Last Sunday, we were privileged to have Camera Obscura stop by to perform a warm-up set before their show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. It was the second time, in fact, that we had welcomed the group to an Other Music stage, as they had played our SXSW Lawn Party earlier in the year in Austin, Texas. This performance, however, was delightfully as intimate as any Camera Obscura fan could wish for, the group playing a semi-unplugged set which consisted of about a half-dozen songs, mostly from their latest album, My Maudlin Career. OM staffer Mikey IQ Jones was at the shop shooting photographs, which we’ve posted on our Flickr page. You can also check out his photos from earlier Other Music in-store performances this year from Tortoise, Dirty Projectors, and Nite Jewel, along with various other OM-related events and parties.
Back in March, Other Music and Dig For Fire got together to throw our second annual South By Southwest Lawn Party, with a ton of our favorite bands playing on the rolling lawns of Austin’s French Legation Museum. It’s been a few months since SXSW but the films still feel fresh, and all eight episodes can be viewed on the video-streaming site, Babelgum, who also sponsored our party. Here’s the second film in the series, which features a rousing performance from Efterklang and a truly pastoral appearance from Fleet Foxes’ J Tillman.
I like to think that Calexico blew like a desert wind through Other Music last fall, as they toured in support of their excellent Carried to Dust album. Goofy cliché’s aside though, the Tucson band can transform and transport like few others, likely because they are so open to transformation themselves, with the core duo of Joey Burns and John Convertino taking inspiration from a constantly changing cadre of collaborators from around the world. Their sound is heavily influenced by their dusty Arizona hometown and the blending of Mexican and American culture that is inherent to the southwestern United States, but honestly, that description is far too static and one needs to see this group live on stage to begin to understand their fluid, free-flowing approach to their international pop music. Somehow they packed the band into a cramped corner of our store — no mariachi this time, but still, these guys can sprawl — and they took us on a trip none of us will soon forget. Plus, there were tacos.
Other Music has been in the process of changing over the host server for our film series, and had to remove the videos from the site for a bit, but we’ve finally re-launched many of the clips and you can again watch wonderful live performances and interviews with some of our favorites, including: The Clean, Antipop Consortium, No Age, White Williams, St. Vincent, Tinariwen, My Brightest Diamond, and more to come.
You probably have noticed that our Live at Other Music Series has been down. We are in the process of changing web servers for these videos, and will be reposting old favorite episodes along with premiering new films. Check back here and of course, we’ll announce new videos in our Other Music Update.
Conor Oberst is one of the more divisive characters in indie rock, deeply, madly loved by so many, and probably hated just as vehemently by quite a few as well. It’s hard to put a finger why his music causes such intense feelings. His songs are intimate and heartfelt, that much is undeniable; beyond that, I guess it depends on how you look at things. Oberst’s recent “solo” album was released on Merge Records, a step away from both the Bright Eyes name that has defined him and the Saddle Creek label that he has been closely tied to for years, and it is one of the most direct looks at the music of this icon and iconoclast, a beautiful and emotional record that is sure to top many best-of lists this year. The band rolled into the shop during a short promo tour when the album came out this summer. We raffled off 100 tickets, and hundreds more fans showed up on the off chance that they could sneak in, or even just sneak a peak at their hero. For a shop like Other Music, where fans and artists tend to casually mingle on a daily basis, it was more than a little overwhelming, as Oberst was mobbed at every turn.
But that is just hype, the real story was the performance, which, especially in the confines of our tiny space, was simply stunning. Raw and passionate and hauntingly beautiful, that band ran through much of their new album and added in a few surprises, and I don’t think that anyone who saw the show could have been unmoved. I for one was converted into a believer, and I hope you enjoy the film as much as we all do. Let us know what you think, and thanks for watching!
Maybe it’s the heat, but my new musical obsession has been ‘70s Australian hard rock! Trashy, balls-out and over-the-top, these dudes knew how to kick out the jams. Here’s some killer live footage of some my faves, and they’re all available on CD!
