Sondre Lerche Drops First Bonus Track From Reissues, Tour Dates

Sondre Lerche @ The Great American Music Hall, from the HAD Archive

It's no secret that we here at HAD are huge vinyl fanatics, so when we heard that Sondre Lerche's first four records were being reissued, and simultaneously would be available on vinyl for the first time, we were very, very, excited. However, our excitement was not to end there.

You see, in addition to all that vinyl-flavored goodness, Lerche is giving us so much more: the reissues are backed with bonus tracks that include demos and unreleased tracks. Stereogum has the first one, a demo of "John, Let Me Go", and if it's any indicator of quality, these are going to be a real treasure trove. What's more, Lerche is also releasing his first live record, Bootlegs, from which you can hear the first track at his website. It is equally killer, and definitely representative of the quality of this live shows.

Which brings us to the final gem: Lerche is headed out on a fall tour in support of the records, and he's covering the bases. He'll be in the East, West, and middle of the US, and provided you're somewhere near a major market, you'll be able to see him. And, let us say, as devotees of his live show since his first US tour for Faces Down, it's one that you don't want to miss.

Sondre Lerche Fall 2012 Dates
9/05 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
9/06 Cambridge, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
9/07 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
9/10 Philadelphia, PA @ World Café Live
9/11 Pittsburgh, PA @ New Hazlett Theater
9/12 Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
9/13 Holland, MI @ Hope College – DeWitt Theatre
9/14 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
9/15 Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Café
9/18 Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
9/19 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
9/20 San Francisco, CA @ The Independent
9/21 Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room
9/22 Los Angeles, CA @ The Troubadour
9/25 Phoenix, AZ @ Musical Instrument Museum
9/26 Albuquerque, NM @ Low Spirits Bar & Stage
9/27 Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
9/28 Waco, TX @ Common Grounds
9/29 Austin, TX @ Stubbs

Sondre Lerche Played Daytrotter

Sondre Lerche at Mercury Lounge, from the HAD Archive

It's no secret that we love Sondre Lerche around these parts. Moreover, the Norwegian-turned-New-Yorker is more than able to hold his own when performing solo. That's exactly how he turned up in Daytrotter's studio, armed with a guitar and a few pedals, and ready to deliver a killer performance. Hopefully the sessions will be enough to tide you over until Lerche's self titled record drops on May 30th. Enjoy!

mp3: Sondre Lerche - Heart Beat Radio (Live At Daytrotter)

Head to Daytrotter to download the full session.

Sonder Lerche - "Domino"

Sondre Lerche at Mercury Lounge last summer, from the HAD Archive

We'll confess: we love Sondre Lerche. With his charming manner and killer pipes, the Norwegian singer songwriter falls handily into the "can do no wrong" side of things. Given that, we were stoked to hear that he has a new self titled record on tap for June 7th.

The first track from the new record has been a Lerche live staple for a while now, and it's great to finally hear "Domino" in its studio form. The production is reminiscent of Lerche's first record, and that's certainly not a bad thing. He's often at his best when in singer songwriter mode, and this case is no exception: "Domino" is half Bond theme, half classic Lerche. In other words: awesome.

JBM and Sondre Lerche Played Mercury Lounge: Pictures, Review

Last night we stopped in at Mercury Lounge to catch fantastic sets from two fiercely divergent songwriters, and to celebrate a record release to boot. The first, Sondre Lerche, delivered his customary playful, endearing, and rocking set. In contrast, Jesse Marchant (as JBM) delivered a set that leveraged his own unique musicality over a variety of genres and sounds.

Sondre Lerche took to the stage just after 9:30, and broke into the set with a new song on a tuned down acoustic guitar. After wrestling with the tuning for a bit, Lerche delivered "Red Flags", which took a slightly darker take on his earlier material, while at the same time holding on firmly to his innate sense of melody.

Over the next hour, Lerche's set traversed most of his career, although it tended to focus more on his newer material. Of particular note were a jumpy, staccato, electric version of "Dead Passengers" that ended up with Lerche jamming himself into a frenzy of guitar explosiveness. Another new song made it's way out at the end of the set. Entitled "Domino", it also used the down-tuned acoustic, and was similarly dark in delivery.

His set was accented by the arrival of two musical guests, the violinist "K", and a duet with Dawn on the always-lovely "Modern Nature". While not strictly necessary, the guests (along with a variety of guitars and a high energy level) served to bring some variety to Lerche's set, and keep him from falling too far down the black hole of "guy with a guitar" blandness. To the contrary, he delivered a set that was dynamic, jovial, and almost impossibly lovable.

