Category Archives: Upcoming Show

Upcoming Show: Ladyhawke in Chicago and Minneapolis 9/19 & 9/21

Posted on by
Reply

One of our favorite albums from 2008 was the debut release from New Zealand artist Phillipa “Pip” Brown who performs as Ladyhawke (yes, after the Rutger Hauer film of the same name). Released on Modular Recordings– also the home of Cut Copy– it launched four very successful singles in “Magic,” “Back of the Van,” “Paris is Burning,” and “My Delirium.”

How this record managed to not have a U.S. release before now seems unimaginable, but September sees the release of Ladyhawke in CD and LP on Universal/Decca Records in a Special Edition with bonus tracks.

Coinciding with this release is Ladyhawke’s first US tour which as luck would have it brings her to the Midwest in Chicago and Minneapolis. This tour is being sponsored by celebrity mud-slinger Perez Hilton under the “Perez Hilton Presents” banner. This questionable vehicle aside, Hilton seems to have the good taste to include Pip in the lineup of otherwise unfamiliar (except for Ida Maria, I guess) acts.

The tour stops at The Metro in Chicago on Saturday, September 19th and Minneapolis at the Fine Line Music Cafe on Monday September 21st. Both stops have the same lineup– Ladyhawke and Ida Maria as co-headliners and Semi-Precious Weapons from NYC and French electro-pop musician Sliimy.

The tour seems to be providing a fairly wide selection of artists and music (at least within whatever Hilton’s tastes are). At least in the Chicago and Minneapolis stops, we have dancy late 70’s/early 80’s new wavy rock from Ladyhawke, punky indie rock from Ida Maria, Semi-Precious Weapons sounds like The White Stripes-gone-Glam (a good thing, I think), and Sliimy provides a French-pop perspective.

Four diverse acts for under $30! The ticket prices seem to vary. If you get the Minneapolis tickets from Ticketmaster, they are a flat $25 (no fees!), but if you get the tickets from The Fine Line boxoffice, they are $18.  The Metro tickets are $17.50 from Metro on line (plus fees). So, visit the sites to find out the best way to get tickets.

Here are the other dates for the Perez Hilton Presents tour:

September 10th – Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
September 12th – Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
September 13th – Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of the Living Arts
September 14th – Boston, MA – House of Blues
September 16th – New York, NY – The Fillmore @ Irving Plaza
September 17th – Toronto, ONT – Opera House Concert Venue
September 19th – Chicago, IL – Metro
September 21st – Minneapolis, MN – Fine Line Music Café
September 22nd – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall Ballroom
September 23rd – Kansas City, MO – The Beaumont Club
September 25th – Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
September 26th – Salt Lake City, UT – Club Sound
September 28th – Seattle, WA – The Showbox @ The Market
September 29th – Portland, OR – Wonder Ballroom
September 30th – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
October 2nd – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
October 3rd – Hollywood, CA – Avalon

Click Here for the Ladyhawke Official Website

Click Here to download a free remix of “My Delirium” hosted at RCRD_LBL

Click Here for the Ida Maria Website

Click Here for the Ida Maria Daytrotter.com Session

Click Here for the Semi-Precious Weapons Website

Click Here for the Sliimy Website

Upcoming Show: Wye Oak at The Mill in Iowa City 9/20/09

Posted on by
Reply

You’d think that as many times as I’ve reported that Wye Oak was going to play in Iowa somewhere, I’d have seen them at least once! They even played here before the release of their new album The Knot at some performance space in Iowa City some months back, which I also missed.

And so it is that Wye Oak will be back playing the Mill in Iowa City just over a year from the last time they played there! As it turns out, they will be taping another Daytrotter session, too!

Wye Oak will be playing The Mill on Sunday September 20th. Doors are at 8PM, $6 cover. Opening will be Chicago band Netherfriends, and Iowa City singer Alexis Stevens.

Click Here for Wye Oak’s website

Click Here for Wye Oak’s MySpace page

Click Here for Wye Oak – The Knot at Merge Records where you can stream their new album.

Click Here for their amazing Daytrotter session.

Upcoming Show: Garaj Mahal at Parlor City Pub and Eatery in Cedar Rapids 9/20/09

Posted on by
Reply

Sherry and I were taking a tour of the New Bohemia area of Cedar Rapids earlier today with Mel Andringa of Legion Arts. Sherry is looking at building options in the 2008 Flood-ravaged area for her gluten free bakery prospective project. We walked by the new restaurant bar Parlor City Pub and Eatery and I saw that Garaj Mahal will be playing there on Sunday, September 20th!

Fareed Haque with the CR Jazz Big Band at Kirkwood 11-22-08
I saw Garaj Mahal guitarist Fareed Haque last November as part of the Kirkwood Community College Performing Arts Schedule. He did a “master series” class at the college in the afternoon and performed with the Kirkwood Jazz ensemble and the C.R. Jazz Big Band that evening.  Fareed is a noted Jazz guitarist in addition to his role in Garaj Mahal and has releases on Blue Note, Haven, and Pangea– which is Sting’s label. The show was great with Fareed providing entertaining stories and commentary in between the songs. In addition to his accomplishments as a musician, Fareed is also a professor of Jazz and Classical Guitar Studies at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb where he lives and owns The House Cafe.

