Out the Other

We're taking all our myths to the bank

2009-11-06T14:14:41-06:00

Andrew Bird - "Banking on a Myth" (from The Mysterious Production of Eggs)

Meet: Generationals

2009-11-05T11:42:47-06:00

The comic (can I call it a comic?) above is from one of my fave websites, A Softer World, which alternately cracks me up and depresses the shit out of me (which I guess is something all good websites should do). I saw this one a month ago but didn't actually realize what it means to me until right now. Being a music fan means I'm going to keep falling in love forever. And the latest object of my affection is the New Orleans band Generationals, who I caught after my radio show this past Monday night.

Generationals have been flirting with the edge of my periphery for a month or so - my friend Jamie stuck them on a mix back around my birthday, and I had spotted them on the Basement's concert calendar as a part of a Park the Van bill with Spinto Band. But they slipped under the radar until I was planning Monday's show and thought it might be a good idea to play one of their tunes to promote the Basement gig. I clicked on "When They Fight, They Fight" and - zow. Where'd that little firecracker of a song come from?

Not too many hours later, I bopped over to the Basement immediately after my show, and walked up to the door just as they started their first song. In a room mostly devoid of familiar show-going faces (where were you guys? you would have loved them!), I settled in for a bouncy set of tunes from the band's album, Con Law. Seeing a band you're super unfamiliar with always puts a little extra pressure on first impressions, but each song was more toe-tapping than the one before, and I found that the melodies and guitar riffs and drum rhythms were actually sticking with me when the music stopped. And yesterday afternoon, taking Con Law for a few spins, I found myself instantly recognizing my favorites from the show, and tapping my toe just as enthusiastically at my desk as I did at the bar the other night.

The band is a collaboration between Ted Joyner and Grant Widmer, formerly of the Eames Era, and while I caught them as a touring foursome this time around, apparently they can expand to a seven-piece, which includes multiple backup singers and a trumpet player. After hearing Con Law, I have to say the horns were sorely missed at the Basement, but Generationals still put on a show that started my week on the highest note possible. They also delivered a dark horse of an album that might just creep its way up my year-end list, if the number of spins I've given it in the last few days are any indication.

"When They Fight, They Fight"
"Nobody Could Change Your Mind"

Con Law is out now on Park the Van Records, so pick up a copy and check their tour dates to see if they're stopping in your town soon.

Playlist - November 2

2009-11-05T09:51:58-06:00

There are a bunch of great shows going on this week that we talked about on Monday's show, so I thought it might be a good idea to get this playlist up in a slightly more timely fashion (I already missed the opportunity to give another plug for last night's Non-Commissioned Officers show, but you went, right?). Go ahead:

Stream the November 2 edition of Out the Other

We played a lot of great tunes on Monday night - from the new stuff (Jookabox, On Fillmore, The Lower 48, Molina and Johnson, etc) to bands who are hitting Nashville this week. Pay particular attention to the brand new Non-Commissioned Officers track we got to premiere - "Hide To Hell" - and this week's featured album, James Wallace and the Naked Light's I Smile All Day I Smile All Night. As we said a bajillion times on the show, James is playing the Basement on Saturday night with Coolin' System and Gabe Vitek and the Ivory. If you liked what you heard, please go check him out.

The playlist:

1. James Wallace and the Naked Light - The Bench (I Smile All Day I Smile All Night)
2. Molina & Johnson - Twenty Cycles To the Ground (Molina & Johnson)
3. The Lower 48 - Transmissions Pt. 1 (Everywhere To Go)
4. Devendra Banhart - Goin' Back (What Will We Be)
5. Generationals - When They Fight, They Fight (Con Law)
6. Spinto Band - Crack the Whip (Nice and Nicely Done)
7. Michael and the Mumbles - Need Your Love (Michael and the Mumbles)
8. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home (Up From Below)
9. The Non-Commissioned Officers - Hide To Hell (unreleased)
10. The Non-Commissioned Officers - Ride (Make-Out With Violence Soundtrack)
11. The Non-Commissioned Officers - Sweet Eleanor (Make-Out With Violence Soundtrack)
12. De Novo Dahl - Under the Hood (City Driver)
13. James Wallace and the Naked Light - Killing the Dog (I Smile All Day I Smile All Night)
14. Yeasayer - Ambling Alp (Ampling Alp 12")
15. Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension (Phrazes For the Young)
16. Jookabox - You Cried Me (Dead Zone Boys)
17. The Whigs - In the Dark (In the Dark)
18. The Features - Thursday (Lake Fever Session)
19. James Wallace and the Naked Light - Dancing Star (No Naked Light) (I Smile All Day I Smile All Night)
20. Neutral Milk Hotel - Holland, 1945 (In the Aeroplane Over the Sea)
21. On Fillmore - Master Moon (Extended Vacation)
22. James Wallace and the Naked Light - Colors (I Smile All Day I Smile All Night)

Holly House + American Songwriter = <3

2009-11-04T08:49:00-06:00

Back at the end of September, my friends in the Holly House collective - And the Relatives, Caitlin Rose, Eureka Gold, Shoot the Mountain and Tristen - got together at Eastwood Salon to record a series of covers and a few original tunes for a project with American Songwriter. For the magazine's "On My Deathbed" series, they asked each of the Holly House performers what song they would like to hear on their deathbed.

