Newsflash! MACRoCk Schedule Released!

O happy, happy day! MACRoCk, the Mid-Atlantic College Radio Conference, has just released its almost full schedule for this year's conference. Held April Fools' Weekend in lovely Harrisonburg, VA, this year's installment of the fest features some major LET faves like Gringo Star, Inter Arma and Eternal Summers, along with some of the best bands in the great Commonwealth of VA, such as Lubec, White Laces, and The Cinnamon Band. There's also a buncha bands playing that I'm totally excited to see, so it's safe to say that this here MACRoCk will be pretty dang awesome.

100 Shows of 2010 - #57: Birdnote Records Showcase, BiMA @ Wind-Up Space, 8/27/10

Y’all. I’ve gotta tell you, I’ve been in festival withdrawal something terrible over the past year and a half. But just when I was totally down in the festival-lacking dumps, up pops this great, great new festival, the Baltimore Independent Music & Arts Festival, better known (and heretofore known) as BiMA. Not only did BiMA manage to rope in over 100 artists from far and wide (i.e. Baltimore and beyond) to take part in the festivities, but it was localish (i.e. a mere 60-some miles), which was one of the best things about it. For a fledgling festival, it was pretty darned entertaining. My first taste of BiMA was the Birdnote Records showcase, and it was a rather fine time.

MINI RECAP: Well done, everyone! Overall score: B.

After circling around for what seemed like ages trying to park, I arrived at the Wind-Up Space just as DC’s own Bellflur was getting underway. Now, despite having wanted to see them live for quite some time now, it was a feat I hadn’t accomplished until BiMA. The venue appealed to me right away, as did the band. I definitely haven’t heard anything (at least, not that I can think of at the moment) come out of DC before, their sound being a very interesting mix of gentle rhythms with some subtle grooves and synthy goodness. In my notes I compared them sonically to a much, much less gloomy and non-Scottish Arab Strap. They used sound bytes in several songs, adding to the cinematic feel of the music. It was rather atmospheric and a touch dramatic, and I was pretty impressed with the boys of Bellflur. Their set was way too short for my liking, which I suppose just means I’ll have to work hard to make another Bellflur sighting happen. They were definitely my favorite band of this particular showcase.

Next up was Solar Temple Suicides. Their name made me think of a 60s stoner band, and their sound tended to trend that way. It’s perhaps what might happen had The Young Sinclairs been more into Phish than The Rolling Stones, in that their sound was very loud and very swirly and very expansive, with more straight-up noise than song structure. I preferred them sans vocals, but found their set to be rather entertaining. Stoner drone seems to be their forte, and the sound of the Wind-Up Space enhanced their vibe.

Milwaukeeans Brief Candles were the third band of the showcase, and I was curious to see what their sound would be like after the two vastly different preceding bands. They turned out to be a little dark and sinister, which I loved. They concocted a big ole wall of sound through the guitar and the bass, which made me quite happy. My only question about their set was the vocals. When Jen Boniger was doing vocal duty, I couldn’t ever quite tell how I felt about her voice, and preferred when guitarist Kevin Dixon took over. Their overall sound was pretty good, though, and I’m glad to have seen them, my reservations about vocals notwithstanding.

I paid a little more attention to the hot pink narwhal on the wall than I did to Baltimore’s Avec, which is probably not their fault. I just became fixated. However, the band was almost as awesome as that narwhal. They were super loud, and their boy-girl vocals worked really well off each other. They all had serious stage presence, which goes a long way in winning me over, and their sound was polished.

By the time Thrushes played I was well and truly distracted by the narwhal and friends that had rolled into town. But on the whole, I must say the showcase was fantastic. It got my BiMA experience off on the right foot, and proved that a newbie festival doesn’t have to suck while going through inevitable growing pains.

mp3: Insect Politics (Bellflur from asleep.asleep)

The Untitled Interview #50 – Whispering Beard Edition: Starring Travis Talbert (Frontier Folk Nebraska)

Hot diggity dog, y’all. This weekend marks the happening of a very, very special festival, and while I’ll be in Baltimore I highly recommend that if you can you make your way down to the wilds of Kentucky (Thorn Hill farm in Morning View, to be exact, which is a paltry 23 miles from Cincinnati!), for the best-named festival around: Whispering Beard. There’s gonna be more awesomeness than you can shake a stick at out there this year, so get your skates on. And your beards, of course.

