Archive
My Brightest Diamond “High Low Middle” video (#OWS)
Perhaps the new music video for “High Low Middle” from My Brightest Diamond is an unofficial theme song for the Occupy Wall Street movement (albiet unintentional – as it was in the can long before #OWS)… directed by Murat Eyuboglu, filmed in Detroit and featuring dancers from RunJitRun and Jitting Jesus:
When you’re privileged you don’t even know you’re privileged
When you’re not, you know
When you’re happy you don’t even know you’re happy
When you’re not, you know
full lyrics (link)
Fellow Detroit musician Blue Stahli makes an appearance in the video. If he or (*gasp*) labelmate Celldweller remixed some MBD tunes, that would be RAD as HELL! Afternoon Update: Blue Stahli responded with a “Funny you should say that…” twitter reply. Nice!
More MBD Stuff:
- There’s a 9-10 minute session with Shara/MBD on NPR’s All Things Considered right HERE.
- Check out my 11/5 review of the MBD show at Mississippi Studios in Portland Oregon right HERE.
- I’d also highly recommend you pick up her latest album, All Things Will Unwind… it’s right HERE (and amazing).
~Dan – np: Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood – In Case the World Changes Its Mind
My Brightest Diamond – La Blogothèque (videos)
My Brightest Diamond’s new album, All Things Will Unwind, came out yesterday in the EU (10/10) and it hits the U.S. next week (10/18). You can stream the entire album here on NPR First Listen. You can pre-order it from Amazon on CD, vinyl, and mp3 download.
She recently allowed the French video bloggers, La Blogothèque, a peak into her life… similar to back in 2007:
It’s a gorgeous album. If I could only rave about two vocal albums in 2011, it’d be this one and Wussy’s Strawberry. Go get ’em both.
My Brightest Diamond is also doing a little tour (of which I’m happy to be going to Portland)…
- 14-Oct-11 –Littlefield -Brooklyn (record release party)
- 19-Oct-11 –Fitzgerald’s -Houston, TX
- 05-Nov-11 –St. Mark’s Cathedral -Seattle, WA
- 06-Nov-11 –Mississippi Studios -Portland, OR
- 17-Nov-11 –St. Giles-in-the-Fields-London
- 21-Nov-11 –Circolo degli Artisti-Rome
- 22-Nov-11 –Teatro Martinitt-Milan
- 23-Nov-11 –Papiersaal-Zurich
- 24-Nov-11 –Club ADS-Berlin
- 26-Nov-11 –Gebaude 9-Köln
- 27-Nov-11 –Le Guess Who? Festival-Utrecht
- 28-Nov-11 –Stuk-Leuven
- 29-Nov-11 –Café de la Danse-Paris
MBD’s release party is this Friday night at Littlefields (NYC), though tickets are going fast! Doors open at 8pm, and DM Stith opens shortly thereafter. 21+, tickets just $15; buy them here.
~Dan – np: Tool – Undertow
Nellie McKay on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts
Nellie McKay stopped by for a NPR Tiny Desk Concert with Bob Boilen / All Songs Considered…
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/04/135019502/nellie-mckay-tiny-desk-concert
Download the podcast (FREE on iTunes):
~Dan – np: Placebo – Sleeping With Ghosts 
Jónsi 9:30 Club performance download (NPR)
Geez’l Petes… it’s a booster day over at NPR for music that I like… All Songs Considered podcast of Jónsi‘s Washington D.C. 9:30 Club performance now posted…
(photo from Portland 4/13/2010 show)
Listen / Download 9:30 Club show from NPR
You all should just go on and subscribe to the All Songs Considered / Live Concerts podcast while you’re at it.
~Dan – np: Ennio Morricone – Crime and Dissonance
GOASTT on NPR Tiny Desk Concerts
Sean Lennon and Charlotte Kemp Muhl (aka Goast of a Saber Tooth Tiger) just recorded a Tiny Desk Concert for NPR. I’m super stoked about their upcoming tour (go here for dates).
photo by Mito Habe-Evans/NPR
Watch / Listen / Download from NPR
You all should just go on and subscribe to the Tiny Desk Concerts podcast while you’re at it.
~Dan – np: Ennio Morricone – Crime and Dissonance
Sufjan’s AGE of ADZ (in its entirety)
The entire Sufjan Stevens‘ album The Age of Adz is streaming over at NPR until its release date (October 12th).
