Monthly Archives: September 2009

TVD Live Tease | Emily Easterly, Saturday (9/19) at The Living Room, NYC

If there’s any justice in the world, Emily Easterly will soon be a big star, and if you’re from DC and inclined to make the drive to NYC, you’ll be rewarded with an intimate gig at The Living Room and years of saying, ‘Y’know, I once saw her in this intimate club…etc., etc., etc.”

Now, let’s see some justice prevail.

Emily, what’s the scoop on Saturday?

“I recently went back into the studio (Galuminum Foil Studios in Williamsburg, Brooklyn) with the idea of recording two new songs to be released as a single. The “A side” if you will, is called “The Only Two On Earth” and was loosely inspired by the Cormac McCarthy book, The Road. Since we were recording a single and not a whole record, Chris Cubeta, who produced the single as well as my last full length release, ‘Heart Comma Heart,’ thought it would be cool to take the song in a different direction sonically. So, the track came out with a lot of cool drums sounds, drum overdubs and even a little synth part! I am super excited to share this track with people!

 
As for the single release, I will be doing a big show at The Living Room in New York on September 19th. For attendees, I will be handing out a free, limited edition copy of the new single with a handmade CD sleeve. The “B side” to the single is called “Montreal”. The new songs will also be available for free download on my website, after the show. I’ve been rehearsing with my band for the past couple weeks for this show and I’m super excited about it! We will be performing the new song, “The Only Two On Earth” for the first time live as well as covering one of my favorite Sparklehorse songs, “Cow”.

The Living Room is one of my favorite venues in New York. The sound is great, there’s a piano and the last time I was there, I saw Sean Lennon and his girlfriend trying to read each other’s minds by pressing their foreheads together in silence. What more could you ask for?”

Emily Easterly – The Only Two On Earth (Mp3)

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TVD First Date with | Roofwalkers

Here is where we’d typically introduce Roofwalkers in our Wednesday ‘First Date’ feature, but seeing that we did so on Monday, we’re just going to dive in with Adrian Carroll’s tales of life abroad. On vinyl.

“When I was a college undergrad I lived abroad in Spain for a while. Lots of folks had painted living abroad as the best kicks of their life. But I didn’t really find it to be. It was exciting and all that, and an important growing experience, but I found it pretty isolating and lonely at times.

I lived with an older divorced woman named Nieves. My room in the flat had once belonged to her son, and it was still furnished with much of his older belongings, including a turntable and his LP collection. There were nights when I could have probably attempted to be more social, at least with the other American students. But I figured I’d gone to Spain to learn a foreign language, not to hang out with other expats in Irish pubs. I was eager to meet natives, but the reality is that it takes a good bit of time to do that.

So on nights I didn’t go out, I’d stay in and watch Spanish sitcoms with Nieves. And when the sitcoms ended, I’d retire to her son’s former room and play records all night.


Her son’s teenage years were in the 80s, and his record collection reflected that. I dug through them all–most of it was familiar top 40 stuff from the 80s. My top three were the first Dire Straits LP, Prince’s “Purple Rain,” and Sade’s “Love Deluxe.” I never thought I’d admit in public that I like Sade, but I gotta say it’s good shit. A guilty pleasure perhaps.

And that Dire Straits LP–I still listen to it regularly. I’m sure it’s about as uncool a record as you can cite as a favorite, but it is for me. Hands down, one of the best. For guitar dorks especially. “Six Blade Knife” slays every time. So on to the significance of vinyl with the whole thing. For me vinyl represents listening to music to listen to music–not to do the dishes, go running, or catch up on email. You sit there and open your ears for 20 odd minutes at a time, and then get up to flip the record. I still resist downloading music. I feel like the music I download ends up getting forgotten. If there’s something I want to hear and really soak in, I’ll go find it on vinyl.”

Roofwalkers – Chin Music (Mp3)
Roofwalkers – They Think They Own The Place (Mp3)

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TVD Class of ’76 | ‘School Days’ by Stanley Clarke

Jeff from AM, Then FM returns with another dip into the ’70’s box of LPs:

Back in the ’70s in our part of Wisconsin, beer was our regular vice, but we did sample other substances from time to time.

Likewise, rock was our regular sound, but we did sample other vibes from time to time.

“School Days,” the 1976 album by jazz bassist Stanley Clarke was one such vibe.

I’m not all that knowledgeable about jazz, so let’s just call this record the place where rock meets funk meets jazz. That will have to do.

