Sam Amidon at LPR in October (more by Toby Tenebaum)

Sam Amidon will head out on an international tour in 2012, but before he does, he'll wrap up 2011 with "Sam Amidon's End Of Year Contemplation through Banjosong" in NYC at Rockwood Music Hall on December 28. Regarding the show, Sam says:

While I cannot even dare hope to match the fine calibration of Kirsten Dunst's recent acting performances (most notably Marie Antoinette, Wimbledon, and Melancholia), I do wish that as 2011 draws to a close we can sing a few murder ballads and old love songs together and maybe it will snow.

Sam also recently released a book, Notes On The Twitterographer: Collected Tweets 2009-2011, which will be available at his shows and at his website.

All dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Sam Amidon playing end-of-year show, touring in 2012"

photos by Toby Tenenbaum, words by Rachel Kowal

Glen Hansard, Sharon Van Etten, a Dessner



Other Voices, an annual musical festival held in Dingle, Ireland, may not be nearly as old as the town's pubs, but it has already become a rich, meaningful tradition since its inception in 2002. Though typically held in a tiny church, Other Voices jumped across the Atlantic and landed in Le Poisson Rouge for a couple of nights this week with the help of Thomas Bartlett (aka Doveman), Glen Hansard, and others--and it's all for a good cause! (All proceeds of the shows go to benefit Fighting Words, a writing center for children and youth in Dingle.)

"We don't know where we're going, we don't know where we'll be when we get there, and when we get back we probably won't know where we've been, so join us on this journey this evening," said Irish actor/writer Gabriel Byrne effectively introducing the event's pleasantly discursive nature. What unfolded over the course of the next three-and-a-half hours was a hearty round of poetry, prose, and music, much in the spirit of Doveman's monthly series, the Burgundy Stain Sessions.

Artist after artist shuffled onto the stage. Highlights included Glen Hansard's beautiful stories and songs, a newer piece by Thomas Bartlett (appropriately about the rain), a song or two from the talented folk singer Sam Amidon, a beautiful brand new piece written just yesterday by Bryce and Aaron Dessner that was inspired by the streets of Dingle, a couple of traditional songs by renowned Irish fiddler Martin Hayes, Joseph O'Connor's reading of an ode that creatively highlighted many of New York's music legends, and a surprise performance by Sharon Van Etten (and her sister Heather). The guests just kept coming. Bell X1 (who played a Smiths cover), Martha Wainwright, Jape, The Lost Brothers, Justin Vivian Bond, Nico Muhly; and from the Irish literary scene: Philip King, Roddy Doyle, Colum McCann, and Paul Muldoon. An unrecognizably shaggy Damien Rice even made a surprise appearance to play a couple of beautiful, completely unplugged and unaccompanied songs on his acoustic guitar.

The camaraderie in the air was thick. Though each artist had a chance to be in the spotlight, its loose structure allowed for one-of-a-kind impromptu collaborations. After a week of running around to catch ridiculously brief sets, often with compromised sound, it was a nice change to remain still and embrace a long, calming set as talent after talent humbly took to the stage. If you go tonight, just make sure to wear comfy shoes or arrive early to snag one of the few seats.

More pictures from the night below...

Continue reading "Other Voices (Glen Hansard, Sam Amidon, Doveman, Bryce & Aaron Dessner, Sharon Van Etten & other surprise guests) @ Le Poisson Rouge -- night 1 pics & review"

Glen Hansard & Doveman @ Le Poisson Rouge (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Doveman's next edition of 'Burgundy Stain Sessions' at Le Poisson Rouge is this Friday night (9/23), and the listed special guests are: Chris Thile, Martha Wainwright, Trixie Whitley and Little Annie. Tickets for the collaborative evening of music are still on sale.

In October, on the 27th & 28th to be exact, 'Burgundy Stain Sessions' kick it up a notch with Other Voices NYC: A Celebration of Music & Literature. Scheduled to appear over the course of two nights at Le Poisson Rouge are: Glen Hansard (The Swell Season), Bryce & Aaron Dessner (The National), Doveman, Laurie Anderson, Sam Amidon, Bell X1, Iarla Ó Lionáird, Caoimhín Ó Raghallaigh, Martin Hayes, Joseph O'Connor, and Colum McCann. Prestented in conjunction with Imagine Ireland with all proceeds going to FIGHTING WORDS Creative Writing Centre, tickets are on sale.

Speaking of the Swell Season, its other half Marketa Irglova has a tour coming up in November with a NYC show of her own. Bowery Ballroom tickets are still on sale.

The National have six huge NYC shows coming up.

Martha has one big holiday show coming up with her brother Rufus, and one with Rufus even sooner as part of the The Fourth Annual Plant & Sing Festival in Shelter Island, NY.

Rufus's opera 'Prima Donna' happens at BAM in Feb. 2012. Tickets are on sale now.

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 Tim Griffin

Evan Voytas

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper

"When you've got a demure woman on the microphone and she can go from a soulful refrain to a heightened howl in the matter of a minute, you know you're in the presence of someone special. I don't know if "special" quite cuts it when it comes to describing Aly Spaltro, aka Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, but she was the definition of captivating at the Brooklyn Vegan showcase at the Swan Dive. I can appreciate a good singer/songwriter, but Lady Lamb's in a class of her own and it was fantastic to see her receive such a warm Austin welcome on her first tour jaunt outside of the Northeast." [dig Boston]

Sam Amidon

We already posted one set of pictures from this Wednesday night show. Here is another. It continues below...

