It’s nice to hear of someone trying to go up against Colin Meloy of the Decemberists in the literary-indie folk song world.
With Anniversary Club, we get a 4-song concept album called “the devil you know” about a civil war soldier from Texas named John Worth.
The band is the brainchild of Chris Stowe and the new album does not require any previous knowledge of historical facts. Instead, Stowe takes the backdrop of a country getting torn to shreds to tell the story of love, separation and the inevitable pain of a lost loved one.
There’s also something else going on with these songs. The minimalistic songs are complemented with Stowe’s gruff voice, which has the perfect blend of that whiskey-shot, Marlboro-smoked tone that makes songs about war that much more engaging.
You get the feeling that Stowe, somehow, has lived through his own civil war and has found a way to sing about it.
The song below, “The Walk,” is the third on the EP and presents the main character on the verge of death with the photo of his new bride in his hand. It’s an image that easily conjured up and an emotion that many can relate to immediately.
And some how, a song about a dying man thinking about love seems appropriate the day after Valentine’s Day.
Anniversary Club – The Walk
[audio:http://www.52shows.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Anniversary_Club_-_the_Walk.mp
Feb 16 2010 7:00P shady lane basement Johnstown, Florida
Feb 17 2010 8:00P shamrocks pub huntington, West Virginia
Feb 18 2010 8:00P the acoustic cafe johnson city, Tennessee
Feb 19 2010 7:00P the brycc house louisville, Kentucky
Feb 21 2010 7:00P Mixtapes w/ ANNIVERSARY CLUB, BURGER KINGDOM, HEY HELLO, SLAP & TICKLE East Moline, Illinois
Feb 22 2010 8:00P the elbow room chicago, Illinois
Feb 23 2010 5:00P black sheep studios warsaw, Indiana
Feb 23 2010 10:00P duffy’s pub and grub Syracuse, Indiana
Feb 24 2010 8:00P the clancy house grand rapids, Michigan
Feb 25 2010 9:00P cranky’s manatee cleveland, Ohio
Feb 26 2010 8:00P the brig blairsville, Pennsylvania
Maybe I have something for Irish chicks, but there’s a certain unshakable quality to Fight Like Apes that is immediately enticing and draws a listener in. Maybe it’s because the anger and rage I hear in the song “Lend me your face” is exactly the kind of sentiment I embrace on Valentine’s Day.
So rawk out…and be sure to mock the couples who think this is the only time of year to show love.
Fight Like Apes – Lend Me Your Face
[audio:http://www.52shows.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/fight_like_apes-lend_me_your_face.mp3]
In what has seemingly become a new trend in marketing, Weezer is asking fans to vote via Facebook application to help them decide which college they should play at for free.
And as it’s alluded to in the opening line, Florida State is currently in the lead with more than 10,000 votes, half of which were done by Tim Tebow on his Motorola phone during the game on Saturday* (yes, he can do everything).
Oh, why did I pick Motorola? Because it’s their Cliq Challenge and it’s their app you have to incorporate into your Facebook profile in order to vote.
TODAY IS THE LAST DAY TO VOTE: November 30. Go HERE
The reward for your post-Turkey hangover is getting your school to host Weezer, who just released “Raditude,” an album that is as much fun to say as it is to hear (disclosure: I got the album from Youcast, the good people who are helping to get the word out about the contest. Happy FTC? ).
As for me, I think the band should earn the right to perform at a certain school by engaging in an obstacle course that includes feats of strength, an eating contest and having 45 minutes to create a table out of items found in a dumpster. It would mirror some of the challenges fans have gone through just to get to certain shows.
But, if ya’ll are good with Tebow and company winning something else this week, then by my guest and do nothing. As for me, I’m a Syracuse fan, a team that is only good at losing games and injuring the players on their opponent’s team.
For a moment, Michael Jackson’s dream of world unity was realized with people of all ages, races and gender blasting his music out in the streets. Unfortunately, it came at the price of his pre-mature death at the age of 50 from what the media is saying was from a cardiac arrest.
As I walked away from the day job and toward a Boston bar to watch the news on CNN, sounds of “Dirty Diana,” “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” and “Black or White” penetrated the air, creating a strange sort of aural pop music soup that seemed to inspire smiles, followed by the inevitable single tear in the corner of various eyes.