The results, unsurprisingly, are phenomenal. And the Relatives - with a little help from Caitlin Rose - pulled out a staggeringly beautiful Townes Van Zandt cover, and Catlin - with a little help from Jordan Caress - recorded a version of "You Are My Sunshine" that I wouldn't mind hearing on my own deathbed.

And the Relatives - "Be Here To Love Me" (Townes Van Zandt cover f. Caitlin Rose)
Caitlin Rose - "You Are My Sunshine" (Jimmie Davis cover)

You can listen to the rest of the covers (including Shoot the Mountain's noteworthy take on Neutral Milk Hotel) along with a few originals over at American Songwriter or the Holly House website.

(image via)

Thursday's the only day that I've been looking forward to

2009-11-03T16:29:55-06:00

Favorite Nashville band? Check. Favorite song by favorite Nashville band? Check. Me and the sis, FRONT AND CENTER? C to the HECK YEAH.

The Features "Thursday" from Lake Fever Sessions on Vimeo.

And in true timing perfection, The Features will be hitting the stage at the Cannery Ballroom this Thursday night, along with The Whigs and The Dead Trees. I'm running out of ways to tell you how incredible they are live, so just go, okay? You know you want to sing along to "Thursday" too.

Stick up for yourself son

2009-11-03T14:37:06-06:00

I have a lot rumbling around in rotation right now, but this brand new Yeasayer track (out today on Secretly Canadian as a 12" or digital single) is getting ample air time around OtO headquarters. It's like everything I loved about Yeasayer back when All Hour Cymbals was released, but with a new level of almost club-friendly catchiness. The hook - "you must stick up for yourself son, never mind what anybody else does" is stickier than discarded gum on the dance floor, and the folks at Spin are already hinting that the song may be Yeasayer's "Kids."

It remains to be seen whether next year's Odd Blood (currently set for a February 9 release on Secretly Canadian) will measure up to the promise of this first single, but you can bet I'm excited as hell to find out. Let's all cross our fingers that they can squeeze a Nashville date into their tour, too.

Yeasayer - "Ambling Alp"

(image via)

Playlist - October 26

2009-11-02T14:49:18-06:00

You still have all day today to listen to last week's show - at least until tonight's airs! So in case you missed last week's Halloween covers show, go ahead and:

Stream the October 26 edition of Out the Other

Here's the playlist, so you can follow along at home - with a few bonus mp3s of some of my favorite tracks I played during the show.

1. Candi Staton - Stand By Your Man (Tammy Wynette cover) (Stand By Your Man)
2. Andrew Bird - Think About Your Troubles (Harry Nilsson cover) (Songs From the Point!)
3. Brendan Benson - Who Sucked Out the Feeling (Superdrag cover) (Daytrotter session)
4. The Black Keys - Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran cover) (10 A.M. Automatic Single) (mp3)
5. Gladys Knight & The Pips - Come Together (The Beatles cover) (A Little Knight Music)
6. And the Relatives - The Ledge (Fleetwood Mac cover) (Lake Fever session)
7. Colourmusic - Tusk (Fleetwood Mac cover) (mp3)
8. Vampire Weekend - Everywhere (Fleetwood Mac cover) (Live on Triple J)
9. Darren Hanlon - Don't Stop (Fleetwood Mac cover) (Live on Triple J)
10. Sandro Perri - Dreams (Fleetwood Mac cover) (European Tour EP) (mp3)
11. Vetiver - The Swimming Song (Loudon Wainwright III cover) (Thing of the Past)
12. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - Cecilia (Simon & Garfunkel cover) (One Dozen Roses) (mp3)
13. The Langley Schools Music Project - Help Me Rhonda (Beach Boys cover) (Innocence and Despair)
14. Hatcham Social - Surfin' Safari (Beach Boys cover) (Party EP) (mp3)
15. Howlies - Poison Ivy (The Coasters cover) (Lake Fever session)
16. The Mamas & The Papas - Dancing In the Street (Martha & The Vandellas cover) (The Mamas & The Papas) (mp3)
17. Department of Eagles - Love Me (Elvis Presley cover) (Sweetheart)
18. DM Stith - A Soft Seduction (David Byrne cover) (Thanksgiving Moon)
19. Deer Tick - Still Crazy After All These Years (Paul Simon cover) (Black Dirt Sessions)
20. The Morning Benders - Mother and Child Reunion (Paul Simon cover) (The Bedroom Covers)
21. Thao With the Get Down Stay Down - You've Really Got a Hold On Me (Smokey Robinson & The Miracles cover) (Swimming Pools) (mp3)
22. M. Ward - Let My Love Open the Door (Pete Townsend cover) (Sweetheart)
23. Jonathan Rogers - Across the Universe (Beatles cover)
24. Robbers on High Street - Cool It Now (New Edition cover) (Guilt By Association Vol. 2)
25. Bat For Lashes - Use Somebody (Kings of Leon cover)
26. The Zombies - Summertime (Gershwin Brothers cover)
27. Stevie Wonder - Light My Fire (Doors cover) (My Cherie Amour)