Cover Art: Daniel Bressette

Yes, the rumors are true….! We’re pleased to announce the release of the 4th volume in our FREE compilation series (you can find it in the sidebar on the right or by visting our Bandcamp). The compilations were started over two years ago as simply another way to promote the bands that we love and that are working hard for your deserved attention. Most of the acts are bands that we’ve booked around Middle Georgia and the others are either bands that have caught our attention and we hope tour this way or that we’re planning on booking. The best thing about these releases is they’re all FREE just for you! If you haven’t downloaded the previous releases yet, they can be found on the Bandcamp as well. Thanks again for Daniel Bressette for the amazing artwork and to all of the artists that participated in this volume! Help us spread the word by reposting the link to your friends!

TheBlueIndian.com Compilation Vol. 4 Track Listing

1. Threadbare, Brother – “Famine Years”
2. Heyrocco – “Rave Monks”
3. Wowser Bowser – “To The Pleasant Life!”
4. The Milkman’s Union – “Little Bird”
5. Doctor Squid – “RockSolid”
6. Future Self – “People Proof”
7. Trendlenberg - “All That I Can Do”
8. Jon Lindsay – “Number Every Summer”
9. River Whyless – “Pigeon Feathers”
10. Virgins – “Red Green Blue”
11. Lera Lynn – “Ring of Fire”
12. The Aviation Orange – “Ingenuous Us”
13. Faun and A Pan Flute – “Sunset Dolphin Boat Ride ’98″
14. Team Swedish – “Lemon & Basil”
15. Last Year’s Men – “Paralyzed”
16. Lushlife – “Big Sur”
17. Amy Godwin – “To James, Lost At Sea (Live)”
18. Trufflelina – “Hard Times”
19. Deadhorse – “No Particular Night or Morning”

© The Blue Indian, 2012. | Permalink
Post tags: Amy Godwin, deadhorse, doctor squid, faun and a pan flute, free download, future self, heyrocco, jon lindsay, Last Year's Men, Lera Lynn, lushlife, River Whyless, team swedish, the aviation orange, The Milkmans Union, TheBlueIndian.com Compilation, treadbare brother, trufflelina, virgins, volume 4, Wowser Bowser

Listening in Season: Bowerbirds at The Earl

In certain culinary spheres, there is no small amount of emphasis placed on timely consumption. Food grows in particular months for particular reasons – an ultimately emblematic (at the very least) display of the shift and cyclical nature of the environment and its relationship to us. And on a clear Sunday night, as Raleigh, North Carolina’s Bowerbirds began their set on the dark stage of The EARL, with a burnished nylon-stringed guitar and a mini-string section, they seemed to provide a fitting aural analogue to this idea: a show entirely too appropriate for a cold spring night, music for the time being.

Let’s be clear right here at the beginning. Bowerbirds recently released third album, The Clearing, stands in sharp contrast to its sparsely ruminating, almost solely acoustic forebears Hymns for a Dark Horse and Upper Air. This is due mostly to instrumentation (i.e. there are electric guitars on it, in addition to strings and atmospheric keyboards). Also, its writing is more immersive and vast, its tone more diverse, its lyrics farther reaching. Naturally, their set consisted primarily of this new material punctuated by the occasional old song (Hooves, In Your Talons, House of Diamonds) just to assure the audience that they are still capable of being still and plaintive.

Reassuringly, those old songs retain their glistening opacity and fado-like lilt, but their textural and aching simplicity belies the bigger picture – Bowerbirds sound dangerously close to becoming a rock band. Chalk it up to the sinuous and inventive drumming of Yan Westerlund or the bristling counterpoint of the new material but, at times, on songs like This Year and Brave World and Hush, the final product draws more parallels to, say, the unclassifiable soundscapes of Tortoise and propulsive/pristine chaos of Shearwater than the immaculate folk of Alela Diane or Diane Cluck.

If you are finding yourself able to form the assumption that this band has shifted their focus somewhat, you’d be correct in this. There were guitar solos, keyboard ostinatos, moments of glorious sparking noise and, again, the drumming, which I really cannot stress the quality of enough. It is well-struck, churning and propulsive, a massively elegant addition to the new expanded lineup. Yes, Bowerbirds have changed. However, only the most obstinate fans of Hymns for… should be concerned with this, the new tunes and their live execution were wondrous, filling the dark corners of The EARL with a boisterous and much appreciated warmth. The audience (surprisingly good for a Sunday night) almost immediately called for an encore, hoping for one more song, one more emboldened statement, before walking back out into the darkness.

Bowerbirds – “This Year” (Dead Oceans 10,000 Takes Session)

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Post tags:

We’ve been honored to have such a talented lineup of bands of our Band of the Month series. The series is definitely something we should have started last year but nonetheless, we’ve been able to speak with bands that we’ve been able to watch grow over the past months and it’s a pleasure being able to work with them. Just in case you missed:

January 2012 – CUSSES
Feburary 2012 – OF MONSTERS AND MEN
March 2012 – EXITMUSIC
April 2012 – YOUNG BENJAMIN

TBI’s Band of the Month: ALL TINY CREATURES

Photo by: Chris Rosenau

All Tiny Creatures, the Madison, WI based quartet, introduce vocals on Harbors, adding a new dimension to their sound as well as to their entire creative process. As songs began to take shape, they were shared with a close (and very talented) group of friends. These were instruments that could talk back. Joining All Tiny Creatures vocalists Thomas Wincek and Andrew Fitzpatrick are Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), Roberto Carlos Lange (Helado Negro & Epstein), Phil Cook, Brad Cook, and Joe Westerlund (Megafaun), Ryan Olcott (12 Rods, Mystery Palace), Matthew Byars (The Caribbean), and Jennifer Fitzpatrick (a scientist and Andrew’s wife).

