No related posts.

If you are in the area, be sure to drop by Windup Space tonight for the release show tonight with Monster Museum.

Enjoy this last track off the EP, and check out the page at Aural Slate Recordings for more info on the release as I get a chance to put it up.

Related posts:

1. Aural Slate Recordings: “Weeds” from Small Sur’s Bare Black
2. Aural Slate Recordings: “Arctic Phantoms” from Caverns’ We Lied
3. Aural States Fest 2009: Live Audio – Lo Moda

First and foremost, Whartscape 2010 was hot — weather reports read that temperatures fell steady at 100 degrees all weekend. In effect, the parking lot that harbored Whartscape’s outdoor performances became the modern urban desert. Shade grew more valuable every second, and patrons found themselves willing to pay most anything for a bottle of water. Feeling overzealous, a friend and I initially laughed about purchasing a 30-pack of Deer Park to share between the two of us; half of it had been killed off by the end of our first day. Even though its events transpired in these miserable conditions, Whartscape’s fifth and final year was abound with interesting and engaging live performances — some of which were even good enough to allow their audience‘s attention to stray away from the accumulating sweat on their brows.

Truthfully, I only attended half of the festival. Organizational difficulties left Thursday’s theatre night out of the question, whereas Sunday’s sudden monsoon had me driving back home before I was made aware of Whartscape’s relocation to Sonar. I was there all day Friday and Saturday though, and I’m here to tell you about it. Similarly to our coverage of Whartscape 2009, I’ll be writing future Sound Off! posts on standout artists from the festival. The following is more or less a highlights reel for the portions that I experienced.

Impressive:

-       Lightning Bolt

• Do I even need to say it? For the strength with which he plays, Brian Chippendale should have the biceps of a boxer. And, let me tell you, the audience can definitely feel that about his live performance.

-       Get Em Mamis

• Get Em Mamis were easily the most unexpectedly exciting live act Friday. Their brand of hip hop was equal parts club and street — their samples cracked like thunder, and their rhymes matched in wit. As an added bonus, the Baltimore-native duo knows how to work an audience better than most. For a brief 30 minutes, the Get Em Mamis shaped Whartscape like warm putty; tracks like “Cold Summer” couldn’t have been executed more flawlessly (and they’re good on the record too). If, by some stroke of misfortune, you missed out on 2009’s TerAwesome, I advise you to seek it out immediately.

-       Romantic States

• I was initially attracted to nothing more than Romantic States’ name. “Romantic States” — it just looks like a perfect fit for a melancholy chillwave group. I was intrigued. As it happens, Romantic States are hardly chillwave at all; in fact, they’re just a straight-up downcast pop duo. They’re good too — half of Romantic States is Jim Triplett (of the Videohippos), and he’s carried over his characteristic aching bummer into this new project quite well. Romantic States’ sound is considerably more lo-fi than the Videhohippos, but no less affecting. I look forward to hearing more.

-       Dope Body

• Unfortunately, Dope Body’s set and my aching hunger occurred simultaneously. I stayed for two songs — both blew me away — and then walked down Park Avenue for some Chinese food. The funny thing is, I could hear Dope Body’s set four blocks away as I ordered my food. These guys are hard, fast, and loud. I don’t think a true hardcore band should be asked for more.

-       Jared Paolini

• I didn’t like Jared Paolini’s set at last year’s Whartscape, but I guess all things are subject to change. Jared’s 2010 set at the H&H was comprised of all-new material, the bulk of which was absolutely outstanding. Since I last saw him, it appears as if his ear for harmony has grown more delicate, and his tones have only become more ethereal. According to the man himself, he’s working on getting some of his new movements recorded. To my knowledge, there’s no other information present, so keep an eye out of Jared.

Disappointing:

-       Needle Gun

• If Needle gun are supposed to be funny, then the joke is lost on me. If they’re not, then I wish they’d take their work a little more seriously. Needle Gun’s live noise set on Friday found them smirking more often than not; which wouldn’t have posed any trouble had their occasional harshness been more captivating (or the joke been more obvious). As it turns out, Needle Gun weren’t prepared to fill either niche. And I’ve listened to their recordings too, many of which are actually superb. Perhaps the virtue of their work is simply compromised by the live performance.

-       Ponytail

• I anticipated yet another energetic set from Ponytail this Whartscape — they’d never disappointed me before. But their show this year was somewhat less touching. This time around, Ponytail felt overly mechanical; the sounds were the same, but the soul just wasn’t there. It was almost as if the group no longer cared for their old material. I hear now that this may have been their last performance; I just hope they’ll have one more to redeem themselves.

-       Amil Byleckie Band

• The way I take it, Amil Byleckie Band aren’t much more than a Flaming Lips tribute. They appeared onstage at the Current Space in future-space costume; they presented commonplace indie pop tunes in the tired old verse/chorus/verse fashion, and they never quite connected their garb to their art. Now, maybe I’m just being cynical here, but it seems to me that costumes scarcely improve the live performance — especially if you don’t have the sounds to match them.

Lastly, I’d just like to take a moment to give props to Wham City for putting this on. Not only was the whole festival free of corporate sponsorship, but also the cuisine they offered was guilt-free and local. Megapasses may have costed upwards of $50, but that’s nothing for the quality of music and stubborn idealism Wham City presented.

Related posts:

1. Photos: Whartscape 2010 Days 3 & 4 @ Current Space (2010.07.24-25)
2. Live Review: Whartscape 2009 Day 2 (2009.07.11)
3. Live Review: Whartscape 2009 Day 3 (2009.07.12)

Photos by Shantel Mitchell

I have to admit, this was my first year attending Whartscape.  It’s been one of those events that I’ve always wanted to attend, but ended up never making it out.  This year, I vowed that I would go, even if it ended up being 100+ degrees outside!  Saturday was HOT.  There was no other word to describe the day.  However, I left Whartscape  thinking, “Wow, that was really fun!” even though I don’t handle heat well.  I was able to see Double Dagger, Dan Deacon, and Arab on Radar.

I always enjoy Dan Deacon.  His sets are awesome fun, and I LOVE the crowd interaction.  Double Dagger was in the heat of the afternoon, but it didn’t seem to bother the crowd.  One fan after another literally dove from the stage to enjoy crowd surfing atop a very energetic audience.  After the sun went down and the temperature dropped about 10 degrees, Arab on Radar took the stage.  I was up front for this one, but had NO idea how crazy and insane this would be!  Needless to say, I lasted two songs before taking a safer position to the side of the stage.  Although there was a night show planned, I decided to call it a night since I was returning for the day on Sunday.

The next day, I was most anticipating Wye Oak, as I love to see them any chance I can get.  I got there a bit early in time to catch Little Howlin’ Wolf, an improv jazz-style band.  It was a very interesting performance; I appreciated the energy of this band, as well as photographing them.  Just after their set, when Wye Oak began to set up, a huge gust of wind came along and tore up the tarp they had covering the stage.  Spectators rushed to grab it and hold it down, knowing that the black clouds in the sky meant rain was only seconds away.  As the rain began to come down, the mad dash began to cover and protect the equipment.  Some of the crowd hovered under the tarp coverings while others enjoyed the rain until the lightning came and drove anyone remaining inside.  The event was later rescheduled inside Sonar, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it back downtown to catch Wye Oak.  I had a great time despite the heat and unexpected rain and I’m glad that I went, even though I caught Whartscape on it’s last year!  Enjoy the photos!

Related posts:

1. Live Review: Whartscape 2010 Days 2 & 3 (2010.07.23-24)
2. Livewire: Small Sur @ the Windup Space (2010.03.01)
3. Livewire: The Multiphonic Choir @ The Windup Space (2010.01.14)

This is promised to be a special night because, unlike traditional shows, there is no “opening act.”  All acts perform throughout the whole entire evening, sometimes playing alone or with members from the other bands (similar to the famed Round Robin series).  Get there on time and enjoy a fun night with the Counting Crows at Baltimore’s Pier Six Pavilion THIS Monday evening July 12th!

To buy tickets, click here.

To read more about their tour, click here.

Related posts:

1. Preview: Ben Harper and Relentless7 @ Pier Six Pavilion (2010.04.20)
2. Thrushes Giveaway: 5 days and counting…
3. Preview: Pfisters @ Ruintown (2010.02.19)

While I see this album as being the pale-moon reflection of the splendid sun of  their performance in An Die Musik’s premiere acoustic wonder-room, I do think it’s a worthy one to add to your collection. Even the musicians were excited by the possibilities that An Die Musik offered to their sound – that’s why they’ll come back.

This is venturesome yet affable jazz at its best: A little blue-glass, a little rock and roll, a little scat, a turn at tango. How does Galactic Diamonds offer such a genre-blending sound? Try the diversity of the players.

Consider Zack’s quote from a Strings mag interview: “I never drink wine before I play. But a sip of whiskey works. It’s the Kentucky in me.” I tell you he poured out this “Kentucky” from himself on Wanderin’ – you’d swear you were on a front porch drinking bourbon nice and slow and neat.

Zack Brock, hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “the great bright hope for jazz violin” does deliver. He and Jody have splendid onstage chemistry you demand of the best in trio musicians. And they add another element sometimes missing: sheer joy.

Then you have percussionist Martin Urbach who does most of his wonders on the cajón. That’s a box drum like you see in Flamenco and South American music. No surprise here, Mr. Urbach is tapping his Peruvian roots. He also isn’t above playing a stainless steel Nalgene bottle with water in it. This is in the same piece where Steve Hudson ditches piano for the charm of the melodica. No, despite his apologies to the contrary, he does not lose “cool points” with this reviewer for trotting out the blow-organ.

We’ve already touched on some of Jody Redhage’s strong points here. She’s glorious and giddy here. She’s spot-on responsive to all the ensemble’s playing.  She’s better than when we heard her last year. Her vocals have grown stronger, deepening with added control and better projection. Since you missed her with Steve Hudson, don’t miss her Fire in July tour: June 26 at An Die Musik.

Above all, Steve Hudson’s piano playing makes you think he’s “keeping it simple” while offering a treat of rhythmic tensions and light melodies. Think effervescent, lively music that brightens the day. This album can be like a whippet in your stable: a fast-paced pick-me-up.

Regarding the track “PG” you’ll wish you could see the movie that would use it as an opening scene’s soundtrack. My favorite tracks are “Mingus Moon” and “Tune With Tango.”

“Tune for Tango” is also one of their live performance winners where it shines with a real snap: Caterwauling-turns-sensuous strings, handslaps, cheekslaps even castanets. Urbach even slams the whole cajón on the floor for extra punctuation.

These skilled players are the opposite of pretension. After the show, we knocked back a beer and talked Skid Row and Butthole Surfers. Capital folk. Let’s welcome them back soon.

If you like: Time for Three, you’ll like Steve Hudson Chamber Ensemble.

Where/when to listen: Play Galactic Diamonds during a long leisurely brunch on a Sunday morning. This festival atmosphere is best for daytime. Try it on a car trip in the country. Or play it on a late afternoon when you’re in need of a smile.

How to buy: go to http://wwww.cdbaby.com/cd/shce

[Author’s note: Don’t forget Jody Redhage and Fire in July play An Die Musik on June 26. Two sets: 8 pm and 9:30 pm.]

Label: Groovaholic Music

Releaste date: Jun 11 2010

Track list:

1. Tune with Tango
2. Keep It Simple
3. Speak Out
4. Song For John Lennon
5. PG
6. Galactic Diamonds
7. Para
8. Moving On
9. Funky Hobbit
10. Wanderin’
11. Mingus Moon

Related posts:

1. Album Review: Hypnotic Brass Ensemble – Hypnotic Brass Ensemble (Honest Jon’s)
2. Album Reviews: Jody Redhage & Fire in July – Ancient Star | Nadia Sirota – First Things First (New Amsterdam)
3. Album Review – Colin Meloy Sings Live!, Preview @ 9:30 Club

Words and Photos: Greg Szeto

This is kind of shameful to admit, but I think this might be my first show outing in over 3 weeks. Science is an unforgiving mistress, and a stickler about intellectual monogamy sometimes. Nonetheless, I’m very glad I chose this particular show to venture out. I’ll try not to dwell on the oppressive cons of the night (mainly the sauna-like heat-sweat-humidity bog that left a film on my camera equipment).

Instead, I will say that this was a triumphant Baltimore return for native sons (and daughter) Future Islands and Lower Dens (unfortunately I walked in right as the Art Department was wrapping up). The packed Sunday night show was giddy and gleeful. Most importantly, Future Islands delivered a righteous set, clearly honed and toned by the tour to a dance-happy crowd.

Their set was filled with a nice balance of tracks, spanning recent releases In Evening Air and In The Fall (including the still grand guest-vocals of Celebration’s Katrina Ford) while also remembering to pull out old faves. “Long Flight” and “Tin Man” have easily emerged as favorite tracks both recorded and live, while ”Little Dreamer” shines as brightly as ever. William’s bass work was more propulsive and lithe than I ever recall hearing it, Gerrit’s synths swelled powerfully, and frontman Sam Herring resembled a poor man’s cyborg, strapping into his corrective, post-surgery support boot before launching un-fazed into his famed rager of a live performance. At times, things were a little worrisome as the crowd ebbed into the band’s space (with someone nearly taking out William’s pedal board with a lunging stomp). The only quibble with the performance was nagging feedback that occasionally broke the flow. That technical issue aside, we got a special treat from both acts.

Dave Carter did an admirable job with difficult source audio from this show. We hope you enjoy it.

Future Islands
The Penthouse
June 13, 2010
Baltimore MD, USA

J. Gerrit Welmers – keyboards
William Cashion – bass
Samuel Herring – vocals

Streaming player:

MP3 links:

1. Inch of Dust (4:47)
2. An Apology (5:00)
3. Pinocchio (4:10)
4. Tin Man (4:12)
5. Long Flight (5:45)
6. Walking Through That Door (5:21)
7. Old Friend (4:57)
8. In the Fall (feat. Katrina Ford) (5:47)
9. Vireo’s Eye (6:30)
10. Little Dreamer (4:31)
11. The Happiness of Being Twice (3:26)

Total time: 54:30

ZIP link:

Entire set in mp3 format

Lineage:

AKG 414 mid/side pair -> Zoom h4n 48/24 -> Nuendo (stereo encoding, limiting) -> MP3

Recorded by:

David Carter(carteriffic@gmail.com)

Related posts:

1. Countdown to Whartscape 2009: T-5 Future Islands (William Cashion)
2. Album Review: Future Islands – In Evening Air (Thrill Jockey)
3. Photos / Live Review: Future Islands, Lonnie Walker, Small Sur, Jared Paolini @ Zodiac (2009.10.01)

Leila Josefowicz

Dharma at Big Sur is a violin concerto about arrival. It’s about forsaking the East Coast for the West Coast. It’s not just about the cliffs, it’s the emotional shock, the visceral mental shift that hits with a salty, breathless slap at the edge of the Pacific coastline’s steep drops. That was Adams’ journey back in ’71. He shares it with us here.

Josefowicz’ violin is the perfect rhapsode in the midst of the National Symphony Orchestra’s instrumental chorus. The open: a dim orchestral hum, like a single ray of light expanding, mounts to roar – the sound of arrival. Leila’s tone is so clear and round it departs from the usual violin concerto role and becomes a sitar and throbs like an oud.  She captures the mystery of reflection that silences the soul who tries to talk about Big Sur’s upper reaches while still on the ledge. And then she bays like a wolf when the night is clear.

The principal violinist leads off the sighing cries of the other violins before surrendering to an echoing solitude as Leila plays on the bridge. The harp twangs, and the orchestra becomes a living wind. Triangle and almglocken lend a touch of gamelan to this pure, glistening sound. Leila enters again with piano enjambments and deep cello cuts.

Somewhere in all this we hear the suggestion of a Latin combo playing in the distance. Leila duels with brass. Trumpets start to bring up the horizon’s height. The piano and keyboard sampler relentlessly cast the rising crescendo, which builds such as to give you vertigo. Leila bays away on the bridge, starting to be subsumed, surrounded by the orchestra without weakening. That’s exactly what you get by going to Big Sur. Your whole little self cries silently in high-toned being: purer, more raw than your average B-more-bound existence. The wilds of Sur, its contrasts and colors, win over and you can’t help but feel reduced in size and nature into a spec of the great, the vast, the glorying pulse (even if it makes you, in paradox, feel larger than life).

This portamento riot for electric violin takes you on a great vacation. If you’re itching for a taste of the California road trip and the music, check this YouTube vid:

Related posts:

1. Live Review: Leila Josefowicz Gives John Adams’ Violin Concerto Total Depth (2009.10.29)
2. Live Review: Brubecks’ Ansel Adams: America – Baltimore Symphony Paints Pictures in Music (2010.12.02)
3. Live Review: Jean-Yves Thibaudet’s Left Hand Sweeps D.C. Symphony Goers Onto Feet (2010.04.30)

Just so everyone knows that I haven’t been completely resting on my laurels in regards to Aural States and affiliated enterprises, I come to you with an offering. I’m very proud and excited to present to you, reader, the track “Weeds.” It serves as the opener, and first single, from our label’s third record: Small Sur‘s Bare Black EP.

With this EP, Small Sur take their music to new heights of beauty by laying down some breathtakingly lush sounds, expanding their instrumentation (guests include Susan Alcorn, Geoff Graham, Natasha Tylea-Cooke, and Kate Barutha), further refining their exploration of space and almost spartan arrangements, and embracing some gorgeous and organic drones. We’re beyond thrilled with this special release, limited to 200 physical CDRs with gorgeous letterpressed packaging and art from Justin Lucas. As always, digital downloads will also be available in FLAC and MP3 formats.

Check the EP page on the label site for more details, track previews and links to buy online.

Album art is forthcoming, as well as a phenomenal EP Release Show on Friday July 9th at the Windup Space with Lo Moda, Moss of Aura (J. Gerrit Welmers of Future Islands), and Ghost Life (Wheattie Mattiasich + ex-More Dogs). This is a doubly-relevant show since Lo Moda will be providing the fourth release on Aural Slate Recordings later this year. Stay tuned for more developments!

Related posts:

1. Aural Slate Recordings: “No Tears” – Lo Moda
2. Aural Slate Recordings: “Arctic Phantoms” from Caverns’ We Lied
3. Aural States Fest II: Spotlights – Noble Lake, Vincent Black Shadow, Height With Friends

For the sound achieved by Future Islands, the importance of William Cashion’s rolling bass and Sam Herring’s impassioned vocals cannot be overstated. Both are incredibly important elements that have made the group one of Baltimore’s best and were critical in producing the band’s best album to date, this year’s In Evening Air.  But, with all due respect to them, the synthesizers and programming of J. Gerritt Welmers are the New Wave straw that stirs their “post-wave” drink.

His notes and backing beats can make a song like “Old Friend” a bubbly dance floor anthem in one moment, then intone as much emotion and despair as Herring’s tortured singing on “In The Fall” in the next.

Performing solo under the moniker Moss of Aura, Welmers has taken his cache of synthesized wizardry and filled out the arrangements a little more, while also giving them room to breathe. March takes us on a mellowed out journey through warm tones and tropical sounds that make for a highly enjoyable listen, the perfect summer album. Basically, if you’re not bumping this while grilling Esskay Oriole Franks and sipping Natty Bohs in the backyard, then you’re missing out.

Structurally, the songs all rely on a booming bass beat or dominant rhythm, each strolling at a leisurely pace that gives off a relaxed vibe that allows for easy head nodding. How Welmers fleshes out the rest is where he really flexes his creative muscle.

Album opener “Peat” boasts the blare of what sounds more like a trumpet in a reggae song than something out of a New Wave jam. Similarly, “Thundra” borrows from the musical island home of reggae using melodies that faintly resemble the “ting” of steel drums.

But to say the album is devoid of 80′s flashbacks would be slightly misleading (we are talking about synthesizers, after all). “Cowboy” sounds like a lost song from the soundtrack of an old Nintendo game with a fat bass beat added in, and I mean that as the highest possible compliment.

Moss of Aura has had a very workman-like rise in Baltimore. I first saw him open up for Deacon (now it’s back to Deakin) of Animal Collective fame at the Ottobar. Amongst me and my friends, his act clearly stood out as our favorite opener. Since then, he has filled out bills all over town. Beach House is bringing Moss of Aura along for three dates in June.

Point being, though Welmers’ solo work may not have the success of his main band, his side project can stand on its own. March proves he can not only build on his output from Future Islands, but also diversify the genre touchstones in the music.

Label: Unsigned

Release date: March 2010

Track list:

1. Peat
2. Team
3. Thundra
4. Crush
5. Cowboy
6. Shallow
7. Swilling
8. Climb

Related posts:

1. Live Review: The Sour Notes, Moss of Aura, Fearsome Creatures @ Metro Gallery (2010.01.07)
2. Album Review: Secret Mountains – Kaddish EP (Unsigned)
3. Album Review: SeepeopleS – Apocalypse Cow Vol. II (Unsigned)

Thibaudet

Guillaume Connesson peppers his work with influence from the more daring French greats that came after Debussy and Ravel, Messiaen and Dutilleux, blending them into an enveloping cinematic sweep of an orchestral whole. This work: The Shining One, draws inspiration from Abraham Merrit’s 1912 fantasy novel The Moon Pool.

If you read the novel, you’d know (like Connesson) that it begs to be music:

“Closer it drew and now there came to me sweet, insistent tinklings — like pizzicato on violins of glass, crystal clear; diamonds melting into sound.”

The tone color Connesson offers is 100% pure opaline glimmer. Was he successful? Yes, the audience got up to its feet.

