Backseat Sandbar

About Big Ears Fest:

BIG EARS debuted in February 2009 in Knoxville, Tennessee with a line up that included Philip Glass & Wendy Sutter, Antony & the Johnsons, Jon Hassell, the Necks, Fennesz, Pauline Oliveros, Negativland, Michael Gira, Sparklehorse, Ned Rothenberg, Dan Deacon, Neil Hamburger, and others.

The mission of BIG EARS is to offer an exciting and dynamic platform of musical and artistic discovery by artists possessed of singular and unique visions that stand apart from the mainstream.

Response to the first BIG EARS was phenomenal from audiences and artists alike. Here’s a small sampling of what was said:

“It was a tremendous experience….It’s my impression that there’s a real cultural renaissance going on in the south…I look forward to coming back.” –Philip Glass

“…the best audience we’ve played for in America.” –Wendy Sutter

“You could say that Big Ears was for people who like hearing nuanced music in excellent theaters, in a small town with no hassle…at times, it was heaven.” –The New York Times

“…an inspiration…Artists shared advice. Fans shared gratitude. Collaborations abounded. Surprises happened.” –Pitchfork

“A phenomenal success. If next year is even half as eclectic and adventurous as the first Big Ears, it will be incredible before it even starts.” –Creative Loafing (Atlanta)

“There was something strange and somewhat magical about the atmosphere in downtown Knoxville this weekend.” –The Knoxville News-Sentinel

Buy Tickets HERE (All weekend…or single show tix)

Sick Line-up:

• TERRY RILEY
• DOVEMAN
• NICO MUHLY
• NADIA SIROTA
• SAM AMIDON
• IVA BITTOVA
• TIM HECKER
• BEN FROST
• BANG ON A CAN ALL-STARS
• JOANNA NEWSOM
• VAMPIRE WEEKEND
• ANDY MOOR
• BRYCE DESSNER
• ANDREW WK with THE CALDER QUARTET
• GYAN RILEY
• THE 802 TOUR
• THE NATIONAL
• MY BRIGHTEST DIAMOND
• JAVELIN
• GANG GANG DANCE
• ST. VINCENT
• THE EX
• CLOGS
• THE xx
• jj
• DJ /rupture
• THE BOOKS
• BUKE & GASS
• ANDREW W.K.
• DIRTY PROJECTORS
• TRACY SILVERMAN

Friday the 13th was made a little less spooky by the Oklahoma gentlemen Evangelicals bringing their touring selves to Glassworks. Along with the OK Evangelicals, who are way more than just OK, were Holiday Shores and Idiot Glee. Though, I’m blaming everything about the evening on Friday the 13th. It seemed that the only people not afraid of going out of the house to shows on Friday the 13th are those darned music bloggers. Don’t be afraid, non music bloggers of Louisville, we few at this amazing show (very few [too few]) were not harmed in any way by any of the bands. Although these two guys named Freddy and Jason kept fighting all night. It was pretty boring to watch though, so they didn’t interrupt the bands at all.

James Friley from Lexington operates his musical talents under the name Idiot Glee. James sneaked in a few tracks before I was able to make my way into the big room where they had the music. You know, that big room where there should have been a lot more people because this was an awesome show. That room. I was able to catch the last few songs he played for the evening, and I think you should watch this guy. Well, you should listen to him too, because that’s what you do to hear music. Check him out over at his myspace and keep track of it, he’s going places. Places like Al’s Bar in Lexington on December 6th, among other places.

Word on the street is that Holiday Shores are pretty darned good. Before Friday night, I could neither confirm nor deny the word that was on those streets. Well, kids, the word is false because these guys are not darned good, they are pretty effin awesome. The gang of Tallahasseeians (I make up words) put on an incredible sounding show. While I was watching them, it was becoming hard to fathom why Vampire Weekend’s new album has hype when Holiday Shores‘ Phones Don’t Feud (link to the music video) is infinitely better than any song I’ve heard in recent history. Word. I said it.
Be sure to check out their compact disc/album/I-think-I-saw-a-cassette?, because it’s very very very great. I’ve given it a good 5 or 6 listens through this weekend already, and I’m not done yet. Check out their sounds from Glassworks in the videos below, and be sure to see them sometime.

