Austin during SXSW 2008. Fantastic.

We got to see a couple of dozen bands at some great parties over the last few days, including memorable stops at the Nylon Guess shows at their 5th Floor pool party, Hot Freaks at Club de Ville/the Mohawk and Everloving at the ultra-swank furniture store, Design Within Reach.

One of the beautiful aspects of SXSW is that you never actually know what you're going to get from the bands. Today a guest 30-minute DJ set from "List Christee" aka Kevin Barnes, lead singer from Of Montreal turned into a surprise live performance at the Hot Freaks show at Club de Ville.

Intended to be an acoustic set, Kevin ended up borrowing an electronic guitar from the band White Rabbits, who were next up on the bill, after technical issues forced him to set aside his acoustic.

An eclectic set, Barnes played a new one-minute track (which in lieu of an official title, we've labeled "Why Am I"), a couple of cool MIA and Grateful Dead covers and an Of Montreal staple. He also played a song he attributed to Bob Dylan. After a couple of listens and some time with Google, it seems that the track may have been a spontaneous creation, with Barnes making up the lyrics on the spot. Any corrections would be appreciated!

Enjoy

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Why Am I
Jimmy (MIA)
Heimdalsgate Like a Promethean Curse
Shakedown Street (Grateful Dead)
Matchbox Cars

Labels: austin, Club De Ville, concerts, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, sxsw

This is an update to an earlier post from last year, with the complete set from St Vincents show in Denton, Texas.

Ventured up to Denton Texas to catch Annie Clark, aka St Vincent, on the opening night of her first headlining tour in support of her new record, "Marry Me".

She was playing with a full band last night, as opposed to her atypical solo show and it made for a very different experience. I'd seen her 3 times by herself and had always been awed at the sheer emotional power of her performance. The full band brought a different (but just as stunning) vibe to the songs - a more subtle sweeping grace to the songs that now featured layered instrumentation as opposed to the rythmic pounding of Annie's stomp box.

Picture found at Three Pink Monkeys Flickr account. Check them out for more St Vincent pics.

Check out Gorilla vs Bear for photos and a write up on the gig.

Live MP3s:
Intro
Jesus Saves. I Spend
Human Racing
Now. Now
Intro to...
Marry Me
Landmines
Your Lips Are Red
All My Stars Aligned
Bang Bang
Paris is Burning
The Apocalypse Song
Encore Break
What, Me Worry
Outro

Labels: concerts, denton, haileys, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, tour dates

Here's the companion set to yesterday's post on Sondre Lerche.

Opening for Sondre was former Semisonic guitarist, lead singer and primary song-writer Dan Wilson. As we've mentioned several times over the last couple of months, Dan Wilson recently released 'Free Life' - his first solo record since the break up of Semisonic a few years ago.

Great set, my only regret was that I couldn't capture it from the soundboard - rather, I had to revert back to my trusty mics.

Featuring Semisonic classics (as well as the back-story for 'Closing Time' - you've got to hear it to believe it), the bulk of the tracks from his new solo record, as well as a song that he wrote for 'the Chicks' (aka the Dixie Chicks), the set was absolutely beautiful - and to be totally honest, I think that I prefer the live solo arrangements of the tracks from 'Free Life' to the studio recorded versions.

You of course can make up your mind! If you don't listen to anything else, be sure to grab and check out 'All Kinds'. Beautiful.

Enjoy.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Hand On My Heart
Breathless
'Dixie Chicks'
Easy Silence
'2 Things'
Sugar
Baby Doll
'Junior'
Closing Time
'Seattle'
Free Life
'Sing With Me'
All Kinds

Labels: audience mp3s, club dada, concerts, dallas, indie, live mp3s

So regular readers should already know I'm a big fan of Norwegian pop-darling Sondre Lerche.

Read about him on Lullabyes here and check out this older show we taped in Houston, back in 2003.

Dallas has been lucky enough to have Sondre Lerche visit a couple of times this year. Earlier in the year he wandered through with his band 'the Faces Down' in support of his closest-thing-to-rocking-out yet record, 'Phantom Punch' and played at the now-defunct Gypsy Tea Room. In November, he visited again - frequenting Club Dada with former Semisonic lead-man Dan Wilson.

Amazing amazing show. I'd seen him earlier this year at SXSW, it was an outside venue, with a fairly lacking sound system. Seeing him close up and indoors was an absolute treat and a much better venue for his fun and cozy shows.