Continue reading "more pics from the BV SXSW 2011 Showcase (Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, Evan Voytas, Olof Arnalds, Sam Amidon, Sharon Van Etten, Ted Leo)"

photos by Amanda Hatfield

""I write from a painful place," [Sharon Van Etten] recently told SPIN of the inspiration behind her latest release, the seven-song EP Epic. You can say that again. At the Swan Dive venue, just past midnight, Etten played a mournful solo electric ditty, reminiscent early Cat Power, and while her lyrics were largely undistinguishable, the track's title unidentifiable, it didn't matter -- the song gushed emotional ache like blood from an open wound. Words like "pain" and "brave" and "broken" occasionally rose over the five or six simple, tinny electric guitar chords she strummed alone. Even her bassist and drummer watched intently, like they'd never witnessed the emoting force of tangled nerves they in fact support each night. "[I'll] never let myself love like that again," she said. I'd reluctantly advise against it: It sounds like it hurt." [SPIN]

More pictures from the show, below...

Continue reading "BrooklynVegan SXSW showcase pics (Ted Leo, Sharon Van Etten, Sam Amidon, Olof Arnalds, Lady Lamb, Evan Voytas)"

NY Times: You have a new CD out in March called "Justin Vivian Bond: Dendrophile." Explain.

Justin Vivian Bond: A dendrophile's a person who gets an erotic charge out of nature. I am one! This is a record for the tree-hugger community. I do Bambi Lake's "The Golden Age of Hustlers" on it, and also a duet of the Carpenters' "Superstar" with Beth Orton. As for Vivian, that's my self-given middle name. Justin is a very male-identified name, and I wanted something that would balance it. I had an uncle named Vivian Francis. He was a wonderful person, but he changed his name to Victor. He didn't like being Vivian. But it's fine with me.

Justin Bond, who seems to stick to the intimite confines of venues like Joe's Pub for headlining shows lately, will celebrate the new CD release with a headlining show at Bowery Ballroom on April 5th which is four days before the CD Release show in San Francisco. Tickets for the NYC show go on sale at noon today (2/24).

Opening the Bowery show will be Doveman who Justin (and pretty much everyone else mentioned in this post so far) recently joined for a show at Le Poisson Rouge. Maybe Justin will pop in again when Doveman and guests return to LPR on March 16th. Tickets are still on sale for that.

Justin, who was in attendance to see his Scissor Sisters and Lady Gaga play Madison Square Garden this week, also has a special show coming up at Joe's Pub on March 7th - a new musical he co-wrote with Sandra Bernhard and Scissor Sister Jake Shears. On March 9th Justin hosts a book reading in NYC.

Watch a recent video feature on Justin, Joe's Pub footage included, below...

Continue reading "Justin Bond releasing 'Dendrophile', playing Bowery Ballroom w/ Doveman (who produced the album) & stuff"

photos by David Andrako

Alexi Murdoch played the gorgeous Allen Room on February 17th, as part of Lincoln Center's American Songbook series, and as part of a round of currently ongoing and sold-out dates that place Alexi in Minneapolis tonight before he heads further west for Noise Pop and other shows which are all listed below. Alexi's band is now made up of some familiar faces including Nate Martinez (from Pela and Thieving Irons), Brian Wolfe (one of Sufjan's drummers) and a horn section that both Sufjan & the National use. Pictures and the setlist from the NYC show are in this post.

If you missed Alexi at Lincoln Center, then luckily he will be back in NYC soon, though you'll have to settle for the scenic stretch of North 6th in place of Central Park. Murdoch will return to play Music Hall of Williamsburg on March 24th with Sam Amidon (who played Glasslands the day before Murdoch played NYC, and who you can catch at the BrooklynVegan SXSW showcase this year). Tickets for the Brooklyn show go on AmEx presale at noon, and on regular sale on Friday.

Murdoch is preparing to release his new LP Towards the Sun on March 8th in North America via Zero Summer. The LP features the title track which Murdoch recently made available for stream and download. Check out that song, more pictures and the setlist from The Allen Room, and all tour dates, below...

Continue reading "Alexi Murdoch played the Allen Room, announces more dates"

photos by Dominick Mastrangelo, words by Rachel Kowal

Dawn Landes, Norah Jones & Doveman

January's inaugural Burgundy Stain Session began softly with just Sam Amidon and Thomas Bartlett (Doveman) on stage, but for the second show in the series (2/8 at Le Poisson Rouge), Bartlett, the host, took a different approach. "Tonight, I thought we'd start with everyone on stage," said Bartlett excitedly, prompting nine additional musicians (dubbed by Bartlett as his "all-star backing chorus") to emerge from the audience and assume their positions. Crowded around a few mic stands, the group launched into a sweet, melodic Doveman song, "Angel's Share." (Beth Orton had to cancel due to 'unforeseen circumstances.')

Modeled after a salon, the Burgundy Stain Sessions are largely unscripted and free-flowing. "Sorry I didn't give anybody a set list," Bartlett eventually confessed. "I don't even really have a set list. I'm just making it up as we go." But instead of resulting in a sloppy mess, the music came together nearly seamlessly, thanks in part to the grand maestro, Doveman, who conducted both verbally ("I need A flat right here!") and with his animated body language (sudden glances, wild head nods).

Following the happy unification of musicians at the top of the show, the spotlight shifted to unannounced returning guest Glen Hansard. Once he had procured a pick from someone in the audience, he was ready. At the last Session, Hansard turned to Bartlett and announced, "none of your jazzy shit," but on Tuesday night, he seemed to be going along with it, as evidenced by their first song together. Apparently the song was brand new. "So Glen recorded that not too many days ago," Bartlett revealed. "His friend went to take a walk and he wrote it."

Many of the musicians are long-time friends and collaborators. Bartlett and Hansard met six or seven years ago (Bartlett can't really remember), and Amidon entered the picture long before that as was evidenced by the impromptu reunion of Popcorn Behavior, the childhood band Bartlett and brother Sam and Stefan Amidon (ages 13, 13, and 10 respectively). In addition to a Popcorn Behavior song, Sam played a song or two of his own, including "I See the Sign," which featured Doug Wieselman on bass clarinet.

