tracks on Where the Humans Eat were recorded in three takes or less. I remember hearing the track Oxygen for the first time which was on both his first two records. Its such a simple but powerful song with some of the best protest lyrics that have been written by my generation.
The incredibly strong lyricism that was found in that song and a handful of others on his first two albums seems to be missing on his first major label release. The songs on If the Ocean Gets Rough seem to have a knack for rallying around just one line. The recording quality on this record has definetly taken a step up with a full band playing on all the tracks replete with shimmering guitars and a string section which works against an album that might otherwise be a folk album.
I now find myself halfway through this review trying to dig myself out of the hole I've dug myself into because although I am dissappointed by this album, I still like it. Willy Mason has a beautiful voice and there are some really good tracks on here, my favorites being riptide and the closer when the leaves have fallen. I would post tracks from the album here but 1) I am afraid of the RIAA and 2) The whole album is on his myspace @ http://www.myspace.com/willymason .
I will post my favorite Willy Mason song of all time though which was on his first Team Love EP.

mp3:Willy Mason - Waiter at the Station

Another disc released this tuesday which hasn't gotten a whole lot of attention is Snake The Crown the Cross's second equalvision LP Cotton Teeth. This record marks a bit of a different direction for the TSTCTC with a simpler more direct alt countryish sound than their first record Mander Salis which could have been mistaken for a The Good Life album.
The Snake the Crown .... is a standout on its Equalvision a label known for Hardcore (BANE, Converge, among others), Coheed and Cambria, old Pop Punk (Saves the Day, The Stryder) and lately Screamo (Chiodos, Fall of troy). They did recently sign Dustin Kensrue of Thrice to do a solo album that has country roots not unlike TSTCTC.
The opening track of Cotton Teeth though lyrically simple and repetitive sets the soundscape for the album in with guitars that twinge, a clap track, and eerie synth someplace far in the background. The album also has a set of reoccuring characters Jim, John, Jack and Sue who tie the songs together almost as points of reference although I wouldn't exactly call this a concept album. Overall this album is pretty sweet, well recorded (by the cellist from the ataris), well thought out, fits together well but there aren't any songs here that really excite me. Here's one for you to check out.

mp3: The Snake the Crown the Cross - Behold the River

The New Wave Dirt's "The Apple"

2007-03-21T16:48:00.000-07:00

this 19 track disc (62 minutes) is the second album put out by guitarist/vocalist jon fink (of jon of the atom, see next wednesdays post) and drummer megan geiss. it takes you all over the musical spectrum, with about half of the tracks being instrumentals. there's chaotic and scratchy guitars, happy ukuleles, sad clarinets, jazzy 2 minute drum solos, pulsating synth parts, and jon's droning baritone voice (think thom yorke, but comprehendable).

in february, NWD travelled down to Binghamton, NY to play a house party with Snow Cave and the ol' Sgt. Dunbar. tucked in the middle of the bill, they absolutely stole the show. for the first time ever i was bracing myself to go crashing through the throbbing wood panel floor down into the basement below. during their opening song my freshly opened beer tumbled off the amp it was sitting on as the packed living room began to shake the house in time with the music. the mic was on a stand that wouldn't stay upright and plugged into a small crate amplifier, drastically underpowered, but luckily i was about a 6 inches away from jon in the hot, crowded, smokey living room; so at least i could hear him.

i remember them playing 'keep it moving' quite well. i paused the pathetic jittering that i call dancing to watch the crowd as megan led them from a little jazzy shuffle into an all-out-rock body spasm, and back again, and back to spasms, and then back down,....and yes, then back to chaos once more. the pauses they put between each section of the song left us wondering what was coming next, and i remember being kind of disappointed when i began clapping, knowing that the song was officially over. megan's drumming is impressive and entertaining and when you see jon (sometimes clad in a dress) violently smashing his pick on the strings its enough for you to lose control of your apendages and shake violently as we all did that snowy february night in upstate NY. i couldn't stop myself from thinking about their set for probably 3 days after the show. it'd been a long time since i had that much fun at a show and saw that kind of positive reaction from an audience towards a band that they had heard nothing of before that night.

"the apple" is put out by cozy home records, a fake record label/music collective similar to that of b3nson based out of utica, new york. NWD isn't actually signed to them, but cozy home has their cd's available on their fancy website and promotes their music to a larger audience then the two of them could do theirselves. CD's are only $4 on the website, and you can figure that at least 3 of that goes towards the shipping/production, done by some kid in front of his out of date PC. so i'd say it's a worthwhile investment.

they will be at The Warehouse in Syracuse at 8pm on April 20th and hopefully somewhere in Albany before then, but if not, then definitely sometime after that. if afterwards you want to tell jon how much you dug the set dont take it personally if he backs himself into a corner, he's just a little shy.

