CAMERAPHONIC

MP3: Laibach - Leben Heisst Leben from Anthems

You might scratch your head if any band would record an album full of covers of national anthems. Volk is that album by Slovenian industrial band, Laibach, and that is what Laibach presented to their American fans at Independent in San Francisco on Thursday, September 25th.

Laibach, the Slovenian (Yugoslavian when they were founded in 1979) industrial outfit who employed militarism as a social commentary and reveled in the firestorms they’ve created over the years by way of their attire, art or vague commentaries, are center of a lot of controversy regarding their either far left or right views. Never stepping out of character, they take their art to heart, never swaying, and always seem to leave things open to be misinterpreted.

Their live show is often referred to as being similar to a political rally… and its not hard to see why.

Equipped with 2 big screens that projects beautiful and haunting images, Laibach played all the thirteen songs from Volk with precision, coldness, grand, minimalism, and totalitarian art that only Laibach can deliver.

Besides songs from Volk, Laibach also played some of their well known songs at the encore such as “Achtung!”, “Tanz Mit Laibach”, “Du Bist Unser” and “Das Spiel Ist Aus” to the delight of their fans. All in all, it was fantastic night and it made me leave the venue feeling surprisingly patriotic (albeit for a Yugoslavia of a time past).

Laibach Website | Myspace
Buy Laibach’s albums at Insound!

MP3: Balkan Beat Box - Hermetico from the album Nu Med

I know that the wood floor at Fillmore can sometimes be a bit bouncy, but I never expected it could be make you fly…

That was what happened when Balkan Beat Box visited the legendary venue on Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 and made people jump up and down.

Balkan Beat Box are musical ambassadors making connections that politics often keep separate. Jewish, Gypsy, Arabic, and American are united by hip hop beats and dancehall toasts. Often making music that is fairly unclassifiable, they throw into the mix Moroccan and Mediterranean rhythms.

The band who was forced to cancel their appearance at the Fillmore few months ago when two of their members were denied entry to American soil and they came back with a vengeance. Ori Kaplan, Tamir Muskat, Tomer Yosef, and the gang did not waste any time in entertaining their fans with their potent mix of Middle Eastern, and Dance Hall beats fused Jamaican dub.

For almost two hours, songs from the second album Nu Med such as “Hermetico”, “Habibi Bin Zaman”, “Digital Monkey”, and “Mexico” as well as songs from the first self-titled album such as “Sushan”, “Ya Man”, “Cha Cha Cha” all brought euphoria over the crowd especially when the band played “Bulgarian Chick”. Not too mentioned that the fans were invited to dance onstage. It was such a beautiful sight for a perfect evening.

Balkan Beat Box Website | Myspace
Buy BBB’s newest album Nu Med!

As a feature on the site, I will be dredging my own personal archive of taped shows to showcase rare or otherwise unheard performances from artists I love.

What started as a typical mid-summer’s evening in San Francisco, warm weather quickly shut out by fast moving clouds and wind, I found myself and maybe 40 others in attendance that night at Cafe du Nord to catch David Bazan do live versions of his then new side project, Headphones. Having just released the album a month prior to the show, they were on tour with another Seattle band, The Crystal Skulls, fronted by now Fleet Foxes member, Christian Wargo.

Enjoy this moment from three summers ago! Try to guess which song in this setlist Bazan considers a true love song…

2008.05.24
Headphones
Cafe du Nord
San Francisco, California, USA

Source : Sony ECM-717 > Sony MZ-NH900 - 44.1kHz/16bit

Transfer : Audacity > Split Tracks > Fade In/Out

Setlist:
01. Gas and Matches
02. I Never Wanted You
03. Major Cities
04. Shit Talker
05. The Five Chord
06. Slow Car Crash
07. Pink and Brown
08. Hot Girls

Headphones Website | Myspace
Buy Headphones Self-Titled Album at Insound!

