"With Gatling Gun Social Skills" "...We Dance to the Beat." The first Chocolate Bobka Presents, a record release party for Forest Fire's Survival (finally available on vinyl via Infinite Best Recordings), is sure to be a doozy. In fact, the band has actually ensured that the evening will "have an overall sense of danger in the air," which, to me, sounds like a pretty good thing. Oh yeah, and there will be cookies.
In addition, the nice folks at Union Hall have agreed to let us give away a few pairs of tickets for the event. To enter, simply leave your favorite type of tree in the comments, along with your email address. A winner will be selected on Friday. Hope to see you there.
"With Gattling Gun Social Skills" It is with extreme pleasure and honor that I would like to announce the first Chocolate Bobka Presents... show: Forest Fire's CD release party at Union Hall on Monday August 10th. The show, which will mark the re-release of Forest Fire's ramshackle wonder Survival, which LA BLOGOTHEQUE named "Best Album of 2008." (Not bad, eh?) It should also be noted that the records first "proper" release will come on the brand spanking new Infinite Best label, run by our good friend and former-Bobka contributor Hunter Giles. The show will mark Forest Fire's first time in New York since last winter, and will also feature Shilpa Ray, amongst a bevy of special guests.
More details in the near future, but for now, mark your calendars, as August 10th is going to be a really fun night.
"The Sky Won't Mind" (photo by Jonny Leather) Since their first rumblings after the disbandment of Pretty Girls Make Graves, I've been enamored with the old world folk sound of Seattle's The Cave Singers. While their full length Invitation Songs is an enchanting pastoral relic of days gone by, their first release, a limited edition 7" for Seeds of Night b/w After the Baptism, is what keeps me coming back to the sylvan trio. While "Seeds of Night" was an obvious choice for a single, it's b-side, "After the Baptism", which does not appear on Invitation Songs and cannot be purchased digitally, sums up everything I love about the Cave Singers; lush finger picking, canyon harmonies and a thousand years of history wrapped up in a single vocal melody.
The trio is in NY this week for shows at Brooklyn's Union Hall on Wednesday and the Mercury Lounge on Thursday.
Hand Crushes The Wheel Light Pollution rolled into Manhattan the other day for a show at Piano's. To be honest, I'd never heard of them until Wednesday morning when I got a press release that said "Light Pollution's music is kaleidoscope of sound, encompassing everything from backward tapes to dissonant piano rolls to even crunching leaves." Sounds good to me. Piano's was empty Wednesday night, as if no one had gotten the memo. Despite much of a crowd, Light Pollution performed an enthusiastic set of soul bearing Americana backed by life affirming instrumentation. From my count the band played accordion, guitar, violin, mandolin, trombone, bass, drums, melodica, glockenspiel, keyboards, and a smattering of percussion. Not only did the band bring the songs on their recently self-released (and self-titled) EP to life, but they did it with so much enthusiasm you couldn't help but rock out in the corner all by your lonesome. The Illinois based collective is currently touring the Northeast promoting its self-titled EP, available on vinyl (comes w/a CD), and will be back in New York Saturday for a show at Brooklyn's Union Hall. Get there early, their the first band on the bill.
Today is a great, albeit challenging, day for New Yorkers. Why? Because there are sooo many good shows tonight it's impossible to see everything you'd like to check out. (Un)Fortunately, I've side stepped this problem by leaving town for the weekend, go figure. But seriously, there really is something for everyone tonight. Just check out this list:
Brian Wilson @ Coney Island (FREE) The Spinto Band and Ra Ra Riot @ Union Hall James Pants & Peanut Butter Wolf @ Studio B The Dodo's @ Cake Shop (Shhh, it's a secret) Brendan Canning (of Broken Social Scene) @ Mercury Lounge (SOLD OUT) Girls(!!!) @ Market Hotel Ted Leo @ Castle Clinton (Battery Park, FREE) The Fiery Furnaces @ East River Park (FREE) Demon Rum @ The East India Club DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist @ McCarren Pool Devlin, XXXchange and The Rapture (DJs) @ Santo's Party House Yaz @ Terminal 5 DJ Spooky @ Music Hall of Williamsburg
"Wrapped Around My Neck Bone" (photo by big sam thompson) The photo above says a thousand things about Delta Spirit, but the one that immediately pops into my head is "timeless." If there weren't 6 million pixels, you could imagine it being an intimate tour portrait from one of the legendary Crazy Horse tours of the 70's, or a famed CSNY show in Laurel Canyon, or a basement recording session in Saugerties. Maybe its the chops (in fine form) or the plaid, but something about seeing Delta Spirit the other night for the third time in months has left me feeling that one day Ode to Sunshine will be framed on the wall of my hypothetical offspring.
