Last Friday I made a trip up to New York to catch my first Wordless Music Performance. The show was in honor of the Japanese cinematic ambient rock group Mono’s 10th anniversary. For those of you unfamiliar with Wordless, as I was until the fantastic Ryan Hansen of Ryspace brought it to my attention, it is an on going series of concerts that explores the similarities, parallels and influences shared by “the sound worlds of classical and contemporary instrumental music” by presenting rock or electronic acts and classical musicians in tandem. As someone who actually lettered in orchestra I fully appreciate any kind of musical experience that brings orchestra into the fold. The musicalstylings of Mono were also relatively new to me as well so, on the whole it was a night filled with firsts. And as far as first anythings go that evening’s collection of them will not soon, if ever, be forgotten.
The show, held at the acoustically spectacular New York Society for Ethical Culture, opened with the premier of Arvo Part’s Symphony No. 4. A beautiful piece given life by the Wordless Orchestra conducted by Jeff Milarsky. It set a calm scene. Essential for the performance Mono was about to lay down.
The quartet, backed by a condensed version of the orchestra, played an hour plus set that quite simply defied my greatest expectations. Their regular sound is already unusually instrumental for a rock band so the inclusion of an orchestra was seamless and, for lack of a better word, epic. The 800 plus die hard Mono fans that had lined up around the block to get in were clearly transcended by the event. They four band members put everything they had out there. At one point the lead guitarist was on his hands and knees while a die hard fan hovered near by. Its an interesting experience, witnessing other people experience what may very well be their live musical apex. Even for someone like myself ,who may not have had an abundance of Mono exposure, the music that was created Friday night left me appropriately wordless.
If you’re already a classical fan the Wordless Series would be an superb way to get your fix of strings and timpani. If you’re looking for a comfortable way to ease into the genre then Wordless is the place for you. This is an endeavor I fully believe should be spread throughout the country. But if you’re lucky enough to be within easy NY travel distance, make it a priority. They have a Fiery Furnaces show coming up that I would highly recommend you put on your calendar.
**Photo by Teppei Takazawa
My mother is the person responsible for instilling in me a passion for three of life’s greatest things politics, books and music. She’s the one who always made sure Dire Strait’s Money For Nothing was playing every time we drove Glacier’s Going to The Sun Road. The one who expected me to know who played lead and who took vocals on all the Beatles tracks. The main supporter of my decision to feature the Fixin To Die Rag in my report on songs of protest in seventh grade. She came to my music listening competitions and has kept me on my toes with new music discoveries over the years. There have been times when music was the only way she and I could communicate. She sent me on the road to Philly (a move she referred to as “something I was doing to her”) with a mix CD series that broke my heart, made me laugh but let me know that, despite her inability to say so, she was proud of my independence. So, it is only natural that today I would honor her with a playlist that I know will speak volumes without me having to tell her much more than I wish I were on the deck with you at the lake right now.
•I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Damien Rice
•Tracks Of My Tears> Cupid > People Get Ready
Gavin DeGraw
•Into the Mystic
Tres Tangled Truckers (Jason Isbell, Caitlan Cary, Kevn Kinney, Dave Bartholomew)
•Mamma Mia
Miniature Tigers
•Beast Of Burden & Sweet Jane
The Kooks
•Always On My Mind
Ryan Adams
•These Days
Gregg Allman
•Tonight You Belong To Me
The Bird & The Bee
Today’s golden ticket? The flyer announcing the line up for Making Time’s Anniversary show! The Philly Dance Party institution will be 9 and to celebrate they’re bringing in the big guns…
Its going down Friday May 22nd at Pure Tickets $10 pre $12 door. Gettem at Last Drop Coffee House or a www.IGETRVNG.com
*Note the info isn’t live on their site yet but I’m sure it will be up soon. That’s right kiddos, you heard it here FIRST!
Under the none stop rain that has been pounding this city for the last nine days there were some amazing musical antics going on in Philadelphia.
Wednesday, the quality options were spread like buckshot through the regular venues. The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, Fischerspooner & Junior Boys were all in town, and I’ve heard good things about all of their shows, but I took path less travelled by and oh what a night it provided.
