OH BOY. First I'd like to say thank you to the kind people in front of me. Kerri and I were drinking on an empty stomach. I could say we were the most obnoxious people there but also having the most fun. Sufjan Stevens is dreamy. His voice, his presence, him, gorgeous. When tickets went on sale for this show I was in flight so I was counting on my roomate to get them quickly before they were gone. That was a success. Last night we were a mess. I am laughing as I type this because it isn't what you would expect from a Sufjan Stevens concert. She fell outside, we were carrying each other. We missed our stop on the LIRR and woke up in Babylon and took a 40 dollar cab ride home. I got one of the set-lists. I got yelled at for attempting to take video. I got some blurry pictures. Kerri kept calling this dude Clark Kent. The bathroom was a disaster, the downstairs smelled like shit. It was flooded. I would like to see Sufjan on stage with more people. I would like to see a much better crowd. Cryptacize was cute, her guitarist also had good energy.
Really glad Sufjan played his new jam "Too Much Love" it was so fresh and crispy.
Really glad Sufjan played his old jam "The Dress Looks Nice On You" and "Jacksonville" two of my favorites. If he would have played "Lord God Bird" I could have shed a tear.
Sushi dinner with my lovely friend Jenn, 2 glasses of wine, a bar with a Tarot Card reader and then to Piano's on Ludlow in NYC to see Ramona Falls. Earlier this year I raved about the new Ramona Falls album Intuit on my other blog, its one of my favorite albums this year. I like every song and have not been able to play them out despite my heavy rotation. Brent Knopf of Menomena's passion for his art is clearly translated though his powerful performance on stage. I knew it would be a good show and was looking forward to it but I didn't expect them to pull it off that well. It was worth much more than the $10 bux I spent on the ticket. It wasn't a problem to get right up front. I had the best spot I have ever had at a show, almost on stage. Never been to Piano's but it reminded me of how great it is to see a show at the Mercury Lounge and other venues with that style set up. The lighting was beautiful and the sound was on point. The stage turned black and Brent sang Diamond Shovel. Really great song to open up to, it set the mood and displayed his vocals nicely. The energy grew and grew through out their set. I didn't get a great picture of the set list but it was the nicest set list I have ever seen. There were pictographs of the songs, some were obvious (like Boy Ant the instrumental and Bellyfulla) but some of the other pictures I couldn't figure out till they started playing them. I asked for the set-list after the show but it was too special, figured I would try... maybe if he knew I had a wall covered "artistically" with set-lists in my kitchen he would have given it up. It was the only frameworthy set-list I have seen. Those little things are important to me, the small venue the ability to notice details, the fact that you can tell they love to do what their doing. It's the opposite of an arena show with a bunch of f'd up cocky db's who don't want to preform for you and just want the money.
I would see Ramona Falls again and look forward to another album. Drummer (Paul Alcott) was really fun to watch on drums too, check out the video.
pics:
Music Video opened, only caught one song... Jenn dug them.
Newport, Rhode Island is a gorgeous landscape for an amazing birthday weekend of folk music. Saturday August 1st (my birthday)we started it off with Langhorne Slim. We tried to get beer but they didn't open till 1 (yes it was 11am and I was trying to get beer) BUT IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY !!! So I met about 5 or 6 other people with the same birthday :) One group we were calling our "birthday friends". We (roomie bff Kerri and I) made lots of friends and were responsible for at least half of the dancing at the festival.
Out on the Water Stage we cleared the aisle as security requested and watched Langhorne Slim play with his drummer and stand up bassist (all 3 rocked). I can't wait to catch him in NY or BK as soon as he is back in town. Even though he has been on the road touring he was fresh with energy at 11:30am and it was worth it for me waking up at 4am to drive from NY to Rhode Island to make sure I could see Slim on my birthday.
After catching Slim's set on the water stage we headed over to the beer tent where they had Narragansett Beer, founded in Cranston, Rhode Island in 1890. Sunday I played their bean bag game and won a pair of balls (beer pong balls)
We caught a bit of Ben Kweller and danced barefoot in the sun.
So as soon as we started drinking we heard The Avett Brothers starting. We danced in the beer garden and looked at the beautiful veiw around us and felt the sun beating on us I sang along to The Avett Brothers songs and our birthday crew friends were dancing next to us. We ran up to the front to get a closer view.
After the amazing Avett Brothers we were stoked to go drink more and get ready for the FLEET FOXES!!! We made more friends that happened to be front and center, with beers! We had the best spot it was great and we were surrounded by nice people that were enjoying it just as much as we were.
Set List
"Sun Giant"
"Sun It Rises"
"Drops in the River"
"English House"
"Bedouin Dress"
"White Winter Hymnal"
"Ragged Wood"
"Your Protector"
"Oliver James"
"Mykonos"
"Blue Ridge Mountains"
Listen//Download the whole preformance on NPR HERE (you can hear me scream "when I light your darkened door out to Josh like 37 mins in)
After the Fleet Foxes we ran to catch a bit of Iron & Wine...
