Chiddy Bang played a small show on Leap Day this year in their home town of Philadelphia at North Star Bar. These boys have been on the move for the past while, touring their tails off and spreading the gospel that is Chiddy Bang. It was nice to catch one of their shows in such a small venue because it seems like these boys are on the up and up, and may not be playing an intimate space like this next time around. Another thing to note was that they played with a full backing band. Something they don’t normally do but it was nice to hear how full they sounded with a few extra members.
Check out this new video for Bon Iver’s song “Towers,” a track from his 2011 release of the self-titled Bon Iver. I’m not going to explain what it’s about or try to describe its relation to what major motion picture I might think it vibes from, instead just see for yourself and enjoy the cinematography at the least. Directed by Nabil, released by Jagjaguwar.
On Friday March 9th, Out of Town Films will be presenting a party featuring musical performances from Edison, a new Philadelphia 4-piece and opener Looney Ben & The Unlocksmiths, an NYC based band centered around a musician by the name of Alex Fox Tschan, formerly of The House Floor.
In short, this is a BYOB party at a recording studio. Each respective band will be playing abbreviated sets, while Philadelphia DJ’s Suga Shay and DJ Bruce will be splitting spin time, helping to make everyone feel comfortable and groovy simultaneously.
A little over a year ago I traversed my way to New York by way of Megabus, and then caught a train to the town of Westfield, Nj, home to my friends The Static Jacks. Drummer for the 4-piece Nick Brennan met me at the train station, to which he led me back to the grandmothers house of guitarist Henry Kaye. From there, I joined forces with my Syracuse pal Andrew Maury, who’s since had a growing success as a producer and live sound engineer (Ra Ra Riot, Givers, Princeton to name a few). To make a long story short, we produced several videos in a little dingy basement filled with basement stuff. A few stage lights, a proper audio set up from Maury, and a willingness from the band to perform their songs over and over, we were able to come away with some pretty cool pieces.
Recently, one of those pieces was featured on NME’s website (New Musical Express, a UK based publication later turned virtual). I was super stoked on this as I’m a huge fan of both NME and The Static Jacks. Ultimately, I was pleased to have worked with them a while ago and now even more pleased to see this video still holding its own a year or so later. The video was produced by Out of Town Films and directed by myself, Michael James Murray.
On Thursday night, Sharon Van Etten graced the Paradise Rock Club as a part of the tour for her third full-length studio album, Tramp. Backed by her three-piece touring band, Van Etten opened with a poignant rendition of “All I Can.” The song, whose slow build and formidable end acts as an anthem for the album (“The memory of you/ The love overdue/ To carry a face/ I cannot re-trace”), was the perfect flashpoint for the set. “Emotive” is a word most music critics throw around when describing Van Etten’s music, and the word is no less sufficient in recounting the live experience.
Hearing most of the tracks off Tramp, plus a few favorites from Epic, the night acted as this organic extension of Van Etten’s newest album. While Epic dealt primarily with the messy aftermath of a bad relationship (many interviews with Van Etten mention a boyfriend she dated over the course of a few years in Tennesee who disparaged her and her music), Tramp effectively puts into practice the art of locating pain, and using the therapeutic quality of music to push beyond it.
A few months ago, thanks to a broken headphone cord, I recall listening to Van Etten’s “Love More” with only one audible speaker. I remember thinking that hearing Van Etten – just her voice, without being masked by a beautiful, doubled harmonium and wavering synth – would completely stop you in your tracks. That sound and sprit has grown immensely since the release of Epic, and even within the last year. Having seen Van Etten perform at Bonnaroo X, her sound now has much more defiance.
Van Etten told the Boston Phoenix that ”The main difference with this record is that instead of singing about it, it’s more about how [she’s] gotten through it.” After seeing her perform the album live, it shows. “I have a lot of perspective on it,” she says.
The growing strength behind Van Etten’s vocals also extends to her presence on stage. “It’s so refreshing to look up and see smiling faces,” she says. Then she points to her band. “Unlike these jackoffs.” The crowd laughs. She explains it’s the band’s new favorite word – something they picked up in Montreal the day before. “It’s just fun to say,” she explains.
One of the night’s most powerful moments came with the album’s single “Serpents.” Here, Heather Woods Broderick’s backing vocals, which float nicely in a higher register than Van Etten’s throughout most tracks, were especially haunting as she doubled SVE’s smoky alto.
The rapport she has with her audience is notable. Before the encore, a fan in the upper level of the Paradise requests a song. Van Etten gives this laugh and admits that she doesn’t know if she remembers it. She asks if the lights can be turned up a bit on the balcony so she can see the person she’s speaking to. “We would embarrass ourselves,” she says. Instead, Van Etten dedicates the first song of her encore – a recent B-side called “Life of His Own” that didn’t make it to the album – to the fan.
Right before concluding with an epic “Love More,” Van Etten thanks us: “It feels so good here. Let me tell ya. We were in Montreal yesterday. What a bunch of jackoffs.”
