So one of the cool things that came out of seeing Letters To Cleo a few weeks ago, was I ended up hearing about The Hard To Get (THTG) an indie-rock duo from Los Angeles who came together in 2006 - think The Pixies meets Sleater-Kinney. Made up of Melissa Kaplan (guitar/lead vocals) and Tim Lee (drums/backup vocals), the band earned their cred playing at every local venue from Echo Park to Venice.

Their debut, self-released 2008 album, "This Is The New Business Plan," (produced & mixed by Michael Eisenstein of "Letters to Cleo" - hence the earlier comment) did a nice job capturing the band's catchy, riff-driven songs while maintaining the hard, fast and electric feeling of their live shows.

Their second EP, "Looking Good," shows off the group's eclectic side with a more varied mix of layers, and even features a quick venture into samba rock.

Keeping it interesting, the band covers multiple genres in one set and plays past the often one-trick music scene with a passionate multi-layered sound and a revolving cast of guest players. If there was a common thread in their tunes, it would the playful boy-girl harmonies, thoughtful lead and rhythm guitar progressions, and heartfelt melodic ideas.

Melissa and Tim are getting ready to go out on tour (I'm still waiting on that Dallas date!!) - go check them out and mention the Lullabyes blog at one of their shows for a free EP! See the confirmed dates listed below. Sign up for their newsletter or check their myspace for additional dates as they get announced!

thehardtoget.com
www.myspace.com/thehardtoget

Tour Dates:
06/26/09 Fox and Goose Pub in Sacramento, CA
06/27/09 Bob's Java Jive in Tacoma, WA
06/28/09 Le Voteur in Olympia, WA
06/29/09 Princeton Pub in Vancouver BC
06/30/09 Mirkwood & Shire Cafe in Arlington, WA
07/02/09 Twilight Cafe & Bar in Portland, OR
07/03/09 R5 Records in Sacramento, CA
07/04/09 Plea For Peace Center in Stockton, CA
07/05/09 Airliner in Los Angeles, CA
07/17/09 Java Cafe in Sacramento, CA
07/31/09 El Rio in San Francisco, CA
08/06/09 Silverlake Lounge in Los Angeles, CA
08/15/09 Dr. Watson's Pub in Philadelphia, PA
08/18/09 Public Assembly in Brooklyn, NY
08/19/09 PA's Lounge in Boston, MA
08/22/09 Roc Bar in Cleveland, OH
08/25/09 Silvie's Lounge in Chicago, IL
08/26/09 The Way Out Club in St. Louis, MO
09/26/09 Echo Curio in Echo Park, CA

MP3 MP3s:
Looking Good (Looking Good EP)
Late Shift (This Is The New Business Plan EP)

Labels: indie, los angeles, studio mp3s, the hard to get, tour dates

The Daylight vs Z Berg from michaelrunion on Vimeo.

Michael Runion and Elizabeth Anne "Z" Berg, lead singer/guitarist of L.A band, The Life.

I knew there was a reason I liked The Life.

Labels: michael runion, video, z berg

I don't think I've ever been to a "reunion tour" show before, but after experiencing my first one I think there's just something fantastic about getting to see a band that you never, ever thought you would see play again.

And I'm not talking about the Eagles, or Kiss or the Rolling Stones or any of those massive bands that are virtually guaranteed to tour ONE MORE TIME when they need a few million more dollars/pounds/euros.

I'm talking about those smaller bands that randomly made an impression on you, the ones where you can point to a specific year or summer, or period in time, and remember with vivid nostalgia specific events or friends that were a part of your life.

For me, getting to see Letters To Cleo yesterday was that type of goodness. Setting aside that I never thought the band would reform, I couldn't believe that a band from Boston, who's members currently live in various States (none of which are Texas) where actually playing a 4 city mini reunion tour, and 3 of the cities where in Texas. And best of all, they were closing out the entire thing in Dallas. Awesome.