Lobby Loyde and his band Coloured Balls were probably one of the most influential Aussie rock bands. Influenced by MC5, Mitch Ryder and the like, Loyde’s band was one the premier proto-punk bands in the world. Kurt Cobain, Henry Rollins and Steven Malkmus are/were huge fans of Loyde and the Balls.
Rabbit, featuring Dale Evans, put out a killer near-perfect glam rock album called Too Much Rock-n-Roll, and Evans also happened to be the original lead singer for AC/DC!
Speaking of AC/DC check out Supernaut’s amazing ode to omni-sexuality “I Like It Both Ways.” Props to Glam Rock Yoda Ursula 1000 for hippin’ me to this band!
VALHALLA NIGHTS PART II! W/ DJ CHOUETTE + GUEST DJS DRUMBLEBEE AND SOPHIA LIGHTS @ K&M Bar: North 8th Street (at Roebling) Williamsburg
10PM / FREE /21+
This will be the second round of Valhalla Nights DJ fun from Chouette (Amanda from Other Music)- this time with guest sets from Ben MCconnell (Phosphorescent, Minetta, and most recent project Drumblebees) and Sophia Knapp (Lights). Lots of 60s and 70s easy summer jams to go around.
YELLOW FEVER + SHE KEEPS BEES + KING DARVES + U.S. GIRLS @ Death by Audio: 49 South Second Street Brooklyn btwn Wythe & Kent Williamsburg, Brooklyn
8PM / AA / $TBA
Debut show by brand-new booking collective Strength In Numbers, founded by an Other Music employee! These D.I.Y, all-ages shows are exclusively women-organized and women-run, and specifically designed to showcase touring bands with women in them. The headliner for this week is Yellow Fever, an experimental pop group from Austin, TX with a post-Aislers Set / Young People sensibility. Yellow Fever’s vocalist Jennifer is also in Austin bands The Carrots and Finally Punk! Also on the bill, Brooklyn’s fastest folk rising star, She Keeps Bees — and one of folk-pop’s most promising newcomers, New Jersey’s King Darves. Come early for Chicago solo treat U.S. Girls, on tour with Yellow Fever!
MAX RICHTER + BRUCE BRUBAKER @ Le Poisson Rouge: 158 Bleeker Street NYC
7PM / $20 / 18+
The final night of Richter’s residency at new venue Le Poisson Rogue. He will be performing with a string quintet music from 24 Postcards in Full Colour, his new album on Fatcat Records, which is now available on Other Music Digital.
Underground hip-hop legends Antipop Consortium will always be close to our hearts at Other Music, as they are one of the many amazing bands that have sprung from the minds of OM employees. Beans worked at the shop for several years as Antipop came together and found its sound. We’ve probably sold more of their records than any store in the world, and some of their best shows were at Other Music events, like the Frying Pan party in 2001 with Handsome Boy Modeling School, Squarepusher, Alec Empire and the rest, where APC debuted their amazing live/improv set. Fans always hate to see their favorite groups break up, but when APC imploded, I think a lot of people felt they had been robbed of the surely groundbreaking music that the band’s evolution had promised. Now back together after several years, this film shows Antipop Consortium living up to all the expectations and more, with some of the best new songs of their career and a dynamic, explosive stage show. Call me biased, but APC are one of the best hip-hop groups around and they are on the move!
Detroit’s Dirtbombs are a two bass, two drum set squall of a rock and roll band, fronted by Mick Collins who’s not only one of the best voices in rock, but also a stellar songwriter and an all-around musical iconoclast. The group has spent a long career shrugging off the “garage rock” moniker that lazy critics always try to pin on them, with a series of adrenaline-fueled singles and albums of furious soul, punk, R&B and yes, even raw (garage) rock. But their live show has always been where their legend was made, so we were thrilled when the band agreed to stop by the store when the passed through NYC touring behind their dark new album We Have You Surrounded, on In the Red. They played the record from start to finish, climbed on the racks and swung from the light fixtures…really! Afterwards, Collins sat down to talk about the album, his belated entry into the Detroit Techno scene, and a few other things that were brewing behind those wrap-around shades. Check it out!
