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Straight to Video
Rock Art Rock
The Decemberists
September 19, 2009
Terminal 5, New York, NY
By Amanda Hatfield "The Decemberists played a special one night 'lottery show,' where the songs played were picked at random by a master of ceremonies, played by John Wesley Harding..."
Ra Ra Riot
April 4, 2009
Webster Hall, New York City, NY
By Amanda Hatfield "This show was, at the time, the biggest one Ra Ra Riot had sold out as headliners, and it was clear to me after watching it that the band is destined for even bigger and better things..."
Florence and the Machine
October 28, 2009
Bowery Ballroom, New York City, NY
By Amanda Hatfield "Florence Welsh and her backing band delighted and mesmerized a sold-out crowd at Bowery in her first official NY headlining show..."
Dirty Projectors
July 19, 2009
Williamsburg Waterfront (Brooklyn, NY)
By Amanda Hatfield "I was skeptical about how well Dirty Projectors' gorgeous, complex vocal harmonies would carry over outdoors, standing under hot sunshine..."
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Search results for: david byrne
Music and a Woman’s Right to Choose
1973 was one hell of a year for rock music. Debut LPs appeared from then-unknowns Bruce Springsteen, Aerosmith, and Queen, while more established acts gave us Raw Power, The Dark Side of the Moon, and Houses of the Holy. It was the year that a short-lived primordial punk trio called Neon Boys split up and reformed under the now-hallowed name of Television, the same year a ramshackle Bowery hole in the wall called CBGB & OMFUG first opened its doors. Beyond the world of rock, however, something hugely pivotal was also issued that year, which would affect both the public and private consciousnesses of the United States immeasurably (its women especially), and continues to do so today. It was a decision issued in January by the US Supreme Court declaring that a woman’s right to terminate a pregnancy was protected by her right to privacy, which is one of the fundamental rights implicitly granted and protected by the US Constitution. This was the decision reached in the case of Roe v. Wade.
It wasn’t that the justices had warm, fuzzy feelings about abortion, or even that a person ought, on principle, to have control over one’s own body. They approached it as more of a clarification of the legal definition of “privacy,” of where the power of government ends and where personal privacy begins, and it has remained such a hot-button argument that even today, most people’s views remain exactly that—private. This goes doubly for those whose meal tickets depend on their general popularity, i.e. artists and entertainers. Most artists wouldn’t touch the fierily polarizing subject with a 10-foot pole, and those that do seem to do it with a direct correlation between their striven-for level of popularity and the forthrightness of their stance.
There aren’t many recorded examples of abortion rights in songs prior to Roe v. Wade. The second wave of the women’s movement did have its cultural wing, however, and from there we got the Chicago Women’s Liberation Rock Band and its East Coast parallel, the New Haven Women’s Liberation Rock Band. Together these comprised the agitprop (or “agit-rock,” as their liner notes proclaimed) arm of the Chicago and the New Haven Women’s Liberation Unions, and though they were absolutely not known for any semblance of expert rock musicianship, they can safely stake a claim on being the first real all-woman feminist rock bands.
Rock Art Rock: Issue 3.24b
David Byrne
Greek Theater, Berkeley, CA
June 26, 2009
By Patrick Proctor
We had spoken a bit with David Byrne’s studio after they used a couple of our photos for a promo poster for his tour. As such, when we saw he was on his way through Berkeley, we got in touch in the hope that we might get some more great shots. We couldn’t have been happier with the outcome: We got to shoot the encore of David’s show that featured the Extra Action Marching Band. Suffice it to say, Byrne’s typical enthusiasm was only amplified by the presence of the band—it was a great moment.
Check out Patrick Proctor at his photography site
Susana Baca
Susana Baca
Seis Poemas
(Luaka Bop, 2009)
For most of the world, Susana Baca is the face and voice of Afro-Peru. David Byrne “discovered” her when his Spanish teacher showed him a video of Baca singing “María Landó.” The success of that track on the compilation CD The Soul of Black Peru, the first Afro-Peruvian music widely available in the States, generated enough interest to convince Byrne to sign Baca to Luaka Bop. Baca’s subtly passionate vocals, and the Afro-Peruvian groove of her band, introduced the music of Afro-Peru to the United States and Europe.
In Peru, Afro-Peruvian music is known as Música Criolla (Creole Music) and is popular in two forms: The polished, commercial style of singers like Eva Ayllon and the more folkloric style typified by the traditional dance group Perú Negro and Baca. Afro-Peruvian music’s unique character is due to the attempt of the Spanish colonial government to ban drumming in Peru’s slave communities starting in the 1700s. They hoped to squash the memories of African culture that slaves carried with them. Instead, the slaves pounded out rhythms on packing crates, which evolved into today’s cajón, cajitas (lidded boxes used in Catholic churches for making collections), and the quijada de burro, a donkey jawbone with the teeth loosened to produce a sound that’s a cross between a shakere and a güiro. They also adopted the guitar, but played it in a melodic way to provide a response to the lead singer’s vocals. The rhythms the community developed, including the landó, festejo, and vals, blend African, European, and Latin elements in unique, but strangely familiar ways. In the late ’60s, the style almost died out due to the racism of mainstream Peruvian culture and the Afro-Peruvian desire to assimilate. When people started putting the poems of Afro-Peruvian poets to music, it helped lead to a rebirth of interest in the form. The success of Perú Negro in 1969 made Afro-Peruvian music a viable sub-genre of Peruvian pop and got young people interested in carrying on traditional forms.
