Mother’s Day is here, and to all the Mothers out there, even the Step-Ones, we have a little tune for you. Who doesn’t love some Sufjan Stevens? Everyone does. Enjoy some “Decatur, or Round of Applause for Your Stepmother.” Enjoy! It’s a live one!
Monthly Archives: May 2010
Siren Music Festival Celebrates 10 Years, Announces Lineup
Coney Island’s best, biggest, and only festival is celebrating 10 years at the iconic location. The Siren Music Festival is set to take place on July 17th in everyone’s favorite summer hot stop. The festival, which is in it’s 10th year, is starting to announce a few bands that are slated to play this year. Amongst the performers announced so far are Surfer Blood, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Matt and Kim, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and Harlem. More bands are to be released soon, but the lineup so far looks pretty amazing to us.
The festival is FREE as it is every year, and it’s always packed, so you better make sure you plan to get there early. Siren Music Festival has been booking the coolest acts since the beginning. Past performers include the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Peaches, Modest Mouse, !!!, TV on the Radio, Death Cab for Cutie, Spoon, Brendan Benson, VHS or Beta, Tapes ‘N Tapes, We Are Scientists, Dr. Dog, White Rabbits, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, Ra Ra Riot, Islands, Beach House, and Bear Hands just to name a few.
Who knows what additions will be made to the lineup this year.
Walter Schreifels Releases Video for “Arthur Lee’s Lullaby”
Singer/songwriter Walter Schreifels is no stranger to fame or life as a musician. His name most likely sounds very familar to you. Just reading his biography brings me back to a handful of bands that I loved from mid 90’s radio. Yes kids, that’s when we had to wait all day for our favorite songs to come on the station and we’d tape them (if we only had iTunes!).
Schreifels is best known for his work as singer of Gorilla Biscuits and Youth of Today. From then he moved on to sing in Quicksand and Rival Schools. After that he joined punk band CIV. Phew.
Now he is on to a new chapter in his life by releasing his first solo album An Open Letter To The Scene (Academy Fight Song) that comes out today. He is no longer, as American Analog Set would put it, “punk as fuck,” and has taken on a more Paul Westerberg meets Jon Brion meets Nada Surf kind of sound. This is truely a record to give a listen to.
Just releasing his first video from the album of the song “Arthur Lee’s Lullaby,” it’s obvious that he has broken away from a majority of his punk roots, but the outcome is perhaps his finest work. If you don’t mind me saying. He takes singer/songwriter to a new level and beyond.
Watch the video for “Arthur Lee’s Lullaby”
The National Are Heading Everywhere on Their Upcoming Tour. This is No Joke.
If you like, well, love indie rock darlings, The National, then you will have no shortage of seeing them this spring and summer. This band is literally slated to drop everywhere possible, on what looks like the longest tour known to man. Touring in support of their newest release High Violet (4AD), which hits stores in the U.S. on May 10th, it’s already a proven success.
The word from The National’s label is that these aren’t even ALL of the dates the band is slated to play. There are in fact more to be announced, especially for later in the year. How do they do it? We’ll never know, but hell we’re glad that they are. They’ll be playing with everyone from Rufus Wainwright to Pavement.
Check the dates below to see when you can catch the guys rolling into your town. Also be sure to jump on tickets as fast as you can. We’re sure these will be selling out fast.
