7 posts tagged “the last town chorus”

Ed Kuepper - The Man Who Sold the World Ed Kuepper 1 comment Magazine Uncut Magazine (June 2008) Read More David Bowie http://weheartmus... David Bowie is one of those musicians that came slightly before my time. I remember seeing "Let's...

Blondie - Heroes 1 comment The Last Town Chorus - Modern Love 3 comments

Uncut Magazine must really love David Bowie. This is the second CD they put together featuring cover songs of some of Bowie's greatest songs. The first Bowie cover collection (Starman: Rare and Exclusive Version of 18 Classic David Bowie Songs) were from their March 2003 issue.

Most of songs on the new CD, Rebel Rebel - A Tribute to David Bowie (available free on their June 2008 issue of Uncut Magazine) were studio recording and most have appeared elsewhere. Some live recording, such as Mott The Hoople, didn't sound that good to me.

I haven't had the chance to read the David Bowie article, but flipping through it, it seems to be quotes from famous and modern musicians talking about 30 of David Bowie's greatest songs.

As of this writing, I'm too lazy to find out where each song previously appeared in, but I did noticed that they used The Last Town Chorus' version of "Modern Love" on this album.

01. Rebel Rebel	Sigue Sigue Sputnik	sputnikworld.com
02. Sound and Vision	Sound of Vision	myspace.com
03. Heroes	King Crimson	wikipedia.org
04. Modern Love	The Last Town Chorus	thelasttownchorus.com
05. The Bewlay Brothers	John Howard	kidinabigworld.co.uk
06. The Man Who Sold the World	Ed Kuepper	myspace.com
07. Kooks	Brett Smiley	myspace.com
08. Moonage Daydream	LA Gun	myspace.com
09. Queen Bitch	eater	allmusic.com
10. All the Young Dudes	Mott The Hoople	hunter-mott.com
11. Heroes	Nico	wikipedia.org
12. Memory of a Free Festival	Mercury Rev	mercuryrev.com

Links: www.uncut.co.uk www.davidbowie.com

Kathleen Edwards - The Cheapest Key Kathleen Edwards      Tour Dates 05/03/08 Majestic Theatre - Madison, WI 05/05/08 Uptown Grill - LaSalle, Illinois 05/06/08 The Duck Room - St. Louis, MO 05/07/08 Knuckleheads Sa - Kansas , MO 05/09/08 Fox Theatre Boulder, CO 05/12/08 Santa Fe Brewing  - SF, NM 05/13/08 Club Congress - Tucson, AZ 05/14/08 Belly Up - Solana Beach, CA 05/16/08 Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA 05/17/08 Sings Like Hell  - SB, CA 05/20/08 The Independent - SF, CA 05/22/08 Sasquatch Festival  WA 05/24/08 Troubadour - Los Angeles, CA 05/25/08 Elements Victoria, BC 05/26/08 Richards on Richards Cabaret Vancouver, BC 05/28/08 Grand Theatre Calgary, AB 05/29/08 Starlite Room Edmonton, AB 07/25/08 Pemberton Festival, BC The Last Town Chorus drops off tour on May 22nd Read More The Last Town Chorus http://weheartmus... I am kind of excited to see that Megan Hickey, aka The Last Town Chorus, has a new single out cal...

Kathleen Edwards ♥ photo by Vu Last Town Chorus ♥ photo by Vu

I don't think I've ever seen a band change their instruments so many times in a course of a show. Take a look at their setlist for evidence.

Canadian country rocker, Kathleen Edwards, plays to a crowded room at the always elegant Varsity Theater. There's definitely a vibe of some old fans as well as new ones who might've discovered her on the Country Music Television or her recent appearance on David Letterman.

You can feel guitarist and husband Colin Cripps talking to Edwards with his guitar, and overall had some great showmanship banter with their audience of mostly older couples.

My favorite part of the show was when Edwards tells us about how she bought 1,000 tubes to make magnets by hand... and eventually gave up after doing only about 200 (edit: although she plan on creating all 1,000 tube magnets).

