A Few Things I've Learned

Libby Linton seized me. Not literally. The quiet singer/songwriter seems to be the type that’s uncomfortable with any rough physicality. The folky twenty-something fiercely grabbed me by the ears when I heard “Shackleton, I’m Solid”, a sweet, tall song that blends the line between acoustic powered folk and glittery sea shanty. I was shocked to see that such a shy seeming individual delivered the soaring, warbling vocals that seemed to me a confection cut from a block of soap: clean and pleasantly worn around the edges. The self-proclaimed “mild-mannered type” who enjoys “math and limeade” was kind enough to speak to me, an English-centric, pink lemonade fan. We had a lot to discuss.





How did you enter into the folk scene?

Starting at a young age, I've been surrounded by guitars and banjos and so on. It was only a matter of time before I learned how to play. Along with that, my parents were big fans of artists like Cat Stevens, Simon and Garfunkel, Nick Drake and Jethro Tull, so that definitely had an effect on my musical taste. As far as playing shows and writing songs, it was just something that I've always had an inclination to do. When I got to college and found myself surrounded by brave people who weren't afraid to get up in front of a crowd and sing, it was a natural step to throw myself in front of a mic.


What are your main influences (musical and nonmusical)?

Musically, I'm influenced by any artist that seems like they mean what they are singing. Whether its upbeat or melancholy, I find that I have a short attention span for anything that feels contrived. Specifically, I like Nick Drake, The Shins, Iron & Wine, Fleet Foxes, Sufjan Stevens, and many many others. More than anything, I think I'm influenced by live performances from musicians that really sing like they mean it. Outside of music, I am influenced pretty significantly by certain writers, like Billy Collins and Flannery O'Connor.


Who are your favorite contemporaries?

Despite having significant leanings to the indie folk genre and artists that I've mentioned like Sufjan Stevens and Iron & Wine, I like a fairly diverse range of contemporary music. To name a few, I like the Bowerbirds, Fleet Foxes, Faded Paper Figures, Bon Iver, Jolie Holland, Sean Hayes, and many more. There are a lot of really good musicians and bands out there, and this is just a small list of music that I listen to a lot.


What is the strangest thing a fan has done for you?

I wish I had an amazingly strange story about crazy fan behavior, but I tend to attract a pretty mentally stable crowd. I can't say that a fan has ever done anything for me that was too unbelievable. I've had more than my fair share of bizarre conversations and a few marriage proposals, but that's as extreme a response as I have seen.


How did you come up with "Shackleton, I'm Solid"? Can you explain in your words exactly what it's about?

This is an interesting question. It's not the first time I've been asked this, and I will say that this probably won't be the best response. "Shackleton, I'm Solid", believe it or not, means something very specific that can be broken down into very plain English, but it's also a phrase that I think deserves to maintain a degree of ambiguity. In all of my songs, there is a bit of vagueness in the lyrics. Every line represents something and means something, but I don't like to make everything too cut and dry. I'm not the type to say everything in straightforward, plain terms. The reason for that comes down to a desire to leave things open to individual interpretation. I think that helps to get an emotional point across, even though the literal point might not be as transparent.

That being said, here are a few more details about what that phrase means without spelling it out too much. I get asked a lot if the song is directly about Ernest Shackleton, who was an Antarctic explorer. The song is most definitely not about Ernest Shackleton, but rather, the name is a representation of a bigger idea and time period. The "I'm Solid" half of that statement is a reminder of knowing where you stand. When it comes down to it, it is more or less an apology song and a song of reassurance. Terribly vague answer, I know.


Are you working on an album/playing any shows soon? If not, what are you working on?

Well my first full-length album called "Bird Wings in the Bleak" was released April 23. It consists of 12 songs, mostly brand-new tracks as well as a more complete version of Shackleton, I'm Solid. That album will most assuredly be available online on www.libbielinton.com and eventually on iTunes, and I'll be playing many shows in support of that release this Summer and Fall.

High Flying Bird

Andrew Bird looks like he has swallowed a sock when he first arrives on stage. Maybe that's how he always looks, nervous and pained- this is my first Bird show. The opener, "surf rock meets progressive salsa" Calexico, was alright but the crowd (as epitomized by the drunk bookish, bobbing Brooklynites seated behind me) was rowdy and ready for some of Andrew's singular violin plucking stylings.

