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Concert Review

Show Review: Father John Misty woos the Cats Cradle

Father John Misty

Friday night proved to be another fantastic time at The Cat’s Cradle, as the freak-folk rock act of Father John Misty took the crowd by storm with their swagger and prowess.  Father John Misty is the moniker taken on by J. Tillman, former drummer of Fleet Foxes for his latest musical project.  Bored with the pedantic, sad-sack songwriting of many of his peers, Tillman took a road trip with no destination and a bag full of mushrooms, eventually leading him to Los Angeles in an unexpected turn of events.  Tillman hulled up and found himself writing with a new voice, one that’s filled with equal parts of self deprecation and self aggrandizement.  With a bit of snark and honesty, Tillman has created a unique and captivating sound that serves as the perfect outlet for his oftentimes poetic lyricism.

Fear Fun is the debut full-length from Father John Misty and it’s been filling my ears for quite some time now, but hearing the songs live breathes a new life into them.  Father John Misty is a refreshing take on the current folk music trend, the songs feel grounded with familiar themes, but explore content that contemporary folk artists wouldn’t dare.  If your average songwriter spends his albums licking his wounds, Tillman takes an approach of patching them up and raring past the bad times for a drug-filled haze of enlightenment and wonder.  Father John Misty feels like classic country clasping on to its rustic roots while adapting to the commercial and occasionally vapid world we’re surrounded with.  Tillman had a presence that I doubt anyone could have expected, he crooned and swayed across the stage for an enchanting and lively set that felt more like a rock n roll show than a display of one man’s lyrical prowess.  It’s always awesome going to a show where you can thoroughly enjoy all of the acts that you see, and The Cat’s Cradle usually provides just that.

I arrived just in time for the end of Jeffertitti’s Nile, placing myself dangerously close to the speakers.  Just my style.  The psychedelic sounds of Jeffertitti’s Nile swirled garage punk with folk for a brief yet welcome encounter.  I wish I’d gotten to see more than three songs from the band, their songs weren’t breaking the mold or anything, but I’ll be damned if they weren’t a blast to kick off the evening with.  As the bands loaded in and out I pondered upon the state of my hearing and found myself a bit taken aback by the off-kilt crowd at the Cradle.  Filled with chatter like, “Yeah, I don’t really go to shows anymore.  Nobody good plays around here!” and endless Obama/Romney chatter, I couldn’t have screamed louder when L.A’s La Sera took the stage.

La Sera

La Sera is a bright, upbeat pop act led by Katy Goodman of Vivian Girls.  Their songs were the spark of energy needed to get the crowd moving and as the set went on the crowd packed tighter and tighter.  La Sera’s music isn’t groundbreaking, but the trails that they blaze for themselves are certainly worth walking down.  Their lyrics are intelligent, yet approachable, never too dense to lose yourself in but with enough attention to detail to leave the listener satisfied and waiting for more.  Songs like “Please Be My Third Eye” display this perfectly, Goodman prefaced the track with a simple, “This song is about telepathy”, then jumped into another short blast of pop goodness.  With soaring vocals and a driving rhythm section, La Sera was a welcome addition to this diverse lineup and the perfect lead-in for Father John Misty.

 

Father John Misty

As Tillman and company took the stage I turned around to see a surprisingly dense crowd that was arguably more excited than me for this show, something thats always wonderful to experience.  The energy was palpable, and as “Fun Times In Babylon” kicked off the set it was clear that the crowd was in for a treat.  Tillman played perfectly off of the crowd, his stage banter opening the door for adoring shouts from the audience.  An obligatory “I love you” was shouted before the band even began and Tillman responded quickly, “Let me prove my worth first!”, setting the tone with his quick wit and obvious excitement.  Tracks like “Only Son of the Ladiesman” and “Nancy From Now On” were songs that took a brand new form on stage, Tillman opens up his soul as he glides across the stage often taking the mic stand with him wherever he pleased.  Through his smooth vocals and commanding stage presence, Tillman had the crowd in the palm of his hands.  Blasting through staples of the album, the show felt like it was over before it started simply because of how fun it is to watch this band perform.  As Tillman sang, “Look out Hollywood here I come” the crowd shouted with joy, and this line can perfectly sum up the new vibe of Tillman’s music.  Gone are the days of the sad, sappy songwriter and here’s a new headstrong, vivacious young man that is ready to take on the world in its fucked up glory.  As the show was coming to a close with the powerhouse “Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings”, my ears rang loudly and my soar throat was begging me to stop shouting along.  The crowd sang along proudly to the helpless reprise, “Someone’s gotta help me dig!” and I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed at how perfect the show was.

