I don't think I'll be able to make it to SXSW this year, and I've got to say that I'm already a bit down about that. Every day I get more and more emails promoting artists who are going to be there, and it's not making me feel any better about it.

The good news is that the emails at least allow me to discover some amazing new bands - and Dan Black is one of those. A Brit who specializes in extremely poppy electornica, Dan is part of the so-called "wonky-pop" movement, i.e. seriously quirky but catchy, melodic tunes.

His (solo) debut record, UN, is available on iTunes now, and will have a physical release in the US next week. Check out the video for his single, Symphonies, below and I've attached a link for the free six song mixtape he put out a couple of months ago, called Weird Science, that mashes up all sorts of recognizable samples with lyrics from other well known songs, as sung by Dan Black. Trust me, download and enjoy.

Dan Black - Weird Science EP





Tour Dates:

Labels: dan black, studio mp3s, tour dates, video

So one of the cool things that came out of seeing Letters To Cleo a few weeks ago, was I ended up hearing about The Hard To Get (THTG) an indie-rock duo from Los Angeles who came together in 2006 - think The Pixies meets Sleater-Kinney. Made up of Melissa Kaplan (guitar/lead vocals) and Tim Lee (drums/backup vocals), the band earned their cred playing at every local venue from Echo Park to Venice.

Their debut, self-released 2008 album, "This Is The New Business Plan," (produced & mixed by Michael Eisenstein of "Letters to Cleo" - hence the earlier comment) did a nice job capturing the band's catchy, riff-driven songs while maintaining the hard, fast and electric feeling of their live shows.

Their second EP, "Looking Good," shows off the group's eclectic side with a more varied mix of layers, and even features a quick venture into samba rock.

Keeping it interesting, the band covers multiple genres in one set and plays past the often one-trick music scene with a passionate multi-layered sound and a revolving cast of guest players. If there was a common thread in their tunes, it would the playful boy-girl harmonies, thoughtful lead and rhythm guitar progressions, and heartfelt melodic ideas.

Melissa and Tim are getting ready to go out on tour (I'm still waiting on that Dallas date!!) - go check them out and mention the Lullabyes blog at one of their shows for a free EP! See the confirmed dates listed below. Sign up for their newsletter or check their myspace for additional dates as they get announced!

thehardtoget.com
www.myspace.com/thehardtoget

Tour Dates:
06/26/09 Fox and Goose Pub in Sacramento, CA
06/27/09 Bob's Java Jive in Tacoma, WA
06/28/09 Le Voteur in Olympia, WA
06/29/09 Princeton Pub in Vancouver BC
06/30/09 Mirkwood & Shire Cafe in Arlington, WA
07/02/09 Twilight Cafe & Bar in Portland, OR
07/03/09 R5 Records in Sacramento, CA
07/04/09 Plea For Peace Center in Stockton, CA
07/05/09 Airliner in Los Angeles, CA
07/17/09 Java Cafe in Sacramento, CA
07/31/09 El Rio in San Francisco, CA
08/06/09 Silverlake Lounge in Los Angeles, CA
08/15/09 Dr. Watson's Pub in Philadelphia, PA
08/18/09 Public Assembly in Brooklyn, NY
08/19/09 PA's Lounge in Boston, MA
08/22/09 Roc Bar in Cleveland, OH
08/25/09 Silvie's Lounge in Chicago, IL
08/26/09 The Way Out Club in St. Louis, MO
09/26/09 Echo Curio in Echo Park, CA

MP3 MP3s:
Looking Good (Looking Good EP)
Late Shift (This Is The New Business Plan EP)

Labels: indie, los angeles, studio mp3s, the hard to get, tour dates

So (occasionally) I manage to screw up a recording. Yes. It hurts to admit it, but it happens. You set the recording volumes at to high a level, and the recording clips clips clips.

Its probably happened a half dozen times to me. Sometimes you can't help it - the volumes coming across at a certain level, and its too loud. Other times you just manage to get a setting wrong and then you end up kicking yourself for ruining something beautiful.

A couple of years I had the pleasure of seeing Michael Runion and Whispertown in Houston. It was a crazy day in H-town. A massive storm had moved through earlier in the day - submerged vehicles, helicopter rescues, media madness.

