Here's the companion set to the Mike Doughty show from Poor David's Pub in Dallas, Texas on February 20th, 2010.

The lovely Christina Courtin opened the show, singing and playing the violin while her friend (and album contributor) Ryan Scott provided an acoustic guitar backing. For those of you who haven't heard of Christina, she's a New York based, Julliard graduate who has been called the next Norah Jones, though I personally think that she brings the best of Regina Spektor's oddities and mixes it with her own unique dreamyness.

Her self-titled debut album released last year on Nonesuch Records doesn't hint at potential greatness, rather it delivers it. Recorded with a mix of awesome musicians (including the incomparable Jon Brion), the album jumps back and forth amongst a mix of music stylings, including folk, pop, and smatterings of country, but even when you think it's on the verge of rocking out (see the last minute or so of Bundah) on her MySpace her delicate voice brings it back to a more gentle crescendo.

The live show was just as good as her record, while allowing her a little more space. More stripped down, the live setting seemed to let Christina let loose a bit more than the production perfect constraints of a studio recording and bounce back and forth between the quiet and louder moments. And though Christina didn't play any of the actual violin parts on her record, she pulled her violin out for the live show and played beautifully on every song.

Check out the show below, and buy her album here. She's currently on tour with Mike Doughty, and will then head back to Texas for NX35 in Denton, and SXSW in Austin. Be sure to check her out!

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Green Jay
Bundah
Foreign Country
February
Lenore
Blue Collar Man
Outro

Tour Dates:
Feb 27 2010 Cave Creek Coffee Company & Wine Purveyor Cave Creek, Arizona
Mar 3 2010 Anthology San Diego, California
Mar 4 2010 The Troubador West Hollywood, California
Mar 5 2010 Soho Santa Barbara, California
Mar 6 2010 Slim’s San Francisco, California
Mar 7 2010 House Concert at The Roost Carmel, California
Mar 11 2010 NX35 Festival Denton, Texas
Mar 17 2010 SXSW, venue TBA Austin, Texas
Apr 7 2010 Joe’s Pub Happy Ending Music and Reading Series New York
Apr 7 2010 Sing SOS Autism Benefit @ The Bitter End New York

Labels: christina courtin, dallas, indie, live mp3s, poor davids pub, soundboard mp3s, tour dates

I've been waiting for, literally, years to see Mike Doughty (former leader singer of Soul Coughing) play a live show.

I had been moderately impressed by Soul Coughing, back in their hey-day in the mid to late 90s, but it wasn't until I heard Mike Doughty's 2005 solo record, Haughty Melodic, on Dave Matthew's ATO Records label that I became a true believer. On Haughty Melodic, Mike still employed his trademark partly sung, partly spoken word style of delivery, but now it was over unabashed pop as opposed the fusion of hip hop, jazz, rock and folk that defined Soul Coughing.

The follow up to Haughty Melodic, 2008 Golden Delicious cemented me as a huge fan, and I spent the better part of the last half of 2008 listening to that record on repeat. For some reason (or maybe I just missed it), there was no Texas shows for the Golden Delicious tour. In late 2009 Mike released Sad Man, Happy Man and announced a tour that actually included a veritable slew of Texas dates.

So, last night I got to see Mike Doughty play at the best "listening room" venue in Dallas, Poor David's Pub, and it was an absolutely fantastic experience. Rather than bringing a full band, Mike played his acoustic accompanied only by cello (and occasional electric guitar player) Andrew "Scrap" Livingston playing for a full hour and half. The set pulled from all of his solo records (everything mentioned above, along with choice cuts from his early releases, Skittish and Rockity Roll) as well as Soul Coughing hit, Circles. Keeping things interesting he even kept dropping in moments of hilarity by answering dozens of extremely random questions that audience members dropped into a "Question Jar" before the show began.

To wrap everything up, he had an excellent opening act, Christina Courtin and sold copies of a recording of the show, at the end of the evening.

He's on tour for the next month (dates below) - check out a few tracks from the show and be sure to check him out if he comes to your town.

Live MP3 MP3s:
27 Jennifers
Circles
I Hear The Bells
White Lexus

Tour Dates:
Tue 02/23/10 Santa Fe, NM Santa Fe Brewing Company
Wed 02/24/10 Albuquerque, NM The Cooperage
Fri 02/26/10 Tucson, AZ Club Congress
Sat 02/27/10 Cave Creek, AZ Cave Creek Coffee Co.
Wed 03/03/10 San Diego, CA Anthology
Thu 03/04/10 West Hollywood, CA Troubadour
Fri 03/05/10 Santa Barbara, CA Soho Restaurant & Music Club
Sat 03/06/10 San Francisco, CA Slim's
Sun 03/07/10 Santa Cruz, CA The Crepe Place
Tue 03/09/10 Eugene, OR WOW Hall
Wed 03/10/10 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
Thu 03/11/10 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
Fri 03/12/10 Seattle, WA The Triple Door
Sat 03/13/10 Vancouver, BC Biltmore Cabaret
Tue 03/16/10 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
Wed 03/17/10 Denver, CO The Walnut Room
Fri 03/19/10 Minneapolis, MN Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant
Sat 03/20/10 Minneapolis, MN Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant
Sat 03/27/10 New York, NY Le Poisson Rouge
Fri 04/23/10 Cambridge, MA Regattabar
Sat 04/24/10 New York, NY Le Poisson Rouge

Labels: dallas, indie, live mp3s, mike doughty, poor davids pub, soundboard mp3s, tour dates

I don't think I'll be able to make it to SXSW this year, and I've got to say that I'm already a bit down about that. Every day I get more and more emails promoting artists who are going to be there, and it's not making me feel any better about it.