Soon after, Jesse Marchant (JBM) took to the stage for a set that would also last about an hour. In contrast to Lerche's set, which was unified in its sound and delivery, Marchant delivered a set that ran the gamut between quiet and loud, stoic and rocking, solo and with band. The stark contrast between songs served Marchant, as it called attention not only to his versatility, but his ability to completely embrace each of the genres completely.

The material (as might be expected) was sourced largely (entirely?) from his debut record Not Even In July, for which last night was the record release party. However, much like the record, the tracks varied in their arrangement and instrumentation. For part of the set, Marchant was joined on stage by openers Diamond Doves as his backing band, and for others he took a solo seat to his songs. Moreover, even his solo act varied, sometimes finding him behind a makeshift drumkit, sometimes with a harmonica and guitar, and sometimes behind the keyboard.

If all of this variations seems like a bit much to believe, you feel about the same way we did witnessing it. Even more remarkable was that Marchant pulled off his many roles with ease, and topped it off with a voice that was one of the best we've heard live in a very long time. With an innate ease of delivery, Marchant's vocals rode on top of the instrumentation like an effortless wave of melody. To hear it is to believe it, we say.

Last night was JBM's record release, and he should be more than a little excited: not only has Jesse Marchant created a killer record, but he also has proven that he can deliver a live performance that surpasses the quality of his recorded material by a long shot.

More photos at the HAD Archive

JBM: New Music, CD Release Party Tomorrow Night At Mercury Lounge

Last night as we were puttering our way around the internet (as we are wont to do), we stumbled upon the musical awesomeness of JBM. The enterprise is the musical pursuit of Jesse Marchant, and sees its first real release to the world tomorrow, with the full length not even in July. The record (which is streaming in full on JBM's site) is an unnerving mix of genres that is all at once atmospheric, melodic, and steeped in the annals of rock and roll.

Much of the record sounds like it was recorded at two in the morning after a day that seemed like it would never end. It's as though the musicians are at long last allowed to play what they actually want to play, and that finally the outside world has been rendered irrelevant. Put differently, the music is honest, stoic, and real.

Marchant's vocals are restrained and delicate in a way that suggests he's resigned to get his music out there, regardless of what pain or chaos might be in store. For their part, his band does a magnificent job at underpinning his vocal delivery with music that is both understated and poignant. They do a fantastic job creating a sound that recalls 50 other talented and melancholy singer songwriters, but at the same time completely comes into its own. If that isn't enough to convince you, Marchant also has a killer Daytrotter Session that more than shows off just why we dug him so much right out of the gate.

Luckily for us, Marchant is a New York resident, and as such has decided to launch the record in his home town, at the venerable Mercury Lounge. Not only will it be an exquisite opportunity to hear Marchant's awesome musicality in a live environ, but the show also features the fantastic Sondre Lerche in an opening slot. Yes: it's going to be as awesome as it sounds. See you there.

mp3: JBM - Winter Ghosts (Daytrotter Session)

New Sondre Lerche Record On The Way

Sondre Lerche at Great American Music Hall, from the HAD Archive

We have to admit: we have a spot for Sondre Lerche. The Norwegian born musician, now apparently of Brooklyn, releases records that are as vital as the are melodic, and urgent as they are lush. In short, he has a very unique ability to create records that challenge the current pop climate, and recall records of a far more classic era at the same time. Combine that with the fact that Lerche gives a bullet proof live show, and well, you've got the source of our soft spot.

All that being true, we were psyched to hear that Lerche's new record Heartbeat Radio will drop on September, as he signs with Rounder Records. The record is loaded with tracks from Lerche's recent live shows, so if you've seen him in the last two years, you've probably had quite a taste of what to expect (albeit in solo singer/songwriter form, like from the Polaroid Pool Party EP, below).

The record itself appears to be significantly more orchestral than the original demos (or Lerche's last couple of garagey albums) might suggest. We were particularly psyched to see that Sean O'Hagan of High Llamas fame is involved with the project. O'Hagan's sixties production tendencies will no doubt mesh well with Sondre's own retro tendencies, and yield a particularly tasty gem. Can't wait!

Heartbeat Radio drops on September 8th.

mp3: Sondre Lerche - Heartbeat Radio (Polaroid Pool Party EP Version)

Sondre Lerche Played GAMH

Going to see Sondre Lerche is a bit like going to hang out with a good looking, charismatic friend, who also happens to have a fantastic voice and songwriting talent. Lerche's demeanor on stage is laid back and affable, and he clearly feels comfortable with his adoring fans. The amazing part is that for all of the heartthrob vibe that arises at his shows, Lerche is also such a genuine musical talent. He consistently delivers amazing songs, full of spirit and vigor, and he clearly loves to play them for his audience.