I owe my affection for Frontier Folk Nebraska to WOXY (man alive, I miss that station). Something about the so very pretty grounded, glorious, earthy twang the band makes soothed my soul as I sat at my desk in a very, very soulless office job. And I suspect this is a band that is even better, somehow, live than on record. Lead axeman Travis Talbert took time out from preparing for the Beard to answer some questions, scroll on down and take a peek. And if you’re headed to the Beard, bring the boys some hats, just in case they forget theirs.

Les Enfants Terribles: How are you getting to Whispering Beard: plane, train, or automobile?
Travis Talbert: Automobile for sure. We travel in a 1999 Ford F-150, the Whispering Beard Festival is located in Morning View, KY, which is only about a half hour from our hometown of Covington, KY.

LET: Inevitably, you will forget to pack:
TT: I'd have to say we'll forget to pack a hat. This is a band that has taken good shots at being a band that wears hats, but we always forget them after a show or two.

LET: Band you're most looking forward to seeing at the festival?
TT: Without a doubt this one goes to the legendary Mr. Guy Clark. We just want to figure out a way to get him to sit and talk to us, tell stories, but that's a real long shot. It would be great though. Mike did some chatting with Peter Rowan last year, so hopefully that tradition carries on.

LET: You've played the Beard before. What do you dig most about it?
TT: We absolutely love the guys that put this festival on. They're real people, and by far some of the most genuine guys we've run into. Not just in music, but in general. They're great dudes and they've never hesitated to help us out. We can't say enough good things about them.

LET: What's the first thing you plan on doing upon arrival at the festival site?
TT: Parking and unloading, and for myself, I may go find whoever has the gallon jug backstage for some refreshments.

LET: What was the first festival you ever attended, either as a musician or member of the general public?
TT: The first one I ever attended was probably the Cincinnati Blues Festival on Sawyer Point on the Ohio River. Went with my dad, can't remember who played honestly, but a few years later some friends and I saw Bobby Rush. Lots of big butts on his stage. Awesome show.

LET: Favorite thing about festivals?
TT: I love festivals for the community feel. You get to play outside, see a bunch of other bands, and hopefully hang out and just talk about music all day. There's a feeling of ease that you don't have in a bar. And a bit of the unknown. The first WBFF threw a crazy storm on us just a few minutes before our set. We waited it out, and we still talk about how that night was one of our favorite moments playing ever.

mp3: Ballad of a Dead Man (Frontier Folk Nebraska live in the WOXY Lounge)

[photo by Roman Titus]

The Untitled Interview #49 – Whispering Beard Edition: Starring Paleface & Mo

Hot diggity dog, y’all. This weekend marks the happening of a very, very special festival, and while I’ll be in Baltimore I highly recommend that if you can you make your way down to the wilds of Kentucky (Thorn Hill farm in Morning View, to be exact, which is a paltry 23 miles from Cincinnati!), for the best-named festival around: Whispering Beard. There’s gonna be more awesomeness than you can shake a stick at out there this year, so get your skates on. And your beards, of course.

North Carolina transplants Paleface & Mo were ever so kind enough to answer some of my festivalian questions, which you can find below. Do so while listening to their salty, twangy fantasticness, These two will also be touring after the festival, so there’s a wide variety of opportunity in which to take in their divine noise. For example, October 7th at Iota, local friends. See you there.

Les Enfants Terribles: How are you getting to Whispering Beard: plane, train, or automobile?
Paleface & Mo: Wheels!

LET: Inevitably, you will forget to pack:
PF&M:Things we've left behind in the past include phone chargers, toothbrushes and toothpaste...but we're getting better...so hopefully not again...

LET: Who will you be sharing a stage with on the day?
PF&M:Those Darlins, Trampled by Turtles, Rumpke Mountain Boys.

LET: Band you're most looking forward to seeing at the festival?
PF&M:We're only going to be able to hang out at the festival on Friday, so we're looking fwd to checking out the bands that will be sharing stage with us that day.

LET: What's the first thing you plan on doing upon arrival in the countryside?
PF&M:Walk around and stretch them legs!