The New Wave Dirt's Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/thenewwavedirt)

Cozy Home Records (http://www.cozyhomerecords.com)

mp3: Ghost In A Photograph

mp3: Keep Things Moving

mp3: Solvanian Worker Bee

Evolution Revolution and the International Women’s Art Show.

2007-03-20T14:26:00.000-07:00

The fluorescent lights of the front lobby at 51 3^rd Street were blinding, but I welcomed them because fluorescence is good, unless it’s employed by Skidz pants, but these were light bulbs, and it was warm inside so I took off the mittens my mom made out of old sweaters and shoved them inside my winter coat pockets wondering where the music was. It would be the first time I saw Evolution Revolution.

Art exhibits of mainly the video variety were scattered about the space, but the sound of an accordion swept my attention away from the loop of human flesh being tattooed, purple ink oozing from its pores. We found that the fluorescent lights were reserved only for the entryway, as we were soon enveloped into darkness. I was actually startled at the clarity of the air in such a dense and people packed space, I half expected to pull out my fins and swim through clouds of gray cigarette smoke, funny the things your brain associates with basement concerts. But cigarette smokers shivered in the snowy courtyard while a baby and a child, straight from a karate lesson from the looks of it, stared in awe at the pretty lady with antlers who played the accordion on stage. We caught only the last song of Ryder’s set, which was unfortunate because her tattered tutu told me it had been fantastique.

Having never witnessed Evolution Revolution I incorrectly assumed that the two folks dressed as bugs (a spider and a butterfly to be exact, or maybe it was a fly and a butterfly, humans in bug costumes can so easily be misconstrued) were members of Evo Revo just waiting to take the stage, but apparently there was more than one set of humans posing as creatures at the International Women’s Art Show on March 8^th, and before the music kicked off we would witness what was either: a.) a poorly rehearsed skit where the two actors berated each other on stage for having not practiced their skit, or b.) a very well rehearsed skit, in which the actors pretended to be angry and berate one another for having not practiced their skit. Either way I was thoroughly fooled into believing their rage (as was the baby who squirmed off of its dad’s shoulders, frightened by the alarming, although meaningful, bit where the butterfly’s wings are torn off as the butterfly writhes and screams in agony. The baby seemed to take it better than I did).

There was then the routine art-show-live-head-shaving-act and a reading about Britney Spears. I spotted a wolf in the crowd and I knew the music was coming. Well, sort of.

It’s incredibly unfortunate that there aren’t as many aspiring sound-gals and guys out there as there are musicians. I know more than a few bands that would really love to have one on board. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from performing it’s that I hate turning knobs and pressing buttons while also trying to remember to smile as I sing lyrics and play chords. That and never piss off your sound operator if upon you one is befallen.

So partly due to the fact that the crux of live-head-shaving-act came from the shock value of audience participated silence while the sound of the electric razor echoed off the brick walls, Evolution Revolution had to wait for their sound check. Therefore the sound check was a bit long, but that’s what happens when you’re trying to play the music and adjust the levels at the same time. In the mean time, the audience had a whole lot of costumes to grin at. A praying mantis mask? Come on, who doesn’t love that? And (by now you know I’m not very good at animal costume identification, so I’m not sure if it was a rooster or a chicken, but either way…) the rooster/chicken was totally styling, and that foxy lioness… Grrrr. I’m also a sucker for mopey-dog percussionists with glasses. I looked around for the kids to see if they were loving it as much as I was, but by that time they’d gone home to bed.

Maybe it was the free red wine I was drinking (man I hope it was free, because I didn’t pay nobody) but I appear only to remember them playing three or four songs, which does not include their dance party jam at set’s end, featuring Salt ‘n’ Peppa’s Push It. I was really impressed with the Rooster’s uncanny ability to sing the bit that goes “S-S-S-Salt and Peppa’s here.” But I do know that a large majority of the show was spent with the wolf on a wrestling mat, occasionally picking up the mic to croon out a freestyle while the rest of the band jammed along.

When the band did play their songs they were tight, obviously well rehearsed, and fit into concentric circles of both danceable toe tapping music as well as singalongalbe melodic tunes. My only complaint was that there wasn’t more. But that’s a good thing. Their music was high-class, and that made me want seconds. Instead I saw what Evolution Revolution’s regular show goers consider a priceless wrestling match, all accompanied by six talented musicians dressed in animal costumes. I guess that’s what the infamous Evolution Revolution is all about. You never know if you’re going to get a show chock full of well-written, meticulously rehearsed songs, or if you’re going to get a different type of adventure altogether. Hey, I’ve paid $40 a show to follow bands who night after night haven’t been as entertaining.

