The Stray Birds, a buzzed-about young acoustic trio will bring their rootsy sound to Cuyahoga Valley National Park on Friday, November 30 when they perform at the season's last concert of the Cuyahoga Valley Heritage Series - http://www.nps.gov/cuva/planyourvisit/cultural-arts.htm# Drawing upon the richness of American folk music traditions, the signature power of The Stray Birds sound lies in outstanding songwriting that soars in three-part harmony. Raised on music within a few miles of farmland from each other, The Stray Birds were born of a compelling collaboration between two unique writers and vocalists-- the pure, luxurious voice of Maya de Vitry and Oliver Craven's richness of tone and depth of delivery. Grounding their sound in the unshakeable groove of bassist Charles Muench, The Stray Birds are a trio of captivating chemistry and sensitive musicality. From bustling street corners to silent halls, their performances speak to an uncompromising reverence for songs. www.thestraybirds.com
I've been downright giddy about the new Solange track, Losing You, for several weeks now. I posted it (immediately) on my Video Tuesday (watch it if you haven't!), and yesterday was finally the day her new EP just got released. I found this cool little Rdio widget where you can preview it. This is so exciting, that I even posted two little reviews below. GIDDY!
Maybe it’s because she’s Beyonce’s sister, or because she’s responsible for a few undervalued pop gems like ‘Sandcastle Disco’ and ‘I Decided,’ or maybe even because her first real single in a few years, ‘Losing You,’ is so damn good, but it feels like Solange has a lot riding on True, her Dev Hynes-produced comeback EP released through Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor-ran Terrible Records.
(Continued... Solange - 'True' EP « Pretty Much Amazing)
"Sure, Solange is the sister of R&B/pop princess Beyoncé — a fact that will probably never be omitted from her CV. But while her musical means (a soaring soprano; wisely chosen collaborators) are similar to the elder Knowles, the ends are significantly different. Sloughing off her two previous commercial-leaning efforts (including 2008′s Cee-Lo Green/Mark Ronson written Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams), Solange enlisted production help from Blood Orange’s Dev Hynes for her new EP, True. The result is a candy-coated, left-of-center R&B playground.
Over seven songs, Solange coolly wields both a material-girl sheen and a recumbent royal swagger. Even when engaging in the vocal gymnastics of ‘Bad Girls,’ she holds her power with a loose fist, avoiding a lapse into American Idol-style histrionics. ‘Look Good With Trouble’ plays with Solange’s impressive restraint, its sense of late-night seduction created via layers of hypnotic looped vocals and minimal beats. The gloves come off for good-girl-gone-bad ‘Some Things Never Seem to Fucking Work,’ but even here Solange purrs the titular expletive with a dignified Supremes-style grace. However, her star power glows brightest on the crunchy, of Montreal-style freak-fest ‘Losing You.’ Over a slow groove dotted with squealed vocal samples and light funk-guitar flourishes, Solange proves that she doesn’t have to shout to subvert the mold, or break it completely."
(Continued... Solange, True | eMusic News & Features)
(the album cover - boring as it is - is above… here's just a cool photo from the video)
I've been holding onto this post, probably longer than what would make it a "new release". For no good reason really, but this Tiny Desk video threw me over the top. I've found Martha Wainwright's albums have been slowly drifting off my radar since the first album (S/T). Her newest release, Come Home to Mama, as brought me right back around, which may be a result of the album's very personal inspiration. Check out this NPR performance and read a bit more about her album below.
First Listen: Martha Wainwright, 'Come Home To Mama' : NPR
"The word 'confessional' has some unpleasant connotations when the topic is singer-songwriters: It's often used as a benign-sounding stand-in for 'overwrought' or 'over-sharing.' But Martha Wainwright is a confessional singer-songwriter in the best possible way. She writes truthfully, self-effacingly, in ways that accept blame and examine raw emotions that can't be explained away in shorthand. Wainwright may have first penetrated the public consciousness with a heartsick screw-you anthem whose title can't be printed here, but she's spent her entire career trafficking in thorny complexities.
Out Oct. 16, Come Home to Mama is, understandably, largely about motherhood: Since the release of her last studio album, 2008's evocatively titled I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too, Wainwright gave birth to a son and lost her mother, the singer Kate McGarrigle. Loss and rebirth flow through the veins of Come Home to Mama, particularly in its two most affecting songs, 'Proserpina' and 'Everything Wrong.' In 'Proserpina,' Wainwright pays tribute to her mother by singing the last song McGarrigle ever wrote — it's goosebump-inducingly gorgeous — while in 'Everything Wrong,' she humbly examines life as a bumpy continuum, blazing a jagged but ultimately optimistic path across three generations."
