Well, we admit, we dropped the ball on this one: Stephen Merritt of The Magnetic Fields kicked off this year's "Talking Music" series on September 11th, and it kind of blew right by us. That being said, the series runs through late April, and there are quite a few more interesting folks in the lineup. Okkervil River frontman (and English major) Will Sheff will be in attendance on December 17th. Mountain Goats frontman (and sometimes blogger) John Darnielle will be interviewed by Tobias Wolff on February 24th, and performance artist (and Lou Reed spouse) Laurie Anderson wraps it up on April 27th. It's also worth noting that both Sheff and Darnielle are appearing in "conversation and song" so there should be some tunage there as well. These all take place in the Herbst theater, which in addition to being a great building, has fantastic acoustics. Should be a fun night out.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Fall & Winter "Talking Music" Features Sheff, Darnielle, Anderson
Randy Newman: New Record, Coming To Symphony Hall
If all you know about Randy Newman is that he wrote the songs from the Toy Story movies, then you're really missing out. Newman has been at work in the music world for more than three decades. His material ranges from the sarcastic rock of the seventies ("Short People", "I Love LA"), to his more recent explorations of the American experience. He is truly one of the nation's treasures: a song writer in the style of Gershwin or Porter, with a style that's completely his own.
Why are we telling you all this? Well, Newman has a new record, Harps And Angels, and is touring in its support. He'll be at Davies Symphony Hall on October 17th as part of the San Francisco Jazz Festival. Tickets are a tad on the pricey side, but at the same time, this is a show that can pretty much be guaranteed to deliver. If you're still not sure, check out the stream below for a taste of what's in store.
Stream: Randy Newman Playing Harps And Angels at Largo In LA
Reminder: MBV Is Tonight At The Concourse, New Album In The Works
(They probably look a little older now)In other MBV news, Kevin Shields has now confirmed to a number of sources that the band has decided to move forward with a new record, built around the foundations that were developed in '96/'97. While this does have us immeasurably excited, you'll have to pardon if it goes in the folder for "we'll believe it when we see it".
Ticketmaster's all sold out, but being a GA show, you can probably craigslist yourself some love.
UPDATE: We just discovered that Pete Kember's post-Spacemen 3 project Spectrum is opening. Get there early!
Monday, September 29, 2008
MORE Cardinology Videos From Ryan Adams, Plus Presale
Can you get too much of these video post from Ryan Adams? We certainly hope not, because the man just keeps 'em coming. Among other things, this round contains some live shots of "Goodnight Rose", and some nice rap and metal interludes. The password is "ghost".
What's more, Adams is having his own presale for his gig with Oasis. Presumably entered in the same password slot on the ticketmaster link, Adams' presale password is "SPACEWOLF". Take your best shot guessing which band's presale will go faster, as we haven't a clue...
Broken Social Scene Video In Juan's Basement
Via Pitchfork.tv, some tasty video of BSS (nice new fancy website, guys!) playing "Stars and Sons". Kevin Drew on drums - woot!
UPDATE: The second half is now posted.
See What Jay Bennett's Been Up To
If you're a long time Wilco fan, then you're no doubt pretty familiar with Jay Bennett: Bennett served as guitarist and co-writer for the band for a number of years. What's more, he made quite a name for himself as a bit of a tough number in the Wilco biopic I Am Trying To Break Your Heart. Since then, he's recorded a number of albums of mixed quality - frankly, we feel like the guy has talent, but could use a bit of an editor.
That being said, we're always curious to hear what Bennett's up to. This interview with Glide magazine seems a tad self serving, but it is interesting to hear the latest: reviving his studio, having fun online, and (as always) playing music. Bennett has a new digital-only album on the way called At The Perfumed Air, as well as an EP with frequent collaborator Ed Burch. Check it out and see what you think.
Oasis + Ryan Adams = Love
So, were you a little annoyed that Oasis only toured in Canada? And did you kind of want to see that Oasis/Ryan Adams double bill because it sounded like it kicked a huge amount of rock and roll ass? Well, you're in luck: Adams and the Gallaghers will be reuniting to the band's North American tour, and here in the Bay Area they'll be making a stop at the Oracle Arena on December 3rd. Yes, we're as psyched as you are, despite it being in that gigantic concrete monolith. I mean, come on, for a show this big the arena vibe is almost suitable, no?
