TVD Live Tease | Emily Easterly, Saturday (9/19) at The Living Room, NYC

If there’s any justice in the world, Emily Easterly will soon be a big star, and if you’re from DC and inclined to make the drive to NYC, you’ll be rewarded with an intimate gig at The Living Room and years of saying, ‘Y’know, I once saw her in this intimate club...etc., etc., etc.”

Now, let's see some justice prevail.

Emily, what’s the scoop on Saturday?

"I recently went back into the studio (Galuminum Foil Studios in Williamsburg, Brooklyn) with the idea of recording two new songs to be released as a single. The “A side” if you will, is called “The Only Two On Earth” and was loosely inspired by the Cormac McCarthy book, The Road. Since we were recording a single and not a whole record, Chris Cubeta, who produced the single as well as my last full length release, 'Heart Comma Heart,' thought it would be cool to take the song in a different direction sonically. So, the track came out with a lot of cool drums sounds, drum overdubs and even a little synth part! I am super excited to share this track with people!


 
As for the single release, I will be doing a big show at The Living Room in New York on September 19th. For attendees, I will be handing out a free, limited edition copy of the new single with a handmade CD sleeve. The “B side” to the single is called “Montreal”. The new songs will also be available for free download on my website, after the show. I’ve been rehearsing with my band for the past couple weeks for this show and I’m super excited about it! We will be performing the new song, “The Only Two On Earth” for the first time live as well as covering one of my favorite Sparklehorse songs, “Cow”.

The Living Room is one of my favorite venues in New York. The sound is great, there’s a piano and the last time I was there, I saw Sean Lennon and his girlfriend trying to read each other’s minds by pressing their foreheads together in silence. What more could you ask for?"

Emily Easterly - The Only Two On Earth (Mp3)

A TVD Special Event | Story/Stereo

Our special Story/Stereo event continues with more Roofwalkers. This morning we hear from the band's bassist, Chris Licciardi, with tales of teen angst and musical epiphanies. (Oh, like YOU never had any.)

"When I was in high school and my brother was in college and far from home, he told me about a band called The Modern Lovers. It was during one of those afternoon calls when he had probably just woken up from whatever college debauchery he was doing the night before, and I had just gotten home from school. These calls didn't happen all that often: usually every other month or so when he was broke. I would run to beat my parents to the phone, hollering "I got it, I got it!" I know my parents liked it that my brother and I got along so well, but they probably also liked the reprieve from being asked for money, so the competition to say hello probably wasn't as tough as it felt.

My brother has a way with words when talking about music. In a matter of minutes, he could (and still can) describe a band in such a way that I would have to go check it out. Conversely, I was often crushed to learn that a band I had been listening to for the past few weeks was a "load of shit" and "a total rip-off of ...". He'd mention bands like Sonic Youth or The Kinks and told me stop listening to the 3rd Oasis album.


This particular phone call was short. I remember this because of the cryptic nature of his description of The Modern Lovers. Ben was never cryptic about bands; he was always long-winded (and still is). He told me that the first album was the best; I don't remember what the justification for this was, but I bought it on his recommendation. He told me to listen to "Pablo Picasso".  
 
So a week later I threw my backpack on the floor of my bedroom, unwrapped the newly purchased CD, put it in my boombox, and went straight to track four. Laying there, listening to "Pablo Picasso", I have to admit I wasn't sure what to make of the singer's head-cold vocals. Was this a joke? Had my brother been testing me? Why the hell did I waste my 16 bucks on this music? I mean, there were some cool guitar parts and, yeah, even at that age, I noticed they sounded a bit like the Velvet Underground, but Lou Reed exuded confidence and a coolness that Jonathan Richman only seemed to hint at.

Perhaps my brother had led me astray. 

Song Seven: "She Cracked"

Now this was more like it! Pulsing and edgy, on the verge of falling apart, and Richman sounded like he was completely wasted. The guitars and drums were driving, and the chorus of Modern Lovers' voices jumping in was just right. The break made me want to bounce around the room and play air guitar. This Jonathan Richman guy could even say, "All right" at the end of a chorus without sounding like a dick. When I paid attention to the lyrics, though, I realized Jonathan wasn't your average doped-up rocker, which made him even more relatable. Most of my friends messed around with drugs, but Jonathan and I were both straight (song five). Not only that, but we both had awkward teenage relationship problems. I later heard that Richman was a teenager when he wrote those songs.

This is what I had been hoping for when my brother mentioned it. I'm still kinda hoping for this when my brother recommends a new band. Now that we're older and somewhat closer to music peers, I try to do the same thing for him." 

The Modern Lovers - She Cracked (Mp3)