...got shushed for talking loudly about star signs and ran back to the Fort Stage to see The Decemberists.
We caught some Pete Seeger and then it was BREAK time... to our ghetto hotel and got in trouble for removing the smoke detectors... hahah!
Sunday morning bright and early we woke up and sat in a bunch of traffic. We missed Josh Ritter because of the wait for the shuttle bus to take us all the way from Lot 4 to the show.
We got there just in time to drink! Then we caught Neko Case who was just incredible.
After Neko we drank till it was time for Deer Tick so by then we were READY for one of our most anticipated bands of Folk Fest.
We were responsible for getting everyone up to dance when Kerri yelled out "can we throw our chairs in the water and dance?!" They said yea, you can hear it in the preformance HERE (NPR)
Then we brought the life over to Elvis Perkins in Dearland.
Being on the brink of front row thanks to my bff's ex-boss giving us amazing tickets made this one of the most unforgettable shows of the year for me so far. When we arrived in the packed out parking lot ready to tailgate and praying for sun, one thing lacking was a bathroom. I had a bottle of J.D. and a Big Gulp cup, surprisingly the cops//super-troopers weren't being as strict as rumors told. Kerri and Katie and I met up with a cool chick I work with and her twin sis as well as two of their friends and we got a nice buzz goin before we headed into Jones Beach Theater.
There are a cluster of new songs on "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King" that I really dig, one in particular Lying In The Hands Of God It was great to get to hear it live. The whole stage set up was very well done (alot better than other acts I have seen @ "Nikon Jones Beach Theater" or whatever they are calling it these days. The theater itself can be a downer if it rains or if your seats are all the way up in the mezzanine. It did rain, it felt good, Dave in the rain is fine with me. Reading people's reactions to the set-list was disappointing today. Everyone is so quick to judge especially if they didn't attend. All I know is that my seats were great and the show was fantastic and the set-list was good enough for me. They did the Talking Heads Burning Down The House, they closed with All Along The Watchtower. Not as many people in the crowed as I had expected seemed to know the new songs but we sang along to them. There were some interesting folks there such as a chick with an umbrella that brought on many comments from the crowd. She finally collapsed the umbrella... Words of advice: when your in the orchestra section don't be a douche and don't use an umbrella.
Jeff Coffin of Bella Fleck & the FleckTones was excellent playing with dave, he plays sax, flute and clarinet with honor to LeRoi Moore, I felt the heart and soul and the fun, all what you would expect from a DMB show. Tim Reynolds was great on the guitar. Throughout the years at the different venues I have seen Dave at it was just such an honor to be so close up and see the smiles, the fingers moving, feel the energy that circulates around each member on stage. It was really something special.
Set-List:
Funny The Way It Is You Might Die Trying Seven Everyday Squirm The Dreaming Tree Lying In The Hands Of God Burning Down The House Where Are You Going Spaceman ... Corn Bread Shake Me Like A Monkey Louisiana Bayou #41 Don't Drink the Water E: #40 (Tease) E: Rye Whiskey E: All Along The Watchtower
While I don't typically write reviews I was approached by Jeffrey Wentworth Stevens (pictured below at nine years old) to give them a listen. In less than a week two EP's were at my door with along with a very lovely drawing.
So my ears feeling tired of always searching for something new and tailored to my tastes got to rest as the soothing sounds of Wentworth Kersey found me. At first I was going to sit back and enjoy the music but although their sound is mellow it won't let your senses rest. There is so much to be heard. Each song is unique and multi-dimensional embodied with all these interesting sounds that I can't get over. I would enjoy seeing them preform live to see what types of instruments are responsible for this on such tracks as The Death Of Anthony Gonsavles. Adore is a beautiful song filled with tension that gives me that spaghetti western feel. I do think my favorite song however is Wealth. It might be because it was the first Wentworth Kersey song I heard or just because of the lovely lyrics and rise and fall of the melody.
Psych-Folk / Americana / Avant Garde For Fans of: Leonard Cohen / Scott Walker / Flying Canyon /Brian Eno / Phil Spector / Ennio MorriconeFrontier man,
Wentworth Kersey, is a psych-folk avant-americana artist from the plains of Colorado. Mister Kersey consists of Joe Kersey Sampson (A Dog Paloma) and Jeffrey Wentworth Stevens (George&Caplin) who met while playing "A Soundtrack for Suicide" at the Youth Hipster Halfway House during a lost era of western greatness. Wentworth Kersey was born out of the need to explore new palettes of sound within the existing structures of Americana. The result feels like a "sci-fi folk experiment" with Joe Kersey Sampson providing his folk compositions and Jeffrey Wentworth Stevens becoming a backup band with his sonic landscapes. "The resulting illusion of an entire alt-folk ensemble is seamless and captivating." (Westword Magazine) Most recently Wentworth Kersey was honored by The Denver Post as #1 "Artist you may not know yet, but will."