Tickets go on-sale this Friday, pre-sale is tomorrow. Password is "OASISINET"
BONUS: Stream the new Ryan Adams' tune "You Picked Me Up". Great!
New Coldplay Single: "Lost!"
We mentioned a while back that we were enjoying the new Coldplay disc Viva La Vida far more than we had anticipated. Well, one of our faves on the disc: "Lost!" is now set to be the band's next single. It'll be a digital-only release on November 10th, and you can check out the accompanying video (filmed in Chicago) below.
In other Coldplay news, it appears that bassist Guy Berryman has been side-projecting. Indeed.
Video: Coldplay - Lost!
The Flaming Lips' Christmas On Mars Finally (Finally!!!!) Arriving
We've been waiting for this one for years. YEARS, people. The Flaming Lips have been talking about their feature film Christmas On Mars forever, and it's always just out of reach. First there was mention in interviews, then there was the trailer, and finally the tour of the set in Wayne's backyward in The Fearless Freaks. That's what happens when you decide to make a sci-fi epic in the backyard of your Oklahoma house, we suppose.
Well news has just come down the pike that the band is releasing the DVD on November 11th! That's right kids: you can mark your calendars and all that jazz. The DVD also comes with a soundtrack to the film, so you can your psychedelic on with sonics or visuals, your call. Sadly (and here's the only bad news) the scheduled screening events (which are "across the country"), include no dates in California. Is this an oversight? A maximum diss? Regardless, it bums us out. To the max, man...
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Stream Austin City Limits
AT&T's "Blue Room" web site (the same folks that streamed Outside Lands) are streaming the Austin City Limits festival all weekend. If warm sunny days aren't really your thing, this is the perfect excuse to stay inside and zone out on the computer! You can check out the schedule right here. There're so many acts, we're kinda thinking there's gotta be something for everyone in that lineup. However, if you find that you miss a few acts, we're pretty sure this stuff'll be getting you tube-d in no time.... ACL has a setlists page if you're interested.
Stream: Austin City Limits Festival
The Week In Review
Picture courtesy of TeecNosPos'- Spoon rocked three nights at the Fillmore: one, two, three
- The Treasure Island Festival had a second successful year, with TV On The Radio making an awesome showing
- Ryan Adams relapsed with his video blogging addiction
- The Bridge School Benefit lineup was announced
- We're giving away some Spoon Fillmore posters
- We looked into Apple's Genius
- Oasis' new record leaked
- Vampire Weekend has a new tune, soundtrack style
Friday, September 26, 2008
Oasis' Dig Out Your Soul Has Leaked
We've been waiting a while for this one, and from what we've heard so far, it's sounding pretty good. Oasis' new album Dig Out Your Soul has been leaked to the world wide internets. Music Induced Euphoria has some tracks, and Stereogum has a full review. Us, well, we're still waiting to hear the whole thing, being afraid of the RIAA and all. :(
More Cardinology: Ryan Adams From Albany
Check it out: grainy video, a live take of "Off Broadway", and a snippet of a new tune. Ryan Adams and the Cardinals have sent another video, by way of their current location in Albany. The password is "spaceegg". Check the video above.
A Few Thoughts On Apple's "Genius"
The most recent release of iTunes contains a new feature that Apple has dubbed "Genius". Essentially what it is is a music recommendation engine: iTunes scans your collection, sends it to home base anonymously, and then compares it to thousands of other collections. You can then tell Genius to create a playlist from one of your songs, and it will use the collective data to pick the songs in your collection that best suit the song you picked. You then have a Genius playlist.
We here at HAD (and we're sure probably plenty of you as well) are pretty picky about what we listen to, and how we listen to it. A lot of the time we just deal in full albums, but even mixes and playlists are usually pretty specific to our tastes. The idea that Apple would have an algorithm to mimic personal taste seemed a bit far fetched, so we decided to give it a try. The short verdict? While it's not for us, we're surprisingly impressed.
Genius essentially deals you out a playlist of similar artists in the same genre that you selected. At first this seemed like a no-brainer: Selecting "The Hexx" by Pavement dealt out a playlist of Malkmus, Pavement, Silver Jews, and Yo La Tengo. "Mr. Brown" by Bob Marley produced a well rounded selection of downtempo reggae. "Take On Me" by Ah-Ha created a playlist that would be perfect for an 80's dance party. Obvious playlists, right? We decided to delve deeper.
