lullabyes

the hard to get

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:56:00 +0000

So one of the cool things that came out of seeing Letters To Cleo a few weeks ago, was I ended up hearing about The Hard To Get (THTG) an indie-rock duo from Los Angeles who came together in 2006 - think The Pixies meets Sleater-Kinney. Made up of Melissa Kaplan (guitar/lead vocals) and Tim Lee (drums/backup vocals), the band earned their cred playing at every local venue from Echo Park to Venice.

Their debut, self-released 2008 album, "This Is The New Business Plan," (produced & mixed by Michael Eisenstein of "Letters to Cleo" - hence the earlier comment) did a nice job capturing the band's catchy, riff-driven songs while maintaining the hard, fast and electric feeling of their live shows.

Their second EP, "Looking Good," shows off the group's eclectic side with a more varied mix of layers, and even features a quick venture into samba rock.

Keeping it interesting, the band covers multiple genres in one set and plays past the often one-trick music scene with a passionate multi-layered sound and a revolving cast of guest players. If there was a common thread in their tunes, it would the playful boy-girl harmonies, thoughtful lead and rhythm guitar progressions, and heartfelt melodic ideas.

Melissa and Tim are getting ready to go out on tour (I'm still waiting on that Dallas date!!) - go check them out and mention the Lullabyes blog at one of their shows for a free EP! See the confirmed dates listed below. Sign up for their newsletter or check their myspace for additional dates as they get announced!

thehardtoget.com
www.myspace.com/thehardtoget

Tour Dates:
06/26/09 Fox and Goose Pub in Sacramento, CA
06/27/09 Bob's Java Jive in Tacoma, WA
06/28/09 Le Voteur in Olympia, WA
06/29/09 Princeton Pub in Vancouver BC
06/30/09 Mirkwood & Shire Cafe in Arlington, WA
07/02/09 Twilight Cafe & Bar in Portland, OR
07/03/09 R5 Records in Sacramento, CA
07/04/09 Plea For Peace Center in Stockton, CA
07/05/09 Airliner in Los Angeles, CA
07/17/09 Java Cafe in Sacramento, CA
07/31/09 El Rio in San Francisco, CA
08/06/09 Silverlake Lounge in Los Angeles, CA
08/15/09 Dr. Watson's Pub in Philadelphia, PA
08/18/09 Public Assembly in Brooklyn, NY
08/19/09 PA's Lounge in Boston, MA
08/22/09 Roc Bar in Cleveland, OH
08/25/09 Silvie's Lounge in Chicago, IL
08/26/09 The Way Out Club in St. Louis, MO
09/26/09 Echo Curio in Echo Park, CA

MP3 MP3s:
Looking Good (Looking Good EP)
Late Shift (This Is The New Business Plan EP)

michael runion likes z berg

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Fri, 29 May 2009 00:02:00 +0000

The Daylight vs Z Berg from michaelrunion on Vimeo.

Michael Runion and Elizabeth Anne "Z" Berg, lead singer/guitarist of L.A band, The Life.

I knew there was a reason I liked The Life.

letters to cleo 05/23/09

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Mon, 25 May 2009 15:08:00 +0000

I don't think I've ever been to a "reunion tour" show before, but after experiencing my first one I think there's just something fantastic about getting to see a band that you never, ever thought you would see play again.

And I'm not talking about the Eagles, or Kiss or the Rolling Stones or any of those massive bands that are virtually guaranteed to tour ONE MORE TIME when they need a few million more dollars/pounds/euros.

I'm talking about those smaller bands that randomly made an impression on you, the ones where you can point to a specific year or summer, or period in time, and remember with vivid nostalgia specific events or friends that were a part of your life.

For me, getting to see Letters To Cleo yesterday was that type of goodness. Setting aside that I never thought the band would reform, I couldn't believe that a band from Boston, who's members currently live in various States (none of which are Texas) where actually playing a 4 city mini reunion tour, and 3 of the cities where in Texas. And best of all, they were closing out the entire thing in Dallas. Awesome.

For those who may not know, Letters To Cleo was/is a band from Boston who got big in 1994 with a break out hit, Here and Now, a song from their Aurora Gory Alice album which became wildly popular after appearing in Melrose Place and then garnering massive airplay on MTV and radio.

Aurora was followed up with Wholesale Meats & Fish in 1995, which yielded another breakout hit, Awake. 1997 brought Go! which was just a perfect power pop album full of hooks, hooks and more hooks. If you're a fan of 90s rock, or girl singers, or both, be sure to pick up this record. It does not disappoint, you'll be singing along in no time.

The band went on to release another EP of demos in 1998, then were prominently featured in the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You, and contributed two (excellent) covers to the soundtrack, Cruel To Be Kind, and Cheap Trick's I Want You To Want Me. In mid 2000 came the break up and the individual members all went onto various careers in the entertainment business.

End of story? Obviously not. In late 2008 the various Letters To Cleo members found themselves together in the same room for the first time in nearly 8 years at Boston night club T.T. The Bears at a benefit concert for an old friend and supporter of the band. Next thing you know an impromptu reunion occurred as the band got on stage and ripped through Here & Now and Awake.

