Subject: Interesting New Music
Date: Fri Apr 1 19:18:42 2022
User: TNmountainman
Message:One of my neighbors turned me on to them a few years ago. She's semi-obsessed with them. Her favorite band, I think. I think they're good, but they strike me as (somewhat) of a latecomer to the Old Crow/Mumford & Sons genre - and maybe not as 'varied'. Don't get me wrong, they're quite competent, intelligent, and likeable, but if one listens to much of their stuff, there's a bit of a "sameness" that's hard to avoid. (But it's a *good* sameness.) I may be being too critical; don't mean to be. Actually I'm not sure why they haven't gotten more airplay than they have.
Date: Fri Apr 1 19:54:22 2022
User: TNmountainman
Message:Thanks for that Buffalo Nichols Tiny Desk Concert, Buzz. Turns out he says he's from Milwaukee on that. As you remember, on that new "Playing for Change" I posted, the caption said "Austin", so I guess he's adopted there. I hadn't heard of him before that video, had you? I'm a mild sucker for steel guitar, but love the electric stuff the best. He's a great talent; needs some polishing (don't we all - LOL). Hope he's successful as a performer/artist. A fresh voice.
Date: Mon Apr 18 10:45:22 2022
User: BuzzClik
Message:A group that has been around for a bit but is now sliding onto my radar. Lucius, although a full band, is driven by Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig, yet another indie group with roots in Berklee College of Music (Big Thief is another). They are somewhere between country pop and indie pop, but they have a knack for producing excellent ear candy.
They are currently touring with Brandi Carlile, and this link is to a live performance is to their very slow ballad, "White Lies." https://youtu.be/j_d9VaoR5WM
The live link below is to their single, "Next to Normal." My busy summer schedule will put me in places where they are not during their tour. Maybe next time.
Link: Lucius, "Next to Normal"
Date: Sun May 22 11:06:39 2022
User: BuzzClik
Message:Japanese Breakfast is a rising star, and a total delight to watch. She's been kicking around thee indie scene for quite a while, but her patience seems to be paying off. She's been appearing on late night shows, and last night performed on Saturday Night Live.
I could be wrong about this, but she may be the musical guest on SNL to sing while playing a gong every few bars.
Link: Japanese Breakfast on SNL: "Paprika"
Date: Wed May 25 09:37:51 2022
User: RottinJohn
Message:My vote for best new music video. Starts at 11:30.
Link: Bayraktar
Date: Mon May 30 03:44:47 2022
User: TNmountainman
Message:As to Lucius, how is that first one (the hyperlink) different from Abba? Obviously they're not identical, but isn't that where one's mind goes seeing and hearing that? Just wondering how you see it differently. The "White Lies" one is more palatable to me, by about an order of magnitude. That said.............I have an innate 'distrust' of a band with 4 synthesizers going at once - with a 5th one onstage unused on that song.
I happened to see Japanese Breakfast on SNL - but had no idea if the name was the band, or just her. Nice voice. Very thankfully, your link had subtitles, so I could understand her (live, not so much). Really pretty good, altho I could do without the theatrics. And..........(true story)........as I was watching her on SNL, it occurred to me to wonder if that was someone/a band that you liked.
Date: Mon May 30 23:12:55 2022
User: BuzzClik
Message:TN:
Good call on the Lucius/Abba connection. This is an intentional result of a decision by the producer of this album, who declared, "This will be a disco album." I heard this in an interview with the lead singers of Lucius, and my reaction was, "Huh?" It wasn't their thing in the past, and the tunes from their new album I was hearing weren't all that disco. HOWEVER, "Next to Normal" has a real disco-ish flavor (a la the Stones' "Emotional Rescue") and the goofy costumes and mirror ball bring it home. I didn't put this all together until you mentioned Abba. (.facepalm)
As for Japanese Breakfast: yes, I love her music. Three times now I have purchased tickets to see her, and I have yet been able to make the concert. The third one is in a couple of months, and it already looks dim. sigh.
