A new Damien Jurado record is always something to get excited about. Coming soon is Saint Bartlett (Secretly Canadian, 5/25) with an extensive tour to follow. If new song “Arkansas” is any indication of what the rest of this release holds, I’ll be very, very pleased.

Upcoming: Damien Jurado will play Mad Planet in Milwaukee on Tuesday, June 8th and Schubas in Chicago on Wednesday, June 9th.

MP3: Damien Jurado – “Arkansas”
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Pre-Order: Damien Jurado – Saint Bartlett

One of my favorite songs so far this year comes from the forthcoming collaboration of Ben Sollee and Daniel Martin Moore, Dear Companion (Sub Pop, 2/16). The song is called “Something, Somewhere, Sometime,” which was introduced to me by Ryan during our podcast last week.

Not only are the songs that follow this amazing album opener top notch, but it’s produced by one Yim Yames (My Morning Jacket/Monsters of Folk) and “a portion of the proceeds from Dear Companion will benefit Appalachian Voices.” A great record helping a good cause. Take a listen:

MP3: Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore – “Something, Somewhere, Sometime”

Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore bring their Dear Companion collaboration to Schubas in Chicago on Saturday, March 13th.

Pre-Order: Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin – “Dear Companion”

By Jodi Root

Owen Pallett graced the stage of Schuba’s as the headliner of three breath-taking live performances on Saturday night’s instilment of Tomorrow Never Knows. Pallett, following incredibly powerful and intimate sets by Peter Wolf Crier and the lovely Sharon Von Etten, fell nothing short of concluding an amazing evening of music. Having caught his November set opening up for the Mountain Goats at Metro, (while he still fell under his Final Fantasy moniker), I knew this would be no surprise. The only difference this second time around (unless you count my brief flirtation introduction to this magnificent multi-instrumentalist’s sound at Pitchfork this past July), is that was I now much more familiar with his song catalogue, especially with the recent Jan. 12th release of Heartland.

Schuba’s was long sold-out; with me bumming that I was going to have to miss the set until a last minute confirmation came through – I seriously felt like I had won the lottery. The walls of this cozy music hotspot was packed with people shoulder-to-shoulder (with a surprising 9/10 male to female ratio), making it extremely easy to forget it was a frigid January evening in Chicago. Warm amber lighting illuminated the sometimes one, sometimes two man set-up on the small wooden stage.

Pallett took to the stage at approximately midnight, to a suddenly stone silent, hushed crowd who were anxious for what was about to come – I could actually hear the humming of his amplifier before he kicked things off with Heartland’s “E is for Estranged.” A second musician joined Pallett on stage off and on for several songs of the 70-minute set—breaking right into another new track, the amazingly catchy “Keep the Dog Quiet.” While the majority of material came from Heartland, some older favorites were accounted for as well including “This is the Dream of Win and Regine,” “He Poos Clouds,” “The Butcher,” and the encore “The CN Tower Belongs to the Dead.” A newer track I didn’t recognize without the help of my good friend Google was the catchy, “Honour the Dead or Else.”

Incredible musicianship overall, Pallett maneuvered seamless transitions into various usages of his violin – plucking, strumming, bowing, shouting, the man is a musical genius. For a mere two man show, the usage of his loops, pedals and techniques made quite the jaw-dropping experience come to life. The only noticeable difference from his November Chicago set was the absence of his wise cracking charisma, woven between songs to which he later apologized to the crowd for not being “in full showgirl mode,” due to feeling under the weather. Sick or ill as he may have been, other than his lack of witticisms, the crowd would never have been able to tell – the show was dead on, and everyone in attendance seemed equally impressed – even the loud, drunk dude bros behind me were getting down.

Pallett again apologized at one point later in the set, but this time for all the new songs. But the fact that he utilizes his live performances as his forum for new music is what makes his performances so enjoyable – sure, you probably have the fans here who just want what they know, but even in November prior to Heartland’s January release, Pallett was showcasing numbers from his fourth album. With today’s addiction to internet’s download immediacy and music, fans should appreciate the live instant gratification of new material even so much more. Definitely good stuff.

From start to finish, Pallett showcased an incredibly quiet yet loud, intimate yet powerful, breath-taking performance. As always, I definitely encourage checking out his live sets – while you may not be sold on his recorded works, I assure you his live interpretations can and will easily change your stance on this magical musicianship.

