W♥M

Flashback: Voxtrot at Triple Rock Social Club (05 June 2007)

Voxtrox 2007 Tour 03-14-15 Austin, TX – SXSW (more info) 05-25 Austin, TX – Emo’s # 05-29 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey # 05-30 San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall # 06-01 Portland, OR – Doug Fir # 06-02 Seattle, WA – Crocodile Cafe # 06-05 Minneapolis, MN – Triple Rock # 06-06 Grand Rapids, MI – Intersection # 06-07 Detroit, MI – Magic Stick # 06-08 Toronto, Ontario – Sneaky Dee’s # 06-11 Cleveland, OH – Beachland # 06-12 Baltimore, MD – Ottobar # 06-13 Washington, DC – Black Cat # 06-14 Boston, MA – Middle East # 06-15 New York, NY – Webster Hall # 06-16 Philadelphia, PA – Pure # with Au Revoir Simone Vuart Read More Voxtrot Here’s a blast from the past: Voxtrot. When we first started W♥M, 15 years ago, Voxtrot was one of the first band we saw in June 2007: “The Voxtrot show was alright, they seem to be having a lot of … Au Revoir Simone The pilot ended with Chromatics playing ‘Shadow’, while the second with Minneapolis’ The Cactus Blossoms singing ‘Mississippi’, and finally all-girls trio Au Revoir Simone with ‘Lark’. …

After years of hiatus, Voxtrot reformed and went out on tour in 2022, to promote Cut from the Stone: Rarities & B-Sides.

Brody caught them at SXSW 2024 and called them “Austin Legends”.

The only time I saw Voxtrot, it was on their tour with Au Revoir Simone, who I saw with Peter, Bjorn & John at First Avenue on 09 May 2007. Heather from Au Revoir Simone came on stage to sing the girl part in “Young Folks.” I thought the Au Revoir Simone girls were so handsome.

All photos courtesy of the Rock and Roll Star, Steve.

Original report:
>>>

Sorry for all these posts, this is the last one for sure! I saw Voxtrot last night. See related entry listed below to find out more information on Voxtrot.

The two opening bands are Au Revoir Simone and Sound Team. I thought Sound Team was actually pretty good, although from hearsay and gossips, I heard the guitarist is a bit of a jerk.

The Voxtrot show was alright, they seem to be having a lot of fun on stage. I was told that the last time they were here (on a Monday), that there were only maybe 12 people there. This time, they have a pretty packed venue, which made them really happy.

The most memorable part is when the girls from Au Revoir Simone joined on stage (see picture) for their final song.

They're still on tour, promoting their album, which was released 22 May 2007 (Morrissey's birthday!).

Related entries: Cari Palazzolo and Belaire & Au Revoir Simone

Apparently, I don't read the team.vox.com, but thanks to Angry Tiki for mentioning these Moo Cards. You have to add Moocards as a neighbor and then head over here to order 10 free cards. From what people tell me, the cards are high quality, but the cost ($20 for 100 cards) seems really high to me. They do look pretty cool though.

Also, once again, I will be heading over to Chicago until Tuesday (leaving this Saturday morning). Please do not get me started on how much I hate Illinois' road tolls. DIE DIE DIE!

Read more Flashback.

Au Revoir Simone Sound Team Voxtrot vs Au Revoir Simone

Voxtrot at Triple Rock Social Club (05 June 2007)

photo by Steve    

vu ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

SXSW 2024 Experience

About Music For Listeners A radio show with Music .... For Listeners - Live on KRTU FM 91.7 and krtu.org Friday nights into Saturday Mornings 12AM-3AM central time See more SXSW 2024 Neon Waltz at SXSW 2024 Folk Bitch Trio at SXSW 2024 Read More SXSW Once again, SXSW (South by Southwest Music Festival) is returning to Austin, Texas. This year marks the festival’s 38th annual event. Like previous years, there are a million bands. ....

Hello folks, welcome to Austin. Do you have your schedule ready? Are you here to watch a movie and wave to Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling in a convertible, network with AI, Cyber, Crypto masterminds at Panels or the Expo at the acc, or do you have your pocket schedule for rock n roll from Noon-2AM for 6 straight days. "Easy Answer."