But, did he describe accurately in music a creature of being without shape, who glides on the sea, up from the Earth’s core? Did he capture the essence of a created thing so evil it has become sweet, seductive and utterly elusive to those who try to study its mystery? Not quite. At no point did I get that thing I know Messrs. Messiaen and Dutilleux could have struck out for us: a kind of infernal joy or savoring horror.

A character observing “the Shining One” describes music “piercing the ears with a shower of tiny lances” that “made his heart beat jubilantly — and checked it dolorously.” In sum, he concludes: “So must Satan, newly fallen, still divine, have appeared.”

Thibaudet played it well, but he was no Satan in glory before me. I don’t think Connesson gave him or the orchestra quite enough. I hope I’m not out of line to suggest that he might have risked offense of ear to reap a greater reward from this material.

But perhaps he was only trying to be literary, and not literal. I will credit Connesson for not giving us a simple whitecap thrill of borrowings from Debussy and the watery stews of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde.

Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand is an exceptional work, especially for a pianist like Thibaudet. His mastery of three pedals was fine, keeping notes ringing for doubling effects that made you swear he cheated with the right hand. His opening cadenza, after the call of an impressive contrabassoon, was daring, almost damning, with a tremendous thundering edge. His secret sauce is modulation. After a percussive snap and a lurch, he flowed along in rich, soft convulsions then back into rocket rhythms. There was some debate on who played it better Thibaudet this year or Chris O’Riley last year. If you heard ‘em, cast your vote below.

Now for the sweet stuff… The NSO delivered a Daphnis and Chloé suite that was as good as licking icing straight from the bowl. Graf’s lead was light. He conducted close to the body, made no extraneous movements, he’d just take a wider stance. The result? A gracious sunrise vaunted by piccolo. In short, we drank deep of a treat with no fat.

[Author’s Note: Next National Symphony must hear concerts: composer John Adams conducts. John Adams: Perspectives happens May 20-22. This week, he invites Leila Josefowicz to join him onstage for his Dharma at Big Sur. We won’t miss her!]

Related posts:

1. Live Review: Brubecks’ Ansel Adams: America – Baltimore Symphony Paints Pictures in Music (2010.12.02)
2. Live Review: Colin Currie, Hannu Lintu Take Finns To Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (2010. 04.09)
3. Live Review: Marduk, Nachtmystium, Mantic Ritual, Tyrant’s Hand @ Sonar (2009.11.23)

DOUBLE DAGGER – “No Allies” from Matt Porterfield on Vimeo.

Today is the last day to leave a comment on our Masks review as part of the Double Dagger Does Europe contest.

The guys hopped across the pond yesterday, premiering the above video for “No Allies” on the site for influential British music illuminati, NME. The video was directed by local film luminary Matt Porterfield (Metal Gods, Putty Hill, Hamilton) and was shot in the venerable, now-retired first home of Charm City Art Space. CCAS moved up to bigger digs earlier this year in the form of the garage next door.

Related posts:

1. Video: Height With Friends – “Mike Stone” | Double Dagger – “Vivre Sans Temps Mort”
2. Double Dagger finds more Thrills.
3. Live Audio: Double Dagger @ Floristree (2009.05.22)

The local punk mavens in Double Dagger are kicking off a European tour next week. Also, our most frequently heard voice of Thrill Jockey, Paco Barba, is leaving the esteemed label. As a parting shot, he sent over 5 copies of the limited, hand-screenprinted 18″ x 25″ poster for Masks (pictured to the right) for us to give away.

Entry is simple: head over to my review of Masks, and leave a comment with your email. Preferably something interesting about the release, masks you wear, encouraging send-offs to DD for their tour, other DD-related anecdotes or miscellany. I’ll randomly pick 5 winners on May 12, when DD starts off their tour in Nottingham.

The only restriction is that the winner must be able to pick up the poster from downtown Baltimore. I’m too lazy/busy to ship.

If you are in Europe, be sure to check out one of the dates listed below:

WEDNESDAY, MAY 12
Nottingham, UK / Spanky Van Dykes
w/ Friendship, Sexbeat DJs

THURSDAY, MAY 13
Leeds, UK / Nation of Shopkeepers
w/ Friendship, Wonderswan

FRIDAY, MAY 14
London, UK / Lock Tavern
w/ Friendship, Don’t Die Wondering

SATURDAY, MAY 15
London, UK / The Rest Is Noise
w/ Friendship, Bitches

SUNDAY, MAY 16
Bristol, UK / Start The Bus
w/ Friendship, Here We Go Magic

MONDAY, MAY 17
Cardiff, UK / Cardiff Arts Institute
w/ Friendship, Saturdays Kids
FREE SHOW!

TUESDAY, MAY 18
London, UK / Cargo
w/ Real Estate, Ganglians

WEDNESDAY, MAY 19
Dublin, IE / Whelans

FRIDAY, MAY 21
Antwepen, BE / Kavka
w/ Cola Freaks, Fossils

SATURDAY, MAY 22
Paris, FR / Fleche D’Or
w/ Juliet Lewis & The Licks

SUNDAY, MAY 23
Kortrijk, BE
SINXEN FEST
w/ Trans Am, We Are Wolves, Zu, Madensuyu, Tanlines, Growing, more!

MONDAY, MAY 24
Colmar, FR / Le Grillen
Trans Am, Psychic Paramount

TUESDAY, MAY 25
TBA

WEDNESDAY, MAY 26
Berlin, DE / TBA

THURSDAY, MAY 27
Leipzig, DE / Atari

FRIDAY, MAY 28
Poznan, PL / Kisielice

SATURDAY, MAY 29
Tabor, CZ / C.E.S.T.A.
Free Dim Fest
w/ Le Singe Blanc, Don Vito, more!

SUNDAY, MAY 30
Passau, DE / Zeughaus

MONDAY, MAY 31
Vienna, AT / Rhiz
w/ Jakuzi’s Attempt, Le Singe Blanc

TUESDAY, JUNE 1
Munich, DE / Kafe Kult

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2
Wurzburg, DE / Cairo

THURSDAY, JUNE 3
TBA

Related posts:

1. Album Review / Contest: Double Dagger – More (Thrill Jockey)
2. Album Review: Double Dagger – Masks EP (Thrill Jockey)
3. Video: Double Dagger – “No Allies”

This album is one of the most anticipated releases from a local artist in 2010. The anticipation is partly because, ever since their transplant here from North Carolina, Future Islands‘ rapturous live shows have caught on like wildfire, and partly because it serves as their debut on Baltimore fetishist label Thrill Jockey (who I hear may have signed yet another prominent Baltimore musician’s solo efforts). I am a bit ashamed to admit that I underestimated Future Islands. Frankly, I couldn’t have imagined they would deliver this strongly on an album. Until hearing their TJ 12″ EP and LP releases, I was convinced that Future Islands’ music was a gem that shone most brilliantly live, and lost the majority of its lustre in the studio.

Wave Like Home, put out on UK label Upset! the Rhythm, was characterized by a fair bit of mania, yet also (paradoxically) a uniformity of approach and tone. The parallels and comparisons to more prominent Wham City affiliates abounded. Synths were riding high and dominant in the mix, bass rumbled along turned to 11 (most often functioning as rhythmic propulsion), and Herring’s voice was unflinchingly raw and big. Though they surely traveled through many moods, they felt fleeting and devoid of any true weight. To my ears, their vision on that record was relatively less ambitious, aiming more to catalyze a dance party than anything else. In doing so I think that release was as close as Future Islands will get to channeling the electricity of their live shows onto a recording. However, with their closing track, they provided the best hint of future directions, delivering a standout ballad in “Little Dreamer.”

With In Evening Air, Future Islands seem to have had an epiphany. They have simultaneously fleshed out and grasped a distinct and ambitious vision of synth-laden pop, corralling it into something as seductive as their live shows (if not quite bursting with the same hysterical energy). What comes through more than ever before is their romantic core, that mysterious and soulful allure you get from Sam Herring’s vocals when frayed, at times histrionically, to their gravelly breaking point. Or from the slow, lyrical glide of William Cashion’s bass, when he actually slows down enough to give notes some space. Or the cloudy-eyed landscapes created by J Gerrit Welmers’ synths.

The wide range of Sam Herring’s vocals, from whispers to shouting melodrama, is fully utilized on this release. His distinct style has always been a hallmark of Future Islands’ sound. While he won’t be winning any awards for technicality, his vocals are phenomenally well suited for this music, and one of the most versatile drivers of mood on the album.

Compared to their previous efforts, this LP has a different approach to the mix, aiming for a smoother and more produced sound, lush and full. The rough edges that made Wave Like Home crackle have been sanded down to make for something that feels more balanced, and as a result, makes for more convincing shifts in mood that convey a genuine, almost overwhelming sense of weary romanticism.

The raw open wound of single “Tin Man” is a microcosm of the album itself: Cashion’s driving staccato bass line broken up with clarion moments of more legato melodies, Herring’s raspy and plaintive vocals belting out that confessional chorus (“I am the Tin Man”), Welmers’ synth and effects work creating an array of sounds, an almost tropical fantasy. Aside from “Tin Man,” my personal favorite track is “Long Flight.” The murky synth opening accompanied by the swiftly rumbling bass melody perfectly matches the narrator’s bewildering homecoming. You can almost imagine stumbling bleary-eyed onto the surreal scene of his love in bed with another man. The crescendoing music keeps pace as Herring works through the ordeal right up to the adrenalized catharsis at the distorted end of the track.

“An Apology” sees Welmer’s twinkling synth lines (more refined and developed in solo project Moss of Aura) dominate a track that often feels appropriately delicate. Title track “In Evening Air” delivers a dreamy instrumental interlude that is unexpected alone, but is perfectly sequenced on the album, following on the hushed closing of “An Apology.” “Vireo’s Eye” might also surprise you with the care taken in its gradually layered build.

There’s a lot to like, even love here. The album flows effortlessly as a whole, and a number of the tracks are irresistible even as stand-alones. Future Islands skirt a dangerous line of feeling too repetitious by working largely within the bounds of 4/4 using a number of fairly simple elements. But they end up wringing a surprisingly deep and diverse moods out of somewhat spartan ingredients, avoiding what might be seen as a pitfall of earlier releases. Part and parcel of the album’s high replayability, these songs just don’t grow old.

It seems that this LP is all about showcasing how far Future Islands have come. Exchanging energy for intensity, In Evening Air represents a huge maturation of their studio output, and even their entire artistic vision. While earlier releases may have felt closer to a live performance, this release feels closer to the soul of Future Islands. In an interview, Sam Herring once mused: “If we had time, we could write a great album.” We should all be thankful they finally found that time, and used it so well.

Label: Thrill Jockey

Release date: May 04 2010

Track list:

1. Walking Through That Door
2. Long Flight
3. Tin Man
4. An Apology
5. In Evening Air
6. Swept Inside
7. Inch of Dust
8. Vireo’s Eye
9. As I Fall

Related posts:

1. Album Review: Pontiak – Maker (Thrill Jockey)
2. Album Review / Contest: Double Dagger – More (Thrill Jockey)
3. Album Review: Arbouretum – Song of the Pearl (Thrill Jockey)

Photo: Valerie Paulsgrove
Words: David Carter

Celebration played a superb free show at The Patterson in February, courtesy of The Creative Alliance. I set out for this event early, or so I thought, until it became clear that the nearest parking space to this mobbed venue was a good mile away. So, I sadly missed their opening set, an acoustic percussion-centric jam in a densely crowded front gallery area. Happily, I did get the entirety of this electric set on the back stage. In keeping with Celebration’s insistence upon giving all of their music away for free lately, they have allowed us to hand this beauty over to you all in its entirety.

This is a fine representative Celebration set that rattles off many of the reasons why they draw such a massive local following (and create such miserable local traffic conditions). Cool, collected musical skill and raw intensity collide in a magical way, creating spiky contrasts that spin and swerve through the room. Their sound is defiant and stylized without ever coming off as stilted, never losing a grip on the groove factor. As usual, the visual cortex was not reglected, the stage dressed lavishly in white lace and murky colored light. Special thanks to photographer Valerie Paulsgrove for the image above, click through that picture for more of her fantastic stills from this session. These photos were originally featured on the excellent Bmore Musically Informed blog, another indispensible site tracking and nurturing the Baltimore music scene. Thanks for sharing!

Listen freely, and support Celebration back. They are subsidizing our (raging, problematic) music habits for miles around with these free shows, free tracks; unique goodness that we can’t ever get from anyone else.

Celebration
Live @ The Patterson
February 26, 2010
Baltimore MD, USA

Streaming player:

MP3 links:

1. Pony (5:38)
2. Junky (5:30)
3. What’s This Magical (5:55)
4. Battles (6:18)
5. Honeysuckle Blue (6:01)
6. Great Pyramid (5:25)
7. Kilimanjaro (6:06)
8. I Will Not Fall (4:44)
9. Fly the Fly (4:18)
10. Heartbreak (7:39)
11. In This Land (5:25)

Total time: 1:03:05

ZIP links:

Entire set in mp3 format

Lineage:

AKG 414 mid/side pair -> Zoom h4n 48/24 -> Nuendo (stereo encoding, limiting) -> MP3

Recorded by:

David Carter (carteriffic@gmail.com)

Related posts:

1. Livewire: The Multiphonic Choir @ The Windup Space (2010.01.14)
2. Livewire: Lake Trout @ the Ottobar (2010.01.16)
3. Livewire: Avec @ the Ottobar (2010.01.16)

If you haven’t read part one, check it out. And celebrate The Oranges Band tonight at Comet Ping Pong or the Ottobar on Satuday.

Here’s part 2 of my interview with The Oranges Band’s lead singer, Roman Kuebler. A couple things of note: for our DC readers, the band will be bringing its anniversary celebration to Comet Ping Pong tonight. On the sadder side of things, City Paper recently reported that drummer Dave Voyles, who had been with the band since the start, has left for personal reasons. Lee Ashlin is taking his place behind the kit on tour.

This portion focuses more on the band’s three long players, the anniversary show (which I accidentally slipped up and called a reunion show, not my finest moment) and what lies ahead for the band.

AS: How do you look back on All Around, your first LP?

RK: One of my strong memories of that record is, when we finished… with all this– This was our first professional approach. So we went somewhere, to a studio, and we were there for two weeks, working everyday on this record. We had nothing when we showed up; we had to have an album when we were finished. And I had most of the songs, but I didn’t have all of the songs. And we were flying people in to do some guest spots here and there, trumpets and all this stuff. We were really ambitious. I wanna say it was a little bit overly ambitious, because we wanted to make this pop album.

‘Cause at the time it was all Strokes, all rock, all of this. And we were getting a lot of  Strokes comparisons with our earlier records, — although I was into The Strokes, I wasn’t influenced by them. I really just wanted to do this trashy garage stuff, but everyone said: “Oh, that’s like The Strokes.”

So all right, we’re gonna make this pop record. So we went through the process of making it, had its ups and downs. I needed to write a few songs while I was there, which I did. They came out pretty good. And the memory that I will take from All Around is that: Everyone had left, for some reason. And I stayed maybe one day longer. Everyone was flying to different places. I think it was Thanksgiving. I think people were flying to their destinations. Half the people had been done for a whole week, so they left a whole week ago.

And anyway, it was just me, driving home from Michigan to Baltimore, and I had in my hand the album that we made. And I must have listened to it, 5, 6 times, and I was just loved it. Can’t believe we did this, you know? It sounds good, the songs are cool. And I was really happy about it. That’s kind of what I remember about it.

I guess maybe I had learned more later. And now when I go back, “Oh, I could’ve done this differently. I could’ve done that.” You know? There’s a lot that I would have changed or would still change. But at the time I was really happy about it.

AS: It definitely feels like there’s a lot of songs on there I guess that are– I wanna say sort of relationship songs, I don’t know if that makes it a relationship record, but…

RK: That was when I was just kind of flailing on, riffing vocals and just trying to come up with something and then working that out. That album, to me, was a lot of symbolism. There’s a lot of Blade Runner references.

AS: Really?

RK: Yeah. Like that’s kind of what I was really into. There’s a few, at least. I remember trying to make it really mechanical, like “My Mechanical Mind.” That was a song about people as machines, you know?

AS: I guess I was thinking more along the lines of “I’m Still Right… Still.”

RK: Yeah, yeah.

AS: “North Carolina.”

RK: “North Carolina” is a song about my sister.

AS: Oh, okay.

RK: In fact, two songs about my sister on there. One is “Oh, Madalene,” which is my first niece. And my sister went to school in North Carolina, so. Those two songs, which are lighter, softer songs, are both about my sister– or kind of relate to my sister. And I like those, and they’re some of the more genuine things I’ve ever done. The execution, especially on “North Carolina,” was not the best. I feel like I could have done it better. But it’s pretty good.

But the other song “Opticalize, I Can See” is another robot song.

AS: You mentioned the sort of Blade Runner themes and the robot songs. Was there an overarching theme do you think?

RK: Not necessarily. In making albums, each one has certain themes, that when I was stuck for lyrics, I would kinda like say, “Okay, I’m gonna go this and see what I can get out of it.” Blade Runner was on that one.

AS: Yeah, why Blade Runner?

RK: It’s just one of my favorite movies. I actually studied it in college, so I felt like I knew a lot about it. There’s just incredible themes of humanity and, you know, the will to live, in so much as these robots have assumed humanity and have this will to live. And so I kind of got into this idea of the android, and the person who’s being built. And “Opticalize” was meant to feel like this really mechanical [in a machine-like noise:] duh-chichun-chichun-chechun. Like this assembly line of people putting eye balls into bodies. Sometimes I just wanted to paint a picture, not even telling a story. And you would never know that to hear the lyrics and stuff, but that’s always what I heard. And then like on the chorus [sings:] “All around/I can see all around” was like the eye balls open up and then the person can see, looking around. And then, that’s just my interpretation of it. That was the thing about kind of being loose with the lyrics is that, I was able to interpret it, just like someone else might be able to.

So those were the major Blade Runner themes. There might be a couple more that I can’t remember at the moment. I can’t remember exactly what’s on that album.

“Finns for Our Feet” was supposed to be like a fantasy tale. It’s pretty self-explanatory, people living under water.

See, I have these argument songs. “I’m Still Right… Still” is an argument song. The story behind that song is two people, one’s in Heaven and one’s in Hell or something.

AS: Really?

RK: That was my idea. I can’t remember how it goes. “I’m still catching up with you/But not so fast and only cause you want me to” is like the person in Hell saying, “I’m gonna catch you yet,” you know? “And I’m still right. I don’t give a shit what anyone says.” “Whether I’m down here…” Is it down here or up here?

AS: That’s kind of unique imagery. Do you remember how you conjured that up, or it just sort of came to you?

RK: Yeah, I don’t. I don’t remember. I think I was just like, riff off on some lyrics and started to be like, That’s kind of what this is doing. That’s what’s happening here. That’s kind of cool, you know? And same thing with all the “Finns for Our Feet” stuff.

Then there was the time where I said, I wanna make this really weird scenario. But then “Keep Your Teeth” was like this fighting song, which, also, “Success” was a fighting song. “Still Right” was an argument song, because these people– They’re conversation songs, where people are generally fighting. This, like, aggressive, physical fighting.

AS: Did that always come that naturally for you, writing lyrics?

RK: No, because at some point I wanted to be more articulate and tell stories better and get ideas across better. Like I said, no one would ever know these things are about these things unless I would tell them this is my idea of what’s happening.

So that was the challenge on The World and Everything In It. That was the challenge to me was to say, “Okay, I’m going to do better at this. I’m going to make more concrete imagery.” And it worked. I used my life. I used my experiences to do that, and The X-Files. That was that album: The X-Files and living on a beach when I was in high school.

AS: It definitely has a summery vibe to it, which I guess would explain the beach.

RK: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I was doing that really consciously, and it was just kind of reminiscing about my life at the beach, which I just [pause]. What is it when you hold it up? Not fantasize, but, you know, you kind of immortalize…

AS: You built it up in your mind.

RK: There you go. You built it up. It’s just the greatest time. We had so much fun down there. And the sun– it was just great. So I was just remembering those times, which is why it’s kind of got this nostalgic feel to it. I was also really back into surfing at that time, because I had seen Riding Giants which is this documentary about riding huge waves by Stacey Peralta, I think. And so, I just really enjoyed surf rock and all this stuff. There’s a couple of obvious, really surf rock references. And I was just trying to do all of those things. And I was just like, “Yeah, I’m gonna make a beach record.” And then inside that, there’s all this really weird, a couple of really weird things, like “The World & Everything In It” and “Evil’s Where You Want It to Be,” like all these ploppings, dark little spots on this sunny kind of thing.

AS: “Drug City,” clearly.

RK: “Drug City,” yeah.

AS: Especially. I imagine that was about here.

RK: Sure, but in a really generic way. Those are pretty generic lyrics. They roll off pretty good. It’s also about traveling, you know how you kind of, maybe separating. Separate versus [travel], two totally different things.

And I remember I got the one line, I was going to Atlanta– We were going to Atlanta on tour and there was a back up, just red lights as far as you could see. And it felt like– I felt like I got this image that Atlanta, the city, was the heart and all the veins were leading in, you know? And then there were veins leading out.  And so that’s: “‘Red lights are devils, they’re’ something ‘leading you in/White lights are angels, they’re calling you back again.’”

So it’s got this kind of [sings] “City’s a whore/ Nobody sleeps alone.” So there’s two of these things where it’s kind of like putting these ideas on top of each other. And I was just separating ideas. I would come up with something over here, and then add this other idea over here, so they were kind of intertwined. So that’s what that song, to me, was– it kinda intertwined all these ideas.