Garaj Mahal released their latest album w00t in 2008.

Certainly, don’t miss an opportunity to see Garaj Mahal in one of Cedar Rapids’ newest restaurants.

The show starts at 6PM Sunday, September 20th and has a $10 cover.

Click Here to visit the Garaj Mahal website

Click Here to visit the Garaj Mahal MySpace Page

Click Here to see upcoming tour dates for Garaj Mahal on JamBase.

Click Here to visit the Facebook Event for the show and RSVP.

Click Here to listen to “Hotel” from w00t.

Click Here to listen to “Jaime’s Jam” from w00t.

Click Here to listen to “Semos” from w00t.

Upcoming Show: Cracker at The Mill in Iowa City 8/30

Posted on by
Reply

David Lowery
The ever-touring machine that is Cracker will be making another stop in Eastern Iowa at the end of this month at The Mill in Iowa City. Cracker is touring behind their new rocking release and debut on 429 Records Sunrise in the Land of Mint and Honey. Their stop at the Mississippi Moon bar in Dubuque in February was great– they played a handful of the new songs, but I’m hoping to hear more of the new album in a live setting.

The show will be at 9PM on Sunday, 8/30 with doors at 8PM. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased here. The opening act is garage rock band The High Strung.

Click Here for Cracker’s Website

Click Here for Cracker Tour Dates

Upcoming Show: Roadside Graves at Mooney Hollow Barn 8/25/09

Posted on by
1

In what would seem to be an intersection of coincidences, a band out of New Jersey gaining a lot of indie-lovin’ blog praise will be playing a barn ballroom outside of my childhood home of Bellevue, IA.

Roadside Graves is a seven-piece band serving up a hearty stew of folk and rock with a heapin’ helpin’ of rootsy country with a pinch of Celtic reel to taste. Listening to their new album My Son’s Home on Autumn Tone, I’m impressed how this band packs all of these flavors in. But, as with any good stew, the longer it sits, the flavors mingle for every spoonful (hmm… it must be time to eat). Music blogs reach to define this band and include references like Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue, Springsteen, John Prine, Son Volt– and certainly all of those influences are heard.

Mooney Hollow Barn is a music institution in Jackson County, IA. Built in the 1930’s, it was a farm until 1977 when it was converted into a place to have monthly barn dances. In the 1980’s Mooney Hollow Barn played host to many Nashville legends including Roy Acuff, Ernest Tubb, Faron Young, Porter Wagoner, Kitty Wells, and Bill Anderson. Bill Anderson will be back to the Mooney Hollow stage 27 years after his first appearance on 9/19.  In 2006 Kevin Petesch bought the barn reopened it after being closed for five years.

Last week the inaugural Daytrotter.com Barnstormer tour stopped in Mooney Hollow bringing with it a line up of some of Daytrotter’s favorite acts. It was this appearance that brought Mooney Hollow to the attention of Roadside Graves who were looking for an overnight stop on their tour between their Milwaukee and Chicago appearances (and I bet a Daytrotter session in Rock Island just south!).

Somehow the idea of this newer band standing on the Mooney Hollow stage playing their unique blend of country, rock and folk in the same place the old guard of Nashville greats is comforting. “Will the circle be unbroken,” indeed!

It would be worth the trip to see this amazing barn, and possibly check out the sights in this great little Mississippi River town.

Click Here to listen to “Far and Wide” by Roadside Graves from My Son’s Home

Click Here to listen to “Ruby” by Roadside Graves from My Son’s Home

Click Here to visit Roadside Graves’ website

Click Here to visit Roadside Graves’ MySpace page

Click Here to visit Roadside Graves on Facebook

Click Here to read a review at one of my favorite blogs Aquarium Drunkard

Click Here for the Mooney Hollow Barn website

Upcoming Shows for Roadside Graves (lifted from their MySpace page)

