Tour Dates
3/10 - 7th St Entry - Minneapolis, MN #
3/11 - Cactus Club - Milwaukee, WI # 3/13 - French Legation (SXSW) - Austin, TX 3/13 - Bat Bar (SXSW) - Austin, TX 3/15 - Brooklyn Vegan (SXSW) - Austin, TX 3/15 - Barsuk Show (SXSW) - Austin, TX 3/16 - Front Gate Ticketing (SXSW) - Austin, TX 3/16 - Home Slice Pizza (SXSW) - Austin, TX 3/17 - 93.3 KGSR Live (SXSW) - Austin, TX 3/17 - Audiotree Day Party (SXSW) - Austin, TX 3/17 - Baeble Music Show (SXSW) - Austin, TX 3/19 - Solar Culture - Tucson, AZ 3/20 - Soda Bar - San Diego, CA 3/21 - Bootleg Theatre - Los Angeles, CA 3/23 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA @ 3/24 - The Depot at Humboldt State - Arcata, CA 3/26 - Mississippi Studios - Portland, OR % 3/27 - Media Club - Vancouver, Canada % 3/29 - Flying M Coffee - Nampa, ID % 3/30 - Kilby Court - Salt Lake City, UT % 3/31 - Hi Dive - Denver, CO % 4/2 - The Waiting Room - Omaha, NE % 4/10 - Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, PA ^ 4/11 - Black Cat Backstage - Washington, DC ^ 4/12 - Mercury Lounge - New York, NY ^ 5/27 - Sasquatch Music Festival - George, WA # = with 1,2,3 & = with 1,2,3 and Lower Dens @ = with Lost in the Trees % = with Howler ^ = with TEEN Read More Yellow Ostrich's been in the news a lot lately. First off, Barsuk Records is releasing "Marathon Runner", their debut single from their sophomore LP, Strange Land (due out March 6th). If you haven't heard the song, it is available as a free download via Spin.com.
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The title of Yellow Ostrich’s just-released album is pretty apt. Alex Schaaf knows a thing or two about trekking through unfamiliar terrain, as a Midwest transplant in New York City and, more importantly, as a young musician anxious to discover something about himself before submitting to the indie rock version of the Big Chill, which is being gainfully employed in pleated pants. Such is the fear of all creative-minded folk. However, Schaaf’s salvation may be this little record—a diverse arrangement of curious prose, declarations, and yes, the sense of wonder that lures us into strange lands like Brooklyn.
Artists often believe in absolutes, but Schaafand co. have crafted an album full of gray areas. The most peculiar element is, perhaps, the way he presents himself as a songwriter. Fluctuating between emphatic—almost immodest—statements like “I am the soil of the earth, I am the purebred” (“Elephant King”) and sad admissions of lost love (“I Want Yr Love”), it’s difficult to paint a clear picture of Alex Schaaf: the person and maybe that’s the point. While obvious that Strange Land has roots in Schaaf’s previous musical project, a deeply personal solo feat, described by the singer as a “guy in a bedroom.” It’s also obvious whereas the guy might have exited the bedroom (or moved to the living room),he hasn’t left behind the intense self-reflection that possesses many a solo artist. However, as the listener, I’m left slightly wary—as though Schaaf’s ease with exposing his compendium of hang-ups masks something deeper, more mysterious. For this reason, more than any other, my interest is piqued. Maybe that’s the point.
So if Alex Schaaf: the person remains a puzzle, how does Yellow Ostrich hold up as a band? Strange Land experiments a bit instrumentally, but never enough to alienate a mainstream following. Still, the energy is high and, quite frankly, kind of odd; for example, on the aforementioned “I Want Yr Love,” the choice to pair the heartfelt lyrics with a tribal beat that builds momentum until the song ends with Schaaf repeating “I want your love” over a wave of percussion. The result is less romantic as it is uneasy. Other songs are not as conflicted—“The Shakedown” is solid indie rock; “When All is Dead” begins as the album’s only soft number, though quickly evolving into a louder, raucous, horn-heavy jumble of sounds (the indie answer to a “jam”) that feels fitting as the album closer. Yellow Ostrich might see themselves as outsiders pushing against an unfamiliar flow, but this album is proof they are capable of creating (and inhabiting) their own strange lands.
Yellow Ostrich is Alex Schaaf, Jon Natchez and Michael Tapper. The trio is currently on tour through April, with a handful of those dates at SXSW. For more information, visit their Website or Facebook page. Strange Land is available for purchase (digital or hard) via Barsuk Records.
***I will be covering Yellow Ostrich’s appearance in Minneapolis at the 7th Street Entry (March 10) with Pittsburgh duo 1,2,3.
Artists often believe in absolutes, but Schaafand co. have crafted an album full of gray areas. The most peculiar element is, perhaps, the way he presents himself as a songwriter. Fluctuating between emphatic—almost immodest—statements like “I am the soil of the earth, I am the purebred” (“Elephant King”) and sad admissions of lost love (“I Want Yr Love”), it’s difficult to paint a clear picture of Alex Schaaf: the person and maybe that’s the point. While obvious that Strange Land has roots in Schaaf’s previous musical project, a deeply personal solo feat, described by the singer as a “guy in a bedroom.” It’s also obvious whereas the guy might have exited the bedroom (or moved to the living room),he hasn’t left behind the intense self-reflection that possesses many a solo artist. However, as the listener, I’m left slightly wary—as though Schaaf’s ease with exposing his compendium of hang-ups masks something deeper, more mysterious. For this reason, more than any other, my interest is piqued. Maybe that’s the point.
So if Alex Schaaf: the person remains a puzzle, how does Yellow Ostrich hold up as a band? Strange Land experiments a bit instrumentally, but never enough to alienate a mainstream following. Still, the energy is high and, quite frankly, kind of odd; for example, on the aforementioned “I Want Yr Love,” the choice to pair the heartfelt lyrics with a tribal beat that builds momentum until the song ends with Schaaf repeating “I want your love” over a wave of percussion. The result is less romantic as it is uneasy. Other songs are not as conflicted—“The Shakedown” is solid indie rock; “When All is Dead” begins as the album’s only soft number, though quickly evolving into a louder, raucous, horn-heavy jumble of sounds (the indie answer to a “jam”) that feels fitting as the album closer. Yellow Ostrich might see themselves as outsiders pushing against an unfamiliar flow, but this album is proof they are capable of creating (and inhabiting) their own strange lands.
Yellow Ostrich is Alex Schaaf, Jon Natchez and Michael Tapper. The trio is currently on tour through April, with a handful of those dates at SXSW. For more information, visit their Website or Facebook page. Strange Land is available for purchase (digital or hard) via Barsuk Records.
***I will be covering Yellow Ostrich’s appearance in Minneapolis at the 7th Street Entry (March 10) with Pittsburgh duo 1,2,3.
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