LET: What was the first festival you ever attended, either as a musician or member of the general public?
PF: I think it was Lollapalooza '96–a band that was covering one of my songs put me on the guest list.
M: The first festivals that we played together as a band were almost two years ago...Not sure which came first: Pickathon, Bristol Rhythm and Roots Reunion, Shakori Hills, Riverbend, and Floyd Fest.

LET: Favorite thing about festivals?
PF&M: Meeting lots of peeps and getting to check out new music, specially when the festival has several stages.

[photo by Matthew Lapiska]

The Untitled Interview #47 – Pitchfork Edition: Starring Sharon Van Etten

It’s Pitchfork’s annual concert throwdown this weekend, up there in the Windy City. Sadly, I’m missing yet another festival this year, and I’m just a little crankypants about it. Those of you lucky souls that are there, I’m sure you’ll have a splendid time, what with all the good music that’s going to transpire. Hours and hours and hours of it. (No, I'm not bitter).

To celebrate the weekend of Pitchforkery, the lovely and enchanting songstress Sharon Van Etten answered a mini slew of Pitchfork-related questions. You might remember my gushery over the Megafaun show here a little while back, and Sharon’s performance was a big part of all that high praise. With her beautiful, antique crystal fragile voice and delicate, glorious songs, Miss Van Etten won me over from the word go. Her songs seem to hover somewhere along classic folk songs with a contemporary twist, and her live show is not to be missed. Do you hear me, Chicago? Not. To. Be. Missed. She’s playing this very day, so get your skates on. And buy one of her nifty new tees while you’re at it.

Les Enfants Terribles: How are you getting to Pitchfork: plane, train, or automobile?
Sharon Van Etten: Plane and autmobile.

LET: Inevitably, you will forget to pack:
SVE: A toothbrush, socks.

LET: Who will you be sharing a stage with on the day?
SVE: El-P, Robyn, Modest Mouse.

LET: Band you're most looking forward to seeing at the festival?
SVE: Cass McCombs, St. Vincent, Here We Go Magic, Beach House, Panda bear, Kurt Vile, Tallest Man on Earth.

LET: What's the first thing you plan on doing upon arrival in Chicago?
SVE: Picking up my new t-shirts! We made a fun logo - (the Van Halen logo... haha).

LET: What was the first festival you ever attended, either as a musician or member of the general public?
SVE: It was at Count Basie Theatre - Evan Dando (old Jr. high crush), The Murmurs, Frente, Pete Droge, The Whirling Dirvishes, and Soup Dragons. HA. That was great...

LET: Favorite thing about festivals?
SVE: How crazy people are. I love watching people. The energy...the applause of a big crowd and being part of that is pretty thrilling.

mp3: Love More (Sharon Van Etten from the forthcoming Epic)

[Photo by Victoria Jacob]

Newsflash: Win Tickets to Northside Festival 2010!

Hey you. Yes, you. Got plans for June 24-27? No? Great. Yeah? Change 'em! You'll wanna be headed to NYC for the Northside Festival, believe you me. Put down whatever it is you think you have to do next Thursday through next Sunday, because it can't possibly be as exciting as the goodness the folks at The L have cooked up. An entire weekend of band after band after band after band...what could be better?

Oh yeah. Maybe getting to go for free, VIP-style! You got it, friends. You and your bff or bf/gf could be headed the Northside for some major VIP action (grand prize winner gets 2 VIP badges, plus a tee shirt, AND a 3G iPad!). There are other prizes to be had as well, including regular festival access badges. Check out all the details here.

To whet your appetite, here's just a small smattering of the bands who will be performing at this year's Northside: Wavves, Reading Rainbow, Jucifer, Violens, Au Revoir Simone, Young Mammals, Cat Martino, The Fresh & Onlys, Woods, Hooray for Earth, Class Actress, Fang Island, The So So Glos, Takka Takka, Elvis Perkins In Dearland, Sondre Lerche, Les Savy Fav, The Golden Filter, Liars, Thieving Irons, Fucked Up, Real Estate, Islands, Grooms, AND LET faves These United States, Harper Blynn, The Black Hollies, Vandaveer, and La Strada. And that, my loves, is just the tip of the icerberg. So what are you waiting for??? Go get yourself entered! Good luck and godspeed.

mp3: Julia (La Strada from New Home)

mp3: Get Yourself Home (These United States from Crimes)

mp3: Invisible Forces (The Fresh & Onlys from Grey-Eyed Girls)