W♥M (Archive)

The Hotel Café Festival 2007

The Hotel Café is a singer/songwriter venue located in Los Angeles, California. Their annual festival showcases some great musicians you may have heard of already and some that are on the rise. Past musicians include Imogen Heap, KT Tunstall, Jason Mraz, The Honorary Title, and many others. Portions of the proceeds from the festival will benefit the Friends of Snuffy organization. "This all volunteer group works to improve the lives of pets and stray animals through education programs, grants and direct funding. It focuses on the Central New York State area."

This year, the festival will take place on August 4 in Highmount, NY at Belleayre and will feature the following 14 artists:

	Rachael Yamagata Official Site MySpace iTunes		Cary Brothers Official Site MySpace iTunes		Rocco DeLuca Official Site MySpace iTunes
	Ingrid Michaelson Official Site MySpace iTunes		Kate Havnevik Official Site MySpace iTunes		Stars of Track & Field Official Site MySpace iTunes
	Tracy Bonham Official Site MySpace iTunes		Greg Laswell Official Site MySpace iTunes		Priscilla Ahn MySpace iMeem iTunes
	Tom McRae Official Site MySpace iTunes		Meiko Official Site MySpace		Jim Bianco Official Site MySpace iTunes
	Jay Nash Official Site MySpace iTunes		Buddy Official Site MySpace iTunes	�

 

Links: The Hotel Café | The Hotel Café Tour | Belleayre Music Festival

Posted by Jason

Superdrag Tickets Update

I Am Incinerator

Superdrag

Just a reminder that Superdrag tickets for Nashville, Knoxville, Chicago, and Washington DC are already on sale. NYC and Boston tickets will be available this coming Friday.

And, just another excuse to post a good song. A (very) slightly different version appears on three eps as "I Guess It's American".

 

Oddly brief, Cristina

Sufjan Stevens - Come on feel the Illinois

Sufjan Stevens - They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From The Dead!! A

Sufjan Stevens

This really came out of nowhere for me. My bf will load up my library list and when I go pick up my junk I usually get little suprises like this. It's really a wonderful album and Sufjan Stevens has a haunting and lovely voice. Come on Feel the Illinois (2005) is only the second of the  50 concept albums he plans to make for each of the U.S. States. Pretty cool eh? His first is called "Greetings from Michigan:The Great Lakes" (2003), he's actually from Michigan so it only seems fitting that he'd start with his home state.

Sufjan Stevens - John Wayne Gacy Jr

I find him a rather intersting dude. He's already done an album based around the animals of the chinese zodiac called "Enjoy Your Rabbit". I have yet to hear it, but I am most intersted. In 2006 he released a 5 cd box set of christmas songs recorded since 2001. They were mostly distributed to friends and family and made so that Sufjan could better appreciate Christmas.

He seems to contribute to a whole lot of other projects/artists as well. I would go on naming them, but it is far too much for my lazy self, and mostly because I haven't a clue who all the artists are. He's also done a few mentionable covers. He's covered Tim Buckleys "She Is", Daniel Johnstons "Worried Shoes" and The Star Spangled Banner. Although, it he added whole new verse and rearranged the melody.

As far as the 50 states project goes, the next states are speculated to be Rhode Island, Oregan or Minnesota.
Anyway this is an artist I'm definitly going to be looking further into. I love what I've heard so far and I hope others here will like it too.

Adios,
Emelia

Concert: Blitzen Trapper at the Triple Rock Club

 

The Green King Sings Blitzen Trapper View site

♥ Blitzen Trapper at Triple Rock Club, Minneapolis (29 July 2007)

I guess I've never noticed it before, but the reason why it's called The Triple Rock Club is that a show usually calls for three bands (one headliner and two openers).

This venue is mostly known for their punk rock shows, although they do book a variety of indie and experimental bands from time to time.

The two opening bands sounded nothing like Blitzen: an alt-country band The Godevils and folk singer Patrick Tierney.  Both bands are from Minneapolis.