This mix of control and community is audibly liberating, balancing what it means to take the primitive urge of music and to push it through machines. The result is just downright beautiful. All Tiny Creatures captures the mood of a sunrise, the hum of a factory line, and the swirl inside your mind, all at once. Harbors honors a whole era of musical history, and, as you nod your head to the beat, writes a new chapter, all its own. This is truly modern music.” – Sarah Padgett Heathcott

TBI (Sean Pritchard): First things, thanks for taking the time to chat with us. Where are you all at right now?

ATC (Andrew Fitzpatrick): No problem. Right now we’re all at our respective homes in southern Wisconsin. We flew back from Portland last week.

TBI: You all just finished a string of dates on the West Coast with your good friend Justin Vernon and the Bon Iver crew. What  can you tell us about the tour?

ATC: The tour was great. We’ve been trying to book a West Coast tour for a while now, and it felt really good to finally get out there.  The Bon Iver shows were nuts — really big rock n’ roll concerts. Certainly the biggest we’ve played thus far. The shows went really well, and we had fun hanging out with the whole BI crew… such a great group of people. We managed to book several other (non-BI) shows as well, so we tried to make the most of it. San Diego and Eugene were definite highlights… we played with Damien Jurado and Peter Wolf Crier in San Diego, which was an awesome show. And we played a house show in Eugene toward the end of the tour… it was probably the funnest show we’ve ever played.

TBI: I read that Vernon has been collaborating with Thomas [Wincek] and a few other close friends for the Volcano Choir recordings since 2005. Is the band’s relationship with him a product of a closely knit community in Wisconsin or does it predate the days of playing music and writing together?

ATC: Tom, Justin, and I (Andy) all met a couple years before that when we were living in Eau Claire, WI. Tom was collaborating with Justin’s then-DeYarmond Edison bandmates Brad Cook and Joe Westerlund at the time.

TBI: It seems that you all truly enjoy your craft and as a result, have wound up working with multiple groups as well as your own personal writing. 2011 marked the release of your first full length album, a practically unanimously well received collection titled Harbors. The album features a collaboration with Vernon that stands out but is easily no better than the other tracks. What were the band’s methods for how the record was written and recorded?

Photo by: Chris Rosenau

ATC: A few of the songs were written by Tom around the same time as the material on our Segni EP, before the band was fully formed. For the other songs, we would come up with a melody or loop of some sort, and then develop or deconstruct that idea into something else. Some of the songs are based on guitar loops that Tom or I created, which were then micro-edited into completely different melodic and rhythmic contexts. Pretty much all of the guitars, keyboards, and synthesizers were recorded at Tom’s house or my house, and the drums were recorded at the Tannery Recording Studio in Milwaukee. We managed to convince some of our friends (including Justin) to record and send us vocal tracks for some of the songs; Tom handled the leftover vocals.

TBI: The record has been out for just over a year now. Has the response you all have seen been entirely favorable and are you happy with the way things have progressed thus far?

ATC: Yes, we’ve been happy with the reaction to the record, especially considering it’s our first LP. Things seem to be progressing pretty well.

TBI: What can you tell us about the musical community in Wisconsin, specifically where you all are from? I know that Garbage and The Promise Ring are from the state and that country music is a pretty big deal, but other than that I’m somewhat clueless.

ATC: There’s lots of different stuff going on in Madison, which is basically our home base. Pretty much every part of the musical spectrum seems to be represented on some level or another. As far as heritage, Madison’s had its fair share of musical heavyweights… Killdozer called Madison home, renowned jazz bassist Richard Davis has taught at UW-Madison for many years, James Brown’s drummer Clive Stubblefield has lived in Madison for a long time, Art Ensemble of Chicago co-founder Roscoe Mitchell lived in the Madison area until recently… and there’s a rumor that Steve Miller and Boz Scaggs were roommates at UW-Madison in the 60s.

TBI: Like Daredevil Christopher Wright or Bon Iver, do you all feel that the surroundings where you wrote and recorded the record had a direct impact on the content you produced? Did you all go into the studio with someone or wind up recording and producing it yourselves?

Photo by: Evan Benner

ATC: We wrote and recorded most of Harbors at home, so I suppose the comfort of being at home helped create an environment that somehow had an effect on the music we made. And this is just a hunch, but the fact that we experience extreme versions of all four seasons in this part of the country probably has some sort of impact on the music we make… things are always changing, but there are definite patterns and cycles. And yes, we recorded / produced / mixed the album ourselves.

TBI: What Wisconsin-based artists would you suggest our staff and readers to look into?

ATC: Rain Drinkers, Julian Lynch, Golden Donna, Northless, Altos, Control, Icarus Himself, Josh Franke, Drunjus, Matt Monsoor, Field Report, Spiral Joy Band… definitely forgetting a bunch.

TBI: What does the band have planned for the next few months? Is there potential for East Coast/Mid-West tour dates?

ATC: We don’t have too much going on in the next few months, aside from a couple one-off shows in the Midwest. We just finished recording our second LP, so it’ll be a little bit until that’s released. I’d say there’s definitely potential for fall touring in the Midwest and on the East Coast.

TBI: Lastly, if we could ever expect you all to cover an entire album, what would some of the top contenders be?

ATC: Potential top contenders: North Star by Philip Glass, Fernwärme by Michael Rother, Hysteria by Def Leppard, Love You by The Beach Boys.

TBI: Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to all this. Hope to see you all in the South soon.

ATC: Absolutely. Hope to be visiting the South soon.

ALL TINY CREATURES – “AN ISIS”

© The Blue Indian, 2012. | Permalink
Post tags: all tiny creatures, band of the month, Bon Iver, Damien Jurado, home tapes, madison, may 2012, mid west, volcano choir, west coast, wisconsin

We’ve been looking forward to Nelsonville for quite some time now. We were made aware of the festival by one of our writers who also works at ACRN, Ohio University’s radio station, and we felt like we had to get up there and see what everything is about so this year we’re making the trek. Set in the beautiful Nelsonville, Ohio, the festival has evolved from a one day arts and crafts fest in 2005 to a full-fledged music, arts and crafts extravaganza. Last year the festival was proud to feature The Flaming Lips, George Jones and Neko Case as their headliners, with over 30+ touring acts from around the country. This year, they’ve outdone themselves as Andrew Bird, Iron & Wine, Guided By Voices and Roky Erikson take the stage alongside a healthy support lineup. I decided I would pick out the 10 bands (obviously not the headlining acts) that I recommend anyone attending should see and why. Hurry and purchase your tickets while they’re still on sale and hope to see you there!

