Music Monday

Des Ark • Ashley's Song

I seriously have not been able to stop listening to this week's Song of the Week. "Ashley's Song," from the superbly titled album, Don't Rock the Boat, Sink the Fucker, starts out with a whisper and quickly pulls you into what somehow feels like a guitar-heavy, spastically  rollickingly rhythmic boat ride across the Rocklantic. Yes. Exactly that.

The song comes from the sophomore album by Des Ark, led by Philadelphia's Aimée Argote (pronounced e-MAY), which, as far as I've been able to find out, is a cast of characters that rotates around Aimée, her whisper-to-roar voice, and some equally, elegantly soft-to-harsh instrumentation. 

You can listen to the whole album over at bandcamp and then order it in a wealth of formats (black, white, clear, AND gold vinyl?) via Lovitt Records.

Photo by Sara Sanger. 

Quick note—We'll be taking a brief break form blogging for at least the rest of the week while we catch up on actual work and dedicate some time to the redesign of our Web site (yay!) 

Journal of the Movement of the World

Music Monday

Computer Magic • The End of Time

I was introduced to someone over the weekend who, it turned out, was a musician. We started off in the usual manner—"What do you play?" "Do you play out much?" "Do you have anything recorded?"—and we eventually came to the part where I ask about the name of the musical entity so that I might follow up at a later point to hear some sweet, sweet tunes. Turns out, he just records under his name.

Which I totally never got. One of the BEST PARTS about playing music, aside from the enjoyment that comes from creating the actual music and getting up on stage and performing it and looking all awesome, is naming your band. Maybe I'm more alone on this than I think. Maybe it's born of the somewhat easy-to-play-off-of last name and resulting heavy, heavy weight of countless farmer jokes I labored under as a child ("No, I do not live in the dell, stop asking, Richard Lipschitz"). Maybe I'm overly fascinated with the prospect of controlling—to some extent—the perception your audience has of you; of branding and packaging yourself in a deliberate, pre-mediatated way. Or maybe it's just hella fun to come up with an enormous list of band names, most of which will never be used.

This week's featured artist, Danielle 'Danz' Johnson, totes gets what I'm saying. Not only does she operate under am assumed moniker personally, she also records and performs under the name Computer Magic. Though her live shows pull in some supporting musicians, the recorded songs have mostly been solo endeavors of dizzying bedroom electronic architecture. The band name tips you off to the initial sound and comparisons—simple, catchy electro-pop along the lines of Little Boots—Danz's sound is consistently enticing, interesting and built on solid song-writing. Some of her writing and style actually totally reminds of early Liz Phair. 

And she's only been at it since last winter. 

We couldn't help but follow up our lack of weekend Apocalypse with her track, "The End of Time," but we STRONGLY encourage you to go over to her site to download the rest of the EP that song comes from, Spectronic, which she's posted for free. She's also just released her first hard-copy piece, Electronic Fences, which you can on white vinyl buy over at Insound. The band will be opening for All Tiny Creatures at the Mercury Lounge June 5. 

Emo is the New Emo

With the world set to come to an end tomorrow, what better time to look back and reminisce.

  

Confession: I used to be in a severely emo band. What do I mean by severely emo? I mean the whole nine yards, my friend—screamy singing, bleeding from playing your guitar too awesomely hard (read: incorrectly), lyrics that almost exclusively revolved around being romantically upset, songs named after Japanese bears...all of it. 

  

Needless to say, I was pretty heavily invested in the whole genre in its mid-nineties heyday (post-DC-hardcore, pre-mall-emo).

  

So I was understandably psyched when it was announced earlier this week that one of my favorite mid-nineties emo bands, Christie Front Drive, was playing a reunion show at The Bell House in Brooklyn, a modest walk from my very front door. Now, I never thought I was the reunion type (as Maritime frontman, Davey van Bohlen, said of his former band, Cap'n Jazz in our earlier interview, "it sometimes makes sense to leave the past in the past"), but, after missing last year's seemingly only ever possible Cap'n Jazz reunion show due to catastrophic weather, I now understand that it's wiser to go see a potentially washed-up band from your youth than it is to possibly miss out on a once-in-a-lifetime awesome musical experience. So, long story short, I got my tickets.

  

But all these reunions—Cap'n Jazz in 2010, now Christie Front Drive, and soon new material from mid-west emo-sweethearts, Braid—all in this very specific, 16+-year-old genre, it got me thinking: What the hell is going on? 