It was hard for me to understand The Godevils because the singer didn't speak clearly into the microphone most of the time.  They started off with the banjo/drums/cello and ended their set with an electric guitar and bass.

Patrick Tierney did a pretty long set, half of which seems like they were cover songs.  Covers included Bob Dylan, White Stripes and Leonard Cohen.

Blitzen Trapper was late to the venue because they took Highway 61 (the nice scenic route along the Great River) from Chicago to Minneapolis.  So they hadn't had time to setup their instruments or had a proper soundcheck, so a good 10 minutes were spent uttering the words "check check check check" or "can I get more sound on my monitor".

When they actually started playing, it was very loud and really put a little life into the audience - this was a band that was meant to play in front of a very large crowd.  Unfortunately, because it's late night on Sunday (and normally people have to work the next morning), hardly anyone showed up.  However, the people that did show up was very responsive (e.g. talking back to the band and recognizing all the songs). 

I just think that if they played on a Friday or Saturday that they would've had a much better turnout.

They added a few more dates, so check them out if you live in these places:

30 Jul 2007 21:00	The Slowdown	Omaha, Nebraska
31 Jul 2007 20:30	The Hi-Dive	Denver, Colorado
1 Aug 2007 20:15	Kilby Court	Salt Lake City, Utah
3 Aug 2007 21:00	Crocodile Cafe w/ Jennifer Gentle	Seattle, Washington
5 Aug 2007 12:00	AudioCinema: PDX POP NOW 07	Portland, Oregon

PS, as usual, Triple Rock had no one working on the lights, so it was constantly dark red throughout the entire show.

 

 July 30, 2007 2:52 AM  vu my♥posts [email protected] www.blitzentrapper.net

Concert: Bat for Lashes at 7th Street in Minneapolis

Bat for Lashes - What's a Girl to Do Bat For Lashes Bat For Lashes http://weheartmus... A friend of mine asked me to check out this errie music video for "What's a Girl To Do" by Bat fo...

When I saw Beatrix*JAR walk past me, I was shock to find out that they were the opening band for Bat for Lashes. I've seen them before at the Bryant-Lake Bowl and I know they sound nothing like Bat, but more similiar to such DJ acts like Benthley Rhythm Ace [W♥M].

It was cool though, I think the audience wasn't expecting two DJs doing some live mixes on stage. I recorded a 50 second clip to show you what they sound like: stage6.divx.com

The crowd for Bat for Lashes was really healthy, more people showed up than I had expected. It was evident that a lot of these fans loved the video for "What's a Girl to Do" because the crowd instantly started cheering when the first few notes of the song was played.

Tour 2007

Jul 30 Cafe Du Nord, SF, CA
Jul 31 Spaceland, LA, CA
Aug 11 Field Day 2007, London
Aug 26 Rock en Seine, Paris
Sep 01 Connect Fest, Inveraray Sep 02 Electric icnic,Stradbally
Sep 09 Bestival, Isle of Wight

I think the best part about the show was the unconventional musical instruments that was brought on stage, including the infamous Shaman's sceptre (the ceremonial head of the staff was removed, so it just looked like an ordinary wooden stick).

I'm including the rest of their tour - so check them out if they're coming to your town.

PHOTOGRAPHS ♥ Setlist ♥ Natasha with Shaman's sceptre ♥ Natasha ♥ Bat for Lashes ♥ Beatrix*JAR ♥ Video: Beatrix*JAR

* Big thank you to Dick

 July 29, 2007 3:38 AM  vu my♥posts [email protected] batforlashes.co.uk www.beatrixjar

 

Marco Mahler - Otmar Elmer

marcomahler.com http://marcomahle... Marco Mahler's official website. As the landscape of music is carved throughout time, the work b... Marco Mahler - Otmar Elmer Marco Mahler

As you might have guessed, I have about five or six articles already pre-written and I queue them up to be published days in advance. This article below, I had meant it to go live on Sunday, but I got such a positive feedback (and great working material) from the artist, that I've decided to publish the article tonight. Please let me know what you think! There will be a surprise treat for you!

