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Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Josh Ritter & Joe Pug @ The Vic
6:40 PM | 
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Who?
Who? Josh Ritter & Joe Pug. Where? The Vic Theatre. When? This Past Saturday.
A super epic show. Sold out crowd, all of whom seemed to be completely engrossed in every word Josh Ritter was saying/singing. Ritter clearly loves what he is doing, and he was endlessly appreciative of the crowd--something all fans can't get enough of. He played a smattering of his songs--enough from the new album, but quite a bit from the old stuff. And, my favorite part? Being a Joe Pug fan as well, I couldn't help but fall to pieces when Pug came out for Ritter's encore so that he (Joe Pug, that is) could play his song, "Speak Plainly, Diana," with Ritter and his band. Beautifully charming. And, there's a great video of it. Woohoo.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Help Your (Least?) Favorite Blogger Go To Bonnaroo!
This is a somewhat shameless post; however, if I get to Bonnaroo that means more show reviews, free music, promo packages, etc. for Ear it Now! Wanna help? Vote for the video here.
Video #4--"Bonnaroo Band"--and if you want to watch the video first before feeling so inclined to vote, it's all yours:
Video #4--"Bonnaroo Band"--and if you want to watch the video first before feeling so inclined to vote, it's all yours:
Friday, May 14, 2010
Joe Pug - Messenger
Tracklist:
1. Messenger
2. How Good You Are
3. Not So Sure
4. The Sharpest Crown
5. The Door Was Always Open
6. The First Time I Saw You
7. Unsophisticated heart
8. Disguised As Someone Else
9. Bury Me Far (From My Uniform)
10. Speak Plainly, Diana
11. Think Too Much (Bonus Track)
12. O' My Chesapeake (Bonus Track)
Ok, I promise this is the last time I blog about folk music( for a little while); however, i'm going to see him this weekend in Chitown, and I just felt like getting this up here before I watched the magic. I feel like everyone has heard the story of Joe Pug by now, how he dropped out of UNC near the end of his senior year and decided to start doing the music thing full time, and now he's a new-folk household name based out of Chicago. Dominating SXSW and touring with Josh Ritter are just a couple of the tricks up his sleeve, and like all good folk stars, he weaves webs of lyrics around thoughtful melodies and sort of breaks your heart to pieces while doing it. His voice, like many who have come before him, is raw and effortless, and there's no reason this shouldn't be listened to while drinking straight from a bottle of scotch and sitting on a crumbling street curb somewhere contemplating the meaning of life. OH. And the album is available on Amazon this month only for FIVE DOLLAZ.
1. Messenger
2. How Good You Are
3. Not So Sure
4. The Sharpest Crown
5. The Door Was Always Open
6. The First Time I Saw You
7. Unsophisticated heart
8. Disguised As Someone Else
9. Bury Me Far (From My Uniform)
10. Speak Plainly, Diana
11. Think Too Much (Bonus Track)
12. O' My Chesapeake (Bonus Track)
Ok, I promise this is the last time I blog about folk music( for a little while); however, i'm going to see him this weekend in Chitown, and I just felt like getting this up here before I watched the magic. I feel like everyone has heard the story of Joe Pug by now, how he dropped out of UNC near the end of his senior year and decided to start doing the music thing full time, and now he's a new-folk household name based out of Chicago. Dominating SXSW and touring with Josh Ritter are just a couple of the tricks up his sleeve, and like all good folk stars, he weaves webs of lyrics around thoughtful melodies and sort of breaks your heart to pieces while doing it. His voice, like many who have come before him, is raw and effortless, and there's no reason this shouldn't be listened to while drinking straight from a bottle of scotch and sitting on a crumbling street curb somewhere contemplating the meaning of life. OH. And the album is available on Amazon this month only for FIVE DOLLAZ.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Annuals - Sweet Sister EP
Tracklist:1. Loxtep
2. Turncloaking
3. Sweet Sister
4. Holler and Howl
5. Flesh And Blood
I want to listen to this EP underwater, I've decided. It's just so perky and each melody blends so swiftly into the next strings of vocals and instrumentation that its hard not to want to hear this while gliding around underwater. Annuals, a group of six (5 guys, 1 chick) from North Carolina, have been around for a few years (plus some), and this is their latest EP. They do a decent job of drawing a listener in with a variety of synthy pop sounds without overdoing it--if I weren't listening to this underwater, I'd definitely suggest listening to it while sort of sleepy--but not too sleepy--and perusing through a sort of vintage newspaper full of important historical events and sipping on a cup of tea.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Cadillac Sky - Letters In The Deep
