My Brightest Diamond cd release

Imagine, if you will, the following scene:

It’s night, just past 10 pm. Before you is a red circus tent encircled with twinkle lights, to your right is the Brooklyn Bridge also twinkling in the distance. You are welcomed into the tent and seat yourself in front of a mysteriously smoky stage. 10 minutes later a little lady in a puffy red dresses comes around handing out masks and red feathers. Your friend puts the red feather into the Russian Hat his childhood girlfriend gave to him.

Everyone sits in silence for a few minutes until you see this same little lady come up on stage. Behind her you see what seems to be a troupe of circus performers, instruments in hand. They sit down in their predestined seats, or they stand where X marks their spot. The little lady takes to the front microphone and what you hear next doesn’t seem to match up with her size--a sweeping, operatic song leaves her mouth and the string quartet send sonic waves to accompany.

She is Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond. It’s August 24^th, 2006 and you are at the Spiegel Tent celebrating the release of her new album Bring Me the Workhorse. The following hour will be filled with enchanting songs of memories, secret tragedies, and innocent folly. You will find yourself teary eyed when she sings Dragon Fly evoking the vocal pipes of Jeff Buckley, you will want to get up and dance during Freak Out , and you’ll remember exactly why you came to New York City when Shara sings one of her French songs.

When the performance is done you think to yourself, God, I haven’t seen such talent in so long. Classically trained in Opera, Shara brings back something we rarely see anymore—devotion to beauty. The performance ends with a single French song and the rest of the night doesn’t matter.

Bring Me the Workhorse was released August 22^nd, 2006 on Asthmatic Kitty Records.

Purchase here.

See My Brightest Diamond on tour this fall with Sufjan Stevens

Pitchfork: Part 3 continued

Tapes 'n Tapes rocked day 2 of the festival.

Pics from Pitchfork: Part 3

Pitchfork Fest: Part 2

Its fucking hot outside. Brendan and I arrive at Union Park prepared
for a day of rock. Before we catch Chin Up Chin Up we meander around
the grounds checking out the vendors, arts & crafts, and album sales.
At this festival you can buy vegan ice-cream and vinyl. We are so
indie.

To cut down on what could easily be a 5 page entry we’ve decided to
break down our second say in Chicago as such:

Chin Up Chin Up:
N: Dont really remember that much about the performance.
Could be because it was the first band of a long 2 days or they just werent memorable.
B: Agreed. Nothing much really stood out about these guys. Mainly just a solid, local opening band. Not awful but not really that memorable either.

Man Man:
N: Looked intense, sounded cool. Band I would definitely look into outside of the festival.
B: With every festival, some bands are going to have to be sacrificed. Whether it is because of conflicting schedules, getting closer to another band, checking out other things, getting some rest, etc., you can’t make it to all. Man Man fell into that category. Certainly a band I would like to check out if they came around to a club around where I live, but there was just too much competition here.


Band Of Horses:


N: Are always just amazing.
B: Definitely the first band I was really into seeing this festival and they really delivered. The groups brand of stripped down, My Morning Jacket style rock went over very well here. The set did a great job of balancing the rockers with the more tender tracks. Definitely an act worth checking out.


Mountain Goats:
N: Didnt really check them out. Heard the guys from a distance. Ive always liked his lyrics.
B: Some acts just don’t work for festivals, and they are a prime example. Having two guys (acoustic guitar/vocals and bassist respectively) in front of a huge crowd sometimes wasn’t working for me. It was nice to hear in the background while hanging out with friends and relaxing, but The Mountain Goats music can be much more appreciated in coffee house, as opposed to a rock festival.

Destroyer:
N: Not really into his album as much as I thought I would be. Good show though.
B: As opposed to my writing partner here, I think Destroyer’s most recent album (Destroyers Rubies), while it is an acquired taste, is quite a gem. And the live show did not disappoint. Dan Bejar mix of Dylan-like lyrics and bar band guitar solos were really in top form here. Perfect for the middle of the day when all you want to do is kick back and listen to solid rock’n roll.

