Stop the Virgens - St. Ann’s Warehouse - Brooklyn NY

The cool night air flowed through the dark Brooklyn warehouse, packed to its fully exposed rafters as the blonde-wigged troupe of “virgens” took their places—be it onstage or amongst the audience—and let loose a divine chorus of lamenting love ballads and ’60s rock ’n’ roll dance numbers complete with formation dance moves and multi-nippled costumes.

The numerous virgens—appearing not unlike the children in Village of the Damned—seemed to be under the spell of two nun/witch type figures reminiscent of the Princess Mombi of Return to Oz, donned with large black oval-shaped head gear and equally as evil makeup and glaring scowls. Amidst all of this rose the cobweb-covered Viking horn- / microphone-wielding Karen O, eventually being tousled and torn about by said virgens to reveal a beautiful long-robed goddess-like figure, resembling a more elaborately dressed Tripitaka from Monkey Magic.

Unfortunately, that’s pretty much the end of my story line review, as after that, I had basically no idea what was going on. At a guess, it seemed Karen O and the two nun/witches seemed to be in an eternal battle for the virgens’ souls, and—surprise, surprise—it was Karen O who won out in the end, as the virgen slaves fell at her feet, spurting blood from their mouths and all down their pretty white frocks, to then be resurrected by song and purged of their evil sins. Or something.

All this aside, it was a production of immense quality and creativity seven years in the making, with lavish and wonderfully eccentric costumes (courtesy of Karen O's longtime costume designer, Christiane Hultquist, aka Christian Joy), haunting and inspiring audio, visuals, and production, and an epic soundtrack that has to be heard to be believed. I must say this was the standout for me—the music was uniquely original, emotional, fun, daring, and perfectly paired with the goings-on onstage. And with musical performers such as Nick Zinner, Money Mark, and Brian Chase in the wings, you can’t really go wrong, can you?

Plus, rather than heading to your usual live music haunt on Manhattan to spend a fortune on drinks and watch your latest obsession churn out their greatest hits, it was a refreshing change to journey to a warehouse beneath the scenic Brooklyn Bridge to see a show I could never imagine and may never see the likes of again. Let it inspire us all, as it should do, to throw off our run-of-the-mill creative shackles and release them into the wild as nature intended.

by Meredith Webb

Anika, 10/22/11 @ The Echoplex, Los Angeles, CA

On her first ever appearance in Los Angeles; Anika played with her full band to a full house at The Echolpex - in the sketchy gone hipster neighborhood of Echo Park in Los Angeles. The sounds were among the experimental edges between Nico/VU, Slowdive, Laurie Anderson, and Ladytron, with backdrops spun out of electronica and trip-hop. The latter part not being surprising, as Portishead's Geoff Barrow became a musical collaborator with Anika, once she started looking for like-minded musical souls in her home-town of Bristol, by way of Berlin.

The night's tunes were largely taken from Anika's self titled release, with a few surprises thrown in. In mood and sound, the songs gave off a somewhat uneasy feeling: familiar, yet having an discordant and groove oriented texture, with the vocals sounding eerie and distant, all at the same time. Some of the high points were her stand out songs "I'm Not There,"  "He Needs Me," and last but certainly not least her song "Yang Yang" which reminded me of a dream of being abducted by aliens - though that's another story entirely. Her entire set had the simultaneous traits of making you slightly uneasy, but leaving you want more - a very interesting combination.

During the encore Anika gave the audience an unexpected treat, by way of performing a stylized interpretation of Talking Heads "Once in a Lifetime." Very cool & over too soon. Next time.....

---
Clovis IV: Photos & Review
www.clovis-iv.com



Live Dates
Oct 22 - Los Angeles
Oct 23 - El Paso, TX
Oct 25 - Austin, TX
Oct 26 - New Orleans
Oct 28 - Asheville, NC

Peter, Bjorn & John, 10/05 @ El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles

Peter Bjorn & John seem to have single-handedly created a Swedish musical invasion, with their "All You Can Eat" tour, in support of their latest album Gimme Some. After taking over New York, the band continued on their cross-country journey to Los Angeles; with four sold-out LA concerts at different venues, an art opening, and a food truck event. Peter, Bjorn & John succeeded in garnering countless new devotees - in a big way. Culminating their week-long stay in the city of angels, was their concert at The El Rey Theatre. This visit looks like it's cementing the band Sweden's most visible export --- move over Ikea, Volvo, & Abba.

