4 posts tagged “under the wave”
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I know these are long overdue. These were recordings from SXSW.
First of all, I'm not very happy with the audio quality, I was recording it using a built-in mic on the recorder. On retrospect, I should have bought along a professional mic and plug it into the input. So apology for the poor audio once again.
THE MAY FIRE
themayfire.com ♥ myspace.com/themayfire
I talked to: Catty, El Pipe, Johnny (missing is Rob, who wandered off).
This audio is pretty poor, you can hear another band doing soundcheck in the background as we quickly got the band to talk about how the name came about and how Johnny Beane joined them, when their original guitarist left.
At of the time, they were looking to write a full length album, since they have released three EPs.
SOLID GOLD
myspace.com/solidgoldband
I talked to: Zach, Matt, and Adam (not sure what happened to their drummer).
This was conducted in an open restaurant (thank god for spellcheck, I can never spell that stupid word), and at one point in the interview, the waiter came and took our orders (we ordered coffee & tea). Also the first question came via text and it was "What's up with those mustaches?".
As I have previously mentioned, these guys are cool and don't really take themselves too seriously.
They will be playing the ever-popular "Rock the Garden" show this year with The Decemberists. Everyone I know is going to this show!
Next week: two more shows!
I know these are long overdue. These were recordings from SXSW.
First of all, I'm not very happy with the audio quality, I was recording it using a built-in mic on the recorder. On retrospect, I should have bought along a professional mic and plug it into the input. So apology for the poor audio once again.
THE MAY FIRE
themayfire.com ♥ myspace.com/themayfire
This audio is pretty poor, you can hear another band doing soundcheck in the background as we quickly got the band to talk about how the name came about and how Johnny Beane joined them, when their original guitarist left.
At of the time, they were looking to write a full length album, since they have released three EPs.
SOLID GOLD
myspace.com/solidgoldband
This was conducted in an open restaurant (thank god for spellcheck, I can never spell that stupid word), and at one point in the interview, the waiter came and took our orders (we ordered coffee & tea). Also the first question came via text and it was "What's up with those mustaches?".
As I have previously mentioned, these guys are cool and don't really take themselves too seriously.
They will be playing the ever-popular "Rock the Garden" show this year with The Decemberists. Everyone I know is going to this show!
06/20/09 Rock the Garden w/ the decemberists, calexico, and yeasayer minneapolis
07/31/09 The Zoo w/ the pines and jeremy messersmith minnesota zoo
If you notice, the interviews were quick & dirty. There were
some questions/answers that I threw out, mostly because they were
uninteresting or poor audio. 07/31/09 The Zoo w/ the pines and jeremy messersmith minnesota zoo
Next week: two more shows!
06/19/2009 16:45:58 ♥ vu (
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♥weheartmusic.com♥twitter.com/weheartmusic♥news.weheartmusic.com
You know, the festival is only four days, but it really seem like weeks.
While having every band in the world merge at one place might sound like a great idea... sometime their appearance conflicts with other artists that you also want to see. So one of the biggest problem I had was sacrificing who to see.
Music happens from daylight (probably closer to 10am start) until two in the morning, or even later.
I usually started my day around 8am, working out my schedule for the day. Sometime it's logistics, sometime it's time-issues, but usually I have a full day's worth of stuff to do. I don't follow my schedule to a T, but there are certain items that I absolutely cannot miss (scheduled interviews takes priority over shows).
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- Offline gmail. This worked! I read/did most emails offline and when I was connected, all emails were sent, marked as read, etc.
- iPod Touch, worked like a charm. I was able to grab onto various (free) wifi to receive emails or websurf (maps), etc.
- Austin Convention Center's SXSW wifi stayed up most 99% of the time. Wonderful!
- Cash (ATM) availability
- Blocking off 6th street for pedestrians
WHAT SUCKED
- AT&T Network, apparently everyone in Austin had an iPhone
- Walking......
- Sony Memory Stick not supported on my laptop
- Bands playing 30 minutes or less
- Badges are ridiculously expensive ($600-$700). I think they should make it more affordable, especially since most places don't bother to check for a badge and/or were free. If there was a cover charge, it is usually under $10.
I guess my problems are not really that bad.
