photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

Lost in the Trees at Lincoln Center - 2/28/13

Folk rockers Lost in the Trees came to NYC last week (2/28) for a show as part of the ongoing American Songbook Series in the Allen Room at Lincoln Center. Their set consisted mainly of material off of their two most recent full lengths and also covered Blonde Redhead's "Misery Is A Butterfly." More pictures from that show and the setlist are below.

Lost in the Trees will also be touring this April, but have not announced a return to NYC.

Continue reading "Lost in the Trees played the American Songbook Series at Lincoln Center (pics & setlist)"

Lost in the Trees at Prospect Park in 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Back in December of 2012, North Carolina indie folk collective Lost in the Trees made their way over to local college, Duke University, for a collaborative performance the school's Reynolds Theater with Chamber Orchestra. A video of the large group on stage doing a powerful rendition of "Garden" is making its premiere in this post and can be watched below.

LITT have some dates coming up this year, including a previously discussed NYC show as part of the American Songbook Series in the Allen Room at Lincoln Center on February 28. Tickets for that show are still available. American Songbook is the same series that Bonnie "Prince" Billy just played.

Video and a list of all dates below...

Continue reading "watch a video of Lost in the Trees performing w/ an orchestra, see them on tour (American Songbook Series included)"

by Bill Pearis

Bonnie Prince Billy at ATP NY 2011 (more by Dana [distortion] Yavin)

Lincoln Center's acclaimed series American Songbook returns to the Allen Room (truly one of the most amazing concert settings in NYC) in January for its fifteenth season, which celebrates "the diversity of modern American song." The 2013 season kicks of January 30 with Lea Salonga and includes Bonnie "Prince" Billy on February 7, Sondre Lerche (who isn't American but lives in Brooklyn these days) on February 13, Mavis Staples on February 14, Tom Morello performing "The Nightwatchman" on February 16, Lost in the Trees on February 28, and more.

Additionally, there will be "six special concerts in the exceptionally intimate setting of the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse, perched high above the Lincoln Center campus" beginning with Lindsay Mendez & Marco Paguia on March 29 and concluding with Ben Sollee on April 20.

Tickets to the American Songbook series go on sale November 13 but Friends of Lincoln Center can purchase starting Monday, November 5.

Full American Songbook line-up/schedule and a video of Ben Sollee playing "A Few Honest Words" at the Lincoln Memorial are below.

Continue reading "Lincoln Center's American Songbook 2013 Season (Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Tom Morello, Sondre Lerche, Ben Sollee & more)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

The Head and the Heart at Prospect Park - 7/27/12

While the Newport Folk Festival went down in Rhode Island over the weekend, NYC got a little taste of it too with the double billing of Lost in the Trees and The Head and the Heart, who played a free Celebrate Brooklyn show at Prospect Park on Friday (7/27) before the latter actually headed to Rhode Island for the festival.

More pictures and a video of The Head and the Heart playing "Rivers and Roads" at the show are below.

Continue reading "The Head & the Heart and Lost in the Trees played Celebrate Brooklyn in Prospect Park (pics, video)"

celebrate brooklyn (more by Ryan Muir)

The entire 2012 lineup of free concerts in Prospect Park is announced.

The free shows include Jimmy Cliff, Laura Marling, Little Dragon/Frankie Rose, Wild Flag/Mission of Burma, and The Head and the Heart/Lost in the Trees.

Pay shows include Wilco, Sigur Ros, M Ward/Yo La Tengo, Dirty Projectors/Purity Ring/Wye Oak, Hot Chip/Gang Gang Dance

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

Lost in the Trees @ Housing Works - 2/17/2012

Chapel Hill ensemble Lost In The Trees are currently out on tour with Poor Moon (members of Fleet Foxes), and arrive back in NYC for a show at Le Poisson Rouge tonight (4/11). Tickets are still available, though if you can't make it, NPR will be streaming it live. All dates are listed below.

Last time LITT were in NYC, they played a benefit at Housing Works with Daytona...

