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Carrie Rodriguez

March 28, 2009 – 2:41 pm by sleeper
Tour Dates
03/28/09 Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s (duo) w/Erin McKeown Hoboken, New Jersey
03/29/09 Dave Marsh Show on Sirius/XM Radio (11 am) New York, New York
03/29/09 Fairfield, CT @ Stage One/Fairfield Theatre (duo) w/Erin McKeown Fairfield, Connecticut
04/02/09 Conroe, TX @ Heritage Place Ampitheater/First Thursday Concert Series (band) Conroe, Texas
04/03/09 Austin, TX @ The Cactus Cafe (duo) Austin, Texas
04/04/09 San Antonio, TX @ Casbeers At The Church (duo) San Antonio, Texas
04/06/09 Des Moines, IA @ Flying Mango (duo) Des Moines, Iowa
04/08/09 Showcase Minnesota, KARE TV - Channel 11 (w/Romantica) - 10:30 am Minneapolis, Minnesota
04/08/09 KTCZ interview/performance in Minneapolis, MN - listen @ www.cities97.com - 12:30 pm Minneapolis, Minnesota
04/08/09 Minneapolis, MN @ The Varsity Theatre (w/Romantica) Minneapolis, Minnesota
04/09/09 Milwaukee, WI @ Turner Hall (duo) - opening for Alejandro Escovedo Milwaukee, Wisconsin
04/10/09 Danville, IN @ Royal Theater (duo) opening for Alejandro Escovedo Danville, Indiana
04/11/09 Chicago, IL @ Old Town School of Folk Music (duo) - opening for Alejandro Escovedo SOLD OUT Chicago, Illinois
04/14/09 New York, NY @ The Living Room (trio) - WVUV “On Your Radar” Event New York, New York
04/18/09 Stone Ridge, NY @ Center for Creative Education (duo) Stone Ridge, New York
04/22/09 Annapolis, MD @ Rams Head (duo) - opening for Willy Porter Annapolis, Maryland
04/25/09 WFDU “Crash On The Levee” interview/performance (duo) - 10:30 am - listen @ www.wfdu.fm Teaneck, New Jersey
04/26/09 Freehold, NJ @ Concerts in the Studio (trio) Freehold, New Jersey
05/08/09 San Pedro, CA @ Grand Annex (trio) San Pedro, CA
05/09/09 San Diego, CA @ Anthology (trio) San Diego, Californi
05/10/09 Santa Monica, CA @ McCabes Guitar Shop (trio) Santa Monica, California
05/11/09 Tucson, AZ @ Plush (trio) Tucson, Arizona
05/14/09 Santa Rosa, CA @ Last Day Saloon (trio) Santa Rosa, California
05/16/09 Fallon, NV @ Barkley Theatre (trio) Fallon, Nevada
05/17/09 Chico, CA @ The Big Room/Sierra Navada Brewing (trio) w/The Greencards Chico, Nevada
05/21/09 Denver, CO @ The Soiled Dove (trio) Denver, Colorado
05/22/09 Taos, NM @ KTAO Solar Center (band) Taos, New Mexico
05/23/09 Albuquerque, NM @ Q-Jam @ Harry E. Kinney Civic Plaza (band) - opening for The Gin Blossums Albuquerque, New Mexico
05/25/09 She Ain’t Me RELEASE DATE in Europe Wageningen, Overijssel
06/01/09 (t)London radio & media day London, London and South East
06/02/09 Bob Harris Radio Show (BBC2) taping London, London and South East
06/06/09 Bob Harris Show (BBC2) airs London, London and South East
06/12/09 Fish Creek, WI @ Door Community Auditorium (band) Fish Creek, Wisconsin
06/13/09 Green Lake, WI @ Thrasher Opera House (band) Green Lake, Wisconsin
07/11/09 Austin City Limits (PBS) segment re-airs (internationally)! Austin, Texas
07/12/09 (t)Stanley, ID @ Redfish Lake Lodge (duo) Stanley, Idaho
07/14/09 (t)Halley, ID Halley, Idaho
07/15/09 Boise, ID @ Alive After Five Concert Series (band) Boise, Idaho
07/16/09 Moscow, ID @ Rendezvous in Moscow (band) Moscow, Idaho
07/17/09 Ephrata, WA @ Basin Summer Sounds (band) Ephtara, Washington
07/18/09 (t)Sandpoint, ID andpoint, Idaho
07/19/09 (t)Missoula, MT Missoula, Montana
07/20/09 (t)KRVO 103.1 FM Riverside Lounge interview/performance - TBD Kalispell, Montana
07/20/09 (t)Whitefish, MT @ Great Northern Bar & Grill (band) - KRVO show Whitefish, Montana
07/22/09 Crested Butte, CO @ Live! from Mt. Crested Butte Crested Butte, Colorado
07/23/09 Ridgway, CO @ Summer Concert Series - KVNF broadcast Ridgway, Colorado
07/24/09 Cedar City, UT @ The Grind Coffeehouse Cedar City, Utah
08/06/09 Bethlehem, PA @ Musik Fest (band) Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
09/26/09 (t)WTMT 105.9 FM interview/performance in Asheville, NC - TBD Asheville, North Carolina
09/26/09 Flat Rock, NC @ Flat Rock Music Festival (duo or trio) Flat Rock, North Carolina