When he arrives, the gold bathed scalloped ceiling of the venue darkens and a clear, spacey whistle falls through the room. Andrew Bird walks on and the whistle from his pursed lips is theme of the show, the ribbon tying each song together. He rolls his neck and clicks his glittering shoes (which he takes off after the opening, standing well over six feet in his stockinged feet). He often stops a song to fix the pieces ("I didn't quite care for that one") and his concentration, the pained look on his face in attempting perfection is searing. He sometimes trails into small, stuttery rants about characters and how excited he is to be playing Radio City ("Let's take a moment to like- take a moment. Breathe. You know, there's all these buttons and knobs and I just have to make sure I. Yep. Wow."). It is delightful to see this blue blazered indie superstar humbling himself with spurts of uncomfortable chatter. He bends his lanky frame into the shape of a timid pretzel, ambling, trembling, shaking his fists, and head. Andrew Bird is taken over by the sound and fury of his own music and it is magical to see such investment in one's own work. He is a marionette attached to his violin strings.

The stage behind him is a blank wall awash with colors dribbling down, bleached purples and greens behind Bird's signature stage fixture, spinning Victrolas. It amazes me that there is no screaming during songs at all. The crowd is completely respectful until the last beat of each song, after which they go crazy. "Scythian Empires" is a sweet triumph of buoyant, happy music during which Andrew Bird conducts with his bow at little breaks, waving it around like a pretty sword. Lights cast onto the ceiling looked like green moss stars. The addition of Calexico's horns to the song made the entire place feel warm and smoke bloomed around Andrew in a flowery sheet. I left spell bound. As my friends and I hurried out in an effort to beat the traffic, we heard the strains of "Fake Palindromes" bleeding through the wall and stamped back in for the encore. The victorious bell like whistle burning through the concert hall, the wavy indie-child hair, innate awkwardness, and freakish fluidity of Andrew Bird are now all sliced into my memory as if Mr. Bird carved them out himself with his machete of a violin bow.



-Kit

p.s. Photos via Flickr

Brothersport

Midnight seems to be the only time that MTV ever plays music videos anymore. Which is a shame because, though the College Humor Show is a stroke of genius, main new music discovery is becoming limited solely to the internet. So in an effort to go with that flow, I present four excellent videos displaying excellent musical talents.


Angus and Julia Stone are a pair of folky Aussie siblings with a penchant for festivals and swooping, silvery vocals. The music video is less than spectacular but the song speaks for itself. The tune drips whimsy and sensitivity from intertwining harmonica and simple chords.


The bowl cut rocking hipsters of indie outfit Le Corps Mince de Françoise blend French, handclaps, basic English, stuttering, a hint of xylophone and a drum machine into a seamless, catchy packet of poppy dance music. And as for the video...I now really want a headdress, some gold balloons, a vest made of fringe, scissor decorations,a pinata, a crop top, and a cage.


This video is all about the aesthetic aspect of Animal Collective. Avey Tare and Panda Bear roll through the streets of Paris pushing a shopping cart which contains the third member of their band, Geologist, who is wearing a speaker around his neck. Avey Tare sings into a cup to distort his voice and Panda Bear is banging on anything he can find, including a radiator which he scrapes and taps at. The effect is fascinating, confusing, and awing all at once.

http://andrewbird.net/aviary/anonanimal/index.php

The final video (or link, rather, to the video) is my favorite song off of Andrew Bird's latest, Noble Beast. I've been a Bird fan for a long time but nothing has been more beautiful to me than this record. "Anonanimal" rises and falls with the grace of an extraordinarily talented violinist. His voice swells out about the sea of strings like a rolling wave of triumphant yet delicate warbling. Andrew Bird stirs the classical pot by ushering in equal measures of electric guitar and modern drum beats. The result is pure magic.


-Kit

The Yule Ball

Hello there.

Back from an extended vacation with a few things I would love love love to share.