Their show at Union Hall was another barn burner, providing a showcase for the bands ever evolving, yet still raw, Americana. Staples like "People Turn Around" and "House Built for Two" sounded at home with the jazz standard "St. James Infirmary", one of my favorite Louis Armstrong cuts. With their timeless American sound, it should come as no coincidence that Delta Spirit signed to Rounder Records (who released the essential Alan Lomax collection), who will be re-releasing Ode to Sunshine on August 26(CD/LP). Peep this video from Sasquatch for a little insight into the bands influences, tastes and why Rounder felt like home.
Setlist: People C'mon/ Strange Vine/ Streetwalker/ House Built for Two/ St. Francis/ Vivian/ Children/ Bleeding Bells/ Trashcan/ St. James Infirmary/ Tom G(?)/ People Turn Around
"The Great Spirit of America" A while back I sat down for an interview with Delta Spirit bass player and badass Jonathan Jameson. Besides having the greatest email account in the history of the world, Jameson knows how to lay down the groovy bits that keep the "dharma bum" tunes together. Delta Spirit rolls into NYC this week and Friday will be my third time seeing them in the past 8 months. There is a reason I keep going back and the reason is Ode to Sunshine. Be sure you catch them at the Mercury Lounge Thursday or Union Hall Friday before they get huge and start opening for Coldplay or Pearl Jam at the Garden.
Chocolate Bobka: There is an innate honesty in the Delta Spirit sound that seems to owe as much to punk rock as it does to old school folk and country music. Who are your influences?
JJ: On the punk side there are some. We like The Clash, Television, more recently the Libertines. I really like the Waterboys, but they aren't really punk. We also love soul music, hip hop and some folk. We are a band that loves big ideas, like social change and redemption, as well as songs about how its hard to date another man's girlfriend. It is that paradox that we are drawn to.
C: I've heard you talk about personal responsibility in the world, and realizing that everyone is apart of the problem, and that it's more important to be part of the solution rather than point the blame on someone, actually owning up to personal responsibility. How does that sort of personal integrity affect your music?
JJ: I guess it leaves us in a slightly more constructive place than a destructive place, because we aren't disillusioned with the idea of fighting against something as much as we are into fighting for something. We made our own record, put it out ourselves, managed ourselves for a while, got some good tours with some friends and now we are working with really great people who we know understand us and whom we deeply respect. It feels good.
C: In the live setting it seems that there is an unfettered equality between band members on stage, something I don't feel/see with alot of other bands. On Ode to Sunshine the writing, recording and producing are all credited to Delta Spirit. most would says its impossible to maintain equality, put egos aside and work for the greater good in a band, especially when your spending X amount of days in a cramped van with the same people. How do you keep it together?
JJ: There was a monk in the 4th century that said living in community is the only asceticism that you will ever need. It really isn't easy, but it is worth it and it does require us to constantly push our egos back. The President of the United States should be forced to be in a band for a year or so. I think they could really learn a thing or two about how to get along. We respect each other and recognize that the band wouldn't be half as good with out any one of us.
C: Ode to Sunshine was essentially recorded live. Was it important for you to capture the essence of your live shows on record?
