To those of you who think Psychedelic Rock and good old Blues Rock died in the sixties or seventies, I say phooey! These genres are making a big comeback. If you long to hear new music that reminds you of your favorite bands of old (e.g. Zeppelin, Cream, Jethro Tull, The Kinks, Pink Floyd), then may I introduce to you WOLF PEOPLE and THE BEES. Both bands are British, have new albums out this week, and kick some major ass.
I’ve been listening to The Bees for several years now (they have four albums, Sunhine Hit Me, Free the Bees, Octopus, and Every Step’s A Yes) and they continue to be one of my favorite bands. Wolf People, on the other hand, are a recent discovery. They just released their second album today entitled STEEPLE.
Here are some bios, videos, and live performances to whet your appetite:
“Wolf People are an English psychedelic rock band based in London, Bedford and North Yorkshire. They formed in 2006 around the release of a very limited CD EP on Sea Records as part of the Lifeboat Series. The EP was Stuart Maconie’s record of the week on his BBC6 show. They have since released two 7” singles on Battered Ornaments Records, they quickly sold out and are now becoming quite sought after. The band have been embraced by the psych community receiving great praise in Shindig magazine and Terrascope.com amongst others. Influenced by Captain Beefheart, Can, Pentangle, Dungen, Amon Duul II and television, the music is largely blues rock based but incorporates elements of folk, jazz, kraut, and country. Wolf People signed to JAGJAGUWAR records in Autumn 2009 and are releasing their label debut TIDINGS, a collection of singles and EP tracks, on 22nd February 2010.”
“The Bees (known as “A Band of Bees” in America, owing to a rights conflict over their name) started out as the duo of Paul Butler and Aaron Fletcher, both of whom hailed from the Isle of Wight. They recorded their debut album, Sunshine Hit Me, in a home studio in a shed in Butler’s parents’ garden. Butler and Fletcher, both multi-instrumentalists and singers, were avid record collectors and, even more so, avid record listeners with interests that extend back to the roots of British rock and into American soul, as well as a multitude of other directions. Sunshine Hit Me, released by We Love You as a U.K.-only issue and credited to the Bees, reflected their interests and listening, melding ’60s freakbeat and psychedelic sensibilities with ’70s power pop, and got nominated for the coveted Mercury Music Prize in 2002.
The Mercury nomination and the album’s critical success led to the assembly of an actual band, and a couple of years of steady touring. When the smoke cleared, the Bees were officially a sextet with everyone writing songs and switching off on instruments (and Fletcher doing their lyrics). And instead of recording their second album in the Butler family garden shed, as they’d intended, Butler’s stint producing another act at EMI ended up with the group booking three weeks there. It took that long for the six members — Kris Birkin, Michael Clevitt, Tim Parkin, Warren Hampshire, Butler, and Fletcher (all of them except lead guitarist Birkin multi-instrumentalists) — to create Free the Bees. Released in the summer of 2004 on the Virgin imprint, the album got rave reviews in England and earned notice in the United States as well, working its way into better stores and eliciting positive reviews from critics who normally would never have known about it. The group’s work has been variously compared to that of the Small Faces (and the Faces), the Beatles, the Byrds, Donovan, the Kinks, the Temptations, and early Pink Floyd, with some other interesting permutations. Butler, for example, counts his own influences as Lee Perry, King Tubby, and Fela Kuti. They saw further commercial success when the tracks “Chicken Payback” and “Wash in the Rain,” off of Free the Bees, were both picked up for use in television commercials.
In 2007, reduced to a quintet with Clevitt’s departure, they released Octopus, a brilliant, wide-ranging pop/rock opus that had inventiveness and unexpected influences quietly oozing out from between every note and chorus. Its feet were planted in 2007, but its musical influences looked back to the Kinks of Village Green Preservation Society and the Small Faces of “The Universal.” As with much of their earlier work, the album seemed to demand attention as much as it elicited delight, like a book the reader can’t put down. For all of their seeming ’60s influences, the group comes off as startlingly contemporary, just willing to reach back to artists and styles they admire when it suits them and the music at hand.”
And finally, I Really Need Love – A song from the bees new album!