Ever prolific, Sondre's put out two records this year - the 'fore mentioned 'Phantom Punch' and more recently he provided the soundtrack for the Steve Carell vehicle, 'Dan in Real Life'. The latest show in November was in support for this new soundtrack, and Sondre played quite a few of the songs from the record - though sadly we didn't get a solo take on 'Hell No' - originally a duet with Regina Spektor.

Fortunately, we did get an amazing rendition of 'Modern Nature' with a full-on sing-a-long from the choir-like ladies in the audience. I haven't heard an audience sound this good since Matt Wertz.

Other highlights include 'Sleep On Needles', 'Two Way Monologue' and his various funny anecdotes between songs. You can tell he was thrilled to have worked on 'Dan in Real Life' with at least 4 monologues on the experience.

Great recording of a great show. Enjoy.

Buy 'Phantom Punch' here - and the 'Dan in Real Life' Soundtrack here.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Don't Be Shallow
'Club Dada'
After All
Everyone's Rooting For You
'Faces Down'
Airport Taxi Reception
'Changing Strings'
Say It All
Maybe You're Gone
'Dan In Real Life' Part 1
To Be Suprised
'Dan In Real Life' Part 2
My Hands Are Shaking
'Dan In Real Life' Part 3
I'll Be OK
Dead Passengers
'Duper Sessions'
Human Hands
'Merch Booth'
Happy Birthday Girl
'Unreleased Track'
I Know I Know
Tragic Mirror
Two Way Monologue
Encore Break
'Dan In Real Life' Part 4
Modern Nature
Phantom Punch
Sleep On Needles
Outro

Labels: club dada, concerts, dallas, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s

Hands down , Great Northern is the best band I've discovered this year.

Their track, Low Is A Height, from the album 'Trading Twilight to Daylight' is supremely beautiful - lush instrumentation, primarily made up of a simple crackling beat, piano, synthetic strings, gentle strumming acoustics and occasional glockenspiel back Rachel Stolte's lush multi-tracked vocals. Most beautiful song I've heard in a long time. The rest of the album is also excellent - featuring more rocking girl/boy tracks. Fairly radio-friendly tracks. I think its just a matter of time before we hear Great Northern all over the place.

Check out 'Low Is A Height' at their site.

I got to see a striped down version of Great Northern play a show at Good Records. Rachel Stolte and Solon Bixler played a short 3 song acoustic set in advance of their set that night at the Cavern with Robbers On High Street.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Our Bleeding Hearts
Babies
Home
Outro

Tour Dates:
2007-11-12
Crocodile Cafe
Seattle, Washington

2007-11-15
Larimer Lounge
Denver, Colorado

The Jackpot Saloon
Lawrence, KS

2007-11-17
7th Street Entry
Minneapolis, MN

2007-11-18
Schubas Tavern
Chicago, IL

Labels: concerts, dallas, good records, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, tour dates

Local Dallas native, Doug Burr, also played a set at the Museum of Modern Arts "Modern 'til Midnight" show on Friday night.

Doug's new album, 'On Promenade', dropped on October 9th - and his set focused on the new material. Channeling Tom Waits (and a little Ryan Adams), Doug Burr brings a classic sense of storytelling to his almost-gravelly songs - the familiar subjects of heartbreak and hope. Live, Doug brought a full-band to the show - with nice guitar interplay and backing vocals, over the building drums and bass.

My personal favorite - Last Promenade.

Check out some studio tracks at his MySpace. If you like what you hear, 'On Promenade' is available for download at iTunes, Napster, CD Baby and Doug's record companies, www.spune.com,
www.velvetbluemusic.com.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Slow Southern Home
Graniteville
Always Travel Light
Thing About Trouble
Last Promenade

Labels: concerts, fort worth, indie, live mp3s, museum of modern art, soundboard mp3s

Annie Clark aka St Vincent put on an amazing show last night at the Museum of Modern Arts in Fort Worth.

It was a fairly impressive evening - with various Dallas/Fort Worth based bands including MOM, Doug Bar and St Vincent playing sets as part of the "Modern 'til Midnight" series.

Adding to the evenings appeal, the Museum was also featuring two amazing art exhibits, a collection of Ron Mueck's hyper-realistic human sculptures as well as the "Declaring Space" collection featuring various paintings from my favorite artist Mark Rothko.

As always, Annie's performance was gorgeous and captivating. An impressive sized crowd gathered around the stage set up on a 2nd floor, outdoor sculpture garden and watched Annie perform solo - an electric guitar, a stomp box and a very cool sampler.

