L.A.’s Local Natives played their first show in San Diego on Saturday, and they sounded great—even though lead guys Taylor Rice and Kelcey Ayer seemed astounded that they’d pulled it off. It wasn’t because of band discord or unfamiliar material, though; in fact, Local Natives are nothing if not tight-knit and talented. Rather, the troubles that plagued the band were more ethereal—and possibly supernatural.
Fortunately, the faux voodoo vibe at House of Blues was strong enough to diffuse what the band chillingly called the curse.
We at Owl&Bear make no secret about our love for The Avett Brothers. Whether it takes the form of gushing over their impeccable live performances or praising our fair city for having the good taste to share in our Brother-ly love, the fraternal folkers sure do get a lot of press around here. And, what with the impending release of their new album, that’s probably not gonna change anytime soon.
Case in point: The Avett Brothers, in conjunction with Spinner, have just made their new single “I and Love and You” available as a free download. The song is the title track from their new Rick Rubin-produced album, and finds the duo maintaining the same creative heights they’ve been soaring at for their past few releases.
Judging by this song and the lovely “And It Spread”—which they played at their amazing Belly Up show last month—the new album will be nothing to shake a stick at, unless shaking a stick at things is just the weird way you show your love.
Part three of a four-part series in which Daily Show correspondent Jason Jones carefully compares Iranian culture with our own, and unequivocally declares America’s superiority. Holy crap, it’s amazing.
Baltimorians and Beach House friends Double Dagger are getting ready to tour in support of their brand new album More, which came out May 5 on Thrill Jockey Records. Their sound is of the classic Baltimore variety, with a dash of old-school Dischord Records, coupled with modern day “political and social commentary.”
They’re playing in San Diego on June 28, and since they only use only drums, bass, and vocals, the show should be pretty interesting. Check out “The Lie/The Truth” (MP3) and the above video so you’re not surprised when you go to the Soda Bar on June 28. Tourdates after the jump.
Despite boasting a roster that overlaps with that of Broken Social Scene, Canadian quartet Metric have spent the last decade amassing a dedicated but modestly-sized fan base. Their previous albums have garnered plenty of critical acclaim but little airplay, and their new release Fantasies made it to #76 on the Billboard Top 200 but stopped short of making the band an indie-household name. And so it was that Metric, buried beneath headlining acts The Black Keys and Yeah Yeah Yeahs at the FM 94/9 Independence Jam, proceeded to blow both of those bands away. Continue reading →
