photos by Natasha Ryan, words by Andrew Frisicano

Dark Was the Night live finally happened Sunday, May 3rd at Radio City. Right before showtime, there were still tickets available, but the auditorium seemed fairly full as the Dirty Projectors set began. The band sounded great with its newly fleshed out six-piece lineup (though I didn't catch the titles of the first Bitte Orca song). The reverb of the room was almost a special guest of its own and a welcome addition throughout the night. On new single "Stillness Is the Move" singer Amber Coffman really let loose with the dance moves and the added vocal acrobatics the song deserves. David Byrne joined the band on their Dark Was the Night collaborations -- the not-on-the-comp "Ambulance Man" and album opener "Knotty Pine."

Red Hot executive director John Carlin (Red Hot being the AIDS advocacy group that put out Dark Was the Night along with many other benefit comps) came out and said a few words about the performers before My Brightest Diamond/Shara Worden burst into her cover of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good." Worden was backed by Thomas Bartlett (Doveman) on keys, members of the National including the two Dessners brothers (who were obvious fixtures through the night), drummer Bryan Devendorf, plus horns and strings. Worden's massive voice filled the hall, but sadly took the lead for only one song.

The rest of The National guys came on stage for Boxer song "Slow Show," followed by new song "England." Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and band were on stage for backups, and for The National's Dark Was the Night contribution, "So Far Around the Bend," Vernon even picked up a guitar and took a solo. The band closed with another new song, which singer Matt Berninger mumbled the title of a few times (anyone catch it?).

For the next set, TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek took the stage in a sharp looking suit and performed one track, his DwtN Troggs cover "With a Girl Like You." Here it was backed by a fuzzed out bass, horns, keys, and a collection of the night's performers on handclaps and tambourines (Dirty Projectors, Dessners, others).

As John Carlin announced earlier, the first half of the show was to close with David Byrne's three Red Hot compilation contributions. Led by five hand percussionists, Byrne opened with Cole Porter's "Don't Fence Me In." Second, he played "Dreamworld: Marco De Canavesems" with Justin Vernon sitting in on vocals for Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso (who originally collaborated with Bryne on the track). The tune's hyped up bossa nova, with the Dessners on guitars, was one of the night's many highlights. Finally, Byrne sang with Feist (who subbed for the original's Marisa Monte) on the Antonio Carlos Jobim song "Waters of March" ("Aguas de Março"). Even with Byrne starring down at the lyric prompt for nearly the whole song, the jumping melody of that tune was an amazing end to the first set.

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Continue reading "Dark Was the Night @ Radio City Music Hall in NYC (Brightest Byrne Bon National Feist Projectors) - pics, review & setlist"

DOWNLOAD: David Byrne & Dirty Projectors - Knotty Pine (MP3)

This is exciting. Not only will the much-talked-about new National-curated Red Hot compilation Dark Was The Night be released by 4AD in one month (February 17th to be exact), they've now officially handed out the first MP3 which happens to be one of the tracks I was most looking forward to - the collaboration between David Byrne and Dirty Projectors. It's called "Knotty Pine". Download it above. More:

[The album is] comprised of 31 exclusive tracks and it will be available as a double cd/triple vinyl/download and will benefit the Red Hot Organization - an international charity dedicated to raising money and awareness for HIV and AIDS through popular culture. They are the people responsible for albums including No Alternative, Red Hot and Blue and many more, and this is their 20th year, and this is the 20th release!

Beginning on January 15th, 4AD will begin a track-by-track premiere of the Dark Was the Night compilation. From January 15 through February 1, each track, in order will be streamed for one day only at http://www.myspace.com/DarkWasTheNight as well as on the bands MySpace page.

Other aritsts on the comp include Jose Gonzalez, The Books, Feist, Ben Gibbard, Bon Iver, Grizzly Bear, The National, Nico Muhly, Yeasayer, My Brightest Diamond, Kronos Quartet, Antony, The Decemberists, Iron and Wine, Feist, Sufjan Stevens, Spoon, Arcade Fire, Beirut, My Morning Jacket, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio, Castanets, Buck 65, The New Pornographers, Yo La Tengo, Stuart Murdoch, Riceboy Sleeps (aka Jón "Jónsi" Birgisson of Sigur ros and Parachutes' Alex Somers), Andrw Bird, Cat Power, Gillian Welch, Blonde Redhead, Devastations, and Broken Social Scene's Kevin Drew.

David Byrne also recently collaborated with Dizzee Rascal and The Brighton Port Authority on a new track which you can download HERE. Ben Gibbard sings with Feist on the Red Hot comp. Other recent "collaborations" for him include getting engaged to She & Him's Zooey Deschanel. Nico Muhly did the arrangements for the song The National play on this new album. The album also includes a Grizzly Bear song, and a "Grizzly Bear + Feist" track. Nico Muhly also did the arrangements for the live show Grizzly Bear will soon play with an orchestra at Brooklyn Philharmonic.