DAWES – I have at least a dozen reasons why you don’t want to miss a set by these gents but we’ll shorten our list so you can get back to meme-ing. 1) After meeting famed Nashvillian Jonny Corndawg and his outfit, they teamed up to create CORNDAWES, an aptly named supergroup (I’ll go ahead and say it) who has churned out some of the best “dad-country” I’ve ever heard. 2) Brothers make better music, at least 99% of the time. 3) They played with Jackson Browne at Occupy Wall Street. 4) Call me biased, but I’m a big fan of just about every single record that ATO puts out. Their most recent, Nothing Is Wrong, has been on repeat at my apartment for some time now. 5) They opening for The Flaming Lips, Young The Giant and AWOLNATION in Atlanta later this month so….SUNDAY, MAY 20th

KURT VILE & THE VIOLATERS – I am a huge fan of The War on Drugs. Naturally, I felt like I had been living under a rock when someone brought to my attention that Kurt Vile was the founding member of the band but then everything made sense. Whether playing solo or with his backing band, Vile has been winning over audiences around the county on his past tours and is currently out on the road with Sonic Youth front man Thurston Moore. This seems to be Middle America’s only chance to see the guys before they head over to Europe. I’m excited. FRIDAY, MAY 18th

DARK DARK DARK – Dark Dark Dark came to me in the form of a mix CD a friend made last year. Given that there is a constant shuffle in the music that I’m playing and reviewing, I find myself occasionally lacking the time to just sit and put an album on repeat but after hearing the track “Day Dreaming”. I immediately purchased their EP Wild Go, along with their two previous full lengths and put a hold on the albums I was reviewing and sent it off tour one of the site’s writers who eventually fell in love with the band too. Now if only they would tour the South with Lost in the Trees…SATURDAY, MAY 19th

SALLIE FORD & THE SOUND OUTSIDE – The Portland-via-Asheville transplant seems to have been making quite a stir on the Best Coast. Sallie and her band, the Sound Outside, have been buzz worthy since 2009 when the Avett Brothers adoringly put them on two of their shows in Portland, only to eventually have them open a string of West Coast dates. As she and the band expanded their reach, they wound up back down South playing sold-out dates throughout Appalachia that culminated in a sold out New Year’s Eve show with The Avetts and Langhorne Slim. She’s a tough, no-nonsense woman that has no problem alternating between foot stomping rounds and sultry love songs. SATURDAY, MAY 19th

SHOVELS & ROPE – Again, this could be another example of my bias towards the sounds of the South, but the married musical duo that is Shovels & Rope are easily two of the hardest working, most talented people on the road right now. I can’t honestly remember a time in the past few years when they haven’t been crisscrossing the country playing sets everywhere from the in the middle of a bayou to theatres to festival stages. They recently came through Macon and charmed the audience once again with their flawless, signature twang. With a new album and documentary on the way, I can only expect it’s going to be a bright year. Think Johnny & June. SATURDAY, MAY 19th & SUNDAY, MAY 20th

BLACK BANANAS – I think the main reason why I’m excited to see Black Bananas (formerly RTX) is that I’ve never seen Black Bananas. As redundant as that sounds, I can only imagine their live set is overflowing with the intensity found in the video for their track “My House” and it’s going to be unlike anything I’ve been a part of before. The first thing I could think of was “Sleigh Bells’ older, raunchier siblings” and while comparisons don’t really do a band justice, I don’t think I’ll be able to describe them justly until I am a part of the madness that Jennifer Herrema and her band brings.  And I thought I had Allison Mosshart had me won over.. FRIDAY, MAY 18th

MOUNT MORIAH – Luke (TheBlueIndian.com’s founder) introduced me to this band back in 2010 when he featured them with nothing more than a short snippet about how much he had been enjoying them and was hoping their lineup changes would not be the eventual death of the band. Fast forward to the end of 2011 and longtime writer Chris Breslin had the band’s self-titled release as his #4 personal favorite album of the year. Heather McIntrye’s soulful vocals have a way of floating throughout the record despite their weight. SUNDAY, MAY 20th

SHIVERING TIMBERS – I guess the fact that Dan Auerbach decided to produce this Akron based duos record has got to mean a lot. The married couple of Sarah & Jayson Benn, who are occasionally joined by a friend to play drums, have built up an immense statewide following through a dedicated touring schedule and fans love of their 2010 debut We All Started In The Same Place. Ever since hearing hearing Amy LaVere’s NPR sessions, I’ve been a big fan of upright bass in this style of music so I can imagine I’m in for a treat. See you there? SATURDAY, MAY 19th

SPORT FISHING USA – I think if I were to ever have a band, I’d want a name like this. I noticed they were originally from Yellow Springs, a small, eclectic community I stopped in last year, so I figured I would look into them. Oddly enough, they’ve got the exact sound that I would imagine coming from a group of guys who have grown up there. The Yellow Springs news described them perfectly: “Neil Young without the brooding and instead the sharp vocals of Neutral Milk Hotel, perky drums and a Korg keyboard”. SATURDAY, MAY 19th

ANGELA PERLEY & THE HOWLIN’ MOONS – The Ohio based foursome, led by singer & songwriter Angela Perley, are sure to start off the festival in proper fashion. She and her crew will be kicking things off Thursday night for a pre-party that’s FREE to the general public, along with 4-5 other bands. With influences from Lucinda Williams to Wanda Jackson, it’s going to be a fun time. THURSDAY, MAY 18th

© The Blue Indian, 2012. | Permalink
Post tags: andrew bird, guided by voices, Iron & Wine, music festival, nelsonville music festival, ohio

