I was in New Orleans with some friends over New Year’s and I keep thinking back on the first three nights we were there. They were among the most satisfying consecutive nights of music I’ve had. And the great thing is that they were standing gigs, so if you go, you can probably see the same events.

So without further ado, here are three recommendations for shows in New Orleans:

• Zydeco night at Rock n Bowl: This one is not quite a show as much as a musical experience. My friends and I headed to Rock n Bowl our first night in New Orleans for Zydeco. (The night we went Geno Delafose was performing, but I think the music is pretty consistently good there.) There was a stage, a dance floor, a bar and a bowling alley, all right next to each other. Zydeco, a style of Louisiana dance music with heavy use of the washboard, along with some accordion and rock instruments, is a lively and fun music to watch and dance to. Even better is bowling to it. And if our night wasn’t complete by drinking, bowling and jiving to the band, near the end of the night the bartenders got on the bar and hula-hooped. Check calendar for nights.
• Rebirth Brass Band at the Maple Leaf: The next night we went to Uptown to Maple Leaf to see the Rebirth Brass Band’s (myspace) standing Tuesday night gig. Their first set started at about 11pm; after a half hour break, their next set started at about 12:30am. I’m not sure how many sets they played that night but they were coming on for at least another. Mixing traditional New Orleans brass band (second-line) elements with hip hop, funk, soul and jazz, the band tore the roof off of the packed and sweaty Maple Leaf in a long continuous set of originals and covers. The sound wasn’t the best at the club but the tunes and atmosphere were great as everyone seemed to enjoyed the performance. Tuesdays.
• Walter “Wolfman” Washington at d.b.a.: For our third night, we headed to the Marigny to see Walter “Wolfman” Washington’s (myspace) at d.b.a.. “Wolfman” is an old school R&B/ soul musician. He has a bunch of young guns filling out his band and they’re tight. D.B.A. is also a nice bar with a good selection of the beers, so between that and the solid music, it’s a good time. Wednesdays.

I’m not going to make a best-of 2009 list (thought I did post one other best of 2009 list). I have about 2/3 of the year covered well but the rest of the year’s releases I haven’t covered as well. I still listen to music obsessively, though and so I can make this list without fear of inadequate preparation. As always with song obsessions, I don’t really choose the songs, they choose me. I wish I always knew why a song sticks in my head, but it doesn’t happen that way.

If you’re interested in this, check out my 2008 and 2007 lists.

I know that this is much later than many year-end lists, but as a semi-retired music blogger, I have the luxury of setting my own schedule. It’s pretty nice.

1. the Tallest Man on Earth – the Gardener (mp3) (buy)
   
   Nearly every track on Shallow Grave was among my top listened songs according to last.fm, but this one stood out a bit more than the rest. It has that incessant, but interesting strumming, and beautifully melodic and poignant vocals.
2. Adele – Hometown Glory (mp3) (buy)
   
   I initially wrote Adele off. I thought she was just another manufactured British retro-soul artist. Then I saw her perform “Chasing Pavements” on a few late night shows and my opinion started to turn. But it was when I saw her perform this song on Conan’s show (I can’t find a video, but here’s a similar performance of the song on Letterman) that I realize she was for real. This really is a stunning song. She’s got a great voice and the simple and subdued orchestration works well.
3. David Ruffin – Anything You Ask For (mp3) (buy)
   
   Definitely not a 2009 song but one that I was obsessed with during the year. From the stutter-start drums to the funky guitar to the lush strings to Ruffin’s gravely-but-sweat voice, there’s nothing about this song I don’t like.
4. the Gaslight Anthem – the ‘59 Sound (mp3) (buy)
   
   Another band that I initially wrote off but I came around on. I actually like this whole album, but this song is definitely a stand-out. It’s just so catchy and sincere.
5. Shirley Ann Lee – There’s a Light (mp3) (buy)
   
   This is the song that made me want to get yet another of Numero Group’s fantastic releases, Downriver Revival (which I did get and later reviewed). It’s so simple: straight forward guitar work and absolutely burning vocals. One couldn’t ask for more from a soul gospel number.
6. Henry Lumpkin – Don’t Leave Me (mp3) (buy)
   
   I got a lot of Motown in a hurry so some of it slipped by the wayside. In particularly the early stuff didn’t get a full listen. With this year being the 50th anniversary of Motown’s founding, I went back to listen to some of it and found some true gems, like this anguished soul number from someone I’d never heard of. It quickly went into heavy rotation.
7. Tallest Man on Earth – I Want You (mp3) (free at Daytrotter)
   
   If the beginning if the year was dominated by songs from Tallest Man’s Shallow Grave, the latter bit was dominated by this song, a Dylan cover, and others from the Daytrotter session. I’m a sucker for good banjo work and this song is nothing if not a display of great banjo work–it’s also a lovely tune.
8. Dawes – When My Time Comes (mp3) (free at daytrotter, buy original)
   
   This is a good tune with a great and very endearing chorus. It’s that simple. It’s also noteworthy that this is essentially a live-to-tape track—I don’t think there are any overdubs on Daytrotter sessions—so it’s impressive that they just nail the harmonies throughout without any dubs.
9. Alberta Cross – Low Man (mp3) (buy)
   
   Hearya and others have been talking about Alberta Cross for a while so when his new album came out I decided to check out a few tracks. This one played on repeat for much of my time in rural South Africa and later when I was getting settled again in Cape Town.
10. Jonsi + Alex – Happiness (mp3) (buy)
    
    This is another situation where I was really obsessed with an entire album and this song just has a slight lead over the others. Even before I knew this was Sigur Ros-related—it was released on the Dark was the Night comp as a Riceboy Sleeps track—I loved it. Ambiant, long, moving, gorgeous, and slowly developing, it reminds me both of what I like best about Sigur Ros and modern, melody-driven composers like Aaron Copland.
11. Mayer Hawthorne – Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin’ (mp3) (buy)
    
    Retro-soul like any genre has its hits and its misses and I really think Hawthorne’s A Strange Arrangement is a hit. Great production, interesting songs, good beats. This is one of the first songs I heard from it and I really enjoyed its breezy oldies vibe enough that it kept me coming back.
12. J. Tillman – When I light Your Darkened Door (mp3) (buy)
    
    Sometimes I have a problem where if I decide [x] is my favorite album by an artist, I’ll listen to that to the exclusion of their other albums. Trying to fix that (my favorite Tillman album is Minor Works), I went back to some of his other work and this song really struck me. Crushingly beautiful is one way to put it.
13. Jay Z and Santogold – Brooklyn Go Hard (mp3) (buy)
    
