Tuesday, May 21, 2019

Article: 6 Benefits Of Playing House Concerts Over Bar Gigs

I need to keep this article on file when I’m courting my next musician to play in my living room.  Luckily it’s been a pretty easy sell so far!

Corissa Bragg House Concert (6/23/11)

"When musicians set out to dominate the world with their music, they usually envision playing to sold-out stadiums and amphitheaters of screaming fans, not living rooms in front of only a handful of attentive listeners. But believe it or not, for lots of artists, house shows end up being more beneficial and sustainable than ones played at traditional venues, and organizations like Sofa Concerts are trying to connect more artists with even more opportunities to everyone’s benefit.

If you’re an indie touring musician who’s used to a certain type of environment, and you still need some convincing, here are six great reasons why you should play more house shows."

(Via 6 Benefits Of Playing House Concerts Over Bar Gigs - MTT - Music Think Tank.)

Video Day #tzachill

Brandi Carlile puts out an incredibly touching video for The Mother.   FKA Twigs is back with an (expectedly) epic video for Cellphane.  Tyler, the Creator dropped his new IGOR album last week, quickly followed by this expectedly weird video for Earfquake.

Bonus:  Blood Orange finally released his new video (publicly) for Hope feat. Puff Daddy and Tei Shi)

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

REVIVE (5/11/19)

Revive was this first “Electronic Music + Art + Awareness” festivals put on by Sphere Presents - and hopefully there will be more.  It was to be "CELEBRATING CLEVELAND’S Industrial PAST + Technological PRESENT + Eco-Minded FUTURE”.  This was a pretty small scale event, and being positioned down at Hart Crane Memorial Park was a treat.  The day started off with full-sun, but ended cold and windy. The Clevelanders attending persisted with dancing and hanging around a fire pit, which actually reminded me of the early Brite Winter days down there.  Sure, there could have been some improvements, like the sound bleed, and maybe a few more food vendors, but I’m thrilled with how this all went down.  Keep it up Sphere - whoever you are.

Revive  5 11 19

Revive  5 11 19

Revive  5 11 19

Revive  5 11 19

Revive  5 11 19

Revive  5 11 19

"Located underneath industrial bridges, REVIVE will feature two stages of techno, house, and drum and bass electronic music. There will also be a Makers & Creators exhibit, Great Lakes Brewing Company beer on tap and a selection of themed cocktails. Sainato's at Rivergate will provide the food, and there will be visual art displays by artist Kevin Jackson."

(Via REVIVE: Electronic Music + Art + Awareness to Take Place at Hart Crane Memorial Park on May 11 | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog.)

Monday, May 13, 2019

Frank Turner / Shovels & Rope (5/9/19)

This was an odd night.  I had snagged a ticket awhile back because while I’ve seen Shovels & Rope before, I was intrigued to see how they've progressed since seeing them back in 2012.  I also saw their documentary when the Beachland Ballroom hosted a couple films for the Cleveland International Film Festival, back in 2014.  So needless to say, I was looking forward to this show - and figuring out who the Frank Turner guy was.  But then…   TR/ST released a new album and announced a Detroit show (!!!!).  I pivoted and bought a ticket, reserved an AirBnB, and was all set for an awesome night in Detroit.  Then I had to cancel for dog sitting reasons.  I was a little salty missing that show, and felt resigned to this one.  Still, I wanted to give it a  chance.

I’m really rooting for the Agora - I really am, but I think this venue has stepped down to House of Blues status for me.  Corporate, expensive, and not a great concert-going experience.  I couldn’t buy (any) beer for under $11.  I felt really disconnected from the stage and the performance, which was my biggest issue with Shovels & Rope.  As much as I’ve enjoyed this band in the past, they seemed to have just been swallowed up by this large venue.  Meh.

Shovels  Rope  5 9 19

Shovels  Rope  5 9 19

During the course of the night, I overheard a chorus of Frank Turner fanatics talking about how good he is, how he’s performed different live shows, etc.  It was getting me excited.  I had cursored over several of his albums, and while nothing offended me about them, I wasn’t immediately captivated either.  But, he has a long and successful career, so I’m not surprised to see people following him with ferocity.  

He took the stage with a force I don’t normally see, blasting music and energy out to the crowd.  It caught me off guard, and honestly, I never got on track with his show.  I also didn’t want to spend the money on a 2nd beer, so I left early.

Frank Turner  5 9 19

Friday, May 10, 2019

Video Day #tzaupbeat

Marina has a video that spans that human condition, aptly called To Be Human.  Tierra Whack is far from Unemployed right now with her new video.  Betta Lemme just put out her video for Play, a fun 90’s club throwback.