I weaved in and out of the crowd as the song was ending, evidently missing the tail end of the show and a bottle being thrown on stage.  Tillman apparently shrugged it off as excitement, an endearing snapshot of the character displayed by this act.  My old mannish tendencies were rearing their heads on the ride home, the yawns set in, my ears were ringing, and my back was aching…but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t worth it.  I know I for one will be making a point of seeing Father John Misty whenever they stop through the area, mostly because it would have been hard to walk away from that show without a smile on.  Another night at the Cradle filled with incredible tunes!

 

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Concert Review

Show Review: DASH, I’m into the sounds

 

It is a common belief that the more people you have on stage, the better the performance will be. Dash’s performance at Kings on Friday was probably a testament to that statement, in that upwards of a dozen performers were playing at Kings, complete with instruments of all varieties– but all in the sake of solid tunes. The Wilmington-based group, fueled by support from friends, had a packed show with wholesome fun. Hey Roccio and Rio Brave were great openers to the show, as they provided enough zeal to keep listeners wanting more.

The electronic pop, jumpy rock band had at least five violinists on stage. I was slowly reminiscent of Ra Ra Riot’s temperance to include classical strings to indie favors. Dash’s performance was rife with catchy melodies that had everyone in the audience dancing along, in a crowd where the typical representative only gets “jiggy wit it” at weddings and maybe private indoor functions. “Into the Sounds” the group’s most popular hit (and incidentally one that receives quite some airplay on WKNC) flickered with a slow start, and ignited the whole venue.

In between songs, DASH peppered their set with covers of Passion Pit’s “Sleepyhead” and Foster the People’s “Pumped Up Kicks”. It is always refreshing to see bands, especially ones that are locally based, to diversify their playlist from things that aren’t exclusively on their set.  With only a minor hiccups due to audio capabilities (forgivable for a band that large on stage), DASH were able to recapture the attention and fervor left by their other songs with a classical quartet performance in-waiting. Lead singer David Garcia smirked his way through his set, engaging and captivating as all performers are wont to be. A few head-nods and raised fist-pumps later, concertgo-ers were able to acclaim,  that they too, were “into the sounds”.

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Concert Review

Show Review: Holy Ghost Tent Revival with Annuals at Cat’s Cradle

Raleigh’s Annuals started off the night. With three different kinds of percussion going on all at once, it was immediately an interesting show. They played some new songs and old, each loved just as much by their fans. The coolest part was when the lights would dim almost to blackness and the main drum kit, clear under normal lights, would glow with a green laser pointer. It would go in unison with the beat and created a really awesome effect. The left wall of the Cradle lit up with spirals and the band was illuminated by the main source of sound at this point. Kudos.

Photo by Julie Whelan

I’d only ever seen Holy Ghost Tent Revival at Shakori. Each time they’d been incredible, inviting people up on stage to dance and just looking like they were having in the world. I wondered if playing indoors – away from the mud, grass, ..“grass”.., and hula hoopers – would affect the performance any. Of course, it didn’t.

A guitar string broke during the first song. Instead of having to endure an awkward lull until the guitarist fixed this, the band started to jam and told the crowd to dance until they had it under control. This little jam session was funky – all I could think was how fun their band practices must be. Once the string was replaced, the guitarist just joined back in and started singing “There ain’t no party like a Holy Ghost Tent Revival party cause aHoly Ghost Tent Revival party don’t stop!”  That themed continued through the entire show. The band was excited and happy to be there, and that was mirrored by the crowd.

This show was in support of their upcoming release “Sweat Like The Old Days,” out Sept. 4th. The new tracks that they played definitely won’t disappoint. I’m looking forward to hearing the album as a whole. If you did miss this show, the band will play Grey Eagle in Asheville on Aug. 31 and The Whiskey in Wilmington on Sept. 20.