Date: Mon May 30 23:26:35 2022
User: BuzzClik
Message:And speaking of SNL, a couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of seeing another artist who recently performed on SNL. We discussed Phoebe Bridgers's SNL performance previously, and I commented on the contrived guitar smashing with fake sparks and the noisy conclusion to the song, "I Know the End." I surmised that she must be attempting to appeal to a broader audience, but I was mistaken. She finished the concert I saw with this same song, and it was noisy and crazy, and the audience (90%+ women <25 years old) was wild for it.
Bridgers's fans absolutely adore her. They know every word to every song, they know the cues from Phoebe when to shout the lyrics in unison, and they knew when to simply listen to the softer songs. I have not seen such an interactive show. Unfortunately, the concert was a tad tarnished by dozens of these young women passing out from a combination of heat and excessive indulgence.
One of the concert songs that really impressed me was, "Sidelines." She and her band managed to capture the incredible haunting tones in a live, outdoor show. She is truly gifted.
Link: Phoebe Bridgers, "Sidelines"
Date: Tue May 31 03:07:19 2022
User: TNmountainman
Message:Am I one of the few left who disdains drum machines? I agree she's very talented, but a bit too "breathy". Really like the lyrics of that one, tho (altho again I had to look them up to understand them all). IMO, which means essentially zero........her world view is a bit myopic and too youth-charged - but of course she can't help that. I could expound - but why bother? I don't know enough to do so. But I do think she could benefit by getting away from CA for a few months, preferably in the mountains somewhere with a totally different 'culture'. Yet I wouldn't pretend to be able to walk in her shoes. Will be very interesting to see how she evolves in 10-20 years, if she stays in music.
Of course I had no clue about the Abba "connection" - just seemed like an unavoidable comparison.
Date: Tue May 31 21:43:16 2022
User: TNmountainman
Message:Buzz.............it would be quite interesting if someone could somehow download the music centers of our brains and do Venn diagrams of the overlap(s). It would have to be done in 3 dimensions, but 4 would be better.
Date: Wed Jul 13 19:17:04 2022
User: TNmountainman
Message:Phoebe Bridgers was just on Ari Melber's show on MSNBC, and said she thought wimmens should *not* be smashing guitars. It was a light-hearted conversation but I think she was serious about that. Ari said something about their conversation going to be on youtube, but don't know if that means immediately or what.
Date: Thu Jul 14 08:50:26 2022
User: BuzzClik
Message:Just found it and watched it. Fantastic. Thank you for sharing that. I was only vaguely aware of Ari Melber. He is clearly royalty in the lost art of the interview.
I had to sit and take it all in for several minutes after that viewing. It was pretty meaningful to me. His ability to draw song writers into discussing their lyrics in depth is a rare gift. Her candor in describing her heroes was enlightening.
That interview looped back into first discussion of Phoebe on this board when a disparaging (apparently) comparison was made to Joni Mitchell, and yet Bridgers makes it clear that she idolizes Joni.
Thanks again for that, TN. I will be keeping an eye on Melber's show. I might start watching television again.
Link: Ari Melber/Phoebe interview
Date: Thu Jul 14 12:31:17 2022
User: TNmountainman
Message:Yes, he was seemingly "made for" what he does. He's also a very sharp attorney, and his political interviewing and analysis skills are extraordinary. He can "get to the heart of the matter" with essentially anybody.
That was one of those things that narrowly made the cut, in terms of my putting it up here. Glad it found purchase. And.........I have to say Bridgers came across well herself. Ain't a lot of lazy neurons in her noggin......
Date: Sun Aug 28 10:28:11 2022
User: BuzzClik
Message:Just saw The Beths in concert. They were as much fun as I had hoped. Energetic clan from Auckland.
The song below is from their yet-to-released album, due on September 16. (I am getting that coffee cup!)