[LITT Frontman] Ari Picker, whose voice has the same high lilt as Ben Gibbard, revealed that this was the band's first public show in six months as they've been holed up in the recording studio working on their second LP, A Church That Fits Our Needs, set to come out next month. This was my second time seeing the band, having first been wowed by their classically-honed chops back in 2010. This time, their music had a spikier edge to it, punctuated by violin, cello, horn, and those new fangled things called electric guitars. -[Feast of Music]

The band's new record A Church That Fits Our Needs was released on 3/20 via ANTI. Album track "Golden Eyelids" made its debut at KCRW back in February. Today we present the premiere of its video which you can watch below. Says Ari, "The idea was to create a video that takes place entirely underwater, composed of evocative moments of eerie and angelic beauty to underly the mood of the song." They succeeded in that, literally. Check it out, a collaboration between the band and CreatoDestructo, along with the slightly older video for "Red", the live pictures, dates and more, below...

Continue reading "Lost in the Trees made a new video (BV PREMIERE), are on tour (NYC tonight), played Housing Works (belated pics)"

Speaking of Fleet Foxes members and Sub Pop, Sub Pop also announced the signing of Poor Moon, a band with Fleet Foxes members Christian Wargo and Casey Wescott and The Christmas Cards members/brothers Ian and Peter Muray. Sub Pop will release the band's Illusion EP on March 27. Download the track, "People in Her Mind," off of the EP below in exchange for your email address below.

Poor Moon will be touring this Spring with Lost in the Trees. That tour hits NYC on April 11 at Le Poisson Rouge. Tickets are on sale now. All dates are listed below.

Meanwhile catch Lost in the Trees in NYC at Housing Works on Friday, February 17.

In other Fleet Foxes news, a tumblr has arisen called Fleet Foxes Sing, where a group of people cover songs like James Blake's "The Wilhelm Scream" and Madonna's "Like A Virgin" in the style of Fleet Foxes. It's not nearly as funny or convincing as Bon Joviver though.

Father John Misty is one of two new Fleet Foxes-related projects signed to Sub Pop. The other is Poor Moon.

Widget and dates below...

Continue reading "Poor Moon (mems of Fleet Foxes) sign to Sub Pop too, touring with Lost in the Trees (dates & MP3)"

photos by Lori Baily & Ted Barron

DOWNLOAD: Tift Merritt & Norman Blake - Thirteen (Big Star) (MP3)

Tift Merritt w/ Matthew Sweet & friends @ the Big Star Tribute in March (by Lori)

Tift Merritt's is now on tour with Stephen Kellogg, and though tickets are unfotunately sold-out for their show at City Winery (May 6th), she has added another NYC show and this time it's FREE. Tift Merritt will play Madison Square Park on June 22nd at 6PM after her tour with Kellogg, but before she heads out on a string of UK dates with Greg Allman. All tour dates are below.

Add the June 22nd free show to the growing list of free shows happening Madison Square Park this summer. Another is the music portion of the Big Apple BBQ.

Tift Merritt joined an all-star cast that stood up in praise of the late great Alex Chilton (of Big Star) at Baruch College on March 26th, a shade more than one year after he suffered a fatal heart attack. Big Star's Third was the focus of the show, and it featured a revolving cast of musicians on vocals....

"Stipe's performance of "Kanga Roo" was at once fragile and unbowed, while his R.E.M. cohort, singer-bassist Mike Mills, found the holiday in the Christmas song "Jesus Christ." Alternative-country singer Tift Merritt was a vital female addition, showing that the vengeful kick of "You Can't Have Me" could go both ways. Other voices included Ira Kaplan of Yo La Tengo ("O, Dana," "Take Care"), Norman Blake of the Scottish band Teenage Fanclub ("Nightime"), Matthew Sweet ("Big Black Car") and Django Haskins of the group The Old Ceremony, who carried the bleak weight of "Holocaust" with a wise plain poise." [Rolling Stone]

Continue reading "Tift Merritt covered Big Star w/ Norman Blake, Michael Stipe & more (MP3 & belated pics), touring (playing free NYC show)"

The second annual Hopscotch Festival will go down in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, across 12 different venues with over 135 bands, from September 8th through 10th. The lineup this year runs the gamut of independent music... from traditional indie staples (The Flaming Lips, Guided By Voices, Superchunk) to southern-inflected rock (Drive-By Truckers) to noise (Prurient) to hip hop (Beans) to garage (Jeff The Brotherhood) to funk (Budos Band) to metal (Krallice), and everywhere in between (Swans, Rhys Chatham, etc etc). Tickets are currently on sale. Full lineup is below.

Hopscotch happens almost three months after Guided By Voices play a Brooklyn Northside Festival show in McCarren Park (tickets) which is one day after Beirut plays a Northside Festival show on the same McCarren Park stage with... Sharon Van Etten (though she may have been accidentally announced at one point, they officially kept her placement on the bill under wraps until after Saturday's Music Hall of Williamsburg show). Tickets for Beirut/SVE are still on sale, and another opener will be added too.

