My Love Affair with M. Ward

By Shanna Farrell

cas: ev contributor

She & Him released their first record, appropriately titled Volume One while I was living in California. A big fan of Zooey Deschanel (read: my girl crush), I didn’t want to be disappointed, as many actor-turned-musicians have failed to gain my appreciation. However, this duo had the opposite effect on me- I was intrigued by their nostalgic, light, folk-pop sound. Though, as I said, I like Ms. Dechanel a little too much. I don’t think she could have pulled this album (or their most recent release, Volume Two) off without the musical stylings of Matt Ward, or M. Ward, the stage name he prefers.

Later on, after I had left California to pursue graduate school, I walked into my apartment and my roommate was playing Ward’s Post-War. I had never heard this album before, but I was drawn to it instantly. I immediately acquired this album and started researching past solo music projects Ward had been a part of, as well as his soon-to-be released album Hold Time. It was after this research that I realized he was in large part why I like She & Him so much (honestly, it’s not because of their deep and meaningful lyrics). I liked the movie “The Go-Getter”, in which Ward has a guitar-playing cameo and is heavily featured on the soundtrack.*

I bought Hold Time the day it was released last year and it’s proven to have staying power, as it continues to be in my regular rotation. Ward Wisely chose several covers on this record, including “Rave On” by Buddy Holly, “Oh Lonesome Me” by Don Gibson, and “Outro (I’m a Fool to Want You)” by Frank Sinatra. Three of the tracks feature guest vocals by Deschanel, Jason Lytle, and Lucinda Williams, respectively. I even enjoy the cover art.

Last week, I had the good fortune to see She & Him perform live at a crowded (but air conditioned) New York venue. While Deschanel was having problems with her Wurlitzer, Ward made up for it with his guitar playing. Though I always appreciate someone with good guitar chops, I am usually more interested in the drummer/ings (an instrument I picked up in college), I was blown away by Ward. He’s just so good! So talented! So easy to watch and fall in love with!*

True to the stories I’ve heard or read, Ward opted out of the spotlight, literally and figuratively. He didn’t say much during the show, but when he did the crowd showered him with applause and admiration. Personally, I got a special treat when the first song the band played during the encore was my favorite Ward song, “Magic Trick”, from Post-War. A review of the show can be found here.

I guess my point is that I love M. Ward, and you should too. Or at least check him out.

*M. Ward had signed onto the film before it had a budget or had been casted. Also, it’s how Ward and Deschanel met.

*Deschanel’s voice is actually also way better live. She belted out a cover of Nina Simone’s “You Put a Spell on Me” during the group’s final encore song. She kept getting interrupted by applause. It was really incredible.

Hopscotch, not just a cardiovascular game for kids

By Shanna Farrell
cas:ev contributor

Though I’ve been to a recent Lollapalooza and had a great time, I’m not a huge fan of big music festivals. I find them stressful, hot, and anxiety inducing. With that being said, there is a new festival this year that is making me jump with excitement.

Hopscotch, set in Downtown Raleigh, N.C., happens on September 9 through 11. It is the first year for the festival. Not only is it in early fall (allowing the summer heat and humidity to burn off a bit), it mimics SXSW’s use of multiple venues downtown. It boasts 120 bands and tickets at all venues are just $85 (VIP tickets are $120, but completely sold out).

The line-up features nationally known acts, as well as local up-and-comers. Here’s an added bonus- Public Enemy is headlining! Fortunately, I have family whom live in the area and I will be in attendance. Bands that never disappoint that are playing the festival include Broken Social Scene, No Age, Panda Bear and Atlas Sounds. Also scheduled to perform are Akron/Family, Best Coast, Harvey Milk, The Love Language, Bowerbirds, The Rosebuds, and Woods.
You can check out a full roster here.

Who booked this festival?? Ten points for you, my friend!

Hopscotch’s website has one of the best festival maps I have seen. With nine venues and two outdoor City Plaza shows are all in walking distance from one another, but there are bus routes along the way.

Hopscotch is put on by the area’s Independent Weekly . They are partnering with The Raleigh City Museum, who will be offering a free cultural series throughout that week. Additionally, a portion of the proceeds from the festival will go to the Women’s Center of Wake County.

While I in no way, shape, or form am wishing the summer away, I am sincerely cannot wait for this festival.

WOODS

By Shanna Farrell, contributor

A beautiful fusion of indie rock, lo-fi, folk, and jam -- Woods has got it going on. Their newest album, Songs of Shame, was released in April and has quickly become one of my favorite records of the year. While I love me some indie-rock, lo-fi, and folk (has anyone seen the Newport Folk Festival line-up this year? Check it out here), it takes me a lot to tolerate, let alone like a band that does any “jamming” at all. But Woods is a different story. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I’m in love with their sound. It’s something both familiar and new.

While I think the album as a whole is wonderful, there are three songs I want to highlight (two of which you can listen to here).

