Dave Barnes

Lock up you women. Dave Barnes is coming to town. Actually, he came last friday, but when else will I be able to say that. That's right, Knoxville's teenage heart-throb stopped by The Bijou Friday night, and surprised me with a very good two and a half hours of songs. Well, actually, he played about an hour and a half of music, and filled the rest of the time in with his remarkably sidetracking storytelling, but it was cool; he was pretty funny. I can out up with banter, if it's funny banter.

Ben Rector opened the show with nothing more than a piano and a guitar to alternate playing. This guy was good, I mean really good, and his lyrics weren't too sappy to stand. He played a few slow typical singer-songwriter songs on the piano, but he was best on the guitar. Rector stood out to me, because he was really trying to earn his chops. He was doing everything he could to win over the audience in the thirty minutes he had, and he managed to do it. The guy is from Oklahoma and had never stepped foot in The Bijou, or Knoxville for that matter, so you can imagine the crowd, oh so hungry for their pop savior, were at first just ready to get this guy over with.

Somewhere in the middle of his set he announced that he would sing a verse in his next song completely based on a random topic the audience gave to him. At first he got stuck with education, but aiming to please instead of anger, he asked for another. So what is the best topic to sing about? Spaghetti, that's what. I mean, it wasn't "Like A Rolling Stone" but he made spaghetti rhyme with something, so I was pretty impressed. That was definitely the highlight of his act. He played a cover of Tom Petty's, not John Mayer's, "Free Fallin", but it was pretty mediocre. It was my least favorite part of Rector. The guy played about three more songs before scooting off-stage to welcome on good ole' Dave Barnes.

Dave came on to thunderous applause and immediately jumped into one of his more jammin' songs, "Chameleon". The song transferred on stage even better than it did on the album. It set the show off pretty well. I'm all for a great opening and closer. They are integral to a successful act. If I go to a Phoenix concert, I'm going to be kinda turned off if they open with "Love Like A Sunset" (Hope you know Phoenix). Anyways, he played a few more, but I can't remember exactly what they were. Most of em were form the new album, see last review, and there wasn't one that wasn't pretty good. The band left, and Dave played some of his slower cuts, specifically, "Friends" and "I Have And I Always Will", both of which started with never-ending stories, but like I said, it was cool. I just can't emphasize enough about how this guy is more ADHD than the Indigo Girls are gay.

When the band came back out, they played some of the bigger hits. They slowed "Someday Sarah" down a few notches and the whole crowd was singing to it. "Little Lies" was one of the best songs of night. He changed it around from the album's version, and you could tell that the whole group was having a lot of fun playing it. Last but not least(or last counting the encore) came the big one, the one that started it all, "Until You". Dave was really funny about the song, because unlike some artist who try to run from their mega-hit, he was completely aware of the power the song had over the audience, and gave a five minute speech about how he didn't want applause until the whole band had kicked in. So, the song started really strangely. You could hear those first guitar strums and the first few lines of the song out in the street it was so quiet. And then, like some kind of charm-induced battle cry, the audience blew up right on cue. It got really dang loud. They got done with that, and walked off stage for all of about thirty second before returning for round two.

I wish I remembered more than the last song of the show, but I don't, so assume the first two or three songs of the encore were good. So, lastly, Barnes and company unplugged and unmic'd for a strictly acoustic version of Greyhound. It wasn't as easy to hear as Brandi Carlile was, but I was in the second level of the balcony, so I guess it was me, not him. It was a bit strange of a song to end on, as it didn't really pack a punch, or impress everyone. I dono, like I said. Close strong. Dave didn't, but apart from that, he put on a really fun show. I went with my best-friends girl-friend, and we acted like a really awkward couple to mess with the really annoying couple behind us, so that was fun. It was a good night, and I won tickets to Bonnaroo's College Comedy Tour tonight for free! Yay! So yea, that will be fun. If Dave's in town, he's worth dishing out a couple of bucks and taking a girl to go see. Here's a little bit of both Ben and Dave

Dave Barnes-What We Want, What We Get

Pop is one of the trickiest genres in music. Too bubbly, and the music feels fake and cheesy (Howie Day). Too blunt, and you can be stuck with controversy (Lady Gaga). Too bland, and you just lose you're audience (every boy band ever). There will hardly ever be pop music that pleases everybody, especially in todays day and age. However, one of the most tried and true pop solutions is the singer-songwriter. Every Joe Shmo in a hip coffee bar downtown throws the title around their neck and strums their normally up or down love life through their guitar, and into the ears of the four or five people enjoying their latte's. Heck, I know like five people who call themselves singer songwriters. It's as popular as being called "indie". The difference is that some artists manage to fill the title a little more than others.

