Grown Chilldren Kick off Western States Tour
The brainchild of Jared Mees, “The Grown Children” are the catchall name for the current amalgamation of players collaborating with Mees on recordings or on stage. The band is wrapping up it’s follow up to their stellar album, Caffeine, Alcohol, Sunshine, Money, and heading out on tour around the Western states.
Live, the band is loose, ramshackle spectacle that’s a thrill to dance, shout and sing along with. Start, stop, start, stop, learn the lyrics, and away we go; I’ve yet to see a Grown Children show where the crowd isn’t singing along to the chorus and dancing by the end the festivities.
Click here to listen to/download Cockleburrs and Hay by Jared Mees and The Grown Children
Tour dates: Read the rest of this post »
Grown Chilldren Kick off Western States Tour
The brainchild of Jared Mees, “The Grown Children” are the catchall name for the current amalgamation of players collaborating with Mees on recordings or on stage. The band is wrapping up it’s follow up to their stellar album, Caffeine, Alcohol, Sunshine, Money, and heading out on tour around the Western states.
Live, the band is loose, ramshackle spectacle that’s a thrill to dance, shout and sing along with. Start, stop, start, stop, learn the lyrics, and away we go; I’ve yet to see a Grown Children show where the crowd isn’t singing along to the chorus and dancing by the end the festivities.
Click here to listen to/download Cockleburrs and Hay by Jared Mees and The Grown Children
Tour dates: Read the rest of this post »
Grown Chilldren Kick off Western States Tour
The brainchild of Jared Mees, “The Grown Children” are the catchall name for the current amalgamation of players collaborating with Mees on recordings or on stage. The band is wrapping up it’s follow up to their stellar album, Caffeine, Alcohol, Sunshine, Money, and heading out on tour around the Western states.
Live, the band is loose, ramshackle spectacle that’s a thrill to dance, shout and sing along with. Start, stop, start, stop, learn the lyrics, and away we go; I’ve yet to see a Grown Children show where the crowd isn’t singing along to the chorus and dancing by the end the festivities.
Click here to listen to/download Cockleburrs and Hay by Jared Mees and The Grown Children
Tour dates: Read the rest of this post »
Lovers “Dark Light”
The haunting and enchanting vocals of Carolyn Berk could serve to be the linchpin to most any band’s success, and it’s easy to see her unforced song finding a home in most any pop subgenre. However, the precision synth-programming of Kerby Ferris and tight splash of percussionist Emily Kingan thoroughly wraps together in a splendidly original triumvirate of driving and melancholic pop serving as one of 2010’s choicest releases.
Berk’s earnest and seemingly effortless lyrical prowess couples brilliantly with a series of glitching robotic base riffs that teeter between organic and futuristic, Utopic and post-apocalyptic, hopelessly curt and unforcibly nonchelant. Berk never traps herself in the desperate and disparate croonings like so many other area songwriters.
Opening Dark Light is the track “Barnacle” with soft pulsing clicks, emerging snare cracks and is intervened with Berk’s subtly country-tinged vocals.”Every time the music starts/I can feel my achin’ shakin’ heart.” On paper, these lyrics might be likened to something from Billy Ray Cyrus, but in the arena of the song’s full atmosphere, the simplicity and honesty of what she says is placed in a multi-sensory experience that summates to more than anything penned or practiced. The weighted simple notions and turns of phrases are ever-present on the album. On “Peppermint” a sticking lyric warns “You sent your heart out in the graveyard/Go get your heart from the great beyond.” Dark Light, as a whole, offers idioms of emotionality without being emo or contrived. In fact, Berk’s storytelling manages to avoid preaching or being condescending to its audience. The workings of this three-piece blossoms in so many ways beyond words. Listening is a must, so get to it.
Dark Light releases on Badman Records on October 12, 2010.
Video of the Week - The Holograms
3 Acclaimed Songwriters to Headline Mississippi Studios
August 3rd will bring three classic songwriters together at Mississippi Studios — performers who are no less compelling for the fact that you may not have heard of any of them. Catherine Feeny, Chris Pierce and Jim Bianco met in Los Angeles early in their careers while plying their trade at the then-unknown Hotel Cafe, which has since gained a reputation in singer-songwriter circles for helping launch the careers of Gary Jules, Alexi Murdoch, Meiko and Greg Laswell, among others. The three forged differing paths — Feeny moved to England, where she signed to major label EMI, Pierce started his own successful record label, and Bianco embarked on an endless touring schedule that marks him a troubador in the truest sense of the word.
