Interviewing Sara Lov was interesting for a couple of reasons. First off, I had never interviewed a female musician before. It might just be because the majority of music I listen to is made by men. That's not a conscious decision on my part - It just seems that for whatever reason, the music that strikes a proverbial chord with me is written by fellas and I'm lucky enough to almost exclusively interview bands I am a fan of. That doesn't leave a lot of room for me to interview ladies. Also, I'd never interviewed anyone who had been kidnapped before. Nor to my knowledge had I ever interviewed anyone who had a parent that committed suicide.
Sara Lov, interestingly enough, was kidnapped. And not only was she kidnapped but she was kidnapped by her father who later committed suicide. Obviously, Sara is also a lady, making all the things I listed above suddenly pertinent.
Stories of parental issues tug at my heartstrings, especially when the tales involve a dead dad, but somewhat strangely, it was probably Sara's gender that had me the most nervous about the interview. To say I'm most comfortable around the opposite sex is an understatement. I would go so far as to say that girls make me feel occasionally uneasy. Plus, the fact that I can't flirt my way to a good interview is unsettling to me (Well, there's my big secret to a successful interview, folks). Within ten minutes of talking to Sara, however, I discovered she was as lovely as her music is. Plus, anyone who delivers a stellar cover of an Arcade Fire song is alright by me.
My interview with Sara Lov is live at TRACER now, and being reminded of it has put me in a very Sara Lov mood for the time being. She calls her songs simple and sad with a shot of scotch and I can't think of a more apt way to describe her sound. After a kidnapping and a dead dad, Sara Lov has everything in the world to be sad about but her music isn't depressing per se - It's more about the overwhelming sense of longing that creeps up from time to time when you realize life isn't always how you imagined it being.
While "Seasoned Eyes Were Beaming" is the track off Sara's debut that's received the most play in Hot Half Life HQ, it's her song "Animals" that first drew me to her. I'll admit that the reason I checked her out was not my own doing - In fact, if it weren't for the fact that Sea Wolf's Alex Brown Church guests on the song, I'm sure Sara's cd would have sat on my ever-growing pile of "discs to listen to eventually" for a lot longer than it did. But who am I to resist the call of a Dangerbird Records artist? I came for the Sea Wolf but I stayed with the album due to the intricate lyrics, the gorgeous guitar, and the dreamy, vaguely sad sensation that the music left me with. Like I said - Sara Lov is full of longing and at the time when I first heard her album, so was I.
"Animals" is a special song. It's so special that it almost makes me want to date a boy, fall madly in love, have it all gone horrifically bad, and be left heartbroken just so I can make a mix cd that sums up my relationship with said fictional boy and include this song as the centerpiece.
(Note: It has crossed my mind that Sara Lov and I would make a ridiculously cute lesbian couple if only for the fact that we could both hyphenate our last names to 'Valentine-Lov'.)
What's a Friday night without a good old fashioned rock concert? Granted, rocking knows not a weekend from a weekday and I've seen my fair share of memorable Tuesday night shows but there's something about Friday that awakens my inner dancing queen, whether or not Abba is included in my "Fuck yeah, weekend!" playlist. So when I found out local fellas Koala Fires would be less than a mile away from Casa De Amber, playing with Charlie Hustle for their video premier party, it wasn't a question of if I would be there but rather a question of how soon 9 p.m. would come.
Having procured myself a copy of Koala Fire's forthcoming debut, I was already familiar with their music and everyone knows a concert is all the better when you can sing along. Delivering a more raw sound than their LP, Koala Fires busted through a solid set at downtown Cincinnati's Mainstay Rock Bar that included some of my personal favorites off of The Beeping in Our Hearts, which comes out in just a couple short months. The guys laid back appearance and darkly catchy indie rock make the band seem like guys I'd love to hang out with. The fact that they're my new neighbors just make them all the cooler to me, giving me a sense of pride and community when they got on stage.