    I’m not from Brooklyn and I’m not a big fan of either Jay Z or Santogold, but something about this song had me coming back for it again and again. I think it may be how incessant and intriguing the phrase “we go hard” is to me.
14. Kid Cudi – Alive (mp3) (buy)
    
    It’s pretty easy to pinpoint what had me hooked to this song: the weird swooping synth sounds in the verses. I also like the flow of Common’s verses a lot; they fit the beat well.
15. John Vanderslice – Too Much Time (demo) (mp3) (buy original)
    
    I was obsessed with at least three different versions of this song this year, including the beautiful version with the Magik*Magik orchestra which I first heard at the Tiny Telephone 10th Anniversary Show and later in the linked video above. It’s a good song with a great chorus. I love the demo’s subdued collection of synth sounds under JV’s plaintive vocals.
16. Fanfarlo – I’m a Pilot (mp3) (buy)
    
    I’ve long been a Fanfarlo fan and so when the first hints of their new album came out, I was listening with keen interest. With keen interest over and over and over.
17. the Welcome Wagon – But for You Who Fear My Name (mp3) (buy)
    
    It’s funny that I have two stomp-clap songs in a row. I like this rousing Sufjan-produced campfire song.
18. Passion Pit – Sleepyhead (the One AM Radio remix) (mp3) (from tour only b-sides compilation)
    
    My most recent obsession on the list[1]. It’s an obsession entirely because it’s so ridiculous. And that it’s on the makes-me-smile side of the ridiculous line.
19. The Swinging Tigers – Snake Walk, Part 1 (mp3) (buy)
    
    If you’ve paid attention to my mixes or when I used to do soul sets on my radio show, you know I’m a sucker for hard swinging soul instrumentals. I found this one listening back to some early Motown stuff early on in the year. Every time I heard this one, I want to do an anachronistic and over-the-top dance to it.
20. the National – Wasp Nest (mp3) (buy)
    
    I don’t know who or what pointed me this song midway through the year, but I quickly got the rest of the Cherry Tree EP and found myself wondering why didn’t anyone tell me this EP was so good?. I really like the interplay between the vocals and the shimmery instrumentation on this one.

[1] But not my last obsession of 2009. That would be “Prarie Night (Card Game at Night” from Aaron Copland’s Billy the Kid

–

Of possibly everything related to music that people rate, probably one of the most subjective is live performances. There’s so much besides the music that factors into the experience–what else happened that day, were you with friends or alone, what your expectations were, what the people standing near you were like–that one’s review sometimes not even up to the performers.

With that in mind, I present to you, in chronological order, very personal list of most memorable music moments from 2009.

• David Bazan @ house show, Berkeley (2/18)
  I saw two of Bazan’s house shows this year but this was easily the better. Attentively sitting on someone’s living room floor, about thirty big-time Bazan fans watched him perform without amplification a few feet away. The music was great, the between-song conversation was good, the crowd was awesome–there wouldn’t be a lot of ways to make this show better.



• Yoni Wolf @ Apple Store (2/28)
  I hadn’t much considered Why? before this. This show with the frontman and an electric piano changed that somewhat. But what is most memorable about this performance was the once-off cover of “This is the Day.” I remember the hymn from church growing up but Wolf’s version that day was dark and haunting and still sticks with me.



• Les Savy Fav @ the Mezzanine, San Francisco (3/1)
  I’d heard many stories about the antics of Les Savy Fav live show and, in particular, frontman Tim Harrington’s antics. This show did not disappoint whatsoever. Harrington came out covered in toilet paper but quickly stripped down to his shorts. Before the night was up he spit beer into the crowd, licked the lens of the photographer standing next to me and ducked taped a girl to him. In between all of this, he managed to sing some songs.



• The Rural Alberta Advantage @ Central Presbyterian, Austin (3/19); @ Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco (7/9)
  Two very different shows but both very memorable. At the Central Presbyterian show during SxSW, I saw the band completely win over an audience of people largely unfamiliar with their music. They were on top form and I had chills for about half the show. When the finished the show acoustically in the main aisle of the church, I was in awe like everyone around me. The Bottom of the Hill show was the last Ipickmynose Presents show and it was a rousing success. Two days after their debut album came out to much acclaim, the band seemed to still be surprised by their success and performed a fantastic show.



• The Tallest Man on Earth @ the Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco (3/25)
  I’d been obsessing about Shallow Grave for months leading up to this show, which was just a week after I’d seen the Swede, Kristian Matsson, at SxSW. This show was more noteworthy than the SxSW in that this performance was just perfect. Matsson has a way of performing that is just as much about movement as it is about music. He sits during the slow beginning of a song and then stands moves fluidly to the front of the stage and looks out into the audience. After this show nearly everyone I talked to said they thought he was looking right at them, bringing the performance to each audience member in a way few artists do.



• Damien Jurado @ Bottom of the Hill, San Francisco (5/5)
  I’ve seen Jurado perform about six or seven times now, but this show seemed to have what would have been my hand-picked setlist of favorites performed with intensity. In his first four songs were “Ghost of David”, “Medication” and “Ohio” and I knew it would be a good night.



• Iron & Wine @ Swedish America Hall, San Francisco (5/7)
  I’d seen Iron & Wine a few times, including one magical time in 2004 at the Great American Music Hall, but even that time wasn’t at a venue as small as the Swedish American. Maybe this show stuck with me because his setlist, chosen by fans on his website, was filled with nostalgic favorites. Maybe it was because the Swedish American has great acoustics for solo shows. Maybe it was just a great performance.



• Or, the Whale @ the Independent, San Francisco (6/6)
  I love Or, the Whale and this show was good, but the experience here wasn’t about the music (which was great as always). Two months before I was to leave for South Africa, the experience was noteworthy because every time I turned around there was a friend of mine or someone I wanted to talk to. It was a blast and I went home thinking I might be making a mistake moving away.



• John Vanderslice @ Secret House Show, San Francisco (7/25)
  I’m still not sure how this all came together but my going away party in San Francisco was a secret show by John Vanderslice in my apartment to me and thirty of my friends. Completely without amplification, JV was accompanied by Jamie Riotta on upright bass and vocals. My cheeks hurt from grinning so much. It was utterly spellbinding and will probably go down as one of my most memorable music experiences in my entire life.

White Plains from ipickmynose on Vimeo.

