San Francisco’s Girls found a way to cram their seven-person band into independent record store, Grimey’s, on Friday afternoon and kicked off the weekend with an in-store rock show here in Nashville. The show was streamed live on Ustream, just hours before Girls took the stage at Mercy Lounge to play a longer, less claustrophobic set.

The six-song set was new jam heavy, featuring mostly songs from last week’s (fan.tas.tic.) release, Father, Son, Holy Ghost, and the band played one of the album’s prettiest, most sway-friendly tracks, “Love Is Like A River” (beginning at the seven minute mark). But, really, the whole set is so good.

Girls are on tour now:

09.19.11 Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
09.20.11 Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
09.21.11 Montreal, Quebec @ POP Montreal Festival
09.22.11 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
09.23.11 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
09.24.11 Boston, MA @ Paramount Center
09.25.11 Montreal, Quebec @ POP Montreal Festival
09.27.11 Toronto, Ontario @ Mod Club Theatre
09.29.11 Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
09.30.11 Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
10.01.11 Minneapolis, MN @ First Ave Nightclub
10.04.11 Vancouver, British Columbia @ Biltmore Cabaret
10.05.11 Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
10.06.11 Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
10.08.11 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
10.09.11 San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall

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For more Girls news, visit facebook.com/GIRLSsf.

The Los Angeles-based, Holland-born singer-songwriter brought her piano and strong, feathery vocals to the Crystal Ballroom as the opening act (and female presence) on tour with fellow Hotel Cafe veterans Cary Brothers and Joshua Radin, burning her way through the Kings Of Leon cover as well as other songs from her recently-released LP, Bells.

Laura found herself onstage again after her set to offer Cary Brothers a female harmony on his song “Blue Eyes” and once more to do the same for Joshua Radin on “You’ve Got Growing Up To Do.”

Laura Jansen has two more shows in the U.S. before she flies to Europe. Catch her on 3.29.11 at Beat Kitchen in Chicago and/or at Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles on 3.30.11.

Bells is currently available on iTunes.

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For more on Laura Jansen, go to myspace.com/laurajansenmusic.

Playing a wide variety of songs, Hoge hit all the spots he needed to in order to fulfill our Wreckage needs, as well as some timeless and obvious favorites from Carousel and Blackbird On A Lonely Wire. Pulling tricks out of his jacket sleeves all night, Hoge showed us that he doesn’t need the feminine backup vocals from “Goodnight Goodbye” to do the track justice, and also gave us a lesson in bad ass instrumental breaks when he wailed for a solid five minutes in the middle of “Doesn’t Have To Be That Way.”

The whole show wasn’t just a familiar set list. We got to hear a new song that will be on the upcoming record, too. Ladies should be comforted, because it’s about how guys understand that they don’t understand females, and that they’re lucky that the women in their lives still put up with them. See? It’s all in the effort!

At the end of the night, the band brought it to the crowd (literally) with “The Highway’s Home.”

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For more information on Will Hoge, visit willhoge.com.

Even though Sasquatch didn’t harbor some of the big names that Coachella had to offer, the talent this year was a fair representation of what an indie fest should be. (Get your Jay-Z fix on the radio, kids.) After a long wait to get in on Saturday, the festival began. Mumford and Sons put on an honest set and played well by their audience, making sure to invite a few friends for some on-stage partying. Sharing similarities in dissimilarity, WHY? and Portugal. The Man stood out and were good additions to Saturday’s lineup that was later reserved for the hipper mainstream scene. Vampire Weekend, Broken Social Scene, My Morning Jacket and OK GO left everyone partied out for the night and ready for the next morning.

Sunday’s lineup supported a DIY vibe and featured bands that always surprise us with their effortless genius. The sounds from Tegan and Sara, tUnE-yArDs and Dirty Projectors complemented one another on this day in their knack for sounding strength in females. The Long Winters, Pavement and They Might Be Giants did their thing, but kind of did just that. Bands like The xx, Cymbals Eat Guitars and Local Natives stepped up to the plate and delivered more than expected (don’t they always, though?) throughout the day. We figured out that LCD Soundsystem and Kid Cudi have the ability to make people dance and sweat, and Massive Attack closed out the night with a strong and entertaining set with their unique beats and sounds.

All good things must come to an end, and that’s exactly what Monday morning reminded us. With a pretty chill lineup for the day, it was a great way to wrap up the end of Sasquatch. Phantogram and Neon Indian satisfied our hunger for the right amount of distorted electronic noise and got us ready for the soft, upbeat soul of Mayer Hawthorne & The County, who eased us in to the carefree set that The Temper Trap always offer up. What’s a festival without a little bit of country rock? The Drive-By Truckers offered that “little bit” to us. Although lacking a little bit of energy, She & Him surprisingly seemed to keep the ladies happy and Passion Pit got them dancing. Band of Horses pleased the crowd with their solid sound and a well-balanced set of new and old songs. MGMT was there to pull in their cult-like following while Ween rocked out until the end of the night as if they were the only band there.

