Floored By Four (Nels Cline, Mike Watt) and M. Ward Played Central Park Summer Stage - Review, Pics, Setlist

On Saturday night, the rains managed to hold off just in time for an amazing evening at Central Park's Summer Stage. Not only was the gig free and the headliner a Mr. Matt Ward, but it was also the live debut of Nels Cline and Mike Watt's new project, Floored By Four. It was beautiful summer evening event that was not to be missed.

Floored By Four opened the night with a fantastic set that not only showcased all four member's talents, but ran the gamut stylistically as well. The tunes the band played could be described as everything from prog rock to ambient to experimental jazz. Suffice it to say, it was interesting.

Suprisingly, the audience seemed relatively uninformed of the band's considerable artistic legacy, and we overheard little beyond "some guy named Mike Watt with the guitarist from Wilco" as a descriptive phrase. Suffice it to say, kids, time to do your research. Nonetheless, the set was fantastic, and those who did appreciate it, did so in spades.

While the whole set was a blast, we have to say that the highlight of the set was the searing guitar work by Cline at the end of the set. Every time he reached a plateau that didn't seem possible to exceed, he would go further, and then some. It wasn't hurting things that Cline and Watt clearly have a long established dynamic, and play off of each other ridiculously well. We can't wait to hear this record.

M. Ward hit the stage promptly at 8:30, to a crowd that was devoutedly engaged with him. Dressed as the man in black, Ward delivered an hour twenty set that hit decidedly upon all the fan favorites. Apparently the set was the last one of the Ward's tour in support of Hold Time, and it was clear from the get go that he was there to deliver.

Despite some technical difficulties with an amp, Ward delivered an incredibly solid set. In fact, our only complaint would be that it was almost too solid. It seems that Ward has gotten so comfortable with his band and his carefully manicured sound, that there was little adventure or surprise to be had in his performance.

Granted, surprise is not necessarily the key to a good rock show, and Ward unquestionably gave exactly that. As always, his voice was in top form, the band was dead on, and the crowd loved every minute of it. Still, having seen Ward a number of times, we have to say that this was probably the most staid and reserved we've seen him. While there's little you can argue with given a fantastic free set from an amazing artist, we're just hoping that his outing with Monsters of Folk will put a bit more of an edge on him the next time he's in town.

M Ward Setlist
--
Sad Song
One Hundred Million Years
Post War
Chinese Translation
Rave On (Buddy Holly Cover)
Never Had Nobody Like You
Hold Time
Jailbird
To Save Me
Poor Boy, Minor Key
Poison Cup
Fool Says
Magic Trick
Big Boat
Bean Vine Blues (John Fahey Cover)
Fisher Of Men
Requiem
Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry Cover)
--
Helicopter
--
To Go Home

Conor Oberst, Jim James, M. Ward Reunite For Monsters Of Folk

You may recall that a few years back, Conor Oberst toured with Jim James and M. Ward on a tour that effectively combined the three musician's performances in a sort of crossover revue. The tour was highly acclaimed, and was highlighted by a killer appearance on Austin City Limits.

Well now the three are reuniting, and this time for far more than a tour. Come September 22nd, the three will be releasing a full length under the moniker Monsters Of Folk. The record, entitled Say Please promises to combine some of the most talented songwriters in the business today for a combo that promises to seriously be one of the most exciting releases of the year.

While you'll have to wait two months for the real deal, the band has released the title track as a teaser, and it completely lives up to the promise. It manages to combine each of the three's vocal and writing styles in a romp that is raucus and chill at the same time, and has us slobbering for more. Yum.

mp3: Monsters Of Folk - Say Please

Merge's Anniversary Fest Goes Onsale Wednesday, Promises To Be Awesome

Last fall we mentioned that Merge Records was ramping up to a seriously cool record release for their twentieth anniversary this year. Well, in addition they've also lined up a five day music festival that's going to feature the best and the brightest of the Merge roster. Given that Merge hosts some of HAD's favorite artists, the fest has us drooling like crazy monkey people.

