I'm All Ears

To celebrate a week that finally saw an end to my annoying ear infection (not a pleasant way to start the year), I thought I would share some examples of what I am listening to these days:

Soul singer Sharon Jones found herself battling an even more serious health problem (the big "C") over the last year, forcing her to postpone a tour and album with her band, the Dap-Kings. I'm so happy to hear that she is better and that her new album, Give The People What they Want, was released last week. Soul music fan that I am, I had really been looking forward to hearing this one, as the first two singles, "Retreat" and "Stranger To My Happiness," are slamming! The rest of the album mellows out a bit, contains some "iffy" lyrics, and I wish there was more "fire" on the other tracks, but you can't deny its overall musicality.

Continuing on the retro-tip, Sarah and I love the cover of the old American folk song, "Fare Thee Well (Dink's Song)," which is featured on the soundtrack for the new Coen Brothers' movie, Inside Llewyn Davis. I haven't seen the movie yet (which I hear is "loosely/controversially" based on the life of singer Dave Van Ronk), but if the music is any indication, it should be interesting! 

Lead actor/singer Oscar Isaac joins Marcus Mumford (of Mumford & Sons) on the track. Every time I hear it on the radio, it makes the thought of our currently bitter cold weather a little more bearable...

Speaking of warmth, Shins frontman James Mercer continues to come up with the heartfelt goods on his latest single with side project Broken Bells:

"Holding On For Life" is the latest in a string of interesting, melodic tracks from Mercer-- this one has sort of a "Bee Gees" kind of vibe to it, which might explain the title of Broken Bells' forthcoming album, After the Disco (set for release on February 4). It's funny... I once resisted The Shins, thinking they were a bit pretentious, but this is classic pop song craft. Maybe I need to give the rest of Mercer's back catalogue a try... (The Shins did surprise me by releasing my favorite album of 2012, Port of Morrow). 

So bring it on, 2014... if this is any indication of the year to come, and my own musical aspirations pan out (doing more singing, and just got a new amp for my electric guitar!) I like the sound of it.

Related Links:

"Sharon Jones on Beating Cancer and Career Advice From Inmates," 

Rolling Stone, January 17, 2014

"Ring The Bells," Halesowen News, January 18, 2014

"T Bone Burnett: 'Inside Llewyn Davis? It’s the story of my life,'" The Independent, January 22, 2014

Musical Break

It's been a busy couple of weeks: handling press and the completion of a new exhibition video for the Museum has filled most of my time lately, but more on that later... right now I'm looking forward to a week's vacation.

Here comes the sunnier days for musician Diego Garcia...
but it's alright. Photo by Jeremy Clowe. 

It kicked off in grand style this past Friday, as we attended a concert by Diego Garcia in downtown Albany, courtesy of our friends at radio station, WEXT. For the uninitiated, Garcia is an Argentine-American musician whose work we like quite a bit (we even chose his cover of the Kinks' "Strange Effect" as our first dance); his album Laura (inspired by the separation from his girlfriend, now wife) was one of my favorites from last year, and he has just released his second, entitled Paradise. The overall mood is a bit lighter on this sophomore release, which had me concerned, as I tend to be attracted to the grayer shades of contemporary music (as Sarah is quick to point out). No worries though: as we heard during his lively concert, there is plenty more strong material to be enjoyed this time around (and we continue to love Zeke Zima's passionate Spanish guitar playing).

A week before, we were treated to another special concert by WEXT, going to see Fitz and the Tantrums with fellow Los Angelelians, Capital Cities. This was our forth time seeing Fitz and his band perform (their neo-soul album, Picking Up The Pieces was another one of my recent favorites). Like Garcia, I was a little worried that their latest album, More Than Just a Dream, was going to stray too far from the more thoughtful tone of its predecessor (same story: musician writes fantastic album inspired by the loss of his then-girlfriend). No problem. There is still good material (especially the first six songs), and the band seems more confident than ever onstage. 

