“Some people say…at the end of the day…that there’s a life that’s magnificent…”
Those are some lyrics from The Uglysuit‘s “The Magnificent Life,” which you can hear below. I dunno if it’s the fading pangs of a hangover or the fact that one is given a sense of clarity after a friend’s bachelor party, but this song really makes sense to me right now (and no, I can’t explain why).
It also gives an excuse to start our SXSW (or the music event I never get to go to) watch list a bit early this year.
Though I’m not one to heavily rely on press releases from a band’s PR company, something did ring true in this particular document. It mentions a word about honesty, and how these six Oklahoma friends approach music the same way most Okies react to pop culture: sans pretension.
Because of that, there is something different, almost Band of Horses-esque with songs “The Magnificent Life” and “…And We Became Sunshine.” Or maybe I’m just a fan of repeating chords and soaring vocals.
Either way, this is a band that has piqued my interest in 2010, and something tells me it won’t be the last. At the very least, they have reminded me to get off my ass and to try to find a way to get to SXSW on a meager budget (read: I can’t afford tickets).
The Uglysuit – The Magnificent Life
[audio:http://www.52shows.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/the_magnificent_life1.mp3]
Feb 13 2010 8:00P, Belle Isle Brew Pub Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Mar 4 2010 8:00P, Town Ballroom w/ Umphrey’s McGee Buffalo, New York
Mar 5 2010 8:30P, Newport Music Hall w/ Umphreys McGee Columbus, Ohio
Mar 6 2010 9:00P, Madison Theatre w/ Umphrey’s McGee Covington, Kentucky
Mar 10 2010 8:00P, Canadian Music Week Toronto, Ontario
Mar 11 2010 8:00P, Canadian Music Week Toronto, Ontario
I got an email from ustream.tv late today and gave the above streaming video a practice run and watched a cute girl with bright red hair and a short skirt sing some lounge tunes who seduced the crowd by flirting with a dude named Jeremy.
Aside from some chopiness at times, it was pretty good in terms of quality. And, since I’m split evenly between a sports and music fan (and can’t afford tickets to the big dance or SXSW), this streaming video thing is the closest I’ll get.
So how do I feel that my best SXSW memory is watching this jazz singer hold a kissing booth on stage and? Not bad.
Below is Friday’s schedule for the streaming video. I’d check it out between halftime and work.
Against my better judgement, I clicked onto Hesta Prynn’s Myspace page to get a taste of her solo project away from Northern State. Like most music fans who were initially sucked into the “OMG, it’s a girl version of the Beastie Boys” hype back in 2002, I’ve constantly expected better things from this band aside of the hip-hop shrieking that took place on records and on stage.
They were like the Beastie Boys in rhythm and style, but you always felt they never grew past that. The last album I heard was “All City,” which was All Crap, save for one song at the end called “Summer Never Ends,” a strange hybrid of NS’s style, but with the added element of a low, monotone lyrical sense that, when compared to everything else they had done, sounded fresh.
So here, almost 7 years later, I’m giving one-third of the band another chance with Hesta Prynn’s forray into the solo world with three songs off her Myspace and some gigs at the upcoming SXSW.
The word? That sound from “Summer Never Ends” is back.
It isn’t all hip-hop, nor is it all pop. Prynn’s managed to strip down the music to its essentials and released tracks that sound honest and genuine. Maybe a laid-back Tegan and Sara if you’re into that sort of comparison (which may make sense since she wrote them while on tour with the band).
Prynn, who’s being billed as her being “in” Civil Shepherd, will be dropping down at the SXSW on Wednesday March 18 at 1 a.m., which is a prime spot for a gig.
Check out the song. Yes, it’s partly hip-hop, but sans shrieking.
Hesta Prynn in Civil Shepherd – Seven Sisters
[audio:http://www.52shows.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/hesta_prynn_in_civil_shepherd-seven_sisters.mp3]
Why include the Leeds electronic group Ocelot? Because they’re bloody honest. With a generic beat and employing a voice-changing device, this group has managed to create the most honest dance song ever made. How? With this mind-blowing refrain that repeats over and over again.
