July 22, 2009 · 7:51 PM

JOTD Update – Siren Festival Wrap-up

Behind the Stillwell Stage @ Siren Music Festival

Backstage at Stillwell @ Siren Music Festival

I’m not sure how many of you made it to Coney Island for the Siren Music Festival last weekend but, if you did come, hopefully you made it there by 2:30pm, when Bear Hands played. It was such a great day to be outside drinking some beers and enjoying live music! Bear Hands played a pretty tight set, including the song “Frank” that they hadn’t played in a while, and all the regular favorites such as “Golden,” “Sickly Brunette,” and “Can’t Stick Em” before they finished up with a spontaneous-crowd-hand-clap-backed version of “What a Drag.”

Bear Hands @ Siren Music Festival 2009 (7/18/09)

Bear Hands @ Siren Music Festival 2009 (7/18/09)

What was really interesting to me is that it seems like some of the songs – most notably “Frank” – have been re-tooled in the studio and are sounding really sleek and sing-along ready. I am expecting a fantastic reception to their full length (probably being released in late winter?), especially if this live show was a taste of things to come.

One of the most fun/funny moments of the show was when Dylan called Das Racist up on stage to perform a rendition of their unexpected hit “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell” over the band playing a live cover of Jay-Z’s “D.O.A.” and a hail of “Yeah”s, “Uh-huh”s, “No”s and the general histeria/noise that ensued. Fun times all around, although I wasn’t sure that the crowd really had any sort of idea what was going on.

On a side note, Das Racist is playing a show tonight at Union Pool with our friends The Tony Castles and IN, which should be a really hot sweaty time. Come join us!

There were a ton of great other performances over the course of the day, although we spent most of our time at the Stillwell Stage. But near the end of the night, as the sun set and the general revelry-level creeped up a notch, we made it over to the main stage to check out Built to Spill. They were awesome as always, and ended the festival on a perfect note, right next to the Wonder Wheel:

Wonder Wheel after dark

Wonder Wheel after dark

Good night, Brooklyn.

-Drew

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July 21, 2009 · 8:00 AM

Jam of the Day – There’s Beauty in the Breakup

Over the weekend, I checked out the new movie “(500) Days of Summer,” and, as the narrator tells you up front, this is “not a love story.” So I’m not spoiling anything by relating to you that it deals with breakups, bad relationships, and heartache. But at its heart, this is a comedy, an anti-romantic comedy, and it succeeds in its tongue-in-cheek mocking of the genre. Both of the leads, Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, were pitch-perfect.

Their characters, Tom Hansen and Summer Finn, seem to be a perfectly matched hipster pair, and yet somehow they just don’t work out. The writing of the characters is a little uneven, as only Tom is given a real passion, as a greeting card writer who wants to be an architect, while the character of Summer is somehow less whole, possibly airy by design. They explain that she is beguiling and has a certain charm that’s hard to define, but you don’t really get to the core of what she’s all about apart from “not believing in love.” With his slim stature and crooked smile, it’s hard not to route for Gordon-Levitt, despite his previous stint on one of the worst shows of our time. One of my favorite things about the film is that its chronology is scrambled—so that Tom and Summer’s initial meeting and their eventual break-up occur, in film time, close together and near the beginning, getting it out of the way and letting the film unfold around the much more interesting business of everything that happened in between. It was one of the better new movies I’ve seen lately—overall, A-.

The movie actually had a great soundtrack; there are a few new songs I will be listening to more in the weeks to come, but for today’s Jam, I wanted to feature one of the most haunting break-up songs I’ve heard lately, from Swedish singer Lykke Li. I have been listening to everything new from Lykke Li since I couldn’t get “Dance Dance Dance” and “Little Bit” out of my head last year. Her latest collaboration with Swedish producer Kleerup is equally captivating. His debut album, Kleerup, was released last year in Europe but is getting released in the US next week, on July 28th. The heavy lyrics about a bad relationship are set to dance beats and somehow it works, mostly due to Li’s wounded and lingering vocals. Li will be in the New York metro area soon, when she performs at the All Points West Music Festival in Jersey City on August 2nd. Hopefully ev2bk will be there to check it out!

Kleerup ft. Lykke Li – Until We Bleed:

-Melissa

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July 20, 2009 · 8:00 AM

Jam of the Day – Returning to the Space Oddity

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the first man walking on the moon. Neil Armstrong and the crew of the Apollo 11 completed this awesome feat back in 1969 and, by some assessments, astronauts in the United States space program haven’t surpassed this achievement since. NASA is still trying to return humans to the moon, but before they get the funding, the Obama administration has put together a panel of independent space experts to evaluate the current condition of NASA’s human spaceflight program. The panel will make their recommendations at the end of the summer, but the federal deficit, and other programs like health care, will most likely get any available funding first. Although they may not get the necessary dollars anytime soon, NASA plans to eventually create a “moon base” that would allow astronauts to practice living on another planet, an experience that space crews would need before heading to explore other planets like Mars. According to NASA.gov, “As the space shuttle approaches retirement and the International Space Station nears completion, NASA is building the next fleet of vehicles to bring astronauts back to the moon, and possibly to Mars and beyond.”