Beirut has shows coming up. Antony has shows coming up. Sharon Jones has shows coming up. Andrew Bird has shows coming up. Cat Power has shows coming up.

The full Dark was the Night tracklist is below...

Continue reading "David Byrne & Dirty Projectors MP3 + full Dark Was The Night 4AD tracklist (Bon Iver, Grizzly Bear, Feist, The National...)"

photos by Kyle Dean Reinford

4AD is pleased to officially announce Dark Was The Night - a compilation album (double cd, triple vinyl) to benefit the Red Hot Organization. Red Hot is an international organization dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS. This release marks the 20th anniversary of the Red Hot Organization, and is also the 20th Red Hot release! Dark Was The Night was produced by Aaron & Bryce Dessner of The National, and will be released by 4AD in February of 2009. "Dark Was The Night" is the title of an early blues song by Blind Willie Johnson, which is covered on this album. The album consists of 32 exclusive tracks by a multitude of today's most beloved and respected independent recording artists.

As Aaron Dessner told us, Dark Was the Night will feature contributions from Sufjan Stevens, Feist with Grizzly Bear, Feist with Ben Gibbard, Grizzly Bear by themselves, the Decemberists, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, the National with Nico Muhly, David Byrne and Dirty Projectors, Bright Eyes, Spoon, the New Pornographers, Antony (with Bryce Dessner), Belle and Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch, the Books with José González (covering Nick Drake's "Cello Song"), Blonde Redhead, Bon Iver, Andrew Bird, My Brightest Diamond (covering "Feeling Good", famously interpreted by Nina Simone), Sigur Rós offshoot Riceboy Sleeps, and TV on the Radio's David Sitek. [Pitchfork]

More pictures from the National's Saturday set at Fun Fun Fun Fest below...

Continue reading "Dark Was The Night (info), The National (more Fun Fun pics)"

Fatboy Slim's new project is called "THE BRIGHTON PORT AUTHORITY". David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal sing on a song and you can hear it ("Toe Jam") at MySpace.

David is also working with The Dirty Projectors

I recorded a couple of songs Sunday and Monday with the band Dirty Projectors for an upcoming Red Hot project. Red Hot puts out compilation albums to benefit AIDS research and I've been on a few of them since they started in 1990. So, who's on this one? Feist, Sufjan Stevens, Grizzly Bear, Sharon Jones, The Decembrists, The National -- jeez, what a lineup!

Anyways, I like what Dave Longstreth and Dirty Projectors are doing, although part of what attracts me to them is something I can't exactly place, can't figure out. Their music has familiar elements, yet often sounds like pop music by someone who has read about the form, but never heard it, and then handed the essential building blocks to make some songs. That's not actually true though, as Dave made plenty of jokes about music while we were working --he has a deep knowledge of tunes and their respective artists. But the band's music remains completely strange and oddly familiar at the same time. I'd been told more than once that we should all work together, and it seems the suggestion was fated to be realized.

For one song, Dave L sent me a demo by email that he had recorded in a Vienna hotel room on tour. I did my best to figure out the chords and the tempo, and record my own version, for which I then wrote the words. We didn't end up using my recorded version; but the words, and my somewhat straightened out version of the melody, came in handy. [David Byrne]

THIS WEEKEND: "Playing the Building" opens in NYC!

More good news for David Byrne below....

Continue reading "David Byrne recorded w/ The Dirty Projectors & Fatboy Slim, is getting an award, AND his building is opening!"

DOWNLOAD: Feist - Mushaboom (Postal Service Remix) (MP3)

Death Cab For Cutie is coming out with a new album in May 2008. You can watch a trailer for it on their new website.

Also to look foward to in 2008: a collaboration between Death Cab frontman Ben Gibbard and Leslie Feist...

during a recent off day in Louisville, she and her touring band got the itch to roll tape. "We thought, day off? Let's just do something fun," she recalls. "Bowling? A hike? Instead, we rented a studio."

There, "we took turns and played together," she says. Feist "fooled around on some new stuff" and sang a Grizzly Bear song. She also recorded the basic track for a collaboration with Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard, which will appear on the "Red Hot and Indie" compilation being produced by the National's Aaron and Bryce Dessner. [Billboard]

For a taste of what Gibbard & Feist sound like together, download the Postal Servce remix of "Mushaboom that is linked on the top of this post - right over that picture of Ben singing with Feist's Broken Social Scene band-mate (and boyfriend) Kevin Drew. That photo was taken by Chona Kasinger at a "Spirit If" show in October - a few weeks before a member of Pavement played with Kevin in NYC..