You can pre-order the record here: CD / VINYL / digital
~Dan – np: Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz
no free flac torrent of mp3 download here ever. if you like music, support it – buy it
Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert
Dave Douglas & Brass Ecstasy released Spirit Moves earlier this year, and it is fantastic… one of the best releases of the year so far. It’s out now on Greenleaf Music (Dave’s label).
Well, yesterday (7/20), their recent Tiny Desk Concert (a great feature on NPR) was posted as streaming video and as part of the NPR: Live Concerts from All Songs Considered Podcast. From the article… Afterward, I heard a colleague who works elsewhere in the building rave, “I don’t know anything about jazz, but that was amazing!” See, the mere mention of jazz may scare off many, but when you see experts performing as ebulliently as these folks did, it’s hard to remain unmoved.
Click for Streaming on NPR’s site
Click the picture or hotlink above for streaming video on NPR’s site, or search for “NPR: Live Concerts from All Songs Considered” podcast on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher.
Setlist (17:54)
- “Spirit Moves” (Douglas)
- “This Love Affair” (Wainwright)
- “Twilight of the Dogs” (Douglas)
Personnel
- Dave Douglas, trumpet
- Luis Bonilla, trombone
- Vincent Chancey, French horn
- Marcus Rojas, tuba
- Nasheet Waits, drums
~Dan – np: Jónsi & Alex – Riceboy Sleeps
Yann Tiersen, SXSW, Nellie McKay
Well… triple threat news again. This time it’s all about a touring Tiersen, a festival in Austin that every-indie-body loves, and my favorite Nellie (rhymes with McPie). In order of recency…
OK… so 3 hours ago I found out that French musician Yann Tiersen was touring. Touring the U.S. Touring through Portland… holy crap. For those who don’t know Yann Tiersen, click his name above or know that he makes great French music that got a lot more prominence with the Jean-Pierre Jeunet movie Amélie. I never thought he’d play any semblance of a decent North American tour… Anyway, here are the tour dates:
Apr 15 – Maison Française WASHINGTON
Apr 16 – Irving Plaza NEW YORK
Apr 17 – Club Soda MONTREAL
Apr 18 – Club Soda MONTREAL
Apr 19 – Mod Club Theatre TORONTO
Apr 21 – Logan Theatre CHICAGO
Apr 22 – Triple Rock Social MINNEAPOLIS
Apr 24 – Blue Bird DENVER
Apr 25 – Urban Lounge SALT LAKE CITY
Apr 27 – Richards VANCOUVER
Apr 28 – Neumo’s SEATTLE
Apr 29 – Wonder Ballroom PORTLAND
May 1 – Great American SAN FRANCISCO
May 2 – El Rey LOS ANGELES
May 8 – Queens Hall EDINBURG
May 9 – ABC 1 GLASGOW
May 10 – Duchess YORK
May 11 – Academy II BIRMINGHAM
May 13 – Junction CAMBRIDGE
May 14 – Electric Ballroom LONDON
May 15 – ATP fest “The Breeders” MINEHEAD
May 17 – Pheonix EXETER
May 18 – Komedia BATH
May 19 – Concorde II BRIGHTON
Jul 4 – Centro de artes e do espectaculos FIGUEIRA DA FOZ
Jul 5 – Casa das artes VILA NOVA DE FAMALICAO
Jul 6 – Centro cultural de Belem LISBOA
I just got my tickets (the Portland show is available from TicketBastard). I’m. so. excited.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The SXSW music festival is a’going on again. I don’t really have a desire (or time off during busy season) to go to it this year. If I had time off in March, I’d be in San Francisco anyway. This year’s SXSW schedule is out (http://www.sxsw.com/).
If I went, I’d totally check out Peter Mulvey (he’s awesome) on the Signature Sounds stage, and Fol Chen on the Asthmatic Kitty stage… OK, and maybe Tori Amos, but she’s far from indie (she’s got a new one coming out in the spring, titled Abnormally Attracted to Sin).
Oh, and I’d probably also check out Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head on whatever stage they’re playing at SXSW… as you can’t argue with a band name like that (though I will say I’ve never ever heard the band). Hot!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The live taping of Nellie McKay and Mia Doi Todd on Mountain Stage was recently posted. It was taped March 2008 but recently posted on NPR.org on January 27, 2009. Go here for the streaming link hook-up. Nellie played: Real Life, Long and Lazy River, Mother of Pearl, Testify, Buttons & Bows, and Zombie; and Mia Doi Todd played: River of Life and Esperar Es Caro.