Good time ensued and the band put together a 4 show reunion last winter in Boston, NYC and LA. This was followed up with this weeks 4 city show in New Orleans, Houston, Austin and Dallas.

I was fortunate enough to get to go see soundcheck, interview lead singer Kay Hanley for 40 minutes on the band and her solo career and then get to see a completely rocking set that proved that even though Cleo haven't been a band for 8 years, they still got their chops and if anything are even tighter then they were in 90s.

Over 80 minutes the band tore through 19 songs, 18 rockers and 1 ballad for the love birds in the crowd. My personal favorite from the show had to be Veda Very Shining, which is a near perfect example of both the bands poppy hooks and blistering musicianship. Check out the MP3 below to hear the crashing drums, crazy guitar riffs and all around head bobbing goodness.

In an act that was sure to make their day, Kay invited up the lead singer from opening act Cruiserweight to sing with her on Co-Pilot and Here & Now, and Letter's drummer Stacy Jones (who also serves as Miley Cyrus' music director) gave up his seat to ex-Cruiserweight drummer Yogi Maxwell for the track, Disappear.

For those of you who are interested, the band played everything shown on the setlist below and "Step Back", "I See", "I Could Sleep (The Wuss Song) and "I Want You To Want Me".

I'll be putting together a separate post on the Kay Hanley interview in the next week or two, so more to come there. For now, enjoy a few live MP3s and photos (and setlist) from the show and let's keep our fingers crossed for some more Letters to Cleos show in the future.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Laudanum
Awake
Because of You
Veda Very Shining
Here & Now
I Could Sleep (The Wuss Song)

wildbirds and peacedrums 03/20/09

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 01:57:00 +0000

Occasionally you find bands that simply blow you away with their uniqueness. Occasionally you find bands that blow you away with their uniqueness, and who are amazing to boot.

Wildbirds and Peacedrums fall into the latter category, and we managed to catch two partial shows at SXSW this year before we saw a full one and loved every minute of all three.

The band is a duo from Sweden - Mariam Wallentin and Andreas Werliin. Andreas plays (or rather, beats the living crap) out of the drums and Mariam primarily sings and also plays an assortment of instruments including the steel drum.

Now I listened to the studio tracks at MySpace, and they are pretty damn good - but in no way do they capture the sheer intensity of their live shows. Mariam channels the finest female singers of all time, including two of my favorite - Bjork and Nina Simone. She stomps, dances, wails, Jim Morrison's the mic and basically transcends into the performance. Andreas clearly loves every second as well. Setting aside Dave Grohl, I've rarely seen someone hit their drums harder. They are a truly magnificent pair.

I managed to get an audience recording of a couple of their songs - and again, though good, they aren't soundboard. If anyone out there has some soundboard recordings, let me know - I'd love one.

In the interim, check out these recordings and their MySpace. I especially love My Heart as it's pretty representative of the live experience and features Mariam plowing into the steel drum and vocally channeling some Post-era Bjork (Hyper Ballad comes to mind). If they come by your town, GO SEE THEM.

Live MP3 MP3s:
My Heart
Doubt Hope

wavves 03/20/09

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 22:45:00 +0000

Here was the most unexpected set we witnessed at SXSW, a solo and serene set from Nathan Williams aka noise-pop guru, Wavves. Expecting a serious amount of rock we were extremely surprised when Nathan got up on stage and starting playing his guitar with a clean chorus effect.

I'd never heard it before, but hearing the tracks in this setting (especially So Bored) really made me think of similarities to the earlier Nirvana songs from Bleach and Nevermind.

Enjoy!

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
To The Dregs
So Bored
...Tried to Stop Me
Wavves

miles benjamin anthony robinson 03/20/09

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:00:00 +0000

I first heard about Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson about a year ago - right before his self-titled debut record came out. I think I had to check out the link because its just not that often that a guy with four first names comes along.

I was immediately impressed, there was a certain weight that came along with the songs - lyrically strong, Miles carved out a space as a storyteller and his gravelly voice only complemented his Dylan-esque style. I've been hoping he would tour, and was pleased to see a SXSW showcase show up on the radar.

The showcase was at the outdoor gardens of the French Legation Museum, one of my favorite SXSW venues, the Museum is just a great, relaxed getaway from the crowds of 6th Street.

Miles opened the set with a false start as he decided that he wanted to relive a childhood birthday party and go swing at a Pinata. To pass the time, his band mates treated the crowd to a fairly amusing rendition of Beyonce's Single Ladies. A lot of new songs made the set along with Buriedfed, one of the strongest tracks from his debut record, as well as a cover of Otis Redding's classic - Sitting On The Dock Of the Bay.

Here's a few highlights from the set. Enjoy!

Live MP3 MP3s:
Single Ladies (Beyonce)
There Will Be Mud
Buriedfed
Trembling
Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay (Otis Redding)

theresa andersson 03/20/09

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 16:03:00 +0000

SXSW on Friday.

