Video Tuesday

Amping it up for this snowy & cold Tuesday - the beginning of the week for many of us.  First up is a new find for me, Trust, who darker, dance-goth in Heaven is quite appealing.  Next up is yet another music home run for the Girls series on HBO, with a new song/video from Santigold called Girls.  Finally, some beautiful scenery is the backdrop for a new Toro y Moi song, Say That.

 

 

Digitalism's A New Drug is a bonus for this week.  The track is phenomenal - as usual - just take caution with the video.

Brite Winter Festival Announces Music Lineup

Great coverage by Cellar Door Cleveland…  Looking forward to Brite Winter Festival again this year!

Brite Winter Announces Music Lineup | Cellar Door Cleveland

" Brite Winter Announces Music Lineup CLEby Nikki Delamotte  |  on January 11th, 2013  |  Always a quirky, offbeat jab at North Coast cold weather cynics, this year Brite Winter Festival hosts 48 local and national bands on outdoor stages, at local venues, and by taking over nontraditional storefronts. Now in its fourth year, Brite continues to grow since last year’s move to Ohio City’s West 25th strip.

Returning from 2012 are stages at Market Avenue Wine Bar, Joy Machines Bicycle Shop, and an outdoor set-up. The festival expands south of the strip with new venues at the Cleveland Hostel, the Loren Naji Studio Gallery, and a second outdoor stage behind Campbell’s Popcorn Shop."

(Continued... Brite Winter Announces Music Lineup | Cellar Door Cleveland)

Bear in Heaven (1/17/13)

Longest. Flu. Ever…  I thought I was in pretty good shape for this show, but by the time Bear in Heaven took the stage I was pretty much done for the night.  It could have been the two openers who weren't all that good - but I'm still blaming low energy levels.  What I caught was great, just like their Rock Hall performance.  Hope I can catch them again when the tank is back on full.

Shivering Timbers & Tom Evanchuck (1/12/13)

Shockingly, this is only my second Mechanic Street House Concert (here's my first), but I couldn't stay away from such a great lineup.  Seeing Shivering Timbers at this house in particular seemed so exciting, as well as seeing a Princeton Rd. Sessions alum at a different house was also very appealing.

Shivering Timbers were good, but I did feel a little disconnected from the show being a room back.  A little more sound would have been great.  But this married couple has a fun presence on stage, and their haunting, chamber folk sound is always enjoyable.

Tom went acoustic for his set, and I think it worked a little bit better.  Maybe it's because I'm still smitten with him.

Then a clumsy encore with both Shivering Timbers and Tom Evanchuck couldn't have been any more charming…

Cool Cleveland was even there… Check out Tom's review below:

REVIEW: Shivering Timbers & Tom Evanchuck at Mechanic St. House Concert « CoolCleveland Blog

"And the performance? On Sat 1/12/13, when Akron’s Shivering Timbers and Cleveland’s Tom Evanchuck (left in top photo) performed at Lynn & Joel’s Mechanic Street House Concert, named for an early name for their street, technical issues unexpectedly disabled their PA. So they improvised and ran their two vocal mics through Lynn & Joel’s miniature Bose home stereo unit, and kept the drums and amps down. And the results were simply revelatory. Shivering Timbers’ singer and upright bassist Sarah Benn got things started off with a strapless banjo balanced on her knee, supported by a toolbox. ‘All good nights start strapless with a toolbox,’ she deadpanned. She forgets the lyrics and is called out by husband Jayson on guitar. Just for that, he may be sleeping on the couch tonight. Yes, in Lynn & Joel’s house. Audience is huddled on the ornate 100-year-old stairway, sitting on any bench or chair available, and lining the dining room shoulder to shoulder, now that the massive dining table has been moved to become the merch display. Almost everyone is smiling."

(Continued... REVIEW: Shivering Timbers & Tom Evanchuck at Mechanic St. House Concert « CoolCleveland Blog)

Jeff Mangum (1/11/13)

First show of the year!  I was still under the weather, but didn't want to miss seeing Jeff Mangum!  If you're not familiar, he's the lead singer of the now defuct, but legendary, Neutral Milk Hotel.  The show was originally booked for the Ohio City Masonic Auditorium but quickly sold and was moved to the main Cleveland Masonic Auditorium (a gorgeous venue - maybe being redone!).

