Archive
* Favorite Vocal Albums of 2011 *
I’ve been buying less music… or, at least a lot less mainstream (major label) music. This is also my fourth year now that I bought more instrumental CDs than vocal CDs. I think as I get older, I am drawn more towards jazz and other instrumental forms of expression. For that reason, the favorite vocal albums list goes first this go ’round. Hopefully my spilling out of music that I like finds interest with someone else. But if not, thanks for stopping by… check out the artists’ webpages, Facebox pages, yadda yadda yadda. A lot of these also made it on to my 2011 Mix CD (free streaming/download).
OK, now on to the best of what’s hit my ears this year…
Honorable Mentions: Iron & Wine – Kiss Each Other Clean, Tres Mts – Three Mountains, Pomplamoose – The Album You Bought At Our Show (Thanks for That), MC Frontalot – Solved and The Roots – Undun.
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Check out the 2011 Mix for some samples, click the Amazon buttons for other samples, and support the music if you like what you hear!
My Other Favorites of 2011 Recaps:
- Fave Concerts & Photos of ‘11 are recapped *HERE*
- Fave EPs/Vinyl/Live/DVDs/more of ‘11 are *HERE*
- Fave Instrumental Albums ‘11 are coming soon
- Old Years:
- 2010: Instrumental, Vocal, EPs/etc, Concerts,
- Best of the 2000s Decade (1-10, 11-20, 21-25)
- 2009: Instrumental, Vocal, EPs/etc, Concerts
- 2008: Instrumental, Vocal, EPS/etc, Concerts
- 2007: Vocal, Instrumental, Concerts
- 2006 & 2005
~Dan – np: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
2011 anticipated albums
So, the year end recaps are in process (instrumental list maybe later today or Friday) … I needed something to fill the gap… here are some artists who are expecting to release new material in 2011 (some are carryovers from 2010’s anticipation), all of which I’m looking forward to…
Kevin Moore‘s Shine (digital out now, CDs en route), dredg has one due at the end of March, Over the Rhine‘s The Long Surrender, Earth‘s Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light 1 (in February), Iron & Wine‘s Kiss Each Other Clean, Mogwai‘s Hardcore Will Never Die But You Will, Reptet‘s At the Cabin, My Brightest Diamond‘s as of yet untitled (she’s in the studio), a bunch of new stuff from John Zorn, Derek Webb‘s Democracy Vol 2 (10 cover songs for 2011), maybe the Secret Chiefs 3 will finally release Book of Souls (it’s their “Chinese Democracy”), Eisley‘s The Valley, Jelly Jam with Ty Tabor of King’s X/John Myung of Dream Theater/Rod Morgenstein of Dixie Dregs, Goddamn Electric Bill‘s Jazz, A.N.M. featuring Doug Pinnick of King’s X and Jimi Hazel of 24-7 Spyz, Ken Andrew and Co’s Digital Noise Academy (maybe), Silverchair are working on one (didn’t hit in 2010), Radiohead have put in studio time in 2010 (maybe something out by year’s end), Glen Phillips likely has a few in the hopper (RemoteTreeChildren #2? new Toad? new WPA? new solo?), Opeth is in the studio, Steven Wilson with Mike Portnoy & Mikael Akerfeldt (of Opeth) too, Sufjan Stevens tribute album (due out in March), more chapters from Celldweller‘s Wish Upon a Blackstar, new tracks from Billy & Maynard’s A Perfect Circle, Mike Patton‘s electronic Fantômas or Peeping Tom #2, and… Ani DiFranco – I mean, it’s inevitable… right? Well, not always, she totally missed 2010 (as of now, no studio albums out in 821 days / 257 since a live EP on Record Store Day 2010).
Plus many more great albums due out in 2011, I’m sure.