We showed up to a show that had been officially canceled, hoping we could convince the bands to play a few songs. Thankfully they decided to play on for the 8 people that decided to show up.

Now I'd seen Whispertown play before, opening for Jenny Lewis in LA, but I don't think I'd ever heard any of Michael Runion's tracks. He opened the show, just him and an acoustic guitar and it was amazing. Unfortunately, when I got home I realized that the Whispertown recording came out perfect, but I'd completely misset the recording levels for Runion and ruined the majority of the show. I'm still kicking myself to this day. The good news is that two of the songs came out and you can check them out below.

After the show I picked up an EP, but on listening to it I realized that it was missing most of my favorite tracks from the show. Since then I've patiently waited for a record to drop. The good news, he recently dropped a new record called 'Our Time Will Come' produced by Jim Fairchild from Grandaddy and featuring a cast of his friends including Rilo Kiley, Jonathan Rice, The Like and Maroon 5.

I've had it on heavy rotation in my car for the last week and it doesn't disappoint. The record features all those songs I had been waiting for, including the singularly beautiful title track. Check it out below, then head over to his MySpace to check out more tracks - be sure to check out Soft Hands, another personal favorite.

Runion's also on tour right now, opening for the lovely Ms Jenny Lewis. Be sure to head out early and check him out.

Studio MP3 MP3s::
Michael Runion - Our Time Will Come

Live MP3 MP3s:
You & Me
Good For A Laugh

Tour Dates:
30th Sep - Variety Playhouse w/JENNY LEWIS, Atlanta, Georgia
1st Oct - Keswick Theatre w/JENNY LEWIS, Glenside, Pennsylvania
2nd Oct - Sixth & I Historic Synagogue w/JENNY LEWIS, Washington DC
3rd Oct - The Grand Opera House w/JENNY LEWIS, Wilmington, Delaware
5th Oct - Shubert Theater w/JENNY LEWIS, New Haven, Connecticut
8th Oct - Cake Shop, New York
9th Oct - The Ninth Ward (at Babeville), Buffalo, New York

Labels: houston, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, studio mp3s, tour dates

Dallas has a fairly decent "coffee-shop" music scene - with a couple of locations bringing in national and regional touring artists. I've always found that singer-songwriter shows at coffee shops are cozy, low-key and intimate. You get to sit about 6 feet from the artist as they sing their hearts out. That intimacy is one of those elements that tends to get lost as you move into larger venues.

For me, Opening Bell Coffee, in downtown Dallas is one of the best coffee shop venues I've ever been to. Its located in the basement area of a building that was renovated to become a series of condos, and is located about a block from the rest of the "southside" downtown music venues, the Palladium, the Loft, Gilley's and Poor Davids Pub.

In early 2007 I had a chance to catch Rana Mansour there - an intensely talented, Persian-America singer songwriter. With heavy jazz, pop and R&B leanings, Rana's voice and piano playing produce classic soulful tunes. Her voice is just addictive, powerful and near perfect. My humble opinion. Comparisons have been drawn to Fiona Apple and Alicia Keys. Thats probably right.

At this particular show, Rana was using the house piano, which had a very slight bar room/saloon type sound to it. It made for an interesting counter point to her jazzy songs. To record the show, we dangled a single mic over the piano along with a mic for her vocals. I've been really pleased for the results, with several of the tracks from the show getting heavy rotation around the house and on the iPOD (and Zune and Zen).

Here's her bio for those interested in her musical background.

Check out the studio version of 'Lose Control' and the live versions of 'Mistake' and 'Unfavorable Sign' below for a sample of her talents.

On a side note - theres no references to Rana Mansour on the Hype Machine, so let me say that Lullabyes is also pleased to introduce Rana to the blogosphere!

Studio MP3:
Lose Control

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Somebody With You
Mistake
Lover
Autumn Leaves (Johnny Mercer)
Sweet Sadness
Lose Control
Show The Way (David Wilcox)
Unfavorable Sign
Bavar Kon (Googoosh)
Leaving Home
Don't Worry Baby
Lovesong (The Cure)

Labels: dallas, indie, live mp3s, opening bell coffee, soundboard mp3s, studio mp3s

So I discovered Clare and the Reasons last weekend. An email arrived and told me of a European tour with St Vincent - which immediately piqued my curiousity. I figured someone that was touring with Anne would at least be interesting.