Tuesday, May 1st

Woods w/ Mmoss + Reverends @ 529 – ATLANTA
Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears w/ The Preservation @ The EARL – ATLANTA
Gospel Music w/ Noel Stephen & The Darlings + Tracer Metula @ Drunken Unicorn – ATLANTA
Is/Is w/ Kater Mass, Argonauts + Abby Go Go @ Caledonia Lounge – ATHENS

Wednesday, May 2nd

Reptar w/ Adron + Fawn and a Pan Flute @ The Goat Farm – ATLANTA
The Weeknd @ Center Stage – ATLANTA
sunDollars w/ Travis Denning @ The Hummingbird – MACON
The Mad Flight w/ Spirits & The Melchizedek Children + New Animal @ The EARL – ATLANTA

Thursday, May 3rd

The Joy Kills @ Smith’s Old Bar – ATLANTA
WoolFolk w/ Alec Stanley @ The Hummingbird – MACON
Hanni El Khatib w/ Sundelles + Shephards @ The EARL – ATLANTA
Nick Lowe & His Band w/ Tift Merritt @ Variety Playhouse – ATLANTA
Racebannon w/ Order of the Owl + Rapteous Grief @ Drunken Unicorn – ATLANTA
Dead Confederate w/ Room Runner + Thayer Sarrano @ Caledonia Lounge – ATHENS
Steve Earl w/ The Mastersons @ Georgia Theatre – ATHENS
Hope For aGolden Summer w/ Shaun Piazza @ Sky City – AUGUSTA

Friday, May 4th

Soylent Red w/ The Bears of Blue River + Quiet Hours @ Drunken Unicorn – ATLANTA
Five Eight w/ Damon Moon & The Whispering Drifters + Places @ The EARL – ATLANTA
Man Ray w/ Hammer No More The Fingers, Baby Baby + Room Runner @ 529 – ATLANTA
Reptar w/ Grape Soda + Grass Giraffes @ 40 Watt – ATHENS
Triathalon w/ CUSSES + Aurora @ No Control – SAVANNAH
The Vineyard w/ Trendlenberg @ Roasted Cafe & Lounge – MACON 

Saturday, May 5th

CINCO DE MAYO STREET PARTY w/ Modern Skirts, Wowser Bowser, sunDollars + Whoa Bro! @ Mercer Village – MACON
JK & The Lost Boys @ Tin Lizzy’s Cantina – ATLANTA
Ingrid Mitchaelson w/ Scars on 45 @ Variety Playhouse – ATLANTA
Nigredo w/ Trioscapes, Scarab + Hrvrd @ Drunken Unicorn – ATLANTA
Man Ray w/ Hammer No More The Fingers + Life Coach @ Caledonia Lounge – ATHENS
Faun & A Pan Flute w/ Xavii + Red Sea @ Roasted Cafe & Lounge – MACON 

Sunday, May 6th

Floco Torres w/ Lushlife + Cities Aviv @ Roasted Cafe & Lounge – MACON
Joel Hamilton @ The EARL – ATLANTA
The Strange Boys w/ William Tyler + Cops @ The EARL – ATLANTA

Monday, May 7th

Active Child w/ Balam Acab + Superhumanoids @ The EARL – ATLANTA
Acid Mothers Temple w/ The Phantom Family Halo, Scaffolds + Clang Quartet @ Drunken Unicorn – ATLANTA
Screaming Females w/ Grass Giraffes + Outer Spaces @ Caledonia Lounge – ATHENS

Tuesday, May 8th

Vandaveer w/ Ruby Kendrick @ Caledonia Lounge – ATHENS

Wednesday, May 9th

Vandaveer w/ Richard Parsons + The Meek Family @ The EARL – ATLANTA
The Suex Effect @ The Hummingbird – MACON
White Suns w/ Death Domain + Matt Owen & The Electric Tuba @ Drunken Unicorn – ATLANTA

Thursday, May 10th

Baby Baby w/ The Winter Sounds, Seedy Seeds + Slowriter @ The Vinyl – ATLANTA

Friday, May 11th

Matthew Mayfield w/ David Ramirez @ The Vinyl – ATLANTA
The Deep Dark Woods w/ Book Club + Joe McGuinnes @ The EARL – ATLANTA
Antbrain w/ Moon Brain + Vyie @ Drunken Unicorn – ATLANTA
White Violet w/ The Lanes + Sleep Dance @ Caledonia Lounge – ATHENS

Saturday, May 12th

Book of Colors w/ River Whyless + Lily & The Tigers @ Drunken Unicorn – ATLANTA
Beach House w/ Zornes @ Georgia Theatre – ATHENS
Modern Skirts w/ Ponderosa @ Sky City – AUGUSTA

Sunday, May 13th

SECOND SUNDAY IN THE PARK w/ The Rocketboys @ Washington Park – MACON
Thrice w/ Animals as Leaders + O’Brother @ The Masquerade – ATLANTA
Ponderosa @ Steney-Stover Chapel – ATHENS

Monday, May 14th

M83 w/ I Break Horses @ The Masquerade – ATLANTA

Tuesday, May 15th

Black Taxi @ Georgia Theatre Rooftop – ATHENS

Wednesday, May 16th

The Milk Carton Kids w/ Molly Parden @ Eddie’s Attic – ATLANTA
The Rocketboys w/ Hotel War @ The Hummingbird – MACON
Parallels w/ Sonen + Ghost Party @ Drunken Unicorn – ATLANTA
Sleeper Agent w/ Turf War + Shehehe @ Caledonia Lounge – ATHENS
M. Ward w/ Lee Ranaldo @ Georgia Theatre – ATHENS

Thursday, May 17th

Horse Feathers w/ Mount Moriah + Matt Bauer @ The EARL – ATLANTA
Betsy Franck & The Bareknuckle Band @ The Hummingbird – MACON
Dark Dark Dark w/ Back Pockets + Christ, Lord @ 529 – ATLANTA
Unknown Hinson @ The Melting Point – ATHENS

