Could you use a story?
…One May afternoon some years ago I arrived at the Ann Arbor Book Festival to volunteer. I was escorted into Shaman Drum into a small room where I was informed that I would be working in the children’s section in costume. I was to dress up as a monster from Where The Wild Things Are and hug children. I was the creature now known as Carol. It was hot and stuffy inside the large head and my hair matted to my forehead. Looking at myself in the mirror I knew that children would not hug me. My head was gigantic, my body immense and I couldn’t easily fit through doorways, oh, and I had horns and talons. I was a monster, a wild thing. They cried at the sight of me…
When I learned that Spike Jonze was adapting my beloved childhood story to a film, I was excited for what was to come- then I began to hear rumors of a soundtrack with Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, “Little” Jack Lawrence from The Dead Weather, and more. I had no idea what to expect, but I was giddy with with anticipation.
What emerged from this supergroup collaboration was Karen O And The Kids. I could hardly sit still during the film, the soundtrack was written for an adventure and I couldn’t wait to go on one. I loved both the film and the soundtrack. They score complimented the visuals, but is solid enough to stand alone. It compels something primal, young at heart and innocent. As with all adventures there’s moments of true elation and those of pure sadness and this album beautifully explores them all from being being buried in an Igloo, to climbing up Cliffs, you’ll Capsize, Hideaway and then go Sailing Home.
I suggest starting a wild rumpus in a park with some friends and then going back and crashing in your living room fort while reliving the days events with the album playing in the background. And if you need the extra company, just shoot me an email.
Enjoy.
I arrived at the Lights show Wednesday night at Subterranean just in time to catch opening band Stars of Track and Field.
In their live performace, SoTaF evoke feelings of a rainy Sunday morning, with hints of Postal Service, Neutral Milk Hotel, and even Brand New floating through here and there. Singer Kevin Calaba’s vocals add a magical quality to their performance while drummer Daniel Orvik provides a solid backdrop upon which their musical scenes unfolds. Calaba, Orvik, and guitarist Jason Bell present a nonchallant attitude on stage that is betrayed by their melodic head banging, infectious body thrashing, and all-around clear passion for the songs. All the while, the guys find time to infuse a touch of humor into their between-song banter. Regretably, none of the aforementioned qualities can be found on the band’s recordings - however enjoyable they may be - proving once again that good music is best enjoyed live.
This proved to be the theme that would permeate the evening.
Lights’s recordings are far from disappointing. On the contrary, I was pleasantly surprised when I first visited her MySpace to listen to this girl I’d heard so much about, but there is a quality to her live performance that simply does not come across on her recordings and it is due largely in part to the fans, or rather, her relationship with her fans.
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I’ve been waiting for this upcoming weekend all year long, and that is because I am going to Gainesville, FL to attend this year’s The Fest. I mean how could I not being excited about attending a weekend filled with over 200 of the best punk bands going? Unlike festivals like SXSW and CMJ, people and bands don’t flock to The Fest in anticipation of signing a record contract or to hear the next “it” band, but they gather in Florida to join in celebration of their love for music that probably won’t reach the masses. It’s really more like a Star Trek convention- replace the acne ridden nerds in their homemade costumes trading limited edition cards with drunk, bearded nerds in cutoff shorts and Crimpshrine shirts buying rare presses of Reinventing Axl Rose.
The Fest was started by No Idea Records and is held during the last weekend of October. The concerts are held at this time because during this weekend almost the whole town, which is home to the University of Florida, leaves for Jacksonville to attend “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.” Last year was the first time I attend Fest and I had the time of my life- even if I did sleep in a car with 3 other people all weekend because we foolishly didn’t reserve a hotel. The weekend is trademarked by drunken revelry, secret house shows, and reunion of some of the scenes favorite bands, and I can’t wait to get back down there. Expect a full report on all the weekend’s events next week.
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2009 sounds more like 1997 without sounding dated or trite with newcomers, Horus Adores Us. At Columbia College’s Jam Of The Year they opened for B.o.B. and White Rabbits, which had many in the crowd whispering fond memories of Gin Blossoms, Smashing Pumpkins and more. However, they are hardly limited to sounds of decades past, they simply like to “write music that comes to them and enjoy pop music.” I had the chance to talk about their music with lead vocalist and guitarist Tino Forneris, graduate student at Columbia College in the Arts Entertainment and Media Management program.
Enjoy.
FYW: How Did you meet? Do you all go to Columbia, are you all graduate students?
Tino: We’re a four piece band. I met our drummer Austin in 2005 when we were both attending undergrad at University of Illinois. We played on and off for a few years then in 2008 we met Sarah, our bassist, who was also attending U of I at the time. We played as a three piece until I moved to Chicago- we reformed this fall. Sky is our newest member who I just met recently at Columbia. He accompanies me on vocals and plays guitar and keyboard.
FYW: Were you always Horus Adores Us? Where did that name come from?
Tino: We used to play as Synthesis Reaction, but I didn’t think that was “superior enough” … haha! So, I was talking with my brother one day, tossing out names and for whatever reason, I just said it, Horus Adores Us. I kind of laughed at the time, but kept thinking about it. I ended up loving it. I asked my younger cousin what she thought and figured if enough people liked it, then it must be alright! It’s unique- that’s the best part.