I clicked through to their MySpace and listened to Pluto then Pluton - different versions of the same song, first song in English then in French.

Now, how to describe Clare and the Reasons... The first thing that strikes you is that they sound like they belong in a much earlier decade of the twentieth century. There's something decidedly "Flapper-esque" about the music and Clare's unique vocals. When you listen to them, you can almost imagine being in a 1920's prohibition era NYC nightclub - listening to the 7-piece and beautiful vocals capturing the room.

So, within a day I'd got their record, 'The Movie' and was listening to it over and over again. I was particularly stuck on one song - 'Nothing Nowhere', which features the blogospheres seemingly favorite son - Sufjan Stephens.

'Nothing Nowhere' immediately went into my top 5 songs for the year - not only because its a fairly stunning piece of work (especially after the 1:40 mark) but that it comes across as what should have been the best Page France song on the follow up to their 'Hello, Dear Wind' record. You'll know what I mean when you hear it.

On a side note - I was stuck without this song for a few hours while at another computer, and looked for it on the Hype Machine with no luck. Maybe I have the pleasure of being the blog that introduces this track?

MP3:
Clare and the Reasons - Nothing Nowhere

I'd venture so far to say this is the best record I've gotten all year. Buy the record here.

Tour Dates:
Fri 11/30/07 London, UK Bush Hall
Sat 12/01/07 London, UK Luminaire
Mon 12/03/07 Manchester, UK Ruby Lounge
Tue 12/04/07 Brighton, UK Freebutt
Wed 12/05/07 Oxford, UK Carling Academy Oxford
Thu 12/06/07 London, UK Slaughtered Lamb
Fri 12/07/07 Birmingham, UK Glee Club
Sat 12/08/07 Leicester, UK TBA
Mon 12/10/07 Paris, FRA La Maroquinerie
Tue 12/11/07 Paris, FRA Point Ephemere

Labels: studio mp3s, tour dates

I may be a few years late to the party on this one, but I've really discovered and enjoyed mash-ups in 2007. One of the benefits of coming into a genre, (or maybe sub-genre?), a few years after its come into being is that you get to enjoy the fairly massive body of work thats already been created.

On a side note - we got our first Christmas tree yesterday, and its a real one. Awesome. Really introduced the holiday spirit around here - so it was very cool to see a couple of Holiday flavored "Santatastic!" mash-up collections - comprised of some amazing material. The thing about mashups is that they work on several levels - a great mashup will draw you in both as a great song, as well as a familiar yet

Check out Go Home Production's 'Carpenters Christmas' for a taste of what I'm talking about. It combines the Carpenters 'Sleigh Ride' with the Root Radics reggae-bass driven 'Gambling'. GHP captured the feel of the song perfectly -

Imagine yourself in an ice skating rink.
Preferably in New York.
Most definitely in the 1970's.
Got the vibe?
Good.
So you are skating around with your teenage sweetheart, who stumbles to the floor, dragging you down, as the Capenters 'Sleigh Ride' booms out through the PA. You smack your head on the ice and are immediately transported into a reggae/lovers/dub pop-fest sprinkled with enough seasonal ear candy to suit any Winters playlist.
Add a couple more spoonfuls of Carpenters sugariness halfway through, mash and bring to the boil.

MP3:
Go Home Productions - Carpenters Christmas

You can hop on the original Santastic! record bittorrent here and download the rest of the MP3s of Santastic II at djBC's site here. Great records - perfect for your Christmas party.

Various Holiday Mash-Ups:
Santastic!
Santastic II!
djBC's Re:composition
A Very Bootie Christmas

Now - if you want something less festive, check out DJ Axel's latest effort - Breakin' the Law. Excellent production here - near flawness execution on combinations that primarily focus on rappers combined with mainstream rock from the last couple of decades. Also - a very cool cover, see below.

Buy it here.

MP3:
DJ Axel - 'Push It Fergasonic'

Video
DJ Axel - 'Push It Fergasonic'

Labels: studio mp3s

Isn't this a killer graphic? When I saw it on Cadence Weapon's website I knew I'd have to grab it for this post.

I'd never heard of Cadence Weapon before they played with Final Fantasy in Denton Texas last week. When we showed up for the show we saw the turn-table and mic set up and figured we were in for something interesting.

