I’m back. In my pocket I have a good 25 stories I could share about my time cavorting about lower (and upper) Bavaria. I decided last week that upon returning to the States I would spare you the gory details of beer drinking, volksfests and barbecues and keep it musical. I was [...]]]>

I’m back. In my pocket I have a good 25 stories I could share about my time cavorting about lower (and upper) Bavaria. I decided last week that upon returning to the States I would spare you the gory details of beer drinking, volksfests and barbecues and keep it musical. I was prepared. Then something happened on my way home on Wednesday that changed everything I planned on mentioning. There are a few silly bits I would like to get out in the open before I get serious, however.

1. Dragging myself through airports and train stations over the last two weeks, despite my deep dislike for James Murphy and his arrogant mumblings in interviews since the dawn of time, I made a decision: after avoiding it at all cost (because I am petty), I am officially in love with This Is Happening. There is something incredibly empowering about minute 3:06 of “Dance Yrself Clean.” At 80% volume on my headphones while walking through Heathrow, despite my mediocrity, I felt supremely important when listening to it. Go figure.
2. I discovered that my German isn’t so bad after all. I mean, it isn’t good. All I’m saying is that I was able to communicate with people with exponentially less hand gestures than on my last visit. For me, this is a win.
3. While I claim to know what’s going on musically, it took FM4 to open my eyes to Virginia’s own Wild Nothing. I’ll bet you’re shocked and appalled…but please keep reading.

So. Flights can be a nightmare. Especially return flights. En route to a holiday destination, all revved up and excited for the weeks ahead, the meal service tastes like manna from heaven. The journey home is a different story altogether. Who the F serves a hardboiled egg and spring onion sandwich to a plane-full of already smelly and road-weary passengers on hour 6 of a flight from London to DC? British Airways this past Wednesday, folks, that’s who. Of course, there’s always the quintessential boisterous nimrod who believes his or her travel experience was more intense than everyone’s and wants the cabin crew and all passengers to know about it. But, as a coach traveler, one must tolerate many people, odors and situations. My return trip this time around was especially notable.

I walked to my center, aisle seat to find to my right, a boy of about 6 years of age. To his right sat his mother. It was the 3 of us in the center section of row 31. He was clutching a plastic music box to his ear that played Mozart’s Piano Sonata No. 16 in C, repeatedly, while his mother hummed soothing words in heavily French-accented English to him. Before the plane was off the ground I heard the first of many abrupt vocalizations coming from the boy. It was at this time his mother gave an unnecessary apology for her son’s behavior. I asked his name, she told me, mentioned he was severely developmentally delayed and, aside from guttural exclamations of glee and/or sorrow from deep within his throat, non-verbal. He did, she explained and I observed, respond favorably to music. It calmed him.

Throughout the 7 hours in the air she occasionally sang to him as he rocked back and forth in his seat – “Frère Jacques” and other songs unfamiliar to me. At the meal service he reached over and gently touched my arm and face and she, absolutely exhausted, apologized yet again. I wasn’t lying or patronizing her when I smiled and said that everything was fine. For lack of a better word, I was honestly “fine.” Do understand that I become agitated when a person in line ahead of me at the market checkout takes an additional 15 seconds to scavenge for exact change in their wallet. My overreacting and being easily disturbed is a reality and not a quality I am proud of, so forgive me for surprising the hell out of myself in this particular situation.

I am not looking for commendation for being a decent human being, make no mistake. I believe it is noteworthy to mention however, that being human also means that sometimes we lose our cool, especially when trapped with 300 other people at 35K feet. I admit that I asked for (and was given) more wine than usual on this flight and, at times, had my headphones at an intense volume ordinarily reserved for, say, well, nothing else, really. That said, observing the communication between this mother and her son and the role music played in their dyad is a beautiful memory forever stowed in the suitcases of my mind. Where words fail, music speaks.

Happy weekend.

“This album is a homage to my youth. I had a wonderful time but I am going somewhere new. Good bye and good riddance…”

- RickoLus via liner notes on Youngster.

I know you’ve been waiting for it (humor me): the third and final installment in Abby’s Youth Series, 2010. Today, if [...]]]>

“This album is a homage to my youth. I had a wonderful time but I am going somewhere new. Good bye and good riddance…”

- RickoLus via liner notes on Youngster.

