The Lovely Sparrows, She Keeps Bees, Professor Murder & more tonight
Pianos: Austin’s The Lovely Sparrows is the brainchild of singer/songwriter Shawn Jones. Over a free-flowing, plucked rhythm of his acoustic guitar, he creates a tender sound fit for accompanying folk fairy tales. His storytelling vision is evident in the way he sparingly deploys little details of various instruments (like flutes, piano, violin, etc) as if each were a character coming in and out of a scene–this disciplined restrain of his adds a lot of texture to the tunes. Pay attention to the lyrics, too. In “Year of the Dog” he sings, “I was waiting out / To save you / You were into that / Romantic shit / And wanted to die young / It was plain to see / To everyone but me / There are no haunted places / Only people we / Still wish that we could see”. The band is playing at Pianos tonight with Satori, Illamanjaromo, and at Union Hall tomorrow.
More bands and all mp3 links after the jump.
More of The Lovely Sparrows: Daytrotter Session | iTunes | And the video below.
Cake Shop: Brooklyn’s She Keeps Bees are big-voiced, bluesy singer Jessica Larrabee and drummer Andy LaPlant. Cat Power comaprisons are numerous, with one blog in SF writing just today, “If Johnny Cash and Cat Power had an illegitimate love child, it would be named She Keeps Bees. And Janis Joplin would be their Godmother”; LVHRD posted back in January, when the duo had a residency at Pianos, “While She Keeps Bees seems to owe a lot to Cat Power’s What Would the Community Think?, Larabee’s voice stands alone as a straight-shooting, tell-it-like-it-is motown quality.” After releasing a 10-track Minisink Hotel in 2006, the band released Shhhh EP in 2007, and this year’s newest is titled Nests. They’re playing with King Darves, Viking Moses, Neckbeard Telecaster, Barghest.
Music Hall of Williamsburg: Optimum Friday night dancing with New York’s Professor Murder and Free Blood. The former’s “Civilization Three” reminds of me Strawberry-Jams-esque Animal Collective actually. In a much brighter spirit, of course. This show is free.
Bowery Ballroom: Brooklyn’s quartet Jupiter One just released a self-titled debut, filled with mostly upbeat, sparkly, catchy tunes. Founding members K Ishibashi and Zac Colwell met while on a national tour with Barnum’s “Kaleidoscape” Circus in 2000! Of all places. New York Times described the circus back then as “the big-time one-ring circus filled with superb acts that has pitched its red-and-white spired tent through Dec. 31, in Bryant Park, where even jaded New Yorkers are likely to find themselves dazzled.” The band is playing with Your Vegas, Band of Thieves, Jeff Taylor.
Union Hall: Looker began as a “hot summer’s experiment” amongst childhood friends Boshra Alsaadi and Nicole Greco, eventually evolving into a three-part woman, one-part man quartet creating vintage-flavored pop rock songs. The Unstacked Hearts is “your favorite experimental bar band”. Watch out for lyrics like this: “They say martinis are like women’s breasts / Three is too many, one is not enough”. Headlining is The Homosexuals.
Mercury Lounge: For the early show, New York’s five-piece Jacksonknife is opening for The Head Set. Evidence of xylophone and violin are in the video below. Late show is Petty Fest 2008 celebrating greatest hits from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, featuring all or some members of Fountains of Wayne, Hymns, Longwaves, etc.
Death by Audio: There are two insane drummers in Necking, one certainly more so than the other. When I saw them at Cake Shop last, he dashed into the audience and engaged in entertaining antics, then later sat smiling, selling CDs. This transformation of behavior was cute and hilarious, to say the least. Joined by The Fucking Ocean, The Dashing Suns, Doppelganger.
Rehab: Some 80’s-styled lifestyle inspiration to kick-start the weekend with, courtesy Ruby Isle, “Hey, hey, hey, that kid’s okay / He’s just another sucker with bills to pay / Money only matters when you work all day / But you’re gonna blow it on the weekend anyway”. Playing with Apteka, The Buddy System, Cof Cof, Shock Cinema. Early show: Cruel Black Dove, Pelagia.
Le Royale: Holy Ghost, Alex English and friends // Union Pool: Traveling Circle, Whooping Crane, White Clam // Southpaw: BK Loves New Orleans, Hot 8 Brass, The Pimps of Joytime // South Streat Seaport: Grand Archives , Violens (free!).
Playlist
The Lovely Sparrows: Year of the Dog
She Keeps Bees: Focus
Professor Murder: Civilization Three
Ruby Isle: Hey Hey Hey
Jacksonknife: Healthy Diets
Free Blood: Quick and Painful
Jupiter One: Unglued
Looker: After My Divorce
The Unsacred Hearts: I am Joe
Necking: Sweet Pollen
The Fucking Ocean: Literacy Test
The Homosexuals: Heart in Exile
Grand Archives: Minature Birds