I'm adding Koala Fires to the growing list of Cincinnati acts I desperately want to see succeed and I'm sure that after the band's January cd release, they'll start making waves (Daytrotter session, anyone?) because despite the fact that part of the reason I may love them is because I've transplanted myself to their city doesn't by any means mean that their appeal is strictly local. Ideally, Koala Fires would fit beautifully on a bill with the significantly sunnier but just as wonderful Miniature Tigers (toss some Young Coyotes or Dear and the Headlights on the prospective tour and you've got yourself an all-animal themed zoo tour!), bringing their sound to a more national audience, giving them some of the attention they deserve.
I hadn't a clue who headliners Charlie Hustle was until their video, "Toiler", began to play and while my memories of the band's sound may be slightly skewed from Mainstay's cheap tallboys of PBR and excessively strong mixed drinks, I stand by my slightly fuzzy surmised opinion that Charlie Hustle is awesome.
Lead singer Tyler Kottman (who may or may not bear a striking resemblance to fun. front man Nate Ruess) lead the band through a rambunctious set before taking a break, only to return to the stage and perform a set of covers including some Racounteurs ("Steady As She Goes"), Strokes ("Hard To Explain") and the always fantastic "Hang Me Up To Dry" by the Cold War Kids. Like I said, concerts are always b etter when you can sing along to the songs and hearing seminal hipster favorites like that one MGMT song everyone knows just endeared Charlie Hustle to me all the more. Exactly how much did I like Charlie Hustle? Well, I'm actually glad to not be going home for Thanksgiving so I can hit up the band's set at Bootsy's on the 25th from 9 'till 11. Which, naturally, means The Hot Half Life's presence will be graced by the presence of these Charlie Hustle fellows a lot more in the future.
The biggest and best adjustment I've had to make moving to Cincinnati has been the local scene. It's no secret that when I moved to Chicago, the one thing I was most looking forward to was a great base of local talent, bands on the verge so to speak. I soon learned that while Chicago has a ton of big name bands traveling through, sweet Chicago based bands were few and far between. That isn't to say there weren't any, of course. Currently recording their debut full length, Chicago boys Archie Powell and the Exports are friends of the Hot Half Life for, well, life but instead of finding myself in the midst of a booming rock scene in that "windy city", I found myself consumed by the press releases of dozens of touring bands and little else.
Cincinnati, however, seems to have a bit of the opposite going on. The amount of bands visiting places like the Southgate House pales in comparison to the acts that hit Schubas, Lincoln Hall and the Empty Bottle on a nightly basis but the local scene here is off the proverbial hook. Coming in, I was already on quite good terms with those Bad Veins fellows and knew that bands like the Pomegranates and the Seedy Seeds called this "queen city" their home but upon my arrival, it was apparent that the Cincinnati scene blows Chicago out of the water. (Yes, I expect to be e-crucified for that statement but I stand by my words. Bring on your nails and cross, Chicago.)
The short list of awesome local bands is something I fully intend on exploring further here so I won't bog you down with a list of my top five favorite Cincinnati acts... Yet. Instead, I'm just going to shed some light on a band I've taken quite a shine to recently, You, You're Awesome.
Rocking one of the coolest band names around, You, You're Awesome is a duo comprised of Yusuf and Kevin, two guys that took CMJ by storm this year, named one of 25 bands to see by Spin. Combining live drums, electronic audio and some sweet graphics, You, You're Awesome's live set is something I've yet to experience but from what I've heard, it's quite the sight. Plus, as made obvious by the band's press photo, the guys obviously have a sense of humor. Catchy and fun, to say that You, You're Awesome has been a refreshing break from the lo fi acoustic music I've been rocking this fall is an understatement to say the least. And the fact that they're local just makes me want to support them even more.
Heads up to Cinci residents: You, You're Awesome will be releasing their third ep and playing the Northside Tavern on December 18th. Better still? It's free. So mark your calendars and count the days. First, however, dig "Don't Jump, I Brought Pancakes" off the band's second EP, You're My Superhero, featuring some guest vocals from Bad Vein's Benjamin Davis.