I know you’ve been waiting for it (humor me): the third and final installment in Abby’s Youth Series, 2010. Today, if you don’t already know him, I introduce RickoLus.

Richard J. Colado, aka RickoLus, hails from Jacksonville, Florida and has a brilliant affinity for waxing poetically about his past (read: childhood) in his latest LP, Youngster (Circle Into Square, 07/27/10). In recent years past I’ve had reason to reflect upon my being a kid; simultaneously trying to shed the bullshit hipstardom while retaining the substantive lessons learned during 20+ years of being a mature-ish child rather than an adult with a handful of healthy, child-like habits. I think there is a difference. Personally, this record speaks volumes.

In the track “Photographs” (see video below) lyrics remind the listener that perhaps attempts to shed the past (read: youth) are fruitless and it remains with everyone… when reminded of it, anyway…even subconsciously:

“Looking back at the photographs of me
stare into eyes I used to see with
they are glowing warm with memories that stick like syrup”

Sleepy sounding vocals coupled with handclaps and the occasional accordion brightens what can sometimes be a sad story: the process of growing up.

RickoLus – “Kid” [MP3]

Happy Wednesday.

Click here to view the embedded video.

A lot of bands with complicated sounds like to take their act to the stage and put on a big, complicated show. Sometimes, this works very well (see Holy Fuck) and sometimes this falls short (see Cymbals Eat Guitars). But sometimes a band with a very simple sound and a very simple [...]]]>

A lot of bands with complicated sounds like to take their act to the stage and put on a big, complicated show. Sometimes, this works very well (see Holy Fuck) and sometimes this falls short (see Cymbals Eat Guitars). But sometimes a band with a very simple sound and a very simple show to match can steal an entire festival. Enter: Harlem.

I’ve long professed my love of this smarmy Austin trio who has made a name for themselves singing about weed, love and “Gay Human Bones,” and after seeing their set at Siren, I can now profess my love for their live act. After watching the seemingly snotty and disconnected Surfer Blood, Harlem was a breath of fresh air. Between ripping through the likes of “Friendly Ghost,” “Be Your Baby” and “Gay Human Bones,” the three kept things happy and playful, occasionally egging on the already feisty crowd for more support. As if at the band’s command, the audience moshed harder, crowdsurfed even more and were promptly shoved back in by security.

If any band had a finger on the pulse of the audience, it was Harlem. They played flawlessly and appeased what appeared to be every single person in attendance. Their garage side pleased the angst-ridden masses, while the pop side simultaneously lifted their spirits. Despite the pushing and shoving, the people in the crowd seemed genuinely elated. Even if nobody, including me, knew what “Gay Human Bones” was exactly about, the crowd and the band looked too happy to care.

Harlem – “Gay Human Bones” [MP3]

More photos after the jump.

[All photos by James B. Hale/Knox Road from Siren Music Festival]

Wow. Hands just sent us their newest track, and it’s none other than a remix of Local Natives‘ popular song “Camera Talk”. As you may know, we don’t typically post remixes on Knox Road, but when two of our favorite bands combine, well, things change.

Local Natives and Hands have become friends [...]]]>

Wow. Hands just sent us their newest track, and it’s none other than a remix of Local Natives‘ popular song “Camera Talk”. As you may know, we don’t typically post remixes on Knox Road, but when two of our favorite bands combine, well, things change.

Local Natives and Hands have become friends out on the West Coast, and when Sean (Hands’ drummer) sent Local Natives the track last night, Ryan (from Local Natives) responded, “My head just exploded.”

I have nothing to add to that.

Local Natives – “Camera Talk (Hands remix)” [MP3]

More from Hands on Knox Road

[Photo by Eric Rippin]

Wye Oak is what happens if you take Matt and Kim, sap them of their top-40 savvy and say “Hey, this whole folk genre isn’t too bad.” What I’m trying to say is that the two bands are very much not alike, except they’re both guy/girl duos.

What an awful introduction that [...]]]>

Wye Oak is what happens if you take Matt and Kim, sap them of their top-40 savvy and say “Hey, this whole folk genre isn’t too bad.” What I’m trying to say is that the two bands are very much not alike, except they’re both guy/girl duos.

What an awful introduction that was. During its earnest set on Saturday, Wye Oak was pleasant but often subdued, considering the general lack of immediacy in its music. They played near-flawlessly, but there’s only so much to say about a band — guitar and vocals from Jenn Wasner and drums and simultaneous keyboards from Andy Stack — that is so content with just being nice to listen to.

