Don't Miss: Yellow Ostrich

Apparently Wisconsin is a really cool, creative place. I didn't particularly feel that way when I lived there, I mostly felt hung-over and cold. Anyway, the reason I bring this up is that I have had the good fortune to stumble across Wisconsin's Alex Schaaf, a.k.a Yellow Ostrich. I first heard them live on KEXP while lying in bed listening to John in the morning. The thing that struck me about Yellow Ostrich was not the sound they are creating, but the sounds they are not creating. The minimalist, stripped down harmonies backed by a little drum and even less guitar sounds refreshing in the sea of lo-fi noisy garage rock that seems to be sweeping Brooklyn. The band consists of two people, Schaff building vocal harmonies with precise looping and a little bit of guitar and Michael Tapper of Bishop Allen and We Are Scientist on drums. So it's a new year, and i think we could all use some new music, and what better way to start than by checking Yellow Ostrich out at Mercury Lounge tomorrow, Tuesday January 4th. Check out the live KEXP show here and get your hands on some of Schaaf's many, many EP's at Bandcamp.

New Leland Sundries Video

It's been a momentous year for Nick Loss-Eaton. His band, Leland Sundries, has had multiple US based tours, released the Apothecary EP, and now, a new music video. The video really captures the haunting-but-gruff theme that defines Leland Sundries sound. Shot in the Staten Island Tugboat Graveyard and directed by Scott Variano, the rusting metal and decaying ships remind us how quickly we forget once great things.



And for good measure, a video of "Giving Up Redheads" live in Brooklyn earlier this month.

Family Portrait is Playing Again

Remember this post? It caused quite a stir, and I was very unpopular for my comments about the show. At any rate, Family Portrait is playing again, this time with Miracles of Modern Science and Tennis. Nice work boys! Come check them out at Mercury Lounge 12/1 for ten bucks. Tennis is awesome and you won't regret it even if you hate the other bands on the bill (which you won't).

See you there

xoxo
The Elephant

Emerging Music: Perfume Genius

I was at work today, furiously sketching away and I got a text from a friend mentioning a band called Perfume Genius, whom he had heard on KEXP. I made a small mental note of it, and continued along in my fluorescent hell. A few hours later my most trusted source of music texted me telling me to listen to Perfume Genius. Her exact quote was "its like a quieter gayer Antlers". Ok kids, I get it. Perfume Genius, when I get home I'll look into it.

So I came home and got the album. I intended to work on editing the interview of another awesome band that I did on saturday, but instead I just kept listening to Perfume Genius. Its got some hymnaly undertones, some serious lyrics, some organs and some catchy piano melodies. I have a soft spot for soaring emotional music. This is soaring and emotional. 2010 has been a bit of a dead zone in terms of really new music, so I am pretty stoaked about it.

Seattle based Mike Hadreas released Learning with Matador, and you can buy it here.

Th Elephant

Concert Review: Leland Sundries

Left: Dan Kaplan, Right: Nick Loss-Eaton

Leland Sundries is the mostly solo project of New York based Nick Loss-Eaton. He is re-branding Nashville’s original blues Americana with a touch of indie rock sarcasm.

Although he isn’t the first person to use a resonator guitar (see “Bon Iver”), it is a refreshing sound in a landscape of bands utilizing the same 3 piece set over and over. Leland Sundries has also been known to use a 2 string Cigar Box Guitar made in Memphis, giving his New York audiences the chance to experience something that few city kids even realize exists. Loss-Eaton also uses a megaphone-harmonica set up which captures the vintage-recording-scratchy echo that defines the original Americana sound for modern audiences.

For me, the cigar box was a sound that I had heard many times, but could never actually identify. Played with some hefty slide and nice backing guitars by Dan Kaplan, the Cigar Box was definitely my favorite surprise at the show. The stand out Leland Sundries song was “Giving Up Redheads” which according to insider,s might just be Loss-Eaton’s favorite kind of lady. Touching on the classical theme of love-lost man, Leland Sundries takes the twang-y Americana sound and infuses it with a little bit of classic rock styling and extra energy.

Leland Sundries plays both solo and with Dan Kaplan’s back up guitar. I liked a little bit of back up guitar and vocals to both support and define Loss-Eaton’s intended sound. I also saw some of Dan Kaplan’s solo set (with some nice backing by Mr. Nick Loss-Eaton) and was struck by the charming quality to Kaplan’s voice. His acoustic guitar and sweet vocals are certainly a crowd pleaser.