And I was trying to do Paul Simon, like, all the backing vocals and all that stuff. It’s all just one big Paul Simon. Which, I actually think it does pretty well.

AS: Yeah. Absolutely.

RK: But yeah, so, I actually had another experiment on that album, which was: I had  grown frustrated with people reviewing albums and all saying the same thing about them. And I said, I’m gonna make a beach album, and I’m gonna tell ‘em it’s a beach album. Everyone’s gonna write about the beach album. No one is gonna talk about these weird little bits in there about space, and aliens and all this stuff. And no one did.

But really, the other theme on that album is the ambition, where I was coming to terms with my ambition, which was realizing that being overly ambitious is dangerous. And so “Atmosphere,” that’s what that is. It’s about a person– that’s not me. That’s actually Fox Mulder [Laughs]. I was just watching X-Files all the time at that point. And I just really related to those characters– their ambitions, their higher purpose, their drive. I just thought, they’re not rewarded for it, you know? Neither am I, necessarily. But in the end, what if they succeed? What if they find out the truth? What if no one believes them? Who cares. They’ve got this thing, you know?

AS: You use science fiction in a lot of these themes I guess.

RK: Definitely, definitely. I mean, I think it’s visual. It’s just these visual things that I respond to. I don’t read books. I just watch TV. And I’m just visual. And so, when I need something, I go to a visual place and I say, “It would be nice to have all those little things kind of repeating throughout.” I needed some place to go, I’d just just kinda play along with five things and just kinda said, “Alright, what do I do with them?”

AS: On that record I feel like the melodies were definitely stronger. How did you go about writing all that?

RK: I would sit up every night listening to the songs ’cause we recorded the album– 15, 16, maybe 17 songs –and recorded all the basic tracks and began the process of layering stuff on top. And where we started and where we ended were vastly different, so much so that when I gave the record to Dave, who played the drums and pretty much wasn’t really involved with all that, all the rest of it, I felt like he felt maybe he was listening to another band or something.

But, you know, I had fundamentally changed a lot of the things. And that’s one of the things I was really trying to do: get lyrics, melodies. There was a song that really followed the guitar line, it was “I’ll Never Be Alone.” It went [sings] Da-nuh-nuh-da-dun-dun-dun. That’s the guitar line, and I had a melody go in [sings a little faster] Da-nuh-nuh-da-dun-dun-dun. And I just go, Okay. Then I was like, Change that. I just kinda like, and then I go, [sings] “You-look-like-you-have-seen-a-dun-dun-da-nuh-nuh.” Which, I don’t know, I just was screwing around, and that’s what I came up with. And it was better, much better, and you know, the whole thing just worked. I just really tried hard.

AS: You said that ambition sort of burned you out near the end, but the results you can’t argue with, really.

RK: No, I agree. I mean, that’s the thing– I don’t regret it or anything like that. I’m really happy about it. There’s still, I hear things and I’m kinda like, “Why didn’t I change that?” But for the most part, I think about that album in a way that I can enjoy it, which is another thing that I wanted to do. I wanted to be able to enjoy something that I did. Before then I was just highly critical, you know? So I would listen and just be like, [in a voice] “Oh God, I can’t” [stops voice] “I can’t listen to this crap.” But that one, for the most part, 75 percent, I’m like, [voice returns] “Yes, yes” [disappears again] “I can’t believe it.”

AS: And on the last one obviously the one thing that record critics like myself have picked up on is that you make a lot of references to the sort of older Baltimore scene. Was that mostly just a nostalgic trip?

RK: No, it was really specific. It was sort of a way to– what was happening with the scene, people kind of getting popular, I felt like there was this situation where people were not recognizing what had happened before. I had specific conversations where, because I’ve been around music for a long time and a lot of Baltimore music is my favorite music of all time, and I would ask people working at the club, you know all the younger people, ask them whether they knew this. It was just this ignorance towards what had happened, you know, five years ago, six or seven or eight years ago. And it frustrated me, because I just felt like that’s a problem in this town, where people don’t respect the history in that way, and it’s hard for them to kind of show the support. In DC that doesn’t happen. You ask someone about Rites of Spring, they know who Rites of Spring is. They know where Rites of Spring went. They know about the history.

It’s possible that I’m kind of speaking cynically, because I don’t know a lot of the young people. But I just think that that’s a– People who come up in DC, play in DC, people that I know certainly, understand that their scene came from somewhere. And I didn’t think Baltimore felt the same way about its music. And it was really frustrating.

So my original idea was just to say, if I say some of these words, and if I take some of these lyrics and I put them in these places, people want to know what I’m talking about. And they go look it up, and they find out that this is what it’s about, that will be cool, you know? And if I say, you know, Ottobar after hours, I’m really talking about the old one. But the word Ottobar is appearing and someone says, “What is Ottobar?” That’s more for anybody, people here, people there. It’s just, “What is that?” They find out that this is what it is, it’s a real place.

Then there’s these really subtle references people wouldn’t get. I had this idea that I was writing an album for– at most, 200 people, like, would understand a lot of these things that had happened– putting in the lyrics from The Lee Harvey Keitel Band. Just using their songs in my song, just to have someone go, “Hey, I know that. Cool.”

Just narrowing the scope on the whole album, just saying, you know, I want less people to really understand it. But I still want it to be accessible, still catchy or whatever. They’re not that specific that they’re exclusive. If you understand it, you go, “Ah, I got it.”

Memory Lane, you know? “Do You Remember Memory Lane?” That was the name of the club in ’97-’98. That was the club. It’s where everything happened. I’ve seen more good shows there than I can, you know. Crazy good stuff. And there’s still a lot of people around here who were there, who really remember it. And so, to hear that, “I do remember Memory Lane.” That’s the question: Do you remember Memory Lane? Yes or no? If yes, then you’re in. You can understand it. If not, I hope you can find something else that you like, you know?

So it’s just stuff like that. And even with the clubs, like the Rev, same thing. And “Gordon’s Nightclub” is about a placecalled the Rev. The lyric is: “What happened to the Rev? It was here when I left, now it’s turned into Gordon’s Nightclub.” Because I used to go the Rev and then I moved away for a couple years and I came back, and it was Gordon’s Nightclub. Pretty direct in the reference. So again, same thing, just trying to say, “Ah, the Rev. I remember the Rev. It was cool.” You know? “It’s good stuff there.”

AS: Do you feel like the scene has gotten better in that regard? ‘Cause, I mean, you hear about all these bands that are just sort of nurtured, like I guess a Beach House or Future Islands, you know, they moved from North Carolina and now they’re signed to Thrill Jockey. And all these acts that seem to be, I don’t know, it seems like they’re here, and they get a lot of support, and then they sort of make it bigger, I guess.

RK: I don’t know Future Islands. But no, I mean, I obviously have mixed feelings about it in the sense that, I wish I have been, and recently I have not been, tied to the scene. And it’s not conscious, it just happens, you know? But, you know, it’s not like I’m bitter, or jealous of these people doing that. I think it’s great, you know? But I knew Victoria when she was in her old band, the Dagger Hearts, and– you know, I still know her [laughs] –I remember her telling me about the band she was gonna start. I remember being like, “This doesn’t sound like it’s gonna be as good.” They were into like raw, wild music, the Dagger Hearts. I don’t know if you ever heard or had any experience at all.

AS: No, I didn’t actually.

RK: It was like a wild rock group with keyboard drums. And it was cool, I loved it. And then she wanted to do this other thing that was more mellow, and she was like, “What do I do?”

“But you’re in a really good band,” I remember telling her that. “Yeah, but what about this band? It’s really good.” But they’re taking off, so…

AS: The only reason I bring that up as an example is just, the support, I feel like, has definitely gotten better. And by virtue of seeing these bands all the way through their stages, they will be able to– I mean, they won’t be the same references you’re making, but they will have been there from the start.

RK: Sure. Yeah. There was always some kind of roadblock to building that seven years ago that just kind of broke through. You know, it’s been a long time. It’s the Ottobar being here a long time. It’s somewhere being bigger, having a bigger room to play, bringing in more out-of-town acts. It’s WTMD, which was not at all– There was no radio for so long, no way to reach people in the county. It was very difficult. Clubs were opening and closing. All those things were keeping it small, ’cause it was hard to follow. Now it’s easier to follow, and I think that there’s more opportunity for bands.

I don’t know, it’s weird. I feel like we– I feel like, in some ways, this just doesn’t relate to us at all. ‘Cause it’s not our scene, you know? I just don’t think we can convince the people who go to see those bands that [pause] that we have anything to offer. Maybe that’s cynical.

AS: How unfortunate is it for you, then, that this era, this earlier era that you were a part of and you were so plugged into then, doesn’t get the credit that it deserves?

RK: I don’t know. It’s hard to say how that would fundamentally change it. If people were getting famous, it’d be a totally different thing. And, you know, ’cause there was an attitude here that, “Say what you want, but you just can’t fuck with this scene.” Great bands. Great people. We get loud. Everything is crazy. There were bands that were coming here that knew people that could attest to like, “Baltimore’s a town that rocks. It’s a wild place.”

But, again, here we’ve got, uh [pause] Wham City. People are gonna look back at that and flip their minds, they’re gonna freak. They’ll be like: “Remember that shit? That was fucking insane.” And I would go to that stuff, but I just felt like it wasn’t for me, you know? It’s not just because I like rock bands and songs and I just didn’t like that music. But I wasn’t feeling negative about it. It felt exclusive to me, like, this isn’t kind of  my thing. But I think it’s cool.

So they’re going to have their own experience of it, you’re right. They’re going to have seen through a certain thing. I guess the only part that’s gonna be different is the part where they get famous, or did well– it sounds something derogatory by saying someone is famous, but that’s not the way I intended it –I guess that’s the only difference, really. But they’re all gonna have those experiences.

You can only get so famous in Baltimore anyway. It’s a town that doesn’t– the culture of celebrity is really frowned upon. John Waters hangs out, you know? He chills. And people go up to him and say, “Hey. What’s up?” And he says, “Nothing. How you doing?” You know? And it’s not weird. I think people accept that to a certain extent, and you’re saying, Alright well, we don’t want to be LA or New York. We don’t want to be the place where someone walks in the door and the crowd parts and it’s, “What can I do for you?” I just think of Baltimore, as a fundamental construction, there’s something we don’t do.

Which, again, plays into that idea about giving bands their props, this, that or the other thing. A certain amount of it is, like, Well, they were here, they were gone? Who cares? They were great. Big deal, now they’re gone. Like, what’s happening now? And I can get down with that. I like that attitude.

AS: The one thing I’ve always felt about this scene in my experience…

RK: Did you grow up here?

AS: Yes. But uh…

RK: Where did you go to high school?

AS: Dulaney.

RK: Cool.

AS: But uh, when I was younger, my friends were in a ska band, so I just sort of saw there shows, which were often times in the basements of churches.

RK: That’s definitely the high school experience, I think.

AS: Yeah, yeah.

RK: I didn’t get into music until I was mid-way through college, or I guess my freshman year of college I started to do a few bands and stuff like that. I wasn’t here, I was somewhere else.

AS: When I was in college, I was in College Park. And just, I couldn’t find– I didn’t really try enough, as I should have –there was no way I could find somebody to go to Baltimore to see such-and-such band. They’d say, “Who?”

RK: That’s an awkward spot.

AS: Yeah, definitely. But as soon as I’ve become more engrained, I’ve definitely noticed you’ll look around when you’re at a show and see all different people from all different bands in the scene. And they always come there to support each other, and I guess that’s sort of always been the case.

RK: Always been the case, yeah.

AS: That goes back to that cult of celebrity thing you were just saying.

RK: Which is great, in the sense that New York is not like that. That’s not been my experience at least. Everyone is out for themselves. It’s just too big. You know what? There’s 50 clubs. How can there be a scene around 50 clubs, or whatever? There’s just no scene. It’s just everyone trying to break it, you know? And trying to get everyone to be interested in them. Not to say that there aren’t pockets of scene, I guess, but I think in general, that’s the way it is. So Baltimore is the right size that it can be a scene still, which is really cool.

AS: Shifting gears, what can we expect for the reunion, for the shows?

RK: Well, it’s not a reunion.

AS: Why did I say reunion? It’s an anniversary show. I apologize.

RK: Well, the thing is people will likely get the sense that it is or have the impression that it is, because we haven’t played since 2008. The reason that we haven’t, though, is because Dave hurt his wrist, and then he hurt his finger. We had a tour planned, but we can’t go out for those reasons.

AS: Yeah, that was just a slip. I want that one back.

RK: It’s no big deal. But no, I mean, I’m just addressing it because it’s not the first time I’ve heard it. Although, you know, we didn’t play in 2009 at all, and that was a little bit of a conscious thing, like, Well, Dave’s hurt. You know, he needed a few months to get better. Then he broke his finger and needed a couple more weeks, and I just thought, Let’s just chill on this for a minute. We’re not gonna get it back. We lost the momentum from that. It’d be hard to build it back up.

In some ways it feels a little bit like a reunion, but it’s really not. It’s the 10-year anniversary, and it doesn’t feel like anything’s gonna be different. I had these ideas that I would do something different about playing certain songs or getting people to come up and play with us, but now that we’re in the practice room, we’re practicing, it feels like it always has. And we’re just the band that we are now, we’re not that band that we were then, so we can’t do all the same songs, you know? The songs that are the best are the ones that we’ve written recently and then, you know, a lot of The World and Everything In It. But we’re gonna hit everything, probably. But it’s kind of interesting to me that it’s sort of working out in that way, that it might not be wildly different than the show we did a year and change ago. We’re playing the same songs, and probably the same people are gonna show up [laughs].

But I don’t know. You know, I’m hoping– I’ve kinda stopped taking the approach that there’s gonna be this one thing that changes people’s minds about The Oranges Band and started to just kind of consider that it’s a long term phenomenon. I think if someone were to take a look at our body of work, they’d say, “Wow, this is impressive.” And that will be the foundation that we’re able to build upon.

For me it’s just a way to kind of mark this moment of, like, We’re proud that we’ve been doing this for as long. And with all the thing things that we’ve been through, it’s something. We’re happy to kind of mark the occasion for ourselves. It’s the type of thing where Baltimore is the type of place where, if you don’t tell people, they’re not gonna know. So everybody, this is what’s going down.

AS: And then what’s beyond that?

RK: Well, the tour rolls out before that, so we’re gonna do that. Then we’re doing the anniversary shows. We don’t have anything immediately planned after that. But ugh, I guess just more of the same, man.

AS: Any plans for maybe another record at some point?

RK: Yeah, I mean, I have tons and tons of material. You know, I do my solo stuff, too.

AS: Right, you’ve got a subscription service.

RK: Yeah. I’m actually restarting it. So, you know, I’m just always writing all the time. So I have a group of material that I think is gonna be the basis for the next Oranges Band record. We’ll see. We haven’t really figured out how to approach it. You know, we’re just doing the same thing, where we’re gonna work on some new tunes. We’re gonna try and get people interested. We always just throw it out there, try to get people to get on the train. And it feels like we’ve been successful at reaching a lot of people. So it feels pretty good. It feels like we have plenty of issues to keep wasting our time. [Yelps] Whoo!

AS: I don’t know about that [laughs].

RK: It’s just a laugh, really.

AS: Once I saw that on the Ottobar calendar I was really excited for it.

RK: Awesome. Oh good. It’s hard for me to kind of– I don’t know… Like I said, it’s always been hard, we never got a lot of response from people, so I don’t know if people are interested or are gonna be really pumped for this or not. You know, we haven’t played in a year and a half. But because Baltimore is the way it is, I think a lot of people are gonna be like, “Aw, did I miss that? Oh well. I’ll catch them next time.” Or maybe that’s just the ten years speaking [laughs]. Or hopefully it’s the start of a different kind of attitude about it.

Related posts:

1. Interview: The Oranges Band (w/ Roman Kuebler) [Part 1]
2. Interview: !!! aka Chk Chk Chk (w/ Nic Offer)
3. Interview: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (w/ Kip, Peggy, Alex)

Day #3 – Kitchener, Ontario (Continued)

Only in Canada

Danko Jones couldn’t make the Kitchener show, so we got the prime spot directly opening up for Clutch.  It was pretty nerve wracking the moments before we took the stage because this was a sold out show and pretty much everyone who was gonna be there had arrived at that point.  So I went and had myself a good, cleansing crying session and prepared to take the stage.

A band from Toronto named Sin Dealer opened the show.  Super heavy, great riffs.  The dudes themselves were super nice.  The singer, in fact, tried on multiple occasions to give us contraband and seemed like he wouldn’t take no for an answer.  He also brought his 14 year old son to be a roadie, so that was pretty surreal. Canada, eh?

So back to us:  When we went on, the house was packed full of most likely buzzed Canadians waiting to see Clutch.  As the direct support we had to expand our set to 45 minutes.  I wanted to pull out some Vince Falzone covers, but we decided just to stick to Caverns material.  This was our first show being able to watch an opener from the side of the stage and it was definitely a bit intimidating following a band that caters more to Clutch’s “stoner rock” sound.

As we were stretching and waiting to go on, JP tapped Ross on the shoulder, giving him two delicious craft beers to enjoy during the set…  Next thing we knew, Sin Dealer ended their set and their 14 year old roadie/son was doing everything he could to somewhat stand in the way.  Walking out we were greeted by repeated shouts of “Clutch.”  I’m pretty sure I saw a dude giving us the finger as we walked out.  However, lest you think that Canadians are not open minded, after we played our first song (“Spreading Like a Virus”), the energy in the room totally changed and we were rewarded with viking roar the moment the song was over.  The rest of the set proceeded equally well, “I. Fight. Vampires.” (from our latest EP We Lied out NOW goddammit) went over extremely well.  A lady in the audience demanded Ross to take off his shirt.  When he did not comply, she led by example and whipped off her own shirt.  I really hope the dude from Sin Dealer’s son wasn’t around.  I feel that I also must note that Canada was the only stop on the tour where a beach ball was seen bouncing around in the crowd.

After the set we ran into some Clutch fans outside smoking cigarettes.  They were very enthusiastic about our show, especially this one song we played called “I Fuck Vampires.”  I informed them that we played a song called “I. FIGHT. Vampires” during the show.   After considering this for a minute, a young man among them said “You should change it to ‘I Fuck Vampires.’”  I can’t say I disagree.  A few minutes later, whilst packing up the van, we saw the dude who did the monitors that evening.  He was outside just smoking a j in the lot, no big deal.  Shot the shit with him for a little bit about bands with ridiculous stage set ups and egos (sorry no names will be printed here).  Right before walking inside, he gave us a some words of approval and said “and I really really loved that ‘I Fuck Vampires’ song!”

Clutch came out and played another killer set.  It must be nice to be on point every single night. When you’ve been doing this shit for almost 20 years though, I feel like it starts to come naturally.  People actually brought beach balls to the show, no joke.  After the set was over, the drunken masses walked toward the doors and hit up the merch tables.  We’re pretty sure some percentage of our sales are coming from people too drunk to realize that they’re buying Caverns t-shirts and CDs and not Clutch merch.  We’re only touring with bands starting in “C” from now on.

Canada saved the best for last.  At the very end of the night we met a guy named Steve.  Steve was very impressed with our set and also extremely inebriated.   He told us how awesome that “I Fuck Vampires” song was and that we should probably get a singer, but if not it was cool cause were still awesome.

Day #4 – Traverse City, MI

Once again expecting to have issues getting across the border, we traveled in the middle of the night to Sarnia, ON to cross into Port Huron, MI.   When arriving at the Port Huron crossing, we braced to be stopped and searched.  Ironically, two rather normal looking passenger cars in front of us were pulled aside for search and our unmarked white van full of equipment and four unshowered and disheveled dudes was let right on through.  Awesome is right.  At around 5 AM no one could keep their eyes open anymore so we had to pull over and get a hotel room.  We found a quaint, rustic Super 8 motel just off the highway and decided to stay there.  Ross, Pat and I went to sleep.  Ira, like some sort of cross between a Zombie and the kid who isn’t Fred Savage in “The Wizard” went over to the Marathon truckstop next door and played Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Videogame until he had beaten it.

I awoke from possibly the worst sleep I’ve ever gotten thanks to the dude in the room next to us that snored so hard it sounded like he was screaming in his sleep.  We showered, packed up and traversed the remaining few miles to Traverse City, MI (see what I did there?).  None of us had ever heard of Traverse City before, but when we got there we realized it was a pretty cool place (though I doubt you could ever go into the water there).  The club holding the show, called Ground Zero, was a roller rink in the 70′s that was changed into a giant club/bar/lounge/old west saloon complex.  It’s located directly in front of the Traverse City airport, which was actually pretty rad. The manager Doug was a super cool dude, even in a V-neck t-shirt.

The show was OK.  We’ve played better, but the crowd seemed into it, so that’s all that really matters.  Pat and I walked outside to find some food and were approached by some dudes who had already purchased CDs and t-shirts.  One of their number said to me “Dude, when you walked up there I was thinking ‘Oh great, who is this band with the fucking accountant playing guitar, but you guys ended up being pretty amazing.’”  It was my favorite compliment of the tour.

We spent the remaining hours at the venue meeting new fans, admiring the bartender’s “Jersey Shore/King Koopa Clash” of a haircut, and having Pat and Ross walk by Doug every two minutes to intentionally get pulled aside for Jager Bombs.  We headed back to the hotel we stayed in the night before and all of us slept pretty hard upon pulling in.