  

It also seems cause enough to post five of my favorite songs from this era. No, my old band's not in there. What do you think I am? But enjoy...for, like, 24 more hours....  

  

Braid • Urbana's Too Dark 
Braid is one of the many influential emo bands to spring forth from the rock-motional fertile grounds of the Chicago area and, happily, they're set to release some brand new material soon. Plus they Tweet and shit. Crazy, right?
  
Cap'n Jazz • Little League 
Another Chicago band that bore many, many bands to come, some awesome, some....very arty. Plus Davey van Bohlen et al started it when they were, what, five? And yes, I missed they're only reunion. Ever. I'm sure it was terrible, right?

Christie Front Drive • Field 
Whether this song has actual lyrics or not, I love it. Fingers crossed, guys.

Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start • Song Competition 
Sadly, I don't think these fellas are around anymore, but our old band happened to play a show ages ago with them, and I've been in love with their math-rock-y sound ever since. And yes, that was their actual name. NERDS!!!

The Promise Ring • Watertown Plank 
Totally my favorite Promise Ring song ever, and I think the first one I ever heard. 

  

Alright, now everyone grab your backpack straps and fingerpoint to the sky, in all its fiery, final, Armageddon-ridden glory.  

  

Most emo end times ever.

(above - photo by me of the most emo mailbox ever, used for many a show flyer in the day)

The Find—The National Stationary Show

A few years back, we partnered with a lovely letterpress down in Carlisle, PA, Thomas-Printers, to create custom-designed wedding invite templates. The idea is to provide high-quality letterpress printing, immersed in the tradition of hand-crafted elegance, at a price point that's open to a wide audience. So, Thomas-Printers partners with designers—like us—to create brand new wedding invitation designs that can then be ordered and customizes in color and content by the customer. 

Originally, we submitted two design—the dramatically titled Cinematic and The Sparrow—and then, this past week, debuted two new hot-off-the-presses...literally...designs at the massive National Stationary Show. We stopped by the show at the Javits Center Monday to meet up with Kseniya Thomas from Thomas-Printers and be totally overwhelmed by all things paper (including a new line of greeting cards from Taylor Swift? Weird.)

In addition to running Thomas-Printers, Kseniya also co-founded the Ladies of Letterpress, a national trade organization created to "promote the art and craft of letterpress printing and to encourage the voice and vision of women printers." So yeah, she's cool. As are the other ladies of letterpress who exhibited with her. We were very excited to have two of our designs appear alongside such exceptional work and wish everyone safe travels as the show wraps up. 

You can see our new design below (Hannah + Jack and Isabelle + Jeffrey) and they'll be available for order at Thomas-Printers soon. In the meantime, be sure to check out the other extremely talented LoLp exhibitors when you get a chance—Kansas' Wildhorse Press; Austin's Studio Slomo; Philly's Cleanwash; Painted Tongue and Dandy Lion, both from the bay area; Brooklyn's Heartfish (holla!); Pasadena's Anemone; Canada's Ink Petals and Lulabelle; and Omaha's lovely Paper Lovely. 

Music Monday—Maritime Interview

Maritime • Air Arizona

The Promise Ring is easily one of our mutual favorite bands ever. They broke into the indie music scene in the mid-nineties and arguably provided the most visible face and swiftest legs to the burgeoning mid-west emo scene, of which we were admittedly huge fans. The band eventually broke up, as all eventually do (HEAR ME, MICK JAGGER?), but not before influencing the tastes and sounds of countless fans and musicians. In 2003 Promise Ring frontman Davey von Bohlen and drummer Dan Didier started the band Maritime, continuing the pop-centric trajectory of later Promise Ring and keeping hope alive for many of us fans. We were able to talk with Dan and Davey recently about their brand new (superb) record, ghost of emo past, and the future of the fine, fine band, Maritime. 

Kindness of Ravens: First off, have you guys ever done an interview that didn't bring up The Promise Ring?

Dan Didier: I am sure there has been a few, but those are few and far between.

KoR: To be fair...to us interviewers, I guess...The Promise Ring was totally one of those bands that acted as a root to our personal collegiate musical interests and—I think—laid a groundwork for how we listened to and interpreted music. So. Thanks. 