Guided by Voices (whose Brooklyn show also has more openers coming) are also playing Pitchfork in July with Animal Collective whose Prospect Park show is now on AmEx presale.

Swans' upcoming NYC show is now on AmEx presale too.

Hopscotch lineup below...

Continue reading "Hopscotch Fest returns to Raleigh (2011 lineup announced), Sharon Van Etten officially added to Northside Fest"

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

Raphael Saadiq

Duran Duran

Catching up a bit. Here's what Dominick saw in Austin on Wednesday, March 16, 2011...

Continue reading "SXSW 2011 Day 1 pics"

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

Wild Flag @ Merge Records Showcase

Lost in the Trees @ Muzzle of Bees BBQ

Catching up a bit. Here's what Dominick saw in Austin on Friday, March 18, 2011....

Continue reading "SXSW 2011 Day 3 pics"

photos by Amanda Hatfield, words by Rachel Kowal

Austra @ BrooklynVegan Day Party @ Swan Dive

A few days have passed since I got back from Austin, and I'm still struggling to process the week. Yes, it was my first time at SXSW. Thanks to the never-ending supply of free tacos, music, beer, fellow music-devotees, and sunshine, I managed to retain that little-kid-like wonder throughout the week - even when severe sleep deprivation set in. (And I thought CMJ was a rush. Ha.)

By the time I left Austin on Sunday morning, I managed to see some 54 bands (no counting impromptu street performances) play in 20 different venues. Some were of course flops, but on the whole, I was impressed by the showcase of new and emerging artists. CMJ is great, but let's be honest. So many of the bands that play there play nearly every week in New York or Brooklyn anyway. Austin, on the other hand, seemed to get a much wider variety of acts, and I made it my goal to see as many unfamiliar and/or international artists as I could (in addition to of course scouting out some of my favorites like Sam Amidon, The Loom, tUnE-yArDs, and Papercuts).

Instead of potentially boring you with a lengthy play-by-play (which you can catch on my personal blog if you're interested), I'll try to succinctly present the highlights from my week. (Though to be fair, this is something of an impossible task.)

Since I flew into Houston and drove over (waaay cheaper), I didn't get to see a ton of music on Wednesday, but what I did catch was excellent. My first band of the festival, Still Corners (who recently signed to Sub Pop along with Memoryhouse), turned out to be one of my favorites all week. The British group's well-executed, dreamy sound was the perfect accompaniment to the beautiful outdoor setting on the lawn of the French Legation Museum for the the Bella Union/Yours day party. My two other favorite finds of the day were BOBBY (a Mountain Man side project that later played at one of the BV showcases) and the delightful Cali singer-songwriter Sea of Bees, whose eerily beautiful song "Gnomes" played on repeat in my head all week and prompted me to seek her out a second time the following day.

With the exception of the NPR Showcase, which featured the likes of Wild Flag, The Joy Formidable, and The Antlers (more on that later), the majority of Thursday left me lukewarm... that is until I stumbled upon Austra at the Domino showcase. (Austra also later performed at the BV show at Swan Dive on Saturday - pictures in this post.)

Wow. Zola Jesus may drive me a bit crazy at times due to Nika Roza Danilova's overly dramatic performance, but Austra seemed to strike exactly the right balance - theatrical and eye-catching without coming across as disingenuous or too over-the-top. Their beat was addictive, their appearance and dance moves, arresting. No question about it. Austra is definitely an artist to watch - and probably my favorite live act all week. Many of the sets I caught were only partial - I was constantly arriving late and leaving early in order to scamper off to another venue, but Austra held my attention (understatement of the year?), and I stuck around for the entirety of the set (Bill did too).

continued below...

Continue reading "Rachel's Best of SXSW w/ pics by Amanda (Austra, Josh T Pearson, Lost in the Trees, The Loom, Yellow Ostrich & more)"

photos by Amanda M. Hatfield

"Managed to catch most of the Super Bowl and got to see the incredible Neko Case at the Bell House. Successful Sunday." - Joe Saturday

"Just spent 20 minutes discussing Vermont tax laws with Neko Case, Eugene Mirman and Marc Ribot." - RustySutton

Neko Case at the Bell House

After playing the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Long Island on Saturday, Neko Case and Lost In The Trees competed with the Super Bowl (or maybe you were able to do both) and played to a sold-out Bell House in Brooklyn last night (2/6) as part of a larger tour for the pair. Neko was joined by guitar great Marc Ribot during her encore *both Neko and Marc contributed to Jakob Dylans's last album). Pictures from that show are in this post. The full setlist is also below.