~Dan – np: The Rutles – Archaelogy
REVIEW: Nellie McKay @ Doug Fir Lounge (Portland, OR – – 8/15/08)
FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW are at the BOTTOM
Early shows are problematic, especially if you have to drive 2 hours to get to them. Oh, and also if the artist thought they started later. Blame for this goes squarely to the Doug Fir Lounge, in my opinion. Double-booking a night is horrible. Horrible. Nellie McKay* would have likely played much longer, had she been allowed to… argh.
*– for the newbies, her last name rhymes with “McPie”
Anyway, the opener Amorèe Lovell started right at 7pm, and played a stellar 40 minutes. She is from Portland, and plays a mean piano with quirky lyrics and fun banter. I’d say she fits in with the likes of Regina Spektor & Nellie McKay with a touch of Tori Amos. She also brings her own charm & style. She was very entertaining. She played mainly originals, but also threw in some Tom Waits, Johnny Cash & David Bowie. On to Nellie…
Nellie‘s start time was supposed to be 8pm. She didn’t hit the stage until nearly 8:30, due to a mix-up with her start time. Most of the crowd was getting antsy (myself included), as the late show had a “doors open” time of 9:30. Yikes. With that being said, Nellie came on and put on a great just shy of an hour show. She seemed more comfortable and confident, and she was as funny / spunky as usual.
Nellie’s Setlist:
- Toto Dies
- Old Enough
- Mother of Pearl [on uke]
- story about prince chunky, the 44 pound cat
- The Dog Song (a fav of the set)
- Real Life
- Tipperary
- Don’t Fence Me In [on uke]
- Vote for Mr. Rhythm [with Obama tag at the end]
- Sari (a fav of the set… with Dylan impression at the end)
- Feed the Birds
- Politan
- Don’t Fence Me In [false start… she remembered she already did it] :)
- Me Gusta Mañana [on uke.. a silly spanish song]
- explanation about her NPR song “Cavendish”… she didn’t have time to brush up on it, but sometime soon
- Zombie (a fav of the set)
- Encore 1: Really
- Encore 2: Ding Dong
The Appropriate Linkage:
- http://www.myspace.com/prettylittlehead
- http://www.nelliemckay.com/ (official)
- http://www.nelliemckay.org/ (fan site)
- http://www.myspace.com/amoreelovell
- http://www.amoreelovell.com/
- http://www.dougfirlounge.com/
- My blog reviewing Nellie in Eugene, OR 10/5/07
- My blog about Nellie @ TEDtalks
- My blog about Nellie’s Project Song on NPR (where she wrote “Cavendish” in 48 hours)
Next show for me? Radiohead next Wednesday at White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, WA (up near Seattle). Woot!!
I was a pageant gone bad…
~Dan – np: Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins – Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins
NELLIE MCKAY CONCERT PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2008 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution
Her Fourth album, NPR’s Project Song, and remaking ’There Will Be Blood’
Nellie McKay is at it again. “It” being writing another album. Her fourth release is due out this fall (yay!). Her comment on it… “it’ll be kick ass.”
She is also the debut artist for Bob Boilen / NPR’s Project Song. 2 days, 1 artist, 1 song. BTW, it’s downloadable (iTunes or other RSS feeder) as part of the “NPR All Songs Considered” podcast.
She wrote and recorded a song called “Cavendish” based on a photo (the 2nd one below)… the song fits in more with her easy-listening/old-timey songs (not her quirky raps or Zombie-romps). She sang all parts and played ukelele, piano, cello, and drum programming for the song. (They gave her a 3rd day to work on it.)
The photo inspiration:
Rumors that McKay is set to develop a cure for pancreatic cancer, successfully impeach the president on the Senate floor and remake There Will Be Blood, playing every role by herself (including the milkshake), have yet to be confirmed at press time.
~Dan
-Eyvind Kang
-Frank Zappa
Amazon.com mp3 downloads
Creative Commons
This blog and concert photos therein are licensed under a Creative Commons License. Available with Attribution for Non-Commercial, Non-Derivative Use.