Dave Barnes grew up like many singer-songwriters did; in a good family in suburban Mississippi. After high school, Barnes went to Middle Tennessee University where he began writing songs for other performers on campus. When he graduated with a degree in recording industry management, he packed up and moved to Nashville where he put his band together. The band has released four albums, the last of which being What We Want, What We Get.

Dave has always been a guy that I really enjoy hearing, but he hasn't really changed my life. I mean, he's really good, but i've never really seen him as fantastic. But, looking back on it, he is one of the artists I listen to the most. His lyrics can seem kind of cheesy, or far fetched even, but theres a place for that. His music is nice and catchy too. He likes to keep things pretty light and simple, and that pairs like peanut butter and jelly with his song-writing. What We Want, What We Get is a pretty solid continuation of the pop maestro's discography.

The album opens with "Little Lies", one of the most catchy songs Dave Barnes has written. I was singing it for days down in Nashville last week. The lyrics describe a nice down home teenage relationship, and the music is on par. It's what a good pop song should be; fun, light, and catchy (word of the day). There's a few more on the album that have the same effect. "Look So Easy" rides a loose back beat tied together with laid back vocals to give off a sunday morning vibe. I dono, it's hard to describe, I just sense Sunday's through it. Give it a listen down below.

There are a couple of songs that simply aren't as good as others. "Chameleon" has a nice chorus, but it's a forgettable song. The last song on the album, "Amen" tries to sound like country, but with Dave on vocals. It doesn't work quite right. Take out the steel guitar, and we can talk. There are always one or two songs on Dave's albums that I'm not crazy about, but like I said earlier, pop music is going to affect people different ways. Most of the album is very good.

I'm gonna see this guy down at the Bijou tomorrow night, and he usually puts on a pretty good show. I guess Knoxville kind of became a launching point for Barnes, and he plays here a lot. He played down at Sundown just last year, so he's a bit of a Knoxville favorite. Plus, his concerts bring out fine ladies out the wazoo. I'll be sure to let you know how the concert goes, followed by Asher Roth, Floggin Molly, and Passion Pit the Friday night. Until then, ANDY OUT YO!

She And Him-Volume Two

So, we meet again. I took a little bit of a break, but it was much needed. This month has left me all of about three and a half minutes to kick back and relax. If you don't know me very well, I have been Danny in our schools production of Grease. For that matter, I still am Danny until Tuesday, but it is finally winding down. And to top it all off, I've been in Nashville half of this week for All-State (a choir of really fruity dudes and really hott girls(and a few normal kids like me) singing my heart out, so I haven't been able to really write a word, but I have gotten a hold of a few new albums that'll give me some good material to tell you about. The first of which being the next album from pseudo-supergroup She and Him, ever so cleverly titled Volume Two, compared to the original Volume One. I'll give you a heads up, this isn't my favorite. And now, I shall tell you about the group.

The group is actually the brain-child of director Martin Hynes, who was filming The Go-Getter which I have never heard of, but now may see because of the subtly beautiful Zooey Deschanel. Seriously, she is hott stuff. And she's intelligent which is all the more appealing. I can go on for a while, but you don't care, so I won't. The director asked Zooey to sing with M. Ward who was lending a hand to the films soundtrack (which looked pretty good). Apparently the group came into high demand, and they later recorded songs that Zooey had secretly written back in her home in Portland. Thus, the world, including myself, was introduced to She and Him, and like a lot of people who heard it, I fell in love with it. The light flowing jingles instill sunny pictures of fields and beaches, love and heart ache, gain and loss; all in an optimistic perspective. So, um, where did that go?