-keith
In my last post I listed my favorite New York based bands. Well, I need to add a name to that list. The band is She Keeps Bees and man do they rock! Jessica Larrabee sings and plays guitar and Andy LaPlant accompanies her on drums. That’s right, they’re only a two piece! Their music is intense and raw; think The White Stripes or The Black Keys but with a female singer who gets compared to artists like Cat Power and PJ Harvey. Take a look for yourself:
Was I lying?! If you like what you see, the band is playing two gigs in Brooklyn this weekend before touring the country (Dates: Friday, June 25th, 7pm at Littlefield Performance and Art Space, & Saturday, June 26th, 4pm at Bar Matchless). They also have two bad-ass albums, MINISINK HOTEL, released in 2006, and NESTS released in 2008. I’ll be at the show on Saturday, so come and join me for a beer and some fantastic music!
-keith
Considering our film is set in NYC and Blake, Derrick, and I live here (Blake actually lives in New Jersey, but I’m trying to remedy that), I decided to make a short list of some of my favorite, current New York based bands/musicians.
In no particular order:
LCD Soundsystem – Great band, great albums. I’ve seen them live twice and they were fantastic both times. I would call it Dance, Punk, Funk-Rock. I think many bands have tried to emulate them in the last few years.
MGMT – This band blew up fast. I prefer their first album, Oracular Spectacular, but their new album, Congratulations, is worth checking out. Electroclash, Psychadelic, Glam-Rock.
The Morning Benders – Just got into this band. I heard someone playing them in a coffee shop in my neighborhood and asked the guy at the counter who they were. Their new album, Big Echo, is fantastic. Sunny, Indie, Pop-Rock
London Souls – I’ve seen this band three times at Brooklyn Bowl and they never disappoint. Straight up throwback 60′s, 70′s inspired Rock. Think Cream, or Jimi Hendrix Experience.
Gogol Bordello – One of the best live shows you’ll ever see. Super high-energy Gypsy Punk-Rock!
Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra – I discovered this band one year at Coachella. Great live band. Members of their horn section are currently in the house band for the Fela show on Broadway.
Sharon Jones and The Dapkings – Sharon Jones is an incredible soul singer. She performed at Brooklyn Bowl a few months ago and I’ve never seen someone so tiny (She’s about five feet tall) with so much chutzpah!
Beirut – One of the most interesting singer-songwriters of the last ten years. His music is beautiful and unique. I have never seen him live, so if any of you ever have a spare ticket, give me a call! His first album was released when he was only 20 or 21 I believe. Whimsical, Gypsy, Pop-Rock.
Sufjan Stevens – Another incredible singer-songwriter. His songs often blend many instruments to create epic, sometimes heartbreaking pop music. I’m also dying to see him live.
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah – Super fun Indie-Rock band. If you like bands like The Talking Heads, check them out. Their first self-titled album is my favorite.
TV On The Radio – This band is hit or miss for me, but when they hit, boy do they hit. Every album has a few killer songs on it. Check out their latest, Dear Science. Post-Punk, Electronic, Soul-Rock.
Interpol – I’ve been a big fan of this band for years now. They are often compared to Joy Division and although all of their albums are solid, their first one, Turn On Your Bright Lights, is still my favorite. Just great, straight-up Indie-Rock.
The Virgins – Another fun, 70′s New-Wave style rock band. The lead singer sounds like Elvis Costello to me.
The Phenomenal Handclap Band – A collective made up of musicians from various other successful groups (Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, TV on the Radio, L’Trimm, Calla, Mooney Suzuki, Oakley Hall, Antibalas, the Dap Kings, Diamond Nights, Persephone’s Bees, Si*Sé, and Apollo Heights), I saw these guys at Brooklyn Bowl and enjoyed them very much. Their self-titled, debut album is a sort of throwback to the rock and soul of the 60′s and 70′s.
Yeah Yeah Yeahs – I’ve been to a lot of live shows, and it’s rare that I see a performer and think, “Wow, that’s a rock star.” Karen O, their frontman, is one of those rare performers. If you ever have a chance, check them out live. Karen O is a sort of Joan Jett meets Chrissie Hynde (of the Pretenders) meets Blondie. Their whole band is fantastic and all three of their albums are different, but worth checking out.
