Tag Archives: Music

She and Him and A Packed House at Central Park Summerstage

9 Jul
Photo: Dana Yavin

Photo: Dana Yavin

A quick glance at the sold-out crowd at Central Park Summerstage during last Saturday’s scorcher might have suggested something ranging from slightly eerie to downright strange – there was a sea of smiling Zooey Deschanel’s baking in the New York City sun. Draped in diaphanous sun dresses, hair adornments, and soft makeup, a quirky army of fans sat on the faux green lawn of Summerstage and dined on Asiadogs and craft beer through Camera Obscura’s upbeat opening set. And then, as the sun started setting over the skyscrapers in the distance, the one and only new girl fluttered out on stage with her rock partner in crime, M. Ward, and sang “I Was Made for You” to the true sold out crowd of cute impersonators.

Let’s back up a second to answer the immediate question sparked by this opening passage. Zooey Deschanel sings? Most know the rising star from “500 Days of Summer,” “Elf,” or the hit Fox show “New Girl,” but she is also an accomplished Jazz singer with a penchant for keyboards, percussion, banjo and ukulele.

After meeting on the set of the 2007 movie “The Go-Getter,” Deschanel and M. Ward, an accomplished Indie/Folk/Rock singer-songwriter, formed a collaboration that has since released four studio albums, the most recent released in May of this year.

The skill of both musicians was apparent during the sweltering show at Summerstage. Why am I belaboring the heat? It was HOT. Hot, humid, sticky, sweaty, and sunny. But, despite the heat – both generated from the sun and by the close grouping of attendees – the 28-song set captured the ears of the concert goers, and the vast majority of listeners were hanging on every note played by She & Him’s talented band.

I was most stricken with two elements of the show. It is no surprise that Deschanel can attract an audience – she is an actress – so the large crowd of wild-eyed lookalikes was expected, but her proficiency with the vast instrumentation on stage was intriguing. M. Ward and she swapped instruments and bounced around the stage effervescently. The extensive set list mixed She & Him originals with classics like “You Really Got a Hold on Me” and “Stars Fell on Alabama.” Deschanel and her backup singer duo The Chapin Sisters also performed an airy cover of “Unchained Melody.” During the encore M. Ward rocked a cover of “Roll Over Beethoven” and Deschanel and M. Ward closed the show with a sultry version of “I Put a Spell on You.”

Overall, despite the grueling heat, She & Him and Camera Obscura were pretty darn cool. I was impressed by the talent that oozed from She & Him, and considering the engagement of the audience, I think a full crowd at Summerstage agreed with that sentiment.

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The High Wire and the Last Night on Earth

30 Jun

The High Wire

In advance of its third release, The High Wire is previewing “LNOE,” a warm, string-laden piece that packs a punch. The song will officially be released on July 29.

Originally the outlet of singer/songwriter Tim Crompton, The High Wire expanded to include West coast Canadian Alexia Hagen and UK native Ross Forrest. Citing Motown and the Gorillaz as influences, the band creates a melting pot of pop-sensitive pieces that utilize modern psychedelia and folk influences.

The band’s music has been described as everything from “Delirious shoegaze” (Artrocker) to “a narcoleptic wonderland” (NME), but “LNOE,” represents a different approach.

The rhythm is almost exclusively driven by an orchestra of strings, and this creates an ethereal sound that bounces off the listener. The persistent chorus is one part Coldplay, one part MGMT – an eclectic blend that utilizes hard-hitting British pop/rock and American psychedelia. While the harmony is strong and the song is certainly potent, the melody lulls the listener, almost inebriating them with the rich sound. Excellent release. We are looking forward to hearing the rest of the album.

Check out more of The High Wire on the band’s Website, Facebook or Twitter

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Through It All with Kye Alfred Hillig

24 Jun

Kye Alfred Hillig

Kye Alfred Hillig has recorded 18 full length albums of original material and has written more than 1,000 songs. He has been the primary songwriter for four bands, been on multiple regional and national tours, and performed many shows in the Pacific Northwest before going solo in 2012. He is the quintessential troubadour; his granular croon and unique brand of folk combine to create original pieces that fill each album with full-blown hits.

So, why do we not know more about Hillig? Perhaps it is because he first went solo last year. Well, if his first two solo efforts are indicators of success, Hillig will soon be a household name for folk lovers. Put simply, this man can sing, write, and play. His twangy croon has elements of Josh Ritter and Conor Oberst, and his lyric balances metaphors, axioms, and personal anecdotes.

While different in voice and lyrical content, Hillig, in his sheer productivity, reminds me of John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats. Similarly, each song of his is original and listenable – a tremendous quality and feat for a musician.

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Together Through it All was written during Hillig’s first months of employment at a funeral home in the Puyallup Valley of Washington State. He gathered several songs for the new album, and, even though it had only been four months since the release of his debut album solo album Aurora (Darnielle-esque!), Hillig is a songwriter and felt the itch to get in the studio and lay down the new tracks for his second release. The album was released in February of 2013.

This song plays right into my weakness. Introductory staccato piano chords and accordion (seriously, I cannot help from being lured by Parisian folk!) So, immediately “An Unedited Presentation of Souls” sent me back to Jardin du Luxembourg. Hillig’s apt vocal, well-placed harmonies, and rapid-plucked acoustic guitar do not hurt. With the fused style of Joe Purdy and the Counting Crows, Hillig allows the song to flourish with rich instrumentals and soothing vocals.

