popwreckoning

We at PopWreckoning, or to be honest Editor-in-Chief Jessica, is continually amazed at how wonderful her local public radio station WXPN is. Tonight, they’re streaming The Decemberists‘ set live from the Electric Factory in Philadelphia.

Head to XPN.org at approximately 9:30PM EST to hear The Decemberists’ full set, and laugh to yourself that you didn’t drop a cool $30.00 on tickets.

WXPN: website | become a member
The Decemberists: website | myspace | Always The Bridesmaid review

AA Bondy

11:45-12:30 // AA Bondy // Dell Stage
Despite a burning desire to sleep till noon, I rolled out of bed at 9:30 (that’s early for a Sunday!) to make sure Josh and I were at Zilker in time to catch Alabama folk singer AA Bondy. He reminded me a great deal of Bob Dylan with a tinge of Rocky Votolato, although almost any modern folk singer with an acoustic guitar and harmonica reminds me of Votolato. Regardless of any comparisons, Bondy’s set was quite lovely, despite not being tight in the least.

Angela of Sybris

11:45-12:30 // Sybris // AT&T Blue Room Stage
Only knowing that I needed to see Bondy at 11:45, I hadn’t paid attention to anything else on the schedule, knowing I’d figure it out more or less when I arrived at the park…and had a chance to actually wake up. Initally I’d thought that Bondy was on the Austin Ventures stage, but as we neared, I could have sworn I heard the fantastic musical stylings of Ohio duo mr. Gnome. Discovering my mistake, I was delighted to find that the tunes actually belonged to the reverb-loving foursome from Chicago known as Sybris.

Though not playing to a sizable crowd (opening slot is tough), Sybris rocked out hard and most certainly drew a great performance. Those in attendance loved every second of the high energy shoegaze (oxymoron?) set. Once their set ended, Josh and I headed over to the AMD stage for Nicole Atkins and the Sea, happening upon a large spot of lawn covered in a mass of glitter. It had us thinking that Tilly and the Wall performed a secret set at ACL, and if that’s true, we’re not too happy about missing the memo on that one.

Nicole Atkins

12:30-1:30 // Nicole Atkins & the Sea // AMD Stage
As a member of local public radio station WXPN (which, if you’re a regular here, you know I pimp as often as poss.), I’d long heard of Nicole Atkins and the Sea, but this past weekend was my first chance at seeing the outfit perform live. Just the first few seconds of the set alone had me understanding why XPN loves this woman so much and I was blown away myself. Atkins has a rich and transfixing voice, intermittently punctuated with a squeal belonging to a rocker from the 50s a la Barrett Strong or even a James Brown.

Nicole Atkins and her sea swelled with great intensity as they produce poppy dance rock jams that had the crowd (most certainly me included) dancing along in the afternoon Austin heat. To do “as the Austinites do,” Atkins played a rather catchy country song she’d written as part of her set. Not a fan of country due to the twang in the vocals, I actually rather enjoyed Nicole’s rendition of a country song seeing as it lacked the twang and was just as hooky as every other song in the set. For sure an act I’ll catch in a more intimate setting, and not only because Atkins is beautiful, sassy, and I have a girl crush on her.

Day 3 was by far the hottest of the fest, so Josh and I made our way to the other side of the park to enjoy some Rock Band, football and air conditioning in the AT&T Oasis, and an oasis it was. On the way to the Oasis, we were treated to a bit of Abigail Washburn & the Sparrow Quartet‘s set, featuring legendary banjo player Bela Fleck. Man, that Bela wails on the banjo. Switching gears (and how!), as a long time fan of The Octopus Project, I mandated we leave the oasis and head to the Dell Stage as to not the Austin locals’ set.

1:30-2:30 // Octopus Project // Dell Stage
Arriving only a bit tardy, I was pleasantly surprised to find a middle school band on stage playing and dancing along with The Octopus Project. No other electronica pop band has ever had a more lush sound than The Octopus Project did on Sunday. I was delighted with the upbeat set, the band’s energy as they moved around and took turns playing the others’ instruments, and Yvonne Lambert‘s adorable sky blue dress. Lyrically, the band was slim, but they more than made up for it with huge electro-poppy melodies.

Later in the day, I briefly chatted up the band in the media area as they made the press rounds. They’re absolute dolls!