Photo by Julie Whelan

Photo by Julie Whelan

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Concert Review

Surfer Blood’s Return to Raleigh

Surfer Blood returned to Raleigh Sunday night at a packed Kings Barcade. They came through town last July for deja FEST, playing outside Lincoln Theatre during the day. While I definitely enjoyed both shows, I think this one was much better.

This time around I think they had a stage presence that wasn’t nearly as strong as before. John Paul Pitts (lead vocals/guitar) hopped down into the crowd and meandered through to sing a few of the songs. The rest of the band looked like they were either ultimately consumed by their instrument (like drummer Tyler Schwarz) or just having a lot of fun. Overall, the band exuded a confidence and comfort I didn’t necessarily see last year. They played all my favorites and sing-a-longs as well as a couple unreleased songs. If you are a Surfer Blood fan, you’ll love it – they remain true to their sound without letting it get stale.

The crowd was another significant part of the show: stage dives, crowd surfing, broken glass, discarded limes from tequila shots, chanting and clapping. Everyone had a great time, and hopefully Surfer Blood will be back for round three soon.

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Concert Review

Mavis Staples and Andrew Bird: A Wonderfully Rainy Night at NCMA

Rhythm and blues singer Mavis Staples joined indie rocker Andrew Bird as part of the North Carolina Museum of Art’s summer concert series Tuesday night.

Mavis celebrated her 73rd birthday at the Museum Park, and one fan even brought her a bouquet of flowers as a gift. She has one of the most powerful female voice I’ve heard, filled with raw soul and confidence. There were bluesy guitar solos and impressive drumming as Mavis tried to mimic with her voice what each instrument was doing.

As a North Carolina native, I understand that summer storms are unavoidable, which usually is unfortunate when paired with summer concerts. Tuesday night it actually worked in the crowd’s favor. About mid-way through Mavis’ set, the sky opened. The crowd immediately shuffled for their ponchos and umbrellas, but there was a group of us that  rushed to the front of the stage to “take advantage of the overhang to stay dry” – in other words, we’d finally found a legit excuse to get right in front of the stage. The NCMA folks were very cool about this and didn’t try to make us move. The show instantly became more intimate. We all sat down, singing and clapping along to the songs knee-to-knee with our neighbors.

Then, Mr. Andrew Bird. Coming out on stage initially by himself with his violin, he began his show with “Why,” from his 2011 album “The Swimming Hour.” This was an absolutely beautiful intro to his show, especially with the steady rain as background noise. Seeing how the music was performed live made me appreciate him as a musician even more. He and his band used loop pedals flawlessly to switch back and forth between instruments and play multiple layers at once. Andrew rotated between violin (which was played traditionally and ukulele-style), guitar, glockenspiel and of course his famous whistling. Some of my favorites of the night included “Orpheo Looks Back,” “Eyeoneye,” “Bein’ Green,” A Nervous Tic Head Motion of the Head to the Left,“ and "Fake Palindromes.”

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Concert Review

Lower Dens Mesmerize at Kings

Lower Dens have had a good year. With the release of “Nootropics” in early May and overwhelmingly positive reviews afterwards, they have had one of the greatest stretches in their still young career. On top of this recent success recording, I took the trip to see how it would translate live at Kings during their show on Thursday June 21.

The evening kicked off with a non-musical act, something not expected and pretty entertaining. Alan Resnick took the stage as a man who has created the perfect digital copy of himself. His set continued as the comfortably awkward, passive-aggressive comedian interacted with his computer generated likeness albeit somewhat unsuccessfully, all as a part of the joke. It was a new and pleasing experience, as his set was fast enough to keep things moving and different and entertaining enough to keep the experience fresh.

Next it was time for No Joy to shine, a band I had only the minimal amount of experience with before. Their mid-tempo rock could range everywhere from slower hazy surfer rock to faster paced, mid-tempo Yuck-esque drone. If anything, their show demonstrated the growing sense of potential that the band has moving forward, something altogether exciting to look forward to.

