Monday, July 27, 2009

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Interview with: Matisyahu

Posted: 27 Jul 2009 02:30 PM PDT

PopWreckoning recently caught up with and asked him about what he’s been up to over the last few months. After our 20 minute conversation, we discovered that Matis is a busy guy.Matis7-7

Matis has been touring for most of the summer, and his new album, Light, will be released on August 25. Over the last few years, Matis has been listening to different types of music, which has contributed to the new album’s different sound.

“Over the past few years I’ve been listening to a lot of different things. There isn’t one artist – it’s been a lot of electronic music, the staple indie rock stuff, a lot of hip hop stuff. There isn’t really one big artist, just a really wide variety of people.” -

Continue reading to find out more about Light, the most memorable moment of Matis’ summer tour, and how he’s been connecting with fans.

Abbie Stutzer, PopWreckoning: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us.
: You’re welcome.

PW: So, you’ve been touring for most of the summer, how did that go? Any memorable moments?
M: I have one really memorable moment, which was in Ottawa, on a Saturday afternoon; walking and getting caught in a rain storm, and getting totally soaked and drenched, and feeling joyful.

PW: That sounds good. Rain storms are kind of nice and cleansing.
M: Yeah, totally. That’s what I think is my most memorable moment of the tour.

PW: Nice. Well, that sounds like a good one. So, I’ve read in other interviews that your new album, Light, that’s coming out in August discusses the hard things in this world and how they fit with God. What inspired you to take the album in this direction, why did you decide to discuss these topics?
M: It was a natural process for me. The lyrics and the things I write about are what’s important or interesting to me and that’s just kind of where I’ve been at, in terms of what I was thinking, feeling, you know, I was just trying to represent.

PW: What do you think is different about this album from your previous albums?
M: It has more programed drums and electronic sounds. It has more hip hop beats than reggae beats. It has a lot more variation. It’s not one band playing the record. It was written, produced and played by multiple people. It had one, main producer, David Kahne, but there were other people producing tracks and beats, too. And I worked with a lot of people with different backgrounds in music. So, It has a lot of variation on it. More so than what I’ve done in the past. My voice has a lot more dynamics, a lot more control, more variation – on how I used my voice on the record.

PW: I heard from a friend that you invited Jewish attendees to join you for dinner at Wakarusa on year. Do you normally do this at festivals, or is this something that just struck you to do at the moment?
M: It wasn’t just Jewish who were invited. It was for anyone that wanted to come.

PW: Oh, that’s cool.
M: I started doing it when I was at a festival. I think it was Bonnaroo, actually, I think it was 2005, and there were some Jewish kids there that were asking, because It was Friday afternoon, what I was doing for the Sabbath, and if I was doing anything, and if they could join me. I was actually leaving to go to a community, and go to a Rabbi’s house, and then I was going to come back Saturday night. It kind of dawned on me that maybe it would be better to stay at the festival and kind of provide a service for some of the kids that are there – that they might be interested. That’s kind of what I’ve done at a lot of the festivals over the past couple of years.

PW: Neat.
M: And there’s good things about it, and then there’s, you know. And I’ve done it in different ways.

PW: Is it a nice way to be around like minded people? Get to know the fans? I’d imagine it allows you to follow your religious practices easier.
M: It’s kind of all of the above. In some ways, it’s great. It takes me from being the artist that’s showing up on my tour bus; going to my dressing room; going onto the stage, and then leaving, and going to the hotel. You know, it’s like all of a sudden I experience the festival. I experience what everyone else is experiencing. And then if my show is Saturday night or Sunday, I’ve been around for a day or two. It’s really cool.

PW: Well, it sounds cool to me.
M: And it allows me to practice, basically, all those religious customs.

PW: It’s refreshing to see a musician stick with their religious beliefs throughout their career. Have you encountered any obstacles along the way?
M: The biggest obstacles that I think I encounter are within. They’re not really big obstacles. Everything can be worked with, you know what I mean?

PW: Yeah. I get ya.
M: It can all be worked out.