It's easy to genre grab, but what we were curious about was if Genius could master the finer subtleties of an artists output: did it actually matter which song you picked, or was this just an artist recommendation engine? We decided to start with the ultimate genre-bender: David Bowie. A selection of "The Heart's Filthy Lesson" from 1996's 1.Outside revealed a playlist of pretty dark post-punk rock: Nine Inch Nails, Joy Division, Underworld and the like. Frankly, perfect. By stark contrast, a selection of "Young Americans" (perhaps Bowie's poppiest moment) revealed a selection of accessible, 70's rock: The Cars, Elton John, Boz Scaggs. Not bad at all.
We decided to push the engine again with another genre bender: Ryan Adams. Selecting Adams' acoustic rocker "New York, New York" yielded a super-accessible list of modern alt country: Wilco, Counting Crows, Damien Rice, Whiskeytown. By contrast, selecting the rocker "This Is It" yielded a far edgier playlist: Broken Social Scene, British Sea Power, Guided By Voices, and The Libertines. It seems that Genius is pretty damned well equipped to pick out songs in a dynamic and accurate way. But is that a good thing?
Apple is attempting to push people's music collection in a new direction with Genius: to abstract the idea of musical preference into a collective web. That being said, there are aspects of it that bother us: The death of the album, for one. Genius definitely falls into the iTunes "single song" mentality, and that's always a bit disheartening. Moreover, Genius removes the requirement to think about what you're listening to: it turns listeners into passive observers, rather than active explorers. With so many new tunes to discover, and new ways to hear them, that style of listening just isn't what we're looking for. In the end, Genius certainly does work. If you want a dynamic playlist for your next party, or just to have a radio station that doesn't suck, then it's perfect. That being said, it's important to question if it's what we really want out of our listening experience: a centralized computer brain making our music decisions for us? If that's the future, get me a turntable.
Spoon Poster Giveaway
What you see above is the poster for Spoon and The Heavenly States' three nights at The Fillmore. For those not in the know: The Fillmore has a long standing tradition of giving out posters at the end of sold out shows. This week, all three shows were sold out, so three nights of posters! What that means is that we've got a few extras here at HAD, so here's the deal: Send an email to contests@hippiesaredead.com with an answer to the following question, as well as your name and mailing address. If you win, we'll send you a poster! So, the question is: Britt Daniel has written and recorded music under an alias - what is that alias? Send in your answers: we'll close the contest next Thursday at midnight. Good luck!
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Matt Bauer's At Swedish American Tonight
If you're looking for something a tad more chill than Silver Jews, former San Franciscan Matt Bauer will be at the Swedish American tonight, opening for Two Gallants' Adam Stephens. Bauer's live set is fantastic, and his shows deliver an eerie, stoic dose of folk. Combined with the Swedish American's acoustics, this show should be a musical treat. If you're looking for a bit more detail, The Bay Bridged has an interview with Matt about his new album that's a nice read.
Bridge School 2008 Lineup Announced
The folks over at The Bridge School have just announced the lineup for their annual acoustic-only fundraiser at Shoreline Amphitheater. The festival is always curated by Neil Young, whose children attended the school. The show will take place on the weekend of October 25th and 26th. No big surprise seeing Wilco on the bill both nights, as their touring with Uncle Neil this fall. We have to admit: we'd kinda kill to see an acoustic Smashing Pumpkins show, even if it's not the original lineup.
Ticket on-sale has yet to be announced, but here's the lineup:
- Neil Young
- Wilco
- Jack Johnson
- Death Cab for Cutie
- Norah Jones
- Cat Power
- Sarah McLachlan (Saturday only)
- ZZ Top (Saturday only)
- Josh Groban (Sunday only)
- Smashing Pumpkins (Sunday only)
Ryan Adams' Blogging Is Back In Full Effect
It comes, it goes, it takes on many forms: Ryan Adams' online presence. Well, now it's back. FOGGY - the CARDINAL CAVE has been reactivated, and is rife with new posts, video, and photos. You've got to love a guy who's this forthright with his public persona, even if it can sometimes get him in trouble. At least it's real...
Tip, if you only like the vids, go straight to Ryan's video page.
