From indie folk to electronic-pop, Milo Greene can do it all, and their first single from their new album, Control, now has a video. You can watch/listen below.
On Friday, November 8th, Speakers in Code welcomes Ontario's Basia Bulat to Off Broadway in St. Louis to play songs off her recent release, Tall Tall Shadow. It's her best album to date -- a deep, emotional listen featuring songs like "It Can't Be You," "Wires," "Paris or Amsterdam," "Never Let Me Go," "From Now On," and the title track, which you can listen to below.
Tickets to Friday's special "seated show" at Off Broadway are $12-15, and can be purchased here.
New Year's Eve can be hard, man. It's usually flavored with the cynicism of downtrodden naysayers or the overly high expectations of innocent eager beavers (see: all the people who paid money to see this). Between the solo whiskey sippers and the prix fixe four course dinners at The Melting Pot, the happy medium can be difficult to achieve.
So, you want a laid back, yet waaaay fun, New Year's Eve that still feels different - more special - than your typical night out in Saint Louie?
You've come to the right place.
May we suggest the annual FREE par-tay at one of our favorite music venues in town, Off Broadway (co-hosted by Speakers in Code and New Belgium)? Nope, we didn't stutter. We said FREE.
For the second year in a row (and we attended last year's shindig, so we can affirm the fun factor), The Blind Eyes and Kentucky Knife Fight are kicking the night off with mouthwatering live sets of the rock 'n' roll variety. Local supergroup, Dino's House Band, will finish the night off real propa like with a tasty selection of covers and obscurities. Get ready for special guest appearances from Cassie Morgan, Beth Bombara, John Joern (Old Lights), David Beeman (Old Lights), Kristin Dennis (Née), and many more! Expect DJ Christian Schaffer (of The Dive Poets) to play the hot jams in between sets. Oh yes, there will be dancing. Probably to some Billy Ocean.
The event is 21+, and your smile gets you inside. Doors are at 7:30 PM; music starts at 8:00 PM. RSVP on Facebook HERE.
Because we're old fashioned like that, we asked some of the evening's stars to set the mood by sharing their 2012 New Year's resolutions with us.
James Baker (Kentucky Knife Fight): [I resolve] to be more like Mark Twain, but in a bad way.
Curt Brewer (Kentucky Knife Fight):
This year I plan on gaining enough weight to make it onto The Biggest Loser then I plan to start smoking to lose said weight. Bam.
Kristin Dennis (Née):
My New Year's resolution for 2012 is to party hard all year long until December 21st when the end of the Mayan calender brings about an apocalyptic galactic alignment and, ultimately, the end of time.
Jason Koenig (Kentucky Knife Fight):
This year, I plan to learn Portuguese and to finally get my career as a hand model off the ground.
Matt Picker (The Blind Eyes):
1) Try to convince Seth to write more than one song this year. 2) Continue not caring about Lady Gaga (in human or CGI-chipmunk form). 3) Draw more skulls. 4) Attempt to finish Repo Man without falling asleep. 5) Learn to play a decent shuffle beat so I can show up that no-good James Baker once and for all.
Seth Porter (The Blind Eyes):
In the tradition of Jimmy Buffet's "Margaritaville," Rupert Holmes's "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)," and Bob Dylan's "Hurricane," I resolve to write a hit song based around a fruity cocktail. Perhaps a Bermuda Rum Swizzle or a Gin Gin Mule. Also, I will learn to field dress a deer.
Christian Schaeffer (The Dive Poets):
1) Take better care of my dress shoes. A litte polish goes a long way. 2) Stop leaning so hard on Earth, Wind & Fire in my DJ sets. 3) Allow the current wave of saxophone solos in indie rock songs to pass by and not get so angry about it.
Kevin Schneider (The Blind Eyes):
I plan to meet, engage in conversation with, and befriend acclaimed actor Ryan Gosling. By the end of the year, I hope to have sufficiently earned his trust so that I may lure him, unwittingly, into erotic servitude.