Aug 3 2009 9:00P
Martin’s Jackson, Mississippi
Aug 4 2009 9:00P
Thirsty Hippo Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Aug 5 2009 9:00P
Chelsea’s Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Aug 6 2009 10:00P
Blue Nile w/ The Revivalists and The Blue Party New Orleans, Louisiana
Aug 7 2009 9:00P
Rikki Bailey’s Tattoo Shop Longview, Texas
Aug 8 2009 9:00P
Lambert’s Austin, Texas
Aug 10 2009 9:00P
Hotel Monte Vista Flagstaff, Arizona
Aug 11 2009 9:00P
Soda Bar San Diego, California
Aug 12 2009 9:00P
Knitting Factory w/ Parson Red Heads Los Angeles, California
Aug 13 2009 8:00P
The Prospector w/ Parson Red Heads, Rademacher, and Francisco the Man Long Beach, California
Aug 14 2009 8:00P
Echoplex- acoustic set @ RocknRoll Summer Circus w/ Henry Clay People, Fol Chen and many more Los Angeles, California
Aug 15 2009 9:00P
Spaceland w/ Le Switch and World Record Los Angeles, California
Aug 16 2009 8:00P
Hotel Utah San Francisco, California
Aug 17 2009 7:00P
Backyard House show! Reno, Nevada
Aug 20 2009 8:00P
Bourbon Theater Lincoln, Nebraska
Aug 21 2009 8:00P
Mike’s Tavern w/ The Blue Party Kansas City, Missouri
Aug 22 2009 8:00P
Memorial Union Terrace with Rural Alberta Advantage Madison, Wisconsin
Aug 23 2009 8:00P
LEMP St Louis, Missouri
Aug 24 2009 9:00P
Club Garibaldi’s w/ Chris DeMay Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Aug 25 2009 8:00P
Mooney Hollow Barn Green Island, Iowa
Aug 26 2009 9:00P
The Bottom Lounge Chicago, Illinois
Aug 27 2009 8:00P
Vollrath Tavern w/ Gringo Star and The Broderick Indianapolis, Indiana
Aug 28 2009 8:00P
The Vernors Room at Crofoot Pontiac, Michigan
Aug 29 2009 10:00P
The Court Tavern New Brunswick, New Jersey
Sep 12 2009 12:00P
Monolith Festival @ Red Rocks w/ Yeah Yeah Yeahs, M Ward, and many many more! Morrison, Colorado
Sep 19 2009 1:00P
Let it Roll Music Festival Ghent, New York
Oct 9 2009 10:00P
Court Tavern w/ Parson Red Heads New Brunswick, New Jersey
Oct 10 2009 8:00P
Lit Lounge, with Parson Red Heads New York City, New York
Oct 11 2009 8:00P
The Raconteur, with Parson Red Heads Metuchen, New Jersey
Oct 16 2009 9:00P
M Room w/ Cotton Jones, Parson Red Heads, & Blood Feathers Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Daytrotter Barnstormer Tour 2009 Rolls Through Iowa and Wisconsin

Posted on by
1


Daytrotter.com— the purveyor of freely-downloadable mp3’s of sessions recorded by a wide-range of artists and bands– have decided that they want to take a handful of their favorite acts on a mini-tour through some Iowa towns with a stop in Madison (just because they love that place!). These shows are FREE and ALL AGES. All the bands are hoping for are some new fans, and possibly sell some merch.

It is a move which gets its tradition from the “Caravan of Stars”-type tours that happened during the 50’s and 60’s where bands would roll through a bunch of cities stopping of at ballrooms across the midwest– back when places like Melody Mill in Sageville, IA outside Dubuque would get bands like Johnny Cash, The Ventures, and the Everly Brothers. If the bands didn’t tour like that, these little towns and cities wouldn’t have been able to get this kind of entertainment.

Daytrotter reached out a couple of months ago looking for barns they could play in– I made a couple of suggestions, and one of the stops will be just outside my hometown of Bellevue, IA at Mooney Hollow Barn!

While exchanging e-mails with Sean from Daytrotter, he said that some of the impetus of this tour is to let people in Iowa know about Daytrotter. Certainly when I’m talking to folks I know about this they have no idea what Daytrotter is– even though the work that they do is world-reknowned and has been accurately  suggested to be the successor to the BBC Peel Sessions!

I’ve said on more than one occasion that we Iowans should be proud of Daytrotter and its “little studio and website that could” success!

Hopefully, this will be successful enough that this becomes a yearly event!

The lineup of bands is pretty interesting and varies slightly for each of the five stops. However, San Diego band Local Natives will be performing at all of the shows. From this lineup, I was familiar only with Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and Paleo. Someone Still Loves You is a great indie pop band from Springfield, Mo that has done two Daytrotter sessions already (which is how I found out about them initially) and Paleo is known as the “song a day for a year” guy. So, it will be interesting to hear those acts in a live setting.  Snowblink is a pretty dreamy type of music driven by the breathy vocals of Daniela Gesundheit.Snowblink has been compared to Cat Power, and I hear that. Catfish Haven is a surprising R&B powerhouse from the Windy City that reminds me of Mad Dogs and Englishmen-period Joe Cocker, frankly. I can’t wait to see them in a live setting! DAYUM! They’re going to be at the Bellevue stop, which is super-duper! Mac Lethal is an MC from Kansas City, MO. He has a great flow that reminds me a lot of Chief Xcel or Chali 2na.

So, a pretty wide swath of indie goodness represented. I’m going to hit the Bellevue stop and shoot some pix and provide some coverage. If you have the ability and are in the region, stop out to one of these shows!

