"Our new album, Paralytic Stalks, is officially available for pre-order through Polyvinyl Records! It'll be available on CD / 180-gram 2xLP (limited edition fuchsia, or black vinyl) / cassette / MP3 formats on Feb 7th. Check everything out by clicking HERE. Tracklist below."

Continue reading "Of Montreal announce tour in support of new album (dates)"

photos by Vincent Cornelli

Loney Dear @ Mercury Lounge

Though Loney Dear initially announced a US tour that doesn't start until 11/3 at Rockwood Music Hall in NYC, he has since decided to pay NYC a visit this week to help promote his new album 'Hall Music' which is out now. Last night he played a free show at Sound Fix Records. On Saturday, 10/1, he opened a show at Brooklyn Bowl. On Tuesday, 10/4, he played a show at Mercury Lounge with Exitmusic. Some pictures from that one are in this post. More of them, with Loney Dear's new video for "My Heart" from the new album, below...

Continue reading "Loney Dear released 'Hall Music', made a video, played Merc w/ Exitmusic (pics)"

Exitmusic & Loney Dear will play a show together at Mercury Lounge on October 4th. Tickets go on sale at noon. Exitmusic also have a Halloween show coming up at MHOW with the Black Angels.

This 10/4 show is a full month before Sweden's Loney Dear does a short acoustic tour that includes a show at Rockwood Music Hall. It also happens to be the day Loney Dear's new album "HALL MUSIC" is released in North America.

Speaking of Swedish singer-songwriters, tickets go on sale at noon for Jens Lekman's third Music Hall of Williamsburg show.

Continuing with the Sweden theme... The Sounds have announced a tour that includes a November 2nd show at Music Hall of Williamsburg and a November 4th show at Webster Hall. Both go on sale at noon. All dates are listed below.

Tickets also go on sale at noon for the show Scratch Acid are playing at Webster Hall.

Continue reading "Jens Lekman, Scratch Acid, Exitmusic, Loney Dear & The Sounds tickets"

"Loney Dear will be doing a small run of solo acoustic performances this November following the Oct. 4 release of his new album, Hall Music. These small, intimate shows will showcase songs from the new album as well as old favorites from the extensive Loney Dear back catalog. Loney Dear will return to North America in early 2012 for a tour featuring a full live band."

He also plays Way Out West in his own Sweden next week along with Prince, Kanye Pulp, Iamamiwhoami and many others.

You can stream the album track "What Have I Become" here and watch a video of Emil playing another track "Young Hearts" on piano below. The album is available for pre-order in many different formats and bundles at the Polyvinyl Webstore. Album art, tracklist, and all dates are below too...

Continue reading "Loney Dear announces new album & acoustic dates"

photos by Toby Tenenbaum

DOWNLOAD: Asobi Seksu - Suzanne (Hope Sandoval cover) (MP3)

Loney Dear @ Bowery Ballroom

As the night progressed, lyrics and meaning gradually ceded to pure melody and sound. [Anna] Ternheim's careful precision led to Loney Dear's contrapuntal harmonies, which led to Asobi Seksu's waves of distortion, and voices soared higher as words grew less distinct.

Like Suzanne Vega, Ternheim sings in a vibratoless alto; her cool restraint and clarity contrast with the emotional turmoil coursing through the lyrics.

Drawn mostly from the new album Leaving on a Mayday, her songs told of wrenching partings (of lovers, of kidnapped children) and rainy days. As an end-of-tour treat, Loney Dear leader Emil Svanängen sat in on guitar for part of her set, joining his bandmates, who had backed her throughout the tour, and she returned the favor for his set.

On his Loney Dear albums, Svanängen is basically a one-man band, and his densely layered chamber pop has an appealing remoteness and subtlety. Joined by his four-piece band plus vocalist [Anna] Ternheim, however, the songs become propulsive exercises in textures and voices. [Philadelphia Inquirer]

Asobi Seksu's new acoustic album Rewolf (a re-release of their Acoustic at Olympic Studios) includes their cover of Hope Sandoval's "Suzanne." It's re-posted above. The album will be released November 10th through Polyvinyl.

Asobi Seksu, who are playing Purchase tonight (10/19), have another show on October 23rd, though they'll only be DJing. It's the Polyvinyl CMJ showcase, and the bill includes Japandroids, Cale Parks, Headlights, Owen, James Husband, Motel Motel and Common Loon. Tickets are on sale.

