Review: David Wax Museum in Providence RI 12.2.11

Words // Brian Hodge

Much has been made about David Wax Museum on this site - and many, many others - along the band’s ascendant rise to indie darling-ship.  But setting aside the donkey jawbone (always awesome), going beyond the multi-instrument Mexi-’Mericana musicianship (continually impressive) and looking past their zealous marketing efforts (OK), and here emerges an undeniable authenticity in their act. 

Authenticity is often-sought, rarely obtained and difficult to describe without sounding stupid.  Maybe you just know it when you see it. Thankfully, I was able to see it on Friday night. 

On December 2, the David Wax Museum skirted south to Fête, a visually-striking (and promising) new venue in the west end of Providence.  The set burned slowly to begin with “That’s Not True” but quickly ramped up with “Beatrice,” and “The Persimmon Tree” before debuting one of two new songs for the night.

The new stuff sounded a lot like the old stuff - which is to say, lovely.  The musicality is still on full display, but an increased emphasis on vocal harmonies point toward another impressive effort.  Wax and co. plan to record the as-yet-untitled album this winter with aims of a (hopefully) fall release.

But if there any remaining pretenses about the ebullient enthusiasm on display that evening, they were quickly shed when the Museum took to the audience for an acapella version of “The Carpenter Bird.”  And then things got super-fun with the soulful “Night Was a Car” and the delightfully unhinged “Unfruitful,” two highlights from the excellent Everything Is Saved LP.

The evening closed when opener Spiritual Family Reunion joined the headliners for a passionate and personal performance of “Let Me Rest.” 

Genuine articles are few and far between, especially in today’s burgeoning, multi-Grammy nomination for Mumford & Sons, hyper-hyphenated folk music scene.  Boston should be proud to possess one in the David Wax Museum.

Spirtual Family Reunion opened the evening, journeying from New York City (“Seven hours from here, if you drive on a Friday night,” lead singer Nick Panken quipped) opened the night with revivalist foot-stompers, borrowing bits from Hank Williams and early Johnny Cash, blurring the line between past and  present all along the way.

New music: Bowerbirds - "Tuck the Darkness In"

Words // Brian Hodge

Bowerbirds, the pastoral folk outfit from North Carolina, have released a new single and some tour dates in anticipation of their new album, The Clearing.  "Tuck the Darkness In" builds with swirling instrumentation, hinting at a more expansive sonic palate than 2009's pristine Upper Air.  The Clearing, due on March 6, consists of 11 tracks, reportedly cut at Bon Iver's Wisconsin studio.  They visit the Paradise on March 24, but for now, enjoy the track below.

Bowerbirds - Tuck the Darkness In

New music: Coke Weed - "Sister Spring"

Words // Scott Pingeton

Maine's Coke Weed put out a fantastic (free!) album earlier this year.  Volume One features country-tinged, psych-rock that falls perfectly in my wheel house - impossibly tight and loose at the same time, the songs lilt and staggar along the line between garage rock and country-folk.  For the price of free, there's literally no reason you shouldn't be listening to this right now. 

The band recently released a video for "Sister Spring", a track off its upcoming LP.  Yup, I'm looking forward to this one...

New music: Wooden Dinosaur - "I Shot A Gun"

Words // Scott Pingeton

Wooden Dinosaur's Nearly Lost Stars was one of my favorite albums of 2010.  A perfect marriage of casual backporch folk instrumentation and songwriter Michael Roberts' poignant, melody-wrapped lyrics.  Since the release of Nearly Lost Stars, Roberts has been busy.  He's played a bunch of shows with Wooden Dinosaur, toured as a member of The David Wax Museum (including stops at Newport Folk and NPR's Tiny Desk Series), got married, signed to Last Kind Word Records and still carved out enough time to work on the next Wooden Dinosaur record.  "I Shot A Gun" is the first track off that upcoming album, and it picks right up where Nearly Lost Stars left off.  Shuffling percussion, appalachain fiddle and mounful pedal-steel guitar propel the song, which features plainspoken lyrics that recall Townes Van Zandt (at least to my ears).  I officially cannot wait to hear what Roberts & co. have in store for the rest of the album which drops February 7.  Watch the video for "I Shot A Gun" below and get excited:

Ticket giveaway: The Barr Brothers @ Cafe 939 Boston MA 12/1

The Barr Brothers' self-titled debut was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and it's done anything but disappoint since it's release in September.  Lush, textured folk that finds the sweet spot between ambition and restraint.  It's one of my favorite records of the year.  I missed them the last couple times they were in town, so I'm especially excited to see The Barr Brothers live for the first time this Thursday at Cafe 939.  Jocie Adams of The Low Anthem (who performs on The Barr Brothers' album) will support - just another reason you don't want to miss it.  In what's getting to be a weekly thing here on VV (not a bad trend!) we're giving away tickets!  One lucky winner and a guest will get their name on the guestlist - here's how you enter:

1. Go to the Visible Voice Facebook page and click "Like"

2. Write the name of your favorite Barr Brothers song on our FB wall

That's it!  We'll pick a winner at random tomorrow.  Here are full details and ticket info for anyone who isn't feeling lucky:

The Barr Brothers
Jocie Adams (The Low Anthem)
Cafe 939 - 939 Boylston Street,  Boston MA
8:00pm  |  $12 BUY TICKETS

Here's the creep-tastic video for "Beggar In The Morning" - easily one of the best folk songs of the year:

Michael Kiwanuka - "Home Again"

Words // Adam Sharp

Despite the obscene amount of music I consume, rare is the song that stops me dead in my tracks. In fact, I honestly can't remember the last time it occurred. That, however, is exactly what happened last night on my first listen of "Home Again" by Michael Kiwanuka. I was immediately taken by the clean, crisp guitar, light beat and Kiwanuka's fantastic, soulful croon, thinking it was all sorts of very nice. Then he got to that second chorus. Man. I just sat, jaw agape, as those double tracked vocals kicked in and I was engulfed by the swelling atmosphere of warmth coming from my speakers. Just stunning.

Michael Kiwanuka has released two EPs (I'm Getting Ready and Tell Me A Tale) this year and each is utterly fantastic and more than worth your money. "Home Again" is the title track from the EP he will be releasing in January before unleashing his proper debut full length in March. Needless to say you'll be seeing a lot of him around these parts going forward. Enjoy.

David Wax Museum video premiere + ticket giveaway

Earlier this year, VV favorites David Wax Museum released Everything Is Saved, their third full-length and an album I called "a lovingly-crafted masterpiece".  For the record, I stand by that statement and it's still one of my favorite albums of the year.  To celebrate it's release the band threw one hell of a party at Oberon in Harvard Square - complete with trapeze artists, confetti, scorpion-shaped bass guitars and splintered jawbones (donkey jawbones, that is).  Since then they've toured pretty much non-stop, criss-crossing the US and Canada from Atlanta to Winnipeg to San Diego and pretty much everywhere in between. And, well, when you spend that much time on the road this is what happens...

It can't be a good sign when donkey jawbones start talking to you...!  Luckily Alec Spiegelman stepped up, the band marched on and now we get to look forward to their triumphant return to Boston for only their second local show since the CD release back in February.  The show is December 3 at Arlington Street Church in Boston, and in these beautiful surroundings it's guaranteed to be quite the homecoming.  Visible Voice is giving away tickets to one lucky winner (and a guest), here's how you enter:

1. Go to the Visible Voice Facebook page and click "Like"

2. Write the name of your favorite David Wax Museum song on our FB wall

We'll pick a lucky winner at random on Wednesday November 23!  Good luck!  And if you want to skip all the fun and games and lock down your spot now, you can still buy tickets here.

Review: Marc Ribot's Ceramic Dog at Lily Pad 11.14.11

Words // Sarah V

When I heard Marc Ribot was bringing his Ceramic Dog band to the Boston area, I was beyond thrilled. When I found out it was going to be three blocks from my house at the tiny little Lilypad venue in Inman Square, I figured life just doesn't get any better. My favorite live rock band - right here in the neighborhood! Although calling them a rock band doesn't quite convey the right mood - they are a wild, funk- and punk-influenced noise-rock band with a talent for developing killer grooves. Mr. Ribot is known primarily for his guitar-playing (you've almost certainly heard his work on one of the hundreds of albums he's played on) and as a natural extension of that, Ceramic Dog is a primarily instrumental band with a focus on the electric guitar.

Ceramic Dog has one studio album on Pi Recordings, Party Intellectuals, but since it was recorded nearly four years ago fairly soon after the band formed, it doesn't reflect their current live concerts all that well. The band's personnel have stayed the same: Marc Ribot on electric guitar, Ches Smith on drums, and Shahzad Ismaily on electric bass, Moog, and occasional percussion. Mr. Ribot informed us that the show had been originally planned as a CD release party, but they hadn't actually gotten around to finishing the CD. Maybe next year!

They barely touched on any of their studio material during the show, instead preferring to focus mainly on their newer instrumental material and a few covers. They've always been a band heavy on the covers, doing inventive versions of anything from the Jimi Hendrix to Serge Gainsbourg. This time we were treated to the best version of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five" you will ever hear - all punked up and rocked out - as well as the classic country tune "That's Why I'm Walking" and, perhaps in a nod to the current political climate, the protest anthem "Bread and Roses."

One standout song in the middle of the show was described as "what would happen if you combined the writings of the Brothers Grimm and Kim Il-Sung," which was an intense and surreal spoken word piece, apparently created by stitching together sentences from a Grimm fairy tale and the writings of a brutal North Korean leader who was responsible for the deaths of millions. I'd heard the band perform this before, on NPR's recording from ATP and I have to say it makes a lot more sense now. Without the explanation, it makes you worry for the lyricist's sanity; with the explanation, it's really quite brilliant.