Discography


[2002] Let’s Leave This Town
[2003] The Trouble with Humans
[2004] Angel Of The Morning EP

[2005] Red Dog Tracks
[2006] Seven Angels on a Bicycle
[2008] She Ain’t Me
Carrie Rodriguez is a singer/songwriter, from a Mexican descent, currently based out of New York. Her father, David Rodriguez, is also a singer/songwriter, having long relocated in the Netherlands in the mid-90s, where it seems he’s still producing music.

Anyway, she first came on the music scene via 2001’s SXSW*, where Chip Taylor met Carrie Rodriguez and was impressed with her that he asked her to tour with him in Europe. Since then, together, they released three albums and one EP.

By 2006, Rodriguez went solo and released Seven Angels on a Bicycle, however with the help of Taylor (who co-wrote and had a major influence on the first album). With She Ain’t Me, released late last year on the Manhattan Records (who I also just recently found out makes most of their music available on the BMG Music Club), Rodriguez is mostly on her own, employing the songwriting help of ex-Jayhawks Gary Louris, folk singer Mary Gauthier, producer Malcolm Burn (who won a Juno award for producer of the year for Emmylou Harris’ “Here I Am”), among others.

Listening to She Ain’t Me, I was immediately taken to the title track (”She Ain’t Me”). I marked it as a five-star track on iTunes and it became an instant repeat track for me. I feel that the song has a country folk influence, but the melodies sounds more like a great radio pop song. The singer warns the listener that this new woman might be perfect, but she simply cannot replace the singer (because she simply isn’t her.)

The most surprisingly thing I found about the song, having looked up the song credit as co-written by “D.Wilson”, I have concluded it is Dan Wilson - who you may all remember as being from Minneapolis’ Semisonic.**

I also enjoyed “El Salvador”, which is a long-distance (love?) song. If it’s not love, it’s definitely about missing someone… apparently that person is in El Salvador. The song is surprisingly optimistic in tone as well, despite all the waiting and wishing she could swim across the ocean.

The most surprising thing for me was that Rodriguez only wrote/play fiddle on a few of the songs (the rest, she settled on guitar). The most noticible fiddle song is “Absence”, which sounds like a southern bluegrass song and reminds me a lot of Bobbie Gentry. The reason why I bring this up is because she is known for her fiddles - and compared to her first solo album, the majority of banjo & fiddles gave that album more of a bluegrass feel to it.

If you love folk, pop, and a little bluegrass, you should want to check out Carrie Rodriguez. Judging from her major promotional tour, I think you will be hearing from her soon - if not already.

* I am happy to report that Rodriguez is returning back to SXSW in a few short weeks.

** From a Minneapolis point of view, she’ll be appearing on KARE TV and on Cities97, as well as playing at the Varsity, the same night (April 8th). I would not be suprise if Wilson shows up at the Varsity show - so be on the lookout.