Got to see a bit of Bishop Allen, Theresa Andersson, The New Wine, These Are Powers, Wavves, Wildbirds and Peacedrums, Marnie Stern, The Tallest Man on Earth and Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson.

Best show of the day was Theresa Andersson. Another example of right place, right time, on complete accident. She was playing the Swedish Showcase at Habana Calle 6, and we'd run over to checkout Wildbirds and Peacedrums. She was playing next and I vaguely remembered listening to some MP3s last year when her last record, Hummingbird, Go! was released.

We decided to stick around, and it was a good thing we did. She played solo with a host of looping pedals and it was a good of a pairing as you will ever get. She had around a dozen instruments on stage, including drums, guitars, records, violins, and dulcimers. She'd play a part, loop it, and play something else over it. Slowly but surely she would build a crescendo of instrumentation and then sing a multiple of vocal parts of her instruments. Just beautiful - and it didn't hurt that her voice was gorgeous.

Be sure to check out this set.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Oh Mary (Don't You Weep)
Na Na Na
Birds Fly Away
Hi-Low

other lives 03/19/09

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:58:00 +0000

Got to run out to more SXSW shows, but here's one more recording for you from yesterday.

Other Lives from Stillwater, Oklahoma. Dark and moody, the piano and cello with more traditional guitars, bass and drums evokes a cinematic experience - like every song is scored for a film. A gorgeous set. Enjoy.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Don't Let Them
End Of The Year
The Partisan (Leonard Cohen)
Speed Tape
Paper Cities
Outro

hockey 03/19/09

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 04:14:00 +0000

It's always interesting to see each day at SXSW turns out.

You print out pages and pages of information showing what bands are playing where, you underline and make notes on potential schedules, you try and figure out what the optimal parking spot is so you can make it to the various venues and you use Google maps to figure out if its even possible to make it from Venue A to Venue B in X minutes to see that next band.

And then you show up and realize, meh - maybe i'll just do something totally different.

So we arrived in Austin today planning on seeing Whispertown 2000 as one of our first bands. As luck would have it we got into town early and since they we were just a few blocks from Cedar Street Courtyard (one of the best venues in Austin) we wandered over to check out the Filter showcase.

We caught the last few minutes of Zee Avi and figured we'd hang around to check out Hockey (who we'd never heard before.) We were glad we did. They put on the most rocking showcase of the day. Hailing from Portland, Oregon - these guys reminded me a lot of Jet. That sort of British rock n roll sensibilities, with hammering riffs and almost dancy beats.

Good stuff and a great way to start SXSW - show up at a random showcase and enjoy!

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Work
Too Fake
Learn To Lose
I Want To Be
Song Away
Put The Game Down
Outro

whispertown 2000 03/19/09

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 03:06:00 +0000

Fantastic. Exhausting. Day.

Our first day of SXSW 2009 is over - and it was (as expected) fantastic.

Managed to catch Whispertown 2000 and some of Wildbirds & Peacedrums at the End of the Road Festival showcase, saw Hockey, Other Lives, Great Northern, Annuals and some of Zee Avi at the Filter Magazine showcase at Cedar Street and wrapped up the day shows with Cotton Jones at Twangfest. Good times.

Hockey probably took the prize for most rocking showcase (and we didn't even know who they were before we showed up at the showcase!) but definitely the best moment of our day was getting an exclusive recording of the Whispertown gang performing a stripped down version of "Time Will Welcome Anything" on the street at the corner of 3rd and Lavaca.

Lead singer Morgan Nagler sat on a bench, played an unplugged electic guitar and sang while Vanessa, Tod and Casey sang back up and banged out rhythms. It was an amazing performance and reminded me that there's nothing quite like Austin and SXSW. Pedesterians, bicycles and city buses rushing by while a band closes their eyes and plays their heart out on the sidewalk.

Enjoy!

Live MP3 MP3s:
Time Will Welcome Anything

the dodos 03/14/08

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 03:46:00 +0000

SXSW Week! Before I go figure out which bands I'm going to see this week, I thought I'd post another show from last year - the Dodos playing a short yet rocking set at Mohawk's outdoor stage at the Hot Freaks! party.

Check out Hot Freaks! line up for 2009 here - I'm personally looking forward to Bishop Allen...

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Fools
No More Patient
It's That Time Again
Jodi
Red And Purple
Outro

the duke spirit 03/14/08

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 03:19:00 +0000

Quick post tonight on The Duke Spirit to wrap up the 2008 SXSW Free Yr Radio Broadcast Corner shows that I managed to capture (see previous posts on She & Him and Dave Monks of Tokyo Police Club)

I really enjoyed the Free Yr Radio shows - they were perfect morsel-sized mini shows - all running about 20 minutes, and smack in the middle of about a dozen other venues hosting shows. Just made it super easy to dart in check out a band - and then scuttle off to the next show at some nearby venue.

