ordained or not, i don't care...

i cannot stop listening to bishop allen. if you're a fan of loney, dear or like bright eyes but hate that feeling of impending suicide then please check out bishop allen. in all honesty, bright eyes isn't the best comparison. if you like poppy fun, but don't want to feel immature for it, click here and you can download "click, click, click, click," a song so full of charm and inventive pop that it practically begs you to put it on repeat. which is actually a problem because every song on the broken string is worth listening to over and over. the entire album plays like a backdrop to any wes anderson movie (only no french).

in 2006 they released one ep a month and you can go their website and order any of the 12 eps in addition to two full lengths (july is the most popular if you're looking to buy, followed by september).

they just released a blog post announcing that they're planning on having another full length ready for release in 2008. anyone else feel like an underachiever?

Are you ready for Hollywood??

Hey Hollywood, that is. Yes! That's right! and they are coming to the cafe this Thursday (January 31). This group of guys has come up with a very like-able sound that I think a lot of people will enjoy right off the bat. From the few songs I have heard I can definitely tell that they are very promising. They have a nice sort-of-copeland sound with something else...I just can't place my finger on what it is...but I like it and it's good, so you shouldn't miss out.

Well that's all I have really. Sorry about the length and quality of this article. If I was any busier these days I might just collapse. So I hope you go to the show and enjoy them for me because I can't go. So...

P&L

free music mondays...

i wish we had free music every week, but some free music is better than no free music...

click here to download free music from gazelles, a four-piece indie-rock outfit from texas. unfortunately, according to a bulletin i read today, they had a significant amount of their stuff stolen this weekend in washington. of course this is a horrible thing, but think about it this way: they're in great company.

some of my favorite bands have had their stuff stolen: colour revolt, vedera, and lovedrug just to name a few. so maybe getting ripped off is the new sign of success? i hope so, because gazelles are good.

gazelles play the cafe on thursday with hey hollywood.

nice pipes.

say hello to sara bareilles, the brown-eyed bombshell from california. her difficult-to-spell name has been spreading and this is quite understandable due to her powerful voice. she definitely a nice set of pipes. perhaps you've already heard of her and that nice "i don't want to write you a love song" chorus line has already been stuck in your head for a day or two. her album, little voice (haphazardly named?), is worth picking up for the rest is not a disappointment. she's a mix of all those female vocalists such as fiona apple and norah jones. she's jazzy with an edge and can hold a note. what more do you need? some favorite songs on this album include "love song", "love on the rocks", and "come round soon".

all's well for bidwell

it's extremely worrisome when a manager won't allow their band to be interviewed...but with a name like bidwell, you have to assume the best about them (plus i know their manager and he's a good friend).

what do we know about bidwell? well they sound like jonzetta and name the format, acceptance and all american rejects as their influences. they're allegedly flirting with tooth & nail, virgin, atlantic, fueled by ramen, columbia, interscope and epic for a label home. they're happy at this point to work on making music and touring. they're currently working on 25 songs that they will boil down to a 7-song ep that they hope to release in 2008.

bidwell plays the cafe on tuesday with this is anfield and more.

How many of you know?

How much I love My Morning Jacket? I mean really? Jim James, is there anyone cooler? I don't know, I just don't. He's got a voice that makes me want to fall in love with an animal, in a strictly platonic sense... I'm just rambling, that makes no sense.

The point that I'm trying to make is that Fleet Foxes is coming to Salt Lake, at the lovely Urban Lounge, in April. Am I happy about this? Yes. Am I willing to pay to go? Yes. Do I fall in love with Sub Pop bands on a regular basis? Yes. Do I want you to listen to Fleet Foxes, fall in love with them, and go to the show with me? I think that's pretty obvious.

I don't want to be too assuming here, but I think reverb is something that fleet foxes really enjoys. However, just like My Morning Jacket, Dan from Olé Bravo (did I really?), and to a lesser extent Band of Horses, the reverb sound absolutely works for Fleet Foxes. They're definitely not as electric, or should I say, um...they use a clean guitar the way it should be used, and they do it well.

As I'm sure this random babbling about the band may be slightly confusing to some, just check out their myspace (may I recommend the songs "Drops in the River" and "White Winter Hymnal"), buy the cd, do whatever it is you do and I'll see you at the show. Seriously, March and April are looking good for this city.

legit in 2007?

we did the math. four times. cause we stink at math (except keni).

