Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Video Tuesday

Generationals, who I'm ecstatic about coming on Friday to the Grog Shop, have a new video for Put a Light On.  Lord Huron's video lives up to their sound with Lonesome Dreams.  Finally, another The Oh Sees video, which is not quite as… sexy(?) as the last one, but worth it.

Bonus, yet another The Oh Sees (boy these guys work fast).  Mass murder?  Impressive video, but sheesh.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Tonight(!): Stepdad @ The Foundry

If you're unfamiliar, this is the old HiFi location in Lakewood.  I'm actually very excited because 1.) I've been enjoying Stepdad since their last album and have been missing their shows, and 2.) I've never been to this venue - or it's previous iteration.  Sure a Sunday night show sucks, but these combined has me excited!

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Tomorrow: Cellar Door Presents: Anatomy of a Song

I so wish I could be in town for this…
Poster1
Cellar Door Announces Show/Live Filming For New Video Series | Cellar Door Cleveland
"April 2, 2013 – CLEVELAND – After a sold out two-night Cleveland music festival with Cellar Door Rendezvous in March, Cellar Door is taking it down a notch in size, but certainly not in vision.
‘Anatomy Of A Song’ is a new video series from Cellar Door highlighting live, intimate, stripped down solo performances from Cleveland musicians along with their stories behind the songs. On April 26th at the Cellar Door performance space, the audience will be treated to an evening of discussions and performances among five songwriters of different musical backgrounds in Cleveland: Michael LoPresti (singer/guitarist for indie/folk band Lighthouse and the Whaler), Jenna Fournier (singer/guitarist of space/prog/indie band Nights), Rob Duskey (solo artist and leader of Rob Duskey and the Rounders), Max Stern (singer/guitarist for indie rock band Signals Midwest), and Erin Kapferer (piano/vocals, performs as Noon).
Instead of separate sets, all five artists will be onstage together for a two and a half hour program, taking turns talking about and then performing their songs in their original stripped down form. The entire evening will be filmed; individual episodes of ‘Anatomy of a Song’ highlighting each artist will premiere on cellardoorcle.com over the course of the following weeks.
‘Today’s culture is so focused on content.’ Cellar Door co-owner Justin Markert said. ‘Whether it’s Bluray DVD commentaries, following along on Twitter while you watch TV, or following Tiffani Amber Thiessen on Instagram- people are hungry for more info. With the ‘Anatomy Of A Song’ video series, we’ll be able to satisfy that hunger on a local level.’
Tickets can be purchased online starting today here. And more details can be found at our Facebook event page here."
(Continued... Cellar Door Announces Show/Live Filming For New Video Series | Cellar Door Cleveland)

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Video Tuesday

Quite the follow up to the first video by Junip, off their new album OUT TODAY!  Akron/Family's has a handsy new video for Until the Morning.  Finally, lightening things up a bit with a video of the ever-charming Eleanor Friedberger.

Bonus:  I couldn't be happier to see the lovely Vandaveer with an epic old west video for Pretty Polly. 

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

New Find: ODESZA

 Some great new pop/electronic music from Odeza, with some sweet videos and a FREE ALBUM DOWNLOAD!  Say I told you so.

Delicious Library 3 Is Coming Soon!

The more vinyl I've been collecting, the more I want to dust off my old Delicious app and start doing so… Looks like I have a reason to wait a little longer.

Delicious Library 3 Is Coming Soon, With Matching iOS App | Cult of Mac

Delicious Library 3 is coming soon, and it apparently will have some pretty rad new functionality: a recommendation engine, and a corresponding iOS app."