Highlights include the covers for the evening - a rendition of the Beatles 'Dig a Pony' (which I've been singing all day) and Jackson Browne's 'I've Been Out Walking (These Days)'. 'Your Lips Are Red' and 'Jesus Saves. I Spend' also stand out as killer tracks.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Human Racing
Marry Me
Bang Bang
Paris is Burning
-Tech Issues-
Dig A Pony (The Beatles)
-Tech Issues-
Jesus Saves. I Spend
What, Me Worry
These Days (Jackson Browne)
Your Lips Are Red
Now. Now.

Labels: concerts, fort worth, indie, live mp3s, museum of modern art, soundboard mp3s

I started this blog a couple of years ago, and one of my early posts was on the "secret" Counting Crows show in 2003 at the Shim Sham club in New Orleans.

I only posted a couple of the tracks from the show - I think I was just daunted at having to link to 50 different tracks (it was a long, long show), and every now and then when I see the original post I think about how I should put up the rest of the show.

Well here it is! Between 1999 and 2003 Adam Duritz and other members of Counting Crows played a secret show at the Shim Sham Club in New Orleans each May - corresponding with one of the two Jazz Fest weekends.

Always amazing concerts, Adam and Co would slowly but surely get very, very drunk over the course of the shows, playing covers, each one with different friends contributing in some way.

Here's the last Counting Crows Shim Sham show. Enjoy.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Club Music
Intro Music
Immys Intro (Its My Birthday)
Dark Globe - Syd Barrett (Placebo)
Night Moves - Bob Seger
Adams Intro (Welcome to the 5th...)
Borderline - Madonna
Catapult - Counting Crows
Band Talk (Its Getting Hot in Here)
Friday I'm in Love - The Cure
Band Talk (Tuning for Goodnight...)
Goodnight Elisabeth False Start - Counting Crows
Goodnight Elisabeth - Counting Crows
New Frontier - Counting Crows
Band Talk (Welcome You Once Again)
Night Flight - Led Zeppelin
Band Talk (Officially Drunk)
Give You Up - David Gibbs
Dave Gibbs Talk (...Fuckin Beautiful)
Ghost - David Gibbs
Band Talk (that Bitch)
Barely Out of Tuesday - Counting Crows
Band Talk (No Video)
Better Things - The Kinks
Band Talk (Concerned About My Friends)
Friend of the Devil - Grateful Dead
Band Talk (End of an Era)
Goodnight L.A - Counting Crows
A Long December - Counting Crows
Band Talk (I Am So Fucked Up)
Here Comes your Man - Pixies (Beastie Boys)
Band Talk (Cocaine Intro)
Cocaine Cannot Kill My Pain - Steve Earle
Band Talk (Musical Interlude)
Pale Blue Eyes - Velvet Underground
These Days - Jackson Browne
Band Talk (Ok. We're Getting There)
Fearless Heart - Steve Earle
Band Talk (Quiet)
Good Time - Counting Crows
Band Talk (Woman. God Damnit)
Crazy for You - Madonna
Amie - Pure Prairie League
Band Talk (Articulating My Words)
Rain King - Counting Crows
Happy Birthdays - Crowd
Oh Susanna - Stephen Foster
Blues Run the Game - Jackson C Frank
Sullivan Street - Counting Crows
Club Music

Whoa.

Labels: concerts, live mp3s, major, new orleans, shim sham club, soundboard mp3s

So I got engaged. Sweeet!

I also unknowingly scheduled an engagement party on the same night Rilo Kiley is coming to town. Oh well - I'd be sleeping in the guest room if I mentioned any regrets. ;)

But since I won't see them this weekend, I pulled out some old shows to listen to.

Here's my favorite one from the Jenny/Blake solo tour back in early 2004 - where they were trying out cuts from the (at that point) forthcoming album, More Adventurous. Lots of great banter and low key acoustic versions of rocking tracks.

Enjoy! (I've got a 2 cam video mix of this somewhere, ill see if I can find it)


Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Better Son-Daughter
Bulletproof
So Long
Go Ahead
More Adventurous
Somebody Elses Clothes
(Simply Irresistible Banter)
Simply Irresistible (Robert Palmer)
Absence of God
It Just Is
I Never
(With Arms Outstretched Banter)
With Arms Outstretched
(Panty Banter)
Rock N Roll Suicide (David Bowie)
(Encore Break)
(Glendora Banter)
Steve - Take 1
Steve - Take 2
Salute My Shorts
Spectacular Views

Labels: audience mp3s, concerts, indie, live mp3s, los angeles, pomona

Cursive frontman Tim Kasher's ventured out again, releasing his second record of material of alt-country influenced tunes under the "Good Life" moniker. Help Wanted Nights showcases 12 tunes that are tied to a screenplay he wrote featuring the same title.