My Bloody Valentine: Too Good To Resist
Sure, we were feeling skeptical about the choice of venue, and we still maintain that it sucks. That being said, with all the positive press (from news outlets, fans, blogs, and everyone in between) coming off of MBV's East Coast appearances, we're thinking we're going to have to make an appearance at the band's gig next week. By all accounts, these reunion gigs have been transcendant experiences that leave listeners tingling with joy after waves upon waves of abstract noise (Check out the vid above to see what we mean). It's the kind of thing that really, we thinks, you have to experience for yourself.
Tickets are on-sale now.
Silver Jews Are At The Fillmore Tonight
If you find yourself in the mood for some rock and roll this evening, The Fillmore is the place to be. David Berman will be leading the Silver Jews to San Francisco's favorite venue for a night of sweet tunage. By all accounts, the current tour (in support of the new record Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea) is kicking some serious ass, and Berman is really having fun with it. What's more, James Jackson Toth, the recipient of a fair amount of his own hype, will be opening. To our ears, Toth shares some languid sound similarities with Jason Collett's more chill material. Should be top notch, people.
Tickets are on-sale now.
Spoon At The Fillmore: Night Three
Night three of Spoon at The Fillmore was all about the fans. It was the show (of the three) that sold out first, the band played a fan-created setlist, and the crowd was packed in like devout sardines. Faced with a room of adoring masses, the band completely delivered. The set included old favorites, new tunes, and even a brand new cover. It was a night that perfectly wrapped up an awesome three night run.
The Heavenly States opened in top form, and gave their most energetic set of the three night run. They seemed infused with an even greater sense of rock and roll than on previous nights, and seemed more relaxed and at home on stage. They wrapped up their set with a killer cover of Jon Spencer's "Bellbottoms" that really smacked the crowd in the face with a fantastic wave of noise.
Spoon's set was largely composed by one of their fans, who apparently delivered it to them on Tuesday. It showed, too: it featured a number of songs that hadn't been heard from the band in quite some time. Rogue Wave member Gram LeBron guested on "Sister Jack", and John Vanderslice made a third appearance on "You've Got Yr Cherry Bomb". "Anything You Want" was well fleshed out, and was the best version we've heard the band play. The encore featured a killer version of "Car Radio" that really kicked things into high gear.
As we've mentioned previously, the band had brought in a horn section for these shows, and they were present last night as well. They really fleshed out every song they played on, but perhaps the most interesting moment came at the end of the set. For the first encore, Britt Daniel took the stage with only the horns backing him and dove headlong into a cover of Van Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said". The cover was fantastic in so many ways, and really served to further emphasize that Daniel's songwriting really has its roots in some classic material.
As the night came to a close, we were put in to a state of realization that this is truly a band at the top of their game. Their live show is rock solid, their records are both critically and commercially successful, and they are keeping their shows intimate and genuine. To see them deliver such fantastic material night after night is a treat, and can only serve to further their success as they head towards their next record. Suffice it to say, we're looking forward to it.
Setlist
Many more photos at the HAD Archive
Nels Cline Singers Coming To Cafe Du Nord
Photo from the HAD ArchiveThe Singers are vastly different from Wilco, and somewhat hard to characterize: most descriptions usually attempt some variation on "avant garde jazz". Truth be told, that's far too much of a generalization. To our ears the band has a style that's completely its own - Cline's frenetic guitar leaves the band on a path that toes the line between rock, jazz, and everything in between. If you haven't seen them yet (or if you have, for that matter), this is a band worth checking out.
Tickets are on-sale now.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Ra Ra Riot At The Rickshaw Tonight
Hey kids, just a reminder: if you're not feeling the Spoon vibe tonight (or you just couldn't get tickets), Ra Ra Riot are going to be at the Rickshaw Stop over in Hayes Valley. By all accounts, it should be an awesome gig. Checkit, and let us know how it is.
Kings Of Leon: Home Movies, Album Release
Kings Of Leon released their new record Only By The Night this past week, and we have to say we're loving it. The band appears to be catching flack in some circles for their continued pursuit of a hard rock sound, but frankly, it suits us just fine. The fuzzed out riffs and in your face drums are a perfect foil to the chill, slackeresque vocals.
On top of the album release, the band's also been doing "home movies" on a daily basis. The one featured above is #24, and features the awesome track "Crawl". You can check out the other 23 at the band's youtube channel. And then, you can go pick yourself up the new record - it's tasty.