Link: https://youtu.be/-KACt6YhOyY
Date: Mon Aug 29 04:54:44 2022
User: TNmountainman
Message:Ok, there's another one of yours I like. As time permits, I'll explore further. And not surprised they're great live.
That said.......................I've been meaning for about 2-3 weeks now to follow up further on a Phoebe Bridgers tangent for you. One of the PBS stations I listen to is WNCW (Western NC), out of a tiny place called Spindale, but it's really for the Asheville and Charlotte markets mostly. But of course like almost all music sources, they've available online. Very little 'news' - probably 90+% music of the progressive/indie gamut, leaning strongly towards Americana and Appalachian stuff. *Very* good folks who know what they're doing. They are part of a "collective" called ARC (Alternative Radio Coalition), kinda Charlotte-originated. They air a show almost all nights beginning at midnight, but sometimes they repeat it during daylight hours. I like the other, more Americana stuff more than this show, but it seems like it'd be right up your alley. About 3 weeks ago, they had a live interview with two girls who are part of the band who toured Europe with Bridgers, and they had some nice anecdotes about that. I made a note to myself about all this, but lost it somewhere. I had their names and the name of their 'normal' band. Seems like it had the word "Fire" in it maybe. After hearing the interview, I briefly searched to see if by chance that might be online, but couldn't find it. Oh well. It wasn't nearly as informative as the Ari Melber piece, but thought it might be of interest to you. But I blew it; maybe wasn't findable anyway.
But you should check out this ARC Overnight show if you're interested. It's 'kinda' like World Cafe, but imo better:
https://www.wncw.org/show/arc-overnight
Date: Wed Aug 31 11:36:32 2022
User: BuzzClik
Message:I'll work backwards through your post:
1) ARC Overnight. I followed the link to their website, and glanced through their play list. Very cool. I recognized about half the artists/groups, which is promising. That means I would be introduced to a lot of new music. For instance, yesterday I was glancing through the schedule for one of my favorite venues and saw that the Viagra Boys were coming up soon. "Who?" If I had listened to Overnight, I'd know. Thanks, TN!
2) Bridgers European opener. I found the list of openers for her European leg on Wikipedia. You'd have to tell me if they sound familiar: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reunion_Tour_(Phoebe_Bridgers_tour)
Sloppy Jane opened for the concert I saw. They were odd to say the least and did not fit the Phoebe vibe at all. I realized why they were there when, during the Ari Melber interview, he showed a picture of Bridgers when she played bass for Sloppy Jane some years ago. Sloppy Jane opened a few shows in Europe, as did Bartees Strange (who I'll be seeing soon in a tiny bar!), and others.
When I'm back in the civilized universe (with non-DSL internet) and a more hospitable time zone, I will give ARC Overnight a listen.
Date: Thu Sep 1 03:51:46 2022
User: TNmountainman
Message:1) Glad to be of service, of course.
2) No, those don't sound familiar. I kinda think this may have been a tour last year. I still think their band had "fire" or something very similar in it. And I think they were a CA band, but that certainly narrows it down, doesn't it? They were two girls, and one of them was a bass player. (They may even be an all-female band????) Not sure the instrument of the other. I'll try to remember to get back to this if I come up with more info. But really, the amount of discussion about Phoebe and their experience with her was at most, let's say, 2 paragraphs if it were transcribed. Not a RS article, shall we say.
Date: Thu Sep 1 08:47:17 2022
User: BuzzClik
Message:I tried to find these ladies but to no avail. It gets complicated considering that Phoebe adds shows and openers somewhat randomly at times. Example: I looked through the Wiki link above and noticed that one of her shows was missing. I had attempted to see her in Austin roughly one year ago, but the show sold out in minutes. That show was not part of her official tour but a spinoff of ACL Fest, as happens often with acts that are in town for ACL for two weekends and would like to fill the void. (I'll be seeing Japanese Breakfast at the same venue under the same circumstances this year.)
