photos Jessica Amaya

A select few were treated to a now rare intimate performance by Feist in NYC last night (10/3). The show took place in the crypt of the Church of the Intercession on 155th Street in Harlem. Feist was backed by a 16 piece orchestra who are part of the Mason Jar Music artist collective, as well as the three women from Mountain Man, fellow Broken Social Scene member Charles Spearin, a keyboard player from Beck's band, and a drummer. They orchestra performed the arrangements currently on Feist's new-out-today record Metals, as well as doing a superb original arrangement of "When I Was a Young Girl." Feist delivered a riveting, emotional performance throughout the evening and offered plenty of witty banter between songs to the 150 lucky people or so in the room. Most of those people were there because they bought the album earlier that day from Sound Fix Records.

The idea for the show, which was being filmed, came from Mason Jar Music who reached out to Feist in the hopes they could one day collaborate. Mountain Man will also be backing Feist on tour. They play Letterman with Feist tonight. Here are some pictures from the church show. They continue with the setlist below...

Continue reading "Feist & friends played a crypt in Harlem (pics & setlist)"

photos by Vincent Cornelli

"On any given occasion [Do Make Say Think] are a formidable proposition, but tonight [at an October show in London,] their core six members are joined by a revolving cast of guests. All ten musicians appear across the evening, providing instrumentation and support for both the support bands here. Charles Spearin's Happiness Project and Ohad Benchitrit's Years; in essence, side-projects from the full time labour of the headliners. However, there's a genuine sense amongst the crowd that this isn't a typical 'headline + support' concert as such, but rather a collective of musicians who happen to perform under various guises, and are doing so tonight." [INDROSSI]

Do Make Say Think and the Happiness Project played their third NYC show together last night at Bowery Ballroom (11/29). The night before that it was in Brooklyn at Music Hall of Williamsburg (both were with Years). Two months earlier they shared a bill at a venue located at Columbia University (no Years). More pictures from this weekend's Brooklyn show, below...

Continue reading "Do Make Say Think, Years & The Happiness Project played Bowery Ballroom & Music Hall in NYC (pics) "

Charles Spearin (The Happiness Project) (more by Chris La Putt)

tonight in NYC
* Jimmy Scott @ Iridium
* Guster @ Beacon Theatre
* Kria Brekkan @ Glasslands
* The Bones Royal @ Zebulon
* Aki Ona & MB Carbon @ The Stone
* Life of Agony @ Starland Ballroom
* Arlo Guthrie & Family @ Carnegie Hall
* Free Energy, Glint @ Santos Party House
* David Johansen Band @ Highline Ballroom
* Lotus w/ RJD2, Junior Boys (DJ) @ Terminal 5
* Mike Doughty, Vanessa Bley @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Raein, Towers, Black Kites, Tiger Flowers @ ABC No Rio
* Audion (Matthew Dear), Clark Warner @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
* Do Make Say Think, The Happiness Project, Years @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Cheeky, Zombie Dogs, Slingshot Dakota, Shellshag, Stupid Party @ Death By Audio
* Idle Warship w/Talib Kweli, Trezure the Empress, Jah C+Antidote,Niles @ Southpaw
* Hex Fest w/ Electric Umbilical Cord, Mon Khmer, The Naked Hearts, ZAZA, Das Racist @ Pianos
* Hex Fest w/ Matt Vasquez, Your Nature, Hymns, Wild Yaks, Papa, Strangers Family Band @ Living Room
* Hex Fest w/ Apache Beat, Naam, Bottle Up & Go, Dirty Fences, Weird Owl, Liquor Store, The Siberians, Pinche Gringo @ Cake Shop

Spend Saturday night running between Pianos, Living Room, and Cake Shop for Hex Fest. Among the many highlights is a set by Delta Spirit's Matt Vasquez the Living Room. Wild Yaks also play that venue. Flyer below.

Female-fronted punk band Cheeky play their last show ever, with Zombie Dogs, Slingshot Dakota, Shellshag and Stupid Party at Death by Audio - the show is also a benefit for Polycystic Kidney Disease (PDK) Research.