Art Brut:
N: Crazy.
B: Not really all that into them. There tongue and cheek songwriting mixed with fast tempo rock just seems kind of blah to me. It’s like a novelty act that gets old really quick. Granted there performance was really energetic, their songs just couldn’t keep my attention.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists:

N: Wins 'punk-rock Pitchfork moment" after he hits himself on the head with this mic and continues to play with blood dripping down his face.
B: I’ve seen Ted Leo a bunch of times and he is one of my favorite live performers. Whether in front of a small club or a stadium, he will play each show like his last. And those who just saw Ted Leo at Pitchfork experienced that even before cutting himself wide open. The Pharmacists played material both new and old, and were really passionate and into what they were doing. I honestly don’t think Ted Leo has ever written a bad song and his new tunes like “Army Bound” and “Sons of Cain” really showcase that. He’s like wine, keeps getting better with age.

The Walkmen:
N: Not really into them... but enjoyed listening to the set.
B: I’m a big Walkmen fan. I’ve seen them twice in the past year and they were incredible. But this time, they were missing one of their most important pieces, their drummer. They had a new drummer subbing for him and that combined with technical issues in a large field, resulted in them not playing as well as usual. While the set had moments (“The Rat”, “Wake Up”), it was not what it could have been.

The Futureheads:


N: Wins for best audience participation. They used the whole "whose side of the audience can sing louder" game.
B: Great show! Just as it started to get darker and seem calmer, here come the Futureheads. Their Franz Ferdinand style rock is the type of music that belongs in front of a live audience. A lot of hand clappy, shouting, and all other forms of audience participation really work for them. Definitely a much needed jolt of energy for an exhausted crowd.

Silver Jews:
N: They are just cool. I heard "Punks in the Beer Light" and was happy. "I LOVE YOU TO THE MAX! "
B: Like a lot of the acts here today, the Jews suffer from having a big stage to play on. And being that 2006 was the first year they have ever toured, it was certainly an odd choice to have them be the headliner. That is not to say they were not entertaining. They played some great new ones, as well as some of my favorite older tunes (“Smith and Jones Forever”, “Random Rules”), so I really can’t complain. All and all, I would say it was a good end to a great day of music.

get a Headlights album.

Win a copy of Headlights' Kill Them With Kindness LP from Universal Buzz Radio! Contest runs through August 8th.

When an album suggests from it's opening notes just how stunning it will be, a sort of musical promise is made. It is the kind of promise few bands are able to keep, but from the opening string quartet intro straight through the album's delicate closing, Headlights deliver a pop masterpiece with Kill Them With Kindness.

Kill Them With Kindness follows two EP's, a tour-only live recording and a split 7" with Arts & Crafts band The Most Serene Republic. After recording basic tracks with Kristian Riley (Maritime, Decibully) at Bionic Studios in Milwaukee, Headlights applied teh finishing touches at the band's farmhouse just north of their hometown of Champaign, Illinois.

Pitchfork Music Fest: Part 1

N: Friday night was the Pitchfork Music Festival kick-off partay at
Chicago's Metro. The line up consisted of The Joggers, Voxtrot, and Sunset Rubdown. Past the tatted-up ticket takers, up the stairs to the elaborate show room that resembles a mini Webster Hall and into an Indie dream Brendan and I went.



N: The Joggers surprised me. All thoughts were on the acts to follow, but this band outta Portland hooked me when they stopped playing their instruments, the drummer stepped out from behind his drum kit and they all sang a'cappella. Its not something you see a lot of and that is cool. I just checked their MySpace and they are categorized as Rock/A'cappella/Southern Rock. I dig it, gentlemen. What are your thoughts Brendan?