The Duke Spirit was the first band I got to see there - a British rock band who reminded me a bit of the Pixies - just that kind of sensibility and sound. Listen to the full set including the interviews over at the Current and check out a couple of the tracks below.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Dog Roses
This Ship Was Built to Last

she & him 03/14/08

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 03:23:00 +0000

So South by Southwest is coming up next week and its usually about this point each year that I realize I still have various recordings from the previous year that I never got up! And this last year I was particularly slow - I think I've got over a dozen shows that I need to post. It'll all happen eventually!

Still, I'm pretty excited about next week - as always there's a hundred great bands and the challenge is trying to figure out how to be in at least 3 places at the same time.

But - that's next week! As a mentioned a few months ago I got to catch and record numerous mini-shows at the SXSW Free Yr Radio Broadcast Corner including She & Him playing one of their first ever gigs (their sixth...) and Dave Monks of Tokyo Police Club playing a spur of the moment (and unexplained) acoustic gig.

Now I liked She & Him at the time, I'd heard bits of the record and enjoyed what I heard. I'd seen M Ward several times before and always liked his music, and it doesn't hurt that Zooey Deschanel is beautiful to boot - but it wasn't til about 6 months later that I saw the movie Elf, and specifically heard Zooey sing Baby, It's Cold Outside that I woke up and realized what an amazing voice she had.

I ended up downloading the Elf soundtrack later that night to get the studio version of the Christmas classic, and wandered back to this show and the She & Him record for more listens and to rediscover something I'd already heard, all over again.

The good people at the Current were also hanging out broadcasting the whole thing. So if you want more you can listen to the whole show over their site here - and check out a couple of my favorite tracks from the show below.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Black Hole
Change Is Hard

thomas jane 01/24/09

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 18:24:00 +0000

As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I had pretty good day on January 24th. Got to see Thomas Jane and the rest of the RAW Comics guys in the early afternoon at the 12th annual Dallas Comic Con, then saw Erin McCarley that evening at the Loft in downtown Dallas.

So if you don't know Thomas Jane, he's an actor who's starred in films like the Mist, the Punisher (the 2004 variant), Boogie Nights and Deep Blue Sea. What I didn't know until recently is that he also founded a company called RAW Studios, with Tim Bradstreet a Eisner nominated illustrator, who amongst other things develop films and comics.

To support RAW Studios, Thomas, Tim along with writer Todd Farmer (My Bloody Valentine 3D/Jason X) served on a panel at Dallas Comic Con 12. Though the panel started out as an overview of RAW Studios and their works, it quickly delved into a general Q&A on Thomas Jane's acting career and a commentary on the general state of the comic and film industry.

I particularly enjoyed the Thomas Jane vs Burt Reynolds story, the commentary on the ending of the Mist, as well as the panels thoughts on the upcoming Watchmen movie and the effect (or lack there of) of comic book movies on the comic book industry.

Enjoy!

Live MP3s MP3:
Intro
Raw Studios Overview
Thomas Jane Big Hit
Homeless Dad
Jonah Hex
Upcoming Movie
Punisher - Dolph or War Zone
Watchmen
Do Movies Help Comic Industry
Dark Country
Economy Impacting Movies
Thomas Jane Quality
Comics On Line
Thomas Jane vs Burt Reynolds
Video On Demand
Comics as Soap Operas
Oscars and Comics
The Mist Ending
Watchmen HBO vs Movie
Comic Book Movies
Friday the 13th

matt wertz 10/29/08

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 03:17:00 +0000

So I've seen Matt 3 times over the last 3 years - in Houston in 2006, in a small club in Downtown Dallas in 2007 and at an outdoor "AFTERDark" event in late 2008. Click on the 2006 and 2007 links to read more about Wertz and listen to the recordings from those shows. He's getting ready to go back out on tour, so I thought this was an opportune time to post the last set I saw him perform.

This was an interesting show - we show the post on his MySpace, showing he was playing a free show at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, but we couldn't find any mention of it on the SMU site, nor through any amount of Googling. We ended up getting details on the event from someone at the campus paper who simply told us that it was going to be outside between two buildings. We showed up and found out that the show was sponsored by a national organization called AFTERDark who work with university based Christian groups to put on events and concerts. The show consisted of a ~20 minute set, then an inspirational lecture, followed by another 45 minute set.

Enjoy!

Tour Dates:
Feb 10 2009 Diesel Club Lounge Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Feb 11 2009 Water Street Music Hall Rochester, New York
Feb 12 2009 House of Blues Cleveland, Ohio
Feb 13 2009 House of Blues Chicago, Illinois
Feb 14 2009 The Basement Columbus, Ohio
Feb 15 2009 The Ark Ann Arbor, Michigan
Feb 19 2009 Warehouse Live Houston, Texas
Feb 20 2009 The Parish Austin, Texas
Feb 21 2009 Pontiac Garage at House of Blues Dallas, Texas
Feb 23 2009 Rhythm Room Phoenix, Arizona
Feb 24 2009 Anthology San Diego, California
Feb 27 2009 House of Blues West Hollywood, California
Feb 28 2009 Slim’s San Francisco, California
Mar 2 2009 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, Oregon
Mar 3 2009 The Triple Door Seattle, Washington
Mar 5 2009 Fowler Center State University, Arkansas
Mar 6 2009 three20south Breckenridge, Colorado
Mar 7 2009 Fox Theatre Boulder, Colorado

