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We here at TVD have been chronicling of the ascentof our pal Jess(aka Lightfoot) over the the past number of months, and the narrative takes a giant leap forward this Friday night with the debut of her full band as openers for The Junior League Band at The Rock and Roll Hotel.
We were able to corner her for a sec for a bit of a Q&A leading up to Friday’s show:
We hear you have a big full band debut coming up? You heard right! I have finally nailed down my official Lightfoot line up. I have a very talented, kind hearted, handsome group of boys playing with me. They have really brought my songs to life, and they keep me smiling.
Ha, was being a handsome a prerequisite for getting into Lightfoot? No! But it certainly didn’t hurt ;)
So, who are these good looking guys? The Lightfoot line up is…… (in ABC order so they don’t think I am playing favorites!)
Ian Graham - Bass, hats and well fitting pants (of Deville) Sean Madden - Auxiliary, beards and sushi Lex Paulson - Wurlitzer, Vox, scarves and poetry (of Child Ballads) Erik Sleight - Lead Guitar, dork glasses and an occasional moustache (of Mittenfields) Drew Thiemann - Drums, funk and wit (of These United States)
You seem to have a lot of blog coverage (from HipsterWifeHunting to ReadySetDC to Brightest Young Things) / Lightfoot websites (vimeo, facebook, tumblr, myspace, twitter, etc.) but I can’t seem to find much music online, are you in the process of recording? Funny you ask that, recording has been sort of this Everest like task for me. Putting my music to tape is intimidating and although I enjoy the process of recording, it seems so final. My music has been organically developing for a few months now. I have a very particular sound I want for my first EP and now that I have an official band by my side I think the timing is finally right. I didn’t want to rush into recording while my project was still in the birthing stages. I am a completely different musician now then I was, say three months ago. And the same goes for my song writing.
What type of musician were you three months ago versus now? Ha! I wasn’t one at all! Well, maybe I was. I’ve really only been playing guitar for a few months now. Actually learning how to play has been a total game changer for my song writing process. Look at my hands! They’re super gnarly, I show off my calluses and blisters with pride. It’s also killing my social life though, because ever since I bought my first guitar all I want to do is stay in and practice!
What type of guitar did you buy? I have a small bodied Larivee. It once belonged to a local musician who I adore (who shall remain nameless for now); I bought it at Atomic. I love it. I take it on dates. I shower with it. I cuddle with it at night.
What else do you play? Auto-harp, recorder, some piano, ukulele, glockenspiel, tambourine, flute, saxophone, kazoo, lap drum, finger snaps, and hand claps. Oh and harmonica! And bells. And the egg shaker. And spoons!
So you have plans to record then? Of course! I am putting out an EP this summer, followed by a tour. I am also wrapping up a very simple, basement recording style demo to be released March 19th. Doing it myself just to flush out some songs that have been eating at my heart for a while now. I am only doing 150 pressings and each one is being hand silk screened/crafted by a local artist, so it will double as a limited edition piece of art. I’m pretty excited to see how it turns out!
Where can we buy this demo? You can buy it in person at my show on March 19th with The Junior League Band at Rock and Roll Hotel. After that they will be sold on-line and at shows until they are all gone!
And just for fun, what’s on your record player right now? Oh! This amazing classical piece, “Light Over Water” by John Adams. I just started taking ballet lessons (please hold your Lightfoot, Lightfeet jokes) and I would love to do some sort of routine to this album.
If you're on Facebook, RSVP for Lightfoot's full band debut right here.
(...is it me or is this one of the finest giveaways we've ever offered? Well, ...no - it's not me.) In celebration of our 60th Anniversary, and Record Store Day on April 17th, we at Vanguard Records are proud to present an exclusive vinyl re-issue of five seminal Vanguard Titles: Joan Baez ‘Joan Baez’, Mississippi John Hurt ‘Today’, John Fahey ‘The Yellow Princess’, Doc Watson ‘Doc Watson’, and Buddy Guy ‘A Man and the Blues’. Each title will be re-issued with original vinyl artwork.
One reader of The Vinyl District will be awarded a Vanguard Records 60th Anniversary Package of all fiveof the LPs in our exclusive TVD/Record Store Day Giveaway.
The rules are simple: in the comments section of this post, let us know what Vanguard Records or these individual artists have meant to you over the years. Suitably inspire the kind folks at TVD (who'll be choosing the winner) and the collection of all five LPs will be yours.
