Contest | Win Tickets to Regina Spektor at The Pageant

Tweet

Photo by Shervin Lainez

Even though this makes me feel terribly old, the last time Regina Spektor came to town was five years ago at The Pageant. I remember it being a super intimate and quiet performance, as Spektor was solo that night (she did display mad beatboxing skills during "Hotel Song," which was wonderful).

That show was sold-out, as is her upcoming performance at The Pageant on November 8th with Only Son. Spektor will be playing songs off her latest release, What We Saw From The Cheap Seats, and we have a pair of tickets to give away to the show next Thursday. But before we tell you how to enter, let's have a listen to "How" from What We Saw From The Cheap Seats (because, you know, we're masochists on the inside).



Thanks for sharing that moment with us. Now that we've bummed you out, here are the details on how to enter. Please do only one of the following:

1. Simply copy and paste this into a tweet: I entered to win 2 tickets to see @respektor on 11/8 @thepageantstl on @speakersincode. You can, too - just tweet this to enter!

2. Leave us a message on our Facebook page. (You can say anything. Well, almost anything. Be civil.)

3. Send an e-mail to jason.speakersincode@gmail.com. Just say you want the tickets. Takes 10 seconds.

The contest will run through November 5th at noon, and we'll randomly pick and contact the winner later on that afternoon (if you enter through FB, we'll announce your name on our FB page). Good luck!

Jam of the Day | Scarlet Tanager - Tumbleweed

Tweet

Artwork by Susan Logsdon

Scarlet Tanager burst onto the local scene in a tornado of cute. I know that particular adjective has been frequently used when describing the Saint Louis six-piece, but GD if it ain't totally accurate. And, I mean that in the best sense possible, nowhere near a patronizing connotation.

About four or five years ago, a gal like me could easily slap the sunshine right out of the sky with a feisty, tongue-in-cheek track like Kate Nash's "Foundations" or a girly, reggae-tinged pop jam like Lily Allen's "LDN." It seems that everywhere I turned, I had a new batch of insta-hit puppy dog and rainbows tunes for the optimist in me. And they were all carried by female voices.

But, where have all the cowgirls gone?

Luckily, today's Jam of the Day, "Tumbleweed," recalls Regina Spektor's quirky piano-pop and Feist's playful lyric delivery (think especially: "Mushaboom"). So, it's no surprise that lead singer, Susan Logsdon, cites both of these female songwriters as influences. It's an instantly likeable, most refreshing few minutes of indie-pop bliss.

Scarlet Tanager - Tumbleweed
 

The band's debut album, American Songbird, is available now. Pick it up here. And, please for the love of all things holy, watch the crazily entertaining puppet video below.

Jam of the Day | Lex Land - Havana

Tweet

But you always knew my plans
were larger
Than the biggest back yard
we could ever have had

Austin-based singer-songwriter Lex Land seems like a “let’s leave the door open” kind of gal.  I mean, the relationship she’s describing in today’s JOTD must have ended poorly, if I had to guess. Still, Land is forward-thinking; she misses something about the person she’s let go – “maybe we could still meet in a dream some time in Havana,” she sings. I guess that’s the place where any relationship could mend itself, right?

Musically, Land can sound a bit like Regina Spektor. She’s quirky enough, and she’s got that hint of mystery in her voice. It’s like confidence masked with cockiness. Always hopeful and daring, never quite ready to give in.

Her new album, Were My Sweetheart To Go, drops on August 16th.

Lex Land - Havana

MP3 | Katie Costello - Cityscapes

Tweet

Enthusiastically endorsed by the influential Nic Harcourt of KCRW, Katie Costello's new EP, The City In Me (out September 28th on Tiny Tiny Records) is comprised of five gorgeous songs bursting at the seams with soaring melodies and bubbling over with insightful poetics. With hints of Regina Spektor in her powerful vocals, Costello weaves intricate stories and pays tribute to life in the city.

Katie Costello - Cityscapes

Costello's next LP, Lamplight, is due out in early 2011.

Strangers Almanac | Bob Dylan

Tweet

Katie and I, with the help of Glide Magazine, created Strangers Almanac, a column devoted to singer-songwriters, two years ago, and we've had a lot of fun writing about some of our favorite singer-songwriters like Tift Merritt, Ryan Adams, Neil Young, Jenny Lewis, Regina Spektor, and Jeff Tweedy. It's pretty crazy that we're already on our 35th Volume, which is all about the great Bob Dylan.

These SA columns are often personal -- we like to think it's meaningful to tell you about a time when the artist's music affected our lives. Because, well, we're pretty sure music has affected your lives, too.

Check out Volume 35 of SA on Bob Dylan here!