Already, the best album of 2009. It is. Sorry Jenny. :-[ :o :( :) :D 8-)
Anonaminal is already one of the best songs I've ever heard, ever.
Fuh. King. A.
My dear Jesus this album is perfect. Completely eclipses Armchair Apocrypha in so many ways.
QuoteFuh. King. A.
My dear Jesus this album is perfect. Completely eclipses Armchair Apocrypha in so many ways.
I concur. And I love Armchair. 8-)
QuoteQuoteFuh. King. A.
My dear Jesus this album is perfect. Completely eclipses Armchair Apocrypha in so many ways.
I concur. And I love Armchair. 8-)
I actually had a real hard time with Armchairs, but I think it's because I loved the beginnings of so many of those songs in the intensely intimate environments they were played in, and it just felt somehow unfitting. Especially "armchairs" the song. The version from the Studio 105 session in French was so desolate and beautiful and incredible, and I was SO jazzed about the fact that he finally recorded it and it just
died with the piano part before the vocals. Like it lost all of its flow or something. Don't quite know how to describe it, and I'm not an expert at all, but there were just a lot of songs there that never quite "did it" for me in their studio versions. I made an alternate cut of the album out of the bootlegs for that reasons. Love the songs (for the most part) just didn't love the flow and some of the production of the album.
QuoteQuoteQuoteFuh. King. A.
My dear Jesus this album is perfect. Completely eclipses Armchair Apocrypha in so many ways.
I concur. And I love Armchair. 8-)
I actually had a real hard time with Armchairs, but I think it's because I loved the beginnings of so many of those songs in the intensely intimate environments they were played in, and it just felt somehow unfitting. Especially "armchairs" the song. The version from the Studio 105 session in French was so desolate and beautiful and incredible, and I was SO jazzed about the fact that he finally recorded it and it just died with the piano part before the vocals. Like it lost all of its flow or something. Don't quite know how to describe it, and I'm not an expert at all, but there were just a lot of songs there that never quite "did it" for me in their studio versions. I made an alternate cut of the album out of the bootlegs for that reasons. Love the songs (for the most part) just didn't love the flow and some of the production of the album.
I hear ya. I really do love that album, although you may have heard more live versions than me. I heard a bit from before the album came out, but not much. Thats always going to be a problem for musicians...to play or not to play, before an actual recorded, definitive version is out. I know that Damien Rice didn't want his shows recorded for a while before 9 came out, because he didn't want people to get used to the early versions of his new songs, because they were probably going to change a bit.
The beautiful thing about Bird though is the way a lot of those songs had morphed over time. Dark Matter went all the way back, in some parts, to Sweet Breads which is at least five years old. We've all heard I from Weather Systems, and it's been through a few stages, adding the chorus and all the lyrics, having to strike out the bit that didn't sit well with Sesame Street. I think he really crafted a lot of those on his own, and suddenly had the ability to bring a band in and maybe it didn't sit too well at points because that's not how those were written. You can really feel songs like "Plasticity" and "Heretics" and especially "Simple X" in their recorded versions as those were most DEFINITELY written with collaboration in mind. Haha, there's versions of those songs that don't work because it's Andrew Playing them solo and they're missing components.
So there's a definite give and take with the material. I'd love to see Andrew climb into the silo and just take us through solo compositions of everything in the way he crafted them before bringing them into the studio. There's a lot of gold in watching him craft loops. I remember searching hard to find a recording of "Opposite Day" on archive.org and being totally blown away by the way he tracks so many parts so seamlessly and just all of a sudden has this massive wall of his sound at his fingertips. The same thing happens with "Armchairs" in the Studio 105 recording.
But that's enough of my yakkin'.
I might need to start the Andrew Bird muso thread. Anyone be opposed to or offended by that?
Not at all. 8-)
Do you guys have the instrumental album, useless creatures? I still haven't popped that one in. I will today....
I'm hoping to pick this up today. If I can't find a version that has Useless Creatures then I'll have to hold off because I really want to hear that.
QuoteDo you guys have the instrumental album, useless creatures? I still haven't popped that one in. I will today....
I will too. Let's convene this afternoon to discuss. :)
QuoteDo you guys have the instrumental album, useless creatures? I still haven't popped that one in. I will today....