However, the duo did play a few new songs, which were very exciting glimpses into the future of the band. The new tracks were more striking from the outset, whereas some of the band’s older tunes tend to get lost in hazy bouts of reverb and distortion. The crafting of the songs, even, was improved: disparate halves came together to form a surprising connection between verse and chorus where you wouldn’t think there could be one. All in all, good work. I’m markedly more excited for the band’s next release than the past one.

Wye Oak – “I Hope You Die” [MP3]

More photos after the jump.

[All photos by James B. Hale/Knox Road from Siren Music Festival]

By Brittany Borghi

Rounding the corner of the Stillwell Stage for the 4:30 set, one thing became clear to me: Earl Greyhound is immediately awesome.

Lithe lead guitarist Matt Whyte looked like Anthony Kiedis from the “Under the Bridge” video; long scraggly hair blowing in the beach breeze while he shredded the [...]]]>

By Brittany Borghi

Rounding the corner of the Stillwell Stage for the 4:30 set, one thing became clear to me: Earl Greyhound is immediately awesome.

Lithe lead guitarist Matt Whyte looked like Anthony Kiedis from the “Under the Bridge” video; long scraggly hair blowing in the beach breeze while he shredded the most delicious licks into the band’s funky blues rock songs. Contrasting him on bass was the psychedelic Kamara Thomas. The way she dressed was an appropriate synecdoche for the band’s overall sound: flowing, 70s style wrap dress with vintage Native American inspired feather earrings; a giant, pulsing girl-power afro; and a block of space-age silver face paint on her forehead.

While she was grinding her bass into the ground and howling a loud “Why-yi-yi-yo” in their opening song, “Sea of Change,” a second thing became clear to me: Earl Greyhound is pure sex.

I picked my jaw up off the pavement just in time for them to play “Ghost and the Witness” off their new album Suspicious Package. Whyte and Thomas’ echoing harmonies were the best I’d heard all day, and the song’s pelvis-injected, spine-winding goodness was hypnotic at least. Thomas’ bass pumped through the rest of the set, carried by Ricc Sheridan’s R&B inspired drums, smoothing it out during the melodic moments and pumping like an anti-war shotgun when things got more militant.

The trio was light-hearted about their overt sexuality, promising the crowd a “’Suspicious Package’ in a special place,” if they so desired. The band was selling the new album for however-much-of-a-donation people were willing to pay, and you could meet and chill with them after the set. Again, they are awesome.

Earl Greyhound – “Ghost and the Witness” [MP3]

More photos after the jump.

[All photos by James B. Hale/Knox Road from Siren Music Festival]

By Brittany Borghi

It was hotter than West Palm Beach balls underneath the Cyclone, but the crowd was still amped for Surfer Blood to take the stage. Sadly, their sweat was shed in vain. Surfer Blood may have spouted that they were “stoked” to be on Coney Island for the first [...]]]>

By Brittany Borghi

It was hotter than West Palm Beach balls underneath the Cyclone, but the crowd was still amped for Surfer Blood to take the stage. Sadly, their sweat was shed in vain. Surfer Blood may have spouted that they were “stoked” to be on Coney Island for the first time, but they couldn’t have seemed more nonplussed.

John Paul Pitts’ energy hit an all time high during “Take It Easy,” when he paraded around the stage, flamboyantly presenting himself in front of the monitors for the drooling photogs (see: Jamie Hale) to snap a quick picture before retreating behind the mic stand. I kept waiting for things to escalate, but the band couldn’t seem to get past poking fun at their Toyota commercial success and flippantly dedicating their set to Metro PCS. I mean, I know, they’re like, SO over all that corporate jazz, but c’mon man, we’re on your side!

I have to make one concession: keyboardist Marcos Marchesani’s flowing black fro was wonderful to watch, and he actually seemed like he was happy to be there. The rest of the band acted like your 14-year-old brother and his gang of friends who have an inside joke that you’re just not in on.

Maybe if I had seen SB on their own, the set wouldn’t have been so “bleh,” but sandwiched between some truly amazing sirens (Apache Beat, Screaming Females, Earl Greyhound), they just came up short.

Surfer Blood – “Swim” [MP3]

More photos after the jump.