  ♥ vu () ♥ carrierodriguez.com ♥ myspace.com/carrielrodriguez


Posted in USA, Folk | No Comments »

W♥M039: Ceji

January 4, 2009 – 12:00 pm by sleeper


W♥M039: Ceji [download (30 mins)]
Subscribe to our show at gcast.com (RSS).

This was a lot of fun. I had promised Ceji that it would not take more than 15 minutes of her time, but we ended up taking much longer than expected. Perhaps there will be an imminent part twoer.

I ended up taking out about 20 +/- minutes, to keep the podcast consistent. I felt that the iPhone talk didn’t belong with the music-related theme, so added it as a bonus at the end of the podcast. So listen to the end for about 5 minutes of iPhone/iPod love.

Taking a break from her moving day, I present to you:

CEJI
invisiblesparks.vox.com ♥ ceji.weheartmusic.com

Among some of the more interesting thing on our chat is that Ceji was named after Ciji Dunne of the soap opera Knots Landing. Like most television serial, “whodunnit” are big draws for ratings (think “Who Killed J.R.” or “Who Killed Mister Burns” and you get the idea). Well the big cliffhanger for Season 4 was a fast-raising starlet singer Ciji, who showed up, taking most of the spotlight and then ultimately murdered for the cliffhanger at the end of the season.

Incidentally, the actress Lisa Hartman, came back in the next season as Ciji’s doppelgänger, Cathy Geary.

Other things we talked about:

  • Looking back at 2007, yes, 2007.
  • Radio Milwaukee, Radiohead, Havana, etc
  • Music discover, back in the day
  • Our love for 120 Minutes and Matt Pinfield♥ (the clip I used was the parody of “Pat Minfield” for “120 Midgets”)
  • Belle & Sebastian
  • T.I.’s Paper Trail, Fleet Foxes, Little Dragon

Links: www.weheartmusic.com podcast.weheartmusic.com news.weheartmusic.com


Posted in W♥M, Podcast, USA, California | No Comments »

Tracy Shedd

September 20, 2008 – 11:37 pm by sleeper
Tracy Shedd is releasing her third album, Cigarettes & Smoke Machines, this Tuesday, and I will confess that I’m smitten with her sweet voice. Her voice is as pretty as her looks, which surprised me when I read that in her early albums that she deliberately hid her lovely voice behind musical shrouds. With Cigarettes & Smoke Machines, it’s her voice that is in the forefront.

So, I get the impression that earlier in her career, she loves (or would enjoy) the three colors Kieslowski movies (Blue, White, and Red).

Let’s take a look at the cover art, first of all. The cover does not feature Shedd, it’s actually one of her friends from 1996 named Emily Wilder, photographed by Amanda Sciullo. The cover is of a girl in blindfolds, and appearently Shedd had wanted to use this image for a cover - and finally used it with Cigarettes & Smoke Machines.

“Never Too Late” starts off the album with this tone that anything can happen, that it’s never too late. The album then become a little more frantic with the guitar on “Whatever It Takes”. It’s a little faster and direct, and I can see why they chose this song for their promotional music video. After watching the video, it seems to translate literally what the song is about - an angry/jealous woman and her boyfriend/husband.


Tour Dates
09/26/08 Hotel Congress // Record Release Party // Party On The Patio Tucson, Arizona
10/04/08 Eclipse // Record Release Party // Happy Hour with Tracy Shedd Jacksonville, Florida
10/15/08 The Apple Store Tucson, Arizona
Discography

[2001] Blue
[2003] Red
[2004] Louder Than You Can Hear
[2008] Cigarettes & Smoke Machines
The pianos, bass, percussion, and cello, are all there in the background, while the strength lies in the guitar and her voice. It would seem that whoever arranged this album did a pretty good job, keeping you interested. For example, I felt that some of the songs are laid out in a slow/quiet and then followed by a faster/uptempo song. I know that sounds incredibly formulatic, but it works for me.

So let’s break down the tracks:

1. Never Too Late
[Y]
2. Whatever It Takes
[G]
3. Hardest Part Of Good-Bye
[R]
4. Won Past Ten
[G]
5. Plastic World
[R]
6. Not Giving Up
[G]
7. Remember The Time We Set The Highway On Fire?
[Y]
8. Go On
[G]
9. Paris
[R]
10. Valentine
[R]
11. So Sick
[G]
12. Home
[R]

I will have to say that I am a fan of the more faster song, as I felt like I should be dancing to these little stories that Shedd is singing about…. However, “Paris” has a nice spacing and pacing.