Tracklist:
1. Trapped Under The Ice
2. 3rd Degree
3. Human Cannonball
4. Trash Bag
5. Lee Of The Stone: East
6. Balled Of Restored Confidence
7. Hangman
8. Break My Heart Again
9. Lee Of The Stone: West
10. Hypocrite
11. Kiddie Pool Rag
12. Bathsheeba
13. Pitiful Waltz
14. Part Of My Heart
15. Lee Of The Stone: North
16. Tired Old Phrases
17. The Long Sigh
Cadillac Sky, a 5 piece bit of awesomeness from Texas, has come together full force on their third full length release. I was actually first introduced to these guys via a buddy of a mine in The Apache Relay, and had the opportunity to meet David (Mayfield) the other night at an Apache Relay show. On a more related note: this CD is everything you would hope for a combination of guitars, mandolins, banjos, violins, etc to be. It was produced by The Black Keys' bad ass, Dan Auerbach, and it's got the rawness of the Avett Bros with the more subtle hauntingness of say, Jeff Tweedy (if he only played the banjo and lived in the middle of nowhere Texas on a ranch by himself.) The harmonies on this album are flawless, and the guest appearances (members of The Apache Relay, Dan A., Al Moss, etc) are a great addition. The lyrics range from spirituality to inviting loveloss --and everything in between--I want to sit in a farmhouse in Arkansas and listen to this album while I dust off my boots from working out in the fields for a while. Its got sing along quality, but it also has that sort of ethereal intangible quality that you can't put your finger on--the quality that makes you want to sit down and ponder the meaning of the words you're hearing but you get distracted because the instrumentation behind it is so virtuosic it becomes difficult to focus on the lyricism. If only most albums had that quality.
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Saturday, May 8, 2010
The Morning Pages - Another Crazy Interview
The Morning Pages: This interview will be about the band, The Morning Pages.
The Morning Pages’ latest adventure may have been covering Lady Gaga’s pop treasure, “Telephone,” but these Brooklyn-based rockers are far from a bubblegum pop machine—and that’s not a bad thing. After getting a chance to chat with lead singer and songwriter extraordinaire, Grant, the other day, I was filled in on all the important (and not so important) things listeners should know about The Morning Pages. First, the significant and culturally trenchant ‘to-know’:
1. Their first full length, Rising Rain, drops May 11 (it had a soft release earlier last year, but this is the real deal, folks.)
2. The band includes: Grant Maxwell (lead singer, chocolate enjoyer, loving husband), Ben Arons (drums/vocals), Matt Stoulil (bass), Kendra MacDevitt (vocals, fiddle, percussion), Rick Fox (keyboards/accordian-yes!-), and Chris Hills (lead guitar).
3. If for some godforsaken reason you missed it (and didn’t read the beginning of this interview), they recently covered Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” and morphed it into a folk-rock-alt-country-brilliant tune.
And now for the less culturally significant, although perhaps equally as notable in the eyes of fans.
1. Grant would choose a Mexican themed dinner as his last meal (with some very specific choices from Taqueria La Cumbre-I think- in San Fransisco) and, as if it weren’t already the most flawless choice in the world, would choose “I Shall Be Released” for his last song. Genius.
2. He’d rather name his hypothetical child Bullitt. Not Gator.
3. He lives in Williamsburg (Brooklyn, not the overvisited and underwhelming faux-colony), and very much enjoys Brooklyn Lager.
As I talk with Grant, I can see that he is thoughtful and well spoken; he has a knack for articulating nuances of music—which is a great trait in any artist. He tells me that they chose to cover Lady Gaga for a few reasons, noting that she was “such a huge pop culture phenomenon” and the song was “saying subtle things about gender roles and sexuality;” how’s that for a literary analysis of a pop song? Grant says he saw a “great folk song underneath.” The ability to see layers beneath the music is something that sets this band apart from others that may be pigeon-holed into this sort of folk-rock-alt-ish category—just by taking a listen to their newest album on their website, one can hear that.