The closer that band got to its end days, though, the closer it got to an overall 'poppy' sound and the further it got from those Cap'n Jazz, early emo sounds. We've always wondered—was that intentional? Or even unanimous? Was anyone like, "But I want to get all screamy, man"?

DD: It was a pretty unanimous, conscious, and intentional decision to not make the same record twice. We wanted to grow as musicians and not rest on the laurels of whatever success we might of had.

KoR: Well, Maritime definitely feels well-grounded in indie pop, in a really nice way. We've been fans of you guys since the start—we actually have the Adios EP from, I think one of your first shows, in DC. Post-TPR, were you two just pulled into the whole band thing naturally? Did you ever consider giving the music thing up and, I don't know, starting a nice mid-western cafe?

Davey von Bohlen: Dan and I just kept making music at the end of The Promise Ring. We really felt like there was gas in the tank, but wanted to make sure we were still challenging ourselves to make better music. Generally, we felt good, so continued on.

KoR: And very glad you did. So, is this a full-time gig for you all or is it more a jammin' on the porch on the weekends kind of thing?

DvB: Somewhere in-between. We dont travel as much, but we still think of ourselves as musicians and try to challenge ourselves with that in mind.

KoR: Not to be all superficial, but we totally love the art for the new album. Did Jason Gnewikow work that up for you all again?

DD: No. Like I said before, that we never want to do the same record twice, I don't want the same artist twice. All of the art on the Maritime records has been created by different designers.

KoR: Ah, yeah, I know he had done some Maritime/Vermont/Promise Ring album art in the past. You know, if you're looking for anyone next record.... Anyway, how would you say the sound differs from We, the Vehicles or Heresy and the Hotel Choir?

DD: Kind of a mixture of the two, if I had to venture a guess.

KoR: And the new album's out on a new label for you, Dangerbird Records, which is run by former Promise Ring Manager, Jeff Castelaz. Were you all just looking for a new start with the label shift? Or a re-connect with Jeff?

DvB:  Flameshovel sort of went on hiatus, so we were looking for a new home. We played a Pablove benefit—which is a non-profit Jeff is a part of that fights childhood cancer—and it just sort of happened. Jeff is a really passionate person, and the fit/reconnect was immediate.

KoR: Oh, very cool. So, I have to ask: Is it weird being on a label with bands like Minus the Bear, who seem to have grown from a sound that many people credit you with co-creating? 

DD: No, not really. Haven't thought of it that way. If I did, I'd have to ask of you to knock me off my high horse. Minus the Bear is a great band that has crafted a unique sound all of their own.

KoR: Totally true, and don't get us wrong—"Hey! Is That a Ninja Up There?" is totally one of my favorite songs ever. And titles. 

Speaking of re-connects, Davey, what was it like to play with all the Cap'n Jazz guys again? We got massive-stormed out of the Brooklyn reunion show, which still pains me, but we hear it was good stuff.

DvB: It was fun. those guys are wonderful people and musicians, so it was fun and challenging to pick that up after such a long time.

KoR: Are you totally ruling out any future Cap'n Jazz shows? You know, Braid's recording new material.... Maybe it's a rising trend amongst the early emo scene?

DvB:  Though it was fun, I don't see it going further considering all the music we all make individually. Plus it sometimes makes sense to leave the past in the past.

KoR: Whereas I'd tend to agree, I'm still bummed about missing you all. Okay, well, any plans for Maritime to play the NYC-area again soon?

DD: Yeah, we will get out there as soon as we can.

KoR: Can we request a live version of your Depeche Mode cover, "Enjoy the Silence," when you do?

DD: Ha! That would be pretty unlikely, but it certainly was a fun challenge to do that song for AV Undercover.

KoR: Well, Dan, Davey, thank you both so much for taking the time to talk with us.

You can buy Maritime's new album, Human Hearts, via Dangerbird in it's various electronic and hardcopy formats and be sure to sign up for the band's newslettter to keep up-to-date on shows and such. 

~Ed. Note—Since posting, we've followed up on the album art, which we love, and been told by Dan that it was done by Rory Wilson, who's other superb work you can see here.~

The Find—Farm Sanctuary's 25th Anniversary Gala

Today's Find—The 25th Anniversary Gala of Farm Sanctuary, one of the finest non-profits in existence. 

We've worked with Farm Sanctuary since they hired us in 2006 to redesign their original logo and re-brand the group from top to bottom. And we're lucky enough to still be working with them today. 