XX Merge is taking place from July 22nd to the 26th, at Merge's headquarters in Carrboro, NC. Currently the confirmed lineup is as follows:

SUPERCHUNK
SPOON
CONOR OBERST
SPENT
M.WARD
THE ROSEBUDS
DESTROYER
GUV'NER
POLVO
PIPE
THE BROKEN WEST

What's more there's the promise of "Many more expected & unexpected". While there are no guarantees, we'd be willing to make a pretty solid bet that Merge powerhouse Arcade Fire will make an appearance. What's more, much of the label's cred-establishing bands like The Magnetic Fields, Crooked Fingers and Robert Pollard also seem to be likely suspects. The real question, however, is that conspicuous legacy on the Merge roster: Will Neutral Milk Hotel make an appearance?

All of these mysteries will be revealed in July, but in order for that to happen, you need a pass to the fest. If you're so inclined - you're in luck: the passes go on sale this Wednesday at 10 AM Eastern Time via catscradle.com and mergerecords.com.

M. Ward Played The Palace Of Fine Arts - Pictures, Review, Setlist, Video

As M. Ward said a the Palace Of Fine Arts Theater last night, "this place gets real quiet". And it does - so much so that it would have been ideal for a Ward solo show much like the one that he played at Bimbo's a couple of years ago. Which is why we were pretty surprised to see the man take to stage with a full four piece band (five, counting him) for a lengthy set that drew surprisingly little on his new record, and more than delivered the musical goods.

To start, we would contend that it's pretty much impossible not to enjoy Ward in a live setting. The man is such an adept musician, and his compositions so universal, that there's really something for anyone who's a music lover to enjoy. Sure, you might not like his side projects, or the new record might be too mellow for you, but live this all falls by the wayside. The depth of Ward's voice comes out even more pronounced in a live setting, and more than that it's just clear that this guy has soul.

On top of that, Ward and his band are top-notch musicians who have a blast being on stage. Whether on piano, acoustic, or electric guitar, Ward plays with a style that's equally parts technically adept and brazenly carefree. He clearly is psyched to be delivering the tunage, and wants to bring it forth with as much enthusiasm as possible. His band follows suit - at one point last night one of his guitarists almost flat out fell down on stage in a bout of enthusiasm. Good stuff.

As we mentioned, last night's setlist was surprisingly diverse, and drew very little on the new record. Instead, it spanned his entire catalog and had some real gems in there. We're huge fans of "Post War", and "Fuel For Fire" was also fantastic. We were a tad bummed not to hear "Transfiguration of Vincent" or "To Go Home", but it seems it wasn't a "hits" kind of night. What it was, however, was a fantastic night of music. Making it doubly awesome is the fact that Ward will be back in town in May. Those who missed last night's show are in for a treat, and we're guessing that a fair number of last night's attendees will be back for another taste as well.

Setlist
--
Hold Time
Chinese Translation
Post War
Epistemology
Poison Cup
Undertaker
Lonesome Me
I'll Be Yr Bird
Fishing Boat Song (?)
Fuel For Fire
Instrumental
Magic Trick
To Save Me
Requiem
Never Met Nobody Like You
Rave On
Fisher Of Men
--
Instrumental (See Video)
Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry Cover, see video)
Big Boat

Video: M. Ward - Roll Over Beethoven (Live At POTFA)
Video: M. Ward - Instrumental (Live At POTFA)

M. Ward Extends Tour, Adds May Date At Fox Theater

Picture from the HAD Archive

If you missed out on tickets for M. Ward's show at the Palace Of Fine Arts theater in March, fear not: Ward has extended his tour, and added a date on May 16th at the newly renovated Fox Theater in Oakland.

In fact, following his performance at the Coachella festival, Ward has added a host of dates on the West coast (and a few in the midwest), culminating in another festival appearance at Sasquatch at the end of May. Other Bay Area stops include Davis and Visalia.

No word yet on when tickets go on-sale, but we'll keep you posted. In the mean time, head over to the New York Times and check out this profile of Ward's musical luddite inclinations.