The good news is that the emails at least allow me to discover some amazing new bands - and Dan Black is one of those. A Brit who specializes in extremely poppy electornica, Dan is part of the so-called "wonky-pop" movement, i.e. seriously quirky but catchy, melodic tunes.

His (solo) debut record, UN, is available on iTunes now, and will have a physical release in the US next week. Check out the video for his single, Symphonies, below and I've attached a link for the free six song mixtape he put out a couple of months ago, called Weird Science, that mashes up all sorts of recognizable samples with lyrics from other well known songs, as sung by Dan Black. Trust me, download and enjoy.

Dan Black - Weird Science EP





Tour Dates:

Labels: dan black, studio mp3s, tour dates, video

I love Lost. A lot. I've been one of those fans that drives their friends nuts with their theories of how it ties all together, and have been since the beginning. But, the thing about Lost, you see, is that the DVR is our friend. SO, when Sondre Lerche comes to town in support of his new record, Heartbeat Radio, then I set Lost aside (for a brief time), go see Sondre rock out by his solo self at the House of Blues, thoroughly enjoy it while occasionally wondering if the bomb that Juliet set of at the end of season five really did reset the timeline.

I've had the opportunity to see Sondre before, and you can hear recordings of this show from Houston supporting his brilliant first record, Faces Down, back in 2003, and this show supporting the two records he released in 2007, Phantom Punch and Dan In Real Life.

Well the new record doesn't disappoint, possibly his strongest contender since Faces Down, featuring his signature pop melodies and some nifty production (check out the video for If Only below.)



I wasn't sure if the tour was going to be full band Sondre, or solo Sondre. Solo is what we got, and it was interesting to hear the new tracks sans all other instrumentation. The good news is that Sondre keeps it interesting, with slightly different variants of the track to play up the solo nature.

Check him out if he's coming near you on this tour - great date option. Side note, his opening band JBM (Jesse Marchant) was also excellent. I'd never heard of him before - check out his site and be sure to show up early.

Tour Dates:
The Parish Austin, TX 02/03/10
The Meridian Houston, TX 02/05/10
The Parish at the House of Blues New Orleans, LA 02/06/10
Club Downunder Tallahassee, FL 02/08/10
The Social Orlando, FL 02/09/10
The Earl Atlanta, GA 02/11/10
Workplay Theatre Birmingham, AL 02/12/10
12th & Porter Nashville, TN 02/13/10
The Old Rock House St. Louis, MO 02/15/10
Record Bar Kansas City, MO 02/16/10
The Varsity Theatre Minneapolis, MN 02/17/10
Lincoln Hall Chicago, IL 02/19/10
The Frequency Madison, WI 02/20/10
Shank Hall Milwaukee, WI 02/21/10
Mac's Bar East Lansing, MI 02/22/10
Majestic Cafe Detroit, MI 02/23/10
Zanza Bar Louisville, KY 02/25/10
Club Cafe Pittsburgh, PA 02/26/10
Castaways Ithaca, NY 02/27/10
Carnegie Hall Manhattan, NY 03/02/10
Johnny Brenda's Philadelphia, PA 03/04/10
Rock & Roll Hotel Washington, DC 03/05/10
Maxwell's Hoboken, NJ 03/06/10
City Winery New York, NY 03/23/10

Labels: dallas, house of blues, sondre lerche, tour dates

N.A.S.A (North America, South America) is heading out on a US mini tour this month (see tour dates below) and so I thought I'd post their Austin Texas SXSW set at Cedar Street Courtyard from earlier this year.

As I'm sure you can guess from the photo above - the set was awesome, and hilarious, all at the same time. I can safely say that I have never, ever been to a show before where a couple of girls who were covered in green make-up, in bikinis, gyrated on stage to a couple of DJs mixing and mashing tracks on stage.

Oh, and it all starts off with one of the greatest sci-fi samples of all time. Nice.

Live MP3 MP3s:
N.A.S.A SXSW 2009 Cedar Street Courtyard Set

Tour Dates:
8/11 Reno, NV @ Nikki Beach
8/12 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey
8/13 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Gallivan Center
8/14 Denver, CO @ Beta w/ Hollywood Holt
8/15 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
8/20 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom

Labels: austin, cedar street courtyard, indie, live mp3s, N.A.S.A, soundboard mp3s, tour dates

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

So I've seen Matt 3 times over the last 3 years - in Houston in 2006, in a small club in Downtown Dallas in 2007 and at an outdoor "AFTERDark" event in late 2008. Click on the 2006 and 2007 links to read more about Wertz and listen to the recordings from those shows. He's getting ready to go back out on tour, so I thought this was an opportune time to post the last set I saw him perform.

