The winters in Chicago can be brutal. They seem to go on forever and the constant gray skies can really take their toll on your well-being. But as the calendar turns to March, excitement kicks in and the end of another brutal winter is near.

On this particular Friday in March, everything seemed to be going right as I headed to Shirk’s. The sky was blue and it was unseasonably warm. I opened up the moonroof, slipped on the aviators and made my way downtown to the studio, blaring Foreign Born’s Person To Person. Listening to them as the warm sun hit my face for the first time in 2010 heightened my anticipation for the session.

I’ve listened to Person To Person countless times. As Shirk and I commented to the band, it’s one of those albums that never leaves the rotation because it always feels fresh. Seeing them in studio for this session gave me an greater appreciation for the band.

Foreign Born creates a big, full sound without ever feeling cluttered. Everyone hits their marks without fail – harmonies come in perfectly every time. And then there’s Lewis on lead guitar. His playing on the album is fantastic, but seeing him live is something special. As I moved the camera around, I found myself getting stuck on him any time he was hitting a lead.

On the bad news front, Foreign Born is not going to be at SxSW 2010. On the good news front, they are going to start working on the new album. Until then, download the Foreign Born live session and enjoy the videos.

Foreign Born -Band Intro

Exclusive: Foreign Born – Early Warnings (vide0)

Exclusive: Foreign Born -Vacationing People (video)

Exclusive: Foreign Born – That Old Sun

Exclusive: Foreign Born – Winter Games

Download the Foreign Born Live Session as a zip file.

Video: Foreign Born – Vacationing People

Dawn Landes was requested by a HearYa reader named Tom when we posted a track that featured her with Justin Townes Earle. A few email exchanges later and the session was booked. Customer service. That’s what we’re all about at HearYa World Headquarters. Smiles come free.

Dawn was raised in the music stomping grounds of Branson, Missouri and Louisville, Kentucky and is now a resident of New York City. Her career began as an intern in a few studios working with the likes of Phillip Glass, Ryan Adams, Hem, Joseph Arthur, The Earlies and Josh Ritter (whom she later married). Her sound crosses between country, rock and roll, pop and blues with a sweet voice that offsets the occasional dark lyrical themes.

Dawn Landes has a fresh album called Sweetheart Rodeo out now. Pick it up if you dig the sesh.

Exclusive: Dawn Landes – Intro Song

Exclusive: Dawn Landes – Young Girl

Exclusive: Dawn Landes – Bodyguard

Exclusive: Dawn Landes – Money In The Bank

Download the Dawn Landes HearYa Live Session as a zip file.

Video: Dawn Landes – Bodyguard

Video: Dawn Landes – Young Girl

Dawn Landes – “Young Girl” – HearYa Live Session 2/9/10 from HearYa.com on Vimeo.

Skybox are a local Chicago indie pop outfit comprised of Tim Ellis and Christian Fields, Mike Holtz and Dan Ingenthron. They’ve made a name for themselves with outlandish live shows and toured in support of artists like Ben Folds, Tilly and The Wall, Tally Hall and The Figurines.

Most of our sessions (and content) are admittedly skewed to folk, America and alt-country, but I’ve spent two weeks visiting and revisiting Skybox’s recent release, Morning After Cuts. Unlike our discussion about Midlake yesterday, Skybox keeps you on your toes and varies their sound from one song to the next. Infectious pop party songs loaded with hooks, bouncing keys and quirky falsetto vocals and harmonies are juxtaposed with stripped down tracks like “Trout” and “Slipping.”

While those catchy songs may be their signature, I find myself drawn to songs like “Trout,” featured here, where the songwriting is fully exposed. The album is forcing me to step a little outside of my normal listening patterns, but it’s much more than a blip on the radar. It’s a grower that continues to get better and better with repeated listens. I’m really looking forward to catching a set at SxSW 2010.

If you dug our live sessions with Eulogies and Jukebox The Ghost, then this session will be right up your alley. The band is touring with Tally Hall now and will be at SxSW 2010 in Austin. If you like what you hear, you can request a free CD at their website.

I’d also like to call attention to the amazing sweater featured in the videos.

Skybox Band Intro Song

Exclusive: Skybox – Morning After Cuts

Exclusive: Skybox – Light

Exclusive: Skybox – In A Dream

Exclusive: Skybox – Trout

Download the Skybox Live Session as a zip file.

Video: Skybox – Trout (live at Shirk Music + Sound)

I reviewed The Mother Hips’ latest release Pacific Dust and declared them the most underrated band of the last 20 years. I have been a fan of these guys since 95’s Part-Timer Goes Full, so when I heard Oz booked the session, I rearranged (i.e. blew off) a meeting in the real world and was primed to meet them in studio.