Friday, May 18th

Unknown Hinson w/ Syrens of the South @ The EARL – ATLANTA
Takenobu w/ The Starling Family + Virginia Plane @ Drunken Unicorn – ATLANTA
1,2,3 w/ Wowser Bowser, Qurious, White Life + Mediocre Machines @ 529 – ATLANTA
Heartless Bastards w/ These United States + Carnivores @ 40 Watt – ATHENS

Saturday, May 19th

The Donkeys w/ Buxton + The Long Shadows @ The EARL – ATLANTA
St. Vincent w/ Shearwater @ Variety Playhouse – ATLANTA
Party in the Park w/ The Flaming Lips, Young the Giant, AwolNation, Dawes + Ponderosa @ Olympic Park – ATLANTA
Baby Baby @ Sky City – AUGUSTA

Sunday, May 20th

Ty Segall w/ White Fence + Carnivores @ The EARL – ATLANTA
Gorgol Bodello w/ Devil Makes Three @ Variety Playhouse – ATLANTA

Monday, May 21st

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros @ The Tabernacle – ATLANTA

Tuesday, May 22nd

Penguin Prision w/ Class Actress + Sealions @ The EARL – ATLANTA
Lucero w/ Dead Confederate @ Georgia Theatre – ATHENS

Wednesday, May 23rd

Damien Jurado w/ JBM + Ben Trickey @ The EARL – ATLANTA
Zach Michaud & The Washington Boys @ The Hummingbird – MACON
In It For The Chicks w/ Tealvox + Bisoux @ Drunken Unicorn – ATLANTA
Pierced Arrows w/ Don’t, Abby Go Go + Black Lodge @ 529 – ATLANTA

Thursday, May 24th

Lingo @ The Hummingbird – MACON
Old You w/ Dr. Bread @ Sky City – AUGUSTA

Friday, May 25th

Maps & Atlases w/ The Big Sleep + Sister Crayon @ The EARL – ATLANTA
Great Lake Swimmers w/ Cold Specks @ Variety Playhouse – ATLANTA
New Kingston w/ Grand Prize Winners From Last Year @ Drunken Unicorn – ATLANTA
OBN’s III w/ WYMYNS PRYSYN, Dino’s Boys + Reson @ 529 – ATLANTA

Saturday, May 26th

The Gills w/ Baby Baby + Chris Staples @ Drunken Unicorn – ATLANTA
Gentleman Jessie & His Men w/ Barrerracudas + Vincas @ 529 – ATLANTA

Monday, May 28th

Suckers w/ Devin + Sleepy Genes @ The EARL – ATLANTA

Tuesday, May 29th

Rocky Votolato w/ CALLmeKAT @ Drunken Unicorn – ATLANTA

Wednesday, May 30th

Corner Kid w/ England in 1819 + Nobra Nora @ Drunken Unicorn – ATLANTA

© The Blue Indian, 2012. | Permalink
Post tags: all around georgia, Atlanta, bands, Indie, may, savannah, shows, The Earl

I met Josh Foster almost four years ago. I was on the road with All Get Out and had been helping them out with booking shows and through one way or another, we wound up sharing the stage with his (recently) defunct group, Parachute Musical. While their melodic, piano-based pop rock wasn’t entirely up my alley, the band certainly knew what they were doing and how to do it right.

Over the next few years, Foster and his bandmates developed a uniquely strong bond with the city and people of Macon. Shows came and passed and I honestly became surprised with the number of Parachute Musical shirts I would see on any given weekend, but the band ultimately came to the decision that they had done what they had originally set out to do and felt that it was time to go their own ways.

Clearly, the emotion and sentiments that Foster evoked resounded through the city, as he was recently invited back to Mercer University’s Bearstock 2012 to perform a set of songs from his upcoming solo record. Maybe you’ll recognize the rooftop setting from our Alley session with The Front Bottoms. We hope you enjoy!

- Sean Pritchard

Josh Foster – “Happy in Tennessee”

Josh Foster – “The Girl You’re Trying to Be”

Josh Foster – “Tired of This Motel”

© The Blue Indian, 2012. | Permalink
Post tags: 2012, Bearstock, foster, georgia, josh, Macon, Nashville, Parachute Musical

Over the course of her three albums, Sharon Van Etten‘s sound has progressively grown lusher and louder. Fans were a bit surprised when her 2010 album Epic featured a full band and stood in stark contrast to the more intimate collection of songs on her debut Because I Was In Love (2009). Her latest release Tramp continues to expand the instrumentation on her records, but manages to keep her powerful vocals front and center.

With a backing band of three, Van Etten’s show at Atlanta’s The Earl focused on that fuller sound she has moved towards since her debut. In fact, nearly the entire set was played loud and full of energy – a vibe she looked completely comfortable in.

During the first tuning, back-up vocalist and keyboardist Heather Woods Broderick mentioned that the band had been watching Saturday Night Fever backstage before the show. That led to a full discussion with the crowd about John Travolta’s 1970s sex appeal and acting chops. With fans shouting out names of Travolta films, Van Etten laughed and thanked the audience for making her feel at ease on stage.

From that point on the show was a conversation. Not just in the ongoing banter between songs, but the songs themselves. The singer was actively engaged with her fans – more than a performer on stage in a world of her own. As a result, she had a captive audience during the raucous jams as well as the quiet, spellbinding moments when it was her and her acoustic guitar.

Mid-set, she gave the band a break and, at an audience member’s request, performed “A Crime” from Epic. The video of that song is below followed by a photo gallery and set list.

Sharon Van Etten – “A Crime” – Live in Atlanta 04/25/12

Setlist – The Earl, Atlanta, GA 04/25/2012

All I Can
Warsaw
Peace Sign
Kevin’s
Magic Chords
Don’t Do It
Give Out
In Line
A Crime (solo)
Leonard
Serpents
I’m Wrong
Joke or a Lie
Save Yourself (encore)
Love More (encore)

© The Blue Indian, 2012. | Permalink
Post tags: Doug Keith, Heather Woods Broderick, Zeke Hutchins

Have you ever discounted a musician before you’ve really given him or her a good, thoughtful listen?