Vampire Weekend – This is another band that blew up fast. Great summer music. Joyful, Afro-Pop, Indie-Rock.
Yeasayer – I got into this band recently and I think they are currently one of the most creative and unique bands out there. An eclectic, genre-bending journey into pop, rock, Middle Eastern and African musics, folk, and dub. Both of their albums are worth checking out.
Dayna Kurtz – Not knowing anything about her, Derrick, Blake, and I saw her open up for Patrick Watson at the Bell House recently. Dayna is a Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter who breathes honesty into every note she sings. We had the pleasure of meeting her after the show; stay tuned for more about that from Blake.
Listen and Enjoy!
-keith
There are some fantastic bands out there who aren’t getting the stateside recognition they deserve. High up on my (and Blake’s) list is The Acorn from Ottawa, Ontario. We saw them a couple years ago at a tiny spot in Hoboken and there were about ten people there. A complete travesty if you ask me. This is the kind of music that inspires us everyday, and the plan is that our film and this blog will be vessels through which these amazing voices are recognized and shared.
Here are two clips from Laundromatinee:
And a music video for their track THE FLOOD PT. 1:
Just fantastic songwriting across the board. If you like what you hear, give this band your money and download their music. I highly recommend their last album, Glory Hope Mountain. Also check out their amazing song off Friends in Bellwoods 2 (a compilation album of Canadian bands), called SLIPPERY WHEN WET.
The Acorn’s new album, No Ghost, comes out in the US on June 1st. You can download their new single for free here.
Enjoy.
-keith
My father (an avid music listener and probably the person who got me and my brother into music) once told me that his favorite songs have great transitions. They move seamlessly through a range of emotions and eclectic sounds. A great song can take you on a journey. “A Day in The Life” by The Beatles and “Paranoid Android” by Radiohead come to mind as perfect examples.
Last night I bought the album, BROKEN BELLS, a collaboration by super-producer and multi-instrumentalist Brian Burton, aka DANGER MOUSE (Beck, The Black Keys, Gorillaz, & Gnarls Barkley to name a few) and James Mercer, singer/guitarist of THE SHINS. This is probably the most well produced album I’ve heard since Radiohead’s IN RAINBOWS. Every song is great and most of them take you on a journey. The tracks also flow into each other well, which makes the album something to experience as a whole. I think BROKEN BELLS will be accessible for many people with all kinds of tastes (much like the Beatles).
Here’s a great two part interview with the band:
and their first music video:
You can also listen to the whole album (for a limited time only) at: LUISTERPAAL
Make sure you give the whole thing a listen!
-keith
In November I mentioned a great foreign website called Luisterpaal, which allows you to stream new albums for free. My newest find is a duo called Postdata.
Here’s a quick review of their album from the online paper The Coast:
“What have you done for your mom lately? Paul Murphy (Wintersleep) and his bro Michael formed an informal duo, called it Postdata and recorded an album of the same name as a gift for their mother, who had faced some tough losses. It’s nine songs written and sung by Paul and performed by both brothers. Each song has an acoustic-guitar heart shrouded in its own uniquely charged atmosphere, thanks to thoughtful electronics, production and additional instrumentation. As with his other band, Paul’s lyrics look to the sky’s expanse, into all the body contains, as a means of location and reasoning with loss, in this case, death. In a beautiful album, “Lazarus,” “Tracers” and “The Coroner” are the most.”
Paul Murphy’s other band WINTERSLEEP, is also a solid band to check out:
Some other notable albums currently posted on the Luisterpaal site are Midlake – The Courage of Others, Massive Attack – Heligoland, and Hot Chip – One Life Stand. Check out the site for yourself and let me know your favorites.
-keith
I have four tattoos. My first came in a series of dots, placed with precision, around my lungs and spleen when I was 18. I had just completed six months of chemotherapy and was about to begin two months of radiation treatment for Hodgkin’s Disease (Cancer of the lymph nodes). These dots would perfectly align my body on the table so that the sick areas were treated while minimizing the sacrifice of healthy cells.
After my treatments were over I was in remission. I had been poked and prodded so many times by nurses and doctors that I decided I wanted to put something on my body that had meaning and beauty, and I wanted it to be something I chose. I’d get a tattoo. I told my mother my plans and she replied, “If you still want it when you’re 21, I’ll pay for it”. 3 years later I was ready.
