Between Love and Like

Seen Your Video: Justin Vernon of Bon Iver Shows Up to Play "The World Cafe" with Kathleen Edwards

2012-02-02T11:15:00.004-05:00

Philly.com reported that Kathleen Edwards was joined by her beau, Justin Version of Bon Iver, for a few songs last night in Philly on "World Cafe."

Edwards latest record, Voyageur came out last month, which Bon Iver also produced. She is playing the here tomorrow at the 930 Club.

Kathleen Edwards - Wapusk (featuring Bon Iver) by Kathleen Edwards

Fishbone Takes Over "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Last Night

2012-01-31T10:44:00.004-05:00

Part of the reason I was so excited for this year's Voodoo Experience Festival in New Orleans was because I was finally going to get to see the legendary Fishbone live. How I missed them all these years is beyond me. I'd heard their live show was non-stop energy and, as I was on three hours of sleep and no coffee when I arrived for their 1:45 PM set, it would be a good test.

To set the tone, the band started crowd surfing almost immediately (as you can see, and much to the chagrin of the security guy who'd obviously, wasn't informed in advance). But even being passed around on the hands of the audience, lead singer Angelo Moore never missed a beat. Sometimes video can capture the essence of a show better than photos, but this was one of those shows that the essence was obvious, not matter the medium. (You can see the rest of the photos from the set here.) Truly one of the top 10 shows of all time, no doubt.

A documentary, Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone came out in October to rave reviews. The band hit the stage of Jimmy Kimmel Live! last night, and as par usual, brought the house down.

Garbage to Release New Record in May, First Record in Seven Years

2012-01-30T09:04:00.005-05:00

The gritty sound of Garbage will hit the streets again in May with the release of a new record, Not Your Kind of People, their first in seven years.

Not Your Kind Of People will be the fifth studio record from Garbage and will be released on the band's label STUNVOLUME. "It has the same kind of adventurism that we had with the first stuff," says Garbage guitarist Duke Erikson.

Europe will be toured in the spring, and US dates will follow. "Thinking about going back on the road is both thrilling and terrifying in equal measure," says Garbage lead singer Shirley Manson. ".........but we've always enjoyed a little pain mixed in with our pleasure."

Legendary NYC Record Store Bleecker Bob's to Close in April

2012-01-27T13:20:00.006-05:00

When I was in undergrad, I was finally free as a bird to explore NYC on my own without supervision, so you can be sure that I took full advantage. One place I would always hit was Porto Rico Importing for some coffee and then Bleecker Bobs just down the street. Being a poor student, I tended to browse more than anything (the shirt above is one of the few things I could afford when I did buy). But I can't tell you the things I learned in that store about music; I felt like I'd found my mothership you might say.

Sadly, the NY Times reported today that Bleecker Bob's is closing now in April. And while I get the whole economy reality/record stores are having trouble like everyone else, it's becoming a Starbucks. Cause that's just what the NYC needs, another fucking Starbucks (shakes head).

RIP BB, your three minute records really did teach me more than I ever learned in school.

It’s all over but the reverb.

Two New York City musical mainstays — Bleecker Bob’s Golden Oldies, a record store in Greenwich Village and Southpaw, a performance space in Park Slope — are calling it quits. And what will replace them may provide fresh evidence that the city has traded its longtime rock ’n’ roll edge for something mellower, and a bit corporate.

Southpaw, which will close its location at 125 Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn in February, will become a New York Kids Club, an activity center for children.

And Bleecker Bob’s, which will close its store at 118 West Third Street at the end of April, will become a Starbucks, according to a manager, Chris Wiedener.

“It’s kind of disappointing,” said Giancarlo Caccamo, 19, a customer at Bleecker Bob’s on Thursday evening, upon learning the news. The vinyl records that pack the wooden bins and milk crates in the cluttered, narrow space are an increasingly endangered species, said Mr. Caccamo, who was in search of a record by Mott the Hoople.

The store’s closing seemed to sound a death knell for vinyl itself. “I just love the warm fuzz that you get,” he said. “There’s nothing like that sound.”