And, it’s easy to tell by listening to them that some of their biggest influences do include those to whom they get compared: Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, Neil Young, Willie Nelson. Grant, who does most of the songwriting, (and whose wife is his songwriting partner!) notes Dylan’s Nashville Skyline (yes!) as a favorite of his, and as far as favorites of his own songs? “I love ‘My Name Is Lion,” he says, “It sort of encapsulates my ideal love song.” See? Articulate.
The guys will be touring in different regions of the country throughout the next year, so make sure you get out to see them when they rampage through your town. It’s not often that rock n’ roll is blessed with talent, ambition, intelligence, and Lady Gaga covers.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The Tallest Man On Earth-The Wild Hunt
Tracklist:
1. The Wild Hunt
2. Burden Of Tomorrow
3. Troubles Will Be Gone
4. You're Going Back
5. The Drying Of The Lawns
6. King Of Spain
7. Love Is All
8. Thousand Ways
9. Lion's Heart
10. Kids On The Run
I vow to write a short and snarky review about The Tallest Man On Earth that doesn't reference Bob Dylan. Oh. Sh*t. Anyways-this album has been out for a bit, but after getting around to listening to it (over and over), I've decided it's my favorite album of the last couple months. This guy (Kristian Matsson) makes a simple acoustic guitar and some beyond-thoughtful lyrics sound like a symphony. Seriously. I can't stop listening to this album and I don't even know half the words. That's impressive. If you like folk music with hooks--aka, Dylan, Joe Pug, Avett Bros, Townes Van Zandt, J-Cash, etc, you will kill your first born for this album. Should be listened to while driving through crowded city streets on a sunny day and screaming out the melody regardless of whether you've had time to look up the intricate and poignant lyrics.
1. The Wild Hunt
2. Burden Of Tomorrow
3. Troubles Will Be Gone
4. You're Going Back
5. The Drying Of The Lawns
6. King Of Spain
7. Love Is All
8. Thousand Ways
9. Lion's Heart
10. Kids On The Run
I vow to write a short and snarky review about The Tallest Man On Earth that doesn't reference Bob Dylan. Oh. Sh*t. Anyways-this album has been out for a bit, but after getting around to listening to it (over and over), I've decided it's my favorite album of the last couple months. This guy (Kristian Matsson) makes a simple acoustic guitar and some beyond-thoughtful lyrics sound like a symphony. Seriously. I can't stop listening to this album and I don't even know half the words. That's impressive. If you like folk music with hooks--aka, Dylan, Joe Pug, Avett Bros, Townes Van Zandt, J-Cash, etc, you will kill your first born for this album. Should be listened to while driving through crowded city streets on a sunny day and screaming out the melody regardless of whether you've had time to look up the intricate and poignant lyrics.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Good Old War-Good Old War
Tracklist:1. GOOD
2. Here Are The Problems
3. My Own Sinking Ship
4. Making My Life
5. OLD
6. That's Some Dream
7. Sneaky Louise
8. Get Some
9. While I'm Away
10. Woody's Hood Boogie Woogie
11. My Name's Sorrow
12. World Watching
13. I Should Go
14. Thinking Of You
15. WAR
Good Old War, a (mostly) acoustic folk-pop trio, has put together an ungodly delicious collection of songs on their self-titled sophomore release here. I actually giggled as I listened to this album in my car—the three part harmonies being so flawless and rich that I wanted to join the band just so I could be a part of it. For those of you who have never heard the song “Coney Island” off of their first release—go hit yourself with a broom. It’s the best goddamn (folk) pop song that’s ever been written, and it is, without a doubt, my most played song on Itunes. While I’m not sure if this release as a song that’s as repeat-worthy as Coney Island, it has some completely obsess-worthy tracks. Good Old War has the ability to write a song about death and destruction that makes you want to grin from ear to ear and slurp grape juice out of a sippy cup. My personal favorite on this album is “Woody’s Hood Boogie Woogie,” a song that is lyrically quite depressing, but melodically catchy and summery. It’s like if Elliott Smith forgot to kill himself and put his song “Twilight” to the tune of The Beach Boys “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” You should listen to this album while lying in a field of daisies surrounded by kittens and vintage instruments.
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