Next up was Steve Salett who showcased some songs from his project, The Poison Tree. (His debut album is due out in March.) Much of Salett's songs were marked by technical difficulties due to some cell phone interference, prompting the group to stop while Bartlett switched his cell phone to airplane mode (it turns out his phone wasn't the culprit), but the show continued, thanks to Salett's booming baritone and his picturesque songs about the broken-hearted.

Apart from Glen Hansard (who was also present at the last Burgundy Stain Session), perhaps the biggest surprise guest of the evening was Norah Jones who performed a couple of songs, including a lovely cover song by the late Canadian singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle, "(Talk to me of) Mendocino."

Since Le Poisson Rouge was set up in the round, the performers faced inward on stage... with exception of the theatrical Justin Bond, who made sure to sing to the whole room. Before beginning to play, the snarky, morose performance artist managed to both hit on Sam and get the whole room laughing. "I'm feeling horny and generous tonight," said Bond by way of introduction. "So someone might have a very nice evening tonight... and it might just be me." Bond played a series of songs, often featuring lyrics borrowed from (delightfully risque or provocative) poetry.

The "genderqueer" singer definitely elicited the most laughs of the evening. "I've got some bourbon. It's in a plastic cup, but it looks like glass, so hey! I'm all for things that look like one thing and are another," joked Bond. It was wise to conclude the show with this rousing performance, but the end still came rather abruptly and unexpectedly, leaving Bartlett to quickly ramble off next month's collaborators: Elysian Fields, Martha Wainwright, Sara Quin (from Tegan and Sara), Dawn Landes, David Thomas Broughton, and more. Tickets are still on sale for that show, and for Sam Amidon's show at Glasslands, and for the one Justin Bond has coming up at Joe's Pub on 2/20.

More pictures from the 2/8 show below....

Continue reading "Doveman played another salon w/ Norah Jones, Glen Hansard & more (pics), announced guests for next time"

photos by Richard Termine, words by Andrew Frisicano

At Friday's performance, Nico Muhly warned early on that Tell the Way--a loosely tied together collection of 11 songs--would be a "casual sort of thing." He was right, for the most part; its compositions skirted around the unifying theme of travel in a range of styles: Sam Amidon's traditional folk songs; Bishi's eclectic, musical-theater-inspired chansons; the ever-busy Bryce Dessner's slow-building "Tour Eiffel," with dramatic vocal swoops that mimicked its subject; and Nico's unifying arrangements and short compositions. The voices of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus brought the works together in a brief 65-minute program, which moved quickly and offered small treats along the way (the three-night run at St. Ann's Warehouse finishes tonight, and a few tickets are still on sale).

More than any thematic thread, the Brooklyn Youth Chorus gave the evening consistency, as did ACME, who performed as a string quartet with a trombonist and a percussionist attached. The two groups had fun with the material, especially Muhly's pieces, which he composed with inspiration from historical texts (The Book of Common Prayer, and the travel writings of Sir John Mandeville) and commissioned texts (like the humorous, bite-sized "A Korean Girl," by writer Mary HK Choi, which inspired giggles at the appropriate moments).

Each composer brought what was basically their signature dish, with the wild card being Bishi, a British singer who I knew nothing about before the show, other than that she played the sitar. The sitar was the least of her contributions, the foremost of which was sheer stage presence. Her compositions--and her entrances, first in a coat of white fur (fake we hope) with hair done up like a Cinnabon, then in a black-and-white corset and skin-tight pants--added some danger and surprise to the program.

Bishi's singing was similarly attention-grabbing: a cabaret-style coo that blended with and added depth to the chorus (where someone like Sam Amidon sounded distinct and other). The theatricality of a musical pulsed through the songs, with Bishi as the preening lead. "Look the Other Way," her second number, progressed with a martial beat before delivering a string of awesomely WTF moments: a synthesized disco beat, then a man in white-tie formal-wear adding Vincent Price-esque narration, and finally a heavy metal breakdown with crushing drums and Bryce Dessner shredding away. Of course, it was also delivered with a wink. "That's probably the most metal guitar Bryce has played since high school," said Nico, of the best part of the evening.

A few more pictures from the show are below...

Continue reading "Nico Muhly's 'Tell the Way' in review & pics (Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Sam Amidon, ACME, Bishi & Bryce Dessner included) "

photos by Bao Nguyen

As previously mentioned,

Tell The Way is a newly commissioned collaborative work created for the Brooklyn Youth Chorus (Dianne Berkun, Artistic Director) by the ubiquitous Nico Muhly. Loosely based on medieval and colonial English travel narratives, the work draws from American folk sources, prayers for the Royal Navy, early colonial diaries, Mandeville, Herodotus and Marco Polo. Nico Muhly's music is propulsive travel-music, but at the heart of Tell The Way are three meditative collaborations between Muhly and Bishi, Muhly and Bryce Dessner and Muhly and Sam Amidon. An ensemble of strings, percussion, piano, and flute augment the voices of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Bryce's guitar, Sam's banjo and fiddle, and Bishi's sitar.

Bao stopped by their rehearsal the other day, at Brooklyn Youth Chorus's headquarters on Pacific Street in Brooklyn, and more of his pictures, with some video previews of the show are below...

Continue reading "Brooklyn Youth Chorus getting ready for show w/ Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner & Sam Amidon (pics & video from rehearsal)"

it's very white inside new Austin venue Swan Dive

So it begins. I'm proud and excited to announce the very special lineup of the 2011 BrooklynVegan SXSW official showcase which will take place Wednesday, March 16, 2011 at the new and swanky Swan Dive in Austin, TX (conveniently located at 615 Red River St). It looks like this:

08:00 Lady Lamb the Beekeeper
09:00 Olof Arnalds
10:00 Ted Leo (solo)
11:00 Sam Amidon
12:00 Sharon Van Etten
01:00 Evan Voytas

Ted Leo will be doing his thing solo and early (like he did at one of the BrooklynVegan day parties at Public Assembly this past CMJ), while Sharon Van Etten will be playing with her full band (unlike when she played a BrooklynVegan CMJ day party upstairs at Pianos in 2009).