For anyone who doesn't already know, Farm Sanctuary started out in 1986 (thus the math) as very much a grassroots volunteer organization, supported almost entirely by the selling of veggie dogs out of a VW van. Today, Farm Sanctuary is the country's leading farm animal protection organization, with hundreds of thousands of supporters...most of whom don't expect a veggie dog in return for their support. They run two huge farm animal sanctuaries—one in upstate New York, one in California; both of which you can visit—and work to end the suffering of farm animals by way of activism, education, active rescues, policy reform, some lovely merch, and anything else they can think of. So, yeah, they're the good guys, and we're very proud to work with them.

It prides us even further to be attending their New York gala this Saturday (they'll be throwing an LA celebration in September). So, though we know most of our friends and clients don't have stacks of cash lying around their houses/offices/massive yachts, we have to strongly urge anyone and everyone to join us this weekend in supporting a worthy, worthy cause. And hob-nobbing with snazzy celebs while donning decorative duds, eating flashy foods, and drinking decorative drinks. It's win-win, really. 

So, get your glitz on for the animals! Reservation information and—for those of you who can't attend—support info here. Though we'd love to see you!

Music Monday

Pearl and the Beard • Sweetness 
A long time ago, a friend of mine who worked at a pre-school daycare center had the seemingly fun, pure-of-heart idea to have his band play a show for the kids. He asked the kids if they were into it, and, being kids, they were psyched. So he and his bandmates got the go-ahead from the higher-ups and, when the day came for the mini-gig for the minis...it was a complete disaster. Main problem: A pop-punk band of college kids used to playing house shows where they have to be audible over the drunken shouts of their audience come across a tad loud to tiny, tiny ears. Essentially all of the kids ran away, literally, from the band. "They make my ears hurt," was overheard at one point. Most concise band review ever.

Somehow I think things will go better this Sunday, when the superb electro band Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. (goes over awesome in the south) and Brooklyn-based trio Pearl and the Beard (above, in the six-armed, three-headed, conjoined sweater) play KiDROCKERS at Park Slope's Rock Shop. Comedians Seth Herzog and Craig Baldo host KiDROCKERS, which is not as lame as you're thinking— "These All Ages shows are designed to bring families together to experience some of the most engaging and vital artists in indie music and comedy. Artists perform original (not specifically made for children) songs in a manner that is both authentic and kid-friendly. " And I'm betting they turn down a little too. Evidently kid-run Q+A sessions and dancing on-stage are both common.

If you're not into tiny humans or cute things, you can see both bands around the city this week at regular, smelly, drunken shows where there will likely be copious cursing. And, in the meantime, you should definitely check out this week's Song of the Week, from Pearl and the Beard, "Sweetness." It's a charmingly beautiful and vigorous piece of pop music that has you humming and dancing along by the kick in the middle. Good, good stuff. Raucous original fauxlk with a sense of humor that stops short of cheeky. That's right. I used 'cheeky' in a sentence as an American. 

Below, a video medley of Will Smith tunes from Pearl and the Beard. You read right.


Pearl and the Beard - Will Smith Medley from Goddamn Cobras Collective on Vimeo.

Friday Fave Fruh Fer

On our way out the door, but we wanted to pass on our weekend mini-playlist—the five songs we can't stop listening to lately.

The Dogs • Dance More  
Heard about these guys via Oh My Rockness Radio, which is great in and of itself. And this song indeed amkes us want to dance more. Well-titled! Here is they.
  
Walk the Moon • The Liftaway 
Band from Cincinnati (I know, right?) that has a penchant for super-likable songs and insanely designed MySpace pages from what we can tell.

Metronomy • Heartbreaker 
Friend of mine posted a song from this band on my Facebook page with no explanation at all. After some investigation, I found that the band was Metronomy—and insanely British, quite addictive eletro-pop outfit that I can't quite stop listening to.

Fences • Girls with Accents 
This guys' tragically great, as is this song and its story of 'wanna do good but my self won't let me.' We wrote about him here. His site and debut album.

And our final song for the weekend—a brand new gem from our good friend Meredith Bragg (pictured above with a bird). The song—"Birds of North America"—is featured on a split with the talentedly awesome Donny-Hue and the Colors. Song's below via Soundcloud, and you can purchase the hard copy—limited edition white vinyl—or digital via The Kora Records.