For those who may not know, Letters To Cleo was/is a band from Boston who got big in 1994 with a break out hit, Here and Now, a song from their Aurora Gory Alice album which became wildly popular after appearing in Melrose Place and then garnering massive airplay on MTV and radio.

Aurora was followed up with Wholesale Meats & Fish in 1995, which yielded another breakout hit, Awake. 1997 brought Go! which was just a perfect power pop album full of hooks, hooks and more hooks. If you're a fan of 90s rock, or girl singers, or both, be sure to pick up this record. It does not disappoint, you'll be singing along in no time.

The band went on to release another EP of demos in 1998, then were prominently featured in the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You, and contributed two (excellent) covers to the soundtrack, Cruel To Be Kind, and Cheap Trick's I Want You To Want Me. In mid 2000 came the break up and the individual members all went onto various careers in the entertainment business.

End of story? Obviously not. In late 2008 the various Letters To Cleo members found themselves together in the same room for the first time in nearly 8 years at Boston night club T.T. The Bears at a benefit concert for an old friend and supporter of the band. Next thing you know an impromptu reunion occurred as the band got on stage and ripped through Here & Now and Awake.

Good time ensued and the band put together a 4 show reunion last winter in Boston, NYC and LA. This was followed up with this weeks 4 city show in New Orleans, Houston, Austin and Dallas.

I was fortunate enough to get to go see soundcheck, interview lead singer Kay Hanley for 40 minutes on the band and her solo career and then get to see a completely rocking set that proved that even though Cleo haven't been a band for 8 years, they still got their chops and if anything are even tighter then they were in 90s.

Over 80 minutes the band tore through 19 songs, 18 rockers and 1 ballad for the love birds in the crowd. My personal favorite from the show had to be Veda Very Shining, which is a near perfect example of both the bands poppy hooks and blistering musicianship. Check out the MP3 below to hear the crashing drums, crazy guitar riffs and all around head bobbing goodness.

In an act that was sure to make their day, Kay invited up the lead singer from opening act Cruiserweight to sing with her on Co-Pilot and Here & Now, and Letter's drummer Stacy Jones (who also serves as Miley Cyrus' music director) gave up his seat to ex-Cruiserweight drummer Yogi Maxwell for the track, Disappear.

For those of you who are interested, the band played everything shown on the setlist below and "Step Back", "I See", "I Could Sleep (The Wuss Song) and "I Want You To Want Me".

I'll be putting together a separate post on the Kay Hanley interview in the next week or two, so more to come there. For now, enjoy a few live MP3s and photos (and setlist) from the show and let's keep our fingers crossed for some more Letters to Cleos show in the future.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Laudanum
Awake
Because of You
Veda Very Shining
Here & Now
I Could Sleep (The Wuss Song)

Labels: dallas, indie, kay hanley, letters to cleo, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, the loft

Occasionally you find bands that simply blow you away with their uniqueness. Occasionally you find bands that blow you away with their uniqueness, and who are amazing to boot.

Wildbirds and Peacedrums fall into the latter category, and we managed to catch two partial shows at SXSW this year before we saw a full one and loved every minute of all three.

The band is a duo from Sweden - Mariam Wallentin and Andreas Werliin. Andreas plays (or rather, beats the living crap) out of the drums and Mariam primarily sings and also plays an assortment of instruments including the steel drum.

Now I listened to the studio tracks at MySpace, and they are pretty damn good - but in no way do they capture the sheer intensity of their live shows. Mariam channels the finest female singers of all time, including two of my favorite - Bjork and Nina Simone. She stomps, dances, wails, Jim Morrison's the mic and basically transcends into the performance. Andreas clearly loves every second as well. Setting aside Dave Grohl, I've rarely seen someone hit their drums harder. They are a truly magnificent pair.

I managed to get an audience recording of a couple of their songs - and again, though good, they aren't soundboard. If anyone out there has some soundboard recordings, let me know - I'd love one.

