Ted Leo Plays Ché Café on 9/2, Casbah 9/3
Ted Leo, the intellectual leader of indie rock, will play two shows in San Diego on September 2 and 3, and you’d better be there. Continue reading…
Sufjan Stevens Releases Surprise EP Today
The once-prolific Sufjan Stevens released a brand new EP, entitled All Delighted People, for download today. A CD and vinyl release of the EP is planned for later this year. Here’s the scoop:
All Delighted People is built around two different versions of Sufjan’s long-form epic ballad “All Delighted People,” a dramatic homage to the Apocalypse, existential ennui, and Paul Simon’s “Sounds of Silence.” The EP includes two versions of “All Delighted People,” which Sufjan debuted on his 2009 tour. Along with six other new songs, the collection is his first original song-oriented material since 2006.
The EP is Stevens’ most coherent work in years, and a return to the (somewhat) more conventional songwriting of his Illinois and Michigan albums. Its eight tracks are brimming with the naked emotion and orchestral swells that make him one of music’s most fascinating songwriters.
So what are you waiting for? Buy it or stream it here.
Contest: Win Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs on Vinyl
“The Month of May” is a standout track on Arcade Fire‘s stellar new album The Suburbs, but it ain’t got nothing on the month of August.
So far this month, the indie rock sensations have played two sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden — one of which was webcast under the direction of film auteur/Monty Python alum Terry Gilliam — and their performance at last weekend’s Lollapalooza was the festival’s most talked-about event (ok, second most talked-about). Oh, and did I mention that The Suburbs just beat out some guy named Eminem for the best-selling album in America?
Not too shabby, and the month isn’t even halfway over yet. To keep the awesomeness going for the rest of August, our friends over at Merge Records are giving away a copy of The Suburbs to one lucky Owl and Bear reader. And this isn’t some CD or 8-track or whatever format you kids listen to nowadays — this is a freshly pressed double-LP of pure vinyl goodness. Top that, Slim Shady.
For your chance to win Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs on vinyl, send an email to contest@owlandbear.com with “Arcade Fire Contest” in the subject line and your name and mailing address in the body. The winner will be selected at random on August 30th.
Califone’s Tim Rutili Lends Support to Song+Stories Project, You Should Too
Independent radio artists Elizabeth Meister and Dan Collison are working with acclaimed Califone songwriter Tim Rutili on a documentary called Journey of the Asian Carp.
For the uninitiated, the Asian carp is a destructive non-native fish that has wreaked havoc on Midwestern waterways by crowding out native fish and uprooting plants. Notorious for their jumping ability, they also pose a physical danger to fishermen and their feeding habits make them hard to capture.
Meister and Collison hope to weave the documentary with Rutili’s music to create something that is more than the sum of its parts. Rutili’s music will supplement the documentary’s narrative as it follows the invasive carp’s slow migration from the American south ”to the brink of Lake Michigan, focusing specifically on communities along the Illinois River that already have been invaded.”
If all goes well (more on that later), Meister and Collison will visit some of the small American communities that depend on their waterways and native fish but have been devastated by the Asian carp’s invasion.
Click here to learn how you can help…
Contest: Win The Moviegoers’ New 7-inch
Inventions like the iPod and Pandora can reduce music to a blurry background din, yet no matter how jaded we become, certain songs can still pierce the fog.
“Avalanche,” by San Diego’s The Moviegoers, is one of those songs. From its moving spoken-word verse, to its soaring chorus — which features lush harmonies by band members Richard Hunter-Rivera and Jessica Monday — the track is a stirring triumph, and one of the best songs to come out of San Diego in recent years.
“Avalanche” was originally featured on the band’s out-of-print Be A Man EP, but it’s been re-recorded for inclusion on the their new 7-inch, which will be released on August 12th. And as good as “Avalanche” is, it’s only the record’s B-side; imagine how great the A-side, “Big High School,” must be.
The 7-inch was recorded by local knob twister-extraordinaire Keith Milgaten, of Jamuel Saxon/Black Mamba/The Vision of a Dying World fame. Mangoose, the label partially run by Hunter-Rivera, will release the record. The band will celebrate the fruits of their labor with a release party on September 4th at the Tin Can Ale House, but if you can’t wait until then to hear the songs, don’t despair: we generous folks at Owl and Bear are giving away a free copy.
For your chance to win The Moviegoers’ new 7-inch, send an email to contest@owlandbear.com with your name and mailing address. The winner will be selected at random on August 30.
Contest haters and the perpetually unlucky can pre-order the 7-inch here.