And it’s no wonder that they diverged — while all three are deeply-rooted in the traditions of American songwriting, each brings a unique hand to the table. Feeny’s songs are exercises in vulnerability and Pierce’s in earthy spirituality, while Bianco’s strengths are humor and tantalizing sexuality. The dire state of the music industry and the school of hard knocks has sent many from their class in search of greener pastures, but lucky for us, these three are made of stronger stuff. If you are a fan of Joni Mitchell, Otis Redding or Tom Waits, this is a night you will enjoy.
About the artists:
Catherine Feeny www.catherinefeeny.com
After being dropped from her label (EMI/Charisma) in 2008, Catherine Feeny drove 12,000 miles with her husband-to-be in a 1990 Mazda 323, playing more than 40 shows in livingrooms all over the United States. She has since re-located to Portland, self-released her third solo album (”People in the Hole”) and formed unconventional protest-folk outfit Come Gather Round Us with her husband Sebastian Rogers and local virtuosos Jon Neufeld (Black Prairie, Jack Straw) and Mike Danner (Trashcan Joe). Feeny tours in the US, UK and Europe, both as a headline act and supporting artists such as Wilco, The Indigo Girls, Suzanne Vega and the legendary John Prine. Her song “Mr. Blue” was featured in the film “Running with Scissors” and reached the A-list at Radio 2 — Britain’s most listened to radio station. Feeny recently teamed with Seattle indie director Keith Rivers to make a shockingly realistic zombie short in support of her single “People in the Hole.”
Chris Pierce www.chrispierce.com
Chris Pierce who is known for his powerful and “never the same” live shows continues to tour worldwide in 2010. Chris is in pre-production for the highly anticipated follow up to his 2008 independent soul album “Walking on the Earth” which was picked by KCRW’s Nic Harcourt as one of the top ten albums of the year. The music and performance of Chris Pierce crosses over age, race, and gender as evidenced by the diverse artists he has opened for which include B.B. King, Seal, Colbie Caillat, Al Green, Jamie Cullum, Toots & The Maytals, Robert Cray and Brett Dennen, among others. He has received worldwide notoriety for song placements on the Oscar award winner Crash and T.V shows like Brothers and Sisters, What About Brian, Lincoln Heights, Army Wives and a national Banana Republic ad campaign. Chris Pierce is often described as an old soul with fresh music and is often compared to greats like Otis Redding, Bill Withers and Van Morrison.
Jim Bianco www.jimbianco.com
Jim Bianco is a regular performer at the Hotel Café and his residencies are a popular favorite. Usually playing with his full band, Bianco’s sets have a reputation for being sold-out, high energy and sexually charged events. On occasion, Bianco has rented a catwalk and invited his burlesque dancer friends to perform and throw feathers during his set. Bianco is also known for eliminating the traditional fourth wall between audience and performer by leading his band into the center of the audience during his song “Sing” encouraging audience participation, which culminates in a sing-along. Bianco averages between 150-200 shows a year, performing in major markets across North America, Europe and Japan. Depending on the tour, Bianco performs solo or with multi-instrumentalist, band mate and co-producer Brad Gordon. He also tours as a trio and with his full band. Bianco has shared billing with many notable acts including: Squeeze, Gary Jules, Shelby Lynne, Amy McDonald, Tift Merritt, Loudon Wainright III, Jenny Own Youngs and many more.
Blue Cranes Announce Forthcoming Album
It takes a minute for a band to hurdle growth spurts and become the eloquent ensemble it hopes to be. But striving for a truly individual sound, one that depends on the contributions of each member is a noble goal. After three years as a quintet with two saxophones up front, Blue Cranes have achieved such a victory. They prove it with Observatories.
On its third album, everything gels for the acclaimed instrumental outfit from Portland, Oregon. Working that thin line between prog-jazz improvisation and indie rock catchiness, the band arrives at a unique spot. Like forebears such as The Ordinaires and The President, and contemporaries like Todd Sickafoose’s Tiny Resistors and John Hollenbeck’s Claudia Quintet, Blue Cranes have found ways to make exploration seem like the most enjoyable process around.
The songs and performances on Observatories are all about rewards of collective articulation. Reed Wallsmith, the group’s straw boss, saxophonist and main composer, says the new album finds them putting their best foot forward.
“Homing Patterns, the record before this, was a quintet with two horns; Sly Pig joined us on tenor saxophone a year before we made it. But, I had conceived of a lot of the music originally for quartet. Since then, with more time under our belts, I think our compositions more fully incorporate all five of us. For Observatories we wrote more contrapuntal lines, not just melodies and support riffs. I hope that the entire group unity comes through. It feels great to hear it happen.”