Anyway, at that show, Bridgers enlisted Gracie Abrams as her opener. She was a mere 20 years old; her ACL show was her tenth show ever. Her Bridgers warmup was number 11.
Back to your interview girls: I have one last card to play. I will send a message to my record producer/concert promoter friend with the info you gave me. It might be enough for him and his encyclopedic knowledge of music.
Date: Thu Sep 1 11:06:59 2022
User: cellmate
Message:
Perhaps MUNA... they covered Fire Island
Date: Thu Sep 1 11:56:22 2022
User: TNmountainman
Message:Of course I've never heard of MUNA, but looked them up. That's a really good guess, but I don't think so. I attempted to talk myself into the two girls names being Katie and Naomi, but *think* I've failed at that. I can't say "Katie" wasn't one of them, but the other was not either Naomi or Josette. One of the two names was distinctive; not wildly so, but one that wouldn't get lost in the Katies, Brendas, and Jennys of the world. More significantly, I don't think I would have confused the MUNA name with anything else. I'm feeling worse and worse about even bringing this up now. :(
(BTW........it's *not* Emily Retsas, who I continually find as her bass player.)
Date: Sun Sep 11 18:43:20 2022
User: TNmountainman
Message:Mystery solved! I accidentally came across the note I made for myself back at the time I heard that interview. The band is "Warpaint". Keen lexicographers will note that "fire" is not in that name. I can make a guess how I tried to come up with that, but it's a moot point.
Below I link their Wikipedia page, which lists their names. If one clicks on that of Jenny Lee Lindberg, and then "Career", and then "Collaborations", one will find she played bass on Bridgers' "Punisher" album. I'm positive she was 1 of the 2 who toured Europe with her, but I'm not sure whether the other was Stella or Emily. Kinda wanna say Stella (drums). I'm not gonna go try and search out that interview again, but if it's available, this certainly will make the job easier. :) Again, the part that dealt with that tour was not extensive.
Further...........based on reading a small smattering about the band...........Buzz could very well have already mentioned them earlier in this very thread. Seems like his groove.
Link: Surprise! "Warpaint" was the mystery band
Date: Mon Sep 12 12:50:36 2022
User: BuzzClik
Message:Warpaint. Makes sense. They have a style in the range of Phoebe. I do believe that Warpaint was on the playlist the day I checked the program you linked earlier.
Warpaint released a new album in the spring of this year, but their tour was never within my reach. Bummer. I'd go.
Date: Tue Oct 4 12:26:41 2022
User: BuzzClik
Message:I saw Andrew Bird in concert recently, and he is a gifted musician. He has quite the stage presence, and the audience loved him. But, that fact only leads me to this:
Last year, Andrew Bird teamed with Jimbo Mathus on an album called, "These 13." It's a bit of a departure from Bird's standard fare, but really taps into Jimbo Mathus. Although I like this, it isn't in my wheelhouse. I'm curious to hear what others think.
Link: Bird/Mathus, "Encircle My Love"
Date: Wed Oct 5 20:26:47 2022
User: BuzzClik
Message:Lambchop is a fascinating artist who, seeming, wakened in a good mood. His songs are frequently depressing, though some are hopeful. This one is the former.
Link: Lambchop, "His Song Is Sung"
Date: Thu Oct 6 05:11:07 2022
User: TNmountainman
Message:I'm probably not the best person to 'review' this (the Bird/Mathus selection), either. While it could be called Americana, I guess. Unfortunately, I find it somewhat boring, actually. Not bad - just boring. That's the performance; the lyrical content seemed better than that.
The Squirrel Nut Zippers were one of my cousin's favorite bands. He was living and working in NC at the time, and saw them a lot. He went on and on about them. I saw them once only, I think. And while they were 'fine', they didn't grab me. I must say, however, that 2-3 times in the last decade, maybe, I've heard some good stuff on a PBS station and say to myself, "hey, that's pretty good. Wonder who that is?" - only to find out it was them. Definitely not my wheelhouse, either, but I sorta want to say it *should* be - which makes me think less of it than perhaps is rightfully due. How's that for a confusing take?
