New music feature: Joker’s Daughter

April 10, 2009 Leave a Comment

Joker’s Daughter feature on venuszine.com

Joker’s Daughter is singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Helena Costas, who teamed with Danger Mouse as her producer for her debut album The Last Laugh for Conor Oberst’s Team Love label. I think the story turned out fine but this interview was a technological nightmare! Because Helena lives in London, it was supposed to be on Skype, then Skype kept cutting out and/or not connecting, so we decided to do the interview via instant message … but then the Internet in my house went out so I had to run to the coffee shop to finish it.

Joker’s Daughter’s MySpace

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New music feature: The Bird and the Bee

January 28, 2009 Leave a Comment


(press photo by Autumn deWilde)

Bird and the Bee feature on venuszine.com

The Bird and the Bee’s second LP, Ray Guns are not Just the Future, was released on Blue Note yesterday! (Amazon is currently selling the DRM-free digital version for only $3.99!)

It’s just as awesome as their self-titled album (you know, the one with the song “Fucking Boyfriend” on it). If you’re not familiar, the band is singer-songwriter Inara George (whose summer release An Invitation, a collaboration with composer Van Dyke Parks, is lovely) and producer/multi-instrumentalist Greg Kurstin (no big deal, he’s just produced Lily Allen’s albums and written for, produced and/or played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ben Harper, Kylie Minogue, etc. etc.).

Video for “Love Letter to Japan,” from Ray Guns are not Just the Future:

The Bird and the Bee’s MySpace
Inara George’s MySpace

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Live review: Mirah, No Kids, Mount Eerie and Julie Doiron @ The Crofoot Ballroom

October 19, 2008 Leave a Comment

Mirah show review on venuszine.com

This show was so wonderful that when my friends and I left, we all wanted to take all the musicians home with us because they were so cute and sweet. Except for on MySpace I hadn’t really listened to anyone but Mirah, but definitely will be checking out everyone else’s stuff now.

Mirah’s setlist:

“Location Temporary”
“The Sun”
New song
“Look Up!”
“While We Have The Sun”
“Mt. St. Helens”
(couldn’t figure this one out! maybe new?)
“Don’t Die In Me”
New song
“Person Person”
“Advisory Committee”

Encore:
(couldn’t figure this out — most likely from her Share This Place album with Spectratone International)
“The Garden”

Check ‘em out on MySpace:
Mirah
No Kids
Mount Eerie
Julie Doiron

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New music feature: I’m From Barcelona

October 16, 2008 Leave a Comment


(press photo)

I’m From Barcelona feature on venuszine.com

I saw I’m From Barcelona’s first U.S. show, at Lollapalooza in 2007, and it was about the happiest thing I saw all weekend (bright colors, balloons, frontman Emanuel Lundgren crowd-surfing on a yellow swim raft, a band member dressed in a big, fuzzy bear suit …). Oh yeah, and they’re actually from Sweden. The band definitely is a little campy and kind of a novelty, but they’re fun and just released a second album, Who Killed Harry Houdini?

“We’re From Barcelona,” from the band’s debut album, Let Me Introduce My Friends:

I’m From Barcelona’s MySpace
I’m From Barcelona’s Web site

p.s. For some reason, I was under the impression that I couldn’t post videos on here. Clearly I was very wrong, so there will be lots more to come!

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New music feature: Amanda Palmer

September 13, 2008 Leave a Comment


(photo by me, from Amanda Palmer’s Aug. 11 show at Spiegelworld in Manhattan)

Dresden Dolls frontlady Amanda Palmer’s Ben Folds–produced solo album, Who Killed Amanda Palmer, comes out on Tuesday (Sept. 16) and I highly recommend picking up a copy because it is amazing. I think she’s touring again sometime this fall and I am crossing my fingers for a Michigan date!

I interviewed Amanda about a month ago, before her show at Spiegelworld in Manhattan, and my story is finally up on venuszine.com (read it here!).

Amanda Palmer’s MySpace
My review of Amanda Palmer’s NYC show
The Dresden Dolls’ MySpace
The Dresden Dolls’ Web site

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New music feature: Theresa Andersson

September 9, 2008 1 Comment

After listening to Swedish musician Theresa Andersson’s song “Na Na Na” and then watching her video for it (which has gotten more than 714,000 views on YouTube) I automatically said, “Oh my god, need to write about her.” The video — and pretty much the whole album — was recorded in her kitchen at home in New Orleans, where she’s lived for half of her life. Her debut album, Humming Bird, Go! was released on Sept. 2 and it’s amazing, so check it out!

Read my venuszine.com story here.
Theresa Andersson’s MySpace
Video for “Na Na Na”

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Live photos (+ interviews): Lollapalooza

August 9, 2008 Leave a Comment

Lollapalooza was a week ago and I’m still catching up on life … didn’t get back to NYC till Tuesday afternoon because my flight got canceled Monday due to weather.

This is the third year in a row I’ve gone to Lollapalooza and each has been way different. In ’06 some friends and I just bought tickets and stayed with my friend’s brother in the city. Last year I was living in Chicago and covered the fest for venuszine.com, and then this year I was there coordinating the coverage for venuszine.com — which you can and should check out here! It was pretty hectic (huge understatement), but I had a lot of fun.

During the weekend I interviewed Chuck Inglish (Evan Ingersoll) of the Cool Kids, Will Sheff of Okkervil River, and Ninja and Nick Parton of The Go! Team. I also “met” (as in shook hands with, so I guess it doesn’t totally count) the Ting Tings, Gregg Gillis (Girl Talk), Saul Williams, and Nicole Atkins. It was pretty neat.

Click the photos below for my interviews:


I think my favorite sets of the weekend were Okkervil River, The Go! Team, Radiohead, and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings.

Some of my Lolla photos after the jump!

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New music feature: Adron

July 2, 2008 Leave a Comment

I got a press release about Adron back in April and right away thought “oh my god I want to write about her” because her music is so awesome. She’s my age and plays on a classical guitar, is inspired by a lot of Brazilian music and her music is so pretty, jazzy, summery and just lovely. Before I actually got her album (which came out July 1), I would just sit at work and listen to the four songs on her MySpace over and over.

Read my venuszine.com feature here.
Adron’s MySpace

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New music feature: Tilly and the Wall

June 20, 2008 Leave a Comment

I saw Tilly and the Wall live for the first time in September 2005, about three weeks into my freshman year in college. They played at Mac’s Bar in Lansing with David Dondero, Neva Dinova, and Orenda Fink (of Azure Ray). It definitely was one of my favorite shows of all time. As much as they get played off as a novelty band because they have a tap dancer instead of a drummer, I still think they’re great and was so excited to interview Jamie Pressnall (the tap dancer) about their new album, which came out on Tuesday (June 17).

Read my venuszine.com feature/interview here.
Tilly and the Wall’s MySpace.
Tilly and the Wall’s Web site.

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Live review: The Cool Kids @ Knitting Factory

June 8, 2008 Leave a Comment


(photo from my phone)

Apparently I used my camera enough during the Rilo Kiley show that it drained the batteries … pretty lame, considering they were new batteries and I only shot during three songs, but I was not happy to turn on my camera at the Cool Kids show and see the battery sign blinking. Since my camera’s not great to begin with, the photos I got were pretty horrible. If I somehow come across an extra few hundred dollars, I’m going to buy myself a better camera.

Anyway, the Cool Kids were pretty sweet. The set was short (as expected, they only have one 10-song EP and a few other random songs out), but they put on a good show.

Read my venuszine.com review
Cool Kids story from the spring 2008 issue of Venus Zine
The Cool Kids’ MySpace

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