Rain, protests, and large annoying crowds were supposed to disrupt this year's South By South West. We all know the Black Keys played two epic shows at Mohawk and Stubbs (I probably should have caught one from the street) and Janalle Monoe had a DJ set party, but we're here to see fresh new talent from all over the world.

Catching bands in tiny intimate settings-- from churches to backyards -- is the reason everyone should attend SXSW. Discovering a band that's about to explode once they meet the right people or getting the chance to chat with artists right after a set are just two of the many reasons to return every year.

My 12th SXSW in the last 14 years was quite the rush. If you're looking to see music for 14 straight hours, I suggest staying away from the free Lone Stars at Hotel Vegas. Pick-up the free sliders at Shangri-Las for stamina. Flying around in a Lime was the way to go, for $15 that got you an hour in 3 days.

A $4 Lyft was the way to go at certain times. Still had to rock that straw hat in the outdoor heat, but a lot of the events were indoors or had decent canopies for shade.

Enjoying that cool Austin breeze on the East side of 6th Street felt pretty good too. This was my first year purchasing a wristband for $200, and still would spend about only 150 on covers but also got into shows where I needed the wristband to have a prayer to get in.

Every year I help out with a Music for Listeners party run by a great radio station based out of San Antonio (KRTU). Michael Thomas and Orlando Torres have booked and hosted a phenomenal event for 14 years now. This year was the 5th year at Lazarus Brewery of the east side of 6th just past Hotel Vegas and close to High Noon (Paste Mag Party). Some of the biggest bands they booked this year were Sprints, Ash, and Rameesh (Voxtrot’s lead singer).

Lazarus has an incredible hard-working staff that has been more than accommodating over the years. We will miss one of the best managers in town in Marcus. Good luck in Maui!

Alright, let's cut the chase and give you some bands to check out.

Top 20 Performances at SXSW 2024 (you be the judge but gave a quick comparison) Daniel donato cosmic country (antones) (Goose meets Billy Strings) Neon waltz (BME downright Austin backyard) (New Style We Were Promised Jet Packs) Susan O'Neill (private Irish House Performance) (The next Norah Jones but even better) Airu (Lazarus Brewery) (spanish ) Folk bitch trio (Driskell/Lazarus) (The Staves, Secret Sisters) The Vices (Cooper's BBQ) (Netherlands version of The Hives unreal stage performance) Oh he did (Antones) (the next alabama shakes) Balthvs (Mohawk/Parish) (Khruangbin Vibes) Holly Macave (BME downright Austin backyard) (UK version of Lana Del Ray) Wilt (Mohawk/Creek in the Cave) (Way better Paramore, Unreal Vocals and Stage Presence) Voxtrot (Mohawk) (Austin Legends) Lamont Landers (Empire Garage) (new St Paul and the Broken Bones) Fieh (Lazarus Brewery/Backyard Boogie) (Jazzy Amy winehouse ) Angelica Garcia (BME downright Austin backyard) (London Grammer) West 22 (Valhalla) (Beach Vibe Jamz) Dave from Revivalists (paste mag party/high noon) (Awesome Country/funk/blues) San Antonio band (still working on band name from secret backyard boogie show) (Spanish -Surf rock) Bel Air Lip Bombs (swan dive patio) (Aussie indie Rockers) Farmers Wife (Hotel Vegas) (New-Style darker Alvvays) Ash (Lazarus Brewery) (Irish Legends)

Top Bands I missed at SXSW Georgia Gets By Tauk Laveda The silver lines Highschoo Cloudchord Searows The Big Wys Brass Band Dry Cleaning Do Nothing

1 / 10

2 / 10

3 / 10

4 / 10

5 / 10

6 / 10

7 / 10

8 / 10

9 / 10

10 / 10

Ash at Music for Listeners Party (13 Mar 2024)

brody ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com ♥ bsky.ap

Rocktober: October 22

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide

10/22 Marcus Mumford with The A's at Palace Theatre Read More Mumford & Sons After a brief health-related delay that caused them to miss Bonnaroo, UK band Mumford and Sons has resumed their Summer arena/amphitheatre Tour, to great reviews and sold out shows. …

10/22/2022 Saturday

Marcus Mumford
with The A's
at Palace Theatre
first-avenue.com

Remember Mumford & Sons? The band’s founder Marcus Mumford is on tour in support of his debut solo self-titled album. The record was released on Capitol Records, and was produced by Blake Mills (Alabama Shakes, Laura Marling).

