Picking up from where I left off in Part I... This will be a relatively pictureless post. Also, no mp3 samples this time! I am without my computer and music collection. Okay, maybe some...
Friday (The Delancey)
Here's an equation that's not hard to figure out. twosyllable records + Underwater Peoples + Chocolate Bobka = F YEA GOOD TIMES. We made it to the Delancey just in time for Made A Blog favorite Holiday Shores, who I also saw on Tuesday. Oops, that was left out of Part I. Anyway, I can always rely on Holiday Shores to put on a great show. They consistently sound good, and I appreciate that in a band. Standing Room has one of their sets from an older show.
After Holiday Shores was Frat Dad, a band from Underwater Peoples. Like Fluffy Lumbers (and Ducktails and Julian Lynch), Frat Dad is from Ridgewood, NJ. Ridgewood is the new indie mecca, y'all. Sawyer sent me a release for Frat Dad and said that "Frat Dad is like going over Niagara Falls in a barrel, then landing in a Middle School Cafeteria... on Mexican Pizza Day." I have no idea what that means, but Frat Dad are in-your-face loud rockers. I only wish I could have turned down the volume a little so that could delineate the songs.
NewVillager was a Made A Blog favorite when they put out Rich Doors earlier this year. I've only heard two songs from them, both on that 7", so I was a bit taken back by their live show. I was expecting something more along the lines of experimental electro, but NewVillager's music was more straight pop with R&B vocals.
Saturday (The Delancey, 92YTribeca, Music Hall of Williamsburg)
About 14 hours later, I found myself back at the Delancey for We Are Country Mice. For a day show, the venue was surprisingly packed. I wrote a little blurb about WACM on the blog for Standing Room, and I like the band now more than ever. They use just enough artful noise to keep things interesting without muddling the rest of the melodies. Their energy and ability to grab crowd participation never fails to impress me (and put a smile on my face). By the end of "Sign of the Times," everyone in the front was singing/yelling along. Definitely head on over to Standing Room to hear more.
Taking a break from CMJ, I headed over to the 92YTribeca for a screening of Sufjan Stevens' The BQE, MC'd by DJ Sufjan Stevens. Opening for the night was DM Stith, also a favorite of Made A Blog, and his spooky songs came alive onstage with the help of backing strings, bass, and drums. I still think that Heavy Ghost is an underrated album, and it's a perfect Halloween soundtrack. The Osso Quartet also performed stunning arrangements from Run Rabbit Run, and special guest Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) lent her vocals for "If I Were Queen." If you haven't given Run Rabbit Run a chance, I highly suggest that you give it the time and attention that it needs. Personally, I am a fan of impressionist music and find that the careful listening is usually rewarding.
Capping off the night was a screening of The BQE, which did not have any live accompaniment as I had presumed. This sounds corny, but I was really moved while watching the film. I'm not sure how non-New Yorkers will react to The BQE, but I felt overwhelmed with feelings of love-hate for my current residence of Brooklyn. It almost became a game of identifying the places that the film featured. I enjoyed it immensely, but I wonder how others will feel about it. Regardless, I would recommend picking up the album. The vinyl version comes with a comic book and 32-pg booklet which both add to the understanding and interpretation of the film.
The night was young, and we headed over the Kemado Records/Mexican Summer showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg. We arrived just as Smith Westerns were hitting the stage. Man, they are young and some of the coolest-looking kids out of my homestate of Illinois. They even wear Chicago Cubs and Bears gear. Their songs have a certain naïveté, honest and playful, and they don't pretend to be any wiser than the teenagers who wrote them. Apparently, they got kicked out of the venue for underage drinking. Yep, sounds about right.
Real Estate is another Made A Blog favorite, and I'm always excited to see them perform. The boys are consistently good, and their live show has gotten tighter over the last few months. Real Estate delivers excellent songwriting backed with excellent live performances, and I couldn't ask for more. While it's not full of new material, Real Estate's forthcoming full-length is killer. Expect to see that on my list of 2009's top albums.
Beach Comber - Real Estate
Last to hit the stage was The Amazing, which was billed as having members of Dungen. From the tracks I had heard before the show, I thought that The Amazing would play pure pop tunes. But, as I found out, they really turn on the psych for some of their songs. Reine Fisk (Dungen) is an amazing guitarist, and it's hard not to become completely absorbed in his playing.
Dragon - The Amazing
The End
I didn't even go crazy during CMJ week, and it still took a lot of energy out of me. Until next year!