JJ: Yeah we felt that that was how that album needed to be recorded. I'm not sure we will do it again, but it was right for that album and we are all happy with the results. I think one of the most beautiful parts about it is that it feels like it belongs in time and space. It feels like a living room, not a museum.
C: Delta Spirit is uber-tight live. Has there been anything, instrumentally or an arrangement that the band can't pull off live, or chooses not to try?
JJ: We can't play the last song on Ode to Sunshine. We played it once cause we had our friend playing trumpet, but it still wasn't quite there. It's kind of a thorn in our side. I really want to solve it, to bring it back to life.
C: Does the band have any plans to record in 2008?
JJ: We have already done a bit of recording, and with us you never know what might make the album. So yes, we will be recording as songs come. It may or may not be the final version. We have the blessing of having our own recording gear, so it would be a shame to be lazy with that. we are always looking forward too.
C: The Port O'Brien tour was a great pairing in that both bands have an unbridled sense of working class companionship, loyalty and selflessness. Is there anything you personally took away from touring with those guys, or any other band you've toured with?
JJ: They were so great! We really love them. Real people playing music they love. It's the best. Thankfully we have toured mostly with bands like that.
C: The band seems to embody a working mans integrity. Is there any particular reason for this, or is it simply that you are all so passionate about what you do that you have to work hard...and enjoy yourselves?
JJ: We don't really identify with the culture of Southern California, so in our effort to dig deeper we have found that that is the great spirit of America, not the 'american dream,' but working hard to do something you love. It's what makes us a country of grand possibilities. It may be a bit presumptuous but I also think that that is really one of the deepest human desires. I also think music is a beautiful example of giving love. We work so hard not to just record a bunch of songs so that when we are old we can sit back with our headphones on and listen to all that we have accomplished. No! How absurd would that be!? We work hard to have the chance to share this with other people, to give them a little of ourselves and when this sharing happens something greater than words is established. It is a communion. It is a holy moment, even though it becomes normal to us from time to time.
C: Ode to Sunshine is an album that screams 'vinyl'. any plans to release it on wax?
JJ: One way or another it will be released on vinyl this year. You are right, it may make the most sense like that.
"Another Saturday Night And I Ain't Got Nobody" I arrived at Union Hall just in time to grab a drink and catch Sera Cahoone's first song. From the start things sounded great and the live interpretations of songs from this years fantastic Only As The Day Is Longsounded as good, if not better than on record. Her band was tight, fleshing out rainy day country folk with elegance and restraint. The weeping of the pedal steel and the charming backwoods melodies of the banjo, coupled with Cahoone's smokey voice and heart-broken (but not devastated) lyrics made the basement of Union Hall feel more like a porch or bon fire affair than a packed gig in a Park Slope bar. I can't possibly emphasize how immaculate Cahoone's band sounded, except by saying that they were spot-on, every note delivered with reverence and grace. Stunning. (And yes my crush on Ms. Cahoone is now a mega-crush.)
Setlist: You Might As Well/ Last Time/ Only As The Day Is Long/ Runnin' Your Way/ Baker Lake/ The Colder The Air/ Shitty Hotel/ Couch Song/ Happy When I'm Gone/ Delta Dawn (Tanya Tucker cover w/ Grand Archives)
After Cahoone left the stage, former bandmate and collaborator Mat Brooke brought his Grand Archives to the Union Hall stage. The band, a scruffy group of vocal pop and atmospheric '60s California pop revivalists, played most of the tracks from their debut LP, as well as a couple covers, including Sam Cooke's lonely weekend anthem "Another Saturday Night." I've been patiently waiting Grand Archives New York debut since they released their original demos 16 months ago and last night was a culmination of over-playing demos, pre-ordering LP's and being inherently happy that the Grand Archives exist. Their classic retro pop was the perfect match to Cahoone's weeping folk, and the bands fabled 4-part harmonies lived up to all the praise they've received. The band seemed at home on the dimly lit stage, exchanging slacker banter with the crowd and bringing a little bit of Seattle comfort to Brooklyn.
