You Go First

An empty feeling had settled upon my musical appetite as of late. Sadly, iTunes, Amazon.com, and Last.fm no longer provided me with any substantial growth in my listening habits, no groundbreaking artist suggestions based on my consumption habits. Of course, when space-age technology fails us, we can only turn to that which has always been: “the Old School.” In this case, the old school points to a longstanding tradition dating back thousands of years, to a time when bearded men attempted to win affection while standing upon mounts, boulders, or cliffs, spouting energetic and believable accounts of wraths, famines, and pestilences. This tradition is called: The Opening Act.

Due entirely to Opening Acts of the last eight months, my sense of excitement for new music has expanded to monumental proportions. So, I offer this list of opening acts as a way of increasing their influence, their inspiration, and hopefully their fan base. (And no, I am not being paid.)

1.Megafaun (Bowerbirds) – Crofoot Pike Room, Pontiac

I had not even heard much of the headliner in this instance. While Bowerbirds did not disappoint, I think I walked away a bigger fan of Megafaun. They are an amazing combination of down-home folksiness and outright weirdness. And their harmonies made some more well known bands look amateurish.


2.Dawes (Langhorne Slim) – Blind Pig, Ann Arbor

“Wow!” is really all one can say if they have little-to-no experience with Dawes before seeing them live. They have unrelenting energy, sweat, grizzle, and power. And they are damned sexy, to boot. One of my favorite opening acts for one of my favorite artists. Ever.


3.Darwin Dees (Bishop Allen) – Crofoot Pike Room, Pontiac

I have tried many times to dance the way Darwin Deez dances (I just researched and found that his name is Darwin Deez, not the band). I am not what you might call “a good dancer.” In fact, I am below-mediocre on my best day. But this guy, and his band, are top-notch dancers whether playing their instruments or taking a break to tear up the dance floor stage with an interlude mix-mash of MJ and others. Add on the Saved by the Bell wardrobe, and anyone who has difficulty having fun at a Darwin Deez concert is a grade-A a-hole. Word.


4.AA Bondy (Elvis Perkins) – Lincoln Hall, Chicago

Lincoln Hall is a quiet venue. Sometimes awkwardly so. But that actually plays to the advantage of AA Bondy and his humble, finger-picked, revenge lullabies (I just made that up). As the feedback fades out, people barely cheer. Not because they wasted their money or they are, well, wasted, but because they have just been blown away in subtle and confounding ways.


5.The Low Anthem (The Avett Brothers) – Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor

Although the Low Anthem remains the only opening act whose album I did not immediately purchase, that is not representative of their performance. Having little experience with their music, I was pleasantly surprised and truly impressed by the band's ability to change styles, melodies, and instruments throughout the show. And the interactive cell-phone chirping conducted by lead singer, Ben Knox Miller, would take a spot in my top 5 live music experiences if I were ever inclined to establish such a ridiculous list.


6.Hospital Ships (Shearwater & Why Oak) – Beachland Tavern, Cleveland

When I mention Hospital Ships to people, I sometimes forget who the headliner acts were. I had to look it up before writing this. I was nominally aware of Shearwater and Why Oak, and knew nothing of Hospital Ships when I saw them this past April. They are a youngish, thoughtful band whose members also play in Shearwater (Or is it that Shearwater members fill in Hospital Ships?) Either way, I hope they stick around.


7.The Heligoats (Clem Snide) – Lincoln Hall, Chicago & The Frequency, Madison

OK, aside from having a chance to see these guys perform twice in one weekend and loving it, I also had a chance to talk with several members of the band. They are all kinds of nice. They would probably give you the shirt off their backs. Or a shirt out of the merch box. Musically, the Heligoats surround lead singer Chris Otepka's heartfelt, intelligent (and slightly wacky) lyrics with musicianship beyond their years. And some of them wear pineapple Hawaiian shirts. Say no more...

You Go Next

As a note, I would also like to point out that I have listed the headliners alongside the opening acts outlined above. Without them, and without their music, I would still be in the dark about most, if not all, of these wonderfully talented musicians. And so would you. So click some links, listen to some tunes, and please, go see a live show!