PW: Who are some of the musicians you’ve guested with, and who’s guested with you?
M: On this last tour Warren Haynes sat in with me on one of my songs and played guitar; K’naan; Les Claypool; Trevor Hall; a smattering of rappers from Killah Priest from Wu-Tang Clan; a rapper named Kosher Dills; a rapper named (Nusen Thand – could not hear, can’t find online – just included it incase my guess rang any bells with you guys). And that’s all on this previous tour.

PW: What bands have influenced your music style? Also, previously you had a reggae sound, and now you say you have more of a hip hop, rap style. What acts have caused you to adopt the new sound?
M: I’ve always been into lots of different types of music, from the Grateful Dead or Phish, to reggae, Bob Marley, to more conscious, modern reggae, to hip hop, rock. I appreciate different styles of music. And as a vocalist, I saw my entry point through reggae because I was into rap, that was the one place I saw that happening. So, I guess the biggest influence for me as I was developing my style was an artist name Sizzla. That’s what I guess you’d call conscious, dancehall reggae. Over the past few years I’ve been listening to a lot of different things. There isn’t one artist – it’s been a lot of electronic music, the staple indie rock stuff, a lot of hip hop stuff. There isn’t really one big artist, just a really wide variety of people.

PW: Yeah. I understand that. OK. So, you’re a fairly young musician. Do you have any advice for up and coming musicians on how to share their art and inspiration with the world?
M: Well, the main thing is to work on your art, or your craft, or your style. I think that’s the main thing to spend time listening to what inspires you, and then focused alone time trying to produce that; whatever it is. Whether it’s on a guitar, rapping or whatever it is. And then, I feel that when a person, if they’re talented, comes to a certain point, mastering the craft, the art that they’re doing, the other stuff kind of falls into place.

PW: How are you able to disconnect from the madness and rigorous touring schedule and enjoy the experience? Are you enjoying the down time?
M: It’s kinda funny. The guitar player in my band had a gig last night, so I went to go check that out. Then, I found myself up on stage. I was like “what the hell? After two months of this you can’t take one night off?”

PW: That’s all right. I guess it just comes with the territory.
M: Yeah. It was fun, though. I went to see a couple bands last night, and it was a good time.

PW: Well, it sounds fun. So, any new plans? Plans for the future?
M: Well, Light is coming out on August 25th. We’re going over seas now in about a week and a half to Japan and Australia. Then we come back and we’ll be going to Israel and doing a long fall and winter tour for the record. So, it should be a pretty busy year.

PW: Yeah. Sounds like it. Well, that’s all we’ve got. Thanks for talking with PopWreckoning and baring with the questions.
M: Yeah. No problem.

: website | myspace | Shattered review | @ crossroads

Light
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Arctic Monkeys to Stream Special Gig Including New Album Tracks

Posted: 27 Jul 2009 01:30 PM PDT

am1The Arctic Monkeys will be streaming a special online gig for their fans on their website this Thursday, July 30, at 9 PM GMT (4 PM ET). Songs from Humbug, their forthcoming album to be released in the UK on August 24 and in the U.S. on August 25, will be included in this streaming broadcast. A trailer for this special event has been posted on their official website. “Crying Lightning", the first single from Humbug, is now available as an mp3 digital download from the website.

Matt Helders of the Monkeys recently served as one of the curators for the first-ever , held from July 24 to 26 in the band’s native Sheffield, .

Arctic Monkeys: website | myspace | Arctic Monkeys Drop New Single, Announce North American Tour | Arctic Monkeys DVD/CD Contest

At the Apollo (CD with Bonus DVD)
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Leonard Cohen to Tour U.S. for Second Time in 2009

Posted: 27 Jul 2009 12:30 PM PDT

lc1On the back of a successful U.S. tour earlier this year that began at New York’s Beacon Theatre in February, influential Canadian singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen has announced a second set of American dates on his official website.

The 15-date tour begins on October 17 at the BankAtlantic Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and concludes at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California. Tickets go on sale on August 3.