Anyway, according to Marco Mahler's press release, he's influenced by Stephen Malkmus, Belle and Sebastian [W♥M] and Bert Jansch. Since I liked all those musicians, I decided to give Mahler a try.

Reading his biography, it would seem that Mahler has a dual citizen in the US and Switzerland. He's currently based out of Brooklyn, New York, and he released Design In Quick Rotation last month.

My favorite track off of Design In Quick Rotation is "Otmar Elmer". You can just hear Mahler's very skilled guitar-playing in this song.

Unfortunately it's an instrumental track, so it's a bit unfair to represent Mahler's sound with this song. I suggest you head over to his myspace and listen to any of his songs he has on there. "Orange Chinese Car" is a pretty solid track.

I was curious about Otmar Elmer's origin and why it seems to conjure up images of a Spanish/Flamenco music when I first listened to it. I asked Mahler, who wrote back this very detailed reply:

Bert Jansch - Angie

I see it (even though it is somewhat different) as sort of my contemporary version of Bert Jansch’s “Angie” (from his 1965 debut album “Bert Jansch”). Sort of an evolutionary step/version. Bert Jansch got it from Davey Graham’s “Angi” (from his 1962 debut album “3/4 AD”) who, if I remember this right (I just googled it but couldn’t find anything on it off hand), got it from a tune by Thelonious Monk. I think “Otmar Elmer” has, in an abstract way, simple elements of electronic music and hiphop to it, which I’ve listened to a lot, too, over the years. I also think there’s a lot of hiphop in Bert Jansch’s guitar playing.

Bert Jansch is a major influence on my music (if you’re not familiar with his music I recommend his first album “Bert Jansch” as well as “Jack Orion” and the 1968 debut of his band Pentangle called “The Pentangle”). When I really got into playing music I got all of his records and figured out how to play them. I lived in Switzerland at the time and I hitch-hiked up to London a few times and went to see him play at the 12 Bar Club and a bunch of other places. I thought about calling it “Otmar Elmer (for Bert Jansch)” but then I thought it just isn’t as strong as the meaning his music had and still has to me.

As far as you saying it reminds you of Spanish guitars/flamenco: The chord progression (Am, G, F, E) is quite common in traditional Spanish music. But also, Davey Graham, when he came up with “Angi”, was strongly influenced by Steve Benbow, who was strongly influenced by Moroccan music, which shares elements with Spanish music.

Simon & Garfunkel - Anji (live)

So go ahead and listen to "Otmar Elmer" and let me know what you think. Does it exceed the original Angi song or does it a pale comparison? I personally think they're both equally great! And they are two different songs.

PS, As a special treat, I've dugged up Simon & Garfunkel's version of "Anji". This is a live version that appears on their Old Friends (1997) boxset. I believe the studio version appears on their 1966 album Sounds of Silence.

PPS, Unfortunately I have never heard of Davey Graham prior to this article so obviously I don't have any of his music. But judging from Jansch's version, I would have to agree that it's very good.

I did check up on Davey Graham and he is going to be on tour in the UK in October.

Bert Jansch released a new album The Black Swan last year, and have finished wrapping up tour a few weeks ago.

 July 28, 2007 12:02 AM  vu my♥posts [email protected] marcomahler.com

Annie - The Greatest Hit

 

 

 

Annie - The Greatest Hit

Annie

Anne Strand, better known as "Annie" is a pop singer and DJ from Bergen, Norway. She won "Best Newcomer" at the Norwegian Alarm Awards and Spellemannsprisen.