My record store didn't have the one with that. Boo, I say. Boo. :(
QuoteQuoteDo you guys have the instrumental album, useless creatures? I still haven't popped that one in. I will today....
I will too. Let's convene this afternoon to discuss. :)
It's beeeeeeautiful. "You Woke Me Up!" and the "Carrion Suite" are probably my two faves, but it's so fun just to get to hear him jamming around crafting things together like that. I think making this alongside the album helped out the album, too, in an interesting kind of way.
"Carrion Suite" is the jam! As a violinist, it's really interesting to listen to from a technical standpoint; it sounds like he's playing with the back of his bow? I think there's a word for that technique, but I've long since forgotten what it is.
I was in a tax training the last few hours but I'm going to give it another listen now. On first listen it struck me as kind of world-music-y.
I love Andrew's voice. the man has perfect pitch!
Dosh's work on this record is pretty sweet too....
Quote"Carrion Suite" is the jam! As a violinist, it's really interesting to listen to from a technical standpoint; it sounds like he's playing with the back of his bow? I think there's a word for that technique, but I've long since forgotten what it is.
I was in a tax training the last few hours but I'm going to give it another listen now. On first listen it struck me as kind of world-music-y.
DEFINITELY back of his bow. I dated a violist for a while and she played Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain" and they had a part in it with that technique. Reeeally interesting sound that Andrew gets though, almost like a hammered dulcimer or something with the way he uses it. I need to give that one some repeated listens, too.
Normally I wouldn't consider buying this album, but your reviews have piqued my interest. I checked out some samples and I definitely like what I hear, though I'm not sold.
Anyone want to tell me why I should part with my hard earned government loans?
QuoteNormally I wouldn't consider buying this album, but your reviews have piqued my interest. I checked out some samples and I definitely like what I hear, though I'm not sold.
Anyone want to tell me why I should part with my hard earned government loans?
The compositions just stand superior. It's like he's come into his own now as an artist with a band behind him in a studio. The entire thing is beautifully written and there's not a single skippable track in the entire hour. Seriously. It's got my vote for album of '09 so far. It's going to take some serious work to edge him out.
QuoteNormally I wouldn't consider buying this album, but your reviews have piqued my interest. I checked out some samples and I definitely like what I hear, though I'm not sold.
Anyone want to tell me why I should part with my hard earned government loans?
Because it's the best album thats going to come out in 2009. If it's not, then I can't fucking wait to hear the album that is....
QuoteQuoteNormally I wouldn't consider buying this album, but your reviews have piqued my interest. I checked out some samples and I definitely like what I hear, though I'm not sold.
Anyone want to tell me why I should part with my hard earned government loans?
Because it's the best album thats going to come out in 2009. If it's not, then I can't fucking wait to hear the album that is....
Highly agreed, sir.
Bit of a yeowch review from the Chicago Reader:
http://www.chicagoreader.com/features/stories/sharpdarts/090122/
And second Chicago show added, April 9!
Letterman tommorow night! (Tuesday, 1-27)
QuoteLetterman tommorow night! (Tuesday, 1-27)
dude, it took me FOREVER to figure out who you were!
QuoteQuoteLetterman tommorow night! (Tuesday, 1-27)
dude, it took me FOREVER to figure out who you were!
;D Tom, I've had the same picture for 3 years. ;)
I agree with everyone and everything said about this album. It's beautiful...just...stunning.
I went to Philly last night to see him and was blown away. He even said he was performing with a low-grade fever and he did look a little drained, but it didn't come through in his performance. The Noble Beast songs sounded great...hell, everything sounded great.
Amazing musician.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3515/3230049882_8c15a62933.jpg?v=0)
Oooh, lucky! Setlist?
QuoteOooh, lucky! Setlist?
Lord. Let's test my memory here. This is approximately the order. Only one encore song and that was Why? I think I'm forgetting one. I would make an awesome journalist.
Fitz and the Dizzyspells
Masterswarm
Nomenclature
Anonanimal
Fake Palindromes
Imitosis
Tables and Chairs
Not a Robot, But a Ghost
Oh No
Tenuousness
Natural Disaster
On Ho (thrown in at some point...)
Souverian
Why?
Impressive! And a nice setlist, too...
