We, a freelance music writer and a multi-media geek, having many irons in the fire, bring to you VIDEO INTERVIEWS with bands and solo acts, namely outfits like Phoenix, The Most Serene Republic and Band of Skulls. We’ll be posting them or [at the very least] links to our full HD videos.

For album reviews + concert reviews + interviews /// simplymasses
For music videos + band photo shoots /// icanseemybreath

Here’s an oldie, but a goodie…

DIAMONDS are FOREVER.

A bifurcated band of pop synth bliss and tweaks of calypso, Nick Diamonds is ISLANDS. And in tow, cleaving to his bedazzled cape is Jamie Thompson who was, went away and now is again. I would mention the two others, but they probably won’t make the next album anyway. At the eleventh hour, literally during the (kick) drum roll, New Yorker Nick courteously plugged in an interview with yours truly. It’ll bring Vapours to your eyes.

Etienne Pouliot
NORDÉ le studio.

The recession has hit industries hard all across Canada. Indie rock is no exception. To pool resources and lower costs, we have agreed to tour with Toronto’s Modernboys Moderngirls in Ontario and Quebec. To console oursleves, Nightwood will be tour blogging on Indyish.com while on the road!

Tour poster! Silkscreened!

TOUR DATES:
Jan 14 @ Jimmy Jazz, GUELPH, ON
Jan 15 @ Phog Lounge, WINDSOR, ON
Jan 16 @ Call the Office, LONDON, ON
Jan 17 @ Mansion, KINGSTON, ON (Nightwood only – Produced by YGK Productions, CFRC and Exclaim!)
Jan 18 @ Bands Undone, OTTAWA, ON (Nightwood only/WEB ONLY event)
Jan 19 @ The Horseshoe, TORONTO, ON (Nightwood only)
Jan 21 @ Divan Orange, MONTREAL, QC (+ guests, co-produced by Passovah Productions and CKUT 90.3FM)
Jan 23 @ Mod Club, TORONTO, ON (MBMG only)
Feb 5 @ Montreal House, PETERBOROUGH, ON
Feb 6 @ Café Dekcuf, OTTAWA, ON

Nightwood and Modernboys Moderngirls both share a DIY attitude to recording, touring and releasing music. We’ve also both recently released debut full-length albums (Carta Marina and I Might As Well Break It respectively) and have been performers at the top independent music festivals in Canada.

This is no friendship wagon, however. Each band has promised to out perform the other nightly. This is Montreal vs.Toronto – a rivalry rooted in Canadian tradition. Every city, every venue – hometown pride will be at stake. Trash talking and dirty tricks are in, leaving unscathed is not. The bands will drink, they will play, we will travel together, and eventually, will very likely be embarrassed by the video and photo evidence of our tour together.

There is some light in these dark times: Nightwood is pleased to announce the pleasure they take in swinging first in the ring with the release of a new music video for the song The Bright Girls of Summer. Nightwood time-lapsed the entire recording process of Carta Marina. The music video is a condensed version of the time-lapses and serves to be a sort-of time capsule about the making of the record.

Here’s a bit about the two bands:
MODERNBOYS MODERNGIRLS (Akira Alemany, Brett Millius, Juan Carlos Rivas) songs and shows combine punk and soul music. The band released their highly praised debut album I Might As Well Break It this past September with distribution from Fontana North. The band has built upon rave reviews for their live performances at showcase in the past year at Edgefest, NXNE, Halifax Pop Explosion, as well as their debut shows in NYC. Modernboys Moderngirls will be recording several new singles as well as producing their first music video this winter.

NIGHTWOOD (Amber Goodwyn, Jeremy MacCuish, Erin Ross) is a  heavy, dark but totally fun rock trio from Montreal.  They have been touring Quebec and Ontario following their Pop Montreal album release (their debut full-length Carta Marina) and are planning a national tour this coming spring. Fiercely D.I.Y., Nightwood have been knee-deep in many aspects of the band; filming their music videos, silkscreening band t-shirts and posters and managing an art and style blog on their website. The members of the band are similarly eclectic in their lives outside of Nightwood: Amber is part of the experimental film collective Double Negative and publishes Lickety Split smut zine and Jeremy also plays in the bands Parlovr and Cotton Mouth.

RSVP to the Tour Facebook Event!

More tour posters!

CLICK TO WATCH ON VIMEO

Dear Indyish,

Check out our new music video for the song The Bright Girls of Summer!

• Watch it on VIMEO
• Watch it on YouTube

Serving Suggestion: Please wait for the video to load properly and then listen to it as loud as possible!

