photos by Ryan Muir

Angel Olsen @ Glasslands - 4/4/2012

Ryan managed to catch Com Truise AND Purity Ring, and still found time to catch three of the talented singer-songwriters playing Glasslands last night (4/4), one of whom is from Chicago and plays again in NYC this week. More of his pictures from Glasslands, below...

Continue reading "Angel Olsen, Doe Paoro & Cat Martino played Glasslands (pics)"

Angel Olsen at Glasslands in 2011 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Chicago's Angel Olsen is in Brooklyn for two shows this week including Glasslands TONIGHT (4/4) with Sufjan/Sharon Van Etten collaborator Cat Martino, Doe Paoro , and Knox. Tickets for tonight's show are available.

Angel also plays another Brooklyn show at Littlefield on Sunday (4/8) with Companion, Emily Reo, and Alex Drewchin. Tickets for that show are on sale now.

Angel Olsen is working on a new album which will be out sometime this year on Bathetic, who released Strange Cacti on vinyl last year. You can stream a track from Strange Cacti at the Bathetic website or listen to the whole album on Spotify. Below, check out a solo performance of the song "Barrier of Bodies," which will "most likely be on her record to come." For her NYC shows, Angel will be joined by Emmet Kelly on bass, guitar, and vocals and guitarist Leroy Bach will also join them both at Glasslands tonight.

As mentioned last year, Angel Olsen (like Mariee Sioux who we profiled earlier today) is one of many Will Oldham collaborators and has toured as a member of his band(s).

Speaking of Will Oldham collaborators, the mostly David Byrne-produced soundtrack for This Must Be The Place has finally been given a release date (4/23), which he and David Byrne contributed multiple songs to under the name The Pieces of Shit. Check out the track, "Open Up," by The Pieces of Shit below. Other contributors to the soundtrack include Jonsi & Alex, Iggy Pop, and Julia Kent (who plays Issue Project Room with Julia Holter during Unsound later this month).

Will Oldham also wrote a book called Will Oldham on Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, which according to the NYTimes, "answers nearly every question one might wish to ask about his prolific output." Here's what he has to say about the moniker Bonnie 'Prince' Billy:

"Bonnie Prince Billy is such a ridiculous name. It had no preconceptions to it; nobody could say what the music was going to be like on hearing the name. But it turned the music into an individual, which seemed to be what everyone -- the audience, or at least the people that I was forced to talk to about the music -- was seeking. They were seeking some sort of individual responsible for things, and I was just like, 'O.K. We'll make one up. One who doesn't really exist, and therefore I can continue to feel confident that there is no individual responsible for things, but you can think that there is one!'"

All dates for Angel (and Doe Paoro too), video, and song stream below...

Continue reading "Angel Olsen is here, playing 2 NYC shows; author Will Oldham & producer David Byrne are The Pieces of Shit"

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo, words by Rachel Kowal

Though I can't comment on the first opener, Baby Alpaca, since I didn't get to see them play, the remaining artists on last Thursday night's bill at Glasslands were united by dark undertones and beautiful vocals - a winning combination in my book. I knew I recognized the name Angel Olsen, but it wasn't until I arrived at the venue that I suddenly remembered that she had been the beguiling chanteuse from Will Oldham's side project, The Babblers.

Stripped of Oldham and placed in front of a talkative crowd, Olsen may have lost a touch of luster, but her richly complex voice was no less arresting, and it was nice to see her in the spotlight. Though she often delves into a lower range, Olsen also shines when - with a charming warble in her voice - she suddenly jumps to a higher register. (Let's just say if I had a voice like that I'd never speak. Just sing.)

I can't say the crowd got much better when Snowblink played, but somehow, the duo managed to maintain their composure even when some kid near the front puked near the end of their set. "Yo, is this guy ok?" singer/keyboardist Daniela Gesundheit broke in, mid song. She and her partner continued to play at a hushed volume. "Ok. We've got a buddy down, so everyone send him some nice feelings," she gracefully said before beginning to sing again.

Fitting for a musical project that got its start in LA before relocating to Toronto, Snowblink's sound seems to be just as appropriate for candle-lit winter nights as it is for lazy summer lounging. Gesundheit's vocals are inherently sweet and innocent, and her interplay with soft-spoken guitarist/vocalist Dan Goldman is pretty charming, too. Highlights of the set included the sparse but no less catchy "Rut & Nuzzle" and a surprisingly good cover of the Dolly Parton hit, "Jolene," which featured especially strong vocals from Gesundheit.

By the time the delightfully sinister tones of Timber Timbre began to resonate through the room, the floor was fairly packed. (Luckily, the puke had been mopped up and the strong odor of cleaning products lingered to mark the spot.)

The majority of Timber Timbre's set consisted of material from their recently released album, the aptly named Creep On Creepin' On. Other orchestral indie folk groups like Lost in the Trees may be delving into similarly dark places through moody instrumentation and surprisingly grim lyrics, but Timber Timbre takes the macabre a step further, thanks to Taylor Kirk's distinctively chilling vocals.

Given the talent of the group and the uniqueness of their sound, it's surprising that their music hasn't caught on as much in the States as it has in say, Canada or Europe, but I suspect it's only a matter of time before they graduate from Glasslands.

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Timber Timbre heads back out on tour in May and June. More pictures and their setlist from the Glasslands show, below...

Continue reading "Timber Timbre played Glasslands w/ Snowblink & Angel Olsen (pics & setlist)"