Blue Cranes is comprised of drummer Ji Tanzer, bassist Keith Brush, keyboardist Rebecca Sanborn, tenor saxophonist Joe “Sly Pig” Cunningham, and Wallsmith himself. The alto saxophonist says that the camaraderie of gigging on the road has bolstered the band’s unity.
photo credit: Jason Quigley
“We’ve done seven tours now, and gone out for a week and a half at a time. That kind of continuity is such a great way to get tight as a band – performing every night and being able to talk about the music every day. We have fun on the road. Sharing music on iPods, hanging out, laughing about everything. It’s such a blast to get to know each other better. It’s not just my vision driving the action anymore; it’s all of ours – which has always been my goal.”
Blue Cranes’ music is refreshingly diverse. They may be a left-of-center instrumental outfit, but their book has lots of room for old-fashioned beauty. Wallsmith’s “Grandpa’s Hands” is a bittersweet anthem with a luminous theme that boasts echoes of Steve Reich. Cunningham’s “Broken Windmills” is an evocative lament that could easily snuggle up to an Ornette Coleman ballad. Waxing rustic isn’t forbidden with Blue Cranes, and that decision widens the record’s emotional palette. On “Yellow Ochre,” the group sounds like The Band sauntering its way through The Beatles’ “Let It Be.”
“Tim Young, the guitarist from Wayne Horvitz’s band, made a comment I liked,” says Wallsmith. “He said ‘You guys aren’t afraid to just play melodies.’ I think that’s true. ‘Yellow Ochre’ feels old fashioned to me. ‘Maddie Mae,’ too. I’m proud of that tone. But the album wouldn’t work if it was full of tunes like ‘Yellow Ochre.’ We wanted to make it flow, to have the pretty stuff move right into the in-your-face stuff.”
Indeed, Observatories does strike a balance between genteel and rambunctious. Crescendos crop up in all sorts of places, and the physical thrust of the rhythm section gives several moments a wonderfully vicious clout. “Richie Bros.” has an intricate pounding intro, a dreamy head, and an explosive middle. “We don’t get super mathy, but ‘Richie Bros.’ is aggressive,” Wallsmith concurs. “I like the power of it, but I also like the fact that it’s followed by the softness of ‘Maddie Mae.’
Sly Pig also played and recorded with indie rock superheroes, The Decemberists. It seems he and Wallsmith have found the perfect formula for cogent abstraction.
“From the first day we started playing, I felt unexpectedly in-synch with him,” says Wallsmith. “We started at an all-improvised gig, and when we played together, I had this feeling that we were long lost brothers.’ I’ve never really met another sax player who approaches music like me. Wherever we’re coming from, it’s a similar same place. We work as a team.”
The Blue Cranes have received kudos from a few key contemporaries. They’ve shared bills with keyboard icon Wayne Horvitz (his “Love Love Love” is part of Observatories) and he’s now a fan. Wallsmith was a Happy Apple zealot when he was in college in Minneapolis and when drummer Dave King, now of The Bad Plus, posted a “don’t miss John Hollenbeck’s tour” missive on the The Bad Plus’ blog, Wallsmith made a point to catch the drummer-composer. “After the gig I gave someone at the venue a CD to give to John. He later contacted me out of the blue to say that, although he didn’t expect to, he really liked it. What an honor!” Blue Cranes have since shared the stage with bands as diverse as Hollenbeck’s Claudia Quintet, the dub/hardcore Mi Ami, trumpeter Cuong Vu and violinist Michael White.
Ultimately Observatories is about breadth. Blue Cranes is a band that sees things from various perspectives. A toy piano is the first sound you hear on the disc; a baby’s voice is the final. Variety is central to the action. Tanzer is the go-to guy when it comes to album titles; he’s named the previous Blue Cranes albums. But it was the band’s friend and Tanzer’s band mate, Spinanes leader Rebecca Gates, who came up with the current moniker, and one thing’s for certain: Observatories is dead on, because the Blue Cranes are here to show us all sorts of things.
Website: http://bluecranesmusic.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bluecranes
Twitter: http://twitter.com/bluecranes
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/bluecranes
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/bluecranes3006#p/u
RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 14, 2010
Filmusik: Gulliver’s Travels
Movie soundtrack pros come together for a live movie showing with acting, sound effects and music.
This summer Filmusik is turning a local movie theatre into a Hollywood Soundstage. A team of 30 Portland professionals from the field of movie soundtracks create the sound for a classic animation live in the pit. As the movie plays on the big screen, 4 cartoon actors give voice to the on-screen characters, sound effects artists create the noises from over a hundred foley props and the Filmusik Chamber ensemble performs the music from the film including many musical numbers and several sing-a-longs. For cartoon buffs, family, new music lovers and anyone who’s ever wanted to know how they make that funny noise when Daffy Duck falls over. Filmusik: Gulliver’s Travels is a new way to experience movies and sound. Incidentally, it’s also the only place in town where you can sing along to a bouncing ball with a live orchestra and chorus backing you up!