Nightwood time-lapsed the entire recording process of our latest record, Carta Marina. This music video is a condensed version of the time-lapses, which run approximately 14 minutes long when viewed in a unedited back-to-back sequence. We couldn’t include the mastering sequence at Greymarket or the additional mixing at Tyler Crawford’s place, but you can check out those videos (and each day) in full right here!

The Bright Girls of Summer is the last song on Carta Marina. We hadn’t planned on making a video for it so soon, but it works beautifully with the time lapse imagery. We really like this video because it’s a neat little time capsule about how we made the record and the people who helped us along the way. We encourage you to read the lyrics right here, if that’s your kind of thing.

Links:

• Recent review of Carta Marina on In Your Speakers.
• More about the record.
• In Montreal, you can pick up the record at Phonopolis, Sound Central and Cheap Thrills!
• If you’re elsewhere in the world, you can purchase the album on iTunes or order the record (which comes with a digital download card) from Indyish.
  

Hi !

I thought you be interested in this music news (my song “All I Want is You” was used in the film JUNO but that’s not the news)….

So, what can be better than having your song from a 30-year old children’s album plucked from obscurity and used in the opening credit sequence of an Oscar-winning movie and Grammy-winning Soundtrack album?

How about being re-united by fans who had your records when they were kids and now–as musicians–have gone into the studio and recorded sixty (60!) of their favorite songs for a 2-CD Tribute Album!

Organized by a fan from California, musicians from around the world have recorded my songs for a new 2-CD set called: “We’re Not Kidding! A Tribute to Barry Louis Polisar.” Many of these musicians had my records growing up and I am honored and humbled by their creative and inspired covers.

Go “green” and listen to the songs for free right on my web site http://www.barrylou.com/tributeAlbum.html , CDbaby.com or iTunes.

I love these versions and I want to do whatever I can to promote all the talented artists who created them. Though originally created as children’s songs, this album features my songs in many new and creative genres; everything from a Klezmer version of “Don’t Put Your Finger Up Your Nose” sung in entirely in Yiddish–to three totally different versions of my song “All I Want is You” from JUNO–including one sung in French by a singer from Brittany.

More info is below

Barry Louis Polisar

For Immediate Release

January 1, 2010

We’re Not Kidding: Singer Gets 2-CD Tribute Album

Singer and songwriter Barry Louis Polisar achieved “overnight” success last year after his 30 year old song “All I Want is You” was featured in the opening credits of the film JUNO. The soundtrack to JUNO sold over a million copies, won a Grammy award, and earned Barry a lifetime achievement award from the Children’s Music Web. It also reunited him with many of the fans who listened to his music as kids.

Now, indie musicians from around the world–many who had Barry’s albums growing up–have come together on a new two-CD album entitled: “We’re Not Kidding! A Tribute to Barry Louis Polisar.”

During the 1970’s, 80s and 90s, Barry released a dozen recordings of his original songs for children and gave concerts in elementary schools and public libraries. His songs were recorded by everyone from Sesame Street’s Big Bird to an indie punk rock band called The Radioactive Chicken Heads.

After his song appeared in the film, musicians from around the world began discovering and recording his songs. Aaron Cohen, lead singer of the Chicken Heads, credits Barry’s music as a major influence in his own career and pitched the idea of a Tribute Album to other artists, ultimately choosing sixty (60!) songs for this 2-disc set.

Polisar’s songs aren’t played just for kids this time–the songs have been recorded in genres as diverse as hip-hop, folk, jazz and rock. There are three different versions of “All I Want is You” on the album, including one performed in French from a singer from Brittany. There is a Klezmer version of Barry’s song “Don’t Put Your Finger Up Your Nose”–sung entirely in Yiddish–and Barry’s song “Potty Training” is performed as an Irish jig. Barry’s son, Evan–a musician who released his own CD this year–contributed an irony-infused cover of his father’s song “I’d Be Me.”

Polisar continues to sing for children and families, visiting schools and libraries all over the US.

Hear free samples on Barry Louis Polisar’s web site: http://www.barrylou.com/tributeAlbum.html

Nneka and J.Period are giving you their new mixtape for free! It’s called The Madness (Onye-Ala)) and you can download it here. It features some awesome tracks featuring Talib Kweli, M-1, Jay Electronica, Zumbi, Rakaa, Aceyalone, General Steele. The mixtape is an introduction to Nneka’s new album Concrete Jungle that will be released in February. Some tracks also sample songs from other rappers such as Kanye West and Ludacris.

The music’s message for social change in Nneka’s single The Uncomfortable Truth is echoed in all 26 tracks. The African rhythms are intertwined with fresh hip hop beats that open people’s eyes, minds and hearts to all the hate in the world and urges people to combat the “madness”.  The lyrics empower the people of the Afro-American community and try to inspire a change.

