His Gezelligheid series is meant to emphasize his instrumental work and rely less on standard song structures. He had the stage to himself, surrounded by his effects pedals and Victrola horns.

I have to admit that I only have a couple of his albums and, probably due to heavy rotation in college, haven’t listened to them much in the last couple years. Watching Andrew Bird do his thing live though has given me a shot in the arm and a new appreciation for his musical sensibilities and deep training. The venue, at which I also had the pleasure of seeing Joanna Newsom a while back, was perfectly chosen for this intimate performance. If you are in the DC area and haven’t yet had the opportunity to see a show here, I highly recommend it.

Watching his stick figure shadow dance around reminded me of Japanese shadow puppetry. He played a couple songs I knew, several new ones, and played around with many fascinating soundscapes. I’m looking forward to listening to him again in a real way and hopefully getting my hands on some of his instrumental stuff as well.

I especially liked his song “Lusitania”, a love song referencing two famous instances of the sinking of a ship drawing the US into war.

One of my favorite little-known tracks by him is his cover of the WWI-era song “How ‘Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm” done for the Song of America compilation.

Remember to check out our great Andrew Bird YBP shirt!

Slow him down 800%

J. BIEBZ – U SMILE 800% SLOWER by Shamantis

Yes, I did listen to the whole thing. Reminds me of Moby crossed with Sigur Ros.

The real concern: that ambient music sped up is actually kid pop.

I’ve really enjoyed his guitar playing for a while, especially his signature aggressive soloing style, and see his longtime pairing with Gillian as the consummate musical partnership. If you have any doubt of this, see them together play for an NPR Tiny Desk Concert.

Not only did Gillian join him for the show, but so did Ketch Secor of Old Crow Medicine Show on fiddle/harmonica/vocals, as well as a couple of other musicians. It was a veritable supergroup of bluegrass and Americana.

They went through most of the terrific songs on Dave Rawlings Machine’s first album, as well as a couple of classics from Gillian’s portfolio, such as Look at Miss Ohio and Wrecking Ball (two of my favorites). The song I Hear Them All, written by Rawlings and Secor, originally recorded by OCMS, covered on A Friend of a Friend, performed by both, was a nice touch. So was This Land is Your Land with all its verses intact.

I really hope that this group continues to make music together under the Dave Rawlings Machine name, especially since Gillian doesn’t seem about to follow up 2003′s Soul Journey anytime soon. They are at the top of my list.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros “Home” from Edward Sharpe on Vimeo.

One of my favorite artists these days, The Tallest Man on Earth, was in DC last week, back to Black Cat. This time, however, he was the main act. Hurrah!

His new album, The Wild Hunt, is great. Many of the themes and structures from Shallow Grave are seen again, which is a good thing, but the songwriting and playing feel a little more grounded. The balance is slightly more toward strumming than fingerpicking, which is paired with slightly more instrumentation. Fear not though, Tallest Man is more than strong enough to be remarkable with just a guitar, and he’s not moving away from that anytime soon (although the final song on the album is solo piano).

A few differences between this concert and last: the mustache has become a beard and a few songs were played on electric guitar. Also, people went crazy for him. It’s been interesting seeing him a few times. The first, opening for Bon Iver at the end of 2008, introduced him to lots of people in the room, who clapped politely and probably looked him up afterward. During the second, June 2009 opening for John Vanderslice, it was still easy to get up to the front and have some shoulder room.

This time…lots of people hollering and singing along. He seemed as surprised as me, but confident. He was still able to command, with a couple requests, absolute silence in the room when the time was right.

Such a great show. I had a chance to talk to him again afterward, thanked him from YBP, and got him to sign an errant pick (yeah, that’s mine now). Anyway, get your hands on the album, and listen to the theme song he wrote for Yellow Bird Project!

On Monday Joanna Newsom graced the fair capital with a concert at the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue. It was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to.

First of all, I should say that I’ve neglected my duties to Ms. Newsom by not having listened to her new album, Have One on Me, before attending. In my defense, I’ve been waiting for a solid three-hour chunk of time during which I could give the music all of the attention I know it deserves. Suffice to say…not much luck. I’d heard a couple of songs, mostly through NPR, but am only treating myself to the entirety of the album now.

So with that confession out of the way, I next want to compliment the venue. The synagogue, on top of being lovely and intimate, had a way of filling up with the sound of the band without losing any of the delicate orchestration. I will definitely be looking into more concerts here if for nothing else than the space. Alright. Onward.