Illuminated in the projected light of the Swedish flag; Peter Bjorn & John, launched their set with the epic anthem-esque sounding "Tomorrow has to Wait," and followed up with a myriad of equally catchy tunes from their latest album Gimme Some, as well as previous releases: Writer's Block and Living Thing, all the way back to the early 00's. The band for those who aren't entirely familiar yet is composed of Peter Morén on vocals & guitar; Björn Yttling on vocals & bass; and John Eriksson on drums & vocals.

Further into the set, when the trio went into "Eyes" from the new album. With it's 50's-esque memorable guitar riffs, they had the audience dancing and bouncing all over the place.  Peter did his best Euro-Elvis guitar playing/singing/jumping/shaking, while Bjorn played it more cool and collected - right out out of a Wes Anderson movie (ala Richie Tenenbaum w/beard), and John just seemed incredibly bubbly - more-so than most drummers not furry and on the Muppets.

With full visual accompaniment of random and amusing projector-art behind the band & a crazy looking bearded guy at the left back of the stage with giant three-thumbed blue hands, the band was quirky but very cool. One interesting thing about seeing the boys from Stockholm, having only limited knowledge of them before (yes, the whistling song); It was intriguing that their repertoire had so many nuances and different parts of it's personality. Flowing from one infectiously upbeat indie-tune to another; the band's sojourn in Los Angeles served as a kind of indie-pop musical-trinity, seeking converts. They hit the streets, setting the city's music enthusiast's feet to tapping.

Highlights of the show included the mellow/quirky tune "Amsterdam," the amusingly sarcastic "Lay it Down" from Living Thing, and the ubiquitously catchy whistling song "Young Folks." The last of which, Peter proceeded to jump down while whistling/singing and venture far into the audience - dancing and connecting with their new converts as well as long-time fans. While cheeky at points and rockin' at others, the Swedish trio's tunes and odd-antics made the band real crowd pleasers! In short, they're well worth checking out live, as well as giving a listed to their latest album: Gimme Some...

---
Clovis IV: Photos & Review
www.clovis-iv.com

Marissa Nadler & Cat Martino UK tour videos

Marissa Nadler and Cat Martino just completed a UK tour together. I came across these videos of the two working together and thought I'd share. Cat Martino has sung with Sharon Van Etten and Sufjan Stevens and is getting ready to release an amazing solo album. Marissa is heading back to Europe for some more dates in late November in support of her amazing eponymous record. You can read our review of it here.

26/11/11 : De Statenzaal - Zwolle (NL)
27/11/11 : Le Guess Who – Utrecht (NL)
27/11/11 : Autumn Falls festival @ Botanique – Brussel
28/11/11 : Grammatikoff – Duisburg (D)
29/11/11 : Dachauer Kultur-Schranne – Dachau (D)







winter lady by marissanadler

Yr Not Alone by Cat Martino

Kevchino interviews the Lightman twins about Tasseomancy

I met up with Tasseomancy’s twin sisters, Sari and Romy Lightman, backstage at the Bowery Ballroom after a sound check for another music project they’re working on with Austra, whom they met at surf camp. We spoke of some differences between Halifax and Toronto (where they are from), the very moving history of their great-great-grandmother, how Edgar Allen Poe had an influence on their new record, and then the sisters sat down and took a brief quiz. Read the interview here.

Bright Eyes @ Santa Barbara Bowl, 09/25/11

Having arrived in town on a Sunday towards the end of summer and the beginning of the school-year for many; Bright Eyes brought their melancholy and angsty folk sounds to the 5k+ Santa Barbarians at the County Bowl - Southern California's equivalent of Red Rocks. This time out on the road, front-man Conor Oberst & band preformed a quintessential sampling of more-albums-than-I-can-keep-track-of, though featured their latest release The People's Key, and delivered another solid set of indie-folk/rock tunes.