The Marcus Mumford tour kicks off Monday, September 19, with a sold-out show at the Fox Theatre in Boulder, CO… and will stop in at the Palace Theatre this October 22nd.

The A's to open.

Tour Dates

9/19 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
9/20 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre
9/21 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre
9/24 Las Vegas, NV iHeartRadio Music Festival
9/26 Seattle, WA The Paramount Theatre
9/27 Portland, OR Keller Auditorium
9/30 Los Angeles, CA The Wiltern
10/1 San Francisco, CA The Fillmore
10/4 Ventura, CA Majestic Ventura Theatre
10/6 El Cajon, CA The Magnolia
10/7 Phoenix, AZ The Van Buren
10/9 Austin, TX ACL Fest
10/10 Houston, TX White Oak Music Hall
10/11 Dallas, TX Majestic Theatre
10/14 New Orleans, LA Orpheum Theater
10/16 Austin, TX ACL Fest
10/17 Tulsa, OK Cain’s Ballroom
10/18 Kansas City, MO Midland Theatre
10/20 Milwaukee, WI The Pabst Theater
10/21 Madison, WI The Sylvee
10/22 Saint Paul, MN Palace Theatre
10/24 Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
10/25 Detroit, MI The Fillmore Detroit
10/26 Louisville, KY Brown Theatre
10/28 Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center
10/29 Atlanta, GA The Eastern
10/30 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
11/1 Asheville, NC Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
11/2 Washington, DC The Anthem
11/3 Philadelphia, PA Met Philadelphia
11/5 Portland, ME State Theater
11/7 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
11/8 Boston, MA Wang Theatre – Boch Center
11/10 Toronto, ON Massey Hall

10/22 Judah & the Lion with The National Parks at First Avenue Read More Judah & the Lion Nashville’s Judah & The Lion will be headlining the Palace Theatre on Halloween, October 31st. The group’s “Let Go” song was recently chosen as ESPN’s New College Football Anthem for 2019-20 Season, which is quite a big deal…. …

10/22/2022 Saturday

Judah & the Lion
with The National Parks
at First Avenue
first-avenue.com

Judah & the Lion is touring in support of Revival (Cletus the Van Records / Virgin Music).

We just the band on Sep 2022 and wrote, “Judah and the Lion are going through a Revival-- Not just the title of their fourth studio album (released in June on Cletus the Van Records), but professionally (with the departure of co-founding member Nate Zuercher at the end of last year) and personally as well, and through all the introspection the pandemic allowed us. The core lineup is down to the duo of Judah Akers and Brian Macdonald and their renewed musical outlook is one of hope, happiness, and an innocence that the band began with, a decade ago.”

The National Parks (not to be confused with The National) to open.

Tour Dates

Sept 20 @ House of Blues in Dallas, TX^
Sept 21 @ Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater in Austin, TX^
Sept 23 @ Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, OK^
Sept 24 @ The Factory in Chesterfield, MO^
Oct. 4 @ Avondale Brewing Co. in Birmingham, AL+
Oct 5 @ Old Forester’s Paristown Hall in Louisville, KY+
Oct 7 @ Coca-Cola Roxy in Atlanta, GA+
Oct 8 @ The Ritz in Raleigh, NC+
Oct 9 @ The Fillmore in Charlotte, NC+
Oct 11 @ Webster Hall in New York, NY+
Oct 13 @ The Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD+
Oct 14 @ House of Blues in Boston, MA
Oct 15 @ Club XL Live in Harrisburg, PA+
Oct 16 @ The Fillmore in Philadelphia, PA+
Oct 18 @ House of Blues in Cleveland, OH+
Oct 20 @ Egyptian Room at Old National Centre in Indianapolis, IN+
Oct 21 @ The Riviera Theater in Chicago, IL+
Oct 22 @ First Avenue in Minneapolis, MN+
Nov. 18-20 @ Wonderfront Festival in San Diego, CA

^Smallpools
+The National Parks

10/22 Voxtrot with Yellow Ostrich at Fine Line Read More Voxtrot Three years ago Voxtrot released two incredibly well-received EPs, Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives and Raised By Wolves and immediately garnered a cult-like fanbase. On the adolescent anthem, “Soft and Warm,” …

10/22/2022 Saturday

Voxtrot
with Yellow Ostrich
at Fine Line
first-avenue.com

Here’s a blast from the past: Voxtrot. When we first started W♥M, 15 years ago, Voxtrot was one of the first band we saw in June 2007: “The Voxtrot show was alright, they seem to be having a lot of fun on stage. I was told that the last time they were here (on a Monday), that there was only maybe 12 people there. This time, they have a pretty packed venue, which made them really happy.”