The concept works well - and the songs, while containing their own little identifies, fit well into the greater whole. Check out the mp3 for "You Don't Feel Like Home To Me" - my favorite track from the record - below for a flavor of the album. Check out their MySpace for more tracks.

I had a chance to catch Kasher as the Good Life a few years ago in Houston, in support of his record, Album of the Year. An interesting show - I remember Kasher being slightly disengaged from the crowd, still pretty good recording.

Studio MP3 MP3s:
You Don't Feel Like Home To Me

Live MP3 MP3s:
Album of the Year
The Beaten Path
The Moon Red Handed
Always A Bridesmaid
You're Not You
A New Friend
Intro to...
Lovers Need Lawyers
An Acquaintance Strikes a Chord
O'Rourke's, 120AM
I Am An Island
Inmates
Outro

Labels: concerts, houston, indie, live mp3s, mary janes, soundboard mp3s, studio mp3s

Eisley's sparkling new record, Combinations, came out today in all fine record stores near you. In support - Eisley are playing a series of acoustic shows around the US.

Dallas Texas got to play host to Eisley on their release date - for not one, but two shows!

Before heading over to House of Blues for their late show, the Eisley sisters stopped by Good Records for an early evening, truly acoustic (ie no drums or bass) mini-show. Playing to a near packed house the girls played some older favorites along with highlights from the new record.

It ended up being a beautiful recording with Stacy and Sherri DuPree's lovely voices harmonizing perfectly over the acoustic guitars and piano sections. If you need a starting point, go to the end and listen to Invasion.

Buy Eisley's new record, Combinations here.

Tour Dates:
8/16 Houston, TX - Meridian
8/18 Orlando, FL - The Social
8/20 New York, NY - Joe's Pub

Live MP3 MP3s:
I Could Be There For You
Come Clean
Golly Sandra
Go Away
Many Funerals
Marvelous Things
Invasion

Labels: concerts, dallas, good records, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, tour dates

Last year I posted on Beaumont, Texas native Mo Pair. I taped him lusciously covering early Pink Floyd material with nothing more than an acoustic, and a harmonica for company.

It ended up being a lovely recording, and Mo Pair released the show as a record late last year. The Pink Floyd Happy Hour - buy it here.

I had a chance to see him 3-4 more times last year, and caught most of the shows on tape. Here's my favorite - a great recording from Brasil, a coffee house and bar in the Montrose area of Houston. Mo Pair performs numerous covers, including Pink Floyd's Wots.. Uh The Deal as well as interesting choices from the Grateful Dead and Woody Guthrie.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Soundcheck
Balmorhea (The Trebelmakers)
Dire Wolf (Grateful Dead)
The Promised Land (Ethan Azarian)
Whiskey
Green is the Colour (Pink Floyd)
Poor Boy (Woody Guthrie)
Child
God Moves Over The Water (Blind Willie Johnson)
And I'll Be With You
Hand Me the Bottle (Max Baker)
Bundle
As Sure As the Eagle Flies
Wots... Uh the Deal (Pink Floyd)

Labels: brasil, concerts, houston, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s

Good Records got a visit from Bishop Allen on Sunday - a kind gesture to all the good people of Dallas who didn't want to drive up to Denton to see them on Saturday night.

Another great set from Bishop Allen - and in many ways the quieter, in-store set up at Good Records was even more enjoyable then seeing them in rock mode, in Denton.

This ended up as a matrix recording - combining two different recordings, one that captured the vocals, keyboards and acoustic instruments through the mixing console, and a second using audience mics to get the "room" sound. Since the drums, electric guitars, and the bass weren't mic'ed this was the best way to ensure the recording actually sounded like the bands performance.

I think it came out pretty well - let me know what you think. And on a side note, this may quite possibly be one of the loveliest versions of Butterfly Nets I've heard yet.

Enjoy.

Live MP3s MP3:

Intro
Click Click Click Click
Like Castanets
The Monitor
The Same Fire
Rain
Butterfly Nets

Labels: audience mp3s, concerts, dallas, good records, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s

Well I thought I'd seen every potential variation of recording a band, but every once in a while you get to experience something entirely new, and extremely fun. Monday was one of those times.

