Concert photography

I like having a go at concert photography. I don't know much about photography except what I've picked up along the way, so it's very much trial and error. I spent last summer saving for my new camera after my old one broke. So I've been taking it along to gigs ever since and testing out different things. I don't think I'm very good; concert photography is hard- fast moving subjects, low light and no flash, but I think I'm improving. I don't see the point in going to bed and not sleeping so I'm writing this blog instead. Here is my progression:

This show was the first time I tried proper concert photography with my DSLR. I didn't figure out I needed to bump the ISO up quite a bit to stop the blur.

My second attempt. I probably would have gotten better photos if I stood up... but everyone was sitting on the floor, and I'd rather watch the show and not block anyone else's view.

Attempt #3. It was hard in one sense because the lighting was always either blue-y green or red, and Nicole doesn't stand still for long. On the other hand it was quite good because everyone else (bar about 5 people) were standing at the back sipping their beers and not getting involved, even when Nicole said it was 'lonely' up there, and it would be good for people to come down, they still stood back. After the show she thanked me for standing up front. Yeaaaah! She's going to be on Jools Holland soon, watch out for her.

The lighting was quite good here so it wasn't too hard. Although, due to the fact both the audience and Kimya were seated, there weren't many different shots I could get. "there's one with Kimya sitting with her eyes closed, and another, and another". It was a great show though.

Why is it Chris's audiences love to sit on the floor? I stood up against the wall, but couldn't move around because everyone was on the floor. I guess he has that effect on people. I'm seeing him again so maybe we'll stand up next time.... though probably not.

This was the first show with my new lens, and also in great light. I love instores, I'm glad I'll be living 10 minutes away from this shop, meaning I'll get to see a few bands freeeee every month. It was fun shooting with my new lens, some photos came out good, others failed epicly. I like the bokeh this lens gives, but it's really easy to focus on the wrong thing leaving the intended subject a blur!

I have a ton of shows lined up which I am extremely excited for. The next one is Two Gallants this Friday. I'll take my camera along and have a go and try and get a good picture or two.

My throat hurts.

END.

Long songs with lots of voltas!

Oh man, how good is Jenny Lewis's new album gonna be? I've listened to all the 30 second previews from everywhere possible, all the live versions available... it's just going to be so good. I've always had high hopes for this album, and I think it will actually deliver... to the MAX!

Here is a timeline of my thoughts regarding Jenny Lewis's second album:

2006: Rabbit Fur Coat is released and is easily one of my favourite records, anticipation for record 2 begins.

2007: Jenny releases Under The Blacklight with Rilo Kiley. I was very disappointed because I held such high hopes. The album has grown on me a bit but still is my least favourite RK record.

2008: A complex year with a range of thoughts regarding the record. First, I hear she's knocked off the Watson Twins from 'Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins' and is now just 'Jenny Lewis', albeit with accompaniment from the deeeep voiced Johnathan Rice. Disapointment ensues. Then, it is announced she's not releasing record #2 on Team Love, but on Warner Bros. No suprise, but further disappointment ensues. After disappointment, I remember how awesome Jenny Lewis is and how great the tracks I've heard so far are, and disappointment is erased. Excitement begins to take hold after she released that preview video with the xylophone man. The video gave a number to call. I called it and you got to hear Jenny singing the title track, Acid Tongue, over the phone. The novelty was unbelievably charming and extreme excitement begins to become the dominant feeling in regards to the album. Then, Jenny announces a London show. Excitement is reaching blood vessel bursting heights. Jenny & co release some home filmed promo videos. Then, a few days ago a promo video lets us hear The Next Messiah in it's full glory... all 9 amazing minutes of it. I can't wait for this record. 'WHY WON'T IT LEAK RIGHT NOW' is the overwhelming thought.

Point 2: Skeletal Lamping is so ridiculously genuis. Kevin Barnes is a genius. GENIUS! The above picture is proof of this band's genius. They've captioned it "Kevin the Centaur"

The album is just so complex, and is easily my favourite record this year (so far, although the furthest it can move from #1 is tied #1 (probably with Jenny)). I just love the way Kevin's mind works, the way he says things... it's just so clever. The album is completely bizarre and there are so many voltas within each song, it's just so much to take in.