It was just him and a guitar, playing Neutral Milk songs.  But with such an enthused audience, that's all he needed.  I'm still shocked he was able to draw a crowd this size, as he seemed generally surprised as well.  Below is a more complete Cleveland.com review.

Jeff Mangum flawless at Cleveland Masonic Auditorium (review) | cleveland.com

"There are some things so perfect, that to change them in any way — whether by abridging or appending — risks spoiling them.

For a certain subset of music fans, Neutral Milk Hotel’s ‘In the Aeroplane Over the Sea’ is inarguably one of those things.

Since touring in support of the 1998 Cult Classic — both Cs rightfully capped — Jeff Mangum has pretty much kept to himself, rarely performing in public and only recently playing anything off ‘Aeroplane.’ All of which helps to explain the audible gasp that preceded the roaring cheer he received when he walked onstage Friday night at the Cleveland Masonic Auditorium.

For as much as anyone expected to see this, it might as well have been Jeff Buckley up there.

But it was Mangum, with both the appearance and the air of a man who had been locked away for the better part of a decade, seemingly unaware of the following his work had collected."

(Continued... Jeff Mangum flawless at Cleveland Masonic Auditorium (review) | cleveland.com)

Wild Orphans (12/15/12)

(catching up…) Last show of the year!  I was able to catch one of Cleveland's better pop / electronic acts again - at Mahall's of all places!  What a fun venue, and fun band.

Tom Evanchuck House Concert Video (finally!)

After a while of fighting with being able to export this video as 1080p, I finally gave up and did 720p… This was partially inspired by my planning for my next house concert (details coming soon).  I'm also attending the Mechanic Street House Concert tonight with none other than Tom Evanchuck and Shivering Timbers (which is at capacity - sorry folks).

I've already written about this house concert here (Tom Evanchuck 10/21/10), so I won't bother recapping - but let's just say the experience made me all the more excited for tonight.

Article: Music Sales In 2012 Prove Digital Is Rising, CDs Are Dead And ... Vinyl Is Alive Once Again?

Long live vinyl!

Music Sales In 2012 Prove Digital Is Rising, CDs Are Dead And ... Vinyl Is Alive Once Again?

"Music consumers helped digital sales continue their climb, physical sales continue their slow death, and kept vinyl spinning in 2012, according to a year-in-review report from Nielsen Soundscan and Billboard.

…

Surprising once again was the continued resurgence of the vinyl record. Vinyls saw sales growth for the fifth straight year in 2012, with a 17.7 percent surge complementing 4.6 millions records sold. The numbers mark a new high for the format, according to Nielsen. Interest in the left-for-dead format has been helped along by global Record Store Day celebrations and a dedicated, collection-obsessed fan base. Independent music shops particularity love this trend, as 67 percent of these vinyl purchases came through these stores, according to the study."

(Continued... Music Sales In 2012 Prove Digital Is Rising, CDs Are Dead And ... Vinyl Is Alive Once Again?)

Video "Tuesday"

Man, this flu thing is a blogging killer.  I'm just now beginning to feel human again. Let's start off the year right… with SSION who I'm still enamored with their sound, and this is their newest video for PSY-CHIC.  Next up is a fresh, upbeat, and frenetic new video by Australia's The Presets for Promises.  Finally, a new video for a new year, Beach House's New Year - a good, mellow pop number, with cats!.

Bonus.  This might be one of the freakiest video I've posted.  This is a fun song from Hollerado for Pick Me Up.

New Find: AlunaGeorge

Check out UK's AlunaGeorge. I'm loving their electronic, "nu-soul" feel.  Quite fresh & fun…  I already posted their excellent video for Your Drums, Your Love. Looking forward to their new album coming out in June!  In the meantime, check out some of their other stuff.

Check out a Friendly Fires Remix of the track here:

Here's an older video for Watching Over You

Finally, get a feel for what's coming in June.