I had wandered over to the House of Blues to tape Limbeck doing an exclusive acoustic set for Lullabyes, before their gig with The Format later that night. I had planned to record them through the soundboard, but the doors to the venue had opened earlier than expected and that wasn't going to be option.

Rising to the challenged, we decided we were going to get an acoustic set one way or another - so we ended up on a landing in the the stair well leading up to the dressing rooms, with yours truly holding up microphones while the lads in Limbeck played in a little semi-circle around me. There's a first time for everything!

We taped two songs in the stairwell and then two songs in the "small" secondary venue at the House of Blues called The Cambridge Room. Even though the session was captured in the most low-fi way imaginable the recordings came out beautifully.

The acoustic interpretations of Limbeck's normally electric songs highlighted gorgeous (and perfect) backing harmonies along with their strength as musicians and songwriters.

I'm excited to offer these fantastic and exclusive recordings of Limbeck. Enjoy!

Live MP3 MP3s:
Trouble
Names for Dogs

Limbeck's touring extensively over the next couple of months - be sure to check them.

Tour Dates:
7/22 St. Petersburg, FL
7/24 Ft. Lauderdale, FL
7/25 Atlanta, GA
7/26 New Orleans, LA
7/27 Memphis, TN
7/28 Tulsa, OK
7/29 Albuquerque, NM
7/31 San Diego, CA
8/1 Hollywod, CA
8/2 Anaheim, CA
8/3 San Francisco, CA
8/4 San Francisco, CA
8/5 Seattle, WA
8/7 Vancouver, BC
8/9 Calgary, Alberta
8/10 Edmonton, AB
8/11 Saskatoon, SK
8/12 Winnipeg, MB
8/15 Ottawa, ON
8/15 Rochester, NY
8/16 Toronto, ON
8/18 So. Burlington, VT
8/19 Boston, MA
8/21 New York, NY
8/22 Sayreville, NJ
8/23 Philadelphia, PA
8/24 Norfolk, VA
8/25 Washington, DC
8/26 Carrboro, NC
8/28 Cincinatti, OH
8/29 Cleveland, OH
8/29 Cleveland, OH
8/30 Grand Rapids, MI
8/31 Detroit, MI
9/1 Chicago, IL
9/2 St Paul, MN
9/4 Iowa City, IA
9/5 Sauget, IL
9/6 Lawrence, KS
9/7 Eaglewood, CO

Labels: concerts, dallas, house of blues, indie, live mp3s

I got to check out Marc Broussard last week at the newest (and quite possibly the finest) venue in Dallas, the House of Blues.

I guess I'm slightly behind the times here because until I got an email on Marc's new record, SOS (Save Our Soul), I'd never heard of him - and it was my loss.

First the record - SOS. Let me steal right off of Marc's website here -

Marc plumbed the vaults of historic labels like Motown and Stax to create 11 performances that are sweltering and incendiary - and true... Classics by Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding and others

When I got the original email I had a picture of Marc, and that quote. To be honest, my first thought was - THAT guy is going to cover THOSE guys and pull it off? After hearing one song, I knew he had. The boy can SING. Perfect inflection, perfect tone - Marc own's every classic he covers on SOS. Check out the MP3 for Love And Happiness below - the head over to his MySpace for a few more excellent tracks.

Second the show. One word can describe it - tight. Bringing a thoroughly smooth and funky guitar rock sensibility to both the cover tunes, and well as his original songs, Marc and his band owned the two thousand or so people who were at the House of Blues that night. In fact I haven't seen this many sorority girls singing their hearts out since John Mayer a few years ago.

Single men - attend the closest Marc show near you, then send me an email of thanks.

Guys in relationships - take your girl to the closest Marc show to you, then send me an email of thanks.

Oh and quite possibly the best bit of the experience? They record EVERY show and will sell you a copy after the concert ends for $15. Show your loved one a great time, then buy them a memento that they can keep forever.