Cigarettes & Smoke Machines will be available this Tuesday, September 23rd, on Teenbeat Records. Be sure to check some of their other bands, including The Rondelles and The Feminine Complexe.

As always, additional information over at our news.w♥m website.


Links:
www.tracyshedd.com myspace.com/tracyshedd


Posted in USA, Vu, Indie Rock, Arizona | No Comments »

Benjamin Taylor

September 20, 2008 – 9:07 am by sleeper
Tour Dates

09/20/08 Joe’s Pub New York, NY
10/18/08 Borgata Atlantic City, NJ
10/19/08 World Cafe Live (WXPN Studios) Philadelphia, PA
11/21/08 Troubadour West Hollywood, CA
Discography

[2003] Famous Among the Barns
[2005] Another Run Around the Sun
[2008] The Legend of Kung Folk: Part 1 (The Killing Bite)

ENTER THE TAYLOR
I think I get what Benjamin Taylor - of musician parents of James Taylor and Carly Simon - is trying to do with his themed The Legend of Kung Folk: Part 1 (The Killing Bite). The way I see it, with the television show, Kung Fu, a Shaolin monk wanders along the countryside spreading his kung fu. Instead of a monk, it’s Benjamin Taylor spreading his co-called Kung Folk! I love the idea and name of Kung Folk, it seems like an American Folk with an Eastern philosophy. It is obvious to me that Taylor is deeply interested in Asian culture - and not just because of Bruce Lee (although that’s cool too).

In 1997, Taylor took the musical path as The Ben Taylor Band, a “neo-psychodelic folk funk” as Taylor puts it. He changed that music style, more classic folk starting with his 2005 album, Another Run Around the Sun.

FOLK OF FURY
The melodies and backup singers on “Wrong” makes the song an obvious choice to represent Taylor, plus it’s a great song. I also really enjoyed “Wicked Way”, a fun song about a guy who wants to have his wicked ways with this girl. I love bluntness of it:

I don’t want to meet your friends or just pretend I like you
I don’t want to talk about what happened on your favorite TV show
I just want to get you close enough so I can take off all your clothes
I am not going to make you cry or break your heart

Girl, we don’t have the time
I’m just thinking of three hours or more
So I can have my wicked way with you.

The most interesting song on this album is “Wilderness”, the only song that’s not written by Taylor. I found out that it comes from rapper John Forte, who’s currently serving time in prison for procession and intent of distribution of narcotics. The song is what you would expect from Taylor, so I am interested in what it would sound like under Forte’s direction.

RETURN OF THE KILLING BITE
The Legend of Kung Folk was released September 16th on Iris Records. I recommend buying it from Newbury Comics as it comes with an autographed CD booklet.

I leave you with this Taylor quote:

Laughing at myself is proving to be very good Kung Fu.

- Benjamin Taylor

Links: bentaylormusic.com myspace.com/bentaylorofficial


Posted in USA, Massachusetts, Folk | No Comments »

Lady Dottie and the Diamonds

September 13, 2008 – 10:33 pm by sleeper
Tour Dates
09/13/08 Valley View Casino Valley Center
09/13/08 The Casbah — CD RELEASE PARTY! San Diego
09/15/08 U31 San Diego
09/22/08 U31 San Diego
09/27/08 Adams Ave. Street Fair san diego, California
10/04/08 Valley View Casino Valley Center
10/10/08 Valley View Casino Valley Center
11/21/08 Valley View Casino Valley Center
12/10/08 House Of Blues– Hollywood Hollywood, California
12/11/08 YOUR PARTY! SAN DIEGO
12/20/08 Valley View Casino Valley Center
12/23/08 Valley View Casino Valley Center
See Also
Sharon Jones
http://weheartmus…
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings are a modern day funk and soul band from Brooklyn, New York. Ceji pr…

I listened to NPR’s story on Soul Music making a come back a few days ago, and I have to say that it’s perfectly true. Sharon Jones, Amy Winehouse, Angie Whitney, Jamie Lidell, and, to a lesser extent, Adele, are just some of the modern artists still producing some of the best Soul music today.

