Stars Play the Waterstreet Music Hall in Rochester 9/22
This past Wednesday Stars graced Rochester with the opening performance of their fall tour to support their new album “The Five Ghosts”. Torquil Campbell was dramatic as ever, the adorable Amy Milan bopped around the stage with glee, and the band sounded tighter than when I heard them play last year at The State Theatre in Ithaca. It appeared to me that Stars were revving their collective engine for the fall tour and the following shows will only have more energy. Highlights of the show were Amy Milan singing “Ageless Beauty” on a bench (Due to her announced pregnancy!) with acoustic guitar accompaniment and the electro beats of “We Don’t Want Your Body.” For some pictures of the event and an mp3 click for (more…)
Phantogram has reworked the track “I L U” by the School of Seven Bells into a relaxed and chilled out affair. Now that I think about it, their sounds are extremely cross compatible. Phantogram is also playing at the Bug Jar in Rochester on September 23rd.
Interpol: Daniel Kessler, Paul Banks, Sam Fogarino
Interpol - Interpol
Interpol is a group from New York City that was at the forefront of the post-punk revivalist movement (That exploded with The Strokes) that garnered them millions of comparisons to seminal post punk bands like The Chameleons and Joy Division. Interpol has been a very important band to me. They’re one of, if not the band that widened my horizons beyond classic rock, new wave and electronica in High School. They made me realize that there was indeed good music that was happening now and the notion that “No one makes good music anymore” was reserved for the ignorant.
Interpol have come a long way since they first gelled as a unit, guitarist Daniel Kessler recruited singer Paul Banks from a chance meeting in France and then later in New York City, bassist Carlos D. in a philosophy class and drummer Sam Fogarino from a vintage clothing store, who shockingly was about to retire from music before he became both the backbone and powerhouse behind the behemoth that is Interpol. Interpol released their stellar debut “Turn on the Bright Lights” in 2002 on Matador Records and that featured their first hit track “PDA” (which can now be found on Guitar Hero II) and earned them a great deal of critical press from taste-making sites like Pitchfork and Metacritic. They followed up their debut with 2004′s “Antics” which expanded their commercial and critical success, most notably in the UK, where their singles “Evil” and “C’mere” went to #16 and #18 respectively in their top 40 chart. This earned them prominent spots opening for The Cure and U2.
Their third album, 2007′s “Our Love to Admire” featured for the first time in their music orchestral instrumentation, and more studio experimentation as to where Interpol could take their sound. It was also Interpol’s first and last release on Capitol records. Following this, singer Paul Banks released an album in 2009 called “Julien Plenti is… Skyscraper” which expanded even further upon the styles that Banks used his signature pipes on.
Interpol: Daniel Kessler, Paul Banks, Sam Fogarino
This brings us full circle to their latest self-titled record. Heralded by drummer Fogarino as a return to their reverb soaked beginnings, this was later denied by Banks, but the similarities to their first record are unavoidable. Although, in all, the album seems to be more of a culmination of the groups entire existence merely referenced by their trademark style of their expressive guitars. There are pathways into this album from many places for Interpol fans. The sounds in one of the closing tracks of the album, “All of the ways” sound remarkably similar to the last track on 2007′s “Our Love to Admire”; “The Lighthouse”. It seems that Interpol seeks to be expansive in a way that their previous album is, only without the overblown production. The album provides dark, epic builds as conclusions to all of it’s high points. Lead single “Lights” cuts with all the glacial power of classic Interpol before succumbing to the Motown fade. Another track that was recently played on Jimmy Kimmel Live; “Barricade” sounds almost like it could have been recorded by the band during their “Antics” period, due to its persistent dance beats and pleasant repeating guitar riff, if it wasn’t for the more expressive, dare I say even romantic, vocal intonations that Paul Banks has become so fond of in the past four years.
I was hesitant at first to give the record a shot due to the departure of original bassist Carlos Dengler prior to their touring of the record, but after a few listens the album has really grown on me. Plus they’ve picked up Benjamin Curtis of the Secret Machines for vocal and keyboard duties. Interpol has a way of moving forward into a new direction that may intimidate both longtime fans and potential new ones, but the world of sound they consistently create envelops the listener and creates a new world with each record. This album, like “Our Love to Admire” is a mood piece, perfect for an overcast autumn day with the collar up on your black pea coat and a scarf pulled tight.
