When the band he was in broke up, singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Jannis Noya Makrigiannis left Copenhagen for a Greek island and began working on his own material. That music ultimately featured dark lyrics, layered vocals and orchestral instrumentation. And when Markirgiannis returned to Denmark he found a rotating group of musicians to play with under the name Choir of Young Believers. The band’s debut EP, Burn the Flag, came out in 2007 and earned a fair amount of play on Danish radio. Since then the group has released more material, toured and played SXSW. And next week, Choir of Young Believers (above, doing “Why Must It Always Be This Way” for KEXP FM) release their second LP, Rhine Gold, in the US and, even better, play Mercury Lounge on Monday night.
Lee Fields has been making music for quite some time. His first album came out in 1969. So it’s safe to say he’s been around. He started out in the funk business, earning favorable comparisons to James Brown throughout the ’70s. And while the ’80s were somewhat quiet for him, he returned strong in the ’90s, making bluesy soul music. But since teaming up with local label Truth & Soul and its house band, the Expressions, his music has been reinvigorated. To witness: the excellent, just released Faithful Man, which marries old-school R&B and soul with modern touches. Tomorrow, Lee Fields and the Expressions (above, doing “Love Comes and Goes”) play Music Hall of Williamsburg, and in advance of the show, he e-mailed The House List to answer Five Questions.
Over the course of your decades in the music business, what are some of the best changes in the industry?
The creation of e-mail, MP3, YouTube, Facebook and all other social media tools that allow artists to be seen and heard throughout the world at the same time.
Who are your inspirations outside of the music world?
My third-grade teacher, Mrs. Beatrice, who instructed me to learned this poem, and to this day I have never forgotten the words, and these words became my motto of life: “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. ’Tis the lesson you should heed, try, try again. For then your courage should appear, for you will conquer, never fear. Always keep this rule in view try, try again.”
Do you have any crutches when writing a song—are there certain words or styles you feel you lean on too much?
No, I try to be open-minded and as vigilant as possible regarding public trends, news and whatever affects people’s mindset, because songs are a reflection of the latter.
Do you have to be depressed to write a sad song? Do you have to be in love to write a love song? Is a song better when it really happened to you?
I don’t think a person has to be depressed to write a sad song, but I think a person has to know how it feels to be sad in order to write one. I think in some cases, songs are better when writing about real-life experiences. It mainly depends on one’s ability to write from emotions as distinguished from reason. But in both cases one needs a special talent or skill to chose compassionate words that others may find descriptive of their situations.
With blissful pop music, upbeat covers (like “Billie Jean”) and high-energy shows, Booga Sugar has been creating a nightly dance party for more than a decade. (The band’s even gotten Dan Akroyd—a guy known for having a good time—in on the act.) And while St. Patrick’s Day is known as a drinking holiday, perhaps you should consider it a dance celebration and head to The Bowery Ballroom on Saturday to cut loose with Booga Sugar.
The English five-piece Kasabian put out their fourth studio album, Velociraptor!, last September, and soon they’re on their way to our country in support of it. That tour will bring them to Terminal 5 on 3/22 (with the terrific Hacienda opening). The show is sold out, so if you can’t make it there, you can stream it live here: The Bowery Presents Live. Also check out a playlist of videos, live songs and interviews. And, of course make sure you subscribe to The Bowery Presents Live to keep up with what’s new on the channel.
John Flansburgh and John Linnell have been making music as They Might Be Giants since 1982. For a while it was just the two of them and a drum machine. They didn’t even have a full backing band for nearly a decade. But 30 years is a long career, and over that time TMBG have been prolific: six live albums, nine compilations, 15 LPs, including last year’s Join Us, and 20 EPs. Plus, they’ve covered a wide musical terrain, from alternative to children’s music to TV and movie soundtracks. But make no mistake, when They Might Be Giants play Terminal 5 tomorrow night, they’re coming to rock.
Although they formed in 1996, initially under the name Parva, Kaiser Chiefs first gained attention with the release of their debut full-length, Employment, in 2005, which leaned on New Wave and punk and perhaps even channeled some of the Jam. The five-piece from Leeds—Ricky Wilson (lead vocals and percussion), Nick Hodgson (drums and backing vocals), Andrew “Whitey” White (guitar), Simon Rix (bass) and Nick “Peanut” Baines (keys and percussion)—stayed busy over the next few years, putting out two more well-received albums, opening for the likes of Green Day and U2 and playing high-energy sets at festivals before deciding to take a break. Fortunately it wasn’t a permanent one. And now Kaiser Chiefs (above, doing “Ruby” for i-concerts.com) are back with a new disc, Start the Revolution Without Me, out yesterday. See them tomorrow night at Terminal 5.
Their reputation preceded them. Shortly after forming, Fanfarlo quickly earned comparisons to Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene, probably because they also employ some of the overlooked instruments of the indie-rock world, like the mandolin, trumpet and violin—and because of their dreamy sounds and swelling anthems. Simon Balthazar (vocals and guitar), Leon Beckenham (trumpet and keys), Justin Finch (bass and vocals), Cathy Lucas (violin and mandolin) and Amos Memon (drums and percussion) came together as Fanfarlo about six years ago in London. And through a series of singles, the Internet and their frenetic live shows, word of mouth got out. So people knew to see the band (above, playing “Shiny Things”) before they’d ever even heard the band. And since their second full-length album, Rooms Filled with Light, just came out on Tuesday, it’s easier than ever to hear the band. Now go see them play Webster Hall on Tuesday night.
