Video Premiere: Pretty Little Empire’s ‘All I Know’

Pretty Little Empire - "All I Know" Video

Video still by Joseph Fitzgerald

Pretty Little Empire is a force in the St. Louis music scene. The affable quartet’s sophomore release “Reasons and Rooms” was one of the best locally-produced records of 2010, and their inspired, rock-solid live sets have only been getting better over time, with no bound in sight.

The band is currently hard at work on LP number three, with recording taking place at Cherokee Street’s Native Sound studio. While we wait to hear what they’re cooking up, perched at the edge of the seat, they have been kind enough to temper our thirst by releasing a video for their non-album cut “All I Know.” The song has been a staple of their live shows and was released in 2011 on the “STL LOUD Vol. 2″ compilation.

This burning, mysterious track is a keeper, and it gets proper visual treatment thanks to a few of the band’s talented friends. I recommend that you experience it with headphones on, video set to full screen.

Posted by | February 3, 2012 | Local, News, Video/Film | Comment 

‘I feel sort of different everywhere I go’ An interview with Samantha Crain

Samantha Crain at Off Broadway

Kate McDaniel

Samantha Crain is a traveling soul. Whether touring with her band the Midnight Shivers or lending her voice to another band’s recording (Small Houses, Night Reports), Crain will most likely be passing through your town.

Blending folk and indie rock, Crain’s music is made for taking on the road. I caught up with her as she was preparing for a state-side and international tour. We talked about her new John Vanderslice-produced release “A Simple Jungle,” vinyl records, her penchant for name dropping towns and other topics.

Matt Stuttler: What are you looking forward to on your upcoming international tour?

Samantha Crain: I’m only going to be over [in Europe] for about a week. I’m revisiting a lot of cities I went to back in November, but I am looking forward to playing in Paris. I’ve never played in Paris before. Also, I’m opening for a band that I’ve toured with before called First Aid Kit. They’re good friends of mine, so it’ll be priceless to spend some time with them, kind of hang out with them.

You’re playing at Off Broadway next week. Have you played there in the past?

Yeah, probably five or six times I think. We usually play at Off Broadway when we come through St. Louis. It’s a great venue. We’ve always been treated really well. It’s a nice size and a good sound. I like playing there.

What’s been your favorite St. Louis show you’ve played?

One of the most unique ones I can think of is last winter. We opened for Langhorne Slim and Bobby Bare Jr. It was such a cloudy night because our car had broken down on the way in, actually. We were trying to get towed into St. Louis. We had someone come pick us up, and we literally rushed into the venue and straight on to the stage and started playing. The night was really crazy, but it ended up being a really fun show. We couldn’t even get the whole band up on stage because we got there so late, but it was me and this guy that plays fiddle with me. Everyone seemed to like it and was really generous that we were kind of doing things different because of the circumstances.

You just released a 7 inch called “A Simple Jungle” a little over a week ago produced by John Vanderslice. What was it like working with him?

It was really great. He’s actually probably the nicest person on the planet. (Laughs) If you can’t get along with John, something’s probably wrong with you. I can’t imagine anyone not being able to get along with him. He really is kind of a genius as far as like analogue recording goes. There’s not a computer [for recording] in his studio. Everything is done analogue tape and he really knows what he’s doing with that. He’s got a studio out in San Francisco called Tiny Telephone. A lot of really great bands have recorded there. He’s like a complete joy to work with. We’re actually going to do the next full length with him producing. We’re kind of in talks about when we’re going to do that so it’ll probably be recorded this summer. We liked the project so much we just wanted to work with him again so he’ll be producing the full length too.

So you released “A Simple Jungle” online and as a 7″. Why did you decide to release it on vinyl?

I really wanted to do a 7″. That was the whole point of doing it. That was the point of the two songs, I wanted them to be released on a 7″ vinyl.

On the topic of vinyl, what’s your own personal favorite record?

I probably have kind of a tie. The two that get played the most at my house are “Déjà Vu” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and the Paul Simon self-titled record.

Why did you name the release “A Simple Jungle”?

It’s a combination of the two names of the songs that are on the 7″. A lot of times when a single comes out, the name of the single is just the name of the side-A song. When I was doing the 7″, I didn’t necessarily think one song was more important than the other. We liked both of them a lot so instead of naming it the song that was side-A we just named it a combination of the two songs. Side A is a song called “It’s Simple” and then side-B is a song called “Cadwell Jungle.”

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Posted by | January 23, 2012 | Interviews, Music | Comment 

Concert review: The Civil Wars and the Staves charm the Pageant, Sunday, January 15

Nate Burrell

The Pageant may not be the ideal space for musical duos and trios with stripped down acoustic arrangements, but last night’s Civil Wars show proved that even a bigger venue can be transformed into a setting for an intimate musical experience.