First, I caught the early show of the Rit Mo Collective’s double header at Chris’s Jazz Cafe in honor of their CD release. It was a brilliantly orchestrated jam session led by the group’s main arranger/composer Chris Farrell. Having spent a little time with Chris discussing his inspiration and the process behind this work I was not at all surprised to hear suggestions of jazz, funk, international, jam and lyrical scoring on the demo I received. The assembled crew [Wesley Rast, Dan Barman, , Baba Joe Bryant, Will Martina, Kaveh Saidi and Lee Clark] played a few pieces not on the album before launching into the three movements that make up Arianna’s Thread. The three pieces weave together pushing and pulling each other to tell a very haunting and beautiful story. The cello’s line throughout all three pieces really anchors the ethereal violin, percussion and guitars that establish the emotion. This could easily be the score to Michael Gondry’s next movie the entirety of Arianna’s Thread lasts a little over ten minutes but stays with you much longer. The group went on to play some of the more Indian and funk rooted pieces off of the CD. They’re clearly very comfortable with each other and the music Farrell has crafted for them and it is felt in their playing. They closed the first set with Knevelled which has a strong bass hum to start off and proceeded to totally funk out (an essence not fully captured on the recording). That evening tucked away at Chris’s would have been complete, especially if I had caught the more free flowing second set, alas I was on to the next stop.
It was up to Johnny Brenda’s to see Buck County’s own Illinois. Yes, a band from PA named IL is a little confusing but its actually the lead singer’s grandpa’s name. I really had no idea what to expect ’cause nearly everything I’ve heard from the group has defied genre-lization. They came on, Chris “Arch” Archibald was wearing a blond wig naturally, and blew up the stage with what I can only describe as The Gourds, Mark Mallman, Beck with a touch of Ryan Adams. Drawing inspiration like an ADD kid in a arcade from the smarter end of the “who’s who” in alt music making in the last five-ish year they went from the “only nice song” they have to some tight country rock to funk driven rap. The hometown crowd rocked out right there with the group, who have an infectious chaotic fun stage presence you can’t help but dig in to. Arch seems to enjoy throwing sharp left turns into the set list. I most enjoyed the introduction of a banjo put to fine use on the rough and tumble Big Country. His crew most definitely has the chops to deliver the goods. There were a few guitar riffs in there that stood totally on their own. And the bassist, man there was a gnarly deep pull to his playing that put a fresh dimension to the live show that isn’t really conveyed on the groups EP’s. At one point Arch slowed it way down in honor of a friend’s birthday playing the honest ballad Missing Piece solo on the piano. By the end of their set, to be honest with you, I’m not sure I’m was any closer to figuring them out but that may very well be a big part of the appeal. I can say for certain its a group I will be seeing again.
Skinny Friedman (one half of Philadelphyinz) & Sammy Bananas are beginning a run of regular appearances the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month at Piano’s in New York. In their utter excitement over the kinda jams they will be bustin they crafted a 30 mash up of “cuff links music”
It the perfect kick off to a weekend I hope to be spent dancing away the last 9 NINE days of rain.
Enjoy!!
I just wanted to call your attention to some new additions to the show list and blog roll…
The next month or so is going to be a doozy on the quality concert front. Some of the shows I’m looking forward to include, but are not limited to:
The Papercuts + Jana Hunter – KFN May 8th
Animal Collective – Electric Factory May 12th
Pomegranates – KFN May 12th
The Thermals + Shakey Hands MAY 12th
There’s a grip of other shows you should know about and attend just take a gander to the left (and check back regularly).
Also there some new additions to the blog roll. The Twitterverse has brought some excellent bloggers to my attention and I now bring them to yours…
Sheenabeaston
Together In Digital Dreams [fellow Philly bloggers]
Cream Team
Tastes Like Caramel
Muuse
Ryspace
Crawdaddy
The Music Slut
The Culture of Me
And to send you off to the rest of your Thursday, some Daytrotter Session gems from two Philly acts I have big love for
Crazy In Love (Beyonce cover)- Pattern Is Movement
Lovers Play Dead – Drink Up Buttercup
On Tuesday night the Takeover UK busted through the Khyber. They are a quartet out of Pittsburgh with a sound you would expect out of a blue collar steel town. They come on pretty brash with some harder rhythm and percussion lines but soften the whole package with a vocals that are at times playful and pop-esque and at others a volleying duet. They threw down some interesting syncopation’s that didn’t break the rhythm of their set however, I’m not sure it contributed much either. These four guys had a lot of fun up on the stage and a little brooding edge that infused their pop tunes with a appreciable grit. The old city bar was the perfect setting for the danceable show and I was happy to see the crowd was actually feeling it.
