Brooklyn is a truly great place. Although it may never be as popular as it’s older brother, Manhattan, the thing about Brooklyn that makes it truly unique is it’s rich and vibrant music scene. This is the bustling borough that has brought us the likes of Grizzly Bear, Yaesayer, and other great artists that were born elsewhere but now call Brooklyn home like Sufjan Stevens, MGMT and The National. Today we would like to pay homage to another great four-piece coming out of Brooklyn that goes by the name of The Subjects. The band is made up of Joe Smith and Jimmy Carbonetti on guitars, Matt Iwanusa on drums and Dave Sheinkopf on bass and after releasing their debut album in 2007, they have just released a brand new EP called New Soft Shoe which we are currently playing to death. Drummer Matt Iwanusa was kind enough to answer a few questions about the band’s interesting begginings and clown car impressions in hotel bathrooms. Take a look at the whole Q and A below:

Yellow Bird Project: Firstly, we hear you guys have interesting beginnings as a band. Could you tell us how you guys got together and how your band name came about?

Matt Iwanusa: Dave and Joe taught Jimmy and I in high school. Joe and Dave had been working on recording songs together and a friend of theirs gave it to a few of New York’s “finest” dive bars…

Jimmy and I were writing music together as well, playing at private parties for our parents, school talent shows and charity events we put together at lunch time with very creative sounding “charity names”.

Joe and Dave starting getting emails from clubs to play shows and i guess it just seemed right for Jimmy and I to help complete the band.

YBP: There must be a large age discrepancy in the band. Does it ever get in the way of anything?

MI: Not that large. I think maybe 7 years? We have spent so much time together that we all can act 7 years older or younger at any point during the day.

YBP: When you guys are writing new songs is there one or two band members who handle most of the songwriting or is it more of a full band collaborative effort?

MI: Lately it’s started out that Dave or I have an idea. We’ll record it at home then bring it in. Sometimes it’s a full song other times it’s just a melody. After that we probably record it as a band 4 or 5 times. Once the full band plays it so many new ideas come up that the song usually sounds way different. Everybody plays a big part in the process.

YBP: How have things changed since you guys first got together? How have you grown as a band?

MI: We have become much better at our instruments for sure and now we all feel comfortable multi-tasking. It’s a great feeling when you can switch around and not feel locked into one specific thing. I think that has opened up a lot of possibilities for us.

YBP: We are big fans of Daytrotter and we saw that you guys performed for them. Could you tell us a little bit about the Daytrotter experience?

MI: Everybody that works at Daytrotter is amazing. We did a session with them right when they started and have stayed friends ever since. Sean is a great guy and I think he is doing a really great thing!

YBP: Out of all the amazing bands to come out of Brooklyn who are some of your favorites? And could you introduce us to a Brooklyn band that we may not know but you think more people should know about?

MI: My favorite band right now is Here We Go Magic. Luke has always been doing great stuff and I think the direction he is going in now is awesome.

I love Glass Ghost as well. Their new record is going to be amazing.

White Rabbits are great also. We toured with them in June and I never got bored of watching them play. They are a great live band and do an amazing clown car impression in hotel bathrooms.

YBP: Who has been the most fun band to tour with thus far and why?

MI: I think I answered that in the last question but I would definitely say White Rabbits. It was great to tour with a band who is excited about what they are doing. They go out and kill it every night and then are ready to party after. We were friends before the trip but are definitely besties now!

YBP: If you could tour with any two bands dead or alive who would they be?

MI: I would say Genesis 1972-1973 and probably Wings…

YBP: Where is one place you haven’t played yet that you would give anything to play?

MI: England. We haven’t been there yet. It’s been talked about but for some reason hasn’t happened yet.

YBP: Finally, who are you favorite bands that have designed T-shirts for The Yellow Bird Project?

MI: I have always been a big Shins fan. I think those guys put out some great records.

Well we think so too! And a big thank you to Matt for answering our questions and wish him and the rest of the band luck on their upcoming tour!

Here’s a song from their New Soft Shoe EP: The Subjects – “Winter Vacation”

-The Middle Distance Runner

Well my friends, it is time for another Yellow Bird interview! This time we had a chance to catch up with a true indie-rock veteran. His name is John Moen, and you may know him from his previous work with bands and artists like Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, Elliott Smith and the Decemberists. These are just a noteworthy few of the many projects that John Moen has been a part of. He has now released his very own album under the ‘Perhapst’ moniker along with the help from some very talented friends. The results are pretty amazing.