I’ve done it a few times. Probably several, actually. I remember being 14 when Coldplay’s “Yellow” music vid was making its rounds on MTV. I hated that song. Hated that band. Hated everything British and gooey and achy about that song.

Then, I gave them more attention. I loved them. I drank the Coldplay Kool-Aid for years, and still sip it occasionally (Not gonna lie, though, Mylo Xyloto kind of freaks me out in some spots).

I digress–My story: Sunday night I felt like I needed some music and Eddie’s Attic is not only a sacred place in Atlanta, it’s also a wonderful place to catch good talent. It’s not always for jamming or socializing, but good music and good people abound.

I checked the calendar and Erick Baker was playing–I previewed a video of his music and it was good so I figured why not (side note: his performance turned out to be incredible). Liz Longley was his opener, so I clicked forward to her site to see what she was all about. The first song I played was a tinge too country, so… moral of my last four paragraphs, I discounted her music. I was sure she’d be a pleasure to listen to (just like you say your friend’s new boyfriend is “nice”), but nothing I’d stay totally in tune with.

I. WAS. WRONG. And it wasn’t the first time, nor will it be the last (If you’ve read any of my previous work on here, you’d be inclined to agree with that statement).

I had no intentions of writing a show review about her (thus why there’s only one instagram photo of the show!) but I couldn’t help myself. Longley is as cute as she is fierce on the small stage. She’d give any girl in the singer/songwriter vein a run for her money. At 24, she shows her age and it’s the second best thing about her music, next to her actual voice. Her songs live squarely in these moments as they happen around her without sounding long and drawn out.

A largely acoustic set, there’s a heavy hand of angst, but her music is unpretentious and sweeps you up by the time she’s on her second song. Longley effortlessly hits deep and rich notes that sound drawn from an oak barrel and then just as easily wraps the song up tightly in sweet, soulful punches of crooning and harmonizing. And man, can she hit the high notes.

Her set included “Unraveling,” an aching song about her grandmother’s struggle with Alzheimer’s and “Avery,” a slightly comical story about an unmet touring partner who leaves her high and dry on the road (knock on wood, this won’t happen to her). “Bad Habit” felt like one of her more narrative songs, a little more country, and slow in its start but stronger towards its end.

Longley’s six song set varied a bit, both in tempo and lyrical quality, but her voice was astounding throughout. What draws me to her is the same affection I have for the voices of Blue Indian regulars like Molly Parden and Amy Godwin. This uncanny ability to overwhelm a room without forcing a single word or sound.

She finished up the night with “Skin and Bones,” the byproduct of a long story about someone who cheated on someone, which shined as true bluegrass embodied in the sugar, sour and fiery tempo that invokes an entire room to be pushed and pulled by Longley’s every note. Depth was added to the song (and the entire set) by her boyfriend, Gus Berry (props, Gus!). The song wrapped with Longley pounding her fist against the guitar, thudding out a hollow backbeat under her unapologetic voice, singing, “Well you got what you wanted, was it worth the cost? The fire is burning now, look at all you’ve lost.”

Truthfully, for all the seriousness about Longley’s music, she is funny as hell. Which, to her credit, means she’ll be able to sing about this stuff for a long time to come. It’s a special thing to catch artists when they’re just starting out. We love that here at TBI, and you’d be foolish not to give her a listen.

© The Blue Indian, 2012. | Permalink
Post tags: eddie's attic

Say “hello” to Kye Kye. We recently caught up with the Portland, Oregon based act during their tour with John Mark McMillan to chat about God, sushi, and a new album.

TBI: For our readers that may have never been acquainted with Kye Kye, how would you introduce yourselves?

KK: We are a 4 piece band out of the Portland, OR. area. Olga (guitar and vocals), Tim (vocals, keys, guitar), Alex (Keys), Tommy (Drums).

Hope you get a chance to listen. Thank you for listening.

TBI: What is the story behind the name “Kye Kye?”

KK: We had been writing music under a different band name and then a few years ago we went through an extreme change, it was basically a kind of spiritual awakening and we truly believe that we have discovered the meaning and purpose of life and so we thought is was appropriate to change the name of the band. We were on our way down to LA to get into the studio for tracking our album “Young Love” and spent the night at a friends house. It was there that the name ‘Kye Kye’ came up in a conversation. All of us just looked at each other and knew something felt right about it. Kye (technically spelled chi) is part of a symbol the early church used that represented Christ. The symbol/letter used was an X. thats why people write Xmas.

TBI: What would you say influences your writing the most?

KK: Grace. Understanding that all that we have we don’t deserve … salvation, relationships, music, life, and everything else in between.

That we are given this gift of relationship with the creator of the universe just blows our mind daily. Understanding this allows us to freely receive Gods creativity as a gift not based on anything that we could ever offer. We really truly believe that anyone who understands this can convey some of the most beautiful expressions of art.

We also think that there are artists out there who are genuinely searching for truth… sometimes in the wrong places. Nonetheless the genuine search for truth is something we connect to. We believe that people who are searching are more sensitive to Gods voice which is trying to lead them to Him, and so in the midst of this, art is created. We think most people can sense this — it moves you, causes certain emotions to stir up — its what we normally call good/honest music. Music like that inspires and influences us.

TBI: What do you enjoy most about touring with our good friend, John Mark McMillan?

KK: A few things, one of them is just getting to know John Mark better. We love what he writes and how he writes it. And we also love that he is focusing on building relationships with people to help build up this body that we are all a part of. You don’t see that very much today and we are super excited to go on tour with someone that has that as a priority. Another thing is playing to the specific target market that follows John Mark. We believe that though stylistically the music might be a bit different, the heart in which it was written is similar and so we really feel that our music will crossover to John Mark’s audience quite well.

TBI:Tell us a little about Come & Live, how did you get connected with those guys?