Heartbreaker
Like The Last Time
The Way I Feel
Intro to...
I Will Not Take My Love Away
Intro to...
Keep Faith
519
Red Meets Blue
Intro to...
Counting to 100
Intro to...
Marianne
Intro to...
Everything's Right
Intro to...
Carolina

erin mccarley saves the empty

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 17:51:00 +0000

It's been a quiet last few months for good shows, as most winters are. In fact in January I only made it out to one concert and one spoken word event, both on the same day - January 24th. It was a pretty damn good day - saw Thomas Jane and the rest of the Raw Comics guys in the early afternoon at the 12th annual Dallas Comic Con, then went to see Erin McCarley open for Brett Dennen at the Loft in downtown.

Erin's record, Love, Save the Empty just came out a few weeks ago, but I first heard of her in November 2008 when her record company sent me a 3 track sampler for the upcoming record. Now I get a lot of music that I don't really enjoy, and when I dropped in Erin's sampler I thought it was just going to be another over-produced pop record - in the vein of Sara Bareilles or A Fine Frenzy. And then something strange happened, I couldn't get the sampler out of my car's CD player.

It basically stayed there for a month and a half, with the 3 songs on constant repeat. The album's title track got especially abused, with me often hitting the back button to hear it one more time. Long story short, I was ready for the whole record to come out in January, and picked it up the day it was released. It did not disappoint, building on the strengths of the sampler - Erin's gorgeous voice and lush layered production that complements well written and catchy songs featuring traditional pop structures.

Of course, for me a good record is just a prelude to seeing a performer live to see if the potential lives up to the reality. Fortunately, though the record features some sweet production, there's absolutely no trickery needed to make Erin's voice magical. The live set was basically Erin playng guitar and singing, backed up by a piano and drums, it featured the best songs from the record and an unexpected and entertaining cover of Tom's Diner by Suzanne Vega.

Unfortunately for all of us, my recording of the show did not come out due to some technically difficulties at the show. I have a gorgeous recording sans Erin's voice. Hopefully I get to rectify this problem the next time she comes through town.

Be sure to check out Erin's studio tracks at her MySpace, and pick up her record Love, Saves the Empty here. She's got a couple of dates coming later in February in Kentucky, Tennesse and Ohio - check out details here, and then she's touring with the Nashville Singer/Songwriter troupe, Ten out of Tenn. A pretty cool concept, a bunch of songwriters touring together to showcase their tracks, and back up their friends. Looks like there's going to be 2 shows in Dallas, and Ill be checking them out. If they come through your town, drop in to check out a bunch of upcoming artists.

First photo: Reidrolls (Erin's husband). Second photo: Lullabyes

Erin McCarley Tour Dates:
Feb 17 2009 Southgate House Cincinnati, Ohio
Feb 19 2009 The Basement Columbus, Ohio
Feb 20 2009 The Square Room Knoxville, Tennessee
Feb 21 2009 Gerstles Louisville, Kentucky
Feb 28 2009 3rd & Lindsley - Benefit Show Nashville, Tennessee

Ten Out Of Tenn Tour Dates:
Mar 12 2009 House of Blues New Orleans, Louisiana
Mar 13 2009 Chelsea’s Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Mar 14 2009 Meridian Houston, Texas
Mar 15 2009 The Loft Dallas, Texas
Mar 22 2009 Rhythm Room Phoenix, Arizona
Mar 24 2009 Troubadour West Hollywood, California
Mar 25 2009 The Independent San Francisco, California
Mar 26 2009 The Red Room Kennewick, Washington
Mar 27 2009 The Triple Door Seattle, Washington
Mar 28 2009 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, Oregon
Mar 29 2009 The Red Room Kennewick, Washington
Mar 30 2009 Knitting Factory Spokane, Washington
Mar 31 2009 Knitting Factory Boise, Idaho
Apr 1 2009 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, Utah
Apr 2 2009 Belly Up Aspen Aspen, Colorado
Apr 3 2009 The Black Sheep Colorado Springs, Colorado
Apr 4 2009 Bluebird Theatre Denver, Colorado

jewel staite 10/26/08

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 23:35:00 +0000

Those who've been reading the blog for a while know I'm a science fiction fan. Love Doctor Who, Red Dwarf, Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate, X-Files and of course, all things Joss Whedon (the man is a genius.)

Oddly enough, I never watched Buffy, Angel or Firefly during their initial runs on TV. I bought Buffy Season 1 at Best Buy when it came out (it was a whim, I think I was attracted to Sarah Michelle Gellar), then ended up watching the bulk of the season one day when I was sick in bed with the flu. That pretty much did it and after that I bought every season of Buffy and Angel as they came out on DVD.