Remember to leave TVD your contact email address and they'll choose one winner for all fiveof the LPs on Monday, March 22.The complete set will mail to the winner during the week of Record Store Day.
“At the time of its release, Joan Baez’s debut album was something of a revelation… presenting a brace of traditional songs with an urgency and sincerity that makes the listener feel as though they were being sung for the first time” —All Music
“'Today' is Mississippi John Hurt’s first and finest studio release since his “rediscovery” on his Avalon farm by folklorist Tom Hoskins in 1963… Hurt himself never could explain his guitar playing, as he used to say, “I just make it sound like I think it out to.” Regardless, that sound along with a mellow and heartfelt voice, wizened here by decades, combine to make ‘Today’ an unforgettable whole. A truly essential album of the folk revival, unrivaled in its beauty and warmth.” —All Music
“If one were looking to own only one album by this unique guitarist, “The Yellow Princess” could be the one. The recording is among the best of his many releases; at the proper volume, the effect is as if one had taken up residency inside the sound hole of a giant acoustic guitar. The program of pieces if marvelously emotional and varied…” —All Music
“Watson’s arrival on the folk scene of the ‘60s was a major event in American music due mostly to his appearance at the 1963 Newport Folk Festival and the release of this self-titled album the following year. Not only did it revolutionize folk guitar picking, but it set the standard for the rest of his career with its mix of old-timey numbers, blues, gospel, and adapted fiddle tunes.” —All Music
“The guitarist’s first album away from Chess - and to be truthful, it sounds as though it could have been cut at 2120 S. Michigan, with Guy’s deliciously understated guitar work and a tight combo anchored by three saxes and pianist Otis Spann laying down tough grooves on the vicious “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” I Can’t Quit the Blues,” and an exultant cover of Mercy Dee’s “One Room County Shack.” —All Music
Born from bar room conversations among old friends, Chapel Hill, NC-based Aminal is kinetic: buzzing with extra energy resulting from frenzied motion. Gentle verses of love and loss and horsely-growled declarations of frustration and dissolution mashed against an explosive rhythm section.
The three-piece Aminal who play their very first DC show Thursday night, features musicians from popular touring acts like Black Skies, The Comas, the Honored Guests, and Jennyanykind. Aminal released its first two EPs, 'A Face to Fight' and 'A Will To Fight' (now being reissued as 'The Fight EPs') last summer. They're now putting the finishing touches on their first full length release, 'Bang All Our Drums.'
In addition to the free tracks for Vinyl District readers, Aminal has other goodies to giveaway. The band is three weeks into a month-long song giveaway to people that join their Reverb Nation or Band Camp fan lists. New songs post every Sunday; sign up on Reverb Nation to download tracks or at Band Camp.
Despite being beaten to the post by the Washington City Paper with its feature, your humble all-stars proceed undaunted:
Last January when we spent the week with Emily and Susan Hsu from Exit Clov in anticipation of the release of their latest, 'Memento Mori' they lamented the fact that it wouldn't be available on vinyl—but they shook their fists me and said, "Oh yes, we will have vinyl soon, Jon. You'll see!"
And wouldn't you know, they've done it and as a Record Store Day exclusive. The 'Cover Boy EP' 7" collects the band covering Morrisey, Peter Tosh, The Ramones, and Devo in what can only be called and exercise of excellent taste and execution.
The band plans a string of dates in support of the release in April and specifically a Record Store Day performance in Philly. Pick up the 'Cover Boy EP' at Som Records and Crooked Beat Records exclusively on 4/17, Record Store Day.
TRACKLIST: Side A 1. Sing Your Life [Morrissey] 2. Steppin Razor [Peter Tosh] Side B 1. The KKK Took My Baby Away [The Ramones] 2. Mongoloid [Devo]
After a brief hiatus last week, we’re back with our record label spotlight series in anticipation of the day that celebrates the purveyors of their product—Record Store Day—arriving on April 17, 2010 this year.
First up in our series was Seattle’s indie upstarts, Sarathan Records, and we’re delighted to spend this week with the venerable Vanguard Records.
Founded in 1950 in New York City by brothers Maynard and Seymour Soloman, Vanguard Records has long held a reputation for eclectic, distinctive, and groundbreaking recordings, a tradition that holds strong today. The Vanguard Records catalog reads like a chronicle of American popular culture since the 1950s. The blues of Chicago, the folk of Greenwich Village, the earliest electronic experiments, the dance music that inspired a generation of DJs, and the most renowned singer-songwriters of today all trace their roots to Vanguard.