The New Porno chanteuse will now take a breather, but will return to NYC to play Barnes & Noble for FREE with Michael Showalter on 2/24. Starting tomorrow (2/8), you'll be able to buy raffle tickets that might win you Neko's classic 1967 Mercury Cougar (as seen on the cover of "Middle Cyclone")...

Neko Case & 826 National present The Cougar-Rama Muscle Car-'Splosion

We are almost ready to re-launch after a truckload of technical difficulties! We are going to begin selling raffle tickets on Tuesday, February 8. Don't worry -- the drawing has been moved up to March so there's still plenty of time to get involved. Please let us know if you have any questions and stay tuned for details!

The Cougar-Rama Muscle Car-'Splosion is upon us! Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter/rock star extraordinaire Neko Case is generously giving away her classic 1967 Mercury Cougar to benefit 826 National. Ticket sales will begin shortly, and beginning on Monday, February 14, we will draw for prizes each day leading up to the car drawing on February 18. Stay tuned for a full schedule of drawings!

The car comes packed with Rand McNally guides, piles of road trip tunes, gift certificates to Chipotle, a year's supply of Tazo Tea, and other goodies.

And because any good Cougar-Rama Muscle Car-'Splosion demands extravagance, there are heaps of other fantastic prizes to be won, including:
* A drum head signed by The New Pornographers
* Neko Case's limited-edition 1966 Gretsch Silver Duke guitar
* A Gibson guitar signed by members of the Speaking Clock Revue including Elton John and Elvis Costello
* A Carr Amplifier
* Dinner for 10 from Chipotle
* A collection of vinyl from SubPop including LPS from Fleet Foxes, Thee Oh Sees, The Vaselines
* An Adidas prize pack
* ... and more!

Tickets are $45 each, and they get cheaper the more you buy: 2 tickets for $75, 3 for $100, etc. For more details and to buy tickets, head over to www.nekocase.com/auction. Neko also designed t-shirts for 826 that are being sold in conjunction with the Muscle Car-'Splosion in 826 chapter storefronts across the country and online at www.826national.org/store.

Meanwhile, Lost In The Trees have a trio of dates left on their docket, including their show at Mercury Lounge TONIGHT (2/7). All three are listed below. Tickets for Mercury Lounge are still available.

More pictures from the Bell House, including a shot of Neko Case's setlist, a video from the show, and a video about the car, below..

Continue reading "Neko Case giving away her Mercury Cougar, played the Bell House w/ Lost in the Trees (and Marc Ribot) (pics & setlist)"

photos by Greg Cristman

Neko Case and Lost In The Trees are playing the sold-out Bell House in Brooklyn tonight/Sunday (pics coming), but on Saturday night (2/5), the pair's tour brought them a different NY venue - the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center in Long Island. That show was not sold out, but not empty either.

Neko and her band sounded excellent as they played a 21 song, 75 minute set to a seated crowd. Neko seemed to be enjoying herself and joked continuously with back up vocalist Kelly Hogan between songs, much to the delight of the audience. The full list of songs they played is below.

Lost In The Trees were also very impressive and despite Ari Picker's weakened voice (cold/hoarseness) he still sounded wonderful, as did their gorgeous arrangements. Don't forget you can catch them Monday at Mercury Lounge.

More pictures from the LI show, with Neko's setlist, below...

Continue reading "Neko Case & Lost in the Trees played Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center (pics & setlist)"

Menomena

In addition to separate upcoming dates, The New Pornographers and The Walkmen have announced a week long tour together at the end of April. Unfortunately though, the only time they're stopping in New York is April 25 at Town Ballroom in Buffalo. All dates are listed below.

The New Pornographers have no upcoming dates in NYC, but contributors Neko Case and Destroyer do. Neko Case will be at The Bell House this Sunday (2/6) with Lost in the Trees and is playing a free show at Barnes & Noble in Union Square on 2/24 with Michael Showalter.