Here's Cadence Weapon's bio from his site -

Cadence Weapon is a writer, rapper, producer, remixer, and media darling.

Couldn't have put it better - it was a fantastic show with Cadence teaming up with DJ Weasel to deliver some seriously crunchy hip-hop tunes. The highlights - Cadence's rhymes and delivery stayed on a constantly changing path and Weasel was one of the finest DJ's I've ever seen. Everything was done by hand on vinyl. Nice to see proper DJing in the age of the iPod.

The show was so good that my darling girl wanted to step in and write the review. I think thats the first time she's ever brought that up... ;)

For our friends in the UK and Canada - there are a few shows coming up in the next month - see below. Check out some studio MP3s here.

Live MP3 MP3s:
Intro
Lifesaver
Real Estate
'Friday is Saturday'
Sharks
Black Hand
Oliver Square
Vicarious
In Search of the Youth Crew
Isolation (Joy Division)
House Music
Outro

Tour Dates:
15 Nov 2007 YOYO @ Notting Hill Arts Club
London

16 Nov 2007 Electrowerkz - Big Dada 10th Anniversary Show
London

21 Nov 2007 Tripod w/ The Go! Team
Dublin

23 Nov 2007 Adventures Close To Home @ Amersham Arms
New Cross, London and South East

28 Nov 2007 Hi-Fi Club
Calgary, Alberta

30 Nov 2007 Richards On Richards
Vancouver, British Columbia

1 Dec 2007 Sugar
Victoria, British Columbia

Labels: denton, haileys, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, studio mp3s, tour dates

I'm pretty excited about the upcoming week. Love Thanksgiving - Turkey... stuffing... gravy... pumpkin pie... repeat. Good times.

For the kids in Dallas, the coming week is also bringing some fairly decent shows to town. Club Dada is doing especially well - with great shows on back to back nights, this Thursday and Friday.

Thursday's visitors are Sondre Lerche and Dan Wilson (of Semisonic) fame. I never got to see Semisonic, even though I always wanted to - so seeing Dan in a tiny little venue like Dada should be a great experience. Read about Dan's new record here.

Now I've seen Sondre twice - at SXSW earlier this year, and in Houston a few years ago. The Houston show ranked as one of the coziest and fun little shows I've ever been to - and its definitely the one I listen to most from that year. Check it out here.

Friday brings Wild Sweet Orange and the Whigs to Club Dada. Not that familiar with the Whigs - but I've been enjoying Wild Sweet Orange's tracks over at their MySpace and I have it on good authority that their live show rocks. Should be a good time. Check out their track 'Wrestle With God' below - then head over to their MySpace and check out 'Ten Dead Dogs'.

MP3 MP3s:
Wild Sweet Orange - Wrestle With God

Labels: club dada, dallas, studio mp3s, tour dates

I've been a Dan Wilson fan for quite some time.

I first saw him open for Tori Amos a long time ago, then really get into Semisonic with the release of Feeling Strangely Fine. The record had so many great songs on it that most of the record still sits on my iPod. I especially love listening to 'Gone to the Movies' when I'm driving in my car and it's pitch black outside.

I also enjoyed Semisonic's follow up 'All About Chemistry' (I'm sure you can guess what all the songs were about). Again, about a quarter of that record sits on my iPod.

So I've been waiting a long time for a follow up from Semisonic. Unfortunately, it didn't happen - but on the good news front, we did get a solo Dan Wilson record - Free Life, which is coming out this Tuesday.

Definitely more low key than any of the Semisonic albums - there's no real "rock" tracks on the record, but Wilson's signature song writing is intact and shines through this collection of slower, more thought-out tracks.

'Cry' and 'Breathless' emerge as the stand-out tracks from the record - both building up from simple arrangements to layered, multi-instrument affairs, highlighted by Wilson's signature guitar leads and vocals.

Check out more track's at Dan Wilson's MySpace.