To give you a little background, soul music came from the gospel church, but mixed with rhythm and blues. I want to say that Motown Records really popularized the genre in the 60s with Gladys Knight and Marvin Gaye, to name a few, and by the early 70s, everyone heard about the hardest working man in showbiz: James “The Godfather of Soul” Brown.

It seems like after thirty years that Soul is making its comeback.

One of those bands that you’ll probably hear about is Lady Dottie and the Diamonds, they’re about to release their self-titled album next Tuesday, September 16th. I have been listening to this album for a few weeks now (despite what lastfm is reporting) and just refreshing the album as I write this.

The whole album is full of soul music, designed to get you to stand up and dance. I can only imagine what it would be like to see them at a live concert, with Lady Dottie infectious dancing and singing.

My favorite song off this album is easily “Livin’ It Up”, which was also their first EP they released last year. If you listen to the very end of this song, you can hear Dottie commenting how great this song is. I’m so glad they kept that in, as it gives you a glimpse of their personalities.

Other songs I dug was their BB King cover of “Why I Sing the Blues”. The song is obviously a blues song, but there is an element of gospel thrown in there.

By the way, the last song on the album is a cover of “Movin’ On Up”, that famous Jeffersons theme song. I didn’t know this until today, but apparently the song is sung actress Ja’net Du Bois, who you may know her as the maid in Sanford and Son.

Also, looking at the pictures of the band, I think they’re mostly white guys and it made me think that the Dap-Kings are mostly white dudes too. This fascinates me for some reason.

Lady Dottie and the Diamonds will be out next week on Hi Speed Soul Records.

Links: ladydottieandthediamonds.com myspace.com/ladydottieandthediamonds


Posted in California, Soul | No Comments »

Rahim

September 12, 2008 – 8:02 am by sleeper
Tour Dates
09/14/08 BLACK CAT w/ Maps & Atlases, Nurses Washington, Washington DC
09/15/08 TEA BAZAAR w/ Arctic Rose Charlottesville, Virginia
09/16/08 21:11 BEER & WINE Greeneville, North Carolina
09/17/08 GO BAR w/ Iron Hero Athens, Georgia
09/18/08 NEW WORLD BREWERY Tampa, Florida
09/19/08 1982 BAR Gainesville, Florida
09/20/08 TIN ROOF w/ Win Win Winter Charleston, South Carolina
09/21/08 SOAPBOX LAUNDRO LOUNGE w/ Win Win Winter, Fortress of Swatches Wilmington, North Carolina
09/22/08 DRUNKEN UNICORN w/ Liverhearts, Win Win Winter Atlanta, Georgia
09/23/08 RESERVOIR w/ Win Win Winter Carborro, North Carolina
09/24/08 MILESTONE w/ The Lights, Fluorescent Charlotte, North Carolina
09/25/08 TALKING HEAD w/ Deleted Scenes Baltimore, Maryland
09/30/08 BERNIE’S w/ Thin Fevers Columbus, Ohio
10/01/08 EAGLE THEATER w/ Thunderbirds Are Now!, Born Ruffians, Plants & Animals Pontiac, Michigan
10/02/08 RONNY’S w/ Netherfriends, Darren Keen Chicago, Illinois
10/05/08 FOUNDATION Kansas City, Missouri
10/06/08 CONSERVATORY Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
10/07/08 HAILEY’S Denton, Texas
10/08/08 EMO’S LOUNGE Austin, Texas

10/11/08 SKULL ALLEY w/ Young Widows Louisville, Kentucky
10/12/08 BRILLOBOX w/ Life In Bed Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Did I mention dark and moody? How about Rahim? Their sophomore album, Laughter, just came out last Tuesday, and everyone seems to really love them (especially Spin & Pitchfork to name a few).

Maybe it’s my headphones, but, listening to the album, the audio sounds hollow. Like it was recorded on poor recording equipment. Maybe it’s intentional, who knows, but it does come off like they recorded inside a padded cave.