4,758 people came out to shows at the cafe in 2007. we kept track.

are we poised to finally achieve some lasting success at the cafe in 2007? before we get too cocky, please consider the following:

• seve vs. evan won't respond to our emails (uzi and ari do though!).

• slowtrain and some of the graywhale's still take our posters down.
  
  
• parents still come out and watch their kids play at the cafe.

• our door girls still get hassled (see: underage).

• we still bomb shows (we had one in 2007 with 6 people, one with 0 and another with 8).

• bands still assume our sound guys don't know what they're doing.

• we still keep an emergency stash of ear plugs because we still have bad bands open shows every once in a while.

to be honest, that's a decent list. gives us something to shoot for. on a serious note, thanks to all of you who show the cafe so much support. you're the reason we keep it open. i mean, we made $18 in 2007 so it's not the money!

oh! the musica

i’m sitting in my car in a parking lot typing while hoping for a wireless network to poach. all of who think we just sit around and think of things to write…let’s just say these days are busy…but our friends at the militia group sent some nice cds and we like sharing them with you.

upon first listen, chase pagan's oh, musica! is a wide-open cacophony of different musical expressions that definitely has the feel of a musical score. the intro is particularly interesting and might as well be the opening to a movie. which type of movie though is hard to peg: oh, musica is a wide-array of styles and motifs. some songs have the baroque style and scope of any muse record while other songs have the human-rhythm and quiet flair that you’d expect of andrew bird.

the album as a whole is quite likeable. i’d be curious to see what it sounds like live. we’ve tried (obviously unsuccessfully) to lobby pagan to the café, thus far he has spurned our advances. we like this cd though, or at least I do. i’ll review a few more tmg dandies later this week.

on a side note, tmg sent a copy of the new frontiers cd mending and it’s incredible. we’ve had the initial masters for a while, but to hear it completed is something just short of magic. watch the cafe's myspace because the new frontiers will be gracing our stage again soon.

clickity click - jan. 19 at solid ground.

number one gun.

sever your ties.

brighten.

larusso.

unphotographed due to lack of battery: secret and whisper

hello, from last night's show - jan. 18 at solid ground.

swans of never.

ole bravo.

the lionelle.

listener

look mexico

i have very little time these days...but the world must be posted.

check out look mexico (asher gets credit for finding this band...he's my silent partner i suppose) from tallahasse, florida. they're around to remind you that bands can be expressive and unique just like in the old days (see: american football). sure anathallo is the best at this, but we need other good bands to fill in between anathallo releases. look mexico pride themselves on staying away from the mainstream of music, but who isn't these days?

here's their extremely diy video for guys i need a helicopter...

what's in a release date?

you can buy "mending" by the new frontiers on tuesday, march 25, or you can just go to here and purchase it digitally. just thought you'd want to know. it feels a little like cheating, but hey, the ship's had "mending" for a while now and it's one of our favorites.

number one gun diy

number one gun's new cd, the north pole project is out in stores today. for those of you who are fans of number one gun, i would describe north pole as a really good number one gun album. lead singer jeff schneeweis has alway released quality albums that deal with themes like redemption, never giving up, and hope for the underdog. north pole's themes, style and overall quality align well with number one gun's two previous releases: celebrate mistakes and promises for the imperfect. the best of you and me (track 3) is an impressive deviation from number one gun's standard indie-pop and proof that jeff knows his way around the recording studio. in recent years jeff has made a name for himself producing new bands and got good enough at it that he wrote, played and produced north pole on his own.

you can snag north pole project at any best buy, online at smartpunk or if you live in salt lake city, any graywhale location.

number one gun is also heading out on a two week tour that includes a stop saturday at the cafe with brighten and tooth and nail label mates sever your ties and secret & whisper.

number one gun album release tour with brighten, secret & whisper and sever your ties:

jan 15 - el corazone, seattle
jan 16 - clun impact, tacoma
jan 17 - the domino room (cancelled), bend
jan 18 - northwest nazarene university, nampa
jan 19 - solid ground cafe, salt lake city
jan 21 - the sets, tempe
jan 22 - club karma - victorville
jan 23 - the epicentre - san diego
jan 24 - chain reaction, anaheim
jan 25 - the underground, modesto
jan 26 - club retro, orangevale
jan 27 - the warehouse, carson city
jan 28 - the dome, bakersfield
jan 29 - the starline, fresno
jan 30 - tba, chico

Let's talk about Willy Mason

Can I just say, when is that guy going to come through Salt Lake? I mean really, just do it already... Having said that, I have a slight fear that he just recently came through and I'm going to be eating my words. If he hasn't... we're getting him when he does.