It looks like the band is back, touring to promote Cut from the Stone: Rarities & B-Sides. Already Austin and Los Angeles shows have sold out. It’s not a surprise, as they still have many fans, and, of course, we remember the band!

Yellow Ostrich to open.

Voxtrot Tour Dates

September 17 - New York NY @ Webster Hall
September 18 - Washington DC @ Black Cat
September 23 - San Francisco CA @ The Independent
September 24 - Los Angeles CA @ The Regent
September 25 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Echoplex
October 21 - Chicago IL @ Thalia Hall
October 22 - Minneapolis MN @ Fine Line
November 11 - Austin, TX @ The Mohawk
November 12 - Austin TX @ The Mohawk

If your band is coming to the Minneapolis/St Paul area, please email details to [email protected] with a good lead time. Thank you.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Music Podcasts

Here are some music podcasts that I listened to recently.

As you know, to get through the day or when I'm bicycling, I like to listen to people talking about music and technology. I don't really like listening to the other music podcasts, which are essentially playlists or mixes by DJs.

We also do our own podcast called W♥M Radio, which is a mixture of the staff here talking about music with occasional interviews. We are recording #137, hopefully, this Sunday. I am bias, of course, but I like our little radio show.

Anyway, all of these podcasts are FREE, so there's no excuse to not try these out.

>>>
CABINET OF WONDERS
npr.org

Today (May 25), NPR is debuting "Cabinet of Wonders", a six-episode hour long radio program hosted by John Wesley Harding. I actually really like him, I think he's quite clever … and, of course, I cannot get enough of his accent.

It's a variety program, which sounds like it was recorded live in front of an audience. In the first episode, "A Starbucks... Where The Starbuck Used To Be", Harding performs that title song and introduced all his guests with … rhymes. Wow, right? Like some sort of rhyming demon.

Guests include author Haley Tanner, musicians Punch Brothers, author Sarah Vowell, comedian Eugene Mirman, etc. You can see the guests aren't necessary music-related.

Anyway, I had a pretty hard time finding out the RSS feed, so if you want to grab it, it's located at npr.org/rss/podcast.php?id=510300.

THE HIVECAST WITH MATT PINFIELD
mtvhive.com

With Episode #2 just launched, Matt Pinfield sits down with Jack White. I actually haven't listened to the latest interview, but I did listen to #1 with Mark Ronson. It was kind of fun to hear this British guy reflects on how he grew up with old soul records and his brother/sister relationship with Amy Winehouse.

I laughed when I heard Ronson explains how Winehouse was brutally honest. He'll play her a song and 3 seconds in, she's like "Turn it off, don't make me listen to this anymore."

NOTE: Ronson mentioned This Day In Music app, which I reviewed.

If you can't get enough of Pinfield's know-it-all brain, you should listen to us chat about music.

MUSIC WEEKLY
guardian.co.uk

Tired of the BBC blocking all the good podcasts because you don't live in the UK? Thankfully, the Guardian's doing an excellent job on their podcasts.

Music Weekly is the Guardian take on music by hosts Alexis Petridis and Kieran Yates (with regular staff rotations). They do random band interviews, talk about the news, and the production is very professional (lots of music excerpts).

The latest episode "Gravenhurst's favourite folk – and a fistful of festivals" (May 25th), is about the festival season. They talk to Sam Richards, the editor of the Guide's 2012 festival special.

MURFIE
murfie.com

I don't know what a "Murfie" is, but it looks like a record store based out Madison, Wisonsin. They just celebrated their one-year anniversary.

They have a podcast, and I did listen to the latest one, "Interview with Enabler". While metal/hardcore isn't really my cup of tea, I was more bothered by the "cell phone" audio recording. Just to make sure, I listened to "Interview with Charlie Parr", and he also had that "cell phone" audio quality. It just doesn't sound good. But hey, interviewer Kayla sounded wonderful.