Kings Of Leon will be at The Warfield October 17th and 18th.
A Little One Man AC DC For Your Afternoon
Caught this over at Digg, and we have to say we're impressed. Apparently it's the multi-talented Matt Mahaffey who (from what he says at the end of the clip) was opening for Britt Daniel. Our guess is that this is from the April 2004 show at Spaceland, with Mahaffey billed as sELF. While we do agree with the YouTube comments that he sounds a bit Jack White-ish, that does nothing to change the fact that this clip is simply...awesome.
Some Interviews You Might Like To Read
Both David Byrne and My Bloody Valentine will be in San Francisco in the coming weeks, so we thought we'd take a minute to pass a couple of interesting interviews your way. Pitchfork has an interview with David Byrne on his latest, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today, and the New York Times has a nice sit down with Kevin Shields about the MBV reunion. Enjoy!
David Byrne is at Davies Symphony Hall October 6th and 7th
My Bloody Valentine are at the Concourse Design Center September 30th
Spoon At The Fillmore: Night Two
If night one was a taste of Spoon as showmen, then night two was most certainly showing off Spoon as a band. The set was shorter, the songs were tighter, and the overall vibe was much more about four guys in a rock band looking to blow you out of the water.
Openers The Heavenly States played another tight opening set - it's a real treat to have an opener that has a ton of energy and is fun to watch. Consider it a bonus that these folks are a local band, and have an awesome new record to boot. We picked up their latest, Delayer, last night, and are psyched to see these guys again tonight. Recommendation: get there around eight to catch their set.
Spoon tore into things with the new tune "Who Backs Yr Money", which worked really well to start things off. They then proceeded to deliver a set that dropped back to their first album with a blazing take on "Nefarious", and came all the way through the present. We were psyched to hear a bunch of stuff off of Girls Can Tell, including "Everything Hits At Once" and "Fitted Shirt". (We're still really hoping to hear "Anything You Want"....fingers crossed.)
One really nice aspect of these shows is that some of the more minimalist tunes are really getting fleshed out with nice arrangements in the live setting. Both "The Ghost Of You Lingers" and "Small Stakes" sounded much more full and lush than we've ever heard them in a live setting, and the arrangements seem to have matured across the board. A lot of the synth and electronic sounds have become thicker, and closer to their album counterparts, with both Eric Harvey and Rob Pope now taking up keyboard duties at various points in the set.
In comparison to the first night, there were far fewer horns, and the covers were absent as well. The show was far more focused on the band's own four piece sound. As such, they managed to craft a set that was at once eclectic and accessible. Waves of sound often permeated the songs, but they never lost track of their melody and beat. It was truly everything that is good about Spoon: experimentalism well drenched in great songwriting.
As we go into the third night, we can't help but be thinking that it's going to be the best of the three. The band seems to be building momentum as they go along, and Britt Daniel announced last night that they had purposely circumvented the festival circuit in favor of playing a run at the Fillmore. Frankly, we couldn't be happier. These shows are shaping up to be some of the best Spoon we've seen and heard in years.
Setlist, courtesy of Boogie...
Many more pics at the HAD Archive
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Strokes Side Projects: What Exactly Does This Mean For A New Record?
It seems these days that being a Stroke doesn't mean being much of a team player. First, Albert Hammond Jr. had his solo records. Then Julian has his go 'round with Santogold and Pharrell. Now Nikolai has a movie and solo material, and Fab's joined a new band.
We don't exactly know what this means for the band, but supposedly that fourth album was in the works. We know 2007 was supposed to be a "year off", but it's almost the end of 2008. All this activity outside of band fun is a bit suspicious if you ask us. If Mr. Valensi starts a side project (besides making babies), well, we're really going to wonder...
Wilco Offers Up Free Track To Voters
mp3: Wilco and Fleet Foxes - I Shall Be Released (Click Through And Pledge)
Listen To The New Bond Theme (Jack White + Alicia Keys = ?)
Not sure how this slipped by us, but the Jack White/Alicia Keys collaboration "Another Way To Die" is now available as more than a snippet from a Coke commercial. The track is kinda sorta exactly what you'd expect, and has the distinct vibe of The White Stripes "Conquest" mashed up with the Moulin Rouge retake of "Lady Marmalade". We're not unimpressed, we're just not exactly impressed either. "Live And Let Die" it is not (or "Nobody Does It Better", for that matter). Still, no amount of musical influence one way or another is going to change how stoked we are for Quantum Of Solace. Daniel Craig just kicks ass as Bond, plain and simple.