I discovered Ola Podrida the way alot of folks did- Through his work on Okkervil River's Stand In's project, a youtube experiment that blew up the blogosphere the summer before last when Okkervil River got some of their most prestigious friends and tour mates to cover their most recent album track by track. Bon Iver's "Blue Tulip" took most of the attention, as did Will Sheff's duet with AC Newman on Lost Coastlines, but one of my personal favorites was Ola Podrida's take on Calling and Not Calling My Ex. I would even go so far as to say that Podrida's version of the song eclipses Okkervil River's original and if you know me, you know that's saying quite a bit. Not to sound like a mega-creep but I may or may not describe handsome men as "Sheffian".
I wasted no time after discovering Podrida's existence, delving into his album and memorizing a vast majority of the gorgeous, understated songs so when it was announced over the summer that Podrida would be returning with a new album in November, I did all but start counting down the days, anxiously checking and rechecking my e-mail for an advance copy of the album as the release date steadily approached.
Sure enough, when I finally received Belly of the Lion, I was not disappointed.
While the melodies do occasionally border on unremarkable (Album opener "The Closest We Will Ever Be" could, musically, be anyone from M. Ward to AA Bondy and while that isn't a bad thing, it doesn't do much to have the song stick in your head, either), Podrida's atypically beautiful voice and meticulous lyrics make the album interesting enough to join the ranks of Timber Timbre as part of the Hot Half Life's Autumn Soundtrack Collective. Ola Podrida - Lakes of Wine
There's something about autumn that puts me in a folk noir mode and Podrida fits the bill perfectly. While the album only has a few immediate stand outs, the longer you live with Podrida's sophomore effort, the more it takes hold of you. From the precious sentiments and the charming melody of "Sink or Swim" to the interestingly romantic lo fi "Lakes Of Wine", the more you listen to Belly of the Lion, the more it reveals itself to you.
Hopefully, before long Podrida will hit the road and make his way to the Midwest for an interview with yours truly. Until then, repeated listenings of Belly of the Lion are in order.
I don't have many regrets for 2009. All in all, it's been an amazing year filled with amazing people and amazing concerts but over the fall, I did have to make the choice of hanging out with the lovely Port O'Brien folks or interviewing Timber Timbre. At the time, I hadn't completely delved into the catalog of Timber Timbre and as I'd met the Port O'Brien folks previously, I chose my pals instead of the Canadian exports. Soon after, however, I began to listen to the self titled third album by Timber Timbre and to say I was taken with it would be an understatement. My roommates here at the Hot Half HQ probably all knew the creepy folk of Timber Timbre by heart within a week of me moving in as I've been listening to the album ad nausea, learning it's intricacies front to back.
Subdued, spooky and oddly romantic, Timber Timbre's third album deserves any of the attention it gets and then some. Recalling turn of the century folk and blues music as well as southern Gothic ghost stories, Timber Timbre wedges it's way into the "Horror Noir" genre that Dead Man's Bones have carved a niche for only Timber Timbre makes no expense for novelty. There are no kid's choirs here to sweeten the deadly lyrics, only bone shakingly understated melodies and chilling lyrics that deal with everything from robbing graves to Bride of Frankenstein-esque electrocution, occasionally throwing a head nod to songs that have seeped into the popular consciousness with a reference to "House of the Rising Sun".
To keep from regurgitating things I've said before, I'll simply direct you to my review of Timber Timbre at Radio Free Chicago and keep my fingers crossed that Taylor Kirk, the man behind the proverbial mask, makes his way back to the US before too long.
My tenure of music journal-ing in Chicago began with Kevin Devine so I suppose it was quite fitting that my first interview done as a Cincinnati resident was with Kevin again. Something about reinterviews makes me nervous, particularly if I've done a great job the first time around. It sets the bar really high and usually results in me prepping upwards of two dozen questions weeks in advance and scrapping most of them two nights before said interview on account of them not being good enough. That being said however, interviewing Kevin Devine's a breeze and I wasn't so much suffering from a case of nerves as I was a case of extreme excitement when I made my way from the new Hot Half Life HQ in downtown Cincinnati to The Newport in Columbus. I had every right to be excited - I was covering my first concert as a Cincinnati resident at a venue I'd never been to before, re-interviewing an artist I adore and seeing some friends in the process. Sunday Funday, indeed.