Date: Thu Oct 6 11:35:21 2022
User: BuzzClik
Message:Not confusing at all. That was pretty close to my take: I like it, appreciate it, but I don't love it.
Date: Thu Oct 6 12:02:18 2022
User: TNmountainman
Message:✅ Makes me semi-curious to dig deeper - but likely won't. Or might........🤷
Date: Thu Oct 6 22:49:03 2022
User: TNmountainman
Message:And from the "wouldn't you know it" dept..............whilst driving around today, was listening to the intermittently-receivable WNCW - and they played a Squirrel Nut Zippers cut. Not surprisingly, I didn't recognize them. Had a chance to scope out that ARC Overnight yet?
Date: Mon Oct 10 10:11:17 2022
User: BuzzClik
Message:Yes, I have been listening to ACR Overnight when I can. It's not a great timeslot for me, but I can listen for an hour or so when in the proper time zone. I will be getting about 2 hours of listening this evening during a long, late drive.
The show reminds me of the late '70s "head" stations, usually on FM. Play a few songs, read a few notes, move on to the next set.
The content is right on for me. They play some familiar new stuff, artists I don't know, and sprinkle in some older tunes. I wish they had a podcast or other streaming capability (not live only).
Date: Sat Oct 15 12:12:51 2022
User: BuzzClik
Message:I made a very happy discovery of my new favorite obscure group. Opening for Pavement (sweet jeebers!) was a very fun band called Piranha Rama. Their style is difficult to pin down exactly; my go-to musicologist used the technical term "weird". They fuse funk, pop, blues, rock. It's a big group with three brass (sax, trombone, trumpet), couple of guitars, keys. And such a great live sound! They are professional in all aspects with an amazingly seasoned sound.
The linked tune below doesn't really capture how great it is to hear them live, although it does highlight the singer's beautiful voice. (This takes you to their new album on bandcamp: https://piranharama.bandcamp.com/album/omniscient-cloud-cover )
=========================
Side note: I always buy the vinyl of groups I see live. The merch table was 200 deep in eager patrons (thanks, Pavement!), but peering through the mob, I could see that there was no vinyl available for Piranha Rama. I found their label online (Brokers Tip, owned by Pavement's Bob Nastanovich), but the vinyl was not there. I sent a message to Customer Support, and a few hours later got an email directly from Nastanovich. Yikes! He promised it would be available when they return from Europe.
Link: Piranha Rama, "Placate"
Date: Mon Oct 17 08:36:17 2022
User: mrbuck
Message:That was interesting olblue.
mrbuck
Date: Mon Oct 17 09:25:32 2022
User: olblue
Message:Thank you, mrbuck. The Harp Guitar is really unique!
Date: Wed Nov 16 12:01:36 2022
User: outskirts
Message:This song took my fancy a couple months ago. Alex Dèsert is the guy who played Jake on Becker. I was happy to see he's not really blind!
Link: https://youtu.be/wb_uHS9-cv4
Date: Wed Nov 16 13:47:28 2022
User: TNmountainman
Message:That's quite reminiscent of this oldie, not solely because of the word "pressure" (which has a (more or less) different meaning in the two selections).
Link: "pressure goin' to drop on you"
Date: Wed Nov 30 16:20:49 2022
User: BuzzClik
Message:I saw Bartees Strange in concert last night in a tiny venue. It was much too small for the crowd he drew, but the show had been moved twice due to unfortunate circumstances. I staked out the space between the garbage can and the band's crates for their gear. I was really looking forward to the concert, and I was quite pleased. The packed crowd loved this guy.
Unlike some bands, his live performance exceeds his studio versions. For example, his 2020 release of covers included The National's "Mr. November." The studio version was solid (https://barteesstrange.bandcamp.com/track/mr-november), but he really put it together live.