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After 6 days in New York City I can honestly say I am ready to head back to the Midwest. We woke up early this morning to cross Manhattan into Queens to catch our flight at La Guardia Airport. As I enjoy my last 30 minutes of vacation time on this flight, I figured this would also be the best time to recap my last night in NYC and the whole CMJ experience.
Now that the panels have ended, the CMJ Music Marathon wrapped up with the remaining showcases in Manhattan and Brooklyn. Saturday’s weather was humid and rainy, so in between running through raindrops we decided it was the best choice to stick it out at one venue, the Bowery Ballroom. A friend of mine works at ICM and manages Violens, one of the bands playing the Bowery showcase, so that helped make our decision on where to camp out.
Threes and Nines @ The Bowery Ballroom
The first band playing when walked into the Bowery Ballroom was called Threes and Nines out of California. The four piece band featured lead singer/songwriter Jake Brebes, female upright bass player Tasha Powers, drummer Max Triplet, and an unnamed guitarist. The group was fun to watch and their sound at times reminded me of early Bob Dylan mixed with some early rockabilly influences. Threes and Nines looked like they had a great time playing together on stage and was an energetic way to kick-off the long roster for the evening.
Violens @ The Bowery Ballroom
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Creators of HAIR the Musical
We gave up the sunny 70-degree temps from Thursday for rainy, 50s on Friday. It made it harder to get out of bed, harder to be motivated to get out to shows, and just annoying for those of us who were not smart enough to pack an umbrella. With the later start to our day, the panels were our first stop. The creators and a few actors from HAIR the Musical came out to speak about the musical, how they brought it back to Broadway after a break, and we were even treated with a performance at the end of the panel.
The next panel I decided to hit up was about using Journalism as PR. Some of the speakers had amazing quotes, and the really dove in to why people have and use blogs to spread the word about music. Rob Fields, writer and creator of boldaslove.us mentioned that “blogs are done out of passion.” You will not find a blog that has consistent material up about music that is not done out of passion, it just would not exist. Read more…
Never type something up if you do not want it to come true. I mentioned yesterday that I woke up not feeling well, and that settled into an upper-respiratory infection. I managed to get 15 hours of sleep last night, but missed most of the showcases so my partner-in-crime, Kate, will be updating you on the bands she checked out while I was sound asleep “in the city that never sleeps.”
We began our day at the panels that CMJ hosts at New York University, just off of Washington Square. The panel I wanted to catch that day was titled “Music For Good” and featured FUSE TV host Stephen Smith, To Write Love On Her Arms founder Jamie Tworkowski, Invisible Children tour coordinator Alex Collins, and Charity-Water director Phil Crosby. All these men spoke about their charitable organizations and how they have strategically alined themselves within the music industry to promote their “brand” or organization.
Music For Good
After the panel was over I was lucky enough to be able to grab a smoothie with Steven Smith from Fuse (he knows one of my professors, it was planned not random). Steven told me about his past and how he was as a theatre major, and then how that transformed into a substitute teacher job while he was also working his first major TV gig at VH1. It was really interesting to hear someone’s story who did not plan to work in the industry. Steven said he also wants to write a book about “how to work in the music industry without really trying.” Read more…
It’s only the morning of day 3 and I can feel the sickness coming on. Maybe its from the 6 venues we hit up last night, and the 7 killer artists we saw that dwindled down my immune system – or the fact that staying out until 4am then getting back up at 10am on a regular basis is crazy. I do recommend walking through Times Square at 4am though, its the one time you can really appreciate how massive and bright that area is without tourists.
Featured speaker Andrew W.K.
One of the highlights every year at CMJ is their featured speaker. This speaker is normally someone of high influence in the entertainment industry who can motivate, inform, and connect with the college students who attend the conference. THIS YEAR’S speaker was some of that, and maybe a little bit extra- Mr. Andrew W.K. He began his speech with “well, you can really see how the music industry has changed by having CMJ book this as their featured speaker!” Andrew went on to amuse the crowd by answering questions from students and ultimate fans (two boys who were dressed exactly like Andrew). When asked how he became so successfully Andrew replied “just keep doing what you love to do with as much intensity as possible.” Read more…
Currently reporting live from New York City (about a block from Times Square right now to be exact!) to update you about the happenings at the CMJ Music & Film festival. We are well into Day 2 right now, but to hear about our exciting panel with Andrew W.K. you’ll have to check back in tomorrow.
After an early morning flight from Chicago to NYC, we kicked off the festival by conquering the public transportation system in New York to pick up our “offical” CMJ badges. The weather in the city has been beautiful, especially considering Halloween will be gracing our calendars next week so rather than walking in halfway on the panels we decided to enjoy SPICE Thai food outside of NYU’s campus on the steps of Union Square. Read more…
No, not the animal! While browsing in staff picks at the listening station at the Lakeview Reckless Records, I came across Fruit Bats’ newest album, Ruminent Band. My reaction: “Fantastic! This sounds like a lighter version of The Shins with a brighter outlook!” Turns out, my ears haven’t betrayed me because Fruit Bats started out originally as a side project for many of the members of The Shins. They are signed to Sub Pop and Ruminent Band is their fourth album released through the label. The album it self was recorded with Graeme Gibson at Clava in Chicago and makes a great addition to your indie Autumn playlist!