I browsed through their podcast, it seems they only do them every so-often, like once a month.

ONSTAGE AND BACKSTAGE
onstageandbackstage.libsyn.com

Book publisher Hal Leonard Performing Arts Publishing Group just launched their Onstage and Backstage podcast. The show will feature authors and celebrity guests discussing the performing arts. The podcast covers theatre, film, television, bands, classical music, opera, and today's music industry.

I grabbed the latest episode, "A (Profound) Guide to Beethoven's Chamber Music!" to check out. I can tell by the stutters of "uh" and "ums" that Victor Lederer, author of Beethoven's Chamber Music: A Listener's Guide, doesn't do public speaking (or he was super nervous).

It's still a new podcast, so it can only improve… but I do recommend some editing in post.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

W♥M056: Welsh Britpop Bands

Super Furry Animals - Ohio Heat ♥ Flyer (11/07/09)

W♥M056 (49 min)

BRITPOPCAST #3: WELSH BRITPOP BANDS
This show was recorded on Saturday morning at 12.30am with Sally. I was half tired and half unprepared... but lots of fun on this episode about Welsh Britpop bands.

Welsh bands we focused on: Super Furry Animals, Manic Street Preachers, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Catatonia, Stereophonics, and 60ft Dolls.

The second part, which is more like a post script is that Sally will be DJing Jarvis Cocker/Pulp music for an hour on December 5^th in anticipation and celebration of Cocker touring in Australia around that date. Come stalk her in Sydney, more details on britpop.com.au.

Below is the interview Sal did with singer Gruff Rhys from SFA, originally published in Kill the Cod fanzine.

KILL THE COD INTERVIEWS GRUFF RHYS

Whilst attending a smashing concert at Newcastle Uni (25th.Feb), i managed, as well as being able to watch three of my favourite bands (Lavish, Super Furry Animals and Custard), i was able to have a chat to a Mr Gruff Rhys, the lead singer of the Super Furries. So here is the story of that night....................................................................................*sally*

What's the deal with all the Welsh bands that have been touring Australia lately?
It's really funny, you know, we used to share the same amps as Catatonia and we shared drummers, we've known members of Catatonia since I was...you know...

So you lived near them?
ah...Catatonia are from North Wales and we're from South Wales...your in bands for years playing along and it's...so surreal, you know...we'll be playing in Melbourne the same night as Catatonia and we'll probably meet up with them after...and I saw them in a pub in Cardiff before coming over...

So it's just coincidence that you, Catatonia and the Manic Street Preachers have all decided to tour Australia at the same time?
Yeah...cos Wales is a small place...you bump into everyone and you meet everyone...the music is quite different...you know? Everyone does their own thing, so no one is in competition with each other...it's great you know...to meet up in exotic locations

How do you like playing with Lavish and, tonight, Custard?
well...I haven't heard Custard and I hadn't heard Lavish until last week

How do you feel about not being the headlining band tonight (Newcastle Uni)?
That's fine...yeah...I mean we've never played in Australia before and no one's heard of us practically...you know..we sort of have just started out in Australia, so it's great to be number 1 and number 2...it's good to have an audience...I don't care about headlining...you know, I think that's secondary to the music true true...

So how did the Super Furry Animals form?
ahh...we started recording in Dafydd's house about five years ago (points to Dafydd)...this doesn't translate on tape..um..that short guy with the brown shirt..um..we had a home studio..we spent a few years writing songs and before that me and Dafydd were in a band called Ffa Coffi Pawb, Guto and Bunf were in a band, and Cian had his own band and Cian is Dafydd's brother so he used to hang out with us...and by this time me Cian and Dafydd had moved down from North Wales to Cardiff and we knew Bunt and Guto from the days in Ffa Coffi Pawb, we were all in Welsh punk rock bands you know..then we spent two years in the house writing songs and playing around and um...then we decided to start playing live...we did a few gigs and then we got together to release a single on a label called Ankst and so it's one of those freaky things...we'd played about two gigs and we sent a copy to the NME or something and we got a slot in a pub in London and about 10 journalists came to see us and wrote rave reviews...we went to London again the week after and played in another pub and there was about 40 record companies and they all wanted a piece and...it was really strange and easy and then we did an album for Creation...we've been in bands for 10 years making music and suddenly you get offered this chance to record the albums of your dreams you know..and come to places like Australia to play