Ms. Newsom’s expansion from The Milk-Eyed Mender to Ys was evident in its increased orchestration and song development. The aspect that has struck me most about her new material is how much more she plays with melodies, themes, and accentuating her lovely harp or piano with an array of supporting instruments. Similar to Ys, I think I’ll need to sit down with a lyrics sheet for a while before I begin to appreciate more fully this sprawling two hour piece. I’m a sucker for a well-crafted, intricately layered, constantly developing offering (blame it on the symphony orchestra experience), and Ms. Newsom has succeeded in a big way. I don’t quite know if I’d call it a concept album, but I suppose any good album will have some sort of unifying feeling behind it.

I suppose as much credit should go to the members of her traveling band (especially arranger Ryan Francesconi), which gave the feeling of a chamber group. They also help to guide the music into the territory of jazz and blues, two genres flirted with throughout the album. Ms. Newsom’s voice, which has mellowed slightly, does very well with this growth.

She played mostly off of her new album, as to be expected, so the only song I knew from those was “In California”, which I listened to after hearing the closing track “Does Not Suffice” on NPR, hearing that it pairs nicely thematically and lyrically with the former. Many of the songs on the album play with themes, both musical and lyrical, that come up again and again. This is a good thing.

From Ys, she played “Emily”, which is my favorite and really just a masterful song. From The Milk-Eyed Mender came “The Book of Right-On” and “Inflammatory Writ”, the last of which especially sounds incredible in its full-orchestrated version. Hearing the other songs for the first time made me incredibly eager to experience the album

The entire concert was mesmerizing. I was hanging on her every word and pluck. Do yourself a favor and snag her when she passes by a town near you.

I was in Beijing the summer of 2008 and found myself at a good amount of concerts, mostly centered around the city’s strong punk rock scene. Not my normal type of music at all, but why not?

Here’s a song called Voice of the People I remember hearing from Demerit, one of the leading bands in the scene. This studio version is definitely one of their most melodic and subdued pieces. It’s also in English.

I don’t know what brought me back to them today, but I think it’s a good reminder of how music is such a strong force around the world. The globalized nature of today’s world, especially in terms of culture and information, brings us some intriguing pairings of style and identity.

Now that DC is recovering from the worst snow season in a hundred years, I’m starting to miss staying home from work, drinking cocoa, watching the storm rage outside, and listening to good music.

Gillian Welch is one of my staples when it comes to chilling and unwinding. She is absolutely at the top of her game and, with partner David Rawlings, has been instrumental in reviving interest in Americana, folk, and bluegrass. Seeing (and briefly talking to) the two of them at last summer’s Newport Folk Festival was great. So is this NPR Tiny Desk Concert. And Rawlings’s first album under his own name is getting rave reviews. I can’t think of a musical couple that are more tuned into each other.

Which musicians do you turn to first when stuck in the house, stressed beyond belief, or otherwise looking to relax?

Wednesday night, before the skies opened up and unleashed Snowmageddon, DC was fortunate to have the high-intensity Delta Spirit play at the intimate DC9. I last saw them open for The Shins back in May, and their album, “Ode to Sunshine”, was (as well as having great cover art) one of my favorite finds of 2009.

Delta Spirit, hailing from San Diego, is one of those bands that is meant to be heard live. Although the studio versions of their songs are very solid, seeing and interacting with the group adds a lot to the experience. I also have a strong appreciation for groups that utilize unusual instrumentation and whose members often change roles even in the midst of a single song.

“Ode to Sunshine” is a very apt phrase to describe the tenor of the album. They play a great fusion of straight-up Americana rock and soul with a type of rough honesty, vigor for life, and consummate passion that permeates all of their songs. The lyrics are thoughtful, powerful, ruthless, yet optimistic, and often political (without falling into cliche). The group dedicated their show to the late Howard Zinn, whose surname was scrawled on Matt’s guitar.

Check out the album version of “Trashcan” for a catchy tune, “People C’mon” for a not-so-gentle exhortation, and “Strange Vine” for a taste of the live show.

They’re getting ready for a new album entitled “History from Below”, and the majority of their set was new songs. I can attest that there’s not a sleeper among them.

Opening the evening was Ms. Rachel Goodrich, a deceptively petite gal with big energy from Florida. Armed with her ukulele and kazoo, she impressed everyone in the room with her catchy tunes and irreverent lyrics. She appears to be gaining more exposure by the day, so make sure to give her a listen (I recommend “Lightbulb”). If you get a chance to see her live, it adds another whole layer to the experience.

The main act was Ezra Furman & the Harpoons. I went to college with these guys (go Tufts!), so had some idea of what I was getting myself into, but hadn’t heard them for a couple of years. Since then, they have put out a couple albums and have been met with rave reviews after live shows.

They’ve only tightened up their act and the songwriting since then. At times he reminds me of a Conor Oberst-type lyricist, but frontman Ezra puts off a kind of frantic energy that is as hard to compare as it is to imitate. Try out “I Wanna Be Ignored” for a good snapshot of the group, or the newer “Take Off Your Sunglasses“.

Two characters, two great performances.