SnC 183 - Wed 02 September 2009
SnC 183 - Wed 02 September 2009
Great music again on the show this week from Lachi, The Balconies, Mayday, Adam Arcuragi, Eclectek, Choir of Young Believers and Make Your Exit. Weeks of dry weather (not a lot of sunny warm but very dry) has given way tonight to rain and wind. It feels rather cruel to send SnC 183
show more...
out in it. The hops are fine if a little wet. (pic)
Apolkalypse Now - Polkastra (NYC,NY,USA)
Title track from their album.
An eclectic and international cast of characters including a Canadian folk fiddler, the Met's contrabassoonist, an Israeli accordionist and percussionist, a jack-of-all-trades bassist, a French Horn playing record store clerk and an internationally renowned violin soloist met in a New Jersey studio to record a polka album just for fun. An idea that began as a lark quickly grew into an eccentric, virtuosic and energetic exploration of the roots of polka: folk, country, classical and jazz. Polkastra is a unique world music project that celebrates both the joy of music and the power of dance to unite cultures. From the American Midwest and the North of Canada to the mountains of Bohemia and the deserts of Israel - Apolkalypse Now poses the important question "Would you like sauerkraut, poutine, goulash or hummus with that?"
www.myspace.com/polkastra
Polkastra
"Apolkalypse Now" (mp3)
from "Apolkalypse Now"
(Ancalagon LLC)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Rhapsody
More On This Album
Les Paul
If you're in the UK, BBC iPlayer has a programme about Les Paul, guitar customiser (Gibson Les Paul) and above all a hugely talented musician and influence on the sound of electric guitars, who died last week at the age of 94.
http://bit.ly/oDPWq
Slow Down - Lachi (New York, USA)
Sultry, smooth, intelligent and bold, singer/songwriter and pianist Lachi commands cleverly crafted, insightful yet quirky lyrics in her new EP "Ugly Beautiful" best categorized as piano-driven, jazz-influenced alternative rock. Partly inspired by the trials and tribulations she faces as a legally blind Nigerian-American female from her shy childhood to her world-traveling adulthood, her lyrics steer away from mediocrity and carry with them a message of natural beauty and internal conflict.
WWW.ULACHI.COM
www.myspace.com/lachimusic
Serious Bedtime - The Balconies (Ottawa, Canada)
The Balconies formed in December of 2007, by Jacquie Neville (of Jetplanes of Abraham fame), Liam Jaeger (ex-For the Mathematics member), and Steve Neville. With each member an experienced song writer and performer The Balconies quickly built up a buzz as one of Canada's most promising new indie bands - and have been in high demand for shows ever since, thanks to the relentless high energy and quality musicianship witnessed in their live sets.
Ottawa's pride and joy, The Balconies will self release their much anticipated self-titled debut album September 15th, 2009. The three piece, made up of a brother/sister/boyfriend combination, has been turning heads with their dynamic live performances. Over the past year, The Balconies have appeared at festivals such as North by Northeast and the Ottawa Bluesfest, sharing stages with notable acts like Land of Talk, Mother Mother, the Bicycles, and more. The CD release party will be held September 12th at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, QC, just outside of Ottawa.
The band will begin touring and playing around Ontario and Quebec in September. Tour dates, bio, and download link are below. Stay tuned to the band's Myspace page for more show announcements.
www.myspace.com/thebalconies
Welsh Pizza problem
Crossroads & Avenues - Mayday (Miami, FL, USA)
Miami is hot. But Mayday is sweltering. Riding one of those threatening tsunamis of critical acclaim into the summer of 2009, this Florida future-hop collective blows minds wide open on Technology, a 6-song tour de force of android-soul, interstellar club banging and time machine madness that maniacally melds genre to delightful effect. But weâd come to expect this sort of thing from Mayday, whoâve been turning heads for three years on the strength of their NYT-approved smash, âGroundhog Day,â its record-setting YouTube video, and the cavalcade of âdamn, this is goodâ that came out of the music world after MTV took a shine to the group and Entourage came calling. But with Technology, Mayday have outdone themselves.
www.myspace.com/firstdayofmay
www.maydayonline.comâ
www.twitter.com/firstdayofmay
A slightly shiver up the spine coincidence this afternoon but aren't they all.