Javier Medina, 43, who began shopping at Bleecker Bob’s in the 1970s and has worked there as a salesman for the last decade, was more concerned about the loss of a piece of history. “This place should be a landmark,” he said while chatting with Gary Rookard, 53, who sells glass pipes on a table outside. “Everybody in the world knows it.”

Mr. Rookard, a 35-year Village resident, agreed but said the change fit the area’s continuing pattern of gentrification. “All that will be left down here are A.T.M.’s and bars, if anything,” he said.

Bleecker Bob’s, which began as Village Oldies Records in 1968, on Bleecker Street, and moved to two other locations before ending up at No. 118, had many rock ’n’ roll moments. Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin’s guitarist, tended the register there occasionally, as did Frank Zappa, according to employees, who said both musicians were friends with Bob Plotnick, the store’s owner.

In the late 1970s, the store sold punk rock records when few other shops did, customers and employees remembered. Even the building itself, near Macdougal Street, brushed up against fame: in the 1960s, it was also home to the Night Owl Cafe, where the Lovin’ Spoonful often played, Mr. Wiedener said.

What kept Bleecker Bob’s going for years was the back of the store, which was leased to a tattoo parlor, among other businesses, which helped pay the rent. But the last subtenant was a comic book store, which closed in 2008, Mr. Wiedener said, making it difficult to continue.

“I’m sorry I personally couldn’t have done more,” Mr. Wiedener said as he priced a new batch of records, including Led Zeppelin’s “Houses of the Holy” ($20).

The landlord, Greenwich Realty Associates of Long Island, did not return a call for comment. Neither did Starbucks.

Southpaw, meanwhile, will close on Feb. 20, after a four-day series called Americana Pie, which will feature bluegrass and alternative country music.

Its neighborhood, which was fairly dangerous a few decades ago, has rapidly added upscale shops and restaurants and become a magnet for families.

Despite the area’s changing face, Matthew Roff, one of Southpaw’s owners, says he was not having a hard time filling the club during shows, which took place most nights.

“There’s a lot of work that goes into keeping a business like this going,” he said. “I don’t think any place in New York for live music is really bringing in enough revenue these days.”

Like Bleecker Bob’s, Southpaw can also lay claim to memorable moments, including the time Bob Dylan dropped by — as a patron, not a performer — and the night the comedian Dave Chappelle jumped onstage to perform an impromptu two-hour riff on a newspaper someone had handed him, Mr. Roff said. The 7,500-square-foot space also staged Latin music and a popular Saturday night dance party.

Mr. Roff will now focus on Public Assembly, a Williamsburg club he owns, but he will not leave Southpaw entirely: he will sublet the space, which opened in 2002, to New York Kids Club.

He signaled that Park Slope’s changed vibe meant that concert places were no longer viable there. “You don’t want the venue you created, your baby,” he said, “to be mishandled.”

Palomar to Release New Record, Sense & Antisense, on 1/24

2012-01-23T12:49:00.000-05:00

I first saw Palomar a couple years back when they opened for The Wrens at their two-night 20th anniversary throwdown in NJ at Maxwells. Comprised of three woman and a guy drummer, they played great kick ass songs with running streams of power pop and folk, and harmonic melodies that wrap around you and hold you tight.

Since their inception in 1998, Palomar has released four full-lengths and one EP. Sense & Antisense, their fifth full-length, contains contributions by the likes of Charles Bissell (The Wrens guitarist/vocalist), Roman Kuebler (Oranges Band), and Jed Smith (My Teenage Stride), among others.

Says the band about the album:

Sense & Antisense is an album not about boys and girls, but husbands and wives, and not about cars, but car payments and re-financing home loans. The album is about the anxiety that comes with sitting in hotel rooms preparing for work meetings; lying awake at night, pregnant and worrying about how having kids might ruin your life; going to high school reunions; the ennui of sifting through relationships to find the ‘right one’ and then living and working with the right one. This is an album about a girl band that grew up.

Palomar's Sense & Antisense comes out tomorrow, and they're pairing up with Nada Surf for a double record release party tomorrow night at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC, so get there early!