Are you enjoying Australia?
Yeah...I didn't know what to expect at all and it's a good place and um...i'm looking forward to coming back...yeah I want to come back

I don't know if you've ever been asked this but...i've got a game called Actua Soccer at home..
..oh yeah...

and I notice a SFA team with you running around the field...so how did you get into that?
well...we were making a video and we didn't have many pictures and we wanted to walk into the screen and change into football players and so we got in contact with these people and they did it free for us and...but they fucked up cos..we selected a team of all our heros..um...we had..i think Che Guevara was in goal, Nelson Mandella on the wing..i think Lou Reed was in the team and...Fidel Castro and...Frank Zappa on the wing, etcetera, etcetera and the five of us...apparently they've put like..Stalin and Ghengis Khan on the team and it's horrible cos they lost the piece of paper we sent them so they put all these wankers in, you know...it's really bad...so we're all embarrassed it's still an alright game though I prefer Fifa 98

yeah...me too... What football teams do you support?
Bangor City...their in the league of Wales............ah a bug (on the ground).........yeah..i support Bangor City in the league of Wales and I support Cardiff City who are in the third division of the English league even though it's a Welsh team...um...I support Barcelona and Bilbao in the Spanish league...who do you support?

I support Arsenal and it's not just because they won the FA cup and that, I had been supporting them for years, so don't get any ideas
o.k....i know some Arsenal fans

What is your favourite telly show ever?
well...Calimero...it's like a Czech cartoon. Calimero is a little black chicken with half a shell on its head and um...I did have a photo of him (searches his pocket and wallet)...he's like the only black chicken in a family of yellow chickens and it gets translated into Welsh so we used to watch it in Welsh on Welsh TV and i've met Japanese people...it's been translated into Japanese and Italian and in Scotland it's in English with an Italian accent so Calimero's catch phrase is "It's an injustice" (in an Italian accent) and um..in Welsh it's (Welsh words-sorry ) which is "there's no flavour to life"..it's this depressed chicken..it's a cartoon for kids but, you know...Calimero...god guy..one of the greats

How do you Kill the Cod?
Are you an active fisher?

it's actually out of the Goodies
Ah yeah...i saw a band a few weeks ago and they've got Graeme Garden's son on keyboards...he's got the same smile...that's quite amazing..i don't'know if I endorse killing cod..so maybe we should let it swim..you know.

--
W♥M Radio is available on iTunes, please subscribe!

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Archive of this show at archive.org. More information on podomatic.com

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ +W♥M

Voxtrot – Berlin, Without Return

Voxtrot - Berlin, Without Return Voxtrot Discography [2005] Raised by Wolves EP [2006] Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives EP [2006] Your Biggest Fan EP [2007] Voxtrot [2009] Berlin, Without Return... Read More Voxtrot http://weheartmus... The Voxtrot show was alright, they seem to be having a lot of fun on stage. I was told that the l...

Voxtrot – Berlin, Without Return

Three years ago Voxtrot released two incredibly well-received EPs, Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, and Wives and Raised By Wolves and immediately garnered a cult-like fanbase. On the adolescent anthem, “Soft and Warm,” Ramesh Srivastava sang, “You are so young, so feel alive, and one day you will live on your own.” It was the exact kind of vibrant optimism that was reflected back on them from their fans, who eagerly anticipated a full album.

It’s been two years since their slightly underwhelming debut LP, and although some of that fanfare has died down, Voxtrot returns with a 7-inch that serves as a striking reminder to why they skyrocketed to blog-fame so quickly. Maybe their songs are best appreciated in small doses, as the brevity of the single is just enough to stir that same sense of excitement that these guys are on to something.

Berlin, Without Return contains two concise songs that start off sparse before they bloom with lush orchestration and urgent lyrics. On the single of the same name, Srivastava skillfully turns adolescent mantras into eerily beautiful choruses as he repeats, “I don’t know you, you don’t know me,” with an army of strings and keyboards driving home the point. It’s Voxtrot doing what they do best: theatrical and urgent pop that goes straight for the heart. They’ve done away with the harder, guitar-centered sound that drove their debut album and returned to the softer, orchestral keys-and-strings combination that was once their signature.