Below is a link to "Wretched" from his new album. I'm not sure why he continues to languish under the radar. He is well known among musicians and sought after; otherwise, he is pretty obscure.
Link: Bartees Strange, "Wretched"
Date: Fri Dec 2 10:13:49 2022
User: BuzzClik
Message:I put this one here to emphasize new(ish) music, but it's the status of the group that's interesting.
About 4 years ago, I saw Wild Nothing at a smallish venue (constructed similarly to TN's favorite venue). They drew a decent crowd of appreciative fans. The opener was the Canadian group, Men I Trust; I was familiar with a couple of their songs. Men I Trust's reception by the crowd was lukewarm, and they didn't show much range.
I saw that Men I Trust was headlining a medium-sized venue that I like, and their tickets were a reasonable $30 (plus TicketMaster's 50% fees added on). When I got to the venue, I was assuming that the crowd would be undersized for the place, but I was really wrong. I arrived thirty minutes after the doors opened, and the line was still enormous. I began to dread my decision when I noticed that the crowd was mostly teens and young twenty-somethings. This concert seemed to be something of a date destination with apparently reluctant boys dutifully attending with their girlfriends. (The girls were really excited; the guys looked generally miserable). My feelings took another turn when a friend called to me. He was with his wife, but they were there to celebrate their daughter's sixteenth birthday. I was certain this was going to be a uniquely odd experience.
The opener (not named on the tickets, marquee, or venue website) was a guy with a small array of music machines. He would punch buttons to make electronic sounds and beats while he moaned drifting, vague melodies in a falsetto voice -- think Justin Vernon of Bon Iver without any lyrics.
When Men I Trust took the stage, the women in the audience went crazy with lots of screaming and repeated cries of "I love you." The vocalist is Emmanuelle Proulx who sings in a soft voice; the style is aptly described as Dream Pop. The volume on the band's instruments is dialed way back to allow Proulx's voice to be emphasized, much to the delight of the adoring fans. Emmanuelle Proulx holds a guitar, but her playing is inaudible, which is probably for the best. Jessy Caron, the lead guitarist, has a lot a talent and ended several of the songs with some interesting riffs. Without Caron's solos, the overall sound is somewhere on the spectrum of America and Captain and Tennille. (I swear to god that the keyboard player was constantly channeling the goofy chirping sounds from Muskrat Love.)
After eight songs (all of which were nearly identical), I decided to wander out and go home. Most of the young girls in the audience were still really excited; most of the male companions looked numb.
The song below is representative of their sound. The studio albums are bass heavy whereas the live stuff never featured the bass and was dominated by the keyboards and lead guitar.
Despite all my criticisms, I am delighted the Men I Trust is gathering a large fanbase.
Link: Men I Trust, "All Night"
Date: Sun Dec 4 00:11:27 2022
User: BuzzClik
Message:Follow up on Men I Trust and their opener:
Today was my musicologist friend's birthday, so I gave him a call. He was spending the day in Indy for an album release (his label) and to celebrate with some old friends who were debuting their music in a variety of venues this weekend.
I told him of my experience with Men I Trust (he and I attended the Wild Nothing concert along with his wife four years ago), and he was interested. He commented that his wife's Spotify playlist summary for 2022 has Men I Trust in her top ten of all songs she listens to. I was only semi-surprised at that, and he and I agree in my assessment that Men I Trust have a very limited musical range.
I mentioned in passing the very odd opener (we both like edgy, strange music but it needs to be good). After a brief pause, he said, "Hey! That was probably Homeshake. He's been opening for Men I Trust. He's awesome!" Now, 'awesome' was not in my list of adjectives to describe this guy, but we often disagree in our taste for marginal music.
Cutting to the chase: I looked up Homeshake, and his studio music is far superior to the mess I witnessed live. After a bit of looking, the link below is fairly representative of what I heard live. (I think I can say with some certainty that at least of the more avid posters on this thread with give this music a strong two thumbs down.)