(Continued... Delicious Library 3 Is Coming Soon, With Matching iOS App | Cult of Mac)

(and this whole time I've been feeling so cool for still have the original, quickly pulled iOS app)

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

New Find: Expecting Rain

This video is oddly intriguing, esp. being a WWF fan growing up… I've been thoroughly enjoying Cleveland's own Herzog and was excited to see a couple of guys working under the moniker Expecting Rain.  More audio below… 

 

Expecting Rain Releases New Music Video | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog

Expecting Rain - 'Fuck the World' Expecting Rain released a new music video today for the song 'DMT' off the band's November 2012 album Fuck the World. The entire album can be streamed online. 'DMT' as a song is laid-back and rather sublime. And as a video backdrop, the unexpected foil of NWA wrestling works surprisingly well. Bliss can often be found in the most unexpected places in life, it would seem.

About two-thirds through the song, the heavens open up and the guitar brings the listener into another layer of the atmosphere altogether.

Nick Tolar and Tony Vorrell have collaborated together under the umbrella of Expecting Rain for year now. They also dabble in noted power pop band Herzog.

Check out the video below."

(Continued... Expecting Rain Releases New Music Video | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog)

Video Tuesday

You're in for a treat this week.  I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this new Sin Fang song & video for Young Boys.  Next is a stunning new track from Cat Power for Manhattan.  Finally a gorgeous song by Phosphorescent.

Bonus this week is a video (or song) I wasn't really expecting to like.  Honestly, from what I've experience of Frank Ocean so far, I've been largely uninterested - but with this video there's hope.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Major Lazer on SNL

This is the Major Lazer show I would have loved to see at the House of Blues back in March - including Amber Coffman of Dirty Projectors, of course.

Foxygen on La Blogotheque

This is the first time I've actually *seen* Foxygen.  I've been enjoying their 60's inspired We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic, also I'll be seeing them at Pitchfork again this year.  But I wasn't expecting for them to star in the most awkward La Blogotheque that I've ever seen.  Stealing & scaring children??  Where's the Peace?  :-)

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Movie: Downloaded @ CIFF

Before you catch The Last Bison at the Beachland tonight, swing by the Cleveland International Film Festival at 4:35 for this little documentary on the revolution of the music industry.

Downloaded - Cleveland International Film Festival :: April 3 - April 14, 2013

"In the age of iTunes and Spotify, the heated controversy over Napster seems like ancient history. These days the internet is where many people discover and buy music. But, before Sean Parker and Shawn Fanning developed the program in 1999, that concept was unimaginable. Their peer-to-peer file sharing service allowed fans to share their music with the world, giving listeners access to an enormous library of songs with just a few clicks. However, there was one major problem: the service was free, therefore violating copyright laws and drawing ire from record labels and artists (Metallica and Dr. Dre famously opposed it, both filing lawsuits against the company). In 2000, Napster was sued by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which led to a complete shutdown. Director Alex Winter provides a fascinatingly intimate look at Napster from the inside, capturing Parker and Fanning as they bloomed from nerdy college students to technological revolutionaries. DOWNLOADED skillfully communicates the undeniable impact that Napster had on the music industry. – E.F."

(Continued... Downloaded - Cleveland International Film Festival :: April 3 - April 14, 2013)

Article: Twitter Music App Coming

While I loved the idea of We Are Hunted I really never spent time on it.  This is an interesting move by Twitter.  Even more interesting is the link in the first comment, expanding on Twitter's move to build a broadcast ecosystem.

Screen Shot 2013 04 13 at 8 44 23 AM

Twitter To Launch Music App This Weekend, Confirms Acquisition Of We Are Hunted - hypebot

"Twitter will launch its much rumored music discovery app this weekend at Coachella according to AllThingsD. Twitter also finally confirmed its acquisition of the We Are Hunted music discovery site, as apart of this broader move into music. Hypebot first reported the acquisition in March.

Details:

'While we are shutting down wearehunted.com, we will continue to create services that will delight you, as part of the Twitter team,' We Are Hunted posted yesterday on it's site .'There's no question that Twitter and music go well together,' the post continued. 'Artists turn to Twitter first to connect with fans, and people share and discover new songs and albums every day. We can't wait to share what we've been working on at Twitter.'