This was an interesting show - we show the post on his MySpace, showing he was playing a free show at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas, but we couldn't find any mention of it on the SMU site, nor through any amount of Googling. We ended up getting details on the event from someone at the campus paper who simply told us that it was going to be outside between two buildings. We showed up and found out that the show was sponsored by a national organization called AFTERDark who work with university based Christian groups to put on events and concerts. The show consisted of a ~20 minute set, then an inspirational lecture, followed by another 45 minute set.

Enjoy!

Tour Dates:
Feb 10 2009 Diesel Club Lounge Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Feb 11 2009 Water Street Music Hall Rochester, New York
Feb 12 2009 House of Blues Cleveland, Ohio
Feb 13 2009 House of Blues Chicago, Illinois
Feb 14 2009 The Basement Columbus, Ohio
Feb 15 2009 The Ark Ann Arbor, Michigan
Feb 19 2009 Warehouse Live Houston, Texas
Feb 20 2009 The Parish Austin, Texas
Feb 21 2009 Pontiac Garage at House of Blues Dallas, Texas
Feb 23 2009 Rhythm Room Phoenix, Arizona
Feb 24 2009 Anthology San Diego, California
Feb 27 2009 House of Blues West Hollywood, California
Feb 28 2009 Slim’s San Francisco, California
Mar 2 2009 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, Oregon
Mar 3 2009 The Triple Door Seattle, Washington
Mar 5 2009 Fowler Center State University, Arkansas
Mar 6 2009 three20south Breckenridge, Colorado
Mar 7 2009 Fox Theatre Boulder, Colorado

Heartbreaker
Like The Last Time
The Way I Feel
Intro to...
I Will Not Take My Love Away
Intro to...
Keep Faith
519
Red Meets Blue
Intro to...
Counting to 100
Intro to...
Marianne
Intro to...
Everything's Right
Intro to...
Carolina

Labels: AFTERdark, dallas, indie, live mp3s, matt wertz, SMU, soundboard mp3s, tour dates

So (occasionally) I manage to screw up a recording. Yes. It hurts to admit it, but it happens. You set the recording volumes at to high a level, and the recording clips clips clips.

Its probably happened a half dozen times to me. Sometimes you can't help it - the volumes coming across at a certain level, and its too loud. Other times you just manage to get a setting wrong and then you end up kicking yourself for ruining something beautiful.

A couple of years I had the pleasure of seeing Michael Runion and Whispertown in Houston. It was a crazy day in H-town. A massive storm had moved through earlier in the day - submerged vehicles, helicopter rescues, media madness.

We showed up to a show that had been officially canceled, hoping we could convince the bands to play a few songs. Thankfully they decided to play on for the 8 people that decided to show up.

Now I'd seen Whispertown play before, opening for Jenny Lewis in LA, but I don't think I'd ever heard any of Michael Runion's tracks. He opened the show, just him and an acoustic guitar and it was amazing. Unfortunately, when I got home I realized that the Whispertown recording came out perfect, but I'd completely misset the recording levels for Runion and ruined the majority of the show. I'm still kicking myself to this day. The good news is that two of the songs came out and you can check them out below.

After the show I picked up an EP, but on listening to it I realized that it was missing most of my favorite tracks from the show. Since then I've patiently waited for a record to drop. The good news, he recently dropped a new record called 'Our Time Will Come' produced by Jim Fairchild from Grandaddy and featuring a cast of his friends including Rilo Kiley, Jonathan Rice, The Like and Maroon 5.

I've had it on heavy rotation in my car for the last week and it doesn't disappoint. The record features all those songs I had been waiting for, including the singularly beautiful title track. Check it out below, then head over to his MySpace to check out more tracks - be sure to check out Soft Hands, another personal favorite.

Runion's also on tour right now, opening for the lovely Ms Jenny Lewis. Be sure to head out early and check him out.

Studio MP3 MP3s::
Michael Runion - Our Time Will Come

Live MP3 MP3s:
You & Me
Good For A Laugh

Tour Dates:
30th Sep - Variety Playhouse w/JENNY LEWIS, Atlanta, Georgia
1st Oct - Keswick Theatre w/JENNY LEWIS, Glenside, Pennsylvania
2nd Oct - Sixth & I Historic Synagogue w/JENNY LEWIS, Washington DC
3rd Oct - The Grand Opera House w/JENNY LEWIS, Wilmington, Delaware
5th Oct - Shubert Theater w/JENNY LEWIS, New Haven, Connecticut
8th Oct - Cake Shop, New York
9th Oct - The Ninth Ward (at Babeville), Buffalo, New York

Labels: houston, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, studio mp3s, tour dates

To quote Adam Duritz from A Long December, "now the days go by so fast."I can't believe its been over 5 years since I saw the Counting Crows (or more accurately Adam and friends) at their secret show at the Shim Sham Club in New Orleans during Jazz Fest.