As part of the first installment of the Cameraphonic Sessions, I decided to make the most of my time up at Bumbershoot and to catch a few acts who would be willing to be part of the series.

I met with Kate Tucker and her guitarist, Mark Isakson, at an Eastlake apartment building very reminiscent of Seattle’s economic boom in the 1950s, due to Boeing’s success in the region. Beautiful architecture and mosaics set the stage quite nicely for this intimate session.

Kate Tucker & The Sons Of Sweden play their own brand of indie rock influenced alternative country. A band not shy to admit that, among many influences, some of the largest are literary, Flannery O’Connor and Virginia Woolf, which are reflected in Tucker’s very abstract and poetic lyrics.

Kate Tucker and Mark Isakson played a couple of songs for me, that were broken down beautifully on their acoustic guitars. Both songs really come to life with each quiver of Tucker’s voice complimented by Isakson’s playful guitar picking.

01. Kate Tucker & The Sons Of Sweden - On The Radio (Cameraphonic Sessions)

02. Kate Tucker & The Sons Of Sweden - The Hours (Cameraphonic Sessions)

Many thanks to Kate and Mark for taking the time to sit down with me for this inaugural session!

Kate Tucker & The Sons Of Sweden Website | Myspace
Buy their Self-Titled Debut on iTunes!

MP3: Sondre Lerche - Wet Ground from Two Way Monologue

“Hello San Fransycho!” greeted Sondre Lerche, the Norwegian singer songwriter, as he entered the stage of Great American Music Hall.

On Tuesday night, August 26th, Sondre Lerche made a stop in his six exclusive Northern America shows to promote his latest album, the soundtrack to Dan In Real Life. Playing with just his guitar, swapping between acoustic and electric, Sondre played in front of his adoring fans who happened to be mostly female.

Having seen Sondre Lerche a few years back with his full band, I have to admit I had some concerns about coming to tonight’s show, but what it comes down to is that his songs are melodically catchy and ready to be sung along, without sounding sappy or sentimental. Throughout the night, Sondre delivered all his songs flawlessly with the finesse of a veteran entertainer, despite him being only 25 years old.

Halfway through the set, Sondre was joined by Sylvie Lewis, who earlier opened the show with her tender and quiet songs, and successfully for the first time did her sing-a-long with a cover from the American classic “Moon River”. Together they played a few songs, two from Dan In Real Life, “Modern Nature” and “Hell No” and one of Lewis’ song,”New York”.

He could be the big pop star, have his songs played on mainstream radios, but that’s not what he really wants. He once said that as long as he makes the album that he’s proud of, he’s happy.

In the end, hundred of fans and I were just glad to see Sondre in real life doing his thing, playing his music.

Sondre Lerche Website | Myspace
Buy the Dan In Real Life Soundtrack!

Nada Surf, minus their bassist/plus one Ozma bassist, played live on KEXP the first day of the festival from the “super secret” location in the downtown center. To a packed house, which extended to a line out the door, they played a great mix of old and new songs, even bringing out the classic “Amateur”.

If you guys enjoy these KEXP live streams let me know! I can post most of the rest from that weekend. I was considering the Thao and Mono in VCF sets to go next.

MP3s:
01 Nada Surf - Ice On The Wing (Live on KEXP)
02 Nada Surf - Whose Authority (Live on KEXP)
03 Nada Surf - Weightless (Live on KEXP)
04 Nada Surf - What Is Your Secret (Live on KEXP)
05 Nada Surf - Amateur (Live on KEXP)
06 Nada Surf - Concrete Bed (Live on KEXP)
07 Nada Surf - See These Bones (Live on KEXP)

Nada Surf Website | Myspace
Buy Nada Surf @ Insound!

