03 March 2011

Interview with Foburg Band, The Luyas

The Luyas are a band from Montreal, Canada. They just released their sophomore album, To Beautiful To Work on Dead Oceans. They will be playing with Givers and Ra Ra Riot on Friday, March 11 at One Eyed Jack’s as part of the Foburg Music Festival. Art/Official spoke with the band’s frontwoman, Jessie Stein, earlier this week:

Art/Official: For people who have never heard your music before, give a first hand description of it.

Jessie Stein: It is strangely-dressed pop music with weird colors. I guess we’re trying to make music that sounds special, but still speaks a human language.

a/o: What kind of impression do you hope to make on people when they see you live for the first time?

JS: I just hope that they like it, and feel like it’s something that they don’t see everyday. I don’t really set out with any particular, specific mission. I just hope that people get a little break from things that they normally think about. You know, after all, music is a form of entertainment, so I hope people can get a little bit excited or a little bit transformed by it. That’s my noble, quiet hope.

a/o: How do your live shows differ from your recorded music?

JS: Well, it’s been a while since we recorded the record, so it’s more energetic, and kind of heavier. I think that just the fact that the instrumentation is a little bit more paired-down has forced us to use our instruments to their fullest potential. It’s actually pretty exciting live, and I’m almost digging the live representation better than the recorded representation at the moment because it’s especially exciting to me. I think that we’re a pretty fun band. It’s pretty cool to be up there with my best friends trying as hard as we can.

a/o: You guys use an interesting instrument called the Moodswinger, could you tell me about that?

JS: Yeah, totally. It’s a twelve-string, third bridge, overtoned zither. It was invented by this man, Yuri Landman from the Netherlands. He was really obsessed with Sonic Youth and the overtone series, and the way that certain – especially 80’s and 90’s – loud guitar music made really neat noise. So he was trying to create an instrument that could make those sounds naturally without the use of pedals or props. He designed this weird monster. It’s really cool. I don’t really play it in the style that he intended at all, though. I like to play it more like a strange harp or something. Every time you bring it out, people look at you weird, and it’s kinda neat... My phone tells me that youre in Tennessee, but I thought that you were in Louisiana.

a/o: Well, I’m from Memphis, but I go to school in New Orleans.

JS: I love New Orleans! It’s my favorite place in America. Last year I went to South by Southwest, and I hated it so much that me and a friend rented a car and just drove to New Orleans, and had a right good time. It’s really exciting and so beautiful. It kind of reminds me of Montreal, where we’re from. There’s sort of a French influence, and sort of a vitality in the face of poverty. It’s really alive with arts culture and art history. It has a great multi-ethnic, multi-lingual culture. I think it’s really great. Then there’s also lots of wrought-iron work in Montreal, too, except in a different style that’s not quite as beautiful as it is in New Orleans. I love it. The French is really trippy. If you speak Quebec French, and you hear the Creole dialect down in Louisiana, there’s really an amazing accent difference. And I love the old music down there, especially all the zydeco. New Orleans is place I’m most excited to go to on the tour.

a/o: What was it like working with Owen Pallett for your new record?

JS: It was cool. It’s pretty normal to me. I’ve known him since I was eighteen. We were roommates. We’re really good buds. So, it was just like calling someone you know really well and asking him to do something he does really well. He just did it perfectly and efficiently. We all just drank coffee and stared at him in awe. It was great. Everybody who played on the record who is a bit of a name, they’re all people who are just close friends. The music scene in Montreal is pretty tight, and everybody knows each other, so it’s kind of just like your friends playing on your record. Almost everything was played by the band proper, and then there are just little patches here and there where collaborators played.

a/o: What’s The Luyas’ next move after you guys finish this tour?

JS: Probably going to have to tour some more. We’re going to be gone for three months. I’m leaving Montreal in a couple days. I would imagine by the time we’re done that we’ll probably know about more stuff that we’re going to have to do. We’re already writing new songs, so hopefully we’ll record again because now that this record’s out, it feels like it’s time to write another one. One of my goals for this year is to learn how to do a handstand, so hopefully that will come of my year.

Listen to the great title track off their new album, then watch their "Take Away Show" from La Blogotheque:





--Article and Interview by Connor Crawford

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02 March 2011

The Muppets cover LCD Soundsytem in Brighton

The Muppets where in Brighton, England this past weekend enjoying the beach a quick hour train ride outside of London. Somehow while cruising the town they managed to get all their musical equipment on top of a store, set it all up, and play an unreal cover of LCD Soundsystem's Dance Yrself Clean to those passing by below. With Kermit on vocals (taking the place of James Murphy), Cookie Monster on keys, and Ms. Piggy as backup dancer/groupie, they really put on a show! One of their band members got hammered on the beach during the set on my favorite cheap beer in England, Kronenbourg, and passed out. That evening while one of the band members played a DJ set in a club on the beach, Kermit and Ms. Piggy hook up on the beach in what I imagine led to a lovely hand whammy for Kermit. I never knew The Muppets were such rock stars until this day. This is simply amazing. I hope you all enjoy this as much as I do.