QuoteImpressive! And a nice setlist, too...
Yeah. I thought my report was pretty lame for such a fantastic show. I need the skill and talent of Ms. Yvon when it comes to concert recaps. :)
Are you going to see him on this tour? You better.
Wow, thanks for the review! That setlist is heavy on the Noble Beast! I like that. I can't wait until March.
did anonanimal properly explode your brain?
Quotedid anonanimal properly explode your brain?
I was wondering what happened there... ;)
He really is fantastic live and was still tinkering with the Noble Beast songs. The intro to Fitz and Dizzyspells was beautiful. He was sort of improv-ing with the end of Masterswarm and they stopped abruptly and no one clapped and he said 'Oh, that's it' and everyone erupted. He laughed and said, 'Yeah, we're still working some of these out.'
He's so relaxed and I love that he doesn't take himself too seriously since he should, because he's brilliant. Before Fake Palindromes he paused to rosin his bow saying he needed some traction for the next song. Of course, you can imagine the motion of up down up down he was making with his hand. This guy in the crowd yelled out, 'YEAH BABY!' and Andrew wiggled his eyebrows and said, 'ohhh, yeeeeeah...' while stroking the bow.
Very nice.
QuoteQuotedid anonanimal properly explode your brain?
I was wondering what happened there... ;)
He really is fantastic live and was still tinkering with the Noble Beast songs. The intro to Fitz and Dizzyspells was beautiful. He was sort of improv-ing with the end of Masterswarm and they stopped abruptly and no one clapped and he said 'Oh, that's it' and everyone erupted. He laughed and said, 'Yeah, we're still working some of these out.'
He's so relaxed and I love that he doesn't take himself too seriously since he should, because he's brilliant. Before Fake Palindromes he paused to rosin his bow saying he needed some traction for the next song. Of course, you can imagine the motion of up down up down he was making with his hand. This guy in the crowd yelled out, 'YEAH BABY!' and Andrew wiggled his eyebrows and said, 'ohhh, yeeeeeah...' while stroking the bow.
Very nice.
YEEESSSS!!! God, I
love his live shows! Cannot wait til next week!
Holy crap, I remember seeing him two years ago in support of Armchairs, and they played Plasticties and the end was the most gorgeous thing of all time. Everything faded out but a loop that Andrew was running through the spinning speaker, which he then faded out so that all there was left to hear was the sound of the speaker throwing wind against the microphone. It was dead silent for a full twenty seconds. I think everyone just realized they'd been a part of a spiritual experience right there. I can't explain it any other way than that. It was a serious moment of musical spirituality, where what was happening onstage overtook the performers and the audience and transcended that boundary of making music and pushed into some sort of enraptured homage to what holds this world together. I have never experienced an entire room rendered silent by the power of a performance like that, almost as if everyone within earshot actually became a part of that song, that moment, that transcendence. Thank God it was taped.
http://ia340931.us.archive.org/3/items/abird2007-04-16.cmc4.flacf/abird2007-04-16t11-plasticities_vbr.mp3
And the Chicago Reader called him too emotionless.
Don't forget tonight is Letterman.
QuoteQuoteImpressive! And a nice setlist, too...
Yeah. I thought my report was pretty lame for such a fantastic show. I need the skill and talent of Ms. Yvon when it comes to concert recaps. :)
Are you going to see him on this tour? You better.
I am, yeah...I have 3rd row for his April 10th show at the opera house here (eek, eek, eeeeeek!) and will be trying for tickets to the April 9th show this weekend.
QuoteQuoteQuotedid anonanimal properly explode your brain?
I was wondering what happened there... ;)
He really is fantastic live and was still tinkering with the Noble Beast songs. The intro to Fitz and Dizzyspells was beautiful. He was sort of improv-ing with the end of Masterswarm and they stopped abruptly and no one clapped and he said 'Oh, that's it' and everyone erupted. He laughed and said, 'Yeah, we're still working some of these out.'
He's so relaxed and I love that he doesn't take himself too seriously since he should, because he's brilliant. Before Fake Palindromes he paused to rosin his bow saying he needed some traction for the next song. Of course, you can imagine the motion of up down up down he was making with his hand. This guy in the crowd yelled out, 'YEAH BABY!' and Andrew wiggled his eyebrows and said, 'ohhh, yeeeeeah...' while stroking the bow.