Tour dates
Oct 17 – BankAtlantic Center / Fort Lauderdale
Oct 19 – St. Pete Times Forum / Tampa
Oct 20 – Fox Theatre / Atlanta
Oct 22 – Wachovia Spectrum / Philadelphia
Oct 23 – Madison Square Garden / New York City
Oct 25 – Allen Theatre / Cleveland
Oct 27 – Palace Theatre / Columbus
Oct 29 – Rosemont Theatre / Chicago
Nov 01 – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium / Asheville, NC
Nov 03 – Durham Performing Arts Center / Durham, NC
Nov 05 – Tennessee Performing Arts Center (Andrew Jackson Hall) / Nashville
Nov 07 – Fox Theatre / St. Louis
Nov 09 – Midland / Kansas City
Nov 12 – Colosseum at Caesars Palace / Las Vegas
Nov 13 – HP Pavilion / San Jose

Leonard Cohen: website | myspace

Live In London
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Philly locals Free Energy to open for Tinted Windows at the TLA

Posted: 27 Jul 2009 11:30 AM PDT

free-energyPhiladelphia locals will be performing on August 1st at the TLA in support of super group Tinted Windows. just released their self-titled debut single July 21st on .

The single was released as a 7" backed by B-Side “Something In Common”, which is exclusive to the limited edition pressing – only about 350 made! James Murphy produced single, "" and the B-Side, "Something In Common" was produced by and the band. “” is sure to get you moving with its racing licks, cowbell beat and high energy. It’s a perfect mid-summer song.

Free Energy – “Free Energy”

Be sure to catch when they play with Tinted Windows  this coming Sunday, August 1st at the TLA on South Street!

:
Aug 01 – Theater of Living Arts / Philadelphia (w/ Tinted Windows)
Aug 03 – Paradise Rock Club / Boston
Aug 07 – Mercury Lounge / New York City (w/ Edward Sharpe)
Aug 26 – Black Cat Backstage / Washington DC

: website | myspace

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This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Electric Six summer tour dates, “KILL” out October 20th

Posted: 27 Jul 2009 10:30 AM PDT

I discovered Electric Six during my senior year of high school when a friend and I went to see .  No opener was listed so we arrived promptly as the doors opened expecting Joan to go on about half an hour later. When the theatre still hadn't filled up after that half hour, we became a bit worried, but then Electric Six took the stage. Despite the lack of a crowd, Electric Six rocked the place and left me awed and wondering why I hadn’t heard them before. Their debut album, Fire, still happens to be one of my favorite albums pretty much ever. electric six

It gives me great joy to deliver the news that this Detroit six piece has announced a short stint of East Coast Summer shows (dates below) before the band starts preparing for what will undoubtedly be a very busy Fall [in which they will hopefully visit Philadelphia]. Currently holed up in the studio, these disco-rockers are putting the finishing touches on their sixth full-length album which they have christened KILL, due out on October 20, 2009 on Metropolis Records.

Tour Dates:
Aug 19 – Maxwell’s / Hoboken, NJ
Aug 20 – Rocks Off Concert Cruise / New York City
Aug 21 – Rocks On Concert Cruise / Boston
Aug 22 – Daniel Street / Milford, Ct.

Electric Six is:
Dick Valentine (vocals)
(guitar)
Johnny Na$hinal (guitar)
(bass)
Tait Nucleus? (synths)
Percussion World (drums)

Electric Six: website | myspace

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Interview with: Casey Crescenzo of the Dear Hunter

Posted: 27 Jul 2009 09:30 AM PDT

Halfway through the release of a six part project and halfway through a tour with MewithoutYou, The ’s Casey Crescenzo took a break to talk to us about the album project and the future.

Bethany, PopWreckoning: You guys just released Act III: Life and Death, so for those who don't know, what's the story behind the acts and specifically that one?
Casey Crescenzo, The : It's just basically, all of them are basically about somebody from birth to death and everything in between. The one we just released is kind of a, well it is not kind of, it is about this main character going through war and what happens to somebody when they're in an extreme situation like that.

PW: So are you still on track to do all six acts of this?
CC: Yes. Absolutely.
PW: So where is it going?
CC: To death. Haha. No, the next will just get darker and it will get more depressing, I guess, before it gets better. At the end of this record it is kind of the idea that from everything that he is put through, he gets a little twisted and bitter—overly bitter. It's terrible. The next record is the aftermath of after something like that has happened to you. If you have grown into something horrible, what you could do and specifically what you could do in a position of power after something like that.

