Top 10 Concerts of 2013

Okay, first of all, I acknowledge right up front that there's 12 shows in my list of Top 10 Concerts of 2013, but that's the kind of year it was.  While 2013 might have been merely so-so in its recorded output, the live shows this year were outstanding.  So without further ado, here are my choices of the best live shows of the year, presented in chronological order:

January 25 - Yo La Tengo & Calexico, Buckhead Theater

Not my first show of the year, but still a nice, early show in the year to get 2013 rolling.  After all this time, this was my first time seeing Yo La Tengo live, and I wasn't disappointed in the least.

February 23 - Unknown Mortal Orchestra & Foxygen, 529

This was a big year for UMO, who released a great album that made my Top 10.  I saw them three times this year, and this wasn't even their best show - that would be their incendiary performance during MFNW at Branx.  But this was still a fine performance, though, and what really put it into the Top 10 category was their opener, Foxygen, who suffered all sorts of major and minor calamities, mishaps, and internal strife this year, but still were able to deliver a thoroughly entertaining show to the packed house at 529.

August 31 - !!!, Bumbershoot (Seattle)

It's easy to slip into sensory overload at a three-day festival like Bumbershoot, and both get carried away in the excitement of the event over a so-so performance by a so-so band, as well as get so glazed over that you completely overlook an outstanding set by a great band.   !!! added some real excitement to the first day of Bumbershoot, and when I saw them the next week at MFNW, they confirmed that they really were that good - it wasn't all just festival overstimulation after all.   

September 6 - Radiation City, Mississippi Studios (Portland)

I also saw Radiation City several times this year - at The Earl back in June and then twice during MFNW. Although their performance at the totally radical Marmoset party left little to be desired, they really shined at Mississippi Studios during the OPB party and gave the best performance I've heard by them yet, all sweetness, harmony, and pop ecstasy - if you need proof, the entire set is posted on the OPB web site.

September 14 - Little 5 Fest

September 21 - Okkervil River & Torres, Variety Playhouse

Okkervil River's been around for a while now and I've enjoyed their records over the years, but like To La Tengo, it wasn't until this year that I finally got around to seeing them perform live. But mark my words - I will not purposely miss another live show by them again.  The evening was heightened by Torres, who was totally new to me, performing a spellbinding opening set. 

October 7 - Junip, Terminal West

As hypnotic and mesmerizing as an evening of gently psychedelic electronic folk-rock can get without the actual use of hallucinogens.  Wow, just wow!

October 9 - Savages, Vinyl

I don't have any photos to share of this show due to the band's strict no photography, cell-phone, or other mindless distraction policy, and since I was at the very front of the stage mere feet away from frontperson Jehnny Beth, I abided by their rules.  As promoter Alex Weiss tweeted after the show, "Just when I thought that it couldn't get any more intense, they brought it to another level entirely. Definitely one of the best shows I've ever seen. If you ever get a chance to see this band live, do it. That is all."  Transcendent post-punk from London.

October 26 - Neutral Milk Hotel, The Tabernacle

Another show with a pretty strict, "no pictures" policy, but I managed to snag a few that got posted on line. It's not like this comeback tour didn't have any hype surrounding it and it's not like the expectations weren't sky high, but they not only met those expectations, they elevated the breathtaking show into the pure realm of high art. 

November 2 - Thee Oh Sees, Terminal West

The best live band in the business proved once again why they're the best at what they do.  If you were there, you'd understand, and if you understood, you were there.  With great openers OBN III and The Blind Shake, the evening was a showcase for the state of 2013 punk, but no one whips a crowd up into more of a frenzy than John Dwyer and company.  Let's hope the rumors of their demise remain just rumors.

November 18 - Colin Meloy & Eleanor Friedberger, Variety Playhouse

Two master singer-songwriters, both unique in their idiosyncratic ways, gave the audience a totally charming set of songs and stories.  Added bonus points for Kinks covers. I still haven't had the chance to see The Decemberists perform, but between a composite of frontman Meloy's set and the October show by backing members Black Prairie (which very nearly made the Top 10 list - it came down to an elimination bout between this set and theirs), I feel like I can approximate the experience.   