Very nice.
YEEESSSS!!! God, I love his live shows! Cannot wait til next week!
Holy crap, I remember seeing him two years ago in support of Armchairs, and they played Plasticties and the end was the most gorgeous thing of all time. Everything faded out but a loop that Andrew was running through the spinning speaker, which he then faded out so that all there was left to hear was the sound of the speaker throwing wind against the microphone. It was dead silent for a full twenty seconds. I think everyone just realized they'd been a part of a spiritual experience right there. I can't explain it any other way than that. It was a serious moment of musical spirituality, where what was happening onstage overtook the performers and the audience and transcended that boundary of making music and pushed into some sort of enraptured homage to what holds this world together. I have never experienced an entire room rendered silent by the power of a performance like that, almost as if everyone within earshot actually became a part of that song, that moment, that transcendence. Thank God it was taped.
http://ia340931.us.archive.org/3/items/abird2007-04-16.cmc4.flacf/abird2007-04-16t11-plasticities_vbr.mp3
And the Chicago Reader called him too emotionless.
Thanks for that link.
Emotionless?? Oh my GOD. What is wrong with people? It's like they don't quite know how to feel.
QuoteI am, yeah...I have 3rd row for his April 10th show at the opera house here (eek, eek, eeeeeek!) and will be trying for tickets to the April 9th show this weekend.
Yay! Awesome -- i hope you get tickets. I read they added another show after the first one sold out.
Now I'm off to drink some caffeine and stay up late for Letterman. Thanks for the reminder BH.
that letterman performance just blew my mind. i'll be picking up this album very soon.
Quotethat letterman performance just blew my mind. i'll be picking up this album very soon.
Get on it, man!
QuoteGet on it, man!
friday!
andrew should collaborate with owen pallett - http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=7rjr5TJH2oI
Noble Beast tour poster. Love when Diana Sudyka does his posters.
(http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/14/l_c26546d4fc7e45519dd80f27ba2a12af.jpg)
QuoteNoble Beast tour poster. Love when Diana Sudyka does his posters.
(http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/14/l_c26546d4fc7e45519dd80f27ba2a12af.jpg)
Hot damn, this'll have to go next to my beautiful poster of hers from the 2007 tour!
Ha! I have that poster...but missed nearly the entire show because I was drinking whiskey with Andrew Whiteman from BSS/Apostle of Hustle ;D
So I've been thinking about the "emotionless" claim and I don't think it's entirely without merit. Just because his music evokes emotion in the listener doesn't mean it comes from an emotional place.
That said, I think the lyrics on this record are a lot more personal that anything he's written before.
QuoteHa! I have that poster...but missed nearly the entire show because I was drinking whiskey with Andrew Whiteman from BSS/Apostle of Hustle ;D
that's so cool! 'folkloric feel' is one of my favourite canadian albums of this decade. they lost me a little bit with the follow-up, but "my sword hand's anger" is still an absolute gem of a song.
QuoteNoble Beast tour poster. Love when Diana Sudyka does his posters.
(http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images02/14/l_c26546d4fc7e45519dd80f27ba2a12af.jpg)
They didn't have this for sale at the show Sunday...
>:(
Fuck! Totally forgot to get a poster tonight!
Here's the setlist:
Intro
Water Jet Cilice (Hells. Yes.)
Master Swarm
Oh No
Banking on a Myth (This was quite awesome. Haven't played this one in four years, Andrew said)
Plasticities -- Hell. Yes.
Natural Disaster
Nomenclature
Not a Robot, But a Ghost
Fitz and the Dizzyspells
Anonanimal
Privateer
Imitosis
Souverian
Nervous Tic Motion
Tables and Chair
---
Why?
Some of These Days (Beautiful. Three part harmony, and Andrew unplugged the violin so that it was only audible mic'd. We were close enough to the stage to be able to hear him strumming it when he wasn't holding it up to the mic. Definitely one of the highlights of my evening :D)
Fake Palindromes. Fucking love the new band for the depth of sound they bring to the table on tunes like these.
It was an incredible show, really beautifully done in so many ways. Jeremy's guitar on Anonanimal and the bridge from Souverian were absolutely brilliant and gorgeous. Hot damn, I'd love to see them play in an 18 and up venue.