The final day of the festival was surprisingly nice. The rain from the first night, which carried slightly into the next morning had subsided and the sun occasionally reared out from behind the clouds to make for pretty enjoyable weather. This day for us was probably the most laid back, as we started out with two video shoots and did not get to the grounds until around 1 or 2pm. As far as bands to cover this day, I had missed a couple I wanted to see earlier in the day so I decided to take it easy and just casually walk the grounds and see the acts I REALLY wanted to catch.

MP3: Built To Spill - Goin’ Against Your Mind from You In Reverse
Built to Spill walked onto stage and with no introductions started right into their set. A surreal moment occurred as Martsch and his band stood there rocking out their jams, nearly standing still, and with me between them and the crowd, which was slowly bouncing up and down. It’s hard to put into words the kind of feeling I had at that exact moment, but it is not something you forget quickly. The band played a set heavy on their 2006 release, You In Reverse, but also brought out some classics of theirs like “Car” and “Big Dipper”.

Built to Spill Website | Myspace

MP3: Battles - Leyendecker from Mirrored
One band I had kept hearing about all weekend at the press tent was this group called Battles. Not getting a chance to check them out prior to the festival I found myself at their set on the Wookie stage and being completely blown away at how skillfully tight a band these guys were. Ex-Helmet drummer, John Stanier, sits in the middle of the stage front and center with his drum kit and a cymbal that sits about 3 feet above his head. Their mathematical styling and dual keyboards make for a sometimes chaotic musical experience that all of a sudden is drowned in harmonies and the harsh tapping of Stanier’s cymbal.

Battles Myspace

MP3: The Mars Volta - Wax Simulcra from The Bedlam in Goliath
The Mars Volta set was probably the most controversial show to happen all weekend.
As soon as they came out on stage, the lead singer ran for the drum kit, grabbed a cymbal with its stand, and tossed it about 15 feet into the crowd. Following that, the security guards were hesitant to let us stay in the photo pit, but things seemingly calmed down for a minute as he danced around and we were allowed to stay. Not three minutes into the set does he decide to then flop around the ground and he catches the eye of the photographer beside me and tried to grab her camera, we all yelled at him, he got up, tore a fan from its position on the right of the stage and hurled it into the crowd again, this time forcing security to rush us all out of the photo pit, they had seen enough.

Can you blame them?

Following that whole scene, I was pretty put off by not getting the shots I wanted and followed a fan taking photos, through the crowd, to about ten feet from the front of the stage. Not wanting to miss any other excitement I stayed there for their entire set, which was like a psychedelic rock headrush.

The Mars Volta Website | Myspace

MP3: The Flaming Lips - Do You Realize? from Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
Sometime in the early hours of the morning it had appeared. Reflecting back images of ourselves all day as we peered up to the sky, this metal framed disc hovered above the main stage, building the anticipation of The Flaming Lips closing act. Set to reenact their famous Oklahoma City UFO show just for the Sasquatch crowds, the buzz in the air was one of utter excitement.

As soon as the band climbed out of the UFO and the Teletubbies had everyone in a frenzy, the confetti came. Confetti by the tons was pouring out of high pressure fans blowing at least 80 feet back into the crowd as Wayne was bopping around firing off individual canisters filled with streamers. I was so into I was cheering them on and Wayne caught a glimpse of me, while hurling confetti by the handful into the crowd, and tossed a huge handful of it at me (that’s what the photo above is!).

Pure joy!

The third song they played that night was dedicated to The Mars Volta, who Wayne watched from the side stage earlier in the day, it was a Led Zeppelin cover “The Song Remains The Same”, and Wayne had convinced five girls to come out and dance completely naked to ala the House of the Holy album cover. The audience went wild as he prompted them to take of their clothes and join in the fun. A few shirts flew off, but nothing near the same as what was going on the main stage. The frenzied crowd looked like a sea of floating, indigo glowing cell phones as everyone was trying to capture the moment on their phones.

Closing with “Do You Realize?” and being sent off by a waving troupe of Teletubbies and Iron Men, everyone seemed to leave contempt with the nights happenings. Not waiting around for an encore, the euphoric feeling from the night flowed out into the parking lot as everyone was talking about their experiences that night.