Then came Evangelicals, who also had that word on the street too. Being raised on the streets, I know these words can be hearsay, so I went to see them for myself. I thought Holiday Shores was going to be a tough act to follow, and they were, but Evangelicals did a mighty fine job of  making me like their music. Why I haven’t tuned in to them sooner, I do not know. That is now fixed, so don’t fret. CD’s have been purchased (yes, I still purchase physical media), listened too, and enjoyed. Going into this without knowing any of their songs, I didn’t know what to expect. Any expectation I could have had was surpassed. The sound was amazing, the lighting was great, and they even brought their own audience (see purple people pic below). The only sad part was that there were not nearly enough people there to enjoy the incredible set the played for us. Though I can’t tell you titles of songs they played, I can tell you that they played each one with much intensity and passion. It was a smaller crowd, but it had the feeling of a big show, yet still intimate. I had never been to Glassworks before to see a show, but it put out that kind of vibe.  Hopefully the scarcity of people don’t ward off this great band from coming to Louisville again. I’m sure everyone that was at the show feels the same way too. See what you missed in the videos and pics below, and go to more shows in Louisville.

More pics and videos…
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Here our favorite Backseat Sandbar videos of 2008:

10. The Coup @ FreeKY Fest- 4/25

9. Mates of State- “Fluke” at Headliner’s in Louisville, KY – 11/15

8. Brett Dennen – “She’s Mine” at WFPK Derby Fest – 4/29

7. Casiotone for the Painfully Alone- “White Corolla” @ Pour Haus – 10/31

6. Daniel Johnston- “There is a Sense of Humor Way Beyond Friendship” @ Good Folk Fest in Louisville, KY – 11/21

5. Vampire Weekend- “Wolcott” @ Headliner’s in Louisville, KY- 9/9

4. Bonnie ‘ Prince’ Billy- “A Change is Gonna Come” @ Old Tar Distillery in Lexington, KY – 11/22

3. The National- “Mr. November” at Obama Benefit in Cincy – 10/16

2. My Morning Jacket- “One Big Holiday” at Riverfront Park in Louisville, KY – 8/16

1. Jeff Mangum- “The Fool” and “Engine” @ Elephant Six Show in Lexington, KY – 10/23

You can view all of our videos and subscribe to our You Tube account here.

Not since Iron & Wine came to town has Headliner’s been as packed as it was for Vampire Weekend’s first performance in Louisville.  The crowd was considerably younger as you would expect; filled with teenage girls hoping to make eye contact with the guys from New York.

Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that Vampire Weekend has taken the world by storm, gracing the cover of every music mag, playing every late show, having their songs played in commercials and in TV shows and selling out show after show.  I must admit, their sound is completely addicting and their debut album, released in January, is excellent (and sure to top Best Of 2008 lists come December).  You can read my “Addicted to Vampire Weekend” post here.  They played for a lucky few at the Old Tar Distillery in Lexington last November, and my how far they have come in less than a year.

An excellent group, White Williams from New York (headed by Joe Williams, opened and, I’m sure, picked up a bunch of new fans.  I listened to their album Smoke, released last November, and liked it, but wasn’t blown away.  After watching their live performance, I realized that they are one of those bands that must be seen live before you can really enjoy simply listening to their disc in you car.  The same is true for the people they have toured with in the past; people like Dan Deacon, Greg Gillis aka Girl Talk and Battles.  I couldn’t help but draw comparisons to a young James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem.    WW opened with their ever popular song,”New Violence,” and had my full attention from there.  Our friend Aaron Frank over at Critical Acclaim has a great interview with Joe, Matt and Cale here.

After a long break between sets, Vampire Weekend took the stage at 9:52.  I wrote down the exact time they went on because I was curious how long their performance could go with only a handful of songs.  The result: 46 minutes.  They played every song off their only album, a B-Side (“Ladies of Cambridge”), and a new one (“White Sky”).

The crowd at Headliner’s is always interesting.  On top of the young girls, there is always a crowd at Headliner’s that seem to just go because they like Headliner’s and have no clue who is playing.  You could tell who these people were because they were requesting Tim McGraw covers (I am not joking).  There were also some pleas for a new album, even though the just released this one in January.  I guess I can’t fault people for wanting more VW though.  The only boos from the audience came when frontman, Ezra Koenig, mentioned playing in Lexington before.  Clearly, some were still holding on to UofL’s beating a few weeks ago.

Four songs in, there was some technical difficulties with a speaker that was cracking pretty bad.  Roadies and the tech guys worked in the background through two songs before the cracking stopped.  The show was not affected, but keyboardist, Rostam Batmanglij, seemed upset (I think it may have been his monitor).

I left the show pleased and uplifted, as did most of the people in attendance.  As we hiked to our cars parked in what felt like an old salvage yard, it was easy to see just how far from Cape Cod we were.  But with our new appreciation of how hard they have it up there, who couldn’t help but smile.

Vampire Weekend- Wolcott (Finale)

Bonus Treat: Vampire Weekend - Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (Teenagers edit)

More pics and set list below the break…

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Favorites of preppy indie kids everywhere, Vampire Weekend is coming back to Kentucky for a Louisville Headliners show on September 9th thanks to Production Simple.  Vampire Weekend played the Old Tarr Distilery back in November, but since that time, these kids have hit every major television show, played tons of major festivals, and received serious radio play.  Ezra Koenig, a former member of Dirty Projectors (where he really gets his indie cred) got together with Rostam Batmanglij at Columbia and together with Christpher Thomson and Chris Baio started Vampire Weekend in 2006.  By 2007, L Magazine named them atop the 8 New York Bands You Need to Hear (Despite much protestation by Brooklyn Vegan readers), and their success has risen steadily ever since.  Singing songs about privilege and money that few among us can relate to, such as hazy memories of summers in Cape Cod, winters in upper Manhattan, reggaeton, and Louis Vuitton purses, Vampire Weekend will capture your imagination and steal you heart, as you hear influences from other such fun-loving artists as Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel.

Tickets are $18 in advance and $20 at the door & it’s all ages.  Tickets go on sale June 28th ay 10am, and I’d get them early because you best believe this one is going to sell out quickly.  Doors are at 7 & the show starts at 8.

UPDATE: REVIEW of the show

Vampire Weekend – Oxford Comma
Vampire Weekend – M79
Vampire Weekend - Walcott

Nick’s Top Albums of January 2008

1. Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend (Mansard Roof)
   
2. Sons and Daughters- This Gift
3. The Helio Sequence- Keep Your Eyes Ahead
4. Thao Nguyen – We Brave Bee Stings And All
5. Xiu Xiu – Women As Lovers
6. Black Mountain- In the Future
7. The Shondes- The Red Sea
8. The Whigs- Mission Control

Biggest Disappointment: Marah- Angels of Destruction!

Cory’s Top Albums of January 2008

1. Thao Nguyen – We Brave Bee Stings And All (Beat)
   
2. Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend
3. Kate Nash – Made Of Bricks
4. Hello, Blue Roses – The Portrait Is Finished And I Have Failed To Capture Your Beauty
5. Magnetic Fields – Distortion
6. Xiu Xiu – Women As Lovers
7. MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
8. Murder Mystery – are you ready for the heartache cause here it comes

Other January Releases

1/8
Marah – Angels Of Destruction! (Yep Roc)
Kate Nash – Made Of Bricks (Fiction)
The Shondes – The Red Sea (self-released)
Sia – some people have real problems (Astralwerks)
Wisely – Wisely (Oglio)

1/15
Black Mountain – Into The Future (Jagjaguwar)
Matt Costa – Unfamiliar Faces
Mike Ladd – Nostalgialator (Def Jux)
Magnetic Fields – Distortion (Nonesuch)
Rings – Black Habit (Paw Tracks)
Slim Cessna’s Auto Club – Cipher
Ringo Starr – Liverpool 8 (EMI)
Van Hunt – Popular (Capitol)
White, Blue, Yellow And Clouds – Introducing (I and Ear)
Zillionaire – The Street Lights Have Been Turned Down (New Granada)
One Small Step – Another Shelter

1/22
Steve Aoki – Pillowface And His Airplane Chronicles (Thrive)
Aster – Some Things Seldom Heard Of
Baby Dee – Safe Inside The Day (Drag City)
Blood On The Wall – Liferz (The Social Registry)
Bodies Of Water – Ears Will Pop Eyes Will Bling (Secretly Canadian)
Cat Power – Jukebox (Matador)*
Drive-By Truckers – Brighter Than Creation’s Dark (New West)
Evangelicals – The Evening Descends (Dead Oceans)
Fleshtones – Take A Good Look (Yep Roc)
Ghislain Porter – No Ground Under (Ninja Tune)
Hello, Blue Roses – The Portrait Is Finished And I Have Failed To Capture Your Beauty… (Locust Music)
Hey Willpower – P.D.A. (Tomlab)
Instruments Of Science And Technology – Music From The Films of R. Swift (Secretly Canadian)
The Jet Age – What Did You Do During The War, Daddy?
King Of Prussia – Save The Scene (Kindercore)
Love Is All – Mixed Up (Phonica)
Mahjongg – Kontpab (K)
Eric Matthews – The Imagination Stage (Empyrean)
MGMT – Oracular Spectacular (Columbia)
Jack Peñate – Matinee (XL)
Robert Pollard – Superman Was A Rocker (Happy Jack Rock)
Rafter – Sex Death Cassette (Asthmatic Kitty)
Savious – Into Abaddon (Kemado)
Steve Smith – This Town (G.A.S. Records)
Times New Viking – Rip It Off (Matador)
Whigs – Mission Control (ATO)
Whitsundays – The Whitsundays (Friendly Fire)