Asobi Seksu's new video for "Transparence", and rest of the pictures from Bowery Ballroom, below...

Continue reading "Asobi Seksu played Bowery w/ Loney Dear & Anna Ternheim (pics) ++ Purchase tonight & DJ set @ Polyvinyl CMJ"

photos by Toby Tenenbaum

DOWNLOAD: Asobi Seksu - Suzanne (Hope Sandoval cover) (MP3)

Asobi Seksu @ Joe's Pub

"Brooklyn dream-pop outfit Asobi Seksu just released a 10" anchored by "Transparence," a standout from this February's Hush LP. Before the clock strikes '10 they'll have a third release on the year by way of Rewolf, an LP offering acoustic versions of Seksu songs spanning their three albums, including a few b-sides and this cover "Suzanne." As headlined, the source comes not from Leonard Cohen but rather the recently reactivated Mazzy star Hope Sandoval's 2002 album Bavarian Fruit Bread. The warmly narcotic, Velvet-undertoned original is classic Sandoval, but the reverent, acoustic and glockenspiel-tinkled cover is atypical Asobi, a band better known for its shoegaze atmospherics and coruscating waves of James Hanna's guitars." [Stereogum]

Back on September 16th, Asobi Seksu played their own show at Joe's Pub (acoustic). A few more pictures from that set, below...

Continue reading "Loney Dear almost done touring w/ Anna Ternheim & Asobi Seksu who played Joe's Pub (pics), covered Hope Sandoval"

Anna Ternheim @ Joe's Pub (more by Chris La Putt)

Swedish singer Anna Ternheim was just in the U.S. for a string of summer shows that included opening for Kristin Hersh at the Bell House on June 18th and headlining at Joe's Pub on June 22nd. She'll be back this fall to open the North American Loney Dear/Asobi Seksu tour, which makes its way east from the West Coast starting September 30th.

The tour includes NYC-area shows at Maxwell's on October 15th and at the Bowery Ballroom on October 16th. Tickets to the Bowery show are on sale now, as are tickets to Maxwell's.

Ternheim's newest CD, Leaving on a mayday, will get a North American release on August 11th through Verve Forecast. That record is produced by Bjorn Yttling of Peter, Bjorn and John.

A behind-the-scenes video from its recording session, with videos for Ternheim's new album songs, all album info and tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Anna Ternheim added to Asobi Seksu/Loney Dear tour"

DOWNLOAD: Loney Dear - Airport Surroundings (MP3)

Asobi Seksu @ Irving Plaza / Loney Dear @ MHOW (more by Leia Jospe

Music Hall of Williamsburg show on May 5th was Loney Dear's last NYC visit. Asobi Seksu's last NYC show was at the same venue on June 13th, as part of the Northside Festival. This fall, the two bands will go out on a three-week North American tour together.

The tour includes NYC-area shows at Maxwell's on October 15th and at the Bowery Ballroom on October 16th. Tickets to the Bowery show go on AmEx presale today (June 24th) at noon. General sale Friday, June 26th at noon. Tickets to the Maxwell's show are on sale now.

Before the tour, Asobi Seksu will play a handful of September shows. One gig will be a "special acoustic performance" at Joe's Pub on Wednesday, September 16th. Tickets to that are on sale now.

Polyvinyl, the label of both acts, is releasing an Asobi Seksu limited edition 10", Transparence, on August 25th. Artwork and track listing for that are below. Loney Dear's latest record, Dear John, also on Polyvinyl, came out earlier this year. The lead track off the record, "Airport Surroundings," is posted above, with a video for it, with all dates, below...

Continue reading "Asobi Seksu & Loney Dear - 2009 tour dates (Joe's Pub, etc)"

Papercuts merch will be available tonight (more by Fresh Bread)

tonight in NYC
* Wale @ Le Poisson Rouge
* Olof Arnalds @ Scandinavia House
* Junior Boys, Max Tundra @ Webster Hall
* Fear, Mongrel, Cerebral Ballzy, Runny @ Europa
* Mike Watt & The Missing Men, Mad Happy @ Maxwell's
* Franz Ferdinand, Born Ruffians @ Roseland Ballroom
* pow wow!, Shark?, The Sundelles, Darlings @ Glasslands
* Vetiver, Papercuts, These United States @ The Bell House
* Mr. Falcon, Diehard, So Cow, German Measles @ Bruar Falls
* Fischerspooner, Drop the Lime, No Bra @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Extra Life, Nat Baldwin, Rain Machine (Kyp Malone) @ Union Pool
* Trouble Andrew, Team Facelift, Juiceboxxx @ The Studio at Webster Hall
* Glenn Branca, Neg-Fi, Paranoid Critical Revolution @ Issue Project Room
* Cut Off Your Hands, So So Glos, US Royalty, Grandmas Boy @ Mercury Lounge
* The Rhythm Method, Grooms, Real Estate, Taigaa, @ Public Assembly

Nat Baldwin is in Dirty Projectors. Kyp Malone is in TV on the Radio. This summer the two bands are touring together. Tonight they share a bill with Extra Life at Union Pool.