I have always loved martial arts, specifically Bruce and Brandon Lee. Their young and tragic deaths resonated with me and I specifically loved the film, THE CROW (A story about a man who cheats death and exacts revenge on the people who brutally murdered him and his young wife). I felt I had just cheated death. I knew I wanted a crow but none of the images from the film seemed cool enough. A couple of days before my appointment with the tattoo artist I went to see the sequel to THE CROW. A terrible movie, but the villian was played by IGGY POP. He had a huge tattoo on his chest depicting two demons fighting each other and their outlines formed a crow. I loved it. It became my first tattoo, well, second if you count the radiation dots.
While in the hospital for complications from one of my chemo treatments I met a boy named Kipp who had Leukemia. He was only a year younger than me (17). We were the only patients under 60 on the whole floor and we bonded immediately. There was something angelic about him, and although we only spent a few days together we kept in touch after I was released. A year later he passed away.
While in the hospital, Kipp created a series of drawings featuring a character called Pipeman. Pipeman was a sort of alter ego who traveled to far away lands; a way for Kipp to escape. When I attended a special memorial service for Kipp at his High School, his mom gave me copies of the drawings. My favorite was PIPEMAN ON THE MOON. It became my third tattoo and I would eventually write and produce a full length play by the same name, based on my experiences with Kipp.
In our script, THE SKYLARK, there’s a key scene in which Micah, our main character, follows his muse through Central Park and she leads him to STRAWBERRY FIELDS, John Lennon’s memorial. Blake and I also shot our interview for THE ULTIMATE FILMMAKER COMPETITION in and around there. We’ve worked on this script for about four years now and I feel it’s very much a part of me, hence my fourth tattoo: the Imagine symbol at Strawberry Fields, but instead of the word IMAGINE in the center, I added a skylark. I fucking love this tattoo and it’s healing as I write this. It is an indelible promise to myself to make our film.
-keith
I was hanging out at a bar recently and heard a fun new song that I could have sworn was MGMT. I immediately went up to the DJ and asked him to give me the info; I’ve discovered a lot of music this way. Much to my surprise the song was by a new Australian band called Empire Of The Sun (yes, they named themselves after the J.G. Ballard novel that became a Spielberg film). The song is called WE THE PEOPLE. If you enjoy the whole dance/glam rock thing, these guys will fit right into your collection. If not, you’re gonna absolutely hate this or love it.
Disclaimer: you may want to consume some LSD before viewing this video…
The musicians describe their album as a “spiritual road movie”. I also read up on them at AllMusic and was surprised once again to discover that Luke Steele, one of it’s two members, was also the former frontman of a band I like (and saw live) called The Sleepy Jackson. This is a much different type of band often compared to George Harrison. Check out the difference:
Here’s a crazy live “Empire” clip. Their show looks nuts.
-keith
If you’re into British bands like Radiohead, The Verve, Blur, Coldplay, Travis, and Pink Floyd, but have never heard of Elbow, today is your lucky day. Blake and I have been huge fans of Elbow since their first album, Asleep In The Back, came out in 2001, and I have seen them in concert seven times. The band playfully refers to themselves as “prog without the solos”.
The band recently performed their critically acclaimed fourth album, The Seldom Seen Kid, live at Abbey Road with the BBC Concert Orchestra. I have been to many concerts over the years and there is currently no better band to see live (okay, except for Radiohead). Guy Garvey’s voice is always on point and the band is as tight as it gets. Here are a few clips from the BBC performance. Be prepared to have your socks knocked off:
Also check out their video for GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE, a rockin’ song and the first single off The Seldom Seen Kid:
-keith
Blake and I were feeling drained and beginning to doubt our work as we approached the tail end of another two-day, twenty-hour writing session yesterday when we received this message by an industry professional who was asked to critique our short film, COMBAT ROCK:
“This magnificent coming of age tale is an American original. Nostalgic, yes! Entertaining, yes! Pop Art, yes! But here’s a film where every element comes together and soars with a vibrant, new emotional basis. This film’s artistry is based in its uncanny ability to sustain itself just outside the knowable “drama” at the film’s heart (the passing of the mother character). So by not focusing on this “drama” or a knowable trajectory, the film not only stays well away from becoming an average coming of age tale and avoids what could transform itself into simplistic “melodrama”. What COMBAT ROCK eventually establishes itself as is a film with a whole world of original ideas about life, growing up and provides us with a glimpse of the way huge life changes mysteriously come into our lives when we are too pre-occupied with little obsessions to understand or even see their importance. This is a beautifully shot, edited, acted film with a strangely (and memorable) emotional dexterity about it. Bravo!”