I can't believe I've been a Crows fan since 1994, since I saw them in the front row at a tiny little club on their first national tour supporting August and Everything After - it was the tour they booked before they realized that Mr Jones was going to blow up all over the radio/MTV, etc. It was amazing and I was hooked forever.

I've seen them more times than I can remember, wandering around the country over the years to see them play shows, on pretty much every tour they've ever had. They've even used one of my photos in one of their CDs. Yes. I love the Crows.

So when they went missing for a few years after their Hard Candy album and subsequent tours, it was with patience that I waited for the band to either pull it back together, or at least for Adam to put out a solo record. The wait was worth it.

The band went out on tour a couple of years ago with John Mayer, then followed it up with the excellent "Saturday Nights and Sunday Mornings", a record that evoked a little bit of every era of the Crows.. the singer-songwriter sway of August and Everything After, quite a bit of rock of Recovering the Satellites, a smatter of the studio-production-experimentation of This Desert Life with a dash of pop from Hard Candy.

And as much as I like the records, the live experience is even better. The band never overplays the "new" record, drawing from all albums and always playing crowd favorites. To top it off, they always experiment with the tracks, bringing out something a little different then what was recorded. I remember the first time I saw them I was frustrated that I couldn't sing along to the tracks I knew so well, but after a while the Crows taught me to appreciate bands who brought something different to the live experience. After all, if I just wanted to hear the record, I could pop it into my CD player.

Seeing them with Maroon 5 this last weekend was no different. The band shut the night down and it was pretty much a perfect night for an outdoor show, cool and breezy - something that Dallas doesn't give us that often in the summer.

The band seemed to be in sync with the evening, opting to focus on a more acoustic, pretty set. They played for over an hour - with 2-3 songs from every record, including the singles that everyone in the amphitheater wanted to hear. It was a great way to see one of my favorite bands, with my favorite person, and be reminded of some great times from the last decade and a half. I could tell that about 15k other people felt the same way.

And to complete the concert experience (like you needed more), after you see them you can even buy the show from livecountingcrows.com . The band's posting every show within a few weeks, and you can download them in whatever format you like, lossless or MP3. The band was good enough to let me tape the first few tracks of the set. If you like what you hear - head over to live counting crows and buy the whole set when its released, or one of the shows from earlier in the tour.

If you've never seen the band, take a friend, your girl, your guy, anyone and check them out the next time they come to your town. They're continuing to wander across America for the next month or so, then heading over to the UK for some shows with Ben Folds.

Oh, and get familiar with the records - it's so much better when you can sing along.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Le Ballet d'Or
Omaha
Richard Manuel is Dead

Labels: concerts, dallas, live mp3s, major, soundboard mp3s, starplex, tour dates

So my bad luck is your good fortune!

Unfortunately I have a prior commitment and can't make it out to Matt Keating show at the Fairmont in Fort Worth this coming Monday (Sept 8th).

The good news is that I'm giving away my tickets to whoever would like them!

First person to email me will have two tickets waiting for them at Will Call! Second person to email me gets a free copy of Matt's new double CD, Quixotic. You can find my email over on the right side of the page, under About Lullabyes or use admin at lullabyes dot net.

I picked Quixotic up about a month ago - its packed full of poppy goodness, in the vein of Elvis Costello. Check out some videos below.

Good luck!
Matt Keating - Runaway Clown (live)


Matt Keating - Saint Cloud


Tour Dates:
September 7 - Hi-Tone Cafe - Memphis, TN
September 8 - The Fairmount - Fort Worth, TX

September 9- Scoot Inn- Austin TX
September 10 - Dan Electro's Guitar Bar - Houston, TX
September 11 - White Water Tavern - Little Rock, AR
September 12- Wonder Root- Atlanta GA
September 13- Common Grounds- Lexington KY
September 14- The Milestone- Charlotte NC
September 15- The Cave- Chapel Hill NC
September 19- NYC Housing Works Benefit- New York NY
September 21 - The Elevens - Northampton, MA
September 22- Hi-Fi Concert Club- Lakewood OH
September 24- The Frequency- Madison WI
September 25- Reggies- Chicago IL
September 26- 400 Bar- Minneapolis MN
September 27 - Sam¹s Saloon - Indianapolis, IN
September 28- Club Café- Pittsburgh PA
October 10 - Java Cabana - Memphis, TN
October 11- House Concert- Little Rock AR
October 23 - CMJ - New York, NY
November 2 - Zuzu's - Beacon, NY
December 6 - Mocha Maya's - Shelburne Falls, MA

Labels: fort worth, free concert tickets, tour dates

Welcome to your weekend (or weekday of your choice if you read this later!). Its been a great week around here, we got to see The Faint & Shy Child on Tuesday (more on that tomorrow) and Cary Piece & Patrick Ryan Clark last night (at a Border's opening no less), and we've got Bitter:Sweet coming up tomorrow.