Wavves at Bowery Ballroom, NYC
Wavves
July 15th at the Bowery Ballroom, New York City
No, he didn’t have a meltdown. And nobody was hoping for one (or so it seemed with the room’s gushing enthusiasm), but people were expecting another onstage public freakout from Wavves frontman Nathan Williams. Well, at least I was. The broken wrist wasn’t what I would call a promising sign in his favor. But he worked through it. Not only that, he seemed to play better with the cast on his right arm—more energy, more to prove.
I saw Wavves at Brooklyn’s Market Hotel back in March, with a bigger band—at Bowery Ballroom it was just a duo, the group distilled to the drum/guitar format of likeminded groups No Age and the White Stripes (Really! Let’s give credit where it’s due, people)—and a similar-sized crowd (big). The set was shorter back in March, and Williams looked surprised that people came to see him play, a kind of aw-shucks look plastered on his face the whole time. That look transformed into a shit-grin this time around: Yeah, I know I haven’t fucked up yet, and guess what? I’m not going to, muthafuckas!
Dirty Projectors at the Independent, San Francisco
Dirty Projectors
July 7th at the Independent, San Francisco
Electro beats are rattling the contemporary music scene. From Animal Collective’s dance party-ready Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009) to Major Lazer’s catalytic fanbase following the release of Guns Don’t Kill People-Lazers Do (2009), a familiar cast of indie artists are producing disco-infused tracks faster than the BPMs on their newest records. So, is there a future for traditional, full band arrangements in contemporary music?
“Look around at everyone / Everyone looks alive and waiting / The wind is up, the stars out / The sun is calm, the light is fading / But we are.” The Independent bubbles with experimental enthusiasts, the 400-plus attendees move in unison, the stage glows a green and purple, and mastermind behind the Dirty Projectors, Dave Longstreth, warbles his poetry to the crowd. Longstreth, one of indie music’s most innovative composers—accompanied on stage by a shaggy-haired bassist, a multi-tasking drummer (as he switches off between drums and a tambourine), a fresh-faced female on analog synth, and two dolls whose harmonic melodies are convincing enough to be taken as instruments—jolts the crowd with his moving lyrics and orchestrations. And movement, as in progression, is one of the hottest trends in indie music today.
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone at the First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone
July 2nd at the First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia
The chapel of the First Unitarian Church can’t contain 150 people without bursting at the seams. And it was in this intimate setting that Casiotone for the Painfully Alone performed a casual, nearly all-request show. CFTPA in this incarnation may have been just a lone Owen Ashworth surrounded by keyboards and electronic doodads, however, like all the best singer-songwriters, his wavering voice and poignant words did more than enough to demand our full attention.
Unsurprisingly, a bulk of the set was dedicated to his latest album, Vs. Children. It’s an album lush with jangly synths, droning organ pipes, and, of course, the charming lo-fi fuzz that has long characterized CFTPA’s body of work. Tunes like “Natural Light” and “Traveling Salesman’s Young Wife Home Alone on Christmas in Montpelier, VT” sounded especially beautiful within the confines of the church atmosphere. Like the chapel itself, the music was imbued with a sense of solemn dignity as the concertgoers packed the pews, rapt with reverent awe. Most impressively, however, was Owen’s ability to juggle the overwhelming amount of requests he received, and even encouraged as he repeatedly asked what we wanted to hear. While obviously unable to play every song mentioned, he did manage to fit in an awful lot of them, made all the more remarkable given the rigid time constraints. (This was the early show after all, with another directly to follow.) After an hour spent listening to his haunting musings on love and loneliness, we left feeling just a little less alone as Owen geared up to do it all over again.
David Byrne at the Greek Theater, Berkeley and the Hunches at the Hemlock, San Francisco
David Byrne
June 26th at the Greek Theater, Berkeley
David Byrne stops at nothing to ensure that his audience witnesses something spectacular when he takes the stage. It’s not only his musical catalog and dynamic stage show that make him a truly consummate performer, it’s as much about longevity. The works of Byrne have spanned some three decades, and much of it still sounds provocative and timeless; material that he wrote with the Talking Heads way back when they were helming a music scene that would ultimately change the course of rock ‘n’ roll endures to this day. David Byrne helped define a time and a place and a movement… and then transcended that moment.