However, the highlight of the night was clearly to be expected in Lower Dens’ performance. It was a fairly even mixture of tracks from their new album “Nootropics” and “Twin-Hand Movements.” The sound, which was once again excellent in Kings, proved to be one of the key factors in the success of the show. Their tracks came across as clearly as the record would have intended, and their precision was so spot on that you could tell there was a real sense of chemistry between each of the members. There was a consistently dreamy atmosphere surrounding Kings, as constantly changing patterns reflected on the band and the back of the stage complimented the beautiful shoe-gaze tracks that Lower Dens played. For a show that was not particularly long, it felt as if the show had been going on for days. However, this was the kind of show where you would not mind. One beautiful track after another accumulated for a hypnotizing performance and an amazing night for music in downtown Raleigh.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GafB7NQvQWg&feature=player_embedded

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Concert Review

A Sleepy Show with Damien Jurado

Damien Jurado probably writes the most depressing music of our day. In “Sheets”, he sings “Swallow him whole like a pill / that makes you choke and stills your soul.” It’s enough to make anyone’s heart heavy. Last Tuesday night, Damien Jurado graced Kings Barcade with his deep melancholy in a quiet, calm show.

In each ballad, there were bouts of soft rings, so quiet, you can hear a pin drop. For some songs, Jurado closed his eyes entirely and grimaced, as if imagining some past breakup occurring over and over in his mind. Mostly, he played songs of his latest record, Maraqopa, but the Seattle songwriter mixed his folk-rock with hints of synth.

Even though I pictured him with a stoic demeanor based off of his musical stylings alone, Damien was actually really engaging with the crowd. During “Ohio,” he came into the audience to feel the audience’s pain, as a preacher heals his congregation. Towards the end, when normal go-seers will start to hoot and holler with requests, Jurado bluntly said, “I’m not a jukebox”. He promised to visit us again for Hopscotch, with even more material! Adorning his acoustic was a badge of Washington State and the letters “HOME” stenciled in. Very West Coast.

It’s a good mix of slow, southern tunes with Jurado’s signature soul-infused voice. Just at the end of his set, he closed with my favorite, “Everything Trying” off of Caught in the Trees. “And I will sail back to you,” he professes. “How, Damien Jurado?” I whisper silently. A pause and then, “I’ll be sailing on your deep blue eyes.” Nevermind that my eyes aren’t blue, he spoke to me– nautically– and I was entranced.

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Concert Review

Whatever Brains LP Release Party with Burglar Fucker, King’s Barcade, 4/26/2012

I thought I’d preface this recap by letting you know that I’ve recently been inundated by a certain musical-consumption plateau known as expectation.

Burglar Fucker met my expectations.  When I saw a drum set forgoing the stage for the crowd-floor, a bass cab directly facing the audience, and an electronic rig that features, at its helm, a miniscule Theremin, I thought sloppy.  I thought loud.  I thought attempts at experimenting that would probably be somewhat interesting but not really cause for contemplation.  And that’s what I got.

Anthony Petrovic, self-proclaimed “baritone guitar attempt and vomit,” plugged up his Danelectro into that bass cab and proceeded to wail some simple drop-tuned chords—the kind where he only had to put his index down to get the jettisoned-via-distortion sound-fill he desired.

His real talent was finding a way to create stage presence while not on stage.  Disappearing from the crowd for a good minute in an alcove, pulling his guitar around the semi-circle that had been formed around him, and screaming some reverbed-to-oblivion lyrical ideas that may or may not have been comprised of logical dialogue, he pushed to the audience the weird and blown-out punk-meets-stoner-metal they were expecting.

I couldn’t gauge if the audience really cared or not, nor could I decide if the electronics guy was really adding anything concrete to the music, or just fucking with it cause he could.  He deep throated that Theremin, so I’m assuming the latter.

After a fairly-standard break, Whatever Brains started off their set with a half-sung scream that wavered in and out of tune.  Actually, it may have not had a tune at all.  It was setting me up for an expectedly similar experience to Burglar Fucker, where everything would fit into a homely little alcove of booming punk and garage.  And the set did start out as a sort of homage to aggressive, bar rock, affirming my personal sentiment all-the-more.

But by the second-or-third song, the lead singer had popped the cable out of his hissy P-90-fitted Strat (interestingly, an entry-level Squier) and into some sort of synth-box from the Technological Hell of Unmarked Knobs and Switches.  What came out was a gritty and uncomfortable sense of spastic movement that was amazing well-developed and seemed sincere.

And not what I was expecting.

A short-while later, the band played a slew of songs fitted with instrumentation that could have fit right in with the best of Shellac or Don Caballero.

My expectations were gone.

Directly after the mathy rhythm-based songs, the band went into a psychedelic lunge for what seemed like a solid 10 minutes.