And guess what? It started to rain again as soon as it was all over.

The Flaming Lips Website | Myspace

Being out at the Gorge for any amount of time is kind of a surreal experience. You are out there in the high desert of Washington state and you can literally sit back and watch the weather change by the minute, which this entire weekend it did. While there, you are confined to this relatively small space compared to the vast surroundings, littered with rattlesnakes, ground squirrels, and birds of prey. The artificial existence is hard not to notice when entering the park established for these large festivals and concerts, when you head down the hill and are struck by the view pictured above. I am sure more than one or two bands out there that weekend had a moment when they felt like they were in the middle of Sting’s “Desert Rose” video…

MP3: 65daysofstatic - Failsafe from The Destruction of Small Ideas
The UK post-rockers were the first act I caught on the second day of the festival and I had heard a lot of good things about them. They seemed very serious and not so into the show as I’d have hoped, but the music was great. I am sure they are used to more dark and stuffy venues as opposed to the wilderness of the Gorge.

65daysofstatic Website | Myspace

MP3: What Made Milwaukee Famous - Resistance St. from What Doesn’t Kill Us
I’d met the guys from WMMF the day before while doing some video work with them and they were a great group of guys. Unfortunately, I did not get much of a chance to check out their live show, although what I did hear and the reaction from the crowd were both great.

What Made Milwaukee Famous Website | Myspace

MP3: J. Tillman - Steel On Steel from Vacilando Territory Blues
Tillman played his mid-day set to a pretty good sized, yet seated crowd on the grass of the Yeti meadow. There was some short banter with the crowd, but mostly he played a good mix of songs from his last few albums to a couple new tunes from his forthcoming album, Vacilando Territory Blues.

J. Tillman Website | Myspace

White Rabbits Website | Myspace

MP3: Tegan And Sara - You Wouldn’t Like Me from So Jealous
Tegan and Sara took the stage fairly early that day to a surprisingly really eager crowd. As soon as they started in with their set, fans went crazy and were having a great time singing along and screaming. It was a bit overwhelming from the photo pit… I could only imagine what it’d be like for them as performers to deal with that for an entire hour. Intense.

Tegan and Sara Website | Myspace

MP3: Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan from Asleep At Heaven’s Gate

Rogue Wave Website | Myspace

MP3: The Presidents Of The United States - Lump from The Presidents Of The United States
Billed as “The Presidents” for the festival, POTUSA revived a main stage show probably very reminiscent of their show 13 years ago when their self titled was released and “Peaches” and “Lump” were there two biggest hits at the time. A super energetic band they played to the crowds expectations and we one of the liveliest acts to the play that weekend, bouncing all over the stage.

The Presidents Of The United States Website | Myspace

MP3: Mates of State - My Only Offer from Re-Arrange Us
Mates of State rushed to take the stage as the band before them took a little longer than expected to finish their set. Jumping right into their music, not all the mics were set and their vocals didnt come in until a few seconds after they began singing, but it was alright. They showcased how over 10 years of making music together they’ve grown into making much more mature, yet still catchy, pop music. A definite highlight of the set was them playing “These Days” by Nico and off of their own 2002 split with Dear Nora.

Mates of State Website | Myspace

MP3: Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks - Cold Son from Real Emotional Trash
Malkmus and the Jicks got a pretty late start after the Kooks took their sweet time getting off the stage. As Malkmus put it, “These tidy Americans” setup in less than 10 minutes and were off rockin’ a good mix of and new material. The jamming “Real Emotional Trash” really shines live as the band can groove together really well. As usual, Janet’s superb drumming ads a lot of flare to the Malkmus catalog.

Stephen Malkmus Website | Myspace

MP3: The Cure - Boys Don’t Cry Buy it at Insound!
The Cure closed the night with probably one of the longest sets I’ve ever seen from a single band. Two and a half hours, he walked off the stage twice looking just exhausted, yet he persevered and gave the crowd everything they wanted.

