Exciting Those Darlins News!!!
I’m not sure if you know this or not, but I am a pretty big fan of Those Darlins so when I received and email today from Oh Wow Dang you can bet your you know what I was going to post it! These three sassy ladies are going to be turning heads this year, and not just because of their looks!
I’ll be at their Cleveland show next week as well as be seeing them at Bonnaroo so expect me to be posting some more stuff about them soon!
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I was sent an email from Thirty Tigers / Ramseur Records over the weekend about a couple of artists who both have albums dropping on 4/28.
If you have never heard of either of the record labels, know this… Ramseur Records once were the former home of The Avett Brothers and Thirty Tigers were the ones who introduced Those Darlins to me. You might have heard me talking about Those Darlins before (perhaps HERE, or HERE), it is quite possible…
First up is Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers:
She’s 22 and has a voice that reminds me of Bjork at times, minus the weird of course and full of southern soul. She has a singing style I could listen to all day. Having never heard anything by her before I am intrigued now to hear more.
Here is a short bio:
With their debut full-length, Songs in the Night, Samantha Crain & the Midnight Shivers deliver a shudderingly beautiful unique batch of songs in a style that’s been described as “meshing freak folk with a deep-seated, dust-bowl soul.” The 22-year-old Shawnee, OK native’s haunting voice, well-chosen words and emotional depth ring true in a way that sets her apart from most artists of her generation. Picking up where her critically acclaimed 2008 Ramseur Records EP, The Confiscation, leaves off, we find Crain presenting each song with an unfeigned fervor as her voice rises and falls over the panorama painted by the Midnight Shivers and their roots-infused, fertile arrangements.
-DOWNLOAD THIS! – Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers – “Songs In The Night”
-Check out Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers’ MySpace page for more tunes.
-Here’s a video of her that might just very well move you:
Samantha Crain & the Midnight Shivers: “The Dam Song” @ Ramseur Records HQ from Ramseur Records on Vimeo.
The next artist is Paleface:
It’s been over ten years since this anti-folk artist has released any material mostly thanks to a personal battle that Paleface finally overcame. His previous material is folk fun goodness and after hearing just a handful of songs I am intrigued to hear his new album.
Here’s another short bio:
More than a decade since his last major label release and collapse from alcohol abuse, Paleface, a founding member of NYC’s Anti-folk movement, is back with The Show Is On The Road (Ramseur Records). The album is an intimate, 11-song diary that transcends genres with its ingenuous lyrics and deceptively unassuming style – just Paleface on acoustic guitar and harmonica and his girlfriend Monica “Mo” Samalot on drums and backing vocals, along with the occasional piano overdub. Paleface is the sort of artist who brings you into his world. His voice is sweetly ravaged and effortlessly expressive, as intimate as a friend whispering in your ear. The album is a farewell love letter to his longtime home, New York City, and an embrace of his new life in the South.
-DOWNLOAD THIS! – Paleface – “The Show Is On The Road”
-Check out Paleface’s MySpace page for more tunes.
-Here’s a fun little video of an older song I found:
So what do you think?
I have seen the band name Manchester Orchestra popping up all over the place as of late and really had not checked them out until recently. For some reason I thought they were more of a rock jam project but was corrected by a friend and learned that in fact they are an indie rock band.
With a new album coming out on 04/21/09 titled Mean Everything To Nothing the band is promoting their CD with a full-album collection of videos that have been popping up on the internet. Have you seen them yet? Well you are in luck as I have included the first three on this blog. Word is the band will have videos for all of the songs on the album. I think it is a great idea.
Additional info about the videos from a recent email I received from SonyMusic.com:
The full-album series concept was conceived by the Emmy Award winning directing team of Clay Lipsky and Jason Bognacki of Destroy Rock Music Inc., whom also directed “I Can Barely Breathe” from the band’s debut I’m Like a Virgin Losing a Child.
Lipsky notes that the vision behind the videos are to “create a cinematic collage of decaying film and lost memories intertwined with a loose narrative about a young woman on a surreal journey to find what she is missing.” The videos to follow will continue to discover the many layers hiding within the new record.
Chapter One featured on AbsolutePunk:
Manchester Orchestra – “The Only One”
Chapter Two featured on Spin.com:
Manchester Orchestra -“Shake It Out”
Chapter Three featured on MySpace:
Manchester Orchestra – “I’ve Got Friends”
This interview is actually over a year old. It posted on 02/07/2008 on Blogcritics.org. Rather than archive it I decided to share it with you today:
It wasn’t so long ago that a British house rock/pop trio took the world by storm. The band was called Dirty Vegas and released their debut album including a track named “Days Go By”. This track soon made its way into the clubs and onto airwaves gaining lots of attention. The band consisted of three gentlemen who formed the group in 2001 thanks to a little love song that vocalist Steve Smith wrote for someone special. The song, originally an acoustic track, took a twist and was transformed into a dance club hit. The song even earned the trio a Grammy in 2003.
