Release Day! Efterklang - An Island Release Photos

It is release day for the project and you can now purchase the amazing set seen above. Check out the production value on Efterklang's DVD An Island! It's Sublime!

This was just shipped to me and I can't wait to see my name in the package. Those of us who participated in the Public/Private Screenings this past February will be listed in the liner notes! How cool to be a part of such a beautiful project!

From the site:
"The deluxe DVD version of An Island is limited to 5,000 custom-made, Eco-friendly, numbered, letterpress printed deluxe covers with a DVD disc full of bonus material and a 35 page booklet with photos and liner notes and anecdotes wrriten by the band."

The artwork was conceived by Hvass and Hannibal, photographer Antje Taige Jandrig and printed by Stumptown Printers in Oregon.

If that wasn't enough, if you purchase the DVD, you get a free electronic version of the film and audio and a live EP from the band's performance at the Roskilde Festival in 2010.

Be sure to support a great group of people by grabbing one of the 4,999 copies before they're all gone. My copy is already spoken for.

Here's an outtake of 'Modern Drift' which is included in the bonus material. How did this not make the final cut?! I wonder what other gems will be in there. Come on USPS!

FT5: Instruments

My latest piece for Austin Town Hall is now up and running on the site. In this installment of the Friday Top 5, I tackled the difficult task of ranking the most influential musical instruments ever. Check it out over at their site and leave me a comment here or over there if you agree or disagree with my choices.

Cheers!

Apparat - Ash/Black Veil

From Sascha Ring's (AKA Apparat) latest release, The Devil's Walk.

Review: The Head and the Heart @ ACL 9-16-11

Holy crap! September just flew by!! In the whirlwind somehow I neglected to post my review and sketches from the Head and the Heart at ACL. Doh! Well, better late than never, right?

And in the beginning, God said unto him, let there be three-part melodies. And then there was, and we heard them, and it was good. There upon the Austin City Limits stage for their maiden voyage, Seattle natives the Head and the Heart began the evening as the relatively unknown newcomer, but left as celebrated crowd favorites thanks in part to some genuine passion, honest and mature songwriting, and some well-timed technical flubs. You could almost sense the feeling of the audience precipitating the moment they could tell their friends about the great new band they should check out. Everyone loves that feeling, don't they?

Travelers old and young were lucky to be in attendance for an unforgettable, ecstatic and yet sometimes tear-wrenching musical journey of folk-rock soundscapes. Early on in the set a rare glitch in the sound system brought Terry Lickona down from his bejeweled, gold throne wielding the sincerest look of disapproval. “Cats and Dogs’ and ‘Coeur d’Alene’ were barely audible from the audience’s perspective, but according to Mr. Lickona, in the monitors they sounded great. Hands flew up in the air in reluctance and confusion from the sound booth and the show came to a screeching halt. This hiccup forced the young band to begin from the start of the set-list to murmurs unaware, but ultimately little disappointment from the crowd. Most seemed to consider it practice and once the sound was back in working order following a reboot, the real performance could begin. By then, most of the crowd was well versed in the antics of the group, which helped to solidify the positive response later on in the show. Call it dress-rehearsal for the audience, if you will. Those unfortunate souls who didn't know of the band prior to the evening, now were given a chance to hear the words of songs like ‘Ghosts' and opener 'Cats and Dogs' and could loudly sing along during the second take. It was obvious that this little incidental trick helped the support much more than it hurt the flow of the set. Through all the technical issues, other lesser composed groups might crack under the strain, but The Head and the Heart handled the evening like a wily veteran. The twitter response to the show proved that absolutely no one seemed to mind a few technical difficulties.

When it comes to relatively new musicians, the one trait to regard above all others is humility and sincerity. As the latest group to add to the extensive Austin City Limits archive, the group wielded three part harmonies and thumped out forlorn barn burners one after another which would have made Townes Van Zandt proud. The genuine nature of the performance was infectious, as smiles and dancing feet abounded on stage and in the audience. Here’s a band caught in a whirlwind of recent status, yet at the Moody, the fact that the stage upon which they now stood was a special moment, was not lost on the young performers. The self proclaimed motto of the band, who “live authentically in that crux, finding joy and beauty wedged there,” could not be more apt. The joy and beauty of a young group, finding it's voice is such a treat for anyone present to receive that message.

Highlights from the show involved nearly anything that involved Charity Rose Theilen from the audience's perspective, whose voice and beauty (apart from the promo picture; Come on Charity, just smile!) attracted quite the stir especially during 'Rivers and Roads'. Again noting the significance of the evening, the band pulled a Jimmy Rodgers number 'T for Texas' from the hat which was a welcomed change of pace from the set list mostly comprised of the band's self-titled debut. 'Ghosts' was another crowd favorite which was paired well with the poster design of the evening.

In the end, it was another day/another dollar at Austin City Limits, where the best in music, new and old, gather to expound on the wonders and trivialities of the world one performer at a time. Though the first season at the new venue is nearly complete, the growing modernized brand is continuing to be a household name across the country. The Head and the Heart's timely stop through the newly hallowed hallways was surely a notch on the belt for the band and established a freshness to the home for music on public television. We only have to wait to see what else they have in store next season, though it's certain to be good. For the Head and the Heart, without a doubt, a bright future awaits.

Below are a few sketches I did during the show.

New Tunes from Working for a Nuclear Free City