Opening the night with the happily-disturbing yet optimistic "At the Bottom of Everything," and following up with "Four Winds," their catchy tune questioning organized religion; the band had the audience mesmerized from the first note. Representing the audience was a wide age-range of fans, from those too young to drive, to those nearly too old. This definitely spoke to the universal themes that the good Mr.Oberst covered in some of his songs: pain, redemption, heartache & joy.

The band's line-up for this tour included it's staple musicians: Conor Oberst on vocals/guitar (of course), Bright Eyes' notable producer Mike Mogis on guitar, and arranger Nate Wolcott on trumpet/etc, as well as other indie impresarios such as Andy LeMaster on bass, Laura Burhenn from The Mynabirds on vocals/keyboards/accordion, and Clark Baechle of The Faint on drums.

From “Take it Easy” and “I Believe in Symmetry” off of the album Digital Ash In A Digital Urn, to the poignant lyrics of “Land Locked Blue” which reveals the personal and insightful lyrics: “If you walk away, I’ll walk away – First tell me which road you will take.” Oberst further showed his development as a songwriter and storyteller with other high points, including ones from their new album The People's Key. Most notably, the stirring and thoughtful lyrics of "Shell Games," in which he emotes the ubiquitously familiar sentiment "My private life is an inside joke - No one will explain it to me."

Rounding out the night with a few encore tunes; the band preformed a heartfelt cover of Gillian Welch's song "Wrecking Ball," and closed out with the electro-folk sounds of "One For You, One For Me." By the end of the set, the entranced audience was speechless from Bright Eyes' impressive compositional, lyrical and emotional stimuli; making the evening a most memorable one...

---
Clovis IV: Photos & Review
www.clovis-iv.com

Check out Peter Bjorn and John as they take over Los Angeles!

Peter Bjorn & John's "Gimme Some" tour is bringing some exciting happenings to the The City of Angels. Starting with Thursday night's (9/29) packed art exhibition at "THIS, Los Angeles" and rolling into a massive food truck give-away event on Tuesday (10/4), and last but certainly not least 4 live dates at four different venues. The first of their four LA shows on Saturday October 1st at the sold out Troubadour, then hit The Smell on October 3rd for another sold out gig, followed by a set at the already sold out Echo on October 4th and then wrapping things in LA on October 5th with a show at the El Rey - mind that the El Rey still has a few tickets still available.

And if that’s not enough for the LA fans, Peter Bjorn and John along with their partner Eater.com have selected LA as one of the lucky cities to be chosen for the Food Truck food giveaway around the All You Can Eat tour.  Scheduled to go down in LA on Tuesday October 4th – the Food Truck, the location, the time and the secret phrase will be revealed that day a couple of hours prior to the event via Twitter @PeterBjornJohn.  So be sure to follow 'em and get ready to receive some free food! 

Low @ El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, 09/20/11

Having waited a long time to see LOW; it was a treat to have the stars align this time around, to see them at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. The crowd filling the venue for Low's poignant, slow-core performance was an eclectic mix: hipsters to goths, rockers to old-peeps, all the way to those apparently melting into the wall-paper...

Supporting their latest album "C'mon", as well as representing a formidable portion of their catalog; Low expressed what appeared to be audible-painting of a road-trip across across the abandon southwest: dusty unkempt roads, intermittently stopping in for supplies at near deserted outposts of civilization.

Their melodies, one after another: melancholy-slow in tempo and lyrically intense, hypnotized the audience as well as myself. As the evening came into focus, the set became less akin to standard song structure & presentation, and more kind of a 90 minute dive into an introspective landscape of loss and emotion that we all have a connection to at some level.

At the end of the evening I felt like I'd been at a combination of a long group therapy session, mixed with a lot of peyote, and and a friend's band playing out in the desert: Very cool, but not what i had expected...