Tweedy, James or Malkmus could have walked through Shirk’s door and I wouldn’t have been any more excited. As the usual small talk commenced, I started rattling off all of the Hips shows I’ve seen over the years before realizing that I sounded a bit like a stalker. I somehow composed myself as Tim Bluhm, Greg Loiacono and the boys geared things up. What transpired over the next forty minutes was just jaw dropping.

We’ve had our share of great bands come through Shirk’s studio in Chicago, but this was one of my favorites of all time blasting through a mini-private concert. And when people ask me why I let my music obsession consume so much of my time…well, here you have it.

The Mother Hips band intro

Exclusive: The Mother Hips – Esmerelda

Exclusive: The Mother Hips – White Falcon Fuzz (video)

Exclusive: The Mother Hips – Third Floor Story (video)

Exclusive: The Mother Hips – One Way Out

Exclusive: The Mother Hips – Lion And The Bull

Exclusive: The Mother Hips – Pacific Dust (video)

Download The Mother Hips Live Session as a zip.

Video: The Mother Hips – White Falcon Fuzz (performed live in Chicago at Shirk Music + Sound)

In case you weren’t paying attention, Lissie (her last name is Maurus) just ended up at #2 on our best EP’s of 2009 list yesterday. To say that she has that “something” would be an understatement. She started  shopping her EP to labels last August and by November, the album was released on Fat Possum Records (the same label that worked with early Andrew Bird, The Black Keys, AA Bondy, etc). Since then, she’s also spent some time on tour opening for Ray Lamontagne.

Along the way, she’s starting to build quite a stir in the media. I got my first real dose of Lissie when I was driving across Nevada on my move from California to Atlanta. Her music is organic, heartfelt and incredibly soulful. She writes beautiful country-tinged songs that were like Americana comfort food as the snow capped mountains raced by outside my windows.  Her unassuming girl next door appearance and demeanor is sharply contrasted by her powerful voice, reminiscent of Neko Case or Emmylou Harris. She can sing with tender sensitivity (Wedding Bells) or turn into a bluesy storm (Little Lovin). Further commentary won’t really do Lissie justice. She can sing the phone book and I’ll listen.

Introduction by Lissie

Exclusive: Lissie – Wedding Bells

Exclusive: Lissie – Little Lovin

Exclusive: Lissie – Watch Over Me

Download the live session with Lissie as a zip file.

Video: Lissie – Wedding Bells

I have Hurricane Rick to thank for meeting Elliott Brood in studio. For the first time in a couple of years, the Mrs. and I found a cast of thousands (babysitters, ex-nanny, mother-in-law, etc. etc.) to cover for us for a getaway to Cabo. The storm emerged and delayed us for one day, which was all I needed to catch this session at good ole Shirk Music + Sound.

We were huge fans of Brood’s ‘08 release Mountain Meadows and Shirk had done some work with the band prior to this, so it was great to connect as they passed through Chicago and the U.S. of A. And to add to the experience, I was able to bring my 3 year old Hank downtown for his first live session.

Hank was a natural and took a real shine to Brood. He sat on my lap and kept asking if this was rock and roll. The answer to that is an affirmative “yes.” Brood rocked us silly for 45 minutes and could not have been any cooler. At the end of the session, they bestowed upon Hank a bounty of buttons and pins.

They played Schubas that night with another HearYa favorite called The Wooden Sky and according to all eyewitnesses, crushed it. Enjoy the tracks and videos.

Exclusive: Elliott Brood – Garden River

Exclusive: Elliott Brood – Chuckwagon

Exclusive: Elliott Brood – T-Bill

Exclusive: Elliott Brood – Edge Of Town

Exclusive: Elliott Brood – Riding In Time

Download the session as a zip file.

Video: Elliott Brood – Edge of Town

Congratulations to a HearYa favorite, The Love Language, for recently inking a deal with Merge Records (also home to The Arcade Fire). Look for big things out of them next year when they release their first album on the new label. If you thought the self-titled release (which was recorded on a $300 device bought off of Craigslist), wait until these guys get into a studio together.

Here’s some of their studio recordings from our live session with The Love Language.

Exclusive: Love Language – Nocturne

Exclusive: Love Language – Providence

Exclusive: Love Language – Manteo

Exclusive: Love Language – Blue Angel (Unreleased)

Exclusive: Love Language – Graycourt

Download all the tracks as a zip file.

Video: The Love Language – Blue Angel

The Love Language – “Blue Angel” – HearYa Live Session 4/2/09 from HearYa.com on Vimeo.

There are certain bands that I associate with HearYa more than others. Bands like Ha Ha Tonka, Other Lives and Joe Pug are a few that blend great musicianship with amiable personalities. Port O’Brien is another of those bands and over the course of three albums and countless shows, Port O’Brien has never ceased to amaze us. It has been a treat to watch them evolve since Oz recommended them a couple of years back.