Pricilla Ahn

1:50-2:30 // Pricilla Ahn // Austin Ventures Stage
Sunday was the day of forming girl crushes, but honestly, you listen to Pricilla Ahn for five minutes and tell me you’re not in love. She has the sweetest voice and was simply enchanting in between songs as she bantered on the stage. Another cute dress noted, Ahn wore a flowy, yellow halter dress that made her shine even brighter.

1:30-2:30 // The Kills // AT&T Blue Room Stage
The Kills’ feminine half, Alison “VV” Mosshart looked just like Jack White as she took the stage, decked out in tight pants, a floppy hat and long dark hair in her face. Despite my initial judgement of her outfit (side note: I used to work for a fashion magazine, thus all the clothes talk), I was happy to find The Kills nailing an energetic performance chock full of fun rock songs.

2:30-3:30 // Gillian Welch // AMD Stage
Josh had been looking forward to checking out Gillian Welch all weekend so we swung by the AMD Stage on our way to land a spot for Stars while in search of friends of mine. As we happened by the stage Gillian played on, we heard her announce a special guest joining her on stage, so needless to say, we stopped dead in our tracks. Lucky for us we passed by at that time, because Alison Krauss joined Welch for a beautiful cover along with one of Gillian’s guitarists.

2:50-3:30 // Tristan Prettyman // Austin Ventures
Still on the way to catch Stars, we briefly walked past Tristan Prettyman’s performance and, man, what a beautiful voice. Girlfriend can sing it.

3:30-4:30 // Stars // AT&T Blue Room Stage
Never having seen Stars, I was ridiculously excited to catch them at ACL. They were absolutely amazing — which is really all I have to say about them — though I had the nagging feeling that they’d be much more enjoyable at an indoor venue. This thought was later confirmed when Josh told me that they’re better indoors. Solid.

Stars

What turned out to not be as regrettably as I’d initially assumed, Josh and I left Stars’ set early to chat with Sybris and Five Times August in the media area. Brad of Five Times August was lovely and Sybris was a wild ride. Following an interview in which Josh and I did shots with the band and they beat on each other, we hung out backstage with them, scored some free shoes, sat in on a video interview they had to give at their behest (I became the tambourine player and Josh, the bassist) and just had a hell of a time.

5:30-6:30 // Okkervil River // AT&T Blue Room Stage
Sybris had to take some things back to their bus, so the antics ended and Josh and I caught the last quarter of Okkervil River’s set. They put on a wildly energetic set that you should make your business to see.

Okkervil River

The Raconteurs, Photo: Nick Davis

6:30-7:45 // The Racounteurs // AMD Stage
Josh, and the rest of the world pretty much, could not shut up about how amazing The Raconteurs are live. Honestly, I was bored. Granted, by 6:30pm on the 3rd day of a music festival, maybe my tolerance for great music had hit an all time high or I was beginning to suffer from A.D.D. as a result of sleep deprivation. For whatever reason, I was totally bored out of my mind and just wanted to leave The Raconteurs set.

6:30-7:30 // Gnarls Barkley // AT&T Stage
Despite having lost the hype for Gnarls a while ago, I was excited to catch their set on the other side of the park since Jack [White] and Brendan [Benson] had only managed to bore me. Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse, I thought, were a more entertaining duo that day. They exceeded my expectations from the last time I saw them, but then again, I hadn’t just been blown away by The Roots. Following “Crazy,” Josh and I snuck back into the AT&T Oasis for a little R&R.

7:30-8:30 // Band of Horses // Dell Stage
Thousands of people flocked to the Dell Stage for Band of Horses late set. Josh and I scoped out a spot after leaving Gnarls a bit early, only to be told that I was going to get my throat stepped on by a Mets (boo fucking hoo, you should hate your life) fan because the Phillies clinched the division and I’m a Phillies fan (go Phils!). Fearing for my trachea, Josh and I stayed for only a few songs, including the hugely commericially popular “Is There A Ghost,” before heading back to the media area to listen to the set in piece and with way better accomodations than the dusty parkgrounds had to offer.

