clare & the reasons 03/13/08

Clare & the Reasons was the very first show we witnessed at SXSW this year, and it was also one of the best. Up there in the top 3 with Lykke Li and the Akron Family. It was definitely the most sublimely beautiful show we saw.

We wrote about Clare Muldaur a few months ago - and her record "The Movie". With a few months gone, we can safely say that "The Movie" was our favorite record of 2007. It's still played constantly around here.

The live show was as equally impressive. Clare probably has one of the most perfect female voices on the planet, reminiscent of some '20s flapper singer, and her musicians are top notch. The band featured, violin, viola, cello, keyboards, bass, guitar and the occasional toy instrument.

My one disappointment was that they didn't play my favorite track (Nothing, Nowhere) BUT they did play 2 new songs that weren't on "The Movie" as well as a brand new cover of Tears For Fears "Everyone Wants to Rule The World", which... well... ruled.

All in all the best start to a SXSW ever. Enjoy.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Removed per Label Request

Labels: austin, dirty dog, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, sxsw

posted by lullabyes at 7:44 AM 5 comments

holy f*ck 03/13/08

Lullabyes is pretty much a PG-13 blog. Family friendly, if you will. Occasionally, a band will force into "hard" PG-13 territory by using profanity in their name. Guess it just comes with the territory.

For HF I almost think it's a shame, as it pretty much guarantees a lack of commercial radio play, and these guys are amazingly catchy. Even as pure instrumentals, the songs possess so much dynamic, unique character that you easily witness and throughly enjoy their live 30 minute set.

These guys played all over Austin during SXSW, with a stop at the Brooklyn Vegan day party (fantastic line up) that was going down at Emo's Annex. Their live sets are a fairly interesting experience - 4 guys rocking out on a series of keyboards, effects, cool toys and even the occasional piece of silverware. The kicker? No loops, no laptops - all played out in real time.

If you need a starting point, go with the single - Lovely Allen.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
The Pulse
Milkshake
Bontempi Latin
Royal Gregory
Choppers
Tone Bank Jungle
Frenchy's
Super Inuit
Lovely Allen
Outro

Labels: austin, emos, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, sxsw

posted by lullabyes at 9:01 PM 5 comments

lykke li 03/15/08

Quick post! I won't get to post again til Wednesday, and wanted to get at least one more SXSW show out there!

This was one of our favorite shows this year - definitely in the top 3. It didn't hurt that we'd had Lykke Li's record, Youth Novels, on repeat for the last week. Hearing the record, then seeing her live, you just know that this artist is going to make it big. Last year it was Amy Winehouse at SXSW. This year, we're betting that Lykke blows up in Europe and the States.

If you haven't heard any of her studio tracks be sure to head over to her MySpace and check them out. You can also buy her record here.

Amazing set - Lykke's performance and voice was just spot on, and the live interpretations of the studio tracks were inspired, especially the odd "toy" instruments, and ultra-simple drum set up.

I'm personally hoping more Lykke set's show up from SXSW. Enjoy!

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Dance Dance Dance
Let It Fall
Hanging High
Little Bit
Window Blues
I'm Good, I'm Gone
Outro

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

posted by lullabyes at 3:43 AM 6 comments

walter meego 03/14/08

200th Post! Wooot!

Okay, setting the minor milestone aside, it's time to get back to SXSW.

As mentioned yesterday, we got to see a lot of shows over the course of SXSW. Here's a quick recap!

March 13th -
Clare & the Reasons
Johnathan Rice
Emmy the Great
Lucas Haas
Holy F**k
Dr Dog
Joseph Arthur
Mark Kozelek
My Morning Jacket
Yo La Tengo
My Morning Jacket
Thurston Moore
Lou Reed & Moby
N.E.R.D

March 14th -
Nicole Atkins & the Sea
The Dodos
The Duke Spirit
She & Him
Limbeck
Le Loup
Akron Family
El Guincho
Herman Dune
Walter Meego

March 15th -
Frankel
Jealous Girlfriends
Bodies of Water
Dave Monks (Tokyo Police Club)
Kevin Barnes
White Rabbits
David Bazan
White Hinterland
Lykke Li

There were lots more 10 minute stops around town - but these were the full set or near full set acts that we saw over the last few days. The feet and lower back officially hurt, and there are definite signs of farmer tans.

Great, great times. We mostly stuck to day parties this time around and took in more of Austin in the evenings.

One killer showcase was put on by Everloving records at the Design Within Reach furniture store. We were fairly surprised the store allowed the showcase (and were especially surprised at the free beer that was being handed out) as the furniture pieces were all "designer", "unique" and very, very expensive.