Mr. Ribot also revisited some of his own material, taking the elegant "Fat Man Blues" from his gorgeous solo acoustic guitar album, "Silent Movies," and adapting it for this noisy electric trio. Unfortunately, his  guitar abruptly stopped working during this track, and it culminated (by necessity) in an over-the-top drum and bass solo while he tried to figure out which connection had failed among the many pedals and cables he had in his setup.

When normal operation had resumed, they played an extended version of "Digital Handshake," and segued into some more high-powered rock instrumental before chilling out with a peaceful ballad... which eventually devolved into a bit of a noise-fest, courtesy of Ismaily and Smith.

After playing a thoroughly kick-ass version of "Take Five," the band came out for what might be a record-breakingly short encore of about 100 seconds of music. Presumably they were getting dirty looks from the venue staff for playing too long, because the lights came up immediately in spite of a big standing ovation.

The good news: In spite of the show being almost entirely unpublicized, Lilypad was packed to the gills. Hopefully we'll be seeing more visits from Ceramic Dog, at larger venues, in the future.

Upcoming Ceramic Dog concerts to check out:

November 16, 2011
Wind Up Space - Baltimore, MD
www.creativedifferences.us

November 17, 2011
Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, PA
http://arsnovaworkshop.org

November 18, 2011
Union Pool - Brooklyn, NY
http://www.union-pool.com/

December 13, 2011
Brooklyn Bowl - Brooklyn, NY
http://www.brooklynbowl.com/calendar

The Wooden Sky Live at Lizard Lounge Cambridge 11.11.11

Words // Scott Pingeton

The last time The Wooden Sky played Boston was a mid-week set at an empty Rosebud in Somerville.  For most in attendance that night, the music was just a soundtrack to another night of High Lifes and Keno, but for me it was a revelation.  You see, about a week earlier I had discovered the band's most recent album If I Don't Come Home You'll Know I'm Gone, a record that captivated me in a way that no record had in a long time.  It is at the same time instantly accessible yet worthy of the countless spins I've given it.  Simple, timeless folk, sweeping crescendos and classic rock swagger filtere through an indie rock lens. If there was ever a band tailored perfectly to my tastes, it is The Wooden Sky.  The band's performance that night, to an empty bar, cemented a lot for me.  For them to play their hearts out the way they did proved beyond a doubt that these guys were the real deal.  I think that night I may have tweeted something along the lines of "I've seen the future of rock n' roll..." -- highly original, right?  But it was from the heart.

The turnout for the band's sold out Lizard Lounge show this past weekend in Cambridge undoubtedly had a lot more to do with the fact that it was a Friday night at a better venue than my breathless pontificating, but nevertheless it was satisfying to see Boston come out and support these guys. 

The show opened with "When Lost At Sea" off the band's debut LP of the same name.  From there, the setlist traversed the band's catalogue, drawing heavily from If I Don't Come Home, You Know I'm Gone as well as their recent digital/cassette City of Light EP and a few brand new songs.  Each release has seen the band expanding their sound - 2007's When Lost At Sea treads mostly in traditional folk and rock territory, while 2009's If I Don't Come Home, You'll Know I'm Gone shows a bit more sonic experimentation and more nuanced arrangements.  The new EP sees the band expanding the pallette further - "Take Me Out" is a doo-wop inspired gem, and the title track showcases a touch of atmospherics that hint promisingly at the future. 

I've rarely seen a band so in the pocket, versatile and confident as The Wooden Sky are on stage.  They give the impression of hardened road veterans - and after playing together for 8 years, I guess that's true.  Still, it's impressive to see them effortlessly change dynamics and styles from hushed country-folk harmonies to guitar-driven, reverb-drenched jams and, what the hell, a spot-on Nirvana cover.  This was without question one of the best shows I've seen all year.  The reason I started Visible Voice was to share the music that I believe in, and there is no better example than They Wooden Sky.  A sold out Lizard Lounge is a start, but they are are destined for much bigger things - it's just a matter of time.  

We recorded the entire set in fantastic sound quality - stream/download below.  Huge thanks to the Lizard Lounge for accommodating us and for The Wooden Sky for letting us share this with you all.  If you dig what you hear, please support The Wooden Sky by 1) telling your friends and 2) buying their music.

The Wooden Sky
Lizard Lounge - Cambridge, MA
November 11, 2011

When Lost At Sea
(Bit Part)
City of Light
New Song 1
New Song 2 (for Jonathan Richman)
My Old Ghosts
Angels
New Song 3
Oslo
Go Straight
Take Me Out
Angelina
Something Hiding For Us In The Night
All Apologies
The Late King Henry

Full set download:  mp3 zip

Bonus video from VV reader @jeffersash...

City of Light

Oslo

All Aplogies (Nirvana cover)