Evan Voytas played the same BV day party as Ted during CMJ, and will again be showing up with a full band, but this time to close the SXSW night with his smooth and danceable jams.

Swan Dive is white in every direction

Sam Amidon (who played the very first BrooklynVegan event as part of Doveman's band with Aziz Ansari, Cloud Cult and Dave Deporis) is also bringing some band members, though I think Olof Arnalds will be playing the Swan Dive show solo (like she did at the BrooklynVegan Northside Festival showcase that Dave Deporis also played).

Lady Lamb the Beekeeper will open the show solo like she did at the BrooklynVegan-presented Rock Shop launch party that Tune-Yards and... Sharon Van Etten also played.

I think this is the first BV show with all BV show veterans on the bill, though none of them ever played a BV-SXSW event before (and Sam has never been billed as himself).

Sharon Van Etten & band are back out on tour soon - catch them on the road or when they get back home and headline Music Hall of Williamsburg on April 16th (exactly a month after the BV-SXSW show) with Little Scream. Tickets are still on sale.

Stay tuned for more BV-SXSW show announcements. An updated set of SVE tour dates, videos of all the artists on the SXSW bill, and more Ted Leo solo dates, below...

Continue reading "SXSW 2011 - BrooklynVegan official showcase lineup"

Sam Amidon at The Bell House (more by Vincent Cornelli)

If you missed the boat on Friday's now-sold out Doveman show at LPR featuring Sam Amidon, Glen Hansard, and Beth Orton (and special guests), then take note. Tickets are now on sale for the next two upcoming shows in the series at the same venue (February 16 and March 16). Special guests still haven't been announced for Feb and March, but with Thomas Bartlett's large circle of friends and collaborators, much is possible. As previously mentioned these 'salon' style shows will be full of experimentation and collaboration.

Tickets are also still on sale for the show Thomas/Doveman is playing with Owen Pallett and Nadia Sirota in March as part of the Ecstatic Music Festival.

AND, you can also catch Sam Amidon at Glasslands on February 16th. Tickets for this recently added Brooklyn show are on sale too.

Meanwhile, Amidon is set to play Schuba's in Chicago TONIGHT (1/13), and you can catch him at one of those shows with Nico Muhly at St. Ann's Warehouse in February (though I'm not sure what role he'll be playing in those shows). All other tour dates and some videos below.

Continue reading "more Doveman & Sam Amidon shows on sale"

DOWNLOAD: Doveman - Love Shines a Light (Katrina & the Waves cover) (MP3)

Thomas 'Cibo Matto' Bartlett @ LPR (more by Chris La Putt)

Doveman (aka Thomas Bartlett and sometimes a band) is starting a new salon series of collaborative concerts at NYC's Le Poisson Rouge. "The Burgundy Stain Sessions" kick off on January 14th at 7pm with very special guests Sam Amidon (who also plays in Doveman when Doveman is a band), Glen Hansard of the Frames and Swell Season (who Thomas has also played with before), Beth Orton (ditto), and "special guests." Rumor says the special guest for the first show might be St. Vincent.

Thomas says the shows will be "a forum for me and my friends to try out new material, showcase new bands, explore new collaborations, and drink." Drink with them. Tickets are still on sale for the January show. Look for lineups and tickets to soon be announced for the next shows which will take place on February 8th at 10pm and March 16th at 10pm.

Doveman recently appeared at Le Poisson Rouge as part of the reunited Cibo Matto, and also has a NYC show coming up at Merkin Hall in March.

Sam Amidon also has other shows coming up including three in February with Nico Muhly at St. Ann's Warehouse.

words by Rachel Kowal

On Friday and Saturday night, singer Sam Amidon has hosted a series of sold-out shows at The Kitchen, an arts space in Manhattan that boasts an impressive Board of Directors that includes the likes of Philip Glass, Nico Muhly and Bryce Dessner to name a few.

With its austere, DIY theatre vibe, the setting was a bit unconventional, but then again, so was the performance. Much more than simply an evening of folk songs, ballads, and hymns, Amidon projected random video clips and odd, hand-drawn cartoons onto the large screen lining the back wall.

There were two clusters of instruments and laptops on stage - one for Amidon and the other for one of his regular collaborators, Shahzad Ismaily. Due to Amidon's mesmerizing presence, it's easy to overlook Ismaily on percussion, but only because his contribution is effortlessly subtle and effective.

Amidon began his multimedia show with a series of video clips, including one of himself in a rowboat, narrating the tragic tale of "a young child of indiscriminate gender, wearing a green raincoat who ran away from home at the age of 10." With such a vivid and candid performer like Amidon, it's often hard to tell if it's all an act or if he's a bit crazy, but that's part of the appeal.

As was quickly evidenced by both his home videos and his live performance, Amidon can hardly contain his odd stories and asides. With Amidon, it's about the journey - however winding or disjointed it may be. And with a fair amount of sing-a-longs thrown in to keep the audience engaged, it's hard not to feel that we're all weary travelers on the same odyssey.

Of course, the bulk of Amidon's show comprised songs from his last two albums, but he also played a quick succession of short folk songs. And yes, besides the more conventional aspects of the performance, he displayed everything from 'liturgical dancing' and chaotic vocal exercises to a book review (Peter Biskind's "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood" - apparently terrible), a conversation between a piece of broccoli and a jar of maple syrup (naturally, about love and depression), and an R. Kelly cover ("Relief").

It may not have been the most coherent experience, but Sam Amidon's grab bag performances never cease to entertain and enliven.