B: I actually got the chance to see the Joggers about 3 months ago opening for Pretty Girls Make Graves in Buffalo and thought that the band had potential to be really good. And with what we saw in Chicago, it shows that the boys are getting better and better with each show they put on. Their musicianship and performance is high-energy. While their original songs are quite good, I think the highlight for me was their take of Yes’s “Long Distance Runaround”. I’ve never been a big Yes fan, but I thought the Joggers did an excellent job of covering it. They made it a little more gritty and soulful then the 70’s prog-rock legends ever could. It will be really exciting to see this band continue to grow and get stronger as the days, months, and years go by. All and all, they were a terrific opening act for the show.

N: The music was broken up by two comedians, Eugene Mirman and Todd Barry. I wasnt familiar with either of them before that night. They threw out some funny sh*t. I think Brendan could describe it better though.

B: Having a group of comedians perform at a rock show is not something I am used to seeing. In fact, the closest I have come to seeing something like this is when Saul Williams did his spoken word poetry opening up for the Mars Volta. But Mirman and Barry walked out and had the audience cranking up right off the bat. Mirman started off with a set that included jokes on Brooklyn, Myspace bands, and Pitchfork itself. At one point, he invited this young girl in the front row up and gave her a Pitchfork quiz, which included indentifying Billy Joel and Wolf Parade songs on his Ipod. After about fifteen minutes, he invited Todd Barry on stage who kept the laughs coming. Barry’s sarcastic, dead-pin approach was perfect for his set that included him joking about music, real-estate, his fans, tattoos and various other topics. He had a great deal of dialogue with the crowd, which resulted in a great deal of back and forth banter between them. And when he took a final bow, I couldn’t help but think how great it was to have comedians share the same stage with rock acts. I can only hope that more bands take comedians on the road with them, it may just give the show a little more variety then four bands who all sound exactly the same.


N: Voxtrot, was Voxtrot, which means they were awesome and played an
enjoyable set. Their new songs (3 played) seemed a bit more "poppy" as Brendan pointed out. Ive noticed that they are moving on up to Bowery Ballroom the next time they are in NYC on 11/6-7. Way to go Boys! They will spend most of August rocking up the UK.

B: I’ve never seen Voxtrot before and didn’t have much to go on except for a copy of an EP that they made a few months ago. While I think that their older songs have kind of an uptempo, Smiths-like sound to them, the “new” songs that they have are more in the veins of the Beatlesesque, pop oriented approach. While I think the bands recorded material could use a little spit and polish, their live show is very energetic and the songs really come to life. Much like The Joggers, Voxtrot are a good band that have the possibility of being something great. Only time will tell.



N: Sunset Rubdown was intoxicating. Amazing. I heart Spencer. Everything that I have heard from him is unique. Oh- and he was sporting the 'stach. He has to be one of the coolest people I have ever seen. (5 compliments enough?...) The music is a bit braver than that of Wolf Parade. Do you agree Brendan?

B: Agreed! Spencer Krug is on fire. I was a little worried about how well Spencer would be without Dan and the boys from Wolf Parade, but he has surrounded himself with a group of top notch musicians who put on an incredible show. Consisting of material from “Shut Up I am Dreaming” (as well as a few new songs), the group comes off sounding like a musical carnival, featuring various instruments and songs that are both dark and colorful, disturbing and intriguing. Sunset’s performance set the bar pretty high for every band to follow this weekend.

N: At the end of the show we walked by Ramesh and a group of people. Even though I had met him twice before I was too shy to walk over and say hello. Some dude was not too shy to ask me if I knew where the cocaine was, though. Instead of a witty remark I replied "I wouldnt know.." LAME.

B: Yeah, I didn’t get any comments like that. I did get one kid who came up to me and asked if I knew were you could get good stationary. I said I didn’t know but it was cool, I get that question a lot.

Overall, the night was a complete success as far as we are concerned. The bands were great, the comedians were funny, and the company was cool. Stay tuned for Festival Day 1 coverage.