The number of historic and influential Vanguard releases is far too great to be discussed, or even listed, individually, but several landmark projects do demand special mention. In the mid-sixties, "Chicago/the Blues/Today" exposed the fiery urban blues of Chicago's clubs to a national audience for the first time, introducing prodigious talents such as Buddy Guy and Junior Wells, and influencing a generation of blues players including Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton, and Jimi Hendrix. Likewise, John Hammond's landmark "Jazz Showcase Series" spotlighted some of the most gifted practitioners of this quintessentially American genre.
Vanguard artists Joan Baez, Ian & Sylvia, Buffy Saint Marie, and Mimi & Richard Farina spearheaded the folk music revival in the 1960s, with Baez becoming the genre’s first true superstar. Baez, alongside Johnny Cash, Earl Scruggs, Bob Dylan, and many others, gave some of the most famous and lasting performances of the era at the Newport Folk Festival all of which were captured by Vanguard Records (to include Dylan's infamous "plugging in," a moment which ushered in a new era of pop music). Finally, dance and proto electronic records from Vanguard artists like,Jean-Jacque Perrey, Twilight 22, Camille Yarborough, and Alisha would later provide the indelible hooks for artists such as the Beastie Boys, Fatboy Slim, and DJ Shadow, helping to usher in the sampling revolution in hip-hop.
In recent years, Vanguard has continued its tradition of developing talented songwriters and performers within the music marketplace. Artists such as Matt Nathanson, Mindy Smith, Greg Laswell, and The Watson Twins, amongst others, have risen to national prominence on the strength of their respective Vanguard debuts. That tradition of artist development, alongside the continued viability of iconic Vanguard artists such as Levon Helm, Merle Haggard, and Robert Cray, form the basis for what Vanguard Records is in 2010.
We’ve been Fanfarlo fans since their First Date with us last summer and now you have your opportunity to catch them on the road at the moment with Robert Francis in tow.
As an homage of sorts to the teamed tour, our second Record Store Day Vinyl 2010 Giveaway this week is the pairing of Fanfarlo’s debut LP, ‘Reservoir’ and an autographed 7” of Robert Francis’ ‘Junebug’ single off his ‘Before Nightfall’ album.
The rules can't be any simpler for our RSD2010 Vinyl Giveaways. All you need to do to enter to win is to leave a comment in the comments section to that week's giveaway letting us know why you deserve to win that week's LP.
Be creative, funny, incisive—whatever it takes to grab our attention to deem you the winner. Most important however is to leave us a contact email address! You can be brilliant as hell, but if we can't track ya' down, you're out of the running.
All winners will all be notified on Monday (3/22) upon the launch of the next RSD2010 Vinyl Giveaway!
Feel that? It's the shifting sands of the music industry bending and bowing under your feet.
For further evidence that indie is mainstream and transparently so, Pitchfork - Pitchfork! - has not just offered a review of the new Sade LP, 'Soldier of Love' but they've lauded it with a strong 7.0.Wha?
"...Soldier of Love is unsurprisingly of a piece with the five previous Sade albums. Songwriting-wise, it could have been released at any point in the band's career. The production only occasionally draws attention to itself—the dub-esque snare crashes on "Babyfather" are a bit of a surprise—and you can forget any gauche stabs at currently hip sonic tricks. The idea of singer Sade Adu robo-warbling through Auto-Tune would be laughable if it weren't impossible even to conceive. Even the album's curveball first single, title track "Soldier of Love", with its strident marching band snare rolls, doesn't so much deviate from Sade's core sound as cast it in a new light: What better to emphasize Adu's sense of control than a rhythm with the stiffly regimented forward momentum of a parade ground drill? And if "Soldier of Love" seems "hard," it's only because the surrounding tunes are once again delicate to the point where nuance is all..."
For me, you could even slide Sade right between The Blue Nile and The Bathers seamlessly.
You needn't take my (or Pitchfork's) word for it, find out yourself as 'Soldier of Love' is our first LP giveaway this week in ourRecord Store Day 2010 Vinyl Giveaways.
The rules can't be any simpler for our RSD2010 Vinyl Giveaways. All you need to do to enter to win is to leave a comment in the comments section to that week's giveaway letting us know why you deserve to win that week's LP.