It wasn't my first time seeing Kevin on the Get Up Kids tour. Through a stroke of good luck, the bands hit the Metro on October 21st and 22nd when I was still a Chicago resident before making their way to Ohio right after I moved. If you happened to read about K.D. Round 6 over at Radio Free Chicago, you'll know that I wasn't exactly one hundred percent happy with the experience. I wasn't let down in any way but between the crowd (unexpectedly crazy) and the band's sets (sort of predictable), I just wasn't overly impressed.
Going in to the show, my expectations were set realistically. I was in it to have a decent time, review the sets, do an interview and head home. This time around, however, the significantly smaller (and more sober) crowd made the show alot more enjoyable. That coupled with the fact that Kevin Devine and the Goddamn Band delivered a set that was just as listener friendly but more intimate and unique than they did at the Chicago show made my enjoyment factor increase ten fold.
Opening with a solo version of "Brooklyn Boy", I was reminded by the fact that out of seven times seeing Kevin, I don't believe I've once heard "Brooklyn Boy", a staple in his catalog. "I Could Be With Anyone", without the beat box intro courtesy of Brian Bonz, had a different sound that lied somewhere in between the more upbeat album version and the slower, tongue-in-cheek rendition Kevin played on his solo acoustic tour over the summer. "Carnival", as always, was a gem live and the set closer of "Brother's Blood" was predictable but not remorely disappointing. Nearly every time I've seen Kevin with the Goddamn Band this year, they closed with "Brother's Blood" and every time, it's been just as powerful.
My move across the Midwest has opened up an exciting new world for me, concert-wise. One of my favorite things to do is explore new venues. In my time as a Chicago-ite, I went to dozens of venues and there are still quite a few I never made my way to. Now, I've got venues all across Ohio, parts of Indiana and norther Kentucky at my disposal. Sunday, at the Newport, I learned that some non-smoking venues have a smoking alley for your convenience. Yes, you read that right. Although the Newport has no reentry, they do have a SMOKING ALLEY. Welcome to Ohio, indeed.
Something in regards to my move that I never did take into account however, was what I babe I apparently am by Ohio standards. I feel that in Chicago, I was just a regular girl and the attention I got from the opposite sex reflected that (Amber's adventures in dating were briefly touched on in the last entry but to say I have no game is understatement). Here, however, nary an outing goes by where I don't get treated like the most beautiful girl in the room - The whole wide room. So to say I spent most of the Get Up Kids set getting flirted at is fairly accurate. I heard the vast majority of the set from the lobby, alternately making new friends and catching up with familiar faces, but I did head into the fray for the encore with my friend Asia to get our proverbial dance on as the Kids covered The Cure. Interesting side note about said Cure cover: They played the same cover in Chicago and as I was making my way out of the scary-rowdy crowd, to the safety of the merch booth, I heard a drunk individual shout "Oh man! I love Bowie!" True story.
As for the interview, I am excited beyond words for the day that Kevin Devine Interview 2.0: The Reckoning hits TRACER. I'd like to think I knocked it out the park again and got some really good answers to my decent questions. Sadly, however, the best questions came from Miniature Tigers, who I first met when they were touring with Kevin over the spring and who I memorably interviewed on the 30th. What did they want me to ask? What a "dipe" is. What is a dipe? I'll let you know when the interview runs.
What do you do when you realize your dream only to find out it's not all that you imagined it to be? For some reason, ever since I was young, I could never imagine myself living any place other than Chicago. After doing time in various parts of Michigan for more than 20 years, I finally bailed and made my way to the great state of Illinois. But thing weren't as I'd imagined. I'm sure I built the city up so much in my head and loved visiting it so much that once I got here, there wasn't any way the metropolis could live up to my vast expectations. Talking to a friend recently, I mentioned that Chicago was going to just be a brief footnote in my existence. An important one but a brief one nonetheless.