December 11 - Joseph Arthur, Eddie's Attic

I said it before and  I'll say it again - why this man isn't a major star is beyond me.  He released one of the best records of the year, The Ballad of Boogie Christ, and I saw him perform at Criminal Records (where he briefly worked back in the 90s) during L5Fest with just a drummer and then at Eddie's Attic with bassist Mike Mills (REM), and both times he's rendered me speechless. And man, can he play guitar!  Let's hope that Mills' box office appeal brings Arthur some of the recognition he deserves.  

Broncho

I was going to include Can't Get Past The Lips by Oklahoma punksters Broncho in my list of Top 10 albums of 2013 until I realized that it got released in 2011.  January 2011.  Practically 2010.

Imagine that - an old man at least three years behind the times. . .

Top 10 Albums of 2013

I'm well aware that nobody cares what an old man thinks the best albums released in 2013 are - I'm not exactly any band's target audience or some sort of taste-maker - but 'tis the season for year-end lists and all that, so here I go anyway.  It may be self-indulgent, but it's certainly better than listing other people's favorite songs, n'est-ce pas?

All things taken into consideration, 2013 wasn't really all that great a year for album releases in my humble opinion, which isn't to say it was a bad year for music, it's just that so much amazing material was released the past couple of years and many bands spent much of this year still touring behind those previous releases. Some other bands put out some perfectly fine new albums this year that sounded perfectly in keeping with their prior output - no loss of quality at all, but didn't break any new ground or otherwise become the singular recording by which the bands will come to be identified by, which is fine - a band doesn't have to and shouldn't redefine itself with every new album, but those status quo releases, while still quite good, weren't satisfying enough to make a Top 10 list.  Or at least my Top 10 list.

It was a great year for concerts, so I'm not saying the year was without its merits, it's just that you might not know it from the recorded output.  Still, having said all that, there still were several great releases, both from new artists (Savages, Courtney Barnett) and established masters (Yo La Tengo, Joseph Arthur), and much in between.  

So here's my Top 10 list, presented in alphabetical order (it's really impossible for me to say any one of these is better or worse than any other).  It's a pretty predictable list and I don't think there's any surprises here, but here you go anyway:

C Is For Courtney Barnett - A Sea of Split Peas




F Is For Foxygen - We Are The 21st Century Ambassadors




J Is For Joseph Arthur - The Ballad of Boogie Christ




L Is For Local Natives - Hummingbird

M (or O) Is For of Montreal - Lousy with Sylvianbriar

P Is For Parquet Courts - Light Up Gold



P Is Also For Pickwick - Can't Talk Medicine




S Is For Savages - Silence Yourself

U Is For Unknown Mortal Orchestra - II

Y Is For Yo La Tengo - Fade

Hope you enjoy, and please don't be offended if I left out your favorite - it's not that I didn't like it, it's probably that I just forgot to include it! 

Best Songs of 2013

As for the best songs of 2013, far be it from me to try and pick them.  My favorites change day to day, mood to mood, and I'm psychologically and emotionally incapable of singling out the individual "best" songs of the year and saying, "Here, these songs are better than those songs."

So instead I'll leave it up to the KEXP Seattle DJs, who know a thing or two about music, to pick out the favorites.  Above is a podcast of DJ Kevin Cole's "Greatest F'ing Songs" of 2013. Cole's picks, and the tracklist to his podcast, are:

1. John Grant - GMF 
2. Phosphorescent - Song For Zula
3. Sin Fang - Look At The Light
4. Thee Oh Sees - I Come From The Mountain 
5. Mind Spiders - Inside You 
6. Parquet Courts - Borrowed Time 
7. Lucius - Turn It Around 
8. The Dirtbombs - Jump And Shout 
9. Cloud Cult - Good Friend 
10. Courtney Barnett - History Eraser 
11. Foxygen - No Destruction 
12. Volcano Choir - Byegone 
13. Laura Marling - Where Can I Go?
14. Julianna Barwick - One Half

I've got no quarrels with that list, but if your taste runs more to blues and traditional American roots rock, here's DJ Greg Vandy's "favorite things" from 2013, which includes some bona fide rockers, some blues, some folk, and even a few murder ballads:

1. Preservation Hall Jazz Band - That's It!
2. Courtney Barnett - Avant Gardener
3. Case Studies - Driving East, and Through Her
4. Parquet Courts - Stoned and Starving
5. La Luz - Morning High
6. Foxygen - No Destruction
7. The Foghorns - Ain't I A Man
8. Banditos - Lone Gone, Anyway
9. The Crow Quill Night Owls - On The Road Again
10. Deer Tick - In Our Time
11. Los Colognes - My Doorway's Open
12. Andrew Combs - Emily
13. Cass McCombs - There Can Be Only One
14. Laura Marling - Master Hunter
15. Phosphorescent - Muchacho's Tune
16. Valerie June - Twisted & Twined
17. Luke Winslow King - Ella Speed
18. Kacy & Clayton - Henry Martin
19. The Deep Dark Woods - A Voice Is Calling
20. The Moondoggies - One More Chance

Best New Artists 2013

Look, it's not that I'm without any self awareness.  I know that nobody cares what an old man living in Atlanta, Georgia of all places thinks are the Best New Artists of 2013, but the closing days of the year are traditionally when everyone posts their "Best Of'" lists, and I don't want to miss out on the fun just because my opinion's irrelevant.  And as it turns out, all of my "Best New Artists" of 2013 are women, or at least female-fronted bands.  2013, it seems, was The Year of the Woman, at least in music.

I was temped to try and write something clever about each band, but then decided to just let the music speak for itself and let you, the reader, construct your own narrative.

So here they are, my picks for BNA13, presented in alphabetical order:

Chvrches (Scotland)

Courtney Barnett (Australia)

Lucius (New York)

My bubba (Iceland)

Pure Bathing Culture (Portland)

Savages (London)

Summer Cannibals (Portland)

Torres (New York)

Women's Work (Atlanta)

Wild Ones (Portland)

The Coathangers' Christmas Show, The Earl, 12-25-2013

It wouldn't be Christmas without a performance by Atlanta's The Coathangers, now, would it? The Earl provided not only that, but a showcase of four bands total, all for a low, low cover charge of $5.  Merry Christmas, indeed.

Douglas' Street Team, featuring members of The Black Lips, opened the evening with their first-ever performance, playing a fun set of stripped-down, retro garage rock.  

Del Venicci was up next, exploring the territory between dream-pop and shoegaze.

The third performance of the night was a loud set by Atlanta punkers GHB (formerly The Get High Boys).

The Coathangers headlined.

The set highlight for me was a near-perfect rendition of their song Adderall, with Julia Kugel's backing vocals clearly audible and right on note, but then, I'm partial to that song anyway. 

Just Like Christmas

Sa Sa Samoa

Lightning strikes twice:  KEXP, who first discovered Of Monsters and Men in Reykjavik, have now discovered Iceland's My bubba (formerly My bubba & Mi).

However, My bubba bring up the very pertinent question: are all Icelandic women crazy hot like them, or are they hot crazy like Bjork?

Anyway, along with London's Savages and Australia's Courtney Barnett, they're certainly another contender for Best New Artist of 2013 (apparently, the Year of The Woman).

RIP Yusef Lateef

The world just got a little less interesting with the passing today of jazzman extraordinaire Yusef Lateef.  I bought his 1972 album The Gentle Giant back around 1975 and played it frequently for several years, and listening to it again after all these years, I'm amazed to realize how much it's influenced my musical tastes to this day.

RIP Gentle Giant.  You've given us so much and asked for so little in return.  You will be missed.

Yusef Lateef (born William Emanuel Huddleston, October 9, 1920 - December 23, 2013) was an American Grammy Award-winning jazz multi-instrumentalist, composer, educator and a spokesman for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community after his conversion to the Ahmadiyya sect of Islam in 1950.  Although Lateef's main instruments were the tenor saxophone and flute, he also played oboe and bassoon, both rare in jazz, and also used a number of world music instruments, notably the bamboo flute, shanai, shofar, Xun, arghul, sarewa, and koto. He is known for his innovative blending of jazz with "Eastern" music.

Little Tybee

Little Tybee's Josh Martin, having shown us the mechanisms of his new guitar technique, now provides us a solo performance of the technique's possibilities.

Summer Cannibals

Summer Cannibals at Dante's; MFNW, Sept. 3, 2013

Portland's Summer Cannibals are releasing their next EP, Make You Better, in a limited edition of 100 cassette tapes. Good luck finding that one if you're not at their January 9 release party at The Doug Fir, and good luck trying to find something to play it on even if you do manage to snag a copy.