Studio MP3:
Love And Happiness

Live MP3:
Rock Steady

Tour Dates:
Tue 07/10/07 Knoxville, TN Bijou Theatre
Thu 07/12/07 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom
Fri 07/13/07 Atlanta, GA Center Stage
Sat 07/14/07 Charlotte, NC Neighborhood Theatre
Sun 07/15/07 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
Mon 07/16/07 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club / Lounge
Wed 07/18/07 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom
Thu 07/19/07 New York, NY Fillmore New York At Irving Plaza
Sat 07/21/07 Amagansett, NY Stephen Talkhouse
Sun 07/22/07 Camden, NJ Wiggins Park
Tue 07/24/07 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live!
Wed 07/25/07 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues
Thu 07/26/07 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue
Fri 07/27/07 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
Sat 07/28/07 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Music Cafe
Wed 08/01/07 Covington, KY Madison Theater
Thu 08/02/07 Saint Louis, MO Blueberry Hill's Duck Room
Fri 08/03/07 North Kansas City, MO Voodoo Lounge/Harrah's Kansas City
Sat 08/04/07 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
Tue 08/07/07 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot
Wed 08/08/07 Boise, ID Big Easy Concert House
Thu 08/09/07 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
Fri 08/10/07 Vancouver, BC Richard's On Richards
Tue 08/14/07 Crystal Bay, NV Crystal Bay Club Casino
Wed 08/15/07 Santa Cruz, CA Moe's Alley
Thu 08/16/07 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
Sat 08/18/07 Los Angeles, CA The Avalon
Sun 08/19/07 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues
Mon 08/20/07 San Diego, CA House Of Blues
Sat 08/25/07 Spanish Fort, AL Blue Gills
Mon 08/27/07 Baton Rouge, LA Varsity Theatre
Tue 08/28/07 Baton Rouge, LA Varsity Theatre

Labels: concerts, dallas, house of blues, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, studio mp3s, tour dates

Ventured up to Denton Texas last night to catch Annie Clark, aka St Vincent, on the opening night of her first headlining tour in support of her new record, "Marry Me".

She was playing with a full band last night, as opposed to her atypical solo show and it made for a very different experience. I'd seen her 3 times by herself and had always been awed at the sheer emotional power of her performance. The full band brought a different (but just as stunning) vibe to the songs - a more subtle sweeping grace to the songs that now featured layered instrumentation as opposed to the rythmic pounding of Annie's stomp box.

I had the opportunity to tape the show, and it came out beautifully. I'll post the whole show after the tour ends, but wanted to give everyone a taste of the band's amazing sound and performance by posting a few songs. Check out the MP3s and see the tour dates below. If she's coming through your town do yourself a favor and go see Annie and her band play.

Picture found at Three Pink Monkeys
Flickr account. Check them out for more St Vincent pics.

Check out Gorilla vs Bear for photos and a write up on last nights gig.

Live MP3s:
Landmines
Your Lips Are Red
All My Stars Aligned

Tour Dates:
Sat 07/07/07 Austin, TX The Parish Room
Sun 07/08/07 Houston, TX Walter's On Washington
Mon 07/09/07 New Orleans, LA Parish At House Of Blues
Wed 07/11/07 Atlanta, GA The EARL
Thu 07/12/07 Asheville, NC Grey Eagle
Fri 07/13/07 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
Sat 07/14/07 Washington, DC Rock And Roll Hotel
Sun 07/15/07 Philadelphia, PA North Star Bar
Tue 07/17/07 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
Wed 07/18/07 Cambridge, MA Middle East Nightclub
Thu 07/19/07 Montreal, QC La Sala Rosa
Fri 07/20/07 Toronto, ON Horseshoe Tavern
Sat 07/21/07 Cleveland, OH Beachland Ballroom & Tavern
Sun 07/22/07 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
Tue 07/24/07 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry
Wed 07/25/07 Omaha, NE Waiting Room
Thu 07/26/07 Kansas City, MO Record Bar
Fri 07/27/07 Denver, CO Hi-Dive
Mon 07/30/07 Vancouver, BC The Lamplighter
Wed 08/01/07 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
Fri 08/03/07 San Francisco, CA Cafe Du Nord
Sat 08/04/07 Los Angeles, CA Echo
Sun 08/05/07 San Diego, CA The Casbah
Tue 08/07/07 Phoenix, AZ Modified
Wed 08/08/07 Tucson, AZ Club Congress
Thu 08/09/07 Albuquerque, NM Launchpad
Sat 09/01/07 Seattle, WA Bumbershoot

Labels: concerts, denton, haileys, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, tour dates

So do I need to tell you about Abra again?

Read this, this, this and this to learn (a lot) more about my favorite Texas artist, Ms Abra Moore.