I have spent a lot of time in kitchens. It would be safe to say I work out most of my issues while mixing up something tasty (hopefully) and grooving along with the most appropriate mix for the matters at hand. If its been a good “session” the outcome looks a little like this >
Kathryn Ostenberg singer/songwriter just starting out in LA whose best work comes from her kitchen recording sessions. Her offerings take this form:
Now, I get a lot of singer/songwriter’s demos and while I have nothing but respect for their dedication to their dream there are only few I think may have something distinct to offer to the muddled s/s fight. When I first watched a Youtube video of one of her college era performances there was a raspy charm to her vocals. She didn’t lapse into a baby-like coo when trying to be sweet nor force her range into Susan Tedeschi mode in an attempt to grab attention. Instead, she has taken what comes naturally and begun to really explore its potential.
Kathryn’s talent is still fresh but she is digging into every opportunity she can find to play and play in LA’s music scene. Joining forces with fellow artists when the opportunity arises and seeing where they take her while still refining her solo work. You can find her gigging around town at venues such at Room 5 and Genghis Cohen and I would encourage you to catch her while you can. She’s currently in the process of organizing a non-kitchen recording session and I can’t wait to hear what comes about. But I will always have a fondness for her kitchen work.
Its raining for the fourth day in a row here in Philly. I’m more than ready for the high temps of last week to return. Alas, I have very little control over that so I thought I’d use the inside time (and feed the procrastination beast) to share some of the highly enjoyable new music I’ve been listening to lately.
Created From Silence
This group from Scotland was assembled via Myspace Ad in 2008 and in the short time since has carved out a rock/pop sound with a hint of country. The presence of an organ in their work contributes nicely to separating them from similar acts. The track Strong, in particular, is well written and tightly performed. With a little more time and group experience I think the fella’s of Created From Silence could push themselves towards an even more distinct sound.
Melanie Fiona
Ms. Fiona delivered the touch of soul and Motown I found myself craving earlier this week. She has crafted her first album The Bridge (due out this summer) from a wholly listenable mix of soul, hip hop and Motown both new and old. She more than suggests a more international (not surprising considering her Guyanese parents raised her in the melting pot that is Toronto) Lauryn Hill or Jill Scott. I am really excited to see what she will be bringing to the scene as her album begins making its rounds. This video of her riffing is an excellent intro to her style and ability. Her first single Give It To Me Right is available now.
Melanie Fiona Give It To Me Right with Human Orchestra
Rosie & Me
This act hails from Brazil (I am just now realizing this post is almost entirely foreign, which is pretty awesome) and draws a lot of inspiration from Stars and The Weepies. The guitars carry sweet harmonies giving voice to simple lyrics. Its not a complex arrangement but it doesn’t need to be.
Ten & Six
Ten and Six is what happens when a college band doesn’t give up they just get better. Having apparently gone through a number of “phases” along the way lead singer Even Moran has managed to take the best of each and built a comfortable mix of folk, bluegrass and rock. The years of development are noticeable in the intricate instrumentals, the drip drop of the glockenspiel on Bedside Regiments for example. He doesn’t force his voice instead their is a true balance between all the contributing factors on the recently released self titled EP. Its a consistent and intelligent effort hinting of even more promising work in the future.
Update: Ten and Six want you to know you can download the album for free or buy a CD here
The Photons, a fabulous octet out of San Francisco has just kicked off a grand CD release project. Its a multimedia extravaganza, which is quite appropriate for a band that uses anything they can get their hands on to make their music, they will be unleashing three EP’s starting with a limited release of Glory on May 12 via insound (it will go wide on June 23rd) and two others later in the year. The neat part is the “We Are Photons” comic book that will be packaged with each EP. The groups ring leader Calvin Liu is also a comic strip artist and has combined his two loves to bring fans a highly enjoyable package of sights and sounds.
I first stumbled upon the Photons when I was given a mix that included Animals (from their 2008 self titled EP). This group of buddies first got together in 2008 as part of an effort to encourage each other to learn a new instrument. What has resulted is a fun exploration of “instruments” ranging from electro-harp to soda bottle percussion to the bulbul tarang (Indian banjo). The four tracks on Glory are proof that they are maturing into a chamber-ish folk rock sound, suggestive of Arcade Fire. Their lyrics are taut and witty while managing to stay on non-annoying side of the twee divide. The first single Where Were You Last Night demonstrates an impressive leap from last years work. Each instrument contributes a unique cog in this machine. They push and pull each other while supporting the call and answer group vocals helmed by the rasp-tastic James Parrish. Its already got a locked spot on my summer play list.
And the comic book you ask? Its a nice look inside the drama and politics that is the Photons with foot notes none the less! Today is Free Comic Book Day btw. so drop into and support your local shop. Then take a second to relish in the simple joy that are The Photons.