Opening up for Edwards was the angelic The Last Town Chorus, aka Megan Hickey. 

On stage, Hickey uses a red box that she calls her "band". It is basically music tracks that she probably recorded (looped perhaps?) as backing music.

The David Bowie cover, "Modern Love", had a little more umph when played live and definitely a song worth listening to, especially after Hickey's long intro to the song.

I also thought her new song, "Loud and Clear" is much better played live. It's a little faster and, I don't know, more exciting, I suppose to see her hitting and pounding and sliding and shredding her lap steel guitar.

If these women are playing in your town, definitely check them out. They both put on a great show.

 05/03/2008 02:21:06  vu my♥posts kathleenedwards.com thelasttownchorus.com

-Lisa wrote: Sat, May 3, 2008 at 11:08 AM

Megan of The Last Town Chorus opening for Kathleen Edwards at the Music Mill in Indianapolis, IN on April 30, 2008. ♥ photo by -Lisa

[this is good] I was at their show in Indianapolis on 4/30, but have neglected to review it yet. Freaking amazing.

It was TLTC's first show with the backing tracks, I believe. I think she was nervous about how it was perceived by the audience. Megan was funny and if the crowd didn't fall in love with her music, I'm sure they at least fell in love with her personality. Kathleen and band were brilliant. I also really enjoyed the guitar interaction between Kathleen and Colin. I wished the evening would have lasted longer. I'm jealous that your setlist appears to be a few songs longer than the one I got.

I took some videos.
Kathleen:
6 O'Clock News
Copied Keys
Cheapest Key (in the middle of this one she sings happy birthday to Jim)
TLTC:
Loud and Clear
Caroline

I also took some photos and they're here.

I'm going to use a five stars, or rather hearts, rating. I've created 10 images in my Rating Folder, if anyone else wants to use it for review. Since images tend to align itself defaults to "center", you can actually set the image to align to the bottom. Here's how, example:

<img src="http://a6.vox.com/6a00f48cdd2598000200f48cf11d4e0002-500pi" style="vertical-align: bottom;">

The code above will generate a 2.5 rating:

Okay! So this week's review theme is Girls! Girls! Girls! Here we go:

The Last Town Chorus - Loud and Clear 1 comment Rating: The Last Town Chorus - Loud and Clear Apr 22, 2008 at 10:15 PM I am kind of excited to see that Megan Hickey, aka The Last Town Chorus, has a new single out called Loud and Clear (released last February). I believe it's just a one-track single that you can download on iTunes for 99 cents. The Last Town Chorus, since the last time I reviewed her Wire Waltz on W♥M, I noted that all her songs are kind of mini-biography, or at it least seems so. This song is a dialogue between listener and song, with her obvious trademark lap steel guitar sliding in and out. [ read more ]	Madita - Better Brother 1 comment Rating: Madita - Too Apr 22, 2008 at 11:31 PM Edita Malovcic, aka Madita, is an Austrian singer and actress. To be honest, I haven't seen any of her films, they're mostly European features, but they do look interesting. And who knew that she would also have a great voice to go on her second album. I'll have to also admit that the first time I saw her album artwork, I thought of that M.I.A. woman, but although the DIY/weird mix of sounds is more to do with improv jazz as heard on "Fragile", I think in some ways, Madita is more classic and traditional. [ read more ]
Anna Ternheim-Girl Laying Down Rating: Anna Ternheim - Halfway To Fivepoints Apr 23, 2008 at 12:28 AM As it, I came across Sweden's Anna Ternheim in association with El Perro Del Mar[W♥M], who apparently they are going on tour together in May (with Lykke Li). And just in time, for America to catch up on Ternheim, Universal Music released a self-titled EP and Halfway To Fivepoints , which collects some of Ternheim's best known songs together. I wish they'd use a different cover artwork for Halfway To Fivepoints as it is exactly the same as her second album, Separation Road. [ read more ]	Sarah Vonderhaar - Over You Rating: Sarah Vonderhaar Apr 26, 2008 at 9:39 AM Sarah Vonderhaar just released Are You Listening Now on April 22nd. According to her notes printed on the CD, she lived with her manager, Bill Covert, for six weeks to record of this debut album. The result? An impressive debut pop record. She first found fame through CW's America's Top Model (Cycle 8), which translate to her massive fan base of mostly young women. As I previously mentioned this being a pop record, most of these songs are radio friendly (which means they are 3-minute songs)... [ read more ]
Nicole Atkins - Maybe Tonight Rating: Nicole Atkins - Maybe Tonight Apr 26, 2008 at 3:31 PM I've seen Nicole Atkins in concert before, so I'm glad to see that she's doing some promotional dates in the UK, just in time for her album Neptune City to be released in the UK on June 2nd, 2008. Since I already have the album, being in the US, I can tell you that it'll do well in the UK charts. Prior to the album, her UK single will be Maybe Tonight to be released on May 26th. The one-track promo I receive doesn't have any album artwork, so I'm putting one of favorite photo of the 'magical' Atkins. It's one of those songs that would play very well on the radio and you'll find yourself humming and singing to the catchy chorus of "I know we'll never meet again/Maybe tonight/Just tell me where and when", but failing to know any of the other lyrics. [ read more ]	Lara Ewen - Untethered Rating: Lara Ewen and the Unstrung Orchestra Apr 26, 2008 at 4:21 PM I'll have to admit, I think Lara Ewen is very good looking, based on her photographs on her debut album, Ghosts and Gasoline (2007). I even love her mysterious angel wings on her left arm, which she wears proudly like a badge of honor. By the way, the band's name is actually Lara Ewen and the Unstrung Orchestra. The orchestra part is kind of amusing because I don't really recall any traditional orchestra part at all (although it would be interesting to hear her music set to wind instruments...) Most of the songs are kind of folky and country, centered around Ewen's gorgeous full vocals. Such as the bluesy "Clear", probably taken from her debut EP. Her vocals suggest a sassy young woman in New York City, full of an American dream. [ read more ]

 04/26/2008 18:24:10  vu my♥posts weheartmusic.com

Joe Satriani - Surfing With The Ailen Joe Satriani Press Release Joe Satriani Set to Release 13th Solo Album http://weheartmus... Over the course of his illustrious career, JOE SATRIANI has achieved legendary success with his 1... Sounds Like Dick Dale http://weheartmus... Dick Dale is the granddaddy of surf rock, and responsible for some of the most inexplicably catch...

I got an announcement stating that legendary instrumental rocker Joe Satriani is about to release his 13th solo album called Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock on April 1st. When I first read that I thought, oh god, how many people are going to think this is an April Fools joke when the day arrives?

Follow the press release link for more information about the tracklisting and all that details.

An interesting thing that caught my eye was that at the end of the press release it said that they had re-released Surfing with the Alien deluxe edition! It's a shame that I only have the crappy 1 CD version :/

Well here's something I thought you might be interested in hearing, since I am a pretty big comic book nerd. Did you know that the cover art is by John Byrne? Personally, I would've prefer a Jack Kirby Silver Surfer :)

Maybe someone should compile all comic-book album artwork (note: Frank Frazetta and fantasy won't count). I know there's a few out there, I would love to see it all in one post.

There's a bunch of tour announcements recently, so I'll just briefly mention the ones that are relevant to us: Mark Olson announces Winter Tour Dates and The Last Town Chorus ends her tour. Check out the link for more details - as well as a surprise at the end. Well maybe not so much a surprise if you're an old W♥M reader.

Olson is coming back to the Twin City, but I won't be around to do the coverage - instead, I am having Todd do the honor. You may have noticed his entry for Brownout.

Stars confirmed their East Coast tour dates, see press page for all the dates.

 01/24/2008 07:36:57  vu my♥posts www.weheartmusic.com

As the temperamental music scene continues to waver between tradition and the avant garde, with the new kids on the block straining the boundaries of convention while their predecessors desperately attempt to stay relevant, it’s refreshing to listen to an album that embraces the poignancy of music-making. 