After a supporting set of gypsy-flavored rock by Denver-based DeVotchKa, Byrne and his exceptional ensemble took over the Greek Theater on Friday night. The show did not sell out. Those of us who took a seat in the enveloping stone bowl certainly felt like we were part of something extraordinary. Having never seen Byrne before, but being promised a show that’d be nothing short of riveting by previous spectators, my expectations were high—but what transpired on stage that night actually surpassed them. Byrne was supplemented by a seven-piece backing band (which included three singers) and three nimble dancers, all clad in white, Byrne himself a spiritual vision with that shock of white hair and ageless grace that likens him to a sage, or musical prophet. While the dancers loosely flipped and danced their agility into a sunset procession of performance art, Byrne stood at the forefront commanding both stage and audience, through old Talking Heads standards and new songs off his recent collaboration with Brian Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. Highlights abounded (though the whole show was a highlight), and included “One Fine Day”, “House in Motion”, “Crosseyed and Painless”, “Heaven”, “Born Under Punches”, “Once in a Lifetime”—an incredible setlist met by multiple encores. “Take Me to the River” prefaced a surprise appearance by the fantastical Extra Action Marching Band, who clamored straight down into the theater dome from behind us, ascended up to the stage through the crowd, and then joined Byrne and company for a captivating “Road to Nowhere”, which led into a most amazing summation of a most amazing night, a sensory-overloaded “Burning Down the House”, played from beneath cascading white balloons that rained down on the rapt audience and colorful musical troupe. On an apt solo note, reminding us whose show this actually was, David Byrne closed down the set with an acoustical “Everything That Happens” from the new record. I floated out of the venue, telling anyone who would listen that my mind was officially blown. – Angela Zimmerman
Burial: Untrue
Burial
Untrue
(Hyperdub, 2007)
I blame LCD Soundsystem, frankly. I was mad at James Murphy’s effortless ascent to the top scrap of the techno heap for the first half of the decade. So what if this aging hipster could program his 808? He couldn’t bring it to life. Then he did, with Sound of Silver, which has five good songs in a row: A funny, rave-wise David Byrne impression, a typical DFA cowbell jam, a typical Murphy sarcastic rant with an actual hook, a sappy earbud ballad, and one classic, “All My Friends”—seven minutes of Steve Reich-like bliss that could’ve been groomed into a Killers hit. Then Murphy gave up the deep cuts and set his studio on auto-masterpiece before sitting back in for the mediocre “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down”, a wan piano ballad out of his métier which helped sour techno for me in 2007. But then everyone started exclaiming, “Burial! He’s done it again.” I didn’t look up until the word “Maxinquaye” was being thrown around. Suddenly, I needed to know everything about dubstep—who was this guy that dare challenge the champion on my desert island of trip-hop?
Sure enough, I threw on Untrue and was underwhelmed. I loved the title and the great drum sounds, but what else was there? Any anonymous studio tech could fashion such a pristine clockwork tick from his rhythm makers, but like the case of Mr. Murphy, I didn’t hear them sing. And after a month of pressure, on-off tries, and contrarian dares, I left Untrue—which I ultimately found repetitive and underdeveloped—off my year-end list and filed it.
Bonnaroo: June 11-14, Manchester, TN
When June reels around every year, I hear the siren call of Tennessee’s mega-music bacchanal, and despite the rabid heat, grungy camping, and general hassles involved, I’ve made the ’Roo pilgrimage the last four years in a row, including this one.
Bonnaroo stands outside the hamlet of Manchester, TN, on a 700-acre farm, an hour south of Music City. Every summer, Bonnaroo becomes Tennessee’s sixth largest city, and the festival even publishes its own daily newspaper, the Beacon. This isn’t the little hippie-fest-that-could anymore; though jam bands are still well-represented, it’s become something else: America’s arguably biggest, most musically diverse, and probably best music festival. It’s the Woodstock for the digital age.
I arrived this year on Friday morning; though it technically starts on Thursday, few bands play that evening. I spent that night in Nashville on honky tonk row, getting in shape for the upcoming events. It’s a good thing too, because thunderstorms soaked the area all evening.
Billy Corgan Gets Publicly Psychoanalyzed
by: Jocelyn Hoppa
Donning a jacket as a cape, this past Saturday night Billy Corgan, in a discussion with Morgan Stebbins, was being psychoanalyzed at the Rubin Museum in New York City. The even took place in honor of Carl Jung’s 90-year-old manuscript The Red Book, which was recently unearthed and on exhibition now at Rubin. A pretty cool concept, actually.
Corgan was asked to look at a painting of a ship at sea with a large fish exposing jagged teeth just below it to relate his interpretation. Considering Corgan’s newfound appreciation for spirituality, and blogging about it, the conversation took a turn towards faith, God, and doubt, among other things.
From the Village Voice article: “What about confronting the monster?” Stebbins asked, attempting (in vain) to refer the discussion back to Jung and the psychoanalyst’s image of a vampire-like fish. “That’s a tough one, and I’m not talking about the obvious monsters,” Corgan said, equating Jung’s fearful vision to a former lover. “I lived with a monster in New York.” The musician added that what he really sought in a girlfriend was the possibility of speaking to the deeper, more innocent, being within. read more
by: Jocelyn Hoppa
published: November 16, 2009 in column: What Goes On
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