I bought Volume Two, conveying the same optimism Deschanel inoculated me with the first time around, and man was I let down. Gone is the emotion, the jaunty-ness, whatever made it click the last time. In Volume Two, Ward and Deschanel have herded together a collection of happy noises, stretched the songs already wide smiles into a Joker-esque grin, and diluted them with copious amounts of lackadaisical bubble and shine. I hate to refer to to this, but when I sit down and listen to this album the whole way, flashes of the government experimentation scene in A Clockwork Orange keep flooding my head; the notes are suggesting, "Happy or Die!"

Songs like "Lingering Still", "I'm Gonna Make It Better", and "Thieves" roll along with the vigor of a dying sloth, lulling and lulling until listeners are transported to a strange state of melancholy numbness. In these songs specifically, M. Ward, who is the reason for a bulk of the music churns out music like a chore. You can't feel the real passion for the songs like you could in Volume One. The first album's music paired so perfectly with the lyrics, as if they were painting luscious scenery around the characters Deschanel would so intricately form. Now, Ward seems content with painting the colors yellow, orange, and red over and over and over again. Not to mention, Deschanel has also lost the it factor, as she just gurgles out strings of words without any feeling behind them. The music, on both sides of the duo's court, sound like chores, and chores don't make music, they make muzak. In that sense the album is great for lobby's and elevators. I would definitely put it up there with my favorite background music of all time, no doubt.

There are a few shining moments, or rather, dark spots, that briefly yank the pair's head out of the clouds for a few minutes, until the helium kicks them back into the stratosphere. I really do enjoy the albums hit, "In The Sun". It contains rarely displayed excitement with its rollicky galloping drums and its emotionally connecting piano. It doesn't take itself too surreally, instead pouncing on select few's apathy towards love, and how to deal with it. Later in the album, the band take on Milton Kellem's widely covered "Gonna Get Along Without You Now" very nicely. The song is much more intimate than most of the other songs, and this in itself adds a few more interesting brush strokes on the otherwise generic canvas. "Over It Over Again" deserves recognition just because it steps out of the hypnotically dragging pace most of the other songs partake in, instead taking a brisk pace that lightens the mood way more than you would think.

I mean, really, this was a big disappointment for me on many levels. After the greatness She and him produced on their first try, I was expecting such better storytelling. And while my expectations may have been raised, I still feel like the album is a dud. It just doesn't try hard to do what it wants to do, convey simple love. I don't feel it. I want it. I need some more. Therefore, I beg you, She and Him, to try a little bit harder on Volume Three. Add some genuine feeling and soul into your sound. Keep things interesting, and limit the bland trance songs to two. Just ask your old-selves how to do it. They certainly knew how. I still plan on seeing the group at Bonnaroo and hopefully they can convey whatever was missing on stage. I'll let you know.

P.S. Zooey Deschanel, If you somehow read this, I don't mean anything I just said. You are such an amazing songwriter, and musician, and person I love you please call me.

Cover Of The Day-Allison

Elvis Costello is one of the many artists I grew up hearing from my Dad. I think he's seen him a couple times and I know he owns plenty of records. Costello is one of the artists who I have heard, and generally like, but I don't fall in love with enough to listen to him a bunch. Neil Young, Bob Dylan, and Yes are three of the main criminal offenders (Yes, I know. I want to be a music journalist and I don't know that much Bob Dylan. I'm working on it.) I respect the living daylights out of these guys, but I wouldn't travel more than an hour to go see them live.

There is one Costello song that has always sparked an interest for me, though. "Allison" from Elvis' My Aim Is True is a classic love song. Solid guitar licks and very realistic lyrics cement the song into its place in everyones life. Honestly, "Allison" is more of a plead, a cry for a woman, rather than a two way love fest. But the song never leaps from buildings to proclaim love. It's simple, like a letter, or a call on the phone. Elvis' voice, one that does not pass the usual test for pop vocals, further the everyday setting, as if anyone could be singing the song. I could listen to this song 40 times and not get sick of it, and I have the attention span of a tennis racket.

The other day, whilst blurbing this very song on the ol' Facebook, I good friend of mine mentioned a cover of it by Everything But The Girl. All I can tell you about these guys are what I can her in the song which is that the lead singer is a girl, and theres at least one other person in the band. The songs pretty good though. I think it shoots a little too intimate for the words, but I still like the hushed quietness the band instills in the song. Plus, the singer has some legit pipes on her. Nice harmonics about halfway through the song add a nice touch too. Check Check Check em out.