M. Ward Spring/Summer 2009 Tour
02.16.2009 Buffalo, NY Tralf Music Hall
02.18.2009 Somerville, MA Somerville Theatre
02.19.2009 New York, NY Apollo Theatre
02.20.2009 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero Theatre
02.21.2009 Washington, Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
03.04.2009 Los Angeles, CA Music Box @ Fonda
03.05.2009 San Francisco, CA Palace of Fine Arts
03.06.2009 Seattle, WA Showbox at the Market
03.07.2009 Portland, OR Aladdin Theatre
03.08.2009 Portland, OR Aladdin Theatre
03.15.2009 Dallas, TX Dallas Museum of Art - Horchow Auditorium
04.17.2009 Indio, CA Coachella
04.18.2009 Tucson, AZ Rialto Theatre
04.19.2009 Tempe, AZ Marquee Theatre
04.20.2009 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theatre
04.22.2009 Tulsa, AZ Cain's Ballroom
04.23.2009 Omaha, NE Slowdown
04.24.2009 Milwaukee,WI Pabst Theatre
04.25.2009 Minneapolis,MN First Avenue
04.26.2009 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre
05.15.2009 Visalia, CA Fox Theater
05.16.2009 Oakland, CA Fox Theater
05.17.2009 Davis, CA Freeborn Hall
05.18.2009 Chico, CA Senator Theatre
05.22.2009 Eugene, OR McDonald Theatre
05.23.2009 George, WA Sasquatch Music Festival

Hear M. Ward's Latest, Hold Time

If you're one of the many who's all psyched up for Matt Ward's sold out show at the Palace Of Fine Arts In April, well you've got a while to wait. What's more, the new record isn't even going to hit the shelves until February 7th. So what can you do with your Ward fever in the meantime? Well, we would suggest heading over to NPR: For some unknown reason, the site has been chosen as the exclusive venue to stream Ward's new album in its entirety.

From we're sitting, the record's sounding pretty good. It's a solid dose of Ward's distinctive sound, complete with crunchy guitars, breathy multi tracked vocals, and rolling beats. Fans of Post War (which we most certainly are) will not be disappointed. If you just have to get something on your iPod, well, Stereogum's dug up at least one mp3 (featuring Zooey Deschanel) for you to stuff into the digital repository of your choice.

Stream: M. Ward - Hold Time (entire album)

New M. Ward Video Offers Up First Taste Of Hold Time

So here it is: the first taste of M.Ward's latest, Hold Time. We just got our tickets for the Palace Of The Fine Arts show, and we have to say we're more than a little excited for Matt's latest effort. The video for the title track has been released and youtubed for your viewing pleasure.

The video itself is an uber-ethereal, black and white reverberated dirge. It moves along ever so slowly, and leaves the vocals in a murky trench of thick production goodness. We can totally see the end of the track kicking off into one of the album's more upbeat numbers. For those of you lamenting the absence of upbeatedness - calm yourselves and go listen to the sample on the opening page at mwardmusic.com. You didn't really think Matt would leave you without any rock with your roll, now did you?

M. Ward: New Album, Palace Of Fine Arts In March, Presale 12/09 At 10 AM

After a year or so of touring almost exclusively in support of She & Him, it looks like M. Ward is back on his own. Ward will be releasing a brand new record on February 17th entitled Hold Time. It's been over two years since Post War dropped, so we couldn't be more excited to see new material from the man. The record (whose covert art you can see above) features guest appearances by Lucinda Williams, Jason Lytle, and Zooey Deschanel.

Ward is also mounting a tour in support of the record, which includes a March 5th date at The Palace Of Fine Arts here in San Francisco. You can snag tickets in the Another Planet presale starting Tuesday (tomorrow) morning at ten. Click here, the password is "holdtime".

We here at HAD have seen Ward live three or four times now, and we're always thoroughly impressed by his shows, both solo and with band. Matt's (that's what the M.'s for, kids!) simply a fantastic musician, and the consistently with which he effortlessly delivers moving versions of his songs is simply remarkable. Highly recommended.

M. Ward Tour Dates, Spring 2009:
Wednesday, February 18 Boston, MA @ Somerville Theater
Thursday, February 19 New York, NY @ The Apollo Theatre
Friday, February 20 Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero Theatre
Saturday, February 21 Washington, DC @ Sixth and I Synagogue
Wednesday February 25 London, UK @ Borderline
Thursday February 26 Paris, FR @ Café de la Danse
Friday, February 27 Amsterdam, NL @ Paradiso
Wednesday March 4 Los Angeles, CA @ Music Box at Fonda
Thursday, March 5 San Francisco, CA @ Palace of Fine Arts
Friday, March 6 Seattle, WA @ Showbox At The Market
Saturday, March 7 Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater

Noise Pop's Final Night: She And Him @ GAMH

Let us start off by saying this: Noise Pop, why did you need to go all a/v fascist on us? No photos? Really? We barely got 3 photos off before we were told to put away the camera or it would be confiscated. Such a disappointment. Sorry, just had to get that off the proverbial chest. Now, onward. (Update: Pitchfork got a photo pass.)

