live session

“These guys are kicking ass,” someone in the control room said.  As Dead Confederate segued from “Yer Circus” to “Goner,” my buddy Jefe commented aloud to no one in particular. It wasn’t a boastful announcement that was meant to fill some dead air. It was just a simple statement that wrapped up what we were all thinking.

It was as impressive a performance as we have had in the studio to date. The Athens, GA band are a tight five piece outfit that play with unbridled passion and intensity, while being laid back southern gents before and after the performance.

Unfortunately, I was unable to attend the night’s show at Schuba’s but DBT Chicago (our contest winner) echoed Jefe’s statement and said the live show was really great.

Exclusive: Dead Confederate -Heavy Petting

Exclusive: Dead Confederate -Yer Circus

Exclusive: Dead Confederate - All The Angels

Exclusive: Dead Confederate - Goner

Exclusive: Dead Confederate - Tortured Artist Saint

Coming up next: Gringo Star, The Everybodyfields, and Ben Sollee.

Sam Champion’s newest album Heavenly Bender has been playing in my ears all summer, but after spending the better part of a Wednesday in studio listening to them bang out tunes from the same album, I have now a whole new appreciation for the band. In particular, “Lorraine” has become one of my favorite songs of the year.

In the tunes below and at their show at The Empty Bottle following the session, the boys added some new flavors to the tunes. I was in the studio with Shirk and my friend Jefe, and every time something new was added to familiar song, we’d mumble to each other, “oooh, that was cool,” or “oooh, I like that new thing they’re doing.” Hey, listen. We have a very simple relationship. Most of our talking is done through eye contact and grunts.

In a previous post, I said I wanted to be pals with the Brooklyn foursome. After the session I am sure of it. They play music without pretense. They’re just four dudes that kick out great tunes and have fun doing it. In talking with Noah (guitar/vocals) about the positive buzz the band has been receiving, he said it will be the next album that really takes them to the new next level, sort of like The Stage Names did for Okkervil River. That may be true, but why wait? Heavenly Bender is tremendous so hop on board the Sam Champion train early.

Shirk and I brought about 10 people with us to their show later that night. Most had never heard of Sam Champion, but all loved the show and walked away fans. Rarely when I leave a concert do I want to listen to that same band on the drive home. I just really can’t get enough of Sam Champion.

Exclusive: Sam Champion - Like a Secret

Exclusive: Sam Champion - Dead Moon

Exclusive: Sam Champion - Heavenly Bender

Exclusive: Sam Champion - Be Mine Everyone

Exclusive: Sam Champion - Lorraine

Coming up in future sessions: Dead Confederate, Gringo Star, The Everybodyfields, The Rumble Strips, and Ben Sollee.

“Why do piano players like playing in Eflat?”  The question, posed from one vocalist to another, Tommy (guitar) to Ben (piano), had the inflection of a sappy joke: one that a 3rd grader might brazenly ask his parents when he hates the idea of piano lessons.  My mind quickly went to possible answers: “So his voice sounds in tune when he sings along,” “Because if it was Esharp, he’d be F’ed.”  However, Ben looked up from his fingers rolling effortlessly across the keys and said calmly, “Its just more comfortable.”

The fact that such a question had not been asked in 4 years of playing together hardly seems odd after spending a day with the guys of Jukebox The Ghost.  They stopped by Shirk’s studio recently to record a session and the ease of their music astounded me.  Despite their extremely varied musical styles — Ben is a classically trained pianist, while Tommy loves to play low end gritty blues riffs, and Jessie just loves tambourines and throwing shit over his head — they seem to blend effortlessly.  When such things happen, questions aren’t typically asked.

Despite the ease of their music, getting the session off the ground proved rather inauspicious.  I showed up at Schubas for their show knowing only of the idea of a Jukebox the Ghost HearYa Live Session; I hadn’t heard the band (save two myspace tracks), I didn’t know the guys, and I certainly had no clue of the time or  date of the session.  With trepidation, I approached Ben after the show and mentioned HearYa.  Immediately, despite the darkened room, I could tell his eyes widened and I had his full attention.  Apparently they had lost their contact with us and were completely as clueless as I.  Luckily after a few quick texts and phone calls between Shirk, Oz, and myself, we were set for the next day.