She comes to me - Adam Arcuragi (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)
Like a rejection of destruction; like an answer to anxiety; like a reversal of death â I Am Become Joy is a prescient cut across the
grain of this new era. Adam Arcuragi's new 11-song album confirms his importance as one of the most gifted songwriters today. In some
ways harkening back to the origins of recorded American folk music and in other ways continuing lineage of American independent rock,
Arcuragi has positioned himself as a unique and visionary voice.
On his second full-length album, Arcuragi expands on the dark, sparse style of his preceding 2006 self-titled album and 2008 EP, Soldiers
for Feet. Charged with layers of backing vocals and a rotating cast of instrumentation, I Am Become Joy shows the full width of Arcuragi's
brilliant songwriting style. Layered with harmony vocals and embellished with pedal steel, dulcimer, accordion, trumpet, and even a
singing saw, each song has a unique arrangement to compliment Arcuragi on vocals and guitar.
The new album I Am Become Joy is out on September 8th, 2009
To Stream EP and 2006 self-titled album, visit:
www.adamarcuragi.com
www.myspace.com/adamarcuragi
Panurge Akoustik2.0 - Eclectek (Lille, France)
hiphop funk electro punkrock fusionrockelectro ! Although this track is not really particularly characteristic of the album.
BertyCox and Stouffi the stouvesrecommended the album Komiks Musik from Eclectek on Jamendo (where else).
www.myspace.com/eclectekofficiel
Tweets from Kenton Hall whose music with ist has been featured on the show.
33 minutes ago: "Okay, I'm crying to Men At Work's Down Under now. Seriously, Kenton, get a grip. You're only thirty-bloody-three."
25 minutes ago: "Oh, Jesus. Cyndi Lauper now. Every girl who ever failed to think a bipolar Canadian geek was an attractive sexual proposition has returned."
10 minutes ago: "You don't want to know what 80's era Springsteen is doing to me."
... and that's why I like being around musicians. :)
Check him out on Twitter @KentonHall
www.istianity.co.uk
Action/Reaction - Choir of Young Believers (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Even though This Is for the White in Your Eyes, the full-length debut released last week (August 18th) by Danish collective Choir of Young Believers , is teeming with instrumentsâvoices, pianos, synthesizers, banjos, an orchestraâs ransom in strings and French hornsâitâs not the arrangements that dominate so much as the images they conjure. Snow-flecked mountaintops, deserted city streets, ghost-filled churches, a final kiss between estranged loversâthis is the emotional terrain trod by Jannis Noya Makrigiannis and his Choir of Young Believers. This Is for the White in Your Eyes is an album of orchestral indie-pop, but its artistic scope extends beyond melody and harmony: Choir of Young Believers paint cinematic tableaux, with Jannis cast as the silvery-voiced narrator.
In the second "Ghostly International Presents" video introduction to Choir of Young Believers, filmmaker James P. Morse focuses on bandleader Jannis Noya Makriggianis and his cellist Ceciele Trier in an intimate live performance in New York City. Jannis and Ceciele perform "Action/Reaction" as a duo, stripping the original's bombast down to its stunning, harmony-filled essence. If you missed it, part one of the series is soundtracked by "Wintertime Love" a particularly time-stopping track from This Is for the White in Your Eyes.
Tour dates are coming up.
www.myspace.com/choirofyoungbelievers
Jeff Buckley - lead vocals, guitar
Mike Dellios - bass
Mike Thomson - drums
Skidboot - guitar
Oliver Pauk - saxophone
You could try to describe the sound of the five eclectic musical backgrounds melding together to become what is Make Your Exit with fancy words and hyperbole... but the overbearing fact of their music is that it's simply honest. And honest music isn't always easy to come by. It's stripped down, yet amped up, it's noisy and abrasive, yet quiet and modest. It's the sounds of five extremely talented twenty somethings just letting it all out. Lucky for us, their post-rock release lands somewhere between familiar and completely unfamiliar. Four part vocal harmonies akin to Fleet Foxes, with the addition of jazzy saxophone parts, and just the right tasteful amount of Canadiana twang - Make Your Exit is unlike anything you've heard before, yet it won't be hard to wrap your head around. Remind Me the Reason I Came, is the band's second EP and showcases their unique unbridled songwriting energy in the best light. The album is mastered by Noah Mintz and was recorded by Brent Bodrug in an abandoned church somewhere outside of Trenton, Ontario.
www.myspace.com/makeyourexit
show less...