I will admit to being a pop fan, yes, I secretly listen to this stuff. It sort of reminds me a lot of a poppier version of Saint Etienne [W♥M], actually (in fact, her DJ have been spotted wearing that Fox Base Alpha T-Shirt)

Before Annie became an international star, she was the singer of The Suitcase at the age of 16 in 1993. When the band decided to go from indie rock to trip-hop, she left the band.

A few years later, she began to become romantically involved with DJ Erot (Tore Kroknes). The two of them launch Annie's career with The Greatest Hit, which uses samples of Madonna's "Everybody".

Everything was going well, until Tore died of heart conditions at the age of 23, in 2002, leaving Annie in a period of depression.

By late 2003, she had met up with producer Richard X and they worked together to release "Chewing Gum" (Sep 2004), the single did really well in the UK. It was soon followed by her debut album Anniemal in 2005.

Currently, it seems she's teaming up with various DJs (and also remixing other people's songs). Her latest teamup is with DJ Ercola, releasing Follow Me in 2007.

DISCOGRAPHY [1999] The Greatest Hit 12" [1999] The Greatest Hit 7" [1999] The Greatest Hit CD [2002] The Greatest Hit Dub 12" [2002] I Will Get On 7" [2003] Untitled 10" [Mar 2004] Anniemal (worldwide release in 2005) [2004] Chewing Gum (Promo) [2004] Chewing Gum (CD1 & CD2) [2004] Heartbeat 12" [2004] My Heartbeat (Promo) [2005] Heartbeat CD1 [2005] Heartbeat CD2 [2005] Happy Without You (Promo) [2005] Happy Without You (Remixes) [2005] Always Too Late (Promo) [2005] Anniemal Sampler (Promo) [2005] Wedding 12" [Oct 2005] DJ-Kicks: Annie [2006] Crush 12" (Remixes) * Discography courtesy of www.discogs.com

 July 27, 2007 8:40 AM  vu my♥posts [email protected] www.anniemusic.co.uk

Rolling Stone Magazine #897 (June 2002)

What's in this issue:

• The Nirvana Wars (6 pages)
• Girls Gone Wild
• Mixican Heat (Fashion)
• Q&A With Elvis Costello
• Supreme Court vs Teens
• Layne Staley article
• Video Game Summer

 

 

RollingStone #897 (June 2002)

Continuing on with my magazine coverage, we have the biggest US "music" magazine: Rolling Stone.

Although the magazine had its origin in news and music, they're actually more interested in movie stars and pop culture than music. Of all the major music magazine publishers out there, I have never liked RS.

So why do I have this issue you ask? Well, my brother had a free subscription for a year, so I ended up adding the magazine to my collection (since he never read it).

 

The main story that I'll be talking about is the Courtney Love vs the former Nirvana band members Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic. I remember really hating Love (haha) after reading this article.

 

 

Nirvana - You Know You're Right

Nirvana

After Cobain's suicide in 1994, there was a long legal battle over the rights and management of Nirvana's music. Love contests that Cobain only shared the royalties out of kindness and she wanted full control of the Nirvana empire.

The real losers in this court battle are the fans, who haven't heard anything new since In Utero, which was released in 1993.

It should be noted that shortly after the Rolling Stone article that Love and surviving Nirvana members settled out of court and a few months later the greatest hits Nirvana album was released. Included in this album was the final Nirvana studio recording of "You Know You're Right".

Since then, a Nirvana boxset appeared: With the Lights Out (Nov 2004) (selections from this boxset was released under the title Sliver: The Best of the Box in Nov 2005).

 July 26, 2007 8:29 PM  vu my♥posts [email protected] interscope.com/nirvana

Bouche wrote: Jul 26, 2007 8:57 PM

[this is good] I subscribed to RS about 16 years ago. The most important feature was the articles concerning bands I liked and the CD reviews... Then along the way I think I developed a palate too eclectic and obscure than what they offered. I started djing in college and discovered CMJ magazine ... What isn't loveable about a music magazine that comes with a CD sampler? Whenever I bought it, it was like winning the lottery. Not only did I get tracks from bands I liked, but also from ones I never knew I liked... It were those CDs that made getting a music magazine exciting and what makes your posts a pleasure to read. It's great to have an offering of favorites others have found! that I might have missed. Thanks for all your work!