Here's the title cut:

Thee Oh Sees Abide

Thee Oh Sees at Terminal West, November 2, 2013

Well, that was a close one!  After San Francisco Weekly initially reporting that Thee Oh Sees, the greatest North American rock band that are not Black Mountain, were on "indefinite hiatus," frontman John Dwyer published this disclaimer on Thee Oh Sees website:

DEAR OH SEES FANS,
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT.
THE BAND IS NOT BREAKING UP.
THIS IS JUST A WELL DESERVED BREAK AND A TRANSITIONAL PERIOD.
A NEW THEE OH SEES LP WILL BE OUT EARLY 2014
AND WE WILL SEE WHERE THE LIVE SHOW GOES FROM THERE...
UNTIL THEN, BE WELL
JPD

This is the music I hope they play at my funeral.  Hell, this is the music I want to hear most of the time while I'm still alive.  This is the music that lets me know I'm still alive.

Dave Nelson at The Goat Farm, Atlanta, December 18, 2013

"Last night’s show at The Goat Farm Arts Center was amazing. It is such a special place and we are glad to have had the opportunity to perform there. Atlanta is lucky to have a place so dedicated to new and experimental art of all kinds." - Dave Nelson 

I couldn't agree more.  Nelson's music is hard to categorize, but why bother?  Here's a sample video, composed of great tracking shots filmed from a moving car driving through south Georgia, for his moving song Southbound, which he performed last night.

One Of My Favorite Things

Women's Work

Women's Work at Criminal Records, L5Fest, Sept. 14, 2013 

Speaking of terrific Atlanta bands that deserve wider recognition - Women's Work.

Spirits and the Melchizedek Children

It seems like a logical follow-up to yesterday's post about Little Tybee by posting the first video by Atlanta's Spirits and the Melchizedek Children, a band which includes keyboardist Chris Case of Little Tybee (and Adron and Samadha), as well as frontman Jason Elliott (guitar, vocals), Joe McNeill (bass), Ryan Odom (guitar), and Bryan Fielden and Andrew Burnes of San Agustin on drums and second guitar, respectively.

Little Tybee at The Earl, Atlanta

There are mysteries on the Georgia coast.  Out on the islands, there are settlements of descendants from slaves, the Gullah, who've developed their own culture and language, Geechee, derived from English and African dialects.  Legend has it that at Ebo Landing, a group of slaves that had just arrived in America drowned themselves en masse, still shackled together, when they realized what was in store for them.  To this day, blue-shell crabs from the waters at Ebo Landing have strange markings on their back that look oddly like African faces.  There are old, abandoned, antebellum plantations, and homes and lighthouses reported to be haunted. There's even an unexploded hydrogen bomb lost somewhere beneath Wassaw Sound following a mid-air jet collision.

The band Little Tybee are steeped in these mysteries and even titled their first album Building A Bomb in tribute to the Wassaw Sound incident.  But before they took the stage last night at The Earl, Atlanta's The Shadowboxers performed.

The Shadowboxers are fronted by three young men who sing well and harmonize superbly in addition to playing guitars and keyboards.  They're backed by a drummer and as good a bass player as I've heard in an Atlanta band.  Their sounds is well mixed, and they perform as consummate professionals.

I didn't like them.  While they're quite good at what they do - I'll give them that - I don't like the radio-friendly, lukewarm pop-rock thing it is that they do.  I found it all a little too generic and predictable.  Much of the audience seemed to disagree with me, and several young fans by the front of the stage were dancing along from the very first beat.  The band said it was their first time playing The Earl, so the audience must have heard them somewhere else before, and my guess is that since their type of music is ideal for a high-school prom or frat party, the audience was following them from those kinds of gigs.  

I'll put it this way - if you thought Orleans was the best band of the 70s, you might like The Shadowboxers. If you though Hall & Oates were the best band of the 80s, The Shadowboxers might be the band for you.  If Hootie & the Blowfish rocked your 90s, this is the band you'd be listening to now.  To put it another way, The Shadowboxers are the kind of band you like until you start listening to better bands.

Maybe I'm just a cranky old man.  Either way, I had to retreat back to the rear of The Earl until their set was over so that I wouldn't be making pained expressions at the band while they were playing.

After that, Little Tybee came on stage and turned my night around.

Little Tybee are usually classified a folk-rock outfit, and with Brock Scott's acoustic guitar and Nirvana Kelly's violin there's some accuracy to that clasification, but the band moves quite a bit beyond the confines of the folk-rock genre.  Guitarist Josh Martin and keyboardist Chris Case added alternately jazzy and tropical flourishes and took the band at times into near prog-rock territory, with Brock and Nirvana happily tagging along on the journey.

