Category Archives: TVD Cleveland

Dirty Projectors is consistently pushing the experimental envelope. The band’s music doesn’t fit neatly into a box; it defies genre classifications while offering something that each ear can embrace—be that intelligent lyricism, thoughtful instrumentation, or simply the freedom their sounds convey.

The band has been around since the early 2000s with seven full-length albums, a few EPs, a collaboration with Bjork and a short film under their belt. The sole constant in the ever-mutating Dirty Projectors lineup has been creator David Longstreth. We had the opportunity to speak to the mastermind behind it all about everything from last year’s two albums and short film, to inspiration derived from Kanye West. 

Let’s start off talking about last year. You released Swing Lo Magellan and the “About to Die” EP. How do you feel these two albums differ from 2009′s Bitte Orca?

Well, in a lot of ways, I think that Swing Lo Magellan was really about the songs, whereas Bitte Orca was more about a vibe. The lyrics were way more important to me on Swing Lo, and also on the “About to Die” EP to me then they were on Bitte Orca.

Bitte Orca is sort of built for the stage—it’s meant to be performed, whereas the songs that became Swing Lo Magellan or the “About to Die” EP are more inward-looking, and the challenge with those songs are to make them into these things that have a life on stage, to translate them into something you’d put in front of an audience. That’s one of the coolest parts about the last year is making those songs into something that would work on stage.

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After a four-year hiatus in which the members of Chicago indie rock band The Hush Sound parted ways in order to embark on other musical endeavors, 2013 proves to be the time in which the band members find themselves back together again and bringing fans what they’ve been waiting for—new music and the hope of a new full-length.

We chatted with the radiant Greta Salpeter (vocals/piano) regarding the band’s endeavors, influences, and why the hiatus was necessary. We recommend you catch them Saturday night (6/8) at the Grog Shop.

When you first began toying around with music, who were some of the musicians that influenced you?

60′s folk stuff, Fleetwood Mac, Motown, Yo La Tengo, Bach, and Cat Power.

How did you learn to loosen up from a classically trained mindset?

I never had the discipline to be a dedicated classical student. I would learn 16 bars of a piece, then write my own song in the key of the song. It taught me how to use one theme as a springboard to new ideas, which was hugely important to my development as a songwriter.

How do you keep things fresh after nearly a decade together?

I try to approach things from a new angle. If I’m about to sing a song which feels very distant from my current standpoint lyrically, I’ll try to focus on another aspect—the playing, the vocal performance, someone in the crowd who seems to be responding.

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The finest things we experience take their own time to truly evolve. A fine wine, for instance. It matures for years, cultivating its unique aromas and tastes. And some bands do much the same—they follow their own muse, creating masterpieces instead of churning out an onslaught of half-conceived albums.

Ra Ra Riot, the former baroque-pop darlings, reflect this refined maturation process. Two years after the release of their captivating album The Orchard, they return to us with a lineup change and a new album, Beta Love. We had the opportunity to discuss the venture into electronic elements with bassist Mathieu Santos. 

You’ve just released the newest album, Beta Love, and it’s a bit of a departure from 2010′s The Orchard. What do you think shifted the band’s sound?

I think a lot of different things. The biggest part was that we knew we wanted to approach the writing and arranging of this record differently. When we first started as a band, we had all these different instruments at our disposal, and at first, it was a strength of ours, but I think over time we sort of got into this rut. We learned how to write and arrange together so well that we just approached the songs in the same way; we were always adapting the songs to the band. It was like, “Oh, yeah, what’s the violin part going to be? What’s the cello part going to be? What’s this? What’s that?” We just started doing the same thing in every song, I think.

When we approached this record, we wanted to listen to the songs once and say, “What does this song need?” Just let it develop more naturally. We also wanted to embrace things we might have been too self-conscious to embrace in the past, like a lot of the electronic elements or the thematic elements. Shortly before we started working on the record, we had a lineup change, which shakes things up. We let a lot of the decision-making happen in the studio as opposed to figuring it all out beforehand. There was a lot of spontaneity and improvisation in the studio, which also helped shape the music.

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Electro-pop act Passion Pit has been gaining speed since its beginnings in 2007 as people across the country latch onto their clever beats, juxtaposed with frontman Michael Angelakos’ distinctive falsetto.

This band, however, is more than just a smart orchestration of keyboards, synths, and drums. Upon closer inspection, it becomes evident that Angelakos’ music and lyrics map a cathartic pathway through his personal challenges. In a generation where honesty in music is rare, it’s refreshing to find a musician who can be open with his audience about a battle with mental health, while still filling dance floors.

Though Angelakos is the mastermind behind the Passion Pit moniker, it takes a small army of talented men to flesh out the live band and bring his musical musings to life. We had the opportunity to talk to Ian Hultquist, keyboardist/ guitarist with the band.

How did you meet Michael?

I met Michael in 2006. We had a mutual friend, and we were putting together a band just for fun—it wasn’t Passion Pit. Our mutual friend said I know a guy who could play bass and keyboards, and he called Michael. I met him at the first rehearsal.

What was your first impression?