 

Megan Hickey, of Brooklyn-based The Last Town Chorus, intuits an organic approach to her craft, proving that simplicity is often more complex than a twelve-member electro-orchestra of distorted noise.  On Wire Waltz, Hickey and co. deftly construct an atmospheric backdrop that invokes a kind of agrarian mystery—at once peaceful and shattering.  Hickey’s voice swells with the calculated pace of someone who’s actually lived life (as opposed to those who think about life).  This is as much music for the world-weary layman as it is for the New York hipsters that will certainly be attracted.

 

The Last Town Chorus - Wire Waltz The Last Town Chorus 2 comments The Last Town Chorus - Modern Love The Last Town Chorus 3 comments

On Thursday The Last Town Chorus played an intimate show at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City, opening for labelmate Mark Olson. Hickey demonstrated her dexterity with the lap-steel guitar, filling the modest venue with waves of tingle-inducing sound. Watching TLTC perform, I was reminded of a thought I had during my first Low concert: “this is music that begs to be heard live.” And TLTC makes that kind of music—music that provokes, God forgive me, eyes-closed swaying (not to be confused with the eyes-closed, arms-linked swaying of Burt Bacharach’s graduation pleaser “That’s What Friends are For”). A highlight from the show was a live performance of David Bowie’s cover “Modern Love” (Hickey reinterprets the dance-happy groove of the original as a gothic ballad). This cover was featured in a promo for the docudrama “Diana: the Last Days of a Princess,” and Hickey introduced the song with a “shout-out” to Diana, praising her contributions as a humanitarian while jokingly referencing the late princess’s distinctive hairstyle.

The Last Town Chorus is currently on tour with Mark Olson.  For a complete tour schedule, visit www.thelasttownchorus.com.

 

-Lara

On Tour Aug 30 New York City, Bowery Ballroom[1] Aug 31 Burlington, VT. Higher Ground[1] Sep 01 Northampton, MA. Iron Horse Sep 02 Boston, MA. Paradise Club[1] Sep 04 Philadelphia, PA. World Cafe Live[1] Sep 06 D.C./Virginia. Iota[1] Sep 07 Raleigh, NC, The Hideaway[1] Sep 08 Athens, GA. The Melting Point[1] Sep 09 Atlanta, GA, Smith's Olde Bar[1] Sep 25 Minneapolis, MN[2] Sep 26 Lawrence, KS, Bottleneck[2] Sep 27 Denver, CO, The Marquis Theatre[2] Sep 28 Albuquerque, NM, Launchpad[2] Sep 29 Tempe, AZ, The Clubhouse[2] Sep 30 San Diego, CA, Casbah[2] Oct 01 Los Angeles, CA, Borders Books (Free) Oct 02 Los Angeles, CA, El Rey Theatre[2] Oct 03 San Francisco, CA, Slim's[2] Oct 04 Portland, OR, Hawthorne Theatre[2] Oct 05 Seattle, WA, Neumos[2] Oct 06 Vancouver, Commodore Ballroom[2] Oct 07 Victoria, Canada. Sugar Nightclub[2] Oct 09 Calgary, AB, Canada. MacEwan Hall[2] Oct 10 Edmonton, Canada, Myer Horowitz[2] Oct 24 Detroit, MI, Magic Stick[2] Oct 24 Ann Arbor, MI, Borders Books (Free) Oct 25 Chicago, IL, Metro[2] Oct 26 Cleveland, OH, Grog Shop[2] Oct 27 Pittsburgh, PA, Mr. Small's Theatre[2] Oct 28 Washington, DC, 9:30 Club[2] Oct 29 Philadelphia, PA, Trocadero Theatre[2] Oct 30 New York, NY, Webster Hall[2] Nov 01 Boston, MA, Paradise Rock Club[2] Nov 23 Australia, Queensland Footnotes [1] With Mark Olson [2] With The Weakerthans [3] Wednesday, August 22, 2007 [4] Link: thelasttownchorus.com

Hey, I wanted to briefly mention about The Last Town Chorus coming to your town and how you can see them for free, this was posted on TLTC's blog^[3]:

If you're willing to help out and hang 20-30 posters (size: 11x17) around town prior to any of the dates listed below, we can offer you 2 free tickets to the show!.