Part of this was due to the type of fans drawn to the Civil Wars. The sold-out crowd for this KDHX-welcomed show seemed to connect with the music in close personal ways, enthusiastically embracing the musicians and their work. Building these types of relationships with the music imparts the live setting with a palpable energy even when the majority of the music is of the quieter variety. Although both groups work on a small scale utilizing simple arrangements of guitar, ukulele and piano, their vocal dynamism and strength kept opening act the Staves and especially the Civil Wars from becoming overwhelmed by the space.

The Staves are a charming trio of British sisters with a lovely knack for vocal harmony. It is decidedly difficult to not be wholly enchanted by Emily, Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor. Just one week into their first tour in the States, the group is unabashedly excited to be in the country playing alongside the Civil Wars. Between the soft beauty of their gently moving music and their humorous observations of American regional vocabulary, the Staves were immensely entertaining and proved to be a perfect complement to both the music and on stage repartee of the headliners.

Working in a fairly traditional vein of folk rock, the Staves bring captivating warmth to their music. Songs build around the interplay of the three singers voices with basic but pretty guitar and ukulele accompaniment. There is a touch of whimsy to their music which elevates what also seems to be work deeply rooted in the personal. There is something very satisfying about watching three singers interact on stage to produce beautiful harmonies which you can only experience in concert. Highlights from the set include “Mexico” and “Icarus,” both songs from their new EP, “Mexico.” I think it is safe to say the Staves gained quite a St. Louis following last night.

Setting the stage with delicate vocal work and thoughtful narrative pieces the openers made it easy for the Civil Wars to plug directly into the emotional engagement of a crowd that was ready to bask in the aching beauty of Joy Williams and John Paul White’s music. The group themselves seemed a little surprised at the eager response. Coming out of Nashville, the group straddles the line between country and folk with a little bluesy kick thrown in for good measure. Together for just under a couple of years the Civil Wars are enjoying a fair amount of popularity and watching them live it is not hard to see why.

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Posted by | January 16, 2012 | Concerts | Comment 

Will Kyle’s top 10 albums and songs of 2011 (loud, quiet and lyrical edition)

Fleet Foxes. Photo by Dustin Winter.

Here’s my list of top 10 favorite albums and favorite songs of 2011. Enjoy and happy new year!

Top 10 albums of 2011

10. James Blake – “James Blake”

This 22-year-old British singer/songwriter broke out with a Feist cover, and on his first feature length offers up dark takes on dubstep and re-imagines R&B to ridiculous and infectious effect.

9. PJ Harvey – “Let England Shake”

Political? Yes. Painful? Most certainly. Beautiful? Without a doubt. PJ Harvey’s newest employs autoharp, tripped-out vocals, a one-of-a-kind lyrical sensibility and delivery that always surprises fans.

8. Lykke Li – “Wounded Rhymes”

Lykke Li goes for a bigger sound, and in doing so creates a record that runs the gamut of emotion. “Youth Knows No Pain” buoys listeners, and the quiet “Unrequited Love” realizes melancholy with surfer guitar. Produced by Björn Yttling, Li’s newest outing sounds like the Velvet Underground having a woozy dinner party with the Temptations.

7. Yuck – “Yuck”

Shoegaze at its finest. In a year with no new work from the Silversun Pickups, London’s Yuck delivers a refreshing disc of wall-of-sound riffage, breezy-dark melodies and euphoric hooks. Check out the twisted, horror-fused video for “Holing Out.”

6. Dodos – “No Color”

With syncopated drums and guitar strums falling like cascades of burly punches, “No Color” weds the melody of “Time To Die” to the unbridled power of “Visiter” with finesse. The new glossy production adds a shimmer previously unseen on Dodos records.

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Posted by | January 2, 2012 | Music | Comment 

Concert review: John Prine shines at the Touhill Performing Arts Center, Saturday, December 3

johnprine.net / Jim Shea

It’s been said before, but I don’t mind repeating it: John Prine is a national treasure.  
 
Since releasing his self-titled first album in 1971, Prine has penned so many great songs. Songs for and about the American everyman, the upbeat and the downtrodden; songs that have been recorded by everyone from Johnny Cash and Bette Midler to the Everly Brothers, Nanci Griffith and Bonnie Raitt.
 
Prine was in great form Saturday night as he took the stage before a near capacity crowd in the intimate confines of the Touhill Performing Arts Center. Backed up by Jason “Shorty” Wilber on guitar and David Jacques on bass, Prine and his band opened the show with great rendition of “Spanish Pipedream,” a song from that very first record. Just four songs into the set and the show was already worth the price of admission as the band tore through the wonderful anti-jingoistic anthem “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore.” A song he said was “so old, I forgot what war I wrote it about.”
 