MP3 MP3s:
Cry

Tour Dates:
Oct 16 2007 Bryant Lake Bowl Minneapolis, Minnesota
Oct 17 2007 Bryant Lake Bowl Minneapolis, Minnesota
Oct 19 2007 Electric Fetus Minneapolis, Minnesota
Oct 24 2007 World Cafe Live Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oct 25 2007 Joe’s Pub New York, New York

Labels: studio mp3s, tour dates

Cursive frontman Tim Kasher's ventured out again, releasing his second record of material of alt-country influenced tunes under the "Good Life" moniker. Help Wanted Nights showcases 12 tunes that are tied to a screenplay he wrote featuring the same title.

The concept works well - and the songs, while containing their own little identifies, fit well into the greater whole. Check out the mp3 for "You Don't Feel Like Home To Me" - my favorite track from the record - below for a flavor of the album. Check out their MySpace for more tracks.

I had a chance to catch Kasher as the Good Life a few years ago in Houston, in support of his record, Album of the Year. An interesting show - I remember Kasher being slightly disengaged from the crowd, still pretty good recording.

Studio MP3 MP3s:
You Don't Feel Like Home To Me

Live MP3 MP3s:
Album of the Year
The Beaten Path
The Moon Red Handed
Always A Bridesmaid
You're Not You
A New Friend
Intro to...
Lovers Need Lawyers
An Acquaintance Strikes a Chord
O'Rourke's, 120AM
I Am An Island
Inmates
Outro

Labels: concerts, houston, indie, live mp3s, mary janes, soundboard mp3s, studio mp3s

For our friends in Britain.

Calvin Harris’ UK contest “Merrymaking at Your Place” where Calvin is attempting to set a new world record for the most house parties happening simultaneously across the country than ever before.

Nice. You've got to respect this effort. Interested? August 18th - save the date.



For our friends every where:

This is the kind of music you need to listen to on the freeway and shoulder-dance.

Acceptable In The 80s

Labels: indie, studio mp3s

I wandered over to www.hypem.com a few days ago - my favorite mp3 aggregator. Every now and then ill scan the front page and check out new tracks - you'll always spot a gem or two.

Today though, I was looking for something specific. Justin Nozuka.

To my surprise there was only ONE other mp3 posting of - found at music blog, Quick Before It Melts.

Quick... had posted Down in a Cold Dirty Well , Justin's opening track on his record Holly, which is starting to get some attention on the other side of the Atlantic.

His bio describes him thus -
Blending elements of neo-soul, folk, old-time blues and pop, Justin is the would be lovechild of Ray Lamontagne & Amy Winehouse.

Ya - I hear that, but I was leaning more towards the love child of JT and KT Tunstall

Here's some more of the bio - I really enjoyed it.
This guitar slinging aficionado has the street smarts of urban swinger and the heart-bending soul of a gospel preacher, and is adept at blending a dark, bluesy Americana vibe with warm, acoustic soul where bits of old folk music and flamenco tunes swirl in and out of earshot.

Right now, Holly's only available in Europe and Japan. You can pick him up over at iTunes.

Here's my favorite track from the record - After Tonight.

MP3 MP3s:
Justin Nozuka - After Tonight

If you are in the States, you can buy more tracks over at iTunes

Labels: studio mp3s

So the good people at Saddle Creek asked us to take down the Art In Manila show that we taped during SXSW - they didn't like the quality of the recording BUT have promised that we'll have another shot at getting a better recording when they go on tour.

But being the kick-ass and blogger-friendly label that they are, they sent us some lovely studio MP3s to make up for it, and to be totally honest - they were completely in the right. This recording is infinitely better than what we had originally posted.

Check out the title track from Art In Manila's debut album, Set The Woods On Fire, which drops on August 7th!

Studio MP3:
Set The Woods On Fire

Labels: studio mp3s

I got to check out Marc Broussard last week at the newest (and quite possibly the finest) venue in Dallas, the House of Blues.

I guess I'm slightly behind the times here because until I got an email on Marc's new record, SOS (Save Our Soul), I'd never heard of him - and it was my loss.

First the record - SOS. Let me steal right off of Marc's website here -

Marc plumbed the vaults of historic labels like Motown and Stax to create 11 performances that are sweltering and incendiary - and true... Classics by Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding and others

When I got the original email I had a picture of Marc, and that quote. To be honest, my first thought was - THAT guy is going to cover THOSE guys and pull it off? After hearing one song, I knew he had. The boy can SING. Perfect inflection, perfect tone - Marc own's every classic he covers on SOS. Check out the MP3 for Love And Happiness below - the head over to his MySpace for a few more excellent tracks.

