A Fusion of “Art” and Music by Megan Hundley

I had, what I thought was, a wonderful idea! I was going to listen to an album that recently came out and then draw what I “saw” when I heard it. Well, here’s the result of that brilliance.

I guess it was more of a “free draw”, highly comparable to a free verse or one of those writing exercises where you can’t pick your pen up off the paper and you just write whatever comes to mind. That’s basically what I did except I had to pick my Sharpie up to change colors (or mediums when I used a pen).

Here’s what happened: I listened to Volume One by She & Him, the band that consists of Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward. Then I drew stuff on a piece of 8” x 11” computer paper. These are things that I thought of when I listened to their music. I hope Zooey and M don’t hate me now because I did this terribly awesome doodle.

Say what you will about my 21 year old attempt at drawing with permanent markers and a Paper<3Mate pen. I think it seriously rivals the Maddox kids drawings.

ROCK!

 

Someone New Loves You, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

KSLU DJ Tim Lemieux, endearingly referred to as Mew Mew, gives you his take on the most recent SSLYBY show at the Bluebird. Read and enjoy!

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In one of my infinite acts of wisdom, I decided that, on Monday the 14th, I would go to the Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin concert at the Bluebird instead of studying for my communications test. So I loaded myself into the car with my gal pals Leah Ducey and Lauren Choate and we headed on our path to the Bluebird. After quickly getting lost due to the lack of a big sign for the venue, and the fact that we had never been there, we entered the bar and paid our minor fee.The Bluebird was small and a bit dark but fairly cozy with couches and tables. We waited a bit until the first band, Gentleman Auction House, took the stage.
I had seen Gentleman Auction House, a local band, about a week before at the Billiken Club. They had played an energetic and cute show at the Billiken Club so I was expecting good things. Thankfully, they didn’t disappoint. They started off with a slow and intimate song. They had some small technical difficulties with Kiley Lewis’s keyboard, the continued on. It was clear that, despite their energy on stage, they were someone what uncomfortable with the small and quiet crowd; lead singer Eric Enger called all of us closer to the stage with a promise to cuddle and commented on how quiet the room was in between songs. They played some old songs and new stuff off their EP, The Book of Matches. Overall, a very good set, but maybe not as good as they had been at the Billiken Club.

Next on stage was Via Audio, a fairly energetic New York band. They were very high energy, especially bassist David Lizmi who was bouncing around the stage in his cut off jean shorts and his pink hat. They moved from classic indie-pop rock to including some techno beats in a song about robots and then to a jazzy song. Lots of the songs they played were off their Say Something, Say Something, Say Something. It wasn’t the best thing I had seen, but still good.

The time most of the crowd of 50 was waiting for came quickly and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin took the stage. Phillip Duckey started on drums, Will Knauer and John Cardwell on guitars, and Jonathan James on bass. The energy from the crowd, especially the drunken girl right behind me, influenced the band, and they seemed to be really enjoying themselves. They began playing lots of songs off their new album, Perishing. After about 5 songs, they switched around the who was playing what instruments, with John moving to bass, Jon moving to drums, and Phillip moving to guitar. During a rendition of “Modern Mystery”, Phillip’s guitar crapped out. Despite the problem, he played it off well, first trying another guitar then grabbing a tambourine and then playing air guitar. He got the problem fixed right after the song and they continued on. The set was amazing and very strong the whole way through. The band really enjoyed themselves. I had their last song, “Oceanographer”, stuck in my head the rest of the night. Overall, I enjoyed myself and became a fan of SSYLBY all in the same night.

 

Interview: Pokey LaFarge

Amp Staff writer Anna Fields managed to snag an interview with ragtime blues aficionado Pokey LaFarge at Meshuggah Cafe. Read on for insights on life, love, and bow ties. [For reference: ME = Anna Fields, P = Pokey LaFarge.]