SCHEDULE:

July 25
11 am — Davenport, Iowa: Morning performance at the Bix 7 road race course at the turnaround: 110 McClellan Blvd. (Performing — Local Natives)
Local Natives Daytrotter Session

6 pm — Maquoketa, Iowa: BARN Show #1: Biehl Farm, 3437 288th Ave. (Performing — Local Natives, Catfish Haven, Caleb Engstrom)
Local Natives Daytrotter Session
Catfish Haven Daytrotter Session
Caleb Engstrom Daytrotter Session

July 26
6 pm — Bellevue, Iowa: BARN Show #2: Mooney Hollow Barn, 12471 Highway 52, Green Island, Iowa (Performing — Local Natives, Snowblink, Paleo, Catfish Haven, Stranger Waves)
Local Natives Daytrotter Session
Snowblink Daytrotter Session
Paleo Daytrotter Session
Catfish Haven Encore Session

July 27
6 pm — Madison, Wisc.: Attic show #1: 212 S. Henry St., Madison, Wisc. (Performing — Local Natives, Catfish Haven, Snowblink, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin)
Local Natives Daytrotter Session
Catfish Haven Encore Session
Snowblink Daytrotter Session
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin Daytrotter Session

July 28
6 pm — Iowa City/West Liberty, Iowa: BARN SHOW #3 at the Secrest 1883 Octogonal Barn, 5750 Osage St., West Liberty, Iowa; (Performing — Local Natives, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Snowblink, Mac Lethal)
Local Natives Daytrotter Session
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin Daytrotter Session
Snowblink Daytrotter Session
Mac Lethal Daytrotter Session

July 29
6:30 pm — Coon Rapids, Iowa: BARN SHOW #4, Whiterock Conservancy , Riverhouse Barn, 1313 Fig Ave., Coon Rapids, Iowa (Performing — Local Natives, Snowblink and Mac Lethal)
Local Natives Daytrotter Session
Snowblink Daytrotter Session
Mac Lethal Daytrotter Session

Tortoise Returns to Morning Becomes Eclectic Make Appearance at Amoeba Records

Posted on by
Reply

Tortoise is in L.A. and they are busy. They play a sold out show at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, but they are doing a couple promotional appearances ahead of the show.  Yesterday Tortoise returned to the KCRW show “Morning Becomes Eclectic” to perform a 43 minute set and interview. The show included three songs from Beacons of Ancestorship, but also included two earlier songs that I haven’t heard on tour in a while!

Tortoise kicked things off with “High Class Slim Came Floatin’ In” followed by “Prepare Your Coffin” from Beacons, and then did “The Suspension Bridge At Iguazú Falls” from T.N.T. and “Djed” from Millions Now Living Will Never Die. The band wrapped things up with “Minors” from Beacons, which was unfortunately cut short. The interview with the band mostly surrounded how the band works together collaboratively on their music, which was cool.

Today (July 9th) Tortoise makes an in-store appearance at the Hollywood Amoeba Music location, which they will stream from their website. The show should start at 6PM Pacific Time (8 PM Central, 9 PM Eastern, etc.). Tortoise is also featured on Amoeba’s “Music We Like – Handpicked Titles for $10.98 or less” sale.

Click Here for the Amoeba.com information on the Tortoise In-Store Live Stream (At this point the stream has been taken down, but there are pictures from the session).

Click Here to visit Tortoise’s Website

Click Here for Tortoise’s 2006 appearance on Morning Becomes Eclectic

Upcoming Shows: Umphrey’s McGee Iowa Summer Dates

Posted on by
Reply

DPP_0012sig
On the heels of a victorious two nights at the Rothbury Festival over the Independence Day weekend, the mighty men of Umphrey’s McGee will resume their typically packed Summer tour schedule which runs through September and includes three Iowa dates! Next week they play Des Moines at the Simon Estes Riverfront Amphiteater on Wednesday July 15th, and at the gorgeous Capitol Theatre in Davenport on Thursday July 16th. I’m planning on hitting the Davenport show.

Actually the states surrounding Iowa are served very well during this run as well with KC on July 17th, two nights at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin on July 18th and 19th followed by 10K Lakes. After a full-band break filled with side-band shows, and full band two-nighter in Urbana at the Canopy Club, we get Umphrey’s back in Council Bluffs, IA at the new Horseshoe Casino venue Whiskey Roadhouse.

Here are the current tour dates:

Electric Factory
07.08.2009   Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Central Park SummerStage
07.09.2009   New York, New York

The Norva
07.10.2009   Norfolk, Virginia

All Good Music Festival
07.11.2009   Masontown, West Virginia

Forecastle Festival
07.12.2009   Louisville, Kentucky

Simon Estes Riverfront Amphitheater
07.15.2009   Des Moines, Iowa

The Capitol Theatre
07.16.2009   Davenport, Iowa

Crossroads
07.17.2009   Kansas City, Missouri

Alpine Valley Music Theatre
07.18.2009   East Troy, Wisconsin

Alpine Valley Music Theatre
07.19.2009   East Troy, Wisconsin

10,000 Lakes Festival
07.25.2009   Detroit Lakes, Minnesota

Mulberry Mountain Harvest Music Festival
08.15.2009   Ozark, Arkansas

The Canopy Club
08.27.2009   Urbana, Illinois

The Canopy Club
08.28.2009   Urbana, Illinois

Whiskey Roadhouse
09.02.2009   Council Bluffs, Iowa

The Mishawaka Amphitheatre
09.04.2009   Bellvue, Colorado

Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festlival
09.05.2009   Snowmass Village, Colorado