Take the song Wicked Wisdom. The song has several changes and is actually more like 5 mini songs all tied together. It's so gloriusly bizarre, when I hear it I just admire Kevin and think 'how did anyone think of this!?'. Wicked Wisdom has so much going on, Kevin's vocals are superb, the instrumentation is perfect. Because the record is not officially out for a few more weeks, there are no official lyrics, but these seem to be pretty spot on, so here is a taster of some of Kevin's crazy lyrics:

"All I care to hear/all them standing gray insects inside the house machines/ knowing what's coming next /something temporary reference for the other side /all I care to hear/ elitist's commentary about some fated press limited edition/ I hear the toy ball bouncing on Jihad would do their elegant conceit/ all I care to hear/ you have such power to destroy/ no time to process that now/ so iconic in my mind. "

The melodies are crazy.

Point 3: So this blog has been about how much I love Kevin and Jenny's works. Well yesterday when staring at my calendar I released I'm seeing these 2 bands consecutively! In the same venue! In the space of 2 days! Not only that, but I'm also seeing Tilly and the Wall the same day as Jenny but earlier and at an instore. 3 of my favourite bands in 2 days. I don't think I could have asked for anything better (realistically). It's going to be spectacular.

Oh yeah, I also saw the Australian band Houltte the other day, they were very good. I took some photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thenidefyyoustars/sets/72157607128434731/

Knives Don't Have Your Back

If somebody said to me right now "you can have anyone you want to come over to your house, anyone in the world, who would it be?" I would say Emily Haines. I would want her here so I can say thank you and tell her how much I love Knives Don't Have Your Back, and then of course I would ask her to play on our piano. KDHYB is one of those ablums that are just so... there for you. Here I am, bored on a wet Thursday afternoon, listening to such a great record, I decided to perform some calculations. iPods are useful because they have playcounts and tell me how long each song lasts. So, here is what I did for each song:

I converted song length to seconds, then multiplied it by the playcount and divided by 60, in order to find the total amount of time in minutes I have listened to each song from KDHYB on my ipod. Here we go:

Our Hell = 191 minutes
Doctor Blind = 205 minutes
Crowd Surf Off a Cliff = 147 minutes
Detective Daughter = 124 minutes
The Lottery = 101 minutes
The Maid Needs a Maid = 272 minutes
Mostly Waving = 121 minutes
Reading in Bed =129 minutes
Nothing and Nowhere = 287 minutes
The Last Page = 150 minutes

And for the big finale, the closing track "Winning" gets a gargantuan.... 451 minutes! That's over 7 hours of that one song alone!

so the total amount of time I've spent listening to that album on my ipod = 2177 minutes, or 36.2 hours! That's over a day of Emily Haines's voice and piano. That's pretty cool... or pretty sad depending on which way you view it. And that's just on my ipod alone, not counting the CD, the vinyl, youtube videos etc etc etc. You can add another 45 minutes to that total play time because I'm going to listen again right now.

To reiterate the fact I'm bored (as if you couldn't tell already) I'm going to gush about this album track by track. Is it wrong that Emily's melancholy state on this album makes me feel really happy and comforted? When I try to describe what this album means to me, all I can say is it's like "home". It's just safe, when I put it on I know what I'm getting and I know I will love it. It's such a rock, a stable, steady thing. It's perfect.

Our Hell: The opening track does a pretty decent job of setting up the tone for this beautiful album. It's haunting and tragic. "My throat will ache, watching you turn from me towards your friends" Oh Emily, I feel your pain.

Doctor Blind: Her breathy voice is so hypnotic on this track. The piano is lovely too. The music video is apt for this eerie track.

Crowd Surf Off A Cliff: This is my least favourite on the record, but that's not to say I don't like it.

Detective Daughter: I love this song. It's so sad. So beautiful. Emily muses "There are so many skirts under the table/ none of those long legs are mine". The piano is really sparse when she sings that bit, and it works so well.