Cheeky and Stupid Party put out two of Screaming Females' favorite albums of the year.

Glassjaw opens for Brand New at Nassau Coliseum tonight which is probably why their name was changed to "special guest" at the upcoming Starland Ballroom show with Thursday and Dilinger Escape Plan.

Life of Agony will perform all of "River Run Red" at Starland Ballroom tonight. It's sold out, but tickets are still available for the show they have coming up at Highline Ballroom.

Speaking of Starland Ballroom, all December shows there are 50% off including the post-Christmas Danzig show and the above-mentioned Glassjaw one.

Speaking of Christmas, Amazon is giving away a free MP3 sampler of holiday songs.

Ticketmaster is running Black Friday weekend sales. Those and more recent tickets that went on sale HERE.

Tonight is the first of two Jimmy Scott shows at Iridium.

Tonight is the first of two Do Make Say Think / Charles Spearin's Happiness Project shows in NYC this weekend. Sunday it moves to Bowery Ballroom. Charles Spearin videos below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Saturday?"

DOWNLOAD: Do Make Say Think - Other Truths album sampler (MP3)

photos by Chris La Putt

Do Make Say Think

The term "wordless" was perhaps misleading, because the Broken Social Scene founding member's [Happiness] Project was rooted in language, words, and conversation. A year ago, [Charles] Spearin began inviting neighbors from his downtown Toronto neighborhood over for a series of casual interviews in which he asked them questions about happiness and its meaning.

Listening to the recordings, Spearin noticed the musicality of his subjects' voices, as well as their varied and diverse responses. He set about trying to create melodies from the responses, and enlisted his musical friends to help, ultimately arranging the melodies as songs.

[On September 10th], Spearin and other musicians (including some members of DMST) performed these songs, along with the interviews that inspired them. Beginning with bare musical imitations of the voices, the melodies grew and developed into full-fledged songs, featuring repeated sound clips from the interviews. The use of the recordings, a sort of motif in post-rock music, was developed in a truly inspired way.

Following the performance of the Happiness Project, Spearin rejoined Do Make Say Think for a set in which they performed songs from their older albums, as well as new songs from the forthcoming album Other Truths.

During this second half of the evening, the volume went way up, as did the banter, swearing, and on-stage beer drinking. The band's signature distorted guitars, spacey electronic effects, and loud bass was a major shift from the comparatively subdued Happiness Project.

Though the set was at times repetitive, it was more often powerful, intense, and surprising. The songs built up beautifully, and the audience members, restricted by their seats, bobbed their heads in satisfied unison. [Columbia Spectator]

Thursday's show (described above) was just one of the four recent "Wordless Music" shows that happened at Miller Theatre. Destroyer, Grouper, and Doveman were among those who played the other three.

Do Make Say Think and The Happiness Project hit Europe this fall, then return to North America for a series of shows in late November and December. Joining on the tour will be Years, a project of DMST guitarist Ohad Benchetrit. All three play November 28th at Music Hall of Williamsburg and November 29th at Bowery Ballroom. Tickets (finally) go on AmEx presale Wednesday, September 16th at noon. General sale starts Friday, September 18th at noon.

DMST's new record Other Truths is set to come out October 20th on Constellation. A preview of that record is posted above. Artwork and tracklist are below with the rest of the pictures from the Miller Theatre show...

Continue reading "Do Make Say Think & Charles Spearin's 'The Happiness Project' played Miller Theatre (pics) ++ MP3 & more dates..."

Doveman @ LPR in June (more by Fresh Bread)

Miller Theatre joins forces with the Wordless Music series to present a week of specially curated concerts highlighting the best of each organization's aesthetic and mission. For five nights, indie-rock and electronic-music performers share the stage with artists from the classical- and new-music world, for a week of unorthodox and unconventional musical meetings.

Of those five nights, four lineups at Columbia University's Miller Theatre (2960 Broadway at 116th Street) have been confirmed. Those will take place as follows...

