This American Life

Why make plans?
Episode 205 This American Life Plan B

M. Ward at The Trocadero February 20, 2009

Photo by Danika Smith

When M. Ward shuffles on stage his modest stance makes you feel like you’re far away from a sold out show in Philadelphia and more like a small gathering somewhere in the Mid-West. He looks like he could be Kramer’s artsy little brother, dressed in a flannel shirt and blue jeans with wild dark hair that stands up straight. When he opens his mouth and that husky voice comes pouring out it stuns the crowd silent and sticks to the audience like unfiltered honey, soothing and sweet. Ward stands alone with an acoustic guitar in front of a projection of a windowpane, like he’s invited you into his bedroom. Almost completely still he sings “Fuel For Fire” and without wasting any time his band emerges to follow up with “Chinese Translaton” and the crowd finally stirs. What seemed like it was going to be a make-out party for the nauseating number of couples turns into well-timed rock and roll show, rife with bluegrass guitar melodies, honkey tonk sounds, and fuzzy folk.
Ward shys away from the microphone turning his back to the crowd and bounces like a little kid as he picks at his guitar with his fingertips. Each song bleeds seamlessly into another as Ward and his band pass around instruments. They change positions on stage and he sits at a piano to play a song from his new record Hold Time. He even makes a point to play a She and Him track “Change is Hard”, which as it seemed, many of the indie-pop princess Zooey Dechanel loving groupies came to the show for. As the night carries on Ward comes out of his shell becoming more playful and present, connecting with the crowd and unabashedly tearing into his guitar. He has this old-school new-school aesthetic that he’s pretty much perfected through his sound and attitude. Ward maintains a modest cool that really makes it seem like he’s living in a different time and place which he brought to Philadelphia, even if it was just for a couple of hours.

M. Ward

A Night At The Institute

I was at one of my favorite local bars last night, The Institute. It's a fairly new spot on 12 & Green, which was before a nameless watering hole we liked to call "The Ghetto Bar" or "The 40 Spot". Owners Charlie and Heather gutted the place and redid the bar but didn't go out of their way to create a theme, maybe just "good old neighborhood bar".
The customers are very diverse from young skateboarder dudes, to students, professionals, creepy old men in leather dusters, and bike messengers. What I really enjoy about The Institute though is how they've opened themselves up to the local artist community by hosting live bands, allowing budding Djs to experiment, they even have a caberet by a woman who lives just a few doors down. And it's always free (or, so far).
Last night the band was Old Goats, who were incredible. I could hardly focus on my intense game of Clue-oh, they have a bunch of classic board games you can play at the bar.
The band is simply a singer with a ukulele or acoustic guitar, an upright bass, and three percussionists who play tambourine and a bunch of interesting drums I don't even know the names of. They were so energetic, clapping their hands and stomping their feet to the folky head nodding music of Brazil I could hardly believe they were making all that beautiful noise right in front of me. It kind of sounds like if Beruit and the Ruby Suns got together played the jangly gypsy indigenous melodies, and Tom Waits was singing in Portuguese.

Cheers!

Old Goats-Marinherio
Old Goats

I can't wait to hear this album. Middle Cyclone comes out March 3, I can't wait I can't wait I can't wait. (review to come)

Chairlift In Motion

Holy smokes, a new Chairlift video directed by Ray Tintori!


It really makes sense that Tintori would direct Chairlift's video. I adore them both.

See Tintori's film Death to The Tin Man
Hear more Chairlift

Sunday Morning Coming Down

Went to Bright Hope Baptist Church on 12th & Cecil B. Moore this morning. 

The community is invigorating and the music was uplifting.

I also learned this, "The best way to realize your dreams is to to wake up."

Learningtoloveyoumore.com Assignment

This is my first un-music related post. But in the essence of the day (and the month for that matter) I thought I'd share this assignment from Miranda July's website learningtoloveyoumore.com. People from all over contribute their art by completing assignments she suggests (photography, writing, audio, video, all bets are off.)

Here's the most recent assignment, and one that I've been thinking about a lot.

Assignment #70
Sometimes it's hard to say goodbye. It just feels easier to keep holding on. But in the long run it's usually a good idea to let go, it's the daring thing to do. It allows room for new things, for transformation. And maybe the goodbye isn't even forever, but you can't know until you really say goodbye and mean it. In some cases, goodbye is really the end, and good riddance! For this assignment, say goodbye to all the things you need to let go of: bad habits, dead people, alive people, ex-boyfriends and girlfriends, self-destructive feelings and behaviors, jobs, projects, re-occuring thoughts, etc..

You can subit your goodbyes at learningtoloveyoumore.com

Easy Breezy

These two tracks should hold you over until The Floodlight Collective comes out on March 23.
Stunning.

Lotus Plaza-Quicksand
Lotus Plaza-Whiteout


(via RavenSingstheBlues)

y ahora me siento asi
Que Pena

How perfect is an Elvis Perkins song in late February? I revisit his album Ash Wednesday often, and every time I discover a new song that resonates with a certain perfection that feels like he wrote and recorded the song for the moment which it came on. Tonight that song is "It's Only Me". 

I had the pleasure of getting a listen of his new album due out March 10. The beautiful thing about Elvis Perkins is that his albums are far from disposable and I expect to unravel his new songs at an incredibly slow pace. Not unlike his old-soul quality, Perkins allows you to slow the whirling of each day with his lullabies. 

Elvis Perkins in Dearland-Shampoo

I'm feeling quite cheeky today so besides this Nina Simone song I've been enjoying with the weather here's a newer ditty by Dent May And His Magnificent Ukulele. He's got an old school feel and a real crooners voice.
Dent May And His Magnificent Ukulele-Meet Me In The Garden

REPO is the fifth album by Black Dice. The (guess where they're from, I'll give you a hint it rhymes with Schmooklyn) based trio has never worked harder at crafting a set of concise, sonically battering, or flat-out bizarre tunes than on this collection of fringe-surfing tone bombs.

Black Dice-Glazin

Here's a project I'm working on with two.one.five Magazine. The idea is to make Philadelphia (what feels like the smallest city in the world) just a little more tight knit by bringing two musicians together to talk about themselves, their music, and whatever else might come up.

This one features Kurt from Plastic Little and Mike from Human People, getting pedicures together. Oh la la

I was introduced to this record last night. Highly recommended on vinyl.

Quiet Village-Broken Promises

Dear The Walkmen,
Thank you.

Photograph by Mike Brodie

Listen up

heavy rotation

Wavves is a kid from San Diego. He likes Beat Happening, The Beach Boys, and The Pixies. You get the point.

Wavves-No Hope Kids

Also,
I like this website. They're the Numero Group, the anti-record label record label and a decent place to find old(but new to you and I) music. Here's a little bit of what they have to say about themselves
"Anything but another record label. Please, we don't need another one of those clogging up the bins. Accountants with coke habits, lawyers using Pitchfork as a tip sheet, 60 year-old executives awkwardly trying to converse with 17 year-old groupies. Marketing meetings. Junior VP's."
Read on here

There is one night a month I look forward to. That night is Fight Club.
Fight Club is a night at the Barbary, a bar in Fishtown.
Fight Club is "a night of heavy drinking and DJ nerdery. Philly's best drop short sets. Sign up. Bring your shit. No pretentiousness. No Cover."
That means DJs come together for one night a month to play 20 minute sets.
The next Fight Club is Tuesday February 10th, and I will be there.

When I learn how to DJ good I'm gonna do it like this guy.
Devlin-Bicicleta