Be creative, funny, incisive—whatever it takes to grab our attention to deem you the winner. Most important however is to leave us a contact email address! You can be brilliant as hell, but if we can't track ya' down, you're out of the running.
All winners will all be notified on Monday (3/22) upon the launch of the next RSD2010 Vinyl Giveaway!
Our pal John Sidel returns with a one hour slice of his radio show for your rainy Friday eve's download and rev-up:
The warmth and comfort of classic rock...
As nature has it, Californian winters are extremely pleasant. This past month, we had some of the worst cold and rain in recent memory. My neighborhood, Laurel Canyon is like a fair lady, she doesn’t necessarily agree with foul elements. The result is a distinct sound, a mixture of gusty winds and running water. For me it’s a trigger to thinking about winters past and reaching for that, dare I say, “classic rock”. Starting with the basics, I made a mental list of ten artists who came to mind and started listening from there.
The challenge for me is “dropping” a new artist or song into a mix of material that contains so much sentimental value. Listening back to the playlist I’m most happy and surprised to hear how these four contemporary artists, Edward Sharpe,Favorite Sons,Sarabeth Tucek, andSean Rowe, hold their own.
Some revelations: I put Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros in the mix because they recorded much of their album in a house across the street from the Zappa’s down the street. I’ve always thought Sharpe & Co reminded me of pre glam Bowie.
I had no intention of using “Great Gig In The Sky” in this program. Playing “Dark Side” felt too obvious for my style. I was looking to grab 45 seconds of Floyd's “spacey” side for my radio bed. It was late at night and I was overcome by the epic beauty of this recording. It made me reflect on the music bizz and what it really takes to sell millions of albums?
It also dawned on me that both the Floyd and Sharpe songs were mixed on the same EMI recording console. The “board”, now resides at Fairfax Recording Studios, down the hill in North Hollywood. That legendary console moved from Abby Road that gave birth to many Beatles recordings but I don’t think was used to make, “I got a Feeling” my Beatles selection for this mix. I’m going to have to check that.
It also meant a lot to drop a Jethro Tull song from the “Benefit” album at the top of the set. A first encounter with a piece of vinyl is often memorable and this was one of the very first purchases. It’s also one of my earliest memories of the magic of shopping in a record store.
I believe it was the winter of 1974. I was 12 and looking to have my own collection. I believe this little shop sold mostly opera and classical. I was playing on a basketball team with older kids who turned me onto Zeppelin. I think my mission was to buy another Zeppelin release and I believe it was Zeppelin 'II' I bought. I remember searching the bins to find a 2nd purchase but knowing very little, I inspected the record covers very closely. I believe I choose Tull because the name simply felt like a band that would sound or be like Led Zeppelin. I’ve loved and owned those two releases from that very day so it’s only fitting both are in this mix.
So enjoy the warmth and comfort of classic rock... xo, —sidealer
Amon Duul – Wolf City Jethro Tull – With You There to Help Me
"...That was Jethro Tull with the appropriately titled “With You There To Help Me” indeed from the ‘Benefit’ album. It’s actually one of the first record I bought way back when. A very underrated treat.
Before that Amon Duul – little Krautrock Classic there with “Wolf City.” Saw online that thise guys are getting back together. WVUNDERBAR!
It’s cold and rainy in Laurel Canyon making me want to reach for the warmth of Classic Rock. Here’s a new band from the Canyon carrying on the tradition of classic rock..." Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros – Blackwater Cream – Those Were The Days Bob Dylan – It Takes a Lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train To Cry Favorite Sons – Things That We Do To Each Other The Beatles – I’ve Got a Feeling David Bowie – She Shook Me Cold Sarabeth Tucek – Ambulance
"...You’re listening to the Idelic Hour. Your host Jon Sidel reaching for the warmth and comfort of The Classics. Greetings to our friends at The Vinyl District.com!
That was a new artist, Sarabeth Tucek..."
Pink Floyd – The Great Gig In The Sky Alice Cooper – Generation Landslide Rolling Stones – Ventilator Blues Sean Rowe – Surprise Jeff Beck Group – I Ain’t Superstitious Neil Young – I Believe In You
That was ol’ Neil Young with I believe in you…….this is Jon Sidel your host. We’re approaching the end of this Idylic Hour. I want to thanks our friends at The Vinyl District and you for listening. Dial us in next week. We’ll be headed south for SXSW in Austin bringing you sounds from the big, bad Lone Star State.