The first of the bunch is “The Number,” a stripped down song. It’s regretful and somber. It’s melodic chorus is “You’ll pass that number/ Waiting for the summer/ So that you cannot rest/ Curious perfections/ There’s haunting life lessons/ So that you cannot rest”. There is a definite beauty in its subtleties.

Next is “Military Madness,” originally by Graham Nash. This song is just as powerful now as it was then, and Woods brings a new flavor to the tune.

The third track I want to mention is called “September with Pete.” It’s completely instrumental and [for lack of a better term] jammy. The drums and guitar are most prominent, and together they create a kind of rhythmic euphoria. The song may go on slightly longer than I would like (it clocks in at 9:40) given my previously mentioned aversion for jam-rock, but I can get help moving to this song.

The band is currently on tour. If you’re in Boston on Aug. 6, I’ll see you at Great Scott for their show!

Woods

And if you’re interested in reading more, here’s a review that Pitchfork did of Songs of Shame.

Shanna Farrell is a friend that will be contributing to my blog regularly. She earned her undergraduate degree in music from Northeastern University in Boston and afterward moved to LA, where she worked in production. She currently lives in New York City where she attends grad school at NYU.

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson

By Shanna Farrell, contributing columnist

Every once in awhile, there comes along an artist or band that incites a physical reaction. It’s an overwhelming feeling that makes me want to cry, smile, sigh, be alone and hold someone’s hand all at once. It speaks directly to my heart and leaves me changed.

Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson is not that artist. He is, however, reminiscent of someone who is, Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.

MBAR, for short, is an exceptionally talented musician in his own right. He is a troubadour using his guitar, his voice and his lyrics to shed some light on what it’s like to be living in his skin.

His sound has been described as a “man on the edge of a breakdown” and he sings with an amount of vulnerability that can only be authentic. You can hear in his voice that his life has been anything but rainbows and butterflies. For those familiar with Bon Iver, MBAR has the same sense of introspection and soulfulness, but as Carrie Brownstein put it, “doesn’t veer into the heavens as much."

His self-titled album Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson, was released a year ago, in June 2008. It garnered attention by music blogs such as Pitchfork and Stereogum right around the time of its release, but not much since. I first heard about him on NPR’s “All Songs Considered” podcast a couple months ago (apparently late to the game), bought the record and have been listening to it non-stop since.

MBAR

Being a Brooklyn, NY, based artist, his talent was recognized by Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear and Kyp Malone of TV on the Radio (indie rock heavy-hitters and fellow Brooklyn residents). They got him in the studio and produced his album.

The first track, called “Buriedfed” is about MBAR attending his own funeral, albeit still being alive. The song begins with just him and his guitar. It builds throughout, using instrumental and vocal layering. It’s boozy and sober, shaky and strong, all at once. The second track is called “The Debtor” and is at once rhythmic and pretty. It opens with piano and drums, adding other instruments along the way. It culminates at the chorus with the lyrics “I’m not sure that I wanna stay alive/it’s so expensive/it’s cheap to die”. The melody and tone of the instrumentation is juxtaposition with the troubling lyrics. My favorite song from the album is called “My Good Luck”, the sixth track. It is guitar driven and melodic. The lyrics grab you from the first line “Coming over after work/because I’m that kind of jerk”. It’s a higher energy song, and I find myself drawn to this track. You can listen to the album in its entirety over at Lala.

You can also check out this article written last year by Gothamist:

I hope you enjoy this artist and the album as much as I do.

Shanna Farrell is an old friend that will be contributing to my blog regularly. She earned her undergraduate degree in music from Northeastern University in Boston and afterward moved to LA, where she worked in production. She currently lives in New York City where she attends grad school at NYU.

Come out, come out wherever you are ...

By Shanna Farrell, contributing columnist


If summer won’t come to us, I’m going to try to draw it out with more summer music. This week, I’ve got two great summer songs. They both have a fun, light, dancey beat and have a good chance of getting stuck in your head. They might even help those hot, oppressive drives to the beach go by faster (That is, if the Northeast gives us any nice days this summer!).


So, with Fourth of July approaching, I present “Psychic City” by Yacht and “15-20” by The Phenomenal Hand Clap Band.


Hear "Psychic City," by Yacht, here



Hear "15-20," by The Phenomenal Hand Clap Band, here


Yacht is a two piece band, Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans*, from Portland, Oregon. They put on an infectious live show, dancing around stage in a quirky manner (I had the good fortune to see them open for Vampire Weekend last year in LA). They’ve released the single “Psychic City” just in time the summer.


* Fun fact: they also date!