Lots of love,
Aaron

XXX

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FOBURG HEADLINERS: The Hood Internet and Das Racist

The Hood Internet is the new Girl Talk


               
I used to love Girl Talk in the 10th grade. Swear to god my AIM Profile read something like ASK ME ABOUT NIGHTRIPPER (his 2nd and best studio album).  Then I discovered electronic music in general.  Girl Talk lost a lot of my awe then, but I have to say I hate him less than most guys my age—maybe I just really like mash-ups. This is why you should believe me when I say The Hood Internet is the best in the game right now.  They follow a basic formula that they only occasionally stray from:

Step. 1 Find good indie song
Step. 2 Find good hip hop song
Step. 3 Acapella one of them a place it over the instrumentals of the other.
                
It’s simple and it rarely ever adds any depth to the original tunes, but it’s a god damn mash-up so it isn't supposed to. If you've been to any of our last parties, you’ll recognize some of these tracks.

Black Rob v. Panda Bear


 Ludacris v. Joker & Ginz  (WARNING: DUBSTEP)




Das Racist is the new Kool G Rap




/shorty said I look like a chubby Jake Gyllenhaal/
/I said this ain't Brokeback, and i'm a broke mack/
/type so hard and i typed it on a broke mac/ (book air)


                
So when smart white dudes talk about rap music—especially mainstream, non-social conscious artists like Weezy, Yeezy, Ludacris, Nicki Minaj—there’s a flattering refrain being sung. To the uneducated, we say (and I am perhaps guilty of this more than anyone), rap sounds like a grotesque mockery of poetry glorifying misogyny, handguns, threesomes, making scartch, et cetera. We continue on to say that certain people (Bill O’Reilly is the superlative example, but so are a lot of your average hipsters or entry-level alts; also yo shout out to that awesome HRO article this week on gutterpunks) completely miss the complex rhyming schemes, internal word play, rhythm and general flow that someone like Lil Wayne has. As for the beats that some people think sound like bass-heavy, redundant funk samples—well you just don’t get hip hop, man.
                
              
Or so we say; then comes along a group like Das Racist. I tried to compile a list of my favorite lines, but almost everything that comes out of their brains is pure gold. I imagine their genius is easier for the target of audience of Foburg to get. Not only that, but it really does make you question the purported genius of people like Lil’ Wayne—though he has a legendary flow, what he actually raps about is kind of limited. Das Racist does it all. There’s so much pure creativity here that I have to constantly stop myself from calling them the greatest rappers alive, more or less.

Shorty Said

  Rainbow in the Dark



-Article by Jeffrey Silberman

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01 March 2011

Start Mardi Gras with some electro.

electro
Long time supporter and friend of art/official Euan Wallace (AKA DJ EUZIE) will be playing a party upstairs at The Maison this Wednesday, March 2nd. Along with DJ Lemonhead and Otto, you can expect a night of electro, house, and dubstep. M2 Productions is throwing the event and plans to shake up the city with their parties. The idea is to hit on many genres of electronic music to keep the crowed on their toes all evening. Ultimately there is no reason not to go. IT'S FREE!!! So if your out and about Wednesday evening, feeling the excitement of the festival season upon us, stop by and show your support.

Lots of love,
Aaron

XXX

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Star & Micey - "Back To The Night"


Today, Memphis, TN indie folk/pop troubadours Star & Micey released a new single, "Back To The Night." Along with the song comes a great music video. If this is your first exposure to these guys, definitely give them a listen. Their infectious brand of soulful, heart-warming music will be something you go to time and time again. Influences of theirs range from Sam Cooke to Jeff Buckley to Big Star to Fleet Foxes.

Stream and buy the song through Bandcamp (purchases come with free copy of music video!)


Watch the video here:

28 February 2011

Two Great Shows-- The Saint

art/official is proud to team up with Defend New Orleans to promote two great shows coming up this week! First off on Thursday, prepare for a night of HEAVY dancing. Our friends Jean-Eric will be performing at the Saint, and there is nothing like Jean-Eric in a small venue! The prominent Christoph Andersson will also perform with Jean-Eric, and will be spinning a sexy disco/house set. The jams will only be amplified with resident Saint DJ Musa, who will be teaming up with Brice Nice to keep up the dancing late into the evening. Best of all... it's free! This is a night not to be missed.


The very next night, also at the Saint, there will be an evening of quality indie music. Gens, which is comprised of several members from the Generationals will share the small venue with Lafayette indie rockers Brass Bed, folk-rock outfit Giant Cloud (featuring the lovely Julie Odell-Jones), and local Loyola project Native America. $5 @ the door. Get to these shows early people, the Saint has been filling up lately.


To RSVP to the events on facebook, here are the links!


video: wavves - king of the beach

this new wavves video has everything in it that a wavves video should: kitty cats, the beach, members of the band sitting around playing fifa and smoking weed, pictures of cramer, counterfeit money, tattoos, bongs, and bling. yes, indeed.