Apolkalypse Now - Polkastra (NYC,NY,USA)
Title track from their album.
An eclectic and international cast of characters including a Canadian folk fiddler, the Met's contrabassoonist, an Israeli accordionist and percussionist, a jack-of-all-trades bassist, a French Horn playing record store clerk and an internationally renowned violin soloist met in a New Jersey studio to record a polka album just for fun. An idea that began as a lark quickly grew into an eccentric, virtuosic and energetic exploration of the roots of polka: folk, country, classical and jazz. Polkastra is a unique world music project that celebrates both the joy of music and the power of dance to unite cultures. From the American Midwest and the North of Canada to the mountains of Bohemia and the deserts of Israel - Apolkalypse Now poses the important question "Would you like sauerkraut, poutine, goulash or hummus with that?"
www.myspace.com/polkastra
Polkastra
"Apolkalypse Now" (mp3)
from "Apolkalypse Now"
(Ancalagon LLC)
Buy at iTunes Music Store
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Rhapsody
Les Paul
If you're in the UK, BBC iPlayer has a programme about Les Paul, guitar customiser (Gibson Les Paul) and above all a hugely talented musician and influence on the sound of electric guitars, who died last week at the age of 94.
http://bit.ly/oDPWq
Slow Down - Lachi (New York, USA)
Sultry, smooth, intelligent and bold, singer/songwriter and pianist Lachi commands cleverly crafted, insightful yet quirky lyrics in her new EP "Ugly Beautiful" best categorized as piano-driven, jazz-influenced alternative rock. Partly inspired by the trials and tribulations she faces as a legally blind Nigerian-American female from her shy childhood to her world-traveling adulthood, her lyrics steer away from mediocrity and carry with them a message of natural beauty and internal conflict.
WWW.ULACHI.COM
www.myspace.com/lachimusic
Serious Bedtime - The Balconies (Ottawa, Canada)
The Balconies formed in December of 2007, by Jacquie Neville (of Jetplanes of Abraham fame), Liam Jaeger (ex-For the Mathematics member), and Steve Neville. With each member an experienced song writer and performer The Balconies quickly built up a buzz as one of Canada's most promising new indie bands - and have been in high demand for shows ever since, thanks to the relentless high energy and quality musicianship witnessed in their live sets.
Ottawa's pride and joy, The Balconies will self release their much anticipated self-titled debut album September 15th, 2009. The three piece, made up of a brother/sister/boyfriend combination, has been turning heads with their dynamic live performances. Over the past year, The Balconies have appeared at festivals such as North by Northeast and the Ottawa Bluesfest, sharing stages with notable acts like Land of Talk, Mother Mother, the Bicycles, and more. The CD release party will be held September 12th at the Black Sheep Inn in Wakefield, QC, just outside of Ottawa.
The band will begin touring and playing around Ontario and Quebec in September. Tour dates, bio, and download link are below. Stay tuned to the band's Myspace page for more show announcements.
www.myspace.com/thebalconies
Welsh Pizza problem
Crossroads & Avenues - Mayday (Miami, FL, USA)
Miami is hot. But Mayday is sweltering. Riding one of those threatening tsunamis of critical acclaim into the summer of 2009, this Florida future-hop collective blows minds wide open on Technology, a 6-song tour de force of android-soul, interstellar club banging and time machine madness that maniacally melds genre to delightful effect. But weâd come to expect this sort of thing from Mayday, whoâve been turning heads for three years on the strength of their NYT-approved smash, âGroundhog Day,â its record-setting YouTube video, and the cavalcade of âdamn, this is goodâ that came out of the music world after MTV took a shine to the group and Entourage came calling. But with Technology, Mayday have outdone themselves.
www.myspace.com/firstdayofmay
www.maydayonline.comâ
www.twitter.com/firstdayofmay
A slightly shiver up the spine coincidence this afternoon but aren't they all.
She comes to me - Adam Arcuragi (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA)
Like a rejection of destruction; like an answer to anxiety; like a reversal of death â I Am Become Joy is a prescient cut across the
grain of this new era. Adam Arcuragi's new 11-song album confirms his importance as one of the most gifted songwriters today. In some
ways harkening back to the origins of recorded American folk music and in other ways continuing lineage of American independent rock,
Arcuragi has positioned himself as a unique and visionary voice.