Day #5 – Columbus, OH

We rolled into Columbus in a rain storm.  I’d like to think that we brought that shit with us.  Walking into the venue sorta reminded me of that scene in Gladiator where Russell Crowe first walks into the Colosseum.  The Newport Music Hall is mammoth…sorta like the 9:30 Club on steroids.  The interior vaguely resembled a race track, with ads for sponsors everywhere (tip: don’t ask for a Coke or a Coors while you’re hanging at the Newport, you will be disappointed).   I stood on the huge stage with the place still empty and got extremely nervous.  This had the potential to go really well or really poorly.

After sound check, we rolled to a very tasty bento place, and Ross stocked up on some tasty microbrews at a local beer store.

We hung out with Danko Jones (the dude and the band) backstage and took in the amazing graffiti left by various bands including a personal favorite “Pop Evil.”  Danko has a solid theory that if you leave your band name written on the wall of the backstage of a club, the rock gods decide right then and there you are never going to make it.  There were a lot of names on the walls folks…no one knew any of them (with the Pop Evil exception).

When we took the stage, it was at least 80% full which mean we were playing to well over 1200 Clutch fans.  I was freaking out. There were way fewer chants of “Clutch” than I was expecting, so that helped.  We launched into our first song and the fear washed away.  The crowd was into it, and I felt incredibly relieved that we weren’t going to be pelted with tomatos and change.  By the end of the set, the crowd had fully embraced us and lots of big, sweaty, tattooed arms pumped in the air in approval.   When this band began, not a single one of us would have imagined being in that place that night….  especially when Ross turned around and noticed Neil Fallon from Clutch watching the entire set from behind Kevin’s amp.

After our set, we made our way to the merch booth to meet some new fans, old friends, and enjoy some beers.  During the change over, we accidentally broke a very expensive mic clip on one of Danko’s guitar mics, but after a long apology and a number of beers, their sound guy Corey quickly became one of the most forgiving, and nicest people we have met since any of us have been involved in music.

Ross and I spent most of Clutch’s set sidestage watching JP tear it up.  Very cool thing to see anynight, but especially from where we were standing.  The show ended with an amazing encore from Clutch including “Gravel Road,” “Big News 1″ and “Big News 2.”  Since it was an off day the next day, Ross, Corey, our friends John & Peggy, Chase (Clutch’s drum tech), and Neil were enjoying some of the beer Ross bought earlier that day behind the club.  After the bus left a number of us went to a couple of late night bars/restaurants before calling it a night.  It was the perfect close to the first stretch of the tour.

Kevin/Caverns

Related posts:

1. Northern Exposure: Days 2 & 3 – Burlington, VT/Kitchener, ON
2. Northern Exposure: Day 1 – Portland, ME
3. Northern Exposure: Foreward by the Author

Soft Cat plays the Windup Space tonight with Secret Mountains, European Swans and Shaun David Gould. Doors at 8:30pm, Show at 9pm. $5 cover, 21+.

Soft Cat is a project with a remarkably mature sound given its relatively short existence.  Formed in 2009 by Neil Sanzgiri (Talking Tiger Mountain, Voot Cha Index), he wasted little time in recruiting a plethora of our city’s musicians to aid him in realizing a lush musical vision, including Andy Abelow and Bob Keal of Small Sur, and Adam Lempel and Brendan Sullivan of Weekends. So enthusiastic was he about his new-found home of Charm City (following a move from his native Texas) that he helped curated the huge weekend of like-minded music called Soft Fest at the aptly branded Soft House.

This darkened vision of folk presents dreamy, leaden layers that form a sound as mysterious as it is dense.  Sanzgiri’s vocals are often plaintive, wistful, full of yearning. His heavy-lidded style is perfectly suited to their hazy sound. The album also draws on remarkably varied instrumentation including flute, saxophone, banjo, violin and more, in addition to the standard drums and guitars layout.

To me, the opening track “Silver Babies Sun” is undoubtedly the album’s opus. An atmospheric fog of acoustic chords and distant vocals is sparsely broken by brief, lucid melodies from achingly bowed violin, Andy Abelow’s (remarkably clarinet-like) sax, or the fluttering of Bob Keal’s trilled flute. Such an approach crops up again and again on the album. The pizzicato strings of “Wildspace” spring up like the dotted, patchy greenery amidst the urban landscape. “When My Brother Reaches Me” pulls out a country gallop and a twangy guitar line that gently coasts above it all. The banjo’s rinky-tink sound frequently fills this role as well (“Blackbird,” “Dark When It Should Be Violet Hour”).

Baltimore seems an ideal incubator for brooding, folk-inspired music with a haunting edge (much like Soft Cat’s). Charm City’s bipolar identity as both a city and a small-town is something pervasive, and I suspect attractive to people with these kinds of dueling interests, country colliding with city. The layout of Maryland and its relatively small and blurry separation between the highly rural and the metropolitan, as well as Baltimore existing more as a city of neighborhoods than a true metropolis, facilitates this feeling that nature and familiar tradition can easily seep into the dense, bleak urban landscape (both ecologically and socially). Amidst many of the city’s decaying ruins, you find nature slowly creeping its way back in, silently taking back the dead space with vibrant life. Soft Cat’s take on this dichotomy is inspired, and is one of the primary sources of both heft and warmth in their brand of folk.

The decaying roots of Baltimore’s blue-collar past on top of the harsh reality of modern urban blight are a weighty and inescapable presence that, at times, might seem incongruous with folk music. But upon further reflection, you’ll find it more than appropriate fuel for the struggles that inspire much of traditional folk. The result is something invaluable: a poignant score to life in Baltimore.

Label: Waaga Records

Release date: TBD

Track list:

1. Silver Babies Sun
2. Dark When It Should Be Violet Hour
3. It Won’t Be Long
4. Mourn In The Night
5. Wildspace
6. When My Brother Reaches Me
7. Five Months Waiting
8. Blackbird

Related posts:

1. Album Review: Wye Oak – The Knot (Merge)
2. Album Review / Audio: Deleted Scenes – Birdseed Shirt (What Delicate Recordings)
3. Album Review / Audio: Heartless Bastards – The Mountain (Fat Possum)

It’s no accident then that he shared the night with Scottish percussionist Colin Currie. I saw Colin Currie play a tour de force solo show back in December ’06 – thanks to the Shriver Hall Concerts.  His arsenal of percussive equipment took up the entire breadth of stage at the Baltimore Museum of Art’s auditorium, and he raced up and down the full spectrum without tiring. And two encores!

This time, Currie indulged us with Einojuhani Rautavaara’s Incantations. This was another BSO co-commission. The opening movement strikes with intense immediacy, as if we’re in a play that’s started at the middle… after the king’s already been dethroned and before a new one takes over. The strings lend a chorale-like backdrop to Currie’s handiwork on the xylophone. At the work’s height — the Expressivo — Currie’s vibes created a crisp, almost geometric force laid over the messy, teeming world.

Racing back and forth from vibes to xylophone and back again backed, as in the open, by violins made one question who was the “skin” — the fluid melodic being — in this music and who the “skeleton” — an impression, which stands the whole idea of percussion in a piece on its head. After all, what is percussion in most symphonic works but underpinning and punctuation? The main punctuations here came with Currie’s quick, almost comedic strikes of the chimes.

Rautavaara certainly underutilized Currie’s skills here, despite composing at Currie’s request. The overall impression of the work, while engaging, never coalesced into something truly stratospheric — which I maintain is the necessary condition of calling something an “incantation.” I mean, it is about a shaman after all.

Back in the day, Jean Sibelius awarded Rautavaara a music scholarship, calling him: “the most promising Finn” on the scene. Now, Mr. Rautavaara is an advanced 81 years old and very much beloved by his countrymen. So it was perfectly just to compare the two Finns by an opener of Jean Sibelius’ famous Finlandia.

Of this account, conductor Lintu gave us a debonair flight. Let him make my triumvirate of rising star conductors alongside Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Vasily Petrenko. Young and brilliant, make no mistake. Lintu’s conducting is clear and ample, plenty of edge and speed that makes for a bracing presence on the podium and aural expanse alike. The menacing dark of the open wrought rich by the brass swept soft into a low thrum. A focused ray of plein air sunshine rang in from the strings. Wonderful! In later richness, almost electric illumination cut through from the cymbals.

And what about Beethoven? I admit bias due to a life-changing night with the Seventh under the spell of Kurt Mazur and the Cleveland Symphony. However, to Lintu’s credit I’d say I hardly recognized the piece — he made it utterly his own — the kind of Beethoven that even a metalhead could love. Oh but the strings were light, growing like green tendrils unfurl in spring, and moments were hushed to perfection. Comedies of notes struck to the fore and summer’s woodlands were called forth with a waggle of fingers.

At the end of the first movement, a cell phone chirped up with four beeps, soft, as if inside a handbag. Four more peeps. Louder and louder. The Maestro, his left hand out, did not turn to dignify the interruption. His one hand merely quaked in torment, each finger gnarled and stretched, then the whole hand shook. Not once, but twice. Then we plunged into the second movement. A great ride was had by all, especially to judge from the great throaty roar that poured back upon the stage like a tidal wave, drenching Lintu in applause and accolades. We hope this is enough to bring him back, and soon!

Related posts:

1. Live Review: Brubecks’ Ansel Adams: America – Baltimore Symphony Paints Pictures in Music (2010.12.02)
2. Live Review: The Finns Take Philadelphia – Vänskä Conducts Sibelius and Aho’s Minea (2010.03.13)
3. Live Review: Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho Hijacks Baltimore Symphony (2009.07.10)

The Oranges Band were the first group that got me to start poking around the music scene here in Charm City. The World and Everything In It still ranks among my favorite albums from a Baltimore band; to this day, I can throw it on and get taken in by songs like “Drug City” and “Open Air.”

Needless to say, I was pretty excited when I checked the Ottobar calendar some weeks back and saw the guys were doing a 10 Year Anniversary show on April 24. To mark the occasion, I sat down for an expansive, career-spanning interview in the band room at the Ottobar with lead singer Roman Kuebler. We covered everything from the life of a band on the road, to each of the three albums the band has released, to Roman’s thoughts on the current Baltimore scene, and lots in between.

For me, it was both a history lesson (sometimes that is painfully clear) and a chance to really pick the brain of one of the founders of a band that opened my eyes and ears to wonderful music around me.

Aural States: So your first show was here 1o years ago. Describe that experience. How did that go?

Roman Kuebler: Well, first of all, it was in the old place. The Ottobar used to be– it originated where the Talking Head… Did you ever go the Talking Head when it was on Davis Street?

AS: No, I think that was before my time. But you ran that for a period, right?

RK: Mmm-hmm. Well, the Ottobar started out there. And they had been there for a few years. I was close with the owners and have been ever since. And so it was [pauses] it was really a cool, first show to have because the bill was really sick.  Les Savy Fav and Enon and Love is Laughter, they were touring together, and then we headlined. And, you know, at the time everyone was small there. We couldn’t sell out anything. There was probably a hundred people there or something. But it was really a good time. Even though, you know, we were probably not that good.

I was in a different band, essentially, too. Me and Dave (Voyles), the drummer, were just saying we had a different bass player (Michael Boarman) and then we had a keyboard player (Lauren Madow), which was odd. We never did that again. We did that for two shows.

After that we went on tour. That [first show] was in March. It was March 25, 2000. We went on tour, I think in June or July.

AS: Yeah, you guys have had a lot of lineup changes over the years. Is that just something that comes with being a local band?

RK: Not necessarily. When I set the band up, I kind of assumed that it would be a lot of people kind of coming in and out. But it really wasn’t. It’s weird, because we haven’t had that many lineup changes. We had the same four people from our third show– it was our third show on tour, in St. Louis –so we had our core four all the way through 2006.

Oh, no that’s not true. Tim (Johnston) left in 2005, the bass player, and we got a new bass player (Faye Malarkey). But, in that time also, we added an extra guitar player (Virat Shukla), so we had this extra guitar player through 2003-4, something like that. So we traveled as a five-piece for a long time.

And then we went back down to a four-piece, the normal four-piece– same people. Then Tim, our bass player, left after that tour in 2006, and we had a new bass player. And then that’s when things started, like, really turning over. And then that bass player didn’t really work out, and so she left and then the guitar player left at the same time. And then we had to get a new bass player, number three (Pat Martin).

You know, then that’s when Doug Gillard (guitar) played on our record and played with us for a month. By now it feels like there’s been a lot more.

But there was a real long time that it felt like we were just the same thing, the same people. And that was the bulk of our touring and the bulk of our activity.

AS: I read an older interview, I think it was 2005, where you said that– you were talking about how kind of hard it is to be a band in Baltimore, how you get passed over for attention and all these bands, you know, in LA and New York have agents and lawyers already. I kind of feel like the opposite is true, just that the scene is getting so much attention now. Talk about, like, how you’ve seen it change in the 10 years of the band’s existence and how you feel it’s received elsewhere.

RK: You mean just the Baltimore scene?

AS: Yeah– well, or even just an individual basis.

RK: Doing the Talking Head was [pause], you know I had a lot of access to what was going on, you know, kind of those smaller bands and stuff like that. And, honestly, I didn’t feel like it changed for a really long time, even as the styles were changing and the people were changing.

Either the Baltimore tendency, as far as I can tell, is, you know– the fan base, they’ll be with you for awhile, and then they’ll start to kind of fall off. As you’re around for awhile and haven’t made grand moves, you know– and that’s probably true just about anywhere –the fan base gets a little bit bored. So they’re looking for something new.

What’s different now is that those bands were then able to kind of build on that support and use it to succeed elsewhere, and sure, then grab the attention that they could from other places. Then once there was this idea that there were these things happening in Baltimore, and that the fan base remained supportive of some of these groups, that’s when the national exposure starts happening.

And then, well that’s when, you know, it just kind of rolls over and rolls over. But by the time that had all happened, we were long gone, you know? I mean it was just, that’s a younger crowd, you know?

AS: Yeah.

RK: So, I just feel like as it relates to The Oranges Band… or it doesn’t relate at all to The Oranges Band in a sense. We just weren’t able to access that. We have always done well locally, and that has something to do with the fact that we’ve always been active, always trying to progress– and not just progress musically but, you know, try and advance our careers just, like, playing with different groups. We’ve always been kind of successful with that, but it never turned over for us in the sense that that kind of local support didn’t continue to build and build. It kind of plateaued, and then we also had a lot of trouble with our label, so then our national profile kind of stopped.

And once that stopped, that’s when everything– that’s when we lost our members and that’s when things started… It took us kind of a long time to get back from that.

And yeah, we still see a lot of support around here, especially from places like TMD, who weren’t even around for our first five years, really.

AS: I feel like a lot of it now is, like, hype and buzz, and I guess, you know, a blog, like the one I write for, is now all the sudden– that drives a lot of what happens. Do you feel like maybe if you had started later, or if the band had started in another time and place, that things would have been different?

RK: Well, it’s hard to say. Every band’s got a story. I’m sure there’s plenty of good bands who are– I mean, I know of plenty of good bands who are being ignored right now. So no, I don’t believe that that’s true, because there’s a certain amount of just [pause] It’s not misfortune, it’s not bad karma. I’ve felt for a long time there’s only so great that we’re ever gonna be. You know at the time we were touring with bands that we loved, big bands, playing in front of lots and lots of people. And it wasn’t really turning over for us that much, you know? And maybe backed from a different label, then who knows? But I don’t know, I mean there could have been any number of scenarios that would have resulted in us doing better, but I really don’t know. I just feel like we are who we are, and that’s not a bad thing. We still do reasonably well. We’re pretty well respected, as far as I can tell.

AS: The World and Everything In It– I guess, as my earlier knowledge of the Ottobar location showed, I got into the scene kind of late –that was definitely the first record from Baltimore that I fell in love with.

RK: Really?

AS: Yeah.

RK: Oh, well thank you.

AS: It’s awesome, and I think you guys just have always been able to write great hooks, I feel like. You guys have always written great pop songs, and I feel like that sort of transcends, I don’t know.

RK: Well that was a big step for us, that album. The album before I feel like we had good songs and we performed them fairly well, but we didn’t know how to manipulate the studio and we were working with people who we didn’t know that well, and they didn’t know us. So I felt like we left a little bit behind.

I was just kind of learning how to manage the songs and manage all of the stuff. And so when it came time to do The World and Everything In It, I decided that, since All Around hadn’t perform that well, didn’t get us to the spot where I wanted us to be in, I said: “Well, this one’s gonna do it and then some. I’m gonna really work hard on this record.” And I really did. And I’m really proud of the result, but it took everything I had to do that much.

Then I thought it was really good. I felt like it had a real good chance to do well. Then a month after it came out the record label folded. And that was it, it was over. There were no tours after that. It was really disappointing, you know, because I felt like “Shit, now we have the material, but we don’t have the support.” Whereas before we had a record that was good, but maybe not as good. If it were better [pause]

Anyway, that just kind of goes with the territory of upset, you know? I don’t know.

AS: Did you ever try to shop it around to another label for a re-release? Or I guess it’s their rights…

RK: They were our rights, and we did try a little bit. We almost got a couple bites, but we never did.

I don’t know, Lookout, they might have made it difficult, but we never got into it, you know? We never had that, like– You know, right after it came out, you know what? Really it would have been nice if they had said, “Listen, we’re gonna close down in a few months. We want you to see what you can do with this record.”

But I don’t blame anyone. Everyone was trying to do the best that they could do, and none of us were succeeding [laughs].

Hopefully in time– you know, there were just a ton of good records on Lookout at that point in time. And they were all being pretty well ignored. Hopefully in time someone will kind of put that music together and say, “This here on Lookout, there are these five records, and four of them were really good. And, you know, no one really knows about them.”

And a lot of these bands didn’t survive that.

AS: How did you manage to keep soldiering on after something like that?

RK: I think just because I was really stubborn. I was like, “You can’t– That’s not gonna stop me.” Something about… In fact, I got a little too proud even, um [pause] about it to the point where I think I got a little bit of tunnel vision in the sense that, when Tim left the band– Tim is and always was one of my closest friends –and when he left the band I thought, You know, I understand, he was getting married, he was planning for a family and getting work.

And so I think he thought it was over a little bit, and everybody was, like, cool, you know? It was all good. But I think I took it to be a little bit like, um [pause] Oh well. I’ll get someone else and we’ll just keep going, which I did. I got someone else and it was kind of disastrous. It didn’t work out that well. The personalities weren’t right. The music wasn’t right. And at the time I was so focused on moving forward that I think I didn’t concentrate enough on stabilizing what was there to begin with. I think it kind of– After that then we were losing more people, and then we really had some ground to make up until we really set ourselves back. Which is why it took eventually four years to make an album. We were replacing people for two of them and then practicing, booking and recording for another two, or whatever– or no, it was one, and then six months to kind of get it out officially. We had it done in probably late summer 2008, but it didn’t come out until March of 2009. I was trying to get someone to put it out, but not very hard. It was just like, We just gotta put it out. I was just so kind of headstrong about, like, [pause] you know, this album’s gotta drop, and I don’t care–

And sometimes that’s the way I am, and sometimes that’s really good because our first tour was exactly like that. “I’m going on tour and I don’t care if someone tells me I can’t go.” You know?

AS: Yeah.

RK: “I don’t care we don’t have an album. I don’t care this band has never played together. I don’t care if you go or if you don’t go. Like, I’m going on tour, the band is welcome to come along.” That was the attitude.

At first it really gelled really well in that way, ’cause it’s just really loose. It was really cool. Later, it didn’t last as well, but it is what it is.

AS: What was that first tour like? I mean, you’re sort of talking about how it gelled, but I believe one of your EPs was called Nine Hundred Miles of...

RK: Of Fucking Hell.

AS: So I imagine you didn’t care much for the time in between shows.

RK: No, that was the second tour.

The first tour was really great. You know, we didn’t have a hell of a lot of shows. I had never been to California. I had never toured in California at that point. I was in a band before then that kind of, that was the breaking point for that band was that we couldn’t get it together to do a real, full tour of the United States. All the guys just wanted to wait, and I was like [in a voice] “I’m not waiting, I’m just going. I’m gonna start a new band and I’m going to California.” Which is what we did.

We were just playing all these shows, it was really loose. But, we were doing okay, we were making a decent amount of money, and just using our connections. We nearly broke even that tour, which is really unusual. And everyone had a good time. We would have three days off in a row and just, we did a lot of skateboarding and camping and swimming, and we did all kinds of stuff.

AS: Sounds like fun.

RK: Yeah, it was rad.

The second tour we kind of thought, More of the same, you know? Let’s just go out and do it again. And we did it, but then we started having van problems. We were skateboarding and our bassist broke his ankle. He flew home. We carried on as a three-piece for half of the tour. Our van broke down and then it broke down again when it was raining. Just one after the other. Catastrophe after catastrophe. The transmission went up, it cost me a couple thousand dollars. It was just problem after problem.

AS: One thing after the other. Murphy’s Law.

RK: So… that was the second tour.

Then after that tour– The thing that was good about that tour was we came home from that tour saying, We thought we were pretty good, as a group, you know? We were playing really good, we were loud and rockin’. We thought, Now we just need some help. Let’s get some help to, you know, get a label, get management in, really have a go at it. And that’s what happened, so.

AS: How did that all come together?

RK: I think it was just mining contacts, really. I was shopping what was eventually On TV. We had a whole album, and I was just sending it around to different labels. And at the time I was playing in Spoon, which gave me a little bit of cred, you know? They weren’t nothing like they are now, but they were kind of rising stars at the time. So people, I think, were impressed to give us a little bit of a listen. And so all these people were asking, and we’re like, “Yeah, we’re good, we’re good.”