I may not be able to deconstruct it, but I have long enjoyed it — from the memorable three-note bass riff that opens “School Days” to the tribal-sounding percussion on “The Dancer” to the triple-guitar attack and funky horns on “Hot Fun.”


Stanley Clarke – School Days (Mp3)
Stanley Clarke – The Dancer (Mp3)
Stanley Clarke – Hot Fun (Mp3)

“School Days” is out of print but is available digitally.

Posted in TVD Washington, DC | 1 Comment

A TVD Special Event | Story/Stereo

See, it’s a blog. We’re into words. And storytelling. And music. And a convergence of both is upon us…here all week at TVD (per usual) and uniquely this Friday at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda.

Now, normally this is the part where we fill you in, but we thought we’d invite the event’s curators, Chad from Beauty Pill and Matt from The Caribbean to offer some background on the event AND on the band, Roofwalkers, who’ve taken over TVD for the week with their words and music:

Story/Stereo is a modest cultural experiment in cross-media collaboration. Ugh. That sounds highfalutin. Scratch that. Story/Stereo is just a night of words & music.

The Writer’s Center selected some excellent emerging poets, essayists, and novelists to read from recent works, we selected some excellent, interesting DC bands to play a set.

And we’re all getting together to put on a show. Because, really, why not?

While there are some lofty precepts behind Story/Stereo, we’ll spare you the ponderous discussion. Mainly we just kinda wanted to throw some musicians and writers in the same room and see what happens.

Our premise is that there are many parallels between good literature and good music.

Please do come. Let’s find them together.

—Chad Clark & Matt Byars, musical curators, Story/Stereo

About Roofwalkers
Roofwalkers music is difficult to describe, but certainly beautiful. With swooping, soaring guitars, delicate melodies, and an unforced, organic presentation, the music is nothing if not beautiful. Songs veer from languid/soothing to sinister/conspiratorial. People sometimes use the lazy descriptor “dreamy.” And yes, it is that, but there is an undertow.

One of my favorite ‘walkers song titles is “They Think They Own The Place.” If this suggests to you that there is sometimes a social commentary component to the music, you would be right about that. While the sound is lovely and airborne, the content is often dark.

Roofwalkers has come to be one of the most admired bands by other DC area musicians. Any good musician knows how difficult it is to pull off this kind of elegant restraint. They’re in the exciting transition from cognoscienti’s-best-kept-secret to beloved-by-many.

We are honored to have them.

Kicking things off this week is Roofwalkers’ Ben Licciardi (vocals/guitars):

“When I was in high school, I used to go record shopping in a neighborhood of Atlanta called Little Five Points. My parents would drop me off, go have lunch in downtown Atlanta and pick me up a few hours later. We lived in a planned suburb about 40 minutes away, and on the drive back home, I would open up my new finds and pour over the liner notes and lyrics. Reading words divorced from their musical context almost feels like cheating–like jumping ahead to the last sentence of a book before you know the whole story. I often found that the songs I was drawn to on the page weren’t the ones I ended up liking once I heard them. And the reverse was also true—sometimes the lyrics were flat in written form, but were incredibly expressive coming through the speakers. Melodies have a way of elevating, dampening, undermining and otherwise recontextualizing words. That’s the voodoo of popular music: In the right hands, even the most tired and hackneyed cliché can feel earth shattering.

Some of my favorite lyrics don’t look like much on paper. I love Neil Young’s album After the Gold Rush, and “Only Love Can Break Your Heart” is one of my favorites. The verses are disjointed flashes of childhood memories and musings on loneliness. The chorus goes: “Only love can break your heart, Try to be sure right from the start.” If you read the lyrics out loud, they probably won’t move you. But in Neil’s strained falsetto, over the stiff and lumbering rhythm section, it adds up to something deeply poignant. Most great music ends up being impossible to describe because it points to experiences that are essentially ineffable. This song has something to do with loss and vulnerability, but beyond that, I can’t explain why I like it so much.


Another song that sounds better in practice than on page is The Only One’s “The Whole of the Law.” I first heard this as a cover on Yo La Tengo’s album Painful, but I’ve grown to like the original—sax solo and all—best. If you’ve never heard the Only Ones, you should check them out. They were a late 70s English punk band, more in line with New Wave bands like Television and Heartbreakers than the Sex Pistols. “Whole of the Law” is a slower song and the lyrics are pretty run-of-the-mill love song fare (“I used to have the notion, I could swim the length of the ocean…”). The thing that kills me is the way lead singer Peter Perrett sings. He sounds downcast and lovelorn and almost slurs the words out. His bottomed-out delivery combined with drippy sentimentality of the lyrics come across as straight-from-the-heart. One line in particular always hits me: “I found out I was in love with you, I had to contact…” You have to hear it to get the full effect.