The Twitter Music App

WeAreHunted has developed proprietary search technology that continuously scans the web to find new music that is creating buzz. That same technology will likely power the new Twitter Music app. The app is rumored to suggest new music based on the artists the user follows on Twitter with Soundcloud, iTunes and VEVO all delivering content."

(Continued... Twitter To Launch Music App This Weekend, Confirms Acquisition Of We Are Hunted - hypebot)

Friday, April 12, 2013

Tomorrow: The Last Bison @ Beachland Tavern

I've been struggling because this is the last weekend of the film festival, and this presents a dilemma.  However, the more I listen to The Last Bison, the more I think they might win out over some films… hmm…  $10 at the Beachland Tavern.

The Last Bison

Started from the Bottom (Remix)

Catching up on these older videos that I've been sitting on - in case you haven't seen them yet.  Thought this was a really fun, live-in-studio remake of Started from the Bottom.  Includes TZA favorite, Asher Roth!

The XX's Tiny Desk Concert

Wow.  Always liked The XX… I like them even more now.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

B Side Liquor Lounge Changing

Oh, in case you haven't heard… we're losing a "venue" - but gaining a "barcade".  I've had some fun there over the years, but I'm open to change.

Cleveland Heights' B Side Liquor Lounge to bring 'barcade' concept to Coventry Village | cleveland.com

"‘Coventry has changed a lot, and there’s not as much traffic as there used to be. We decided we needed to reinvent ourselves to help bring new faces to the street, and, of course, increase our business. We’ve been operating as a dance club for almost 10 years, which is amazing and pretty rare these days, but it’s time for a change,’ Petty said. ‘Barcades are popping up in almost every major city across the country, so we’re glad we could lead this trend in Cleveland.’

Petty said the hope is that the new B Side appeals more to the 30-something demographic because of the era of the arcade games, which will mostly draw from the 1980s and early 1990s. Grog Shop visitors and craft beer and specialty cocktail enthusiasts also comprise the barcade’s target audience.

The last night for B Side’s current format will be April 7. It will then close for a renovation ‘completely changing the look and feel of the room’ with a new bar, furniture, televisions and art. A late April opening for the barcade has been tentatively set."

(Continued... Cleveland Heights' B Side Liquor Lounge to bring 'barcade' concept to Coventry Village | cleveland.com)

Garbage (3/31/13)

If this weekend wasn't already crazy enough with a House Concert, Easter, and a boat load of work to do… we also caught Garbage at the House of Blues.  Having seen them perform a GREAT show back in 2005, I was looking forward to catching them (Shirley) again.  

I honestly thought I snapped some photos… but you'll just have to do with a Cleveland Scene review.  :-)

Concert Review and Slideshow: Garbage at House of Blues

"While the alt-rock group Garbage didn’t exactly qualify as a supergroup when it formed in the early ’90s, the members did bring some serious musical experience to the table. Prior to joining Garbage, singer Shirley Manson had recorded an album as Angelfish and drummer Butch Vig achieved fame for producing Nirvana’s Nevermind. That experience translated into massive album sales and Grammy nominations before the group imploded in 2008.

That experience was again on display last night at House of Blues as the band, which reformed two years ago and issued a new studio album last year, showed its expertise during a thrilling two-hour concert. Led by the 46-year-old Manson, an excellent front person whose performance was unaffected by the fact that she was downing shots of what looked to be whiskey (in celebration of Easter, she said) all night long. She came out dressed in a flowing black scarf but quickly stripped down to a cleavage-exposing black dress that allowed her to move about the stage more freely. And move she did. She swaggered like Mick Jagger on the rocking opening tune ‘Automatic Systematic Habit’ and bobbed and weaved like a rapper on the hard-hitting ‘Blood for Poppies.’"