Additional Pulp Live Dates Announced

2012-01-23T09:35:00.003-05:00

A lot of bands are reuniting but Pulp's website is one that's done it with creativity than I've seen in some time. Check it out...Pulp People.

The announcement that Pulp is one of the reunited bands playing Coachella this year sent a lot of music fans into a joyous frenzy, so the additional US shows released-one on each coast thus far, with the NYC date preceding Coachella-should send them right into the stratosphere. No announcement of on-sale yet though, but it is interesting the date isn't even on the Radio City Music Hall website yet...

4/11: Radio City Music Hall, NYC
4/13: Coachella, Indio, CA,
4/17: Warfield, San Francisco, CA
4/20: Coachella, Indio, CA
5/4: SOS Festival, Murcia, Spain

We Interrupt Your Music News for the Following....Fight Protect-IP and Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA)

2012-01-18T08:49:00.005-05:00

Tell Congress not to censor the internet NOW! - fightforthefuture.org/pipa

PROTECT-IP is a bill that has been introduced in the Senate and the House and is moving quickly through Congress. It gives the government and corporations the ability to censor the net, in the name of protecting "creativity". The law would let the government or corporations censor entire sites-- they just have to convince a judge that the site is "dedicated to copyright infringement."

The government has already wrongly shut down sites without any recourse to the site owner. Under this bill, sharing a video with anything copyrighted in it, or what sites like Youtube and Twitter do, would be considered illegal behavior according to this bill.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, this bill would cost us $47 million tax dollars a year — that's for a fix that won't work, disrupts the internet, stifles innovation, shuts out diverse voices, and censors the internet. This bill is bad for creativity and does not protect your rights.

Stop Online Piracy Act from Ricardo Granda on Vimeo.

NPR Streaming New Records from Nada Surf and Craig Finn Solo

2012-01-16T14:38:00.009-05:00

NPR and its streaming of new records in their entirety is such a blessing. And a money saver! And a great way to start off a new week!

Yesterday, NPR began streaming The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy, the seventh record from Nada Surf, and Clear Heart Full Eyes, the first solo record from The Hold Steady lead singer Craig Finn. Surf lead singer Matthew Caws and the boys display their signature catchy-as-hell guitar hooks ("Jules and Jim" for instance) and power pop beauty ("Looking Through," the chorus of "No Snow on the Mountain"). Finn takes on a bit more of a country-fried feel in spots on this vacation from THS and the testosterone-laden hooks of THS guitarist Tad Kubler, but his story telling of the down-and-outers and Jesus are still in abundance. This one may take a couple of spins, but it's got potential.

Both records drop for purchase on 1/24.

The Stars Are Indifferent To Astronomy-Nada Surf-NPR Stream

Clear Heart, Full Eyes-Craig Finn-NPR Stream

"TeBowie" Plays "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon"

2012-01-13T10:41:00.007-05:00

I'm not a big football fan (baseball's more my thing), and up until this past weekend, I wasn't even sure who Tim Tebow was. But I do love a funny satire and this is one of the better ones I've seen of late. Ladies and gents, I give you Jimmy Fallon doing a mashup of David Bowie and Tim Tebow to Bowie's "Major Tom."

Of course, someone should have told Fallon that he also mashed up Bowie styles (makeup from the Aladdin Sane period, outfit from Ziggy Stardust) but maybe that was intentional too?

Happy 70th Birthday Clarence Clemons

2012-01-11T10:36:00.004-05:00

Fans of Bruce Springsteen are chomping at the bit, eagerly awaiting the new E Street Band tour dates to be announced. This time out will be especially poignant, as this is the first E Street tour ever without "the Big Man," Clarence Clemons. Clemons, who passed away in June of last year, would have turned 70 today. In honor of that, we give you one of the greatest E Street Band showcases of Clemons wailing away on his horn, "Paradise by the C."

The Joy Formidable and A Place to Bury Strangers Touring Together in March

2012-01-10T12:21:00.005-05:00

The Joy Formidable announced headlining tour dates today for March 2012.The band will be supported on all dates by A Place To Bury Strangers.