And for those of you in the Dallas, DFW or North Texas area, don't forget that its KRLD Restaurant Week. A chance for you to take out your loved ones for a lovely 3 or 4 course dinner at some of the best restaurants in the city - and 20% of what you pay goes to charity.

But, enough of the present - here's a lovely little show from Casey Dienel, aka White Hinterland at the Hot Freaks! set at The Mohawk during the SXSW festival from earlier this year.

White Hinterland brought the most creatively-titled and diversely themed songs to this years Hot Freaks show. White Hinterlands fairly difficult to categorrize, but Casey's vocals invoke Regina Spektor and sit atop a bed of electronic piano, bass and drums to create preeminently jazz-flavored ditties. Good stuff - be sure to check out her latest record, Phylactery Factory to hear studio perfect versions of most of these tracks, on if you're in continental Europe, you can see her on tour this October.

Photo Credit: Gorilla vs Bear

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Lindberghs + Metal Birds
The Destruction of the Art Deco House
Dreaming of the Plum Trees
Intro to...
Calliope
Hung on a Thin Thread
Napoleon At Waterloo
Vessels
Outro

Tour Dates:
10/02/08 Dudingen, Switzerland Bad Bonn
10/04/08 Geislingen, Germany Rätschenmühle
10/05/08 Zurich, Switzerland El Lokal
10/06/08 Frankfurt, Germany Mousonturm - Studio
10/07/08 Wien, Austria Szene
10/08/08 Munich, Germany Rote Sonne
10/12/08Berlin, Germany Cafe Zapata
10/13/08 Hamburg, Germnay Knust
10/14/08 Amsterdam, Netherlands Paradiso
10/26/08 Brussels, Belgium Ancienne Belgique

Labels: austin, indie, live mp3s, mohawk, soundboard mp3s, sxsw, tour dates

Ms Jenny Lewis. With the Watson Twins. And Jonathon Rice, Jason Boesel and Michael Runion = An amazing night of Music.

I found this show in my old "draft" folder. For whatever reason I meant to post it about 18 months ago and it never happened. It's an audience recording (no soundboards at this show), but still lovely.

I'm about to run out for the day, but I thought I'd put it out there in anticipation of her new record coming out in September. Looking forward to it!! Now where's that Dallas date I've been waiting on...

Live MP3s:
Intro
Long Black Dress (Run Devil Run)
The Big Guns
You Are What You Love
Melt Your Heart
The Charging Sky
Happy
Intro to...
Fernando
Rise Up With Fists!!
Carpet Baggers
Met Him On A Sunday
Into to...
When Jack Killed Mom
Born Secular
Encore Break
Acid Tounge
Handle With Care

Tour Dates:
Tue 09/16/08 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
Wed 09/17/08 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
Fri 09/19/08 Chicago, IL Epiphany Church
Sat 09/20/08 Omaha, NE Anchor Inn
Sun 09/21/08 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
Mon 09/22/08 Knoxville, TN Bijou Theatre
Tue 09/23/08 Fayetteville, AR George's Majestic Lounge
Wed 09/24/08 Oxford, MS The Lyric Oxford
Thu 09/25/08 Tulsa, OK Cain's Ballroom
Fri 09/26/08 Austin, TX Zilker Park
Tue 09/30/08 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse
Thu 10/02/08 Washington, DC Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
Fri 10/03/08 Wilmington, DE Grand Opera House
Sat 10/04/08 New York, NY Apollo Theater

Labels: audience mp3s, concerts, houston, indie, live mp3s, numbers, tour dates

Quick jaunt back to the beginning of the year.

Sara Bareilles came to Dallas to (ONLY) play an in-store at Good Records, to promote her record, and support independent records stores. Both excellent reasons to play the best record store in town.

It was a fairly entertaining show - completely packed (hadn't seen the likes of that since Kevin Barnes!) with tonnes of kids jammed into the front row swooning over Sara. I'm fairly certain that the week she played this show was the week that she was the number one download on iTunes and all over VH1 and the radio for Love Song. Since I never listen to the radio I didn't actually know that til I got to the show. The good news is that I check out the Good Records website every week for upcoming shows and check out all the artists MySpace pages, so I know when to show up for something great.

Sara played a great little show - just her and an electric piano playing highlights from her record, Little Voice. Fairly soulful stuff intermixed with stories about what inspired each song. I was surprised at the origin of Love Song - who knew that demands from her record label could lead to semi-angry confessions that turn into number one singles?