Set List: Miniature Birds/ Louis Riel/ Index Moon/ New Song/ Swan Matches/A Setting Sun/ Sleep Driving/ Torn Blue Foam Couch/ Liberty Bell/ Another Saturday Night (Sam Cooke)/ George Kaminski/ Sundown (Gordon Lightfoot)/ The Crime Window/ Southern Glass Home
"Sleep above the mango trees" Last week I rang Rolf Klausner of the Bobk-approved The Acorn to chat about the band's Glory Hope Mountain, his mother and the bands first trek into the United States of America. What happened next is a mess of digital coding, computer meltdowns and bedroom freakouts. Let me tell you kids, it wasn't pretty. In case you didn't already know, always, and I can't emphasize this enough, always back up everything you do, immediately after you do it. Not an hour later, or a day later, or a week later, but immediately after you're done. Trust me, it'll save you alot of time and anguish. A lot.
Truthfully, I should take my own advice, because after re-listening to Rolf wax poetically on the extensive research he did into his Mother's life (the muse for Glory Hope Mountain, the organic writing process and the bands recent trip to SXSW, I somehow lost the file. I'd exported the track through audacity and saved it as an .mp3 and moved it into my Bobka desktop folder for safe keeping. Two hours later, my new MacBook Pro arrived and I began transfering all my files from my old iBook G4 to my new machine. Unfortunately, somewhere in the digital chaos "the acorn-rolf-interview.aud" and "theacorn-rolf-interview.mp3" were lost. After a week of searching for these files on my external hard drive, old computer and new computer, I have reason to believe they have vanished in a digital black hole. Never shall the world hear Rolf eloquently speak on the organic process of writing and recording Glory Hope Mountain, or how sad he was when the band lost their Speedy Gonzalez bobble head. It's sad, especially since The Acorn are already back in my hood. (Last night they played the first of four shows in NY/BK at Union Hall.) Honestly, I'm a bit saddened by this, mainly because it was by far the best interview we'd conducted for the Bobka so far (no offense Explorers Club, Ra Ra Riot and Someone Still Loves You...), but this was a genuinely fascinating interview and I can't thank Rolf enough for giving up his time to speak to lowly me. With that said, you should give up a bunch of your time this week and catch The Acorn in New York. Why? Because they're fucking awesome. Just go see them this week, you'll be glad you did.
Sunday May 4th- Sound Fix, Brooklyn 6PM (FREE!) Monday May 5th- Pianos, NYC (with The War on Drugs, part of a Brooklyn Vegan Party) Tuesday May 6th- Mercury Lounge, NYC (with The Cave Singers, Love as Laughter)
"Keep this wood stove burning" This ridiculous lineup combines our love of Dead Oceans with my North Cackalacky roots (Bowerbirds are from Raleigh). They have already sold out one NYC show (last night at Union Hall in Brooklyn), so there was no way we were going to miss the Friday night Phosphorescent, Bowerbirds and The Acorn show at the Merc, especially for $10. Yeah, the same amount as a 6-pack of Studweiser tall boys in the Big Apple. If you have any interest in rootsy folk, accordions, and incredible songwriting, well, I'd get your ass to the Mercury Lounge Friday night. If you can't make it, try and catch The Acorn (minus Bowerbirds & Phosphorescent) tonight (2/28) at Maxwell's in Hoboken. It's definitely worth the $1.50 path ride. Seriously.
Bowerbirds playing "My Oldest Memory" in a park in Raleigh
all songs are posted because we love them and think they make the world a better place. they are for sampling purposes only (duh). if you like what you hear, buy the record or see the concert!!! if you own the copyright to anything that appears on this site, contact us.
"...We Dance to the Beat." The first Chocolate Bobka Presents, a record release party for Forest Fire's Survival (finally available on vinyl via Infinite Best Recordings), is sure to be a doozy. In fact, the band has actually ensured that the evening will "have an overall sense of danger in the air," which, to me, sounds like a pretty good thing. Oh yeah, and there will be cookies.