Despite reverting to their old formula, Berlin remains fresh and effortless, thanks to a somewhat altered perspective. The optimism is still there, but it’s more careful this time around, slightly stilted by experience. Second song, “The Dream Lives of Ordinary People,” is plagued by references to nightmares and ghosts, yet there is still something uplifting hidden among the heavy bassline and wordy verses. When Srivastava ends the song with a frenzied epiphany (another classic move), he offers up a healthy dose of reality, but he cushions it with all the charm and idealism that made us fall in love with this band in the first place.

 08/26/2009 10:47:16 ♥ kateg () ♥ voxtrot.net ♥ myspace.com/voxtrot 

News: Voxtrot at the Triple Rock Club (5 Jun 2007)

Au Revoir Simone stage invade Voxtrot at the Triple Rock Club, Minneapolis, MN (5 Jun 2007) - photo courtesy of BritRockatthetop

 

 

Your Biggest Fan

Sorry for all these posts, this is the last one for sure! I saw Voxtrot last night. See related entry listed below to find out more information on Voxtrot.

The two opening bands are Au Revoir Simone and Sound Team. I thought Sound Team was actually pretty good, although from hearsay and gossips, I heard the guitarist is a bit of a jerk.

The Voxtrot show was alright, they seem to be having a lot of fun on stage. I was told that the last time they were here (on a Monday), that there was only maybe 12 people there. This time, they have a pretty packed venue, which made them really happy.

The most memorable part is when the girls from Au Revoir Simone joined on stage (see picture) for their final song.

They're still on tour, promoting their album, which was released 22 May 2007 (Morrissey's birthday!). Here's the rest of their tour dates:

7 June - Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick 8 June - Toronto, ON @ Sneaky Dees 19+ SOLD OUT 9 June - Montreal, QC @ Main Hall 10 June - Buffalo, NY @ Mohawk Place 11 June - Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom 12 June - Baltimore, MD @ Ottobar 13 June - Washington, DC @ Black Cat 14 June - Boston, MA @ Middle East 15 June - New York, NY @ Webster Hall 16 June - Philadelphia, PA @ Transit

18 June - Newport, KY @ Southgate House 21 June - Gainesville, FL @ Common Grounds 22 June - Miami, FL @ Studio A 23 June - Tampa, FL @ Crowbar 24 June - Orlando, FL @ Backbooth 26 June - Tallahassee, FL @ Beta Bar 27 June - Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn 28 June - Birmingham, AL @ Bottle Tree Cafe 29 June - Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon 30 June - Houston, TX @ Proletariat

Related entries: Cari Palazzolo and Belaire & Au Revoir Simone

Apparently I don't read the team.vox.com, but thanks to Angry Tiki for mentioning these Moo Cards. You have to add Moocards as a neighbor and then head over here to order 10 free cards. From what people tell me, the card are high quality, but the cost ($20 for 100 cards) seems really high to me. They do look pretty cool though.

Also, once again, I will be heading over to Chicago until Tuesday (leaving this Saturday morning). Please do not get me started on how much I hate Illinois' road tolls. DIE DIE DIE!

vu Links: www.voxtrot.net | www.soundteam.net | www.aurevoirsimone.com

Cari Palazzolo and Belaire

Cari Palazollo is from Austin, TX and part of Belaire along with her twin sister Christa and Voxtrot's Matt Simon and Jason Chronis. She has a solo project called Fancy Feast, yup, just like the cat food. Go ahead and google "Fancy Feast" and you'll see many results for the food instead of her. She's also been part of other bands such as Fozlur, Arkay, and Flashlight Fiction.

Fancy Feast has released one EP titled Nagasaki Hiroshima Raver Ghost Dance Remixxxx, which features the track below, "Whatcha Need Girl", and is worth picking up since it packs so much awesome into six songs. There are also two tracks available for your listening pleasure over at Judah Records' audio page that were taken from this EP. She also has a self-released album of 20 tracks, which includes the songs from the EP. As of right now, the only way to purchase the cd is by sending her a message through Belaire's MySpace page or emailing her (belairemusic [at] gmail.com).