Set List:
1. E is for Estranged
2. Keep the Dog Quiet
3. Lewis Takes Action
4. Oh Heartland, Up Yours!
5. The Butcher
6. He Poos Clouds
7. This is the Dream of Win & Regine
8. Many Lives
9. Midnight Directives
10. Honour the Dead or Else
11. The Great Elsewhere
12. Lewis Takes Off His Shirt
13. (Encore) The CN Tower Belongs to the Dead
14. (Encore) This Lamb Sells Condos

Buy: Owen Pallett – Heartland

By Jodi Root

It was a simply magical evening at Schuba’s this past Saturday night. Warm glowing orange and golden lights illuminated the small, intimate stage of this Chicago indie hot spot music venue. A gathering of couples and small flock of hipster kids decked in flannel hugged the front of the stage, swaying and mesmerized by the men of the hour, Sub Pop Sweethearts–Grand Archives. Front man Mat Brooke (formerly of Carissa’s Wierd and Band of Horses) and crew showcased several tracks from their September release Keep in Mind Frankenstein, following fellow Seattle rockers Black Whales.

The sound at Schuba’s was especially clear and crisp, bringing out the best in this melodic, delicate folksy alt country performance. While stage banter was (admittedly) lacking and slightly awkward, (Chicago sports references, really? You think the skinny dude with tight rolled jeans and massive beard gives a crap about the Bears or White Sox?), Grand Archives definitely made up for it with their harmonic vocal melodies and gorgeous multi-instrumentation. Harmonicas, whistling, soft guitars and variety of percussion tactics made up the backbone of the soundtrack for the evening—serving as the ultimate hipster lullaby score. Highlights included Frankenstein’s “Dig that Crazy Grave, “ the upbeat single “Silver Among the Gold,” the harmonica infused “Left for all the Strays,” the country twang melodic “Oslo Novelist” and the light, folky ditty “Witchy Park/Tomorrow Will (Take Care of Itself).”

Overall, the performance proved itself to be a delicate and light, delectable evening of listening pleasure. An alt-country indie version of a hipster’s Winter Ball, if you will—melodic and charming, an impressive score for such a small four-man lineup.

Buy: Grand Archives
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MP3: Grand Archives – “Oslo Novelist”
MP3: Grand Archives – “Silver Among the Gold”

By Jodi Root

I’ve had the joy of catching indie/alt-rock/hip-hop hybrid mastermind Tim Fite everywhere from New York and Austin to Chicago (well, actually that about sums it up), multiple times in the past few years—last night being my fourth encounter in the past year alone. Fite, who’s been touring seemingly non-stop in support of Anti Records’ “Fair Ain’t Fair,” since its release last spring, was back in Chi for the umpteenth time in the past six months –but this time around he was in charge—headlining. I had been getting used to watching Fite’s endearing attempts to win over various crowds as the forever opening act, whether it was Les Claypool, the Watson Twins, or as part of this last year’s Hideout Block Party—but this was the first time the spotlight truly belonged to him and his partner in crime, Dr. Leisure.

The infamous duo took to Schuba’s stage around 11:00; minutes after Fite had brushed past me sporting a navy jumpsuit, stating matter-of-factly to no one in particular, “I gotta pee.” Upon his return, the now bib overall/suit jacket gentleman got the crowd whistling and roaring in approval with the opening “Gone Ain’t Gone” number “I Hope You’re There.” Fite and Leisure kept the masses on their toes, with the forever colorful AV presentations, various crowd interactions and group exercises (literally—“Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes,” as well as the grunting remix of “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” were just a couple of several examples), and everyone was laughing, singing, stomping and cheering. Good vibes were aplenty.

The set itself lasted roughly an hour, staying consistent with every other set list I’ve caught the past year with the exception of a few additions including a new animated short featuring a not so cuddly finger eating koala bear as well as a track I hadn’t heard before, “Take your medicine, take your daughter to work day, it’s her birthday. . .” Catchy, whatever it was. Other regular staples included: “JoJo Bobby, Stab a Motherfucker,” “Big Mistake”—(which received huge crowd appreciation), “The Garden,” “Clothes,” “Line by Line,” and the super catchy “Burn it Down” (see vid above, you may like, dude on the right side of the cam sure did.) Fans swarmed to Fite and Leisure immediately following the set, and the forever humble gentlemen hung around, posing for photos and saying hi to new friends. It was a spectacular evening and I can’t send enough praises or thank-you’s to Fite for the forever good times.

Previously: Tim Fite Interview
Previously: Review: Tim Fite – Lakeshore Theatre, Chicago
Previously: 5 Questions with Tim Fite

Buy: Tim Fite
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Myspace: Tim Fite
MP3: Tim Fite – “I Called For You”