---
Clovis IV: Photos & Review
www.clovis-iv.com




SET-LIST: El Rey Theatre
Nothing But Heart
Hand so Small
You See Everything
Pissing
Try To Sleep
Monkey
Silver Rider
Witches
Especially Me
Sweet Sunflower
Done
Nightingale
Majesty/Magic
Murderer
Canada
Violent Past
---
Last Snowstorm of the Year
Shame
Dinosaur Act
When I Go Deaf

The Joy Formidable @ El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, 09/14/11

Gracing Los Angeles' El Rey Theatre, The Joy Formidable hit the stage, and in little time showed that their current buzz is something worth actually paying attention to. Formed in North Wales and later settling in London, the members (as well as touring lineup) consist of: Ritzy Bryan on Vocals/Guitar, Rhydian Dafydd on Bass, and Matt Thomas on Drums. The trio opened the night with "A Heavy Abacus" from their sophomore & latest album "The Big Roar." They played a good selection from it, as well as touched on songs from their first release "A Balloon Called Moaning." Having an interesting mix of vibes, their sound filled the evening air with thick chords, primal drum-beats and celestial vocals.

Sounding vocally like a cross between 'Yeah Yeah Yeahs' & 'Garbage', and instrumentation-wise between 'Foo Fighters' and 'Arcade Fire', the band wove in and out of their long but entrancing set, from the 'Cranes' like vocal chanting on "Austere", to the poppy but chaotic (and apropos titled) sounds of "Whirring."

Only recently being turned on to The Joy Formidable in the last few months, I wasn't sure what to expect from the concert. Not to sound too sold on them, but in short: their performance was pretty damn impressive. Song after song, their compositions, stage presence, and confidence were that of a far more established band. By the end of the evening, the trio went on to impress a sold-out El Rey Theatre, as well as myself.

I would highly recommend seeing them live, as well as picking up their latest album "The Big Roar." You won't regret it....

---
Clovis IV: Photos & Review
www.clovis-iv.com

SET-LIST: El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles
A Heavy Abacus
Greyhounds In The Slips
Austere
The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade
Cradle
Buoy
Whirring
---
The Magnifying Glass
I Don't Want To See You Like This





TOUR SCHEDULE

SEPTEMBER
09/07 Vancouver, BC @Rickshaw Theatre
09/08 Portland, OR @ Music Fest NW
09/10 Sacramento, CA @ Harlow's
09/11 Costa Mesa, CA @ Detroit Bar
09/13 Santa Barbara, CA @ Soho Lounge
09/14 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theater
09/15 Las Vegas, NV @Cosmo Boulevard Pool
09/17 Las Vegas, NV @ Cosmo Boulevard Pool
09/19 Co. Springs, CO @ Black Sheep
09/21 St Louis, MO @ Firebird
09/22 Cincinnati, OH @ Mid Point Music Fest
09/23 Philadelphia, PA @ Popped Festival!
09/24 Atlanta, GA @ Music Midtown
09/25 Tampa, FL @Orpheum
09/27 Columbia, SC @ New Brookland Tavern
09/28 Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
09/29 Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
09/30 Rochester, NY @Water Street Music Hall

OCTOBER
10/13 Birmingham Institute
10/14 London Forum
10/15 Manchester Academy 2
10/16 Dublin Whelans
10/18 Belfast Limelight
10/19 Glasgow Oran Mor
10/20 Newcastle Riversid
10/21 Cardiff Swn festival
10/24 Paris Nouveau Casino
10/25 Brussels Botanique Orangerie
10/26 Tilbourg 013
10/29 London Battersea Power Station - Freeze Festival

NOVEMBER
11/05 Austin, TX @ Fun Fun Fun Fest
11/07 Duluth, GA @ Gwinett Arena
11/08 Charlotte, NC @ Time Warner Cable Arena
11/10 Philadelphia, PA @ Wells Fargo Center
11/11 Washington, DC @ Verizon Center
11/13 New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
11/14 Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
11/16 Boston, MA @ TD Garden

Nadine Carina music video & Magic Box LP

Liverpool, UK. based Nadine Carina just released a music video for her lovely track "The Garden" off her album Magic Box which will be released in September via Stattmusik. The video was filmed by Ilaria Pezone in Italy.