For a short tour of the festival (and the beautiful Gorge Amphitheater scenery), get at the photo gallery here:

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Get more Sasquatch info at the official Sasquatch Festival website.

SXSW 2010
by Brianne Turner, Photography by Nick Chaivarlis

The strongest/longest day of SXSW was definitely Friday, beginning with a very electronic Toro Y Moi set at the French Legation Museum (and more sound problems!). From there we moved to the Galaxy Room Backyard where we caught Freelance Whales and also Local Natives, who are getting better and better at killing sets and winning fans. The crowd more than doubled just before Local Natives took the stage (smart) and grew enthusiastic about the band’s cover of “Warning Sign.” This was the band’s sixth SXSW show of the nine they played, but no trace of exhaustion was evident in the band as they played an incredible and high-energy version of “Airplanes” before bringing Fool’s Gold to the stage to help close the set/crush hearts with “Sun Hands.”

Solid Gold and Tanlines played Club de Ville for the Green Label Sound Party, where the bands played back-to-back sets. Solid Gold got the crowd ready, but Tanlines got the crowd going by combining songs seamlessly to maximize dancibility. Though it did seem to minimize set time, the duo put in their allotted time and made room for the next act.

Down the street at Emo’s (Windish), Danish band WhoMadeWho took beers from the audience while they played an entertaining set, integrating spooky harmonies, trance-based effects, and dramatic buildups while their audience danced it out and fed them more beer. (Best fans!) Delorean (yes, again!) followed WhoMadeWho, continuing the dance party for an even larger, possibly drunker crowd.

In an unintentional attempt to change the vibe, we made a very intentional trip to see The Trews at Prague’s Canada Night. The set was plagued with sound problems but the band played a solid rock ‘n’ roll show for a bar full of enthusiastic Canadians who showed allegiance to their countrymen by knowing every lyric to every song. Though the four band members remained seated throughout all eight songs, their energy never waned. The Trews were also one of the only bands we saw who didn’t let the venue’s sound issues eclipse their performance.
Rock ‘n’ roll, fuck yeah.

We ended the night back at Emo’s (Windish), this time at the main stage for The Very Best, who are the (very) best at getting Americans to sing in a Malawian accent. After handing out Heinekens to audience members and partaking in some stage dives, The Very Best encouraged the entire audience to crawl onto the stage and dance it out to “Warm Heart of Africa,” sans Ezra Koenig.

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Continue reading » Day 4: The Morning Benders, Wye Oak, Ben Gibbard, Titus Andronicus, Here We Go Magic, Picture Plane, The Very Best, Sleigh Bells

SXSW 2010
by Brianne Turner, Photography by Nick Chaivarlis and Brianne Turner

Our second day in Austin took us to the Babelgum lawn party at the French Legation Museum to see The Antlers. Amongst an onslaught of sound problems and broken equipment, the band finished out their set visibly tense about the technical difficulties. Despite the minor shit storm, The Antlers played a decent set and made a strong case for a strong album.

In an incredibly predictable move on our part, we headed to the Hilton Garden Inn to see Audioholic Media favorite, Bobby Long, whose voice sounds better and more seasoned with each performance. Playing solo and acoustic, Bobby took the stage as part of the U.K.-based Bedford lineup and played a solid and passionate set, no surprise.

After (regrettably) missing Lemonade, we did catch the Delorean set at Cheer Up Charlie’s, which held no shortage of dancing, crowd surfing and astonishment. There was even a smoke machine! With their trancelike conglomeration of beats and instruments overlapping occasional lyric integration, Delorean are a tough band to resist. Maybe it’s the Spanish charm. Maybe it was the smoke machine. Or maybe it was the purple haze hanging in the atmosphere. (Not that I’m pointing any fingers…)

Here’s the rundown, via pictures:

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Continue reading » Day 3: Toro Y Moi, Freelance Whales, Local Natives, Solid Gold, Tanlines, Delorean, WhoMadeWho, Cymbals Eat Guitars, The Trews, The Very Best

SXSW 2010
by Brianne Turner, Photography by Nick Chaivarlis

The first day of SXSW consisted primarily of lots of aimless wandering and severe cramping due to carrying too much shit around (hi, we’re amateurs), so it was a pleasant and colorful moment when we wandered aimlessly right into the Body Language set at Mohawk. Lead singer Angelica Bess kept their set upbeat and adorable with her brightly-colored outfit and the band’s uptempo vibe (and songs).