1. "Congratulations Forever"

Idaho's The Very Most's second album proved to be anything but a sophomore slump! The polished disk includes must hears like "The World Almost" and "Fighting the Good Fight", which both aim to please with their swingy, upbeat tunes and slick harmonies. The same whimsy as TVM's debut, but in a more clean cut package.




Buy it now at www.theverymost.com

2. Hamlet 2

The painfully funny (do I want to laugh? No.) trailer of Steve Coogan's latest stateside endeavor is sidesplitting. A failed actor turned high school drama teacher works with a group of uninspired students to save the school's theater program. He writes a controversial sequel to Will Shakespeare's Hamlet (including song, dance, a gay men's choir, Satan, the President of the United States, and Jesus) and hilarity/blasphemy ensues. It comes out on August 27th and I can hardly wait though, to quote one of the students "we're going to hell for [watching] this". Another fitting quote to describe it is a quip of Coogan's own: "It was stupid, but it was THEATER!" How true. How very true. Cringe/laugh/cry for yourself:




3. Harry and the Potters

aw yeah.

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned them before but since their tour is in full swing, I won't hesitate to mention again. A band after my very heart, Harry and the Potters are the geeky pioneers of "wizard rock" (a genre defined by garage band-esque sound/fiction inspired lyrics and shared by Rhode Island's Draco and the Malfoys). Hailing from Massachusetts, two brothers (Paul and Joe Degeorge) that bear a likeness to the boy who lived play music inspired by J.K. Rowling's famed series. They are on tour playing *libraries* and *bookstores* (may I reiterate: I love this band!) all summer. Blimey! Their tour schedule is below:

July 19 | San Francisco, CA | Bottom of the Hill (matinee/BBQ)
July 21 | Portland, OR | Wonder Ballroom
July 22 | Olympia, WA | Capitol Theatre
July 23 | Seattle, WA | Neumo's
July 24 | Vancouver, BC | Ukraine Hall
July 26 | Salt Lake City, UT | Kilby Court
July 27 | Boulder, CO | Fox Theatre
July 28 | Denver, CO | Hi-Dive
July 29 | Lawrece, KS | the Granada
July 30 | Omaha, NE | the Slowdown
July 31 | Minneapolis, MN | the Triple Rock Social Club
August 1 | Chicago, IL | Stas Mansion
August 2 | St. Louis, MO | the Bluebird
August 3 | Bloomington, IN | Rhino's
August 4 | Cleveland, OH | the Grog Shop
August 5 | Ann Arbor, MI | the Blind Pig

click for Harry and the Potters band site


More later,

Kit

P.S. I'm just returning from a half a year long stint of being on a template with no comments available so bear with me.

Flawless

Benjamin Leon, a quirky new talent, is making a name for himself with a plethora of new tracks dished out into the blog-o-sphere. Most tunes feature sweet instrumentals, clean strong vocals, a beaty core, a feeling reminiscent of late 80's proto-alternative, and just enough surprises to keep you wanting more. Highlights include "Indie Girls", a hilarious ode to this generation's liberal indie chicks that ironically pack into "thrift stores on Canal Street" and protest "evil corporations like Starbucks", that opens with a positively side-splitting intro and doesn't stop disappointing as the slick references and smooth chorus' keep flowing.


Check out either of the sites below to get your proper BL fix:

http://www.myspace.com/hearbenjaminleon

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Benjamin-Leon/21343809896

Bring Me Everything

Those that grew up watching the 90’s teen comedy TV show Big Wolf On Campus may remember the lovable fantasy geek Merton Dingle, played by multitalented Canadian actor Danny Smith. Smith, after acting in numerous shows and movies, realized his real love, music, and pursued it with a passion. After being in a string of bands, striking out on his own for a solo album, and finally striking gold with a successful emo-indie band called The City Drive, Smith found his niche with the Warped Tour crowd (of which he is a two time veteran) and now plays to sold out crowds at major concert halls in and around Los Angeles where the band is hard at work recording their latest LP.


Above: The City Drive (Smith, third from left)

Kit: How has your musical life evolved (from band to solo career to band)
since your acting career?

Danny Smith: I've been in so many bands with so many members at this point but I
feel like I've finally found some good guys (Marc, Chris, Jake) to play
with. I hope we're together for 50 years.