Filmusik: Gulliver’s Travels
Hollywood Theatre
July 16th, 21st, 23rd at 7pm
July 18th at 2pm
TICKETS $12/$10 Children, Students & Seniors
Tickets and more information available at www.filmusik.com
Also at the Hollywood Theatre box office at 4122 NE Sandy Boulevard
Or by calling (503) 281-4215
Oregon has always been particularly gifted when it comes to cartoon voice-over actors. Mel Blanc, graduate of Lincoln High School was the most widely recognized voice actor in the world, the voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and hundreds of others. Filmusik: Gulliver’s Travels features 4 contemporary Portland talents: James Dineen, Todd Tolces, Chris Porter and Bill Barry. They have their hands full dubbing this cartoon with a cast of colorful singing Lilliputians. The voice-overs are directed by Sam A. Mowry, long time radio actor and Filmusik collaborator“For the voice actor, everyone of us, it started when we watched the Saturday morning cartoons. We copied the voices, learned what made an exciting vocal choice or dynamic characters. Even before we knew thats what we learned. I’ve been lucky enough to work on some original animation projects and we have Todd Tolces, one of Will Vinton’s stalwarts during their heyday. Using your voice to add that final sparkle to such an amazing film is really quite magical. Recreating these classic cartoon legends with fidelity to the original, but being your own man, or king or giant for that matter is a dream come true for all of us. This is going to be amazing.”
- Sam A. Mowry – Voice-over Director
David Ian and his team of film Foley artists create the sound effects live. Tapping shoes together for footsteps, rattling doorknobs and crinkling cellophane. The props are flying as they keep time with the movie, matching every rattle, whistle and explosion.
“As a long time fan of the Fleischer Bros. work, it’s a thrill for me to be able to work with this wonderful animation.
It’s also a delight to be able to gently update some of the SFX while preserving that “vintage sound” that is so much part of the experience.”
- Marc Rose - Sound Designer
The originally composed score by Galen Huckins draws on elements from the musical-toon era of the film with a more contemporary sensibility. The ensemble features strings, piano, clarinets and an arsenal of percussion.
“Music from animation tends to be very fast paced, the characters move with a musical rhythm of their own that the score adapts and transforms to its own purposes. It sounds a little schizophrenic played by itself, but its a lot of fun to perform.
- Galen Huckins - Composer
Fleischer’s animated feature from 1939 tells Jonathon Swift’s travel adventure in a Betty Boop meets Moby Dick sort of way. There’s songs and dance, live sound effects, live voices and live music. It’s like Fantasia if Mickey Mouse were Goliath and the orchestra was right in your lap! With an original score performed live by the Filmusik Chamber ensemble and a cast of 20 performers. GULLIVER’S TRAVELS is a movie experience not to miss.
It’s a rare chance to see professional soundtrack artists at work. Get yourself some popcorn and be prepared to sing along!!Video of the Week - I Can Do That
Fresh off the unparalleled success of their “Heartbeat Song” video, The Futureheads present their new video for “I Can Do That.” You won’t want to miss a minute of the animated, comic book style clip. To achieve the perfect portrayal of each band member, they actually filmed footage to be used as a template for the cartoon version of themselves. While most animated videos are done in a wholly digital environment, this video has the feel of real action and an even truer human element.
In typical Futureheads fashion, “I Can Do That” has infectious, singalong lyrics that vocalist Barry Hyde delivers with an anthemic energy. The track is from The Futureheads’ latest full-length effort, The Chaos, which was released in the US in early June by Dovecote Records.
Futureheads
Video of the Week: In Ruins
Two Icelandic youth wander through what looks like an apocalyptic wasteland, which is really just an abandoned area of Iceland as a result of Eyjafjallajökull. The boy and girl have to wear masks just to breathe and see amidst the dust. Even the camera had to be wrapped in a plastic garbage bag, making it hard to focus. The location where the video was shot is normally lush and green at the time of year, but was transformed into an alien landscape with layers of grey ash covering it all. Shot in one day, the crew luckily had plenty of light to film as it stayed light out past midnight.
In other Fol Chen video news, the band encourages you to watch this Public Service Announcement about “In Ruins” starring Emmy award-winning actor Bryan Cox (Rushmore, Adaptation) and to sign up for a subcommittee at
www.folchen.com
Fresh off their national tour (and band-member sharing) with the mighty Liars, awesome avant popsters Fol Chen are returning to Portland on July 10th at the Doug Fir Lounge, just in time to celebrate the release of their new record ‘Part II: The New December’ on Asthmatic Kitty.