Varsity Theatre
09.09.2009   Baton Rouge, Louisiana

House of Blues
09.10.2009   Houston, Texas

La Zona Rosa
09.11.2009   Austin, Texas

House of Blues
09.12.2009   Dallas, Texas

Rialto Theatre
09.15.2009   Tucson, Arizona

In other cool Umphrey’s news– as part of the month of June bonus downloads that you can get with the purchase of the Mantis CD, the band provided a tribute to Michael Jackson in the form of three Michael Jackson covers mp3’s.  The first mp3 was from Richmond, VA on 6/25/09 on the news of the passing of the King of Pop the band did a very straight version of “Billy Jean.” The second mp3 is a cover of “The Girl Is Mine” from their 11/3/06 Madison, WI show. The last track is a medley of snippets of Michael Jackson “teases” from the last weekend in June following his passing. More information from the band’s excellent blog, where you can listen to the track yourself!

BTW: All of the free post-release downloads are still available, so if you don’t have Mantis yet, it is well worth the purchase and is one of my favorite albums of 2009.

Tue, Jul 7th, 2009 Bank of America Pavilion Boston, Massachusetts 7:00 pm
290 Northern Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02210

– doors: 6:00 pm
– show: 7:00 pm
– co-headlining with Matisyahu; with Matisyahu to play first, and Umphrey’s to start at 9:10 pm
– tickets are available through LiveNation.com
[+] Wed, Jul 8th, 2009 Electric Factory Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 8:30 pm
7th and Willow, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

– doors: 7:30 pm
– show: 8:30 pm
– co-headlining with Matisyahu; with Umphrey’s to play first, and Matisyahu to play at 10:45 pm
– tickets are $28.50 and on sale through Ticketmaster.com
[+] Thu, Jul 9th, 2009 Central Park SummerStage New York, New York 6:15 pm
Rumsey Playfield – Central Park, New York, New York

– doors: 5:30 pm
– show: 6:15 pm
– co-headlining with Matisyahu; with Umphrey’s to play first, and Matisyahu to play at 8:30 pm
– tickets are $35.00 and are available through Ticketmaster.com; tickets will also be available at the Bowery Box Office with no service charge
[+] Fri, Jul 10th, 2009 The Norva Norfolk, Virginia 9:00 pm
317 Monticello Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia 23510-2407

757.627.4547
– doors: 8:00 pm
– show: 9:00 pm
– tickets are $18.00 and are available through Ticketmaster.com
[+] Sat, Jul 11th, 2009 All Good Music Festival Masontown, West Virginia
Marvin’s Mountaintop, Masontown, West Virginia

– late-night set on the All Good Stage
– other bands include: Ben Harper and the Relentless 7, RatDog, moe., STS9, Dark Star Orchestra, Les Claypool, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Tea Leaf Green, among others
– ticket information can be found through www.allgoodfestival.com/buytickets.htm
[+] Sat, Jul 11th, 2009 All Good Music Festival Non-UM Show Masontown, West Virginia
Non-Umphrey’s Show – 30db
Marvin’s Mountaintop, Masontown, West Virginia

– 30db is Brendan along with Jeff Austin
– Golden Crane Stage
– other bands include: Ben Harper and the Relentless 7, RatDog, moe., STS9, Dark Star Orchestra, Les Claypool, Yonder Mountain String Band, and Tea Leaf Green, among others
– ticket information can be found through www.allgoodfestival.com/buytickets.htm
[+] Sun, Jul 12th, 2009 Forecastle Festival Louisville, Kentucky 2:30 pm
Riverfront Belvedere, Louisville, Kentucky

– doors: 12:30 pm
– show: 2:30 pm
– one set, on the West Stage
– other bands include: Widespread Panic, the Black Crowes, and the Black Keys
– ticket information can be found through Ticketmaster.com
09Forecastle_banner
[+] Wed, Jul 15th, 2009 Simon Estes Riverfront Amphitheater Des Moines, Iowa 8:00 pm
East First bet Locust and Walnut, Des Moines, Iowa

– doors: 7:00 pm
– show: 8:00 pm
– tickets are $20.00 and available through Umphrey’s Ticketing
[+] Thu, Jul 16th, 2009 The Capitol Theatre Davenport, Iowa 8:00 pm
330 West 3rd Street, Davenport, Iowa 52801

563.326.8820
– doors: 7:00 pm
– show: 8:00 pm
– tickets are $20.00 and available through etix.com or by calling 563.326.8820
[+] Fri, Jul 17th, 2009 Crossroads Kansas City, Missouri 6:30 pm
417 East 18th Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64108

– doors: 5:30 pm
– show: 6:30 pm
– co-headlining with Matisyahu; with Matisyahu to play first, and Umphrey’s to play at 8:30 pm
– All Ages
– tickets are $25.00, $35.00, and $75.00 (VIP), and are available through crossroads.frontgatesolutions.com
[+] Sat, Jul 18th, 2009 Alpine Valley Music Theatre East Troy, Wisconsin 7:00 pm
2699 Highway D, East Troy, Wisconsin 53120