Formed from the ashes of two acclaimed New Zealand bands, The D4 and Boxcar Guitars, the raw, primal, and heated True Lovers have arrived with a record that drips with stories of attraction, tension, desire and lust. Y'know - the soundtrack to your weekend bender.
Not only do we have the Lovers' LP up for grabs today, but we're tossing in a True Lovers black tee, a screen printed redtote bag that looks like the cover up there (perfect for record fairs and the like - we tested it) and various and sundry TL stickers with which to deface public property. Seems these lovers are truly giving indeed.
The rules can't be any simpler for our RSD2010 Vinyl Giveaways. All you need to do to enter to win is to leave a comment in the comments section to that week's giveaway letting us know why you deserve to win that week's LP.
Be creative, funny, incisive—whatever it takes to grab our attention to deem you the winner. Most important however is to leave us a contact email address! You can be brilliant as hell, but if we can't track ya' down, you're out of the running.
All winners will all be notified on Monday (3/15) upon the launch of the next RSD2010 Vinyl Giveaway!
Right - I've got it—none of you have intern suggestions for us. Undaunted however, we've got another Record Store Day Vinyl Giveaway.
Midlake: We've got the brand new 'Courage of Others' and the 12" from last year, 'Acts of Man'for your outstretched arms today.
"Coming after the hauntingly archaic The Trials Of Van Occupanther, the more personal The Courage Of Others is bracing—stunning, even. Last time out, Midlake invited listeners to flip through photos of the distant past. This time, they transport us there, and leave us with no easy exit," the AV Club wrote in February.
The rules can't be any simpler for our RSD2010 Vinyl Giveaways. All you need to do to enter to win is to leave a comment in the comments section to that week's giveaway letting us know why you deserve to win that week's LP.
Be creative, funny, incisive—whatever it takes to grab our attention to deem you the winner. Most important however is to leave us a contact email address! You can be brilliant as hell, but if we can't track ya' down, you're out of the running.
All winners will all be notified on Monday (3/15) upon the launch of the next RSD2010 Vinyl Giveaway!
"I’ve had sort of an odd obsession with vinyl since I was a little kid. My dad is a musician and we had some of his singles on 45’s. My sister and I used to play his records all of the time and we thought he was the shit. He had his own record with his name on it and he was our dad. His vinyl collection was insane! And the best part was that he let us listen to everything, and even encouraged it.
We had crates and crates of 45’s…Motown, Doo-wop, Swing, Folk, Rock…everything. When I was alone, I would put blankets all over the floor of our room arrange all of the records, side by side, according to label color. We had so many that I’d back my self into a corner and just stare at all the records, a rainbow vinyl terrazzo before me. One day my mom caught me with all of the records out and she took them away from me. I was heartbroken at the time, but I look back now and I’m glad she did or probably would have ruined all of it and hated myself.
My family has a vacation house in the Poconos, near East Stroudsburg, PA. I go up there to hang out every now and then to relax or write. There’s a great record shop called Main Street Jukebox and they’ve always had an excellent selection. I’ve been going there for years and I’ve found things there that I could never find anywhere else. There was a fire there years back and I was so bummed for them. But they bounced back like nothing happened and, thankfully, they’re still around and doing incredibly well. There’s real cool little music scene there and I think Main Street Jukebox is a big part of that scene, like a little heartbeat keeping it all going.
I wouldn’t say my own collection is respectable in size or quality by most standards. And my turntable isn’t anything magnificent either. But I’ll take any of my records on my garage-sale turntable over the highest quality digital recording any day. There’s just something magical in those 180 grams of crackle and pop."
Suitably swooning with an odd obsession with vinyl ala April's? Spill it in the comments to this post and we'll award one of you a pair of tickets to seeApril Smith and the Great Picture Show this Saturday night (3/13) at The Rock and Roll Hotel with Here We Go Magic.
You have til noon on Friday (3/12) to inspire us with your tale. Remember to leave us contact info too! Now, go!
I go on these tears when I hear a new track that I’m totally into – I play it over and over and over and over again as if to brainwash myself so I can walk around singing the thing. Or inhabiting it.
So far I’ve played this Kitten track 16 times. And I first heard it about 3PM yesterday.
Oh – and Kitten’s lead singer, Chloe Chaidez is, uh – 15.