Packed Venue of the Night award most likely went to the Stubb’s amphitheater, where the lineup featured Visqueen, The Walkmen, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Broken Bells and Austin natives, Spoon. The Walkmen put on an eclectic show (which at one point included an eight-piece brass section) while Sharon Jones‘ energy filled the amphitheater and encouraged anyone with a sense of rhythm to shake his ass. Broken Bells started out mellow and were the only band on the bill to fully utilize the stage projection screen, leaving them to play in almost complete darkness while their super-low bass line shook the amphitheater’s (nonexistent) walls.

After a lengthy setup process, indie rock veterans Spoon took the stage and began their set with newish jam, “Written In Reverse.” The evening’s Lesson In Irony medal was awarded to the band for playing “Don’t Make Me A Target” while the photo pit was at its most feral, nearly every long-lens SLR pointed at lead singer Britt Daniel’s face as he sang it.

If you need photographic evidence of what we saw, you’re in luck! We have it in abundance, and it begins right here:

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Continue reading » Day 2: The Antlers, Bobby Long, Delorean

SXSW 2010
by Brianne Turner, Photography by Nick Chaivarlis and Brianne Turner

All good things must come to an end, and like the best of things, SXSW’s finale is leaving us feeling a small void these last few days. The social networks (for the most part) have stopped crawling with ridiculous hash tags and concert updates, and you don’t have to read about how much fun your friends (or the people you envy) are having in Austin without you on a minute-by-minute basis.

We may not have had time to see your favorite band last week in the midst of all the musical chaos, but it’s an absolute certainty that we covered some bands who could definitely become some of your newest favorites. We know this because they became ours. Here is our SXSW coverage, broken down by day:

Day 1: Brazos, Body Language, Visqueen, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, The Walkmen, Broken Bells, Spoon

Day 2: The Antlers, Bobby Long, Delorean

Day 3: Toro Y Moi, Freelance Whales, Local Natives, Solid Gold, Tanlines, Delorean, WhoMadeWho, Cymbals Eat Guitars, The Trews, The Very Best

Day 4: The Morning Benders, Wye Oak, Ben Gibbard, Titus Andronicus, Here We Go Magic, Pictureplane, The Very Best, Sleigh Bells

Cymbals Eat Guitars, Bear In Heaven, and Freelance Whales stopped by The Earl in Atlanta, Georgia to wrap up their final shows before attending SXSW in Austin, Texas.

Freelance Whales started the night off to a smaller crowd who didn’t seem too familiar with their arrangements, but also didn’t take long to get comfortable to the musical circus they were performing on stage. After the tunes of a harmonium, glockenspiel and pipe dream lyrics, Bear In Heaven changed the mood on stage to a slightly darker one, but still a very experimental one. Psychedelic and electronic sounds spilled from the stage as the crowd grew in size and the pretentious swaying (because actually dancing to the music is a bad thing, right Atlanta?!) started to come out of the woodwork.

It was undeniable that the crowd was anticipating Cymbals Eat Guitars, but they were still stiff as boards for the majority of the set. This music is made for thrashing and the crowd remembered that as Joseph Ferocious walked them through a sweaty rendition of it as the quartet wailed great energy to “And The Hazy Sea,” and also when Matthew Miller accidentally dismembered part of his drum kit, honestly reiterating the band’s name.

It’s comforting to see musicians not be affected by the lull of their audience and continue to pump the venue with endless amounts of passion and performance stamina. Everyone experiences music differently, but these bands showed them how New York experiences it, and how maybe next time we should all experience it.

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For more information on Cymbals Eat Guitars, visit cymbalseatguitars.com.
For more information on Bear In Heaven, visit bearinheaven.com.
For more information on Freelance Whales, visit freelancewhales.com.

Though the show ended up being one collaborative effort between all three acts, Todd Carey was the first to hit the stage and loosened up the crowd with “Back Off Baby,” a song about stalkers. After proving himself to be a bad-ass guitarist by playing the Super Mario Brothers theme, Atlanta’s Nathan Angelo surprised us by making an appearance and playing piano for one of Carey’s songs.

Directly after Todd Carey’s set, Joe Firstman jumped right into a few songs. The live acoustic setting offered Firstman the opportunity to play a stripped down version of his music, creating a Jekyll and Hyde complex when compared to his produced work. His set also included “Pretty Things,” (a song he co-wrote with Tony Lucca) with some help from Todd Carey, and Ernie Halter played piano for a song before taking the stage for his own set.

“It’s kind of like a Choose Your Own Adventure,” is how Halter described his performance throughout the night. Relying on the crowd to create his set list for him, he began with “Gone” and continued taking all requests (except for a cover of Clapton’s “Layla“). Regardless of who chooses the set list, “Cyclone,” “Whisper” and “Love in LA” are going to be played. Carey and Firstman made their way to Halter’s side throughout the night to collaborate as one functioning band. Check out that awesome ukulele Halter has been swooning over!

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For more information on Ernie Halter and Joe Firstman, visit rockridgemusic.com. For more information on Todd Carey, visit toddcareymusic.com.