With a 40 plus year career as a folk singer and songwriter, as well as a fairly recent battle with cancer behind him, Prine has obviously racked up some miles. But his well-worn voice is as warm as the weathered old Martin acoustic he pulled out early in the show. With a razor-sharp wit, wry sense of humor and an unapologetically sentimental streak, he will make you laugh as easily as he will break your heart.
 
Songs like “Dear Abby” showed off his goofy sense of humor at it’s finest, but then he quickly followed that with songs like “Hello in There,” a song about aging and empty nests that is surely one of the saddest in the world. But the audience can make him laugh, too. A crying baby joined in on “Six O’ Clock News,” punctuating the line about “Changing all them diapers.” Prine grinned broadly at the child’s appropriate vocal contribution, and continued the song. Oddly and thankfully enough the child remained quiet for the rest of the show.
 
The duo band was perfectly suited to the songs, with Wilber contributing lead and slide guitar and mandolin, and Jacques on the upright and occasional electric bass. Wilber contributed wonderful acoustic lead work, especially on a beautiful version of “Christmas in Prison.” At one point Prine even acknowledged his own declining guitar skills with a nod to Wilber as he said, “I used to be able to play like that.” But that’s okay. He left the fancier guitar playing to the younger man, instead providing a solid rhythm guitar backing to his songs. And his voice is still, without question, a most capable instrument; he demonstrated just that as the rest of the band left the stage about midway through the show. 
 
Beginning with “Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone,” Prine performed six songs at his best: just the man himself and an acoustic guitar, proving just how formidable a man and a Martin can be. The band rejoined him onstage at the end of “Sam Stone” and then launched into “Bear Creek Blues” and “Lake Marie,” songs that gave the band some space to stretch out and groove.
 
Opening the show was Jason Isbell, formerly of Drive-By Truckers, who also showed how formidable a man with a Martin can be. He performed a short but earnest set, highlighted by polished guitar picking. Like John Prine, he sang songs about his contemporaries, beaten down by economic iniquities and this generation’s round of wars.

After an encore of “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,” Isbell joined Prine and band on stage to close the show with a raucous version of that classic song about Muhlenberg County and Mr. Peabody’s coal train, “Paradise.”   
 
From the political to the amusing, the poignant to the absurd, his songs are as relevant as ever. And while he has never been as widely known to the general public as he has been beloved by critics and his fellow musicians, John Prine is certainly one treasure his fans are happy to share.

John Prine set list:

Spanish Pipedream
Picture Show
Humidity Built the Snowman
Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore
Six O’clock News
Souvenirs
Grandpa Was a Carpenter
Storm Windows
Christmas in Prison
Fish and Whistle
Crazy as a Loon
Glory of True Love
Angel From Montgomery

Solo set:
Sabu Visits the Twin Cities Alone
Bruised Orange (Chain of Sorrow)
That’s The Way That the World Goes ‘Round
Dear Abby
Mexican Home
Sam Stone

Bear Creek Blues
Ain’t Hurtin’ Nobody
Hello in There
Lake Marie

Encore:
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Paradise (with Jason Isbell)

Posted by | December 4, 2011 | Concerts | Comment 

Discovery: The Gallerist delivers ‘Yesterday’s News Today’

The Gallerist

facebook.com/thegalleristband

Here’s a song for a grey and windy November day.

Recorded on an island off the coast of Maine, and written and sung by Boston native Mike Collins, aka the Gallerist, it’s a simple, archetypal, folk tune demo — the circuits buzz, the guitar picks and hammers on, brushed snare and bass shuffle forward: nothing extraneous here — phrased with quotidian loneliness but also a sense of sweetness in just hoping for the best — inner and outer weather be damned.

The Gallerist recently released an EP called “A Falling Waltz.” You can hear the whole thing at Bandcamp. Recommended for fans of the Low Anthem or the Bowerbirds, or if you’re just looking for a new songwriter in the Prine/Brown tradition.

Yesterdays News Today (Island Version) by TheGallerist

Posted by | November 14, 2011 | Music | Comment 

‘I love it all’ An interview with Darrell Scott

Darrell Scott by Rodney Bursiel

Rodney Bursiel

There are no easy labels for Darrell Scott. In his career he’s been a first-call session musician in Nashville, a songwriter, performer, collaborator and producer — and he recently toured with Robert Plant as part of his Band of Joy.