Link: Homeshake, "But I Know"
Date: Sun Dec 18 15:12:58 2022
User: BuzzClik
Message:Strand of Oaks.
I first heard of this guy about 10 years ago in Indianapolis. One of the local venue owners would bring him in for concerts every now and then, and promote the shows on his two-hour weekly show on SiriusXMU. I never saw him in Indy, but he was playing locally at a really solid, small venue, and I bought a ticket. He was really happy to be playing, and his tireless joy infected the small crowd. His banter while tuning his guitar was really funny, and his songs were introspective.
I have linked an example below.
His tribute to John Prine, "Somewhere in Chicago," was really nice and can be found here: https://youtu.be/Ghd08ex2bzo
Link: Strand of Oaks, "Galacticana"
Date: Sat Jan 28 12:00:28 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:This weekend was my annual January, outdoor show. It was in the 40s, so not all that cold. (I saw Destroyer at the same venue with temps in the 30s.)
This year it was the avant garde group, Dry Cleaning. I had attempted to see them a year ago in another city, but Covid had its way with the band and the venue.
The venue: The place is a multi-tiered, semicircular place that is great for an intimate experience. Not a bad "seat" in the house (it's General Admission/SRO), but the upper tiers are miserable in the winter with nasty breezes that will freeze you to the marrow. Normally, the crowd in this place is rabid for the bands, and this was no exception. The place was absolutely stuffed such that cool temperatures were no longer a problem, but being squished in like sardines was distracting and at times annoying. As an aside, this venue really leaned into the notion of unisex bathrooms. They simply ripped down the MEN and WOMEN signs and replaced both with RESTROOM with no physical modifications inside the facilities. It's a bit different, but the patrons don't seem to mind.
The show: The group features a lead vocalist (not to be confused with a singer) named Florence Shaw. She has wonderful stage presence, contralto voice, and recites (spoken, not sung) fairly complex lyrics while her excellent band is wailing in the background. Although Dry Cleaning classified as post-punk, I dont see it. The musicians are top notch, separating themselves from many of the hack-and-slash styles of many/most post-punk and punk bands.
The cover art of their latest album, Stumpwork, features a somewhat foamy bar of soap upon which the title of the album is spelled out in hair. Truly a disgusting image, but definitely on brand.
Link: Dry Cleaning, "Scratchcard Lanyard"
Date: Wed Mar 1 23:55:16 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:I was catching up on some recorded programs on my DVR when, at the end of yesterday's "The Late Show", Big Thief performed an unreleased song. I heard them perform this live about ten days ago.
It's not clear to me why I love this group so much, but I have seen them perform four times -- twice in small venues and twice in really nice mid-sized concert halls.
In this performance, the bass player trotted out a new bathrobe/house dress, the drummer continues to go all rock-star in his sharkskin suit, Adrianne Lenker (lead singer) wore a hoodie over her newly shorn head, the lead guitarist traded in his Lyle Lovett skin tight black suit for royal blue capris pants, and Adrianne's brother accompanies on flute. In the live show I saw last week, little brother was playing a jew's harp on a different tune.
(I see that Big Thief has been on the show at least twice before)
Link: Big Thief, "Vampire Empire"
Date: Mon Mar 6 12:31:43 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:Boy Genius is back in business, but their tour is a bit limited. Boy Genius is a collaboration of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus. Their first effort under this name was great, and this one is really nice, too. The songs tend to be a reflection of the lead singer, but the one below is a good blend of the three contributors.
Link: Boy Genius, "$20"
Date: Thu Mar 16 12:44:23 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:New, new. Very new. And way under the radar.