• “Oh How I’d Miss You” @ my apartment, San Francisco (7/25)
  Following JV’s performance, I played a killer soul playlist with this Marvin Gaye/ Tammi Terrell number on it. After people trickled out, my lady friend and I spontaneously danced in an empty living room to this song. But, given that I was leaving the country a week later, the lyrics were a bit too topical and near the end of the song I looked up to see her crying.
• Sangoma Ceremony @ private home, Khayelitsha, South Africa (8/15)
  Saying yes to a series of opportunities led me to be in a tiny tin-sided house off a dirt path in a township outside Cape Town. A new sangoma (sometimes translated as ‘witch doctor’) was being initiated and there was much dancing, singing and clapping among the couple dozen people packed into the house. It was an experience that few outsiders get to have.



• Zulu hymns @ small church, Ingwavuma (9/6)
  This church is at the end of the road, literally. The tar road ends about 2km before it and the dirt road ends right at it. A few hundred meters father, the hill drops off steeply into Swaziland. The hymns during the actual service were sung in both Zulu and English but were largely not noteworthy. While I was sitting waiting for the service to begin, though, women scattered around the room spontaneously and seemingly without coordination started the most beautiful hymns I’d ever heard. Four part harmony filled the room. It was baking hot in that room and I still had chills.

–

What have been your most memorable music moments this year?

This blog started because friends would ask me what I was listening to so I just started keeping track online. Well, more often than that, I would get psyched about a band and email a bunch of friends about them. I haven’t been exposed to as much new music lately, but I did have an experience reminiscent of that recently with Portland’s A Weather (myspace).

Their whispery and often breathtakingly gorgeous folk reminds me of P:ano’s magnificent debut When It’s Dark and It’s Summer (previously). Both their album Cove and the EP Feather Test are really solid and worth checking out. Their music is reminiscent of a fair amount of music I’ve heard before but that’s not to say it doesn’t stand on it’s own.

A Weather – Spiders, Snakes (mp3)

A Weather – Oh My Stars (mp3)

You can buy Cove (and their previous EP) at amazon. Slowcoustic has a lovely tune by A Weather’s Sarah Winchester along with some A Weather tunes.

“Wow” “…wow. That was … great.”

I was backstage at the Bottom of the Hill for the ipickmynose presents show with the Rural Alberta Advantage. It was just me, Nils and a guy named Travis from KALX–Amy and Paul had gone back to their hotel to change. Travis had asked Nils to do a quick acoustic song to accompany the interview they just did and after a brief misstart Nils stunned me with a version of “In the Summertime.” He finished and after a long pause I could barely choke out a compliment.

the Rural Alberta Advantage – In the Summertime (acoustic) (mp3, for KALX)

If you like this you should also check out the solo piano version of the song on the RAA’s daytrotter session. And, of course, I highly recommend buying the original version if you don’t have it yet.

Nils from the Rural Alberta Advantage at the Bottom of the Hill

One may wonder how I’m so lucky. I often wonder the same thing. A great going away party has all your friends, plenty of good conversation, and maybe some beer if you’re into that sort of thing. Add to that an intimate, acoustic performance by one of your favorite musicians and it’s really hard to describe how amazing the outcome is.

John Vanderslice (myspace) did just that for my going away part. He and Jamie Riotto (on upright bass) played about an hour with no mics or amplification whatsoever. The gathered audience, sitting on the floor of my cleared out Mission apartment, was entranced. There was hardly a sound except for thunderous applause and “woos!” after each and every song. Figuring that the effect of having this show in my own apartment and for me had skewed my perspective, I said to a number of people afterwards “that was pretty good, right?” Every single one of them corrected me: “No, that was amazing.”

Thanks, JV, for making it a wonderful evening an unforgettable one. And if you were in the audience, thanks for coming. These videos and photos don’t do it justice, but they’re something I’d like to share here anyway.

Romanian Names from ipickmynose on Vimeo.

White Plains from ipickmynose on Vimeo.

Lucifer Rising, by John Vanderslice from ipickmynose on Vimeo.

I have a signed set list among my prized possessions but unfortunately I don’t have a scan of it handy. I will add it to this page eventually.

JV, by the way, has a new 7″ coming out with “Too Much Time” on it. You can get it from Dead Oceans. They’ve also posted a demo version of the song, which is flippin great:

John Vanderslice – Too Much Time (demo) (mp3)

colo(u)rful houses in Bo Kaap

I quite like this Alberta Cross song. The whole album is good, too, though I don’t love every song.
Alberta Cross – Low Man (mp3)

Volcano Choir is a side project of Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. This track was not what I expected, but it’s quite catchy/ good. And Justin’s vocals are wonderful as always.
Volcano Choir – Island, IS (mp3)

Soul Sides has been posting some fantastic stuff lately and you’d be remiss to not check it out. Bobby Freeman’s “Good Good Lovin’” is a classic blues-based, Motown-sound track with a hard driving sax part. They posted two tracks by the Metros and both are excellent soul tracks, but I like the dark, swaggering “Since I Found My Baby” better.

They also posted these oh-those-are-funny videos of Lushlife doing acoustic covers of classic hip hop tunes. They are so funny, until you realize they’re actually quite compelling. For example, this Jay Z cover:

I definitely am going to keep my eye out for Mayer Hawthorne after a few tracks of his I heard recently. Grab the breezy, oldies- and Motown-inspired “Your Easy Lovin’ Ain’t Pleasin’ Nothin’” at MBV.

I don’t know much about Monogrenade but I quite like folky The Acorn-reminiscent track “Ce Soir” that Anyone’s Guess posted.

The B-side of the Very Best 7″, “Yalira”, available here, is beautiful and worth the listen.

I’ve been listening to the Frightened Rabbit Daytrotter session a lot. The featured version of “My Backwards Walk” is great.

And, finally, if I’m posting, I feel it’s my duty to mention the great KevvyKev’s (one of KZSU’s own) 25th anniversary Bang the Drum concert with 25 DJs and 25 MCs. It’s definitely another impressive line up. Check out all the details.

boats in Kalk Bay, False Bay

So the month is up. I sit here with my bags packed, an empty apartment now across town and a boarding pass ready to be printed. This is it, the end of ipickmynose as we know it. What that actually means is yet to be seen, but I know I’m taking a break and if I come back, I’m not going to be blogging all the time.