This evening's inaugural She and Him gig was decidedly more "she" than "him". Perhaps it was to be expected, but we'd be lying if we didn't say that we wished Matt Ward had gotten front and center a bit more frequently. That being said, what we did get was a tight hour long set of music squarely focused on Zooey Deschanel's voice, and the new album coming out in two weeks.

That focus was completely appropriate, as the leading lady's voice was in top form. She gave solid delivery of all the material, and even hit some notes that shocked us with their directness and impact. It helped significantly that she was backed by Ward and his standard touring band: they held together an extremely tight combo for Deschanel to rely upon throughout the night.

This evening was also the first opportunity we've had to hear all of the material off of the new album, and assess Zooey's songwriting skillz. In general the material was solid, with a definite 60's throwback vibe. There was a certain similarity amongst many of the songs, which started to wear thin towards the end of the set, but in general it was a catchy and accessible set of new tunes. In addition to the new material, the band also covered Ward's "Magic Trick", as well as "You've Really Got A Hold On Me", "Bring It On Home To Me", and "I Put A Spell On You".

Perhaps the only really notable downside to the night's performance was that Deschanel was a bit noticeably (and understandably) awkward and reserved in her stage presence. It seemed like she wasn't quite sure what to do with herself at times, and a bit nervous about the whole thing. Still, for a band's first show, in a packed auditorium on the final night of a major music festival, you can't really blame her. We're pretty sure it'll smooth out over time.

She And Him's self titled album is out on Merge Records March 18th.

We've Been Waiting: She and Him

We've been keeping an eye on the burgeoning M. Ward/Zooey DesChanel collaboration for quite a while: the combination of the two really seemed to be good to be true. So, to say that we were excited when we discovered a link over at Brooklyn Vegan to an mp3 from the forthcoming album would be an understatement. The song is exactly what we had hoped: Ward's killer instrumentation and production kicked in a slightly poppier direction, with Zooey's vocals doubled up and charming our socks off.

Soooooo....what could make us more excited than a free mp3? How about the fact that under our radar (we were admittedly ignorant that they were calling themselves "She And Him"), the pair booked a gig at GAMH for Noise Pop 2008! Tickets are on-sale now at tickets.com, but appear to be going quickly. We'll see you on March 2nd. In the meantime, enjoy the tune!

mp3: She and Him - Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?

Here's To Next Year: Treasure Island Festival A Huge Success

The event planners over at Another Planet Entertainment and Noise Pop must be congratulating themselves, and if they're not, they should be. Today's Treasure Island Festival went off without a hitch: the weather was beautiful, the bands were great, the sets were on time, the port a potties were ample, and the transportation was no fuss. It must have been a real hassle to get all of these potentially nightmarish variables in line with each other, but boy were we glad they did! Here at H.A.D., we set up by the front of the Bridge Stage (ie. "big bands" stage) to bring you the best we could offer in concert reporting!

Au Revoir Simone:
The first band of the day was a pleasant surprise. A trio of women from Brooklyn rockin' it out on a bunch of analog synths. This has the potential to be irritating and typical, but they managed to pull it off with originality and flair. There were some hiccups (tuning the synths and general nervousness, mainly), but in the end it wound up being a great opener to a day that would otherwise be filled with guitar driven rock.


Two Gallants:
The last time I saw Two Gallants, they were opening for Bloc Party at the Greek Theater. I don't know if it's the passage of time, a different crowd, or just my perspective, but I enjoyed today a lot more. Obviously, the formula hasn't changed: they're still a two piece guitar and drum band, but today their music seemed more dynamic and spacious. They seem to be exploring new sonic and songwriting avenues, and they result is a much stronger performance.


M. Ward:
I happen to love M. Ward, so it's difficult to evaluate his set without doting on him quite a bit. It was great seeing him with a full band (two drum kits!) after the solo show at Bimbo's this spring. Basically, the man just comes out and owns the stage. He tore it up on electric guitar, he rocked out on the piano, he got sweet and quiet on "Post War".