Poetic Memory: Mark Olson (Interview)
Photo credit: Ingunn Ringvold
Mark Olson co-founded The Jayhawks with Gary Louris back in 1985, and even though he split from the band 10 years into its 25-year existence, he left an indelible mark on one of the first great alt-country bands — and on lots of great bands that followed in the Jayhawks’ footsteps.
Olson hasn’t stopped working, either. Between 1995 and today, Olson has released seven albums with The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers, a celebrated 2008 reunion album with Gary Louris called Ready For The Flood, and (soon to be) two solo albums.
Olson will release Many Colored Kite, his second solo album, on July 27. The album was produced by Beau Raymond (engineer for Devendra Banhart) and features collaborations with Jolie Holland, Vashti Bunyan, and Neal Casal of Ryan Adams’ band the Cardinals. For a sample, check out “Little Bird of Freedom” (MP3), the Jolie Holland-collaborated first single from the album.
In anticipation of Many Colored Kite, we asked Mr. Olsen to send us a list of his influences. He obliged, and even though it’s not exactly a list, it’s still awesome. Check it out below.
Sarah Jaffe Announces Tour (MP3)
Sarah Jaffe at the Casbah - June 10, 2010
In May, Texas songwriter Sarah Jaffe released Suburban Nature, her excellent sophomore album. She also just completed tours with the likes of Norah Jones and Lou Barlow. Now, she’s heading out on her own.
Jaffe’s brand of stripped-down introspection is a breath of fresh air in an age of muddy music. Her well-developed, resonant lyrics and songwriting are reminiscent of old Moon Pix and Knock Knock-era Cat Power and Smog, respectively. When I saw Jaffe open for Barlow in June, her set might’ve been the highlight of the night.
It doesn’t look like she’ll be stopping in San Diego this time around, but there is a conspicuous gap between her stops in Phoenix and Los Angeles, so you never know. If you get a chance, check out her show. In the meantime, download “Clementine” (MP3) from Suburban Nature. Tour dates are below.
Contest: Win Shapes of Future Frames’ New 7-Inch
Photo credit: James Norton
Don’t let the name fool you — Shapes of Future Frames are a band whose time is now, and interest should only grow after they throw their release party at the Tin Can Ale House on Saturday, July 10th. For your chance to win a copy of the new record, keep reading. (more…)
Billy Bragg Covers Joanna Newsom
This is pretty cool:
We made plans to catch up with Billy at his hotel room during a layover in London. Just watching this again realizing that some plonker outside the hotel is saying “I have to apologize for my wife.” No idea what that’s about. Billy was awesome, he’s really funny, self deprecating, smart, sweet…which is cool because, let’s face it, the guy’s a legend.
Interview: Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
In case you haven’t noticed, we are big fans of Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros here at O&B.
Their breezy debut, Up From Below, topped our Best of 2009 list, and it’s still in heavy rotation here at O&B headquarters. The album has just been given the iTunes Deluxe Edition treatment, with three bonus tracks and two music videos added to sweeten the deal. You can purchase it here.
We had the pleasure of sitting down with messianic frontman Edward Sharpe, né Alex Ebert, to discuss his personal transformation, hadron colliders, and the new solo album he just finished recording.
Continue reading…
Interview: Dr. Dog
O&B Best of 2008-ers Dr. Dog get more popular by the day, thanks to a solid discography and some of the best harmonies around. Despite their ever-expanding acclaim, the band wasn’t too busy to talk with us at this year’s Bonnaroo festival. We sat down with bandmates Toby Leaman and Zach Miller to discuss their latest release, Shame, Shame, and they even dropped some juicy details about new material that they have planned. Continue reading…
Contest: Win Califone’s Film ‘All My Friends Are Funeral Singers’
In the early 2000s, art/folk/experimentalists Califone played a few shows in which they improvised accompaniment to silent films. The sessions were documented in the Deceleration series, and though the discs are quite good, they seemed like a different side of Califone, rather than a natural path.
Enter 2009 and All My Friends Are Funeral Singers. Tim Rutili set out to make a movie using only cell phone cameras. Things changed, ideas grew, and a feature film was born. This time, it had a Califone soundtrack and Califone stars, and the film itself had the Rutili touch. Funeral Singers is a remarkable, wildly imaginative film that — along with the band’s 2009 album of the same name — sees Rutili at a creative high point. All My Friends Are Funeral Singers premiered at Sundance, SxSW, and Sarasota film festivals. Paste magazine called it one of the highlights of Sundance, a “whimsical movie…full of fascinating characters…directed with a light, deft touch.”