One last favorite: “Werewolf” by Michael Hurley off of the album Armchair Boogie. Sometimes, like in the above songs, a phrase is sung in a particular way and the words are imbued with new meaning. In “Werewolf,” the chorus has no words, it’s just Michael Hurley howling like a wolf. It’s a really high and lonesome whine. The lyrics in the verse are very simple, and it’s almost like their purpose is just to play support to the chorus–after you hear the song once, every time thereafter, you’re basically just waiting for the howling. I have this on an old, crackly vinyl record and it’s absolutely haunting.”

Neil Young – Only Love Can Break Your Heart (Mp3)
The Only Ones – The Whole Of The Law (Mp3)
Michael Hurley – Werewolf (Mp3)

Posted in TVD Washington, DC | 1 Comment

TVD Pop Over | Echoes In The Wind

(You’re supposed to read the type in the graphic with the mournful announcer’s voice: “…on a very special…TVD Pop Over…”)

I’d been reading whiteray’s excellent blog ‘Echoes in the Wind’ for a number of years now, reveling in his tales and tunes when suddenly last week—boom!—blog was …gone? The whole thing. Just disappeared.

Uh, whiteray?

“It was kind of like turning on the television news and seeing a three-headed alien behind the desk saying “Good evening! I’m Gnirt Tkalch, and here’s the news tonight on Planet Zamzam.”

It was mid-afternoon on September 3. I’d clicked the link for my blog, Echoes In The Wind, and I got a page with the familiar orange Blogger logo and a message that said something like: No such blog exists. Of course it exists, I thought to myself; I just put a post up this morning! I clicked the link again and got the same thing.

After a moment of thought – during which I wondered if I’d actually ended up on Planet Zamzam – I went to my dashboard and found a notice from Blogger that said, “We’ve received another complaint on your blog(s), (Echoes In The Wind). Given that we’ve provided you with several warnings of these violations and advised you of our policy towards repeat infringers, we’ve been forced to remove your blog.”

I reviewed in my head: Let’s see, there were three notices last autumn, all in the same week. Then there was one in August. So, four warnings – I guess four is “several” – and now one more complaint that tipped the balance. There were also some posts during the past year – four or five – that disappeared from the blog without any explanation or notification. So call it nine complaints. Over a period of two years and eight months and a total of almost eight hundred posts.

I understand, in a way, Blogger’s position and the position of its parent company, Google. A complaint requires a response. What I don’t get is the unwillingness of much of the music industry to deal with individual bloggers (as well as the seeming point of view that it’s somehow bad to draw attention to performers and their music). I’d put a notice on the blog asking copyright holders to contact me if they objected; a couple did, and I happily removed those links and deleted the uploads within hours. Others, however, evidently complained. I say “evidently” because of the four emails I received specifying an offending post, three gave no information about the source of the complaint; I’m not sure in those cases whether the complaint came from someone with a genuine stake in the matter or from someone having malicious fun. (There are times I lean strongly toward the latter.) The source of the fourth complaint – the one I got in August – was identified: It was a singer-songwriter who had one Top 40 hit, in 1982, and has released one album since 1988. One would think any attention would be beneficial, but I guess not.

On top of all that, my blog was an odd target, as there are a thousand, maybe ten thousand blogs out there whose operators are sharing music that was released last week, last month, maybe yesterday. A good portion of what I shared is out of print, much of it was obscure, and the vast majority of it was at least thirty years old. As I wrote above, one would think any attention would be beneficial . . .

Well, I’ve moved on, and I’ve moved. You can find my new location in the links here at TVD.

Someone asked me how it felt. As usual, the best way to answer that is with music, and these titles tell the tale:”

Loggins & Messina – Angry Eyes (Mp3)
The Church – Lost (Mp3)
Maria Muldaur – Sad Eyes (Mp3)
Johnny Taylor – Starting All Over Again (Mp3)
Lulu – Feelin’ Alright (Mp3)

Posted in TVD Washington, DC | 3 Comments

TVD | Wavelength

I had a bit of an iPod epiphany the other day. ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’ queued itself up in shuffle mode, and man if it didn’t reek of being outdated, moldy, and so mired in one era that I shuffled right on past it only to be followed byyyy: A Flock of Seagulls’ ‘I Ran.’

