2 posts tagged “ed ackerson”

THE MOOD SWINGS
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People have been asking if I've been hitting the Sauce, so I know this venue on the busy intersection of Lyndale & Lake is getting huge buzz love. I may have to postpone my attendance because I have two flat tires (those reading my twitters will already know this).

So tonight, The Mood Swings will be at the Sauce, at their CD-releasing party. As with previous Susstones showmania, they are cheap ($5, man!) and features a ton of bands (Two Harbors, First Communion Afterparty, and Blue Sky Blackout are also playing). Between bands, Marc the Guv is handling the DJ spins. Anyway, more bang for your buck seems to be Susstones' motto.

Before you go, some things you should know:

• Ashley Ackerson is the primary headperson is married to their now-new-bassist Ed Ackerson (see Polara)
• This is their third album, Recessionista, which came out last Tuesday on Susstones Records.
• The Current (a Minnesota Public Radio station) has sponsered this event

I will write a full review on Recessionista later, I just wanted to post this up today to let you know about the show tonight. Oh also: @themoodswings, @EdAckerson, and @Susstones.

THOSE DARLINS
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Earlier this year, Those Darlins rolled through town. It was one of their favorite show, loads of people showed up. Heavy drinking were involved.

I will be covering their show next Sunday, post-Thanksgivings and post-Black Friday, it looks like it's going to be a great time. Very interested in checking out King Khan (I like their name).

The rest of their tour dates:

FRI 11/20 PORTLAND, OR Dante's
SAT 11/21 SEATTLE, WA Chop Suey
MON 11/23 VANCOUVER, BC The Red Room
WED 11/25 CALGARY, AB Warehouse
THUR 11/26 EDMONTON, AB Pawn Shop
FRI 11/27 SASKATOON, SK Amigos
SAT 11/28 WINNIPEG, MB Royal Albert
SUN 11/29 MINNEAPOLIS, MN Triple Rock
TUE 12/1 MILWAUKE, WI Mad Planet
WED 12/2 CHICAGO, IL Logan Square
THUR 12/3 CINCINNATI, OH Northside Tavern

BEBEL GILBERTO
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Brazilian Bebel Gilberto is touring the US, starting in Washington on November 23^rd. Her latest album is called All in One and I just read is mostly in Portuguese.

We've previously mentioned her with her "jazz" standard, covering Night and Day - but you may know her as the daughter of João Gilberto, who, along with then-wife Astrud Gilberto, made "The Girl From Ipanema" a world-wide hit (and ultimately made bossa nova music famous).

I am keeping my eye on December 3^rd for her appearance at the Dakota Jazz Club in downtown Minneapolis.

BEBEL GILBERTO ON TOUR

Nov 23 - Washington, D.C. - 9:30 Club
Nov 25 - New York, NY - Hiro Ballrooom
Nov 27 - Boston - Paradise Rock Club
Nov 28 - Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theatre
Nov 29 - Montreal - L'Astral
Nov 30 - Toronto - Sound Academy
Dec 2 - Chicago - Park West
Dec 3 - Minneapolis - Dakota Jazz Club
Dec 5 - Denver - Ogden Theatre
Dec 8 - Solana Beach - Belly Up Tavern
Dec 9 - Los Angeles - Henry Fonda Theatre
Dec 10 - San Francisco - Bimbo's

 11/18/2008 12:03:14  ♥ written by vu ()

Ever tried typing with frozen fingers? Because that's what I'm doing right now. Holy moley, it's freezing in here.

I have here Ed Ackerson's Ackerson2 album in my frozen fingers, I don't think there is an official release date, other than that it's already available for purchase. Incidentally, if you don't know who Ackerson is, he is probably best known for being the singer/founder of Polara.

Sleeper and Polara ♥ Whiskey A-Go-Go, Los Angeles (29 Apr 1995)

I do have a funny anecdote about Polara, way back in the mid-nineties, I was really into Sleeper and had saved up all my hopes and dream to see them at the Whiskey A-Go-Go. This was a very special show for me, I even saved the concert ticket from Ticketbastard.

Polara opened up for Sleeper, I didn't know who they were back then, but my friends were all savvy to them. It was 90s alternative rock and from this set, they threw a Polara T-Shirt into the crowd and my friend Shawn ended up grabbing it.

So, that's how I was introduced to Polara.

I can't say I have followed them that closely through the years, I am happy to see that they recently released Beekeeping, so be sure to check out Andrew's review.

As the '2' on Ackerson2 indicate, this is Ackerson's second solo album. While, I don't have his earlier album for reference, I can tell you that it's somewhat of a departure from Polara. I get the impression that Ackerson have a lot of songs and demos in his head, and they don't necessary fit in Polara's noisy rock music.

The one song that really sounded different is a banjo-driven song called "Run Away With Me". Maybe it's the banjo, or maybe it's the singing style, but it does bring up that folksy question.

Ackerson explains it:

In a lot of ways this record is about me exploring my pre-noise roots, the influences at the beginning of my musical life before I got into more experimental stuff. Sixties stuff, like Beatles, Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel—the first material I learned to play on guitar. The tight harmony singing, odd juxtapositions of instruments, and playful production on records from that time is still very appealing to me.

- Ed Ackerson, City Pages - November 19, 2007

"Go Ahead And Cry" is my favorite song on the album. It's a little upbeat, for the title and theme of the song, but I like it. I'll bet it should be fantastic live, especially with that banjo section. Which, shock, there will be a CD release party at the Varsity Theater on November 28^th. Going there is now a pleasure as they have finally fixed that 35W bridge (it looks and drives much better now!).

You can pick up Ackerson's album via Susstones Shop.