Bonus: Bomba Estéreo, along with Systema Solar, put out this new video for Carnavalera.

Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Leon Bridges (5/5/19)

I’m a sucker for an outside show at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica.  Tickets went on sale long ago for this Leon Bridges show, originally with Jess Glynn opening.  The show was a no-brainer.  I had seen Leon Bridges perform at the Masonic Auditorium back in 2016, which was an excellent show.  I was also really excited to see Jess Glynne who first caught my attention doing vocals for a Clean Bandit song, and then who has emerged as a positive pop music force recently.  Unfortunately, she dropped off the bill due to her recording schedule.  The lesser known John-Robert popped up on the bill, but unfortunately we didn’t make it in time for his set.

Leon Bridges was as charming and entertaining as always.  The crowd could have been a little more into the show, but  since it was the first show of Nautica’s season, maybe they were just getting warmed up (literally).  Check out more from Scene’s review below:

Leon Bridges  5 5 19

Leon Bridges  5 5 19

 

"Seeing him groove up on stage – body roll left, booty booty right, moonwalk that way, grapevine back – caused even the most subdued of attendees to wiggle around along with him. As if that didn’t get fans in the mood enough, he was wearing light blue flared pants … on purpose.

...

As fun as Bridges’ music is, it’s also refreshingly adult and sensual. He clearly wants people to dance along with him but continues to write songs not just about hookup culture but actually settling down (and not in some trite country song sort of way). That’s why his songs resonate not just with his fellow 20-somethings, but also the more mature set, as last night’s audience makeup proved. When Bridges sings of things like love, forgiveness and even his mother, it feels real and lived in just as much as the magical upbeat songs do."

(Via Leon Bridges Went Above and Beyond Last Night at Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica Opener | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog.)

Just a little note for myself for future Nautica shows.  Only attend shows that I’m really, really excited to see - ones that I’m willing to spend the BIG $ to be on the floor, because Nautica’s bench seating is just atrocious (especially at 6’ 4”).

Klaus Johann Grobe (5/4/19)

Klaus Johann Grobe is an amazing band from Zürich, Switzerland.  This is what I would imagine Swiss pop music sounding like: synths, smiles, and amazing beats.  I really hadn’t heard much about them before this tour stop, but I’ll definitely keep an eye on these gents going forward.  I’m already ready for a new album and another tour stop!

Klaus Johann Grobe  5 4 19

Klaus Johann Grobe  5 4 19

Wednesday, May 1, 2019

Article: A music nerd's last stand: You'll pry my CDs out of my cold dead hands


Definitely a good point on the liner notes, although I’d say those were getting a little anemic in CD’s too.  Count me in for advocating for full labor representation on all streaming platforms!

While I don’t buy CD’s anymore, I can totally feel for this person.

"One of the main reasons is that people are trying to construct a cultural autobiography representing facets of themselves -- the good, the bad and the boy bands.

That's definitely true for me. I arrange my CDs in the order they were relevant to me. My CD shelving is like an Arctic core ice sample with each shelf representing an era of my life. The most crowded shelf is from college, when everything sounded important and my friends and I cordoned off Friday afternoons to go to the record store. One look at 2007's Wincing the Night Away by the Shins, and I'm back in my freshman dorm hanging a poster of (what else?) Sgt. Pepper.

Of course there are other reasons I buy CDs. For one, I want the artists I care about to take my money so they can keep making the music I lean on for every high, low and in-between point of my life. gettyimages-78120048.jpg

Remember actually going to a store and buying CDs? I do because I STILL DO IT. Getty Images

Also, liner notes, man. Where else am I supposed to learn who co-wrote which song and which obscure '70s R&B tune got sampled on what track so I can bore my friends?"

(Via A music nerd's last stand: You'll pry my CDs out of my cold dead hands - CNET.)

Emily Reo (4/29/19)

I caught wind of this Emily Reo show at Mahall’s at the last minute.  At quick glance, she’s a pop(ish) artist on Carpark records, which also is home to Toro Y Moi, Dan Deacon, Class Actress, Beach House & Cloud Nothings!  Her album was solid and I was excited to check her out.  Unfortunately it was a Monday, and it was cold and raining, so it wasn’t the best crowd in Mahalls Locker Room.  Still the band sounded great and a few people started trickling in towards the end of this short set.  Definitely glad to have seen her and will watch out for her again.

Emily Reo  4 29 19

Opening was Foxes in Fiction, who also was in Emily’s band.   His music was sparse, layered and dream-like.  I really enjoyed his set and will have to dig a little deeper into his catalog.

Foxes in Fiction  4 29 19