Awesome hip-hop you ask for? Click here. Pitchfork posted this new single from Wiz Khalifa. It's really cool.

free music mondays...

click here to download the first track from "plunder, beg, and curse," the new record from colour revolt. the album comes out on tuesday, april 1st on fat possum records (yeah, andrew bird's label).

not mewithoutyou

i am really happy that i just read this. it dashes all the rumors circling about how mewithoutyou was breaking up. this is from their myspace:

"the band has decided to start focusing on writing and recording again, so you might not see us on the road for some time. we are very grateful for all the love and support that we've been given particularly on the last winter tour. THANK YOU!! anyway in a week and a half or so, we start working out new tunes and it's exciting because we won't be writing with amps and a drum kit. just us with some acoustics and maybe some other odd things here and there. once we demo out some ideas in this mode, we will later add drums and give it a real live feel. I wonder what it will sound like."

yeah...anything from mewithoutyou is fine with us.

file under "work out music"

i've been actually working out lately which means that i've been listening to more hip-hop than normal. and we all know that kanye and common and lupe fiasco are amazing, but besides chicago rap, here are some worth checking out:

STOP #1 - SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
grieves - irreversible - ben laub (grieves) originally started in ft. collins, colorado, but he lives in seattle now and it fits better into our routing...he does all his own beats, writes all his lyrics and has been at it for five years and is only 23. go spend $.99 at itunes and buy "irreversible" and i think you'll be hooked. he plays kilby court on january 22nd.

STOP #2 - PORTLAND, OREGON
ohmega watts - watts happening - i posted on watt's a few days ago, so i won't write anymore. i will mention that he's coming to salt lake city on february 13th (yeah, i'm pushing for press passes).

STOP #3 - BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA
lyric's born - everywhere at once - this one doesn't come out until march 2008, but we're driving from portland to flagstaff and we need someone's couch to crash on. if you're unfamiliar with lyrics, go check out: later that day or same !@#$ different day.

STOP #4 - SOCAL, CALIFORNIA
choice37 - diligence - choice37 is better at producing and making beats, but he is still a viable front man. his album is out in japan, but still being held up in the us. go to his myspace and give him a listen. watch for him because i really think he'll be a well-known producer in a few years.

STOP #5 - FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA
sole and the skyrider band - self-titled - it's hard to describe a hip hop group that has grit, but s&tsb have grit. sole has the grit of a gimmick-free, tested battle-rapper. there's also a grit in the quality of the recording: it sounds like it was recorded by sun records back in the day. they play the urban lounge on february 27th.

STOP #6 - MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
doomtree - false hopes - i know we went a long way from flagstaff to minneapolis so let's just say we hopped a flight. i should buy asher lunch for introducing doomtree to my ears. they spare us from the cheesy rap interludes and actually show their talent by mixing great beats into well spaced instrumentals in the vein of rj-d2. i honestly haven't heard a hip-hop group as instantly refreshing since old l.a. symphony (old, old...before you knew who they were).

so that's pretty much what keeps me entertained at the gym. comment me and let me know what you listen to while you're riding a bicycle for four minutes before stretching and going home (i'm working into it slowly).

Indie + "Boy Band" = Young Love?

Hearing Young Love you might be a little confused. They have their songs like "Discotech" or "Find a New Way" and you would think, "Yeah this is cool, dance-y, I dig it.." but then they have their songs like "Tell Me" and you kind of have to stop and ask yourself if it's the same band. The thing about Young Love is that at times they start to sound like a "boy band". Yes, like Backstreet Boys or something of that type. Don't get me wrong because there's nothing wrong with that. I, in fact, love it but some of the readers of this blog might not take it as their cup of tea. So here is the question: Why listen to Young Love?