Which sounded bloody brilliant in comparison.

I hear some of you snobs guffawing out there but it’s true—Nirvana’s a dead soldier and the Flock reeked of morning at the bakery: all warm and sugary.

But that can’t be right, right? I mean, if I had been born or come of age in the 90’s, I’d herald Nirvana’s breakthrough as an evergreen classic (ala The Beatles oeuvre) and ‘I Ran’ as outdated, moldy, and mired in one era. Right?

Well, I’m not so sure. WAS New Wave a one gimmick pony and not the refreshing breakthrough that I felt at the time when my ears were newly attuned and acute? Could it be that MY soundtrack from that time will forever be on point?

To be fair, I don’t know.

So, a little experiment this week—I’m dusting off the cliché tracks from the New Wave era (1980-1984, let’s say) for a fresh listen. What if the Flock was a new concern alongside Vampire Weekend? Or the Flying Lizards were to be reviewed right next to Animal Collective? Could Culture Club withstand the scrutiny and accolades being heaped upon Grizzly Bear? CAN fresh ears for the sake of it reveal something long overdue, long overlooked, or …long in the tooth?

Well, let’s see.

Here are five that I think are quite smashing indeed. (Still.) Tomorrow some that haven’t fared as well…


A Flock of Seagulls – I Ran (Mp3)
Th Vapors – Turning Japanese (Mp3)
The Flying Lizards – Money (Mp3)
Culture Club – Church Of The Poison Mind (Mp3)
Talking Heads – Psycho Killer [Live] (Mp3)

Posted in TVD Washington, DC | 6 Comments

It’s a TVD Vinyl & Ticket Giveaway! | Living Things, Wednesday, (9/9) at the 9:30 Club

St. Louis’ Living Things return to DC on Wednesday, 9/9 as openers for a lil’ band called The Cult, and we’ve got TWO opportunities as a result to shake us down for some merch.

We’ll pull two winners from the comments to this post who suitably catch our eye with whatever inflammatory hyperbole you wish to offer. The grand prize winner gets the pair of tickets for Wednesday’s show and a copy of Living Things’ latest LP, ‘Habeas Corpus.’ One lucky runner up gets the LP alone shipped right to your door.

So, whatcha’ got? Let us have it by noon on Tuesday, (9/8) when we’ll choose our two winners!

Living Things – Mercedes Marxist (Mp3)
Living Things – Oxygen (Mp3)

Posted in TVD Washington, DC | 3 Comments

TVD First Date with | David Mead

Think David would mind if I compared his new release to ‘Blackbird’-era McCartney or Harry Nilsson circa ‘Nilsson Sings Newman’…?

Yea…I didn’t think so either.

The Nashville native also has me planning a trip to his favorite record store:

I love Grimey’s. In an age when it is almost impossible to walk out your front door without being targeted by some form of cross-branding, viral marketing or shoe shine schemery, Nashville’s finest independent music retailer continues to stick to what it knows best: Music. Sure, you can buy a magazine or a t-shirt to go with your new aural purchase, maybe even a badge or two, but you will most certainly not be subliminally coerced into purchasing a latte, duvet cover or any other useless thread of lifestyle accoutrement.

Grimey’s deals in new and used music, and does a damn fine job of it. Music, just music, what a concept. Grimey’s augments the experience in a number of different ways. First and foremost, it relies heavily on a knowledgeable and friendly staff, the kind of folks who will not only ask if you require assistance but will also actually tell you something you most likely didn’t know before your visit. The atmosphere is further charged by near-weekly in-store performances, reminding the customers that even the most perfectly-recorded music is often best experienced live. Many of the acts who perform in the vinyl section on an afternoon will, later that night, set up shop at the Basement, a great listening club located directly underneath the store.

Grimey’s also has a nice sense of space to it, a palpable vibe that is sorely lacking in many chain stores. The exposed brick walls lend a certain warmth that invites a shopper to stay awhile, while the frequent offer of a Miller High Life to age-appropriate customers provides even more incentive. Grimey’s is about browsing, about taking in details. It is a place where time, while not standing completely still, does slow down a bit, if only from 45 to 33 RPM’s.

