Poetic Memory: Dinosaur Feathers (List)
Dinosaur Feathers have made a bit of a name for themselves back East. With a sound often compared to Animal Collective and the Beach Boys, these Brooklynites have received rave reviews from music fans everywhere, including Paste magazine:
When asked what…generated a bit of blog-buzz in recent months, Sullos demures: “The more you play, the more people talk about it.” True, but it likely has a bit more to do with the band’s melange of Latin and African-infused drum machine beats — plus the fact that these guys can really sing. Sullo and his bandmates use their voices like instruments, stacking and weaving them into a textured sonic tapestry that drips with 60s nostalgia.
We’re excited to see them at The Rumble this weekend, and you should be too. For a taste of their sound, check out “Fantasy Memorial” (MP3). Then, read their Poetic Memory (below).
Some Guy Named Ringo Starr Coming to San Diego
Back in the 1960s, a little-known band named the Beatles enjoyed a brief moment of moderate fame. Comprised of four young men from Liverpool — a town in England, apparently — the band was most notable for having influenced the much more memorable rock group The Monkees. Continue reading…
Review: Dr. Dog – Shame, Shame
Dr. Dog sound like The Beatles. Or wait, no, they sound more like The Beach Boys. No, no, they sound exactly like The Band. That’s it, they sound like The Band. Wait no, that’s not it, now I’m hearing Gram Parsons. Now Pink Floyd? PINK FLOYD? You guys sound like Pink Floyd right now! What the hell?! Goddammit Dr. Dog, who do you sound like? I know it’s someone. You guys sound exactly like somebody, and someday I will figure it out.
In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy the hell out of what you guys do because, when it comes down to it, it’s not who you sound like but what you sound like, and what you guys sound like is pure, feel-good, warm and fuzzy 60s rock.
Dr. Dog make the type of music that is so damn groovy you start to involuntarily squint your eyes, smile, and bob your head, wishing that somehow you could feel like this more often, but all the while grateful to have felt like this at all. Basically, Dr. Dog’s music makes you look and feel like that rare type of pothead who actually knows how to enjoy being stoned. Continue reading…
Poetic Memory: Shaw (List)
You don’t know who Shaw is, but that’s just something you’ll have to remedy.
On his mesmerizing debut EP, Pretending We’re Not Animals, the San Francisco native sets tales of fauna against electronic, sterile backdrops. His vocals are robotic yet mournful, drifting like echoes across barren, frigid soundscapes before fading into the ether. It’s seventeen minutes of the most stirring music you’ll listen to all year, and you can buy it from his label, Swordfish Records.
In addition to his auspicious solo work, Shaw has joined a new band, the New York City-based The Future Self Envy. The group is finishing up work on its debut EP, Bangerdropper, set for release in June. After that, Shaw will turn his attention back to his solo work and release some more EPs. His Poetic Memory is below. Continue reading…
Review: The Clientele with The Wooden Birds; March 4, 2010; Casbah, San Diego
Photo credit: MySpace
The Thursday night crowd that came to see The Clientele at the Casbah was bubbling. Half of them had just come from a successful SoundDiego launch party; the other half were presumably just happy to be celebrating the unofficial start of the weekend with syrupy pop exported from England. It was a fun crowd to be a part of, and especially fun to hear the chatter peppered by the English accents of a few of The Clientele’s San Diego British expat fans. Continue reading…
Review: Tegan and Sara; March 3, 2010 at Copley Symphony Hall; San Diego
Photo credit: Jeff Gentner
When musicians play San Diego’s distinguished Copley Symphony Hall, they usually don’t get bras thrown at them. It’s hard to imagine, say, Yo-Yo Ma getting pelted with ladies’ foundation garments during a set. But that’s exactly what happened when Canadian super twins Tegan and Sara played Copley on Wednesday night. (more…)
Poetic Memory: Langhorne Slim (List)
A few weeks ago, Langhorne Slim and his ridiculously good band played the Casbah. We loved it, and as with many who’ve seen him on this tour, an obsession was born.
We recently asked Langhorne and his band — Jeff Ratner, David Moore, and Malachi DeLorenzo — to reveal their Poetic Memories, and they came back with a wide-ranging and reliable list that sheds light on what they’re reading, watching, and playing. Check it out below. (more…)
Poetic Memory: Boomsnake (List)
MySpace
Gabriel Rodriguez of San Diego’s Boomsnake initially met our Poetic Memory request with skepticism. In his own words, “I naturally become enthralled or influenced by the artist more than a record…I like becoming immersed in the creator: to view the world from their perspective, whatever it may be.” He adds, “The major influences of my life are probably those of most music listeners. Yes, I delve deep into the obscure, but those are not ‘life’ influences.”