Yellow Bird Project: I hope you know, I have replaced in my vocabulary the word ‘perhaps’ with the word ‘perhapst’. So how did this name come about?

John Moen: I am honored. I just made it up and thought it was genius. It IS possible that I was over-served at the time. The word is pretty fun to say, though, is it not?

YBP: Is the Perhapst album a new project or is it something you have been working on for a long time?

JM: The project has been bubbling away for a good long time. I can’t remember exactly when I started it…let’s just say years have passed.

YBP: How has being surrounded by such talented musicians as Elliott Smith, Stephen Malkmus and Colin Meloy influenced your own musical endeavors?

JM: I think it would be foolish to spend time making music with people who are so greatly talented, and fail to absorb any of their ideas or approach; but I wouldn’t be making records if I didn’t think I had at least slightly different take on things myself.

YBP: What are the advantages of being a musician in Portland, Oregon? Any disadvantages?

JM: The advantages used to be cheap rent, little competition for shows and an outstanding group of peers for support and collaboration. We still have the outstanding group of peers but the town is less of a well kept secret these days.

YBP: “Cruel Whisk” is one of my favourite songs on the album. In it you sing, “cook yourself and spare the bird.” Is this a song about vegetarianism?

No. I admire vegetarians but I have not been able to overcome my meat addiction. The song is quite obviously about masochistic cannibalism. Hmmm.

YBP: I hear you play quite a few instruments. Do the drums hold a special place in your heart or is there an instrument you prefer to play? Any new instruments you’ve picked up lately?

JM: The drums are sort of boring all by themselves. However, playing them to a great song is a true pleasure. I wish I had a harpsichord.

YBP: Your life has been so filled with music. What are some things you like to do that aren’t musically related?

JM: I am raising a daughter. She is super-fantastico but does manage to eat up a lot of my free time. I’ve been known to get into some gardening now and then and I follow the Portland Trail Blazers with much enthusiasm. I also enjoy cooking myself. Ha.

YBP: You have been part of quite a few bands. Which band has been the most fun to tour with?

JM: My first touring experience was with the Dharma Bums. We were quite young (circa 1987) and it was a real adventure. I admit that I have lost the lust for the road, a bit. I have visited more than enough gas stations and slept not-so-well in plenty of random homes and hotels for my taste. This is my job, though. I don’t mean to imply that it sucks, but it certainly isn’t as jazzy and exciting as it once was. Jazzy?

YBP: Is being a part of the Decemberists’ live show as fun as it looks?

JM: It is. We have a good time.

YBP: Now that you have released you very own record. What is next for you?

JM: Release another one! That’s what people like me do. We do not know when to quit. I don’t even know any new chords. It’s ridiculous.

YBP: Finally, what has been the highlight of your musical career thus far?

JM: Having a career at all is the “highlight” of my career. I have been very lucky.

A big thank you to John Moen for doing this interview!

Listen to Perhapst:

Perhapst – Incense Cone

Perhapst – Aren’t You Glowing

Bye for now!

-The Middle Distance Runner

Boy do we have something special for you today! I’m putting my normal music drivel on hold for this week, because as you can already guess by the title of this post, I have had the opportunity to interview an extremely talented musician who goes by the name of Nicole Atkins. If you don’t already know her you are in for a treat. Along with this interview, Nicole has provided us with a song off of her new EP, entitled Nicole Atkins Digs Other People’s Songs. The song is a cover of “Under the Milky Way”, which was originally done by an Australian band called The Church. So here is the interview, I hope you enjoy:

Middle Distance Runner: To me, your music seems very dramatic and emotional. How important is emotion to you in the music you make?

Nicole Atkins: Extremely important. It’s really the biggest reason I write songs. To try to work through different emotions in life. Also, I like my songs to feel like mini movies. I try to not just sing about a situation or a place but also try to get (to) the listener about what it feels like to be in it or there.

MDR: When did you realize that being a musician is what you wanted to do with your life?

NA: When I was in art college and realized that I had way more songs and gigs than paintings.

MDR: If you could have any other job besides being a musician what would it be?

NA: Maybe an illustrator for science or medical journals, or an owner of a music venue.

MDR: Who has been the most influential person in your career as musician?