I’m proud of what I’ve done here. 1137 posts over 860 days. But more than the numbers, I think I’ve written good stuff–though I still wouldn’t claim to be a “writer”–and championed plenty of bands that ought to be championed. I’m proud that I never put advertising on this site. It’s always been a labor of love and both a time and money sink, but I wouldn’t have done it if I didn’t like doing it. It’s certainly been a fun pursuit.

I really have a lot of people I’d like to thank for help and support. Dave for kickass design work on posters for ipickmynose presents shows and other stuff for the site. Andy for introducing me to rad bands, making KZSU live mp3s sound better, and telling me when I was getting too full of myself as a blogger. Liz for being my unofficial editor and for being possibly my first reader. Smurph, for engineering all those KZSU sessions. All the song obsession panelists, especially Keith, my college radio hero. All the bands that I’ve met and have been great and appreciative. Fellow bloggers, for the encouragement and for introducing me to great bands, especially Will of New & Used Records, Ben, Christian and Emily of the Bay Bridged, Nick of Monosyllabic/ albondigas!, Scott of Anyone’s Guess, Oz of Hearya, Natalie of It’s Too Sunny Out Here, and Smansmith of Slowcoustic. Largehearted boy, Chromewaves and Gorilla v Bear for something aspire to.

I’d like to thank you, the readers. When I decided to branch off my music writing from my personal blog to a separate music blog, there was the implicit acknowledgment that I was writing for more than just myself. Initially I thought it would just be some friends and things and I’m still tickled that people who don’t know me read this. So thanks for that.

I’m not disappearing entirely of course. There will be things of mine on the internet that will still be around if you want to keep track of me:

• personal blog
• photo blog
• twitter
• last.fm

Anyway, keep ipickmynose in your RSS readers or check back in occasionally. Who knows what the future will bring?

The Miracles – What’s So Good About Good Bye (mp3) (buy)

Starting with an impromptu invitation to John Vanderslice four years ago, I hosted a string of a dozen and an half bands on KZSU, including some of my favorite local bands. I’ve decided to compile some of my favorite songs from those sessions into a digital album that I’m offering here for free. I’m really excited about this and I hope you enjoy it half as much as I am.

The download includes mp3s of all the songs, the album art as a jpg and a special cut-out version of the album art* as a pdf that you can use to create your own album sleeve if you want to burn album to disc.

IPMN KZSU: the Ipickmynose sessions (zip file, mediafire link)

Here’s the tracklist:

1. Joe Pug – Call It What You Will [recorded 11.20.2008]
2. The Dodos – Fools [recorded 7.11.2007]
3. The Ian Fays – Lemon Tree [recorded 5.28.2008]
4. John Vanderslice – Dear Sarah Shu [recorded 8.25.2005]
5. The Botticellis – Betrayed [recorded 5.14.2008]
6. Beatbeat Whisper – Lulu [recorded 6.6.2007]
7. The Light Footwork – Exit Row [recorded 12.13.2006]
8. Two Sheds – You [recorded 5.21.2008]
9. John Vanderslice – Dead Slate Pacific [recorded 7.25.2007]
10. Geographer – Rushing In, Rushing Out [recorded 4.30.2008]
11. The Morning Benders – Loose Change [recorded 6.6.2007]
12. Or, the Whale – Crack a Smile [recorded 2.27.2008]
13. Toromiro – Last Couple [recorded 2.25.2009]
14. Winterbirds – Cold Hand Killer [recorded 8.20.2008]

Special thanks to: the bands, of course, for playing great sessions and creating some special music. To Smurph for engineering the sessions. To Andy and Dave for helping get together the album and make it much better than what it was in raw form.

* Astute observers will realize this album sleeve idea is influenced by the One AM Radio’s An Assembly CDr EP, which I recommend you download as well.

–

Adrian (me):
John Vanderslice – Dead Slate Pacific (mp3) (buy)

I’ve had various versions of this song running through my head for the last week. I’m not sure what has kept it stuck in my head–the Pacific isn’t even the ocean I’m flying over in a few days–other than it is a gorgeous song.

–

Keith:
A Girl Called Eddy – The Long Goodbye (mp3) (buy)

For my money no female singer in recent memory does pain, longing and regret like Erin Moran of A Girl Called Eddy. We’ll miss you Adrian!

–

Yup, this blog is going on hold very shortly, so this will be the last song obsession post.

–

Overview

Concert photography, particularly that in small clubs, is its own beast. It shares some things in common with other types of photography, but it has its own concerns and problems.

Neither Natalie or Adrian claim to be the best concert photographer, but we’ve shot a few hundred shows between us and we’d like to share what we’ve learned.

Despite all the recommendations below, the best thing to do is to shoot a lot. Go to shows, bring your camera and just experiment and figure out works for you.

Equipment

The overwhelming limitation to concert photography is how dark most of the clubs and events are. This drives a lot of equipment choices.

Point and Shoot vs. film SLR vs DSLR

Point and Shoot
Point and Shoot cameras tend to have very small image sensors. In terms of concert photography, this translates into lots of noise at high ISO speeds (which are necessary for shooting in low-light situations). A little bit of noise is acceptable in an image; however, the amount of noise created by Natalie’s Canon SD1000 at ISO 800 and 1600 makes the photos essentially useless. In addition, most point and shoot cameras only allow for minimum (if any) control of shutter speed and aperture settings, which gets very frustrating very quickly. Another frustrating feature is the lag between pushing the shutter button and actually triggering the shutter – not great when trying to shoot a moving subject with a small depth of field.

Point and shoot cameras are also limited by their maximum aperture value (how big you can make the opening that lets light onto the sensor; to make this confusing, the smaller the aperture number, the larger the opening). This is incredibly important for concert photography, as there is usually not much available light, and you want to let as much in as possible.

That being said, some people have made point and shoot cameras work for concert photography, especially cameras such as the Canon G10, which allows you full manual control and the option to shoot in RAW instead of JPEG file format. And on the plus side, these cameras are allowed at most venues without requiring any sort of photo pass.

(by Natalie Kardos) Sigur Ros at Copley Symphony Hall, shot with a Canon SD1000 point and shoot – noise due to the high ISO can be seen in the dark parts of the image.

Film SLR
It’s possible to shoot concerts with a film SLR, but it can get expensive quickly. Film is getting more expensive as it’ss manufactured less and availability declines, and processing (especially for black and white film) is also fairly expensive these days. Shooting color film at a concert can also be tricky, given the uncertainty of lighting and the unpredictability of color tones if the film is push-processed. For an example of someone who shoots concerts with film (and does it quite well), see http://liveon35mm.wordpress.com/.