It was really nice at the time. Lookout was really into it, you know, they were really energetic about it. They were one of the two bigger labels, and they were the most energetic about it. “Aw, we’re gonna do this, we’re gonna do this. We’re gonna work out– Here’s your deal.” And they gave us more money than anyone else, and at the time we needed it because we had spent X amount of dollars making our album, and we wanted to get it back. And we wanted to do some other recording also. So, that’s kind of how it all worked out.

And for awhile there it was just like that, they were really supportive and really energetic.

AS: How soon after that did you put out All Around?

RK: I think September 2003 or something. I can’t remember, to be honest with you. Maybe it was earlier than that. I think the EP came out in the fall. The thing was, when we got signed we had this two week tour still coming up, and we wanted to have a new release for it. So we came up with the EP. That’s why we did the EP, ’cause I don’t think we had time to do an album. We’ll do an EP, then we’ll do an album in the spring. So that’s what we did. I think was 2002-03 maybe? Probably?

AS: It doesn’t seem like that long ago, does it?

RK: [Laughs] I don’t know, it kind of does. It kind of does seem like a long time ago. I mean, that was before we had really gotten into touring [for] months. We wanted to do that. But that is a like a pre- and a post-, you know? A pre- a during and a post-. Like, pre-touring band was like– and we were touring a bit, quite a lot –but when we got thehelp [of] the agency, of  the label, stuff like that, it was like, Now it gets real. And then we really went for it.

Like it was  one-year stretch we toured six months out of the year or something. We were just really good at trying to get on tours and trying to do whatever we could.

AS: What’s that like, though, life on the road?

RK: It’s wild. It’s like everybody thinks it’s this one thing, you know, but aside from the hour that you play or set some of your stuff, and the hour before and after the show, the 21 more hours in the day are what you’ve gotta deal with. And that’s the stuff that’s interesting. The show is generally, like, you get up you try to do the same thing every night. You try to play the same show, just play well. Try to make yourself sound the same and be consistent. So there’s really no variation in the show; it’s everything else, though, that’s kind of changing. And everyday is different: you wake up in a different place, you don’t have food, you don’t know where you’re sleeping. You just get used to it. But, you know, we all got along pretty well and just had a blast all the time.

But we’d be on the road… We did two different 10-week tours. When you’re on the road for 10 weeks in a row, it’s impossible to describe just what it’s like. You forget what happened two weeks ago. Or it’s like when you think about, like, “God, you realize two weeks ago we were in Vermont? I can’t believe that was two weeks ago. That feels like two years ago.” And you just adapt to this thing. And then, you’re halfway through and you’ve been on tour for five weeks.

It was just really, I felt like it was impressive, even at the time we were doing it. Like, to ourselves. We impressed ourselves to some extent, like, Well no one can say we didn’t do this. No one can say we didn’t really go for it.

It was really fun. Really fun. We weren’t good. We were just shit-kickers for fun. Scrounging. Staying wherever we could stay. Hopefully making enough to kind of get along. By then I think we were kind of just barely breaking even on the whole tour.

And you came home, you were just broke.  It’s the stereotype: “Oh, I’m broke. I can’t pay my rent.” All that stuff. “I’ll sleep on my buddy’s couch. I can’t afford a place to live [laughs]. Hopefully I can come up with some work before we go out again.” It was really fun.

AS: What kind of odd jobs did you work when you weren’t touring?

RK: Well, I’ve always done freelance design work. And then we found this job making architectural models. That was a really cool temporary job to get. Me and Virat did that. My buddy was refurbishing his house, and we’d go and work with him. He’d pay us 10 bucks an hour, because it was us or some people he didn’t know. We’d haul bricks around. Whatever. He also wrapped boats. So we’d go and we’d wrap boats. This is Dave and I who were coming up with that sort of stuff, the more physical stuff.

The club was happening, so we’d get home and work on the club, maybe do some work at the club, The Talking Head. But I didn’t really work there very much because I had to leave all the time.

AS: How did you ever manage both? To run that, and to be a part of that, and then to go be gone for an extended stretch?

RK: I didn’t, really. I really wasn’t that involved in The Talking Head. I booked it for a long time. And I would book it from the road, and that was not an ideal situation because I wasn’t there to kind of manage it. You know for a long time [pauses] some of the problems could probably be attributed to the fact that there wasn’t just real consistency throughout there, you know? It also stems from the fact that it was like this kind of self-fulfilling thing, where no consistency means you’re not getting crowds, means you don’t get the money, means you have to do something else, means you can’t be working consistently, means, you can’t, you know.

AS: Yeah.

RK: Everyone who worked there was just kind of scrambling just as well. Just this time… Everything was building, just hanging on a thread. So we just did whatever we could.

AS: So when did it, or did it ever get to the point where those tours started coming back more in the black and you guys were able to live more comfortably.

RK: [Laughs] No, never happened.

AS: Through the whole ten year span, what are some of the highlights then for you?

RK: Well the first tour was certainly a highlight, because it felt like– it felt like we really did something. Like we pulled something off there.

And then the Lookout period was really great, just meeting all those people. And you know, we became really close with them. And it felt like we were really part of something there. So that was definitely a highlight.

The making of The World and Everything In It was a highlight for me in the sense that it was a creative highlight. I was really trying to do something special on that record. And I was working, just really hard at it. And I feel like it paid off.

AS: Yeah, it definitely did.

RK: I felt like this was the first time that I started to realize how much control I had over what I was able to do. Before that I was like, I’ll kind of take what comes. That’s lyrics, that’s songs, that’s recording. It felt like I had a certain amount of control, but not– there was a certain point where I was just like, “That’s what it is,” you know?

But that album, it was kind of like trying to not take no for an answer, or not let good enough be good enough, you know? And I hear a lot of places where I just ran out of steam. And there’s a lot of tracks that never got finished. But there are a few moments on that record where I’m just really proud. I feel like, you know, I really did that. I’m really happy about that.

And then working with Doug was also really great. And that last record, everything about that last record was pretty cool because, up until then, like I said, I was kind of controlling and trying to like manage everything, and that included what other people were playing.

But after making The World and Everything In It, I was really spent, just like exhausted, physically, emotionally, mentally– just really exhausted. We went right on tour, and it took me a long time to recover from making that, which is weird, because I’m not the fragile type, you know? But it really affected me in this way that was surprising.

So after that I was like, I just want to change things up a little bit, and then we had all the drama with people coming in and the people coming out. It was tumultuous and it was uglier at times. The transition was not as smooth. So getting through all that, and getting Pat in the band, who is really solid, really cool, nice guy, could play bass, settled us down a little bit. Dave and Pat and I got to work on new songs, and it wasn’t like “Do this, do this, do this.” It was like, “Let’s just see what happens here.” And everyone kind of contributed and those songs came out. I had the songs, I had the lyrics. Then Doug kind of added on top of our base, and he really just blew everything up, just made it all better. And so we just felt like, Shit, that’s the record that we need to make right there. So that was a real highlight, that whole working with Doug and putting that record together.

And understand, I could think and come up with a day, like, “This day was awesome. Went swimming in the Atlantic Ocean and then did this,” you know? Those are a little bit harder to do, because there are tons and tons of them and you think about all these travels and all these people that you’ve come across. We circled the country, I don’t know, I feel like eight times, eight-to-ten times.

It felt like we played in California probably as many times as we’ve ever played in Baltimore, and it just felt like, for all of those kinds of experiences, you could probably pick a few out and go: “Wow. Remember this?”

AS: Whether it be recording or just something when you were touring, which of those would you take with you forever?

RK: I guess it’s just the experience of the road, being a group on the road. I think that that’s pretty much the legacy of the band, you know, it feels like the legacy of the band. And just that we kind of did what we wanted in that way. We said this is what we’re gonna do, and we did it. And at the time, you know, I think we really experienced it.

Which I don’t think everyone does necessarily. We did plenty of touring, but it was much different. It was [not] very regimented: hotels. “Go to the hotel and go to the club, and do this and do this.”

The Oranges Band was wild, man. Show up at the club and the doors are closed. We’ll screw around for two hours and come back. Just, chaos.

We just learned how to be really flexible. Everybody did. If you needed your time, you know how to get it. If you were pissed, you knew how to deal with it. And if you’re happy and things were good, it was a communal feeling. There were nights where we would sleep 6 or 8 people because we had people coming with us.

One night we slept 7 people in the van on the side of the street. It was just like, Yeah, none of this is crazy. No one is like, This is ridiculous. Everybody was up for it, you know? That’s how I’ll remember it.

AS: It sounds like that’s the way to do it.

RK: No, not necessarily. I wouldn’t be interested in doing it now. The thing is,  is you do it and then it’s done. When you have to do it again and again in the same way… if you don’t progress– that’s the thing where I think that people in bands have a hard time continuing, is when there’s no progression to their work or to their popularity or success or, you know, their experience.

If our experience would be the same over and and over over again, eventually you’re just like, You’re over it. I’ve done this. I’ve done tours since then that have been like that, when I’m like, I’ve done this, you know? I’m over it.

AS: So what’s it like for you now? Or rather, what do you expect it to be now? Because you guys are getting started back up again, going on the road with The Hold Steady.

RK: Well it’s going to be a little bit more controlled, in the sense that now we are the ones who are gonna be going to hotels. The thing that’s great about this tour upcoming is that there’s very short distances. So I think that we’ll be able to concentrate our time to experience the places a little bit more, which is one of the things that we never really got a lot of. It wasn’t, like, in Atlanta we got to tour the Coke factory. We always wanted to do that. We just never did. It wasn’t like we got there at 1 o’clock and didn’t have to be at the club until 5, or something, you know? We got there at 7 and had to be at the club at 6:30. So it was like, run in, do your stuff, rushing, rushing, play, whatever. Everything goes crazy. Wake up that day at 8 in the morning and got our shit packed and left. Because we always like did these really long drives.

It’s probably going to be a little bit more laid back. But the thing that’s nice about it, is that everyone is sort of friends. So everyone knows what to expect, you know, just personally. You know how they’re gonna feel for the most part. You know how to manage the ups and downs of being out.

It’s not that long. We haven’t done it very often recently. And the shows are gonna be good, we know the shows are gonna be good, so we don’t have to worry about that. We know how much we’re getting paid every night, so we don’t have to worry about that.

AS: I’m sure that’ll be nice.

RK: Yeah. Yeah. It’s much different for us. Although I mean, we did a lot of opening spots, and we did get in that way. But [pause] I don’t know. I guess we’re getting paid more. Not much [laughs].

Continue to Part 2

Related posts:

1. Interview: The Oranges Band (w/ Roman Kuebler) [Part 2]
2. Interview: !!! aka Chk Chk Chk (w/ Nic Offer)
3. Interview: The Secret Machines (w/ Brandon Curtis)

How this so-called “Campus Consciousness” Tour, featuring Ben Harper and Relentless7 and opener Alberta Cross wound up at Pier Six Pavilion on the biggest stoner holiday…well, the only stoner holiday of the year…is beyond me. I mean, who wants to “Burn One Down” in the Inner Harbor?

The last time you may have seen the Relentless7 (of which there are four) was when they were awkwardly backing up Ringo Starr on the Daily Show. Their performance was admittedly not awe-inspiring, probably because they were playing the songs of Ringo Starr (inexplicably a frequent guest of the band). But Ben Harper and Relentless7 will definitely be an exciting act live, which is especially impressive because Harper often plays seated.

Relentless7 is a more rock-oriented group than previous bands Harper has toured with, and their album White Lies for Dark Times thankfully takes more chances than Harper’s adult-contemporary hits from the early part of the 00s. You’ll hear lots of intriguing guitar meandering, some shifting drum patterns, and Harper’s typically incidental lyrics. No, they aren’t a band I listen to all the time. But the best songwriters on record aren’t necessarily the best performers. Take Arctic Monkeys, who I love to listen to on record, but I was a bit disappointed with their unilateral approach live. Ben Harper and Relentless7 are a band that thrives on their live shows, on the flux and unpredictability of real-time performance. Harper is a singularly joyous and charming showman. His concerts are fantastic specifically because they branch out into so many different styles from their blues-rock origins, from funk to hard rock, to pop, to folk, by turns imbued with the spirits of Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, Blues Traveler, Parliament, or (perhaps needless-to-say) Lenny Kravitz.

Alberta Cross is the opener, and for some reason they always remind me of the Verve when I hear them. The songs have the same wandering, spacey, barely held together quality, but Petter Stakee is a far quirkier singer than Richard Ashcroft. His voice occasionally takes on a Cedric Bixler-Zavala-like timbre. The songs share some of the Mars Volta’s unhinged volatility while lacking their diamond-cut production and dadaist lyricism. I hadn’t listened to them before, but they are a band playing well beyond their years at the moment. With an opening spot for Ben Harper, they probably stand to increase their cachet. Their imagination on record is admirable and they deserve more than a passing listen.

Related posts:

1. Preview: Counting Crows @ Pier Six Pavilion (2010.07.12)
2. Preview: Lizz King @ the Windup Space (2010.01.08)
3. Preview: Pfisters @ Ruintown (2010.02.19)

Photos & words: Greg Szeto

MP3: Matmos – Complete Live Set

Matmos are a Puckish pair of experimental electronic troublemakers who played a fully quadrophonic set at this show, opening for UK trio Konk Pack and like-minded locals Leprechaun Catering. Fortunately, I think the set still translates very well after compression to 2 channels. They also swelled their ranks mid-set by recruiting a host of friends who layered real live instruments into their musique concrete offerings, including drums and most notably, local experimental catalyst John Berndt‘s saxophone. Matmos once again proved their deft compositional chops, and stand atop the hill as one of a select few experimental musicians who can get a crowd thinking as easily as they get them moving.

Total time: 44:07

Recorded by:

David Carter(carteriffic@gmail.com)

Related posts:

1. Preview: Konk Pack, Matmos, Leprechaun Catering @ the 5th Dimension (2010.03.26)
2. Livewire: The Baltimore Afrobeat Society @ the 5th Dimension (2009.12.12)
3. Livewire: The Multiphonic Choir @ The Windup Space (2010.01.14)

Double Dagger continues to strain my objectivity. My experiences, both live and recorded, are steadily forming a mountain of good will that probably abolishes what little critical credibility I have in the first place, leaving only awe-struck fawning. Still, I can’t resist saying a few words about their latest (highly enjoyable) EP.

Three of Masks‘ five tracks were recorded along with the rest of 2009′s More at the Current Gallery in early 2009, and it certainly feels like More v2.0 in some ways. They’ve clearly taken their sound by the reins by springboarding off their maturation with More, and seem to be settling into their ideal balance of acerbic and soothing elements. However, they’ve taken a step back to more spartan, lo-fi production and song structures here. The result is an EP that hits less like a masterful and adventurous recording (More) and more like their off-the-rails live show, which isn’t a bad thing.

“Imitation Is The Most Boring Form Of Flattery” is a sharp-tongued indictment of the endless cycle of uninspired and half-hearted retro fetishism, those content with merely duplicating past motifs ad nauseam. This topic of artistic originality is not unfamiliar territory for DD (recall “Plagiarism” from Ragged Rubble), but this time Strals has tackled it with new-found incisiveness. This is one of Masks‘ most distinguishing features: the precise honing of Strals’ lyricism. Always edging on the verbose side, his lyrics seem to have an unparalleled focus and clarity. It makes sense that they reserved these tracks for Masks as they are quite the cohesive unit.

Anyone familiar with Double Dagger’s live shows has heard “Pillow Talk” in recent years (potentially under the working title of “Sex Jam”). The track engages in foreplay between both sarcastic and serious overtones, poking holes in our often hilarious and frustrating construction of social mores. It’s also blessed with a particularly rousing and explosive chorus where Strals’ shouts (“Oh it’s so hard / Tell me why is it so hard / to tell me how you wanna get fucked [oh yeah just like that]“) pave the way for Willen’s addictive bass melody leading the charge. And maybe it’s a ridiculous coincidence, but part of the melodic progression sounds remarkably similar to “Keyboard Cat.” The title “Sheep In Wolf’s Clothing” is great wordplay on a classic phrase (depending on your leanings, see either Aesop or the New Testament), and touches on a broader variation of the theme from “Imitation.”

“Sleeping With The TV On” finds DD at their most self-reflective, a track that approaches a personal intensity that I view as bested in their repertoire only by “Vivre Sans Temps Morts.” A strong metaphor for anyone who has felt their life only holds Atlas-sized burdens and regrets, the track shakes off those doubts with a steady, optimistic catharsis. One that is built on a quickening crescendo and polished by an extended instrumental passage.

Masks has strong thematic underpinnings thanks to excellent track selection. Each of its five songs examines some of the perpetual puzzle of “masks” that we all swap in different situations, providing artistic or social commentary with biting wit. Double Dagger turn the EP’s thematic lens on themselves with closing instrumental “Song For S.” What is presumably the credited “broken toy keyboard” provides sibilant white noise to back the somnambulant bass melody, and sees DD stripping away the comfortable mask of raucousness (or are they putting one on?). Upending expectations, the dreamy track delivers a tenuous bit of serenity, and cleanses the palate for their next glorious assault.

Label: Thrill Jockey

Release date: Mar 23 2010

Track list:

1. Imitation Is The Most Boring Form Of Flattery
2. Pillow Talk
3. Sheep In Wolf’s Clothing
4. Sleeping With The TV On
5. Song For S

Related posts:

1. Album Review / Contest: Double Dagger – More (Thrill Jockey)
2. Album Review: Arbouretum – Song of the Pearl (Thrill Jockey)
3. Album Review: Pontiak – Maker (Thrill Jockey)

Photo credit

1. MP3: Intro
2. MP3: Improv 1
3. MP3: Improv 2
4. MP3: Improv 3
5. MP3: Improv 4
6. MP3: Improv 5
7. MP3: Improv 6

Download the entire set in FLAC.

Out Of Your Head – Set One

Personnel: Cam Collins-sax; John Dierker-bass clarinet; Brent Madsen-trumpet; Alan Munshower-drums

sax left – sennheiser 421
sax right – sennheiser 421
trumpet – sennheiser 441
kick – shure beta52
snare – shure sm57
overheads – shure sm81s
room – at4033

Recorded by Matthew Leffler-Schulman & Alex Champagne @ Windup Space
Mixed by Matthew Leffler-Schulman @ Mobtown Studios

Related posts:

1. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 4 – Microkingdom (2010.03.05)
2. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 5 – We Used To Be Family (2010.03.06)
3. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 3 – Yeveto (2010.03.04)

The boys from Sheffield have maintained their swagger for the ensuing three, churning out consistently high-quality albums and a slew of exciting EPs in between. Last year’s Humbug was supposedly a bottom-heavy, Americana influenced deviation from the course, although the most apparent difference was in Alex Turner’s longer hair than in any shift in songwriting. They’ve rocked tighter and better than most of their indie-major contemporaries, and although Wednesday was the first time I’d seen them live before, I had heard that their style translated into a fantastic stage show.

Opener Sleepy Sun was top-notch. For some reason, I’ve been historically more impressed with the opening acts I see at Rams Head Live. I think it’s generally true that incipient bands operating in the shadows of someone huge generally bring a little more fire and excitement to their shows. But I think it’s also been the case that the headliners I’ve seen have been a bit too loud for the small club’s acoustics to handle. Sleepy Sun liked to jam, nonchalantly stretching past the ten minute mark on a couple of songs, but their on-stage interaction was good, and the songs texturally varied enough to sustain their length without becoming watch-gazers. They played good-old 60s and 70s style rock, with (I’m not sure why) two bassists and a girl who played tambourine and occasionally danced. They were fun to watch, really giving the sense of being a band, not a bunch of soloists thrown together. Their 2009 album Embrace is out on ATP Records. I recommend giving it a listen.

Sleepy Sun finished soon enough, and while I personally liked them a lot, they were also one of those opening bands that people tend to chatter through while they’re waiting for the main attraction. It’s not everyday that I get to review a high-profile band comprised of musicians mostly younger than me. On record, the band doesn’t really scream youth, though; their songs are often cynical about, and occasionally accusatory, towards their generation. The front cover and overflowing ashtray on their first CD seeming to demand an older, battle-scarred profile. But there are moments in listening that the band gives away its age: the MTV2 style shouted choruses and breakdowns, the occasionally Comp 101 style of artifice that subtly alludes to “Montagues and Capulets.” Of course, these faults are easier to swallow in a younger band, when the people singing them could actually be in Comp 101, and obviously it’s easier to pass over tactless lyrics when the songs are as energetic and hooky as the Arctic Monkeys.

On Wednesday, there was no artifice to be had. The band were stoic, almost plain. Their stage set was bare, their between-song chatter Bob Mould-ian (“This song is called “Do Me A Favour!”), and their playing systematic. The effect was to drive the focus entirely onto the songs. The band dispensed one surging rock song after another, pausing only enough to shift tempo in the middle of the song. They charged at breakneck pace through a set that was evenly distributed throughout their discography, with the only surprise being a cover of Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand,” which translated surprisingly well into their hyper-kinetic style. Contrary to the band’s reticence, the crowd was as high-energy as any I’ve ever seen at Rams Head. A few people even tried crowd-surfing, which, believe it or not, is a thing some people still try. If the crowd fed on some of the band’s energy, it was transferred exclusively through the songs and the band’s pounding rhythms.