The National Tour Dates:
05-05 London, England – Electric Ballroom $
05-06 London, England – Royal Albert Hall $
05-07 Paris, France – Le Zenith *
05-08 Berlin, Germany – Huxley’s Neue Welt $
05-09 Berlin, Germany – Astra $
05-21 Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern #
05-22 Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern #
05-23 San Diego, CA – Spreckels Theatre #
05-26 Oakland, CA – Fox Theatre
05-27 Oakland, CA – Fox Theatre #
05-29 Quincy, WA – Sasquatch Festival
06-02 Boston, MA – House of Blues %
06-03 Boston, MA – House of Blues %
06-04 Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory %
06-05 Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory %
06-06 Washington, DC – DAR Constitution Hall %
06-08 Toronto, Ontario – Massey Hall %
06-09 Toronto, Ontario – Massey Hall %
06-11-13 Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo
06-16 New York, NY – Radio City Music Hall %
06-18 Buffalo, NY Albright-Knox Gallery @
06-26 Pilton, England – Glastonbury Festival
07-01-04 Roskilde, Denmark – Roskilde Festival
07-06 Amsterdam, The Netherlands – Paradiso
07-08 Hamburg, Germany – Stadtpark !~
07-09 Brighton, England – Corn Exchange
07-12-13 Lyon, France – Les Nuits de Fourviere
07-14 Munich, Germany – Rathausplatz
07-16 Southwold, England – Latitude Festival
07-17-18 Lisbon, Portugal – Super Bock Super Rock
07-27 Brooklyn, NY – Prospect Park ^
07-31 Montreal, Quebec – Osheaga Festival
08-02 Columbus, OH – LC Pavilion %
08-03 Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Theatre %
08-04 Milwaukee, WI – Riverside Theatre %
08-05-06 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue %
08-06-08 Chicago, IL – Lollapalooza
08-11 Oslo, Norway – Oya Festival
08-13 Gothenburg, Sweden – Way Out West Festival
08-14 Haldern, Germany – Haldern Pop Festival
08-15 St. Malo, France – Le Route du Rock
08-18 Vienna, Austria – Arena
08-21 Hasselt-Kiewit, Belgium – Pukkelpop Festival
08-22 Biddinghuizen, The Netherlands – Lowlands Festival
09-03-05 Stradbally, Ireland – Electric Picnic
09-10 Vancouver, British Columbia – Malkin Bowl +
09-11 Redmond, WA – Marymoor Amphitheater >
$ with Buke and Gass
* with Pavement
# with Ramona Falls
% with the Antlers
^ with Beach House
@ with Rufus Wainwright
! with Midlake
~ with the Middle East
+ with the Walkmen
> with Okkervil River
Listen to and download “Blood Bath Ohio,” from the new record!
The Morning Benders w/ Holiday Shores, The Luyas @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY – 4/24/2010
Excitement was in the air on Saturday night as boys in tailored jackets and girls in summer dresses and leggings flocked to the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. The second of three sold out shows in one week, and their only non 21+ event, The Morning Benders, and new Brooklyn residents, were ready to take the stage in full force.
Opening the night was the Canadian band, The Luyas. This band the night could have done without. The singer’s voice was not always pleasant sounding, even though I’m certain she was trying to make it sound ‘pretty.’ Nothing amazing stood out about this group, and it was obvious. If they hadn’t played, The Morning Benders could have done a longer set, and that my friends, would have been radtacular. I wouldn’t go out of my way to see this band because, well, they made me sleepy on so many levels.
Next up was Holiday Shores, who were extremely impressive live. The band was missing a few members that night and took on a couple of the guys from Twin Sister for the set. You couldn’t even tell they weren’t part of the band because they were DEAD ON. Originating from Florida (Is it becoming the new Brooklyn, Surfer Blood?), the guys made it up to New York for a one night only set. Nice. The crowd was into it, mouthing the words and dancing around. Things were really getting started.
Around 11pm The Morning Benders finally took the stage. Opening with the spacey number “Stiches,” off of their new record Big Echo (+1 Music/Roughtrade), the audience was howling. “You don’t know me by name,” echoed from singer Chris Chu’s voice. It was at that point chills went down my spine and I knew we were all in for a treat tonight.
The crowd seemed intent on every word, every guitar hum, every cymbal crash that the band had to offer. What we were witnessing is one of the greatest acts to have come out in the past ten years. Their harmonies are reminiscent of early Beach Boys records and even more prominent live than on their records.
“We’re going to play you our new album tonight, Big Echo,” said Chu and fans were noticably ecstatic to be experience nearly every single song.
I’m not sure if I could say there was a ‘standout’ tune of the night, because nearly everything stood out. When it came time to play their second single “Promises,” everyone was singing along. When the band promised us they’d play songs we can dance to, they started it off with “Cold War (Nice Clean Fight)” one of the most incredible and fun songs to hear live.
Throughout the show, only one old song was played, which was a slower version of “Damnit Anna.” No one seemed to mind it though and it fit in perfectly. They also played a new track called “Go Grab a Stranger,” which was amazing beyond words.
