Last night I had the pleasure of seeing Elvis Perkins in Dearland at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, Mass., and it was absolutely incredible. Other than being far beyond my standards, Perkins and the Dearland crew have an incredible stage presence that supports their music in the greatest way imaginable.
Much of Perkins's new album, Elvis Perkins in Dearland, sounds more upbeat from the latter, Ash Wednesday. While numerous, charismatic additions to the music itself account for the faster, upbeat tempo, the subject matter has remained the same. Perkins's lyrics are wise and are truly coming from a voice who speaks from experience (Perkins's father died of complicatons from AIDS when he was a teenager, and his mother was a passenger on one of the planes that struck the world trade center on 9/11). In other reports, Perkins has described his music as "grandchildren" his parents will never meet.
Although both albums strongly differ in sound, they are bound by one common theme that makes them insightful and riveting. Sadly, I haven't gotten the chance to actually buy Dearland, but the songs I've heard off of it are wonderful, and I plan on getting it in the near future. My favorite song off the album, so far, has been "Shampoo", closely followed by "123 Goodbye". If you can, I strongly reccomend seeing Elvis Perkins in the future; I promise, you won't be disappointed.
Elvis Perkins in Dearland Tour Schedule:
April 22 Brattle Theatre (sold out) Cambridge, MA #
April 23 Iron Horse Music Hall Northampton, MA #
April 24 Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel Providence, RI *&
April 25 Higher Ground Burlington, VT *
April 27 Il Motore Montreal, QC *
April 29 Horseshoe Tavern Toronto, ON *
April 30 Schubas (sold out) Chicago, IL ^
May 1 Memorial Union Terrace Madison, WI ^
May 2 400 Bar Minneapolis, MN ^
May 3 Redstone Room Davenport, IA ^
May 5 Jackpot Music Hall Lawrence, KS ^
May 6 The Waiting Room Omaha, NE ^
May 8 Hi-Dive Denver, CO ^
May 9 B Side Lounge Boulder, CO ^
May 11 The Parish Austin, TX ^
May 12 Pontiac Garage at HOB Dallas, TX ^
May 13 Walters on Washington Houston, TX ^
May 15 Bottletree Birmingham, AL %
May 16 Club Catalyst Knoxville, TN %
May 18 Outback Lodge Charlottesville, VA %
May 19 Iota Club+Cafe Arlington, VA %
May 20 Bell House Brooklyn, NY %
June 7 Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA **
June 8 Plaza Orlando, FL **
June 9 Revolution Ft. Lauderdale, FL **
June 10 The State Theatre St. Petersburg **
June 11 Cafe Eleven At. Augustine, FL
June 13 Bonnaroo Music Festival Manchester, TN
June 21 Clearwater's Great Hudson River Revival, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
August 2 Newport Folk Festival - Fort Adams State Park Newport, RI
# = w/ The Interstate Sacred Harp Singers
* = w/ The Low Anthem
& = w/ Deer Tick
^ = w/ Other Lives
% = w/ The Woes
** = w/ Bon Iver
Friday, April 24, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
AFTER A RATHER LONG HIATUS, I RETURN TO YOU WITH...
...the rest of the Clatter Clatter interview! Yay!
I apologize to my readers for such a long break. Sadly, I cannot spend all of my time writing, but I had school, musical rehearsal, and all of the fun whirlwind we know as life. Alas! Let's get to the article:
Clatter Clatter is a group that shows how music conservatory graduates can create contemporary music. A five-piece group, all graduates from the renowned Berklee Conservatory of Music in Boston, are the perfect example of contemporary musicians who are able to draw flawlessly from their education in music, but have the ability needed to balance that with the right amount of life experience needed to create good music. "[I]t just subtly molds itself into the way you think about music. I never consciously apply what Berklee has taught me to my song writing or bass playing, but it's there. It's found a way to incorporate itself."
A point where the education in music seems to "incorporate itself" is in the unique range of the music. The album is fun, but in a way that extends into ambient, soothing music at some points and folk-pop/Bob Dylan-esque the next. The music is deep, but not in a painful, angst-ridden way most music in that genre is. Their inspirations fall within a similar place, including "Wilco, Spoon, and the National", but are all seen in a discreet way that will only make the band seem somewhat familiar in a comforting way.
Clatter Clatter's album, Too Many Boxes, is a must-listen that is well worth it. Although based in Boston, they'll be making their way out to the stretches of Keene, NH and New York in the upcoming months. To hear more, visit their myspace. My favorite song is "City Girls", a song that is able to expose emotion and depth while retaining an old-time sound and feeling. Too Many Boxes will hold your attention without begging for it, and the light, fun sound is perfect for the advent of Spring.