Stream: Jack White & Alicia Keys - Another Way To Die
New Pavement Remaster On The Way
If you're like us, a doting adorer of Pavement, then you've been champing at the bit for this bit of news (yes, it's "champing", check your references folks): Brighten The Corners is finally on slate for release in the Pavement reissue program. That means a second disc of B-Sides, remastered audio, unreleased tracks, and uber-pretty album art. And it's all arriving on November 18th! So close! Plus there's going to be a "Buy Early Get Now" promotion with even more details. Awesomeness. Get all the track listing details over at the Matador blog. Thanks to Pitchfork for the tip.
Jose Gonzalez Contest Winner
Well, the random number generator has done its job, and Jonathan Yu has been selected as the winner of our Jose Gonzalez tickets for tonight's late show at Yoshi's. Congrats Jonathan!
Spoon At The Fillmore: Night One
Spoon arrived in town yesterday to start their three night run at the Fillmore. We're in for all three nights, and after night one, we can say we're nothing but happy to be catching these shows. Between the long set, a killer horn section, a guest appearance by John Vanderslice, and a balls to the wall performance by the band, we have absolutely no complaints.
Openers The Heavenly States played a fantastic set to start off the night - it was one of the most energetic sets we've seen from an opening band in a really long time. What's more, the band managed to hold the audience's attention through all of the quiet numbers - not always an easy feat. Or, as frontman Ted Nesseth put it: "Wow, you guys are so polite, thanks!" If you're coming out over the next two nights, definitely get there early to see these guys - you won't be sorry.
Spoon's set was a catalogue-traversing adventure, ranging from A Series Of Sneaks, all the way through to a couple of unreleased tunes and some covers in the encore. What's more, the band was supported by a three piece horn section for much of the show. Having the horns there really solidifed tunes like "Jonathan Fisk" and "The Underdog": sure, you can throw some synths out there, but the real thing is a hundred times better.
In the new tunes department, the band played both "Written In Reverse", and "Who Makes You Money?", which as far as we can tell solidifies any questions of these being "full band" songs. Both were on the mark, but clearly still feeling their way to having arrangements that are set in stone. When the audience clapped through a break in one of the songs, Britt Daniel mentioned when they "returned next year" after everyone had "heard the album", that it would all be different. We're not sure if this consitutes an official new album announcement, but it's pretty close. Sweet.
Seeing a band on the first night of a three night run can sometimes be underwhelming, as artists try to conserve energy for the nights ahead. Such was not the case last night, as Daniel came into the encore raring to go. Drenched in sweat, and smiling, he seemed genuinely pleased with the band's first sold out night. In addition to covering Paul Simon's "Peace Like A River", the band brought out an killer version of "Utilitarian", and closed with a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Rocks Off" (real horns appreciated here too, btw).
It's pretty obvious that we here at HAD are downright addicted to Spoon. That being said, these shows at the Fillmore are proving to be something special unto themselves. The band has always had a connection with San Francisco, and last night it showed by the degree to which they played their hearts out. We hope you can get out there over the next two nights (both are now sold out), but if not, stick with us here and we'll keep coming with the updates!
UPDATE: A. Boogie left the setlist in the comments...thanks!
They Never Got You
Don't You Evah
Rhthm + Soul
Stay Don't Go
Jonathon Fisk
The Delicate Place
The Ghost of You Lingers
The Beast and Dragon, Adored
Me and the Bean
I Turn My Camera On
Written in Reverse
Chicago at Night
Who Backs Yr Money
Don't Make Me A Target
Finer Feelings
I Summon You
You Got Yr Cherry Bomb
The Underdog
Black Like Me
Utilitarian
Peace Like A River
The Two Sides of M. Valentine
Rocks Off
Many more photos at the HAD Archive
TV On The Radio Played Treasure Island
As we mentioned a few weeks back, we've been enjoying the new TV On The Radio record, Dear Science, , quite a bit. Well, the record officially comes out today, so we thought we'd celebrate by posting some more pics from their Treasure Island appearance this past weekend. The set was one of the highlights of the show, and in the words of one HAD'er: "Those guys are almost unfathomably talented." Note the almost: we can be tight fisted with our superlatives here at HAD. As an added bonus, head over to Aquarium Drunkard to check out their write up of the record. In the meantime, enjoy the pics!