NA: Probably most of my family. They have always been really supportive and have all of these great tragic yet humorously dark stories that make good fodder for songs.

MDR: If you could sing a duet with anyone dead or alive who would it be?

NA: Definitely Roy Orbison or Edith Piaf

MDR: I love your song “Neptune City”. What is it about?

NA: The first half is about my mom’s little brother Dom that passed away when he was little. Its about him looking down on his funeral procession and realizing he can’t go home again. Then the second half is about me. I just moved back to Neptune City after living in NYC and was frustrated by being there and just saying that maybe if I could just learn to appreciate how pretty the river is and shit that I could love it there again.

MDR: Who is funnier in person? David Letterman or Conan O’Brien?

NA: They were both pretty damn funny! Draw!

MDR: What was it like to perform on those shows?

NA: It was really awesome. Super fun. We met so many cool people too, like Dennis Hopper and Slash. Playing on shows like that definitely makes you take a step back and just say “wow, how did i get here?!”

MDR: I hear you are a big fan of David Lynch. What is your favourite of his films?

NA: I always switch between Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive. He is the master of the haunt.

MDR: What is your favourite city to play in?

NA: Austin, Texas for sure. Great people, music scene and food. Can’t beat it.

MDR: Do you have any superstitions or rituals you perform before playing a show?

NA: A little warming up and a little Jameson.

MDR: What was the most memorable show that you have played?

NA: Off the top of my head it would be our set at Bonnaroo. It was the second time we ever played a festival and had a pretty good slot. Just having a bigger stage and a bigger crowd I had so much fun playing I almost cried. A couple times during the set I just couldn’t stop laughing too it was just such intense fun.

MDR: Finally, Are you a fan of any of the artists that have contributed to the Yellow Bird Project?

NA: I am! Big fan of The National, Devendra, The Shins and The New Pornographers. I actually just sang backup on Carl Newman’s new solo record that comes out this month.

So there you have it, Nicole Atkins has great taste in music! I just want to thank Nicole again for doing this, we loved her answers. You should all go out to see her play live. She has a few upcoming dates…take a look:

11/05/2008 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live

11/07/2008 – Washington, D.C. – The Rock and Roll Hotel

11/08/2008 – Charlotte, NC – Neighborhood Theater

11/13/2008 – Cambridge, MA – T.T. The Bears

11/14/2008 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom

11/26/2008 – Ashbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony

And here is that delightful little cover that I promised you:

Nicole Atkins – Under The Milky Way

Until next week…

-The Middle Distance Runner

This is one of the most exciting moments in my short blogging career. The Yellow Bird Project has provided me with the opportunity to interview one of my favourite new artists, who I was introduced to by my American friend, Jeremy. Birdie Busch has been getting a lot of play time by me ever since I was told about her and was immediately hooked on the catchy as hell “Mystical”, a song off of her second full length album, Penny Arcade. Birdie was nice enough to allow us to interview her, and we are so glad we did, because not only is she super talented, but she is quite witty too. Take a look.

Middle Distance Runner: I understand your real name is Emily. When and how did you come to be known as “Birdie” Busch?

Birdie Busch: Birdie was a nickname bestowed upon me by a friend after a beret with metal studs was bestowed upon my head. It had nothing to do with singing just silliness. So when they ask, “what came first the beret or the bird? I do say the beret.”

MDR: At what age did you start writing music?

BB: I started writing music at the age of 5 on my portable tape recorder, a tune in which I rhymed Manhattan with “blatten”, a fictitious word that served the purpose of rhyming with Manhattan, so I sung, “I will take Manhattan with my blatten.” I had a dormant period that ended in my twenties where life just started to feel right to me distilled into the shape and feeling of a song. I must have been looking for songs for a long time and didn’t know it but when they came, oh boy.

MDR: What kind of music did you listen to growing up and what are your major musical influences?

BB: In my parent’s station wagon it were these tapes, Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, and I distinctly remember Neil Diamond’s Hot August Night. Patsy still has a gigantic place in my heart and memory. I like how she really takes her time with her delivery, kind of behind the beat. My sister, almost a generation older than me passed down her cassettes and mix tapes, fluorescent 80’s colors and all. I remember her Grateful Dead cassettes she would draw her own pictures for and also, Paul Simon’s Graceland. Another fond memory is when she decided to pop in George Michael’s single, “I Want Your Sex” into the player on a family road trip. Kinda awkward.