K: When did you know that you wanted to make the crossover from acting to
music and what?was the real kickstart to your musical career?

DS: I was always in bands growing up and wanted to purse both acting and
music. Acting took off first and once I made some money, I put acting
on hold to focus on rocking full time. I guess the kickstart to my
musical career was recording a 12-song album with my own money (and a
friend's), shopping it in LA and landing a publishing deal with Famous
Music, now Sony/ATV.

K: Who has been your biggest influence in putting together The City Drive?

DS: NO one influenced me or the band specifically but I love bands like
Blur/Gorillaz/The Good The Bad and The Queen, Radiohead, Bowie,
Beatles, Interpol, Beck, so many...

K: You've been heralded as "poppy, catchy indie-rock" but how would YOU
describe your sound?

DS: All of that is true for the TCD songs released so far. I'm not sure which direction we'll head in next. Some songs I've written are classical, some are hip hop and there's everything else in between. Stay tuned...!

K: Name the top three songs that have changed your life.

DS: Impossible to answer, but I'll say:
1. Surf's Up (the Brian Wilson solo piano demo version found on the Good
Vibrations Box Set)
2. Strawberry Fields Forever (The Beatles)
3. Paranoid Android (Radiohead)


K: What are you currently working on?

DS: Recovering from a personally painful 2007 and trying to write the best
album ever, to be released in 2008.


The City Drive's 'Always Moving Never Stopping' is available on Itunes now.

So This Is The New Year

Time to ring in the New Year with a...LIST. So now, Roseonathorn Inc. would now be honored to present:

THE MUSIC IN MOVIES AWARDS

Now, for the GOD, I SHOULD HAVE CAUGHT IT WHILE IT WAS STILL IN THEATERS AWARD....



Across the Universe

I feel as though I've committed a deadly sin from the bible of Beatles fans for not dropping everything to watch Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess belt out the Fab Four's tunes while free falling into psychedelia at it's purest form. The soundtrack breathes new life into beloved classics and entwines them into a believable, heart wrenching story- or so I hear...

DOWNLOAD: anything

THE BEST CLASSICS REINVENTED AWARD



I'm Not There

Todd Hayne's spectacular multi-character Dylan docudrama spans the life of young, stoned Robert Zimmerman and his evolution to becoming a brilliant, jaded artist. Dylan's creativity and his (as one writer pointed out in a clever New York magazine review) almost "Jesus-like" affliction of giving up his self as a vessel of something 'bigger than all of us'. The soundtrack, with everyone from Sufjan to Sonic Youth to Eddie Vedder to Cat Power jumping aboard to get a slice of Dylan pie, takes the folk man's work and distributes it evenly amongst the best of the best of each genre. The times they might be a changin', but Dylan's influence (as proved by this awe inspiring film) is here to stay.

Download: "Ring them Bells" - Sufjan Steven

BEST COMPILATIONAL SOUNDTRACK AWARD



Darjeeling Limited

Wes Anderson's latest kalidescopial view into the twisted, yet comical lives of broken families is a masterpiece with all the proper elements in the Anderson formula including Jason Schwartzman (as the leading man), Bill Murray (in a momentary cameo), a Wilson brother (ironically tragic considering recent events), Angelica Houston (the ever scatterbrained mother), the new kid (a brilliant Adrien Brody), and a killer soundtrack. From songs entirely in French to pulling out some of the more Indian tinged Kinks catalogue, Anderson scores again.

Download: "Powerman" - The Kinks

and finally,

THE UNDERDOG AWARD
goes to...



Juno

The fascinatingly witty dialogue (compliments of newbie Diablo Cody), the smooth direction of seasoned director Jason Reitman, the razor-sharp emotionality of both Ellen Page and Michael Cera, all set to the rough voice of Kimya Dawson across simple, stringy folk tunes. Juno, a Fox Searchlight picture with high hopes and low expectations, has blown everyone away, proving that it truly is the little indie that could.

Download: "Anyone Else But You" (Originally by the Moldy Peaches) - Michael Cera and Ellen Page


Well, that's it for now.
More later,

Kit