[All photos by James B. Hale/Knox Road from Siren Music Festival]

I can totally see what The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is trying for with its music, and I don’t even mind listening to it that much, but something about their live set just sat wrong with it. It probably had something to do with the way their nostalgic, ’80s-tinged dream [...]]]>

I can totally see what The Pains of Being Pure at Heart is trying for with its music, and I don’t even mind listening to it that much, but something about their live set just sat wrong with it. It probably had something to do with the way their nostalgic, ’80s-tinged dream pop is constructed. On guitar, almost every song involved the placement of a capo on one of the first four frets and strumming of open chords throughout the duration. Now, I love open chords and I love capos, but with an instrument as versatile as an electric guitar, the band needs to at least vary things up a little bit. It was like the capo was a last-ditch effort to switch the pitch of songs that would be shockingly similar otherwise, and it didn’t even work that well. The songs quickly bled together, all starting with dreamy, reverberated downstrokes. Kip Berman’s vocals, while evoking that nostalgic mood pretty well, also don’t change much from track to track.

It led to a set that was put together nicely — again, it wasn’t like the songs were particularly challenging, though — but bled into one big sea of sound. And the fact that the music was autumnal on one of the hottest days of the year (read: ever) didn’t help too much.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – “Everything With You” [MP3]

More photos after the jump.

[All photos by James B. Hale/Knox Road from Siren Music Festival]

By Brittany Borghi

Siren veterans Ted Leo and the Pharmacists brought it big time to the Main Stage last Saturday, ready to prove that they can still shake up a crowd. No stranger to the free festival, they made their first appearance at Siren in 2003, and came back to show off [...]]]>

By Brittany Borghi

Siren veterans Ted Leo and the Pharmacists brought it big time to the Main Stage last Saturday, ready to prove that they can still shake up a crowd. No stranger to the free festival, they made their first appearance at Siren in 2003, and came back to show off to a new generation.

And ya know what? They sounded great. The band is undoubtedly tight, and they had no shortage of energy onstage, stomping around and genuinely having fun. Most notable is the fact that Ted’s voice still sounds uh-MAZING; from his punctuated hisses and shouts to his ability to let it all out and wail, the guy’s pipes are a well-oiled oracular delight. It’s clear that these guys still love what they do.

The only downside is that the crowd didn’t quite share that sentiment. And I tend to agree with them. The band is impeccable live (I promise I’m not about to contradict myself) but their new stuff played back-to-back, well, it just falls flat. The sound they’re putting out is just a little too generic rock, like all of the satirical heart they had got popped by The Man’s pin. And no matter how much feedback they bled into the speakers, the crowd just wasn’t getting into it. Was it too much to ask for a little “Me and Mia”? A little “Counting Down the Hours”? I hate to hate on Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, especially for going in a new direction, but it seems like they burned the map and just landed in a dead end. They have a fever, and the only prescription is more music that sounds like what they used to sound like.

Ted Leo and The Pharmacists – “Biomusicology” [MP3]

More photos after the jump.

[All photos by James B. Hale/Knox Road from Siren Music Festival]

It was a short week for the whole crew here at Knox Road as we prepped our Siren coverage with some unanticipated delays. You should see us return to form in the coming days, and hopefully you’ve enjoyed your past week regardless – we know how important Knox Road is to you! [...]]]>

It was a short week for the whole crew here at Knox Road as we prepped our Siren coverage with some unanticipated delays. You should see us return to form in the coming days, and hopefully you’ve enjoyed your past week regardless – we know how important Knox Road is to you! … Right. Anyway, as long as your week wasn’t filled with pigeon shit (ahem, Kings of Leon), you should have had a good (decent?) one.

Tuesday:
We’ll be right with you

Wednesday:
Heeeeeeeeeeeeeere’s Siren!
Matt and Kim @ Siren
Holy Fuck @ Siren
Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Siren

Friday:
Abby’s Road postponed until next week

*Pick of the Week*
It All Started With Carbon Monoxide: “The Jezabels: they’re easy to love” Agnes continues to provide impeccable music taste with a song from The Jezabels that I seriously can’t get enough of at the moment.

*MP3 of the Week*
Two Hours Traffic – “Happiness Burns” [MP3] It’s about time. Territory is due out September 7 in the U.S. via Bumstead Productions and Red Eye Distribution.
Bonus: Two Hours Traffic – “Noisemaker” [MP3]