Peace out!
Birds of North America by thekorarecords

Pin-Up Pandas

May finds our Pin-Up Pandas once again not doing so well. 
Heavy drinking and philandering ways. No wonder they're going extinct.

Journal of the Movement of the World

We totally love these die-cut, letterpress business cards our friends at Thomas-Printers did for wedding gown designer, Annette Roxie, aka - Chaviano Couture. 

They pretty, right? Plus, I feel like, in a pinch, they'd make decent substitutes for throwing stars. Just sayin.

From the Nest

What to do when you're mired in the wistful world that rests between the brave throes of summer and the seemingly unending doldrums of destitute as winter slowly, ever so slowly eases its decrepit grip on our souls?

Make potato salad. Not yet the potato salad of summer, with it's cool crispness and barely cooked flavor, but a potato salad that still has holds court in the realm of warming foods to help you get through a day like...today. 

Hit it!

Thai Potato Salad
(aka Fuck You, Winter, Salad)
• 28 oz. of Small Yukon Gold Potatoes (we like those bags of Bon Campo Potatoes), un-peeled and cut into eighths
• 4 Shallots, peeled, halved, and thinly sliced
• 2 large Carrots, un-peeled and diced into pieces about an eighth of an inch square
• 1 Red Pepper, cored and diced into pieces about an eighth of an inch square
• 2 stalks of Celery, diced into pieces about an eighth of an inch square (cut off and discard leafy top portion)
• half a bunch of Cilantro Leaves, stems removed and cut into thin strips
• .75 - 1.25 cups of Vegenaise,  depending entirely on how creamy/fatty you want your salad to be
• 1 4 oz. Masaman Curry Paste (be sure it's vegetarian—we like Maesri)
• 1 tbsp. Liquid Smoke
• 2 cups Vegetable Broth (or water)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Olive Oil

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottom or iron skillet on medium heat. Once it's warm (throw a drop of water in—it should sizzle), add your sliced shallots and cook until translucent and they begin to brown on the edges—three to five minutes. Now add your potato pieces and toss to coat. Cover and cook for five minutes. Stir, making sure you turn and circulate potatoes to evenly brown them. Cover again and cook for another five minutes. Add 1 cup of broth (or water), your liquid smoke, and stir, unsticking the potatoes from the skillet surface. Cover and cook for another five to ten minutes, checking throughout until the liquid's been fully absorbed. Once it has, add the second cup of broth (or water) and repeat. 

Meanwhile, chop up your carrots and pepper and set aside and chop you celery and add that (separately) to a large mixing bowl. 

Back at the skillet, once the liquid's been absorbed, check the potatoes with a fork. They should be a little resistant still and not crumble to the touch, but not too firm. If they're not at that point yet, add water, cover, and cook until they are. 

Once your potatoes are good, add the carrots and pepper to the skillet, cover, and reduce to low heat. Cook for five minutes, and then remove from heat and uncover, letting everything cool for five or ten minutes. 

When things have cooled a bit, add your skillet mixture to the mixing bowl with the celery and gently stir in the Veganiase thoroughly. You can do a little at a time, if you like, to ensure you don't end up with an overly wet mix. I know. Ew.

Now add your curry little by little. This is a fairly mild curry paste, but it still packs a little heat, so add a quarter of a can or so at first, mix, taste, and then add more if you like. We generally go for a whole can, but, if you don't use the whole thing, save the remnants—it tastes AWESOME mixed with a little ketchup or tomato paste and used as a condiment. 

That's it! Enjoy!

Music Monday

The Head and the Heart • Down in the Valley 

We've been pretty busy both blog-wise and actual-work-wise of late, so we haven't had a chance to post about a band we've been really really diggin' on the past couple months—Seattle's The Head and The Heart. 

We heard this week's Song of the Week, "Down in the Valley," back around SXSW, and it became one of those pieces of music that slowly creeps into your subconsciousness and wraps itself around your heart until you start to miss it when it's not playing. It's truly beautiful, rootsy music that's sincere and touching in it's nakedness. And it's based on solid song-writing and really sweet melodies to boot. 

Give "Down int he Valley" a listen and, if you like what you hear, head over to their site to download another really nice, slightly more rollicking number—"Lost in My Mind." You can pick up their brand new self-titled full-length on CD, vinyl, or ones and zeroes over at Sub Pop or at a independent record store new you.