She's on tour with Counting Crows and Maroon 5 for a chunk of their summer tour, then moving onto a headlining tour of Europe.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Bottle It Up
Intro to...
Love Song
Intro to...
Gravity
Fairytale
Outro

Tour Dates:
Thu 07/31/08 Wantagh, NY Nikon At Jones Beach Theater
Fri 08/01/08 Wantagh, NY Nikon At Jones Beach Theater
Sat 08/02/08 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center
Tue 08/05/08 Hershey, PA The Star Pavilion
Thu 08/07/08 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
Fri 08/08/08 Atlantic City, NJ Borgata Hotel
Sat 08/09/08 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
Tue 08/12/08 Saratoga Springs, NY Performing Arts Center
Wed 08/13/08 Bethel, NY Bethel Woods Center For The Arts
Fri 08/15/08 Hartford, CT New England Dodge Music Center
Sat 08/16/08 Bristow, VA Nissan Pavilion At Stone Ridge
Mon 08/18/08 Darien Center, NY Performing Arts Center
Tue 08/19/08 Toronto, ON The Molson Amphitheatre
Thu 08/21/08 Burgettstown, PA Post-Gazette Pavilion
Fri 08/22/08 Tinley Park, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Sat 08/23/08 Milwaukee, WI Marcus Amphitheater
Sat 09/20/08 Cologne, GER Luxor
Mon 09/22/08 Hamburg, GER Mandarin Kasino
Tue 09/23/08 Berlin, GER Frannz
Fri 09/26/08 Paris, FRA La Maroquinerie
Sun 09/28/08 London, UK Scala
Sat 10/11/08 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
Mon 11/10/08 Milan, ITA Magazzini Generali
Tue 11/11/08 Munich, GER 59 to 1
Wed 11/12/08 Vienna, AS Birdland
Fri 11/14/08 Zurich, SWI Kaufleuten
Sun 11/16/08 Amsterdam, NET Melkweg
Fri 11/21/08 Manchester, UK Academy 3
Mon 11/24/08 Dublin, IRE Academy

Labels: dallas, good records, live mp3s, major, soundboard mp3s, tour dates

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

So I discovered Clare and the Reasons last weekend. An email arrived and told me of a European tour with St Vincent - which immediately piqued my curiousity. I figured someone that was touring with Anne would at least be interesting.

I clicked through to their MySpace and listened to Pluto then Pluton - different versions of the same song, first song in English then in French.

Now, how to describe Clare and the Reasons... The first thing that strikes you is that they sound like they belong in a much earlier decade of the twentieth century. There's something decidedly "Flapper-esque" about the music and Clare's unique vocals. When you listen to them, you can almost imagine being in a 1920's prohibition era NYC nightclub - listening to the 7-piece and beautiful vocals capturing the room.

So, within a day I'd got their record, 'The Movie' and was listening to it over and over again. I was particularly stuck on one song - 'Nothing Nowhere', which features the blogospheres seemingly favorite son - Sufjan Stephens.

'Nothing Nowhere' immediately went into my top 5 songs for the year - not only because its a fairly stunning piece of work (especially after the 1:40 mark) but that it comes across as what should have been the best Page France song on the follow up to their 'Hello, Dear Wind' record. You'll know what I mean when you hear it.

On a side note - I was stuck without this song for a few hours while at another computer, and looked for it on the Hype Machine with no luck. Maybe I have the pleasure of being the blog that introduces this track?

MP3:
Clare and the Reasons - Nothing Nowhere

I'd venture so far to say this is the best record I've gotten all year. Buy the record here.

Tour Dates:
Fri 11/30/07 London, UK Bush Hall
Sat 12/01/07 London, UK Luminaire
Mon 12/03/07 Manchester, UK Ruby Lounge
Tue 12/04/07 Brighton, UK Freebutt
Wed 12/05/07 Oxford, UK Carling Academy Oxford
Thu 12/06/07 London, UK Slaughtered Lamb
Fri 12/07/07 Birmingham, UK Glee Club
Sat 12/08/07 Leicester, UK TBA
Mon 12/10/07 Paris, FRA La Maroquinerie
Tue 12/11/07 Paris, FRA Point Ephemere

Labels: studio mp3s, tour dates

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

I'm pretty excited about the upcoming week. Love Thanksgiving - Turkey... stuffing... gravy... pumpkin pie... repeat. Good times.

For the kids in Dallas, the coming week is also bringing some fairly decent shows to town. Club Dada is doing especially well - with great shows on back to back nights, this Thursday and Friday.

Thursday's visitors are Sondre Lerche and Dan Wilson (of Semisonic) fame. I never got to see Semisonic, even though I always wanted to - so seeing Dan in a tiny little venue like Dada should be a great experience. Read about Dan's new record here.

Now I've seen Sondre twice - at SXSW earlier this year, and in Houston a few years ago. The Houston show ranked as one of the coziest and fun little shows I've ever been to - and its definitely the one I listen to most from that year. Check it out here.

Friday brings Wild Sweet Orange and the Whigs to Club Dada. Not that familiar with the Whigs - but I've been enjoying Wild Sweet Orange's tracks over at their MySpace and I have it on good authority that their live show rocks. Should be a good time. Check out their track 'Wrestle With God' below - then head over to their MySpace and check out 'Ten Dead Dogs'.

