Earshot Presents

SWED-FORM SWEDFORM Sweden Swedish furniture vintage

info@earshotpresents.com (Earshot Presents) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 06:32:42 +0000

The purpose of this post it to create a search hit for SWED-FORM, a Swedish manufacturer of furniture from the late 1960s. I came upon my SWED-FORM couch after perusing the free section of Craigs List in Oakland, CA. A couple had put their old couch at the curb and posted the CL ad. For the second time in a day, my good friend Melissa helped me out with her pick-up truck to scoop the 6.5′ beauty. When I got home, it was love at first nap. I have a history with corduroy couches, but the style of this SWED-FORM was unique. It’s dated chrome frame is rust-free and still shiny and the coruroy, while worn, is in pretty nice shape. No wine or love stains. There’s one cushion button missing, but that’s pretty much moot considering both sides of the cushion are functional. It could stand to be restuffed, but whatevs.

So this is where the story starts to gets interesting (IMHO). After a nap, I woke up and decided to do some research on the maker of the couch. My searches for SWED-FORM were almost entirely inconclusive. The only Google hit relavent to SWED-FORM furniture was another Craig’s List ad. Craig’s List ads usually run for about ten days and are then cached for another couple of weeks with the search engines even though a visitor can’t contact the repy email. This ad happened to be live. The chair was in Spokane, Washington. The pictures showed a perfect match to my couch–same color corudory and the chair seemed to be in excellent condition. I corresponded with the seller and we discussed shipping possibilities to get the sizeable piece of furniture to Oakland. Greyhound was proposed and I awaited the sellers next email. No email came, so I decided to check in with him once more. To my disappointment, the seller had sold the chair to a pretty cool looking record shop in Spokane for what he said was $400. Which was bologna because how the hell could a record shop in Spokane, WA command $400+ dollars for a chair with no documented value? The whole sitch reeked of horseshit. I attempted to call the shop a couple times and wrote an email to their website’s form. I spoke to and left a message with a slackass guy who didn’t know what I was talking about. And, regretfully, I say on my hands about it thereafter.

I checked in with the record shop again today. If I’d understood that the shop was actually a seller of furniture, I might have been more aggressive in my pursuit of the chair. I thought they’d bought it from the CL seller as a fixture to keep in the store. Apaarently, the chair sold months ago to a woman who bought a couple of other pieces. So, now all I have left is the hope that perhaps said woman will be searching the internet to find out about SWED-FORM some day and find this. Or maybe someone else has a matching chair. Or maybe someone will see this and make me an offer for my couch. I should mention that I didn’t really find it on the street in Oakland. That would be gross. It was purchased in a posh SoHo, NYC reseller for $1000 in 2009. And the previous single-owner was a Scandinavian man who only ever sat on it for an hour after church. I’ll let the couch go for $400. Ping me offline: j o h n @ e a r s h o t p r e s e n t s dot com.

Fallin’ & Flyin’ by Jeff Bridges and Colin Ferrell (from Crazy Heart)

info@earshotpresents.com (Earshot Presents) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:52:13 +0000

In the movie Crazy Heart, actor Jeff Bridges does an impressive job of singing country. Fallin’ & Flyin’ is arguably the best example. There are two versions of the song on the OST, and this one features the harmonies of Colin Ferrell. Fallin’ & Flyin’ was written by Stephen Bruton (RIP) and Gary Nicholson.

WE GOT THAT B ROLL!!

info@earshotpresents.com (Earshot Presents) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 01:50:13 +0000

Do you need shots of ordinary people doing things? WE GOT THAT B ROLL!!

Directed By Dylan Osborn
Written By Sergio Cilli
Director of Photography Jason O’ Malley
Starring: Sergio Cilli, Matty Smith, Jack Allison, Chad Fogland, David Nehr, Marisa Pinson, Matt Reid, Jacob Womack, Stephen Schneider, Eileen Hsi, Will McLaughlin, Cissy Fenwick, Casey Feigh, Eric Ledgin, Julia Bensfield, Jennie Pierson, Lilan Bowden

I’ve Been Lonely for So Long (B’Ham Rhythm Section v. Lambchop)

info@earshotpresents.com (Earshot Presents) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 01:07:45 +0000

The original I’ve Been Lonely for So Long, performed by the B’Ham Rhythm Section, can be found on a compilation called The Burmingham Sound: the Soul of Neal Hemphill Vol. I. Lambchop’s version appears on What Another Man Spills from 1998, arguably the band’s most soulful and beautiful recording. Got Lamchop?

Anchor vs Reporter

info@earshotpresents.com (Earshot Presents) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:51:42 +0000

The Avalanches - Frontier Psychologist

info@earshotpresents.com (Earshot Presents) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:30:05 +0000

The Avalanches, an electronic music group from Australia, used over 3,500 music samples on their 2001 album Since I Left You. The most intriguing part of this video is that every single visual oddity is based on the amazing audio track.

Top 10 Songs of 2009 from Earshot Presents

info@earshotpresents.com (Earshot Presents) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 23:50:00 +0000

2009 was a really great year for music. There was an outstanding release every week, it seemed. Maybe it was the glut of tasty new stuff, our shitty economy, or just the way things are working these days, but 2009 was also a year that saw a crazy proliferation of illegal downloading & file sharing and the continued demise of the recording industry. It will be very interesting to see where things go from here. While EP and its editors don’t claim to be 100% piracy free, we encourage the legit purchase of music as much as possible.