I had the honor of catching her last weekend at the acoustically outstanding Poor Davids Pub in the Lamar area of downtown Dallas. She was touring in support of her new record, On The Way, and even though I've seen her at least a dozen other times over the last decade, I can firmly say that this was the most intimate and most beautiful performance yet.

Accompanied by Will Sexton, who played subtle and atmospheric guitar parts, Abra played over an hour and a half of songs from all four of her solo albums. The new tracks from the On The Way were especially powerful, my favorite being the opener Sugarite.

If you have a chance to check her out, don't miss it - its a magical experience.

Live Shows:
Jun 30 Cactus Cafe Austin, TX 8 PM
July 5 KFAN Fredericksburg, TX 3:30PM
July 8 WXRV's Riverfront Festival Newburyport, MA
July 28 Go Bar Athens, GA
Aug 21 Borders/WBJB Emerging Artist Series Eatontown, NJ
Aug 22 Sellersville Theater Sellersville, PA
Aug 25 The Living Room New York, NY 10 PM
Aug 27 WUMB Boston, MA noon
Aug 27 WMVY Martha's Vineyard, MA 5 PM
Aug 27 The Dock Martha's Vineyard, MA 9 PM
Sept 10 WYCE Festival Grand Rapids, MI

Live MP3s:
Sugarite
Taking Chances
After All These Years
Birthday Song
Happiness
Ku'u Ome O Kahaluu
4 Leaf Clover
You
Into the Sunset
If You Want Me To
Shining Star
Family Affair
Step Without Looking
I Believe
Take Care of Me

Labels: concerts, dallas, indie, live mp3s, poor davids pub, soundboard mp3s

Fantastic photo from Dansays' Flickr account - here.

Very quick post tonight - here's a lovely little set from Sea Wolf. I actually wasn't in the room while this was being recorded. I'd left one of my little taping devices plugged into the board at the Mohawk during Hot Freaks! while I wandered around Austin taping other bands (Bonde do Role, etc).

Imagine my suprise a week later when I listed to the sets I'd missed at the Mohawk - Sea Wolf, De Novo Dahl and Briertone - and realized that all three were amazing.

Enjoy!

Live MP3s:
Soundcheck
World We Live In
You're A Wolf
I Made A Resolution
Ses Monuments
Black Dirt

Labels: austin, concerts, indie, live mp3s, mohawk, soundboard mp3s, sxsw

I had the opportunity to see and tape Land of Talk last Tuesday, during their co-headlining tour with the Rosebuds, and it was a fantastic experience.

I'd first seen Land of Talk a few months ago at SXSW (read and listen here)and had been dutifully impressed with Elizabeth Powell and Company. Her heady and urgent vocals perfectly meshed with Land of Talks fiery indie rock. I can only say that as impressed as I was at SXSW, it didn't compare to this show.

Elizabeth was in top form, with her sultry vocals cutting through the mix. What may have been most suprising was how perfectly in key she stayed - even while shredding away at her guitar. Accented with differentiating bass melodies and powerful drums, Land of Talk completely rocked the house. For current fans, you'll be pleased with the array of new songs that are featured as part of this set - including my new fav Some Are Lakes.

To top it off, the venue they played at, the Cavern, is a great space. An intimate room, it may hold a couple of hundred people - tops. An intimate little stage occupies the corner next to the entrance, and the listening area unfolds in front of it. Not only were the acoustics great, but theres an area towards the back that's seperated from the "front" room by some arched open doorways which effectively blocks all cigarette smoke and features a bunch of couches. Great for lounging and having drinks with friends. Last but not least, the drinks were dirt cheap. Just can't beat it.

If all of that wasn't enough, the Land of Talk kids were some of the nicest indie-rockers I've met in a long time. Since this isn't a gossip blog we won't get into the details, but we can reveal on good authority that theres definitely some cross Land of Talk/Rosebuds romance going on. ;)

Live MP3s:
Intro
Some Are Lakes
Breaxxbaxx
Magnetic Hill
Yuppy Flu
Summer Special
Sea Foam
Speak To Me Bones
Give Me Back My Heart Attack
Young Bridge
It's Okay
All My Friends
Death By Fire
Outro

Labels: cavern, concerts, dallas, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s

I went out and saw Land of Talk play with the Rosebuds last night - now I am really really tired, but it was really really worth it. Im in the middle of editing the show right now and will try and get it up tomorrow.

With that said - its 9pm and Im ready to go to sleep, but here's a quick post for you, before I do.