--

Both Sam Amidon and Shahzad Ismaily also play in Thomas Bartlett's Doveman, so maybe they'll be there in March when Doveman goes on a very short tour with Nadia Sirota in March. That very short tour includes two shows in Minneapolis and that one taking place at Merkin Concert Hall on March 9th with Owen Pallett.

Nadia Sirota and Sam Amidon, along with The National's Bryce Dessner and Bishi, will also participate in Tell The Way at St. Ann's Warehouse on February 10th, 11th and 12th...

Tell The Way is a newly commissioned collaborative work created for the Brooklyn Youth Chorus (Dianne Berkun, Artistic Director) by the ubiquitous Nico Muhly. Loosely based on medieval and colonial English travel narratives, the work draws from American folk sources, prayers for the Royal Navy, early colonial diaries, Mandeville, Herodotus and Marco Polo. Nico Muhly's music is propulsive travel-music, but at the heart of Tell The Way are three meditative collaborations between Muhly and Bishi, Muhly and Bryce Dessner and Muhly and Sam Amidon. An ensemble of strings, percussion, piano, and flute augment the voices of the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Bryce's guitar, Sam's banjo and fiddle, and Bishi's sitar.

All tour dates and Sam's Kitchen setlist, below...

Continue reading "Sam Amidon played the Kitchen (review & setlist), playing Nico Muhly's 'Tell The Way' @ St. Ann's Warehouse (dates)"

Sam Amidon & friends @ LPR in 2009 (more by Fresh Bread)

"On Friday and Saturday, November 19 and 20, The Kitchen will present solo performances by musician, composer and visual artist Sam Amidon. Drawing from his most recent release, I See The Sign (Bedroom Community, April 2010), Amidon will perform re-workings-by turns intuitive and radical-of secular ballads, gospel, folk songs, and hymns, in addition to original compositions. This evening will also include interludes of storytelling, field recordings, and projections of Amidon's hand-drawn cartoons and short videos. Curated by Matthew Lyons, the performances will take place at 8:00 P.M. at The Kitchen (512 West 19th Street). Tickets are $12."

Sam has a few other shows coming up too. They are listed below...

Continue reading "Sam Amidon adds 3rd show this weekend & other dates"

today in NYC
* Mixashawn @ The Stone
* Sam Amidon @ The Kitchen
* EPMD, D-Money @ Knitting Factory
* Kate Nash, Peggy Sue @ Terminal 5
* Amy Ray, Mount Moriah @ Le Poisson Rouge
* Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T. @ Starland Ballroom
* DAM, DJ Spooky, Tamar-kali, DJ Oja @ Southpaw
* Brooke Fraser, Sam Bradley @ Highline Ballroom
* The Naked and Famous, Tony Castles @ Mercury Lounge
* Darlings, Tough Knuckles, Sweet Bulbs, Y/Y @ Bruar Falls
* Tame Impala, Stardeath & White Dwarfs, Kuroma @ Bowery Ballroom
* Jeffrey Foucault, Kris Delmhorst, Andy Friedman @ The Bell House
* Bear In Heaven, Twin Shadow, Sun Airway @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
* You Can Be A Wesley, The Toothaches, Pieces, Honey Dos @ Silent Barn
* Zoos Of Berlin, Steel Phantoms, Pat Jordache, Jimmy Ohio @ Cake Shop
* Light Pollution, Acrylics, Blood Orange, Unsolved Mysteries @ Glasslands
* Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Vital Remains, Devourment @ Santos Party House
* Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber, MK Groove Orchestra, Dope Sagittarius @ Coco 66
* Philippe Petit, Post Abortion Stress, Crash Course in Science @ Issue Project Room
* The Beets, Total Slacker, The Babies, Eternal Summers, Night Manager @ former West Nile space
* Jonathan Kane's February, Colin Langenus Orchestra, (From) The Sky, Interruptus @ The Showpaper 42nd Street Gallery

Sam Amidon's two shows at the Kitchen (tonight and tomorrow) are sold out), but they say "Waitlist at 7pm at door." UPDATE: third show added

Cornershop was supoosed to play Irving Plaza tonight.

Ani DiFranco was supposed to play Town Hall tonight and tomorrow, but the shows have been "Canceled due to Illness."

Sun Airway opens for Bear in Heaven at Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight. Check out their video for "Put the Days Away" below...

What else?

Continue reading "What's going on Friday?"

by Rachel Kowal

DOWNLOAD: Sam Amidon - "Cabin in the Corner" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sam Amidon - Walking on Sunshine (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sam Amidon - Relief (R. Kelly cover) (MP3)

Sam Amidon in a museum in the past

I made it to the Mercury Lounge just in time to catch the tail end of Partyface, the mysterious opener and Sam Amidon's self-proclaimed "favorite band." The only Partyface easily search-able on Myspace appears to be a death metal band from Massachusetts, but don't let that, or the wild energy invoked by the artist's chosen name, fool you. With just a guy on drums (Shazad Ismaily) and a girl on guitar, the Partyface present at last Wednesday night's show definitely falls more under the classification of singer-songwriter.

It's also tempting to call Sam Amidon a singer-songwriter, but that label proves to be somewhat problematic for a few reasons. Most obviously, Amidon doesn't really write his own songs - at least not in the conventional sense. Amidon's catalog consists almost entirely of traditional folk songs and an odd assortment of cover songs. Despite the lack of 'original' material, however, Amdion re-imagines and rearranges the songs he chooses so that by the time he's done with them, each one is born anew.