Belaire will be releasing their debut LP, Exploding / Impacting, sometime in July. But if that seems too far away to satisfy your ears, they have a self-titled EP available that comes with hand-crafted cd cover art and a 7" vinyl, Haunted Castle, featuring 4 tracks with a ghouly, spooky, Halloween theme.

In addition to the EPs, Belaire and Fancy Feast were part of the Kanye West tribute album, Indie Translations of The College Dropout. Belaire covered "Through the Wire"; the song that launched Kanye's rapping career and featured samples from Aretha Franklin's "Through the Fire", but this version is far from that. It's free of samples and full of synths and keyboard action. Fancy Feast covered the final track, appropriately titled "Last Call". It's a synth-filled, female-vocaled version sans the Jay-Z intro and Kanye's lengthy story.

And Cari was also in a band called Fozlur which consisted of 5 members. I couldn't find much information about the band since their bio consists of an odd story about the Fozlur Institute and not them in general, but they do have a website and their releases are freely available for downloading.

As for the other members of Belaire...
Christa Palazzolo is also a painter from Queens, NY and has had exhibitions at galleries in Texas as well as New York. Her and Cari were part of the band Arkay along with Richard Kentopp. He's in a "band" called Books Died On and the EPs Summer and Fall and Love Me, Hate Me feature vocals by Christa, which can be streamed on Last.fm. I put "band" in quotation marks because Books Died On isn't exactly a band; it's basically him and other members who he feels like playing with, which includes Cari and Christa. Cari and Richard were part of an instrumental band called Flashlight Fiction with their friend Reed Chapman. They created two albums/EPs; the first was self-titled and the second was called The Production Cycle and both releases contained seven tracks and are available from Judah Records.

And the guys from Voxtrot are set to release their self-titled debut album on May 22 featuring all new songs. So if you have their other releases, you'll be happy to hear that there won't be any re-recorded versions of those songs.

Since I compacted so much info up there, here's a list of Belaire's projects/bands:
Cari Palazzolo - Fancy Feast, Belaire, Flashlight Fiction, Arkay, Fozlur
Christa Palazzolo - Belaire, Books Died On
Matt Simon - Belaire, Voxtrot
Jason Chronis - Belaire, Voxtrot

Fancy Feast & Belaire:
	Fancy Feast Nagasaki Hiroshima Raver Ghost Dance Remixxx 2005		Fancy Feast Fancy Feast 2006		Various Artists Indie Translations of The College Dropout 2005
	Belaire Belaire EP 2005		Belaire Haunted Castle 7" 2006		Belaire Exploding / Impacting due July 2007

 

Whatcha Need Girl

Exploding Tiny Impacting (Demo)

Got Me Goin' (Demo)

Ces Mots

Tron

Voxtrot:
	Voxtrot The Start of Something  7" 2004		Voxtrot Raised By Wolves 7" 2005		Voxtrot Raised By Wolves EP 2005
	Various Artists Bang Crash Boom!!! 2006		Voxtrot Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives EP 2006		Various Artists Little Darla Has a Treat For You, Volume 24 2006
	Voxtrot Mothers, Sisters, Daughters & Wives 7" 2006		Various Artists The Kids at the Club 2006		Voxtrot Your Biggest Fan EP 2006
	Voxtrot Trouble 7" 2007		Voxtrot Blood Red Blood 7" 2007		Voxtrot Voxtrot due 22 May 2007

Fast Asleep

Your Biggest Fan

Arkay, Flashlight Fiction, Fozlur:
	Arkay The Arkay Demos 2002		Flashlight Fiction Flashlight Fiction 2002		Flashlight Fiction The Production Cycle 2003
	Fozlur Kill the Wall Street Abrahams		Fozlur Magnetoscope		Fozlur Tea Time with Fozlur

Beat Me Up

Like Waves

Signs Off

Art-Punk Girl

Magnetoscope

Books Died On:
	Books Died On Summer and Fall EP 2004		Books Died On Love Me Hate Me EP 2005

Ahead of Ourselves

(I didn't include the other 2 releases by Books Died On because Christa doesn't appear on them)

Jason :: Fancy Feast | Belaire | Voxtrot | Arkay | Flashlight Fiction | Fozlur | Books Died On | KVRX | Christa Palazzolo