Last evening seemed to be something of a showcase for Josh Martin in particular, as he displayed his new guitar-playing techniques to at times startling effect.

The set included a cover of Paul Simon's Diamonds On The Soles of Her Shoes from Graceland, with Martin's shimmering guitar transcending the afro-pop of the original and taking it into Little Tybee's own special little universe.  Graceland has risen and fallen and risen again in popularity and cred over the years, and as Little Tybee performed Diamonds, I was reminded of the lines from Allo Darlin's My Heart Is A Drummer:  "Do I have to say I'm sorry for my happiness? You see it's like loving Graceland - it's not allowed to be, but we all know it's everybody's favorite, deep down in the place where music makes you happiest, in the place where my heart is a drummer."

In addition to Diamonds and several older favorites, Little Tybee previewed several new songs last night. The band has a new album that won't be coming out until mid-summer or late next year (translation: whenever), but they plan on premiering the songs and their new, more-eclectic approach over the next several months.  

The set culminated in a one-song encore.  

As always, Little Tybee's rhythm section of Ryan Donald on bass and Pat Brooks on drums did a fine job of keeping the songs percolating along.

Extra good-karma bonus points:  Nirvana Kelly announced that the band was donating all of its earnings from last night's gig to a scholarship charity for the school she teaches in, one that caters to underserved and at-risk children.  

Spark & Whisper

Meanwhile, back in California, here's Marin County's Spark & Whisper performing at a house party in Oakland.

Quiet Hounds' Good Bones

Good Bones, a new song by Atlanta's Quiet Hounds, performed back on October 4 at The Swan House as a part of the Hounds' Phoenix & The Swan performance and captured by IndieATL.

Joseph Arthur at Eddie's Attic, Decatur, Georgia, December 11, 2013

It's no secret that it can get rather chilly in Akron, Ohio.  It is known.  Given this, it should be no surprise that Akron's Joseph Arthur, who lived for a while here in Atlanta, was able to warm up a cold December evening at Eddie's Attic.

Shreveport's Dylan LeBlanc opened.  A singer-songwriter accompanied only by his acoustic guitar, LeBlanc has an impressively strong voice to carry him through his material.  At times, his voice reminded me a little of Chris Issak  (without the yodeling).  He came across as endearingly sincere, fitting for a singer-songwriter on the acoustic circuit, and played a half-hour or so set without wearing out his welcome.

We saw Joseph Arthur at last September's L5Fest, and were quite impressed with his songs, his guitar playing, and the emotional impact of the set.  There, he was backed only by a very intuitive drummer, Bill Dobrow, who joined him again last night, but this time he added an additional musician on bass - Mike Mills, formerly of REM. 

Arthur gave the audience a splendid, nearly two-hour, tour-de-force performance, consisting mostly of songs from his fine new record, The Ballad of Boogie Christ.  About half-way through, he used a pedal to loop his guitar part, freeing his hands to paint a spontaneous picture on stage while still singing.  It sounds pretentious, but it didn't come off that way - Arthur apparently is something of a noted artist, creating the cover art for most of his entire discography, including 10 LPs.  

There were so many highlights it's difficult to list them all, but just off the top of my head, there was his epic extended guitar solo during Boogie Christ, a cover of ELO's Showdown, and Dobrow's playing on a Brazilian drum for the last several songs of the set.  As per his custom, Arthur had CDs of the evening's performance recorded right off the soundboard available for sale immediately after the show.  My only regret of the evening is that I failed to buy the CD, but I see that most of his shows are available for download at his website, including a two-night stand on February 10 and 11 of 2010 at Eddie's Attic, so I assume this show should be available some time soon.

A number of people were in the audience primarily to see bassist Mike Mills, a sideman who outshines the frontman in terms of name recognition, but played his sideman role well, providing backing vocals in addition to his bass playing.  Apparently, this wasn't just a one-off, as-long-as-I'm-in-town performance - Mills has apparently committed to playing with Arthur for some time, and mentioned during the show that he was now "in the band."

For the encore, Arthur kicked the lead vocals over to Mills for a cover of REM's Don't Go Down To Rockville, before performing several more of his own songs.