A 4 minute Loney Dear documentary below...

The new We Were Promised Jetpacks video for "Quiet Little Voices" below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

words & photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

It's a confident musician who can go an entire concert and not play his/her most popular song. Emil Svanängen, aka Loney, Dear, managed to do just this at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Tuesday. As his set wore on and Svanängen played more material from his new record, Dear John (Polyvinyl), it seemed "I Am John", the ebullient single from 2007's Loney, Noir (Sub Pop), was a lock for the encore. But it never arrived. Perhaps it was disappointing that he didn't break down and play it, but its omission certainly didn't detract from a set that was, haunting without being heavy, and enjoyable without being campy. Svanängen entered the room to the sounds of fellow Swede El Perro Del Mar's "Inner Island" blasting from the PA, and he began in hushed tones with "I Was Only Going Out" from Dear John - his fragile, high-pitched voice straining through the verses before his backing band sprung to life with keyboards and drums and whistles. Audience members shouted requests and at one point someone shouted "Carrying A Stone" (from Loney, Noir.) A bit later, between songs, as the requests continued, Svanängen demurely quipped, "Someone requested 'Carrying A Stone' earlier... I didn't have the heart to tell her we already played it."

More pictures from Tuesday night's show below...

Continue reading "Loney Dear @ Music Hall of Williamsburg, NYC - pics"

DOWNLOAD: The Tiny - Burn (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Wildbirds & Peacedrums - Doubt/Hope (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The New Wine - Revolving Cylinder (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Dag for Dag - I Am the Assassin (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ungdomskulen - Idunno (MP3)

DAY PARTY
Friday, March 20, 2009
12pm-6pm
Habana Calle Patio
709 6th st. on Waller Creek in Austin, TX

12:00 - Adam Heldring [SWE]
12:20 - Sofia Talvik [SWE]
01:00 - Wildbirds and Peacedrums [SWE]
01:35 - Teresa Andersson [SWE]
02:15 - The New Wine [NOR]
02:40 - The Tiny [SWE]
03:15 - Dag For Dag [SWE]
04:00 - Ungdomskulen [NOR]
04:45 - Casiokids [NOR]
05:30 - Loney, Dear [SWE]

Presented by The Rebel Group, International Rescue Artists, Brooklyn Vegan and Export Music Sweden

"Sweden Goes SXSW" is a 100% free show (no badges, no money). The bands are all Swedish, and Norwegian (I had to do something with Casiokids!) (not to mention The New Wine and Ungdomskulen). Check out the full lineup above. Spend six hours with us at Habana Calle on Friday and get a taste of the Nordic Region.

In NYC, but not going to Austin? Still haven't seen Casiokids? Want to experience 1/5 of the above lineup? Tonight, March 16th, at the Bell House in Brooklyn is your last chance (for now).

BrooklynVegan does SXSW
Wed day - party @ Emo's
Wed night - official showcase @ Club De Ville
Thu morn - panel @ the Convention Center
Thu day - party @ Radio Room
Thu night - relax (and/or Jane's Addiction)
Fri day - Dickies battle of the bands
Fri day - Sweden Goes SXSW (see above)
Fri night - collapse (and/or Metallica)

Live Casiokids videos below...

Continue reading "Sweden (and Norway) does SXSW! (and NYC) --- another BrooklynVegan party in Austin this year (details)"

Loney Dear @ Union Hall (more by Tim Griffin)

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the Melvins show at Webster Hall.

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for a May 5th Loney Dear show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for a May 6th Lady Sovereign show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the Fischerspooner shows happening at Webster Hall and Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for the Ghost show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for a May 11th Vivian Girls / Times New Viking show at Bowery Ballroom

Tickets are on Am Ex presale (@ noon) for a May 12th The Pains of Being Pure at Heart show at Bowery Ballroom

Tickets are on sale for the Cake show happening at Terminal 5.