Second the show. One word can describe it - tight. Bringing a thoroughly smooth and funky guitar rock sensibility to both the cover tunes, and well as his original songs, Marc and his band owned the two thousand or so people who were at the House of Blues that night. In fact I haven't seen this many sorority girls singing their hearts out since John Mayer a few years ago.

Single men - attend the closest Marc show near you, then send me an email of thanks.

Guys in relationships - take your girl to the closest Marc show to you, then send me an email of thanks.

Oh and quite possibly the best bit of the experience? They record EVERY show and will sell you a copy after the concert ends for $15. Show your loved one a great time, then buy them a memento that they can keep forever.

Studio MP3:
Love And Happiness

Live MP3:
Rock Steady

Tour Dates:
Tue 07/10/07 Knoxville, TN Bijou Theatre
Thu 07/12/07 Nashville, TN Cannery Ballroom
Fri 07/13/07 Atlanta, GA Center Stage
Sat 07/14/07 Charlotte, NC Neighborhood Theatre
Sun 07/15/07 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
Mon 07/16/07 Boston, MA Paradise Rock Club / Lounge
Wed 07/18/07 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom
Thu 07/19/07 New York, NY Fillmore New York At Irving Plaza
Sat 07/21/07 Amagansett, NY Stephen Talkhouse
Sun 07/22/07 Camden, NJ Wiggins Park
Tue 07/24/07 Baltimore, MD Rams Head Live!
Wed 07/25/07 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues
Thu 07/26/07 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue
Fri 07/27/07 Chicago, IL House Of Blues
Sat 07/28/07 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line Music Cafe
Wed 08/01/07 Covington, KY Madison Theater
Thu 08/02/07 Saint Louis, MO Blueberry Hill's Duck Room
Fri 08/03/07 North Kansas City, MO Voodoo Lounge/Harrah's Kansas City
Sat 08/04/07 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
Tue 08/07/07 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot
Wed 08/08/07 Boise, ID Big Easy Concert House
Thu 08/09/07 Portland, OR Aladdin Theater
Fri 08/10/07 Vancouver, BC Richard's On Richards
Tue 08/14/07 Crystal Bay, NV Crystal Bay Club Casino
Wed 08/15/07 Santa Cruz, CA Moe's Alley
Thu 08/16/07 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
Sat 08/18/07 Los Angeles, CA The Avalon
Sun 08/19/07 Anaheim, CA House Of Blues
Mon 08/20/07 San Diego, CA House Of Blues
Sat 08/25/07 Spanish Fort, AL Blue Gills
Mon 08/27/07 Baton Rouge, LA Varsity Theatre
Tue 08/28/07 Baton Rouge, LA Varsity Theatre

Labels: concerts, dallas, house of blues, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, studio mp3s, tour dates

My beautiful girl took one look at this picture of Abra Moore and said "Ohh, she looks like a princess - take a picture like that of me!" Yes honey. ;)

So I've got serious choices to make this weekend. Polyphonic Spree release party at the Granada or Abra Moore at Poor David's Pub.

I LOVE the Spree. I ADORE the Spree - and it kills me to have to miss the show, but anyone who's read this blog for a while knows I really love Abra. I've posted about her here, here and here.

Now, I've seen Spree twice in the last few months - and haven't seen Abra in a couple of years. AND Abra's new record, On The Way just came out last week. AND I just got a copy in the mail. AND its beautiful.

So my choice is made - Im heading to Poor David's to see Abra and I know I'm going to love every minute. Maybe someone can tape the Spree show and send me a copy?

As mentioned, Abra's new record On The Way just came out on Sarathan Records - her new home. Featuring 12 new songs (well 11 and a reprise), On The Way features Abra's most adult work to date. Relaxed, yet subtly intricate arrangements float underneath her whispery vocals, and while each song reachs out in a slightly different direction, the album as a whole is as consistent as anything I've heard this year.

Stand out tracks include Sugarite (YouTube video below) and After All These Years (click here to hear it).