Although I only stayed for a few songs, I felt there was real potential for a bigger collaboration between Loss-Eaton and Kaplan. They have very different sounds and very different strengths. I want some banjo/cigar box twang with Kaplan’s soft strumming and delicate vocals. I want some deep spoken word growls from Loss-Eaton on top of the soft strumming and delicate voice of Kaplan. There is a juxtaposition there that I think could be explored.

Leland Sundries is playing in October, but there are whispers of shows upcoming in the next few weeks, if I hear anything I’ll post it.

Concert Review: Patrick Watson and the Wooden Arms at The Bell House

All Photos: Jeremy Bold

It was one of those beautiful spring evenings, where being indoors feels like a travesty. The only thing keeping me from the fading sunlight was the promise of an incredible live show. Patrick Watson and the Wooden Arms delivered. The audience literally couldn't get enough of Watson and his circus act of musicians.

Watson is idiosyncratic to say the least. He seems to be receiving an outside energy at all times, struggling to contain it within his body and release it through his music. He rocks, sways and bobs his head, conducting the onstage musicians even when he is playing solo. His performance is visual as much as it is musical. Strobes and lighting from the floor of the stage emphasize the highs and lows of Watson's style. It felt like a depression era circus with a fun house and beautiful ladies riding plumed horses.

They opened in total darkness with "Fireweed", the strings and guitar solo drifting over the hushed audience. As the sound increased, so did the lighting, a sort of visual foreplay to the impending swell of the music. Watson's songwriting features a lot of slow build ups to cacophonous sounds, which cut back to delicate vocals. As a live audience member, watching these swells was a joy. Everyone on stage is building, adding layers and adjusting to each others sounds. It reminds me of the ocean, with calms between sets of waves.

He followed with "Beijing" which always feels like an opera, telling a story. In this case, the story was taking place under the graceful chandeliers of the Bell House. The sound was wonderfully complicated as it floated up to the wooden rafters. During "Traveling Salesman" Watson crooned into a megaphone as though he were a trumpeter, using a mute to create the "wah waaah waaaaaahhh" sound which we use in colloquial speech. For "Crickets" he made the entire audience hush because he swore he was hearing crickets. When we all stopped to silently listen, sure enough there were crickets (which turned out to be ventilation fans). It was an amusing lead into "Crickets" during which he sometimes chose not to use the mic, instead cupping his hands to his mouth. He also played a new song called "Sit Down Beside Me" which featured guitarist Simon Angell playing with a spoon.

When they played the last song, the audience was going wild, Watson came out and announced that they had a little something special and would be right back. He reemerged wearing a contraption sprouting stems topped with megaphones and bright LED lights like a crazy sea creature on his back. He and the band came to the middle of the audience and we all sang "Man Under The Sea". The drummer played the saw with a violin bow, and the guitarist stood on a folding chair. It felt like a summer camp sing-a-long on the last night before we all returned to our suburban homes, The Bell House's rafters and buffalo art emulating summer cabins in Maine and Vermont.

This did not quell the audience's desires to hear more, so the whole band returned to the stage and played a little improv piece from an audience suggestion entitled "Where are my Pyjamas?". It had a Radiohead-y sounding guitar line, and was truly a unique experience. Although Watson gets most of the attention, his band, Simon Angell, Robbie Kuster and Mishka Stein were wonderful. Watson introduced them and the strings many times throughout the night, in a self humbling and appreciative way. They were wonderful and deserve their own props for working with Watson to create his Time Burton-esque dreamland.

Doveman opened with delicate gentle indie-folk-jazz. I'm not quite sure how to categorize his music, but it was soft and fleeting, with lots of improv. I felt like I should have been in a speakeasy wearing a gown and holding a cigarette. It was completely lovely and set the tone for the Wooden Arms perfectly. Doveman front man Thomas Bartlett is a well known musician in his own right, playing with The National, Norah Jones and David Byrne.

Watson's Wooden Arms and Close to Paradise are available here. Doveman's The Conformist is available here.

xx The Elephant

Partick Watson is Coming!

Thursday May 6th is a big concert night here in New York, there are 3 excellent show choices, including Local natives with Suckers , Beach House and Canadian indie folk band Patrick Watson and the Wooden Arms. I myself will be at the Patrick Watson show at the Bell House. Watson is a known for his crazy instrument choices and his breathy vocals. Most bands get together with the intention of record deals and tours, but Watson's troupe came together to make music to go along with a book, and after a few live shows with enthusiastic responses decided to stick with it.

Here's Watson's Fireweed for you guys to prep for the show. Listen for the trademark percussive drumming and airy vocals. Also check out these awesome Take Away videos.

Hope to see you there!

xx The Elephant