Needless to say, we were overwhelmed and instantly re-energized. This came to us when we really needed it. I should add that the author of this review has been kept anonymous to Blake and I because he or she is part of a panel of judges at a competition. Well, whoever you are, thank you for your kind words. There’s much more to come!
-keith
Filed under: Music
For those of you always looking for an influx of new indie music, I want to share Luisterpaal, a foreign website that posts new albums weekly. Did I mention it’s FREE?! I found out about the site from my friend Richard, an actor and fellow music junky. Thanks Richard. Check it out and let me know what you think.
-keith
Well, we finished our two-day writing extravaganza and Blake and I think it went pretty well. We ended up working for about twenty hours in two days. Needless to say our brains are a little fried. We rewrote all of act one and started to break down act two. There’s still a lot to do before our deadline, but Blake and I are confident we’ll have something special by then.
I’d like to give a shout out again to the amazing Alan Poon for giving us a hand both days (day 1 in person, day 2 via speakerphone.) We’re slowly building a collective of young and talented artists, which is very exciting for us.
To celebrate, here are two videos by another collective, Broken Social Scene. They’ve been around for a little while, but they remain one of my favorite bands. Most of their members are in other bands and this group is like a revolving door for talent. I’ve seen them several times and it’s always exciting to see who’s going to show up. Oh, sweet collaboration!
If that female vocalist sounded familiar that’s because it’s Feist!
Enjoy.
-keith
Here’s a band I’ve just added to our ever-growing soundtrack wishlist. I listen to tons of music, especially while I’m writing, and once in a while I come across an album that really excites me. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros’ UP FROM BELOW is one of those albums. A collective of approximately 11 members led by front man Alex Ebert, the former lead singer of Ima Robot, this music is epic and fun. If you’re into bands like Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene and The Polyphonic Spree, this one’s for you. Stand out songs include 40 DAY DREAM and HOME.
Here’s a clip of them performing at the REGENT:
and on LETTERMAN:
It’s inspiring to see these artists having so much fun together.
Buy this album now! You won’t be disappointed.
-keith
Our first post and it’s a big one! THE SKYLARK has been selected as a semifinalist in The Ultimate Filmmaker Competition. This is the first year of the contest organized by the Filmmakers Alliance in Los Angeles.
Winner of the competition receives:
- A FULLY PRODUCED FEATURE FILM with a cash production grant of at least $200,000 and resources totaling in excess of $500,000.
- A Major Festival Premiere.
- Simultaneous theatrical, cable, retail and online distribution.
- Development, production and distribution guidance, support and mentoring.
- Production software.
- A Canon HD Camera.
We were one of about a thousand original entrants and are now in the remaining twenty-five! For round one we submitted a one-page synopsis of THE SKYLARK along with an essay on why we’re filmmakers. The field was then narrowed down to two hundred for the quarterfinals. At that point we submitted a treatment, a sample of our previous work (our short film COMBAT ROCK, which we will post here in its entirety very soon), and the first ten pages of our feature script.
For the semi-finalist deadline (Dec. 7), Blake and I will submit our finished screenplay along with an on-camera interview. Our short film and interview will then be posted on the website (above) where the public will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite entry. One of five finalists is chosen via online voting while a panel of industry professionals picks four additional finalists.
Blake and I are thrilled to have made it this far, but now we want to WIN! So check out our entry and VOTE! We’ll alert you as soon as the site is up and open to public voting.
In the meantime, to start this blog off right, here is an amazing street performance by Patrick Watson, an artist whose music is one of our current inspirations.
If you are not familiar with La Blogotheque’s Take-Away Shows, boy are you missing out! Check them all out here:
Cheers,
- keith