TJF's debut full-length, The Big Roar came out last year.

The bands comes to DC on 3/26 at the 930 Club. Tickets go on pre-sale tomorrow and on general sale Friday. From TJF Facebook page, "Looking forward to seeing you again before we (briefly) disappear to finish our 2nd record."

(See the rest of the photos from The Joy Formidable's tour with the Foo Fighters and Social Distortion last year here.)

The Joy Formidable with A Place to Bury Strangers Tour
Mar 12 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
Mar 13 - San Francisico, CA @ The Independent
Mar 14 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Music Box
Mar 17 - Denver, CO @ The Bluebird Theatre
Mar 19 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Café
Mar 20 - Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
Mar 22 - Bloomington, IN @ The Bluebird
Mar 23 - Cincinnati, OH @ 20th Century Theatre
Mar 24 - Atlanta, GA @ Masqureade
Mar 25 - Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
Mar 26 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Mar 28 - New York City, NY @ Terminal 5
Mar 29 - Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
Mar 31 - Montreal, QC @ Cabaret Mile-End
Apr 02 - Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace

At the Drive-In Announce Reunion Today

2012-01-09T17:08:00.004-05:00

I discovered At the Drive-In by accident. Jim Ward, one of ATDI's founding members, was opening for Rhett Miller a few years ago at the Black Cat (you can see the shots from it here). It was one of those "get there early/fall in love with the opener you know nothing about" instances that I love. Ward played with this incredible combination of delicacy and metric ton of power that I was dumbfounded. I can count on one hand the number of musicians playing acoustic guitar and singing that have held my rapt attention for a full set-Ward is most definitely one of them.

So imagine the wonderful surprise to read the following a few hours ago:

@AtTheDriveIn_
¡ ATTENTION ! To whom it may concern: AT THE DRIVE-IN will be breaking their 11 year silence THIS STATION IS …NOW…OPERATIONAL

Ward with an acoustic that was electrifying...I can't wait to hear it plugged in.

Photographer Zoran Orlic Captures the Beauty of Mavis Staples, Nick Lowe, and Wilco Rehearsing "The Weight"

2012-01-06T16:52:00.008-05:00

"The Weight" by The Band is one of those songs that's been around so long that it's taken for granted. There is the recorded version on Music From Big Pink, and everyone and his mom has recorded it. But everyone in the music-sphere has been aflutter about it all over again today, thanks to a rehearsal video shot by Illinois photographer/videographer Zoran Orlic.

Rehearsing prior to a Wilco and Nick Lowe show last month at the Civic Opera House in Chicago, the video, that includes Wilco, Lowe, and recent Wilco-collaborator, Mavis Staples, who also appeared on the original track with The Band and her family band, The Staples Singers, seems rather spur of the moment. Given the cramped room everyone was in, and the working-up of parts as they sang, how did this piece of beauty really get caught on film exactly? I was curious, I know others were curious, so I said, "What the hell," and contacted Orlic to ask.

It turns out that it was, in fact, a fluke. Orlic, who has been a "fly on the wall guy in the studio" and such with Wilco for many years now, says he saw Staples there that night, one of the five nights the band was performing at the Civic, and decided he'd hang out to see what might happen. "I saw Jeff [Tweedy] take everyone to the rehearsal room. They were trying to find Nick and I was 50 feet away when they began singing." When Lowe came in, Orlic said he started filming, using a small mic and the video feature on his Canon 5D/Mark2 DLSR camera and "praying the audio was ok because there had been no time to check anything."

Everyone involved clearly recognized how special the moment was. "My heart was pounding throughout," says Orlic, hoping he was able to capture it all, and the smiles on Lowe and the Wilco members are broad throughout. Orlic said he showed the video to another music industry person last week and the man's reply summed it up best: "Look at Wilco, it's like they've been reduced to children." For a band like Wilco, one who has played with a ton of greats in its career, to have such a response proves how witnessing musical feats of beauty like this can make you love music all the more. I know the hairs raised on the back of my neck when Nick Lowe came in the song, and in the words of a friend, "I'm having some very crazy days at work right now, and those 4 minutes and 58 seconds I just spent watching recharged me for the next crisis."