Live Dates:
June 19 - Madison, WI - Cafe Montmartre (8pm, $12) w/Garrison Starr
June 23 - Dallas, TX - Poor David's Pub ($15)
June 30 - Austin, TX - Cactus Cafe (8pm, $8)
July 15 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line Music Cafe (7pm, $10/$12)

Labels: indie, studio mp3s, tour dates

So I saw Land of Talk at the Hot Freaks! show at SXSW and was seriously impressed. Since I missed half the show I was hoping that they would tour again soon so I'd have an opportunity to see a full set.

Well this morning I got a very exciting email with some great news for the Summer - not only are Land of Talk coming back through Texas, but they are bringing the Rosebuds with them. If you haven't seen these bands, you have got to check them out. Land of Talk brings some melodic rock to the table - while the Rosebuds fuse together pop goodness with some serious dancey beats.

Check out SXSW sets from each band - Land of Talk, Rosebuds.

See you at the Cavern!

Studio MP3s:
Land of Talk - Speak To Me Bones

LAND OF TALK TOUR SCHEDULE
May 17 Brighton Ocean Rooms (Fandango Night) Brighton, UK
May 18 The Great Escape Brighton, UK
May 19 The Zap (Drowned in Sound Night) Brighton, UK
May 21 King Tuts Glasgow, Scotland
May 22 Barfly Liverpool, UK
May 23 Night and Day Manchester, UK
May 24 Thekla Bristol, UK
May 25 Waterats London, UK
May 28 Horseshoe Tavern Toronto, ON*
May 29 Blind Pig Ann Arbor, MI*
May 30 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights, OH*
May 31 Little Brothers Columbus, OH*
June 1 Subterranean Chicago, IL*
June 2 The Stones Throw Eau Claire, WI*
June 3 7th Street Entry Minneapolis, MN*
June 4 Jackpot Saloon Lawrence, KS*
June 5 Larimer Lounge Denver, CO*
Jun 8 Neumo’s Seattle, WA*
Jun 9 Media Club Vancouver, BC, Canada*
Jun 10 Doug Fir Lounge Portland, OR*
Jun 12 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA*
Jun 13 Cellar Door Visalia, CA*
Jun 15 Glass House Pomona, CA*
Jun 16 Spaceland Los Angeles, CA*
Jun 17 Plush Tucson, AZ*
Jun 19 The Cavern Dallas, TX*
Jun 20 The Parish Austin, TX*
Jun 21 Spanish Moon Baton Rouge, LA*
Jun 22 The Bottle Tree Birmingham, AL*
Jun 23 The Earl Atlanta, GA*
Jul 16 Central Parl Summerstage New York, NY (w/ The Decemberists and Grizzly Bear)

Labels: studio mp3s, tour dates

While I was planning for SXSW this year I wanted to try and stay away from seeing bands that I had seen before and focus on brand new live experiences. Well, that thought went right out the window when I found out that Aqueduct was playing.

I saw them at SXSW last year (listen here), but I've known these guys forever. David Terry, Aqueducts lead singer, used to front a band called Epperley back in the mid 90s. I LOVED Epperley, and used to see their live shows all the time. I managed to track down an old Epperley track - Jenks. America. Check it out below - great stuff.

Coming back to Aqueduct - David's kept alot of the power-pop influences from his older bands, while incorporating fun electronic aspects, making Aqueduct a more sonically interesting experience.

With that said - this show was very guitar-heavy - I think the soundguy had turned down the keyboards, creating a very different mix than what I captured last year. Either way - great set, poppy songs and an Aqueduct that was at the top of their game. On a side note, the guys covered the Walker, Texas Ranger theme song. How cool is that? Good to know that Chuck Norris was being represented at SXSW this year.

Enjoy.

Studio MP3s:
Epperley - Jenks. America

Live MP3s:
Intro
Walker, Texas Ranger
Who Wanna Rock
Livin' A Lie
The Suggestion Box
As You Wish
Intro to...
The Way I Are
Tension
Split The Difference
Keep It Together
Growing Up With GNR
Hardcore Days & Softcore Nights

Tour Dates:
at 04/21/07 Iowa City, IA The Picador
Sun 04/22/07 Omaha, NE Sokol Auditorium
Tue 04/24/07 Denver, CO Hi-Dive
Wed 04/25/07 Salt Lake City, UT Urban Lounge
Thu 04/26/07 Boise, ID Neurolux
Sat 04/28/07 Seattle, WA Crocodile Cafe
Sun 04/29/07 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge

Labels: austin, buffalo billiards, concerts, indie, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, studio mp3s, sxsw, tour dates

If there's one thing I miss in music is that old-school visceral rawk that bands like Gun N Roses defined. In fact the first CD I ever bought was GNRs Appetite for Destruction - and I still have the bulk of that record on my Zen Micro Player. I'm one of those guys that still holds out hope that Axl's new record "Chinese Democracy" will 1) Actually get released and 2) Kicks ass.