My expectations had pulled in on themselves, forming some sort of geometric pattern that was both laughable and depressing.  Kind of like this.

In a nutshell, Whatever Brains was aggressive and noisy, but also tight and focused—interested in trying new things, but also desiring to revel with some of their obviously-revered influences.

I would like to think the audience felt as confused and appreciative as I was.  In what may be one of the weirdest displays of affection ever, the crowd started throwing empty cans of beer on to the stage, hitting the band’s front man who had just walked out announcing an encore.

(I don’t want to weigh out the possibly this display could have been fueled by drunkenness or participation in some inside joke unbeknownst to myself.  I could be pulling the whole atypical homage thing out of my ass to prove a point, just wanted throw that out there.)

With what was quite the risk, the set ended with an impressively-cohesive piece that incorporated the various styles they had taken on throughout their time on stage, ending in a slide-equipped riff that was elongated and weird, yet surprisingly conclusive.

Whenever you get to see Whatever Brains in the future, check your expectations at the door.  Even if it seems like nothing can really be unexpected.

-John

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Concert Review

Lost in the Trees can do no wrong, ever

Lost in the Trees had their album release show at Cat’s Cradle this past Friday, April 20. Brice Randall Brickford and The Toddlers were the two opening bands. The Toddlers are another side project band of Missy Thangs (The Love Language, Soft Company). Alongside Missy Thangs were Noah Dehmer, Ellis Anderson, and Nathan Toben. They started off with a galloping song and before the set was over I could swear that they were close to resurrecting Jim Morrison on stage. Dehmer’s voice sounded remarkably like the Lizard King himself and everyone seemed really into it.

When Lost in the Trees came out Christmas lights turned on around the stage and everyone knew it was about to be an extraordinary set. They started the set with “Walk Around the Lake,” which pleased everyone to hear a familiar tune right off the bat. Next up they began playing songs off their new album starting with what is probably the most popular song on the album, “Red.” The set list continued to build; all the songs and stage presence were very strong and evocative. Emma Nadeau, dressed in red with glitter on her face, seemed to effortlessly produce the most hauntingly beautiful vocals while she wasn’t playing her French horn. Ari Picker and Jenavieve Varga never hold back in their performances and that was definitely the case at this show. Ari’s fidelity to his songs resounds through his vocals that travel for miles, with a voice so emotionally pure you can tell what he’s singing isn’t forged. Jenavieve is a powerhouse violinist and it’s her performance that lets you know how meaningful the music is.

The apex of the show was their song “Garden,” which was played midway through their set right before they reeled in the rest of their songs. “Garden” is the most involved song off the new album and served as the perfect beginning to the end of their show. They then relaxed and played an old favorite, “Song for the Painter.” Before they began to play “Golden Eyelids,” Ari requested that everyone slow dance to the song to make it special. Specifically asking to recreate scenes from “Back to the Future 1 or 2, but not Back to the Future 3,” he said, laughing. For the encore they performed “All Alone in an Empty House.”  It was a spectacular show as always; I can’t imagine anyone could have walked away disappointed.

By Beth Moore.

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Concert Review

The Magnetic Fields are Brilliant

The Magnetic Fields at Cat’s Cradle

The Magnetic Fields played Cat’s Cradle two nights this past week to mark the penultimate stop on their U.S. tour. The Magnetic Fields are a band I have always loved, but never got a chance to see—FINALLY! Cat’s Cradle was at capacity Thursday, April 12 (i.e. the show sold out), and fans were shoulder to shoulder from the stage to the bar. The band, consisting of Stephin Merritt, Claudia Gonson, Sam Davol, John Woo, and Shirley Simms, played music from 69 Love Songs, I, Realism, and their most recent Love at the Bottom of the Sea. Between songs, Stephin, Claudia and Shirley entertained the crowd with stories and comedic banter. The band jokingly mentioned several times that there was a serial killer in the audience, suggesting he/she may behind you or it may…even be you. Claudia mentioned a dream that she had involving a kitchen knife.

The concert was spot-on brilliant! Their current tour is promoting their new album released on Merge Records, Love at the Bottom of the Sea. For more info on the tour and band visit their blog, “Tour at the Bottom of the Sea.” It has been documenting the quirks and happenings of the U.S. tour.