It’s amazing to me to see this band that I saw play a Puma Instore two years ago when CMJ took place (and they weren’t part of the festival), completely grown. The store wasn’t even full, and John Norris from MTV was sitting on the floor watching the band. Flash forward to today where The Morning Benders are one of the hottest indie bands around and their newest release is produced by Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear? Talk about coming along way.
Amongst some personal song highlights of the night were “All Day Day Light,” “Pleasure Sighs,” “Hand Me Downs,” and of course, “Excuses.” For this song, Chu came into the crowd and sung to a few audience members as he roamed around the front portion of the floor. He really knows how to work a crowd, and you can see he enjoys every moment of it. So does the fans. There was no encore, and Chu told the crowd that the band would be in the lobby after the show to greet and talk to fans.
This is what makes me love music. This is what makes me love The Morning Benders.
CHECK OUT MORE PHOTOS FROM THE SHOW HERE
Watch two videos from The Morning Benders show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg
“All Day Day Light”
“Hand Me Downs”
Miniature Tigers w/ The Grates, The Stationary Set @ Knitting Factory – Brooklyn, NY – 4/21/2010
With the spring breeze in the air on an early night in Willimsburg, Brooklyn last Wednesday, fans packed the Knitting Factory to see the Miniature Tigers play their first show EVER in the BK area. Four of the nicest guys took time out to greet friends and fans that they passed throughout the night.
Hitting the stage first was The Stationary Set. The room was already starting to get packed for this indie buzz band. Trading instruments like something you would see at a Sloan show, and seperate precussion that you would experience while seeing Pavement, were both driven throughout. Lead singer (most of the time at least), Andrew Lutes, has one of the most poppiest voices I’ve heard in a long time. Though these boys may be on a small label they certainly have a big label sound and potential. I can only imagine we will be hearing more about The Stationary Set in the coming months.
The next to take the stage was Australia’s own, The Grates. The quintet led by charasmatic and energenic front woman, Patience Hodgson, literally blew the crowd away (even down to her golden chucks). What we were in for, and I’m sure no one was aware, was a 45 minute set of pump-your-fist-dance-your-ass-off music. If you didn’t look like you were having fun Hodgson got in your face and made sure that you did. And who could resist? The Grates play amazing indie pop tunes with a dab of Gwen Stefani style. Heading into the crowd several times, she really won the whole crowd over, leaving a once skeptical audience wanting more.
Around 10pm, the Miniature Tigers took the stage with big grins on their faces. Rick Schaier’s signature moustache is noticably gone, and I couldn’t help but think of the fresh faced CMJ newcomers I had originally met in 2008 and interviewed in a diner. It’s amazing how far they’ve come since their first New York City trip.
Most of the night was filled with upcoming material from their second record, Fortress (ModernArt) that is due to be released this summer. Produced by musician/friend/tourmate Chris Chu of The Morning Benders, you can really feel how the group has crafted their songs further from the early versions they have been playing recently on their last couple of tours.
New tracks like “There’s a Japanese Woman in My Closet,” and “Bullfighter Jackets,” were amazing to hear live on stage and really started to give the audience a glimpse of what the new album is going to sound like. Singer Charlie Brand’s voice is more brilliant in tone than ever. For a few songs, the band switched it up a bit as Schaier
took to the keyboard and synths and guitarist Algernon Quashie went behind the drums. Though I am not sure of the title, Rick took the lead vocals on one track that was very un-Mini T’s like but it was incredible nonetheless how it switched things up.
Brand also came out from behind the guitar and went mic-stand solo for a track as well. The band has become quite popular with fans and fellow musicians alike as there was some giggling high school girls in the corner, and you could see Tim Or of The Morning Benders and Christian Rudder of Bishop Allen watching the show from the center of the crowded room.
Everytime I see the Miniature Tigers they get better and better. I’m not sure how it’s possibly but they manage to pull it off flawlessly every single time. Watch out for Fortress this summer, and the band will most certainly be on tour thereafter. Be sure to check them out when they pass by your fortress!
FOR MORE SHOW PICS CLICK HERE
Modern Mystery 