All Pictures Copyright 2008, Sarah Klinger
More photos at the HAD Archive
Monday, September 22, 2008
Stereogum Has New Vampire Weekend Track
Photo From The HAD ArchiveThe folks over at Stereogum have an exclusive on the new Vampire Weekend track, "Ottoman". The track has quite a bit in common with "Walcott", borrows some lyrics from "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa", and despite being easy on the ears never really picks up the pace of some of the bands more danceable tracks. In other words, it kind of feels like a B-Side.
That's not exactly a surprise, considering it's riding on the soundtrack of Nick and Norah's Infinite Mixtape, which appears to be the "indie rock as a zeitgeist" vehicle of the month. While the film looks cute, we feel like we've seen the whole thing just by watching the preview. Does Michael Sera do anything other than play himself? For the sake of the Scott Pilgrim movie, we certainly hope so.
Stream: Vampire Weekend - Ottoman (Click Through)
Ryan Adams' Cardinology Reaches New Levels Of Awesome
Courtesy of the Cardinology Mailman, complete with talking stuffed animals, comes Ryan Adams lead up to his new record. Fantastic, if we do say so ourselves. The password is "classic". Enjoy...
The KIllers Truly Sell Out
If Sam's Town wasn't enough evidence to show you that The Killers had lost their edge, then surely this will do the job. The band's latest single, off the forthcoming Day & Age, is about as close to M.O.R. pop as one can get without becoming Kenny G. Seriously guys? Is this what it's come to? Can't we get someone in the studio to tell them that this just isn't the way to go?
What really irks us is that if you go back and listen to the pre-major label EP stuff, it's still really good. It's raw, and edgy, and powerful. And now, this. Argh...
(Thanks, we guess, to Pretty Much Amazing for the "tip")
mp3: The Killers - Human (MediaFire click through)
Jose Gonzalez: 2 Nights At Yoshi's, Ticket Giveaway
If you find yourself desiring a more chill vibe than Spoon's rocktastic extravaganza at The Fillmore, might we suggest that you jump across the Bay and check out Jose Gonzales at the original Yoshi's? He'll be playing Tuesday and Wednesday nights, a late and early show for each.
The singer-songwriter brings to the table a pretty folky vibe, but with some clear (see above) roots in the world of rock music. His voice has been (understandably) compared to Nick Drake, but to our ears he puts his own spin on things with a bit more of a raw, gritty vibe than Drake ever had. Getting to see him in a small room like Yoshi's will no doubt be a treat, not only for the intimate vibe, but the awesome acoustics as well.
Here's an added bonus: we've got a pair of tickets to give away to the Tuesday night late show at 10 PM. All you have to do is email contests@hippiesaredead.com with the answer to the following question: What Gonzalez song was used for a commercial filmed in San Francisco? Please include your name and email address with the answer. Get your entries in by 10 AM tomorrow (9/23), we'll announce the winner soon thereafter. Good luck!
Video: Jose Gonzalez - Down The Line
Stream: Jose Gonzalez - Down The Line
Spoon's Three Night Fillmore Run Begins Tonight
Photo from the HAD ArchiveSpoon hasn't played the Fillmore since their pair of shows in 2005, and we're more than a little psyched to see them return to San Francisco's most hallowed venue. We're also hoping that a three night run will give them a little room to flex their creative tendencies and mix up the setlists a bit (see mp3 below for a hint of what we'd like to hear).
Tickets are still available for Monday and Tuesday.
mp3: The Heavenly States - Lost In The Light (YouSendIt Link, Click Through)
mp3: Spoon - I Could Be Underground (YouSendIt Link, Click Through)
Treasure Island: Into Year Two And Still Kicking A$$
JUSTICE
Hot Chip
Goldfrapp
Antibalas
CSS
TV On The RadioAs the festival closed out, we have to say that we were truly glad to have seen it be such a success a second year in a row. The Bay Area is starting to host some fantastic musical events, and the Treasure Island Festival has held its own as one of the most consistently unique, enjoyable, and entertaining experiences the city has to offer.
Many more photos over at the HAD Archive.