Guided by Voices' Greg Demos Proves to be as Unsinkable as Fats Domino on "Late Night with David Letterman"

2012-01-04T11:06:00.010-05:00

Fats Domino may be unsinkable, according to Guided by Voices, but bassist Greg Demos proved he was just as much last night during the band's performance of "The Unsinkable Fats Domino" on Late Show with David Letterman. Slipping on his butt after a usual rock star move, Demos got right back up quick and laughed it off, all without missing a beat (well sort of).

At the very least, he provided good advice to all bands who wish to play on Letterman: rock out like a bad ass while playing, just be sure to wear rubber soled shoes.

"The Unsinkable Fats Domino" is off the the latest GBV record Let's Go Eat the Factory. It's the first record in 15 years with the "classic lineup" of Robert Pollard, Tobin Sprout, Mitch Mitchell, Greg Demos and Kevin Fennell, out in hard copy on 1/17. Based on what I saw of them live back in 2010, it's bound to be a stunner.

Let's Go Eat the Factory Track Listing
Laundry And Lasers
The Head
Doughnut For A Snowman
Spiderfighter
Hang Mr. Kite
God Loves Us
The Unsinkable Fats Domino
Who Invented The Sun
The Big Hat And Toy Show
Imperial Racehorsing
How I Met My Mother
Waves
My Europa
Chocolate Boy
The Things That Never Need
Either Nelson
Cyclone Utilities (Remember Your Birthday)
Old Bones
Go Rolling Home
The Room Taking Shape
We Won't Apologize For The Human Race

Another One Bites the Dust-Melody Records in DC to Close

2012-01-03T12:51:00.008-05:00

Sadness on the mom and pop store-front...My some-time employer reported today that long-time Dupont Circle record store, Melody Records, here in DC, will be closing this winter after 34 years in business.

Jack and Suzy Menase opened the store in 1977, and moved it to its current Connecticut Ave. NW location in 1979. "While we wish that we could continue indefinitely, technology, the internet and the economy has taken its toll, and we have concluded, unfortunately, that it is not possible to survive in this environment," the Menases wrote in their letter.

Melody had an interesting collection that included rock, classical, jazz, and others, a true old-school record store, and you could usually find at least one record by even the most far-flung artist. I love the convenience and speed of downloading but getting lost in the stacks of a good-size record store was always a treat, and often, an adventure. More than once, I would hear something over the speakers and the next thing I knew, I was the person buying the Beta Band EP.

So if you're in the neighborhood, stop in and pick up something at Melody, give the Menases a little more for their retirement. Great job folks, you will be missed.

My 2011 Top Concerts in Photos

2012-01-02T16:20:00.008-05:00

My piece on the 2011 best concerts, in photos went live today over at the WCP, so go check it out! Erica Bruce’s Top 10 Concerts of 2011, in Photos.

One shot that proved the Marginal Man show was definitely "The Show for the Best Bruises," one I didn't include in the WCP piece is below: my own bruised gams from that show, the result of being at the front of the mosh pit and repeatedly thrown against the stage. I do not really recommend it, but the street cred is nice.

Happy Holidays from Between Love and Like

2011-12-22T15:23:00.004-05:00

2011 was a great year for a variety of reasons here at BL&L HQ, more so because the whole photography portion of things really took off. We shot a whole lot of photographs for Washington City Paper, The Vinyl District, and 930 Club this year, often so much that we didn't always keep things current here. So, FYI, we are going off the grid for a few days here but plan to have a great 2011 wrap up for the Washington City Paper by the year's end, which we'll also post here.

Coming up on our fourth anniversary here, we know we aren't always the place for breaking music news but do try to provide news that's never boring with pretty things to look at while you read. We are grateful to know our readers stay with us regardless, and keep encouraging us to continue with things. Thanks so much.

Here's hoping you get what you want for whatever holiday you celebrate. Happy holidays y'all.