It’s a little crotchety to say, but the only drawback was they were too loud. I couldn’t really make out the chord changes. If I hadn’t known what the lyrics were, I would have had no clue what Turner was singing. But I suppose most people don’t go to Arctic Monkeys concerts to hear the lyrics. This is a shame, because Turner’s good ones deploy considerable wit. They suggest the band has somewhere to turn if they make it to the stage when the fury’s run out, and you have to rely on songwriting.

No matter. The band rocked, in their herky-jerky stop-start manner, and watching them execute the sharp turns embedded in their songs to Matt Helder’s thrashing drum prowess and Nick O’Malley’s razor sharp basslines was well worth the price of admission. No matter how old you are.

Related posts:

1. Photos / Live Review: English Beat, Fishbone @ Rams Head Live (2010.02.24)
2. Live Review: The Shins, Delta Spirit @ Rams Head Live (2009.05.15)
3. Live Review: Modest Mouse, Mimicking Birds, Japanese Motors @ Rams Head Live (2009.03.12)

1. MP3: Sri Aurobindo – Soul Vibrations of Man
2. MP3: Sri Aurobindo – Don’t Know

Sri Aurobindo are back again, this time with a release on Bmore Musically Informed‘s new imprint Friends Records. Cave Painting being their second full-length release, they really stepped up to the plate, delivering on expectations of a vital brew of psych goodness. The sound throughout the album oozes a primitivist feel, something less rooted in the realm of mind-altering psych and more in the ritualistic. You can easily imagine these songs soundtracking the Sris as a tribe, hovering around a billowing blaze barely contained by a stone circle.

Lead single “Soul Vibrations of Man” is a slice of classic psych, the blown out bass guitar line playing the foil to the lofty and crisp quality of the elevating guitar melody. Arinoldo’s vocals ring as if echoing through a metal canyon, and you get a solid sense of expanse and a bit of wonderment. “Don’t Know” roars to life with the rumbling storm of bass and rhythm guitars, a bed for the wailing the lead guitar to slowly percolate through. The doors are blown open when both guitars and bass tear into epic freakout solos near the halfway mark, gradually drifting off and dissolving into muffled, noisy moans. Easily my favorite track on the whole LP (aside from maybe the highly infectious “My Luv Is Stoned” with its ebullient, titular shouts).

Local psych enthusiasts already know they will love this (and most any) outing from the Sris, but this release manages to provide enough edge from other influences to make them sound much more unique than a simple homage to a genre. They continue to wrangle some fantastic guitar and bass tones (probably due in no small part to studio whiz Chris Freeland), yet this go-round they have crafted their most distinctive and cohesive offering yet. A blast to listen to, Cave Painting sounds ripe to give them broader appeal, something well-deserved and perhaps overdue.

Label: Friends Records
Release date/format: Spring 2010 / 140g colored vinyl LP
Track list:

Side A
1. Cave Painting
2. Soul Vibrations Of Man
3. Towards The Sun
4. My Peak Is Too High
5. Find The Door

Side B

6. My Luv Is Stoned
7. Banyan Grove
8. Don’t Know
9. Rest My Mind

Related posts:

1. One Track Mind: New Untitled Track – Wye Oak (Live from Whartscape 2009)
2. One Track Mind: Title Tracks – “Found Out”
3. One Track Mind: Cex – “Last Gazp” / Bonus: “Brains out”

1. MP3: We Used To Be Family – Rose
2. MP3: We Used To Be Family – Choco Taco
3. MP3: We Used To Be Family – This Shit Is Bananas
4. MP3: We Used To Be Family – Jerkface Shipley
5. MP3: We Used To Be Family – Who The Fuck Is Harold?
6. MP3: We Used To Be Family – Smokestack

Download the entire set as FLAC.

We Used To Be Family

kick – shure beta 52
snare – shure sm57
overheads – shure sm81s
guitar amp left – shure sm57
guitar amp right – shure sm57
cello – di
violin – di
trumpet – at4033
tom – sennheiser 421
center stage – apex 460 tube (set to omni)
stage – mxl 990 (angled at 45 deg in towards the middle of the stage on top of pa)
mid room – oktava 012 (x/y)
back room – AT boundary

Recorded by Matthew Leffler-Schulman & Alex Champagne @ Windup Space
Mixed by Matthew Leffler-Schulman & Alex Champagne @ Mobtown Studios

Related posts:

1. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 5 – Moscow Telephone (2010.03.06)
2. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 3 – Yeveto (2010.03.04)
3. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 2 – Expanding Man (2010.03.03)

Thanks to the kind folks at Thrill Jockey (especially Paco Barba), we’re happy to premiere the video for the title track of Jason Urick’s new EP, “Fussing & Fighting.” Jason took a few moments to enlighten us on the EP:

Aural States: Could you give a little bit of the background on the track itself (any relation with the Bob Marley track of the same name?)

Jason Urick: The track has more to do with Jah Shaka in spirit and The Abyssinians samplewise… the title “Fussing & Fighting” just comes from the vocal loop that repeats throughout much of the track. The video hopefully Mark can shed some more light on(I’m sending him an email hoping for a comment). Mark is always kind of a natural choice to work with because he is a good friend and I am a big fan of his video work, so more or less everytime I’ve worked with him it’s pretty much me giving him a song and letting him just go where he wants with the video. I’m really pleased with this video; unselfishly I think it’s his best video to date.

AS: Could you say a little more about the influence of Jah Shaka, how you discovered his work and what about him/it inspires you?

JU: I’ve been familiar with Jah Shaka’s production and recorded output for a long time, I’ve always been a fan… but one day I was digging through Youtube for old soundsytem videos and came across a few Jah Shaka Soundsystem clips that were just mind altering… one clip is from the 70′s and the bass is just so blown out because the mic can’t handle it… it sounds amazing

The other is a clip from London in the 90′s and it is similar to the early clip, but even more over the top and harsh, while still maintaining a groove. Around halfway through the clip, it just settles into pure psychedelic noise bliss… there were multiple conversations around the house for awhile of trying to cover this jam, but I ended up just trying to catch that vibe the best I could on my own.

AS: How does the EP differ from Husbands?

JU: As far as this EP vs. Husbands the main obvious difference is the introduction of basic rhythm to the tracks, which is an element I hadn’t worked with in quite a long time… other than that I was trying to make a conscious decision to let sounds have a little more sonic space on their own rather than the semi-claustrophobic way of stacking sound I employed in much of Husbands.

AS: When you say that you could find the Husbands method of sound layering semi-claustrophobic, is this something that you felt while making it, or while looking back? Like, is that something you realize when relating Husbands to the material on Fussing & Fighting? Or was it a force moving you towards the more open sounds on Fussing & Fighting?

JU: I don’t think my life was particularly claustrophobic. I think that maybe since I hadn’t really worked on solo stuff in a long time when I was working on Husbands, I may have just tried to cram everything in at once…. I mean with Wzt Hearts there was 4 of us so you had to use some sort of restraint. I think that maybe Husbands‘ sound was some sort of separation anxiety… so I think that it’s more looking back… Paul Gold who mastered both releases pointed out the difference in an email while mastering Fussing, and I sort of stepped back and saw the difference.

AS: I know you have been into dubstep as well, which often feels very spacious in its use of sound, while at the same time incorporating a driving yet spare rhythmic element. did you find yourself inspired by this for the 12″ as well?

JU: I do like alot of the current dubstep stuff yeah… conciously I don’t think it played a part, but I think that all the music I really love whether it’s like Pinch and 2562 or Harry Nilsson and John Fahey all end up leaving their mark on me in some way…

Related posts:

1. Live Audio: Jason Urick @ the Hexagon (2009.10.16)
2. NoVo / Nouveau: Jason Urick, Microkingdom, noteNdo
3. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 4 – Jason Urick (2010.03.05)

1. MP3: Intro
2. MP3: Driven Revelry
3. MP3: Lo-Fi
4. MP3: Mia Farrow
5. MP3: End Theory
6. MP3: Entierre El Toro
7. MP3: King Alcohol

Download the entire set in FLAC.

Moscow Telephone

kick – shure beta 52
snare – shure sm57
overheads – shure sm81s
vibes – at4033
guitar amp left – sennheiser 421
guitar amp right – sennheiser 421
bass – DI
center stage – apex 460 tube (set to omni)
stage – mxl 990 (angled at 45 deg in towards the middle of the stage on top of pa)
mid room – oktava 012 (x/y)
back room – AT boundary

Recorded by Matthew Leffler-Schulman & Alex Champagne @ Windup Space
Mixed by Matthew Leffler-Schulman & Alex Champagne @ Mobtown Studios

Related posts:

1. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 3 – Nathan Bell (2010.03.04)
2. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 5 – We Used To Be Family (2010.03.06)
3. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 3 – Yeveto (2010.03.04)

1. MP3: Sunbleached
2. MP3: Untitled
3. MP3: Desert Amps
4. MP3: The Brazen Bull
5. MP3: The Trees Bowed Deeply And Roared
6. MP3: Watchtowers Burning
7. MP3: The Bell Jar
8. MP3: The Yearling

Holy Fingers

Download the entire set in FLAC.

kick – shure beta 52
snare – shure sm57
overheads – shure sm81s
guitar amp left – shure sm57
guitar amp right – shure sm57
tom – sennheiser 421
center stage – apex 460 tube (set to omni)
stage – mxl 990 (angled at 45 deg in towards the middle of the stage on top of pa)
mid room – oktava 012 (x/y)
back room – AT boundary

Recorded by Matthew Leffler-Schulman & Alex Champagne @ Windup Space
Mixed by Matthew Leffler-Schulman @ Mobtown Studios

Related posts:

1. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 5 – We Used To Be Family (2010.03.06)
2. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 3 – Yeveto (2010.03.04)
3. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 4 – Microkingdom (2010.03.05)

Photo credit: Mika Smith

1. MP3: Untitled 1
2. MP3: Untitled 2
3. MP3: Untitled 3
4. MP3: Untitled 4
5. MP3: Untitled 5
6. MP3: Untitled 6
7. MP3: Untitled 7
8. MP3: Untitled 8

Dustin Wong

Download the entire set as FLAC.

guitar amp shure sm57
center stage – apex 460 tube (set to omni)
stage – mxl 990 (angled at 45 deg in towards the middle of the stage on top of pa)
mid room – oktava 012 (x/y)
back room – AT boundary

Recorded by Matthew Leffler-Schulman & Alex Champagne @ Windup Space
Mixed by Matthew Leffler-Schulman @ Mobtown Studios

Related posts:

1. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 4 – noteNdo (2010.03.05)
2. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 3 – Insect Factory (2010.03.04)
3. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 3 – Nathan Bell (2010.03.04)

I woke up this morning at around 10:30 feeling like death.  It was still raining outside and at this point I don’t give a shit anymore.  The thing that pissed me off the most about the rain is that it made me think of that Garbage song.  I don’t want to think about Garbage songs, like ever.

After shambling around and grunting at each other for a little bit, we got things together, got some coffee in us, and left the place we were crashing for the evening. Bye Maine.  Unfortunately, we did not get to meet Maine’s biggest celebrity, Stephen King, but we DID get to meet a guy we’d like to think of as a celebrity by the name of Bob York (pictured below with Ira).  He approached us in that town in New Hampshire… the one with the abandoned train station next to the bank of America that kinda looks like a log cabin. You know that town right?  Bob has been CRUSHING ass in that town since way back and stopped to tell us everything he knew about trains and New Hampshire.  It was educational and awkward.

We rolled into Burlington, VT around 4:30.  We weren’t sure if they’d stop us at the city limit because our van doesn’t run on hemp, but we got in without a problem. We pulled up at Higher Ground and were pleased to learn that perhaps the two most important Americans currently living were inside.  I’m of course talking about Ben and Mawfuckin’ Jerry kids.  Yep, we were in the presence of GREATNESS.  We didn’t get to meet the legends themselves, but we could hear the corporate event going down from outside of the room and it sounded bumping.  There was totally whip cream wrestling.

Here is the point in the story where I must give you the unfortunate news: our friend from last blog, who bet Patrick that she could blow a condom into a bubble through her nose, was kicked out of the venue before we could settle the bet once and for all time.  Why come?  Well, apparently she dropped something, and a nearby concert goer thought it would be a good idea to fart on her head while she bent over to pick it up.  I hope that dude didn’t buy one of our CD’s.  So, understandably, our friend was quite perturbed and threw down.   Looks like we might have seen the last of her, but her can-do spirit will be with us always.

Higher Ground’s stage is trampoline like.  I definitely came perilously close to knocking over all of my equipment during our set.  The venue had us go on a half hour after doors, so the room felt a little empty.  I might have been bummed about that, but the staff was so exceedingly nice that we didn’t care.  Oddly enough our hospitality manager was a former classmate, bar customer, and all around cool gal that went to the same college as Ross; it was a very welcoming atmosphere that made it feel like a home away from home.  Patrick and I were also able to catch up on this week’s episode of LOST.

Clutch ripped it tonight.  JP wrote the setlist and it was pretty much all one could ask for in a Clutch set.  Neil Fallon is a pentacostal preacher trapped in a rocker’s body.   It’s always cool to see a band of their caliber at the top of their form.

Day # 3 (Part 1) Kitchener, Ontario

After the Burlington show was over, we began our journey to Canada.  Just for fun, the Tom Tom directed us to not one but two ferries that were closed because it was the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.  Come on Tom Tom.  Sometimes you need to buy a map kids- lesson learned.  The backroads of Southwestern Vermont and Northeastern New York are perfect horror movie settings.  Ira and I witnessed a cloud that appeared to glow in the dark not far from a power plant off in the distance.  It was disconcerting.

We arrived at the border to Canada convinced that we would be pulled out of the vehicle, strip-searched and thrown into a Canadian jail.  We’d been told horror stories left and right in the lead up to this border crossing, and were prepared for the worst.  We were cleared in roughly 45 seconds and into Canada. Huge mistake Canada, huuuge. Word of advice: if you need to cross into Ontario from New England, use the border crossing near Buffalo/Niagra falls.

Once in Ontario, Canada (which sorta looked like a slightly less desolate version of Kansas) we passed a rad place that had giant model dinosaurs.  We stopped to do some Parkour (more on that in the future) quickly and then finished off the trip to Kitchener.

Kitchener is a pretty awesome town about an hour and a half from Toronto.  The weather could not have been nicer.  Ross, Pat, and Ira traveled the streets finding a ton of great food, and a number of record shops that sell t-shirts but not records.   We filled our belly’s with a nice all-you-can-eat sushi place and made it back to the venue to meet local openers Sin Dealer.  We all got in some pre-show naps per the advice of the monitor engineer who said “it looks like the wind could blow you over.”  Once awake, we found ourselves ready to play what was arguably the best show in Caverns history…

More from Kitchener, ON in the next installment of Northern Exposure.

Kevin/Caverns

Related posts:

1. Northern Exposure: Days 3-5 – Kitchener, ON / Traverse City, MI / Columbus, OH
2. Northern Exposure: Foreward by the Author
3. Northern Exposure: Day 1 – Portland, ME

Photo credit: Tedd Henn

1. MP3: Untitled

Download the entire set in FLAC.

Jason Urick

stereo DI’s of Jason’s laptop
stage – apex 460 tube (c12 modded clone-set to omni)
stage – mxl 990 (angled at 45 deg in towards the middle of the stage)
mid room: Oktava 012 (x/y)
back room: AT871R Boundary

Recorded by Matthew Leffler-Schulman & Alex Champagne @ Windup Space
Mixed by Matthew Leffler-Schulman @ Mobtown Studios

Tracked with Logic 9.1

Related posts:

1. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 3 – Insect Factory (2010.03.04)
2. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 4 – noteNdo (2010.03.05)
3. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 4 – Microkingdom (2010.03.05)

Photo credit: Tedd Henn

1. MP3: Untitled

Download the entire set in FLAC.

noteNdo

stereo DI’s
stage – apex 460 tube (c12 modded clone-set to omni)
stage – mxl 990 (angled at 45 deg in towards the middle of the stage)
mid room: Oktava 012 (x/y)
back room: AT871R Boundary

Recorded by Matthew Leffler-Schulman & Alex Champagne @ Windup Space
Mixed by Matthew Leffler-Schulman @ Mobtown Studios

Tracked with Logic 9.1

Related posts:

1. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 3 – Insect Factory (2010.03.04)
2. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 4 – Jason Urick (2010.03.05)
3. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 4 – Microkingdom (2010.03.05)

Photo credit: Tedd Henn

1. MP3: Untitled
2. MP3: Untitled
3. MP3: Untitled
4. MP3: Untitled

Download the entire set in FLAC.

Microkingdom

rhodes amp – sennheiser 441
cello – sm57 in bridge
guitar – sennheiser 421
kick – beta 52
snare – sm57
overheads – sm81s
sax – sennheiser 421
scwelch – sm57
electronics – sm57
stage – apex 460 tube (c12 modded clone-set to omni)
stage – mxl 990 (angled at 45 deg in towards the middle of the stage)
mid room: Oktava 012 (x/y)
back room: AT871R Boundary

Related posts:

1. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 3 – Yeveto (2010.03.04)
2. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 3 – Nathan Bell (2010.03.04)
3. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 4 – noteNdo (2010.03.05)

It rained literally every second of the drive.  Mother Nature must have heard the news about Ricky Martin.  Connecticut is not a fun state to drive through in the dead of the night during a torrential downpour.  Not sure if any state is fun under those conditions, but Connecticut can officially be crossed off the list.

We arrived in Maine a little after 8AM. It was still raining.  The key to the house we were crashing at was supposed to be left above a light fixture. The key to the house was NOT above the light fixture.  Let me tell you friends, Bath, Maine doesn’t have ton to do at 8AM on Tuesday when it’s raining.  Fortunately, our Ira ‘s (tour manager) mom happened to be visiting Maine and said we were cool to come to the place she was staying.

I won’t go into all of the odyssey that we went on next, but it found us driving through wet fields in a minivan, doing parkour and popping by the house of a woman named Blueberry who recently decided to put electricity into her house 6 years after it was built.

We rolled to the show around 3:30.  It was still raining.  Clutch was mid sound check when we walked in.   If you see them live and think to yourself “JP’s drums sound amazing” let me tell you, there is a reason: we listened to every drum on his kit hit roughly once every two seconds for about 45 minutes.   The club had internet when we showed up, but apparently the army of people clamoring to get online overloaded the router.   No FAIL Blog for Caverns today.

We went on around 8:30. It was still raining.  For the first show of the biggest tour of our career, we played well.  Even the dude sporting the pirate beard and long hair who was yelling “You better be good” at us as we walked on, seemed impressed.  Or maybe he was just drunk.  He was probably just drunk.  In the middle of our third song, I tripped over a monitor and fell directly into the space between Ross’s kit and Clutch’s kit.  This was painful.  I couldn’t get up without knocking lots of things over and majorly fucking up the song, so I did both.

Anyways, Portland, Maine was very nice to us.  Checked out a bit of Danko Jones set.  Danko and his band are about as nice a group of dudes as you’ll meet.  Danko does the James Hetfield stance better than James Hetfield, and commands the crowd in a way that is reminiscent of prime Hulk Hogan.  Straightforward, balls-to-the-wall Rock and Roll with no bullshit seems to be Danko’s philosophy, and people were definitely feeling it.   Dude has opened for Guns N’ Roses, Lemmy, and a host of other legends.  Pretty rad.

Meanwhile, out at the merch table Pat and Ira were having an interesting conversation.  A girl who likes Clutch so very much approached and struck up a chat.  She informed everyone that she was staying over at the Holiday Inn, being from Boston and that she enjoyed our set.  I wasn’t there for this, so I’m not sure exactly how the converstation took the turn I’m about to describe, but I think not knowing makes it even funnier.  Shortly after meeting Pat and Ira, our new friend made a bet with Pat because he did not believe that she could suck a condom up through her nose and blow it up like a balloon.  Unfortunately, after asking numerous strangers in the vicinity if they happened to have a condom, our new friend was unable to produce one and the bet was voided.  She was, however, able to produce pictures of genital piercings and pornographic acts starring her on her phone, unsolicited.  Pat and Ira were intrigued yet horrified. Pat couldn’t have been too scared though, cause, as we would find out later, our friend got his number.

The end of the night was a bit of a hair puller.  It was still fucking raining.  We talked to some of the guys in Clutch for a bit.  It’s tough to meet a more knowledgeable group of guys.  They’ve been doing this a long time and we’re learning a lot from their experience.  We’re very grateful to be out on the road with them.  After loading our now soaked van, we hit the road.  I was driving on one hour of sleep in the last 36 or so, probably not a good idea.

A phone rang.  It was Pat’s.  Seems our friend from two paragraphs ago wanted to see if we could hang out after the show.  We were already on the way out so Pat respectfully declined.  Pat then recited the very same story I related above.  What he did not do, however, was check to make sure our friend hadn’t called him back and that he somehow hadn’t picked it up by accident.  How do I know Pat didn’t do that? Because she called yet again and told him she heard the entire conversation.  She wasn’t super pleased, but yet, somehow, informed Pat she just might follow Clutch to their Burlington show, so we may just be able to settle that whole condom nose balloon bet.  If so, there WILL be video.

That’s enough for Day 1.  Hope it wasn’t boring to read, it definitely wasn’t boring to live.

Kevin/Caverns

Related posts:

1. Northern Exposure: Days 2 & 3 – Burlington, VT/Kitchener, ON
2. Northern Exposure: Foreward by the Author
3. Northern Exposure: Days 3-5 – Kitchener, ON / Traverse City, MI / Columbus, OH

1. MP3: Pfisters – She’s Mine
2. MP3: Pfisters – Cluck-U

Pfisters can be found in their native habitat, the live show, TWICE this weekend: the DNA Test Fest III pre-party at their home-base, Ruintown on Fri Apr 2nd, and the big show proper on Sat Apr 3rd at Sonar.