I apologize to my readers for such a long break. Sadly, I cannot spend all of my time writing, but I had school, musical rehearsal, and all of the fun whirlwind we know as life. Alas! Let's get to the article:
Clatter Clatter is a group that shows how music conservatory graduates can create contemporary music. A five-piece group, all graduates from the renowned Berklee Conservatory of Music in Boston, are the perfect example of contemporary musicians who are able to draw flawlessly from their education in music, but have the ability needed to balance that with the right amount of life experience needed to create good music. "[I]t just subtly molds itself into the way you think about music. I never consciously apply what Berklee has taught me to my song writing or bass playing, but it's there. It's found a way to incorporate itself."
A point where the education in music seems to "incorporate itself" is in the unique range of the music. The album is fun, but in a way that extends into ambient, soothing music at some points and folk-pop/Bob Dylan-esque the next. The music is deep, but not in a painful, angst-ridden way most music in that genre is. Their inspirations fall within a similar place, including "Wilco, Spoon, and the National", but are all seen in a discreet way that will only make the band seem somewhat familiar in a comforting way.
Clatter Clatter's album, Too Many Boxes, is a must-listen that is well worth it. Although based in Boston, they'll be making their way out to the stretches of Keene, NH and New York in the upcoming months. To hear more, visit their myspace. My favorite song is "City Girls", a song that is able to expose emotion and depth while retaining an old-time sound and feeling. Too Many Boxes will hold your attention without begging for it, and the light, fun sound is perfect for the advent of Spring.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Random Questions with: Clatter Clatter
While I cultivate the article for the latest band I've interviewed, Clatter Clatter, read the random questions and get to know the band... AHOY!
Favorite Movie?
Tie between Pulp Fiction and Ghostbusters and Donnie Darko and Back To The Future
The id, superego, or ego?
Superego. We Love exclamations.
Painting or Sculpture?
Painting sculptures.
The first animal you look for in the zoo?
Koala bears. They're so fucking cute. Way better than cockroaches.
First album that made you interested in music?
Favorite Movie?
Tie between Pulp Fiction and Ghostbusters and Donnie Darko and Back To The Future
The id, superego, or ego?
Superego. We Love exclamations.
Painting or Sculpture?
Painting sculptures.
The first animal you look for in the zoo?
Koala bears. They're so fucking cute. Way better than cockroaches.
First album that made you interested in music?
It's different for all of us. The Eagles' "Greatest Hits Volume 2". Van Halen's "5150". Chuck Berry's "The Great 28".
Toronto or Montreal?
Toronto. Canadians suck. (Some of us are rabid hockey fans.)
Most disgusting sandwich ever created?
I once saw a picture of this guy's McDonald's special: something like 12 meat patties, smothered in grease and cheese. *Shudder* Y'all should stick to the Nashua Garden for sandwiches.
Your dream license plate?
ASSMAN.
Best musical?
"The Secret Garden" because Keith was in it in 11th grade.
Worst lyrics you've heard in a song before?
From a credible artist? "Queen of the Supermarket" by Bruce Springsteen or anything from the past several Weezer albums. Also, and let us preface this with the fact that we love Paul McCartney's solo work. But his last album had some terrible lyrics. The worst is: "what we are, is what we are. And what we wear...is vintage clothes."
Toronto or Montreal?
Toronto. Canadians suck. (Some of us are rabid hockey fans.)
Most disgusting sandwich ever created?
I once saw a picture of this guy's McDonald's special: something like 12 meat patties, smothered in grease and cheese. *Shudder* Y'all should stick to the Nashua Garden for sandwiches.
Your dream license plate?
ASSMAN.
Best musical?
"The Secret Garden" because Keith was in it in 11th grade.
Worst lyrics you've heard in a song before?
From a credible artist? "Queen of the Supermarket" by Bruce Springsteen or anything from the past several Weezer albums. Also, and let us preface this with the fact that we love Paul McCartney's solo work. But his last album had some terrible lyrics. The worst is: "what we are, is what we are. And what we wear...is vintage clothes."
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Review: Alela Diane's "To Be Still"
When I look back on the different seasons every year, there is always an artist/album or two that I listen to that becomes my quintissential album for that point in time. Everything about Alela Diane's new album makes it the perfect winter album - her soothing voice and the folk/americana sound of her music as a whole could warm up anyone during the end of these cold months. To Be Still, Alela Diane's latest album, is the perfect "relaxing" album, the kind of thing you listen to, imagining that you're in the countryside, snowed in, drinking hot cider. Alela Diane has one of the most unique voices I've heard in music today; the sturdy subtlety in her voice is soulful without being dominating, and is gently coaxed by the acoustic, light sounds of the music.