With the Blue Angels roaring overhead, Jukebox rolled in the next afternoon, joined by their merch guy Tom, who was on loan from Britain.  After lugging up their equipment, which included a synth stolen from the GWU music department (shhh!), they got started.  The execution of the session itself matched their musical comfort, not the planning, thankfully, and we got some amazing tracks put down.  The fact that both Ben and Tommy sing and write provides a nice segue from track to track and enable songs to add multiple layers of solos and vocals.  Also, we might have to make it a rule for bands to cover a 90s pop hit, because singing along to It’s A Beautiful Life is just too darn fun.

As we were loading the van back up, the guys mentioned they had the rest of the day off, so I hopped in with them and directed them to North Ave. Beach where the Chicago Air and Water Show was centered (hence the previously mentioned Blue Angels).  The weather was absolutely perfect and most of the guys had never spent any real time in Chicago, so it turned out to be a great opportunity for them to get to know the city.  I left them at the corner of Fullerton and Lincoln directing them towards the lake.  Only with vague directions back to the van, they were off on their own.  I can only hope that they maneuvered the city with the comfort and ease of their music because I’ve not heard from them since.

You can find Jukebox The Ghost’s album Let Live and Let Ghosts on iTunes, eMusic, and Amazon.

Exclusive: Jukebox The Ghost - Mistletoe

Exclusive: Jukebox The Ghost - Hold It In

Exclusive: Jukebox The Ghost - Beady Eyes On The Horizon

Exclusive: Jukebox The Ghost - Good Day

Exclusive: Jukebox The Ghost - It’s A Beautiful Life

Jukebox The Ghost “Good Day”

You may have noticed that the image above is a bit better than pictures of past live sessions. There’s a good reason for that. We forgot to take one. See that one on the right over there? We didn’t take that one either. I considered pulling out the old Crayola’s to create an artistic portrait of Samantha, a la Daytrotter, but thought better of insulting the band by representing them as stick figures.

Samantha Crain and the Midnight Shivers home brew their Americana sound in Shawnee, Oklahoma, which seems fitting. The town’s growth in the early 1900’s was fueled by booming agriculture and railroad industries. Why is this important, you might ask? I’m now quite sure. I don’t know if Shawnee folk raise their young ‘uns with stories of ancestors working the railroads and cotton mills, but Samantha Crain’s sound does seem to give a nod to those olden days. She’s just a shade over drinking age, but delivers sophisticated lyrics enveloped in soaring vocals that should make the Choctaw Nation proud. I love the word Choctaw.

I’ve seen her compared to Joanna Newsome, which I’m not on board with. I like Samantha far better. She has the folk sensibilities of Alela Diane, the quirkiness of Feist, and the straightforward delivery of Neko Case. I’ll let y’all decide for yourself. She was kind enough to grace us with five live tracks in Shirk’s studio and you can hear more on her EP entitled The Confiscation, which was released July 22nd on Ramseur Records (also home to two of my favorites, The Avett Brothers and The Everybodyfields).

And I just realized I never even mentioned the Midnight Shivers which, in addition to having a great name, provide the musical foundation for all things Samantha. Great work fellas - I particularly enjoy “Traipsing Through The Aisles” and “The River.” This is one young band and vocalist that we should all keep an eye on in years to come.

MySpace | Ramseur Records

Exclusive: Samantha Crain - Traipsing Through Aisles

Exclusive: Samantha Crain - Get The Fever Out

Exclusive: Samantha Crain - Rising Sun

Exclusive: Samantha Crain - The River

Exclusive: Samantha Crain - From Where Come You Division?

Who’s coming up on future sessions? You’ll see Leatherbag, Danny Malone, Your 33 Black Angels, Backyard Tire Fire, and Jukebox The Ghost. That’s a tasty lineup.