Eisley – The Valley (due 3/1/11)
Texas rock family The DuPrees (aka Eisley) are finally free from the grasp of Warner… and their long-awaited third studio album finally has a name, cover art and release date. Behold, The Valley…
(out March 1, 2011)
Free download of “Ambulance” over at http://www.eisley.com/…
REVIEW: Eisley @ WOW Hall (Eugene, OR – 11/14/10)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM
I got into Eisley after a Paste video sampler with the video for “Marvelous Things” (from their Warner debut). It’s a well shot video… bright colors and mopey* looking kids singing excruciatingly hooky pop-rock (*-ah, the mid-2000s). Little did I know that they were all related (sisters & a brother). When the young DuPree kids started (as Moss Eisley) – Chauntelle was 15, Sherri was 13, Stacy was 8, and Weston was about 11 or 12. They were later joined by Garron DuPree (their cousin) when their bassist Jonathan Wilson left. Familial band make-up and young starting ages aside, they write great songs. In fact, the familial slant probably helps with their songwriting. It’s definitely in their genes.
I’ve been a fan of theirs since 2005, but they’re touring schedule has been elusive and just didn’t line up with my calendar. So, five years in the making… my first Eisley show… the “Over the River and Through the Wood” Tour. They just signed with Equal Vision Records, after a long battle to get let out of their Warner contract. Their third studio album (which I think has been done for some time) will come out on Equal Vision in early 2011.
Christie DuPree was the first opener. She was accompanied by Collin DuPree. Let’s just assign that last name to everyone on stage last night (ok, not Ives the Band – but there were 7 DuPrees on stage at some point last night!!). Christie went on around 8pm and played a nice handful of songs over the next 30 minutes. She had a acoustic-pop, singer-songwriter vibe… and her voice was very Eisley-esque. Of course, that’s not a shock, as she is their little sister. I could see some maturity in the tunes, and I think shes got a solid songwriting base with plenty of room to grow and progress, too. Definitely enjoyable! She had a homemade EP for sale… and I imagine she’ll be on the road with Eisley in the near future, too.
Ives the Band went on around 8:45 and played a bit over a half hour as well. They have been described as Beatles-esque. That’s a tough description to match, and while I don’t think they hit that mark (again – tough to do), they had some nice hooks and melodies. Great power pop from San Diego. Their album, The Incredible Story of Mr. Birch, is out now.
Eisley hit the stage around 9:45 and started right into their set without much chit-chat. Sherri & Stacy shared lead vocal duties last night, and even though Sherri was sick, she pulled off her songs quite well. In fact, had she not mentioned it, I might not have noticed.
Of their 19 song set, my guess is Sherri covered 2/3 of the set’s lead vocal duties (too lazy to count it up – sorry!). The 300-400 or so fans at the WOW Hall got treated by many favorites from their two albums, Room Noises and Combinations, as well as a couple of new songs…
Setlist: about 75 mins
- The Valley
- Invasion
- Ten Cent Blues
- Come Clean
- Brightly Wound
- Tree Tops
- Marvelous Things
- Go Away
- Telescope Eyes [acoustic]
- My Lovely [acoustic]
- Kind [acoustic / new song]
- Golly Sandra
- Many Funerals
- I Could Be There For You
- Memories
- I Wasn’t Prepared
- Sad [new song]
- Lost at Sea
- Ambulance
No Encore
Some of my favorites were the acoustic pieces, as well as the aforementioned “Marvelous Things.” Great show, great band. They’re going to be on the road again in the spring of 2011 when their new album comes out. I’m glad they’ve added Eugene to their touring plans now and in the future.
many more photos below
The Appropriate Linkage:
- Eisley’s Site
- Eisley’s Social Media Links (see below)
- Christie DuPree’s Site
- Ives the Band’s Site
- Ives the Band’s MySpace / Facebook / Twitter
- WOW Hall’s Site / Facebook / Twitter
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Check out more tour dates below.
