As you may have noticed, mixes have been a bit sporadic as of late. That should all change in a couple weeks, but for now these songs should tide you over until the next one. Enjoy!
When I first saw Langhorne Slim two years ago, playing in the student union of my tiny Pennsylvania college, I was completely blown away. With the rest of his rowdy, expressive band (Paul Defiglia, Malachi DeLorenzo), Langhorne filled the entire room with his own brand of driven folk. An extra kudos goes to Defiglia who put on an impressive upright bass performance.
Langhorne Slim plays music with every ounce of himself. This is the kind of small stage jam band that should lead the rest of the Americana pack. Langhorne’s new, self titled album hits stores this week and he will be in the area both this week and in early June.
4/29: Recher Theater, Towson, MD 5/01: IOTA Club & Café, Arlington, VA 6/05: West Mt. Vernon Park, Baltimore, MD *Free* 6/06: World Live Café, Philadelphia, PA
Check out the video of him on The Late Show playing “Restless” and enjoy the mp3 for “Rebel Side of Heaven.”
European crooner Teitur returns to the US and Canada on a spring tour promoting The Singer (buy), released on Cheap Lullaby Records. As with his previous records, Teitur comes forth with a dreamy ensemble of an album. The Singer elevates everything fans loved about his previous albums, Poetry and Aeroplanes and Stay Under the Stars; vocal honesty, absorbing lyrics, and a beautiful commitment to orchestration. Moving from acute, quirky pop to involved instrumental presentation, Teitur has surpassed any theories about sophomore or junior album flops and moved straight to the front of the folk rock pack. Below are his local tour dates, a live video of “Louie Louie” and an mp3 for “Catherine The Waitress.”
April 29 – Jammin’ Java, Vienna, Virginia April 30 – Rams Head Tavern, Annapolis, Maryland May 1 – Baby Grand, Wilmington, DE May 2 – Johnny Brenda’s, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Following the path of my own illogical logic, if you’re going to describe your band as, “Not so much born from as vomited out of the fertile Austin, TX music scene,” then you’re going to get my attention. Such was the move by When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth and judging from the singles of theirs that I’ve heard, it seems to be a pretty apt description.
WDRTE plays what I can only describe as spazz freak rock. It’s loud and noisy, the wall of sound is damn near overwhelming, the lyrics are near unintelligible and it all coalesces into a wonderfully sloppy mess. Think Sebadoh with perhaps a tad more musical ability. They’ve got that post-punk feel, gloriously out-of-control. Suffice to say, this is not the kind of music that’s going to rock you to sleep at night, but it certainly will get you pumped up for, say, a bar fight with a one armed Lithuanian holding a broken beer bottle like nobody’s business. Because, as we all know, that’s the kind of situation that demands ample pumping up.
WDRTE are in the midst of a tour to support their debut full-length, Not Noiice, to be released May 13th on Brooklyn-based indie label Chalk Circle. Sadly, I dropped the ball on this one and they’ve already come through Philly, Richmond and DC. Hopefully next time.
We haven’t heard much from The Secret Machines since their 2006 release Ten Silver Drops. No new album is on the board, but new material will be debuted during a mini-tour of the northeast. So expect something available soon. The only show in the region is with Bellmer Dolls in Philly at North Star.
Down in DC, two shows liven up your Monday. Fresh off an appearance in Philly, Seattle-based The Cops head south to The Red and The Black. Elsewhere, The Rosewood Thieves are at DC9. Check them out!
Editor’s Note: For those of you who missed the free show on Sunday, don’t fret. Tokyo Police Club will be playing more shows in the area. Of course you have to pony up the cash this time. They are still with Meligrove Band and are now joined by teen sister popsters Smoosh (who will be in support of the Dresden Dolls starting in May).
4/28: Philly @ First Unitarian Church 4/29: DC @ Black Cat
Myspace is having a secret show this weekend in Baltimore and the Canadians are invading. The show features Tokyo Police Club, who are joined by their countrymen, Meligrove Band. It all goes down on Sunday at The Talking Head. The show is free and all-ages, with admission on a first come basis. So get there early if you want to see this great show in a tiny venue.
Former DC (and current Brooklyn) band Hello Tokyo just released Sell The Stars this week and they are celebrating with a release party in their former hometown. They will be playing Rock and Roll Hotel tonight.
Joining them on the bill, is DC’s own Five Four. The ladies (and gentleman) are celebrating a release of their own. At the show, they will be unveiling Bang Bang Robot.
Almost forgot this one. In addition to the numerous shows in Philly Thursday, English singer-songwriter David Ford is also in town at the TLA and he’ll be in DC at 9:30 Club on Monday. He is out in support of his new album, Songs For The Road.
Update: He will be playing World Cafe in Philly on Fri 5/2 for XPN’s Free at Noon. You can RSVP here.
Self labeled as “European Blues”, Canadian band Destroyer is coming through the IA area Thursday and Friday supporting their new album Trouble In Dreams. Another Canadian, Andre Ethier (no, not the LA Dodger) is joining them.
4/24: Philly @ North Star Bar 4/25: DC @ Black Cat
Some good shows in the region on Thursday. Here are the highlights:
Swedish pop army (over 20! members) I’m From Barcelona are gracious enough to come to Philly for one of only two East Coast shows. It is very Polyphonic Spree-esque. And for added enjoyment, Pepi Ginsberg is having a record release party. Catch them both at the First Unitarian Church.
Also, there is Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and Via Audio in DC, which we told you about here and Destroyer in Philly, which you can read about here.
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