The Lottery: Not to be repetitive, but, I love this song! The song takes a nostalgic look at feminism and equality. The final verse is the hook. "It's pathetic/ it's impossible/ like girls in stilettos/ like girls in stilettos/ like girls in stilettos trying to run." One of my favourites on the record. If I could have anyone's voice in the world, it would be Emily's. She could sing the alphabet, the phonebook, the dictionary and I would still listen. I have a recording where she's reading her father's poetry and she's just reading a huge list of names, but once I start listening I can't stop, I love her voice. It's so whispery and beautiful.

The Maid Needs A Maid: Another of my favourites. Her voice soars on this one. "you won't need a real job/ you won't need a real job/ because I would love to pay for you"

Ok well I'm getting bored of typing so I'll skip to the track that gives me heart palpitations (of joy).

Winning: The album closer. One of my favourite songs not just on the record, but ever. It's moving, haunting, beautiful. The song holds alot of meanings and memories for me. It's been in my life for a couple of years now. It's the song with the album title in it, the lyrics are so..... perfect. The vocals are perfect. The piano is perfect. It's the perfect closer to the album. It's so reflective and thoughtful. I'm on the verge of quoting out the entire song because I can't seperate one bit from the rest, because it's all perfect. The "what's a wolf without a pack?" line is really special to me, a long with "when you talk, can I tape you?" and then the whole end chunk "don't even visit that place/ they'll sharpen their teeth on your smile/ I'm glad you didn't, all our songs will be lullabies in no time". Ok, it's like talking about food while you're hungry, I have to listen to this song again now. I could easily quote the song and go on and on about how much I love it but I must stop now!

Time to end this blog. I'm going to London tomorrow to see an Aussie band called Houlette. I can't wait to see of Montreal in a few weeks, how great does Kevin's new moustache look!? Haha I love Kevin, he's so funny. I'm sure oM will put on a truly spectacular show.

END

Owen Pallett

His new EPs have leaked and they are gorgeous. I prefer Plays to Please, with it's 35 piece band, it's so epic, so beautiful. I love Ultimatum best, the violins! oh the violins! If you listen to Andrew Bird you should know that Andrew's whistling + violins = beauty, so when Andrew guest whistles on this track, it's just so atmospheric. The song is just so dense and thick, there's so much going on, so many layers. But that whistling bit in the middle, that's the hook that makes you listen 15 times in a row. It's so short, I wish it would go on forever. The song really soars. I love Owen's lyrics too: "the saxophone swallowed it's reed/ as the drummer ran out in the lead/ the piano fell on it's back/ as the singer fell in through the cracks/ see the guitar's locked in it's case"


Both EPs are out in October on cd and 10", I'm getting the 10"s!
Go fall in love with him:
http://www.myspace.com/owenpallettmusic

Beatbeat Whsiper

This post is predominantly about Beatbeat Whisper, but here are a few other points of interest:

1) Zoom Airlines has gone bust. Last month I flew with this airline to and from New York City. All flights are cancelled, lots of people are stranded. The airline tried to offer cheap trans-Atlantic flights, but with the rising cost of fuel it seems to have failed to do this and break even, and is now unable to pay it's creditors. It is apparently trying to gain new investors, but I think you would have to be pretty crazy or rich to invest in such a crippled business. It's a shame because I thought the airline was pretty good (they gave us free ice cream!). If they did this a month ago, I'd be stranded in New York. That wouldn't be so bad!

2) I watched the Royal Tenenbaums the other day. I love that movie. I love Wes Anderson. Such a great film, and, characteristically of an Anderson film, it has a great soundtrack. Two scenes stick out in particular. The first is Margot getting off the green line bus in slow motion and Nico's These Days is playing. The second is Richie's suicide scene and, hauntingly, Elliott Smith's Needle In The Hay is playing. I've loved this movie since I was about 15 and I don't think I'll ever stop loving it.

3) I had a really weird, vivid dream last night! I was friends with Cat Power and this rapper, who was kind of like Kanye West (for the sake of the story he will be refered to as Kanye, he was nameless in my dream). So me and Chan were invited round Kanye's house because he needed help with his new album. He wanted Chan to master it and me to review it. I found it strange because he sat Chan down in one room and got her to master it, and simultaneously got me to review an unfinished version of the record. He dropped some designer pen worth millions of £ but instead of taking it I gave it to him, he was like "thanks" and gave me a biro to write my review. I only remember the first few seconds of the opening track (to his fictional album) and it had bongo drums and guitar and sounded awesome, so I was thinking, 'what can Chan add to this?'. So I wrote my review then he took us across the other side of his mansion and I had to cross a thin bridge, but there was a big spider on it! I turned around and tried to go back but Chan and Kanye were in the way. And that was it. It was a weird dream because I hate rap music and have never dreamt about a rapper before.