In the bar, people appeared to be visibly shocked at the news and soon Blackberries were out to log on to Twitter feeds to comment about the latest news or speculation.
Michael Jackson was dead…and the world didn’t know how to react.
Eventually, people found a way, either through blasting the Ultimate Collection album they had on their iPod, which they hadn’t listened to in years, or by talking about their favorite songs.
As for me, it’s strange to say, but Jackson’s death felt like a personal loss. Thriller was the first real album my sister and I got as kids. We had the choice between Billy Joel and Michael Jackson (essentially it was a choice between the songs “Uptown Girl” or “Thriller.” I often wonder how my life would have panned out had I grew up singing “…she’s just living in her white bread world”).
But even that young age, my sister and I knew there was something special about Jackson and soon enough, like every kid in America at the time, we were imitating the dance moves as best we could. Today, those same dance moves can make you the most popular on the dance floor whenever a Jackson song is played.
A lot changed for the pop star since Thriller and not all of it was positive. From the legal troubles and strange behavior, Michael has never truly gotten a break from the media despite his unquestionable contribution to the world of music.
As I did back then, I’m choosing the music over anything else and will strut down a sidewalk every time I hear Billie Jean. Thanks to Michael, I will forever choose the music and the chance to dance…because those fleeting moments are ones of unity, freedom and tranquility. And it’s rare to experience any one of those emotions on their own, let alone at the same time.
The first thing that strikes you about Coldplay’s “LeftRightLeftRightLeft,” their live album that people can download for free off the band’s website, is the sound of the crowd. It comes in waves and seems to crash onto the stage, covering the band in aural adoration. And just as the cheers die down, the music swells, allowing Chris Martin’s voice to reach the top of the venue only to slowly fall back down again.
And then the crowd roars again.
As one might guess, the clapping and sing-a-longing happens with “Viva La Vida” (which has a surprising amount of bass in my Bose headphones) and for the first time, the song actually gets my heart thumping.
Maybe it’s the headphones and maybe it isn’t. All I know is that it feels like i’m in the crowd with this audience that is no doubt jumping up and down with wide smiles and eyes, squinting their eyes to see the band on stage, which must feel like miles away.
This image is heightened at the end of the song when the entire area is singing in unison the “OoohoohOOHS!” and clapping. I’ve been there, that moment when everything feels right at a show and a universal connectedness captures the crowd. It can be rare occurance and found in unexpected places…like a Coldplay show.
Whether it’s drummer William Champion singing “Death Will Never Conquer” or the crowd singing the chorus to “Fix You,” there was something special about this record.
Because it isn’t about the sales, floating accusations of plagerism or ridiculous baby names. At the end of the day, it’s whether or not the band got you off, made you sit up and tilt your head to the side, as if that was a way to pour more music into your head.
The night air is cool in Boston tonight and I’m listening to Matt Kanelos & The Smooth Maria for the fourth or fifth time tonight.
Music that starts off with a soft piano is always soothing, but there’s something different about Kanelos’ sound, and it may have a lot to do with the occasional breeze the enters the apartment.
It begins with the soft lyric “We’ll start in Babylon…” and continues with a rolling piano melody that slowly builds toward the end when Kanelos is now yelling that same opening line with an entire band backing him.
On multiple listens the song continues to surprise, though it feels completely natural for the song to end up where it does and makes me hungry for more.
“My tears, don’t mean a thing…”
It’s here where the song pushes forward and the sound begins to get louder with Kanelos repeating the opening lyric.
We were tipped off about the band from a friend of group’s, who also stated they will be playing their CD release party tonight at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC at 7pm, where you will most likely hear “Peacock Dance.”
I can’t tell you what the song is about, even after multiple listens, which is probably a good thing. Music that reveals itself too easily is like the one-dimensional date, where there is no mystery to the person and it inevitably ends in you feeling you just wasted three hours listening to someone ramble on about their college days.
This is different and for now I’ll take Kanelos’ advice and start in Babylon.