~Dan – np: Over the Rhine – The Long Surrender
EISLEY PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
(click for larger)
Eisley Fall 2010 Tour Dates
- 10/10/2010 – New Orleans, LA – Tipitinas Uptown (18+)
- 10/12/2010 – Pensacola, FL – Vinyl Music Hall(16+)
- 10/14/2010 – Gainsville, FL – 1982 Bar (All Ages)
- 10/15/2010 – Tampa, FL – Crowbar (AA)
- 10/16/2010 – Orlando, FL – The Social (AA)
- 10/17/2010 – Tallahassee, FL (18+) – Club Downunder, FSU
- 10/19/2010 – Atlanta, GA (AA) – The Loft
- 10/20/2010 – Greenville, SC – The Handlebar (18+)
- 10/21/2010 – NYC, NY – Gramercy Theater (16+)
- 10/22/2010 – Farmingdale, NY – The Crazy Donkey (AA)
- 10/23/2010 – Asbury, NJ – The Wonder Bar (AA)
- 10/24/2010 – Washington, DC – Rock and Roll Hotel (AA)
- 10/25/2010 – Philadelphia, PA – North Star Bar (AA)
- 10/27/2010 – Boston, MA – The Red Room@Cafe 939 (AA)
- 10/29/2010 – East Lansing, MI – Union Ballroom @ Michigan State (AA)
- 10/31/2010 – Detroit, MI – Magic Stick
- 11/1/2010 – Akron, OH – Musica (AA)
- 11/2/2010 – Chicago, IL – Lincoln Hall
- 11/3/2010 – Indianapolis, IN (AA) – Earth House
- 11/4/2010 – Minneapolis, MN – The Varsity Theater (18+)
- 11/5/2010 – DesMoines, IA – The Vaudeville Mews (AA)
- 11/7/2010 – Milwaukee, WI – Turner Hall Ballroom (AA)
- 11/8/2010 – Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room (AA)
- 11/9/2010 – Denver, CO – The Bluebird Theater (16+)
- 11/10/2010 – Salt Lake City, UT (AA) – In The Venue
- 11/12/2010 – Boise, ID – The Venue (AA)
- 11/13/2010 – Portland, OR – Wonderland Ballroom (AA)
- 11/14/2010 – Eugene, OR (AA) – WOW Hall
- 11/15/2010 – Seattle, WA (AA) – Chop Suey
- 11/17/2010 – San Luis Obispo, CA – Slo Brewing Co (AA)
- 11/18/2010 – San Francisco, CA (AA) – Swedish American Hall Acoustic
- 11/19/2010 – San Diego, CA – Soma Sidestage (AA)
- 11/20/2010 – Santa Barbara, CA – Velvet Jones (AA)
- 11/21/2010 – Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre (AA)
- 11/24/2010 – Austin, TX – The Parish (AA)
- 11/26/2010 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live Studio (AA)
- 11/27/2010 – Dallas, TX – Palladium – The Loft (AA)
Eisley Tour Dates – Fall 2010
Well, as luck would have it (and it has for me since 2005), I will have to miss the Eisley touring machine due to anti-serendipity (I’ll be in Seattle for A Perfect Circle’s 3-day run). Anyway, here are Eisley’s upcoming “Over the River and Through the Wood” tourdates with Ives the Band and Christie DuPree…