October 30, 2009
CMJ Recap: Part II
October 5, 2009
Sufjan Stevens - Bowery Ballroom 10.04.09
Although I felt like a teenybopper by arriving at the venue an hour before doors were scheduled to open, I suspected that I wouldn't be the only one who didn't mind camping out a little for Sufjan Stevens. Sure enough, the line already snaked around the corner at 6:30 PM, but doors opened early around 7:10 PM. I'd never been to a Sufjan show before and, as gruesome as this may sound, he's been on my list of musicians to see before I die. Radiohead was once on this list.
I think it'd be accurate to say that I've been waiting several years to see Sufjan Stevens. Perhaps I've encountered a select sampling, but I've found that most Sufjan fans pinpoint Greetings from Michigan as the album that hooked them in for life. I was late in the game, so my "first" Sufjan album was Seven Swans, for no particular reason other than I was uninterested in so-called indie music until late high school. Sufjan Stevens may be pioneering christian indie as a genre and the biblical allusions in Seven Swans are undeniable, but I never really considered Sufjan's music to be intentionally religious in subject matter. It never held that meaning for me, especially since I'd been raised in an Eastern faith, but Seven Swans moved me in such ways that I became a Sufjan fan for life. Besides, he put together two albums about my home state! I even had "Come on feel the Illinoise" engraved onto an iPod. I do not joke.
In person, Sufjan almost looks like an overgrown teenager in his shrunken tee and trucker hat. He was joined by Nedelle of opening act Cryptacize and special guests Bryce Dessner of The National and Rosie Thomas, who was never the mother of Sufjan's baby. Unsurprisingly, Sufjan didn't talk much, and he seemed like a pretty shy guy. But, he did joke around about making mistakes and weening himself off reading notes for his new songs. He referred to the old songs as "real songs," as if the new material were just experimentations. The new songs had big backing band sounds, electronic blips of some sort, an absence of strict song structure, and a bit of improvisation. They seemed to be a logical step forward from "You Are The Blood," the song Sufjan contributed to the Dark Was The Night compilation. I'm hoping that this fall tour is a sign that Sufjan is seriously preparing a new album.
While the new songs were interesting to hear, especially since it's been awhile since Sufjan released a proper album of songs, I admit that I was at the show to hear the old ones. My favorite of the night was "Casimir Pulaski Day," a song that actually moved me to tears. That's never happened to me at a show before, but it's hard not to get teary when Sufjan confronts you with such a tragic story, sung with a tinge of vulnerability. I'm sure that I wasn't the only one who was lost in Sufjan's songs. Sufjan's live performances are unbelievably powerful, because he's able to effortlessly recreate the moods of his recorded music without using any gimmicks (aside from the 44 effects pedals onstage). With just his musical instruments and his voice, Sufjan Stevens makes you fall for his music all over again. If music can be considered a faith or religion, then seeing Sufjan was a spiritual experience.
Setlist
The Mistress Witch from McClure
Impossible Soul
The Transfiguration
Casimir Pulaski Day
All Delighted People (Note: The new live version sounds very different from the one posted below)
All The Trees Of The Field Will Clap Their Hands
Age of Adz
To Be Alone With You
The Dress Looks Nice On You
Majesty Snowbird
Jacksonville
Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head!
Chicago
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John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
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Lakes of Canada (Innocence Mission Cover)
Casimir Pulaski Day - Sufjan Stevens
Lakes of Canada - Sufjan Stevens
All Delighted People - Sufjan Stevens
February 11, 2009
"The Lonely Man of Winter" - Sufjan Stevens
via Brooklyn Based
On January 28, I read something on Brooklyn Based that literally made my heart skip a beat. Over a year ago, Alec Duffy of Hoi Polloi received exclusive rights to "The Lonely Man of Winter" for winning Sufjan's Xmas Xchange with an original song that you can listen to here. After holding onto the song for a year, Alec decided to host listening sessions every Wednesday for about a month. With three sessions a night, each limited to four listeners, Alec truly intended to create an meaningful experience for those who were able to attend. Promises of tea, cookies, and a virtually unheard Sufjan Stevens song were more than enough motivation for me to shoot an email to Alec.
As I entered Alec's home in Prospect Heights, I was immediately greeted by co-host Dave Malloy, the musical director of Hoi Polloi. I was the last to arrive of the group, as everyone was already situated in chairs and couches with mugs of tea. We all introduced ourselves and talked about how we became fans of Sufjan Stevens. Of course, we had different backgrounds, but we came together by chance to hear Sufjan's "The Lonely Man of Winter." After some convo, Dave and Alec set us up with some headphones so that we could listen to the now famous (or infamous) song.