The set last night at Great American was similar to the set we covered in Boston last fall: Lerche played solo on both acoustic and electric guitars, covering a wide variety of material from his catalogue. The big difference here was that Lerche is on a tour to test out new material, where as last fall's set was a promotional tour for the film Dan In Real Life, for which Lerche provided the soundtrack.

Lerche did a great job with the new material, as well as the old. To be frank, his songs are so melodically accessible that many of the new songs felt like old favorites as soon as we had heard them. Some of the highlights of the set included a fantastic cover of Jimmy Cliff's "Many Rivers To Cross", and a new tune that was inspired by George Lazenby's performance in On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Another key difference from the Boston set was the presence of an opening act: Sylvie Lewis. Lewis opened with an accessible set of folk tunes, but the real treat came when she joined Lerche on stage towards the end of the set. The two sang a trio of duets, including "Hell No"from the Dan In Real Life soundtrack, a stunning version of Lewis' song "New York", and the Lerche favorite "Modern Nature". Lerche has apparently gotten so used to singing the last track solo that he managed to sing over Lewis' part at one point! All in all, the addition of a female vocalist added a nice variety to Lerche's set, and gave some nice exposure to Lewis' songwriting.

Being that this was a tour of new material, Lerche opted to release a limited edition tour EP: The Polaroid Pool Party EP it features demos and new tracks on an autographed CD-R, as well as a San Francisco original Polaroid (ours is above). The tracks (while a tad raw in production) are classic Lerche, and no doubt will be a welcome treat to fans who head out to see him on this jaunt.

Many more photos at the H.A.D. Archive

Sondre Lerche Coming To GAMH

Photo from the H.A.D Archive

Norwegian songsmith Sondre Lerche will be playing an (apparently solo) visit to the Great American Music Hall on August 26th. Lerche packs an amazing punch live, and bursts with energy that trumps his records - despite their being as good as they are to begin with. After heartily enjoying Lerche's solo set in Boston last fall, you can bet that we at H.A.D. will be there. Tickets are on-sale now.

Field Trip: Sondre Lerche @ The Paradise In Boston

So, like many of you, we here at H.A.D. tend to travel around the holidays. When we do, we try to keep our eyes open for shows at those foreign locales: Seeing bands in different venues can really mix up the feel, and give you a nice change of pace in a new city. After missing Sondre Lerche in SF a few weeks back, we were determined to check out his set at the Paradise while we were in Boston. The Paradise is a favorite venue in our former city of residence. It's not dissimilar to the independent, but it's even smaller. All seats in the house are great, and it always serves to make for a high quality, intimate show.

Sondre Lerche was in fine form on this particular evening, and brought a very warm crowd a completely awesome set of tunes. He played a lot of new stuff off of Phantom Punch, as well as songs from the Lerche-penned (unbeknownst to us!) soundtrack to "Dan In Real Life". Lerche played both acoustic and electric, and did a great job at keeping the set moving. There were a couple spots where it slowed down significantly, but it always kicked back into gear in short time.

It was nice to see Lerche focus on so much new material: his older albums are great, but they had a certain uniformity to them that seems to be disappearing in the newer releases. The new songs have much more distinct character. In short, Sondre's songwriting is improving. Not such a surprise when your first album comes out when you're what...17?

As we mentioned before, Sondre Lerche never seems to disappoint, and even solo his show was riveting start to finish. If you haven't seen him, keep your eyes open for next time: this is too good to pass up!

More photos at the H.A.D. flick feed.

Tonight At The Swedish American: Sondre Lerche

As previously mentioned, Sondre Lerche will be playing an all-acoustic set at the Swedish American Music Hall this evening. While we'll be BBQing and catching the Joy Division biopic Control, we can say without a doubt that the little Norwegian delivers a stellar live performance. We saw him at TT the Bear's back on his first American tour, and good times were had by all. If you find yourself wanting for music this evening, this is a safe bet. If you're just looking for some good on-line entertainment, we recommend Lerche's blog. Hilare.

Sondre Lerche @ Swedish American On 11/11

After opening for Air at Bimbo's, Sondre Lerche will be returning to the city this November to play at everyone's favorite venue-without-a-liquor-license, the Swedish American Music Hall! Lerche is a great song writer, and generally a super-charismatic guy in the live setting, so this should be a treat. Tickets are on sale now: $18, $20 at the door.

mp3: Sondre Lerche - You Know So Well (Live)