Holiday for Strings is somewhat of a super-group. It features John from Peter Bjorn & John, Pony from Thieves Like us and musicians that have all been at one time Swedish Chefs. Their forward thinking pop songs have garnered them a spot opening for Peter Bjorn and John. I’ve been enjoying their laconic dance jams for a while now, and I think it’s time to share the joy, magic and wonder of their latest album “Favorite Flavor” with all of you. Their sound incorporates distorted guitars, big bass, funky beats and ambiguous yet captivating lyrics. If you like Thieves Like Us or Joy Division, or lets be serious, cool dance music, then you’ll love Holiday For Strings. Give them a gander, you won’t regret it.
The enigmatic duo of Rich C. and John E. combine to form the expansive instrumental group American Dollar. Their music is textured, melodic, rhythmic and emotional. Their music is where I wish ambient artists like Explosions in the Sky or Moby would go. Thankfully, American Dollar has already gone there. Their newest album “Atlas” shows them bleeping and blipping, riffing and ripping at the top of their game. They just released a live album from Brooklyn August 15th.
Fredericksburg Virginia’s Ceremony consists of Paul Baker and John Fedowitz. Their Style celebrates effects pedals in a shoe-gaze manner as well as hearkening back to post-punk acts like The Chameleons and New Order. If you’ve got a hankering for structured distortion I believe you may have found a new favorite band.
J Roddy Walston & The Business Photo By: Glynnis McDaris
J. Roddy Walston & The Business is a band from Baltimore, Maryland that vibrates with the energy of the best Rock & Roll and is equally as timeless. Give their music a shot and you’ll surely be blown away. Fans of classic rock, Kings of Leon and The Clutters will find a lot to love here.
How did you settle on the name “The Business” for the band?
It was a good middle ground for being both a reference for your nether-regions and implying that the band was going to unleash in the most professionally destructive way.
Were you at all inspired by the way David Bowie set up his group as The Spiders From Mars in the early 70′s?
I find bowie inspiring but this band is more about being authentic where as bowie is very much about pretending your way into a character. There are no costumes in this band or dress codes, everybody does what they want.
How did the current line-up of the group come to be?
After moving to Baltimore the original members quit. Except for Zach(the original bass player), then he had a baby and had to quit as well. I think all the right people sort of just gravitate towards each other, it takes alot to tour and be gone for months at a time. People think they want to play music for a living but 99% of the world would really prefer to work at Starbucks than sweat it out on the road.
How long did it take to write the songs on the self-titled album?
Every song is different, some were really quick, but others like “Brave Man’s Death” or “I Don’t Wanna Hear It” took forever. We have probably 50 different versions of about half of the songs on the record. A lot of the stuff we recorded for the self-titled record took some convincing for the guys to see where I was coming from musically. So I would demo out a really rough version of the song to show them how it would sound with our kind of vibe and energy. It took forever to write this record.
Since there are minimal overdubs, How important is it to have a sound that sounds as close to live as a recording can get?
I love records of all kinds, overdubs no overdubs, if there are great songs on a record i will love it. For us though, we needed to make a recorded like this, that really taps into the power of our live show.
You recorded the album in a marathon of 9 days, can you speak about that process?
It was pretty grueling, we would get up at 6a.m. because there was a rooster farm behind the motel we were in.
walk to the studio at 7ish and be there working non-stop till about 3 or 4 a.m. i really think there was a frantic/desperate energy that translated into the recordings and made this record feel alive. We worked on some of the songs for so long that they needed an outside force like that to really make us play them like they were brand new.
The sound of the album has a fun, bluesy, old time rock n’ roll feel, what artists or bands do you look to for inspiration or want to emulate?
We wear our influences on our sleeves (Led Zeppelin, The Band, etc) but really we are not trying to do a throwback or revivalist thing. We just wanted to make a rock and roll record right now. I guess alot of the people we look up to were and are creating music with that same mentality.
You guys have toured extensively, what is your favorite thing about touring? What is your least favorite?
Favorite thing is a tie between the moment when you can feel the crowd who has never seen you being won over and totally letting go. The other thing I particularly love is meeting people and staying with them. We have some amazing friends now that we would have never known had we been a band that stayed in motels every night.
worst part is being away from friends and family all the time…that can get pretty tough.
I love the use of piano throughout the rollicking rock numbers, is the piano something of an accent to be added later on, or is it at the core of the songwriting?
No I write from the piano. We have resisted the “piano rock” thing for a long time because that seems like a gimmick and the piano is just a part of what we do. It’s not an effect for the record.
What’s next for J Roddy Walston and The Business?
lot’s of touring…. some vacationing… collaboration with Kanye West since Falco is dead.