I did like the experimental noises, anything from synth to weird percussions to foot stomping (?) on the record. It’s obvious, whoever is playing all these instruments is very talented.

The album starts off with an introduction song, “Death” of clanking cans, to give you a taste of what to expect. The first major song is “The Same”, which establish your relationship to the band (”hey, it’s true, you are the same as me“).

The band seems to really like “Through A Window” (which you can download off their myspace). The radio-friendly song sounds too short - maybe too short? In fact, the whole album is a hair less than 30 minutes.

My favorite song off this album is “Laughter”, which ends the album on a strong note. There’s some strange cord progression on this song with an almost 18th century monk-like chant that made this song interesting to me.

If you’re into indie rock, but with non-traditional guitar/bass/drum equipment, you should definitely check out Rahim. Laughter is available now from Pretty Activity. In support of this record, expect the band to be touring through your town.

Links: rahimrahim.org myspace.com/rahim prettyactivity.com


Posted in Experimental, New York, Indie Rock | No Comments »

Potpourri

September 7, 2008 – 12:17 am by Administrator
  
♥ written by vu ()

Here are a few non-indie rock album reviews for you. One of the nicest thing about W♥M is that we don’t necessary serve a niche music genre, so we’re often sent a huge variety of music genre. Below are some genre of music that I don’t normally listen to - but all equally enjoyable: oldies, reggae, death metal, and Christian.

OPM
opmden.com ♥ myspace.com

California’s OPM’s Golden State of Mind was released in August, and features a diverse collaborations with Jim Perkins (acoustic folk), Pato Banton (reggae), Big B (rap/hip hop) and Jamie Allensworth (soul/funk).

This album is mostly chill reggae, but with a small splash of rap - mostly through collaboration with Big B & Dirtball. This is also radio-reggae, so if you’re looking for reggae dubs, you might want to look elsewhere - however fans of reggae should really enjoy the mix of rock, rap, reggae (and even punk!).

This band first exploded on the reggae scene with their major label (Atlantic) debut 2000 album, Menace To Sobriety, mostly due to their popular skater song, “Heaven Is a Halfpipe”.

They left Atlantic and have been with Suburban Noize Records since 2004.

The one clear song that I think is such a good song is “Family & Friends”. There are two mixes on this album, the Saber mix seems to stress certain music riffs/beats, but the original mix I thought was just fine - if not better as is. I think mostly because you can hear the vocals more clearly on the original mix.

It looks like they’ve been touring all summer long, and continuing:

15 Sep 2008 CROSSROADS Fresno, California
16 Sep 2008 FAT CAT Modesto, California
17 Sep 2008 FISHLIPS BAR AND GRILL Bakersfield, California
18 Sep 2008 JILLIANS Las Vegas, Nevada
20 Sep 2008 THE ROCK Tucson, Arizona
22 Sep 2008 HAILEY’S Denton, Texas
23 Sep 2008 EMO’S Austin, Texas
24 Sep 2008 THE ROCK BOTTOM San Antonio, Texas
26 Sep 2008 MERCY LOUNGE Nashville, Tennessee
27 Sep 2008 THE FIVE SPOT Atlanta, Georgia
28 Sep 2008 THE PARISH ROOM@ HOB New Orleans, Louisiana
29 Sep 2008 MARKET STREET PUB Gainesville, Florida
1 Oct 2008 JANNUS LANDING St. Petersburg, Florida
2 Oct 2008 CULTURE ROOM Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
3 Oct 2008 THE SOCIAL (TWO NIGHTS!) Orlando, Florida
4 Oct 2008 THE SOCIAL (TWO NIGHTS!) Orlando, Florida
5 Oct 2008 FREEBIRD’S Jacksonville, Florida
7 Oct 2008 THE MUSIC FARM Charleston, South Carolina
8 Oct 2008 THE NORVA Norfolk, Virginia
9 Oct 2008 RECHER THEATER Towson, Maryland
10 Oct 2008 JC DOBBS Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
11 Oct 2008 HARPER’S FERRY Allston, Massachusetts
12 Oct 2008 WEBSTER UNDERGROUND Hartford, Connecticut
13 Oct 2008 HIGHLINE BALLROOM New York City, New York
15 Oct 2008 MOD CLUB Toronto, Ontario
16 Oct 2008 THE SHELTER (downstairs St. Andrews) Detroit, Michigan
17 Oct 2008 THE BASEMENT Columbus, Ohio
18 Oct 2008 REGGIE’S ROCK CLUB Chicago, Illinois
19 Oct 2008 PEABODY’S Cleveland, Ohio
21 Oct 2008 THE ANNEX Madison, Wisconsin
23 Oct 2008 STATION 4 Saint Paul, Minnesota
24 Oct 2008 RECORD BAR Kansas City, Missouri
25 Oct 2008 GOTHIC THEATER Denver, Colorado
26 Oct 2008 THE BELLY UP Aspen, Colorado
27 Oct 2008 AVALON THEATER Salt Lake City, Utah
28 Oct 2008 THE BIG EASY Boise, Idaho
29 Oct 2008 HAWTHORNE THEATER Portland, Oregon
30 Oct 2008 MEDIA CLUB Vancouver, British Columbia
1 Nov 2008 EL CORAZON Seattle, Washington
5 Nov 2008 THE HOUSE OF BLUES West Hollywood, California
6 Nov 2008 THE HOUSE OF BLUES San Diego, California
7 Nov 2008 THE PHOENIX THEATER Petaluma, California
8 Nov 2008 SENATOR THEATER Chico, California
9 Nov 2008 SLO VETS HALL San Lius Obispo, California