Here is what they have to say about themselves in their mission statement, courtesy of their Web site:


"YACHT is a Band, Belief System, and Business conducted by Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans of Marfa, Texas and Portland, Oregon, USA. All people are welcome to become members of YACHT.
Accordingly, YACHT is and always will be what YACHT is when YACHT is standing before you.
YACHT was formed in 2002 as Y.A.C.H.T., "Young Americans Challenging High Technology." The current incarnation began gestating in 2008, and at this point bears no resemblance, except biologically, to the previous versions. The YACHT of 2009 is the true form of YACHT.
The 2009 form of YACHT is highly indebted to the Mystery Lights of the Far West Texas desert, where most of the new YACHT album, SEE MYSTERY LIGHTS, was written and recorded.
Strictly speaking, YACHT does "perform music." YACHT provides inspiring Teachings of constantly changing elements: PowerPoint presentations, immersive audio, live audience audits, and shamanistic video environments. The YACHT Performance is expressly designed to provide groups of people with catharsis and purification.
YACHT is about group consciousness. YACHT is about the individual man or woman. If you believe these assertions to be contradictory, consider the Triangle: it is both a collection of points and a shape.
The Triangle is also a concept map between three points. But it is not merely a concept.
Secondary interpretation of YACHT and the Triangle is not forbidden, but strongly frowned upon. YACHT is always available for consultation at the source (please e-mail trust@teamyacht.com), so misinterpretations are unnecessary and will always be corrected. A general policy of openness and light has been instated.
YACHT believes that to all people have a right to Free thought, Free expression, to write their own opinions freely and to counter, utter, and write upon the opinions of others. There is a difference between Free as in "Free Lunch" and Free as in "Liberated." YACHT believes that music and the Internet will become both in time.
YACHT IS NOT A CULT.
No additional information will be divulged for the time."



The second track is from The Phenomenal Hand Clap Band. They are from Brooklyn and Lower Manhanttan, NY and have a varying line-up, which sometimes includes members of TV on the Radio. Their overall sound is eclectic, citing soul, indie, electronic, rock, and psychedilia influences. Their album, Phenomenal Hand Clap Band, was just released this week. If you’re aching for more, check out their blog.


This band worth watching…

Shanna Farrell is an old friend that will be contributing to my blog regularly. She got her undergraduate degree in music from Northeastern University in Boston and afterward moved to LA, where she worked in production. She currently lives in New York City where she attends grad school at NYU. More impressive than her resume is her knack for mining the music scene for great new music.

Genius loves company (hehe)

I love being turned on to new music. So, in an effort to further expand my own awareness of what I'm missing in the ever-changing music scene, I have called in a reliever (excuse my baseball mentality).

I introduce to you, Shanna Farrell. Shanna and I are high school buddies who have always shared a love of music. We kept in touch over the years, despite distances, and recently reunited for a night on the town. As expected, conversation turned to music and I asked her if she would contribute to my blog - and she obliged.

About Shanna:

She got her undergraduate degree in music from Northeastern University in Boston and afterward moved to LA, where she worked in production. She currently lives in New York City (right on Shanna, back on the East Coast!) where she attends grad school at NYU. More impressive than her resume is her knack for mining the music scene for great new music.

Enough with the talk - let's get right to it. Without further ado, I give you Shanna's weekly (or whatever) column:

Summa, Summa, Summa Summertime!

Despite the spotty weather we’ve been having here in the Northeast, it’s summertime. And what every summer needs is a good band or two to have a fling with. My summer obsessions? Passion Pit and Crocodiles, the bands that I’ll be blasting at barbeques and late night dance parties.

While Passion Pit has been receiving some major exposure as of late, they still have that perfect summer beat. I first heard about them through NPR’s “All Songs Considered” podcast during their SXSW preview show back in March. They grabbed my attention, and I went out and bought their album as soon as it was released. Hailing from Cambridge, Massachusetts, they broke out with their song “Sleepyhead” this winter.

Now, everywhere I look, there are articles featuring them. They formed in 2007 and feature Michael Angelakos on lead vocals and the keyboard, Ian Hultquist on the keyboard, Ayad Al Adhamy on the synth/samples duty, Jeff Apruzzese on bass, and Nate Donmoyer on live drums. The group is considered electronic, is super danceable, and has been described as “brief, sporadic, and explosive.”

Passion Pit

Check out my favorite song, “Moth’s Wings," from their album Manners:

If that’s not enough, listen to “The Reeling:”

Or, “Sleepyhead:”

Or hell, go buy the whole album! And then read their blog:

My next summer fixation is Crocodiles, a band from San Diego. They are considered to be part of the Southern California “noise-pop” movement (see: No Age, Wavves). They have a darker, distorted sound, but make you (or at least me) want to sing along to “Neon Jesus” and “I Want to Kill” off their newly released Summer of Hate album.

Crocodiles

I saw them perform in New York City a couple months back, and despite my aversion to their donning of sunglasses inside and at night, they brought the house down. They played to a sold-out crown before their album even hit stores. If that’s not an indication of how great their songs are, I don’t know what is. Crocodiles consists of the duo Brandon Welchez on vocals and programming and Charles Rowell on guitar and synth.

Head to their Myspace to check out their music: Crocodiles

There is also a pretty rad interview that Stereogum did with them in the “Quit Your Day Job” section. Check it out here

*Disclaimer: Crocodiles is probably an acquired taste. If you like noise-pop, chances are you will like them. If not, just defer to Passion Pit.