An additional concern with shooting on film is that high ISO film can be more expensive. Neopan 400, a fairly cheap film, pushes well to 1600 which could work in some brighter clubs, but be sure to tell whoever is processing it that it has been pushed.

DSLR
While it’s possible to shoot with a point-and-shoot or on film, both Natalie and Adrian shoot with DSLRs. While neither of us bought our cameras specifically for concert photography, we have found the flexibility of shooting options, lenses and quality of sensors work well for concert photography.

Lenses:

Pay special attention to lenses whether you’re buying detachable lenses for an SLR or as a part of a point and shoot camera. What’s the widest aperture? The lower the f stop, the more light it can let in and therefore the more appropriate it is for concert photography. Adrian buys all his lenses with at least f/2.8 widest aperture. Natalie owns two lenses for concert photography that are f/1.8 (only available on primes); when shooting festivals with a great distance between the stage and the photo pit, she rents a zoom lens with f/2.8 and image stabilization.

Prime vs Zoom
Prime lenses are generally cheaper (and better quality for the money) and available with much faster apertures than zoom lenses. Zoom lenses are more flexible. You may end up with some primes and some zooms in your kit. Natalie shoots almost entirely with prime lenses due to a limited budget. It does mean switching lenses sometimes in the middle of a rock show. But, as someone once told her, “the best zoom is your feet.”

(By Adrian Bischoff) Wide angle of I’m From Barcelona (cropped to a panorama)

Useful types of lenses

• (Super) Wide-angle
  When you’re close up of the stage, or any time you want to show more of the picture than just what’s directly in front of you, a wide or super wide angle lens is useful. Adrian uses a 20mm and has recently started using a 11-16mm as well. The wider the lens, the more it distorts, especially near the edge. This can be a fun effect. Another thing to consider is that a wide lens gives you a greater depth of field, even at wide-open apertures.


(by Adrian Bischoff) Jake Mann’s bass distorts when shot with a super wide angle lens.

• Normal
  A normal lens is one that shows you what your eye is seeing. It’s about a 50mm lens for a full frame sensor (or film) and about 35mm on a DSLR that crops. The 50mm f/1.8 prime lens is the first lens that Natalie recommends for concert photography. For it’s quality, it’s amazingly cheap – around $100 for the Canon or Nikon version.


(By Adrian Bischoff) Boubacar Diebate during SxSW 2008 taken with a normal lens

• Telephoto

  These are good for getting close up details of performers and for when you can’t get right up against the stage. When you’re standing more than about 10 feet back from the stage, this is really the difference between shots that look like just any old person shot them–half the frame is taken up by the people in front of you–and something more professional. A 80-200mm f/2.8 lens is a really heavy piece of machinery, but Adrian never goes to a concert without it if he plans on shooting that night. Natalie does not own a good telephoto lens for concerts. She’s had her eye on the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS (image stabilized) lens for quite awhile, but with a price tag of $1700, she rents it when she needs it – which is usually about twice a year. She also doesn’t mind being front and center for shows though (she’s often the only person standing in the 5 feet of “too cool” open space in front of the stage during shows).


(By Adrian Bischoff) Lykke Li at Bimbo’s, taken from about 40 feet away with a telephoto lens.

Technique

Don’t use flash unless you have an off-camera unit and you know what you’re doing with it. On-camera flash makes things look flat, washed out and unnatural. It also can throw large shadows on walls behind the performers, which can be incredibly distracting in the resulting image.

Even with an off-camera flash, a fair number of shows don’t allow flash photography, so you should be prepared to shoot without a flash either way.

Adrian sets his camera on its highest ISO (3200). Noise does start showing up at that ISO but it’s worth the trade off. In really dark situations, he’ll set the camera on continuous mode and he’ll shoot four or five photos in a row and hope the middle ones don’t show the shaking of his hands/ body. He’ll usually use spot metering the performer’s face.

Natalie shoots much the same way (spot metering, highest ISO – 1600 on her camera). A lot of times she will shoot in shutter-priority mode, with the shutter speed set to 1/80th or 1/60th of a second. This allows the camera to choose the aperture value based on available light. Usually it ends up at f/1.8, but this is a useful trick for shows with variable and unpredictable lighting. Of course, if the lighting is too unpredictable (like strobes) you may have to shoot in full manual. This can also happen if there is fog. Fog will also get in the way of auto-focusing systems, so be prepared to shoot with manual focus on occasion…

(By Natalie Kardos) Syl Johnson @ Eccentric Soul Revue, shot on shutter priority mode at 1/100 second. The resulting aperature was f/2.5

Aperture priority mode can be useful when shooting outside shows in daylight. A stopped-down aperture will increase your depth of field – something you usually want to avoid when shooting a stage crowded with instruments, musicians, microphones, cables, and amps. A smaller depth of field will help focus the attention of the viewer on the subject of the photo

As an aside, all of this so far assumes noise is bad. Some photographers have figured out how to make it work for them to great effect, particularly Charlie Homo.

RAW vs JPEG
This is a space vs quality trade off. If you shoot only JPEG, you can get hundreds of photos on a smallish card and not have to worry about running out. But shooting RAW has the big advantage that you can change white balance settings in post processing. Given the major problems with getting colors to look right at clubs, this can be a major advantage. Memory cards are cheap these days, so Natalie prefers to shoot in RAW format, even during all-day festivals. It does add time into post-processing though, because the RAW files, at the very least, need to be converted to JPEGs once you are done editing them.

Style

Style is largely up to the individual photographer.

Constant shots of a singer and his guitar and microphone framed in such a way that you see just a little of his guitar get a bit old after a while. The job of the concert photographer is to convey what it’s like to be at the show. What strikes you about the performance? Is the singer really giving it his all? Is the drummer nuts? Is the space amazing? Is the crowd really into it?

Here are some examples how these affect his photos. At the Fillmore, Adrian is often struck with the space and how the performer is a small part of something bigger. He’ll pull back and show the space.

(By Adrian Bischoff) Meric Long of the Dodos at the Independent

The Independent has great lights, especially certain combination with blue or green that set great moods.

A berserk drummer may inspire me to slow down my shutter speed a bit and get some motion in the photo. An enthusiastic crowd can inspire me to get photos of silhouetted raised fists against the backdrop of the performer. Adrian knows photographers that say they don’t enjoy the shows they shoot. He feels like he needs to be into the show to get good photos.