DAY ZERO (Tuesday)
Travelling… nothing too exciting. My least favorite state was the one with the road tolls (I think this was in Oklahoma). We did stop in Oklahoma City to see Blackwatch Studios (myspace). We got to hear a few songs from Minneapolis' Cedar Avenue (official/myspace) band from their forth-coming long playing record. The few songs we heard were incomplete, but it sounds really layered with a variety of tracks.
By the way, if the name Cedar Avenue sounds familiar to you, it is because Kristin reviewed their debut album a while back.
DAY ONE (Wednesday)
Getting my barring was hard. I didn't know where any of the streets were. So when people text me: come over to (name of venue), I replied and ask what the cross streets were. Since walking around was my main means of transportation, I ended up crossing out outlier venues immediately.
Wednesday was evening-only, so I mostly went to see some British acts over at Friend's. These guys were all from the London area, with the exception of Liverpool's Wave Machines (official/myspace). These guys creeped me out with their masks that they wore on stage - however, due to heat and comfortableness, they took them off half way into their short set. Also caught a bit of Jay Jay Pistolet (myspace), whose singing voice is very peculiar... it's like he sounds like he's sing out the side of his mouth.
When Mumford & Sons (myspace) took the stage, it was very, very, very crowded. The audience loved them and it's apparent that these guys are going to blow up this year.
The Havana Bar had some Spanish showcase, featuring mostly Mexican bands such as Songs For Eleonor (myspace), Satin Dolls (official), Cosmopolitan (myspace), and Los Fancy Free (myspace). With the exception of The May Fire (official/myspace) and Spain's Capsula (official). We like Spanish acts, so be sure to read more Mexican Summer and my coverage of Los Fancy Free.
DAY TWO (Thursday)
I think this was the big press day, I got to meet & greet Victoria who setup the interview with Solid Gold (myspace). She was kind enough to have me in the Myspace Music event, featuring some artists that I really enjoy: Kate Tucker, Meiko and Ed Harcourt.
To kick off the party was The Real You (myspace), a power-pop band from Seattle, Washington. According to their biography, they've been on constant tour since forming in early 2007 - so I'm sure you'll run into this young band eventually.
I haven't been keeping up with Kate Tucker (official/myspace), but apparently her latest project is with a band called The Honeydove (myspace) - who debuted at SXSW! Unfortunately, I had prior commitments, but I would've liked to have seen her new band play at the Beauty Bar.
Anyway, the nicest bit about her set was that she wanted everyone at the event to get a copy of her last album, "I want to give you my music!"
So if you weren't at the event, you missed out. Hey, maybe you can stop in and say hi to her in Washington:
- 04/05/09 Sunset Seattle, WA
05/21/09 Chop Suey as honeydove Seattle, WA
Meiko (official/myspace) had a guest trumpet player on for most of her set (she requested him on for the rest of show because I guess she felt more comfortable with having someone else with her). She actually started her set with "Piano Song", which ironically just her and her guitar... She made some funny comments, such as "I've never played to a bunch of porta potties before".
You get the impression that she was happy to be there, and maybe it's yellow-iest dress combined with her orange/red dyed hair, but she looks gorgeous.
Ed Harcourt (official/myspace) was very engaging…. During "Until Tomorrow Then", he got down to the audience and walked around, singing and putting his hands around people while everyone was filming and taking pictures. Enclosed is a video evidence.
Harcourt is releasing a new six-track EP called Russian Roulette out on May 5th, but SXSW audience were privy to some of his new songs courtesy of Dovecote Records and Directv. Pay close attention to "Caterpillar", as this is a personal song about his newborn daughter being placed in an incubator as they helpless sit and wait.
Went to an open-door new talent showcase, this was not an official sanctioned SXSW event (you'll find that there are many, many unofficial events), so I don't have a listing of who played at what time. They were all giving away their CDs, but I couldn't bother to pick them up (this would require me to carry around stuff, and I didn't have a hand bag ready). Reminder for next year: bring a man purse.
Also went over to check The Elevaters (myspace) and Rumspringa (myspace) at the Hi-Lo venue. While Elevaters were fun and energetic, it seems the drums/guitar duo of Rumspringa had a lot of problems with their equipment. They had to cut their southern-sounding melodic set short after four (?) songs, quote from the singer, "my shit ain't working."