Still, hanging out on a $4k coach and watching some great music is never a bad thing.

We had never heard of Walter Meego before they played, but we were nothing short of impressed by this Chicago band's European flavored, Daft Punk-esque and dancy tunes, that were overlaid with pop-meets-indie vocals. They were also fairly impressive musicians, nicely using an array of keyboards and even switching back and forth to electric guitars.

Enjoy!

Live MP3 MP3s:
Girls
Forever
Through a Keyhole
Got Me Going
Lost
Romantic
Everything Is Meant To Be

Labels: austin, design within reach, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, sxsw

posted by lullabyes at 9:46 PM 2 comments

kevin barnes (of montreal) 03/15/08

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

posted by lullabyes at 10:31 PM 7 comments

rana mansour 02/22/07

Dallas has a fairly decent "coffee-shop" music scene - with a couple of locations bringing in national and regional touring artists. I've always found that singer-songwriter shows at coffee shops are cozy, low-key and intimate. You get to sit about 6 feet from the artist as they sing their hearts out. That intimacy is one of those elements that tends to get lost as you move into larger venues.

For me, Opening Bell Coffee, in downtown Dallas is one of the best coffee shop venues I've ever been to. Its located in the basement area of a building that was renovated to become a series of condos, and is located about a block from the rest of the "southside" downtown music venues, the Palladium, the Loft, Gilley's and Poor Davids Pub.

In early 2007 I had a chance to catch Rana Mansour there - an intensely talented, Persian-America singer songwriter. With heavy jazz, pop and R&B leanings, Rana's voice and piano playing produce classic soulful tunes. Her voice is just addictive, powerful and near perfect. My humble opinion. Comparisons have been drawn to Fiona Apple and Alicia Keys. Thats probably right.

At this particular show, Rana was using the house piano, which had a very slight bar room/saloon type sound to it. It made for an interesting counter point to her jazzy songs. To record the show, we dangled a single mic over the piano along with a mic for her vocals. I've been really pleased for the results, with several of the tracks from the show getting heavy rotation around the house and on the iPOD (and Zune and Zen).

Here's her bio for those interested in her musical background.

Check out the studio version of 'Lose Control' and the live versions of 'Mistake' and 'Unfavorable Sign' below for a sample of her talents.

On a side note - theres no references to Rana Mansour on the Hype Machine, so let me say that Lullabyes is also pleased to introduce Rana to the blogosphere!

Studio MP3:
Lose Control

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Somebody With You
Mistake
Lover
Autumn Leaves (Johnny Mercer)
Sweet Sadness
Lose Control
Show The Way (David Wilcox)
Unfavorable Sign
Bavar Kon (Googoosh)
Leaving Home
Don't Worry Baby
Lovesong (The Cure)

Labels: dallas, indie, live mp3s, opening bell coffee, soundboard mp3s, studio mp3s

posted by lullabyes at 1:38 PM 16 comments

st vincent 07/06/07 (updated)

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

posted by lullabyes at 2:42 PM 7 comments

dan wilson 11/15/07

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

posted by lullabyes at 11:11 AM 3 comments

sondre lerche 11/15/07

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

posted by lullabyes at 11:32 AM 4 comments

final fantasy 11/02/07

Here's the companion set to the Cadence Weapon show I posted a few days ago.

Now, Final Fantasy and Cadence actually had some significant competition the night they played in Dallas. Spoon was playing a sold out show at House of Blues, and Girl Talk & Bus Driver were playing down at the Loft (or was that the Palladium...). Either way, there were several excellent shows in Dallas, and Final Fantasy at Haileys in Denton. Which let me point out is 45+ minutes away...

Now - I had a chance to see Final Fantasy a few years ago in Houston (you can read about and listen to that show here) and seriously, seriously impressed me. I had seen performances using loop pedals before - but no one could touch the pieces that Owen Pallett, aka Final Fantasy, could create using his violin. Playing one part, looping it, then playing another, and another - soon Pallett has 4, 6, 8 unique parts playing - creating symphonic backgrounds which he then sings over. Awesome.

He was just as good, if not better at this show. I would definitely say its a better recording. He played tracks from his new sold-out 7inch, as well as old favorites, numerous covers and some brand new tracks which will be featured on upcoming releases.

Elsewhere - Gorilla vs Bear is hosting some Final Fantasy and Cadence Weapon videos from the show in Abilene, TX, which was a day or two before the Denton show.