Sometimes all you need is a reason to party, like St. Patrick’s Day, Mardi Gras or Arbor Day. So you’ll be happy to know we’ve got your next excuse to cut loose, on Saturday when Terminal 5 hosts the Fourth Annual Salute to Texas Independence Day with a pretty festive lineup, including Pat Green (above, playing “It Feels Like It Should” for Opry Live), the Eli Young Band, the Randy Rogers Band and the Josh Abbott Band. The show starts early, at 7 p.m., which means there will be a full night of merrymaking. And as a bonus, any patron (21 or older) wearing an article of clothing with a logo from a Texas college on it will receive a complimentary drink. A 176th birthday party has never been so much fun. Come out and celebrate for yourself.
Matt Nathanson doesn’t like to be pigeonholed to just one thing. Sure, he sings and writes songs, but he also plays the guitar—sometimes acoustic, sometimes electric. He always performs solo, that is when he isn’t doing so with a full band. And when he isn’t playing music, he’s doing comedy. Nevertheless, Nathanson has been recording music since he was in college. In fact, his first album, Please, came out when he was just 20. And in the almost 20 years since then, Nathanson’s music has been featured on a variety of TV shows and he’s released a host of live discs, EPs and LPs. The most recent, Modern Love, came out last June. But Nathanson (above, playing “Modern Love” for 101.9 KINK FM in Portland, Ore.) is still on the road, and you can see him tomorrow night at The Wellmont Theatre.
The soul-funk trio Soulive—Alan Evans (drums), Neal Evans (Hammond B3) and Eric Krasno (guitar)—formed in the late ’90s and has been bringing its own bluesy, jammy brand of jazz, funk, classic rock and R&B to the dancing masses ever since. Krasno joined the brothers Evans for a recording session in Woodstock in 1999, which eventually became their first EP, Get Down! A host of studio albums and live discs followed, including 2010’s instrumental take on the Beatles, Rubber Soulive. But despite the trio’s recorded virtuosity, far and away the best way to experience these guys is live. Which works out great because with Bowlive III beginning tonight, you’ve got 10 chances to see them in person. That’s right: Soulive (above, doing “Eleanor Rigby” and “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” during the first Bowlive) plays Brooklyn Bowl 10 times between now and 3/10.
In the studio, the Twilight Sad is a trio—James Graham on vocals, Mark Devine on drums and Andy MacFarlane on guitar—but when the group plays live, Johnny Docherty, on bass, and Martin Doherty, on keys and backing vocals, round out the sound. The Scottish rockers are known for a few things: singer Graham’s brogue, layers of noise and that old rock and roll standby the accordion. The Twilight Sad (above, playing “Cold Days from the Birdhouse” for Seattle’s KEXP FM) recently released their third album, the sparser but well-reviewed No One Can Ever Know, a few weeks ago, and you can see them in person on Saturday at Music Hall of Williamsburg. While the band had some visa issues earlier in the week, this show will go on.
When it comes to St Patrick’s Day, everybody’s Irish. And it when it comes to Mardi Gras, everyone’s from New Orleans. But you don’t have to head to the Crescent City to celebrate because the NOLA-based instrumental-funk outfit Galactic is bringing its shake-your-hips music our way. They started out as an eight-piece with Theryl DeClouet (House Man) as their singer. Over the years, they’ve paired down to five and parted ways with DeClouet. But no doubt, they’re still bringing the funk: Witness their most recent album, the Mardi Gras-themed Carnivale Eletricos. Of course, when they come to play it’s rarely alone, and this visit is no different. Expect plenty of special guests, like Corey Glover (of Living Colour) and Corey Henry (of Rebirth Brass Band), plus reggae legends Steel Pulse and New Orleans’ own Soul Rebels (download their Sweet Dreams EP for free here). Esquire magazine writes: “In a perfect world, Galactic would be 2012’s Black Keys—consistently underrated veterans who get belatedly huge.” And you can find out why when Galactic (above, doing “Heart of Steel” with Corey Glover and Corey Henry at last year’s Bonnaroo) and friends play Terminal 5 on Saturday night.
Back in the ’80s the garage-rock quartet the Del Fuegos won over critics and gained a local following first in Boston and then throughout the Northeast, thanks in part to appearing in a beer commercial. The original lineup—singer-guitarist Dan Zanes, guitarist Warren Zanes, bassist Tom Lloyd and drummer Steve Morrell—didn’t stay together too long. By the time their first album, The Longest Day, came out, Morrell had left and been replaced by Woody Giessman. When the group’s third LP, Stand Up, didn’t fare well commercially or critically, Warren Zanes and then Giessman next left the band. There was just one more album and that was it. As Dan Zanes said, “The ’80s were over, we were over.” And each guy went his own way. Most notably, Dan became the frontman of Dan Zanes and Friends, delighting children everywhere. And that’s where this tale would end if they hadn’t reunited last summer—for the first time in 21 years—to raise money for a charity. It went so well that the Del Fuegos (above, playing “I Still Want You”) are out on the road. See them tomorrow night at The Bowery Ballroom.