MP3 MP3s:
Wild Sweet Orange - Wrestle With God

Labels: club dada, dallas, studio mp3s, tour dates

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

I've been a Dan Wilson fan for quite some time.

I first saw him open for Tori Amos a long time ago, then really get into Semisonic with the release of Feeling Strangely Fine. The record had so many great songs on it that most of the record still sits on my iPod. I especially love listening to 'Gone to the Movies' when I'm driving in my car and it's pitch black outside.

I also enjoyed Semisonic's follow up 'All About Chemistry' (I'm sure you can guess what all the songs were about). Again, about a quarter of that record sits on my iPod.

So I've been waiting a long time for a follow up from Semisonic. Unfortunately, it didn't happen - but on the good news front, we did get a solo Dan Wilson record - Free Life, which is coming out this Tuesday.

Definitely more low key than any of the Semisonic albums - there's no real "rock" tracks on the record, but Wilson's signature song writing is intact and shines through this collection of slower, more thought-out tracks.

'Cry' and 'Breathless' emerge as the stand-out tracks from the record - both building up from simple arrangements to layered, multi-instrument affairs, highlighted by Wilson's signature guitar leads and vocals.

Check out more track's at Dan Wilson's MySpace.

MP3 MP3s:
Cry

Tour Dates:
Oct 16 2007 Bryant Lake Bowl Minneapolis, Minnesota
Oct 17 2007 Bryant Lake Bowl Minneapolis, Minnesota
Oct 19 2007 Electric Fetus Minneapolis, Minnesota
Oct 24 2007 World Cafe Live Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 25 2007 Joe’s Pub New York, New York

Labels: studio mp3s, tour dates

Happy Labor Day weekend! Shut down the PC and go out and play.

Quick post before I do just that - De Novo Dahl just released a new EP - Shout! (buy it here), and announced a new fall tour.

Here's the dates - and their extremely fun show from Hot Freaks! during SXSW.

Speaking of Hot Freaks! - they just announced another 2 day event (read about it all over the web, including here and here) that coincides with another large festival in Austin in the middle of September. Can't wait to see it!

Tour Dates:
De Novo Dahl Tour Dates
Sep 1 Grimey’s New & Preloved Music Nashville, Tennessee
Sep 1 Mercy Lounge Nashville, Tennessee
Sep 2 Download Festival - Charter One Chicago, Illinois
Sep 14 Red Rocks Ampitheatre Morrison, Colorado
Sep 18 Commodore Ballroom Vancouver, British Columbia
Sep 20 Sugar Victoria, British Columbia
Sep 24 Wonder Ballroom Portland, Oregon
Sep 26 Soma San Diego, California
Oct 1 Gothic Theatre Englewood, Colorado
Oct 3 Fine Line Music Cafe Minneapolis, Minnesota
Oct 4 Vic Theatre Chicago, Illinois
Oct 5 St. Andrew’s Hall Detroit, Michigan
Oct 7 Club Soda Montreal, Quebec
Oct 8 Kool Haus Toronto, Ontario
Oct 10 Higher Ground Burlington, Vermont
Oct 11 Paradise Rock Club Boston, Massachusetts
Oct 14 The Theatre of Living Arts Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 15 Rams Head Live! Baltimore, Maryland
Oct 17 CenterStage Atlanta, Georgia
Oct 18 The Social Orlando, Florida
Oct 19 Culture Room Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Oct 20 State Theatre St. Petersburg, Florida
Oct 22 Meridian Houston, Texas
Oct 23 Emo’s Austin, Texas
Oct 24 Granada Theatre Dallas, Texas

Live MP3 MP3s:
Soundcheck
Sky Is Falling
Shout
Sexy Come Lately
Subject Of The Kill
Dance Like David
Wishful Thinking
Make Some Sense
Be Your Man

Labels: austin, live mp3s, mohawk, soundboard mp3s, sxsw, tour dates

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

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 records, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, tour dates

I was trying to explain to my girl how amazing it was that Bishop Allen and Page France were touring together. She wasn't getting it. I tried an approach that she might understand.

Baby, I said - it would be like you getting to see Shakira and Paulina Rubio playing together in a tiny little room that only holds about 200 people. AND no lip syncing!

Needless to say, she was not amused - but I think she got it.

So I'm pumped. AND Dallas is getting 2 (yes count them 2) Bishop Allen shows. One in Denton at Haileys (check out the Maria Taylor set from there, and the St Vincent set) AND they are playing at Good Records (my absolute favorite venue in Dallas - check out Kevin Barnes and Grizzly Bear at the Good).

Here's hoping that Page France also plays at Good Records and that Bishop Allen plays acoustic and mics everything. Don't worry though, Im sure we'll get something lovely for you to listen to.

In the interim heres Bishop Allen from their Charm School tour and from SXSW earlier this year. Here's Page France from last year and from SXSW as well!

Be sure to check out this tour - bound to come to a city near you.