PW: I read that with the acts, a lot of this is based off experiences you had, but at the same time they're not because obviously you never were in WWI.mewithoutyoushowpics 016
CC: Yeah, it started out that way. It started out with the more relatable things like the love and family. The ideas like that are definitely based on a romanticized version of things that have happened to me. Everything is just romanticized of what I have gone through or the way I feel about different things. Like this record, obviously I haven't gone through WWI or any wars for that matter, but there is the idea of being stranded in an intense scenario or in the middle of something very hectic that you don't necessarily believe in or remember why you're there in the beginning. It is that search to find it in the middle of looking for why you're there and being sidetracked continuously by things that make it worse and worse. A lot of it for me, is not getting too political about being in a band on a label or anything like that. There's a good deal of fighting that you have to do as a musician or a touring musician. You do have to have a close knit band of brothers that you're traveling around in a van year round and you have to stay close. Sometimes you feel, you get bogged down and you have horrible weeks, and you find something that makes it worth it again. I wouldn't say that it is the same thing as the anti-war thing behind it to anti-wanting to be in a band, but that's what I pull from because I have no real idea what war is like, you know?

PW: The main guy isn't named, right? Is there a reason for that or a plan to name him?
CC: No. Just because no one really has names. If someone does have an actual name, it is meant to just describe them. One thing I wanted with the story is that if you hear a name, if somebody has a name, or at least for me if there's somebody with the name of somebody I know, it is hard for me to not think of the person I know. So aside from that, it is just hard to assign the characters names. It's like you have to name a dozen children or something like that—they're a bunch of babies. So even the Ms. Terri or Ms. Leading is just meant to be a really immature play on words.

PW: With a big concept project like this do you ever think in terms of potential singles or is it always the album as a whole?
CC: It's somewhere in between those. We definitely, well it is not written as one giant song. You don't write the intro and look at it as a 60 minute song, but at the same time, it is not really separating it to the point of singles. You're just really writing the record in these different moments and movements and just moving things around, so I don't think there is ever a really an idea of this gearing our creativity toward preparing anything for something other than its place on the record.

PW: With the deluxe edition of this album, you guys have the artwork for Act II. Are you guys going to do more artwork like that?
CC: I'd like to, but it took two years just to get that out. It is hard to convince people or labels to money into it when it takes money and really just don't have any money of our own. It is completely dependent on somebody wanting to put money into a book by a band.

PW: How closely did you work with the artist on it?
CC: Everything he did, I was very stubborn about. Luckily he was very in tune—well both artists: the guy who did all the coloring and the sketch layout—they were both really excited and interested in paralleling themselves with what I felt it should be. I didn't need to do any quality control, but for something this specific, I felt I needed to be as involved as I am. If I could have actually drawn it myself, I would have, but I can't, so…

PW: I saw online that there was a talk of a color project. Is that still in the works?
CC: Yeah. Every time it comes up, I say the same thing. I never announced it. We never announced this project that we were doing. We just have a really small fan community and most of the people on there we knew personal, so in the middle of a thread I said that it was this idea we had and we were going to do it and we were really excited about it. People kind of caught on to it and started talking. It won't be like where Act I, Act II, and then Act III are released. It will be all of them at once: all the colors. That will happen when it happens. It is not a priority really. It is more of a creative challenge that we gave ourselves as musicians and songwriters.

PW: So when you say color is it like yellow—people associate happy, so it is more of an upbeat song or how is it?
CC: Yeah. Definitely. There are things like that. Red people associate with intensity and anger and heat and all of those things you'd probably gear toward. I think each of them are going to be like 20 minute EPs. You would gear red toward more intense—I don't want to say screaming—but everything would be a little bit more intense and a little more emotionally passionate and extreme than something like blue would be where you feel calm and subdued. When I was thinking of blue I was thinking of lounge music and surf rock kind of stuff. It is very natural. It is not like, what is that called? The dance that people do when they're trying to act out the stuff?
PW: Interpretative dance?
CC: Interpretative! It is not like that. It won't be so abstract that you're going to have to read into it to see why it is yellow or blue. It will be more obvious.