Discography: EP – O Release: November 8th 2008 EP – (O) Release: May 17th, 2009 EP – ((O)) Release: ???
"...an ideal soundtrack to the disintegration of the American Dream. The music on their EP is the sound of dreams deferred and lessons learned. Acoustic guitar, electronic atmospherics, and world-weary vocals create a certain windswept beauty that meshes well with these downtrodden economic times. This eminently listenable release provides a compelling reason to anticipate two follow-up EPs promised in 2009." 8 out of 10 --POP MATTERS.com
"...while it still can be described within the range of new Americana, but then it still sounds different to any other album I have heard before that I would describe as being associated with this style. A very strong debut. Highly recommended." --106.7 RADIO CENTRAL BELGIUM
"Psych-folk experimentalists, sentimental old bastards, self-proclaimed grandpas Wentworth Kersey have embarked upon an exploratory sound project of utmost importance.” "This little EP and its sad melodies, simple message of heartbreak, and simmering production has slyly burrowed deep into my black little heart." --DONNYBROOK WRITING ACADEMY
"Denver's Wentworth Kersey is like Little House on the Prairie on ludes meets 2001 (A Space Odyssey}." --CAUSE=TIME blog
"On WK’s second self-titled EP, Joe Sampson and Jeffrey Wentworth Stevens seamlessly meld haunting folk songs to minimal yet soaring samples and synthesizers. The result is a lush, lonesome vibe that sneaks up and bites you on the ass with its epic-ness." --THE ONION (av section)
"Their sublime chemistry, however, is revelatory, sounding little like either Sampson's various folk-rock projects or Stevens' electro-dappled George&Caplin. On the second in a series of three EPs, the duo oozes a gentle sophistication and patient melodicism that sets it apart." --THE DENVER POST
Fun! Free! On The Water! Music! Beer! Great Crowd!
I rolled deep with 10 heads down to the Seaport to see Here We Go Magic, one of my favs of the year so far, Luke Temple (previously solo) now with his band preformed for a large crowd right on the water down at the South Street Seaport on Fulton St. I love the free shows they have down there, and this time was great because it wasn't nearly as hectic as when I went to see The National there. Also it's a great idea to hit up the bar with the HUGE styro. cups of beer for 5 bux.
Great time and Luke even took a pic with me and Kerri (totally forgot to ask for the set-list)... but they opened up with new songs that are not on their album, we asked Luke what his plans are for the future of Here We Go Magic and he is excited and about to begin his European tour and he is currently working on the new album. He was really nice, he also has a nice butt.
Oh yea, we saw Kurt Loader there too which was pretty cool.
Holy crap it has been a while since I have seen a show! A year ago I went to see Common Rotation @ The Living Room w/ Kerri my roomate then we saw them again at this crazy (in a good way) place "Monkey Town" in Brooklyn. Singer//guitarist Eric Kufs is a friend of friends who is often comparable to James Taylor when he sings. Check out their website for free mp3 downloads and make sure you download "Wasted Words". When they played at Monkey Town they had a bunch of screens surrounding us covering the whole room with their gorgeous footage from their trip to Alaska.
Common Rotation is made up of these three fine fellows who grew up all on the same block on Long Island but now live in LA:
Eric Kufs: he can be found on the Santa Monica promenade.
& Jordan Katz: he plays trumpet and banjo, and has preformed with an impressive list of musicians.
David Garland had opened for Common Rotation @ Monkey Town, he's a trip... but he joined them on stage this time playing piano and clarinet and probably some other strange instruments. DG is the kind of musician that leaves an internal impression in your brain. You couldn't forget his performance even if you wanted to.
They played a song about what everyone in L.A. tells them to do "Get On The Idol", it got lots of laughs. I did call out for "Rocking Chair" since they played it last time @ The Living Room, but alas as most of my shout outs are... it was ignored.
It's ok though... I made Eric feel bad about it as the night went on and the drinks went down.
The whole night was an interesting one of United Nations, our cab driver was from Ghana, CR had a friend from Paris there, we met a man called "Brazilian Edwardo" who was from Brazil but living in London, and we chatted with 5 Germans on the LIRR the way home. The Germans were my favorite, they were all so nice. We explained to them what "hammers" are and they got a real kick out of us. I convinced them to go to Robert Moses instead of Jones Beach and Kerri had 3 "missed" calls the next day.
Pictures:
Oh I almost forgot to mention that Rachel Ray was there! Weird!
So since it's June and I can't afford to buy concert tickets these days, I am just looking forward to Folk Fest50 in August. It's half way through the year and I've narrowed down my serious contenders for Top LP's of 2009, in alphabetical order we have:
