Monthly Archives: October 2011

Yes Yes – Dogstar! Heal Your Weightlessness!

Posted on October 26, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Yes Yes (Mike Ersing) - Dogstar! Heal Your Weightlessness!Mike Ersing, the mastermind behind Yes Yes, is either a brilliant poet or a raving madman, or perhaps both. The freak-folk troubadour moved from Buffalo, N.Y., to Savannah, Ga., to record his latest offering, Dogstar! Heal Your Weightlessness!.

Ersing writes like Kerouac, treading the line between sweetly composed and stream-of-consciousness poetry. “Ocean! Ocean!” and “Moksha” are perfect examples of the latter, with Ersing at a full-speed ramble. But he dials it back for songs like the delicate “Beautiful & True,” where he shows off his whistling, and the group singalong of Daniel Johnston’s “True Love Will Find You in the End.”

Mike "Yes-Yes" Ersing at the Rathskeller at St. Bonaventure University

Dogstar! features an ensemble of featured players. Backup singers lend everything from gentle accompaniments to a full-on gospel choir, and Sean Cabral recites verses over the aptly titled, “A Poem, by Sean Cabral.”

Ersing is capable of playing both the collected poet and lunatic wordsmith, and Dogstar! Heal Your Weightlessness! excels in balancing the two.

Listen to both sides of Mike Ersing:

“Beautiful & True”

“Moksha”

Dogstar! Heal Your Weightlessness! is available on iTunes.

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Pumpkin Seeds, Rosemary & Thyme

Posted on October 19, 2011 by | 1 Comment

After a bout of unusually warm weather, it seems like fall is finally here. The days are increasingly short, the leaves are turning and the pumpkins are out in full force.

Pumpkins might be my favorite part of the season: jack-o-lanterns, pumpkin pie and the ever-increasing pumpkin-flavored products (pumpkin beer is a particular favorite of mine). This year, I tried something new with my pumpkin. I roasted the seeds.

Simon & Garfunkel - Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & ThymeMy girlfriend and I found tons of tasty-sounding recipes on the Internet. We decided to try two of them: one with cinnamon, sugar, chili powder and one with just olive oil and salt. While we were cooking, we dug through my vinyl for the perfect fall music. We listened to Fleet Foxes and Joni Mitchell’s Ladies of the Canyon before stumbling onto Simon & Garfunkel’s Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme.

Parsley is the most underrated Simon & Garfunkel album. It far outweighs their debut, Wednesday Morning, 3 A.M., but lacks the famous singles found on Sounds of Silence, Bookends and Bridge Over Troubled Water. Sure, it has classics like “Scarborough Fair” and “Homeward Bound,” but it’s a bit of a slow-burner.

That’s part of what makes Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme a perfect fall album. Musically, it’s like autumn trees: almost bare-bones arrangements lifted beautifully by rich, colorful harmonies. It’s full of serene, pastoral songs like “Cloudy” and “For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her.” Even “59th Street Bridge Song” isn’t quite as groovy as it claims. It’s more like a calm walk along New York City streets in the crisp fall air.

The album’s 29-minute span is brief. We started it late in the cooking process, so by the end of “7 O’Clock News/Silent Night,” our pumpkin seeds were about ready.

Roasted pumpkin seeds with cinnamon, sugar and chili powderThe cinnamon and sugar overpowered the chili powder in the first batch, which might have been for the best. Every now and then, we’d get a kick of chili and it really didn’t go with the rest of the flavors. Just olive oil and salt is definitely the way to go. The simple recipe and music were the perfect fall treat.

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New music from Sam Means: Sayid & the Torturers

Posted on October 13, 2011 by | 1 Comment

I’ve been on a Lost kick recently. It’s my first time through, and it’s incredibly addicting. So it was a great coincidence when I was reading through my Twitter feed and saw a new song posted by Sam Means, sort of.

Sayid & the Torturers - "SICK"His latest offering appears to be a one-off, with a bit of Lost fan fiction. It’s called “SICK” by Sayid & the Torturers, a reference to Naveen Andrews’  Lost character, Sayid Jarrah. According to Means on Formspring, “I wanted to release something under that name and the song seemed like the perfect fit.” It’s a definite departure from Means’ other work, but it’s just a fun 1:30 song that looks back on his early punk influences.