As previously mentioned, Neko Case sings on about half of No Color, the new album by The Dodos out March 15. The Dodos released the first track off the album, "Black Night," listen below. An immediate download of this song is available on The Dodo's website with the pre-order of their album. They also recently performed on Pitchfork's Tunnelvision, video below. The Dodos also announced tour dates, including an appearance at SXSW (but no NYC dates at the moment).

Destroyer, whose ninth full length Kaputt was just released on January 25, is going on tour with The War On Drugs. They're playing Webster Hall on April 3. Tickets are still on sale.

The New Pornographers also have announced a few April dates with Menomena (including Coachella). According to Menomena's website, they recently lost Brent Knopf, who left the band to "focus on Ramona Falls and other creative pursuits." Ironically, Paul Alcott of Ramona Falls' live band is replacing Knopf on Menomena's upcoming dates. In addition to touring with The New Pornographers, they also have dates with Maps & Atlases, and an appearance at SXSW.

Menomena will also be overseeing FILMguerrero's reissue of their debut I Am The Fun Blame Monster! which will be available this spring. As stated in a press release, the reissue includes "a CD/DVD package with extensive bonus materials." Their newest album, Mines, is out now via Barsuk.

All tour dates and videos and that Dodos song below...

Continue reading "a new Dodos song, Menomena minus a member, New Pornographers & Walkmen dates & stuff"

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo, additional photos and review by Shanda Boyett

North Carolina collective Lost in the Trees played Joe's Pub Friday night (1/7), pulling out all the stops with a theatrical and soulful performance that began softly and built to a joyful crescendo.

Wearing a homemade painted shirt of his own design, frontman Ari Picker tried to engage with the audience at Joe's Pub, which was a little stiff. "How's your food?" he jokingly asked the audience who only murmured in return.

Despite the audience's lack of charisma, the band still brought it. When they played with Plants and Animals at Bowery Ballroom back in June, they punctuated their performance by hopping down into the audience and playing in the round. This time, the drama took the form of an ivory horse carried through the audience at the start of the show while Picker gently crooned "Dead Bird".

Their orchestral folk pop melds complex orchestrations with frontier lyrics about simple pleasures, family dynamics and longing. It's emotional music that is mesmerizing to both listen to and watch. The physicality the band has with their instruments - violin, cello, horns and accordion, among others - is part of the entertainment. Violinist Jenavieve Varga in particular has a muscular style that is hard to look away from.

The group played a few new tunes, as well as favorites from the current album, All Alone in an Empty House. They covered the title song, as well as "Walk Around the Lake", and finished with "Song for the Painter" as one of the encore songs.

In case you weren't able to get tickets to the sold-out show, the group will be back to play Mercury Lounge on February 7th. Tickets go on AMEX presale at noon on 1/12 and go on general sale 48 hours later.

More pictures, including a shot of the setlist, and all tour dates are below.

Continue reading "Lost in the Trees played Joe's Pub (pics & setlist), playing Mercury Lounge (and other tour dates)"

Michael Showalter at Bell House (more by David Andrako)

New York, Philly, Boston, Seattle, Portland, Denver and everywhere in between. Come visit me for an evening of storytelling; joke telling; and of course, graphic sexual imagery.

Catch me this February and March in a city near you as I promote my brand new book (that I wrote!), MR. FUNNY PANTS!

Barnes & Noble is currently Neko Case's lone scheduled NYC appearance, though she will play Woodstock on 2/1 and Westhampton Beach on 2/5 as part of a string of dates with Lost In The Trees. Meanwhile Lost In The Trees, who were recently here to open for Junip at Irving Plaza, will play their own show at Joe's Pub this Friday (1/7). Tickets are still available.

Tour dates for Michael Showalter, Neko Case, and Lost In The Trees, as well as some video is below.

Continue reading "Lost in the Trees playing Joe's Pub, touring w/ Neko Case (who is appearing in NYC w/ Michael Showalter)"

photos by Toby Tenenbaum, words by Rachel Kowal

The members of Junip may not have celebrated Thanksgiving growing up, but the Swedish group's music was perfect for Wednesday night's lazy, pre-holiday haze.

The evening began with a set by the talented group Lost in the Trees. From watching the cheerful interactions among the musicians on stage, it may be tempting to write off the North Carolinians as a bit too precious, but chief songwriter/composer Ari Picker's dark lyrics and foreboding orchestral solos are often anything but sweet and innocent. Dead babies, dashed hopes, dirty secrets, and sick hearts were all mentioned in the band's opening song, "All Alone in an Empty House." With the lyrics in mind, all those knowing glances exchanged on stage take on the sinister tone of a conniving group of co-conspirators.