(Continued... Concert Review and Slideshow: Garbage at House of Blues | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog)

Drew Gibson House Concert (3/30/13)

The 4th installment of the Princeton Road Sessions took place the night before Easter to a "sold out" crowd at my house.  I couldn't have been more thrilled with how it turned out.  I was really glad to hear Drew Gibson had a great experience too…  Thanks to all who came!  Here's a clip:

(watch the entire concert here)

Drew Gibson House Concert (3/30/13)

Drew Gibson House Concert (3/30/13)

San Cisco (3/27/13)

I've been enjoying San Cisco's Awkward EP for quite some time… It was even one of the albums I played from when driving over the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge last year (felt appropriate).  So with a great great new self-titled album (that I can't seem to find anywhere online to link to), I was really excited to see these guys coming to the Grog Shop.  This show also turned me on to Chaos Chaos who were opening.  They were good… though I have to say their production on the album served them well.

Chaos Chaos (3/27/13)

Australia's San Cisco are a great pop/rock band.  Not sure if they were prepared for a still, largely unaffected Cleveland crowd, but they held their own and put on a good show.  

San Cisco (3/27/13)

Tift Merritt (2/5/13)

Whoops.  I missed one… I saw Tift Merritt at the Beachland Ballroom back in early February.  I'll blame Punxsutawney Phil for the false Spring distraction.

Tift was amazing… a great performer and singer-songwriter. Her Traveling Alone album is also pretty sweet.  Check her out:

Tift Merritt (2/5/13)

Opening was David Wax Museum, who I was excited to see after enjoying their newest album, but their live show did leave a little to be desired on this night.

David Wax Museum (2/5/13)

Cloud Nothings on La Blogotheque!

It's happened!!  So exciting to see Cloud Nothings make it on one of my favorite web video series…

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

We Came Home @ CIFF

I really hope you're aware that the Cleveland International Film Festival is currently underway…  If not, there are some amazing music related films worth seeing - as well as any other genre you can imagine (and there are a lot!).  I'm catching this film this afternoon, called We Came Home that profiles Ariana Delawari's trip back home to Afghanistan. She released an album on David Lynch's imprint back in 2009. Here's the description & trailer:

The Delawaris have always had a love affair with Afghanistan. It runs in the blood. Noor was born in Kabul and met his wife Satari there. They fell in love and Noor moved to America with her in the late 60s. In 1979, the year the Soviets invaded Afghanistan, they had Ariana, the director of WE CAME HOME. She grew up surrounded by a love for her roots. Noor worked as an international banker in the States but fought as an activist for his homeland, lobbying Congress and warning of the dangers of the Taliban and Osama Bin Laden. After 9/11 he moved back to Kabul in an effort to help rebuild the crippled Afghan financial system. His safety became a constant concern for his family in America. WE CAME HOME documents Ariana's visits to the country during this period and her idea to record an album there. As she spends time in Afghanistan exploring its culture, she begins to understand her father's unwavering commitment to save it. (In English and Dari with subtitles) – E.F.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Video Tuesday

Generationals' catchy new tune of their new (April 2nd) release.  A fun new Passion Pit video.  New Yeah Yeah Yeah's are giving us some Sacrilege.  

 

Bonus?  Really, I thought I would somewhat enjoy a (NSFW) video by The Flaming Lips and Bon Iver - however this is really one of the most bizarre things I've ever seen.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Tomorrow: Wavves @ Grog Shop

Tomorrow night Wavves will be performing with FIDLAR opening.  A hard(er) rock show for a change… I kinda think of these guys as Weezer meets Nirvana - and I'm not alone on the Nirvana reference.  Should be a great show…  Check them out.

Here is FIDLAR's Cheap Beer:

Video Tuesday

I've already been raving about AlunaGeorge, and here's another chance to see why, with Attracting Flies.  Next up is a visually stunning piece by Woodkid - seriously.  Finally is a new one by Telekinesis for Ghosts & Creatures - you can listen to their full album stream here.

Bonus this week is new Sigur Ros, which is really taking a darker turn with their new sound.