While being right up against the stage is often where Adrian will start out, after a few songs, he’ll often move back or to the sides. Finding new places to shoot bands from can be compelling for the end-viewer and invigorating for yourself. Can you get behind the band and show the audience’s reaction? Can you get upstairs or behind the mixing board?

(By Adrian Bischoff) Casey & Brian and the audience dancing at the Rickshaw Stop

(By Natalie Kardos) the crowd reacting to the Hold Steady during Coachella 2009

(By Adrian Bischoff) Bishop Allen and the mixing board at the Independent

But, let’s be honest, some of the best photos are just capturing that moment, that expression of a great performer:

(Adrian Bischoff) John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats, Noise Pop 2008

Processing and Editing

If you just want to adjust lighting and contrast, Picasa is free, quick and easy, but if you want to do anything more serious, Photoshop or Adobe Lightroom will probably be useful.

(by Adrian Bischoff) Laura Marling and her bass player–the color version was destroyed by the club’s all-red lightning that night. On the other hand, the black and white version is quite pleasant.

Sometimes in bad or unbalanced lighting situations, you can convert to b&w to save the photo.

Natalie uses Adobe Lightroom as a catalog for her photos and to do some photo tweaking. That being said, she does surprisingly little post-processing on her concert photos (as compared to other photos she takes). She tends to merely increase contrast, darken shadows, and fix white balance issues – which sometimes means resorting to black and white.

Logistics

Photo passes:
Some venues and bands don’t mind you bringing in any old camera and shooting till your heart’s content, but some don’t, so be sure to check with the venue. Even venues where they usually allow cameras will sometimes not allow them at the request of a band.

If it looks like a photo pass might be necessary, contact the band’s representative. The tour manager is often a good person to go through if you have their contact info. Otherwise, try the band’s press contact or label contact. Explain who you are, who you’re shooting for and what you want (a photo pass). Sometimes I’ll already have a ticket to a show and just need a photo pass (usually, they’ll assume you need a press ticket to the show as well if you’re asking for a photo pass); in these cases, let them know as it’s easier for them to give up a photo pass rather than a photo pass and a guest list spot.

A quick trick for press passes is that if the headliner being deluged with requests, try one of the openers. It’ll get you and your camera into the show all the same. But if you do this, it’s good practice to actually take photos of the band that got you into the show.

Festivals:

(By Natalie Kardos) Friendly Fires shot from the pit during the Coachella Festival, 2009.

Festivals are a whole different ballgame. Usually you need to apply for press credentials a month or more in advance. Connections (through a PR firm, a band, etc) definitely help with festivals.

Once you’re at the festival, you’ll find that the big stages will have a photo pit and different rules. You’ll often have three songs to get photos, so you have to work quickly. Often the main headliners will have separate releases or applications to shoot them.

Etiquette

Be aware of those around you. Don’t have your arms and camera up the whole show if it’s blocking the view of the person behind you.

At a show without a photo pit, if you want to be up against the stage, get there early. You don’t have some special right to be up against the stage. If you get there late, you can ask people to let you in front of them. Often if you say you’ll only be there for a couple of songs, they’ll let you in. Other times, they don’t want to give up their spot and you should respect that. Of course, you can just push in front of people, but that’s not very courteous.

If you’re in a photo pit, be courteous to other photographers; everyone’s got a job to do.

If the lighting at a small club is bad on a particular night, I’ve found it’s usually okay to politely ask the lighting guy to change it, even if it’s just for a couple songs.

Where to get tickets: The Independent, Great American Music Hall, Slim’s, Fillmore, Shoreline, and other Livenation venues, the Warfield. Another Planet booked venues like Greek Theatre @ Berkeley, Palace of Fine Arts, etc. Bimbo’s.

This is the last week of this series. Enjoy while you can.

On sale now/ Thursday July 30:
9/18 Sea Wolf @ Slim’s
9/26 Blowoff @ Slim’s

10/14 Great Lake Swimmers @ Great American
10/18 The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Depreciation Guild, Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Great American

On sale Friday July 31:
11/15 Playing For Change @ Palace of Fine Arts

On sale Saturday August 1:
9/3 Mos Def, Erykah Badu @ Davies Symphony Hall
9/19 Jack’s Mannequin, Placebo, The Gaslight Anthem, The Airborne Toxic Event, The Limousines @ Event Center at San Jose State University

10/17 Brother Ali, Evidence, Toki Wright, BK-One @ Slim’s

On sale Sunday August 2:
9/6 Wavves, Ganglians @ Rickshaw Stop
9/8 David Cook @ The Fillmore
9/9 GLAY @ The Fillmore
9/10 Brendan Benson @ Great American
9/12 Michael Franti @ the Fillmore
9/15 Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros, Fool’s Gold, Local Natives @ The Independent
9/24 Manic Street Preachers @ The Fillmore
9/25 Galactic @ The Fillmore
9/25 Fishbone, Living Colour @ the Regency Ballroom/ the Grand
9/25, 9/26 Tainted Love @ Bimbo’s
9/29 Crown City Rockers @ The Independent

10/2, 10/3, 10/4 Dark Star Orchestra @ the Fillmore
10/2 Collie Buddz and The New Kingston Band, Devin The Dude @ The Independent
10/3 Shinedown, Sick Puppies , Cavo and Adelitas Way @ The Regency Ballroom/ the Grand
10/5, 10/6 Billy Bragg @ Great American
10/6 The Cave Singers, Lightening Dust @ The Independent
10/9 A Hawk and A Hacksaw, Damon and Naomi @ the Independent
101/10 Buju Banton, The Shiloh Band and New Kidz @ The Regency Ballroom/ the Grand
10/10 Satyricon, Bleeding Through, Toxic Holocaust, ChthoniC @ Slim’s
10/10 Kyle Hollingsworth Band, Zach Gill @ The Independent
10/16 Wax Tailor @ Slim’s
10/17 Monsters of Folk @ Fox Theater
10/25 Gossip @ The Regency Ballroom/ the Grand
10/31 Swingin’ Utters, Throw Rag, Thee Merry Widows @ Slim’s

11/3 Atlas Sound, Broadcast @ Great American
11/5 Hanson, Hellogoodbye @ The Regency Ballroom/ the Grand
11/10 Over the Rhine @ Great American
11/30 The Vic Chesnutt Band @ Great American

–

Double check all information as venues and promoters often change on-sale times and days up until the last minute.

Originally, this was going to be a rant called What’s Wrong with the Music Blogosphere, but I thought I’d turn it into something a little more positive. If you’re interested in the technical aspects of how to run a music blog, I’m sure they’re covered elsewhere.