If I could have taken a snapshot of one moment to encompass my entire Chicago experience, it would have been the evening in August when I was walking down Michigan Ave. on my way to Millennium Park to see Shearwater play. I had my earbuds in and was listening to Bad Veins, walking in between mile high buildings and feeling small. I was lonely but I was content.
I didn't take a picture of that moment, so this photo of Sara and myself in the aforementioned Millennium Park will have to do.
If I had to go more in depth, however, and make a list of things about the greater Chicago area I'll miss, it would probably end up looking something like this:
5. Local musicians JT Royster and Archie Powell and the Exports. Equal parts awesome guys and swell musicians, both JT and Archie and his Exports are people I would have never met if it weren't for living in Chicago. While Archie Powell and the Exports go for a more straight forward, old fashioned rock and roll sound, Mr. Royster pens sweet acoustic songs with dreamy lyrics and layered vocals. You can snag their music for free at JT's last.fm and Archie's site, respectively. Recommended tracks? JT's "I Liked You Sun" and AP&E's "Movin' To The City".
4. Venues like Lincoln Hall and Schubas. Definitely my two favorite places to catch a concert in Illinois, if not the entire Midwest, I've been giving Schuba's love for the past year and a half since I saw my first gig there. Now, Lincoln Hall joins the esteemed ranks of it's sister venue, as made evident by my recent reviews of Dawes and Langhorne Slim and David Bazan at the venue. Equal parts hip environment, delicious food, and amazing sound quality, Lincoln Hall appeals to both my love of music and my love of tater tots. When I first walked in to the venue, a fair few hours before Dawes hit the stage, they were playing Okkervil River's "Our Life Is Not A Movie or Maybe" over the jukebox, thus endearing them to me forever.
3. Dating. First and foremost, let's get the following out of the way: I suck at dating. I'm good at observing people which is probably why I like being a music journalist so much but when it comes to getting to know someone and letting them get to know me in a social setting, I falter. I went on a lump sum of two dates whilst being a Chicago resident. One went laughably bad but the second of which actually went... Well. Sadly, it took place a mere 3 days before I left for Ohio so nothing could become of it. The gentleman and myself, hopefully, will remain friends and while distance will more likely than not keep anything from ever happening, it was nice to be a normal girl for a night and spend time with a cute fella who I genuinely had things in common with.
2. All the interviews I did. Despite some of the most memorable ones not even taking place in Chicago (Sea Wolf and David Bazan were phoners, my Bad Veins interview took place at a Steak n Shake in Indianapolis and I sat down with Kevin Devine across the street from Mac's in Lansing, Michigan), none of those interviews would have happened if I hadn't come to Chicago, got tenacious and asked the aforementioned Kevin Devine if I could interview him. That one interview gave way to countless more, a gig at Radio Free Chicago (where I got to work with the amazing RFC editor, Brad) eventually, my snazzy new post at TRACER Magazine.
1. Friends. What would any place be without friends? I may have peaced out from Illinois but nevertheless, I'm still incredibly indebted and in love with my beautiful, wonderful social circle. So Sara, Rachel, Hailey, Kelli, this one's for you. I miss you already.
My name is Amber and I'm a girl who writes about songs. You might know me better as the Editor In Chief of Radio Free Chicago, where I proofread, dictate, review, and ramble. I love music and I love my life.
Interviewing Sara Lov was interesting for a couple of reasons. First off, I had never interviewed a female musician before. It might just be because the majority of music I listen to is made by men. That's not a conscious decision on my part - It just seems that for whatever reason, the music that strikes a proverbial chord with me is written by fellas and I'm lucky enough to almost exclusively interview bands I am a fan of. That doesn't leave a lot of room for me to interview ladies. Also, I'd never interviewed anyone who had been kidnapped before. Nor to my knowledge had I ever interviewed anyone who had a parent that committed suicide.