In the interim, check out these recordings and their MySpace. I especially love My Heart as it's pretty representative of the live experience and features Mariam plowing into the steel drum and vocally channeling some Post-era Bjork (Hyper Ballad comes to mind). If they come by your town, GO SEE THEM.

Live MP3 MP3s:
My Heart
Doubt Hope

Labels: audience mp3s, austin, indie, live mp3s, side bar, sxsw, wildbirds and peacedrums

Here was the most unexpected set we witnessed at SXSW, a solo and serene set from Nathan Williams aka noise-pop guru, Wavves. Expecting a serious amount of rock we were extremely surprised when Nathan got up on stage and starting playing his guitar with a clean chorus effect.

I'd never heard it before, but hearing the tracks in this setting (especially So Bored) really made me think of similarities to the earlier Nirvana songs from Bleach and Nevermind.

Enjoy!

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
To The Dregs
So Bored
...Tried to Stop Me
Wavves

Labels: austin, french legation museum, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, sxsw, wavves

I first heard about Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson about a year ago - right before his self-titled debut record came out. I think I had to check out the link because its just not that often that a guy with four first names comes along.

I was immediately impressed, there was a certain weight that came along with the songs - lyrically strong, Miles carved out a space as a storyteller and his gravelly voice only complemented his Dylan-esque style. I've been hoping he would tour, and was pleased to see a SXSW showcase show up on the radar.

The showcase was at the outdoor gardens of the French Legation Museum, one of my favorite SXSW venues, the Museum is just a great, relaxed getaway from the crowds of 6th Street.

Miles opened the set with a false start as he decided that he wanted to relive a childhood birthday party and go swing at a Pinata. To pass the time, his band mates treated the crowd to a fairly amusing rendition of Beyonce's Single Ladies. A lot of new songs made the set along with Buriedfed, one of the strongest tracks from his debut record, as well as a cover of Otis Redding's classic - Sitting On The Dock Of the Bay.

Here's a few highlights from the set. Enjoy!

Live MP3 MP3s:
Single Ladies (Beyonce)
There Will Be Mud
Buriedfed
Trembling
Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay (Otis Redding)

Labels: austin, french legation museum, indie, live mp3s, miles benjamin anthony robinson, soundboard mp3s, sxsw

SXSW on Friday.

Got to see a bit of Bishop Allen, Theresa Andersson, The New Wine, These Are Powers, Wavves, Wildbirds and Peacedrums, Marnie Stern, The Tallest Man on Earth and Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson.

Best show of the day was Theresa Andersson. Another example of right place, right time, on complete accident. She was playing the Swedish Showcase at Habana Calle 6, and we'd run over to checkout Wildbirds and Peacedrums. She was playing next and I vaguely remembered listening to some MP3s last year when her last record, Hummingbird, Go! was released.

We decided to stick around, and it was a good thing we did. She played solo with a host of looping pedals and it was a good of a pairing as you will ever get. She had around a dozen instruments on stage, including drums, guitars, records, violins, and dulcimers. She'd play a part, loop it, and play something else over it. Slowly but surely she would build a crescendo of instrumentation and then sing a multiple of vocal parts of her instruments. Just beautiful - and it didn't hurt that her voice was gorgeous.

Be sure to check out this set.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Oh Mary (Don't You Weep)
Na Na Na
Birds Fly Away
Hi-Low

Labels: austin, habana calle 6, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, sxsw

Got to run out to more SXSW shows, but here's one more recording for you from yesterday.

Other Lives from Stillwater, Oklahoma. Dark and moody, the piano and cello with more traditional guitars, bass and drums evokes a cinematic experience - like every song is scored for a film. A gorgeous set. Enjoy.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Don't Let Them
End Of The Year
The Partisan (Leonard Cohen)
Speed Tape
Paper Cities
Outro

Labels: austin, cedar street courtyard, indie, live mp3s, other lives, soundboard mp3s, sxsw