Andy White (The Blind Eyes):
My New Year's resolution is to not cut my hair or shave for all of 2012; then, New Year's Eve 2012, I will shave my head and beard, and at midnight, eat it all.
And, with that, we bid you adieu...until Saturday night where pants will be danced off, and this music blog will kiss you at midnight. Happy New Year, friends!
Tonight, we're proud to welcome Jill Andrews and her band to Off Broadway, a show we've been thinking about for months, pretty much ever since her appearance at Twangfest last June. We've written plenty about Jill on Speakers in Code (you can read our full interview with her here), but really, her songs speak for themselves.
So, here are ten videos -- ten reasons why you should come out to Off Broadway tonight to see Jill and her full band. $10 gets you in the door, and we're offering free hugs and smiles to all you fine people who make it out (8:30 doors/9:00 show; no opener). See you there!
I don't remember how I found Clare Burson's music, I just know I kept listening to it when I did. I do remember the song -- yes, that was "Love is Snow," off the album Thieves. I remember it being sometime late last year, on a day when the wind howled outside. "I would give anything to hold on," Burson sang. It felt welcoming.
Of course, I knew I had found something wonderful, something I could hold onto. And when that happens, I go exploring -- I start reading all about the artist: interviews, bios, etc. And, I eventually found Burson's 2010 release, Silver and Ash, an album so beautiful and interesting that I wanted nothing more than to see her perform these songs live. Luckily, on June 14th at Off Broadway (8:00 PM) and Vintage Vinyl (5:00 PM), I'll get that chance - times two - finally.
Here's the thing, though. We at Speakers in Code want to share this particular live music experience with you (RSVP here). We're proud to be sponsoring the show, because we strongly believe in Burson, Peter Bradley Adams, and Dots Not Feathers as musicians. Above all, they deserve your attention, and for $10, we're confident that you're gonna hear something you like, something you'll listen to the next day at work and throughout the rest of the year. Call it a guarantee, if you must. We'll stand by our word.
As a bonus, local band Dots Not Feathers will be releasing its new EP at the show, so be ready to get a copy after their set. They'll hit the stage at 8:00 PM.
We recently got in touch with Burson through e-mail, so please enjoy the interview below. Hope to see you on the 14th!
Silver and Ash is mostly a personal journey through the life of your grandmother, Helga Rabinowitsch. Your mother once told you not to ask your grandmother about her past. What made you ask?
The short answer: what eight-year-old wouldn't want to start digging exactly where her mom asked her not to dig? What mystery doesn't beg to be uncovered? A longer answer would touch on the fact that, as an extremely fortunate, sheltered little girl, I was fascinated by the idea that people I knew and loved had been so close to something so unfathomably dark, tragic, and monumental.
How do these songs translate to the live setting? Emotionally, do they present any challenges?
Excellent question. I have developed three different frameworks within which to present these songs. One involved a spoken narrative that places the songs in a context that is not necessarily apparent at a typical club gig. I actually wrote a little book that accompanies this presentation. The narrative itself is not particularly straightforward, so the book outlines the inspiration behind each song.
The second approach joins the songs with storytelling and a four course meal. Each course corresponds to a different era/place explored on the album. I've only presented the dinner once before (with my friend Sarah Lohman - she has a great blog), but it was a grand success. Sarah and I both hope to do this again.
The third iteration of the album is simply performing the songs within the context of a typical club gig. As you might imagine, this is the most challenging setting for the tunes. How do I transmit the emotional content of the material while still providing entertainment to folks who have come out for a good time?
You chose to record a cover of Arcade Fire's "We Used to Wait," and we named it one of our favorite cover songs of 2010. Why did you choose to record that song, and what does that song mean to you?
"We Used to Wait" is such a fabulous song - super-catchy - and the lyrics are spot on - concise and simple, but able to evoke the kind of emotion that sends chills up my spine. It also fits in perfectly with the themes I explore on Silver and Ash. Interestingly, shortly before The Suburbs was released, my mom found a stack of over 100 letters that my great grandparents wrote to my grandmother from Riga between 1939 and 1941. The last letter in June of 1941 was the last communication my grandmother ever received from her parents.
