Two new videos at La Blogotheque feature Kristian Matsson, aka, The Tallest Man on Earth, playing a couple of impromptu songs in a cluttered Greenwich Village music shop. Clearly intrigued by the strange amalgam of instruments lining the store’s walls, Matsson settles on a guitar from the 1800’s for “The Gardener,” then picks out the chords to the Nico/Jackson Browne standard “These Days” on a toy piano.
Shallow Grave was one of my favorite albums of last year (review). You really should hear it.
Our intrepid roving reporter, Andrew Blake, is out in Europe seeing the sights and drinking massive amounts of German beer. Last week, he ran around Zurich, Switzerland, with Delta Spirit. Here is his travelogue.
It started off at the bar in the hotel. I was having a beer when the band began to roll in one by one, each ordering the only beer the bar offered. Shortly after we had all gathered, we roamed the streets of Zurich, Switzerland, until we reached a whiskey bar that we talked about earlier. Through ritzy glass doors across glimmering polished tiles, down stairs and through doors, we finally arrived at a hidden gem in Zurich. The menu held over 450 types of whiskey… we indulged. The night rolled along gracefully while each person engaged in sporadic conversation from one to another. Brandon and I talked for awhile about the state of music today and “making the hits,” and all that that entailed. We spoke of bands and how their albums were produced, mixed and reviewed. What I took from each member is that none of them are willing to sell out on any aspect of their music solely to get a “hit.” How their album is mixed and mastered and the style and quality of their songs, must be true to what they believe.
Each man looked tired from being on the road since January. Matt, Kelly, Brandon, Sean, Jon… even Olly, their epic European tour manager, were all ready for home. Most of them had girls back home just waiting for them to return from the road. Most of them kept their iPhones close by in case their girls called or sent a text. The road can be a lonely place, they say.
I caught Delta Spirit in San Luis Obispo two years ago when they were pushing their first EP. April 9th was the first time I had heard them play live since then. I can confidently say two years of touring and one album later, the band has only became tighter, both personally and on stage. Brandon said, “As trite as it sounds, we really are a band of brothers,” giving praise to each of his band mates.
The tour ends in a day or two. They are all looking forward to a month off. Each person will fly back to America and drift to their respective homes to recover from a whirlwind of work, life, and dream. Once recuperated, they will record their new album. Matt says it is time. He says they have played these songs for so long, in so many places, for so many people… it’s time to share what life has showed them these past two years.
Delta Spirit… a new age band in a new age. Check ‘em out.
Delta Spirit’s latest album, Ode to Sunshine, is out now on Rounder.
Conor Oberst just don’t quit. Not even a year after the release of his self-titled album with the Mystic Valley Band, Conor’s got another one on the way. His latest, Outer South, is out on May 5 via Merge. For a taste of what’s to come, check out a free mp3 of the guitar-heavy Americana jam “Nikorette.”
On top of that, One of My Kind, a documentary that tracks Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band during the recording of Conor Oberst and their subsequent world tour, is out next week. Starting April 15, you can stream or download the hour-long doc for free from causecast.org.
Seeing the Hold Steady live is a pretty wonderful experience. All beer and sweaty sing-alongs and rock-and-roll exuberance. The band does its best to capture that on A Positive Rage, its first live DVD/CD.
A Positive Rage is out tomorrow on Vagrant. Preview the whole album right now on MySpace and watch “Stuck Between Stations” from A Positive Rageover here.