Vivid, often tragic stories animate Amidon's songs. The Mercury Lounge show featured a trip through the mountains, a blood-stained shirt, a fair damsel waiting for her lover to return from battle, and a girl with rosy-red lips. But Sam Amidon's songs are not the only things with a strong narrative appeal. His banter consists almost entirely of strange, outlandish stories that for the most part seem wholly unconnected to his music. (For example, he talks about an article in the Economist that he was reading on the train from London to Paris, which allegedly concerned a 'vegetarian homicidal robot' that forages for fruit and veggies and then burns them when it finds them.) Then, without missing a beat, he launches into his next song, making me wonder how he could possibly have trouble writing songs from scratch. Like a curious little kid, he seems to find stories in everything. Even his instruments have a story or two to tell. During one song, he preceded every banjo solo with the lightening fast quip, "What do you say, banjo?"

It isn't often that a band's percussion contributes much to a song in a thematic sense, but Shahzad Ismaily, Amidon's partner on stage, is capable of working magic. If he falls into the background at all, it is only because his percussive style compliments Amidon's music so well. Near the end of "I See the Sign," for instance, Amidon sang about dark clouds and Ismaily created a low rumble on the drums that sounded just like thunder rolling in from the distance.

Folk ballads and cover songs aside, Amidon also sets himself apart from the flock of other acoustic singer-songwriters due to his erratic and unpredictable delivery. One moment, he's singing about a wayward son straight out of the Old Testament, and another he's doing a mad interpretive dance (or a 'liturgical dance' in his words). First, he's like a medieval troubadour, delivering romantic lyrics with his warm, well-weathered voice. Then, he announces mid-song that we're going to take a 'journey' together, and he launches into a madcap freestyle that bore an uncanny resemblance to a train in desperate need of repair.

Amidon concluded his short but compelling set, sans encore, with a mini-medley of "Climbing High Mountains" and a cover of the charmingly naive and unrealistically optimistic R. Kelly song "Relief," which posits (among other things) that the war is over. Not many people could pull off covers by artists as far-ranging as R. Kelly, Katrina and the Waves, and Tears for Fears, but Sam Amidon seems to transform the songs and make them fully his own.

Sam will next tell stories on July 7th at Tony Shafrazi Gallery in NYC. More details on that free show along with the Mercury Lounge setlist and two of his story videos, below....

Continue reading "Sam Amidon played Mercury Lounge, playing a free show "

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Califone - "Ro" (feat. Orso) (MP3 premiere)
DOWNLOAD: Sharon Van Etten - "I Couldn't Save You" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sam Amidon - "Cabin in the Corner" (MP3)

The members of expansive Chicago group Califone have a soft spot for film. In 2009 they made one of their own, All My Friends Are Funeral Singers, which they toured around the country (and which just came out on DVD on May 27th). So it's no surprise that they've lent one of their tunes, an unreleased number called "Ro," to filmmaker R. Alverson for a package of songs "for or inspired by" his debut feature film, The Builder. The song will be part of a digital-only series to accompany the film's July 27th DVD release on Jagjaguwar (it's the label's first movie release). That Califone song, which features fellow Chicagoan Orso, is posted above, as are two other songs from the series by fellow BV favorites Sam Amidon and Sharon Van Etten.

Music for the film itself is provided by Bon Iver, Gregor Samsa, Pan American, Robert Donne and Spokane (a group that features Alverson and the film's co-producer Courtney Bowles).

The Builder will be make its New York debut at a free screening hosted at cozy Brooklyn bar Zebulon on Wednesday, July 7th. Sharon Van Etten will be playing a set at that.

Filming on Alverson's second feature New Jerusalem, which stars Will Oldham and Builder actor/co-writer Colm O'Leary, finished earlier this year.

The trailer & synopsis for The Builder, along with a video interview with Alverson, and Califone's handful of tour dates (all in the Midwest, besides an August show at Mass MoCa in North Adams, MA) are below...

Continue reading "Califone (& Sharon Van Etten & Sam Amidon) on album inspired by 'The Builder' - MP3s & NYC debut screening info"

DOWNLOAD: Sam Amidon - Walking on Sunshine (MP3)

Monday, May 24th, 2010 marks the 25th anniversary of Katrina and the Waves' classic song "Walking On Sunshine". To celebrate, the band has various things planned, one of which is a remastered version of the original song entitled "Walking On Sunshine 25". The song will be released this coming Tuesday on iTunes (and other fine download establishments). You can also listen to it right now in the new (but looks old) video below.

More importantly, I've teamed up with the band, and Primary Wave Music, to make a little EP featuring some of my favorite artists covering Katrina and the Waves songs. That's the cover of the EP with the big picture of the sun up there. It was designed by Nathan J Crow. Right above that is track number one. Download Sam Amidon's "Walking on Sunshine" now, for free, and stay tuned for more details coming Monday!

Continue reading "Sam Amidon covers Walking on Sunshine for BV EP (MP3)"

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Sam Amidon - Relief (R. Kelly cover) (MP3)

Sam Amidon @ The Bell House in January (more by Vincent Cornelli)

Sam Amidon is currently in Europe playing with the Whale Watching tour, a group show that includes Ben Frost, Nico Muhly, Valgeir Sigurðsson and others. A live video from one of their recent gigs is below. Sam will be back to play Mercury Lounge on Wednesday, June 23rd. Tickets are on sale.

Sam Amidon's I See the Sign, out now on Bedroom Community, is an amazing listen, and one of the highlights, maybe surprisingly, is the R. Kelly cover posted above. At the album release show in April his comments on the tune - "I thought R. Kelly had done something really amazing...He'd written a song that had no bearing on reality" (via Village Voice) - shed some light on the foreboding irony of the song. The albums' other songs come from a variety of sources: bluegrass, Appalachian folk, blues - all become recognizably his, with instrumentation by composer Nico Muhly, parts played by Daniel Bjarnason and Shazad Ishmaily, and backup vocals from Beth Orton. He discusses recording the album in Iceland in a recent World Cafe session. Listen here. Also read our interview with Sam conducted at Big Ears.