Wednesday, September 9, 2009
The 802 Tour:
Nico Muhly + Sam Amidon + Doveman

Thursday, September 10, 2009
Do Make Say Think
Charles Spearin's "The Happiness Project"

Friday, September 11, 2009
Tim Hecker
Grouper
Julianna Barwick

Saturday, September 12, 2009
Dan Bejar (Destroyer)
Loscil
JACK Quartet

Ticket information HERE.

Those concerts are an addition to Wordless's upcoming schedule, which currently includes the Alarm Will Sound show tonight (July 22nd) at LPR, the Liquid Liquid & Rhys Chatham "200 Electric Guitars" performance on August 8th at Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center, and the Warp20 NYC series in early September.

The original "802 Tour" (the Doveman date above) took place in 2008. No word on whether they are actually going on tour again, or if this is just a one-off date with the same name.

Do Make Say Think and The Happiness Project also have a bunch of other tour dates scheduled, including two other NYC shows. Grouper is also playing ATP NY. Destroyer is going on a very short tour at the end of July that brings Dan Bejar to Bowery Ballroom on the 30th. All dates and a video from Doveman's June 18th show at LPR, below...

Continue reading "'Wordless Music' @ Miller Theatre w/ Doveman, Grouper & Destroyer ++ other tour dates"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Lullabye Arkestra - "We Fuck The Night" (MP3)

Charles Spearin of Do Make Say Think blowin' the horn for Broken Social Scene @ Mercury (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

Do Make Say Think has scheduled a few dates in the coming months, including 9/10 at the Miller Theatre at Columbia University (tickets are on sale) as well as Music Hall of Williamsburg and Bowery Ballroom on November 28th and 29th respectively (ticket info forthcoming). And DMST will keep it family, having invited along Charles Spearin's Happiness Project as well as guitarist Ohad Benchetrit's project, Years. Both released their LPs earlier this year on Arts & Crafts. (note: Years is not playing the Miller Theatre show).

Meanwhile, one Do Make Say Think side project will NOT be out on the road with the band, but ARE on their way to NYC in the coming months. The band Lullaby Arkestra features Justin Small of DMST and his wife Kat Taylor-Small, and they are a lot less crescendo, and a lot more melodic heaviness akin to Big Business, Tweakbird, or NYC's Orphan. Lullabye Arkestra are currently prepping their sophomore LP, Threats / Worship, out on Vice Records on Sept 1 and have scheduled an NYC show at Glasslands on 8/13. Check out "We Fuck The Night" downloadable above.

All dates below...

Continue reading "Do Make Say Think touring w/ Happiness Project & Years, Lullabye Arkestra signed to VICE & playing NYC (dates)"

Ben Folds

WHAAAAAT?
Current mood: confused
Category: Music

hello everyone-
we don't know who put up their rant against ben folds here.......could have been anyone i guess.........but we don't know what the fuck all this is about... We do love charlie spearin............don't really know ben folds work...........anyway, i find it exciting that i dont even have to know whats going on to be contreversial..... i am now going to change the password on our myspace......i have to say, whoever you are, you've really got my style down!
wow, torq

Stars @ Town Hall (more by Bao Nguyen)

hi guys...well i know i'm gonna regret this, but i can't help myself. I just heard Ben Folds, who many of you prolly have never heard of because you don't waste your time listening to shitty mid nineties m.o.r. lite grunge, calling my friend Charles Spearins' BEAUTIFUL new record "bad spa music" on the CBC. BEN FOLDS! insulting CHARLES SPEARIN! is he fuckin' nuts? you come to our country and insult a national treasure on the radio? CHARLIE SPEARIN????? the most beautiful talented soulful brother in the whole world? a guy who has written some of the most influential, sublime music this side of heaven? WHo has just completed the Happiness Project, one of the most original and uplifting pieces of music i have EVER HEARD? Ben Folds, ladies and gentleman, is an ASSHOLE for dismissing this extraordinary tribute to life and love as "bad spa music". It makes me wanna......well you know.....kick his scrawny, washed up hipster doofus ass....but instead, i encourage you all to write to his myspace (he could use the visits) and imbed charles' music in your message so that every time some refugee from the nineties wants to hear their favourite ben folds ditty, they get charlie instead. i've said it before, and it feels right, so i'll say it again;
BEN FOLDS IS AN ASSHOLE.

let the games begin!!!
xo love and hate torq@stars

UPDATE: Torq claims he didn't write this!