PW: So with these different sound styles a project like that would entail, would it still be under the name the ?
CC: Yeah, it is just a name. A band like us, we already do so many styles to begin with and we're willing to do whatever kind of song we want. This won't have the promotion of a full-length. We're not going to market it heavily. We're not going to tour off of it heavily. We probably wouldn't even play the songs live. It would be a studio thing we'd do just for fun. There is no reason to not call it the because it will be everyone in the . Maybe not. Maybe we'll call it the colors. I don't know.
PW: Cool. That's all I have unless you have any final words.
CC: I have nothing. Thanks!

The : website | myspace | @ the Granada

Act III: Life And Death
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Ray LaMontagne Fall Tour Dates!

Posted: 27 Jul 2009 08:20 AM PDT

Ray LaMontagne announced his North American fall tour schedule today, starting with two dates with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on October 15 in North Bethesda, Maryland followed by an October 16 show at Meyeroff Symphony Hall. Following the orchestra shows, LaMontagne’s next dates will offer a polar opposite experience in which the Maine singer-songwriter will play stripped-down solo acoustic shows, starting November 1 at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre.Ray Lamontagne performs in Kansas City, MO at the Uptown Theater

LaMontagne is also working with Tickets-for-Charity® to offer fans a unique opportunity to buy front row seats while supporting leading charities. A portion of each package purchased on TicketsforCharity.com will automatically benefit The National Children’s Cancer Society plus up to three partner charities of the fan’s choice. LaMontagne is proud to be collaborating with this charitable platform to provide fans with an easy way to access prime concert seats while supporting the causes they care about in the process.

The tour marks LaMontagne’s third tour in North America in support of his top 5 album Gossip In The Grain.

:
Oct 15 – Music Center at Strathmore / North Bethesda, Md.
Oct 16 – Meyerhoff Symphony Hall / Baltimore
Nov 01 – Fox Theatre / Atlanta
Nov 04 – Wang Theatre / Boston
Nov 07 – Tower Theater / Upper Darby, Pa.
Nov 09 – Beacon Theatre / New York City
Nov 12 – The Auditorium Theatre / Chicago
Nov 13 – State Theatre / Minneapolis
Nov 15 -  Nob Hill Masonic Center / San Francisco
Nov 17 – Ellie Caulkins Opera House / Denver
Nov 20 -  Orpheum Theatre / Los Angeles

**Check back for additional dates to be added soon!

Ray LaMontagne: website | myspace | @ uptown theatre | Gossip in the Grain review

Gossip In The Grain
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Paolo Nutini with Matt Hires and Erin McCarley @ 9:30 Club, Washington DC

Posted: 27 Jul 2009 08:15 AM PDT

u-paolo8. You glance at the name and think maybe that’s a new flavor of ice cream. Or maybe gelato. Sounds Italian enough, doesn’t it? But you’d be wrong. is, in fact, a 22-year-old singer/guitarist from Paisley, Scotland (his father is of Tuscan descent) who quickly became a UK heartthrob in the wake of the success of his 2006 pop/soul debut album These Streets.

I recall seeing the video for his tune “New Shoes” on the VH1 Top 20 Countdown one Saturday morning and sat there thinking, who is this guy, and why haven’t I heard of him before? As evidenced by the estrogen-charged atmosphere at the 9:30 Club on July 23, there were many who have been fans since his first album-length offering and have liked what this Scot has to say and sing about.

His sophomore effort released June 1 in the UK, Sunny Side Up, is a different animal from These Streets entirely. It’s less mainstream and more soul- and folk-influenced and has received mixed reviews in the British press for its perceived lack of accessibility compared to the previous album. Also, Nutini produced the album himself – often the Achilles’ heel of many artists. I’ve been told by outsiders that D.C. crowds are fickle and aren’t as vocal and responsive to their musical heroes as those in other towns; I’ve been to enough gigs in the area to know this definitely isn’t the case, and it depends on who the performer in question is. Having heard some of the new songs on his MySpace, it wondered how these less poppy songs were going to fly with an audience that might not be familiar with the new material and only be expecting the hits from the first album.

