iamserio.us

I went to see Iron & Wine back in October as part of a trip to Eugene I took with my lovely girlfriend, Rachel. It was absolutely necessary, you see, since this Iron & Wine tour was not making a stop in Seattle. Not only that but the show in Eugene was to be a solo act and thank the Bee Jee for that. Not really in the mood for one of his reggae sessions. I need my folk clean and original. None of that Jah Love.

I even made some artwork for this one for a different project. It came out pretty good so here it is. Boom. You’re lookin’ at it. Click the image for a high res version you can print off all on your own! Wahoo!

All in all a good show and a pretty good recording with which to shove that point into all of your faces. Boom. You’re hearin’ it.

Iron & Wine 2008-10-06 McDonald Theater – Eugene, OR
Download: iaw2008-10-06.at943.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: iaw2008-10-06sample.mp3

And even before that, there was another time that I slam dunked on this scene like a hellacoptah. There surely was a time in May of last year when I saw Subtle drop a lyrical bomb on The Nectar Lounge down in Fremont. And for certain it was the man with the plan and the microphone stand.

Supporting acts were Efterklang and Slaraffenland from somewhere in Europe that is probably cold as hell right now. Finland? Sweden? I don’t know. One of those ones. If there is interest I’ll put up the Slaraffenland set.

Subtle 2008-05-10 The Nectar Lounge – Seattle, WA
Download: subtle2008-05-10.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: subtle2008-05-10sample.mp3

Efterklang2008-05-10 The Nectar Lounge – Seattle, WA
Download: efterklang2008-05-10.soundboard.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: efterklang2008-05-10sample.mp3

I had the opportunity to record Bronze Fawn at the Cumulus Festival last weekend so I did that. Yeah. Me.

I actually didn’t even realize that the Cumulus Festival was going on or that it was hosting Earth, This is a Process of a Still Life, Joy Wants Eternity and a few others I’d totally be into hearing in a live music setting. Sadly, I’m uninformed so that didn’t happen. I did, however see Snowman Plan, You.May.Die.In.The.Desert, and Bronze Fawn.

A buddy of mine tackled a three-cam for Bronze Fawn and the jury is still out on the final product. One of our cameras randomly started zooming partway into the set. I’m not sure how long it’s going to take to edit the video down since we were using two AVCHD cameras and one HDV camera and I’m sort of letting Dan deal with the editing situation since he works for Adobe and probably has that crap locked down.

Additionally, the soundboard feed sounds just awful. Thankfully the microphone feed is not awful so that will be something you can listen to right about now:

Bronze Fawn – 2009-01-25 The Vera Project – Seattle, WA
Download: bf2009-01-25.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: bf2009-01-25sample.mp3

You.May.Die.In.The.Desert – 2009-01-25 The Vera Project – Seattle, WA
Download: ymditd2009-01-25.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: ymditd2009-01-25sample.mp3

Snowman Plan – 2009-01-25 The Vera Project – Seattle, WA
Download: sp2009-01-25.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: sp2009-01-25sample.mp3

El Ten Eleven kicks off their semi-national tour tonight (sorry East Coast… or should I say LEAST COAST! HA!).

If you’re interested in taping a show, I highly suggest busting out those microphones and camcorders because these dudes are cool as hell about it. They want you to be up in their grill with all sorts of recording equipment. Polaroid cameras, mimeographs… chisel and a goddamn tablet of slate. Just get up in that piece.

Personally I’m definitely going to the Seattle show and I’m heavily contemplating going down to Portland for the show the next night. Limiting factors include: 1) whether or not I can borrow m’lady’s car 2) whether or not I actually want to drive to Portland and back in one day.

If someone in Portland wants to pick up taping duty on this one that that’s awesome. The Someday Lounge is a great venue with two balcony areas from which to tape. They also have a Canon XL-1 off of which you might be able to snag an auxiliary video source.