I was at a King Tuff concert in a tiny venue, and the opener was an all female group from NYC called Tchotchke. They came out for a last second sound check, and they were quite young and looked like they were dressed to go to class. I thought, "Oh, no!", worrying that they would be some no-talent act trying to get by on noise and appearances. Wrong! They are quite talented. The drummer is also the singer, and the lead guitarist has some nice skills. They don't have a huge array of looping pedals or sound machines to play pre-recorded tracks. Just raw sound. They were tight, enthusiastic, and wonderful to hear. The crowd in this town can be tough on opening acts -- often ignoring them while talking in loud voices. Not this time. They were received with great enthusiasm, and the folks were vocal in their disappointment when the band declared, "This is our last song." I think they played their entire catalog, so playing more was not an option.
The ladies also worked the merch table themselves, signing shirts and album covers. I am guessing we will be hearing more of them in the near future.
Link: Tchotchke, "You'll Remember Me"
Date: Tue Mar 21 10:36:48 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:I visited my son in Memphis this past weekend. We always try to find some live music, and we stumbled upon a nice venue in an art center that was hosting The Otis Mission, a local jazz band with immense talent. The drummer is also the creative force: James Sexton. His band has a wildly skilled dude on marimba board, a solid bassist, two excellent electronic keyboard artists, an excellent guitarist (who is given the freedom to wander off the jazz reservation every now and then during the show), and a couple of vocalists.
Sexton gets his influences from vintage jazz, 60s and 70s stars like Miles Davis, gospel, salsa, and others. He chats up the audience as he cues up the next song, and we were treated to the back story of the compositions. Great fun.
I cannot find any recordings by the group, but the link will take you to a review of the concert.
Link: https://www.memphisflyer.com/meet-james-sexton-composer-and-the-otis-mission
Date: Mon Mar 27 14:54:00 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:I am seeing these young ladies in a couple of days. They are smart and energetic, and their post-punk style is infectious. As they are inclined to say, "When we go to concerts of our favorite music, the audience doesn't look like us." No kidding. I just hope that the audience in my tiny venue is old enough to act like "they've been here before."
Link: Meet Me @ The Altar, "Say It to My Face"
Date: Wed Mar 29 11:09:12 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:The Meet Me @ The Altar concert did not disappoint. There were two openers. All three bands seem to have NYC/New Jersey roots, and the style of the bands meshed nicely.
Daisy Grenade opened: two very young female singers, a guitarist, and drummer. Lots of energy on stage (pogo jumping etc) and plenty of banter with the audience. The second group was Young Culture. They were talented enough, with a charismatic lead singer, but their garage rock didn't resonate with me. (A guy standing next to me would disagree strongly -- he loudly sang every word of every song.)
During Young Culture, two of the musicians from Meet Me @ The Altar wandered quietly into the audience. It was a solid move to support the opener, and I was amused by their attempted disguises. One of them took off all her piercings and hair and donned pink sunglasses; the other wore a baseball cap over some short braids that draped over her face. It was kind of endearing.
The audience was interesting and not as obnoxious as I feared they might be. There were no throngs of high schoolers groping everyone in sight and puking on the floor. I was impressed how they really were dressed to the nines: lots of fish net stockings, heavy eye makeup, leather boots, and crop tops. The women went all out, too. I was particularly taken with one giant of a man who spent some hours braiding beads into his beard; an homage to Bo Derek from the movie "10" no doubt.
The crowd lit up when Meet Me @ The Altar started playing. The singer had slipped back into her da-glo green wig, but the other two were pretty simple in the t-shirts and jeans. Edith Johnson is the vocalist and has a fantastic voice and stage presence. They led with "Say It to My Face" and peppered in songs from their new album with covers of their favorite songs from Avril Lavigne, Mylie Cyrus, and others. They were true to the Lavigne sound, but I prefer their original stuff.
Johnson's great vocals are only part of the equation. Tea Campbell really fills the space with her bass/guitar, particularly amazing considering they have no other guitarist or keyboard. Ada Juarez was solid on drums, and enjoyed lots of playful bass drum bumps and rimshots when Johnson was trying to tell the crowd how special they were.
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