Wiki say, "Charles Spearin is a Canadian musician. He is a founding member of Do Make Say Think. Along with Kevin Drew, he formed KC Accidental. He also contributes to Broken Social Scene and Valley of the Giants. He is easily recognized on stage by his trademark moustache. His newest album The Happiness Project [was] released on February 14th, 2009 on the Arts & Crafts Label."

Charles Spearin is playing the Wordless Music Series at Le Poisson Rouge on March 15th. Tickets are on sale. Others on the bill will be playing the music "of Stravinsky and Stockhausen". All dates and a video below...

Continue reading "Torq from stars calls Ben Folds an asshole, Charles Spearin is playing some shows (Le Poisson Rouge)"

words by Black Bubblegum, photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

Real Talk: The show was a warm-up, a place to work out the kinks before they rock the big crowds of the Siren Festival on Saturday. At points it showed. The band had a few false starts and were definitely a little rusty, except for the "classics".

More Real Talk: It wasn't just just Brendan Canning, it was Broken Social Scene! At MERCURY LOUNGE. Clocking in at two hours. Seven band members plus a four piece horn section. 18 gazillion guitars (OK, at least 3 at any given time). Who can really complain about that?

The band was definitely loose, definitely working out the kinks, but definitely fun and HAVING fun as they cruised through five tracks from Brendan Canning's new record (due July 22nd), a Kevin Drew song, a handful of Broken Social Scene tracks, a few odds & sods, and one awesome Apostle Of Hustle track. The new Brendan Canning tracks come off much better in person, although I gotta say that Brendan's voice probably could have done with a hefty dose of effects that he used on Something For All of Us. All in all though, these are minor quibbles compared to how unbelievable it was to hear songs like KC Accidental (an audience choice) in Mercury Lounge.

Since you never can tell, this was BSS on July 17, 2008: Kevin Drew, Brendan Canning, Justin Peroff, Andrew Whiteman (Apostle Of Hustle), Sam Goldberg, Gentelman Reg, Charles Spearin (Do Make Say Think), "newest member" Leon Kingstone, "Philadelphia's Finest" horn section, feturing 3 horns.

The highlight for me was Andrew Whiteman and the VERY impromptu performance of Apostle Of Hustle's "National Anthem of Nowhere". So impromptu that his accompaniment, Brendan Canning on bass and Justin Peroff on drums, were obviously learning the song ON THE SPOT, and it worked like magic. I managed to catch Apostle Of Hustle during their residency at Mercury last year and last night's performance of it definitely felt more special. To me, Andrew Whiteman is the unsung hero of BSS; his effortless GQ-smooth solos elevated all the songs, ESPECIALLY "Cause = Time" with it's soaring solos.

Fellow Arts & Crafts (BSS's label) artist Gentleman Reg opened the show, as well as played in the BSS backing band. This was my virgin Gentleman Reg experience and his songs seemed simple and with potential, although kind of lost in the dull roar of the talky backs-to-the-artist crowd, especially considering his sparse guitar and drums arrangement. Gentleman Reg may require further investigation.

Kyle adds:

charles spearin (do make say think) is playing with the guys and debuted a part of a new project called "happiness," in which he interviews people about what makes them happy and then takes the pitches of their voices and turns them into music. very interesting and avant-guarde. they also had a horn section with them. i believe the most i counted on stage was 11 people, but for mercury that's ridiculous. they joked around and improvised a few bits of songs (one of which was a promise not to play madison square garden). the finale was chosen via audience vote (kc accidental) to which kevin responded, "you guys are living in the past!" the room was also about 120 degrees.

BSS Setlist and more photos below...

Continue reading "Broken Social Scene ("Brendan Canning") & Gentleman Reg @ Mercury Lounge, NYC - pics"