1: It's different, fun,
and
2: you know you miss all the boy bands and would secretly enjoy the whole cd.

a different sort of creature.

owls is an alternative foursome from chicago, illinois. frontman tim kinsella has a voice that seems to be borderline "inexperienced", but somehow that works. after joan of arc - an indie band of the late 90s (and incidentally kinsella's previous band) called it quits owls was formed, suprising many fans of joa. owls comes off as a more experimental band than joa and has a nice "catchy-but-not-too-catchy" sound. and with songs named "holy fucking ghost" i was interested in hearing what the deal was with them. kinsella, who changed his name to kinsellas due to feeling plural, also stirs some interest because he is...well...interesting. he has been apart of not only owls and joan of arc, but cap'n jazz as well and has also recorded solo under his plural identity. so from changing names to shaving half of his face sir tim will be there to keep us on our toes and owls making those copacetic tunes i tend to enjoy.

oh! the rapper

other than radiohead, i try to stay away from writing posts on artists with more than 20,000 myspace friends, but ohmega watts new cd is out and he's coming to town in february so what are you going to do. milton campbell, aka, ohmega watts came to fame (albeit, underground hip-hop fame) as part of lightheaded. rumor has it he still lives in portland, home of da'rel junior (who is one of the few rappers we've been lucky enough to have out to the cafe).

ohm's watts happening came out in october to reviews that use words like: "party-heavy, progressive, next-level, seamlessly, interesting results, indie hip-hop, brand new sound, and thoughtful rhymes."

it's hard to add anything to that.

he's coming to the high and mighty depot with galactic on february 13th. there's no way i can go, tickets are $2,200 each (thanks depot for bringing awesome music to salt lake at new york prices).

big weekend for the cafe

good bands from london with odd names (part one in a sporatic series)

tunng (pronounced: turonga...honestly i have no idea) is super rad. so rad, you could say they were supre rad. here's how they describe it (this is the lazy way to write):

"tunng play a mesmerizing mix of folky acoustics and busy electronica, overlaying electronic crackles, gorgeous harmonies, bewitching mantras and synthetic beats that are reminiscent of early beta band, 'the wicker man' soundtrack and four tet."

sounds good to me because i don't really know how to describe them. maybe tim could. i bet he could. also, i didn't really discover them, asher did. he's sort of our silent partner on all this. maybe watching this video would help you see what they sound like. or maybe you already know and i'm the last man to find out (which is how i feel usually).



this video, coincidentally is exactly what we do at the cafe after all the bands and fans have gone home. rip off i think.

and another thing: why do i use parenthesis so much?

just like in grade school

April 6th is a long ways away, I realize that. However, you're going to want to flip the pages on your calender, make a couple clicks on your icalender, or just burn the date in your memory. April 6th is the day that Dirty Projectors strolls on in to good old Salt Lake City to play at the lovely Kilby Court.

Dirty Projectors are the type of band that I love, one with a large amount of revolving members, playing all kinds of instruments, at various points of time, to ultimately create something awesome. Check out their music, it's sort of European alt-country (if that even exists), and you know how we love Europeans on this crazy boat. Since I love to make it easy for you guys, here is a video for you to check out, those girls can sing. Warning, it may make you quiet :)

I'm not quite sure... yet

Do you like Neutral Milk Hotel? Of course you do.

Do you like Beirut? Of course you do.

Do you like Devotchka? Of course you do.

Then you know you'll like Sgt. Dunbar and the Hobo Banned. I really can't figure out what their deal is. They're good, and have similarities to the above bands. Maybe a little more time with them and I'll be able to get a hold on what they're all about, for now, I'm just going to enjoy the zillions of songs on their website.

ain't no "C" in Korea, or is there?

Correatown is Angela Correa, it even says so on her myspace. I came across her music a little while ago, I'm not really sure I remember how, anyway I like it.

Let me start over, I'm not so good at this whole review thing, I'm sure you all know that by now. She's good, kind of like Rachel Yamagata, and a little like something else that I can't really place right now.

She's coming to Salt Lake in a few weeks, we tried to book her, but she doesn't like us ;) she'll be playing at Area 51, and I'm sure it will definitely be enjoyable. Check it out.

tim and eric awesome, listener awesomer?

check this out...



catch listener with his band on friday, january 18th at the cafe. get online tickets here. olé bravo, the lionelle and swans of never are also on the bill.

lucky charms

so i snagged radiohead's in/rainbows for free last year when they did the realease online thing. and even though i feel good about my free download, i bought the cd on wednesday from graywhale cd (even though it was really much cheaper at a chain store).

anyway, i would really recommend the purchase. the album art is amazing (as expected) and the cd quality is...cd quality.

and if you're going to go buy it. support something that's not a chain. slowtrain would be a good idea. graywhale is good even though it's a semi-chain (at least the employees are friendly).

new video from number one gun

i was going to write a nice article on number one gun and how their new album comes out on january 15th and how they're playing the cafe with brighten on saturday, january 19th...

but instead i'll just post this video that is the first single off the north pole project (tooth & nail)...enjoy.