So... anyway...

Beatbeat Whisper

Beatbeat Whisper are a small, DIY style band from Oakland, California. They write sweet, dreamy, folk influenced songs using a variety of instruments. I first heard this band a couple of months ago when I downloaded their 2006 self titled debut album. I was drawn to the track Three Long Afternoons. Ayla has a really pretty voice, and I love when Davyd joins in with her singing. The guitar is sparse, and the song gives off a sense of nostalgia. It is my favourite of BbW's songs, and you can hear it on their myspace. They released an album this year titled Wonder Continental. They have the cd for sale on their myspace, make sure you buy a copy! I ordered mine the other day and am waiting for it to arrive. It is limited to 150 copies and handmade and lovingly stitched together by the band. I love things like this. Why would you want to buy a shrink wrapped CD from HMV when you can buy a gem like this? I really enjoy the new cd and would love to see this band get some success. They have recorded a Daytrotter Session which is pretty cool, and hopefully will get them a bit of exposure. A few months ago the band posted a blog stating it is in their plans to come to Europe, I have emailed them about this and hopefully it will happen soon. In the mean time, make sure you listen to Three Long Afternoons and Lulu on their myspace, and buy the limited edition Wonder Continental, only 70 copies left... Send me an email if you want to hear any other songs, as long as you promise to buy Wonder Continental.

http://www.myspace.com/beatbeatwhisper

Heart of Chambers

The Beach House record Devotion is one of my favourite records of the year. Heart of Chambers is my favourite song on the record. Victoria's vocals and Alex's guitar riffs are enough to send you into a dream like trance. It's a gorgeous song. When I saw Kimya back in May it was playing in the interlude through the big speakers and I was so at peace. I'm always the most at peace with myself and the world after a good show. Truly. I also figured out some chords to the song today and have been playing it on piano and guitar by myself. I need a BFF who listens to Beach House and wants to sing with me. Because I can't sing well. I've been contemplating buying a new ukulele but don't know what type to get. I feel I should get a baritone because it's the opposite of the one I have, but I don't really want to buy off of the internet, I'd rather get one from a shop. I went to London yesterday and we went to the Science museum and got Thai food, it was a really good day. I should have looked for a musical instrument shop then. I'd like to catch a flight back to Saratoga and get one from the musical shop there, but I think I'd like to hop on a flight to NY most of the time so it's not exactly out of the ordinary. I saw Stars were playing in Providence, RI and it made me want to go back there. Oh, discontent. Such a cruel slew of chemicals. Can you tell I've been listening to of Montreal? An Eluardian Instance is my favourite song on Skeletal Lamping. I'll review the record sometime. I love references to Greek mythology, like Prometheus and Orpheus. I love the painting in the National Gallery of the death of Eurydice, Eurydice lies fallen and Orpheus is in the background unaware, playing music. I've also been into the Paul Baribeau song Ten Things alot since I saw an amazing, amazing version on youtube.

I just did a maths test for university and found it really hard. I have major hate for algebra. Theres no room for creativity with maths, I hate it. I just want to be creative all the time. I know it sounds really childish, and the Jeff Lewis lyric "maybe the world would be better if we were all just uncreative drones/ no dead childhood dreams to haunt us; a decent job, a decent home" comes to mind, but, whatever I do in life I hope I am a force for good. I know I'm doing business studies, but I resent business people who want to make money over ethics and morals. I don't ever want to be like that, I don't want to ever work for a big company (unless it's a charity or zoo or aquarium). In my heart, I want to be a musician or artist or work for a record label or have my own record shop. I want to travel and see the world and be good. Music made me like this. Music is in my heart and dreams every day. I'm always dreaming about singers and bands. The other night, I had a dream I was with Tilly and the Wall on this fence, and we were all singing the chorus of that Slow Club song, that goes "don't you ever wonder who's living in that house? "It's too small for people" we all said, but "there's people in the floorboards" said the mouse, said the mouse!" There was a crowd of people and we were singing a capella and it was awesome.