A sizable portion of the man’s catalog can be described as mope rock. A sizable portion of my teenage years can be described as mopey. Morrissey is from England. I have been to England. His latest release, Years of Refusal, features a perhaps unexpected photo of an aging Moz bearing an infant across his chest. I recently had my first kid.
The similarities are uncanny, aren’t they?
I had the chance to see Morrissey play the Academy of Music in Philly on Sunday night. Overall, he put on a fun show, though the performance did feel like it lacked in energy.
The Academy of Music is where ballet, opera, and broadway shows happen. I’d been there at least once before — to see the Dance of the Nutcracker. These are some fancy digs. The stage rises up about four stories with three climbing rings of balconies adorned with ornate, gilded molding and columns all around.
When the curtain pulled up the stage backdrop was filled with a gigantic photo of a shirtless man in a sailor’s cap, stogie in mouth, flexing arm muscles with REFUSAL tattooed across his naked chest. Subtle. Moz and the band arrived shortly after, kicking off the show with This Charming Man, a Smith’s song. Also subtle.
The band, anchored by Boz Boorer on guitar, sounded strong. They rolled through a set of Moz songs with a few Smiths songs sprinkled in. They mostly avoided older hits, instead playing a few tracks from each of Morrissey’s ten albums which was nice. The set included a decent rendition of How Soon Is Now?, a song that’s tough to screw up live since the main elements are effects samples.
It took Morrissey a few songs before he finally warmed up to the audience. Beyond whipping the mic cord around a bit during songs, he didn’t seem too into it. No one in crowd seemed to mind though. All around folks were singing along and swaying on their feet despite the cushy theater seating. One guy nearby stripped his sweater shirt off, climbed up on his seat, and let loose with what appeared to be an Ecstasy fueled, one-with-the-universe, rave dance. Sadly the Academy concessions were not selling glow sticks.
Moz eventually built up a steady stream of banter between songs. There were vague allusions to his personal life, a lesson on the etymology of the word Academy, and a short discourse on the therapeutic nature of song writing. During the last few songs, crazed fans began their assault on the stage. One by one, dudes climbed their way up to make a run at Morrissey only to be tackled and yanked away immediately by brawny security guards at the sides of the stage.
After about an hour, the band left without any fanfare. Roadies emerged to tune the instruments making it clear there would be some sort of encore. The band returned quickly, each member wearing the same t-shirt. I was too far away to see what the shirt said. They played one more song and that was it for the night.
Lately I’ve been getting lucky when I go out not intending to see any band in particular, but then I run into something really good – all by accident.It’s rare, but I’ve been on a streak of sorts lately.
I kept the streak going when I caught an unheard of (to me, at least) band from NYC called The Dig at The Thunderbird Café in Pittsburgh.They were in town on a tour of show swaps they set up with locals in cities all across the Northeast and Midwest.And at some pretty impressive clubs along the way.
From the first note this band grabbed my attention (another rare occurrence) and pulled me out of the daze I was in leaning against the bar.And they didn’t let go for the whole set.They’ve got a vintage rock sound that blends the grit of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club with the bounce of the Strokes.It’s Rock ‘n Roll boiled down to its most basic ingredients:Balls, Volume, and a good Hook.
Don’t forget rhythm.Too many acts these days do.The Dig laid down layer upon layer of the stuff (guitar, bass, drums, Rhodes), stacking it up and thickening the hell out of their grooves.No need to get overly riffy.The basics were that good.The songs pull you in with their catchy beats, well-written melodies, and simple hooks…imagine a hipster basement party where the band is actually good.I know, it’s hard.But trust me, these dudes got it!
Song after song was strong and the guys played them with a fervor that only comes with skill and experience.There weren’t any misfires or “time to take a piss” songs in the set.And the crowd dug (pun annoyingly intended) them, too, really getting behind the band and even calling for an encore.Not bad for an out-of-town band no one had heard before.
They are hitting up a bunch of cities in the next few months.Do yourself a friggin’ service and check them out.You’re sure to dig them…
Sorry, I had to go there.
(Eddie: There were more dates, but I forgot to publish this. Me = awesome)
Revving myself up to see this pop-rock sextet, I streamed Lydia’s latest album, Illuminate, from the band’s website all week and, I’ll admit, the tunes have grown on me in that pleasantly infectious-but-not- nauseatingly-poppy kind of way.