(Laughs) He seemed very young, but super creative and very musical. I felt like he was someone who was capable of doing some great things in music.

And now you guys are in a band together that is Passion Pit. When you’re writing, do you all collaborate together or does one person usually serve as the catalyst?

The writing works with Michael basically doing everything. Even on records, he played everything. The three of us outside of Michael were not part of Gossamer. The way it works is Michael finished the record and then brought it to us, and we kind of create the live show altogether. It’s a matter of learning songs, rewriting songs, kind of changing things around here and there and that’s where it becomes a collaboration of what we’ll bring to the stage.

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We first heard about Lady Lamb the Beekeeper from fellow Brooklyn darlings Pearl and the Beard. As it turns out, word of mouth is a fabulous way to find new music and in the case of Lady Lamb, this suggestion offered us a musician who engages her crowd with her rawness, sheer musical prowess, and nuanced delivery of powerful lyrics. 

We had the opportunity to talk to Aly Spaltro, the powerful young songstress behind the Lady Lamb and the Beekeeper moniker, about her first album Ripely Pine (released in February of this year) and her humble beginnings as a sales associate at a movie store. 

Was there an album or musician who inspired you to pick up the guitar?

No, I don’t think so. I started teaching myself when I was 18. And it wasn’t prompted by any one musician inspiring me. When I look back at it, it seemed to have happened just out of the blue. I was in a tough spot in my life at the time. I had just heard from college potentially and taken a year off to take a long trip to Guatemala that fell through at the last minute.

So, I was faced with being at home in my town in Maine while all my friends went to college. I’ve always been a pretty productive kid, so the idea of being home and not doing anything worthwhile wasn’t an option for me. That’s when I started teaching myself to play. I had a strong poetry background from high school, so it was a thing of wanting to challenge myself to put my poems to music.

Do you think it’s important to learn other instruments so you can achieve different colors of sound?

Yeah, for me it was natural. I taught myself the guitar and I was also interested in picking up other things I could. At the time when I was layering my own recordings, I was playing a little bit of keys and bass and light percussion, harmonica and autoharp, anything I could get my hands on.

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Kent’s indie darlings Bethesda recently released a music video for their single, “Go,” from their sophomore album, The Reunion, to be released on April 9, 2013. In it, the band faces off with a troop of Irish step dancers to deliver an exhilarating performance. 

We chatted with Eric Ling, who plays guitar and sings backup vocals in the six-piece for a little insight into the band’s relationship with director Cory Sheldon and the video’s concept.

How did you begin working with Cory Sheldon?

We had been told through friends that we should work with him. He was already making a name for himself as a film-maker and had recently premiered a full-length film called Color at the Akron Art Museum. We looked him up, and he had done a couple of Eisley music videos, and we LOVE them! A few of our friends were friends with him, and so we reached out and asked if he would be interested in working with us.

He seemed really excited about it! Since then we have become good friends and are likely going to use him for another music video that we are shooting and releasing soon.

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We get it. The snowy weather has you down, and you’re just plain tired of clearing off your car and driving fifteen miles per hour under the speed limit on your way to work. Really, we understand. We’re tired, too. What we need is something that’s going to take us from frigid to cheerful as fast as the weather changes here in Northeast Ohio.

Dripping with a washy and infectious sound layered with direct, exposed vocals, the Australian four-piece San Cisco is sure to warm up our cold Cleveland hearts tonight at the Grog Shop. The band comprises Jordi Davieson (guitar/lead vocals), Josh Biondillo (guitar/vocals), Nick Garner (bass/vocals), and Scarlett Stevens (drums/vocals).

Don’t read this book by its cover. Yes, they may be completely adorable, but their sound is intelligent pop that has memorable hooks and catchy guitar lines that will stick in your head longer than that to-do list you’ve already forgotten.

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Hey, Cleveland. We’ve been a little dead—and for that we sincerely apologize—so we thought we’d remind you just how much you’re loved with a double-whammy edition of Weekend Shots. That’s right, we can’t pick just one great show because honestly, there are two things you have to be at this weekend in Cleveland. Hell, they’re probably more than two, but we’re trying to keep it simple.

First up, on Friday there is a recruitment event and party at Bad Racket for the upcoming Brite Winter Festival. There will be free food and drinks as well as a sweet dance party going down to get you jazzed up for Brite Winter. Come out, sign up and dance, dance, dance!

If you’re miffed because you missed out on getting tickets to see Walk the Moon this weekend at the Beachland, never fear—we’ve got a show for you that will fill up your Saturday night. The Beachland presents at the Grog Shop, Why?, Astronautalis, and Dream Tiger. Headliners Why? hail from our sister city Cinci and comprises brothers Jonathan and Josiah Wolf, Doug McDiarmid, and Liz Hodson. The band is a hip-hop indie-rock band that’s going to have you moving. Rounding out the bill are alt-hip-hop artist Astronautalis and new-kid Dream Tiger, who is slated to release her first album this spring.

What’s better? The Grog Shop is hooking you up with two tickets to this show. Comment on this post with why you should be at Why? We’ll select a winner and let them know this evening. All love, Cleveland.

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