The band may not have directly serenaded the audience by unplugging their instruments and hopping off stage as is often the case at their shows, but their performance was certainly not lacking in bravado. The audience easily warmed to their satisfying set.

Following Lost in the Trees, a strange series of projected images and videos (like psychedelic shadow puppets and car-driving cats) filled the screen as a way to distract concert-goers during the set-up process. Then, the screen lifted and Junip began to play at 9:45 sharp.

Even those who are relatively new to Junip may recognize the dulcet tones of José González on vox. What may come as a surprise is that González began making music with Junip more than four years before he embarked on successful career as a solo artist. Junip retains González' understated, largely indecipherable vocals and serious guitar work while boasting peppier percussion and fuller instrumentation thanks to collaborators Elias Araya and Tobias Winterkorn. Now, after over a decade of sporadic activity, the group has embarked on a more serious regimen to coincide with the recent release of Fields.

In my personal experience, getting used to a bedroom musician's work with a band can be rough (Iron & Wine, anybody?), but since this project's name denotes a departure from José González, the solo artist, Junip becomes much easier to digest and enjoy.

Junip's setlist, more pictures from the show, and a Big Ass Lens profile of the band that was filmed at the show, below...

Continue reading "Junip & Lost in the Trees played Irving Plaza (pics, setlist) "

Lost in the Trees @ Pop Montreal 2010 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Lost in the Trees continue their tour, which stopped by Pop Montreal, into the Bell House in Brooklyn tonight (10/7). Fellow North Carolina band Midtown Dickens opens the show and a few of the other dates they have left. Full list below...

Continue reading "Lost in the Trees on tour with Midtown Dickens"

words & photos by Dominick Mastrangelo

La pluie. It just wont stop. From sun up to sundown and well into the night here in Montreal the rain continued, making the second day of Pop Montreal (Thursday, September 30th) , and everyone attending, a soggy mess. Buses were crowded, Bixi (the public bike racks that blanket the city) were not an option. It was taxis or hoofing it.

The rain forced the "Pop BBQ" indoors and up Boulevard St. Laurent to the Barfly where Lost In The Trees were first up. The set times were moved up an hour and upon arriving there were maybe 20 people in the bar. Nestled back in the corner the seven-member ensemble performed, without microphones. It had the feeling of a Take Away show with people carrying on quiet conversations, watching the band or sitting at the bar nursing a beer. After playing a raucous sold-out show the night before it had to be just a bit disappointing for the band. But you wouldn't know it by how they sounded.

After hiding out in the Notman House where registration and the hospitality area are, it was back up the boulevard and a fun, hip-hop set by Montreal's Socalled. "Does anybody want to play bass with Socalled tonight?" asked bandleader Josh Dolgin to the rapidly filling up space. (One of the curious things about some of these shows in Montreal is the way a venue will be nearly empty 10 minutes before a set and by the time a band takes the stage nearly packed.) Two songs in a guy came walking up with a bass and joined right in.
While waiting for Greenland's Nive Nielsen to begin at boutique clothing store next to the Barfly, I popped in to see who was on and was surprised to catch Brooklyn's She Keeps Bees killing it to what appeared to be the same 20 people from a few hours earlier.

Then if was off to see the see Polaris Prize-winners Karkwa. I arrived early and caught most of Montreal's Leif Vollebekk. Sounding a bit like the Bowerbirds with a voice that sounded equal parts Ryan Adams and Andrew Bird, his set was the more impressive of the two bands. And their sounds couldn't have been more differennt. If you stripped away the blistering light show, Karkwa's songs come away a bit less impressive. But from a spectacle standpoint it was worthy and the Montreal crowd was very much in love with them.

A dash through the rain and into The National to close out the evening. I arrived early and caught the last bit of the Black Feelings. Women followed and might have been the highlight of the night. Liars capped the evening and were loud, loud and more loud.

Read about the first day of the festival. HERE. More pictures from the second day below...

Continue reading "Pop Montreal 2010 - Day 2 in pics & review (Liars, Women, Karkwa, She Keeps Bees, Socalled & more) "

photos by Amanda Hatfield, words by Rachel Kowal

Lost in the Tree's Ari Picker

The stage at the Mercury Lounge may be modestly sized, but that didn't stop the venue from packing in the performers. Between the two bands that played at the early show Monday night, 13 people performed, many wielding large instruments.