1. Create original content
   This is the most important thing here. What sets your blog apart if all you do is post mp3s that other people are posting with the same promo photo that everyone else is posting? Write interesting things about the music you like or shows you see. Take and post your own photos. Make original videos or post mp3s of exclusive sessions with bands. Do interesting interviews with bands. There are so many different ways you can create original content. Be, well, original.
2. Don’t do it for money or page views
   You’re not going to become rich or famous starting a music blog in all likelihood. You might make some pocket change from advertising or you might choose to do without ads, but the point is you should have a blog because you love music and want to share it. If you find yourself changing your blog just for the hits or posting something just because you think it’ll bring page views, reconsider.

   I think it’s okay to want more readers, but the way you get new readers and the way you get page views are different.

3. Respect artists
   We all do this because we love music and want to promote great artists, right? Posting full albums doesn’t help an artist. Posting without linking to where someone can buy the record or failing to inform readers of an upcoming live date when you post mp3s doesn’t hep the artist. And if an artist asks you to take down an mp3, do it politely.
4. Write the blog you want to read
   Don’t write the blog you think people want to read. Besides a few comments here and there, you probably won’t get a good idea of what most of your readers want to read, so just write what you think is good. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t ever listen to constructive criticism, just that you shouldn’t tailor your blog to something you think people want.
5. Have a singular vision
   I really think the biggest benefit of music blogs, besides being able to point readers directly to music (as mp3 or video), is that they can have a singular vision: a consistent opinion or taste. After reading a blog for a while, I’ll get to know what the writer’s taste is and how much trust I put in their opinion. For example, I know I should at least consider any band Frank at Chromewaves highlights. Does this mean I think you shouldn’t have co-writers? Not necessarily as it is possible for people to have similar enough tastes that the site still has a consistent taste, but few multi-writer sites achieve a singular vision. HearYa is one of the better ones at having multiple writers while having a consistent taste.
6. Know what you’re talking about
   No one is immune from mistakes and no one can known every band, but nothing makes me want to read a blog less than obvious factual mistakes or a gross lack of knowledge of bands.
7. Share news in limited quantities
   This is a tricky one and I know some people disagree with me on this, but I really think you can assume every music fan reads Pitchfork news, Brooklyn Vegan or Stereogum, so they know when Band Goes on Tour! or Band Reveals Album Art! Of course there are times when news is appropriate. That artist you love is doing a house concert in your area, tickets will sell out quickly and you haven’t anything about it elsewhere? Go for it. An alternative to posting a list of tour dates is to use the tour stop in your town to do a feature about the artist where you write about why they’re good.
8. Make your blog’s presence multi-faceted
   Promote live shows with bands you support, have bands into the studio, or have a radio show or podcast. I just think it’s more interesting than a straight-up mp3 blog.
9. Find your niche
   Whether it be a region or a genre or whatever, I think blogs with a more specific focus tend to be more interesting and have a more loyal readership. What could be a more narrow focus than digitized cassettes from one continent? But Awesome Tapes from Africa is incredible.
10. Ask for what you want
    There’s no point in wondering why another blogger got a press pass to an event or an interview with an artist if you didn’t even bother to ask for it. Do you want to do an exclusive session with a band? Ask for it. You might get rejected, but it’s worth a try.
11. Be mindful of hyperbole, but be enthusiastic
    Blogger hyperbole is almost a cliche at this point, so be weary of saying everything is the best ever. At the same time, no one wants to read emotionless chatter. Every time I hear someone talk about I am Fuel, You Are Friends, they say they love how enthusiastic Heather is in her writing.
12. There’s nothing wrong with criticism, but don’t spend all your time doing it
    I really think there’s value to honest criticism. If all you’re saying is that everything is incredible then the value of your praise becomes diminished. On the other hand, if all you’re doing is criticizing, you may come across as ornery or overly snarky.
13. What’s with all the redesigns?
    Especially in an era where a lot of people read their blogs in RSS readers, if your site is readable and fairly easy to navigate, there’s no reason to redesign it every six months. Spend your time creating content instead.
14. Figure out what to do when you get burnt out.
    If you post all the time, you’re probably going to get burnt out. Figuring out what works for you when you get burnt out is important. I tend to shift focus a bit, talking about types of music I like but don’t blog about a lot. For you it might be going through some old favorites or reviewing some out-there concert or who knows.

Agree? Disagree? Let me know why in the comments.

Soul Gospel 8:

• Shirley Ann Lee – There’s a Light (mp3) (buy)
  
  This one is so simple: guitar, steady rim hits and voice, but it also succeeds by making all those work together so well. Her voice has so much depth to it.
• The Wright Specials – Ninety-Nine and a Half Won’t Do (mp3) (buy)
  
  Who doesn’t love a real rouser? This is an soul song that’s been done by everyone from Diana Ross to Wilson Pickett to Creedence Clearwater Revival, but there’s something about the energy in this one.
• Sam Cooke – Were You There (mp3) (buy)
  
  I had to include a song that brought soul from the church context to the secular. “Touch the Hem of His Garment” is amazing, but this version of the traditional song can’t be missed. Sam’s voice is top notch here but so are the backup vocals.
• Trevor Dandy – Is There Any Love (mp3) (buy)
  
  I think repetitive songs are just fine if what is repeating is completely awesome. I love the beat and the vocals and apparently so does Kid Cudi.
• Aretha Franklin – People Get Ready (mp3) (buy)
  
  There are so many good versions of People Get Ready. I love the original by Curtis Mayfield/ the Impressions and the live version by the Chamber Brothers is great too, but between the sweet production and Aretha’s unsurpassed voice on this one, I had to pick it.
• Rev. Columbus Mann – They Shall Be Mine (mp3) (buy)
  
  Motown (often on their sub-labels) actually put out some gospel, including the Wright Specials track above and this one. This one is very straightforward, but it’s just a really good example of this style.
• Gospel Supremes – Sinner Man (mp3) (buy)
  
  From the first notes of this song, I feel like it’s running away and all I can do is hold on. There’s something untamed and uncontrolled about it.
• Universal Jubileers – Childhood Days (mp3) (buy)
  
  This is a great soul funk song with some sweet pop sensibilities that happens to be about Jesus. The music definitely reminds me of another song, but the vocals are all original.