Punk for the musically capable is what crossed my mind on the first playthrough of Narcicity. That assessment certainly holds up when you break down Pfisters’ membership: the trio is comprised of Jason Donnells (The New Flesh), and Glenn Gentzke and Darren Bolk (both ex-Trash Camp), a veritable treasure-trove of local out-there rock talent.

Pfisters, (much like the New Flesh) forgo the mind-numbing and simplistic repetition of technically mundane elements, essentially eschewing the bricks and mortar for the majority of punk that takes off fast and hits hard. Guitar and bass on this album rip with startlingly proficient abandon and a garage-y twang; drums manage to attain accuracy both rhythmic and arrhythmic, whether flailing into anemic disintegration or propelling forward in tightly meted phrases. They also dabble in unpredictable tonal progressions and chords. However, their true hat-trick is that this release manages to pack so many elements that would normally be considered abrasive and challenging, into something effortlessly listenable. I attribute this partly to their uncanny ability to carve melodies out of madness.

The other part, I am laying squarely at the feet of guitarist Jason Donnells’ vocal wanderings. He readily admits there is a lot of “nonsensical” lyrical content; instead, “the process is an abstract one that focuses more on phrasing and delivery.” And more often than not, it strangely works. The slithering ear-worms of a rambled and slurred vocal line often feel like the tenuous and guiding sinew of the tracks. “Kavachi” opens the record with a bit of spastic guitar reminiscent of Ponytail. Donnells centers this track on a bug-eating high school classmate, and his fantasy of “ganging up…stringing him to the undercarriage of a school bus.” You can almost hear the taunts and jeers in the guitars and swooping vocals.

On “Princess Bride,” the trio revs up for almost half the track before hitting a wall and dissolving into new time. Like screeching out a 180-degree turn with the E-brake: the transition is tense, exhilarating, borders on losing grip, and emerges pistons firing. Lyrically, the track touches on Donnells’ thoughts about “…traveling and touring, and opening and headlining shows for…contemporaries who would eventually get much bigger…bands like Clockcleaner, Pissed Jeans, etc.” He is careful to note, however, that “the whole mood was less jealousy, but a pride I had about doing it right, really putting a product out there I was proud of and happy with.” You can almost chart the transition, from the chugging first half to the prideful second half of the song when its big hook sinks into you.

“Botfly” opens with a full-on punk assault before settling into the alternating pattern of a more settled garage verse followed by a chaotic and disorienting blast of noise, channeling the disruptive, parasitic nature of the titular organism. ”She’s Mine” kicks off like the best thrash track you’ve heard in ages, with a free-wheeling guitar line that tears through your speakers. The careening, almost intoxicated feel of the track might have something to do with its inspiration: it is rooted in Donnells’ fantasy about an attractive girl at the gym, and “thoughts of kidnapping her and putting her in my room in a cage, and hoping she would succumb to Stockholm Syndrome and fall in love with me.” “Cluck-U” is an allegory by Gentzke about “the commonality of eating and schooling.” “Attending Johns Hopkins is like eating Cluck-U‘s 911 wings,” he muses. “Everybody eats every day, but some choose to eat something punishing.” By emphasizing dissonant and imperfect intervals, they deliver on some of that abuse.

If there’s one area where this album might suffer, it’s that some of the tracks can blend together. I should be clear though, this is never rooted in boredom or a lack of quality. When this is the worst criticism that I can leverage, I know it’s a solid release and I’m just stretching. Narcicity will kick your ass and leave you aching for more. And you’ll like it.

Label: Fan Death Records (buy here)

Release date / Format: Mar 03 2010 / Vinyl 12″

Track list:

1. Kavachi
2. The Princess Bride
3. Ruintown
4. Botfly
5. She’s Mine
6. Stillman
7. 3 Feet
8. Cluck-U
9. Ships and Sharks
10. Red Pearl
11. Drag

Related posts:

1. Preview: Pfisters @ Ruintown (2010.02.19)
2. The Death Set – "Worldwide" album review
3. Album Review: Lizz King – All Songs Go To Heaven (Ehse Records)

Despite a horrendously rainy evening, I made the trek up to Philadelphia to see two of my absolute favorite extant artists (Wye Oak and Shearwater) play impressive sets at Johnny Brenda’s. Though a bit oddly shaped, and accordingly awkward for sound, the venue is an absolute charmer. It feels like a back-room, private cabaret with some insane lighting rigs and luxuriously appointed design elements such as buttoned red velvet cushions on the walls. The venue shoots upwards two stories, but is shallow and intimate, making sure you are never more than 10 rows from the stage (which is well-elevated for a venue this size, giving everyone good sightlines).

This being the umpteenth time I’ve seen Wye Oak perform live, it’s a given that their set will be enjoyable. But I will say they still get tighter and more confident after each tour. They have moved beyond precocious to truly mature performers, their stage presence steadily gaining steam and transitioning from charmingly coy to absolutely commanding. The other unique thing about this show was that, not since early 2009 (right before The Knot dropped) have I heard them play so much new/recently released material. The set, while still finding room for old faves like “Family Glue,” and more recent ones like “For Prayer” and “Mary is Mary,” was heavy with material from the still-digital EP My Neighbor/My Creator, and even fresher tracks that are destined for what appears to be a fast-approaching new LP. From the sound of it, we can expect a lot more diversity of sounds than from their first two releases (in particular, some tracks that sounded more country and spare than anything before), and even more intense shredding from Jenn Wasner.

Shearwater has become a bit of a casualty of circumstance. Saddled with the baggage of Jonathan Meiburg’s former primary outlet Okkervil River (and its lead singer Will Sheff’s early contributions), it seems like everyone has failed to notice that they have emerged as vital as, if not moreso, their musical predecessor. It might surprise you to know that they have been at it for almost a decade now. In my opinion, they are certainly the more dynamic and versatile of the two outfits.

Shearwater roars as well as it whispers. Backed by a talented group of musicians, Meiburg’s compositions are immaculately textured live, glockenspiel, clarinet, trumpet, synths and electric stand-up bass adding untold layers atop the standard rock band outlay. In particular, percussionist Thor Harris hopping up to double on the glock or solo on the clarinet, then dropping back down to pound on the skins was an immense contribution. But the star of the show is undoubtedly Meiburg. His guitarwork was profoundly lyrical, and his stage presence was dynamic. For such a small space, he seemed to constantly be full of motion and energy.

The clincher was his vocals: magnetic and hypnotic, he effortlessly bounded octaves and courted dynamics from full-fledged shouts and bellows to achingly diminutive murmurs. An equally compelling baritone and falsetto, he is a treasure in music today. Though they can never be said to lack the melodramatic, something about their delivery, and in particular Meiburg’s impassioned performance, makes it feel oh-so-genuine. Their set was heavily culled from The Golden Archipelago, with a helping from Rook. A thunderous performance of “Rooks” proved to be a highlight, as well as a driving rendition of “Black Eyes.”

Related posts:

1. Shearwater on the mind.
2. Photos / Live Review: English Beat, Fishbone @ Rams Head Live (2010.02.24)
3. Interview: Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater

Ed. note: Aural Slate Recordings artist Caverns

Greetings.   Welcome to Northern Exposure, which is to be a written archive of all of the adventures our band, Caverns, whilst touring with the mighty Clutch.  As I’m writing this, most of the band is, like me, at lunch at their day job mentally preparing to embark on this 3 week, 16 date tour.   We’re all still in shock that we got the time off work (except for our piano player, Patrick who is his own “boss”) to live out this childish rock fantasy, but never underestimate the generosity of a well kissed ass!  Seriously though, thanks so much to the powers that be for letting us take the time to do this, you know who you are and you win.  We’re leaving for our first show in Portland, Maine tonight after Rush Hour.  What did you think we’d go on tour for three months without watching Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker hilariously riff off of each other?  No chance, kemosabe.

Getting ready for our first national tour has been fraught with buying unnecessary items, people offering questionable advice, and losing the thing you just had in your hand two seconds ago because you have so much shit on your mind.  We’re probably gonna forget Ross when we leave.  We’re about 99% of the way done at this point, but I will say that, for a band about to embark on a tour opening for Clutch, we are wildly deficient in facial hair department.  Ross and our tour manager Ira have respectable beards, but even then they are not at viking status, which is where I think they need to be.  I myself am clean shaven because I just don’t have the stones to grow a beard and Pat’s face never went through puberty.  Anyone know a good costume shop in Portland?

We’ll be checking in pretty much daily with news or our happenings and wildly embellished retellings of assorted road hijinks that may or may not have occurred.  There will be pictures, videos, laughing and love.  Oh and a daily recap of amazing events and noises Pat was able to sleep through.  So please stay tuned, good AS reader, we will be back to check on you very very soon from Portland, ME.

Love,

Kevin/Caverns

Related posts:

1. Northern Exposure: Day 1 – Portland, ME
2. Northern Exposure: Days 3-5 – Kitchener, ON / Traverse City, MI / Columbus, OH
3. Northern Exposure: Days 2 & 3 – Burlington, VT/Kitchener, ON

This was an interesting and unusual night. Billed moreso a night of spiritual cleansing as opposed to a night of live music, the theme was to usher in the transitioning seasons, notably the Spring equinox. Things started off with Secret Secrets delivering some dark and moody sounds. Alternating periods of gentle and pummeling percussion (courtesy of Melissa Moore), swelled amidst the melodic vocals, loops and synths of Beverly Shana Palmer (Childe Bride), and the guitar, feedback and throatsinging of Gerry Mak (recent Baltimore transplant and unwitting proxy for down-and-out hipster life and reflexive ire for it). This allowed us to check off the astral communication/seances portion of the night, and left you with that dark, inwardly reflective feeling that visits cold, black nights in front of a fire.

Then, the glorious and cathartic thawing and rejuvenation was led by a collaborative set between our very own Bethany Dinsick and out-of-towner Teaadora Nikolova. They split the second set of the evening in half, Bethany’s gentle and ascendant melodies, particularly her soprano-ranged vocals, slowly warmed us before Teaadora’s music (and an abrupt bit of performance art barbering) brought the show to a reservedly sunny close.

1. Improvization
2. Bethany Dinsick – Oklahoma Alley
3. Bethany Dinsick – Bottle Tree
4. Bethany Dinsick – Love Vacation
5. Bethany Dinsick – Ecuador
6. Bethany Dinsick – Bad Lil’ Boy
Teaadora – Serial Dating (omitted at artist request)
7. Teaadora – On Conversations: On an On an On an On
8. Teaadora – Untitled
9. Teaadora – Don’t Expect a Stradivarius

Download entire set as MP3s

Related posts:

1. Livewire: Avec @ the Ottobar (2010.01.16)
2. Livewire: Matmos @ 5th Dimension (2010.03.26)
3. Livewire: Caspian @ The Red & The Black (2010.01.08)

1. MP3: The Work – Cain & Abel from Slow Crimes (1982)
2. MP3: Konk Pack – Off Leash Excerpt from Off Leash (2004)

Tentative plan for tonight: 930PM start, order (first to last) = Matmos > Leprechaun Catering > Konk Pack

Tonight, Baltimore is once again ground-zero for an atom-bomb of experimental improv talents. Firstly, there are few openers that hit harder than the one-two punch of local luminaries Leprechaun Catering and Matmos. The former’s ever-engrossing, stream of thought racket combines seamlessly with the latter’s deft compositions that somehow use unconventional tools to mine the deepest pits of experimentalism, and emerge with gleaming gold nuggets of pop.

But people around here already know that. So I’m going to take a second and introduce tonight’s special guests, British/German imrpov trio Konk Pack. The trio is comprised of improv vets percussionist Roger Turner, synth maestro Thomas Lehn, and the lynchpin for this show, multi-instrumentalist Tim Hodgkinson (usually reeds and guitar).

Hodgkinson began his long career in the 1960s as keyboardist and co-founder of English rock boundary-pushers Henry Cow alongside Fred Frith, a fellow Cambridge Uni student. The duo formed the core and broad vision for a cast of revolving collaborators and supporters. This personnel flux kept Henry Cow’s music a constantly evolving mass with progressive experimentalism in its mind, jazz at its heart, and improv as its soul. Their music was paradoxically as cerebral as it was visceral.

His next major splash was in the early 1980s with the Work. In early years, this represented perhaps the most traditional of Hodgkinson’s musical output, and they were closely closely associated with the post-punk movement. As the years wore on though, the group’s avant-rock and improv tendencies broke through with a truly unique sound.

Jump again, this time to 1997, where we find the origins of Konk Pack. The wildly improvisational nature of their music seems to finally be on par with Hodgkinson’s true interests, something that had constantly been hinted at and dabbled in with previous projects. Now, it would seem these aspirations have been fully realized (whether by circumstance, sagacity or some other development). These days, free improv is Hodgkinson’s primary domain, whether it be in Konk Pack or as a solo artist.

Konk Pack’s music is highly dynamic, some noting they can operate effectively at either the “threshold of silence” or in “barrages of volcanic intensity.” It would seem they are gaining ground even further, as they are stateside for this weekend’s stellar Big Ears Festival (scheduled for 3 sets including one with Tim Hecker).

Thankfully for us, Hodgkinson’s connection to Jason Willett has ensured that they will make a stop right here at home. Don’t miss out.

Related posts:

1. Livewire: Matmos @ 5th Dimension (2010.03.26)
2. Live Audio: Leprechaun Catering @ Whartscape 2009 Day 3 (2009.07.12)
3. Photos: Thank You, Wheatie Mattiasich @ Windup Space, Leprechaun Catering @ Hexagon (2009.01.02)

I was lucky enough to be gifted a front row seat for the Feb. 21 performance by a very awesome sister. Dun does not so much conduct as conjure from a well within; I couldn’t stop watching him the entire performance. What makes an operatic success? Not the story, but the spectacle; not the characters, but the voices. Tea’s vocal lines are almost at home in Italian opera, although the words are disappointingly English. Haijing Fu’s unwavering baritone grounded the proceedings well, but Dun’s instrumental abandon is what makes the opera glisten and resound.

The opening of Act I sets the mood like no other overture. All builds toward the main character, once-a-prince, now-a-monk, Seikyo, draining a bowl empty of tea. On a dark empty stage, three female percussionists come out into glass boxes jutting out from the wings, where illumined bowls of water await. They realize all the percussive possibilities of water: throwing water, pounding water with glasses, lifting it and straining it through a sieve. The singers who process out on stage around Seikyo hiss like kettle steam. From behind us, in the crowd, comes the eerie and half-melancholy plaint of two women playing the water phone with a bow. (You’d recognize its sound from films. While the water phone looks like an urchin wrested up from the sea, it’s actually a stainless steel bowl that resonates, a neck rod by which the player takes hold, and brass rods ringing around the bowl which can be bowed.) Seikyo’s conclusion to his fellow monks: “Making tea is hard. The hardest.”

The acts unfold that truth in backstory. The overall simplicity of Tea’s act construction reminds me of a Palestrina motet like Sicut cervus — multiple voices pass short passages back and forth  – but words fall short of sublime here. Lovers of translated haiku may enjoy the repetitions of delicate phrases vocally unfurled like watching Green Snail Spring Tea or flower tea blossom in a cup. But I agree with Nico Muhley on this big shortcoming (typical of opera): the libretto!

He cites oft-repeated phrases like “Though bowl is empty/scent glows” as insulting Pidgin poetry. (Not quite as bad as the simple lines in the musical South Pacific). It does seem out of place. Although who’s more to blame: marketability factors, Tan Dun or his fellow librettist Xu Ying? It left me longing for Seikyo’s lover, Lan, daughter of China’s Emperor, to pour forth in a dialect, any dialect.

But I didn’t quaff Tan Dun’s Tea for the words. I came for the complete theatrical realization of his trademark: playing the elemental whole. Act II, titled “Paper” shows the full range of humble materials against orchestral splash. Mallets on paper punctuate and electrify the action onstage between the lovers struggling, on a journey of pent-up emotion, to find the authentic book of tea. Even orchestral players jumped into the fray. There’s a much torn-and-tape-mended page in every score that reads: “use this page for loud page turning at letters A&C.” And full paper-shredding chorus backed the main action. This drama overshadowed the extended love scene between Seikyo and Lan. Red silk seamlessly shrouded and then revealed the embracing couple, but the effect paled in impact compared to the red-cloaked love scene in the movie Hero, despite the best efforts of Kelly Kaduce and her leading man.

Act III “Ceramic, Stones” pushed the three onstage percussionists, Haruka Fujii, Yuri Yamashita and Chihiro Shibayama to the fore. Literally, they played pitched ceramic pots at the very front of the stage with gamelan virtuosity that was gentler on the ear. Striking stones so hard you’d expect sparks, the chorus spiced up the requisite sword play between Seikyo and Lan’s jealous, meddlesome brother (sung by a tenor I just love to hate, Roger Honeywell).

Small atmospheric details had this opera touch all the senses, down to incense, mossy scents changed to raw, dark pungency by the curtain’s fall. While some in the audience might have agreed with Seiko’s line: “Savoring tea is the hardest,” I’d have to say they’re wrong to apply it to Tan Dun’s opera.

Bonus second gem: If you have time, take in a free recital at Curtis Institute’s Field Concert Hall on 1726 Locust Street. The March 12 concert was worth a trek via trolley and a walk in the rain. Yen Yu Chen, pianist, offered a gracious and diverse program. Her exemplary rendering of Oliver Messiaen’s “Un reflet dans le vent” jumped effortlessly from the bright, breezy tumbling passages into an unsparing entrance of the explosive lower register. Exuberance burst as her left hand crossed over the right again and again building momentum. The same discipline carried over into a resplendent Toccata, Op. 11 by Sergey Prokofiev. Unwavering velocity should be her ally in whatever piano competition she enters.

However, I’m most indebted to pianist Andrew Tyson and cellist Gabriel Cabezas for disabusing me of the notion that I was bored to tears by Edvard Grieg. When I told them afterwards that they made me admire a composer so loved by the likes of Queen Victoria, they echoed the thought. When they first played this Sonata in A Minor, they stopped midway in shock. Is this really how Grieg wrote it?

The best thing about recitals at Curtis (or Baltimore’s own Peabody) is witnessing the hard-won joy of development: the drama of nerves and the conquering of tough passages. While their sonata was not effortless, nor perfect, it did resonate with astonishing maturity. They milked the work for all its subtlety. On cellist Cabezas’ face, a Botticelli angel from the curved lip to the curled hair, you could see the shimmer of the future soloist. Will he be Alban Gerhardt of his day?

Related posts:

1. Photos / Live Review: English Beat, Fishbone @ Rams Head Live (2010.02.24)
2. Live Review: Three French Operas Meet Free Fall Baltimore (2009.10.19)
3. Live Review: Modest Mouse, Mimicking Birds, Japanese Motors @ Rams Head Live (2009.03.12)

1. MP3: Untitled

Download the entire set in FLAC.

Insect Factory

guitar – stereo DI’s
stage – apex 460 tube (c12 modded clone-set to omni)
stage – mxl 990 (angled at 45 deg in towards the middle of the stage)
mid room: Oktava 012 (x/y)
back room: AT871R Boundary

Recorded by Matthew Leffler-Schulman & Alex Champagne @ Windup Space
Mixed by Matthew Leffler-Schulman & Alex Champagne @ Mobtown Studios

Tracked with Logic 9.1

Related posts:

1. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 4 – noteNdo (2010.03.05)
2. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 4 – Jason Urick (2010.03.05)
3. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 4 – Microkingdom (2010.03.05)

Photo credit: Tedd Henn

1. MP3: Untitled
2. MP3: Five Fives
3. MP3: Cowboy Song
4. MP3: The Hyena and Other Men

Download the entire set in FLAC.

Yeveto

kick – shure beta 52
snare – shure sm57
overheads – shure sm81s
guitar amp – sennheiser 421
cello – DI
cello – oktava 012
keys – DI
moog – DI
stage – apex 460 tube (set to omni)
stage – mxl 990 (angled at 45 deg in towards the middle of the stage)
mid room – oktava 012 (x/y)
back room – AT boundary

Recorded by Matthew Leffler-Schulman & Alex Champagne @ Windup Space
Mixed by Matthew Leffler-Schulman @ Mobtown Studios

Tracked with Logic 9.1

Related posts:

1. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 3 – Nathan Bell (2010.03.04)
2. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 5 – Dustin Wong (2010.03.06)
3. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 4 – Microkingdom (2010.03.05)

1. MP3: Untitled
2. MP3: Untitled
3. MP3: Untitled
4. MP3: Untitled

Download the entire set in FLAC.

Nathan Bell (feat. Ami Dang)

drum overheads – shure sm81s
banjo amp – sennheiser 421
banjo spot – oktava 012
sitar amp – sennheiser 421
acoustic guitar with pickup – shure sm57 on amp
stage – apex 460 tube (set to omni)
stage – mxl 990 (angled at 45 deg in towards the middle of the stage)
mid room – oktava 012 (x/y)
back room – AT boundary

Recorded by Matthew Leffler-Schulman & Alex Champagne @ Windup Space
Mixed by Matthew Leffler-Schulman @ Mobtown Studios

Related posts:

1. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 3 – Yeveto (2010.03.04)
2. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 4 – Microkingdom (2010.03.05)
3. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 5 – Holy Fingers (2010.03.06)

Photo credit: Tedd Henn

1. MP3: They Will Seek to Poison You
2. MP3: Untitled Instrumental
3. MP3: Augusta
4. MP3: The Quivering Gyre of the Mid-Atlantic

Download the entire set in FLAC.