1/29
Bum Kon – Drunken Sex Sucks (Smooch)
Dirty On Purpose – Like Bees EP (North Street)
Ex – Building A Broken Moustrap (Touch & Go)
Future Of The Left – Curses (too pure)
The Helio Sequence – Keep Your Eyes Ahead (Sub Pop)
Ida – Lovers Prayers (Polyvinyl)
Joe Jackson – Rain (Rykodisc)
Jeffrey Lewis – 12 Crass Songs (Rough Trade)
Louis XIV – Slick Dogs And Ponies (Atlantic)
The Mars Volta – The Bedlam In Goliath
Murder Mystery – are you ready for the heartache cause here it comes
Thao Nguyen – We Brave Bee Stings And All (Kill Rock Stars)
Radar Bros. – Auditorium (Merge)
Sons And Daughters – This Gift (Domino)
Two Ton Sloth – Two Ton Sloth (Token Recluse)
Quinn Walker – Lion Land / Laughter’s An Asshole (Voodoo-EROS)
Xiu Xiu – Women As Lovers (Kill Rock Stars)
Vampire Weekend – Vampire Weekend (XL)
Chris Walla – Field Manual (Barsuk)
Jane Vain & the Dark Matter – Love is where the Smoke is (Rectangle)

I don’t think there is a program for someone addicted to an album, but the longer I sit at my computer, the higher the iTunes play count goes for Vampire Weekend’s self titled album (due out January 29th). Upon first listen it seemed too playful, like something you would sing to your girlfriend in the shower. I dismissed it, but shuffle brought it back and I got carried away. Their music video for Mansard Roof (below), shows them floating in a sailboat off the coast of New Jersey, and that is exactly what the album feels like. You get stuck in their sails and become ultra-relaxed. Perhaps our North-East Coast Paul Simon (note: loose analogy). They have already played in Lexington, and are set to play at the Gypsy Hut in Cincinnati on Feb 13. Check out their album, and be sure to make the hike to Cincy for their show. It will be worth it.

Mansard Roof Music Video

A few tracks from their debut album:

Vampire Weekend- Mansard Roof

Vampire Weekend- Oxford Coma

Vampire Weekend- Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

Fellow blog review:

Critical Acclaim Pics and Review of Lexington Show at Old Tar Distillery

Here are the releases that I am looking forward to most in 2008:

1. Cat Power- Jukebox (1/22) (The containment of this album has been amazing)
2. Man Man- Rabbit Hats (4/8)
3. Dr. Dre- Detox (June)
4. Hot Chip- Made in the Dark (2/5)
5. Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend (1/29)
6. Throw Me the Statue- Moonbeams (2/19)
7. Lil’ Wayne- The Carter III (2/12) (Help!)
8. The Mars Volta- The Bedlam in Goliath (1/29)
9. The Photographic- Pictures of a Changing World (3/11)
10. Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks- Real Emotional Trash (March)
11. The Streets- TBA (?)
12. The Muckrakers- TBA (Early 08 I hope)

For a more complete list check out Stereogum.com.

Other L-Ville releases:

Ever Constant Sea- The Faded Four (Early 08)

UPDATE: Nick overlooked the new WHY? album, Alopecia, which will likely be the most snubbed album of 2008

UPDATE 2: These were the albums I was looking forward to.  Perhaps, WHY? wasn’t overlooked, but rather not anticipated.

I’m lazy today, so I’m just posting some very important reminders. Tomorrow is Vampire Weekend at the Old Tarr Distillery in LexTown

You Ain’t No Picasso, WRFL & W Weekly are all cosponsoring Vampire Weekend at Old Tarr Distillery.

Vampire Weekend – Oxford Comma
Vampire Weekend – Cape Cod
Vampire Weekend – Exit Music (for a film)

The new album comes out January 29th

The tour these guys are doing is amazing. To see that & video

UPDATE: Check out pics and a review of the show over at Critical Acclaim

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