owen is an amazing musician and person.

Its truly strange how similar he is in appearance to andrew bird... performing in socks! Wow... :) I've grown to appreciate his music more than the bird man though :)

Here's another report on that fan-fucking-tastic show. And yes, the audience had some real oddballs.

http://www.greatwhatsit.com/archives/576

He performs in socks because he has to turn knobs with his toes! Can't do that with shoes on.

so i thought i'd just email it to you. this is in response to the final fantasty/looping pedal post

there is a new version of the Boss Loop Station out now that builds on the looping trend with substantial advances - it's three times the size of the original Loop Stations and can hold an almost endless supply of loops, which can be played and added to three at a time. it's getting a bit out of control but it's all a lot of fun. up until about two years ago it was hard to find any looping pedals in shops at all (except the boomerang, which didn't seem very popular for some reason).

Ty Braxton and Nick Forte are two other notable musicians who create their live sound through the use of live loops.

Any idea which one/ones FF uses?

also there is http://loopersdelight.com/loop.html which has all sorts of info (though isn't updated often enough - they have a tendency to fall behind on the new products a bit).

yeah i was just gonna say this reminds me so much of Andrew Bird, haven't heard this kid yet but I doubt i could like him more than Andrew Bird...

i've seen final fantasy twice, and andrew bird several times. and the bird flies much higher and mightier.

el ten eleven is a great loop band. it's something that needs to be fully appreciated live though, much like FF for me.

while i do really "get" He Poos Clouds, I was transfixed at tonic.

Thanks for quoting me! It was the most exciting thing that's happened in my entire life. (I read your blog every day, I love it.)

>>Thanks for quoting me! It was the most exciting thing that's happened in my entire life

Speaks miles about the FF show. (Sorry, Michelle)

Thanks for quoting me! It was the most exciting thing that's happened in my entire life. (I read your blog every day, I love it.)

i don't want to sound like a hater, because i was at the show and on the whole enjoyed the set.

that said, i'm not sure about the merits of building up songs using loop pedals in a live setting. the technology imposes numerous musical constraints, including demanding that each song begin in this drawn-out way, featuring a long period of loops that frankly sound pretty bad all on their own before you actually get to the good stuff. these moments were pretty awkward, in my view. it also imposes some harmonic constraints: you can't introduce too many surprising chord changes or else the whole thing would turn into complete chaos, because everything he plays has to harmonize with what's already looping. is whatever measure of "wow value" that this technique provides worth these musical sacrifices?

sure, i think it's CONCEPTUALLY very cool. but i go to shows to please my ears, not to tickle my brain.

aw, come on, I write on a tiny blog that no one ever reads, so it's exciting to get quoted. Give me a break.

seen him 3 times, loved it everytime. i think when he fucks it up he's got the charm to back it up and stall with.

the people who disclaim "i don't want to sound like a hater" always sound the least like one.

you have a good point eric, although I don't agree. I am drawn to how looping builds a song from basic components like a sonic assemblage or reverse dissection. Every time an element is produced, I'm fascinated how that piece fits in with the rest of the composition already in progress.

Gentleman Reg has a song, and a cameo appearance in the in the new film 'shortbus' directed by John Cameron Mitchel.

does anyone know the name of the first song he played at tonic?

eric, if you ever get the chance to see jon brion perform, please, do so. he will please your ears while tickling your brain. a brilliant musician, producer, and performer. also, a master of the looping pedal.

> does anyone know the name of the first song he played at tonic?

Who, Owen or Reg? Reg's setlist is shown in that earlier BV post, and as for Owen's first two songs, he claimed they were by OMD. But he might've just been bullshitting, I don't know, b/c I don't know jack shit about OMD.

jerry i agree that the most fascinating part of the show was listening to the overlapping segments building up, yet still being able to focus on and pick out each individual looping part later on. especially since one slightly misplayed note could greatly affect the loop, it gave me a much greater appreciation for owen's music actually to have been able to seem him do his thing in person. brief review at my site.

I'm in love!

wait, did FF seriously play two OMD songs?! which? which??

I wasn't there, but I can tell you a few things.

1) He uses a Boss loop pedal, but I can't tell you if he has the newest one or not.

2) I imagine he did play OMD-- he can play the entire A-side of Dazzle Ships and has on more than one occasion.

He plays:
1) Radio Prague
2) Genetic Engineering
3) ABC Auto-Industry and
4) Telegraph
as a medley generally, and at least once he has followed it up with a separate medley of
5) This Is Helena with
6) Telegraph.

I hope this helps.

I wasn't there, but I can tell you a few things.

I) He uses a Boss loop pedal, but I can't tell you if he has the newest one or not.

II) I imagine he did play OMD-- he can play the entire A-side of Dazzle Ships and has on more than one occasion.

He plays:
1) Radio Prague
2) Genetic Engineering
3) ABC Auto-Industry and
4) Telegraph
as a medley generally, and at least once he has followed it up with a separate medley of
5) This Is Helena with
6) Telegraph.

I hope this helps.

do you know if anyone recorded this gig? it was wonderful watching him layer his songs the way he did. i'd love to relive the experience!

truly awesome

Mr. Pallett is unbelievably amazing, his music is some of the prettiest stuff I've heard in ages, and his voice sounds like a ever-more-mellifluous Sufjan... (except he's ten-thousand times more endearing based on the fact he isn't a Bible thumper- Sorry had to go there).

The looping is very cool to see live and, personally, I think it's an idiosyncratic perk of going to see one of his live shows. This dude wields a violin like freakin' Apollo, has a voice like a siren, and we're going to be seeing a lot more of him.

From what I can infer, he seems to be a magnetically endearing person, and I don't think it'll be long before every young gay guy is chasing him around like goth girls were chasing Robert Smith in the 80s. Yeah, that's right, I think he'll explode in the states very soon.

Someone tell Owen to make a pilgrimage to Burlington, VT... he'll get a warm reception.

wow~~that cool~~
-------weilcome here
http://www.igxe.com