Elvis Costello

Everything But The Girl

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band-An Album To Benefit The Preservation Hall

Hey there one of the few people that are actually reading this. I haven't posted in a while, but it was for the sole reason of my trip to Disney that I got back form last night. I had a blast, and did not make any concerted effort to write anything at all. The trip was great, and i'll miss the annual chorus trip, seeing as I graduate in 51 days. But really, who's counting.

The trip there was miserable, but there were ways to bear it. We left at 8 an drove through the night, so I at least got the chance to sleep a little bit. The trip back was the killer. Nothing to do but stare at kids you've already spent way too much time with, and look out the window. I would like to personally thank the man who stuck DVD players in charter buses, because without them, trips like mine would probably have a death tole. The first movie we popped in the player was Disney's new attempt at their old 2-D selves, The Princess And The Frog. It was a pretty good movie, with a solid story and enough grown laughs to entertain a bunch of sun-burnt, exhausted teenagers. I gotta admit, Disney is pretty white, and when they want to go way down to New Orleans for a movie, they go all out. The film was as racist as Blazing Saddles, and that was easily what made it so funny to me.

One of the things that they did get pretty spot on was the huge amount of music in the movie. Every scene had more than just background music. Almost every character played an instrument, and they tacked on a southern jazz charm you would expect in 1940's Bourbon Street. Now, the whole movie was a little bit more special than it would be to others, because of my new found love for jazz, channelled through The Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Before I can tell you about The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, I've gotta tell you about the Hall itself. The building went up in 1750 and has not been changed since its inception. First serving as an private residence. the hall has had many masks in its days. It has been a tavern, an inn, a photo studio, and finally (sort of) an art gallery. The hall of music officially opened as what is is now in 1960 by owners Allan and Sandra Jaffe. The hall is used on most nights as a club for musicians of all ages to come and enjoy real down-home jazz music in a very special environment. If you're ever in New Orleans, check it out one night. For $10 you can hang out and soak in the music for yourself.

The hall has band that has somewhat been the king of the hill for the last 40 years. The band has travelled the globe, changed line-ups numerous times, and played with many famous guest artists including Buddy Bolden, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, and Bunk Johnson. These artist are preserving a genre of music that has fallen from grace in the South. In 2005, the hall shut down for the fall and winter season due to Katrina, but the band still toured, spreading their music, and pain, with whoever would listen. The band and the hall of fared many obstacles through their time, and both continue to be instrumental in Dixie-land Jazz today.

In order to keep the place going, Preservation Hall has released an album chocked full with guest artists; 29 to be exact. Every song packs a trombone punch that you don't hear ever any more. One of the greatest tracks on the album is the rollicking "Tootie Ma Is A Big Fine Thing", performed by the ever grumbly Tom Waits. The funky swing is very pre-mordial compared to other songs on the album, but this music is all about invoking some personality, and this musically describes itself as well as any other. the original was the first Mardi Gras song ever recorded, and Waits finds these roots and timelessly exposes them once again.

Later on in the album, The Blind Boys Of Alabama show up and record the beautiful organ driven "There Is A Light". The song is more of a soulful hymn than a Mardi Gras jam, but when the band enters in, the jazzy feel adds a little somethin' special to the song. I think the real genius in the song is how simple it is. You could hear it any other sunday in very spiritual church, but I don't. The song ends twice as fast as it started, with the Blind Boys rambling on the good news as if there was shoes were filled with napalm. It's frenetic, it's soulful, and it's real.

There's plenty more to choose from on this star studded album. Wether it be the sultry "C'est Si Bon", the bluesy "Some Cold Rainy Day", or the surprisingly cheery "Corrine Died On The Battlefield", Louisiana proudly shine on this fantastic collection of musical stories, played out on one of the funkiest stages of all time; The Preservation Hall, open seven days a week, visitors very welcome.

Cardboard Record Player

Records are a thing of the past. Many people don't even own any records anymore, and many kids have never heard of them. I have luckily been exposed to thousands of the antique beauties thanks to my dad's collection, but the art of the record has died out.

Until Now.

Some company has made a record sleeve that doubles as a turntable just with the help of a pencil. It's pretty fascinating, and I know I would by the album just for the device. It's a win win.

Here's a link to the site with examples of how the thing works.