To win a copy of All My Friends Are Funeral Singers, just comment below and include your email address in the form (your email won’t be visible to the public). The winner will be chosen at random on July 12, 2010. Califone tour dates are below…
New Bill Withers Documentary: ‘Still Bill’ (Video)
Even if “Lean On Me” has been played a billion times, it doesn’t change the fact that it’s a great song. And even though Bill Withers basically retired from music in 1985, the fact that he’s a great songwriter remains.
Aside from the numerous Grammys Withers has won since his retirement (thanks to re-recordings and samples taken from his songs), little news has come from the Withers camp — until now. On May 11, filmmakers Damani Baker and Alex Vlack released “Still Bill,” a documentary about their quest to track him down. Continue reading…
Merge Releases Spring 2010 Sampler (MP3s)
Merge has put up a fresh sampler for free download at the Amazon MP3 store, and it has a great selection of tracks. According to Merge,
Spring has sprung and it is time for a new free Merge sampler! Visit Amazon.com now to download fourteen free songs from the latest albums by Radar Brothers, Spoon, Let’s Wrestle, She & Him and more. The sampler features special cover art by Let’s Wrestle’s Wesley Patrick Gonzalez.
Harlan T. Bobo – Errand Girl (Video)
Recently, mysterious Memphian Harlan T. Bobo released Sucker, his third album. Just like Bobo’s past efforts — 2007′s I’m Your Man and his 2006 debut Too Much Love — Sucker is a damn-near-perfect blend of old-school rock and all the good things that ever came out of the Memphis/Detroit/Chicago trifecta. Continue reading…
Tom Petty Not Stingy
Photo credit: Sam Jones
Tom Petty, our favorite living Wilbury after Lucky, is about to release a new album. Called Mojo, the record marks his first collaboration with The Heartbreakers in almost a decade.
The laid-back Mr. Petty would appreciate it if you’d kindly purchase Mojo. Of course, he realizes that you may have multiple priorities in life — including dancing with Mary Jane — so if you’re going to get up and do him a solid, he wants to make it worth your while. Continue reading…
The New Pornographers Come Together (MP3)
Photo credit: Matador Records
When The New Pornographers put out an album, it’s always an event. Continue reading…
Local Musician Erick Wales Missing
Erick Wales, of the defunct San Diego band Dehra Dun, is missing.
Wales was last seen on Monday, April 19th, at 6:30am in the Mission Valley area. The blonde, slender Wales is 24 years old, 6 feet tall, and weighs 140 pounds. When he was last seen, he was wearing a black shirt, blue jeans, and a brown belt. He drives a black, two-door Saturn Ion with a broken right-side mirror, license plate number FR33BSD.
Wales’ friends and family have started a website to coordinate the search, Find Erick Wales. The site provides contact information to use if you have any information as to his whereabouts and a downloadable flyer you can print out to display in your neighborhood.
Before disbanding in 2006, Dehra Dun were a local sensation. Wales played keytar in the band, which would reform as The Silent Comedy. Anyone with information about Erick should call 619-301-9283.
Record Store Day: Is It Already That Time of Year Again?
Tomorrow marks what’s becoming, in some ways, more inevitable than death and taxes (the latter of which, in my case, are now officially delinquent). Yup, Record Store Day is again upon us. (more…)
Caribou Needs YOU! (to Remix a Track From ‘Swim’)
Canadian electronic musician Caribou cordially invites you to butcher remix “Sun,” the lead track from his forthcoming album. Continue reading…
Illuminauts Give You Swine Flu
If listening to Illuminauts makes you feel like you’re on drugs, that’s because it’s supposed to. Comprised of locals Santino Romeri and Nicky Castañeda, the electronic band weaves trip-hop beats and psychedelic samples into moody sonic tapestries designed to expand your mind. (more…)
Big Star Singer Alex Chilton Dies at 59
What can I say? Alex Chilton is dead. As part of Big Star, he wrote some of the best music of the 1970s, and his work has influenced so many — Jeff Tweedy, Califone, Elliott Smith, The Replacements. The list goes on.
I’m just sitting here playing the YouTube video for this old song over and over again. Those harmonies get me every time. Goodbye, Alex.
Ted Leo Releases ‘Brutalist Bricks’, Announces U.S. Tour (MP3)
Photo credit: Matias Corral
Ted Leo‘s The Brutalist Bricks — released last week on Matador — differs substantially from its predecessor, 2007′s Living With the Living, and that’s a good thing. Continue reading.