Thanks to some train troubles, I missed opening act Black Gold, but Lydia leapt into their set promptly on time (early?) to a comfortably full and attentive crowd of head-bouncing, bootleg-video-shooting, singing fans.
Knowing next to nothing about this band, I soaked up the show at face value and found no pretenses, no dramatization in their performance. These guys were having fun without relying on cheap ploys and props for added silliness; lead vocalist and Leighton Antelman chatted with the crowd without that forced stage banter many bands awkwardly recite; and each member behaved with a focus that never seemed contrived. Maybe it had to do with the fact that Leighton and the rest of the band were a bit under the weather (requisite of any band’s first headlining tour, after all). I wouldn’t have noticed had Leighton not apologized three or four songs into what he said would be a short set. (It came to a satisfying half hour.)
The performance was cozy and fitting in the small, brick-lined walls of the Mercury Lounge. The stage looked to be at max capacity with the six musicians (and, might I add, all twelve of their impeccably chiseled cheekbones) and their respective instruments. Perhaps embracing the intimacy, Leighton beckoned the beer-sipping crowd of twentysomethings to move closer.
The band alternated between selections from Lydia’s debut This December, It’s One More and I’m Free and Illuminate. Leighton sipped a paper cup of tea between songs, and his soft, scratchy vocals balanced beautifully with keyboardist Mindy White’s haunting, milky smooth verses in songs like “Now the One You Once Loved is Leaving”; one voice never overpowered the other.
Mindy helmed the keyboard for the bulk of the show (trading spots with Leighton toward the end), and the melodies danced lightly around rhythmic guitars and subdued drums characteristic of such catchy, yet melancholy, indie-pop stylings. (During various songs, I was reminded momentarily of Taking Back Sunday, Coheed and Cambria, and Brand New, among others. I mean that nicely).
Live versions stayed relatively true to their recordings; generally I prefer bands throwing in jams, solos, and variations on studio tracks I’ve listened to countless times, but my unfamiliarity with the band kept me captivated—a separate challenge in itself, as it’s pretty tough to get wrapped up in the live performance of a band for which you have no predisposed affinity. This is as much a credit to Lydia’s crisp performance as to the music’s enchanting harmonies and a distinguishable sound.
As the final tune wrapped up, one by one each member set down his/her respective instrument and solemnly stepped off stage, one by one, walking through the standing audience whose attention was fixed to the stage until only Leighton and drummer Craig Taylor remained; they played a few last notes, and then smiled and thanked the audience. All in all, a solid show. Check them out.
Real quick, because I have another blog that needs getting to. Got word of Deathcab’s new tour and in the email came this animated video for “Grapevine Fires,” a song off of the group’s Narrow Stairs album.
Why the big deal? Apparently the song was inspired by Ben Gibbard’s “up close and personal experience with 2007′s California wildfires.”
APRIL
7 Upper Darby, PA Tower Theatre
8 Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall
9 Davidson, NC John Belk Arena/Davidson College
10 Louisville, KY Louisville Palace
11 Memphis, TN Orpheum Theatre
12 Tulsa, OK The Brady Theater
13 Omaha, NE Holland Theatre *
15 St. Paul, MN Roy Wilkings Auditorium
17 Chicago, IL Aragon Ballroom
18 East Lansing, MI Breslin Events Center/Michigan State University
19 Waukesha, WI Van Male Fieldhouse/Carroll College
22 Bellingham, WA The Mount Baker Theater **
24 Spokane, WA McCarthey Athletic Center/Gonzaga University
25 Boise, ID The Morrison Center
27 Sacramento, CA Memorial Auditorium
29 San Diego, CA RIMAC Arena/UC San Diego *
MAY
1 Austin, TX Austin Music Hall
2 New Orleans, LA Contemporary Arts Center ***
4 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
5 Birmingham, AL BJCC Concert Hall
6 Atlanta, GA Fox Theatre
7 Orlando, FL Hard Rock Live
4/7-29 w/Cold War Kids and Ra Ra Riot
except * Cold War Kids only and **Ra Ra Riot only
5/1-6 w/Matt Costa and Ra Ra Riot except *** Matt Costa only
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