ME- I wanna know how you got into playing this style of music, what draws you to it?
P-Well, I would have to say that the appeal of it was I’ve always been attracted to acoustic music rather than electric music. I guess that’s at the heart of it. I didn’t really like a lot of music that was coming out when I was a kid. I still don’t like a whole lot of music that’s out today. There is a lot of good stuff, but obviously there is more music that’s coming out today ‘cause it’s easier to record music.
ME- What kind of music do you not like?
P-Well I’m gonna refrain from that. I don’t wanna piss anyone off. But I like all kinds of music, if you are doing it with integrity, if you’re not doing it from a fake side. If you mean what you’re saying and there’s honesty in what you’re playing, then I think you’re doing a good job. Sometimes it’s a little harder to tell that. I started playing this kind of music when I was 14. And I got into playing old time fiddle, I picked up guitar a couple of years ago. I got tired of playing in bands. I found my own voice a wanted to go out on my own. But it’s just that it’s the heart of American music. We created rock n’ roll, we created blues, we created jazz, we created all this stuff. That’s why America is the best. Not cause we have all the money, or cause we have all this other bullshit, it’s the culture. And I’m trying to preserve it. And definatly advance it cause I don’t play a lot of songs… I write my own. I listen to a lot of old time music, I always have.

ME- what’re some of your favorites?
P- I really like clarinet music, I wish I could play the clarinet. Sidney Bechet, the greatest clarinetist of all time. He was rumored to actually kill a guy. His best friend actually.
ME- He killed his best friend?
P- Over a woman, yeah,
ME- Wow.
EDEN- That’s pretty hard core.
ME- Yeah, I’d say that’s pretty hardcore.
P- But anyway, a lot of people from St. Louis. Like Henry Townsend, obviously Chuck Berry and Ike turner are from here, I don’t particularly listen to them all the time. I like more acoustic. But like the reverend Gary Davis. I like a lot of Jug band music, which was created in Louisville. I love Ray Charles, I think he is the greatest singer of all time.
ME- Oh, really?
P- Yeah, especially his country songs. But I like a lot of 20’s and 30’s music. I really like to tell people about that cause it’s not accessible to people always. Well it’s accessible, but people don’t listen to it every day, but they would like it if they heard it.
ME- Do you think that being from Louisville has influenced your style?
P- Oh absolutely, I think it’s because of spending time on a river. A river is a magical thing. I mean granted you grow up on a lake, or you grow up on an ocean, it’s primitive at its heart, so people are influenced by the land that they live on. So being from St. Louis, Memphis, New Orleans, they’re all river towns. And they’re all the heart of American music.
ME- Yeah, that’s true. Have you spent a lot of time thinking about that?
P- Well, I drive around the country an awful lot, so yeah. I think a lot. I think too much.
ME- Do you have a muse?
P- Rivers and the land defiantly, the country . I really like old cities, that’s why I love St. Louis. The bricks are just amazing. I love bricks. The elements. I’d have to say my ultimate muse would be my girlfriend, we’ve been together almost 5 years now.
ME- Oh, that’s exciting, congrats…
ME- Do you name your instruments?
P- I used to, but I don’t any more.
ME- Got out of the habit?
P- I guess.
ME- Did you name them actual names or…?
P- Yeah, I used to name them actual names.
ME- Girls’ or guys’?
P- Both.
ME- Why [wear] the bow tie, verses a normal tie?
P- A bow tie is so much classier. Perhaps it’s just part of the influence of the music that I listen to. A lot of those people back then wore bow ties as opposed to neckties. It wore off on me, as other things have. I’m sitting here wearing 2 tone shoes…
ME- Do you have a guilty pleasure?
P- Oh god… I probably shouldn’t tell you that one.
ME- You definately should, now that you’ve said that.
P- No, I shouldn’t.
ME- Please…
P- No. I definitely shouldn’t.

 

Bon Iver with Collections of Colonies of Bees - Billiken Club 4/8

Staff writer Christian Skoch offers his take on Tuesday night’s show at the Billiken Club.  Was it really worth it for Justin Vernon to stay in that cabin all winter…?

Bon Iver’s debut CD showed up on the new release racks in KSLU a month or so ago. It probably would have gone without notice if it weren’t for the Billiken Club show a few weeks away. I listened to the album a few times straight through and loved it. The story behind the making of the album is that Justin Vernon moved into northwestern Wisconsin and lived alone on a property for three months, writing and recording in periods as long as 12 hours. He stayed all winter, and by the spring he had a nine song album he entitled For Emma, Forever Ago. I decided I couldn’t miss the show.