The tracks below are not downloadable from this page, but they are hyperlinked either to the iTunes Music Store or to their source. You can listen to the Top 10 Songs below or heer the ten songs (and a few extra tracks) from a streaming feed here: http://bit.ly/8IKQd6. Hopefully you’ll hear something you like or a new sound to check out when one of these acts is passing through your area.

While EP’s Best Songs of 2009 might at first appear to be just another year-end hit parade of indie rock, we’d like to make one point that clearly differentiates Earshot Presents from all those hipster magazine Top 10 lists dotting the blogosphere. EP’s Top 10 includes absolutely no Monsters of Folk songs. So if you’re looking for that kinda thing, well…

Slow Down Jo - M. Ward
Slow Down Jo is M. Ward at his finest. Reminiscent of the waltzish Fuel for Fire from 2005’s Transistor Radio, the noticeable difference here is that M. Ward has found a few friends to back him up instead of overdubbing his own vocals. Good for M.

Chirstmas Island - LAKE
In November, EP called LAKE’s Chirstmas Island “the perfect golden oldie circa 2009″. This encahnting, timeless track is from the Olympia, WA band’s 12th album called Let’s Build a Roof, which is all pretty solid. Purchase it at the K Records website.

Backwards Down the Number Line - Phish
Backwards Down the Number Line appears on Joy, the 14th studio album from the gotta-see-’em-live rock band Phish. John of EP is proud to have rediscovered his love and respect for the band over a very special festival weekend in Indio, CA earlier this year. Chances are good that you’ve heard all about it…and still don’t give a shit. But I’m telling ya

The Giant of Illinois - Andrew Bird
The Giant of Illinois is part of Dark Was the Night, the twentieth compilation release benefiting the Red Hot Organization, an international charity dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS. This song, written by the Handsome Family, was inspired by the life and death of Robert Waldow, aka The Giant of Illinois.

There May Be Ten or Twelve - A.C. Newman
Another brilliant tune on the Dark Was the Night comp was one by the New Portnographers called Hey, Snow White. It would have been included here on this list as well, but A.C. Newman (lead man of the NPs) also had a solo release this year and we wouldn’t want to double up on a list of ten. We’ll go with There May Be Ten or Twelve, the lead track from A.C.’s Get Guilty. Kickin big ass from its first notes.

I and Love and You - Avett Brothers
Another great lead track from 2009 is the Avett Brothers’ I and Love and You. The tune captures the beauty of the Avettt’s acoustic songwriting and serious attention to close harmony. It was great to see this deserving act get a ton of attention in 2009. I and Love and You comes from the Avett’s album of the same name.

The Commute - I Come to Shanghai
The Commute is from the self-titled debut of Oakland-based duo I Come to Shanghai. The album is available for pay-what-you-can from the band’s website. It’s outstanding, so don’t be a cheapass.

Don’t Wanna Talk - Brendan Benson
Brendan Benson is writing some of the best powerpop tunes of contemporary rock. They have the same energy and spirit as The Cars, but kick a lot more ass. The Raconteur’s solo release from 2009 was called My Old, Familiar Friend. Don’t Wanna Talk has Brendan Benson written all over it.

Armistice - Phoenix
The French rock band Phoenix dropped a rock bomb called Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix in May. There was a ton of buzz, which wasn’t 100% deserved. Their Grammy-nomination was probably deserved, however.

Rolling Sea - Vetiver
Several 2009 albums were less impressive than would be expected. They included Wilco’s Wilco the Album, Deer Tick’s Born on Flag Day, Yo La Tengo’s Popular Songs, and Vetiver’s Tight Knit. Vetiver’s fourth release had a few noteworth exceptions, and Rolling Sea is one.

2008 songs that skipped EP’s radar until 2009:
Old Enough by The Raconteurs
Make You Crazy by Brett Dennen
Sometimes the Wheels from Neil Halstead’s Oh! Mighty Engine

Great songs from albums EP wouldn’t recommend:
I Just Can’t Take it Anymore (G. Parsons) from the Lemonhead’s cover album called Varshons

Please share this top 10 with others via the Share This button below and remember to also link to the live stream from http://bit.ly/8IKQd6. Here’s some twitter-friendly text to share the stream in yer tweets and fb updates:

Hey @earshot posted the Earshot Presents Top 10 Songs of 2009. At http://earshotpresents.com and streaming from http://bit.ly/8IKQd6. (120 characters).

If you have some more time to kill, you may also be interested in checking out the Top 10 Videos of 2008 from Earshot Presents .

The Raconteurs’ Old Enough (fea. Ricky Skaggs & Ashley Monroe)

info@earshotpresents.com (Earshot Presents) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 23:45:35 +0000

The Raconteurs Old Enough Featuring Ricky Skaggs & Ashley Monroe. Directed by Autumn DeWilde

Phish plays Stones’ Loving Cup

info@earshotpresents.com (Earshot Presents) — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 23:07:05 +0000

Phish plays the Rolling Stones Loving Cup during the Exile on Main Street musical costume on Halloween 2009. The beginning-to-end cover set featured guests include Sharon Jones and Saundra Williams on vocals, and David Guy, Tony Jarvis, and David Smith on horns. The band’s been covering Loving Cup for years and this version from the 3-day Phish 8 festival in Indio, CA is said by many to be the pinnacle of the band’s 20+ year history.