Now with Firefly, I did watch the "Pilot" (which wasn't really meant to be the Pilot) on Fox when it first aired. I remember being turned off in the first 15 minutes and not watching any subsequent episodes. Of course, by the time I was a few seasons into Buffy and Angel I was worshiping at the alter of Whedon, and decided to pick up all the Firefly episodes. At this point I also knew that Fox had aired the Firefly episodes out of order. On watching the true Pilot I realized that Whedon (once again) had created something new, beautiful and unique. After I watched the whole series (all 14 episodes) I was convinced that Firefly was one of the greatest shows to air, and saddened that it had been canceled without even a full season.

Unbelievably, Joss managed to get funding to film Serenity, a movie based on Firefly, which also ended up being one of my favorite sci-fi films of all time.

If you haven't seen the show I highly recommend picking up the box set, which can be found cheap at most online stores.

So it's safe to say I'm a Firefly/Serenity fan. This afternoon, I had the pleasure of seeing Jewel Staite, who played Kaylee Frye, one of the lead characters on Firefly, at the "Star Wars Fan Days II" convention in Plano Texas. She came to town for a 45 minute Q&A session, and was a total delight. With no pre-set spiel, Jewel just answered question after question for the whole session, and kept the audience in constant laughter.

Here's the first 15 minutes for your pleasure, with Jewel addressing a variety of topics, from her days on "Are You Afraid Of The Dark" to Nathan Fillion's prop stealing antics during the filming of Firefly and Serenity, to her thoughts on her StarGate SG1 character's choice in love interests. Enjoy!

Live MP3 MP3s:
Introduction
Hello
Gummy Strawberry
Are You Afraid Of The Dark
Next Project
Mechanic vs Doctor
Firefly Favorite Line
Kaylee Joss vs Jewel
Kaylee Character Dynamic
Keller Love Intrest Choice
If Jewel Was Keller
Firefly Favorite Episode
White Vines
Firefly Props Kept

cold war kids 10/23/08

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 01:01:00 +0000

Made the near hour drive out to Fort Worth last night to see the Cold War Kids at Lolas, and it was worth every minute of it. It was my first time out to Lolas and I think both the band and I were surprised at how small the venue was - guessing the max capacity was under 500.

Still it's a very cool little saloon - and has a seriously impressive sound system (and three bars - which might seem like overkills until you realize how difficult it is to move 8 feet in any direction due to sardine like effect of a sold out show.)

The band was fantastic, primarily focusing on their brand new record Loyalty to Loyalty that came out last month. I was expecting a more soulful rock show, but the live versions of the tracks were substantially louder and dramatically more rawk and roll then I would have guessed from listening to their records, the band brought to mind numerous bands that I really enjoy (Spoon, the Strokes - and oddly enough, hints of Led Zeppelin) while still maintaining their own unique identify.

I was fortunate enough to record the first four songs of the set, including the singles We Used to Vacation and Something Is Not Right With Me - and the tracks sound absolutely awesome. Though you can never compare to seeing a band that's turned up to 10 at a tiny little venue, the recording still gives a solid sense of how great this band is live.

Turn it up and enjoy!! If you didn't see them as they came around on this tour - be sure to catch them the next time they come through, and be sure to head over to their MySpace to check out some of the studio tracks from Loyalty to Loyalty.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Every Valley Is Not A Lake
We Used To Vacation
Mexican Dogs
Something Is Not Right With Me

dave monks 03/15/08

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 03:45:00 +0000

Got a chance to see several cool little shows at the SXSW Free Yr Radio Broadcast Corner this year, including She & Him and Dave Monks of Tokyo Police Club playing a spur of the moment (and unexplained) acoustic gig.

Seeing Dave acoustic was a clear contrast to the almost dancey vibe of the full band Tokyo Police Club experience. Though the songs stood strong as acoustic tunes, it was interesting to note how much of texture the band brings to the songs, and at times I found myself singing along with the missing guitar parts.

All in all though that's what I love about SXSW, you never know what you're going to get, but it's going to be special. Check out my favorite track from the session, Tessellate, below.

The good people at the Current were also hanging out broadcasting the whole thing. So if you want more you can listen to the whole show over their site here.

If you'd like some more acoustic Tokyo Police Club check out their recent AOL Spinners session here.

Now as much as I enjoyed the acoustic session, I'm looking forward to seeing the full band opening for Weezer later this month, in support of their new record, Elephant Shell. Check out tracks at their MySpace.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Tessellate

Tour Dates:
Tue-Oct-07, Salt Lake City, UT, E Center
Thu-Oct-09, Portland OR, Memorial Coliseum
Fri-Oct-10, Vancouver, BC, GM Place
Sat-Oct-11, Seattle, WA, Key Arena
Mon-Oct-13, San Jose, CA, Events Center
Tue-Oct-14, Los Angeles, CA, The Forum
Fri-Oct-17, San Diego, CA, Cox Arena
Sat-Oct-18, Phoenix, AZ, Arizona State Fair
Mon-Oct-20, Austin, TX, Frank Erwin Center
Tue-Oct-21, Dallas, TX, Nokia Theater
Thu-Oct-23, Houston, TX, Reliant Arena
Sat-Oct-25, Atlanta, GA, Gwinnett Arena

michael runion 06/06/19

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:15:00 +0000

So (occasionally) I manage to screw up a recording. Yes. It hurts to admit it, but it happens. You set the recording volumes at to high a level, and the recording clips clips clips.