David Mead – Rainy Weather Friend (Mp3)
David Mead – Blackberry Winters (Mp3)

Posted in TVD Washington, DC | 2 Comments

TVD | The Screening Processs with Jeffrey Everett of El Jefe Design

El Jefe Design is the secret code name for successful designer, illustrator, author and failed-rock star Jeffrey Everett. Located outside of Washington, DC, El Jefe Design has had the pleasure of designing and illustrating for a wide variety of entertainment, corporate, and non-profit clients. Bands he has worked with include My Morning Jacket, Wilco, Foo Fighters, The Decemberists, and Flight of the Conchords. Jeff’s work has been published in numerous books such as New Vintage Type and Design Entrepreneur, and seen in major magazines including Print, HOW, and Step Inside Design. He has his MFA in Graphic Design from The School of Visual Arts in New York City, NY.

He is the recipient of gold and silver awards from The Art Directors Club and three best-in-category from the AdClub (Addys), and is included in the AIGA Fifty Show. His work has been stapled on walls of dingy rock clubs and framed in high-end galleries around the world. Jeff is the author, curator, and designer of “1,000 Garment Graphics” for Rockport Press, and has taught and lectured for American University, University of Baltimore, and the AIGA.

When and how did you get started doing posters?

I started doing poster in NYC while getting my MFA at The School of Visual Arts. I was taking screen printing classes and started doing posters as a way to get into shows for free and to help bands I love. My first poster was for the mighty Firewater!

When I moved back to DC I just kept going as a way to stay sane and have been lucky to meet and work with people who support me. The wonderful people at The Black Cat, The Nightclub 9:30, and The Rock-N-Roll Hotel have allowed me to (dis)grace their walls so I thank them for that.

Favorite poster or art print you’ve done?
I would have to say the El Jefe Alphabet/Lucha Library print. I did that one to celebrate my son’s birth and to hang in his nursery.

Describe your creative space.
A very small basement office in my home that has clutter strewn about. There is a drafting table for drawing/storage with a set of full flat files underneath. My IKEA desk is sagging under the weight of my computer, monitor, Wacom tablet, scanner, far too many books, sketch books, T-shirt samples, a collection of Dunnies and Baseman Bunnies. There is a hodgepodge of posters by Edward Gorey, Twin Peaks ephemera, lucha libre masks, CDs and NPR and music playing nonstop. And to keep my ego in check, I am appropriately placed next to the kitty litter room.

Describe your creative process.
I approach each band individually and I really try to understand the band and audience. With rare exceptions I am usually a fan of the band and want something that I would want to purchase if someone else did it. Some pieces look more “designy” and some look illustrative. Some pieces rely on heavy concepts and inside themes to drive the design yet some other pieces use skulls and sexiness. I would say that I try to make each piece fun and something that can be hung on a wall and stared at for years.

What’s your favorite thing about being a designer in your city? The most challenging?
Washington, DC is not considered an “art-forward” place due to the Federal Government casting a long shadow over the town. Most people think that DC can only do boring, hotel-room work that must be as generic as possible as to not have the PC police come after you. Not so. Duke Ellington, Chuck Brown, Henry Rollins, Ian McKaye, and many, many more all have left a legacy of DIY Culture that runs below the current in DC. There is so much great music, art, architecture, opinions, and people coming through this town that it is hard not to be inspired.

I will say I like taking traditional DC landmarks (White House, Washington Monument, Capitol Dome) and having fun with them.

Favorite poster or art print someone else has done?
I really am enjoying Young Monsters right now, especially The Kills and Detroit Cobras posters by Zach Hobbs. My all time favorite gig poster is by Alan Hynes and I am shocked my wife lets me display it. I also have TONS of Edward Gorey posters and prints throughout the house. He is my favorite artist, I have his work tattooed on me, and is a complete inspiration for my everyday.

Latest poster or print that you bought?
Chuck Sperry’s poster for Reel Big Fish and The English Beat. An example of liking the art over the band.

One group you wish you could do a poster for?
(Current): Silversun Pickups
(Historic): Girls Against Boys – a huge fan for over half my life! Seen them thirty plus times.

Upcoming work?
We have posters for Gaslight Anthem, The Raveonettes, Ra Ra Riot, Dinosaur Jr., Soulsavers, a Twin Peaks tribute show, and Placebo. We will be at Crafty Bastards selling our posters and prints on October 3rd. There are also some gallery shows and such coming up in the fall. Keep up to date by checking out our website.

Jeff will be returning monthly (new baby permitting) covering the intersection of music and design in DC and beyond. And he’s got quite a few interesting things in store, I should add…

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  • SUPPORTING YOUR LOCAL INDIE SHOPS SINCE 2007


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