Good news for Chicago people! Other Lives are back in town for a show at Schubas tomorrow night (6/20). It’ll be a special night. The band stopped by Shirk’s studio in April for one of our most memorable live sessions to date. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, get in there. This band has a way of pulling emotions out of you that you may have forgotten you had.
Here’s what Steve Shirk (HearYa Live Session producer) says about why you should attend:
After our session in late April, I was expecting a great follow up show at Schubas. I wasn’t prepared for how huge Other Lives sounded in that room – They blew me away. Alex Pasco, their live mix engineer who is on tour with them, really brought their sound to a new level for me. The band sounded so powerful. I remember moments in “End Of The Year” nearly melting my face. That’s not to say that they don’t do the quiet thing REALLY well. This band understands dynamics in the studio and even more so on the stage.
We recorded three videos from the session and only posted “Precious Air” at first. I featured the video for “Paper Cities” on our home page (to your right) all week and now “It Was The Night” is the final installment.
I have had the privilege of seeing many phenomenal acts roll through the HearYa studio for some intimate personal concerts. I don’t think there has been a session yet that has moved me like this one, featuring Stillwater, Oklahoma band Other Lives. Their arrangements are simply amazing and they have a unique ability to sound like they’ve spent years deliberating over every note while still coming off as natural and spontaneous.
As they were getting ready to start up the Leonard Cohen cover of “The Partisan,” I asked Shirk if he thought the band would mind if I lied down in the middle of the studio while they played. Different music elicits different reactions, but with the Other Lives, I just want the music to wash over me. I am still getting goosebumps listening to this batch of songs and I’m 10 listens deep.
From a more personal standpoint, I don’t have enough good things to say about Jesse, Jenny, Colby, Jonathon and Josh. Shirk and I ended up hanging out with them after their set at Schubas to take in the Elvis Perkins in Dearland set. They were an absolute pleasure to hear in the studio and all around good people to spend time with. We wish them the best on the rest of their tour and look forward to seeing them back in Chicago at Lollapalooza.
I can’t remember the last time an album has moved me like Other Lives’ self-titled debut. There’s a song on that album called “Black Tables” that takes me to another world. We have them booked for a session on Thursday and I have a feeling it’ll be something special. Here’s a video for an acoustic version of “Paper Cities.” And in case you missed it, make sure to catch our SXSW video of Other Lives covering Leonard Cohen.
On this sunny SXSW morning (actually it was 1:30pm…but it felt like morning) I met Woody over at Cedar Street for the first set of my Thursday. After listening to their new self-titled release many times over the past month, I was really excited to see Other Lives. They did not disappoint. Great songs, arrangements, vocals, tones…everything sounded like I hoped it would. After spending the whole day before listening to bands through an underpowered sound system, operated by an engineer more concerned with his macbook than the mixing board, this set was a really welcome start to my day.
The set went like this:
Don’t Let Them
End Of The Year
The Partisan (Leonard Cohen)
Speed Tape
Paper Cities
After the show Woody and I spoke with Jesse (vocal / guitar) and invited Other Lives in for a HearYa Live Session the next time they are through Chicago. Hope we can make this one work out. Other Lives is my new favorite band.
Other Lives is the name of an audio drama based on the television series Doctor Who. Not sure if the band from Stillwater, Oklahoma had the BBC show in mind when coming up with names, but I’m guessing they had Radiohead’s Hail To The Thief playing when composing the tracks on their soon to be released debut album on the ATO imprint TBD Records. By the way, this is the same ATO that released Radiohead’s 2007 classic In Rainbows. The influence is rather clear in my opinion, although the band also shares a number of similarities with other indie acts like Midlake.
Life can be fortuitous, and so it was that I was listening to the LP on the way downtown late last week, loving it, when I found out that they were opening for Delta Spirit on Valentines Day at the Double Door. After somehow securing the hall pass from my wife, I caught them with Woody, Shirk and Drinking Buddy (please hold off on the homophobic snickering comments). I will also refrain from reviewing an awesome, raucous show put on by Delta Spirit to concentrate on Other Lives.
This is one of the better albums to recently come across the wire. It’s melodic and moody with lyrical depth. The band is comprised of five members, but lead vocalist Jesse Tabish is the clear driving force. It combines solid vocals, strong guitar work, piano and, a pleasant surprise, a cellist. What is it about women behind string instruments that make them so appealing? Tabish even has a bit of a Thom Yorkian presence, but the dude needs a little work on the beard grooming. The band is beginning to garner some well-deserved recognition having been singled out on iTunes as one of the rising stars of indie rock.
Check out the following tracks, which are a good representative of the album and exemplify the range of their style. “E Minor” is an interesting, sprawling track that also seems to have some E Minor 7 in it as well (shameless plug letting you know that I can play guitar). Also, if you get a chance to see these guys with Delta Spirit, or at SxSW, you will not be disappointed. The album will be released on March 31st and I think it’s is going to be one of the big surprises in 2009.