Its probably happened a half dozen times to me. Sometimes you can't help it - the volumes coming across at a certain level, and its too loud. Other times you just manage to get a setting wrong and then you end up kicking yourself for ruining something beautiful.

A couple of years I had the pleasure of seeing Michael Runion and Whispertown in Houston. It was a crazy day in H-town. A massive storm had moved through earlier in the day - submerged vehicles, helicopter rescues, media madness.

We showed up to a show that had been officially canceled, hoping we could convince the bands to play a few songs. Thankfully they decided to play on for the 8 people that decided to show up.

Now I'd seen Whispertown play before, opening for Jenny Lewis in LA, but I don't think I'd ever heard any of Michael Runion's tracks. He opened the show, just him and an acoustic guitar and it was amazing. Unfortunately, when I got home I realized that the Whispertown recording came out perfect, but I'd completely misset the recording levels for Runion and ruined the majority of the show. I'm still kicking myself to this day. The good news is that two of the songs came out and you can check them out below.

After the show I picked up an EP, but on listening to it I realized that it was missing most of my favorite tracks from the show. Since then I've patiently waited for a record to drop. The good news, he recently dropped a new record called 'Our Time Will Come' produced by Jim Fairchild from Grandaddy and featuring a cast of his friends including Rilo Kiley, Jonathan Rice, The Like and Maroon 5.

I've had it on heavy rotation in my car for the last week and it doesn't disappoint. The record features all those songs I had been waiting for, including the singularly beautiful title track. Check it out below, then head over to his MySpace to check out more tracks - be sure to check out Soft Hands, another personal favorite.

Runion's also on tour right now, opening for the lovely Ms Jenny Lewis. Be sure to head out early and check him out.

Studio MP3 MP3s::
Michael Runion - Our Time Will Come

Live MP3 MP3s:
You & Me
Good For A Laugh

Tour Dates:
30th Sep - Variety Playhouse w/JENNY LEWIS, Atlanta, Georgia
1st Oct - Keswick Theatre w/JENNY LEWIS, Glenside, Pennsylvania
2nd Oct - Sixth & I Historic Synagogue w/JENNY LEWIS, Washington DC
3rd Oct - The Grand Opera House w/JENNY LEWIS, Wilmington, Delaware
5th Oct - Shubert Theater w/JENNY LEWIS, New Haven, Connecticut
8th Oct - Cake Shop, New York
9th Oct - The Ninth Ward (at Babeville), Buffalo, New York

counting crows 09/06/08

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 03:30:00 +0000

To quote Adam Duritz from A Long December, "now the days go by so fast."I can't believe its been over 5 years since I saw the Counting Crows (or more accurately Adam and friends) at their secret show at the Shim Sham Club in New Orleans during Jazz Fest.

I can't believe I've been a Crows fan since 1994, since I saw them in the front row at a tiny little club on their first national tour supporting August and Everything After - it was the tour they booked before they realized that Mr Jones was going to blow up all over the radio/MTV, etc. It was amazing and I was hooked forever.

I've seen them more times than I can remember, wandering around the country over the years to see them play shows, on pretty much every tour they've ever had. They've even used one of my photos in one of their CDs. Yes. I love the Crows.

So when they went missing for a few years after their Hard Candy album and subsequent tours, it was with patience that I waited for the band to either pull it back together, or at least for Adam to put out a solo record. The wait was worth it.

The band went out on tour a couple of years ago with John Mayer, then followed it up with the excellent "Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings", a record that evoked a little bit of every era of the Crows.. the singer-songwriter sway of August and Everything After, quite a bit of rock of Recovering the Satellites, a smatter of the studio-production-experimentation of This Desert Life with a dash of pop from Hard Candy.

And as much as I like the records, the live experience is even better. The band never overplays the "new" record, drawing from all albums and always playing crowd favorites. To top it off, they always experiment with the tracks, bringing out something a little different then what was recorded. I remember the first time I saw them I was frustrated that I couldn't sing along to the tracks I knew so well, but after a while the Crows taught me to appreciate bands who brought something different to the live experience. After all, if I just wanted to hear the record, I could pop it into my CD player.

Seeing them with Maroon 5 this last weekend was no different. The band shut the night down and it was pretty much a perfect night for an outdoor show, cool and breezy - something that Dallas doesn't give us that often in the summer.

The band seemed to be in sync with the evening, opting to focus on a more acoustic, pretty set. They played for over an hour - with 2-3 songs from every record, including the singles that everyone in the amphitheater wanted to hear. It was a great way to see one of my favorite bands, with my favorite person, and be reminded of some great times from the last decade and a half. I could tell that about 15k other people felt the same way.

And to complete the concert experience (like you needed more), after you see them you can even buy the show from livecountingcrows.com . The band's posting every show within a few weeks, and you can download them in whatever format you like, lossless or MP3. The band was good enough to let me tape the first few tracks of the set. If you like what you hear - head over to live counting crows and buy the whole set when its released, or one of the shows from earlier in the tour.