The Garden by Nadine Carina

Sleep ∞ Over "Casual Diamond" video

Not sure exactly what's going on? Girls with swords in nightwear but digging this tune "Casual Diamond .".The project titled Sleep ∞ Over is a solo project, by Stefanie and she is joined by a live band on tour, comprised of fellow Austin psych jammers Christine Aprile, Eli Welbourne, and Jesse Jenkins. Here album Forever, available September 27th, 2011 on Hippos In Tanks.

Sleep ∞ Over - Casual Diamond (OFFICIAL VIDEO) from Christine Aprile on Vimeo.

Lana Del-Rey "Blue Jeans" video

Kevchino Likey!

Cloud Seeding "Ink Jar" video & Marissa Nadler Tour Dates

Boston-based songstress Marissa Nadler and NY collaborative project Cloud Seeding have released a brand new video for the track "Ink Jar," as Nadler prepares for a set of North American dates with James Vincent McMorrow and a European fall tour. Spearheaded by Brooklyn-based guitarist Kevin Serra, Cloud Seeding is a music singles project conceived as a space of collaboration to showcase vocalists he admires. Nadler is the first vocalist to team up with Serra, penning the vocals for this song. Directed by Christopher Arcella, the video features actors Ray Lorini and Vera Balyura on a cosmic love journey and can be watched at below.



Marissa Nadler On Tour

09/09 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom*
09/10 - Boston, MA - Bright Music Hall*
09/11 - Montreal, QC, Canada - La Sala Rossa*
09/13 - Toronto, ON, Canada - Elmo
09/15 - Chicago, IL - Hideout Inn*
09/16 - Milwaukee, WI - Turner Hall*
09/17 - Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Center*
09/23 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live w/ Sharon Van Etten
10/04 - London, United Kingdom- Bush Hall
10/06 - Berlin, Germany - Comet
10/07 - Hamburg, Germany - Uebel & Gefährlich/Turmzimmer
10/08 - Copenhagen, Denmark- Pumpehuset
10/09 - Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser
10/10 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Hendriksberg
10/11 - Oslo, Norway - Revolver
10/12 - Bergen, Norway - Perfect Sounds Forever
10/14 - Tampere, Finland - Klubi
10/15 - Turku, Finland - Dynamo
10/16 - Helsinki, Finald - Kuudes Linja

Matt Bauer interview

Erick Mertz interviews Matt Bauer for kevchino.com. I spent a fun-filled day with Matt Bauer and Dana Falconberry as we trekked around Manhattan and they both performed some of Matt’s songs live songs for Kevchino.com. We filmed in the tram to Roosevelt Island and in a rowboat in Central Park. Then after a long day of live filming, we sat on a bench in Central Park for this interview. Read it here. Be sure to check out the video of Matt Bauer & Dana Falconberry live in Central Park for kevchino.com

Out In The Streets Brooklyn Music Festival

Our friends over at The Sky Report & Birddog Promo are throwing their 2nd annual Out In The Streets Music Festival, on August 27-28 at Brooklyn Fire Proof (East Williamsburg/Bushwick). The line-up is his year features NewVillager, Lemonade, Physical Therapy, Milagres, Janka Nabay & the Bubu Gang, Mi Ami + many more. Check out the full roster below. Tickets are $10 for a single day ticket, or $15 for a 2-day pass. A Limited amount of single day tickets will be available at the door day of. Pick up tickets at Brown Paper Tickets here. Read more info here.


Day 1 – SATURDAY, AUGUST 27
NewVillager
MI AMI
THE FORMS
MILAGRES
BEIGE
CO LA
TINY VICTORIES
HAPPY NEW YEAR
YOU.

After Party w/
PHYSICAL THERAPY (DJ set)
MAGICK MOUNTAIN (DJ set)

Day 2 – SUNDAY, AUGUST 28
LEMONADE
JANKA NABAY & THE BUBU GANG
XYLOS
SELEBRITIES
SAADI
COMPUTER MAGIC
TEEEL
KOHWI
WILD VIBES (DJ’s in between sets)

After Party w/
KNIFESHOW (DJ set)

Visual Art by Joe Jagos
On Site Installations by Gabriel Hurier & Andrew Thomas
FREE Brooklyn Brewery Beer both days (while supplies last)!
Brought to you with the generous support of Brooklyn Brewery, Northeast Kingdom, Tandem Bar, & Cafe Ghia.