The B-52s

I've always loved the way that the B-52s have been able to bounce back and forth between outlandish party rock and catchy mainstream pop. Their self-titled debut profiles that versatility and establishes the band's trademark sound that is echoed throughout their catalog. The album's biggest hit, Rock Lobster, is catchy and seems to get more absurd as it goes, while songs like Lava, 52 Girls and Hero Worship are rockers that maintain a steady intensity. The record closes with a very fun and cool cover of Downtown that, in my opinion, has stood the test of time as much as the original. It's fun to spotlight the B-52s colorful wild side, but from their earliest release, they have been ready to show that they are capable of multifaceted and unique music.

The B-52s MySpace

The Meat of Life

Clem Snide is a great band. They have a new album, titled The Meat of Life, due out February 23, which is available for listen at npr.org. Thus far, I would have to place this album among their best; better than the last two albums (humble opinion only).

As you will read, Stephen Thompson's review suggests that Eef Barzelay is indie rock's Kermit the Frog. However you view this compliment, I couldn't pass up the wonderful opportunity presented to me by Mr. Thompson. So, for your enjoyment:

Seasons

From time to time, I will post comic strips and illustrations that reference or are inspired by music. Some will attempt humor, while others may look more seriously at the way music affects our lives. Many of these posts will continue in a format of sorts, but some may be a one-time creation. If you like something, let me know, and I will bring you more...

Now then, on with the show. (Click the image to see a larger version.)

For my first post, I open a discussion about what music is good for which season. While I chose four albums in one artist's career, I would encourage you to choose from whenever and wherever you wish.

Jukebox Update 2/4/10

I'm excited to say that my good friend Jason will start contributing with us very soon. He will be giving our blog a wider perspective with his opinions and insights through both words and illustrations.
Welcome Jason!

"Real" Music

Recently I've been thinking about how we gauge the authenticity of music. The thought came up while I was reading an album review on Pitchfork and it resurfaced following a bogus mp3 leak.
Last week the internet was peppered with a new Justice mp3, shortly followed by news that they were not responsible for the track. I enjoyed the song that sounded like Justice, but the artist responsible got exposure as a nameless, faceless fraud rather than somebody that released an original song that sounded like Justice. Which way gave them a better exposure? When is it OK for an artist to go beyond an influence and mimic a signature sound? I hear Elvis Costello when I listen to Girls and I hear The Postal Service when I stumble into Owl City. One is acclaimed while the other is ripped apart. Who or what determines if Girls is more relevant/authentic/talented than Owl City. One of the two had a number one hit.
Alex Ebert is the vocalist for pop-punk band, Ima Robot, and indie-folk band Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros. A review of the latter band's album on Pitchfork compared Ebert to Fruitopia, in that he is tricking people into thinking he's a folk singer. It's easy to accuse him of jumping on an indie rock bandwagon, but could it be possible that he is a musically well-versed artist that is simply reinventing himself? Is it fair to speculate what an artist's intentions are, and to what degree should it influence our attraction to the music? Should all music be heard in a vacuum, free of image and explanation or are the peripherals part of the authenticity?

Tegan and Sara - The Con

I used to wonder whether or not I should refer to Tegan and Sara as a guilty pleasure. On one hand, they kind of come off as bubble gum rockers perfectly suited for sound tracking an episode of Grey's Anatomy. But on the other hand, they come off as a stylish indie pop duo that make approachable records. I have dismissed the former point of view in favor of the later because Tegan and Sara have steadily made good music and they have a cool that seems to attract more cool. They've been covered by The White Stripes and Ryan Adams, and Death Cab For Cutie's Chris Walla has been involved in producing their last two albums. The first of those two is The Con, which features Walla along with his Death Cab For Cutie band mate, Jason McGerr, as well as Kaki King, and Matt Sharp. Even while surrounded by all that cool, Tegan and Sara manage to maintain their sound, letting the mood differentiate the record from their other work by occasionally replacing poppy angst with sincere melancholy and vulnerability. It also seems emotionally direct, largely due to nine of the fourteen tracks clocking in at three minutes or less. These shorter songs tend to keep me from settling into a mood before the next song creates a new one. The Con is simply Tegan and Sara at their best in a display of musical accessibility, artistic focus and, of course, cool.

Tegan and Sara MySpace