Van Morrison performs "Astral Weeks" one more time tonight (3/4).

Anathallo plays Mercury Lounge tonight.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart play live, and a psychic tells Thom Yorke's future, in the videos below...

Continue reading "Melvins, Ghost, Loney Dear, Lady Sovereign, Fischerspooner, Times New Viking & other tickets "

photos by Tim Griffin

DOWNLOAD: Loney Dear - Airport Surroundings (MP3)

What is the story behind your pseudonym, Loney, Dear?

I felt like a lone music maker. The name implies that someone is noticing you. Right now it probably more a rest from something in the past, but has on the other side more moved into just being a name, and my own name. I'm pretty amazed by its strangeness every now and then. I wanted an odd name, just like I want the music to be.

Continue reading "Loney Dear & Arms @ Union Hall, Brooklyn, NY - pics"

AB @ Carnegie Hall - Jan 28, 2009 (pic by Slopey Seconds)

Andrew Bird and Dosh played Carnegie Hall in NYC last night (1/28). Anonymous | January 29, 2009 1:07 PM said the show was "AMAZING".

Unlike two nights earlier at Music Hall of Williamsburg, the show was fancy, seated, we didn't get pictures, and Andrew did play a second encore.

Andrew's tour continues Friday night in Boston with Loney Dear. One day later they have a day off and Loney Dear heads to NYC without Andrew to play shows at Sound Fix and Union Hall.

The whole Carnegie Hall setlist below...

Continue reading "Andrew Bird played Carnegie Hall w/ Dosh (setlist)"

Los Campesinos! @ Sound Fix Records (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

After "Anonymous" posted "soundfix closing at the end of FEB???? true or rumor??" in the comments yesterday, I investigated, and sadly one person that would know did get back to me with a simple "True". Free Williamsburg called Sound Fix "and they confirmed that they were indeed shutting down, 'just the bar,'"

This sucks for the free shows, and this is especially unfortunate for comedy. As we were just pointing out, Sound Fix has filled the gap left after Rififi closed. The Williamsburg bar has in fact become one of NYC's most consistent weekly (free) comedy show locations. The comic's comic writes...

If it seems like only a year ago that live comedy shows were beginning to find a new happy home behind the Sound Fix record store, that's because it was only a year ago, as Max Silvestri started hosting shows then and I was pitching the venue as a potential full-on replacement for the East Village's Rififi, which closed last summer, in part, because that club's owner gave up a similar battle with the neighbors. Gabe & Jenny joined up with Max for weekly Big Terrific shows that have lived up to the name, and other shows soon followed suit, making for lively lineups and large audiences just about every weeknight.

In the meantime, go check out a show at the venue during its final days. A few of them are listed below...

Continue reading "Sound Fix Records bar & venue (not the store) closing in Feb"

Arcade Fire @ the Obama staff ball last night (more by Bao Nguyen)

today in NYC
* DANCE
* Punch Brothers @ Living Room
* The Whitest Kids You Know @ Comix
* Drive by Truckers @ Starland Ballroom
* The Naked Hearts & The Antlers @ Cake Shop
* Deep Red (Nomi) @ Le Poisson Rouge
* Hockey & Cale Parks @ Santos Party House
* Matt & Kim & ??? @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* Regina Spektor, Ra Ra Riot, The Bloodsugars @ Bowery Ballroom
* Midnight Masses (with Choir) & Katie Eastburn @ Union Pool
* A Big Yes And A Small No, Apollo Run @ Union Hall

DJ Jazzy Jeff was born today in 1965.

Loney Dear's new video for "Airport Surroundings" below...

what else?

Continue reading "What's going on Thursday?"

photos and words by Faith-Ann Young

Loney Dear

Last night (12/10), two Swedish one-man shows Loney Dear and Melpo Mene (I missed Boy Genius) invaded Mercury Lounge in NYC. First, the young and lanky Melpo Mene came on (his first time in NY) in a blue-t-shirt and blue eyeshadow drawn raccoon-style around his eyes, with a suitcase of pedals and gadgets and an i-pod. He finger-plucked ethereally, almost drunkenly, with his eyes closed most songs. It was appropriate for his dreamy, made-in-bedroom songs of being in love, having lost love, and longing for love. He's got this quirky, unique stage presence; his non-sensical chatter had the crowd laughing while his awkward shy flirtation won over most girls in the room. A surprising highlight? A mellow, slow tempo cover of MGMT's "Kids."