In Scott’s world, it’s not that he’s all over the map, but rather it’s just a very big map. In the end, as he discussed with me on the phone from his home in Nashville, whatever it is that he’s doing or wherever he is, it’s all music.

Glen Herbert: What’s the new project, and when is it coming out?

Darrell Scott: I’ve got a new record coming out in January called “Long Ride Home.”

How does it differ from the other things you’ve done?

This one in terms of style is very country. Still singer-songwriter oriented, I’ve written all the songs, but if someone were to hear it they’d probably know within the first 10 seconds that this is old-style country.

This is country music from my childhood basically. In my band for that [album] was a guy named Pig Robbins on piano. His first hit that he played on was 1961, George Jones, a song called “White Lightning.” And Pig has just been a central piano player for the next 30 years after that, I would say. And so when I wanted to make this record, sort of an old country sounding record, I simply hired some of the people who played on old country back when it was old country. Pig was one of those. And a guy named Lloyd Green on pedal steel. I used upright bass, which is the old sound of country music, as opposed to an electric bass.

I tend to make records that have a sonic kind of theme, for example on this one old country music would be the theme, or other records that have a subject matter of a theme, like “A Crooked Road,” a double CD that to me was based on the idea of how did I get here. So that becomes a subject, a theme that will try to hold the record together.

So that’s the musical theme on that one. On “A Crooked Road” it was looking at 30 years of relationships, just somehow taking off on this road of chasing love and marriage and romance and all this stuff. Thirty years of it and being a 50-year-old man. And that’s the other thing — I turned 50 while I made the record — and somehow that seems significant as it related to the subject, looking at this crooked road of me chasing love and relationships. So it just seemed like, OK, this is a record for me to play everything on it. Because it’s such a personal note and a personal view. I’ve always wanted to make a record where I played everything, anyway. And so I just went ahead and did that. And it seemed the appropriate record to go ahead and do that.

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Posted by | November 10, 2011 | Interviews, Music | Comment 

‘You’re drawn to it and it’s for real’ An interview with Jay Farrar

Jay Farrar by Spring Waugh

Spring Waugh

Whether he realizes it or not, Jay Farrar, much like the afternoon sunlight in fall, casts a long shadow over the St. Louis music scene. As a member of the Belleville, Ill. based trio Uncle Tupelo and later fronting Son Volt, Farrar has left his mark on music listeners of his generation with his mix of rock, punk, country, folk and blues.

Recently, Farrar and I sat down for a pint of Guinness at McGurk’s in Soulard to talk about his solo tour this fall, recent recording projects, his schedule for next year and how he’s learning to play pedal steel guitar.

Scott Allen: As someone who lives in St. Louis, what are your top three things to enjoy in the city? Food, museums, parks?

Jay Farrar: On a sad note, the City Museum is one of the places where anybody that comes to town I tell them you’ve got to go there. This place is unique. I was saddened to hear that Bob Cassilly passed away. McGurk’s is up there on the list. It’s better than the venerable New York bar, McSorley’s. Number three, I have two kids so I go to a lot of soccer games. If you want to know where the best cheese nachos are just ask me.

Any local St. Louis bands you have taken a liking to or seen out and about?

Yeah. Colonel Ford. Among other things that’s how I’ve been filling my time — learning to play the pedal steel guitar. I’m playing out with Colonel Ford occasionally. There’s sort of a revolving cast of characters. Occasionally they need an extra guy.

You weren’t there, but I caught them opening up for Pokey LaFarge and the South City Three at Off Broadway just recently. They were pretty impressed by the crowd that came out and how invigorating the whole night was. Gary [Hunt] and Dade [Farrar] seemed pretty excited from the stage by the energy in the room. It was blazing hot in there, but it was fun. You’re playing a series of solo dates this fall with guitarist Gary Hunt. Are you moving back to being a solo artist or just playing some solo dates to fill the time and keep the juices flowing?

Just playing some solo dates to keep busy. Over the last six months I’ve been writing songs and did finally record another record that’s done so I’m just kind of waiting for that to come out next year. Also, I have another with three other guys: Anders Parker, Will Johnson from Centro-matic and Jim James from My Morning Jacket.

As part of this tour you’re playing a hometown show at the Sheldon. Do you have any surprises up your sleeve for the show? Are you playing old and new material?

I think the set will be comprised of a mixture of things. Probably some new songs thrown in the mix. It will be with Gary Hunt for sure. You know he’s been great to stretch things out a bit with his versatility with different instruments. We’ve worked in mandolin, fiddle and his guitar playing is great as well. So, [I know] that much for sure. As far as surprises, if we talk about it now it wouldn’t be a surprise.

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Posted by | October 19, 2011 | Interviews, Music | 1 Comment 

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