If you've never seen the band, take a friend, your girl, your guy, anyone and check them out the next time they come to your town. They're continuing to wander across America for the next month or so, then heading over to the UK for some shows with Ben Folds.

Oh, and get familiar with the records - it's so much better when you can sing along.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Le Ballet d'Or
Omaha
Richard Manuel is Dead

matt keating: live in ft worth

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 03:28:00 +0000

So my bad luck is your good fortune!

Unfortunately I have a prior commitment and can't make it out to Matt Keating show at the Fairmont in Fort Worth this coming Monday (Sept 8th).

The good news is that I'm giving away my tickets to whoever would like them!

First person to email me will have two tickets waiting for them at Will Call! Second person to email me gets a free copy of Matt's new double CD, Quixotic. You can find my email over on the right side of the page, under About Lullabyes or use admin at lullabyes dot net.

I picked Quixotic up about a month ago - its packed full of poppy goodness, in the vein of Elvis Costello. Check out some videos below.

Good luck!
Matt Keating - Runaway Clown (live)

Matt Keating - Saint Cloud

Tour Dates:
September 7 - Hi-Tone Cafe - Memphis, TN
September 8 - The Fairmount - Fort Worth, TX

September 9- Scoot Inn- Austin TX
September 10 - Dan Electro's Guitar Bar - Houston, TX
September 11 - White Water Tavern - Little Rock, AR
September 12- Wonder Root- Atlanta GA
September 13- Common Grounds- Lexington KY
September 14- The Milestone- Charlotte NC
September 15- The Cave- Chapel Hill NC
September 19- NYC Housing Works Benefit- New York NY
September 21 - The Elevens - Northampton, MA
September 22- Hi-Fi Concert Club- Lakewood OH
September 24- The Frequency- Madison WI
September 25- Reggies- Chicago IL
September 26- 400 Bar- Minneapolis MN
September 27 - Sam¹s Saloon - Indianapolis, IN
September 28- Club Café- Pittsburgh PA
October 10 - Java Cabana - Memphis, TN
October 11- House Concert- Little Rock AR
October 23 - CMJ - New York, NY
November 2 - Zuzu's - Beacon, NY
December 6 - Mocha Maya's - Shelburne Falls, MA

shy child & the faint

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:20:00 +0000

Shy Child -

The Faint

white hinterland 03/15/08

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 16:58:00 +0000

Welcome to your weekend (or weekday of your choice if you read this later!). Its been a great week around here, we got to see The Faint & Shy Child on Tuesday (more on that tomorrow) and Cary Piece & Patrick Ryan Clark last night (at a Border's opening no less), and we've got Bitter:Sweet coming up tomorrow.

And for those of you in the Dallas, DFW or North Texas area, don't forget that its KRLD Restaurant Week. A chance for you to take out your loved ones for a lovely 3 or 4 course dinner at some of the best restaurants in the city - and 20% of what you pay goes to charity.

But, enough of the present - here's a lovely little show from Casey Dienel, aka White Hinterland at the Hot Freaks! set at The Mohawk during the SXSW festival from earlier this year.

White Hinterland brought the most creatively-titled and diversely themed songs to this years Hot Freaks show. White Hinterlands fairly difficult to categorrize, but Casey's vocals invoke Regina Spektor and sit atop a bed of electronic piano, bass and drums to create preeminently jazz-flavored ditties. Good stuff - be sure to check out her latest record, Phylactery Factory to hear studio perfect versions of most of these tracks, on if you're in continental Europe, you can see her on tour this October.

Photo Credit: Gorilla vs Bear

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Lindberghs + Metal Birds
The Destruction of the Art Deco House
Dreaming of the Plum Trees
Intro to...
Calliope
Hung on a Thin Thread
Napoleon At Waterloo
Vessels
Outro

Tour Dates:
10/02/08 Dudingen, Switzerland Bad Bonn
10/04/08 Geislingen, Germany Rätschenmühle
10/05/08 Zurich, Switzerland El Lokal
10/06/08 Frankfurt, Germany Mousonturm - Studio
10/07/08 Wien, Austria Szene
10/08/08 Munich, Germany Rote Sonne
10/12/08Berlin, Germany Cafe Zapata
10/13/08 Hamburg, Germnay Knust
10/14/08 Amsterdam, Netherlands Paradiso
10/26/08 Brussels, Belgium Ancienne Belgique

lou reed & moby 03/13/08

noreply@blogger.com (lullabyes) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 22:20:00 +0000

I'm not sure I actually need to write anything about this one, considering the spectacular amount of coverage it received. I've never been a huge Lou Reed fan, but it was crazy cool to see a dozen bands cover his songs, in their own styles, ranging from stripped down acoustic sets, to jam-band stylings, to noise rock.

Nothing beat the finale - seeing the man himself get up on stage, with Moby, to show everyone how it's done, and to play one of his best known tracks. Good times in Austin.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Femme Fatale
Intro to...
Walk On The Wild Side
Outro