I miss hearing more of Fitz's classic soul vibe on More Than Just a Dream, but their sound has embraced even more of a new wave style, which has its interesting moments. And talk about flashback... I think their opening act, Capital Cities, would have no problem fitting in back in 1982... talk about your synthpop dance party! It was good fun, and also nice to recognize a couple of their songs, "Safe and Sound" and "Kangaroo Court," which I had already been enjoying on the radio.

What else have I been listening to lately... well, I really dig what I have heard of Arcade Fire's double-album, Reflektor. The band certainly has been consistent in quality over the years, and the "retro" electro sound again has to be pointed out... sort of dark, new wave mashed up with Haitian rhythms, which I can't complain about. I was also delighted to learn that David Bowie sings backup on the title song: each time I listen, I find myself excitedly waiting for his lines... about halfway through.

Since we are talking about the blurred line of past/future rock and roll, I should point out the recent passing of musician Lou Reed. I have admired some of his higher profile songs ("Perfect Day," "Sweet Jane," "Walk on the Wild Side"), but must admit to knowing little of the larger body of his work, solo or with the Velvet Underground... it seems I should, as he pretty much paved the way for Bowie and many of the indie, alternative rockers I listen to today. I do recall, months before his death, being surprised at how "modern" the Velvets' song "Rock & Roll" sounded when it came on the radio.

Ok, writing this blog has started to feel like the work I'm trying to take a break from, so time to for me to tune in (music, music) and drop out. Enjoy the sound samples, and I'll write more soon.

"Just a reflektor..." Photo courtesy David Bowie (Official) Facebook. All rights reserved.

Related Links:

diegogarcianyc.com

fitzandthetantrums.com

capitalcitiesmusic.com

arcadefire.com

davidbowie.com

exit977.org

"Lou Reed, 1942-2003," Rolling Stone, November 6, 2013

Writing To Reach You

This past summer I wrote about the return of the Scottish band Travis, who have just released their seventh studio album, Where You Stand. It has been one of my favorite albums of the year so far, lead by such standout tracks as "Moving," "Warning Sign," and the title track... offering continued proof of the band's knack for creating thoughtful lyrics and engaging melodies.

Travis is currently touring the U.S., swinging through my old stomping grounds of Southern California this weekend. They kick things off tomorrow (Friday, October 4, 10:30 a.m. PT) with an interview and live studio session with the great Nic Harcourt ("Morning Becomes Eclectic") on KCSN 88.5 FM.

Speaking of interviews, I thought it was high time I revisited my own profile on the band, conducted during their 2007 American tour; check out the link below for the original half-hour interview, mostly un-edited. Taking a cue from Q, Jian Ghomeshi's CBC radio show, I decided to leave out the fancy post-production in order to offer a better idea of my developing interview skills and the individual personalities of my guests... why be precious about it? Again, special thanks to Sony BMG, CTSB-TV, and the band for helping to make it happen. 

Related Links:

www.travisonline.com

Sound of Sunshine

Wow. What a great week this has been for music. 

Take me out! Franz Ferdinand, live on Letterman. Photo by Jeremy Clowe. 
All rights reserved.

Thanks to all who tuned into our radio show this past Monday. Sarah and I were heading back from the Franz Ferdinand concert in New York City that evening, and were able to catch the live streaming of the show off our phone. I really think Sarah sounded great, and I enjoyed our banter and song selections. For those who missed it, WEXT will rebroadcast our My Exit show this Saturday, July 27, 8 a.m. ET. 

Franz Ferdinand shining light on the dark of the
matinee. Photo by Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Franz Ferdinand was fantastic. We queued up outside of the Ed Sullivan Theater an hour or so before showtime, and caught a glimpse of Paul Shaffer as he left the building following that evening's taping of The Late Show (no sign of Dave Letterman though). It really was interesting being inside of the historic theater, seeing the stage set in-person and realizing how small the venue actually is (I kept thinking that this was where the Beatles made their U.S. debut!) Franz Ferdinand ran through a rocking, energetic set... seriously, I was completely in my element, dancing in the aisles to the band's infectious blend of angular, artsy, indie rock. FF have been consistent songwriters over the years, and I loved hearing many favorites (especially The Dark of the Matinee!). Their new stuff sounds solid as well. 