I think this is very refreshing since mainstream hip hop music has been promoting the “madness” in their music. Sex, drugs, money, and violence and the general “gangsta” lifestyle has become the norm. But these hip hop artists are refusing this image and creating a new one.

If you’d like just a taste of the mixtape you can download 2 songs:
“Changes (J. Period Remix)” feat. M-1 and General Steele is available here
“Walking (J.Period Reminx)” feat. Jay Electronica is available here

http://www.pastemagazine.com/moog

“Live at Moog” brings bands into the Moog Music Factory in Asheville, North Carolina, and lets them play with analog toys in service of the bands’ original material.

ps- check out a Vincent Moon moment with Yo La Tengo here on Indyish, and another classic video below:

Press Release:

Juan MacLean To DJ Benefit Show In Memory of Jerry Fuchs

Juan MacLean will DJ a benefit show in memory and in tribute to friend, band mate and legendary drummer Jerry Fuchs, who passed away in an unfortunate accident in the early hours of November 8. The show will take place November 20 at San Francisco’s Mezzanine (444 Jessie Street). The show will also feature a DJ set with Parallels. A donation will be made to the Fuchs Family.

Jerry was a celebrated drummer, having recorded and toured with The Juan MacLean, Holy Ghost!, Maserati, !!! and Turing Machine. Born December 30, 1974 in Marietta, Georgia, he attended the University of Georgia and moved to New York in 1995, quickly becoming a beloved fixture on the city’s music scene. When not touring, Jerry worked as a graphic designer for publications like Chunklet and Entertainment Weekly. Juan MacLean describes Jerry as “the absolute best at what he did” and a “supportive and loyal friend.”

The Juan MacLean has released a video of the extended version of “Happy House,” featuring some of Jerry’s best work. Shot at the Double Door in Chicago on June 16 of this year, the song is a crowd and critic favorite, having been named one of Pitchfork’s 100 Best Tracks of 2008. At nearly 20 minutes long, the performance is a testament to Jerry’s talent and dedication to his craft.

TJM and DFA also just released “Happy House 2 x 12″ with remixes by a wide range of dance music’s all-stars: Chateau Flight, Paul Woolford, Will Saul & Mike Monday, and VHS Or Beta. Lazaro Casanova, an up-and-coming artist and DJ from Miami, who turned in the highest-rated remix of the last Juan Maclean single, has been invited back once again.

The Juan MacLean – Happy House (Live @ The Double Door) from The Belmont Sessions on Vimeo.

The concept behind the episode was conceived by “American Dad” co-creator Mike Barker, who tells the story of how it all came together in the Q&A below:

How did you first discover My Morning Jacket?

One of my writers, Matt Fusfeld, turned me onto them. He played “Bermuda Highway” for me in the office one day and I was instantly transfixed.

How’d this collaboration come about? Who seduced who?

“Who seduced who?” That makes it sound like this game is already over. Look, this isn’t over until halfway through a live performance of Steam Engine, Jim reaches into the audience and pulls me up on stage like I’m a pre-cougar Courtney Cox.

But if I might be professional for a moment, the word “seduction” implies that there has been some sort of manipulation on either my part or the band’s, when in fact, it’s the two art forms themselves – Writing and Music, that sought each other out. In the end, we are all just instruments of the Goddess of Art. I’m not sure who that is, but in my head she looks exactly like Scarlett Johanssen.

You’re not being very specific…

Honestly, it was an organic evolution. I was at Bonnaroo in the summer of 2008, watching MMJ play their guts out in the rain at 4 a.m. when the idea for the episode struck me. I pitched the idea to the guys the next day and thankfully they were on board.

What makes My Morning Jacket a good fit for American Dad?

The best band in the world appearing on the 59th top-rated show on television? It’s a no-brainer.

What is the spirit of the episode that features the band?

I guess you’d call it a quest. A “hero’s journey” as Joseph Campbell coined the term in his now-classic autobiography, Thick Enough to Eat Me With A Fork: Growing Up a Campbell in the Halcyon Days of Canned Soups.

Which character is the biggest My Morning Jacket Fan?

You’ll have to watch the episode to find out! But I’ll give you a hint: it’s not Francine, Steve, Hayley, Roger, or Klaus.

Did the band have input on how they were animated?

We gave the band customary consultation and they signed off on all of the artwork we ran by them. It’s always tricky animating real people. Because you’re not just animating them to resemble who they are in real life, you also have to make sure they resemble characters that live in the American Dad universe, and that carries with it a whole host of challenging parameters for our animators. But I think our character designers did a great job at capturing Jim and the guys.

If Kiss is the semi-official Family Guy band, does that mean My Morning Jacket is the semi-official American Dad band?

Hell, let’s just make them the official band.

Tune in to “American Dad” November 22nd on FOX!