For Rodriguez, though, the bottom line is this: “I enjoy music. All forms of music. If you put on ‘Thriller’ at a party, I’ll be dancing; ‘War Pigs’ at the bar, I’ll be drinking happily; ‘Sex in the Kitchen’ while making out, I’ll get freaky.”
Rodriguez’s list chronicles records that “strike the very being of the listener; records that play as if they were written for you.” His Poetic Memory is below. (more…)
Poetic Memory: The Moviegoers (List)
In the 1960s the average band enjoyed fame for a couple of months, if that, before people’s attention shifted to the next rising (and soon to be falling) stars. Being a one-hit wonder wasn’t a failure, it was the norm, and accomplishments by bands like The Beatles and The Kinks were rendered all the more impressive by the fact that any kind of longevity was exceptional, and enjoyed by only a small percentage of groups.
Not much has changed since then: nowadays most bands—particularly in the realm of indie rock—still amount to little more than passing fads, soaking up their proverbial fifteen minutes before succumbing to irrelevance. But one thing that has been accelerated by the internet is that entire genres seem to rise and fall in the space of a few months, leaving up-and-coming groups scrambling to tap into the next sound du jour and ride the Wavves waves of recognition before they fizzle out.
Then there are bands who are content to just create great music. Unfazed by meaningless trends, they place emphasis on great songwriting, captivating melodies, and a distinctive but inviting sound. They may not get drooled over by Pitchfork (and if they do, it’s only so long until P4K’s drool runs dry and the inevitable backlash begins), but they do create a body of work that speaks for itself, and will outlast the one-MP3 wonders that permeate the blogosphere. San Diego’s The Moviegoers are one of those bands, and though they may not auto-tune their vocals or mangle their guitars with lo-fi crunch, they do create moving, memorable songs accented by rich harmonies and understated confidence. And that never goes out of style. (more…)
Poetic Memory: Chris Hickey (List)
Chris Hickey has recorded with musical luminaries like Joe Henry, Michael Penn, and Indigo Girls, and he’s a former member of the bands “Uma” and “Show of Hands”. Now, he’s released Razzmatazz, his third solo effort.
One highlight of Razzmatazz (among many) is Hickey’s tribute to Jack Kerouac. He says, “I’ve only recently discovered Kerouac and I agree with Allen Ginsberg when he said that Kerouac’s work is ‘The most sincere and holy writing I know of our age.’” Hickey does the man justice with “Kerouac” (MP3).
The album was written in song-a-day fashion over the course of three weeks, and the result is “16 songs, vocal & guitar, recorded on a hand-held voice recorder…so, for better or worse, it’s sketchy, low-fi, quirky…but it might be charming or something.” It’s been listed listed as a New and Noteworthy on release on iTunes. You can purchase it here (iTunes).
We recently sat down with him to talk Poetic Memory (below). He used his own formatting when he sent us his list, and we decided that it works best that way. Enjoy! (more…)
Don’t Monkey Around with Rock Band
We at Owl and Bear are strongly against the Beatles version of Rock Band, releasing 9/9/09. Look, we have nothing against people trying to make some money. Plus, we think it’s great that kids are getting into music and learning that getting good with a guitar-shaped joystick will automatically translate into the ability to shred with an ax. Dylan and Hendrix used to go head to head on the Atari version of Rock Band, to be sure. But this Beatles version is ridiculous.
As children, we used to watch the TV show The Monkees and were convinced for many years that they were an actual band. In middle school, this led to the unfortunate incident during a class presentation—while trying to hide our unstoppable erections—where we confessed that the Monkees (sic) were our favorite band. Everyone laughed, especially the teacher, who led the charge. We wet our pants—no easy task while sporting an erection—and ran straight home. (more…)
Poetic Memory: Kissing Cousins (List)
L.A.-based Kissing Cousins, an “all female sepulchral counter-pop” band led by Heather Bray Heywood, began with a few modest EPs. Since then, they’ve had a song featured on Nip/Tuck and recorded a full-length album, Pillar of Salt. Kissing Cousins recorded Pillar live to tape—a rarity in today’s mostly digital landscape—with the help of Richard Swift. The band used Wilco’s old TASCAM 8-track to record the album, bestowing a second life upon the piece of equipment that has produced some of Wilco’s greatest songs. Kissing Cousins definitely do the machine justice.