Enjoy - and for our friends in the US, Happy Thanksgiving. After the Holidays you can look forward to Dan Wilson and Sondre Lerche sets.

Live MP3s MP3:
Intro
He Poos Clouds
Flare Gun
Many Lives
What Do You Think Will Happen Next
Horsetail Feathers
Paris 1919 (John Cale Cover)
Hey, Dad!
ABC Auto Industry (OMD Cover)
Telegraph (OMD Cover)
This Lamb Sells Condos
Song Song Song
Encore Break
This Is The Dream Of Win & Regine
This Modern Love (Bloc Party Cover)
Outro

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

posted by lullabyes at 9:34 PM 3 comments

cadence weapon 11/02/07

Isn't this a killer graphic? When I saw it on Cadence Weapon's website I knew I'd have to grab it for this post.

I'd never heard of Cadence Weapon before they played with Final Fantasy in Denton Texas last week. When we showed up for the show we saw the turn-table and mic set up and figured we were in for something interesting.

Here's Cadence Weapon's bio from his site -

Cadence Weapon is a writer, rapper, producer, remixer, and media darling.

Couldn't have put it better - it was a fantastic show with Cadence teaming up with DJ Weasel to deliver some seriously crunchy hip-hop tunes. The highlights - Cadence's rhymes and delivery stayed on a constantly changing path and Weasel was one of the finest DJ's I've ever seen. Everything was done by hand on vinyl. Nice to see proper DJing in the age of the iPod.

The show was so good that my darling girl wanted to step in and write the review. I think thats the first time she's ever brought that up... ;)

For our friends in the UK and Canada - there are a few shows coming up in the next month - see below. Check out some studio MP3s here.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Lifesaver
Real Estate
'Friday is Saturday'
Sharks
Black Hand
Oliver Square
Vicarious
In Search of the Youth Crew
Isolation (Joy Division)
House Music
Outro

Tour Dates:
15 Nov 2007 YOYO @ Notting Hill Arts Club
London

16 Nov 2007 Electrowerkz - Big Dada 10th Anniversary Show
London

21 Nov 2007 Tripod w/ The Go! Team
Dublin

23 Nov 2007 Adventures Close To Home @ Amersham Arms
New Cross, London and South East

28 Nov 2007 Hi-Fi Club
Calgary, Alberta

30 Nov 2007 Richards On Richards
Vancouver, British Columbia

1 Dec 2007 Sugar
Victoria, British Columbia

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

posted by lullabyes at 6:55 PM 4 comments

great northern 11/03/07

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

posted by lullabyes at 2:37 PM 3 comments

robbers on high street 11/03/07

Well its been a great week for music in Dallas - I've gotten to see Final Fantasy, Cadence Weapon, Great Northern, Robbers on High Street, Northern State and Tegan & Sara. I missed Regina Spektor, Spoon and the Polyphonic Spree. I'm a bit sad about Spree and Spektor - but both were mid week and I couldn't get to the shows.

Still stellar week and lots of recordings. Also got lots of new CDs - so should be some good posts coming up.

First - Robbers On High Street. I'd just picked up a copy of their latest record - Grand Animals, then had a chance to see the band play at Good Records with Great Northern.

The record is great - you can stream the bulk of it over at their MySpace page. Check out Crown Victoria, its my favorite track and fairly representative of the band. They really remind me of a band I used to listen to from Tulsa - the Mellowdramatic Wallflowers, fun, jaunty tracks featuring organs and jangly guitars that accompany hummable vocal lines.

Great little show - the bands atypically a 3 piece, but they expanded their lineup live to include 2 additional players. Good choice as it allowed them to better represent their recorded materials. The guys played 3 quick tracks from their new record and the recording came out well, though the vocals were a little low in the mix for the first couple of songs.

Catch them out on their tour with Great Northern - a really great pairing of bands.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Guard At Your Heel
Crown Victoria
Your Phantom Walks The Hall
Outro

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

posted by lullabyes at 3:38 PM 6 comments

figurines 10/20/07

Quick post tonight!

Got to see Christian Hjelm, lead singer for the Denmark-based band Figurines, play a solo acoustic set at Good Records last Saturday afternoon.

