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.
A.A. Bondy first visited us for a live session in December of 2008 while on a solo tour in support of his debut, American Hearts. While the solo acoustic Bondy is quite alright with me, I was excited to hear that his sophomore effort, When The Devil’s Loose, would employ the help of a band. That album became our favorite album of 2009.
I’ve since seen Bondy + band at The Earl in Atlanta and noticed that the band was really just two multi-instrumentalists that traded off between bass/keys and pedal steel/drums. What struck me during the concert was the new found intensity the band revealed in familiar songs. Even the acoustic tracks from American Hearts became new again with electric guitars, drums and lots of effects.
That’s part of the allure of Scott Bondy. He started off his musical career in a grunge band called Verbena that drew comparisons to Nirvana. He then took a step back and became a folk singer under the A.A. Bondy moniker. Perhaps he’s starting to find a balance between the two, as evident in the jam near the end of “Slow Parade.” And on stage with an electric guitar, he’s often less folk and (dare I say) more punk than his album leads on.
I fell in love with the warmth in his voice and his songwriting, but it’s this constant tinkering with sounds and songs, both old and new, that has me in suspense. He’s both subtle and provocative and he’s one of the most refreshing artists to emerge in several years.
To end off the year, we’ve put together a free digital album that includes some of our favorite HearYa Live Session tracks from 2009. It’s called Earwood, named for the intense feeling of pleasure our ears get when listening to these great bands. Download Volume 1 from 2008 here and download our phenomenal 2009 Volume 2 here.
Thanks to all of the bands that took the time to visit us, to all the labels, publicists and other industry types that have supported us, to Shirk Music + Sound (Steve Shirk) for the studio time, and of course all of y’all for reading. We’ll kick off 2010 with sessions with AA Bondy and The Mother Hips. Cheers to a very Happy New Year!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Watching The Low Anthem perform in studio was like entering a transcendent reality. They stopped in on Sunday morning, the final day of Lollapalooza and a morning that greeted most of HearYa with paralyzing hangovers. Somehow we each managed to put down a 32 oz Gatorade and a couple Jimmy Dean sausage biscuits prior to the band’s arrival, which provided just enough energy to load in gear that included a pump organ, clarinet, crotales, upright bass, alto horn, a couple guitars and a few harmonicas. Several of these instruments were completely foreign to me, which only added to the mystical allure of The Low Anthem.
We hustled around to get the cameras in place while The Low Anthem warmed up, singing familiar lines “Oh my god, the water’s all around us. Oh my god, it’s all around” from the song “Charlie Darwin.” Everyone in the studio stopped in their tracks to listen. Those sorrowful lyrics floated around a room that was custom built for sound and I knew immediately that this session would be special. And it was.
The session starts with “Ticket Taker,” featuring Ben Miller on acoustic guitar, Jeff Prystowsky on upright bass and Jocie Adams on clarinet. Ben remains on lead vocals, but that’s the only constant. Each band member seems equally comfortable with any instrument in their arsenal. “Charlie Darwin” follows with Jocie moving over to the crotales, an instrument that amazes me. Then, one of my favorite tracks from What The Crow Brings emerges in “This God Damn House.” Ben starts off with his alto horn while Jeff gets the feet moving on the pump organ. We were all taken by surprise when Ben stepped away from the mic to grab his cell phone. We started switching cameras from him, assuming he had pressing business that required an urgent text message. But then he grabbed a second phone and lifted them up as he whistled to create a spectral sound to finish the song.
The band brings a focused energy and intensity to their craft and Ben comes across like a quiet perfectionist that wants each note to sound just right. The Low Anthem return from touring abroad to bring their music stateside alongside Blind Pilot. Check out their MySpace page for dates.
The Henry Clay People are the embodiment of a live studio session. They are sincere, authentic and make no apologies for creating straightforward three-chord American rock music. They hate wearing headphones in the studio, prefer to record like it’s a rehearsal (they plan to cut their next record like this) and are comfortable with slight imperfections as long as the vibe is right. We were serving up stiff bloody marys with over-sized celery sticks looming out of the cups like redwood trees on this Lollapalooza morn. The vibe was certainly right.
I’ve been a fan of this Orange County, CA band, led by brothers Joey and Andy Siara, since they released For Cheap Or For Free last year. As I listened to the album, I thought their sound was like Stephen Malkmus fronting The Hold Steady. I got my first glimpse of them live at SxSW at the party we co-hosted then we caught their set at Lollapalooza this year as the rain started falling. They won over the day one Lolla crowd immediately with their energy and addictive party songs.
The following morning we all met up at Shirk’s studio, exchanged pleasantries and started nursing our collective hangovers with the aforementioned hair of the dog and vegetable adornments. The band set up in record time and started tearing through their new material much to our delight. The only old track performed was “Something In The Water” upon request by Shirk.
The Henry Clay People are another one of those bands that are impossible not to love. Secretly, all the HearYans wanted to take the after session party to a local bar and spend the rest of the afternoon tossing back shots and slapping high fives with the band, but like all artists passing through, The Henry Clay People had a full schedule and were busting their asses to make a name for themselves. Here’s to hoping they accomplish that mission.
We’ve been all over The Deep Dark Woods since we missed their album Hang Me Oh Hang Meas one of the best of 2007. Since then, we’ve became enamored with their Grateful Dead influenced alt-country style and when Winter Hours was released this year, it quickly became a favorite. They joined the lineup at our first ever SxSW party and then The Deep Dark Woods stopped by Shirk’s studio for a live session during their first ever trip to Chicago.
This is probably the most anxious I’ve been to hear a live session and the end result was well worth the wait. I previewed the tracks to a few folks and here were a few comments that came back:
“Heartbreaking.”
“Devastating.”
“Beautiful.”
Few bands can capture all those sentiments with 6 live tracks in a studio, but The Deep Dark Woods bottled up magic on this day. The session starts with an amazing new song called “The Banks Of The Leopold Canal.” It’s a Canadian soldier’s tale of woe as he’s forced to leave his love for battle in WWII. Ryan was inspired to write the song after seeing a special on The Battle of the Scheldt in which an interviewed soldier was quoted saying “thousands were dead in the Leopold Canal.” That line became lyrics in the song.
“Two Time Loser” is an upbeat honkey tonk reprieve before we’re introduced to another new track called “Ballad Of Frank Dupree.” It’s a fictional song about a man who murders his girl and repents as he faces death by hanging at the gallows. It’s hard not to sympathize with this criminal as he blames the liquor and tries to explain his evil sins to his mother and father.
In addition to “Two Time Loser,” you’ll also hear two other tracks from Winter Hours including the title track and “All The Money I Had Is Gone” before they indulged us with a special request in a traditional cover of “River In The Pines,” my favorite track from Hang Me Oh Hang Me. They’ve also added a keyboardist that gives a new dimension to each song. Anyone that follows us on Twitter knows how excited I was to share these tracks. I can’t wait for you to listen.