Got to catch Matt Wertz at the now-defunct Gypsy Team Room. I was very excited about getting to tape this show, since I had really enjoyed his set when I saw him in 2006 (ready about it here). However, when I got to the show I was suprised to see large hi-def cameras scattered around the room.

I wandered over to the crew and found out that they were filming 4 songs for HDNet. Nice. What was not so nice was that they were using all the soundboard audio outs, so I only got to tape the last few songs!

I've set my DVR to record every instance of True Music on HDNet - Im hoping to see the songs I didnt get to tape at some point, but as I always say - somethings better than nothing!

Enjoy.

Live MP3s:
Everything's Right
The Day Forever Died
Sweetness in Starlight
Red Meets Blue

Labels: concerts, dallas, gypsy tea room, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s

Since I just posted Maria Taylor's set, I thought I would follow up with a "companion" recording of Orenda Fink's new band Art in Manila. Little snapshots of what the Azure Ray girls are creating these days.

Whereas Maria has taken the path of Pop, Orenda seems to have gone to a more etheral place. Soulful and with a significantly darker edge - Art In Manila's songs really remind of The Doors. Maybe its just me.

Be sure to keep an eye out for Art In Manila's first record, coming out next month.

(Found this shot of Orenda and co at SXSW on Clark Patrick's site on Flickr - check out more of his photography here)

(mp3s removed at the request of Art In Manila/Saddle Creek)

Labels: austin, beauty bar, concerts, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, sxsw

So I took a little break, but anytime I stay away for too long I start to get restless.

I still have a slew of SXSW shows to post, but I thought I would take a moment away from SXSW and post this beautiful little gem that I taped a couple of weeks before we went down to Austin.

As I've mentioned a couple of times before, I listened (however briefly) to every song that was part of the massive 700 mp3 song SXSW bittorrent. While I was going through the "A"s I ran across a band called Art in Manila. It caught my attention and I listened to the whole track.

Hmmmm, I thought - that sounds a lot like Orenda Fink from Azure Ray. I google'd the band, and sure enough Art in Manila was Orenda and her new(ish) band.I was pretty excited for the show, especially since I'd seen Maria Taylor (the other half of Azure Ray) a few weeks prior - and have wanted an Azure Ray reunion tour ever since they broke up.

Now its probably not fair to compare Maria Taylor and Orenda Fink - but considering the circumstances, its fairly hard not to. The verdict after seeing both the shows? I'm not waiting for a reunion anymore. I love Maria all by her lonesome.

I drove an hour to go see her play in Denton, and it was worth every minute. She played a beautiful set that included the best tracks from her new record, Lynn Teeter Flower as well as reimagined tracks from her first solo record, 11:11.

Editors Note - My lovely girlfriend just reminded me that SHE drove us to Denton so that I could have a few drinks. She's good like that. ;)

Easily emerging as the best track, Leap Year was played as a delicate ballad, in stark contrast to the original beat-driven version. Other stand out tracks were Clean Getaway, Speak Easy and Light House.

Note - there's a slight buzz during the chorus of Replay, unfortunately this was coming over the speakers at the show and was related to some issue with the way the bass was plugged in. The sound man fixed it after Smile and Wave and it went away. Unfortunately it detracted from one of the best songs fom Lynn Teeter Flower - but hey, what can you do?

Here's to the next Maria Taylor. Hopefully she'll play Lost Time and Irish Goodbye next time...

Enjoy -

Live MP3s:
Intro
Leap Year
Replay
Smile and Wave
Birmingham 1982
No Stars
Xanax
The Ballad of Sean Foley
Clean Getaway
At Last (Etta James)
Small Part of Me
A Good Start
Song Beneath The Song
Encore Break
Speak Easy
Light House

Labels: concerts, denton, haileys, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s

I've wanted to see Menomena for years.

I remember the first time I heard their music - it was on October 22nd, 2004. Rilo Kiley was touring and had just wandered through Texas. I had seen them the night before in Austin, and had wandered on to Dallas to see their in-store performance at Good Records. I had arrived a few hours before the show and was checking out the store (it was also my first time in Good Records). Whoever was working the store had the Menomena record on (this was the self released version of their first record, I Am the Fun Blame Monster!).

I was completely blown away.

The musical cynic in me always wonders if I'm ever going to hear something "new" again, rather than a reworking of familiar elements. I remember thinking that Menomena was a ray of experimental sunlight amidst the familiarity of cloudy days.

Enjoy.

Live MP3s:
Intro