photos by Sarahana

First Aid Kit @ Mercury Lounge

One night before they opened for Lykke Li at Wellmont Theater, Swedish folk duo First Aid Kit headlined their own sold out show at Mercury Lounge which was their last NYC show before they return to headline Webster Hall in March. Tickets for that big 3/28 show go on sale at noon.

More pictures and a video from their small 11/16 show, and an updated set of 2012 North American tour dates (with even more TBA soon), below...

Continue reading "First Aid Kit played Mercury Lounge w/ Alessi's Ark (pics, video), announced more North American shows (dates)"

words by Rachel Kowal, photos by David Andrako

Thirty minutes before the opening act, Webster Hall was already getting crowded - good news for Alessi's Ark, the opening act. Much like Laura Marling, Alessi Laurent-Marke combines acoustic guitar-based folk songs with a good deal of charm, but what Marling's discography lacks - levity - Laurent-Marke makes up for. Instead of singing about ghosts, going mad, and lost hope, Laurent-Marke tends to stick to lighter topics (like kite flying) and a more delicate, gentle sound.

Many musicians lose their accents when they sing. Lauren-Marke is not one of them. Accompanying her rich voice is a relatively pronounced British accent (she hails from West London) that makes her vocals all the more alluring - especially when she shares the mic with her friend Marcus, who also accompanied her on the guitar throughout the performance.

Though the crowd was certainly attentive during the opening act, the energy in the room seemed to triple as soon as Laura Marling walked on stage. Shrieks, whistles, and high-pitched giggles replaced demure clapping and extended into the first notes of the opening song ("Rambling Man"). But the crowd became fantastically silent as soon as Marling began to sing.

Blending intimacy with power, she often begins her songs with soft finger plucked melodies before calling on her five-piece backing band to contribute thunderous instrumental interludes on banjo, mandolin, upright bass, drums, keys, cello, and guitar.

Marling performed a smattering of songs from her three albums, including older crowd favorites like "Alas I Cannot Swim" and "Ghosts," which she played back-to-back toward the beginning of the set. Midway into the evening, her bandmates took a break, leaving her alone on the stage to play stripped down versions of a handful of songs, including a brand new, as of yet, untitled song.

In typical fashion, Marling apologized for her inability to grasp the art of stage banter and proceeded to charm the crowd with her asides, random facts, and general awkwardness.

There was no encore, well not technically. "We don't consider ourselves rock 'n roll enough to do an encore," said Marling. "So we have a way of getting around it [...] so if you did want an encore, than this is the last song, and if you didn't, than this is the second to last song." The real reason they don't do encores? The crowd would never let them leave. Somehow, though no one appeared to be dancing, the floor of the venue began to shake in time to Marling's last song, "All My Rage," as if the room itself had undergone a conversion and could no longer contain its excitement. Despite Marling's disclaimer, no one budged after she walked off stage, no doubt hoping she would have a change of heart. No such luck.

Last night's show marked the last stop in Marling and Laurent-Marke's tour that also passed through Chicago.

Earlier in the day Laura awarded some fans who bought her album with a very special afternoon event that involved her playing songs for two people at a time in an extremely intimate setting.

More pictures from Webster Hall and both setlists below...

Continue reading "Laura Marling & Alessi's Ark played Webster Hall (pics, setlist)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

BOBBY / Still Corners

Continue reading "Bella Union/Yours Truly Day Party @ French Legation Museum in Austin in pics"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Lawrence Arabia - Beautiful Young Crew (Mp3)
DOWNLOAD: Lawrence Arabia - Apple Pie Bed (MP3)

Lawrence Arabia

Kiwi popsmith Lawrence Arabia (real name James Milne) is back in NYC for CMJ (last here with Crowded House), playing a few shows -- the first of which is today's (10/19) early evening New Zealand showcase at Le Poisson Rouge. He's on at 6PM and the show is FREE but you do need to RSVP if you don't have a CMJ badge. (Free booze of some sort too, apparently.) The rest of the NZ line-up is Zowie (who is also playing the Fader Fort and Fat Baby on Friday), Kids of 88, Street Chant, Ruby Frost and Electric Wire Hustle.

Lawrence Arabia also plays Thursday, Oct. 21 at Bowery Electric (11PM) for the Bella Union/Yep Roc showcase with former Lucksmith Darren Hanlon, Savoir Adore, Jukebox the Ghost, Drink Up Buttercup, Alessi's Ark, and Heidi Spencer.

Lawrence Arabia's excellent second album, Chant Darling, was released early 2010 on the Bella Union label and ranges from gentle folk to ELO-style orch-pop. You can download two tracks from the album at the top of this post. It's really charming, tuneful stuff. In addition to his solo work, Milne has also spent time in the Brunettes, Ruby Suns and as a touring member of Okkerville River.

Some Lawrence Arabia music videos, the flyer and stuff, below...

Continue reading "Lawrence Arabia & other New Zealand artists here for CMJ (dates, MP3s, videos) "

by Andrew Frisicano

Laura Marling @ MHOW at BV-CMJ 2009 (more by Tim Griffin)

Laura Marling will be in New York tonight (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday) as part of her US tour that runs through May. Tickets are still on sale for tonight's Music Hall of Williamsburg show (tomorrow's City Winery gig is sold out).

Laura Marling's current tour comes on the heels her sophomore LP, I Speak Because I Can, which came out in the US at the beginning of April. The record builds on her vigorously personal debut with songs that are measured yet fiery, taking inspiration from wartime love letters and fables, as well as fellow folkies (at a recent gig she covered upstate songwriter Jackson C. Frank's "Blues Run the Game"). The rest of the year will have Laura touring the world, playing for a second time at Glastonbury (and other high-profile UK gigs like at London's Serpentine Sessions in Hyde Park), and recording and releasing a third LP.

On this tour, Pete Roe, Laura's pianist and banjo player, will be opening with his own material from an EP due out in June (a track from it is streaming here). Also on the tour are dusky-voiced London duo Smoke Fairies. They released a single on Jack White's Third Man Records late last year (which features Jacks White and Lawrence on drums and bass, respectively), and just released Ghosts, a compilation of singles and b-sides, in the US.

Laura talked with me over the phone about her upcoming projects, tours and playing New York. That's below...

Continue reading "an interview with Laura Marling (who plays MHOW tonight)"