Posts Tagged ‘Horse Feathers’

Noise Pop Festival 2010 Overview

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Foreign Born

Believe it or not, this was my first Noise Pop Festival. Last year I worked through the whole thing and wasn’t really too happy about that. Weird hours will do that to you. Anyways, I kicked off my experience with the pre-party at the California Academy of Science. Not a huge fan of The Frail but a huge fan of science, so I got to geek out with some friends about both music and the Late Cretaceous period.

Har Mar Superstar

Tuesday, February 23rd: It was really neat meeting some fellow SF music bloggers as well as members of the Noise Pop crew who have been wicked supportive and professional throughout the whole festival. After taking advantage of the free drinks at the bar that night, I enjoyed a bizarre and entertaining set by Har Mar Superstar. All Ron Jeremy comparisons aside, he’s got a good ear for pop music. Really fun stuff. I skipped Yoko Ono because, let’s be honest, Lost was on. Pictures here.

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[mp3] Har Mar Superstar – Tall Boy from Dark Touches (2009)

Foreign Born

Wednesday, February 24th: While it was kind of hard to decide with either Gorilla vs Bear’s Harlem and Best Coast show or Foreign Born, all I had to do is look back at my Best of 09 list and figured Foreign Born was the wisest choice. Opening the night was the East Bay’s The Splinters and they were actually really charming and enjoyable. Good on-stage chemistry. Free Energy are getting a fair share of hype lately but I’d like to think that’s due to their live performances. They played like a low key punk band and seemed pretty happy to be there. The Fresh & Onlys just wasn’t my kind of music. Plain and simple. They have this psych-garage sound that, out of nowhere, switched to goth for one song. Foreign Born on the other hand, was amazing and sounded amazing. Their remarkable African high-life guitars mixed with the singer Matt Popieluch’s carefree vocals got everyone moving. Particularly the bizarrely dressed hippies in the front row. It was a short set, but most of the show consisted of their latest (and best as far as I’m concerned) album, Person To Person. It was a good time and I was convinced I made a wise choice. Pictures here.

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[mp3] Free Energy – Something In Common from Free Energy EP (2009)

Far

Thursday, February 25th: My day! I got the distinct honor to co-present the Far show at the Bottom of the Hill. This was particularly special due to the fact that Far is one of my favorite bands of all time. I wasn’t sure about the turnout due to the Dodos doing a set with the Magik*Magik Orchestra, but I was pleasantly surprised that the show sold out that night. The Trophy Fire kicked it off with their middle-ground rock music. Their style is nothing new or surprising, but a nice addition to the line-up nonetheless. Picture Atlantic really brought their game that night with a buttload of energy. You can tune your ear to the band’s obvious pop but they still keep the music edgy and slightly experimental which keeps the experience lively and unpredictable. Stomacher has been often compared to Muse and even (gulp) Radiohead, but I think the band is less grandeur and more modest than that. Stomacher creates a mesmerizing atmosphere (albeit somewhat dark) that you can ‘immerse’ yourself into from beginning to end. There is much potential in this band and hope to see more from this talented group. Now when it comes to Far shows, particularly these recent reunion shows they’re doing, the audience comprises of mid-late 20 year olds with definite knowledge of Sunny Day Real Estate, Promise Ring, and Texas is the Reason. More importantly, they are willing to let loose and just rock the fuck out. For the very beginning of the show, almost everybody (including this guy) was singing along to every word and hyped up on the sheer energy of Jonah’s impressive stage presence. No new material was played, but the show catered to the audience Far knows and loves. I can safely say that we all knew that and appreciated hearing our favorites from Water & Solutions and Tin Cans. After the show I heard so many people saying, “I felt like I was 18, it was like 1998 all over again.” I think that was Far’s intent and they displayed it perfectly. Pictures here.

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[mp3] Stomacher – Wild Horses (Rolling Stones Cover) from Wild Horses (Rolling Stones Cover) Single (2009)

The Limousines

Friday, February 26th: I skipped the happy hour shows because I just gotten back from work and, well, I needed to take a nap. I made it over to Slim’s to catch our friends The Limousines and see Butterfly Bones wrap up their glossy and danceable set. The Limousines, as I’ve said, are maturing and becoming a tighter and more entertaining act. After The Limos, I tried to catch Atlas Sound…but no more room in the venue. Bummer. So then I remembered that Four Tet was at The Independent. I high tailed it over to Divisidaro and just made it for his first song. Review and pictures here.