Gregory Rago

Acoustic guitar – Shure SM81 pointed at the 12th fret
Room Mics – Oktava 012 (x/y)

Recorded by Matthew Leffler-Schulman & Alex Champagne @ Windup Space
Mixed by Matthew Leffler-Schulman @ Mobtown Studios

Tracked with Logic 9.1

Related posts:

1. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 4 – noteNdo (2010.03.05)
2. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 3 – Insect Factory (2010.03.04)
3. NoVo / Nouveau: Live Audio, Day 4 – Jason Urick (2010.03.05)

To start, Title Tracks sound nothing like Q and Not U, whose raucous clatter compelled DC post-punkers to dance in the early part of the last decade. Neither does Title Tracks remind you of the energetic indie pop of Georgie James, John Davis’ first post-Q and Not U band. Instead, Title Tracks produces mid-tempo power pop with all the requisite influences, {insert The Jam/Big Star reference here}. And they follow this formula quite well, crafting some tight and exciting songs in the process.

That’s the good news — if you enjoy that sound and feel, you’re probably gonna eat this up the way I ate up Abe Vigoda (who?) a year and a half ago. But frankly the formula is weary, old, and been done before, many thousands of times over. If you’ve decided to step into this arena you have to face the fact that there are a thousand other guys out there playing the same chords and singing the same “la-la”s. So what’s there to distinguish you from them? Usually the answer lies in strong vocals and melodies, and on both counts Davis is fine. In a world where ex-post punkers are embarassing themselves at an alarming rate, give the guy props because he certainly succeeds more often than he fails, but I wish he would take enough chances to do either on a large scale.

All of which is not to say the album sucks. Opener “Every Little Bit Hurts” stands out with its really crammed vocal lines (crammed as in word count, not necessarily crammed with meaning or awkwardly thrust together) on the verse, its barely-holding-it-together drums, and is capped off with a brilliantly slurred chorus line. “Piles of Paper” comes close to matching A.C. Newman’s regal arrangements, albeit few could replicate his formal precision and energy. Elswehere the songs stay true to the album’s title. Most are charming, affectionate pop songs: easy to play, easy to hum along with. None of the rhythms or melodies are challenging; instead Davis is happy to give us tightly constructed head-nodders. The two cover songs (Springsteen’s “Tougher than the Rest” and the Byrds’ “She Don’t Care about Time”) don’t disservice the originals, but neither do they fall far from the tree, and perhaps it goes without saying, but Davis’ voice is no match for Springsteen’s. “Hello There” introduces a cleaned-up dance-punk bassline that might be the album’s most fun moment, but it’s kind of lost under the streamlined production. With almost every song after the first, I found myself thinking “this is good, but could be better if…”

Davis cites creative differences as the reason for his split with his Georgie James collaborator Laura Burhenn, but I wonder if a little more creative tension wouldn’t have pushed the possibilities of this music a little further. Georgie James had a little something extra, a little feel of unpredictablilty that Title Tracks desperatley needs. Davis also claims he was feeling angry when It Was Easy was written and recorded but you don’t get a sense of that in the music except on the slightly up-tempo “Found Out”, which ideally would be nearer the front of the album. And while “Black Bubblegum” features some accusatory lyrics, any frustrations that might have been unveiled are quickly effaced by the almost giddy chorus. In fact there are bitter lyrical runs throughout It Was Easy, but they slide by without making much of an impact thanks to the crisp production and Davis’ carefree, unaffected vocal style. The acoustic bedroom-recording style of “At Fifteen” is remarkable as the sole exception to this rule, and maybe the only song after the opener that you’ll be compelled to replay.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty to like on this album if you’re a power-pop maven. My criticisms with this are the same as the oft-repeated criticisms of the genre as a whole. Unless you’ve got the eye for detail and the knack for perfectly subtle imaginative flourishes that bands like the New Pornographers possess seemingly ad infinitum, it’s difficult to leave much of an impression — not even a bad one. It Was Easy is surely better than most power-pop being made, but that’s like saying an Orioles pitcher who gets sent down to AAA is still better than most pitchers — it’s true, but that guy used to be in the major leagues. And Davis used to be the drummer in one of the must singular and exciting bands around. He still makes excellently done music that, to be sure, will find a home in plenty of iPods. But most people won’t hear these songs unless it’s on shuffle, and then they’ll look down wondering: “Who is this again?…oh yeah, I remember, it’s Title Tracks…” A bit of knowledge you’ll retain just until the next song starts.

Label: Ernest Jennings Record Co.

Release date: 2010 Feb 23

Track list:

1. Every Little Bit Hurts
2. No, Girl
3. Black Bubblegum
4. Piles Of Paper
5. Hello There
6. Tougher Than The Rest
7. Steady Love
8. It Was Easy
9. At Fifteen
10. Found Out
11. She Don’t Care About Time

Related posts:

1. One Track Mind: Title Tracks – “Found Out”
2. Live Review / Photos: Imperial China, Title Tracks, Edie Sedgwick @ the Black Cat (2009.01.07)
3. School of Seven Bells tracks

The True Vine

Telephone: 410 235 4500

OPEN:
TUES. – SAT. 12 – 9 ( except Wed. 12 – 8 )
SUN. & MON. 12 – 6

march 26th 2010

the true vine & aural states presents KONK PACK, MATMOS & LEPRECHAUN CATERING at the 5th dimension (see the flyer image below for the adress). for those of you who have never heard konk pack: tim hodgkinson (of henry cow, the work & many others), roger turner (amazing british drummer/percussionist who’s worked with hundreds of other fantastic musicians over the past few decades) & thomas lehn (on my top 5 favorite synthesizer player list {funny enough two others on this list are in the 2 other bands this night[tom boram & martin schmidt]}). matmos will be in quadraphonic sound & leprechaun catering will be in disorienting-double-stereo sound. the admission will be a $5 to $10 sliding donation. doors open at 8 pm.

Konk Pack Excerpt

we are now selling electronic instruments made by ‘loud objects’ at $22 each. they are small circuit boards with big on/off switches & two small red buttons that change the sounds that come out from a stereo 8th inch output. they come with different names & different programming. click here to hear some sounds from one the variations entitled ‘friends’:

Loud Objects’ “Friends” Noise Toy

new records incoming & new records already here:

eddie detroit: immortal gods LP

“CD reissue of the first (of two) self released albums put out by Eddy Detroit (his third album would come out many years later on Majora, Jungle Captive, in 1997. Very exotic cult folk and primitive rock album, led by the irrepressible vocal presence of Eddy. “A reissue of more material from the early 80′s Phoenix underground music scene, contemporary with Paris 1942; this time none other than the first LP by Eddy Detroit… this was self released in 1982 and has been pretty impossible to find for quite a few years. Featuring an all star lineup including Mary and Dan Clark (Victory Acres), Charlie Gocher and Alan Bishop (Sun City Girls), James Verlaine (aka J. Akkari from Paris 1942) and others, this has turned out to be one of my favorite records documenting a scene I pissed away a whole lot of my just barely post adolescence loitering in and around.” — Nick Schultz.”

v/a: pomegranates CD

“It’s no accident that the phoenix is an exalted moral, mythical, and figurative symbol in Iran. Like the phoenix, Iranian culture is in constant flux and, at times, elusive, with its existential wavering and blurred panoramas. Most of contemporary Iran’s artistic and creative leanings, its grapples with history and identity, are loosely and mystically conjoined and contested in memory. Iran is marked by the complex interplay of diverse constituencies, philosophies, and influences: ethnic, religious, political, geopolitical and historical. The glorification of pre-Islamic antiquity (in search of authentication) marked the socio-cultural attitude of a bygone era and is witnessing revival in the present day. The discordant reality of eastern traditions complicated by the rampant confusions of modernity has become a norm in Persian dialogue, not to mention revolution, exile, and diaspora. Like many other countries, the sixties and seventies were a time of tumult in Iran, bringing growth (via petrodollars) and freedom (under the banner of socioeconomic development) while exacerbating inequalities within the country. The music and voices that blossomed during those decades exemplify the turbulence and excitement of the age. It is worth recognizing these ‘left out’ and ‘lost’ artists individually and as a group in the global happenings of ’60s/’70s psych, rock and folk, while exploring their influence and relevance to the present day. Is it possible that there is a genus of delectable sounds and fetching images that almost exclusively reside in the elbowroom of memory and nostalgic ‘yesteryear’ storytelling? Little consideration has been given to the correlation of these sounds and stories within the universal psychedelic phenomena: parallel to the shared stylistics of British and American players, and the radical politicking of their Turkish and Korean counterparts. This collection endeavors to re-contextualize these songs from the realm of reminiscence, nostalgia, and memory into a specific and accessible narrative to share and relate within the universal musical gamut. It is for aficionados, the curious, and collectors alike. We hope that Iranians around the world will rediscover these songs. This collection is, in some sense, dedicated to a generation in self-imposed mental exile, due to years of war and catastrophe; decades of lies and bombs; a fundamentalist theocracy of reformist shams; addiction; isolation and alienation; unemployment, and inflation. These are voices and stories that may again prove relevant to a psychologically damaged and spiritually corrupt society, a society whose discontents recall the latter years of the Shah’s rule. The recordings excavated here are highly sexual musings, voluble love songs, and simple folk tunes.”

pausal: lapses CD

“Lapses by Pausal is the first proper ambient release to come from Barge Recordings. These twelve gorgeous works of composed drone were crafted primarily from guitar, piano, violin, old classical vinyl and field recordings, all processed and played through various effects. Each song is like a specific place, highly personal, in which we’re invited to visit and wander through. This is the core of their music, as you’ll hear in tracks such as ‘One Watery Lens’ or ‘With Seashell’ — where we can disappear in the essence of these recordings. Over time, organic yet precise details of the pieces emerge, revealing themselves more and more each listen. A certain attribute to the strength of Lapses is the slow dissolving of time itself. Pausal’s compositions achieve the perfect balance of minimalism and drone to do just this. Another is their influence from classical music. Although a deliberate creative process through the application of found vinyl recordings, the sampling is quite functional, giving the pieces harmonic momentum and a unity to the full listen. This gift of retaining a certain musical framework and allowing the repetition of drone to run its natural course is something Pausal has perfected — both as a recorded and live act.”

V/A: travelling tith my portable electric phonograph volume 1 LP

“What did South Africa and South East Asia of the 1940s and 50s have in common? In both places the local population was trying to gain independence from British colonialism. Although colonialism is never a good thing, there are always some positive outcomes when two cultures collide, especially when it comes to music. The Zulu of South Africa are the largest ethnic group in the country and are well known for their rich musical traditions. In the 1940s, however, Zulu musicians began fusing traditional Zulu choral music (often sung by migrant mine workers), like Mbube and Isicathamiya, with the instruments and rhythms of Western jazz. A continent away in India, we see that the same kind of musical revolution was taking place during this same period. Calcutta in particular became a musical hotbed beginning in WWII, when it became one of the major ports for the South East Asian Theatre of the War. The jazz scene was mainly centered on the house bands from the various luxury hotels and British social clubs, with these bands often recording for the South East Asian division of E.M.I. Interestingly, one of the hottest stars on this scene during the 1940s was Teddy Weatherford, an African American ‘expat’ from the Chicago jazz scene. Beginning in 1942, following the Japanese invasion of Burma (Myanmar), hundreds of thousands of refugees poured into India, among these great jazz musicians like Reuben Solomon (of Iraqi Jewish descent) of ‘The Rangoon Gymkhana Club’ fame. Batuk Nandy, on the other hand, was a well-known steel guitar player who rose to fame by making ‘filmi’ music for Bollywood films, while Bismillah Khan was an Indian shehnai (a traditional flute-like instrument) master, and one of only three classical musicians to have ever won the Bharat Ratna prize, the highest civilian prize in India. Khan was also one of the few musicians to perform at Delhi’s Red Fort in 1947 for India’s Independence celebrations. Despite the obvious negative outcomes, different cultures and religions forced together in the face of economic and political adversity has historically been a recipe for great music, and as this album testifies, India and South Africa were no different.”

V/A: message from the tribe CD & LP

Subtitled: An Anthology Of Tribe Records: 1972-1976. “Soul Jazz are re-issuing their long-out of print (10 years!) seminal CD and mini-book anthology of Tribe, the Detroit jazz and funk collective recently reformed by Carl Craig. CD and book comes in unique box edition. Tribe in Detroit in the early 1970s was born out of the ashes of a fallen city. After Motown, the boom of the car industry and the advances of civil rights in the 1960s, came a decade of governmental abandonment, high unemployment and inner-city violence and urban decay. Tribe (Phil Ranelin, Wendell Harrison, Harold McKinney, Marcus Belgrave) was a collective brought together to fight these negative forces. In the seven years it existed in Detroit, Tribe produced seminal deep jazz and funk albums, published Tribe magazine (featuring local community, music and arts issues) and ran numerous education workshops. Tribe have reformed in 2010, brought back together by producer genius Carl Craig with a new album and tour. This project follows on from Carl Craig’s earlier Innerzone Orchestra and Detroit Experiment projects. Tribe is also heavily featured in Soul Jazz Records’ Freedom, Rhythm and Sound book of revolutionary jazz. Soul Jazz Records are now re-issuing this Tribe anthology CD and mini-book (a 60-page exact reproduction of pages from the Tribe magazine from the early 1970s). This album features the best of the seminal music produced by this legendary Detroit collective.”

madlib: madlib medicine show no. 3 : beat konductica in africa CD

“Madlib follows Flight To Brazil, with the third installment of the Medicine Show series and the fourth installment in his Beat Konducta series: Beat Konducta In Africa. Beat Konducta In Africa contains over forty instrumental hip hop tracks produced and mixed by Madlib. This epic ‘beat tape’ springs from obscure vinyl gems culled from the Afro-beat, funk, psych, garage-rock, prog-rock and soul movements of countries as diverse as Zambia, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Botswana and the Ivory Coast. The Madlib Medicine Show series is a combination of Madlib’s new hip hop productions, remixes, beat tapes, and jazz, as well as mixtapes of funk, soul, Brazilian, psych, jazz and other undefined forms of music from the Beat Konducta’s 4-ton stack of vinyl.”

bharat karki: international music LP

LP version. 1978 private production from Calcutta, India in a first time ever reissue. From beginning to end, this is a flood of weird Indian psychedelic funk, showering us with heavy percussion grooves in a borrowed “international music” style featuring elements of rock, as well as Latin and Arabic music, melded with chanted Hindu mantra. Electric guitar and bass, a bunch of Indian percussion, flutes, screams, organs and (maybe) Moog! An explosion of Indian youth music. Musicians: Bharat Karki, Utpal Dey, Provat Das, Biswanath Chandra, Bimal Biswas, Kany Roy, Chandan Roy Chowdhury, Benu Chatterjee, Badal Sarkar, Hillol Mandal, and Khoka. Vocals: Palash Mukherjee, Panchashil Dutta, Subhankar Sengupta, Miss. Sunanda Ghose Roy, and Miss. Mridula Bhattacharya.

Related posts:

1. Down the Vine Vol. 6 – The True Vine these days…
2. Down the Vine Vol. 4
3. Down the Vine Vol. 1 – Prelude

Such a hall was very kind to the East Coast premiere of Kalevi Aho’s Minea. This concertante for orchestra gets its feminine nickname from the commissioning orchestra (Minnesota) where Vänskä conducts. Ever the champion of his fellow Finn, Vänskä gave Aho’s overture a powerful push. He was jumping, bending deep in the knees, twisting from the hips before delivering an openhanded punch or swipe to call up a section to glory.

The muscle in this piece comes from its pure percussive acceleration. The opening, with glockenspiel and ringing trumpet work, initially made me fear for an all-too 2001: A Space Odyssey, Straussian riff. But the backbone of the work was percussion: classical to Turkish to bongos and chains. The magic lent from the hall nourished the sound of each instrument, giving it an individual track straight to the ear. Never have I heard the piano ring out so clear.

Oboe, contrabassoon, flute and first chair violin solo provided great stations along the way of a full throttle momentum rush. Drumbeats darted at one from all directions, tight as a Ghanaian parade. When the strings lay atop, the vibe flowed into a Lawrence of Arabia quality soon abandoned for horns that called out in crisp urgency towards a blazing sharp climax.

Like a marshmallow in the middle of a good campfire s’more, Franz Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2 delighted the audience in the center of the program. Nothing profound here, but the work was lightly and lovingly dazzled by the young Frenchman, Jean-Frederic Neuburger. There’s a whiff of David Helfgott about him (compare with Shine). Lacksadaisy could be his middle name: you see it in his stride across the stage, his humble amusement at the demand of encore. This is a great hall to hear a concerto in. The treasure here was Neuburger’s extended solo-to-solo discourse with cellist Efe Baltacigil. Philly Orchestra’s associate principal has done it again! He first came to the fore with Emanuel Ax in a Beethoven sonata back in 2005. Baltacigil’s voicing was like a lover crying out in the night, giving a rich sensitivity that this performance would have paled without. I’m seeking him out for a solo occasion (looks like it’ll be Lincoln Center, next January).

The finale, Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2, really let some sections glow. I’m especially jealous of how good Philly’s bassists sound — the second movement Andante, ma rubato started with a drum roll straight into their part. Each note articulated with dark D-minor candor beyond the usual dull hum. They passed the motif off to the cellos, and the cellos then passed it back to them. The flexibility of volume was on display here, and for the whole orchestra. From full blaze down to a hush, you could hear the horsehair whispers under the notes. And then they flew into the triumphal burst of the finally quenched rising three-note motif finding the fourth note. Assistant principal cellist, Yumi Kendall, was so happy she broke into a smile. Each time the string theme returned, she couldn’t contain her joy, like a Derby horse who knows its won the race in the last leg. Catching that lift on the back of the artist’s zeal is exactly what makes the symphony hall matter.

[Author’s note: As did the BSO, these fantastic players took pay cuts to help keep the orchestra afloat. Do trek up to Philly and grab a seat, support the music you love -- LIVE!]

Related posts:

1. Live Review: Colin Currie, Hannu Lintu Take Finns To Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (2010. 04.09)
2. Live Review: John Adams with the NSO; Leila Josefowicz Breaks Out Six String Electric Violin (2010.05.20)
3. Live Review: Whartscape 2010 Days 2 & 3 (2010.07.23-24)

Height With Friends plays the Windup Space with The Snails, Dope Body, and King Rhythm on Sat Mar 20. Doors @ 9PM, $7 cover.

Height is on a roll. Not only did he and his Friends drop some free knowledge on everyone earlier this week via the release of a free EP (Druid Hill Lake), but he also bids our fair city a temporary farewell with a tour send-off show this Saturday (the show is formerly known as a record release party). The crew hits the road on tour with Nuclear Power Pants.

Due to some unforeseen circumstances, the release of his next LP, Bed of Seeds, had to be delayed. Fortunately, the latest EP is culled from those tracks, so you get a good sense of what they have to offer. Let us add one more bell to that Pavlovian response as we premiere “Cold Crush.”

On Bed of Seeds, Dan and his cohorts’ impeccable ear for quality samples and beats has broadened to include a wider and more dynamic range, stretching from the expected territories of blues and soul, into the frontiers of gentle acoustic balladry and bubbly pop melodies. “Cold Crush” features a simple, smoldering sax line to back Height’s reflective narration on hip-hop pioneers The Cold Crush Brothers’ brush with wider fame and recognition. The track is as much celebration as lamentation, its descending lines underscoring the group’s fading hopes of eventually nailing down mainstream success and exposure.

While not quite a household name in hip-hop, the influence of the Cold Crush is undeniable, from their infamous live performances and tapes, to a number of moments where they seemed on the brink of blowing up. Their most high-profile run-in occurred with a donated verse on classic anthem “Rapper’s Delight.” Member Grandmaster Caz hoped to get some reciprocation for his goodwill to Hank of the Sugar Hill Gang, but got no such love. Down the line, he eventually spoke his peace on the matter with the retort “MC Delight.”

Tour dates for Height With Friends and Nuclear Power Pants after the jump.

ITINERARY:

3/31 Greenville, NC – Tipsy Teapot†
4/01 Raleigh, NC – Tir Na Nog†
4/02 Charleston, SC – Outer Space†
4/03 Athens, GA – Farm 255
4/04 Asheville, NC – New French Bar
4/05 Nashville, TN – The End
4/06 Knoxville, TN – Pilot Light
4/07
4/08 Milwaukee, WI – Eagle’s Nest
4/09 Minneapolis, MN*
4/10 Chicago, IL
4/11 Detroit, MI – Division Gallery
4/12 Kingston – The Mansion
4/13 Montréal, QC – Casa del Popolo
4/14 Burlington, VT – 242 Main
4/15
4/16 Boston, MA – The Cottage
4/17 Providence, RI – Building 16‡
4/18 Worcester, MA – Firehouse
4/19
4/20
4/21 Annandale-on-Hudson, NY – Bard College
4/22 Brooklyn, NY – Death By Audio
4/23 Philadelphia, PA – The Ox
4/24 Baltimore, MD – the Good Son

†w/ Lonnie Walker
*w/ Dan Deacon
‡w/ the Chinese Stars

Related posts:

1. Aural States Fest II: Spotlights – Noble Lake, Vincent Black Shadow, Height With Friends
2. Album Review / Exclusive Audio: Height With Friends – Baltimore Highlands (Wham City)
3. One Track Mind: New Untitled Track – Wye Oak (Live from Whartscape 2009)