International Women’s Day Art Show, microrevolt: http://microrevolt.org/reblog/archives/2007/02/-the-8th-of-mar.html
Evolution Revolution: www.myspace.com/evolutionrevolution

The Closing of America’s Oldest Market

2007-03-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

A Farewell To Arthur's Market

He pointed at the exposed brick wall from where he was seated at the table.
“Over there was the deli. We used to come and get sandwiches. And they always had great big barrels full of pickles.” Jenny’s grandfather hadn’t been inside Arthur’s Market since he was a boy. He had come out this time to watch his granddaughter play the old piano that was tucked in alongside shelves of coffee, pasta sauce, loose rolls of toilet paper and cereal. The piano was adjacent to the old deli wall.
“We used to walk down here to get icecreams when Judy lived in the Stockade,” Jen’s uncle added, recounting for us the arrangement of the old shop some thirty years after his father had bought pickles at the deli.
As we looked at it we imagined that past. What we saw however was the quaint coffee shop and performance space we’d come to play at, skirted with just enough corner market products to officially hang on to the distinction of America’s oldest market.
Outside the sign reads: Arthur’s Market since 1795.
In all of my time performing music there are few places I’ve played at that are as comfortable and homey as Arthur’s Market. Arranged more like a family living room than a café, Arthur’s inherently creates a sense of welcome relaxation for all artists who come to play on the throw carpet tucked in beside cozy couches and armchairs.
It’s the only café/market that makes me feel funny when my shoes are on inside. Curling up on a couch or even crazy legged at the table I kick off my red corduroy shoes like I would at home.
I admire the art for sale that poses as the market’s décor, I pick up a book from off the coffee table, or I dance throughout the roomy market to the sounds of the Hobo Banned.
Saturday night March 17^th, members of the B3nson Collective stormed Arthur’s Market with an eclectic mix of joyously melancholic indie folk. The show was bookended by B3nson Collective members Sgt. Dunbar and The Hobo Banned and We Are Jeneric, with a middle set played by country western yodeler Corey Hough. The only place I’ve ever seen a bigger pile of instruments was in my middle school band room.
It was the third and final of the B3nson Collective’s monthly Arthur’s Market gigs.
Within a month the oldest market in America will be a restaurant as Arthur’s Market passes out of the hands of its current ownership. Richard Genest,, who also owns the Moon and River Café just down the street, chose not to comment on the closing of the market.
I spoke to him over the phone, but instead of talking about the store’s closing he chose to pass along his personal compliments about the energy of the music scene he loves so much, the scene in which the B3nson Collective has become a monthly staple. He was able to express only the joy that he sees in musicians that play at his establishments.
In my many casual conversations with Richard he always talks about the joy of music in grand statements. He believes that music is what our country needs in order to heal. And you can’t help but agree and nod your head as if listening to a health practitioner prescribe for you your medicine. And it feels good to think that my love for music might be a remedy for the ills of our country’s postindustrial and postmodern psychological depression.
In his compliments for the musicians, I can’t help but think about Richard’s role in the music scene. As owner of two coffee shops he built a nest for musicians to land at. He built a social center for people to flock to: a hub of music, comfort, food, and drink. He gave us the space to fill his prescription.
As a market, however, the Arthur’s Market we played at on Saturday was just barely hanging on to the old model. Its small selection of fresh produce, its 2/3rds empty refrigerator, its three bottles of olive oil were displayed more to allow the Market to keep the title as oldest market in America than to serve the community as a corner market. And as it transforms into a restaurant we are made to watch the last breath of the way things were in this country.
Before the automobile drove the middle class out to the suburbs and into their single-family homes the corner market used to be at the heart of the vibrant cities of the past; cities where people worked and lived. The corner market was where a community shopped, saw each other, passed rumors, cracked jokes. The city was full of neighborhoods where you could walk to buy anything you might need. This is what I imagine as I think about the end of Arthur’s Market.
To watch an eccentric music venue go is to watch one kind of community get the pinch. But to watch America’s oldest corner market go is to be allowed one more time to contemplate the death of America’s cities. When Richard prescribes music as the cure for America I wonder if he really means to prescribe the old sense of community we’ve lost with the advent of suburbia. The joy of live music brings people back to the downtown for a night of celebration, but a city full of things you can walk to and from –full of middle class people spending their hard earned cash at family stores, where proprietors exchange stories with their customers who are also their neighbors, where the people live more intimately together –it seems to me that this was what Richard’s real prescription might be.
Thankfully, Schenectady’s Stockade District will not be void of live music after Arthur’s Market closes, nor will it be void of Richard who will continue to run the charming Moon and River Café just down the road. The B3nson Collective and many, many other area musicians will continue to play the small coffee shop on South Ferry St.
I’ve only known Arthur’s Market for three months but I’ve come to love the place like a home. To hear that it’s changing hands is heartbreaking. Like many of the musicians in the Capital Region I will mourn the loss of one of the area’s most charming venues.
Goodbye Arthur’s Market and thanks for the out of tune piano, the comfy retro couches, the house drum set, the bathroom in the kitchen, the table of fresh fruits and veggies, and the home away from home atmosphere.
Arthur’s Market, you will certainly be missed.