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[mp3] Butterfly Bones – xoxo from Pretty Feelings (2009)

Thao Nguyen / Mirah

Saturday, February 27th: I am a huge Mark Kozelek fan. So imagine my face when I was told I couldn’t enter with my photo pass because Mr. Kozelek doesn’t want photographers at his show. Damn it! I had found an awesome parking spot too! So I shuffled back to the car and tried to decide on either !!! or Mirah. I figured that I had my fair share of dance rock last night, so it’s time to bring at down a notch and see a singer-songwriter. I am so glad I made that choice. Every performer displayed an ethereal and moving performance. Witnessing Mirah and Thao (who remains one of my favorite people to photograph) rock out together was as unique and entertaining as you’d imagine. A very very good night. Review and pictures here.

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[mp3] Thao Nguyen – Tallymarks from Like The Linen (2005)

Note: I skipped Sunday’s and Monday’s festivities due to some work I had to do and physical exhaustion. From what I hear, Edward Sharpe brought it that night. If it was half as good as his Treasure Island performance, I imagine it was another magical experience.

Conclusion: This was a nice training session for this month’s SXSW. I realized that sometimes you can’t make every show you want to and when you make a decision, it’s usually a pretty good one. Noise Pop selects some of the best in the current music scene and whatever you decide on, you’re guaranteed to enjoy yourself. Well done Noise Pop. See you next year.

Tags: Bender's Bar, Butterfly Bones, Carletta Sue Kay, Dave Smallen, Far, Foreign Born, Four Tet, Free Energy, Har Mar Superstar, Horse Feathers, kata rokkar presents, Mirah, noise pop, Noise Pop 2010, Noise Pop Festival, Picture Atlantic, show pictures, Slim's, Stomacher, Swedish American Music Hall, Thao Nguyen, The Fresh & Onlys, The Independent, The Limousines, The Splinters, Trophy Fire
Posted in Concerts, Music | 1 Comment »

show pictures: Mirah with Thao Nguyen, Horse Feathers, Dave Smallen and Carletta Sue Kay

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

Thao Nguyen / Mirah

So my original plan was to see the always wonderful Mark Kozelek, but as the famous quote goes, “Life doesn’t care about your plans.” Turns out good ol’ Mark doesn’t like photographers at his concerts. So what am I supposed to do with this photo pass then? Well, I drove over to the Swedish American Music Hall to catch the other show is was interested in, Mirah with Thao Nguyen. A wise choice.

First off, I was blindsided by Carletta Sue Kay. I can’t describe them, seriously, they must be experienced. Maybe Antony and The Johnsons mixed with Loretta Lynn and …uhh….nevermind…#genrefail. They were great though, very dramatic and theatrical. They’re local too, so be on the lookout. Dave Smallen brought his basic singer-songwriter style with honesty and a bit of homegrown anger. Horse Feathers were amazing as usual. It was my second time catching them this year and they won the crowd over with ease. Afterwards, I bought a glass of red wine from guest bartender John Vanderslice and tipped him pretty well. Thao Nguyen took the stage solo, did one song, and then Mirah joined her. It was quite an experience watching the chemistry between the two. Both doing renditions of each other’s songs and providing back up for whoever was performing. Eventually they were joined by Michael Deni from Geographer and closed the night with some high energy tunes. It was a pretty special night for anyone who witnessed it.

For the entire collection of photos, click here.

Carletta Sue Kay

Dave Smallen

Horse Feathers

John Vanderslice (middle) Bartending

Thao Nguyen / Mirah

Thao Nguyen

Thao Nguyen / Mirah

Mirah

Thao Nguyen

Mirah

Mirah / Thao Nguyen / Michael Deni (from Geographer)

Tags: Carletta Sue Kay, Dave Smallen, Horse Feathers, Mirah, Noise Pop 2010, Noise Pop Festival, Swedish American Music Hall, Thao Nguyen
Posted in Art and Photography, Concerts, Music | No Comments »

show review: Horse Feathers at the Bottom of the Hill

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Horse Feathers

It was a modest and older crowd at the Bottom of the Hill one Wednesday night in San Francisco, all waiting patiently for a special evening with the always wonderful Horse Feathers.

