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Wye Oak & Shearwater recently toured, covered the Kinks, are playing the Whitney (sort of) (and other shows)

DOWNLOAD: Shearwater – Castaways (MP3)

Jonathan Meiburg @ All Points West 2009 (more by Chris La Putt)
Jonathan Meiburg

Wye Oak’s Andy Stack @ Pianos – BV CMJ 2008 (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)
Wye Oak

Shearwater, who released their The Golden Archipelago LP on February 23rd (MP3 above), toured with Wye Oak earlier this year. That trip included a stop at Bowery Ballroom where…

“…Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater joined Jenn and Andy [of Wye Oak] on stage for their final song, a cover song, and then he came back about 20 minutes later with his own band. Jordan Geiger from Hospital Ships was on the stage for the set, and Andy Stack joined them for a couple songs, so there were upwards of 6 performers on stage, bringing Shearwater’s beautifully dramatic songs to life. They played a long set, probably 70 to 80 minutes I’d guess, and played almost every song I’d ever heard of in their catalog… [Vague Space]

The tour was one of a few examples of recent collaborations between Shearwater and Wye Oak. Shearwater’s Jonathan Meiburg recently joined Wye Oak to cover the Kinks’ song “Strangers” at as part of A.V. Club’s Undercover series (25 bands covering 25 different songs). Video of the performance is posted below.

Next up, Wye Oak’s Andy Stack will join Meiburg for a performance at the Whitney Museum on Friday, June 25th at 7pm

Charles Burchfield reveled in the sounds, sights, and sensations of nature. He often wrote about his experiences in his journals, and his close study of nature is apparent in his paintings. Join us for a reading of excerpts from Burchfield’s journals by Jonathan Rosen, author of The Life of the Skies: Birding at the End of Nature, paired with a performance of songs by Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater who will be joined by Andy Stack of Wye Oak. Rosen and Meiburg both share Burchfield’s enthusiasm for nature, particularly birds. Tonight discover the wonders in paying attention to the backyard bird.

This event is free with Museum admission, which is pay-what-you-wish on Fridays from 6-9 pm; no special tickets or reservations are required.

Speaking of the Whitney, the museum is currently open 24 hours a day as part of its Biennial exhibit. The open-24-hours-ness stops May 28th at midnight. The Biennial runs through May 30th. When that closes, the hazy, somewhat-psychedelic-tinged watercolors of Charles Burchfield will run at the museum from June 24-October 17 (as noted above, the concert is June 25th).

Shearwater don’t have any other dates coming up. Wye Oak, who are releasing an EP, My Neighbor/My Creator, June 8th on Merge, do have some. You may have noticed them (Philly and DC) in Deer Tick‘s tour dates. No NYC date announced for Wye Oak, but when we contacted Andy with some questions about the Whitney show, he hinted that there was “one really fun” show coming in July (Siren?) (answer = yes). Those questions and answers, with a bunch of videos and other stuff below…

Wye Oak visited the round room at The Onion AV Club headquarters to deliver a lovely cover of The Kinks’ “Strangers” featuring special guest Jonathan Meiburg of Shearwater as part of The AV Club’s Undercover series. Wye Oak’s performance joins The Clientele’s cover of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” and there are many more surprises to come in the series.

is available now at all digital outlets. The limited-edition CDEP will be in stores on June 8, but you can pre-order it now in the Merge store. Wye Oak have just completed their tour with Shearwater, but check back for more dates soon, and if you haven’t yet, watch Jenn and Andy perform live from NPR’s “tiny desk”!


BV: Where did the idea for the Whitney event come from? Who contacted who? Related to your recent tour with Shearwater?

Andy Stack of Wye Oak: Yeah, we were somewhere in the middle of about six weeks of shows with Shearwater, and Jonathan came to me and asked if I’d be interested in joining him. I’d been sitting in on some of the songs during the Shearwater set every night, as well as playing bass for Hospital Ships. Jonathan had already been brought on by the Whitney to perform, but I think he felt as though the depth and texture of Burchfield’s paintings would lend themselves better to the interplay of a duo. Very flattering that he thought of me . . .

BV: Will you be playing drums? Singing too?

Andy: We’re still figuring some of this out, but I’ll be hoping around to various string, wind, and/or percussion instruments. Jonathan is a very inspired (and inspiring) musical mind, and he’s always looking for different angles and combinations for his music. I’m hoping that I can plug myself into that curiosity of his and let it dictate what is appropriate to the songs we play.

BV: Anything else you can tell us about what to expect at this event?

Andy: I just recently took out my saxophone for the first time in many years, and I’ve been really enjoying the expressiveness of that instrument. I also have this sense that it really fits the mood which is created in these paintings. Maybe it’ll creep it’s way into the project.

BV: What else is up?

Andy: Wye Oak is off the road for the summer, just playing a few shows here and there. The real focus is working on some new recordings and reconnecting with our friends, families, and homes here in Baltimore.

BV: Any NYC shows coming soon? I noticed Philly…

Andy: Yeah, I believe we’re going to have one really fun NYC performance in July, although I don’t think I’m allowed to say what it is just yet . . . but I do look forward to taking some New York field trips this summer, both for shows and just to keep up with this wanderlust.

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CHARLES BURCHFIELD via the Whitney

Although he lived next door to Niagara Falls, artist Charles Burchfield (1893-1967) chose to focus his nature-based art on the ground beneath his feet. Curated by artist Robert Gober, this exhibition features over one hundred major watercolors, drawings, oils on canvas, sketches, notebooks, journals, and doodles by this visionary American artist. Acclaimed by critics and known to a broad public audience during his lifetime, Burchfield is curiously under-appreciated today. Working almost exclusively in watercolor, Burchfield’s primary subject was landscape, often focusing on his immediate surroundings: his garden, the views from his windows, snow turning to slush, the sounds of insects and bells and vibrating telephone lines, deep ravines, sudden atmospheric changes, the experience of entering a forest at dusk, to name but a few. He often imbued these subjects with highly expressionistic light, creating at times a clear-eyed depiction of the world and, at other times, a unique mystical and visionary experience of nature.

Shearwater – “Hidden Lakes” (Jonathan Meiburg solo)

Wye Oak’s ‘My Neighbor/My Creator’ EP tracklist
1. My Neighbor
2. Emmylou
3. My Creator
4. I Hope You Die
5. That I Do (Mickey Free Remix)