262.642.4400
– doors: 6:00 pm
– show: 7:00 pm
– opening for the Dave Matthews Band
– tickets are available through LiveNation.com
– note that Wednesday, June 10, is No Fee Wednesday through LivevNation when purchasing Lawn tickets
[+] Sun, Jul 19th, 2009 Alpine Valley Music Theatre East Troy, Wisconsin 7:00 pm
2699 Highway D, East Troy, Wisconsin 53120

262.642.4400
– doors: 6:00 pm
– show: 7:00 pm
– opening for the Dave Matthews Band
– tickets are available through LiveNation.com
– note that Wednesday, June 10, is No Fee Wednesday through LivevNation when purchasing Lawn tickets
[+] Sat, Jul 25th, 2009 10,000 Lakes Festival Detroit Lakes, Minnesota 6:00 pm
Soo Pass Ranch, Detroit Lakes, Minnesota

– doors: 12:00 pm
– show: 6:00 pm
– Main Stage
– ticket information can be found through www.10klftickets.com
– everyone who purchases tickets here will automatically be entered in a contest for a pair of VIP upgrades
– please enter the promo code “MANTIS” for $10.00 off General Admission and $25.00 off VIP tickets
10KLF09_Banner
[+] Sat, Jul 25th, 2009 10,000 Lakes Festival Non-UM Show Detroit Lakes, Minnesota 11:30 pm
Non-Umphrey’s Show – North Indiana All Stars
Soo Pass Ranch, Detroit Lakes, Minnesota

– doors: 12:00 pm
– show: 11:30 pm
– North Indiana All Stars are: Jake, Joel, and Kris, along with Willie Waldman (trumpet) and Tony Franklin (bass)
– Barn Stage
[+] Sun, Jul 26th, 2009 Double Door Non-UM Show Chicago, Illinois 10:00 pm
Non-Umphrey’s Show – The Omega Moos
1572 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60622

773.489.3160
– doors: 9:00 pm
– show: 10:00 pm
– The Omega Moos are Brendan and Ryan along with Darren Shearer and Jamie Shields of The New Deal
– with DJ Wyllys to open
– 21 and over
[+] Tue, Jul 28th, 2009 Webster Wine Bar Non-UM Show Chicago, Illinois 9:30 pm
Non-Umphrey’s Show – Kris Myers Quartet
1480 West Webster, Chicago, Illinois 60614

773.868.0608
– show: 9:30 pm
– Kris, along with Vijay Telisnayak on keys, John McLean on guitar and Bryan Doherty on bass
– admission is free
[+] Sat, Aug 8th, 2009 Reggies Music Joint Non-UM Show Chicago, Illinois 8:00 pm
Non-Umphrey’s Show – Kris Myers Project
2105 South State Street, Chicago, Illinois 60616

312.949.0120
– show: 8:00 pm
– post-Lollapalooza show: Kris, along with Vijay Telisnayak on keys, John McLean on guitar and Bryan Doherty on bass
– with Consider the Source
– 21 and over
– admission is $8.00
[+] Sat, Aug 15th, 2009 Mulberry Mountain Harvest Music Festival Ozark, Arkansas 10:15 pm
Mulberry Mountain, Ozark, Arkansas

– doors: 10:45 am
– show: 10:15 pm
– closing set on the Main Stage
– other bands include: Ozark Mountain Daredevils, The Avett Brothers, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Railroad Earth, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Lotus, Tea Leaf Green, Cornmeal, and others
– ticket information can be found through http://www.mulberrymountainmusic.com/tickets.asp
09Mull_banner.gif
[+] Tue, Aug 18th, 2009 Tonic Room Non-UM Show Chicago, Illinois 9:00 pm
Non-Umphrey’s Show – Kris and DJ Wyllys
2447 North Halsted, Chicago, Illinois 773.248.8400

– doors: 8:00 pm
– show: 9:00 pm
– Kris on drums and DJ Wyllys on turntables
– cover will be $8.00
[+] Tue, Aug 25th, 2009 Webster Wine Bar Non-UM Show Chicago, Illinois 9:30 pm
Non-Umphrey’s Show – Kris Myers Quartet
1480 West Webster, Chicago, Illinois 60614

773.868.0608
– show: 9:30 pm
– Kris, along with Vijay Telisnayak on keys, John McLean on guitar and Bryan Doherty on bass
– admission is free
[+] Thu, Aug 27th, 2009 The Canopy Club Urbana, Illinois 9:00 pm
708 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801

217.344.BAND
– doors: 8:00 pm
– show: 9:00 pm
– 18 and over
– tickets will be $25.00 and will go on sale Friday, June 12, at 12:00 pm through etix.com
[+] Fri, Aug 28th, 2009 The Canopy Club Urbana, Illinois 9:00 pm
708 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801

217.344.BAND
– doors: 8:00 pm
– show: 9:00 pm
– 18 and over
– tickets will be $25.00 and will go on sale Friday, June 12, at 12:00 pm through etix.com
[+] Wed, Sep 2nd, 2009 Whiskey Roadhouse Council Bluffs, Iowa
2701 23rd Avenue, Council Bluffs, Iowa 51501