In the interim I've found a substitute for my rock needs. Van Gunn.

Check out their track - Pull the Trigger, below, a balls-to-the wall rawk song channeling the best of 70s and 80s rock while incorporating Van Gunn's own signature sound. The band was also nice enough to hook me up with an unreleased acoustic b-side, Drown Me In Sadness.

So Van Gunn are going on an American tour over the next few months to promote the release of their self-titled new record which just came out. Like many other up and coming bands, they're going to be stopping by the SXSW festival for a few gigs, and I plan to check out at least one of their gigs there and hope to bring you back some live MP3s. BUT since thats towards the end of the tour I wanted to post their live dates so you too can check them out.

MP3s:
Pull the Trigger
Drown Me In Sadness

Tour Dates:
02/06/2007 Wheelhouse Bar Hemet CA
02/13/2007 Burts Tiki Albuquerque NM
02/15/2007 Club Crystal San Antonio TX
02/16/2007 Trophy's Austin TX
02/17/2007 Dan Electro's Houston TX
02/19/2007 WC Dons Jackson MS
02/22/2007 The Nick Birmingham AL
02/23/2007 Dirty Jacks Cincinnati OH
02/24/2007 Jaxx West Springfield, VA
02/28/2007 TBA Covington IN
03/01/2007 Birdy's Indianapolis IN
03/02/2007 Way Out Club St Louis MO
03/03/2007 TBA Kansas City MO
03/06/2007 Double Door Chicago IL
03/08/2007 JCs House of Rock Wichita KS
03/10/2007 The Roadhouse Odessa TX
03/13 - 03/17 SXSW Austin TX
03/18/2007 SXDE Houston TX
03/20/2007 3 Kings Tavern Denver CO
03/21/2007 Dive Bar Las Vegas NV

Labels: indie, studio mp3s

Have you figured out that i'm a big Jude fan?

I've posted on him a few times over the last year. Read those posts here, here and here.

I'd seen him a few times a couple of years ago in Los Angeles, at the Largo - a lovely little industry showcase/restaurant. Unfortunately the Largo, while a killer venue, take a very nazi-esque attitude to taping. So I've never managed to get a soundboard recording of Jude.

All that changed in October when he came through Texas. He was playing 3 dates - Austin, Dallas and Houston - all mid week. By some small miracle I happened to be in Dallas for work the day he was playing there, so managed to catch that show and the Houston show the next night.

Though the Houston show was significantly longer, the Dallas show was definitely the better of the two. There were about 50 (screaming) fans there, who crowded the stage and sang along to almost every song. Jude played a solid selection of songs that ranged across all his entire discography. He also took all sorts of fun requests. Unfortunately the only request he could not play was the one that I yelled out, Homerun Hillary (you can check out the studio mp3 on the second link I posted above.) Sigh.

Some of the best tracks of the night were songs from his brand spanking new record, Redemption - which came out in France a month or two ago - and which is finally available in the States at cdbaby.com - to check it out and buy it go here.

Couple of quick notes - the soundguy had added some delay onto Judes vocals, we realized it was too much during track 3 and minimized it. The Asshole Song is performed on the guitar - very cool change since its usually performed on the organ.

MP3s:
Jude - All I Want To Do

Live MP3s:
Intro
Married
Im Sorry Now
Prophet
Your Eyes
Run To My Room
Break-Up Song
Jude Story - France
Love Letters
Indian Lover
Intro to...
Gay Cowboy
Rick James
I Know
Intro to...
Black Superman
You Mama You
Jude Story - The OC & Redemption
Money
The Asshole Song
Everything's All Right
I Do
Love Love Love

Labels: concerts, dallas, gypsy tea room, indie, jude, live mp3s, soundboard mp3s, studio mp3s