Today’s Jam comes to us from David Bowie, who rushed the release of his single, “Space Oddity,” back in 1969 to coincide with the first man landing on the moon and all of the surrounding buzz and excitement. The exposure that the song received gave Bowie his first big hit when it reached the top five on the UK singles chart that fall. When Bowie re-emerged in 1972, as his androgynously flamboyant alter-ego, Ziggy Stardust, the album was re-released with the title “Space Oddity,” and a new video was included as part of the makeover.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of “Space Oddity,” Bowie is re-releasing the EP on iTunes along with a new “Space Oddity App” for the iPhone. The application allows you to create your own mixes of the song and save them. If you don’t want to bother with anything as complex as sliding faders you can just shake your iPhone and it will create a brand new mix for you. Although nobody could improve on the original, many have tried including Cat Power, who did a teaser of a cover of this song for Lexus (that could have been awesome had it been longer than 30 seconds), and Shiny Toy Guns, who released an excellent response song, “Major Tom,” in 2008.

David Bowie – Space Oddity:

-Melissa

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July 17, 2009 · 5:27 PM

Jam of the Day – Take a Drag Off the Bear Hands Joint @ Siren Music Festival 2009

Beach Balls! Music! Fun Times!

Beach Balls! Music! Fun Times!

Tomorrow the 9th Annual Village Voice Siren Music Festival will take over Coney Island with a free concert that includes a lineup of about 15 bands, culminating in sets by Built to Spill and Spank Rock at the Main Stage (on W. 10th St. off Surf Ave.) and the Stillwell Stage (Stillwell Ave. off Surf Ave.), respectively. There’s a great group of bands playing this year, so grab some sunscreen, your friends, and a beachball (these were a must-have item whenever the above picture from beatcrave.com was taken, apparently) and kick it in Coney Island all day. And given that Budweiser is sponsoring the Official After Party, I’m sure there will be lots of boozing in addition to the dancing. Doesn’t sound like a drag at all.

Here at ev2bk we’re especially excited to see/party with one of our favorite bands, and longtime buddies, Bear Hands, who are playing on the Stillwell Stage at 2:30pm sharp. Even the New York Metro is psyched (thanks Betsy)!

Bear Hands was formed back in 2006 when Dylan Rau was living in Brooklyn and asked Ted Feldman, Val Loper, and TJ Orscher to play on some demos that he was recording. Dylan was going to school with Ted at Wesleyan at the time, and already knew TJ and Val from the CT music scene (Val and TJ had been in CT hardcore band In Pieces, and had – if I remember correctly – played some shows with Dylan’s old band Building a Factory, but in any case, they knew each other well enough to have at least shared a bowl or whatnot). The general band-mythology is that during the recording sessions, all four guys sort of realized “hmm, maybe this could be a pretty kick-ass band” and so now they’re “doing the best they can” (from their myspace page).

But just in case you think this implies some sort of lack of ambition or luster, it should be noted that already in 2009 alone the boys have toured Europe twice:

Bear Hands @ Cargo in London (2/23/09)

Bear Hands @ Cargo in London (2/23/09)

Recorded some live tracks with Daytrotter after playing a few shows at SXSW in Austin (here’s my favorite of those songs):

“Belongings”

Totally killed it at a show with Passion Pit at Bowery Ballroom back in June:

Bear Hands at Bowery Ballroom (6/19/09)

Bear Hands at Bowery Ballroom (6/19/09)

And for the rest of the summer are all set to play Hartford with Airbourne Toxic Event, Boston with We Are Scientists, and both the Leeds Festival and Reading Festival in the UK later this August. Oh and did I mention that they are currently in the studio recording their first full-length record? Last week when I spoke with Dylan he told me that it was sounding pretty great so far; I’ll post an update after I listen to some of the tracks with him tonight in the studio.

We love this band, and think you will too! Each and every member of the band is the sweetest of dudes and would probably love to get to know you. So come join us and get your dance on with Bear Hands and the rest of the bands tomorrow at the Siren Music Festival. Here’s a little preview of the remix of the hotness from Bear Hands. The song, “What a Drag,” can be purchased as a 7″ import from Rough Trade Shops and Too Pure Records.

Bear Hands – What a Drag:

Have a great weekend!