Immediately, the looped guitar intro of "The Lonely Man of Winter" sent chills down my spine. I could almost imagine him building the loops by himself to produce the song. Because I generally prefer the more somber Sufjan pieces like "Casimir Pulaski Day," the melancholy lyrics of this holiday song seemed to deliberately cater to my tastes. The song ended with a beautifully haunting piano coda, reminding me of my recent reconnection with the instrument. Clocking in at 3:11, "The Lonely Man of Winter" ended before I knew it. After hearing it one more time, I'd say that it's one of Sufjan's best Xmas songs. In fact, "The Lonely Man of Winter" is a track that could stand on its own on any Sufjan album, not limited to just his yearly holiday albums. Sadly, I can barely remember the song now. Alas, some beauty is meant to be transient.
Even after Alec fulfilled his end of the bargain, the small group continued to linger a little longer. But, with the group picture taken and the guestbook signed, we knew that it was time to depart. Maureen, one of the attendees, said that she really enjoyed what Alec and Dave were doing with the small listening parties because they humanized the act of sharing. It's true that with the digital age, connections and relationships have become rather impersonal. I am guilty of this, since I hardly ever pick up the phone and prefer communication via text or email. While some people are upset with this method of distribution, I really appreciated listening to a new song in this manner. Alec and Dave created an environment for a unique experience: connecting with a small group of strangers over a common interest. Let's be honest. If this song had been readily available on the Internet, I would have downloaded it, listened to it once or twice, and then it would have been added to my exponentially growing iTunes library. I download something like at least four albums a day plus at least fifteen other songs. Because I go through so much music, I'm no longer able to keep up with how I discovered certain songs and artists, which is rather sad since I like having background stories.
Thank you, Alec and Dave. I hope to hear this song again in some shape or form, because it is too good to be kept "unheard" forever. Also, thank you for introducing me to strangers who informed me of "secret" bars and possibly illegal sushi joints in Brooklyn, all très important info since I'm moving across the bridge in a couple months.
Casimir Pulaski Day (demo) - Sufjan Stevens | Alternative Link
By the way, this is a real holiday in Illinois. I wish I could still get a day off for it.
December 25, 2008
Happy Holidays!
via Asthmatic Kitty Records
Because I am full of good karma and luck, I had a seat on the only cancelled United flight from LGA to Chicago yesterday. Supposedly, the flight was cancelled due to “the weather,” but I suspected that this may not have been the case since all the other shuttle flights were good to go. I’d been on standby at the airport since 3 AM, with little to no hope that I would make it home in time for Christmas. The brains at United had managed to overbook every single flight for the day, and the standby list was growing exponentially as a result of the cancelled flights over the last couple days. Thankfully, a kind United employee managed to book me onto a flight around noon. I think she could sense that I was close to a breakdown due to lack of sleep and lack of real food (Au Bon Pain kiosks do not count). But, I'm finally home, and that's what matters. Man, Illinois is so cold and windy.
Happy Holidays!
In other news, a very highly anticipated album has just leaked. You can take a peak at what I'll be listening to for the rest of the day. I wonder if the Web Sheriff is taking a holiday today.
Come on! Feel the Illinoise! - Sufjan Stevens
Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day? (Well, You Deserved It!) - Sufjan Stevens
November 26, 2007
"I'm Not There" Original Soundtrack
"I'm Not There" is the biographical film on the life of Bob Dylan. In the movie, Bob Dylan is played by six different actors, including Heath Ledger, Richard Gere, and Cate Blanchett. While the movie has some mixed reviews, it currently boasts a 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. To be honest, I don't know much about Bob Dylan, his life and his music. But, it is easy to see that the soundtrack for "I'm Not There" is monumental. The artists that cover Bob Dylan range from Cat Power to Sonic Youth to Stephen Malkmus and Sufjan Stevens. Credited in many of the songs, the Million Dollar Bashers are a group that include members of Sonic Youth, Wilco, and other musicians.
I've chosen a few songs to feature on this posting. These are not to be missed! I didn't even like Cat Power until I heard her cover. And it's nice to learn some Iron & Wine that doesn't immediately soothe you to sleep.
If you can, I highly recommend that you hear the rest of the soundtrack. It's a 2-CD compilation with a total of 34 songs. Some of the other artists include Yo La Tengo, the Hold Steady, Eddie Vedder (of Pearl Jam), and the Black Keys.
Ring Them Bells - Sufjan Stevens
Dark Eyes - Calexico and Iron & Wine
Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again - Cat Power