Also:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v351/eiseyrokker/DSC00250.jpg)
QuoteFuck! Totally forgot to get a poster tonight!
Here's the setlist:
Intro
Water Jet Cilice (Hells. Yes.)
Master Swarm
Oh No
Banking on a Myth (This was quite awesome. Haven't played this one in four years, Andrew said)
Plasticities -- Hell. Yes.
Natural Disaster
Nomenclature
Not a Robot, But a Ghost
Fitz and the Dizzyspells
Anonanimal
Privateer
Imitosis
Souverian
Nervous Tic Motion
Tables and Chair
---
Why?
Some of These Days (Beautiful. Three part harmony, and Andrew unplugged the violin so that it was only audible mic'd. We were close enough to the stage to be able to hear him strumming it when he wasn't holding it up to the mic. Definitely one of the highlights of my evening :D)
Fake Palindromes. Fucking love the new band for the depth of sound they bring to the table on tunes like these.
It was an incredible show, really beautifully done in so many ways. Jeremy's guitar on Anonanimal and the bridge from Souverian were absolutely brilliant and gorgeous. Hot damn, I'd love to see them play in an 18 and up venue.
Awesome Tom, I can't wait.
What is the name of the third song on Useless Creatures. Listened to that this morning and that song is badass!
Quote
Water Jet Cilice (Hells. Yes.)
OHHHHH. Love that song. I've never heard him play it live. Were there cicadas, like on the Fingerlings 3 version?
BH, it's Nyatiti.
QuoteQuote
Water Jet Cilice (Hells. Yes.)
OHHHHH. Love that song. I've never heard him play it live. Were there cicadas, like on the Fingerlings 3 version?
BH, it's Nyatiti.
I was so jazzed about that one, can't even express how much so. He performed it solo, too, which blew me the hell away. No cicadas, but looped as hell and absolutely beautiful.
By the way, he's got a new mic set up for looping vocals. And he's begun whistling into the violin as well...
:)
Quotewhistling into the violin
WHAAAAAAAA?
QuoteQuotewhistling into the violin
WHAAAAAAAA?
YEEESSSS!!! It's how Master Sigh was birthed. But I won't ruin the surprise of what song he pulls it out on...
Bird and Wilco fans might enjoy.
http://www.vimeo.com/1061948
Bird track from Dark is the Night compilation streaming today.
http://www.myspace.com/DarkWasTheNight
I completely missed your recap of the show, Tom. It sounds amaaaaaaaazing!!!! Glad you had a good time.
:)
the birdman is on leno tommorow.
Have we discussed the Rolling Stone article about Mr. Bird, which includes quotes from our very own Jim James, and mentions the fact that Bird is crashing at Jim's house in NYC?
We haven't?
Well we should.
QuoteHave we discussed the Rolling Stone article about Mr. Bird, which includes quotes from our very own Jim James, and mentions the fact that Bird is crashing at Jim's house in NYC?
We haven't?
Well we should.
exsqueeze me?
just got the album this week.
it suits any time of day, i love painting to it, cooking to it, watching the sun come through the kitchen windows and my roommates puppy trying to hump my cat.......
Andrew Bird is amazing. So glad I got to see him and meet him before it became so difficult/expensive for me to do so.
QuoteHave we discussed the Rolling Stone article about Mr. Bird, which includes quotes from our very own Jim James, and mentions the fact that Bird is crashing at Jim's house in NYC?
We haven't?
Well we should.
Ohhh, I need to get that! I want to be at breakfast in that house!
meggha, I don't have much time to work on art projects like I used to, but when I do, Mr. Bird always works best for inspiration. When I put in Mysterious Production of Eggs I get those white eyes like the guys that paint the future in the show heroes
(http://www.tvgasm.com/shows/images/topchef/200811251441.jpg)
QuoteQuoteHave we discussed the Rolling Stone article about Mr. Bird, which includes quotes from our very own Jim James, and mentions the fact that Bird is crashing at Jim's house in NYC?
We haven't?
Well we should.
Ohhh, I need to get that! I want to be at breakfast in that house!
Seriously. What I wouldn't pay to rent that spare room.
I can't find the article online, alas.