These New Puritans-Hidden

You know that scene in movies, when you are either inspired, or bored/annoyed. It might not happen to others as much as it happens to me, but I know there are some scenarios in movies that will have me in awe done one way, and really get to me when done the other way. For instance, I saw Taxi Driver just a while ago, and for those of you who haven't seen it, it's remarkably bleak. Not bad, just bleak. It chronicles a psycho taxi driver in New York who accidentaly lands himself the title of public hero; an intention he doesn't strive for or care about. Not only is the movie filled with violence and scummy characters, but the main character doesn't ever really find anything happy throughout the whole movie. Anyways, this movie that would bore many people to death (or in the least scare them) was really poetically beautiful to me. To me, the movie is one of the realest movies ever. Not as in live action, but in the sense of genuinley capturing human reaction; taking a snapshot of what would really happen. The movie is gritty, but so is life. Some people are for, some people are against the Scorsese classic.

I know there are bands who affect people the same way. There is a distinct border between teenagers and grown adults between Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus. These New Puritans aren't like that though. They are not as simple as a hit or miss with various groups of people. No, These New Puritans have an artistic depth surpassing most other bands in the world. They have managed to look past traditional, and honestly invent their sound. The band takes ominous darkened tones from an orchestra and sets them to modern day metallic drum beats as precise as the drummers in the 2008 Bejing Olympics opening ceremony. I mean, how many times have you heard those two genres of music even be discussed by the same people. This band is truly pioneering their way into relevance, one album at a time.

The quartet from Southend, England formed in their early youth in 2006. The lead singer of the band was known to play shows wearing shirts buttoned all the way up to his neck. To me, that makes you weird, but in the fashion world, that is a stroke of brilliance. A Christian Dior fashion designer asked him to make a piece that was showcased in some Paris fashion show. I don't get it, but i've never been huge on fashion since my brief stint as a model for Osh Kosh B'gosh at the age of five. Yes, it's true. I graced the pages of Old Navy's fall catalogue Fall of 95' in the most adorable corduroy overalls since 1994. Go look for it. The band promptly returned to their music and laid down an EP, Now Pluvial in 2007, and releasing their first album, Beat Pyramid, in March 2008. The band had a jolly old time touring England and put together their second full length album about a month ago called Hidden.

Hidden does not contain songs that follow the general thought of what a song might be. Much like Animal Collective and Radiohead, These New Puritans create lush military soundscapes that may not be terribly catchy, but still stick in your head. If you really want to put a label on the band, I suppose one would jump to punk, but you've got to know, they are so much more than that. "Time Xone", the album opener, is a sleek horn fugue that lays an initial theme to play throughout the album. The song is dark and brooding, but with a few powerful swells of joy and even progress in the cracks. That's right, the horns honestly manipulate the sound of progress. The simple song just repeats itself three or four times before blissfully closing itself off. This starting point is crucial to the momentum of the album. Instead of letting everything storm the gates right off the bat, "Time Xone" is the thoughts a soldier ponders before battle.

Time for battle. The meat of the album is in the the war-driven power beats, constantly playing as gun-fire over the beautifully dissonant murmurs of the orchestra. Picture the battle of Gettysburg; the pain and suffering blasting from each musket in and out of rhythm, while the beautiful Pennsylvania country side is stained with blood and tears. The systematic drum beats try and try to cover up the out-standing orchestration, but repeatedly fail. "We Want War", "Attack Music", "Orion", and "Drum Courts-Where Corals Lie" all fill their violent names in this sense. The best song on the album, "Fire Power", utilizes a robotic scuttle beat, like a brush kit on crack, and just pumps you up. "Im in the fire, fire fire" is repeatedly recited, sticking in the listeners head and setting a picture of hell and war and death with tremendous aggresion, when eventually "Time Xone" plays in the back, until everything fades but the original theme. The effect swept me off my feet when I had the chance to sit down and let this music affect me.

This music, for me, is scary it is so inspiring. Not only have These New Puritans managed to make and honest sound, a new thought in the ever blanding/cloning modern music, but their music is fantastic. The album may not be the most pleasurable, but it is original to the bone, which makes it so fascinating. I find the music to be out-standing, but I can easily see it not being liked by a vast majority of patience. After all, it takes patience and on open mind, something most people can't manage these days. These New Puritans are dangerously good.