– tickets will be available pre-sale through Umphrey’s Ticketing July 10 at 12:00 pm
[+] Fri, Sep 4th, 2009 The Mishawaka Amphitheatre Bellvue, Colorado 8:30 pm
13714 Poudre Canyon Highway, Bellvue, Colorado 80512

970.482.4420
– doors: 7:00 pm
– show: 8:30 pm
– All Ages
– tickets are $28.00 in advance, $30.00 day of show, and are available through Umphrey’s Ticketing and through Ticketweb.com
[+] Sat, Sep 5th, 2009 Jazz Aspen Snowmass Labor Day Festlival Snowmass Village, Colorado 3:00 pm
Snowmass Town Park, Snowmass Village, Colorado

– doors: 2:00 pm
– show: 3:00 pm
– with the Black Eyed Peas on Saturday; other artist include the Allman Brothers Band, Drive By Truckers, the Doobie Brothers, Citizen Cope, and Michael Franti
– tickets are available through www.jazzaspen.com
[+] Wed, Sep 9th, 2009 Varsity Theatre Baton Rouge, Louisiana 9:00 pm
3353 Highland Road, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70802-7923

225.383.7018
– doors: 8:00 pm
– show: 9:00 pm
– 18 and over
– tickets will be $17.50 in advance, $20.00 day of show, and will be available pre-sale through Umphrey’s Ticketing Junly 10 at 12:00 pm
[+] Thu, Sep 10th, 2009 House of Blues Houston, Texas 8:00 pm
1204 Caroline Street, Houston, Texas 77002

888.402.5837
– doors: 7:00 pm
– show: 8:00 pm
– with Telepath to open
– All Ages
– tickets will be $17.50 in advance, $20.00 day of show, and will be available pre-sale through Umphrey’s Ticketing July 10 at 12:00 pm
[+] Fri, Sep 11th, 2009 La Zona Rosa Austin, Texas 9:00 pm
612 West 4th Street, Austin, Texas 78701

512.263.4146
– doors: 8:00 pm
– show: 9:00 pm
– with Telepath to open
– All Ages
– tickets will be $17.50 in advance, $20.00 day of show, and will be available pre-sale through Umphrey’s Ticketing July 10 at 12:00 pm
[+] Sat, Sep 12th, 2009 House of Blues Dallas, Texas 9:00 pm
2200 North Lamar Street, Dallas, Texas 75202

214.978.BLUE
– doors: 8:00 pm
– show: 9:00 pm
– with Telepath to open
– All Ages
– tickets will be $17.50 in advance, $20.00 day of show, and will be available pre-sale through Umphrey’s Ticketing July 10 at 12:00 pm
[+] Tue, Sep 15th, 2009 Rialto Theatre Tucson, Arizona 9:00 pm
318 East Congress Street, Tucson, Arizona 85701

520.740.1000
– doors: 8:00 pm
– show: 9:00 pm
– All Ages
– tickets will be $17.50 in advance, $20.00 day of show, and will be available pre-sale through Umphrey’s Ticketing July 10 at 12:00 pm
[+] 18 September 2009–
19 September 2009		 Telluride Blues & Brews Festival Telluride, Colorado

The Horse’s Ha – Of The Cathmawr Yards (review)

Posted on by
1

The Horse's Ha - Of The Cathmawr Yards white vinyl LP

There is plague, said Tom Twp. ApLlewelyn in the organ loft reached for the bass stops. The white plague drifted through the church to the music of the savage voluntary. Parson and sinner stood beneath the reflections of the Holy Family, marking in each ginger halo the hair of blood. There was to one the voice of an arming God in the echo of each chord, and, to the other, the horse’s ha.

— “The Horse’s Ha” by Dylan Thomas

Things do seem to take place on this record in dark or darkening places, but that’s where all the interesting stuff happens, right?

— Janet Bean of the band The Horse’s Ha

While I was working on the review of Of The Cathmawr Yards— the debut album by The Horse’s Ha— I took the opportunity to read the namesake short story “The Horse’s Ha” by the Welsh poet and writer Dylan Thomas.  “The Horse’s Ha” was included in the posthumous 1955 collection of short stories titled Adventures in the Skin Trade and Other Stories.  Most of the reporting about the albums release earlier in the year pointed out the Dylan Thomas short story about the fictional Cathmawr Yards cemetery where zombies lived.

The white horse in the story and its associated “raw-headed” rider represents a plague that spreads through the small Welsh village of Cathmawr Yards. The plague seemingly is causing the zombification of the residents. To be “Of The Cathmawr Yards” implies that one is undead.

What does all of this have to do with the album? At first listen, it isn’t really clear. The obscurity of the band’s name and the title of the album is matched to the obscure dark lyrics penned mostly by James Elkington whose other gig is with The Zincs and one song by Janet Bean of Freakwater and Eleventh Dream Day. The CD and white vinyl LP of Of The Cathmawr Yards provide the lyrics to the album, which, when taken out of the context of the music, are impressively poetic. It would take a lot of literary chutzpah to name your band and album after a Dylan Thomas work.