Email Shawnte at shawnte at hacktone dot com with your name, location, and a brief note.

- New York (Bowery Ballroom - 8/30)
- Burlington, VT (Higher Ground - 8/31)
- Northampton, MA (Iron Horse Music Hall - 9/1)
- Boston, MA (Paradise Lounge - 9/2)
- Philadelphia, PA (World Cafe Live - 9/4)
- DC/Arlington, VA (Iota - 9/6)
- Raleigh, NC (Hideaway BBQ - 9/7)
- Athens, GA (Melting Point - 9/8)

Audio The Last Town Chorus - Huntsville, 1989 Video The Last Town Chorus - "Modern Love" Albums [Mar 2003] The Last Town Chorus [Mar 2006] Wire Waltz (US release date 2007)

This is a really great way for you to support the artist by helping out with a little promotion.

I'm also including the rest of her tour dates. Australian fans, she's going to be in your area around November/December, so keep an eye out.

I'll briefly mention that originally The Last Town Chorus was a duo of Megan Hickey and Nat Guy. Currently, it's just Megan and her lap steel guitar. Spin Magazine gave a very healthy review of Wire Waltz

Cover lovers will probably have already heard her version of David Bowie's "Modern Love" (have been featured in Grey's Anatomy), but did you know she does another cover? It's Culture Club's "Do You Really Wanna Hurt Me", which you can download on her website^[4].

My favorite is "Huntsville, 1989", which I think is basically Megan's biography. I immediately identified with her lyrics: Going to bed each night with a Smiths cassette and diary writing. Going to school each day with pocket change and an Oscar Wilde book waiting for words to save my life.

 August 28, 2007 3:54 AM  vu my♥posts vu@weheartmusic.com thelasttownchorus.com

On Tour 24 Aug 2007 Proud Gallery - London 25 Aug 2007 The Social - London

The reason why I'm checking out this band, Eugene Francis Juniors, is because there was an announcement that they were on tour with Tegan & Sara (the tour dates are over, by the way). I did have the intention of mentioning them prior to the tour, so I'm making it up by mentioning these next two upcoming dates.

So, I finally, did listen to some of their songs, they sound like alt-experimental-folk.

I checked around to see what others have written about EFJ and there's not a whole lot of information on them. There is a blog that just copy/paste a press release.

So here's some generally information about them:

1. Eugene Francis Juniors are a band consisting of Eugene Francis Jnr and his backing band, the Juniors. They're currently based out of London, England (however, I think he's actually Welsh, and for a time, lived in New York City).

2. They've recently released a double A-Side "Poor Me" backed with "Kites". The video to Poor Me looks interesting, with Francis being dragged on his back while he's singing.

3. They are finalizing on the release of their debut album called The Golden Beatle, which I'm hoping is a reference to the Beatles and not a misspelling of beetle.

PS, It's really too bad that we don't have anyone working for W♥M that lives in London right now, because I could use them to review concerts for us. And let's face it: London constantly have shows! Send me an email if you want to be our London correspondent!

Speaking of shows, I don't mean to steal some of Lara's thunder, but I'm really excited to announce she will be covering The Last Town Chorus (a band that recently opened up for Camera Obscura on the East Coast) in New York. Frankly, I'm tired of seeing only Minneapolis and Newcastle (sorry Ryan!) represented when we do concert reviews. Also, I'm supposed to be published in my local Star Tribune Sunday's paper. No, I wasn't arrested, it's about music.... If I get the clipping, I will scan it for you guys.

[Edit] Apologies, I've had a long week and confused Tegan and Sara with Camera Obscura (it's because I'm working with another artist that is opening up for Camera Obscura).

 August 24, 2007 7:36 AM  vu my♥posts vu@weheartmusic.com myspace.com/eugenefrancisjnr