“We’re gonna get drunk/ We’re gonna get down/ We’re gonna stay drunk/ We’re gonna get fucked / And we’re gonna do it all tonight/ And we’re gonna make it out alive.”
That’s is. And somehow it spans six minutes. They accomplish this by spending the first three not telling the listener exactly what they are doing (they muff out the last word in each sentence). Then they tell you. And it’s awesome.
Earth-shattering? No. Innovative? Hardly. Potential to get the beautiful people on the dance floor? High. Potential to get the indie-rock kids out flailing their arms? Equally high.
It appears they are scheduled for an early Thursday, March 19 show. This is unfortunate since this is the kind of band that should be listened to once the Colombian bam-bam has taken over the mind.
Below is the song. I had to hack at it so it would fit on the mighty blog. While not the original six minute version, I’m sure you can get the full effect.
Ocelot- Our TIme
[audio:http://www.52shows.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/ocelot-our-time.mp3]
It’s snowing again here in Boston, for the 134th time this season, and it’s affecting my mood. So it’s good that I’ve discovered Caroline Herring today, from the infamous Decatur, Georgia. She’s on the cusp of releasing her third album and will be heading to Austin on Wednesday, March 18.
Most people may be able to figure out everything about Herring from the above pic: cute singer songwriter who plays the guitar and looks like an indie-rock Pam from The Office.
And on this threatening Boston day with the bitter cold and high winds, it’s exactly the kind of sound I need to calm the rage and anger inside of me (and don’t get me started on the cell phone I accidentally washed the other day).
Bottom line: You’ve heard this before, and if you liked it then, you’ll probably like this now.
Caroline Herring – Paper Gown
[audio:http://www.52shows.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/paper-gown.mp3]
Any group, be it pop, rock or hip hop, will always command my attention whenever I hear that magical phrase “Women from Sweeden…” Sold.
After you stop gawking at the picture, imagine the group playing bluegrass. Apparently since dominating pop for so long, the Swedes appear to be stepping into Alison Krauss’ territory and have extracted whatever sexiness the music genre had. Abalone Dots is like putting for different Krauss’ in a group with various levels of sex appeal. Don’t believe? Watch the video on their site.
Bluegrass has always been a strong player in for the Austin, Texas music festival, but there’s something extra in Abalone’s sound which I can’t quite put my finger on. Maybe it’s because I picture them imagining what bluegrass must be like and that’s how they write their music. Or maybe I just want to meet them in person.
I love rap music and Vivaldi. Nina Simone and Biggie Smalls make my world go round.
Meet Emily Wells, the musician who will crush any preconceived notions you ever had about classical music and hip hop. Yes, you’ve seen people with fiddles playing rock music and a rock band sounding classical-y. But neither of them compares to what Wells does.
In one seamless action, she’s combined both worlds into one, laying down beats in the background as the distinct sound of a violin plays. And she sings and, somehow, it all makes sense.
Don’t believe? Check out her cover of Biggie’s “Juicy.” And if it’s good enough for NPR, then it should fall into the I’ll-check-this-out-eventually pile.
For me, a lot of the SXSW bands fall into neat little organized piles that range from the “sounds like (insert band here)” to “world” (which is anything that incorporates a foreign-sounding instrument).
But Wells is different. I’m into this shit. And I can’t tell you why. It’s not entirely classical nor is it entirely hip hop. It’s some amazing musical Frankenstein you hope will stomp through the disposable landscape of the music industry and tear it down.
Emily Wells – Symphony 6: Fair Thee Well and the Requiem Mix
3/13 San Diego, CA The Loft/UC San Diego
3/15 Hermosa Beach, CA Saint Rocke (opening for Meiko)
3/26 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour (opening for The Tallest Man on Earth)
This was originally a “SXSW Bands We Know” post, but as some of you know, we get incredibly backed up here at 52shows…mostly because our day jobs and drunk fest to NYC get in the way.
So we turned it into a Tours of Note post since, well, you should know about this band.
These guys are from Syracuse, NY, the place where I spent 5 years of my life drinking, throwing beer bottles at buildings and occasionally learning.