Band of Horses

8:30-10:00 // Foo Fighters // AT&T Stage
I’d seen the Foo Fighters for the very first time with photographer Ajay at this year’s Virgin Mobile Festival in Baltimore and was thrilled at the chance to catch them live again — had never seen them in my 23 years and then see them twice in the same summer, crazy. Dave Grohl is as dynamic a personality as they come and he is nothing but entertaining in every aspect of his stage show from hilarious and out there stage banter to just rocking the fuck out.
If you’ve never seen the Foo Fighters live, regardless of how much you like or dislike their music, I feel sorry for you that they’re going on hiatus. Foo Fighters definitely rival for a top spot in best shows I’ve seen this summer.

Dave Grohl on the JumboTron, Photo: Quiet Color

Taylor Hawkins on the JumboTron, Photo: Quiet Color

a prettier one, Photo: Ben Watts

10:00-2:00 // Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band w/ Jenny Lewis & M. Ward // La Zona Rosa
So much went on here that you’ll have to check back for another post! It was amazing.

Austin is an amazing city and Austin City Limits is one of the best festivals I’ve been to, hands down. Shout out to all the fantastic people I met and thank you to Sandee and Marcy for such a wonderful time! Here’s looking at ACL 2009.

Austin City Limits: website | day 1 | day 2

Initially, I want to gush. Gush about how great She & Him is, how cute and wonderful both Zooey Deschanel (She) and M. Ward (Him) are, and what an amazing performance I saw last night at the Trocadero in Philadelphia’s Chinatown. I’ll try to save some journalistic integrity by quoting a concert goer in the ladie’s room immediately following the show: “It’s like cute overload!” While I agree with the sentiment 100%, it’s hardly fair to start off a recap of the [sold out] show with that, though I just have.

Public radio station extraordinaire WXPN welcomed (sponsored/promoted) She & Him along with country folk opening act Freakwater, whom opened for M. Ward on his January 2007 tour. Not necessarily my usual cup of tea, Freakwater front women Janet Bean and Catherine Irwin put on a tight, if sedate, set. The Troc was already packed as Freakwater played beautiful songs rife with melancholy and country twang, which the crowd eagerly applauded.

Freakwater: Catherine Irwin

The time in between Freakwater’s exit and the appearance of Deschanel and Ward was filled with retro pop songs that clearly influence She & Him’s own sound, appealing to her affinity for early 60s girl pop and his own penchant for retro tunes. The time between sets also seemed infinite, but was more than worth the wait.

Freakwater: Ryan, Janet Bean

Several false alarms of the crowding cheering only heightened the room’s growing anticipation for She & Him to take the stage. Thunderous applause greeted Deschanel and Ward and their backing band as they made their entrance. Not many bands call pull off selling out shows with only one album — even if Him is pretty much a legend and She is already famous for her acting career — but if there was any doubt that this duo could live up to the hype, it was shattered as She and Him broke into their set.

She & Him: Zooey Deschanel

Deschanel’s voice was strikingly beautiful and moving, especially in songs such as “Black Hole” where she sings songs of melancholy: “I’m stuck here / Getting misty over you. / I’m alone / On a bicycle for two.” The set included covers by Smokey Robinson, whose “You Really Gotta Hold On Me” appears on She and Him’s Volume One and another, “You Turn Me On, I’m A Radio” by legendary folk folk singer songwriter Joni Mitchell. Deschanel’s vocals faltered slightly on the latter, seemingly due to nerves, but any sense of uncertainty dissipated with the next song, “Take It Back,” singing her own words.

She & Him: M. Ward

She and Him played a brand new song written by Deschanel, betraying a broken heart as she sang, “That won’t stop me crying over you.” “Sentimental Heart” followed with more of the same heavy emotion: “Cried all night till there was nothing more / What use am I as a heap on the floor?” Though mostly smiles on stage, a few certain looks that passed Deschanel’s face also gave away some inner turmoil, but by hit single “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” (download) she’d loosened up and was happily bouncing around the stage. The happiness could’ve also been due to a fan tossing a mix CD onto the stage for Deschanel, who picked it up and announced, “It’s a mix! I love mixes!”

She & Him: Zooey Deschanel

The effervescence continued with “This Is Not A Test” before the set wrapped with “Sweet Darling,” for which Ward put down his guitar in favor of playing the piano. Deschanel was exploding with energy, jumping up and down and smacking her tambourine before sitting next to Ward on the piano bench to finish out the tune as the crowd danced and clapped along in time. Before exiting while the backing band played on, Ward and Deschanel took center stage and bowed before the audience. The departure of the backing band was met with cacophony from the crowd for an encore.