Melpo Mene

Loney Dear meanwhile came on in similar form. In fact, pitting the two acts next to each other actually almost diminishes each of their own appeal because they sound so similar. But Loney Dear livened up the tone of the show a bit, asking the whole crowd to snap or sing along as chorus, or baseline, to his light, lofty songs. The room was fast to react, some couples snapping while locked in each other's arms.............(which was kind of awkward for the rest of us). Bottom line is that it felt a bit like date night at Mercury, but regardless the Swedes brought dreamy, soothing respite from the rain and recession. (Um, if you've ever been to Sweden, you wouldn't be surprised......)

You've got many more chances to catch both of them in NYC this week. More pictures from last night below...

Continue reading "Loney Dear & Melpo Mene @ Mercury Lounge, NYC - pics"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Loney Dear - "Airport Surroundings" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: AC Newman - "Submarines of Stockholm" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Matador Records Intended Play sampler 2008 (ZIP file)

Loney Dear

I'm excited for Ida Maria, but those shows are a month away. As for this week, you may remember Loney Dear are in town to play two shows with fellow Swedes Melpo Mene. For most of us this will be our first taste of their new album, Dear John, which is out on Polyvinyl on Jan. 27. If the track at the top of this post, "Airport Surroundings," is any indication, the new album is going to be a lot more synthy. And is it just me or does that track start out sounding a little like Warnen G's "Regulate"?

In addition to Melpo Mene (who I wrote about before), the Mercury Lounge show Wednesday (12/10) night also features locals Boy Genius who are getting ready to record their new album with producer Mitch Easter (R.E.M., Pavement, and his own band, Let's Active). The Bell House show on Friday (12/12) is part of Union Hall/Bell House talent booker Skippy's 40th birthday party. Takka Takka and Alina Simone are also on the bill. There could be other surprises too, you never know.

Melpo Mene also has a couple shows in addition to the ones with Loney, Dear. He'll play Rockwood Music Hall on Thursday (12/11, 11PM) and and an early (6PM) free show upstairs at Cake Shop on Friday (12/12). Go see him if you can.

Next Thursday (12/18), why not hit Stanton Public from 8-10 for the AC Newman's Get Guilty listening party? It's free beer n' booze too, you just need to RSVP at Insound. You can get one track from Get Guilty on Matador's free download Intended Play sampler, and another MP3, both at the top of this post. Plus, Carl just announced some 2009 tour dates.

One final pick for this week: I highly recommend checking out School of Seven Bells at Mercury Lounge on Monday. Their debut, Alpinisms, is one of my favorite albums of 2009, and the band just got back from opening for M83 so I have a feeling they probably won't be playing places this small for much longer. And when they can get all their crazy equipment working, it's a mezmerizing show. Some of their videos below...

Continue reading "Loney Dear, Boy Genius, School of Seven Bells & more in This Week In Indie"

We're a week away from the Swedish invasion that is Melpo Mene and Loney, Dear both in NYC at the same time. As previously noted, the two artists have shows scheduled together at Mercury Lounge (12/10) and The Bell House (12/12), and Melpo Mene is also playing Rockwood Music Hall (12/11). Now you can also add a free, early show at Cake Shop to MM's list (12/12).

And as previously noted, Loney, Dear is then going on a tour with Andrew Bird in 2009, but the NYC Andrew Bird date at Carnegie Hall (1/28) has Dosh opening instead of Loney, SO rather than not play NYC at all in that general time range, Loney comma Dear went ahead and scheduled a show at Union Hall in Brooklyn on January 31st - a night that he and Andrew both otherwise had off. No tickets for that one yet. All Melpo and Loney dates below...

Continue reading "Melpo Mene & Loney Dear add shows - 2008/09 Tour Dates "

Andrew Bird rocking for Barack (more by Kyle Dean Reinford)

Tickets are on sale for Andrew Bird's Carnegie Hall show.

Loney, Dear isn't opening for Andrew at the NYC show (Dosh is), but Loney, Dear is playing every other 2009 Andrew Bird show just announced. Loney, Dear (I hate that comma in his name) is playing NYC soon though - in December with Melpo Mene.

Andrew Bird @ Hiro Ballroom (more by Fresh Bread)

Andrew Bird and his friend, collaborator, band-mate and tour-mate, Dosh, are returning to NYC to play Carnegie Hall on January 28th.

