Review: Alex Schaaf | Photo: David Andrako/Courtesy of Kaufman Center

The human voice is perhaps the most interesting instrument of them all. It is the only instrument that you are born with, and the only one that you will have to live with for the rest of your life. Sure, you can take voice lessons and try to shape the way you present your voice to the world, but nothing can change the pure essence of the voice you were given. My favorite singers are the ones that have the least formal training; the ones that are using the full nature of their voice rather than trying to hide their own uniqueness by trying to sound like someone else.

Last Saturday’s installment of the wonderful Ecstatic Music Festival in NYC was a full-on presentation of the wonders of the human voice. The artist that drew me to this show was Merrill Garbus, of experimental pop group tUnE-yArDs. Her debut album, which came out in 2009, was an impressive display of her own voice, sometimes smooth and sensual, sometimes harsh and grating, but it was always her voice and no one else’s.

The Ecstatic Music Festival is a series of concerts at the Kaufman Center in Manhattan; concerts which often pair a group of experimental, but classically-trained musicians, with someone from the “indie” world. Dan Deacon performed with So Percussion a few weeks ago; Nico Muhly’s music was performed by the Chiara String Quartet, Owen Pallett will perform in the future, as well as a collaborative performance between Clogs and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.

Saturday night’s concert featured Garbus along with two other composers, Caleb Burhans and William Brittelle, whose works were performed by Roomful of Teeth, an eight-voice vocal ensemble that proved to be a sort of “blank canvas” on which the composers would paint their works of art. The vocalists are dedicated to studying vocal styles from around the world, and are incredibly capable of adapting their own voices to fit whatever style they are asked to. In that way, they were working as interpreters: they were the master carpenter, rather than being the architect. Whatever was asked of them they could accomplish, from Tuvan throat singing to yodeling, to more pop singing styles and more operatic vibrato-filled passages.

The majority of the crowd seemed to be drawn there by Garbus’ appearance, as the heartiest applause came after her pieces. The group performed two pieces without Garbus on stage, but those pieces, “Quizassa” and “Ansa Ya” were unmistakably created by the mind behind tUnE-yArDs, as they seemed to come off as more extended, experimental versions of Garbus’ normal pop-structured songs.

Later in the show, Garbus came on stage to join the choir, and they performed two songs – “Hatari,” from Garbus’s debut, “BiRd-BrAiNs,” and a song from the upcoming album “w h o k i l l” called “doorstep.” The performance of “Hatari” was a near replication of the recorded version, as Garbus looped her floor tom and vocals as usual, but the female singers of Roomful of Teeth were able to fill in the call and response vocals that are present on the album, along with adding harmony to Garbus’s African-inspired vocal passages.

The new song “doorstep” was right in line with the first tUnE-yArDs album, but it seemed to take a more personal step forward, with lyrics that were more straightforward and calmly delivered, with the same amount of rhythmic complexity and soulful background vocals. The new album comes out on April 19 on 4AD, and I could not be more excited for it. Garbus seems poised for a major wave of praise, and the crowd seemed aware that this was her “moment” as well (David Byrne’s appearance in the crowd only added to this sense of excitement). It was a special, intimate night that showcased a familiar artist in an unfamiliar environment, and in the case of Merrill Garbus and tUnE-yArDs, a night which only served to raise my anticipation for the new album even more.

Pre-Order: tUnE-yArDs – W H O K I L L
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MP3: tUnE-yArDs – “Bizness”

Are you down in Tennessee battling the rain or are you glued to your twitter watching the fun go by? Regardless of where you’re at, Bonnaroo is off to a fun/wet beginning. I made the inaugural festival and returned a couple years back. This year, I just couldn’t swing it, but that doesn’t mean we can’t offer you an inside look into all the action. Drop us a comment if you’re at the festival, if you’ve been in the past, or who has the best coverage of the festival that we can rely on for speedy updates.

All photos by Karen Dunbar

There are two things I must do on my next trip to Cleveland. I’ll talk about one of them today. The first order of business is a Thursday night stop at Major Hooples for a free performance by Glenn Schwartz. I first learned of Glenn via David Byrne’s blog and, in particular, this Byrne shot video of Glenn tearing it up and preaching the Christian fire.