PS, I never found out what OPM stands for. Is it for “Other People’s Money”?

 STEPHANIE
iamstephanie.net ♥ myspace.com

You probably don’t know this, but I often get interested potential writers with interesting proposals for music angles. One of them included someone who wanted to write about Christian music, so I requested some of this genre of music from our PR people. When it came to actually producing reviews, that person was never heard from again.

I haven’t gotten a Christian album in a while, but this one recently turned up: the self-titled album by the artist simply known as “Stephanie”.

Surely she must know that she’s not the only musician called Stephanie? I had a heck of a hard time looking up her myspace/website.

With the exception of the live recording of “Wake up Arise”, all of these songs are studio-recorded and mixed. It sounds very clear and professional - including the live song.

The closest “rock” song is the ironically named “Back to the Rock”, featuring pianos and Céline Dion-style singing and wooing. I did enjoy her songs when it had more than a few instrument arrangement, like “The Rain”, “Through Christ” (electric guitar!), and “Back to the Rock”, as they seem to bring more of a full-music experience for me - at least for this album.

I can understand the route to keep it simple (either with just pianos or acoustic guitar), because I felt they were trying to spotlight Stephanie’s vocals. If you like vocals and minimal music, songs to check out are “Now I Know”, “Bless Those Beside Me”, and “Take Away”.

The overall feel of this album is that it’s Christian pop music, at times inspirational. If you enjoy other Christian pop acts like Amy Grant, this should fit right in. After a few listen, you forget that it’s even Christian, despite the obvious religious overtones.

If you’re in the Texas area and just generally like pop music, you should check her out:

14 Sep 2008 Word of Love Church Hurst, Texas
28 Sep 2008 Lighthouse Fellowship Church Ft.Worth, Texas
24 Oct 2008 Seekers Coffee Shop Hurst, Texas
THE PONSONBY DC’S
myspace.com/ponsonbydcs

This band doesn’t have anything to do with death, sans for their gloomy “Death Doom and Destruction”. This song is actually pretty good, sampling some speech from George Bush.

This band have been around since 1984 (WTF!) and currently based out of Canterbury, New Zealand, according to their myspace.

By 1986, this band was in top form with their self-titled album featured in Spin Magazine and all over the college radio airwaves.

Their sixth and latest album is called That’s What All The Girls Say, released this year. Just look at their cover art, featuring what looks like a “serious” Cubism style - yet showing a pop-art style of a boat captain to the right. Maybe I’m over analyzing it, but this has a very serious and a not-so-serious tone to it.

This also reflects in their songs, some songs have modern social commentaries to them, like the “Death” song mentioned above to “Pluto’s Not A Planet Anymore”. Other songs (”Son of a Street Fighting Man”, “Girls!”) are just fun.