“You & Me & Time” emits a different feel; a folk ballad that moves like calm waves undulating in the ocean. Hillig’s versatility is striking. This song also has some of Hillig’s most inspired lyrics on the album – simple and beautiful:

“And I don’t care if they think we’re wrong
And I don’t care if they hate this song
Let them paint the world so black and white
I’ll take the colors that make up our lives, and baby we’ll paint the night”

When asked about his inspiration, Hillig said:

“The thing that inspires me most in music is the continual investigation of difficult subject matter, the areas and ideas that make most of us uncomfortable. I’ve found that these places are gold mines for creating work that feels meaningful to me. It wasn’t until going solo that I really found my voice in music. Since then it feels like I’ve really discovered who I am as a songwriter. I believe strongly in going to work for my music. Making myself available for songs to happen is a vital part of the process now. I don’t sit around waiting for songs to fall in my lap. I start fiddling with instruments daily like an archeologist trying to unearth something, waiting for something to show itself. Some days I find something worth keeping. Some days I don’t.”

Doesn’t this excellently describe the writing process (songwriting/prose/poetry)? It is like an archeologist trying to unearth something. Luckily for Hillig, he rarely digs without finding precious metals.

Check out the rest of Together Through It All. Follow Hillig on his Facebook and Website

 

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An Airborne Toxic Orchestra Event – Summerstage 2013

22 Jun

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It was around halfway through the show when Airborne Toxic Event lead singer Mikel Jollett joked with the crowd that he may mess up “Dublin,” a new song he had only played a few times live. But as he plucked the first few acoustic notes of the piece, the sky painted on the horizon transformed from a dense gray to a palette of pink that penetrated the skyscrapers and accentuated the rich music. The halcyon scene demonstrated the model of an outdoor concert. But, the weather doesn’t always respond.

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As the above picture suggests, when we arrived to Central Park Summerstage, the weather was less than ideal. A persistent sprinkle fell on umbrellas and Summerstage ponchos. The Calder Quartet, a LA-based string quartet that has become an Airborne Toxic Event staple, opened, and, for the most part, drove the rain away.

Ensemble LPR, an assemblage of the finest New York-based concert musicians, joined The Calder Quartet on stage after the Quartet’s opening act. If one stumbled into Summerstage – which was quite possible considering that the concert was free (thanks to the generous City Parks Foundation), he/she might have assumed the crowd had gathered for a classical orchestra. And that was one of the most gripping parts of the show. It was just not your typical rock show.

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But, to be honest, I don’t believe anyone in the audience was expecting a typical rock show, because Airborne Toxic Event does not put on a typical rock show. The energy and skill demonstrated by the band is striking. It is not just music; it is art. Instead of simply creating catchy alt/rock pieces, Airborne Toxic Event prefers to script a scene (much like the inspiration for the band’s name, Don DeLillo), and this ability sets the band apart from others.

Perhaps the greatest indication of this individuality was the crowd at the show. Lining the front row barrier behind the photo pit was a wide array of ages, and, most surprisingly, everyone knew the words to each song. These were Airborne Toxic Event diehards, and, unlike with most bands, I couldn’t typify the standard Airborne Toxic Event fan. This evinces the diversity of the band and explains its growing audience.

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The crowded stage of talented musicians produced a full orchestra sound that elevated the show. It is clear that Airborne Toxic Event is not a band; it’s a symphony, a full on powerhouse that combines the potency of a full orchestra with a traditional genre and bends it. The resulting amalgamation is music that could only have been created by the mind of true artists!

This was best portrayed by the performance of “Sometime Around Midnight,” one of my favorite Airborne Toxic Event songs because of its sheer ardor. Not only did the orchestra carry the crescendo, but also most individuals in the audience knew the lyrics and emphatically sang along. It was electric.

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Airborne Toxic Event concluded the encore with a jam-packed version of “Missy” that featured teasers from American classics, “Ring of Fire,” “Born in the USA,” and “American Girl.”

Overall, while wet at times, Airborne Toxic Event put together a tremendous show, packed with oodles of impressive sound, and much credit to the Calder Quartet and Ensemble LPR who helped carry the show with precision and fervor. Throughout the show lead singer Mikel Jollett effusively thanked the crowd for joining the band at Summerstage, and the band’s humility was refreshing, but considering the tremendous entertainment that the band provided, it was the crowd that thanked the band for one of best free concerts I’ve been a part of – rain or no rain. As Jollett said in his introduction, “f*ck it, it’s Central Park!”

Check out the Summerstage schedule.

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Strumming Something New – Zan Strumfeld

17 Jun

Zan Strumfeld

 

While Zan Strumfeld carries her brand of stripped-down folk with her soft, Spektor-like voice, there is an endearing and subtle vexation on the horizon of her vocal that creeps through the sweetness of the piece and pulls the listener into her world of raw emotion. This quality is unique to Strumfeld, an Albany-based folky singer/songwriter.

Strumfeld – who has an excellent name for a person who plays the guitar – released her third EP, Someone New, back in April of this year. The album is a testament to simplicity. Strumfeld does not bedizen songs with electronics, pounding percussion, or superfluous instrumentals. Instead, she garners acoustic power with her multifaceted voice and some well-placed harmonies. The result is self-described “lullabies for the lonely lovers” and this one-sentence synopsis is quite apt.

 

Please excuse the contradictory nature of this description, but there is certainly a warm loneliness that penetrates the plucked strings of “Carry On,” a song that urges listeners to “learn to carry on.” Strumfeld’s piece is so intimate that it’s as if she is with you performing it live, and this local element adds to the songs potency.

“Someone New” puts Strumfeld’s voice on full display – abundant and delicate. The song may be a lullaby, but it carries a soothing ardor that keeps the listener hanging on each intonation.

Check out more about Strumfeld on her Bandcamp and Facebook.

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