(Continued... First Listen: Martha Wainwright, 'Come Home To Mama' : NPR)
I've been crushing on the new Macklemore & Ryan Lewis album, The Heist, these past couple weeks. I'm smitten with his brand of conscious, intelligent rap. He's an amazing lyricist, and props to Ryan Lewis for upping an already great production game. This Cleveland show (originally scheduled for the Grog Shop!) was one of the last shows to sell out on his entirely sold-out tour, and thankfully so (giving us time to get tix). Pretty impressive for an independent artist.
As expected, the audience was young and white. Macklemore even raps about this on his 2009 Language of My World album (which is also great). We were easily two of maybe 10 people in the sold out show who were over 25. Most were drunk, loud and the girls were scantily clad. I have never seen so many mini skirts in one place. Is there a classification for a skirt shorter than a mini skirt - because that's what these would be. As amazing of a crowd watching experience as this was, this night was really about Macklemore.
In grand rap fashion, Macklemore took the stage and instantly engaged the fanatic, sold-out crowd. I thought I would never see a crowd as excited as Matt & Kim's, but this kept pace. He ran through his hits, dropping Thrift Shop early. Macklemore pointed out that at every show, at least one person comes wearing a fur coat, so he just has them pass it up to the front and performs in it. After the song, he even talked about giving these dead animals a second life - as they're being crowd surfed back to their owner. Here are some clips, including Thrift Shop.
I was particularly intrigued as to how he would approach his second single off The Heist, Same Love, a song about marriage equality for gays & lesbians. With this kind of audience, I wouldn't have expected the reception they received (maybe that's my older mentality not being current). Macklemore even gave the song a long intro, giving props to his home state of Washington for passing it. The whole experience gave me chills. Check it out.
I was thrilled with this show. I'm already ready for what's next from these guys.
Thanksgiving is a time for comfort, with going home and visiting family and participating in those familiar feasts. Musically, this weekend was a coming home as well. First was Catie Curtis at Nighttown, then on Saturday I went to see Dan Bern at the Beachland Tavern. I wouldn't be surprised if I started listening to both of these artists on the same week back some 15 years ago. Seeing them again is comfort indeed.
This was an (extremely) early show for the Beachland on a Saturday night (and a seated show to boot). Opening was Diana Chittester, who should be right up my alley, but fell pretty flat (like her exposed tummy). Moving on…
My shows with Dan have sometimes been a mixed bag - but this night was one of his best. With an amazing multi-instrumentalist by his side, Dan wooed the crowd with his witty banter and cool demeanor. If there's one word that comes to mind about Dan, it's authentic. This guy is the real deal.
There's something about his stories of wine, women, weed and baseball that make me want to live in his world (well, at least 2 out of the 4). He's incredibly intelligent and definitely connected to the human reality. It's incredibly refreshing. Especially when he can write a song for the OSU win over Michigan for an audience that night (and it be a fun, enjoyable song!). As Dan puts it, you won't be getting that from Carley Rae Jepsen (I don't even care if I spelled that right). :-)
He ended the night with a couple tracks performed amongst the audience. A wonderful treat. It's hard to not smile ear to ear.
I can't think of a better way to start off the Holiday season than a Holiday show by Catie Curtis at Nighttown. Catie is one of my long-time favorite singer-songwriters, and love when I can catch her live. Particularly in such a comfortable environment as Nighttown… dinner AND a show - all by 9:30pm!
Despite some lyrical glitches, Catie was as charming as ever. Let the holidays begin!
So while I'm not crazy that the Jan. 11th Jeff Mangum show is heading to a bigger venue - I am glad to see how good it's selling. (It moved from the Ohio City to the main Cleveland Masonic Auditorium.) But you know what, mentioning this was really just a reason to post a cover of The Avett Brothers doing Neutral Milk Hotel. (swoon)
Avett Brothers Cover Neutral Milk Hotel
"The Avett Brothers have put some moving originals to tape over the years, but there’s something especially endearing to this group when they share new covers. Perhaps it’s the humble reminder of the greats from whom they’ve drawn inspiration or that these clips bleed with reverence while not playing it too safe (or too faithful) to the original, but the result tends to be added appreciation for both sides of the equation. A fine homage, in other words, and their new spin through Neutral Milk Hotel’s ‘In The Aeroplane Over The Sea’ is no different. Seth Avett even conjures Jeff Mangum a bit here, while the theremin part played on violin makes for another nice touch. Check it out above.
Previously: Seth Avett Covers Elliott Smith"
(Continued... Avett Brothers Cover Neutral Milk Hotel)