Other trends I notice from this band is that they have a late 50s “oldies but goodies” feel to them. Check out “Little Baby You’re Mine” and “Ponsonby Waltz”, both are well worth a look if you love classic oldies songs - done by a modern band.

PS, Gavin Buxton’s NZ accent definitely shows up on “Just Another Kick” and “Son of a Street Fighting Man”. I love it!

 NETHERBIRD
netherbird.com ♥ myspace.com

Since we already mentioned the life-inspiration songs of Stephanie, I thought it would be fun to balance it with a little bit of the Dark Side. Usually I reserve this sort of music for Dr Soup, as this is a death (read: Satan) metal band from Sweden.

I was actually pretty impressed with the production on this album, it doesn’t sound too “cookie monster” but it’s clear that their inspiration lies in death metal. Even though I think some of their songs sounds like operatic metal (especially on “Carcess Symphony”).

I thought “Forever Mournful” was the stand-out track on this album - and I’ll tell you why. You have Nephente’s demonic/agonizing vocals (I’m not even sure what he’s saying!!) with a counterpoint of a sweet, angelic voice (no idea who’s singing as the promo copy I have doesn’t have any liner notes). The song lends itself to an epic feel as its theme seem to flow right into “Adrift Towards Eternity” (with its sweet violins and thunderstorm soundclip).

Speaking of epic, check out “Boulevard Black” - the very first song that Netherbird recorded. This is a fourteen minute, ultizing lots of guitar, bird sounds (crows?), pianos, and includes a semi-cheesy voice over that seems to sound like an old 80s horror movie. Even the reprise song have a feel of Phantom of the Opera with The Texas Chainsaw Massacre!

The most surprising thing I found out is that Target.com is carrying their CD. Wow, right? Apparently there is a standard release and a collector’s edition - as usual, I always suggest getting the deluxe version if you can swing it.

Links: www.weheartmusic.com news.weheartmusic.com wp.weheartmusic.com podcast.weheartmusic.com


Posted in USA, California, Vu, Metal, Death, Sweden, Christian, Christian Pop, New Zealand, Reggae | No Comments »

Leeone at Acadia Cafe, Minneapolis (09/04/08)

September 5, 2008 – 8:51 am by Administrator
Tour Dates
09/10/08 Boston Music Festival - Ned Devine’s Boston, Massachusetts
09/20/08 Atlantis Music Festival @ Smith’s Olde Bar (Atlanta Room) Atlanta, Georgia
10/02/08 Spike Hill Brooklyn, New York
10/05/08 Rockwood Music Hall NYC
Discography

[2003] in this life, on this road.
[2004] Hail to the Queen
[2007] Imaginary Biographies, B-Sides (Digital Only)

[2007] Imaginary Biographies

Set List ♥ Arcadia Cafe, Minneapolis (09/04/08)

The Arcadia sits across the 400 Bar, but you wouldn’t know it was called the Acadia as the signage reads “RIVERSIDE”. I’ve seen this place from the outside through its numerous large windows and looking in at the band on stage.

I don’t know how often these “Diverse Emerging Music Organization” (DEMO) shows goes on, but they seem to operate on donations and benefits local artists. I caught the last few songs of Backstories, a full band and all nicely dressed. I don’t really know the band’s back stories (haha), I’ll bet they get that a lot. They have some songs available for download on their myspace.

Eli Ratner said it was his first time playing (I thought he meant his first gig ever), but I guess he meant at the Acadia. He seems really comfortable on stage with his acoustic guitar. It would seem, according to his myspace, that he’s normally a duo with Peter VonDeLinde.

It’s clear that the real star is Leerone, who earlier in the day appeared in St Paul’s Station 4. The report I got was that her keyboard “got messed up” and she ended up renting a full Yamaha keyboard.

Her set was understandably short, lasting no more than 45 minutes, and included a “made up” acapella song that’s not written on the set list.

PS, more details later, including pictures and art.

Links: www.leerone.com myspace.com/mynameisleerone


Posted in Concert, California, Singer/Songwriter, Vu | No Comments »

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