Eric Bachmann Discusses the Background of "Web in Front"

2011-12-20T10:26:00.002-05:00

The A.V. Club is running this great series called One Track Mind, where a classic indie song is discussed with its writer, and then the musician performs it live. There has been about nine episodes so far, and chats with people like Bob Mould on 'Hoover Dam' and St. Vincent on 'Surgeon'.

One of the latest installments is with Archers of Loaf frontman Eric Bachmann, and the song discussed is "Web in Front" from 1993's Icky Mettle. Bachmann clarifies a few things about the song, such as it's not really about anyone in particular ("There's not a specific person that it's about...that I remember. Bitch," he says chuckling), the first two lines were meant as a reference to the movie, The is Spinal Tap, and that contrary to some thought, the first line is not, "Stuck a peanut in your backbone." While the interviewer looks a bit like a deer in headlights-it must have been rough to talk to someone about such an iconic song only to find out it's really about nothing-Bachmann is his generally funny self. And no, that is not a ukulele that Bachmann plays during the performance, he really is just that big of a man.

Eric Bachmann of Archers Of Loaf discusses and performs "Web In Front"

Lights That Shine in the Evening: John Davis of Title Tracks @ Smithsonian's "Luce Unplugged" Series

2011-12-19T15:23:00.006-05:00

I shot the Luce Unplugged December performance yesterday at the Smithsonian Museum of American Art. "Luce Unplugged" is a monthly series that has a local musician come play for an hour after chatting about one of the paintings in the area of his/her choice. It's a great idea, one that showcases the two things DC has a lot of: local musicians and free Smithsonian events.

The performer for December was Title Tracks frontman John Davis, who performed some great covers, as well as tracks of his own. My piece for the Washington City Paper is live here, and you can see additional photos from the performance here.

Office of Future Plans and Damon Locks Cover "Holiday in Cambodia" for AV Club's "Holiday Undercover " Series

2011-12-16T11:42:00.006-05:00

I live in Washington,DC which is home to a whole lot of punk rock history. Fugazi, Dischord Records, Scream....the list goes on and on. I respect the harder stuff and will listen to it in small doses...but me, I'm more of a power pop kind of girl. A good hook and a catchy chorus that makes me want to dance around while listening is that which is near and dear to my heart.

So it was completely fabulous this year to discover a couple local bands with songs and sensibilities along those lines. The shimmering Beatles-like guitar sound of Title Tracks, and the rock with a side of pop hooks from the new J Robbins (of Jawbox)band, Office of Future Plans, have been wowing me since stumbling upon them. Title Tracks is the solo band of John Davis (Georgie James, Q and Not U). OFP got together as a bit of a lark, but it's great they did.

OFP just teamed up with Damon Locks of The Eternals for the A.V. Club's Holiday Undercover 2011 series. (AV brings in 10 bands to play a holiday-related song of the band's choosing.) Their choice? "Holiday in Cambodia" by The Dead Kennedys. Cause really, what says "Happy Holidays" more than rocking song about Pol Pot? It will rock your face off though.

OFP just released their self-titled first record on Dischord Records in November.

Office Of Future Plans and Damon Locks cover "Holiday In Cambodia"

Jeff Tweedy and His Supplemental Hair Provide the Weather for Chicago Today

2011-12-15T14:26:00.007-05:00

No we're really not joking, and yes, like you, we wondered whether Bizarro World had finally come to pass.

Jeff Tweedy of Wilco got his meteorological feet wet this morning at WGN, a Chicago-based news station, and delivered the 7-day forecast for the Windy City. "This is how it looks...You can read...I hope," to the laughter throughout the studio. We wouldn't count on Tweedy, "the hairy guy from Wilco," giving up his guitar for a green screen and weather patterns just yet.

You can see the clip here.

Seen Your Video: Wild Flag Performs "Romance" on David Letterman Last Night

2011-12-14T12:19:00.004-05:00

Wild Flag rocked the snot outta Late Night with David Letterman last night. I've now seen them twice (SXSW and the Black Cat a couple months back), and last night's performance was nothing compared to the power they bring during a full club set. Wow...