Quick little four song set from Hjelm primarily drawing from their new album, When the Deer Wore Blue.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Good Old Friends
Angels Of The Bayou
Drove You Miles
Rivalry

Labels: dallas, good records, indie, soundboard mp3s

posted by lullabyes at 7:08 PM 1 comments

doug burr 10/19/07

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

posted by lullabyes at 9:41 AM 4 comments

st vincent 10/19/07

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

posted by lullabyes at 9:45 PM 35 comments

rilo kiley 01/09/2004

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

posted by lullabyes at 4:38 PM 6 comments

good life 10/06/04 - Help Wanted Nights

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

posted by lullabyes at 8:55 AM 4 comments

eisley 08/14/07

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

posted by lullabyes at 7:30 PM 4 comments

mo pair 11/15/06

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

posted by lullabyes at 7:38 PM 2 comments

calvin harris has a party

For our friends in Britain.

Calvin Harris’ UK contest “Merrymaking at Your Place” where Calvin is attempting to set a new world record for the most house parties happening simultaneously across the country than ever before.

Nice. You've got to respect this effort. Interested? August 18th - save the date.



For our friends every where:

This is the kind of music you need to listen to on the freeway and shoulder-dance.

Acceptable In The 80s

Labels: indie, studio mp3s

posted by lullabyes at 3:37 PM 0 comments

The Low Stars 03/16/07

Jude keeps a little blog going over at his official site - and it stays interesting by always being slightly off the wall.

Yesterday he announced he'd left his side project, The Low Stars - the CSN&Y inspired "supergroup" consisting of Dave Gibbs of the 90's band Gigolo Aunts, Jeff Russo from Tonic. Chris Seefried of various things, and Jude of... Jude.

I got to see them in Austin at SXSW, quite randomly. I didn't even know they were playing till a few hours before the show. It ended up being a fairly frustrating evening. The venue was having serious issue's with their PA's and they couldn't get the monitors to work. All in all, an hour got wasted trying to fix the audio system. Eventually the guys played 3 songs and called it quits.

The good news - one of the three songs was a cover of Rage Against the Machine's Bulls on Parade. Hilarious yet still good.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Bulls On Parade (Rage Against The Machine)
Just Around the Corner
Calling All Friends

Labels: austin, canvas bar and gallery, indie, jude, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, sxsw

posted by lullabyes at 8:38 AM 3 comments

bishop allen 07/29/07

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

posted by lullabyes at 7:56 PM 7 comments

bishop allen 07/28/07

I had the great joy of seeing Bishop Allen a couple of times over the weekend.

On Saturday they played at Haileys in Denton, and were kind enough to record a little exclusive track for Lullabyes a few hours before the show.

Recorded in a parking lot down the street from Haileys - Justin, Christian and Colly crowded round some stereo mics and played a stripped down acoustic version of Click Click Click Click against the gentle hum of traffic cruising down the nearby street.

Click Click Click Click

Labels: audience mp3s, denton, haileys, indie, live mp3s

posted by lullabyes at 6:53 PM 8 comments

meg & dia 03/23/07

I was thinking about not posting anything for this show - just this lovely pic of Meg & Dia and the links to the tracks. My thought process was, if I ran across a band with this pic, I would listen to their tracks!

Kidding aside - here's a really quick in-store show that the two sisters played at Good Records a few months ago. Enjoy!

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Setting Up Sunday
Masterpiece (Wrong Key)
Masterpiece
Monster

Tour Dates:
07/24/07 Virginia Beach, VA Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach
07/25/07 Columbia, MD Merriweather Post Pavilion
07/26/07 Moosic, PA Toyota Pavilion At Montage Mountain
07/27/07 Detroit, MI Comerica Park
07/28/07 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
07/29/07 Minneapolis, MN HHH Metrodome
07/31/07 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheater
08/01/07 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
08/02/07 Cleveland, OH Time Warner Cable Amph.@Tower City
08/03/07 Camden, NJ Tweeter Center At The Waterfront
08/04/07 Uniondale, NY Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
08/05/07 Englishtown, NJ Raceway Park
08/07/07 Noblesville, IN Verizon Wireless Music Center
08/08/07 Burgettstown, PA Post-Gazette Pavilion
08/09/07 Mansfield, MA Tweeter Center
08/10/07 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake Theme Park Resort
08/11/07 Barrie, ON Park Place
08/12/07 Montreal, QC Parc Jean-Drapeau
08/14/07 Maryland Heights, MO Verizon Wireless Amph. St. Louis
08/15/07 Bonner Springs, KS Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
08/17/07 Nampa, ID Idaho Center Amphitheater
08/18/07 Quincy, WA Gorge Amphitheatre
08/19/07 Saint Helens, OR Columbia Meadows
08/22/07 Fresno, CA Selland Arena
08/23/07 Marysville, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre
08/24/07 Chula Vista, CA Coors Amphitheatre
08/25/07 Carson, CA The Home Depot Center

Labels: dallas, good