DOWNLOAD: The Myrnabirds - Numbers Don't Lie (MP3)

The Mynabirds

The Saddle Creek / Wichita CMJ showcase will take place at the Delancey in NYC on October 21st, and it looks something like this:

?? pm Sky Larkin
8:30 pm Old Canes
9:30 pm Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
10:15 pm First Aid Kit
11:00 pm The Mynabirds
11:45 pm Frankie and the Heartstrings
12:30 Adam Haworth Stephens (of Two Gallants)

It's an exciting lineup for multiple reasons, but right now I just want to focus on The Mynabirds, aka Omaha singer-songwriter Laura Burhenn (and friends). You might remember her as 1/2 of Georgie James. The other half of that indie pop group was John Davis of Q and not U, and they were also a Saddle Creek signing.

Now she's (dropped the indie pop and is) collaborating with Richard Swift (on record), and "live in the flesh by a great collective of artists and musicians that include: Johnny Kotchian (drums), Dan McCarthy (bass & vocals), Pearl Lovejoy Boyd (vocals & percussion), Susan Sanchez (vocals), Ben Brodin (guitars & vocals), Alex McManus (guitars, horns & vocals), Rebecca Marie Miller (vocals & percussion), Nicole Childrey (drums), Patrick Damphier (bass), and Nate Walcott (horns)."

Her album What We Lose in the Fire We Gain in the Flood was released earlier this year by Saddle Creek, and can best be described, as it has by many, as country and soul. She has a great voice. Get a taste via the MP3 (above) and video (below) for "Numbers Don't Lie", and from the Daytrotter session that was posted earlier this month.

Get a live taste, way before CMJ, tonight/Friday, September 24th at Brooklyn Bowl when The Mynabirds open for David Bazan. The two groups are on tour together (and it's their only NYC show). $5.00 tickets are still on sale.

Speaking of David Bazan, Feltheart Filmworks recently put together a 3-part documentary about the ex-Pedro the Lion member. You can watch that in full, with all dates and stuff, below...

Continue reading "The Mynabirds on tour w/ David Bazan (Brooklyn Bowl Friday), playing Saddle Creek CMJ showcase (dates)"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Title Tracks - Every Little Bit Hurts (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Pretty & Nice - Tora Tora Tora (MP3)

John Davis of Title Tracks (by Shervin Lainez)

In early 2008, after several years spent in Washington D.C. bands like Q And Not U and Georgie James, John Davis decided he was ready to go out and start writing and recording albums on his own. John began work on the songs that were to become the first Title Tracks album in January 2008, as the unhappy fate of Georgie James became clear. By the time that Georgie James officially split up in the summer of 2008, John had an album's worth of songs ready to go and began playing shows with a new group behind him by the end of that summer. It Was Easy is the debut full-length from Title Tracks, John's solo project

Title Tracks' debut comes out February 23rd on Ernest Jenning Record Co. On the album, John Davis plays every instrument himself (minus guest sax by Kriston Capps and two vocal contributions by Tracyanne Campbell of Camera Obscura). Live he'll be accompanied by a band. The album's first song, "Every Little Bit Hurts" posted above, is an upbeat power-pop number in the vein of Police/Elvis Costello/Ted Leo, the latter of which they'll be touring with this March. They open the first leg of Ted's tour, not the later dates that include an Irving Plaza show on April 9th. (Tickets for that are on sale.)

Before the Ted Leo dates, Title Tracks go on tour with peppy indie-pop band Pretty and Nice from Boston. Both bands play Union Hall on March 6th with Gary B & the Notions (tickets are on sale) and Cake Shop on March 7th. Title Tracks will also be at SXSW.

Pretty & Nice, a Hardly Art-signed band whose past credits include a BV day party at CMJ 2008 and opening for the Thermals, happen to also play tonight (1/26) at The Cameo with Drunken Sufis. Their "Tora Tora Tora" is above. More tour dates are below.

Ted Leo performs at the Bell House's stacked Haiti benefit on Wednesday, January 27th.

All tour dates and tracklist/album art for Title Tracks' debut are below...

Continue reading "Title Tracks (John Davis of Q And Not U) - debut album, MP3, tour dates w/ Ted Leo & Pretty & Nice "

With his former Q and Not U bandmate Chris Richards making plenty of noise as Ris Paul Ric and ex-Q stickman John Davis turning into George James, Harris Klahr went for some serious oneupsmanship: he named his new project President, and named his debut record Take Music. [P4K]

* President plays Knitting Factory tonight (Feb 18)

* Georgie James plays Union Hall on Feb 28th

* above photos by shawn brackbill

DOWNLOAD: The Good Life - Heartbroke (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Good Life - You Don't Feel Like Home to Me (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Georgie James - Need Your Needs (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Georgie James - Cake Parade (MP3)

Georgie James

At the very least you should know Georgie James as the Saddle Creek band that features John Davis from the disbanded Q and Not U, and at the very least you should also know The Good Life as the Saddle Creek band that features Tim Kasher from Cursive.

Both of these poppy indie rock bands make songs that you can sing along to, and both have new albums. The Good Life's Help Wanted Nights is out today (Sept 11) (stream it here), and Georgie James' Places is out September 25th. Both of these bands are also going on tour - somethimes together, and sometimes not. Some of their shows will include Le Loup (who was great at Pianos the other night) and Luke Temple, and others will not.

Tickets are on sale for Luke Temple, Erie Choir and The Good Life at Bowery Ballroom on October 4th, and tickets are on sale for a show by Georgie James one day eariler at Europa in Brooklyn. CMJ dates TBA? All tour dates below...

Continue reading "Georgie James & The Good Life -- new Saddle Creek albums, MP3s & 2007 Tour Dates"

DOWNLOAD: Georgie James - WOXY lounge act (MP3) (info)
DOWNLOAD: Georgie James - Need Your Needs (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Georgie James - Grizzly Jive (MP3)

"Georgie James are a two-piece indie pop/rock group from Washington D.C. featuring John Davis (formerly of Q and Not U) and Laura Burhenn." [Wiki]

Georgie James says:

We're happy to say that we've signed with Saddle Creek and that they'll be issuing our debut record, Places, sometime in September or October. We'll have a release date pretty soon. We're also going to be touring the U.S. and Europe for most of the fall, so we'll have dates posted for that later in the summer. In the meantime, we're playing some regional shows over the next few months and we still have some copies of the "Need Your Needs" single left. You can get that from dischord.com in the "Stuff We Sell" section, if you're interested.

They play Mercury Lounge in NYC with (the) Mary Timony (band) on June 14th. All tour dates below....

Continue reading "GEORGIE JAMES (Q and not U) signs to Saddle Creek + 2007 Tour Dates"