First up was the folk/Americana six-piece, The Loom. Though the band hails from New York, they sound nothing like your typical Brooklyn band - and that's not a bad thing. Absent are any signs of distortion, reverb, or prefab beats. Much like the headlining act, The Loom is characterized by complementary male/female vocals, lush instrumentation, and well-placed hand claps.

With so many people in the band and such a wide array of instruments (banjo, trumpet, keyboard, French horn, ukulele), The Loom's musical interludes were a bit hectic at times, but eventually, everything would come together to create a rich tapestry of sound that showcased both the individual musicians and their project as a whole.

Soon after The Loom had concluded their set with a couple of newer songs, the members of Lost In The Trees began scrambling around on the stage and stringing around chords in preparation for their show. Then, suddenly, music began to cut through the din of the crowd. The band members onstage stood at the ready and looked into the crowd expectantly. I turned around and pinpointed the source of the music - the tuba and French horn players were working their way to the stage from the back of the room.

The band kicked off their set with the first two songs from their recently released album, All Alone in an Empty House. In contrast to The Loom's largely hopeful lyrics, Lost in the Trees specializes in creating hauntingly beautiful orchestral pieces that feature lyrics about going crazy, burying babies, making mistakes, and feeling lonely.

Considering the fact that they had driven all the way from their home of North Carolina just that morning, the seven members of Lost in the Trees had a surprising amount of energy. Thanks to the jaunty, haunted house-esque string introduction and major tonal shift, the song "Tall Trees" was particularly moving - if not a bit creepy.

"I started listening to classical music in 2005. It was an interesting experience. I started getting a feeling like I was in church or something. It was a mind-opening experience," singer/composer Ari Picker confessed by way of explaining his intense emotional investment in his band's music. Throughout the set, Picker danced on tiptoes as he played, pausing every now and then to kneel on the ground, his head bowed in concentration.

As he introduced their final song, Picker turned to the crowd. "Do you guys want to do a sing-a-long song? I'll teach it to you and you'll sing it. It will be like a Flaming Lips concert," he joked. "And we'll play it on the ground for you."

The band unplugged their instruments, hopped off the stage, and played a stirring rendition of "Time Taunts Me." From his spot in the middle of the floor, Ari lead the crowd in a beautiful sing-a-long with the ardor of a street corner evangelist desperate to save souls. I, for one, left the room a convert.

More pictures from the Mercury Lounge show, below...

Continue reading "Lost in the Trees & The Loom played Mercury Lounge (pics)"

DOWNLOAD: Lost in the Trees - Walk Around the Lake (MP3)

"Lost in the Trees is the music of Ari Picker, a songwriter from Chapel Hill on a bit of a mission: Take a pinch of the brilliance found in classical music and mix it with his own. Lost in the Trees is orchestral folk where the "orchestral" part isn't an afterthought. This is mighty potent stuff." [NPR]

Continue reading "Lost in the Trees - new LP on ANTI, in NYC now (videos, MP3)"

photos by Chris La Putt

DOWNLOAD: Bowerbirds - In Our Talons (MP3)

Bowerbirds @ Mercury Lounge

Bowerbirds, La Strada, Lost in the Trees and Bell played the Mercury Lounge on Monday, April 27th (one night before Bell and Bowerbirds played Monkey Town).

Not to get all TMZ, but according to Indy Week Blogs (who got all TMZ)...

Throughout the evening, a trickle of excited correspondence from members of both bands announced that a special guest had come to watch Bowerbirds' set [at Mercury Lounge]: Neutral Milk Hotel leader/ de facto hermit/ "Salinger of indie rock" Jeff Mangum. There's, of course, little to report about the appearance besides just that--no collaborations, no serious hangouts. Mangum just watched and, between songs, held his beer between his teeth to clap. Maybe he'll come down to Chapel Hill later this year?

Bowerbirds' second disc, Upper Air, comes out July 7th on Dead Oceans who said:

"Everyone struggles when they try to describe this music, including us, but we'll try: it has the spirit of Richard and Linda Thompson, the currency of Devendra Banhart, the addictively sweet melodicism of Iron & Wine, but it churns with an underlying energy closer to a Beirut or something farther out, more raw, more wild."

Continue reading "Bowerbirds played Mercury Lounge (pics) w/ La Strada (more dates) for Jeff Mangum (who wants to save a carousel)"