Continuing with my Featured Artist Series, I’m interviewing figure painter and graphic designer Lacey McKinney, who TA’d my History of Graphic Design class. Which I got an A in by the way. Her work is an expressive blast of color and fantastic rendering of the human form.
How did you get into art in general?
I started to do art because of my mom. She used to inspire me to be creative as a child by doing things like surprising me with a “Cat in the Hat” drawing on my bedroom chalkboard when I came home from school.
What is your art about? What has it been about?
I think my art is about what it means to alive and be human.
Who are some inspiring figures in art for you?
Right now, I really dig Marilyn Minter. She’s badass in the best way.
What are your favorite mediums to work in?
At the moment, I’m having a passionate love affair with Oil paint because it has a direct impact on the senses. It’s richness evokes sensations of taste, touch and even smell. It’s probably the most alluring media for me right now.
What would be your ideal workspace?
Dark by Lacey McKinney
My ideal workspace would be a giant barn studio in the country that I build myself.
What effect do you want your art to have on the world?
I hope my art would affect the world by making people feel immediate and strong emotions, just as
any other important event in their lives would.
Do you make money doing art? If so, how did you do it!?
I make little money on paintings, right now, and I hope to change that. I make more money doing
freelance graphic design work, which I enjoy thoroughly as well for slightly different reasons.
Do you make mistakes creating art? What mistakes have you made?
Every artwork that I make is a mistake in the sense that I move on quickly from each painting with plans to make the next one better than the last. My best yesterday is not good enough for today.
Going by Lacey McKinney
Do you think art can teach people anything?
Art can teach people how to be human, how to understand others, and how to cope with life.
Do you listen to music while you work or do you demand total silence?
I listen to music every time I create art. My favorite song for a long time has been “Konstantine” by
Something Corporate.
Where do you see your art taking you in five years?
Within fve years, I hope to see my art taking me around the world, to places where I can teach
others, and to places where I can show people my work.
Where do you see your art taking you in fifty years?
In fifty years, I hope to find that my art always takes me back to my studio.
I’ve always wanted to do an interview series with artists that I’ve met and admire, so here I am finally doing it! Kelly Chilton is an artist from Plattsburg, NY whose colorful and lively work captured my eye when I had a class with him and shortly thereafter he was featured in Adobe’s Graduate Showcase in 2009.
Kelly Chilton Self Portrait
How did you get into art in general?
I don’t remember how I got into art really. Actually I think it’s because I used to go all over the internet and get jealous of these people who were making digital images. I wanted to do what they did so I could make some young kid jealous some day.
What is your art about? What has it been about?
My art is about other places. I want to make a place that couldn’t happen but I also want it to be satisfyingly held back by reality.
A big desk with a 32″ monitor and room to place all my sketches and stuff overlooking some city.
What effect do you want your art to have on the world?
I want people to simply enjoy my work and get a feeling to travel.
Do you make money doing art? If so, how did you do it!?
I sell prints online every now and then but the biggest thing is self advertising my freelance capabilities. I get paid mostly for design, but every now and then I’ll get a big illustration job.
Do you make mistakes creating art? What mistakes have you made?
The mistakes I make are usually saving over files or losing a work through transfer. It’s devastating when I remember I did that.
Do you think art can teach people anything?
Art can make people want to buy something immediately, or go somewhere, or strike up a conversation.
Do you listen to music while you work or do you demand total silence?
I need constant music playing when I’m working. I have to click next a lot till I find the perfect song as well.
Where do you see your art taking you in five years?
I just made a five year plan actually. I’m moving to Scotland for my Masters so it’s taking me there. I’m going to try and make concert posters for venues there and hopefully get in with them so I can see a show or two.
Where do you see your art taking you in fifty years?
I want to work with music more closely doing album covers, band posters. I like how the cover of an album can be associated with someone’s favourite music and I’d like to be a part of that.
Scott Pilgrim 8th Evil Ex Contest Submission: Leonard the Livid
I created an original work for the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Good movie by the way…)8th Evil Ex Contest over at Deviant art. I tried to infuse some manga style into my work. Here’s a profile of the character I created:
Leonard the Livid: Ramona dated Leonard just to learn about new bands. When she found out that he was very confrontational and aggressive when his favorite bands got popular, Ramona left him. He still hasn’t gotten over it, or been quite right since.
He can turn any musical object into a deadly shuriken and when he runs out of things to throw he can crank up his music snobbery to 11 and tell you why your favorite bands are derivative of Appalachian saw music.