c-matthires3Two American singer /songwriters opened for this night – Tampa, Florida native and Nashville-based Texan songstress . Hires reminds me of another “Matt” with one T, Mat Kearney. This is intriguing, especially if you consider that both singers have had songs featured prominently in ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and with that exposure, both of them gained attention and new fans. He even took the stage wearing a similar kind of hat that Kearney wears (but I don’t remember whether Mat Kearney got on stage barefooted at Constitution Hall in May). There’s something endearing about the way Hires emotes that makes him more likable to me than the other solo male pop singer/songwriters currently out there. Also, when someone’s out there with an acoustic guitar and nothing else to fall back on, you know they’re going to bring it.

He started his set with his own version of that classic pop standard, “You Are My Sunshine”. “Pick Me Up”, the third song in Hires’ set, was tender, clearly written and sung by a pained man, distraught and upset, and we the audience could feel this. Before launching into “A Perfect Day”, Hires spent a brief moment tuning his guitar, prefacing the tuning with “tuning a guitar…this is when most musicians would tell a funny story. But I’m not good at doing two things at once. If I tried telling you a funny story, we’ll be here all night.” This of course elicited laughs from the crowd.

A sprightly rendition of ’s “Kids” was definitely an unexpected surprise; Hires began the song with jaunty whistling (replacing the synths in the original version) and continued whistling throughout it. His vocals in the closing number, “State Lines”, reminded me a bit of early-era . (By the way, that’s a compliment, folks, not a slight.) Hires’s debut album Take Us to the Start will be available on iTunes on July 28 and the physical CD will be available in stores August 25.

’ Set List:
You Are My Sunshine (pop standard)
Honey Let Me Sing You a Song
Pick Me Up
Out of the Dark
A Perfect Day
Kids ( cover)
State Lines

g-erinmc2Singer/songwriter has been compared by some to and Sara Bareilles. I don't see the connection – for one, McCarley doesn't play the piano (her collaborator/producer does), and two, Spektor and Bareilles don't have the sultry voice that McCarley has. When you see her come out on stage and strap her guitar on (leather strap festooned with feathers), you wouldn't imagine that such a deep, pleasant voice could come out of her. McCarley's album Love, Save the Empty came out on January 9, and I really enjoyed the first single from it, "Pony (It's OK)", with drummer Josh Robinson and pianist K.S. Rhoads coming together with McCarley to create a perfect piece of pop. The tune directly following it, "Blue Suitcase", was described by McCarley, with a knowing laugh, as "the one bitter song of the night."

Like Hires before, she also ventured forth with a cover: 's "Tom's Diner", accompanied by human beatbox from piano/synth player Rhoads. This cover was just as improbable – or maybe more so than Hires's earlier cover? – and those in the know like me sang along and contributed the repeated "doo doo doo doo, doo da-doo doos". It was more than a little unsettling to see little kids around me who obviously had absolutely no reference point to this song, but McCarley was unfazed, she had a winsome smile throughout her performance. McCarley ended her eight-song set with "Pitter Pat", with the lyrics "pitter pat, the angel on my shoulder is haunting me tonight / tick tock, the clock is getting louder ready for me to decide" – just as gorgeous and sweet as herself.

’s Set List:
Sticky Sweet
Pony (It’s OK)
Blue Suitcase
Lovesick Mistake
Tom’s Diner ( cover)
Hello Goodbye
Live, Save the Empty
Pitter Pat

It's been a very long time since I've been to a gig where I've felt as though my ears were going to be blown out by the sheer force of screaming from enthusiastic (and usually most often than not female) fans. I was really surprised by the wide range of ages I saw at the show, because I expected 's core fan base in America to be women younger than myself – the type of fan most likely to find his videos and music online. I was mistaken: judging from my vantage point on the floor, crammed up at the front were the most vocal fans; older than me, they had brought their daughters with them. For sure, women outnumbered men 5 to 1 (at least), and as I looked backwards and upwards from where I was standing, the place was packed.