Upon hearing "We Used to Wait" for the first time, I felt as if Arcade Fire had written the theme song for my record. How could I not take a stab at it?
"Magpies" is one of my favorite songs on Silver and Ash, and you wrote it after visiting your Grandmother's home. Can you tell us a little bit about that song?
In November 2003, I was on tour in Germany. One of the shows was in Leipzig. On my way there from another town, I saw bare fields being picked over by beautiful black and white birds I had never seen before. I asked around to find out what kind of birds they were. I was told, "Elster." But this was the German name, not the English name. As an explanation, I was told that these birds are often featured in fairy tales and fables. They love shiny, glittering things. They are thieves. Magpies.
When I arrived in Leipzig, I discovered that my show was at a club not far from where my grandmother had grown up. The address was Thomassius Strasse 23. I went there, knocked on the door, and someone was home. A single mother with two daughters welcomed me into her home, where I spent close to an hour in the apartment that my great grandparents had shared with their children generations ago. The song spilled out of me the next day.
What are you most looking forward to about playing a show in Saint Louis? Any memories here?
My parents moved to Saint Louis in 2001, so I have never lived in Saint Louis, but I do love the town - especially the City Museum! I suppose I'm most excited about playing a show for my folks (and all of you guys), hanging out with them and the dog a bit, and perhaps taking a dip in their pool!
Buzzing Scottish band Admiral Fallow just took a huge leap of faith. They have agreed to make their second show in the United States (ever!) the first show (ever!) promoted by our little music blog! The show goes down in Durham at Fullsteam Brewery on March 19th as the band stops in the Triangle after SXSW on the way to NYC before heading back home.
The band is already causing quite a stir in the land of the Scots. Fueled by young, foot-stomping and faintly maniacal singer-songwriter, Louis Abbott, the band is already known in the UK for its thrilling and cathartic live sets. These shows walk the delicate line between simple voice and guitar compositions like “Four Bulbs,” and riotous cacophonies of white noise. The songs are about alienation within relationships, and experiences of youth itself are sung, chanted, and screamed with utter abandon.
Picked to open for a thirteen-date stretch of Frightened Rabbit’s late 2010 European tour, they are now poised for the March 28th release of the debut album, Boots Met My Face. It’s lead by the first single "Squealing Pigs," which is a shining example of the band's soul, as Abbott quite successfully allows his accent to be the focus of his singing, contrasting magically with the sweet sounds of co-vocalist, Sarah Hayes. When the song breaks, a softly-plucked banjo is overtaken by heavily strummed guitars, screaming clarinets, and a chorus of voices that combine for a joyous and heart-filled ruckus.
Abbott says, “All of the songs document the first chapter of my life, be it memories from school or kicking a ball about with my childhood chums. All of the songs are taken from real life events. There's no fiction. I'm not into making up stories or characters for the sake of trying to stir emotions. They are songs about friends and family as well as a fair bit of self-evaluation.”
Live Reviews:
“…could just be the start of something massive…” The Fly
“Absolutely beautiful…[a] great new talent….” Edith Bowman, Radio 1
"...surely destined for a larger stage." ***** Sunday Mail
“[Their] brooding, heartfelt folk leanings are bolstered by a soundtrack of colourful orchestration, including flute, strings and double bass - a rich concoction that has caught the attention of more than a few unsuspecting ears.” The List
"...intimate and epic...quite stunning..." **** The Herald
"They did not so much ‘take to the stage’ as colonise it and build a mini empire of sound for the awestruck concert goers...surely one of the truest new talents in Scotland today." **** New Found Sound
"Admiral Fallow are set to soundtrack our forthcoming festivals." **** The List
"…open-hearted love songs and impressively conjuring a balance of nostalgia..." Scotsman
For more information on Admiral Fallow, photos, and interviews check out: www.sonicbids.com/admiralfallow
www.admiralfallow.com