And I remember the first time I heard Smells like Teen Spirit. It was during the short period MTV actually played music... Most likely on 120 minutes. Strange how these services that were constructed around a love for 'music' seemingly abandoned it in favor of money. Not that money's a bad thing... But screwing a loyal viewer/subscriber base? That's not so good.

KatieJane Garside (Daisy Chainsaw and QueenAdreena)

I've been having internet problems these past weeks, anyone experiencing really slow performances like I have?

Daisy Chainsaw - Love Your Money

Daisy Chainsaw

So, I wanted Cristina to write about Daisy Chainsaw, because it's actually a band I wanted to mention for a while. They've been around since 1989, but I hadn't heard of them until I saw them on MTV's 120 Minutes. I thought KatieJane Garside was a dirty little elf-like girl. And when I say dirty, I mean, she was constantly in soiled dresses.

Then, at the height of their popularity and fame after their release of Eleventeen in 1993, KatieJane, decided to call it quits. The rest of the members decided to continue on as Dizzy Q Viper.

QueenAdreena - A Bed of Roses

About seven years later, KatieJane had a dream about a warrior named Queen Adreena, who cut off her left breast so she could use the bow more efficiently. She took this as a sign to come back to music to form a new band called QueenAdreena. In 2000, teamed with guitarist Crispin Gray (previously was also in Daisy Chainsaw) to release their debut album, Taxidermy. 

KatieJane hasn't changed much since Daisy Chainsaw, she seems to be the same cute little girl, although a little more explicit (see official press photo and live photo, the first one is not work-safe).

She also has a few photo & art exihibits that she's been putting together since 2004. She's also released a solo album called Lalleshwari last year. You can find out more details on her website, but it seems the limited digipak version of her album are all sold out.  See Dale's comment for more details.

 July 25, 2007 9:48 PM  vu my♥posts [email protected] queenadreena.net katiejanegarside.com

Dale wrote: Jul 26, 2007 9:05 AM

[this is good] I have the limited edition of her album - it's not a digipak, that's the regular edition. It's a plastic case that's about twice the height of a normal CD case. It's hand numbered and (mine) has her actual hand print in purple paint on the booklet inside, although I believe this is different for every copy.

The music is very hit and miss as most of it is just Katie-Jane and a four track recorder, but as trinkets go, it's an absolute catch for Queen Adreena fans.

News: Labrador Records Turning to Piratebay for Music Distribution

 

 

 

Spring Came, Rain Fell

 

 

The Mary Onettes - Lost

Sweden's Labrador is turning to popular file-sharing Piratebay for help in distribution of their Summer Sampler compilation.

W♥M have covered quite a few of their bands, including Acid House Kings (er, I couldn't find them in our database. We never covered AHK???? WTF!), Club 8, Loveninjas, The Mary Onettes, Pelle Carlberg, The Radio Dept., Suburban Kids With Biblical Names.

Labrador Summer Sampler 2007
2007-07-19

Well, putting the massive 68-track Labrador Summer Sampler 2007 on our server didn't work quite as smoothly as we'd hoped. I don't know if we overestimated our server or underestimated the need of good music this summer. Either way, our server has been pretty dysfunctional ever since but it's all been taken care of now. Very sorry about this!

Download Labrador Summer Sampler 2007 with Rapidshare here:
> Part 1
> Part 2
> Part 3
> Part 4

Download it from Piratebay

They are also looking for popbands, which is good news, considering some record companies such as Drag City is not accepting any demos.

PS, there was a power outage that hit San Francisco that affected Vox, Craigslist, among other popular websites last night. 

 July 25, 2007 7:52 AM  vu my♥posts [email protected] www.labrador.se