Arthur’s Market & Moon and River Café: http://arthurs.moonandrivercafe.com/
Moon & River Café Calendar: http://www.moonandrivercafe.com/calend.htm
Fortifying the Stockade: http://www.historicstockade.com/historycenter/arthursmarket.htm
I Spy Schenectady: http://www.mvls.info/ispy/schenectady/sch_site12.html
The B3nson Collective: www.soundtosite.net/b3nson

The Arcade Fire- Neon Bible

2007-02-24T15:27:00.000-08:00

You're gonna hear this album, you don't have a choice. Let's be serious: The Arcade Fire is the hottest thing to come out of Montreal since smuggled hooch in fanny packs of 18 year old debutantes. There's a good chance you've already procured this album in a decriminalized way and I applaud that, this album should be the perpetual background music of every American patriotic enough to not "wanna live in America no more." Overtly political, heretical and astute, this album is everything you were hoping for in this society of religious spectacle. Though the band may have a propensity for cliche imagery (mocking birds, diamond rings, rising tides), it's still great to see a band to stand up against religion and mock the MTV ideologues knowing full well that their videos will get plenty of airtime.There's a whole lot of cars in this album, whether we keep them runnin' or not whether they are travelling towards some hypothetical state of nature before war-mongering and Neo-Conversative bullshit. And yea, our country's kind of fucked, but indie rock is live and well. This album may seem polemical, but it seems about time that an Indie rock staple like the Arcade Fire made an album not only criticizing war and republicans, but the conservative Christians who've given them this unthinkable political sway. If this album is as widely popular and influential as I expect it to be, it portends well for a new politically motivated popular music that refuses to take any more closed-mind solipsism and paranoia. "Who still believes in choice? Not I!"Still, this album is worthy of forcing itself on the thirsty ears of all of us indie kids. Revolutions may be lies, but this album ain't lyin. Fuck you God, Way to go Arcade Fire.

Bad Medicine at the Campfire

2007-02-21T07:59:00.000-08:00

While Bad Medicine at the Campfire isn't local in the sense that they are definetly not from Albany, they are from Detroit but they don't tend to get enough attention outside of their home town which makes them a local band somewhere. Luckily for us we invented the internet which makes everyplace the same place.

Anyway Bad Medicine at the Campfire is half country half indie rock 3 peice out of Detroit that play around a campfire for live sets (hehe not really). Their influences are something like Hank Williams Senior mixed with Modest Mouse and they sing songs about doing LSD and going remembering Vietnam and hating Chritians.

Unfortunately I don't have any mp3's to post of these guys or even someplace to buy their record from by they do have a myspace you can check out for now. I will let you know when there is a way to support these guys.

Canadian Show case

2007-02-19T10:09:00.000-08:00

Previously I mentioned the amazing show I saw at the Ironweed Collective house and promised to keep you updated on the goings on there. In that light:
-----
Canadiana Showcase
March 3rd
6 o'clock potluck, show after
98 grand st.

March 4th
2pm show 383.5 Madison Ave.

from Montreal...

Sarah Mangle: Songs On the Banjolele
myspace.com/buysabear

Old Believer
Songster

Oh Lordy, Love a Duck!
Songs, Stories and the Like

and, from 105 grand, the Tin Horn Collective comes...

Inspacific's
Trash Puppet Theatre
with live musical soundstrack

please invite friends of All Ages to come by bike or foot

------

So I think this is the same show twice (I'll update if I hear differently), once on March 3rd at 98 Grande Street and then a second matinée show at The Capital District Federation of Ideas Joint. I would guess that its going to be awesome and if you go, bring money to support the bands and the house although they don't always charge a covers its definetly a cause worth supporting with as much as you can spare.