KK: Initially we had heard about what Chad was doing from a good friend of ours. We were so stoked about other musicians who had the same heart for God and music that we started supporting them. We eventually connected over email and then over the phone and ended up playing on their stage at Cornerstone Festival 2011. Later that led into our current relationship with them, in which we have partnered as a friend of Come and Live. And we are so blessed to be involved in the movement they are creating.

TBI: What have you guys been listening to these days?
KK: (Olga) Ha Hmm that question always gets me. You’re always listening to something. Well i guess these last few days have been:

Washed out
Tycho
Polica
Beach house
Active Child
Hammock
Jonsi and Alex
Gotye

Thats been on my week’s playlist :)

TBI: What can we look forward to from Kye Kye in 2012? Any exciting plans?

KK: We just released our remix ep about a week ago or so AND are currently working on bits and pieces for a new album which we are extremely stoked and excited about. It has so many warmer vibes and colors yet still Kye Kye! I mean it’s been quite a while since the last record was recorded so things have been maturing and changing and I think in all the good ways.

TBI: Where can our readers get their hands on your music or perhaps a t-shirt?

KK: All of our music is on good ol iTunes and we have an online store as well, where you can buy a physical copy of our Cds, T-shirts, posters, etc.

You could also download a few songs for free from Come&Live!

TBI: Finally, if you could have dinner with anyone, from any time, who would it be and what would you have?
KK: (Olga) Anthony Hopkins and I would have a medium rare steak with Garlic cheesy red mashed potatoes and asparagus.

(Tim) Beethoven in his 20′s. Sushi.

(Alex) Apostle Paul. Backyard BBQ.

(Tommy) C.S Lewis. Pad thai.

TBI: Thanks!
KK: Thank you so much!

© The Blue Indian, 2012. | Permalink
Post tags: John Mark McMillan, Kye Kye

SVIIB is currently touring the US in support of their third (fantastic) studio album Ghostory. They’re about to head into the last leg of the tour and head back east after wrapping up a stretch up the West Coast.

They’re accompanied by opening act Exitmusic (photos and video of them here) and you can still catch them at these upcoming shows:

04/23/12 Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
04/24/12 Vancouver, BC – Electric Owl
04/27/12 Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock Social Club
04/28/12 Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
04/29/12 Bloomington, IN – The Bishop
04/30/12 Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
05/05/12 New York, NY – LPR

Here are some photos of School of Seven Bells performing earlier on the tour at Atlanta’s The Earl.

© The Blue Indian, 2012. | Permalink
Post tags: Atlanta, concert, SVIIB

This past month, our photographer/videographer William Haun left us for two weeks to travel to the Middle East. He was there working on a documentary series project. William has shot all of our Acoustic Alley videos to date so we weren’t expecting any for the month.

The last thing we expected was to receive this message and photo from him while he was away telling us that he’d just shot an Acoustic Alley in Israel… on a boat… in the Sea of Galilee.

Dory Snir is captain of a tour boat that has taken thousands and thousands of visitors to Galilee across the region’s famous “sea.” What many of the tourists don’t realize is that Dory is also a talented musician who made a name for himself in Israel a few years back with his band Hava Nagilla.

In 2007, the group released an album that consisted of traditional Jewish folk songs with a contemporary twist. Dory produced the album and did all the musical arrangements adding electric guitar and dance beats.

Virtually every tourist gift shop in the Galilean area sells the album and much to Dory’s surprise the music really resonated with Eastern Europeans. As a result, every year he tours to sold out crowds in Eastern Europe.

For our video he plays the first verse of “Yedid Nefesh” a traditional Shabbat song sung by many Jews during Seudah Shlishit (the third Sabbath meal on Saturday before nightfall). The lyrics are translated as:

Beloved of the soul, Compassionate Father,
draw Your servant to Your Will;
then Your servant will hurry like a hart
to bow before Your majesty;
to him Your friendship will be sweeter
than the dripping of the honeycomb and any taste.

Below the video you’ll find a photo gallery of images from and of Dory Snir’s boat “King David” on the Sea of Galilee. We’ve also included one of the dancier numbers from his Israeli folk music album and a track to be released on an upcoming album that is currently in production.

Dory Snir – “Yedid Nefesh” (A Shabbat Song)

Hava Nagilla Band – “Shir Sameah” (Happy Song)

Dory Snir – “Soon”
(music by Dory Snir & David Abraham, lyrics by Dory Snir, vocals by Uriel Ben Yaakov, violin by Peter Hider)

© The Blue Indian, 2012. | Permalink
Post tags: artgalilee, Hava Nagilla, Hebrew, Israel, Israeli Folk Music, Jewish, Sea of Galilee, Shabbat Song, Yedish Nefer

The Front Bottoms came to us sometime last Summer via a new friend at Bar-None Records and I (personally) haven’t quit championing them since. That being said, I’m doing my best not be be completely biased and in favor of everything they do, but they have not let me down yet.

The duo (plus touring musician and friend Drew Villafuerte) of Brian Sella & Matt Uychich burst out of the New Jersey indie scene last year with the release of their first full length, self titled album and haven’t slowed down since. After a somewhat DIY tour down the East Coast last fall, the band was picked up by Andrew Ellis at Paradigm and things snowballed from their. Months later and they’ve played at SXSW, toured with Say Anything, Kevin Devine, Fake Problems, Emperor X and tons of others and they’ve got Europe on their calendar for later this year.

They recently played at Mercer University’s annual free music festival, Bearstock, and had an amazing reception. Following the show, we headed down the street to a house of a friend, made our way onto the roof, and filmed three more songs with them for our Acoustic Alley series. You might possibly remember their first AA session from last September where they hiked up a 4 story parking deck while playing one of their songs, but this new session is quite simple; an all white roof top, minimal percussion and a group of people that tagged along from the park. Brian runs through an older (brand new to all of us) song the band has been playing on their recent tours called “Twelve Feet Deep” and then is joined by Matt for two songs from their full length. Enjoy!