Emily Haines is doing 3 Brooklyn shows. Solo. Ouch. They're 21+ anyway so I wouldn't be able to go even if I was there, but still, it's annoying. I think the reason I miss New York all the time is because I'm always looking on Brooklyn Vegan and seeing all the stuff I'm missing.

I've just seen Heather D'Angelo has posted on her blog. I'm going to read it now, so over and out.
If you want a good read you should probably stop reading my blog and just read hers, it's better.

:)

Small bands

I guess everyone has a different idea on what constitutes as a 'big' band. I'd say bands I like, such as say Chris Garneau, Bishop Allen, Whispertown2000 etc etc are fairly well known within the independent music scene, however if you were to ask anyone on Ashford highstreet who these bands are, I'd say 99.9% wouldn't know or care. And it's not just Ashford, most people just won't know who these bands are. So, for a band to be 'big' by my standards, they would basically be able to do music full time and tour alot, and make trips to Europe. Although, I know the 'big' which I refer to isn't 'big' by mainstream standards. So far my blog has focused more on the slightly bigger, well established bands I love, so I feel the smaller bands need some representation! Here are a few small bands who I think are fantastic and could make it 'big' (by my standards) some day. Also, most of them offer some free music downloads.

Ema and the Ghosts

http://www.myspace.com/emaandtheghosts

I basically wrote a whole paragraph about how great I think Ema and her Ghosts are, but it deleted itself and I'm too lazy to type it again. I'll paraphrase it though: Basically, she has a great voice and is also musically fantastic. She's got new songs up on her myspace but if you dig around a bit you can probably find her older ones, my favourite of which is Flohzirkus, a song about a flea circus. The song that really hooked me in though, is her cover of Leonard Cohen's song Memories. There's a video on youtube, I love the song to begin with but her stripped down version is really special. Make sure you watch this video! I have the mp3 rip if you want it. I can't wait to hear more from her.

Jacob Borshard

http://www.myspace.com/jacob

Endearing ukulele pop. It's gloriously simple, just Jacob and his uke. His albums are free to download on his website. He also released a 3" cd on WeePop records. If you have never heard of WeePop then you need to check them out right now. They are a fantastic DIY label, from the UK! It's great to have something good from the UK! They lovingly hand assemble their limited runs of 3" cds. Jacob's 'Coctail' cd is limited to 120 copies, and it's only £3! I love this record label. The Cd is beautifully packaged and each one is signed by Jacob. The photo above is of Jacob meeting Drew Barrymore, and if you check his myspace out he also wrote a lovesong for her, questioning her relationship with that pesky alien, ET. Lyrics "Drew, what does he have that I don't have? Is it the fact that he wears no clothes?".

Wendy Darling http://www.myspace.com/wendydarlingrock

A lovely folk/pop band from San Diego. They recently finsished their new album, which I will be purchasing soon, I just need to message the band to find out if they want a few bucks extra for shipping to England. You can hear some songs on their myspace, my favourite is the very catchy Persistence Of Will. The banjo is delightful, and I love Cori Rush's accent and vocals. Nate kindly sent me a few live tracks from the band, which I really enjoy, so I can't wait to get the album. I love the lyric"You know I get nervous when I don't get things perfect/ I am the kid who wouldn't raise her hand in class", it reminds me of me.

Best Friends Forver http://www.myspace.com/bestfriendsforeverandfriends
This band is from Minnesota in the US, and their 2007 release Romance Conflict Adventure was one of my favourite releases of last year. Their sound is fairly lo-fi pop. Their lyrics are witty and their vocals sound pretty good to me. Handpocket is my favourite of their songs. There's a live version available for download on their myspace. "Once my dad took me ice fishing/ I was cold and bored and found myself wishing that I was doing anything else but ice fishing/ so I wandered away with my head in outer space/ I fell into a hole my dad had drilled into the lake/ when he pulled me out my dad's friends could not stop laughing/ I almost died, it was so embarassing/ but I'm alive so you can fall in love with me". Cute indie pop, I can't wait to hear more from this band.