DAY THREE (Friday)
The busy day. Walked all over town basically. My only out-of-the-way venue was at 3 o'clock to see Superdrag (official/myspace) at Guero's, which I thought was far walking there. I ran into one of our RV family, who we'll call Rose because she looks like a pint-sized Pippettes, complete with dress and all. We walked back across the river so I can make it to my Asteroids Galaxy Tour (official/myspace) interview (this was delayed because of some miscommunication).
Afterward, headed over to Beauty Bar to see Solid Gold play, mustache and all. I can tell the audience was having a good time, especially the girl at the backstage.
Then snuck over to see this punk(ish) band that MTV was covering. I didn't catch their name, but it sounded something like Dirty____ Something. The singer had bleach blonde hair and eye shadows.... and likes to walk around with no shirts on.
Evening was spent mostly at the Scotland show: We Were Promised Jet Packs (myspace), Dananananaykroyd (official/myspace), Camera Obscura (official/myspace), The Proclaimers (official/myspace), Glasvegas (official/myspace), Primal Scream (official/myspace). I was in-out so I did end up missing Glasvegas & Primal Scream, but thanks to Bob for sending in some pictures.
DAY FOUR (Saturday)
Saw a few bands in the daytime at the Press Here Garden Party at the French Legation Museum across the Freeway (this is actually closer than it sounds). The walk there was interesting, and I discovered a no-seating Wendy's on the right side of 7th Street. Yep, I ended up having dinner there since they were making these chicken things that's not available in Minnesota.
I got to the Garden just in time to see Jeremy Jay (myspace), and enjoyed the most of the day with The Soft Pack (myspace) and Diane Birch* (myspace) before heading over to 900 Red River to see Jeremy Jay again.
Listened to Camera Obscura afterwards with those Peelander-Z, as I previously mentioned.
Headed back to the Garden to see Melissa Auf De Maur (official/myspace), who started her set with three cover songs: Nancy Sinatra's "Bang Bang", Danzig's "Devil's Plaything", and The Smiths "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before". Although the first two went off pretty well, she totally messed up on "Stop Me" - which is understandable because that song has a lot of Morrissey's lyrics and also they had only practiced it the night before in their hotel room.
It wasn't long before people started filling up the seats at the Garden to see Laura Marling (official/myspace). She was joined on stage by Marcus Mumford, I think. He played percussions and sang backup, although I have to say that Marling would've done just fine with her lovely voice and acoustic guitar.
Saw Late of the Pier at the Bat Bar later that night. Since it was being broadcast live on Directv, I think the pressure got to the band and it was just embarrassing to watch. Towards the end, they seem to not be so nervous, and the (rather long) setlist ended with men in death masks coming on stage to carry the band offstage. I don't have Directv, is there a way for non-subscribers to watch this?
Honey Ryder (myspace) was really happy to be Austin, I think this was their first ever US appearance or something. I believe also that their name came from a James Bond girl ? I don't know much about them, but they seem to have a wider audience and following in the UK, where their single "Fly Away" entered the UK Top 40 at #31.
GoldieLocks (myspace) is 75% English and 25% Swedish from Croydon (South London). She raps to DJ Sports (?), who is wearing this Skeletor T-shirt. After the show, she wanted to give everyone in attendance her EP, which actually went pretty fast. As I previously mentioned, keep an eye on this one.
There's no denying that The Gin Riots (myspace) have quite a few hardcore fans here, as evident by a bunch of Gin Riots T-Shirt in the audience.
It's been a few years since The Crimea (official/myspace) toured in the US, so I was happy to be there for them on their second and last SXSW appearance. They were the last band on my list, so it was kind of a relief when it was all over.
And as corrected by superfan Christopher, Tara Blaise shared the stage to sing backup for the band.... Highlight of the show was then Davey Macmanus stepped down and sang in the center of the audience.
* A note on Birch is that she has these incredible legs, but too bad they were well-hidden behind her piano on stage.