After the show, which was streamed live on the Letterman website, we were able to meet the Scottish rockers... a real treat! The following day we relived the concert by watching the webcast, still dumbfounded by how small the studio is. You can catch the show here and, if you're look close enough, see me raise my arm in triumphant indie rocker glory.

JC with Alex Kapranos, lead singer of Franz Ferdinand.
Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

Last night we kept the live music theme going by checking out roots rocker JD McPherson  at The Ale House, a very small pub in nearby Troy, New York. I only found out last week about this last-minute show, and I was elated! I have been waiting for McPherson to play in the area... hell... even the East Coast, since I first heard his music a year ago (his album Signs & Signifiers was high on my list of favorite albums for 2012). 

JD McPherson and band rocking out The Ale House, Troy, NY,
July 2013. Photo by Jeremy Clowe. ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

This show really was intimate... it felt like we were in the band's living room! The brick and mortar design of the pub lent a real throwback atmosphere to the gig. Rockabilly at its finest, and McPherson did not disappoint! I mentioned before how, as a performer myself, I am a little intimidated by his vocals... he brings such raw energy and conviction. Real soul. The music has a similar quality... in fact, we met the band after the gig and spoke with them at good length about how they deliberately sought out vintage equipment and recording methods (analogue vs. digital) to get the right groove for their first album. It was a truly memorable evening... a raw, feel-good vibe... the crowd loved the band, and they seemed to feed off of that energy. Sarah said she had a smile on her face the entire evening, and for me it was just a dream to see them in such a venue... Before last week, I had been tempted to drive out again to the Newport Folk Festival, where they are playing this Friday, but they finally came to our backyard. A special evening... I hope they will return soon.

Mr. and Mrs. C with JD. Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

This weekend we are heading back to my hometown to visit friends and family. Really looking forward to getting away... with music blaring from the car radio, of course.

Related Links:

Exit 97.7 WEXT (listen live)

www.franzferdinand.com

www.jdmcpherson.com

Live on Letterman

The ∆ Experience

Here's a weird video for an equally weird (but catchy) song by the band alt-J:

A quick search, and it looks like they're British... of course. One of the more interesting things I have heard this year, and there's definitely been some cool things. I see the top 10 lists of 2012 are starting up... maybe I'll attempt my own in the coming weeks.

For now, it's the weekend!... Thank God. Long week... looking forward to some downtime.

http://altjband.com

'Nuff Said

Finally finished Marvel Comics: The Untold Story... phew, that was some ride. I'll have more thoughts later... right now, here's a song for everyone tired of me talking about superheroes:

Heavy/Light Show

We caught The Heavy last night in Albany. It was a special invite, so tickets were free... and the show was sponsored by Miller Light, so drinks were on the house too. On top of that... we got some Indian food before the show--Sarah had a Groupon, so the grand total for the bill was... $4.00! I swear, this was the cheapest night of quality entertainment I think I have ever had.

The show was alright. The band had a horn section which is always good, but I didn't know too many of the songs. It seemed a little lacking in energy at times, or maybe that was just us... I mean, we were catching this show when we typically head to bed on a work night. Glad we went though... the show was held at the Palace Theater, which is always nice. We'll be catching Morrissey there in just a month... can't wait for that one!

Oh, the show was sponsored by WEQX, which really is the best radio station in the Capital Region... heck, maybe the best I have heard anywhere... it's true, independent radio, with great taste. A couple years ago I was interviewed by The Berkshire Eagle on the occasion of the station's 25th anniversary (the article is archived here)... I was happy to share the love... they have introduced us to many great bands over the last seven years.

Lovin' Spoonful

You know, another great indie band I have gotten into in recent years is Spoon. They have a neat groove... especially on their 2007 album, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga (yeah, you got yer cherry bomb!). Apparently they have been around for some time now... since 1993... which makes them elder statesmen, right? In fact, it looks like lead singer Britt Daniel is around my age (let's hear it, fortysomethings and sticking with it! Good lesson).