She & Him: M. Ward

After a few minutes, She and Him reappeared for a three-song encore consisting solely of cover songs. The first was a lovely rendition of Sam Cooke‘s “Bring It On Home To Me” followed by “Magic Trick,” a Ward original and technically only a cover for Deschanel. Before the final song, a cover of Emmylou Harris‘ “Hello Stranger,” She and Him asked Freakwater to join them on stage. Deschanel placed Irwin and Bean at her microphone telling them, “We’d love to be back up for you anytime,” as she joined her own back up singer further back on the stage.

She & Him: Zooey Deschanel

She and Him has seen such great success so quickly not because Ward and Deschanel are already famous, but because they both musically compliment each other so well. Ward is simply an astounding musician and Deschanel, though known foremost for her acting, is an extremely talented singer and songwriter. Their mutual penchant for retro pop and proclivity for various genres has created an exciting and cohesive, if still small, discography, which translates wonderfully live.

She & Him: M. Ward

She and Him are on the road through August, culminating their headlining tour with a spot on this year’s Virgin Mobile Festival at Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course. Be sure to catch the pair in a town near you and pick up a copy of their debut album Volume One, available now on Merge Records.

She & Him: Zooey Deschanel

Tour Dates:
Jul 28 – Cat’s Cradle / Carrboro, NC (SOLD OUT!)
Jul 29 – Variety Playhouse / Atlanta
Jul 30 – Mercy Lounge / Nashville
Jul 31 – Orange Peel / Asheville, NC
Aug 02 - Newport Folk Fest / Newport, RI
Aug 04 – Wexner Center for the Arts / Columbus, Oh.
Aug 05 – Park West / Chicago (SOLD OUT!)
Aug 07 - First Avenue / Minneapolis
Aug 08 – Barrymore / Madison, Wi.
Aug 10 – Virgin Mobile Fest / Baltimore

She and Him: website | myspace | Volume One review | download, watch “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?”
Freakwater: website | myspace

When: Monday, January 14, 2008
Where: World Cafe Life, Phila. PA

Philadelphia’s World Cafe Live, home to WXPN, is the perfect place for an artist like Mirah to play. A majority of the lighting comes from white strings of lights around the bar and railings and from the soft glow of candles on each table. The crowd was composed of hipsters and indie rockers drinking a variety of teas or beers (from Pabst to Chimay) and indulging on delicious food ranging from eggplant fries (they were delish, btw) to peanut butter pie. Few other venues in the City of Brotherly Love would have made a better match.

Opening act Laura Gibson was an amazing compliment to the talent that was to follow her. Mirah aside, a woman and her acoustic guitar have never been so sweet and vulnerable in front of an audience. Gibson’s smoky voice sang a mix of folky melancholic yet hopeful songs reminiscent of David Bazan in the form of a female and less angry. Her debut If You Come To Greet Me is 9 simple but beautiful tracks of a girl and her guitar well worth it.

Mirah took the stage with K Records label mates Spectratone International, with whom she released Share This Place, a concept album engulfed in a motif of insects which was premiered at the Seattle International Children’s Festival in May of last year. Influenced by the works of J. Henri Fabre, a 19th century naturalist, Mirah and Spectratone Intl. layered their respective sounds, Mirah’s golden voice and descriptive lyrics with Spectratone’s ambient and experimental sound to create an epic album revolving around insect life cycle and something very different than what Mirah fans are used to. Several of the songs featured a folky Latin vibe and one even had lyrics in Spanish while others, such as “Song of Psyche,” focused on Roman mythology for the lyrics citing figures such as Persephone, Cupid, Psyche and Jupiter.