Major musical influences? I love Canadians! Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Rick Danko of the Band. I also love Bill Withers, John Prine, Nina Simone. I love Tahitian lullabies and Mexican Nortenos. Jeff Tweedy and Jerry Garcia. The Staple Singers. Toots Hibbert. Gillian Welch. Daniel Lanois. So many I could talk about though. Folks that I call my influences I do because I take from them the inspiration to be myself, for that is what is so appealing about all of them to me, that they were and are so free with giving their own thing to the people.

MDR: Do you play any other instruments besides guitar?

BB: I played violin in grade school from about 5-7. I remember that I really liked Minuet 3. I started playing some again cause I really find that different instruments open up different portals of melodies and violin for sure has some great ones.

MDR: What have you been listening to lately?

BB: Lately I’ve been really enjoying instrumental things, lots of John Fahey, Jim O’Rourke, and I just recently heard for the first time Juana Molina and love the way it’s making my brain bend. I am also hugely in love with early rock steady/ska/reggae. My friend and I want to do a whole record of those old songs, like “Adam & Eve”. It’s this great song, not sure if he wrote it, but Bob Marley sang it way way back.

MDR: Are you a fan of any of the bands that have been a part of the Yellow Bird Project?

BB: Oh yeah. You’ve got quite a crew. It’s funny, I lived behind this bar in Philly and would go there after work to just have a beer and ended up in the midst of a Devendra Banhart concert pretty early on in his touring and playing, without knowing anything about it and always took the line he sung, “from the womb to the tomb, I’ll always be a child” around with me in my head. Really enjoy Neko Case and the way her records sound.

MDR: If you could see any 3 artists or bands dead or alive playing the same show who would they be and why?

BB: I’ve been asking this question all around town since I read it, wondering what others say….Anything contemporary I just assume that I will be able to see if I want some time, which isn’t necessarily true but it allows me to widdle it down to music of folks that have passed from this here world that I might bring back for this show. I would have loved to have seen Bob Marley in his prime, with that big stage show and all the girls singing…also, Nina Simone. Nina Simone being backed by Bill Withers band, which someone told me happened at some point. And of course, John Lennon singing Instant Karma. When I told someone John Lennon, they said, “How about the f****** Beatles!?” And the list goes on and on. Can I add an opener or special guests? Like Charles Mingus, Led Zeppelin, and Clara Rockmore on the theremin?

MDR: What is your favourite movie?

BB: As a lot of my favourites, there’s a huge range, in which is included Ghostbusters, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Forrest Gump, Aliens, and Waiting for Guffman. When I have the chance, most times I’ll rent a movie to laugh before I cry, and if it does both, beautiful.

MDR: What is your favourite book?

BB: Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson. Just Above my Head by James Baldwin. Books of poetry by Langston Hughes. These are some that come to mind. I really like the era of American Literature from the turn of the Nineteenth century and onwards some, in which all of these favourites are included.

MDR: What is your favourite thing to do on a lazy Sunday?

BB: Park myself on my couch facing and in between two old wooden speaker cabinets and listening to records I’ve gotten along the way. Not washing dishes and listening, not reading and listening, or even folding laundry. I’m just listening. I also am a big fan of walk-abouts in my West Philly hood. Does walking cancel out lazy though? Not sure.

MDR: Do you have any new material in the works? Tour plans?

BB: Yes! We are finishing up a recording in the next couple months; it’s about lampshades, Eden’s suburbs, and Mexican dishwashers amongst other things. I promise they do all come together. Stay tuned……

I recently received an e-mail from an enthusiastic Frenchman who wants to book us in France so now I am working at turning that into a first time European tour come the New Year. The U.S. is tough lately with the gas crisis so we’ve been riding our bikes around Philly and concentrating on the recording. We need more trains. We need gigantic zip-lines or sling shots.

MDR: And finally, When are you coming to play in Montreal?

BB: As soon as you have a Yellow Bird Festival!

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Well YBP, it seems a Yellow Bird Festival is in need. Get on that!

And as a special gift, Birdie has provided us with a video of her playing a new song from her upcoming album. The song is called “Penny Arcade” and I absolutely love it! Check it out.

Here is the song as an mp3 for you:

Birdie Busch – Penny Arcade

I would like to thank Birdie for taking the time to answer my questions. I can’t wait to hear your new album, I will keep my eyes wide open for it!

Until next week…

-The Middle Distance Runner