Sam Means (Photo from I Guess I'm Floating)Means was one half of The Format, who split in 2008. But the soft-spoken folk-pop of his solo work falls closer to M. Ward than his former band. You’ve probably heard “Yeah Yeah” on the AT&T commercial, but Means’ output has been pretty slow. He scored the indie film The Sinking of the Santa Isabel, but other than that he’s only released a few demos.

Although Means hasn’t been too prolific lately, he’s currently working on a full-length, with a 7″ due in a few months and maybe a John, Paul, George & Ringo EP – with one cover from each Beatles’ solo career. So even though his output hasn’t been too steady, I’m just thankful he’s still making music.

Listen to “SICK” by Sayid & the Torturers and Sam Means’ demo for “Bigger Heart.” Both are available for free download.

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Fleet Foxes at Mountain Park – Holyoke, Mass.

Posted on October 7, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Fleet Foxes performed at Mountain Park in Holyoke, Mass. on September 25, 2011 - Photo by Peter CauvelClose to 3,000 people gathered at Mt. Tom in Holyoke, Mass. on Sunday evening, September 25, 2011. Fleet Foxes were closing out Mountain Park’s concert season. Despite the forecast for rain, the night was warm and clear, with stars faintly visible above the stage.

Mountain Park was the perfect venue for the band. The scenery matched the imagery of their lyrics, largely based on the outdoors. “Come down from the mountain, you have been gone too long,” lead vocalist/guitarist Robin Pecknold sang on “Ragged Wood,” as if directly to the Holyoke crowd.

The band opened their set with “The Plains/Bitter Dancer,” slowly building with thick harmonies. Instruments like flute, double bass and mandolin made regular appearances throughout the set, helping recreate the majesty of their albums. While playing, Fleet Foxes were spot on. The massive crowd was quiet and intent, mesmerized by the sweeping harmonies and soft strums.

But between songs, the band fell silent. Long, awkward tuning breaks threatened to lose the crowd. Any other band might have lost them, but each song validated the pauses between them.

Fleet Foxes performed at Mountain Park in Holyoke, Mass. on September 25, 2011 - Photo by Peter CauvelHighlights of the set included “Mykonos,” “Montezuma,” a medley of “White Winter Hymnal” and “Ragged Wood,”  and the incredible bass clarinet solo in “The Shrine/An Argument.” They closed with “Grown Ocean,” the most intense song of the night, in which the pounding drums of J. Tillman completely took over. The crowd was silent during the a capella ending, completely enveloped in the song.

Pecknold returned to play a new song, “I Let You,” solo. After, he was joined by the rest of the band for “Sun It Rises,” “Blue Ridge Mountains,” and a finale of “Helplessness Blues.”

Even though their banter, or lack thereof, was awkward, Fleet Foxes’ musical performance more than made up for it. They’re still a relatively young band, recently thrust into the spotlight, complete with large venues. In time, perhaps with a few guitar techs, Fleet Foxes’ stage presence will be as perfect as their performance.

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A Hotel Nourishing – Deus Ex Machina

Posted on October 6, 2011 by | Leave a comment

I recently rediscovered A Hotel Nourishing’s debut, Deus Ex Machina. The band has only two members — drummer Cameron Rogers and guitarist/vocalist Sonny Baker — but an incredibly full sound. Baker’s influences like Frank Zappa and Jerry Garcia permeate his almost-math-rock guitar playing, weaving through Rogers’ incredibly powerful drumming. The two sounds come together in some sort of post-rock, like Liars or Fugazi with jazz-influenced guitars and the energy of Japandroids.

Listen to the album and download it for free on their Bandcamp site:

Deus Ex Machina came out in 2007, and so far, it’s the most recent thing they’ve released. They’re still playing shows, mostly in Buffalo, and keeping busy with side projects. Baker has done some solo work and plays in Wooden Waves and Lazlo Hollyfeld, and Rogers plays in the math-rock duo All of Them Witches with Philip Freedenberg of Red Tag Rummage Sale.

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