Craig Finn's Solo Record, Clear Heart Full Eyes Out in January, Tour Dates Announced

2011-12-14T11:34:00.006-05:00

The Hold Steady frontman Craig Finn made a solo record this year while The Hold Steady in on their break. Titled Clear Heart Full Eyes, the 11 tracks come across a tad twangier than the full on testosterone-laden rock normally heard in The Hold Steady.

Craig Finn - Honolulu Blues by Vagrant Records

Finn is touring behind the record as well. Tickets go on sale this Friday (12/16).

Craig Finn 2012 Tour Dates
2/01 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada*
2/02 - Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory*
2/03 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown*
2/04 - Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club*
2/06 - Iowa City, IA @ The Mill*
2/07 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle*
2/08 - Detroit, MI @ The Lager House*
2/09 - Columbus, OH @ The Basement*
2/10 - St Louis, MO @ Off Broadway*
2/11 - Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar*
2/13 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge*
2/19 - San Diego, CA @ Casbah*
2/20 - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour*
2/21 - San Francisco, CA @ Noise Pop at Bottom of the Hill
2/23 - Portland, OR @ The Doug Fir Lounge*
2/24 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile*
2/27 - Ringwood, NJ Live @ Drew's House
2/28 - Allston, MA @ Great Scott#
2/29 – New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge (Late Show)#
3/01 - Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell's#
3/02 - Washington, DC @ Rock N Roll Hotel#
3/03 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506#
3/05 - Atlanta, GA @Earl#
* - w/ Mount Moriah
# - w/ Marcellus Hall

Finn talks some about his inspiration for the songs and the making of the record. Accompanying Finn in the studio were members of White Denim, The Heartless Bastards, Phosphorescent, and Centro-matic. About the title, he says, "I’m calling this record Clear Heart Full Eyes. It’s a juxtaposed reference to Friday Night Lights, a TV show that excited and moved me and also happened in Texas. Further, “Clear Heart” signifies honesty and transparency, and “Full Eyes” suggests experience. Thus, it’s about being optimistic and open without succumbing to the weariness or doubt that comes with age and experience. To me, that is what it’s all about.”

Craig Finn "Clear Heart Full Eyes" from Helms Workshop on Vimeo.

Weekend Announces West Coast Dates for 2012

2011-12-13T10:02:00.005-05:00

When shooting a headlining band, and there is no photo pit, I have to get there when doors open. As such, that means hearing the opening act as well. This can span the tolerable-meter spectrum, anywhere from "god-awful" to "how have I lived this long and not heard these guys?"

When I covered and photographed Wire earlier this last year, the San Francisco-based Weekend opened, and I most definitely wondered the latter. Full of feedback and shoegazing thrash, I distinctly recall looking at the folks standing near me after, all of us having that same look of, "Holy shit, did you just see that??"

Weekend have been non-stop touring this year, supporting bands like The Kills and Talk Normal, but they announced today three headlining dates in the new year (sadly, just on the west coast).

02/01: The New Parish, Oakland, CA
02/11: The Loft @ UCSD, San Diego, CA
02/12: The Echo, Los Angeles, CA

Weekend released the 5-track EP Red earlier this year, their follow up to 2010's Sports.

Give a Listen: The One You Want-Weekend/Buy Red

Bruce Springsteen Plays "American Slang" with Gaslight Athem in Asbury Park on Friday

2011-12-12T09:57:00.007-05:00

The NJ powerhouse The Gaslight Anthem did a show on the Jersey shore Friday, at Convention Hall in Asbury Park. If you've never been, Convention Hall is on the boardwalk, next to a ~~Howard Johnsons~~ foncy ponts supper club, and is probably as big as your grammar school auditorium with better acoustics. A show there in and of itself would be something. But the boys went one better and, as a holiday gift to fans, brought that other NJ powerhouse up to join them, the one whose Christmas shows at Convention Hall are shows of legend, Bruce Springsteen, for "American Slang."

I was supposed to shoot this show, and missing Gaslight at a place this small was a heartbreaker. But then hearing Bruce did show up? Let's just say it's good we Catholics believe suicide is a mortal sin. But thankfully, we got video of it!