Another thing I enjoy about Still is that this is no neo-folk/sub-genre/generic indie music that you'll hear, which is good, as, let's be honest - that gets boring after a while. This is traditional folk, all the way down to the meditative lyrics, which primarily talk about nature and human feelings. Overall, Still leaves its listener warm; which is perfect while we hold out for the last month or so of winter.
Still is available now, and Alela will be touring over the next couple of months. Want to listen? Her myspace is www.myspace.com/alelamusic. So far, my favorite song is Dry Grass and Shadows, the same song that was the free download on iTunes a couple of weeks back.
Here's her tour schedule in the U.S. (as gotten from her MySpace):
| Holocene CD release show! w/ homeboy Aaron Ross! | PORTLAND, Oregon | ||
| First Avenue w/ Blitzen Trapper(venue changed) | Minneapolis, Minnesota | ||
| The Empty Bottle - EARLY SHOW! | Chicago, Illinois | ||
| Empty Bottle-SOLD OUT | Chicago, Illinois | ||
| Magic Stick w/ Blitzen Trapper | Detroit, Michigan | ||
| Horseshoe Tavern w/ Blitzen Trapper | Toronto | ||
| La Sala Rossa w/ Blitzen Trapper | Montreal | ||
| Bug Jar w/ Blitzen Trapper | Rochester, New York | ||
| Pearl Street Nightclub w/ Blitzen Trapper | Northampton, Massachusetts | ||
| Paradise w/ Blitzen Trapper | Boston, Massachusetts | ||
| Bowery Ballroom - SOLD OUT | New York, New York | ||
| Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Blitzen Trapper | Brooklyn, New York | ||
| First Unitarian Church w/ Blitzen Trapper | philadelphia, Pennsylvania | ||
| Black Cat w/ Blitzen Trapper | washington DC, Washington DC | ||
| 40 Watt Club w/ Blitzen Trapper | Athens, Georgia | ||
| Orange Peel w/ Blitzen Trapper | Asheville, North Carolina | ||
| Mercy Lounge w/ Blitzen Trapper | Nashville, Tennessee | ||
| The Bottletree w/ Blitzen Trapper | Birmingham, Alabama | ||
| Hi-Tone Cafe w/ Blitzen Trapper | Memphis, Tennessee | ||
| The Opolis w/ Blitzen Trapper | Norman, Oklahoma | ||
| Jackpot Saloon w/ Blitzen Trapper | Lawrence, Kansas | ||
| Hi Dive w/ Blitzen Trapper | Denver, Colorado | ||
| Kilby Court w/ Blitzen Trapper | Salt Lake City, Utah | ||
| Hotel Cafe | Los Angeles, California |
Monday, February 16, 2009
Places of Interest: The American Folk Art Museum, New York City
Although it is not as big as the met or MoMA, the American Folk Art Museum is worth a visit next time you go to New York City. The Met and MoMA, while they are excellent museums, are hard to spend less than half a day in. The American Folk Museum is a great half-day trip, perfect for the person who wants to see all of New York City AND a museum in one day.
Located at 45 West 53rd street, it is right next to the Museum of Modern Art and across the street from MoMA's gift shop. The museum's collection focuses on the ideals of Folk Art: the sense of community, craftsmanship, and sense of diversity, among other ideals. The works are anything from 18th century textiles, pottery, and paintings to 20th century sculptures and artifacts. All of the pieces tell some sort of story; they're not just a pretty thing to be adorned on a wall (speaking of which, there is an actual wall taken from a New Hampshire home that is absolutely riveting). These were pieces of art that were actually used in the home, or had a story of some kind at some point. To me, these pieces were real art.
Amongst all the art, I discovered Henry Darger for the first time. The museum has a lot of information about him, which was great for fostering my immediate interest in his art. The museum gift shop had a lot of information on him too, including a book of all the pieces in their collection, the documentary done on him a couple of years back, and a few postcards (I would have gotten the book and documentary if I had the money; alas, I didn't, so I supplied my fancy with 2 postcards). Also, the museum has the Henry Darger Study Center, which houses research on the artist. There is also a fellowship that involves the Henry Darger Study Center. To view the application for the Henry Darger Study Center Fellowship, click here.
