We mentioned Dinner with the Band when the Mountain Goats dropped by, and now it’s time to have dinner with the lovely women of Au Revoir Simone. Last night, after some Korean food, the girls played “Stay Golden,” “Shadows,” “All or Nothing,” and “Anywhere You Looked.” Come check out the first two after the jump:
Continue reading “Au Revoir Simone: Live on “Dinner with the Band””
In the vein of other sites we’ve mentioned – Luxury Wafers, Daytrotter, and Black Cab Sessions – They Shoot Music – Don’t They is a Viennese site dedicated to bringing high-quality, impromptu performances by new and established artists to the masses. Their mission, as they describe it, is a pretty simple one:
Why are you doing this?
1) We all feel strongly connected to sub culture in one way or another and we enjoy being productive.
2) We all agree with the fact that Vienna is a great town but also lacks fresh representation platforms when it comes to music scenes and media projects. So we will tag the urban space of Vienna with soundscapes from indie artists and document that on our website. The combination of act and location is also meant as a guide for people who want to know more about relevant subcultural spots in Vienna.
The site features a wide-range of artists (see some after the cut), who are all chosen through a simple mechanism: “We have no strict guidelines for that [choosing]. If we like an artist we contact him or her. If the artist likes the idea of working with us we seal the deal and schedule a session.” The site features videos in Flash. However, if you sign-up for a free account, you can view things in higher-quality divx. And I highly recommend you do. You can also visit them on Twitter and Last.fm. But for now, let’s look at some of their excellent handiwork around Vienna:
Continue reading “Other Stuff You Might Like: They Shoot Music – Don’t They”
Most of the time, I’m inclined to say: “Ugh! These cooking shows are getting out hand!” I’m also fond of saying: “Goats are the worst topic for a podcast ever! Listen to this…” So, imagine my chagrin when The Mountain Goats and a cooking show teamed up for something awesome! Such is IFC’s “Dinner with the Band.” The basic conceit is this: A band arrives to play some tracks in-studio (surrounded by, I’m guessing, some of the most awkward/lucky people the producers could find), and is served food by chef/host Sam Mason. And for something that screams vanity project, we get some pretty intimate performances from bands that seem a little bit disarmed by the whole thing.
The Mountain Goats ate a vegetarian meal of Death Metal Steaks (cauliflower steaks), Cotton Puree (cauliflower puree), Sunset Fries (chickpea fries), and Moon Over Sazerac cocktails. They performed The Life Of The World to Come’s “Isaiah 45:23,” We Shall All Be Healed’s “Cotton,” The Sunset Tree’s “Love Love Love,” and The Life of the World to Come’s “Psalms 40:2.” Follow the link to see video of the first three.
Continue reading “The Mountain Goats: Live on “Dinner with the Band””
Chances are, you’ve already met NPR Music on your travels. From their excellent programs like All Songs Considered to their wonderful First Listen series, NPR Music is an amazing repository of live, archived, and upcoming music. You can find weeks’ worth of live concerts, in-studio recordings, music previews, and more. And best of all, it’s free. At least, to listen. You all know the deal: Public Radio is funded by listeners like you, and, in today’s corporate-dominated environment, independent music is an even more precious commodity than it used to be.
Of course, I’m not here to tell you what to spend your money on… oh, wait, that’s exactly what I’m here for. But I’ll tell you what: I think that NPR Music is quite possibly the most important music program in the industry. Yeah, there, I said it. Without it, I would have never met Joanna Newsom, The Mountain Goats, or even Vic Chesnutt. So, for me, it’s special. I’d like to show you around some of my favorite bits of the site, and invite you to head on over and become a part of all the wonderful things they do. Follow me!
Today is a great day for independent record stores, their customers, and you. All over America and the World, record stores will be selling rare items, hosting performances, and working hard to show you that a thriving, alternative music culture still exists. In their own words:
The original idea for Record Store Day was conceived by Chris Brown, and was founded in 2007 by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Carrie Colliton, Amy Dorfman, Don Van Cleave and Brian Poehner as a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA, and hundreds of similar stores internationally.
This is the one day that all of the independently owned record stores come together with artists to celebrate the art of music. Special vinyl and CD releases and various promotional products are made exclusively for the day and hundreds of artists in the United States and in various countries across the globe make special appearances and performances. Festivities include performances, cook-outs, body painting, meet & greets with artists, parades, djs spinning records and on and on. Metallica officially kicked off Record Store Day at Rasputin Music in San Francisco on April 19, 2008 and Record Store Day is now celebrated the third Saturday every April.
Record Store Day is currently managed by Eric Levin, Michael Kurtz, Melanie Nipper, and Carrie Colliton. Folks wanting to contact Record Store Day are encouraged to email us at information@recordstoreday.com