Dead wrong, dressed right
for waltzes in starlight, the
house is dry, the flowers
grieve in their vase.
–“Heiress”

There’s a whirring to a dwindling word,
that fades in waves once it’s heard.
Once it’s gone and you return to numb
You’ll never retrieve, however you plumb.
–“Plumb”

Prior to reading the short story, the repeated listens of the album presented a common thread to me. I reached out to Janet to verify that this was the case, and she said that the album has definite patterns of certain words used.

The quote from Janet about “dark and darkening places” at the beginning of this article does a good job of summing the album up for me. Taken in whole, the album is a series of vignettes taking place on a dimly-lit stage. These stories of conflict and the human condition are presented without context leaving the interpretation up to the listener. In the dramatic structure, these songs are entirely exposition and mood, but the payoff is in the presentation.

Of The Cathmawr Yards is a jazz and folk amalgam that borders on a pop sound that draws quick and pleasing comparisons to The Smiths and later Talk Talk.  The instrumentation is a constant acoustic sound implementing smartly-brushed percussion as well as double bass and other strings to carry the Johnny Marr-ish clean electric guitar and the well-matched harmonies of Bean’s pretty soprano and Elkington’s soft baritone voices. This mixture reminds me also of the duet work of Richard and Linda Thompson on albums like their 1982 final work together Shoot Out The Lights. In fact, that could be considered a logical forebear of this album.

Unlike the rocky inter-personal relationship on record and off of Richard and Linda, James and Janet serve only as narrators of these songs, and it’s this almost-dreamy detachedness that provides a reserved tone to the album. A reserve that might not appeal to everyone or every situation. The album is best consumed in whole to appreciate the complete work. To my ears, this is flawless presentation with singular vision and purpose– a collection of verse set to polished music.

In the Dylan Thomas story “The Horse’s Ha,” Mr. Montgomery is presented with the irony of being the undertaker of the Cathmawr Yards, where his clientèle are undead. “Shall I measure the undead?” he asks aloud incredulously from within his own coffin– his boarded up home. It’s the feeling of being trapped in a particular situation and desire for change that is the unifying theme throughout both the short story and Of The Cathmawr Yards.

Of The Cathmawr Yards by The Horse’s Ha is out now on CD, digital download and limited edition white LP on Hidden Agenda Records.

Purchase, download or stream Of The Cathmawr Yards by The Horses Ha at Bandcamp:

Tortoise Announce Fall Dates in Support of Beacons of Ancestorship

Posted on by
Reply

Tortoise
Tortoise’s Beacons of Ancestorship— their sixth official studio album– arrives in stores and online on Tuesday, June 23rd.  The release was available online for pre-order as CD, LP and mp3 and a special set of packages of the CD and LP release that included a folded poster of Beacons and a very limited brass belt buckle with the “TRTS” logo with the eye that was used on the hoodies. Apparently the buckles were only available to the first 75 preorders. The LP’s– which are 180g virgin vinyl which was mastered by Ray Janos at Stirling Sound— are sold out online, but thre should be copies available at your favorite indie record stores. It sounds like there will be a future re-repressing, too. At this moment there are still some CD+buckle packages left on the site.  See the “artist’s rendering” below. I’m going to need to run to WalMart and get a belt with the snaps so I can rock this thing!

The Tortoise touring machine is getting ready to jam econo in support of the new album. They’ve been playing some sporadic shows already and are hitting some festivals, but the fall tour is already starting to shape up with some Midwestern dates starting in September and October.

Notably (for me anyway) Iowa is getting its first tour date in a very long time. The show is going to take place at the very cool Voices Warehouse Gallery in Dubuque, IA. It has a similar artsy space feel as CSPS in Cedar Rapids.  I saw Bo Ramsey there in October of 2006. I called Tim McNamara who handles setting the shows up and there will be more information coming soon about tickets and the possibility of other opening acts. 10/3 ends up being the end of the season for the gallery and last year they had a number of acts playing. I’ll post an upcoming show article when I get more details.

Tortoise Tour Dates:
Sat. July 11 — Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
Mon. July 13 — San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
Wed. July 15 — Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
Fri. July 17 — Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
Sun. July 19 — Washington, DC @ Black Cat
Mon. July 20 — Philadelphia, PA @ Sanctuary at First Unitarian Church
Tue. July 21 — New York, NY @ Le Poisson Rouge
Fri. July 24 — Tokyo, Japan @ Fuji Rock Festival
Fri. Aug. 14 — St. Malo, France @ La Route Du Rock
Sat. Aug. 22 — Hasselt, Belgium @ Pukkelpop
Tue. Sep. 29 — St. Louis, MO @ Firebird
Wed. Sep. 30 — Kansas City, MO @ Beaumont Club
Thu. Oct. 1 — Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room
Fri. Oct. 2 — Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
Sat. Oct. 3 — Dubuque, IA @ Voices Warehouse Gallery

Other articles at playbsides.com about Tortoise