But that’s not the reason I’m singling them out. Ra Ra Riot has had a pretty traumatic beginning (they’ve only released an EP). Last year, their drummer John Pike was found dead in the water in Buzzard Bay, MA. It was a complete shock to the band and to the fans. Eventually, the band pulled together and pressed on, mainly because “that’s what John would have wanted.”
Even without the extra spotlight on them due to the unfortunate death, the EP was already garnering some attention, mainly for their odd arrangements (a sort of stop-and-go guitar riff) and their penchant for bridging the intellectual world with the rock one.
Only their EP is out right now (you can get it for $10 on their site),
04.03.08: San Francisco, CA // Popscene // GET TICKETS #
04.04.08: Los Angeles, CA // El Rey Theatre // GET TICKETS #
04.05.08: San Diego, CA // The Casbah // GET TICKETS *
04.06.08: Phoenix, AZ // Modified // GET TICKETS *
04.09.08: Norman, OK // Opolis // GET TICKETS *
04.10.08: Ft. Worth, TX // Lola’s // GET TICKETS *
04.11.08: Austin, TX // Stubbs // GET TICKETS *
04.12.08: Baton Rouge, LA // Spanish Moon // GET TICKETS *
04.14.08: Orlando, FL // The Social // GET TICKETS *
04.15.08: Gainesville, FL // Common Grounds // GET TICKETS *
04.16.08: Jacksonville, FL // Jack Rabbits // GET TICKETS *
04.17.08: Atlanta, GA // Lenny’s // GET TICKETS *
04.18.08: Charleston, SC // The Map Room // GET TICKETS *
04.20.08: Chapel Hill, NC // Local 506 // GET TICKETS *
04.22.08: Baltimore, MD // The Ottobar // GET TICKETS *
04.23.08: Hoboken, NJ // Maxwells // GET TICKETS *
04.25.08: Cambridge, MA // Middle East Downstairs // GET TICKETS *
04.28.08: Pittsburgh, PA // Garfield Artworks // GET TICKETS *
04.29.08: Columbus, OH // The Basement // GET TICKETS *
04.30.08: Cincinnati , OH // Gypsy Hut // GET TICKETS *
05.02.08: Toledo, OH // Frankie’s // GET TICKETS *
05.03.08: Detroit, MI // Alvins // GET TICKETS *
05.04.08: Madison, WI // The Annex // GET TICKETS *
05.07.08: Omaha, NE // Slowdown Jr // GET TICKETS *
05.08.08: Lawrence, KS // Jackpot Saloon // GET TICKETS *
05.09.08: Colorado Springs, CO // Black Sheep // GET TICKETS
05.10.08: Salt Lake City, UT // Kilby Court // GET TICKETS *
05.16.08: Pomona, CA // Glass House // GET TICKETS *
I saw these guys when they used to play small clubs and seedy bars in Phoenix, AZ. I think a friend of mine dated them…or maybe she wanted to. I dunno.
Anyway, this duo plays smooth instrumental music, the type of music you’ll get lost in when you’re in a club or when you’re spending an obscene amount of time on the computer (I have to be up in four hours and I’m still here? WTF?).
It’s kind of like giving your brain a massage…a sensual musical massage. Let Lymbyc heal you, and you’ll be bobbing your head in no time. Yea.
And if you see them out, they like to get their butts slapped. Hard.
See them on Friday, March 14, 8pm at Emo Jr’s (603 Red River Street).
I love this goddamn band. The first time I saw them, it was on a whim. I got an email from someone (PR guy) telling me to check out this band. I went on their Myspace and heard “Black Grease.” Based on that song alone, I went to the show and the six-member band ripped opened my chest and injected psychedelic rock straight into my veins. I’ve been a fan ever since.
If I owned a strip club, I’d have the classiest lady in the joint dance to “Black Grease.” It just has that strip club vibe. Just saying.
Their album is Passover and it kicks ass. Pick it up now if you want to live again.
See them at SXSW Wednesday, March 12, 12 AM at Bourbon Rocks Patio (508 E 6th Street).
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