Music videos for Pillar are in the works, and the vinyl will be released in July (see tour dates below). For samples, check out “In Too Deep” from Pillar, as well as “Deathhouse“, Heywood’s personal favorite song from the album.
After the jump: 10 bands that influenced Heywood’s songwriting “in some shape or form.” (more…)
Poetic Memory: Matthew Specktor (List)
The 19-year-old narrator of Matthew Specktor’s novel That Summertime Sound has two options: return home to L.A. and a family that hardly notices him; or travel to the Heart of the Heart of the Country—Columbus, Ohio—and come of age.
The novel is set against the Columbus music scene of the 1980s, and Specktor is looking to connect with his favorite band. That Summertime Sound reads like an ’80s music encyclopedia, with references to The Feelies, Hüsker Du, Pere Ubu, and others.
To accompany the novel’s release, Specktor’s website features readings by Morgan Freeman (MP3), Jeremy Irons, Gwyneth Paltrow, and other Hollywood icons. Matthew Specktor’s Poetic Memory is below.
Poetic Memory is a regular Owl and Bear feature in which musicians disclose their influences—whether it’s albums, songs, artists, or something random. If you’re interested in being featured here, send us an email. (more…)
Poetic Memory: Erika Davies (List)
If you’ve never heard Erika Davies, then you’ve never heard Shakespeare the way it’s meant to be sung. Her jazzy melodies scoop and flutter above delicately strummed ukulele in irresistible and intoxicating fashion. Serving up a cocktail of jazz standards and charming originals, Davies delivers an enchanting performance, anchored by gorgeous vocals and Amelie-esque charm.
Says Davies:
Before I sat to write this, I tried to recall my first memory of music. I couldn’t. It was as if I had to try and remember what it was like, exiting my mother’s slippery womb. I can, however, remember how tiny I was when singing to my first audience. How natural it felt just opening my soul to them. And how quiet everyone was, listening.
And from then on, music, it seems, has been drawn to me.
Miss Davies is currently hard at work penning her sophomore album, tentatively titled Nothing But A Note Thing, which she plans to record in January. You can catch her in two places this Saturday: she’ll be playing an early evening set at Golden Hill DIY venue The Habitat before scooting over to Air Conditioned for this year’s North Park Music Thing (formerly known as North By North Park). We’ve got Davies’ Poetic Memory list, as well as some additional tour dates, after the jump.
Poetic Memory is a regular Owl and Bear feature in which musicians disclose their influences—whether it’s albums, songs, artists, or something random. If you’re interested in being featured here, send us an email. (more…)
Poetic Memory: The Rest (List)
The last time Ontario, Canada’s The Rest played at the Casbah, we missed it. But we won’t make that mistake again. After all, according to their MySpace page, The Rest like all the things that we like: doing push-ups, shooting each other with water guns, howling at the moon, and delicious Thai food. (More details below.) We have other reasons, too. For one, their new album, Everything All At Once, is amazing. For another, they graciously agreed to write the latest installment of Poetic Memory. Also, they use the word “rascal” in their lyrics.
We’ve featured The Rest on our podcast a few times, but in case you missed it, here are a couple of MP3s. The wondrously haunting “Drinking Again” is definitely one of our favorite songs of 2009. Also, be sure to check out “Everything All At Once“, the epic titular track from their new album.
Poetic Memory is a regular Owl and Bear feature in which musicians disclose their influences—whether it’s albums, songs, artists, or something random. If you’re interested in being featured here, send us an email. (more…)
McCartney Pushes For Release Of Lost Beatles Track
Paul McCartney is pushing for the release of the lost Beatles song “Carnival Of Light”. The track was recorded in 1967, and has only once been played for an audience. While this initially sounds like great news, I must admit to having some concerns.
Ringo Starr: Reverse Psychologist?
As of October 20, Ringo Starr will be too busy to answer his fan mail. Starr, who now makes up 50% of the Beatles, has asked fans to “not send fan mail to any address that you have. Nothing will be signed after the 20th of October. If that is the date on the envelope, it’s gonna be tossed.”
In the spirit of Ringo, Owl&Bear would like to ask you readers to please not send us 25% of your monthly earnings.