October 2010
9 Lake Charles, LA AJs Bar and Grill
10 New Orleans, LA Tipitina’s Uptown
12 Pensacola, FL Vinyl Music Hall
14 Gainesville, FL 1982 Bar
15 Tampa, FL Crowbar
16 Orlando, FL The Social
17 Tallahassee, FL Club Downunder
19 Atlanta, GA The Loft
20 Greenville, SC The Handlebar
21 New York, NY Gramercy Theatre
22 Farmingdale, NY The Crazy Donkey
23 Asbury Park, NJ The Wonder Bar
24 Washington, DC R Rock N Roll Hotel
25 Philadelphia, PA North Star Bar
27 Boston, MA The Red Room @ Cafe 939
29 East Lansing, MI Union Ballroom @ Michigan State Univ.
31 Detroit, MI Magic Stick
November 2010
1 Akron, OH Musica
2 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
3 Indianapolis, IN Earth House
4 Minneapolis, MN The Varsity Theater
5 Des Moines, IA The Vaudeville Mews
7 Milwaukee, WI Turner Hall Ballroom
8 Omaha, NE The Waiting Room
9 Denver, CO Bluebird Theater
10 Salt Lake City, UT In The Venue
12 Boise, ID (venue tba)
13 Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom
14 Eugene, OR WOW Hall
15 Seattle, WA Chop Suey
17 San Francisco, CA (venue tba)
19 San Diego, CA Soma Sidestage
20 Santa Barbara, CA Velvet Jones
21 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre
24 Austin, TX The Parish
26 Houston, TX Warehouse Live Studio
27 Dallas, TX The Loft
There’s no upcoming album, yet (long story), but there will likely be a lot of new tunes played out on this tour. Have fun!
~Dan – np: Medeski Martin & Wood – Friday Night in the Universe
2010 anticipated albums
So, the year end and decade end recaps are in process (the monkeys I ordered are in the back room typing away) … I needed something to fill the gap… here are some artists who are expecting to release new material in 2010, all of which I’m looking forward to…
The Album Leaf‘s A Chorus of Storytellers, My Brightest Diamond‘s Shark Remixes box set, Go from Jónsi Birgisson of Sigur Rós, French singer Jeanne Cherhal‘s Charade, George Hrab‘s Trebuchet, 12 new albums from John Zorn, Mike Patton’s Mondo Cane and hopefully Crudo (if they’re both not put off due to Faith No More reunion touring), Derek Webb‘s Democracy Vol 1 (and he’s even recording with Caedmon’s Call for a 2010 release or two), guitar phenom Kaki King, maybe the Secret Chiefs 3 will finally release Book of Souls (it’s their “Chinese Democracy”), Eisley & Perma (a side project with Sherri from Eisley), Ellery from Cincinnati, Ty Tabor of King’s X, A.N.M. featuring Doug Pinnick of King’s X and Jimi Hazel of 24-7 Spyz, Ken Andrew and Co’s Digital Noise Academy, Trent Reznor’s just announced new Nine Inch Nails album, Silverchair are working on one, Radiohead are hitting the studio (maybe something out by year’s end), and… Ani DiFranco – I mean, it’s inevitable… right?
Plus many more great albums due out in 2010, I’m sure.
Portland Jazz Fest 2010 – huzzah!!!
OYG! The headlining line-up for this coming year’s Portland Jazz Festival is rad.
Thursday, February 25, 7:30pm, Hilton Pavilion Ballroom, Luciana Souza
Friday, February 26, 7:30pm, Newmark Theater, Mingus Big Band
Friday, February 26, 9:30 pm, Norse Hall, In The Country
Saturday, February 27, 3:00pm, Norse Hall, Trygve Seim & Frode Haltli
Saturday, February 27, 7:30pm, Newmark Theater, Dave Holland Quintet
Saturday, February 27, 9:30 pm, Norse Hall, Christian Wallumrød Ensemble
Sunday, February 28, 3:00pm, Newmark Theater, Pharoah Sanders
Sunday, February 28, 7:30pm, Crystal Ballroom, Dave Douglas Brass Ecstasy
I’m definitely going to the Dave Douglas show… and the other bold shows are definitely good possibilities. More acts to follow in the coming months. The festival runs February 22-28, 2010.
Tickets go on-sale October 27th at TicketMaster (or October 14th – 10am if you are a PDX Jazz member).
Find out more at:
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A totally unrelated sidenote… Texas band of rock siblings Eisley just released a new EP called Fire Kite (digital only, out Oct 9th). Album cover looks Jebus-y (or at least it’s geometrically-inclined with potentially religious ambivalence)… DL’ing now… we shall see…