Currently, the exhibits at the American Folk Art Museum are "The Seduction of Light: Ammi Philips/Mark Rothko Compositions in Pink, Green, and Red", which will be on display until March 29, 2009; "Martin Ramirez: The Last Works", on display until April 12, 2009; and "Up Close: Henry Darger", which will be on display until September 2009. Whether you know a lot about folk art or not, this museum is worth the visit.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Something That Someone Should Do.
I will admit that I'm a facebook fiend. I'm not "that person" on your friends list with a million pictures up and a million applications, but I am "that person" who absolutely LOVES facebook groups. Which is okay, considering the fact that there are some pretty great groups on facebook - one to cater to my every interest, even the most minute things!
Among them, my recent favorite is "I picked a major I liked, and one day I will probably be living in a box", as this, like many of my artsy counterparts, is my future in a nutshell. If you were to view the discussion topic for this group, you'd notice some witty comments remarking on how they'll make their box unique, a remark highly understandable as it is coming from a lot of current art/history/music/writing/english/philosophy/PRIMARILY art future/current students. This sparked an idea in me - how has no photographer seen the opportunity in this?!
Although I do not own a camera, I've always fantasized about being a photographer. It seems like it would be an exciting endeavor to create an exhibit of photographs about one subject matter, and one of those could be the numerous college graduates-to-be and their fantasy boxes. Although many of these don't include the people who will eventually be living in them, they're still pretty cool! Do see:
The dream cardboard house...
this one is cute...that kid is kind of freaky though...
This reminded me of that show "Out of the Box", the awesome show where they made it seem as if you could create a ridiculously awesome clubhouse out of a couple of cardboard boxes, some paint, and your imagination. Ohhh childhood, how you were so innocent.
It's the most realistic of all the ones ive seen...
Probably the cutest one I saw was this one made by a mother for her daughter. It's the quintessential house for all my friends, as they love cats.
Most of these boxes had children in them. While i was a plastic-toy-house/chairs-and-sheets kid, I think a group should be formed for those kids of this generation who enjoy their cardboard boxes, and plan to attain permanent residence in them as the future starving artists/musicians/writers...and this girl can be their spokesperson:
...then I'm going to make a replica cardboard house like this one. Except for it'll also include a "free therapy sessions for food" sign outside of it, and my two double-major psychology/journalism degrees taped up onto the wall.
Among them, my recent favorite is "I picked a major I liked, and one day I will probably be living in a box", as this, like many of my artsy counterparts, is my future in a nutshell. If you were to view the discussion topic for this group, you'd notice some witty comments remarking on how they'll make their box unique, a remark highly understandable as it is coming from a lot of current art/history/music/writing/english/philosophy/PRIMARILY art future/current students. This sparked an idea in me - how has no photographer seen the opportunity in this?!
Although I do not own a camera, I've always fantasized about being a photographer. It seems like it would be an exciting endeavor to create an exhibit of photographs about one subject matter, and one of those could be the numerous college graduates-to-be and their fantasy boxes. Although many of these don't include the people who will eventually be living in them, they're still pretty cool! Do see:
The dream cardboard house...
this one is cute...that kid is kind of freaky though...
This reminded me of that show "Out of the Box", the awesome show where they made it seem as if you could create a ridiculously awesome clubhouse out of a couple of cardboard boxes, some paint, and your imagination. Ohhh childhood, how you were so innocent.
It's the most realistic of all the ones ive seen...
Probably the cutest one I saw was this one made by a mother for her daughter. It's the quintessential house for all my friends, as they love cats.
Most of these boxes had children in them. While i was a plastic-toy-house/chairs-and-sheets kid, I think a group should be formed for those kids of this generation who enjoy their cardboard boxes, and plan to attain permanent residence in them as the future starving artists/musicians/writers...and this girl can be their spokesperson:
...then I'm going to make a replica cardboard house like this one. Except for it'll also include a "free therapy sessions for food" sign outside of it, and my two double-major psychology/journalism degrees taped up onto the wall.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Burlesque Dancing: an Act for Feminism or Against It?
Many times, Burlesque Dancers describe what they do as "pro-women", or "pro-feminism", saying that they do it to increase their self-esteem, that they do it for themselves, and that rather than a form of striptease, it's a form of artistic expression. However, others entirely disagree; this is the minority who see burlesque dancers and know that the sexed-up, scantily clad group The Pussycat Dolls were originally a burlesque group. The same group was probably disgusted with the similarly curvy Bratz dolls that were popular among little girls but looked down upon by the parents, who already had enough trouble teaching their girls to be themselves in the era of 16th birthday plastic surgery gifts and sexed-up and screwed-up Brittney Spears.