The band earned gross amounts of fame but due to low sales on Dirty Vegas’ sophomore album the hype simmered down and soon two of the trio called it quits. Steve Smith however did not have any intentions of quitting the music scene and recorded his own music. He actually had been recording music all of his life and now found it the right time after a break to release it. This Town was recently released as a solo project by Steve Smith who relocated from the UK to Boston with his wife. The CD is more of a personal project to Steve Smith, his best work yet.
I recently had the opportunity to talk with Steve Smith. In between changing guitar strings and baby diapers (he and his wife just had a newborn) Steve Smith took some time to answer some questions about the past, present, and future of his musical career.
Why such the long hiatus?
Well, when Ben and Paul left in 2005, I decided to have some time away from music to really get my head around what I wanted to do. I moved to the US in early 2006 and began to feel really inspired. I started to write a lot of music and spent the year collecting songs for my solo album. I also began my dream of writing music for film by scoring the brilliant movie, Boys and Girls Guide to Getting Down and for the FOX show Standoff.
Why did the band disband? I know everyone was growing mature and going their own ways but were there any other reasons?
Well, we we’re in a bad situation with our record company and Ben and Paul felt that we had taken the band as far as we could, but I truly felt there was more to come.
The band Dirty Vegas took the world by storm. You wrote a song “Days Go By” that was transformed from an acoustic track to a techno hit. What were your original thoughts on manipulating your original cut?
I have always loved the idea of taking a song where you wouldn’t necessarily expect it to go!
So who was “Days Go By” exactly written about?
My then girlfriend Charlotte, who is now my wife (songs always win a girls heart!)
Any plans ever of maybe creating another Dirty Vegas release in the future?
Who knows!
Once the band split up you got back together with your long time girlfriend (now wife) and moved to Boston. Why Boston? I know it is an amazing city but I am just curious.
I have always felt that Boston has a very European feel to it. It has a great music scene and I have discovered a lot of creative people live/work here.
How was the transition from London to Boston for you?
Very smooth! The people of Massachusetts have been great to us.
How long before you decided it was time to release a self-titled album?
It kind of happened when I started to play friends some of the songs. The more I played them, the more people said I must get this stuff out there!
Is there a possibility you may tour in support of this release?
Absolutely! I cannot wait to get out there and perform the songs in front of people.
Can we expect a follow up to This Town sooner than later?
Anything is possible.
Who would you say are your musical influences?
I would say that growing up it was everything from Pink Floyd to Marvin Gaye. I was always listening to the Top 40 and raiding my brothers and sisters record collection. So I got to hear Joan Armatrading and Neil Young [because of them]. When I heard Neil Young’s After the Goldrush album it blew my mind.
I am still amazed that the actor John Savage from the Deer Hunter agreed to perform a spoken word on the first track of your CD. How did he get involved? He is the last person I would ever expect to speak on an album, yet it seemed so perfect once I heard it.
Every guest on the record was someone that naturally came along. My manager was in a furniture store and spotted John. She told him about the song and he agreed to come along and we just spoke about his life experiences and the message of the song. That was one of many incidents that happened with the recording of the album.
Speaking of incidences, you were also able to recruit a violinist for the track “Smile” who in turn wrote a piece that was the favorite of your father. Do you think that was pure coincidence or a calling?
That was another one of those natural moments with the record. I still cannot believe that the actual guy that performed the solo parts of my late father’s favorite pieces of music, came and performed on a song about him! A calling I’d say. And my old man is looking down laughing.
Can you tell me a little about your father? Was he a music lover as well?
My dad was never a professional musician but my mother told me he had a beautiful voice as a young man, and people would often ask him to sing in pubs and parties.
You are definitely a multi-talented individual with the ability to play acoustic guitar as well as spin house sets. Which do you prefer over the other?
I am a very lucky person that gets to experience the buzz of a dance floor move to a pumping bass line as well as sing with an acoustic guitar in a small folk club. Both have amazing energies that I find complete polar opposites but have the same rewards!
When did you learn to play guitar? Was it before or after you learned percussion?
I learned to play the guitar quite late, I was around 21. I had been playing percussion, but needed to learn a melodic instrument to craft the songwriting.
In your spare time you continue to guest DJ. What is different these days about the club scene as opposed to yesteryear? Are there things you miss about the overseas club scene?
I think with the way the internet is now, you can hear a brand new track played in Ibiza (Spain) and [in] Kansas on the same night! Gone are those days of the kid in the middle of nowhere ordering a track from a record store 6 months after it was first heard in NYC.
Do you still communicate with any of the DJs from the past you once toured with such as Sasha or Paul Oakenfield?
Sometimes you see DJ’s/Musicians that you have worked with over the years, I have been going to Ibiza for many years and there is always a familiar face there.
Do you think the DJ / techno genre will make a comeback in the states?
I think all genres of music will have exciting times ahead, just look at the festival line-ups now, Rock Bands, DJ’s… there all there.
The song “Late Nights and Street Fights” was the main theme for Fox’s now defunct Standoff. How were you able to land that?
The music supervisor for that show had used Dirty Vegas music before and heard I was recording my solo album, and asked if I had a rock song that could suit. I played them “Late Night” and they loved it.
You won a Grammy while in Dirty Vegas for the song “Days Go By”. I am just curious if you display it in your home or use it as a paperweight?