Anyway, Daniel has a new side project out right now called The Divine Fits, which sounds an awful lot like Spoon... or maybe that's because of his rather garage rockin', soulful vocals. From what I've heard, it's a nice mix with some odd synths thrown in with the typically strong bass line. So here's a listen to a great tune they are playing on WEXT right now... "Would That Not Be Nice":

Phew... I'm beat. Off for some more spoonin.'

divinefits.com

www.spoontheband.com

Spoon: A Slow Build To Success, NPR, January 23, 2010

Indie For the Night

I had a pretty interesting day today, helping out with a naturalization ceremony at the Museum. It was a lovely ceremony... but I'm too exhausted to blog about it right now. In fact, too exhausted to do much of anything tonight. We're going to stay in and watch a Jenna Fischer movie (The Giant Mechanical Man)... try to keep our good record going.

Speaking of good records, here you go:

'night.

The Clowe Show!

Thanks to all who tuned into My Exit show last night on WEXT. We were in Schenectady, so we had a chance to listen in to the program on the good old-fashioned stereo. It felt good. Made me hungry for more...


For those who missed it (or loved it so much they want to tune in again), the show will be airing again this Sunday, May 20, at 10 a.m. eastern time. You can listen in at 97.7 WEXT-FM in New York's Capital Region (and outlying areas) or online at exit977.org


In the meantime, here is my playlist and a line from each of the songs, which I love:

Waxing poetic... vinyl is hip again! Photo ©Jeremy Clowe.
All rights reserved.

1. "Dark Is The Night," A-ha: "It's time to break free, we need to celebrate the mystery..." (indeed).


2. "Here Comes The Sun," The Beatles: "Little darling, I feel that ice is slowly melting... little darling, it seems like years since it's been clear..."


3. "(I Know) I'm Losing You," The Temptations: "Ooh, I can tell when we kiss... from the tenderness I miss... Ooh, little girl I'm losing you..."


4. "A Girl Like You," Edwyn Collins: "You've made me acknowledge the devil in me, I hope to God I'm talking metaphorically, hope that I'm talking allegorically, know that I'm talking 'bout the way I feel..."


5. "Superstitious," Stevie Wonder: "Keep me in a daydream, keep me going strong... you don't want to save me, sad is my song..."


6. "Don't Gotta Work It Out," Fitz & The Tantrums: "I don't know but I've been told... the world outside is oh so cold, late at night when you're along... do you think about me now that I"m gone? When I'm on the road I often dream and think of you, girl... I hope that you do too..."

Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

7. "Heart In Your Hand," Colwell (Hector on Stilts): "You've got my heart in your hand, Sarah... have you ever felt this before..."


8. "My Eyes," Travis: "Ya ya yay, ya ya yay... you got my eyes... we can't see what you'll be, you can't disguise... and either way I will pray you will be wise... pretty soon you will see tears in my eyes..." (I think this is the sweetest song ever written from a father to his child!)


9. "People C'mon," Delta Spirit: "If you're feeling what I'm feeling c'mon, all you soul-searching people c'mon..."


10. "Girl of the North Country," Bob Dylan: "If you're going when the snowflakes storm, when the rivers freeze and summer ends... please see for me she has a coat so warm, to keep her from the howlin' wind...."


11. "Rebel Rebel," David Bowie: "You like me and I like it all, we like dancing and we look divine... you love bands when they're playing hard, you want more and you want it fast..."


12. "Live Forever," Oasis: "Maybe I will never be all the things that I wanna be... but now is not the time to cry, now's the time to find out why... I think you're the same as me, 
we see things they'll never see, you and I are gonna live forever..." 

Funny how a-ha records keeping popping up when I enter a store... 
Photo ©Jeremy Clowe. All rights reserved.

13. "Home," Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros: "We laugh until we think we'll die, barefoot on a summer night, never could be sweeter than with you..."




14. "Hey Ya!" Outkast: "Shake it like a Polaroid picture..."




15. "Analogue," A-ha: "All I want you to know: I love you... all I need is the time to show you..."


Related:


All Over Albany profile


Up Next:


RBIT has an improv show this Friday, May 18, at the Spectrum Playhouse in Lee, MA...and it's exactly two months until the BIG day! Whoa...