11.05.08 | Monterey, CA | Monterey Live

11.06.08 | Oakland, CA | Stork Club

11.07.08 | San Francisco, CA | Make Out Room (early show, ete on at 8:45)

11.08.08 | Arcata, CA | The Alibi

11.10.08 | Seattle, WA | El Corazon

11.11.08 | Portland, OR | Someday Lounge

11.12.08 | Boise, ID | Neurolux

11.14.08 | SLC, UT | Burt’s Tiki Lounge

11.15.08 | Denver, CO | Larimer Lounge

11.17.08 | Kansas City, MO | Record Bar

11.18.08 | Columbia, MO | Mojo’s

11.19.08 | Urbana, IL | Canopy Club

11.20.08 | Grand Rapids, MI | Founders Brewing

11.21.08 | Cleveland, OH | Beachland Tavern

11.22.08 | Athens, OH | TBA

11.23.08 | Rochester, NY | Bug Jar

11.25.08 | New Haven, CT | Cafe 9

11.26.08 | Brooklyn, NY | The Bell House

11.28.08 | New York, NY | 92Y Tribeca

11.29.08 | Pittsburgh, PA | Brillobox

12.01.08 | Fort Wayne, IN | 816 Pint and Slice

12.02.08 | Chicago, IL | Schubas

12.03.08 | St. Louis, MO | TBA

12.04.08 | Norman, OK | Opolis

12.05.08 | Dallas, TX | The Cavern

12.06.08 | Austin, TX | Beauty Bar

12.10.08 | Hollywood, CA | Hotel Cafe

12.19.08 | Flagstaff, AZ | Hotel Monte Vista

12.20.08 | Tucson, AZ | Plush

Whoa long time no post, eh?

I actually haven’t recorded anything in a while just because I’ve been busy with a new job and being social with friends and all that. I recorded Subtle and Efterklang a few weeks back but I still haven’t matrixed the recording because I am sort of lazy. I will do that soon, though, because I know there are some folks wanting to hear those recordings. The main hold-up is that I’m waiting to hear back from another guy who filmed Subtle so I can mix my video with his.

So back to the subject at hand: El Ten Eleven.

I guess all you can really say is “Well, shit.” because it’s so mesmerizing to see these two guys completely own their respective instruments in every capacity. Even now I’m trying to think of a way to write about their skills and prowess that doesn’t come off sounding completely douchey and I’m drawing a blank. I think I’ll opt for silence and let the recording speak for itself.

El Ten Eleven – 2008-06-05 Sunset Tavern – Seattle, WA
Download: ete2008-06-05.akgc1000s.sbd.matrix.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: ete2008-06-05sample.mp3

P.S. Two-cam video (with help from Steve Robinson) coming soon!

I truly am the king of wit and original comedy.

No but seriously, these guys are good and I like them a lot. That’s why I took the time to purchase tickets (Ten bucks? Bitch, please) and go to the show. I even took the time to stand perfectly still so I could get a good recording.

I had to stealth this one because I messaged them on Myspace about recording the show and they never got back to me. So I got back to them. By recording it like a motha. I figure they’re cool with it. They seem like the kinda guys who, if they stumbled upon this site, would be all “Hey this guy is cool. We’re cool with this.” And then we’d high five each other and drink some Rainier tallboys while we talk about our favorite episodes of the popular late-eighties comedy Perfect Strangers (mine is the one where Larry and Balki go into business making pastries that, ultimately, explode in their faces due to an oversight in the recipe that requires a song to be sung while creating the confections).

The recording turned out fairly decent since the crowd was fairly well behaved (save for the loud drunkie who kept talking about how she’s going on vacation tomorrow… multiple times).

Vampire Weekend – 2008-03-26 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
Download: vw2008-03-26.at943.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: vw2008-03-26sample.mp3

Got this done fairly quickly. No chapter points or menus. Just the facts. The facts of instrumental music hitting you in the dome.

Update: Now streamable on my site and downloadable as a 720p MP4.

This is a Process of a Still Life @ The Comet Tavern

SD FLV (275 MB): process2008-03-19.flv
HD MP4 (1.6 GB): process2008-03-19.mp4

By chance as I was bouncing around myspace listening to bands, I noticed that This is a Process of a Still Life recently relocated to Seattle from Missoula, Montana and that they were playing a show on Wednesday night. Imagine my excitement. Just imagine it. It’s palpable isn’t it?

They played with two other bands from Los Angeles. First band was a sort of a prog rock outfit called Charts and Maps (Not to be confused with Maps & Atlases who are a similar sounding group). After they played a band called Danger Bees did their thing on stage which was an even more proggy rock with hints of psychedelic saxophone at times.