Sam's friend & collaborator & band Doveman opened the album release show at 92YTribeca on April 10th. Doveman plays tonight at Bell House and at 92YTribeca Friday (5/6 & 5/7) opening for Patrick Watson.

Doveman also plays with Elysian Fields at (Le) Poisson Rouge on Thursday, May 13th. Tickets are on sale.

Videos of Sam and the Whale Watching tour are below...

Continue reading "Sam Amidon (album out now) & Doveman (opening for Patrick Watson tonight) add shows (dates) "

by Andrew Frisicano

DOWNLOAD: Sam Amidon - Relief (R. Kelly cover) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Beth Orton and Sam Amidon - Thirteen (Alex Chilton) (MP3)

Footloose... coming to LPR

The new monthly Unsilent Film series kicks off Wednesday, April 7 with a free concert from Kría Brekkan (ex-Múm, Avery Tare & Kría Brekkan) as she debuts a live-improvisational score to Jean Epstein's 1928 horror masterpiece The Fall of the House of Usher. Then on April 25 Doveman will perform revised versions of tracks from his reinterpretation of the Footloose soundtrack and his album The Conformist to excerpts from the films Footloose and The Conformist. And on May 23 the series will feature jazz guitar luminary Marc Ribot doing his solo-guitar score to Charles Chaplin's 1921 slapstick comedy The Kid. [Le Poisson Rouge]

Also coming up, Doveman will be opening for Patrick Watson on May 6th at the Bell House and May 7th at 92YTribeca. He'll also be performing with collaborator Sam Amidon at Sam's album release show at 92YTribeca on Saturday, April 10th. Tickets are still on sale.

Doveman also has a show on Thursday, April 15th at Barrow Street Theater with Uncle Monk (Tommy Ramone's bluegrass duo), Penny Arcade, Bandana Splits (a group that includes Dawn Landes) and Tyrone Cotton. That's being put on by NYC/Kentucky-based festival Motherlodge.

One of the songs on Sam's new record, I See the Sign, which is out now, is a dead serious cover of R. Kelly's "Relief" that's actually sort of affecting. The song is posted above. Beth Orton contributes to Sam Amidon's new album (and vice versa), and he joined her for two NYC shows in January. They also recently recorded a cover of Big Star's "Thirteen" with Dave Schramm and David Mansfield for Radio Free Song Club.

As we gathered on St. Patrick's Day to tape show number four, we learned of the death of Alex Chilton. Beth Orton and Sam Amidon were in the studio that night and worked out a version of Big Star's "Thirteen". Ted found the lyrics online, Sam picked out the chords and they sang it for the first time.

Marc Ribot will be performing in a trio with bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Chad Taylor at Rose Live Music on April 12th. And he'll do two sets at the Stone on May 6th (1st Henry Kaiser, Marc Ribot & John Zorn; 2nd Duo with Henry Kaiser & Marc Ribot).

The film screening tonight is the only announced upcoming date for Kría Brekkan. check out a video of her and Fall of the House of Usher, both pasted below...

Continue reading "film w/ music series w/ Kria Brekkan, Doveman, Marc Ribot ++ Sam Amidon MP3s (Alex Chilton & R Kelly covers) & more "

by Alex Lewis

Sam Amidon @ Big Ears Fest (more by Andrew Frisicano)

Sam Amidon sung the very first note at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville on Friday. Overshadowed on the festival's bill by the likes of famed rock bands (The National, Vampire Weekend) and legendary composers (Terry Riley), many of the badge-wearing festival attendees didn't know what to expect when the tall, flannel-wearing Vermont-native's strange voice filled the Knoxville Museum of Art. But they were soon won over.

In retrospect he was perfect for the role. As a musician who has illuminated elements of Americana, past and present, through his re-imaginings of traditional Appalachian songs Amidon has become a vital member of the contemporary folk community. In the spirit of Big Ears, his music relies on collaboration. Along with Thomas Bartlett (also known as Doveman) and composer Nico Muhly he is a member of the 802 tour, whose performances are beautiful syntheses of three varied musical minds. Amidon had three scheduled performances at the festival. I caught up with him backstage at the Bijou Theater.

--

How did you end up at Big Ears?

Sam: It was through the 802 Tour. We [Nico Muhly, Thomas Bartlett, Nadia Sirota, and I] had done a tour about two summers ago and it was a total blast. So we are always looking to do, not necessarily another tour, but some more shows because we love playing together. While we're all pretty busy, it's usually hard to find a time. But this weekend worked out. Another factor was Bryce [Dessner], someone who we all encounter in different capacities and there are so many people here who we know and play with. For instance, Thomas plays keyboards with The National. There were just so many wonderful musicians so we were totally happy to come play.

continued below...

Continue reading "an interview with Sam Amidon (at Big Ears)"

by Andrew Frisicano

Sufjan Stevens

Collaborations were the order of the day on Big Ears' Saturday, March 27th schedule (day two). At 1pm, the 802 Tour - Nico Muhly, Thomas Bartlett (Doveman) and Sam Amidon with violist Nadia Sirota - performed songs written by each. The National's Dessner brothers and drummer Bryan Devendorf joined for a selection of full-band Doveman songs, and the finale was a clamoring, epic version of the folk song "The Two Sisters" arranged by Nico (part of the percussion included Nico combing Thomas's hair). Sam played his own set with help from Thomas one day earlier, and later Saturday night.

Before that, the day started with Andrew W.K.'s Q&A-heavy lecture at the Knoxville Museum of Art (he played a set of music the night before) and a Bang on a Can All-Stars set that included works by Dave Longstreth, both at noon. Dirty Projectors performed later in the day (3:45pm) at Tennessee Theatre on a bill that also included DJ/Rupture and William Basinski who went on at the same time as Liturgy (who played at the Big Ears Annex at 2pm and then again at Pilot Light at midnight).