It’s on the mantle-piece
Any plans for the future?
Well, I want to head out and play live shows to support the solo album, and then I am looking at scoring a musical with the director of Boys and Girls Guide and of course Dirty Vegas.
Why should people check out This Town?
Because it is the best piece of work I have ever done.
Steve Smith’s This Town is available on G.A.S. Records. For a sneak peak at his self titled release and to see if he’ll be touring in your area you can visit his website or his MySpace page. Word is Steve Smith and Dirty Vegas are working on new material. More to come about that…
Until then, here are some videos to keep you entertained:
The song that started it all… Still love this video too:
It was an entertaining evening Thursday night fueled by heavy doses of country twang and serious rock n roll thanks to the bands that performed at one of Cleveland’s best little venues, the Beachland Ballroom. The line-up was enough to call for that simple dreadful sign stating that tickets were sold out. All who were lucky enough to obtain admittance to last night’s performance certainly are still talking about the show that Those Darlins, Hacienda, and Dan Auerbach who is known as the lead signer of The Black Keys all put on.
Having heard about the show last week I decided that it was a show not to be missed and make plans to attend. Accompanied with a couple of friends who have love for the country and the rock I was sure they would have a great time checking out all the bands. We arrived to the Waterloo Rd. venue a little early as I was not certain how long it would take to make the trek there. The Beachland Ballroom is not located exactly downtown Cleveland but just a short drive away on a sketchy yet hip part of town. We arrived with no problems and finally made way into the ballroom. One of the things I like about the Beachland Ballroom is how quaint it is. It reminds me of a gymnasium from a middle school of my past with a stage and no real distractions in the main gathering area itself.
Once we finally got in we made a pit stop at the merch tables and I dropped five dollars on Those Darlin’s Wild One EP. For three songs the five bucks was totally worth it. The main reason I even planned on attending the concert was because of the trio of ladies otherwise known as Those Darlins. I just had received a taste of their sound last week and promptly posted a blog about it. What I heard not only made my day but also made me what to see them perform live.
Normally people get excited for the main act at a concert and the openers are almost like icebreakers for the evening. For the first time in a long time this was not the case for me. I dig the Black Keys and I have seen them live before. I actually had not heard the solo release yet on Dan Auerbach yet and to be honest I was more interested in seeing the opener over the other two bands.
Nashville’s neighboring sweethearts Those Darlins took the stage to a decent sized crowd and opened with “Wild One“. I think it is safe to say that they impressed the crowd right away physically and musically with their mix of country, folk, bluegrass, and sass. Dressed to impress, the three fine-looking girls and their mustache clad drummer had an amazing stage presence and were all smiles through their set. Sipping on strong drinks in between songs the girls shared singing duties and entertained all. “I love you” was shouted more than one time, and although I admit a major crush on the three darlings, I assure you it was not me.
They played the two other tracks on their Wild One EP including the humorous “Whole Damn Thing” as well as a healthy bout of tunes to be hopefully released on their debut CD in June. At times they sounded like The Carter Family and other times reminded me of a female version of Hank Williams III but much better looking. Seeing them live on stage having such a good time really added to the attraction. I was not ready for them to finish when they did and really could have listened to them play all night with their unique sound. I can only hope for a return by the sassy ladies once their debut CD is released.
Many people were excited to see the San Antonio rock jam band Hacienda take stage. I wish I could say I was too, but honestly the only thing I knew about this band is that they were backing up Dan Auerbach during his set and that their latest album, Loud Is The Night, was recorded at Dan Auerbach’s Akron Analog . I checked out some of the set and at times was shaking my head along to the beat. It was good music, but just not what I was looking to hear at the time.
Dan Auerbach with Hacienda and friends took stage after a short break. It was at this moment that I realized how sold out the show really was as I could barely move through the crowd to find a good place to watch the headliner. With only hearing a track or two off of Dan Auerbach’s Keep It Hid I knew it was not anything Black Keys but still was not completely sure what was going to happen.
The sounds Dan Auerbach and crew put forth reminded me of early rock at it’s finest with a jam feel at times. Each member on the stage had their own specialty to make the live performance even more interesting. Guitar solos, dual vocals, and smiles ear to ear by the performers just added to the good time being had by all. I got a huge kick out of the duel drumming and especially seeing Patrick Hallahan from My Morning Jacket do his thing moving from drum set to congo and maraca and even beating upon a giant triangle. Rocking out until after midnight the band continued to electrify. I can not tell you what songs they played as I still have yet to pick up the CD but I can tell you Keep It Hid is on my “to buy” list.
It was an excellent night for new music to hit my ears thanks to all three acts playing on stage. I became a bigger fan of Those Darlins as well as gotten a good taste of what Dan Auerbach’s solo material sounds like backed with a full band. Spite the sold out crowd it was a great evening and I know I was not the only one who enjoyed it. If these three acts happen to come your way and you are looking for a night of fun and music do yourself a favor and grab a ticket before it sells out.
The tour continues for just a few more dates. Catch them if you can!
March 5 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
March 6 – Chicago, IL @ Metro
March 7 – Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
March 10 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
March 11 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
March 13 – San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s
March 14 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