The Cure Website | Myspace

We had met up with Seattle’s Tiny Vipers just as Jesy and Ben were unloading from their van in front of San Francisco’s Elbo Room. After some quick introductions, we were off with an objective in mind, but no real location to shoot at. We considered the idea of a funeral home as we passed by, an indoor pool, but it was in use, and then we saw it… an open door! We walked right in and found ourselves in the hallway of a small condo complex. I quickly asked one of the groundskeepers if he cared that we were there for a few minutes and he just told me not to break anything. OK!

Nestled in the dark alleyway underneath the building Jesy’s voice began to slowly roll and echo over the lightly finger picked guitar of “Tiger Mountain”.

Picking up quickly to not lose the momentum, we shot down towards Mission St., but stopped a block short on 18th when we saw this amazing concrete and metal structure being erected on the corner of 18th and Mission. We quickly looked around to see who was nearby, found a crack in the fence, and ran up to the 2nd floor of the building. Positioning buckets for Ben and Jesy to sit on, in the middle of what would later probably become someones bedroom or home office facing Mission St, we got setup inside the stomach of a steel skeleton.

Rushing out of the construction site as to not get caught, we found ourselves on Mission St., which has no shortage of cheap furniture shops. We tried a couple to see if we could do a quick sit in on their couches and shoot a quick video, we came up with a couple “No”’s and even one guy who denied us because “Too many people use my shop for videos”… sure.

We came across one at 19th and Mission St. who gladly let us in, I think to break the silence in the store, but was more than happy to see someone enjoying his goods. Nate started out in the street as Jesy and Ben sat beside one another, Jesy on a plush couch, and Ben on the same style bed set. The duo quietly played as few passing by even took notice as if it were an everyday occurrence.

Tiny Vipers Myspace
Buy Hands Across The Void for a mere $6.30!! Who can’t afford that?!

My Brightest Diamond were one of the last acts to preform on the labor day weekend packed Bumbershoot festival in Seattle. After three amazing days of music, fatigue started to set in, ears growing numb and legs barely getting off the ground. BUT what can we say about Shana’s amazing voice and her quirky sense of humor? She definitely was one of my favorite acts this year at the festival. She talked about flying on brooms like Harry Potter, broken hearted at a high school dance, and how magical everything is. Shana and her band were a delight and we love everything about her (even that crazy hair she’s fashioning).

Songs:
It’s Over (Roy Orbison)
Magical Rabbit

Links:

• My Brightest Diamond Website | Myspace
• Buy My Brighest Diamond Albums at Insound!

[photo by Josh C. Bis: www.sciencevsromance.net]

After having to cancel on their show earlier in the day because of bus trouble, The National pulled their tour bus up behind Grand Archives as they were finishing up to play a last minute set for the crowd. When news first broke about them canceling and then soon after being rescheduled to play, rumors led fans to various stages, but they eventually all congregated around the Yeti Stage in the biggest audience I’d seen there all weekend.

I waited backstage as their bus backed up and quickly asked Matt Berninger if he was cool with me recording as soon as he jumped off their bus. The typical “Mics are fine, no soundboard” response and I was off to setup right in front of the soundboard tent. It’d been a long day and their quick setup combined with tired minds made for a slightly chaotic scene as people were making sure everything was plugged in and sounded good enough for them to take the stage. After an introduction from The Office’s, Rainn Wilson, the band started in with a setlist heavy on their latest album, Boxer.

Enjoy!