I was completely unprepared for the impact of the energized shrieking from the audience when Nutini and his band, the Vipers (all six of them, including a trumpeter/pianist and an harmonica player), finally emerged. The first song out of the gate was the guaranteed to please "New Shoes," which tested Nutini's ability to run around the stage, singing along quickly to the song's quick pace, and ended was a drawn-out jam.

Sure, some of the new songs are cheesy – are polka rhythms "in"? Has polka ever been "in"? Is this 2009? – and some sound like throwbacks to some bygone era for their crooning quality. Songs like "Chamber Music" and "Candy" could have been sung by ; similarly, "No Other Way" sounded like Nutini was channeling Al Green. But if you'd asked any of the fans there that night what they thought, I'm sure they would have pledged their undying devotion to him that night.

The highlight of the gig for me was an all-out raucous version of "Jenny Don't Be Hasty" during the encore, the driving rhythms from the band feeling like a force of nature, combined with the crowd singing along eagerly with every word uttered out from Nutini's lips. Nutini and his band gave the D.C. audience everything they had, and in return, the audience cheered and applauded to the music in an equally giving way. So it seems only appropriate that he closed the show with a cover of Rodriguez’s “Forget It” with the lines “so thanks for your time / and you can thank me for mine“, which is a good summation of what happened at the 9:30 Club that night and his band came to town.

’s Set List:
New Shoes
High Hopes
Alloway Grove
Pencil Full of Lead
Loving You
Mellow Down Easy
Last Request
These Streets
Growing Up Beside You
Chamber Music
Candy
Funky Cigarette
Coming Up Easy
Down in Mexico
10/10
No Other Way
//
Tricks of the Trade (acoustic solo)
Sleepwalking
Jenny Don’t Be Hasty
Forget It (Rodriguez cover)

Tour dates
Jul 25 - Theatre of Living Arts / Philadelphia
Jul 27 – Vogue Theatre / Indianapolis
Jul 28 – Variety Playhouse / Atlanta
Jul 29 – Cannery Ballroom / Nashville
Jul 31 – Opera House / Toronto
Aug 01 – St. Andrews Hall / Detroit
Aug 02 – Vic Theatre / Chicago
Aug 03 – Weesner Amphitheater / Apple Valley, MN

: website | myspace
: myspace
: website | myspace

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The Octopus Project on tour, new mp3 “Wet Gold”!

Posted: 27 Jul 2009 07:15 AM PDT

Austin four-piece are back on the road (dates below) previewing tracks from their new record, Golden Beds, which will drop tomorrow, July 28th. They recently debuted the first of many “Visual Music” performances, playing at Austin’s Fashion Awards and rounding out an incredible 4th of July show at Stubb’s with Explosions In the Sky and .octopus project

In celebration of the EP and tour, the band are giving away a free mp3 download for their song “Wet Gold”! The song opens with a soothing ambient sound accompanied by hand claps and the tempo picks up as vocals enter with twinkling keys and ’s signature use of the theremin takes over.

The Octopus Project – “Wet Gold”

If you like “Wet Gold”, you can stream Golden Beds in its entirety here.

Tour Dates:
Jul 27 – Grog Shop / Cleveland
Jul 28 - Lee’s Palace / Toronto
Jul 29 – Il Motore / Montreal
Jul 30 – TT the Bears / Boston
Jul 31 – Jerky’s Live Music Hall / Providence
Aug 02 – Mercury Lounge / New York
Aug 03 – Kung Fu Necktie / Philadelphia
Aug 04 – Ottobar / Baltimore
Aug 05 – Cat’s Cradle / Chapel Hill
Aug 06 – Starbar / Atlanta
Aug 07 – One Eyed Jack’s / New Orleans
Aug 08 – Free Press Summer Fest / Houston
Aug 13 – Plush / Tucson
Aug 14 – Troubadour / Los Angeles
Aug 15 – Bottom of the Hill / San Francisco
Aug 17 – Doug Fir / Portland
Aug 18 – Chop Suey / Seattle
Aug 21 – Urban Lounge / Salt Lake City
Aug 22 – Larimer Lounge / Denver

: website | myspace | @ austin city limits 2008

Golden Beds
Price: USD 10.98
1 used & new available from USD 10.98

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