-Drew

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July 16, 2009 · 8:00 AM

Jam of The Day – Music Breaks Down Cuban Borders

Tuesday night we checked out The New York Philharmonic performance in Central Park. Music Director Alan Gilbert lead the orchestra in Mozart’s Symphony No. 41 from the Jupiter cycle and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, during the first of the season’s concerts. It was a beautiful night and the Great Lawn was packed, but it was not until I was reading about it yesterday that I found out that there were an estimated 80,000 people there! Luckily there are lots of other concerts planned over the summer season in lots of boroughs, so you won’t have to travel too far to check them out.

But that’s not to say that you have to be in New York to enjoy the Phil. The president of the Philharmonic, Zarin Mehta, announced today that he and other Philharmonic officials planned to travel to Havana, Cuba tomorrow to investigate logistics and see if it will be feasible for them to accept Cuba’s invitation to perform there in the fall. The Philharmonic seems to be hoping to add another exotic and controversial destination to its touring season. In light of the recent US embargo lifting some travel restrictions to Cuba, the Philharmonic has already received licenses to travel there. This trip would come at the end of their Asian tour in October, during which they will visit Vietnam. And you may recall that last year they were the first major orchestra to ever travel to the dictatorial, and exceedingly isolated, North Korea. As Gilbert explained to the Times, the trip would be a nonpolitical “cultural exchange,” explaining, “I think that music really does speak for itself.” Let’s hope that music continues to transcend borders more and more in the years to come.

Returning to more U.S.-related “Havana” news, a new album entitled Havana Winter by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Hearn will be released here on July 28th. Hearn is best known as a skilled multi-instrumentalist in the platinum-selling pop band, Barenaked Ladies. Hearn, a classically trained pianist, has pursued a parallel solo career path for some time now, and this will be his 5th solo album. As a solo artitst, his songs continue to be introspective, and are framed by gentle, seductive melodies and charmingly subtle vocals.

On Havana Winter, he is joined by Lou Reed, Laurie Anderson, Mary Margaret O’Hara, John McDermott, and Chantal Kreviazuk. Hearn is performing tonight at the Mercury Lounge with his band, Thin Buckle. If you’re feeling like easing into your weekend on a mellow note, you should check them out.

Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle – Driftwood:

-Melissa

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July 15, 2009 · 4:54 PM

Jam of the Day – Looking at Beef Through a Power Theory Matrix

***JOTD Update – This is in response to my post on June 30, 2009 regarding Jay-Z – D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)***

Our good friend Joshua Hersh recently brought to my attention an article from Foreign Policy magazine that has been generating a lot of varied reactions online and has been making its way around international policy circles. The article in question, “Jay-Z vs the Game: Lessons for the American Primacy Debate” by Marc Lynch, has spurned so many reactions that they set up a second post just for the “reaction highlights.”

The article quite cleverly explores the recent beef between The Game and Jay-Z within the framework of international relations and various theories on power. In this context, Jay-Z is imagined as a hegemonic, world-dominating power on par with the United States, with The Game a mid-level actor attacking the dominant king for his perceived abuse of power in dissing so many top rappers in his most recent single, “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-tune).” In this “‘power transition narrative” (which, Lynch is quick to point out, seems like an oddly-timed power grab, given that Jay-Z “hardly looks like a declining power” right now), The Game is hoping to exploit Jay-Z’s position as an establishment figure, painting him as a tyrant wrongly using the influence of his “alliance structure” to further his aims at the cost of more mid-level powers (e.g. Jay-Z’s rumored hand in preventing Chris Brown from performing at the BET Video Awards). In this narrative, The Game hopes that his public outcries against Jay will become the rallying cry that galvanizes similar mid-level powers to back his coup attempt.

Most of the comments that I have seen have either been expressions of outrage that such a topic could be written about in serious journalism outlets, or thoughtful and funny responses such as this post by Jonathan Wallace in The Washington Note with a picture of Obama, well, brushing his shoulder off, Jay-Z style.

Rather than enter into the debate in any analytical fashion, and as a sign of our commitment to exploring both sides of every issue, today as the Jam of the Day I give you “I’m So Wavy” from The Game. This track is The Game’s latest diss on Jay-Z, and is a nice counterpoint to our post on Jay-Z’s “D.O.A.” I think at this point we’re pretty much living in a world free of West Coast v. East Coast nonsense. But obviously, if it came down to it, we’d have to stand with Brooklyn’s Finest. That being said, check that line in here about T-Pain that sounds suspiciously like my earlier comments on “D.O.A.” Maybe The Game has been reading ev2bk…

The Game – I’m So Wavy:

How hot is that beat? I can imagine a couple remixes already, what with Wavy sounding like Weezy, Jeezy, and baby, the possibilities are nearly endless.

-Drew

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