Bonus: pre-soul gems:

• Sister Rosetta Tharpe - Didn’t It Rain (mp3) (buy)
  
  I feel like no discussion of soul gospel would be complete without bringing up Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who mixes blues, driving guitar and distinctive vocals with gospel songs.
• Rev. Sister Mary Nelson – Judgement (mp3) (buy)
  
  This is a pretty old gospel recording but you can definitely hear some stylistic elements that carry over into the soul gospel tunes above.

If you want to hear more and better selections of music like this, hope Deep Fried and Sanctified comes back on the air at KZSU.

This week there are a couple cool events with lots of good local bands.

Friday hols Regional Bias, the Bay Bridged’s benefit show, in store for us. Two bands that I always enjoy live are playing: French Miami and Or, the Whale. I’ve seen both of these bands in recent weeks (and many times in the past) and they both put on excellent shows. John Vanderslice is also DJing. Tickets are $15-$30 if you buy now, or $20-$30 at the show.

(Incidentally, Or, the Whale have a new album coming out in September and they have three of the new songs streaming on their myspace page. Also this video/ mp3 session by Luxury Wafers is worth checking out. )

Or, the Whale – Prayer for the Road (live) (mp3, Luxury Wafer session)

7/31 French Miami; Or, the Whale @ Verdi Club, 7:30pm, $15-$30, 21+

French Miami @ SxSW

On Saturday you can go to Dork Fest at Cafe du Nord. Though I thoroughly disagree with the premise of the event (”Looking out across the cultural landscape of San Francisco there appears a disheartening absence.”) I still think it’ll be a good show. French Miami are also performing at this show, along with the Heavenly States and Railcars who I’ve been meaning to see–I’m intrigued by their experimental rock.

8/1 the Heavenly States, French Miami, Railcars @ Cafe du Nord, 7:30pm, $12, 21+

–

Adrian (me):
Bookmiller Shannon – Buffalo Gals (mp3) (buy)

My head is so skittish with all the things related to my upcoming move going through it that nothing stays in it very long. But the other side to the move is finally ripping a lot of stuff I’d let fall by the wayside, including this excellent (really truly excellent, not just some blogger hyperbole) volume of the Alan Lomax Southern Journey series. I was listening through it the other day and this 57 second gem of a banjo track really stuck out. It’s so compelling in its combination of frantic playing and beautiful melody.

–

Keith:
Lilofee – Lock & Key (mp3) (free with purchase @ insound)

Well if you enjoy electro-pop songs with narrators that overtly taunt the listener we’ve got a discovery here. I especially enjoy how the singer layers on a few extra unsettling details after the “watcha gonna do?” line, yet leaves the eventual conclusion of the scenario to our imagination. Considering the balance of the lyrics are a dissertation on the sexual mores of today’s youth I have a feeling plenty of research was done before positing their findings in song form.

–

Dave:
Chad Vangaalen – Clinically Dead (mp3) (buy)

It’s catchy. I mean, it starts off with a great hook and a nice beat. The chorus is the kicker though, I love the fuzzed out keys (or whatever it is). It’s also short, which always adds to obsessibility(sp?).

–

Where to get tickets: The Independent, Great American Music Hall, Slim’s, Fillmore, Shoreline, and other Livenation venues, the Warfield. Another Planet booked venues like Greek Theatre @ Berkeley, Palace of Fine Arts, etc. Bimbo’s.

On sale now/ Thursday July 23:
8/13 Slowfinger, Orchid, Nylon Heart Attack @ Slim’s
8/17 Dickey Betts & Great Southern @ Slim’s
8/28 Hammers of Misfortune, Ludicra, Amber Asylum @ Great American

On sale Friday July 24:
10/29 Joshua Radin @ Great American

11/9 The Raveonettes @ Bimbo’s

On sale Sunday July 26:
8/17 Third Eye Blind @ Fox Theater
8/28 Marilyn Manson @ The Warfield

9/3 Brave Combo, The Pine Box Boys @ Slim’s
9/4 Mew @ The Independent
9/9 Cass McCombs, The Papercuts, Girls @ Great American
9/16 Arctic Monkeys @ Fox Theater
9/17 Phoenix, The Soft Pack @ The Warfield
9/18 Method of Defiance @ the Regency Ballroom/ the Grand
9/23 Dance Gavin Dance, Emarosa, Of Mice & Men, Tides of Man @ Slim’s
9/23 Revolting Cocks @ The Fillmore
9/24 OM, Lichens @ The Independent
9/24 The B-52s @ The Regency Ballroom/ the Grand
9/25 Billy Talent, AM Taxi @ Slim’s
9/25 Kid Koala, Adira @ The Independent
9/27 Blitzen Trapper @ The Independent

10/11 Dolores O’Riordan, Jeremy Lister @ Great American
10/15, 10/16 The David Bromberg Big Band @ Great American
10/17 Why?, Mount Eerie, Au, Serengetti & Polyphonic @ Great American
10/22 Echo & The Bunnymen @ Fox Theater

1/30/10 Nile @ Slim’s
–

Double check all information as venues and promoters often change on-sale times and days up until the last minute.

At some point when I was in elementary I heard the March of the Toreadors from the Carmen Suite and I wanted to hear it again. The next Sunday, when WQED had an all-request program, I requested it. My dad sat by the radio all afternoon–knowing him he probably didn’t even go to the bathroom–until it came on and he taped it for me.

I listened to that tape a lot.

Cincinnati Pops Orchestra – Bizet: Carmen Suite 1: The Toreadors (mp3)

This is the first song I can remember being obsessed with.

You can buy the track at amazon.

I don’t think I was the only Pedro the Lion fan that was a bit disappointed with Achilles Heel. There are some good songs on it (”Start Without Me” for instance), but it just didn’t seem to fit together right to me.

And then there was the problem with “The Posion”. The album version is fine, but it’s just a song. On the otherhand, I’d heard the 7″ version that Bazan had put out on Ben Gibbard’s Bedside Recordings label. To make a bold claim, that version was not just a song. For a man that makes his name writing depressing songs, this may be among the best: a heart-wrenching song of a woman leaving the narrator because of his problems with alcohol.

David Bazan – the Poison Makes (mp3)

The Bedside Recordings 7″ sold out long ago, so I don’t think it’s available anywhere, but if you know, leave a link in the comments.

Andrew Kenny of the Wooden Birds (and American Analog Set) by Adrian Bischoff

Greg Barkley of Oh No! Oh My! by Adrian Bischoff

the Rural Alberta Advantage by Adrian Bischoff

Tony Dekker of Great Lake Swimmers by Adrian Bischoff