Tour Dates:
Fri 07/20/07 New York, NY Seaport Music Festival
Sat 07/21/07 Philadelphia, PA North Star Bar
Sun 07/22/07 Washington, DC Black Cat
Mon 07/23/07 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
Tue 07/24/07 Atlanta, GA The EARL
Wed 07/25/07 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon
Thu 07/26/07 Houston, TX The Proletariat
Fri 07/27/07 Austin, TX Emo's Austin
Sat 07/28/07 Denton, TX Hailey's
Sun 07/29/07 Dallas, TX Good Records
Mon 07/30/07 Phoenix, AZ Paper Heart
Tue 07/31/07 Los Angeles, CA Echo
Wed 08/01/07 San Francisco, CA The Independent
Fri 08/03/07 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
Sat 08/04/07 Seattle, WA Crocodile Cafe
Mon 08/06/07 Provo, UT Velour
Tue 08/07/07 Denver, CO Hi-Dive
Thu 08/09/07 Chicago, IL Subterranean
Fri 08/10/07 Bloomington, IN Rhino's
Sat 08/11/07 Dayton, OH Nite Owl
Fri 08/17/07 Cambridge, MA Middle East
Sat 08/18/07 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom

Labels: tour dates

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

My beautiful girl took one look at this picture of Abra Moore and said "Ohh, she looks like a princess - take a picture like that of me!" Yes honey. ;)

So I've got serious choices to make this weekend. Polyphonic Spree release party at the Granada or Abra Moore at Poor David's Pub.

I LOVE the Spree. I ADORE the Spree - and it kills me to have to miss the show, but anyone who's read this blog for a while knows I really love Abra. I've posted about her here, here and here.

Now, I've seen Spree twice in the last few months - and haven't seen Abra in a couple of years. AND Abra's new record, On The Way just came out last week. AND I just got a copy in the mail. AND its beautiful.

So my choice is made - Im heading to Poor David's to see Abra and I know I'm going to love every minute. Maybe someone can tape the Spree show and send me a copy?

As mentioned, Abra's new record On The Way just came out on Sarathan Records - her new home. Featuring 12 new songs (well 11 and a reprise), On The Way features Abra's most adult work to date. Relaxed, yet subtly intricate arrangements float underneath her whispery vocals, and while each song reachs out in a slightly different direction, the album as a whole is as consistent as anything I've heard this year.

Stand out tracks include Sugarite (YouTube video below) and After All These Years (click here to hear it).



Live Dates:
June 19 - Madison, WI - Cafe Montmartre (8pm, $12) w/Garrison Starr
June 23 - Dallas, TX - Poor David's Pub ($15)
June 30 - Austin, TX - Cactus Cafe (8pm, $8)
July 15 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Cafe (7pm, $10/$12)

Labels: indie, studio mp3s, tour dates

So I saw Land of Talk at the Hot Freaks! show at SXSW and was seriously impressed. Since I missed half the show I was hoping that they would tour again soon so I'd have an opportunity to see a full set.

Well this morning I got a very exciting email with some great news for the Summer - not only are Land of Talk coming back through Texas, but they are bringing the Rosebuds with them. If you haven't seen these bands, you have got to check them out. Land of Talk brings some melodic rock to the table - while the Rosebuds fuse together pop goodness with some serious dancey beats.

Check out SXSW sets from each band - Land of Talk, Rosebuds.

See you at the Cavern!

Studio MP3s:
Land of Talk - Speak To Me Bones

LAND OF TALK TOUR SCHEDULE
May 17 Brighton Ocean Rooms (Fandango Night) Brighton, UK
May 18 The Great Escape Brighton, UK
May 19 The Zap (Drowned in Sound Night) Brighton, UK
May 21 King Tuts Glasgow, Scotland
May 22 Barfly Liverpool, UK
May 23 Night and Day Manchester, UK
May 24 Thekla Bristol, UK
May 25 Waterats London, UK
May 28 Horseshoe Tavern Toronto, ON*
May 29 Blind Pig Ann Arbor, MI*
May 30 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights, OH*
May 31 Little Brothers Columbus, OH*
June 1 Subterranean Chicago, IL*
June 2 The Stones Throw Eau Claire, WI*
June 3 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN*
June 4 Jackpot Saloon Lawrence, KS*
June 5 Larimer Lounge Denver, CO*
Jun 8 Neumo’s Seattle, WA*
Jun 9 Media Club Vancouver, BC, Canada*
Jun 10 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, OR*
Jun 12 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA*
Jun 13 Cellar Door Visalia, CA*
Jun 15 Glass House Pomona, CA*
Jun 16 Spaceland Los Angeles, CA*
Jun 17 Plush Tucson, AZ*
Jun 19 The Cavern Dallas, TX*
Jun 20 The Parish Austin, TX*
Jun 21 Spanish Moon Baton Rouge, LA*
Jun 22 The Bottle Tree Birmingham, AL*
Jun 23 The Earl Atlanta, GA*
Jul 16 Central Parl Summerstage New York, NY (w/ The Decemberists and Grizzly Bear)

Labels: studio mp3s, tour dates