03/29/2009 17:50:12 ♥ vu ()
♥weheartmusic.com♥podcast.weheartmusic.com♥news.weheartmusic.com
Fellow Californians, Astra Heights, Monte Negro and The May Fire played at the 400 Bar in Minneapolis last night (AutoVaughn was also on the bill, but I didn't see them). It was a low turnout, which is understandable as it's a lazy Sunday. I was actually a little surprise to find out that Monte Negro and May Fire both had noticibly Spanish accents, I guess I thought Catty from May Fire was American based on her songs. It seems that Monte Negro sounds like a Spanish reggae/ska-influenced and the highlight of the show was a cover song (I couldn't figure out what the song was) with El Pipe from the May Fire.
Andrew reviewed The May Fire's latest EP on W♥M and I was impress with their sound that I requested to do coverage on this show. They didn't let me down with rocking out, and there wasn't a whole lot of talking inbetween the short list of seven songs. All their songs are like short punk songs and the keyboard was used only once by Rob, the bassist (all that setup for a 40 second use!) There was one moment of awkwardness when they asked someone in the audience if "they were sleeping over at Justin's mom". They are still in Minnesota and will be appearing at Eclipse Records in St Paul, tomorrow. Too bad I won't be able to make it. PS, yes, that is a tiger. |
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08/06/08 San Diego, CA
Beauty Bar
08/07/08 LA, CA Knitting Factory 08/08/08 San Clemente, CA OC Tavern 08/09/08 Pomona, CA Glass House 08/11/08 Phoenix, AZ Modified 08/12/08 Las Vegas, NV The Mirage 08/13/08 Tucson, AZ Sharks 08/14/08 El Paso, TX Take 2 08/15/08 Austin, TX Antones 08/16/08 Monterrey, Mexico El Garage 08/18/08 Dallas, TX Club Dada 08/19/08 Houston, TX Warehouse Live 08/20/08 Manhattan, KS Kathouse 08/21/08 Bridgeport, IL Friendly Fire 08/22/08 Chicago, IL The Metro 08/24/08 Minneapolis, MN 400 Bar 08/25/08 St. Paul, MN Eclipse 08/27/08 Omaha, NE Shea Riley's 08/28/08 Englewood, CO Falcon Bowl 08/29/08 SL City, UT Burts Tiki Lounge 08/30/08 Nampa. ID Flying M Coffee 09/01/08 Portland, OR East End 09/02/08 Seattle, WA High Dive 09/03/08 Eugene, OR WOW Hall 09/04/08 SF, CA Red Devil Lounge 09/05/08 Walnut Creek, CA Betty's Rock 09/06/08 Monterey, CA Underground 09/07/08 Salinas, CA Fox Theatre 09/08/08 Fresno, CA Audie's Olympic 09/10/08 Oakland, CA The Uptown 09/11/08 Reno, NV Satellite 09/12/08 San Jose, CA Blank Club 09/13/08 Bakersfield, CA Narducci's 09/14/08 Victorville, CA Karma |
San Francisco's The May Fire has a certain sort of Sonic Youth/Sleater-Kinneynity (Sleater-Kinnectivity?) that while not unique, is surprisingly pleasing in a familiar sort of way - like accidentally discovering that the bistro down the street makes pasta that tastes almost like mom used to make. The May Fire's newest EP, "The List," released today, is actually the third installment of a trilogy of bite-sized offerings. Having not actually heard the previous two EPs, I'm only left to assume that this album has context in a measure of the whole… whether that's a reasonable assumption, I don't know. What I do know is that this particular fuzzy, noise rock offering is fun, a nice summer riot enjoyably reminiscent of early 90's girl grunge.
Lead singer Catty Tasso has a voice built for this sort of unpolished, raw rock - deep, scratchy and with modest range - and I mean that affectionately. I mean; it works. For the most part. The album has its flashes of talent and its occasional shades of mediocrity, but the whole offering is carried by the fourth track, "Under The Wave." After I've listened to the first three tracks and the fourth begins to fade in, I feel much as the parent of a "C" student who finally brings home an "A" paper who berates "This just proves you can do it. Now I expect you to get an 'A' every time."
Unreasonable? Probably. But the "Under The Wave" track takes what would normally be just a passable EP and ramps it up a notch, proving that the May Fire, with a little more study, can yet become a band that ruins the grading curve for everybody else.
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