Clogs took the stage at the Bijou Theater with guests as well. Rumors of a solo set by Sufjan Steven circulated, but he only played one of his own songs, "Barn Owl Night Killer," on piano. Clogs were also assisted by Shara Worden, Aaron Dessner and Calder Quartet. Matt Berninger was delayed en route to Knoxville, so he didn't make his duet on "Last Song," for which main Clog Padma Newsome filled in. That wasn't the actual last song - new-album closer "We Were Here" was, which featured Sufjan on vocals and banjo along with Shara Worden and guitar by Aaron Dessner. A similar show happened in Brooklyn a few days earlier.

Joanna Newsom

The Saturday headliners - Vampire Weekend and Joanna Newsom - both played to sold out crowds (Vampire Weekend at the sprawling, ornate-adorned 1600 seat Tennessee Theater with opener Abe Vigoda). Joanna Newsom's set was opened by Fred Armisen aka Jens Hannemann, a master of "complicated drummer technique." Armisen also joined her set for one song to play awkward and out-of-place cowbell.

At the Tennessee, the night ended with Terry Riley's Autodreamagraphical Tales - music from Bang on a Can over Terry reading from his actual dreams (Eastern religion and weed popped up frequently) - and In C, led by BoaC's Evan Ziporyn and featuring the rest of Bang on a Can All-Stars as well as Calder Quartet, Clogs, Nico Muhly, Nadia Sirota, Gyan Riley, and Terry on voice. The open-ended song stretched to an hour, canceling out any chance to catch late night sets from Javelin and Gang Gang Dance. Gang Gang was stil going when I arrived, but the club shut down the power mid-song and flipped on the lights promptly at 3am, sending everyone home.

A recap of Friday is HERE. More pictures and videos from Saturday are below...

Continue reading "Big Ears Fest Day 2 - Joanna Newsom, Clogs w/ Sufjan, Fred Armisen, Nico Muhly, Terry Riley, more (pics, video, review) "

by Andrew Frisicano

Sam Amidon, accompanied by Thomas Bartlett, ushered in the first show of the 2010 Big Ears Festival at the Knoxville Museum of Art on Friday (3/26) with "Wild Bill Jones," his own version of the Appalachian folk song, punctuated with a piercing scream half-way through. "These are all folk songs, some from around here," said Sam, which was the right thing to say at the KMA, an institution whose collection and staff brims with East Tennessee pride. After a welcome by festival organizer Ashley Capps (whose AC Entertainment also organizes Bonnaroo) and co-curator Bryce Dessner, Calder Quartet and violinist Iva Bittova led the audience through the folk-inspired world of Bartok, Janacek and guitarist/composer Fred Frith.

A little after 7pm at the gorgeous Bijou Theatre (est. 1909), Terry Riley and his quartet - consisting of his son Gyan on classical guitar, Tracy Silverman on electric violin and Ches Smith on drums and marimba - played a series of extended ragas and genre-morphing songs. By midnight, an ecstatic crowd of all ages filled the hall for the xx. Just a few hours before, University of Tennessee basketball advanced to the NCAA Elite 8, and the partly collegiate crowd carried the celebratory mood to the gig. Some danced in front of their seats or in the aisles, and cheered in anticipation - in one opera box, an exhibitionist couple shared a drunken embrace dangerously close to the railing. Clandestine cigarettes were smoked as the xx performed their moody rock alongside minutely choreographed stage lights.

The earlier jj were even more laid back than the xx, with a sole singer, Elin Kastlander, standing before video projections that included an Italian soccer game, romps on the beach by Elin and co-member Joakim Benon, and whales and other nature scenes. We also got to see Elin roll a big blunt on screen, which might speak to her onstage ambivalence and generally lackluster approach. She did pick up an acoustic guitar once, as did her blond gentleman collaborator, Joakim, for a few numbers. With the music on autopilot, everything else - from the canned "native" beats to the narcissistic video - seemed to follow suit.

The first act had much better luck: Nosaj Thing's post-apocalyptic electronica, riddled with blippy bullets and ghostly echoes, destroyed the darkened theater. The xx gig was one of of the fest's sold out gigs (the others are currently Vampire Weekend and Joanna Newsom) but those with all-access Inner Ear passes ($250 now, but cheaper if you bought earlier) had no trouble finding front-row first-come, first-served seats if they showed at least 15 minutes before doors. The passes are pricey, but a good deal even if you make it to only 1/3rd of the 30-some shows at the fest.

A few blocks away, Andrew WK and the Calder Quartet finished their set with a cover of John Cage's 4'33" - or as Andrew put it "Johnny Cage! Fatality! Mortal Kombat!" The room was divided between those trying to rebel ("Play music!"), those trying to explain the piece ("It's supposed to be people talking"), those shushing, and those just enjoying the spectacle. Andrew returned for an encore of "Party Hard" (piano, voice and crowd participation) and brought out Calder's Eric Byers for a Bach cello piece, accompanied by an interpretive dance by Andrew WK (think "an impressionistic karate kid") dedicated to the late Merce Cunningham.

The compact nature of the participating venues in downtown Knoxville (one mid- and one large-size theater and a handful of smaller club-like spaces) gives Big Ears an intimate feel, and the festival's musicians - most recognizably, Sufjan Stevens, though his only performance is in a supporting role with Clogs (The BQE is being screened too) - can be seen hopping from venue to venue along with the fans.

The difficult decisions of Big Ears day one - Dutch post-punks the Ex against newcomers the xx - only intensify as the festival progresses, with the headliners like Joanna Newsom, Vampire Weekend and composer in residence Terry Riley all going head to head on Saturday.

More pictures and video from Big Ears day one are below...

Continue reading "Big Ears Fest Day 1 - Sam Amidon, jj, The xx, The ex, Terry Riley, Andrew WK, Nosaj Thing, more (pics, video, review)"