2008.05.24
08:15 pm PST
The National
Yeti Stage, Sasquatch Music Festival
The Gorge, Quincy, Washington, USA

Source 1: Beyerdynamic MC930 > Marantz PMD 660 - 48kHz/16bit

Setlist:
00. info
01. Rain Wilson Introduction
02. Start A War
03. Brainy
04. Secret Meeting
05. Baby, We’ll Be Fine
06. Mistaken For Strangers
07. Slow Show
08. Squalor Victoria
09. Abel
10. Racing Like A Pro
11. Ada
12. Apartment Story
13. Fake Empire
14. Mr. November

Encore:
15. About Today

For a lossless version download: http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=209725

The National Website | Myspace
Buy their hit Boxer today for only $9.99!!

David Bazan took the stage as he does these days, just him and a guitar. No grand introductions, no sorely missed drum player, and as the house music stops… he walks on stage and starts right into a set showcasing newly written material mixed with (now) old Pedro The Lion and Headphones songs.

Starting in with a new song tentatively titled “Hard To Be”, Bazan shows just how far along his song writing has come in the last decade of making music. Insightful yet apprehensive lyrics show his vulnerability to what the future holds for him.

So without further adieu…

2008.05.24
05:25 pm PST
David Bazan
Yeti Stage, Sasquatch Music Festival
The Gorge, Washington, USA

Source 1: Beyerdynamic MC930 > Marantz PMD 660 - 48kHz/16bit
Source 2: Soundboard > Creative Nomad Jukebox 3 - 48kHz/16bit

00. info
01. Hard To Be (new)
02. Cold Beer & Cigarettes
03. Please Baby, Please (new)
04. Transcontinental
05. Shit Talker
06. Harmless Sparks/Fewer Broken Pieces
07. Lost My Shape (new)
08. Hot Girls
09. When We Fell (new)
10. Of Minor Prophets And Their Prostitute Wives
11. Bless This Mess (new)
12. Heavy Breath (new)

For a lossless version download : http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=209474

David Bazan Website | Myspace
Buy Fewer Moving Parts or Shirts and Pedro CDs from Undertow!

MP3: Amanda Palmer - Runs In The Family, from Who Killed Amanda Palmer

Amanda Palmer, one half of Dresden Dolls, made her way to the beautiful venue, The Great American Music Hall on Wednesday, August 9th, promoting her upcoming solo album called Who Killed Amanda Palmer. Prior to the show, fans were encouraged to write questions to Amanda so that during her set she could do a little Q & A and take fun breathers during her two hour long set.

MP3: Amanda Palmer - Ampersand, from Who Killed Amanda Palmer

The two hour set and two encores later, she proved to everyone in attendance how she can entertain a packed house keep them all at attention. She’s definitely one of those musicians who bring out the performer aspect at her show, coming out scantily clad in burlesque-esque attire and opening her set while lip-syncing Ben Fold’s “Cologne”. She also played Regina Spektor’s “Apres Moi” and her other band, Dresden Dolls, “Coin Operated Boy”. Closing the show she rocked out, unplugged, hanging from the upper balcony strumming her ukulele singing along with the entire house to Radiohead’s “Creep”.

Amanda also played a few songs off her new album such as “Astronaut”, “Ampersand” and “Runs In The Family”, as well as an unreleased song called “I Google You”. During her Q & A sessions, she revealed that she used to not be able to write any songs while on the road and her only comfortable space was at home, though now shes not as picky as to where she writes.

She’s certainly one of those people who command your entire attention in the room, but by no means in a bad way. Everyone was captivated on her and it was not even noticeable that she was on stage solo.

Amanda Palmer Myspace
Until her solo album is released… you can check out her band, Dresden Dolls!

The first day of the festival for us was one where we were running a little late and trying to make the rush to catch the main stage openers, Fleet Foxes, before their set was over. We made it with a few minutes to spare, but I will include those photos with the ones below since they took the slot of The National later in the day.

Second up was Dengue Fever, the Cambodian influenced pop rock outfit. I’d seen them at last years inaugural Treasure Island Music Festival and while they drew a larger crowd this time around, I felt a strange sense of deja vu watching their set and feeling as if little has changed for their live show. Sure the lead singer is out there and very charismatic, but it just wasn’t captivating to me. I haven’t seen a club show of theirs so I could be very wrong, I should make an effort to change that.