On his second full-length album, Arcuragi expands on the dark, sparse style of his preceding 2006 self-titled album and 2008 EP, Soldiers
for Feet. Charged with layers of backing vocals and a rotating cast of instrumentation, I Am Become Joy shows the full width of Arcuragi's
brilliant songwriting style. Layered with harmony vocals and embellished with pedal steel, dulcimer, accordion, trumpet, and even a
singing saw, each song has a unique arrangement to compliment Arcuragi on vocals and guitar.
The new album I Am Become Joy is out on September 8th, 2009
To Stream EP and 2006 self-titled album, visit:
www.adamarcuragi.com
www.myspace.com/adamarcuragi
Panurge Akoustik2.0 - Eclectek (Lille, France)
hiphop funk electro punkrock fusionrockelectro ! Although this track is not really particularly characteristic of the album.
BertyCox and Stouffi the stouvesrecommended the album Komiks Musik from Eclectek on Jamendo (where else).
www.myspace.com/eclectekofficiel
Tweets from Kenton Hall whose music with ist has been featured on the show.
33 minutes ago: "Okay, I'm crying to Men At Work's Down Under now. Seriously, Kenton, get a grip. You're only thirty-bloody-three."
25 minutes ago: "Oh, Jesus. Cyndi Lauper now. Every girl who ever failed to think a bipolar Canadian geek was an attractive sexual proposition has returned."
10 minutes ago: "You don't want to know what 80's era Springsteen is doing to me."
... and that's why I like being around musicians. :)
Check him out on Twitter @KentonHall
www.istianity.co.uk
Action/Reaction - Choir of Young Believers (Copenhagen, Denmark)
Even though This Is for the White in Your Eyes, the full-length debut released last week (August 18th) by Danish collective Choir of Young Believers , is teeming with instrumentsâvoices, pianos, synthesizers, banjos, an orchestraâs ransom in strings and French hornsâitâs not the arrangements that dominate so much as the images they conjure. Snow-flecked mountaintops, deserted city streets, ghost-filled churches, a final kiss between estranged loversâthis is the emotional terrain trod by Jannis Noya Makrigiannis and his Choir of Young Believers. This Is for the White in Your Eyes is an album of orchestral indie-pop, but its artistic scope extends beyond melody and harmony: Choir of Young Believers paint cinematic tableaux, with Jannis cast as the silvery-voiced narrator.
In the second "Ghostly International Presents" video introduction to Choir of Young Believers, filmmaker James P. Morse focuses on bandleader Jannis Noya Makriggianis and his cellist Ceciele Trier in an intimate live performance in New York City. Jannis and Ceciele perform "Action/Reaction" as a duo, stripping the original's bombast down to its stunning, harmony-filled essence. If you missed it, part one of the series is soundtracked by "Wintertime Love" a particularly time-stopping track from This Is for the White in Your Eyes.
Tour dates are coming up.
www.myspace.com/choirofyoungbelievers
Ghostly Presents: Choir of Young Believers (Part 2) from Ghostly International on Vimeo.
Through the Winter - Make your Exit (Toronto, Canada)Jeff Buckley - lead vocals, guitar
Mike Dellios - bass
Mike Thomson - drums
Skidboot - guitar
Oliver Pauk - saxophone
You could try to describe the sound of the five eclectic musical backgrounds melding together to become what is Make Your Exit with fancy words and hyperbole... but the overbearing fact of their music is that it's simply honest. And honest music isn't always easy to come by. It's stripped down, yet amped up, it's noisy and abrasive, yet quiet and modest. It's the sounds of five extremely talented twenty somethings just letting it all out. Lucky for us, their post-rock release lands somewhere between familiar and completely unfamiliar. Four part vocal harmonies akin to Fleet Foxes, with the addition of jazzy saxophone parts, and just the right tasteful amount of Canadiana twang - Make Your Exit is unlike anything you've heard before, yet it won't be hard to wrap your head around. Remind Me the Reason I Came, is the band's second EP and showcases their unique unbridled songwriting energy in the best light. The album is mastered by Noah Mintz and was recorded by Brent Bodrug in an abandoned church somewhere outside of Trenton, Ontario.
www.myspace.com/makeyourexit
show less...