The free show began with Collections of Colonies of Bees, a side project of the post-rock group Pele started by Chris Rosenau and Jon Mueller. They started the project to explore the mixing of traditional folk with modern technology. The result was a series of electric compositions that usually blended together very well, although at times they were very repetitive and it seemed like I was listening to a skipping CD or a broken record. There were two laptops and at least two keyboards on stage that I could see, with cords running all over the stage.

The stage couldn’t have looked more different when Bon Iver (pronounced bohn eeVAIR, an intentional misspelling of the French phrase meaning ‘good winter’) took the stage. Justin Vernon’s minimalist setup consisted a few effects pedals, a drummer, and a guitarist. I wasn’t sure before he took the stage if he was able to perform his characteristic soundscapes of beautiful harmonies live as well as he recorded them, but his first song dispelled any concerns I had. All three of the people onstage were singing, and their voices melded together so well that it was difficult to hear which person was singing which part most of the time.  What’s more, there wasn’t one voice out of key or one break in the complex harmonies during the whole show.

He made an unusual choice to play For Emma, Forever Ago through in its entirety, but it seemed to work out for the best. Most artists avoid doing this to avoid making the audience feel that they are just sitting at home listening to the CD. Bon Iver did vary the makeup of his songs a little, but it didn’t seem to flow with the overall feel of his album. He seemed too much like he was trying to imitate his proclaimed heroes Collections of Colonies of Bees and not staying true to the folky, mellow rock he plays so well. However, his choice to play the album straight through meant I got to hear all of my favorite songs such as Skinny Love and Re: Stacks.  Overall it was an amazing performance, though, and one I was glad I didn’t miss.

 

Skochmaster Flash at Explosions in the Sky

Resident bad ass, Christian Skoch, gives you fine readers his overwhelmingly amazing experience in written form of the Explosions in the Sky concert that took place at the Pageant on Saturday, March 29. ROCK!

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When I learned the Explosions in the Sky concert last Saturday wasn’t sold out, I assumed that it would be one of the less crowded Pageant shows I had been to. I mean, who would go to a concert to hear compositions that are more conducive to studying or sleeping than rocking out? Apparently everyone. This is why I was also surprised to find out there were no assigned seats, or scarcely any seating at all. I guess the only thing I was right about going into the Pageant was that I was in for an epic experience.

The opening act for Explosions in the Sky was Lichens, the stage name for a man named Rob Lowe. He plays as the bassist for the math rock band 90 Day Men who turned to his solo project for more collaboration opportunities and more room for expression in live performances. His performance was indeed quite remarkable. It consisted almost entirely of wordless, looping, effected vocals while his guitarist played along. The unique set began with him sitting in center stage recording and looping what would eventually become a chorus of birds using just quiet whistling through his teeth. From there it went to loud, distorted guitar and harmonic vocals overplaying each other. I say it was unique because if he played more than one song, the audience was not aware. When his performance seemed like it was transitioning to a new theme, or he paused for a few seconds, there was no applause as the audience was entranced in silence. I lost track of how long he kept us captive, but I’m sure it was more than half an hour. He could have kept us for an hour and a half and I would not have noticed the difference.

When Explosions in the Sky took the stage, there was a short introduction by the guitarist Munaf Rayani. He introduced the band and gave a shout out to a few family members, and began to play. There were no banners, no elaborate stage props and no bombastic lighting. In fact, it was one of the more empty stages I’ve ever seen at the Pageant. It consisted of simply a drummer in the back and two guitarists and a bassist in the front. The stage may not have been flashy but the music was loud. I would describe it more as thunderous rather than obnoxiously deafening. Every time the bassist hit the lower notes I could feel it in my chest. As they played I realized more and more that my studying soundtrack was really more of a series of epic masterpieces that were just as intense as any other band I had seen; and they play with an energy that make their compositions incredibly interesting.

I call them compositions because they are much more than normal songs. The driving rhythms, grand harmonies, and admittedly quieter melodies give you the feeling that you are watching an art form at its finest. In fact, a character in the crowd five or six feet from me was so moved he felt the need to conduct, with his hands, most of the performance. If I had been by myself or even if I had no one behind me trying to see I may have done the same thing. As it was, I decided not to be ridiculous. It was enough for me to motionlessly enjoy the great artistic form that Explosions in the Sky expresses so well.