I showed up a little late to the session and the first thing I noticed was a slight lineup change. I was a big fan of their previous guitarist – a fellow named Zeb. Zeb had an in-your-face, direct sort of style and I loved watching the interplay between Zeb and and lead singer Van Pierszalowski, especially during songs like “The Rooftop Song.”

Zeb’s replacement, Graham LeBron, was a likable fellow and former guitarist in Rogue Wave so it was hard to feel disappointed. After hearing him warm up, I started to get excited about the new sound. During a run-through of Sour Milk/Salt Water I began to see how Gram fit into the band. His playing, while being less brash than Zeb’s, seems to agree more with Port O’Brien’s sound. His playing creates atmosphere and given the personal nature of the band’s latest album, Threadbare, I think it’s just what the doctor ordered. It transports you to a place and way of living that is foreign to most; even to the most ardent Deadliest Catch fan.

So during this next portion of the band’s evolution, after signing to a label, releasing of one of the best albums of the year, a mammoth tour and our second opportunity at a live session with them, I consider myself lucky to be along for the ride. Enjoy the tracks and the best band intro we’ve ever had.

Port O’Brien Intro Song

Exclusive: Port O’Brien – Sour Milk/ Salt Water (Video)

Exclusive: Port O’Brien – My Will Is Good (Video)

Exclusive: Port O’Brien – Oslo Campfire

Exclusive: Port O’Brien – In The Meantime

Download the Port O’Brien live session as a zip.

Video: Port O’Brien – My Will Is Good

I was talking with John, the lead singer of Roadside Graves, after this session about how to describe the band to those unfamiliar with the New Jersey outfit. He tended to go with older acts such such as The Band, Dylan and Burrito Brothers while I threw out modern day contemporaries like The Felice Brothers amongst others. This became a tired exercise, so I said to tell them this: “We sound like awesome. Go buy a t-shirt.”

And they do and I did purchase myself a t-shirt that night after the session. Finding out Roadside Graves was putting out a new album this year was truly one of the pleasant surprises of 2009. I thought that after their excellent 2007 release No One Will Know Where You Have Been, that they had disbanded and moved on. But thankfully that was not the case and My Son’s Home is one of my favorites of 2009.

So dig into the five tracks, including “West Coast” off the aforementioned No One Will Know Where You Have Been. And the video of “Ruby” shows the boys playing one of top 10 tracks of 2009.

The Roadside Graves Introduction

Exclusive: The Roadside Graves – Take A Train

Exclusive: The Roadside Graves – Radio

Exclusive: The Roadside Graves – Ruby

Exclusive: The Roadside Graves – Far And Wide

Exclusive: The Roadside Graves – West Coast

Download The Roadside Graves live session as a zip.

Video: The Roadside Graves – Take A Train

Strand Of Oaks is Timothy Showalter. Shirk characterized him as a jolly sort of guy, always wearing a smile and communicating mostly in jokes. That characterization stands in contrast to the music of Strand Of Oaks, which I’d imagine is sacred ground. It’s that cathartic place where the songwriter can let down his guard, self-reflect and explore themes of devastation in relationships, lost possessions and burning homes. I, for one, am thankful that he’s willing to let us in to this world because, while it may be fraught with peril, there’s beauty on the other side.

Leave Ruin was one of my favorite albums this year even though it was released the year before. I discovered it on my own, without being approached by a label, PR rep or some music biz type representative.  That kind of music discovery really excites me these days, especially when it’s music like this. It’s honest and wears its heart on its sleeve. Leave Ruin is an album that washes a peaceful calm over you. I’ve had it playing in the background during countless evenings with the wife or dinners with the family. So, I guess in a way, I’ve let Strand Of Oaks into my world and he’s part of the soundtrack of my life – at least in 2009.

And here we are with a live session. Tim brings the songs to life with a quiet intensity, armed with only an electric guitar and his words. He kicks the sesh off with a version of Bruce Springsteens “Used Cars” from Nebraska, an album which I imagine has enormously influenced Strand Of Oaks’ Leave Ruin. Both albums are stripped down and desolate. From there he moves into “End In Flames” from Leave Ruin, which strikes a chord if you’ve heard his back story – at least the part about his house burning down. He also tosses in an unreleased track called “Daniel’s Blues,” just to let you know he ain’t finished yet.

Exclusive: Strand Of Oaks – Used Cars (Bruce Springsteen Cover)

Exclusive: Strand Of Oaks – End In Flames

Exclusive: Strand Of Oaks – Daniel’s Blues (Previously Unreleased)

Exclusive: Strand Of Oaks – New Paris

Download the Strand Of Oaks live session as a zip.

Video: Strand Of Oaks – End In Flames