Dengue Fever Myspace
Pre-Order Dengue Fever’s Escape From Dragon House now!

The Shaky Hands

Not much to say about this band, I dropped in on their set, snapped a couple shots and ran off to grab a bottle of water and catch Beirut.

The Shaky Hands Myspace
Pre-Order Lunglight from the Shaky Hands!

Beirut took the stage with horns blowing, accordions wheezing, and the strings singing. Showcasing songs from their upcoming album, they played to an enthused crowd. The apparent Spanish styling of the new record was very apparent in the bands 45 minute set.

Beirut Website | Myspace
Buy Gulag Orkestar and Pre-Order the new Beirut T-Shirt released for Insound 20!

Ozomatli Website | Myspace
Check out Ozomatli records at Insound!

So while taking a break during Ozomatli (I gave my camera to my friend, Rylan, that’s actually his photo up there) from running around all morning, a note got posted on the press trailer saying that The National had canceled. Pretty lame considering I was really looking forward to seeing them. Soon after that, the note was added to stating that Fleet Foxes would be replacing them! Great news!

For the second time that day Fleet Foxes had taken the main stage. Starting out with an introduction by Rainn Wilson (Dwight from The Office, The Last Mimzy) where he pretty much rambled for 10 minutes. He started with the dictionary definition of a fox, followed by what is a Sasquatch and if it were real… where was it, and then he introduced “The Fleet Foxes”.

The band broke out into their set with more energy than earlier in the day and to a much larger crowd. Robin’s brother was seen both on the side stage and photo pit taking video of their performance as well. For a crowd expecting to see The National that afternoon, Fleet Foxes made the stage their own and captivated them all.

Fleet Foxes Myspace
Buy their self-titled release, Fleet Foxes, now!

Destroyer Website | Myspace
Check out Destroyer’s Your Blues!

David Bazan is an artist I have been following for near 10 years now, so it was a pleasure for me to be able to catch him again at the festival. He’s currently wrapping up recording his upcoming full length release for Barsuk so he played a number of new songs as well as some classics from his Pedro The Lion days as well as a couple from his side project, Headphones.

David Bazan Website | Myspace
Buy Bazan’s first solo release Fewer Moving Parts!

The Breeders played to a really ecstatic crowd. Unfortunately I had been having too much fun the first day and was feeling the alcohol’s effects during this set. This is maybe the only in focus shot I got of them. Carrying on…

The Breeders Website | Myspace
Buy The Breeders new album Mountain Battles!

REM is one of those groups who I’ve shared a lot of “love/hate” relationships with. On one hand I used to love to listen to their older albums, Document, Green, Automatic For The People, and Monster, but at New Adventures In Hi-Fi they lost me somewhere and I had kind of written them off. It wasn’t until I heard that La Blogotheque’s, Vincent Moon, had been working on and finished a documentary with them that I had my interest peaked again. I saw a few rough clips from his work and their new songs and fell right back into being excited about their closing set.

The band took the stage just as it began to drizzle a bit again. Throughout the day there had been on and off sprinklings and we’d learn that it would be something that continued all weekend. Stipe and the band exploded onto the stage not realizing how slippery it would be and while he almost took a dive, his guitarist wasn’t so lucky. Taking off with the first song off Accelerate, “Living Well Is The Best Revenge”, they went from energetic new songs to classics and did not even have to win the crowd over. They were already there waiting for REM to bring it.

REM Website | Myspace
Check out Accelerate now! I highly recommend it!

MP3: No Age - “Eraser” from Nouns

The chaotically melodic duo of No Age brought their brand of indie rock influenced punk rock to the stage of the Great American Music Hall the other night, just a couple months after opening at the same venue for Battles. What some might expect from the group due to their recent MTV music video, is quickly thrown out the window as soon as the two strike up their first chords and put their all into noisy yet deliberate notes blasted out from their PAs.