Mirah’s sweet voice filled the venue as not a single person in the crowd dared to speak while she and Spectratone International performed, for fear of missing a single beautiful note, which speaks volumes of both Mirah and her fans. The first to speak was Mirah herself, asking the audience, “Do we need a moment to reconvene? I don’t know if you were expecting this.” She went on to explain that a small round screen behind her, which illustrated the narrative of each song, was designed by Britta Johnson, and was typically featured on 12′ tall screens, but World Caf� Live did not, unfortunately, have the space for such large screens. Spectratone International played wonderfully but showed little emotion while on stage. They provided a different sound for Mirah, which demonstrated her own range and ability to leave her musical comfort zone, which turned out to be a beautiful thing.
Setlist: Gestation of the Sacred Beetle, Following the Sun, My Prize, Luminescence, Song of Psyche, Supper, Emergence of the Primary Larva, My Lord Who Hums, Ecdysis, Love Song of the Fly, Community, Credo Cigalia

Mirah: bio | myspace
Spectratone International: bio
K Records: website | myspace
Laura Gibson: bio | myspace
Hush Records: website | myspace

Regardless of its medium a story about the individuals who have attempted, successfully or not, the assassination of American Presidents is going to be dark. Stephen Sondheim’s music and lyrics for the musical adaption of John Weidman’s book Assassins, are humorous, poignant and Tony-award winning. The individuals lives of John Wilkes Booth, Charles Guiteau, Giuseppe Zangara, Leon Czolgosz, Lee Harvey Oswald, John Hinckley, Samuel Byck, Lynette Fromme, and Sara Jane Moore are examined in a sympathetic manner of social commentary on today’s obsession with a celebrity-obsessed society.

I was lucky enough to take in a free showing at the Arden Theatre in Philadelphia on October 19, 2007 thanks to WXPN (membership perk!). Having read Sarah Vowells’ Assassination Vacation and heard rave reviews about the musical, I eagerly looked forward to learning about the nations most infamous assassins and wannabe assassins through the majesty of song and a flashy set. The show opens with The Proprietor convincing each of the assassins that he or she needs a gun to shoot their respective President because “Everbody’s Got The Right” to be happy. Following the opening number is the story of the “godfather” of the assassins, John Wilkes Booth. Jeffrey Coon’s portrayal of the man who shot President Lincoln presented a soliloquy demeaning Lincoln that was so heartfelt it almost seemed convincing that I could have sworn Coon was actually Booth and that Lincoln was a tyrant trying to destroy the United States.

Erin Brueggemann made a wonderful Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme tortured by her deep love for “Charlie” (Charles Manson) and determined to kill President Gerald Ford to bring attention to her lover’s plight, hopefully resulting in his release from jail. Sara Jane Moore’s portrayer Mary Martello played a sad and confused woman who seemed to have absolutely no reason to want to kill Ford and merely provided comic relief to the sometimes almost disturbingly dark musical. Moore drops her bullets, as her scatterbrained character is wont to do, while Fromme loads her own gun as President Ford and his Secret Servicemen approach. The President bends down to help Moore gather her scattered bullets as he passes and a confused Moore doesn’t realize the man who just approached was the President was she was trying to shoot. Moore scrambles to load her gun as Ford departs but gets frustrated and ends up throwing the loose bullets at Ford’s back.

Charles Guiteau, who attempted assassination on President Garfield for not being appointed as the Ambassador of France, was played by the animated James Sugg whose facial expressions often stole the show. Christopher Patrick Mullen’s Leon Czolgosz brought the element of a sweet love story with his unwavering devotion to anarchist Emma Goldman, to an otherwise morbidly funny musical. A twisted love story appears in the John Hinckley character played by Timothy Hill, who looked remarkably like the real Hinckley whose obsession with Jodi Foster fueled his attempt to assassinate President Reagan in order to garner her attention.

Scott Greer brought an intensity to the unusual character Sam Byck, the man who wanted to kill President Nixon by hijacking a plane from Baltimore’s airport and crashing it into the White House. Yet the most unusual scene, and the one with the most historical liberties taken, comes with the Lee Harvey Oswald character. Oswald appears in the storeroom of the Texas School Book Depository preparing to kill himself when he is visited by John Wilkes Booth who tries to convince him that killing President John F. Kennedy is the answer to all of his problems. Those assassins before him come to Booth’s aid singing that Oswald must carry on their legacy while those assassins after Oswald sing that his act made their attempts possible.

Assassins is a riveting as only a dark comedy can be. Each of its characters is well-thought out and digs at real human emotions. The cast at the Arden Theatre pulled off an exquisite performance capturing the subtle nuances of America’s most famous murders and attempted assassins. Stephen Sondheim’s Assassins is a must see for the theater-goer with an interest in history and a stomach for dark humor.