QuoteQuoteQuoteHave we discussed the Rolling Stone article about Mr. Bird, which includes quotes from our very own Jim James, and mentions the fact that Bird is crashing at Jim's house in NYC?
We haven't?
Well we should.
Ohhh, I need to get that! I want to be at breakfast in that house!
Seriously. What I wouldn't pay to rent that spare room.
I can't find the article online, alas.
What's on the cover, just so I can make sure I get the right one?
Mine had a "renew now!" cover ;D I can't remember...I'll check tonight. It's the latest issue, if that helps.
QuoteQuoteQuoteQuoteHave we discussed the Rolling Stone article about Mr. Bird, which includes quotes from our very own Jim James, and mentions the fact that Bird is crashing at Jim's house in NYC?
We haven't?
Well we should.
Ohhh, I need to get that! I want to be at breakfast in that house!
Seriously. What I wouldn't pay to rent that spare room.
I can't find the article online, alas.
What's on the cover, just so I can make sure I get the right one?
Sean Penn
Oh, I was looking in the one with Taylor Swift on the cover! Oops. Found it! Page 36.
What an amazing musical journey. Went down with a friend who didn't have a ticket only to find out it was SOLD OUT! On a Sunday night no less. Luckily, I found a guy who was selling a pair for $80, I then tracked down someone else who needed a single ticket and made it all work out. This was no easy task considering all the other people walking up without tickets only to walk away pissed off that they didn't buy ahead.
Anyway, the opening band, the Heartless Bastards, were really great. I will be buying there new CD immediately. The lead singer has a killer voice and the band was tight.
What can I say about Andrew Bird? He opened with two songs solo that I wasn't familiar with, but it was a perfect way to introduce my friend to his looping lunacy! He's sold by the way.
I can't remember everything he played but I know he played the following....
Noble Beast
Oh No
Masterswarm
Fits and Dizzyspells
Effigy
Not a Robot but A Ghost
Anonanimal (Wow)
Eggs
A Nervous Tic Motion
Fake Palindromes AMAZING!!!
Table and Chairs
Skin
WHY? solo was so great. He had some spotlights behind him so you could only kind of see his outline. That was a real crowd pleaser.
Watching him an Dosh work their magic was mesmerizing.
Like I said, it was just an amazing musical journey. Please go see him if he comes near.
QuoteWhat an amazing musical journey. Went down with a friend who didn't have a ticket only to find out it was SOLD OUT! On a Sunday night no less. Luckily, I found a guy who was selling a pair for $80, I then tracked down someone else who needed a single ticket and made it all work out. This was no easy task considering all the other people walking up without tickets only to walk away pissed off that they didn't buy ahead.
Anyway, the opening band, the Heartless Bastards, were really great. I will be buying there new CD immediately. The lead singer has a killer voice and the band was tight.
What can I say about Andrew Bird? He opened with two songs solo that I wasn't familiar with, but it was a perfect way to introduce my friend to his looping lunacy! He's sold by the way.
I can't remember everything he played but I know he played the following....
Noble Beast
Oh No
Masterswarm
Fits and Dizzyspells
Effigy
Not a Robot but A Ghost
Anonanimal (Wow)
Eggs
A Nervous Tic Motion
Fake Palindromes AMAZING!!!
Table and Chairs
Skin
WHY? solo was so great. He had some spotlights behind him so you could only kind of see his outline. That was a real crowd pleaser.
Watching him an Dosh work their magic was mesmerizing.
Like I said, it was just an amazing musical journey. Please go see him if he comes near.
BH-i am hooked on the heartless bastards, too.
Awesome Dave! Glad you had a great time. Maybe one of the openers was Section 8 City (he played that when I saw him solo a couple of months ago) :
http://www.fromthebasement.co.uk/movie.php?number=02&artist=andrew_bird
See a sea anemone
oh & there are 3 words that say My Morning Jacket to the left of that page. It doesnt highlight like most of them when you scroll thru the band names. Hopefully the session will show up on the Volume 2 DVD. Volume 1 was just released. Boo Ya! ;)
QuoteWhat an amazing musical journey. Went down with a friend who didn't have a ticket only to find out it was SOLD OUT! On a Sunday night no less. Luckily, I found a guy who was selling a pair for $80, I then tracked down someone else who needed a single ticket and made it all work out. This was no easy task considering all the other people walking up without tickets only to walk away pissed off that they didn't buy ahead.