It's beyond me how Joseph Arthur has managed to avoid becoming a bigger star for all these years - he seems like an affable-enough guy, he writes terrific songs, sings well, and is a most impressive guitarist.  Peter Gabriel thought enough of him to sign him after hearing a demo tape, he was a member of Fistful of Mercy with Ben Harper and Dhanni Harrison (George's son), and as alluded to before, has released 10 albums of his own.  I've been listening to Boogie Christ today, and it's a great record.  I'm a fan.

Perhaps with the drawing power of Mike Mills in the band, Joseph Arthur will now get some of the recognition he deserves.

Giant Colors

Giant Colors is the solo project of Atlanta's Bret Reagan (DAMS, Triop, Psychedubosaurus Rex, Lotus Quadrant) and well worth your time to experience.

A Short Vacation derives its name from Reagan's previous Planning A Short Vacation by his Triop outfit.

New Shows

I finally got the Upcoming Shows gadget over there to the right working again and apparently just in time as there have been a lot of announcements today about new concerts coming up in Atlanta.  The most exciting of these announcements, IMHO, is Portland's folk-rock orchestra Typhoon finally coming to town (March 17), and playing at what is perhaps my favorite venue, Terminal West, one of the few stages in town large enough to accommodate the large band.

Back on October 28, 2001, when we saw her play a sold-out and packed Earl, we knew we'd never see St. Vincent perform in a venue that small again.  Since then, she's moved up to Variety Playhouse (May 2012), and then the Cobb Energy Center (October 2012) with David Byrne.  

Today, it was announced that she'll next be playing Atlanta on March 8 at the large Tabernacle to support her upcoming album.  The first song from the album is below. 

Meanwhile, back at The Earl, Portland's Blouse will be opening on March 20 for Brooklyn's Dum Dum Girls, who recently told Brooklyn Vegan that their favorite artist of 2013 was our old friend Jessica Pratt.

Finally, it's been announced that New York's Vampire Weekend will be playing Atlanta's majestic Fox Theater on May 5. 

Not bad for one day . . . 

West Meets East

As we settle into the month of December and the end of 2013, I'm as surprised as anybody to find myself becoming more and more thankful to be living here in Atlanta with its multiple resources and outlets for new music.  If I'm not careful, the rest of this month might be spent extolling the virtues of the local music scene, both the performers and musicians, the venues, and those behind the scenes making it all happen.

F'rinstance, take this video released today by the kind folks over at IndieATL from a set at their Georgia State studio by Portland's Dresses.

Dave Nelson Coming To The Goat Farm

Dave Nelson (right) performing with St. Vincent

As if further evidence of the diversity of Atlanta's music scene was necessary, loop-crazed Brooklyn-based trombonist Dave Nelson will be performing with Atlanta drummer Marlon Patton at The Goat Farm on December 18.  Video artist Lana Vogestad will be contributing to the performance.

We last saw Dave Nelson as part of the David Byrne-St. Vincent Love This Giant brass band.  But to help prepare us for what the evening may hold in store, here are some examples of Nelson's solo work.

Video artist Lana Vogestad has been an artist in residence in Greece and Iceland and has collaborated with musicians in the past, most recently at the Atlanta Film Festival's Sound + Vision event.  

Adorableness Alert

Here's Atlanta's Little Tybee doing a living room show in Amarillo, Texas, and practically getting upstaged by a dancing little girl.

In related news, Little Tybee will be playing The Earl on Saturday, December 14, along with The Shadowboxers.

Warpaint

Warpaint at Bumbershoot, 2011

In these dark winter nights filled with reports of the deaths of great men, we receive this happy, best-possible-outcome, best-of-all-worlds news - Warpaint are releasing a new album, which of course means a supporting tour will be in the works.  Back in the summer of 2011, they sold out The Earl before I bought my tickets, but seeing them that year at Bumbershoot was one of the highlights of that year's festival. 

Here's their song Biggy from the forthcoming album, sounding as luminous and harmonic as ever.   

Okay, here's another track from the new album as well:

Another Courtney Barnett Post

And I'll keep posting them until she gets a chance to play here. For God's sake, will somebody please bring this girl to Atlanta?!!!

Pickwick

Pickwick at The Earl (with  Basia Bulat), April 30, 2013

Oh, look.  Our old friends Pickwick, the best band you've never heard of, just recorded a Daytrotter session, which you can listen to or download if you're a member.

Enjoy.

Friends, Recalled

Friends at The Earl, July 5, 2012