Tickets will be sold through CarnegieHall.org or charge by phone 8 AM - 8 PM - 212.247.7800 No fee tickets are available at the venue box office - Mon-Sat 11AM - 6PM & Sun 12PM - 6PM
on sale 11/20 11:00 am
All Ages, Doors 7:30PM / Show 8PM
$32, $37

Continue reading "Andrew Bird - 2008/09 Tour Dates (Carnegie Hall) (w/ Dosh)"

by Bill Pearis

DOWNLOAD: Melpo Mene - Hello Benjamin (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Melpo Mene - Good With The Mothers (MP3)

Sweden's Loney, Dear has just left Sub Pop for Polyvinyl, who will release his new album, Dear John, on January 27 (track list below). Before that, they're playing a couple of NYC shows in December. As nice as it will be to have them back on these shores, I'm slightly more excited that opening for both shows will be fellow Swedes Melpo Mene who make some very lovely, understated folk-pop. breathy vocals, jazzy arrangements - it's lovely stuff. I liked his 2004 debut, Holes, quite a bit and have been waiting for him to follow it up ever since. BV Mike also did a nice feature on this very site back in February.

Melpo Mene's second album, Bring the Lions Out, just came out in Sweden on Imperial Recordings (home of Jose Gonzales) and you might have heard the album's first single, "I Adore You," in a Volvo ad. (Not my favorite song on the album but the appeal is obvious.) Hopefully these New York shows will bring some attention from U.S. labels though you can get both Melpo Mene albums Emusic. In addition to the two shows with Loney, Dear, Melpo Mene will also be playing a show at Rockwood Music Hall.

All dates, videos and ticket links below...

Continue reading "Melpo Mene playing NYC, twice w/ Polyvinyl's Loney, Dear"

Andrew Bird @ Austin City Limits 2007 (CRED)

Andrew Bird just announced a slew of new tour dates, and some of them are now on presale - that includes the one happening November 30th at the Beacon Theatre in NYC. I unfortunately missed Andrew's set at ACL because I went to the Wilco ACL TV taping (which was amazing), but there's a picture from it above. Andrew is playing six shows with Wilco - some with Bright Eyes too. All tour dates below....

Continue reading "Andrew Bird - 2007 Tour Dates & presale"

Yes it does...

Continue reading "VIDEO: Loney, Dear - Saturday Waits"

DOWNLOAD: The Silent League - Breathe (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Loney, Dear - I am John (MP3)

David Cross @ Union Hall, Brooklyn, NYC - June 10, 2007 (CRED)

a review by Nick Greto

The evening started rather lonesome, as my friends eluded me. I called just about everyone I knew, but no one had the time.

Regardless, I made my way to Union Hall alone and arrived just before the doors opened at 9:15. But, ahh, what was this? It appeared that the early, weekly "Tearing the Veil of Maya" comedy show (this week with a very special guest) was still in session. I tried my luck. "Any chance I can get in for the end?"

A moment later I was on the other side of the door and Dr. Tobias Funke was on stage! Though I only caught about 15 minutes of his act, David Cross seemed unprepared. He fumbled through papers searching for each subject to discuss. However, when he did land a joke, it was a direct hit. One couldn't help but laugh. He discussed hippies and Hollywood, and sipped from what appeared to be a PBR. After the show everyone was asked to exit the room in preparation for the late show with The Silent League and Loney, Dear.

The Silent League took the stage a short while later and made for a perfect transition from David Cross to Loney, Dear. Their Flaming Lips-esque vocals and Bowie-influenced tunes seemingly warmed up an already excited crowd.

When Loney, Dear took the stage the room went silent, and the hushed sounds of frontman Emil Svanangen's acoustic guitar filled the air. Shortly thereafter came his distinctive vocals. The crowd stared on, apparently entranced. Then the entire band joined him for the second song, and the audience began to move.

On record - Loney, Dear's sound is relaxing - a chill, sort of "whoa is me/things aren't so bad" contrasting vibe, but live Svanangen's songs take new form. The hopefulness pours from the vocals and lyrics; the songs never feel depressing. The crowd was bubbly and filled with smiles. Svanangen shared stories, and joked with us. People swayed with the music, and sang along when asked.

The highlight of the performance was "Sinister in a State of Hope" - a beautiful rendition of a great song. At least one person near me was moved to tears. Moments earlier my girlfriend suddenly arrived - no longer lonely, I thought how appropriate it all seemed for a Loney, Dear show.

Official gig poster below....

Continue reading "David Cross, the Silent League & Loney, Dear @ Union Hall"