The band’s mix of sampling and raw instrumental power allow the duo to create an incredible wall of sound not only on their album, but it’s something they put their intensity into 110% for the live shows and is immediately received by the audience and given back ten fold. Being up front and center at a No Age show reminds you why you go out to a show on a Monday night and makes you fall in love with live music all over again.

[Photos by Muhammad Asranur]

No Age Website | Myspace
Buy Nouns Now!

THE SOFT DRUGS are TW WALSH’S band. he was in PEDRO THE LION for several years and wrote and co-wrote songs on their last album ACHILLES HEEL.

From the man himself TW:

i’m pleased to announce that THE SOFT DRUGS are working with a brand new (the first?) “blog/label” called CHASING LIONS. they’ve got SIDE A of our new album GET BACK as a FREE 4-song download here:

http://chasinglions.com/the-soft-drugs-get-back

send the link to your buddies. if you are a DIGG user, please DIGG the article. it’s appreciated.

we are also selling new t-shirts (featuring an ape riding a shark) and limited edition cds (100 copies, hand-numbered by me) of side A here:

http://chasinglions.bigcartel.com

the shirt and cd packaging were designed by our comrades at HEXIT: http://awickedeyeful.com

if that wasn’t enough, we have several shows coming up:

8/16 union hall, brooklyn nyc
8/23 pa’s lounge, somerville ma
9/18 tw solo @ boston university (elliott smith tribute show)
10/2 great scott, allston ma

we’re aiming to have the record out around october. it should be available on vinyl and cd. we’re excited about it…we recorded most of the music live in the studio in scenic lowell, massachusetts - the birthplace of jack kerouac. coincidence? yes.

our last EP, IN MODERATION is still available FREE here: http://thesoftdrugs.com

thanks for your support.

MP3: The Long Winters - Pushover from Putting The Days To Bed.

Seattle’s, The Long Winters, brought the 70’s back Thursday night at the Independent. Running out, over enthused to put on a great show, lead singer, John Roderick, took a dive over his amp and into the drum kit after explaining he’s going through a “Space Hippie” phase. The really tight group and confident rock really got the crowd excited and into the set quickly.

Taking requests and maintaing a good rapport with the crowd, Roderick showed that even while on tour he can belt out the songs with the best of them. His lyrical musings and warm tone make you feel like you could sit down with the guy and have a beer as if he’s one of your good friends. A solid set put on by the band as a whole made for an incredible show at the Indy.

[Photos by Muhammad Asranur]

Links:

The Long Winters Website | Myspace
Buy Putting The Days To Bed

The Handsome Furs played to a sold out crowd at San Francisco’s Rickshaw Stop in September of 2007 and we are offering you the chance to be up front and center to this great show.

Their unique mix of drum machine and guitar make for a surprisingly full sound from just the two piece. They rocked it out that night putting an energy into the show that rivals Dan’s own Wolf Parade.

Songs:
Dead And Rural
Can’t Get It Started
Handsome Furs Hate This City
Dumb Animals
Sing! Captain

Links:

• Handsome Furs Website | Myspace
• Buy Handsome Furs DEBUT Album here at Insound!

MP3: Wolf Parade - Language City (At Mount Zoomer)

Wolf Parade played last night to a sold out crowd at the Fillmore, still promoting their album At Mount Zoomer. Opening for them, in Wolf Parade fashion, were their friends and fellow band mates from the side project Johnny And The Moon, Listening Party.

MP3: Listening Party - Swift Runner

Listening Party divert from the alt-country stylings of Johhny And The Moon and are more drum and synth focused with wild guitar riffs. The drummer played trashcans and buckets while reverting from maracas to various drum sticks. The heavy drums and group singing seemed very tribal at times and their last song of the night made me wonder what world music concert I had walked in on. With the exception of their closing song, everything seemed to meld well with their set.

M