The set, sadly, did not include "Transfiguration of Vincent", one of my faves. The latest disc Post War was very well represented, along with a track or two from each of the other discs: "Flaming Heart", "Helicopter", "Regeneration #1" were all played.

The first half of the set was completely exemplary, but the second half (while enjoyable) got a little bit loose. I don't know if the band just wasn't in practice, or if there was miscommunication, but it wasn't anything you could point out directly. Nonetheless, M. Ward and band managed to keep it together and deliver a thoroughly pleasing set.


Clap Your Hands Say Yeah:
Almost all of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah's set indicated that they are still touring largely on the strength of their awesome first album. All the positive crowd response (which was completely justified) was centered around the older songs, and the band seemed to know it, and frankly, to be a bit annoyed about it. Many of the songs would end semi-abruptly, and lead singer Alec Ounsworth seemed to clip lines of lyrics at the end of a number of songs.

The positive vision I found of the "new" CYHSYA was a completely killer distorted noise fest on "Satan Said Dance". It represented a complex and interesting new direction that I really think could represent the band well. All of the tunes were fun, and the band was tight, but I think they need to take a break from touring and decide where the live show is going in regard to supporting old material, and digging into the new.


Built To Spill:
I know I'll offend a lot of die-hards if I express my ambivalence to the B2S set, so I'll leave it at this: The band is extremely tight instrumentally, and has their live show down pat. It just doesn't reel me in personally, and as such I don't even really think I feel comfortable commenting on the quality of their performance, as I found it falling in my lap with a resounding "eh".


Spoon:
If I'm being completely honest, I will simply say that this is the show I came to the TI Festival for. Every time I've seen Britt Daniel and Co. since I first did so in 2003, I have been consistently impressed. Their live show is a rock and roll tour de force, that kicks the album tracks up to a new level. tonight was no exception.

After Britt Daniel's greeting of the crowd with an event appropriate "Argh", the music began. The set started out slow with "Black Like Me" and "Anything You Want", and gradually gained momentum from there. A few tracks from Gimme Fiction, along with "Don't Make Me A Target", led into a somewhat troublesome version of "The Ghost Of You Lingers". Evidently it was hindered by keyboard technical difficulties. Still, the band kept it together, and delivered a decent version.

A rocking rendition of "The Beast And Dragon Adored" followed, and opened the flood gates for the rest of the show. The band flew through the new songs "The Underdog", "Don't You Evah", and "You've Got Yr Cherry Bomb", and culminated with an absolutely electrifying version of "My Mathematical Mind".

In perhaps what was one of the fan-centric moments of the show, as Spoon's set came to a close, some girls shouted "Please, please, play 'Japanese Cigarette Case'". Britt Daniel turned to the band and said "Guys, let's do Japanese Cigarette Case". After blazing through the new tune, the band shifted gears into the old skool "Quincy Punk Episode", and made a hasty exit. The hour went by in a flash, and we were left wanting more.

Modest Mouse:
For many, the festival's main event was the Modest Mouse closer. For me, I wasn't sure what to expect: I enjoy the band on record, but had never seen them live.

Their 1:15+ set focused mainly on the two most recent albums, and much of it was the less subtle side of the Modest Mouse sound. That is to say, driven less by songwriting, and more by Isaac Brock's aggressive vocals. For some, this might seem like the point of Modest Mouse. After all, it is Brock's brainchild. To me, this is the less exciting side of Modest Mouse. I prefer the subtle emphasis of layering and instrumentation paired with Brock's lyrical gift that is a hallmark on every album.

I was impressed by a lot of the performance, and the strongest tracks seemed to be those that had been co-written by new band guitarist Johnny Marr. "We've Got Everything", "Missed The Boat" and "Fire It Up" all sounded fantastic. Marr's input has taken the band in a direction that I find much more desirable, and the live show demonstrated as much. However, I left feeling like Brock's aggressive vocals and guitar overshadowed what could have been a fantastic closer to the festival.


In Conclusion
Despite any subjective opinions of the performances, I think it's indisputable that the Treasure Island Festival was a resounding success. See you next year!

MANY more photos available over at the H.A.D. flick feed.