Truly, there are justifiable points to each side. Burlesque becomes too stereotyped as "striptease" in our society, when it really covers a large scope including comedy, skits, and variety-style performance. However, this is America - we over-sex everything (PETA was even able to make vegetables "sexed up" recently...how pathetic is that?), and therefore the what we know today as Neo-Burlesque today will ultimately have sexual connotations. Therefore, sexual connotations equals not pro-women, right?
This opinion is understandable. True, the suffragettes that fought for the right to vote wouldn't have agreed with the general idea of a woman dancing half-naked for her own choice, but, then again, would the feminazis of today agree with it, either? For many women, the idea of getting on a stage and performing, for their own interest, in very little clothing, sounds terrifying. This is because the general audience forgets that it is the women's choice to do so. They aren't the strippers working so they can pay the electricity bill; they make their own calls because they do it for their own interest and appreciation for the art.
However, by naming this an "act of art" or calling it "okay", some can argue that we are telling our children that it is okay to do these things. We may have to fear that their still-developing brains see the similarities between a stripper and a burlesque dancer, for it can't be denied that there are many similarities between the two.
Furthermore, the common definition of feminism is forgotten by the public - the idea that both sexes should have equal rights - and is blown up as something it's not by the deeply pro-women feminists (feminazis, as I called them earlier in this article), who tend to give off the deep resentment of men for rights that they were deprived of - when it was really their ancestors who were deprived of these rights. To me, this is like being angry Germany because your grandfather was in World War II, and lost his innocence in war. However, I'll save my feminism rant for another day.
This being said, is Burlesque truly an act of feminism, if feminism is classified as equality between the sexes? I don't think so. While I do see the positives of burlesque and appreciate it as an art form, I think that the idea of it as an act of feminism is more closely tied to the ideas of the overly-feminist group of feminists, yet at the same time it isn't. With Burlesque, it is as if the dancers are trying to show some superiority over the male sex through the dancing - as if when they dance, this makes them superior over men because they are confident enough to display themselves in a way they consider artistic, and they don't care who's looking, male or female, or what they think about them. While this i-don't-care attitude is admirable, the way it adheres to the subject makes me feel that Burlesque Dancing is not an act of feminism. The lack of interest or acceptance of male burlesque dancing into the mainstream culture of the art makes it seem very unbalanced, also, but, maybe this is just the nature of the art.
Truly, there are justifiable points to each side. Burlesque becomes too stereotyped as "striptease" in our society, when it really covers a large scope including comedy, skits, and variety-style performance. However, this is America - we over-sex everything (PETA was even able to make vegetables "sexed up" recently...how pathetic is that?), and therefore the what we know today as Neo-Burlesque today will ultimately have sexual connotations. Therefore, sexual connotations equals not pro-women, right?
This opinion is understandable. True, the suffragettes that fought for the right to vote wouldn't have agreed with the general idea of a woman dancing half-naked for her own choice, but, then again, would the feminazis of today agree with it, either? For many women, the idea of getting on a stage and performing, for their own interest, in very little clothing, sounds terrifying. This is because the general audience forgets that it is the women's choice to do so. They aren't the strippers working so they can pay the electricity bill; they make their own calls because they do it for their own interest and appreciation for the art.
However, by naming this an "act of art" or calling it "okay", some can argue that we are telling our children that it is okay to do these things. We may have to fear that their still-developing brains see the similarities between a stripper and a burlesque dancer, for it can't be denied that there are many similarities between the two.
Furthermore, the common definition of feminism is forgotten by the public - the idea that both sexes should have equal rights - and is blown up as something it's not by the deeply pro-women feminists (feminazis, as I called them earlier in this article), who tend to give off the deep resentment of men for rights that they were deprived of - when it was really their ancestors who were deprived of these rights. To me, this is like being angry Germany because your grandfather was in World War II, and lost his innocence in war. However, I'll save my feminism rant for another day.
This being said, is Burlesque truly an act of feminism, if feminism is classified as equality between the sexes? I don't think so. While I do see the positives of burlesque and appreciate it as an art form, I think that the idea of it as an act of feminism is more closely tied to the ideas of the overly-feminist group of feminists, yet at the same time it isn't. With Burlesque, it is as if the dancers are trying to show some superiority over the male sex through the dancing - as if when they dance, this makes them superior over men because they are confident enough to display themselves in a way they consider artistic, and they don't care who's looking, male or female, or what they think about them. While this i-don't-care attitude is admirable, the way it adheres to the subject makes me feel that Burlesque Dancing is not an act of feminism. The lack of interest or acceptance of male burlesque dancing into the mainstream culture of the art makes it seem very unbalanced, also, but, maybe this is just the nature of the art.
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