Kitty Little & Mates of State

2007-02-17T07:11:00.000-08:00

Local Prog-Pop-Punk rockers Kitty Little opened this saturday at Valentines for the organ and drums duo of the Mates of State. It was my first time seeing Kitty Little a band of much local repute who have been around for about two years. Their are a solid punk band lead by Matto (apprently he only has one name) who's all energy and talent. His high pitch classic pop punk vocals remind me of some of my high school favorites like Millencolin or Lagwagon. Their songs range from really interesting peices with influences ranging from the Pixies to Coheed and Cambria to more straight pop punk songs that I found a little bit less interesting.
Mates of State were awesome playing songs both from their most recent Bring it Back and their older cd (but my personal favorite) Team Boo. I'm not gonna write a review of the Mates of State, they were awesome and if you want to know more about them there a million reviews all over the internet. Instead I would like to mention h0w cool it is that Valentines is starting to get more and more awesome national indie bands stopping in on tour. Both Mates of State and The Hold Steady who stopped there a few months ago packed valentines upstairs with 300+ people. Just noticing, hopefully this is a trend that will continue.

Happy Valentines Day

2007-02-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines day to everyone (especially Christina), here in Albany and elsewhere in the North Eastern and adjacent parts of these United States we got (and are getting) a ton of snow today. If you are snowed in and don't have anything to do today I highly recommend spending at least a little bit of time watching the Valentimes day episode of Teen Girl Squad.

Also since this is a music blog I figured I would also post an appropriate song to share with your valentine today.

mp3:Jeff Mangum - I Love how you love me
a Phil Spector Cover from Live @ Jittery Joe's

You can buy the rest of that amazing album here.

The Press Rock Albany

2007-02-13T19:28:00.000-08:00

Its easy to underestimate Albany, sometimes it seems like there isn't really much going on, but the more you look the more you find. Like last weekend I found out about the Ironweed Collective house in downtown Albany which apparently regularly hosts awesome house shows (I will do my best to post any of their future shows here). I was fortunate enough to catch the The Press play there last saturday night with Oddy Gato, and Zahnarzt.

After a slow start on the first song these guys put on the best live show that I have seen in months, and had everyone in the house dancing about . According to their myspace page The Press sounds like this:

I think its a pretty accurate description, their influences seem to include at least Q and not U, Modest Mouse, CYHSY and maybe the Wolf Parade but they are anything but derivative. Their live show is a high energy group effort that has each band member singing at some point. If you ask me these guys are destined for greatness and if you live in the north east you should definetly try to catch them this month

eb 13 2007

8:00P

The Dover Brickhouse

Dover, New Hampshire

Feb 16 2007

8:00P

Manchester American Legion Post 102

Manchester, Connecticut

Feb 24 2007

8:00P

Matchless Bar

Brooklyn, New York

Feb 25 2007

8:00P

Spark Art Space

Syracuse, New York

Mar 2 2007

8:00P

Cousin Larry's

Danbury, Connecticut

before they head around the world for a bunch of dates in Australia.

mp3:Three point Three

You can also get a few more songs at their myspace.

Oddy Gato - Goldslinger (the mix tape)

2007-02-12T22:13:00.000-08:00

Oddy Gato spits in the classic genre's of tragedy and comedy and he does them both very well. The 14 track Gold Digger mixtape runs only 24 minutes long but its brevity plays in its favor by keeping the listener paying attention to what Oddy is going to say next.

Although it is not the most technically impressive CD of all time (its only a mixtape after all) some of the beats are real cool and its the honest expression and outlandish lyricism really make this album. Its definetly worth getting your hands on if you get a chance to see Oddy and its only 3$.

For your aural pleasure I have two tracks the reprsent Oddy's Tragic and Comic sides.

mp3:Little Carlos
mp3:Great Grammas House

Scientific Maps - Get off the Moon

2007-02-12T04:25:00.000-08:00

The Scientific Maps took their time putting their record out, It was purportedly recorded over a two year period in guitarist/singer Aaron Smith(also of Evolution Revolution)'s basement. I have only been aware of the band for maybe a couple months after a chance encounter while playing music on the streets of Albany but apparently they've been around for at least long enough to win the Metroland's best Pop Band in 2006.
The scientifc maps have a modern pop sensibility a kin to some of the bands affiliated with the Elephant 6 Collective like Apple's in Stereo or Of Montreal and the CD is sprinkled with screaming, wierd synth and theremin. With lyrics ranging from semi autobiographical (Halloween 1985) to silly (the Octopus is going home) this cd is an impressive display of the band's depth with a good number of songs that I've never seen them play live.

The Cd will soon be available here. I think. At least it says so.

In the mean time you can check out these sick mp3s.

mp3: Headstone Amplifier
mp3: The Octopus is going home