TV Mike And The Scarecrowes

Combining wistful, storytelling lyrics with folksy, jangling chords, shimmering and virtuosic fingerpicking, and deliberate gestures, TV Mike & the Scarecrowes invariably recalled the glory of an amphetamine-strained 70s folk rock movement.

TV Mike And The Scarecrowes

Also like that specific era, TV Mike sang with a free spirited twang, using every iota of breath before sputtering out completely, only to create brilliant arpeggios to balance their lyrically intensive and fun songs. While I wasn’t making a mad dash for the merch table, it was a welcomed opener.

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[mp3] T.V. Mike and the Scarecrowes – Paint the Town from Spittin’ in Cursive (2008)

Horse Feathers

On record, Horse Feathers favors a sparse, acoustic sound. Their songs are subdued and melancholic with a mix of vocals, string instruments, light guitar, with the occasional addition of piano or perhaps drums. So when Justin Ringle, Nathan Crockett, Sam Cooper and Catherine Odell all arrived on stage, the room was patient and quiet, anticipating that misty sound that Horse Feathers are known for.

Horse Feathers

Things start off simple enough – a song like Heathen’s Kiss, from 2008’s House With No Home, is close enough to its recorded version, just fleshed out comfortably by the extra instrumentation, and Justin Ringle’s voice, with gentle levels of strings provided by Catherine Odell, is comfortably foregrounded in the mix. Working Poor features some beautiful harmonies from the band that even silenced the chattering back at the bar.

Horse Feathers

About 40 minutes later, the floor of the Bottom of the Hill was silent and respectful, listening contently for every pluck of the string and every word Ringle uttered. Most impressive though was Ringle’s voice, which I certainly had come to appreciate from repeated listens of House With No Home, but really fell for after hearing it live. This is similar to a meek and mild hushed solo sound similar to Sam Beam of Iron & Wine. While there is no varied intensity, I remained attentive due to the brilliant arrangements of the rest of the band.

Horse Feathers

It was an expected experience for anyone that is familiar with the Mid-Western, snow covered log cabin inspired folk music. A mellow and enjoyable night for anyone willing to witness this very special act.

For more pictures click here. For when Horse Feathers will be coming to your town, click here.

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[mp3] Horse Feathers – Curs in the Weeds from House With No Home (2008)

Tags: bottom of the hill, Horse Feathers, Show Review, TV Mike & the Scarecrowes
Posted in Concerts, Music, Show Review | No Comments »

Be Well, Steven – A Mixtape

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010

photo by steven robbins

In case some of you don’t know, my brother has recently joined the Coast Guard and gotten stationed in Honolulu, Hawaii. While your immediate reaction may be, “Holy Cow! That is awesome!”; since Steve has been stationed in Hawaii, he has bought a broken moped, had surgery on his big toe, and he is away from family. To be fair, he’s exploring a place that everyone that isn’t there, wishes they were. So to keep him company and in hopes it will make him feel better, I’ve made a little mixtape with music he loves. Feel free to download this theme to his private adventure.

___

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Crosby, Stills & Nash – Blackbird (Beatles Cover)
Elvis Costello – Blame It on Cain
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Vetiver – Through The Front Door
Bibio – Lovers’ Carvings
The Books – Tokyo
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Volcano Choir – Island, IS
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The Mountain Goats – This Year
Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Carries On
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The Decemberists – Apology Song
The Swell Season – The Rain
Neil Young – Birds
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White Antelope – Silver Dagger
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Horse Feathers – Heathen’s Kiss
Bonnie “Prince” Billy – A Minor Place
Simon & Garfunkel – The Only Living Boy in New York
J. Tillman – Firstborn
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Damien Jurado – I Am Still Here
Jeremy Enigk – Sant Feliu De Guixols
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eluvium – Reciting The Airships