New Music - Lana Del Rey

Wow! For not having an album or even an MP3 floating around Lana Del Rey sure has a ton of fans. Were counting the days till we have this on our drives.She reminds me of Nancy Sinatra and has a little bit of Amy Winehouse vibe.

New Music - Pandit

I just stumbled upon this cool dreamy artist called Pandit. Pandit consists of Lance Smith of Lumberton, Texas. He released a FREE download EP called Steady Nerves and a Strong Heartfor his fans. Download it for FREE here. The EP is great but I am hooked on this track "Kathryn, My Love" below.

Marissa Nadler, Faces On Film live at Littlefield 7/30/11

It was my first time hearing Boston’s Faces on Film who opened for Marissa Nadler’s latest East Coast Tour. Faces On Film is Mike Fiore who has an extremely unique and beautiful voice for a male singer. It calls to mind a young Neil Young but a bit more silkier, like Jeff Buckley. He played solo using both acoustic and electric guitars. His song writing was great he had very nice subtle hooks and he even did an amazing cover of Clinic’s “Distortions.” I’m not yet to familiar with his catalog but songs that stood out were “Manitoba” and “Knot in the Vine.” You can preview three songs off his new LP Some Weather over at his bandcamp page but I highly recommend picking up his new LP and his 2008 gem The Troubles via iTunes.

Faces on Film - Manitoba (Acoustic) by mikefiore333

Marissa Nadler took the stage wearing a red dress and started right into her solo set. She sounded amazing. Hats off to the soundman who helped project her beautiful sounds perfectly by blending her voice and guitar throughout the room. On her second song, she busted out a 12-string guitar and rocked out “Salutations in the Dark” acoustically. She blithely mentioned in between songs “Brooklyn is the last show on my tour and I still love Brooklyn despite my car being broken into.” “They broke all the windows but didn’t take anything.” Then, she launched into “Your Heart Is A Twisted Vine” off her new EP Rain Arrangement. After this great tune, she gave fans a real treat playing “Fifty Five Falls” the first track off her first album. Marissa switched microphones in this song to one filled with reverb and delay and did a bit of a vocal solo with layered melodies. Mike Fiore of Faces on Film then joined Marissa on stage and played guitar and sang harmonies with her for the latter half of her set and brought a more alt-country vibe to her songs, giving them an interesting nuance. She left the stage after playing “In Your Lair, Bear “ off her new LP. She was quickly convinced to return for and encore by the loud and persistent crowd. She and Fiore played a stripped down version of one of her singles off her new album “The Sun Always Reminds Me Of You.“ Fiore left the stage and Marissa said she would play us one more song; her beautiful cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Famous Blue Raincoat.”

For a performer who’s been dealt a lot of trials and tribulations the last year or so, getting dropped from her label named after her song “Mexican Summer,” having her car broken into in Brooklyn, Marissa Nadler has risen above these challenges and has emerged a more seasoned performer and an artist worthy of ever increasing praise and attention.

Marissa Nadler set list 7/30/11

Hyacinth
Salutations in the Dark
Little King
Wind Up Doll
Your Heart Is A Twisted Vine
Fifty Five Falls
Wedding
Puppet Master
In Your Lair, Bear Encore:
The Sun Always Reminds Me Of You
Famous Blue Raincoat (Leonard Cohen Cover)

Erika Spring and Violens 7 Inch split

On August 2nd Friendly Fire Recordings will release a 7 inch split with Violens and Erika Spring (Au Revoir Simone). Check out Erika's track "6 More Weeks" below.

Erika Spring, "6 More Weeks" by The FADER

EMA Glasslands PIcs 7/20

EMA,Talk Normal, Ablehearts









Ablehearts - A Name by Shinkoyo