As the final act of the night, This is a Process… played a blisteringly loud and awesome half-hour set with a new song to close it out. They’re definitely heading in a heavier direction with more riffage going on. I’m really excited that they live in Seattle now so I can see (and tape) them again and again.

Also: I didn’t get a soundboard feed for This is a Process… because for some reason the outputs sending the signal to my JB3 got turned off. So the first two bands are matrices and the final set is just an AUD source.

Charts and Maps – 2008-03-19 The Comet Tavern – Seattle, WA
Download: cm2008-03-19.akgc1000s.sbd.matrix.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: cm2008-03-19sample.mp3

Danger Bees – 2008-03-19 The Comet Tavern – Seattle, WA
Download: db2008-03-19.akgc1000s.sbd.matrix.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: db2008-03-19sample.mp3

This is a Process… – 2008-03-19 The Comet Tavern – Seattle, WA
Download: process2008-03-19.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: process2008-03-19sample.mp3

Last night was You.May.Die.In.The.Desert’s CD release show for the split they just put out with Gifts From Enola. I like the shows these guys play because they always bring in at least one band that I love and they’re always very appreciative of everybody coming out and supporting them. There really is something to be said for humility and approachability among artists and these guys have both in spades.

I missed the first act, Panther Attack, but I’m told that they’re pretty killer. I’ll have to make it a point to see them soon. I showed up to The High Dive right when Bronze Fawn was about to start rocking all kinds of faces into oblivion and I got set up in time to tape them. I was going to record video too but it’s really hard to do that at a bar full of drunkies when you have no one to help you out. Thankfully, the simple audience recording I got turned out really good. I don’t know why the sound system at The High Dive sounds so good but it sure does. Whodathunk a bar could impart such clear acoustics?

But onto the actual music: Bronze Fawn. These guys are so amazing and talented. I saw them a few months ago when they got a chance to open for Battles (wasn’t taping, though) and immediately bought their album. They craft very catchy yet confrontational instrumental music that I’d go so far as to call “toe tapping”. They’re definitely not the usual humdrum loud-quiet-loud, tremolo-picking post-rock that a lot of people are sick of.

After Bronze Fawn played, a band from Portland called Colt Vista took the stage. Their set was a lot slower and more “spaced out” than Bronze Fawns and I think the crowd reaction was indicative of this change. Even though the crowd thinned out by the end of their set, I enjoyed a few of their songs. Especially the last song they busted out. If they wrote more songs like that then they’d be on their way. I talked to the drummer after the show and he informed me that it’s only the third show they’ve played so I’m sure they’ll be improving as they go along.

You.May.Die.In.The.Desert took the stage well after midnight but people still hung around to see them display their own brand of jazzy instrumental music. They’re so full of energy when they play and they really look like they’re having a good damn time while they do it. The new songs from the new CD are a lot tighter and more coherent than the songs from their previous EP. I really dig the direction they’re heading in with this new material; especially the last song they played… it’s really something to behold. Dig it.

Bronze Fawn – 2008-03-13 The High Dive – Seattle, WA
Download: bf2008-03-13.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample bf2008-03-13sample.mp3

Colt Vista – 2008-03-13 The High Dive – Seattle, WA
Download: cv2008-03-13.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: cv2008-03-13sample.mp3

You.May.Die.In.The.Desert – 2008-03-13 The High Dive – Seattle, WA
Download: ymditd2008-03-13.akgc1000s.flac16.zip
MP3 Sample: ymditd2008-03-13sample.mp3

Finally got around to making this into a DVD. No menus or anything because I’m tired of thinking up new and exciting ways to present DVDs. Just the facts, ma’am.

This DVD is highly recommended if you want to see some ridiculous drumming. I mean just ridiculous. Zach Hill is amazing.

Also, I’m trying to get this up on Google Video but it’s just not working for some reason. I’ll keep trying, though.

Torrent Download: mstern2007-06-24.hv20.akgc1000s.dvdf.torrent

Had some people (well, maybe just one guy a few times) request this so here it is. This is Tera Melos’ set when they opened for The Fall of Troy at the Manipulator CD release show. Same angle as the TFOT set I filmed.

Torrent Download: tm2007-05-01.hv20.akgc1000s.dvdf.torrent