The Front Bottoms – “Twelve Feet Deep”

The Front Bottoms – “Father”

The Front Bottoms – “Swimming Pool”

TheBlueIndian.com will be releasing an exclusive, mixed version of their ENTIRE set from Bearstock 2012 in the coming weeks, along with videos from the set. Watch out for that!

© The Blue Indian, 2012. | Permalink
Post tags: Acoustic Alley, cat, europe, hate, Jazz, love, Macon, mercer university

If you’re from around the Middle Georgia area then you’re probably aware of Mercer University’s annual free music festival, rightfully named “Bearstock”. The free-to-the-public, all day event, began a few years back with headlining performance from Matt Pond and has since moved off the campus to a nearby park with featured headliners ranging from Cartel to 3Oh3! to Yellowcard. The event, put on by Mercer’s student activities group, Quadworks, has payed special attention to hosting and exposing local and regional bands to some of the largest audiences of their careers so far. Bearstock 2012 saw the likes of internationally known acts Yellow Card and Far East Movement, while tour-savvy groups like Ocean is Theory and The Front Bottoms we’re joined by Bearstock first-timer’s Young Benjamin and Argonauts. Check out some of our photos from the day. We’re already excited for next year!

Head over to our Facebook page for even more photos from Bearstock 2012!

© The Blue Indian, 2012. | Permalink
Post tags: Bearstock, Festival, Free, Macon, mercer university, tatnall park, The Front Bottoms, yellowcard

Sharon Van Etten has been on a roll this year – her new album Tramp was released to critical acclaim, she’s had several late night TV appearances, and she’s been in the middle of a massive tour with several sold out dates.

This Wednesday she hits Middle Georgia with a show at Atlanta’s The Earl. Opening for her is Flock of Dimes (with lovely lead lady Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak).

If you attend the show you’ll not only get to see Sharon hugging & strumming an autoharp (as she so elegantly does in this video from a set in Paris), but you’ll have a fascinating visual treat. Throughout the tour her band is projecting a crowd-sourced video behind them during their set – calling it a “visual quilt project.” In fact, if you hurry, you can submit your own 10-second video clip and they just might incorporate it into Wednesday night’s show.

To get you all giddy and excited about the show here is “Serpent” off the new LP followed by the trippy official music video to “Leonard”.

Sharon Van Etten – “Serpents”

Upcoming Tour Dates

Tue. 04/24/12 – Knoxville, TN @ The Square Room ^
Wed. 04/25/12 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl ^
Thu. 04/26/12 – Nashville, TN @ Mercy Lounge ^
Fri. 04/27/12 – Cincinnati, OH @ Mayday Northside ^
Sat. 04/28/12 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Carnegie Lecture Hall ^
Thu. 05/03/12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Howard GilmanOpera Houseat BAM — Crossing Brooklyn Ferry
Wed. 05/30/12 – Sun 06/3/12 – Barcelona, ESP @ Primavera Festival
Wed. 05/16/12 –London, UK @ Scala
Thu. 05/17/12 – Manchester, UK @ The Deaf Institute
Fri. 05/81/12 – Dublin, IE @ Whelans
Sun. 05/20/12 – Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
Mon. 05/21/12 – Brighton, UK @ Komedia
Thu. 06/21/12 – Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Thu. 07/12/12 – Sun. 07/15/12 – Suffolk, UK @ Henmark Park, Southwold — Latitude Festival
Sat. 07/28/12 – Newport, RI @ Newport Folk Festival
Sat. 08/04/12 – Miinneapolis, MN @ First Ave.
Sat. 09/22/12 – Asbury Park, NJ @ ATP
^ w/ Flock of Dimes

© The Blue Indian, 2012. | Permalink
Post tags: Flock of Dimes

This Sunday (April 15th) you can catch Bowerbirds at The Earl in Atlanta. Doors open at 8pm and Mandolin Orange is opening. You won’t want to miss this show as it is their last show of their Spring tour!

The band is touring on the heels of the release of The Clearing, their third studio album that dropped on March 6th. Be sure to stream the track “Tuck the Darkness In” on the right, or even better yet, watch their awesome new music video for the song. It’s one of the best we’ve seen this year!

BOWERBIRDS

Website: www.bowerbirds.org
Twitter: @thebowerbirds
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bowerbirdsmusic

1. Where are you from and how long have you been making music? 

We all live in North Carolina now, where I grew up, but everyone else in the band is a transplant, from Florida or the Midwest.  Phil and Mark grew up in Grinnell, Iowa, and started playing in bands together when they were eleven years old.  We all played music as children, as well.  Bowerbirds started in summer of 2005, when Phil started writing songs that didn’t fit stylistically with the music he and Mark had been making, with Wes Phillips, in their other band, Ticonderoga.  We recorded and self-released our first e.p. in April of 2006.

2. Describe your sound in 5 words: 

3. Who would you list as your top 3 musical influences? 

Wes Phillips, Phil’s mom, Phil’s dad.

4. If you were to choose one song from your most recent release to share with our readers, what would it be and why? 

“Now We Hurry On” Thematically, it expresses what the whole album is an attempt to say.

5. What were your 5 favorite albums of 2011? 

tUnE-yArDs, whokill

The Nurses, Dracula

The Rosebuds, Loud Planes Fly Low

Colin Stetson, New History Warfare Vol. 2: Judges

Lykke Li, Wounded Rhymes.

 6. Name a band that we might not have heard of yet but we should definitely check out? 

Doug Paisley
Midtown Dickens
Breathe Owl Breathe

7. What’s been the most exciting thing about 2012 for you so far and what do you have to look forward to?

We just released our third full-length album, The Clearing, and we are on a big tour right now, around North America, Europe and the U.K.  This year will be a year of touring, and of hopefully finishing building the house in the woods we started building (by hand) in 2007, but still haven’t finished (because of all the touring).  We’re trying to get that in before the world ends.  2012, y’all.

Watch the documentary about the making of Bowerbirds’ The Clearing (and get a glimpse of that house in the woods they mentioned above).

© The Blue Indian, 2012. | Permalink
Post tags: mandolin orange, The Clearing