Anyway, the opening band, the Heartless Bastards, were really great. I will be buying there new CD immediately. The lead singer has a killer voice and the band was tight.
What can I say about Andrew Bird? He opened with two songs solo that I wasn't familiar with, but it was a perfect way to introduce my friend to his looping lunacy! He's sold by the way.
I can't remember everything he played but I know he played the following....
Noble Beast
Oh No
Masterswarm
Fits and Dizzyspells
Effigy
Not a Robot but A Ghost
Anonanimal (Wow)
Eggs
A Nervous Tic Motion
Fake Palindromes AMAZING!!!
Table and Chairs
Skin
WHY? solo was so great. He had some spotlights behind him so you could only kind of see his outline. That was a real crowd pleaser.
Watching him an Dosh work their magic was mesmerizing.
Like I said, it was just an amazing musical journey. Please go see him if he comes near.
Dude, check out the Water Jet Cilice? Perhaps this was one of them??
QuoteAwesome Dave! Glad you had a great time. Maybe one of the openers was Section 8 City (he played that when I saw him solo a couple of months ago) :
http://www.fromthebasement.co.uk/movie.php?number=02&artist=andrew_bird
See a sea anemone
I've been checking that page to see if the MMJ link pops up as well! I'm worried that maybe it was something they were supposed to do when they were in Europe and it got canceled. Hopefully not.
Now that I listened to Section City 8, I almost positive that was the opening song. Nice guess! And Tom, yours may have been the second one, I'll have to check it out. Do either of those songs show up on a recording anywhere?
Hope all is well Murph, I've been meaning to check in with you, and I will soon!
OK, so I confirmed that it was Section 8 City that opened the show and it flowed right into Water Jet Celice. Damn, you guys are good. ;)
I also figured out that Section 8 City is from the Soldier On EP which I have, but obviously don't listen to nearly enough!
I'm going to try to get into the Austin City Limits taping for Andrew tomorrow night. Fingers crossed, wish me luck!
pretty hilarious:
http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/artists/andrew_bird/
Saw Andrew Bird last night in Oxford, Miss. Opened with Dark Matter (a ma zing) and played the usuals from Noble Beast, plus I recall, Nervous Tick Motion, Fake Palindrones, Measuring Cups, Skin Is My, Tables and Chairs, Placticities. Pretty big crowd and easily the most talkers I have ever encountered at a show. Period. There were a couple of times when I could not hear the band (and I was 5 from the rail). Andrew Bird actually mentioned it a couple of times. The first time he said it was the first time he could remember asking the audience to quiet down. He was trying to be cool, saying he didn't want to ruin the "vibe". About 20 minutes later he addressed it again, talked about how playing Carniege Hall may have given him the "big head" and that they were at a bar and all. He was a good sport about it, but good grief, raising hell at an Andrew Bird show is like seeing MMJ and sitting down.
He was doing one of his closers, Why?, I think, and the drunkest guy of all, in a venue trying to be quiet, clapping his hands over his head, so far out of beat, so drunk, so "not connecting with anyone" and Andrew Bird just looks at him and says, "The time I am keeping is in a totally different dimension that the one you are in" and then towards the end, Bird just sort of hesitated mid-lyric and just looked at the guy, smiled and sort of shook his head. I kept my cool but people around him were geting pretty testy. At one point my wife told him, "Dude, if you don't quit with the clapping I'm sweeping the leg"; she got a collective nod from everyone around us and the guy just mumbled some BS, quit clapping for 1 minute then conitinued.
The show was fantastic and I'd love to see him in a "quieter" venue. He's amazing.
I dunno. Seems like the crowds are getting less and less clued in to the fact that they're not the ones on stage. I just think it's going to get worse. I just don't get it.
Oh yeah, about 2 hours before the show we almost ran down Andrew Bird in a cross walk. Pretty cool. I waved, he nodded, and walked in front of my car.
The crowd in Houston was very loud as well. I was shocked. I really just don't understand why one would want to pay to go to a show and just sit at the bar and talk the whole time. :-?
Still loving this album and can't wait to see him next week!!! :)