That’s worth a blog post alone if it wasn’t for Glenn Schwartz’s notable history. He was the original guitarist for The James Gang until he ultimately left to join the “Los Angeles based Blues band Pacific Gas & Electric, and in 1970, scored a national top 20 hit with the song “Are You Ready?”

From Wikipedia: While in Los Angeles on tour with the James Gang in 1968, Schwartz strolled onto the infamous Sunset Strip and stopped next to a small group of people listening to street preacher Arthur Blessitt. Some time later he professed conversion to Christianity, saying “I was finally blessed by mercy for I heard the Gospel of Christ.”

Today, Glenn Schwartz’s live shows consist of blistering guitar riffs mixed with a street preacher’s lambasting of anyone in ear shot. So, Thursday night’s in Cleveland, you get a blistering set by a guitar legend that can turn on a dime. I’m hoping some readers out there have witnessed Glenn Schwartz in person and can testify of their experiences in the comments. Until then, these fine folks offer numerous show reviews, and provided the photo above and MP3 below.

Buy: Pacific Gas & Electric
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MP3: Glenn Schwartz – Blues Jam from April 24, 2008

With David Byrne having just passed through Milwaukee, I guess it is only fitting to take another look at the new happenings around Luaka Bop.

“There is power, strength and diversity in threes. Most colors can be mixed from just three primary colors. Oaths are traditionally repeated three times. The Holy Trinity is the basis for one of the world’s most popular doctrines. Triangles are the most durable of geometric shapes and are the only perfect figure. Hence, it stands to reason that the three CDs in Luaka Bop’s Three Inches of Music Series (on 5 inch discs) contain a solid assortment of the most interesting music. The 3 Inches will be sold separately, each in their own crystal clear jewel boxes showcasing equal measures of psychedelic sing-alongs (Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt), soulful samba (Marcio Local), and the sweet sad musings of a suicidal sixteen year-old (Yonlu).”

MP3: Marcio Local – “Samba Sem Nenhum Problema”
MP3: Terror Pigeon Dance Revolt – “Fast Forward Regrets”
MP3: Yonlu – “I Know What It’s Like”

Find more MP3′s at The Hype Machine or buy stuff from Strictly Discs | eMusic

It was on heavy rotation prior to landing in Austin last weekend, but since David Byrne’s performace at Austin City Limits I’ve not been able to listen to anything other than Everything That Happens Will Happen Today. My favorite track off the new release is “One Fine Day,” which my iTunes has conveniently confirmed has been played well-beyond any other recent addition to my record collection.

We don’t post lyrics here often, but since I went looking for them, I figured I may as well share my findings so you can follow along as you watch the performance above…

Continue reading David Byrne One Fine Day Lyrics (more…)

Austin always treats us well. It’s always nice to have a nice cold Lone Star in your hand watching some of today’s best bands tear it up under the Texas sun. Yesterday was the first day of the Austin City Limits Music Festival, and marked our second time at the festival after taking last year off. The ultimate highlight of the day was seeing David Byrne. David and his band exceed all my expectations, blending their hour-long set with Talking Heads favorites as well as new material from his recent Eno collaboration, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today.

Coming in second was Jamie Lidell. Always a great live act, Jamie had the crowd in his hand by the time he launched into a funk-heavy extended version of his song “Multiply.” The biggest surprise of the day was probably day one closer Manu Chao, who’s mix of reggae, punk, and world sound, was both high energy and easy to convert a bunch of first-timers. Other highlights include a horn-infused set from Bobby Bare Jr, catching the lovely Jenny Lewis in a packed tent, and watching Alejandro Escovedo and his band play the festival for the first time in his home state. Rodney Crowell, who started out our day was also a welcomed first listen, and the biggest regret was missing both Hot Chip and Lost Highway’s Ryan Bingham, who all my crew caught and said was fantastic. Also, Chuck Woolery is around. WTF?

Yeasayer

Jakob Dylan & The Gold Mountain Rebels

Jamie Lidell

Bobby Bare Jr

Jenny Lewis

David Byrne

Manu Chao

Discuss: Have you been to ACL before? Who should I not miss over the rest of the festival? What are your favorite Austin hotspots?