NakYouOut

The Shearwater Interview

Kymbo Slice — Thu, 17 May 2012 21:30:00 +0000

Indie veterans Shearwater recently touched down in Pittsburgh at Altar Bar, opening for St. Vincent at a sold-out show. I became familiar with the band after hearing a single from their new album, Animal Joy and was surprised to see that they’ve been around for quite some time. We had a chance to sit down with front man Jonathan Meiburg and ask him a few questions about their upcoming tour, as well as thoughts on their new album. If you happened to enjoy attend and enjoy their show, are are just a longtime fan, this one’s for you!

Kymbo Slice: Is this your first time playing in Pittsburgh?
Jonathan Meiburg: It’s not. We played here two or three years ago and then once six or seven years ago, but none of those shows were particularly big or memorable. The venue was super tiny, but we had a really fun time that night. I’ve always really liked pittsburgh. I’ve gone through with tours in other bands and have always been like, gosh I really wish we actually had time to look around here. I think one time I did go to the National Aviary and took a peek at some birds there.

KS: What are your thoughts on touring with St. Vincent?
JM: I’m really excited to be doing it. We’re about to play our first show with her in a few hours. I don’t have any experience to go on yet, but I was thrilled to find out. I really admire her music and enjoyed her for a long time, so I’m glad it finally worked out. We’ve worked with the same producer on one of our albums and he said really complimentary things about her, so I have a feeling we’ll be able to bond over that.

KS: What is your recording and songwriting process like?
JM: For this record it was actually a bit different than what I did before. I fell back in love with my electric guitar. We’ve been sort of acquaintences for a while but we got to be friends again. I went to a crummy little practice space, turned it up really loud, and played for a while. Then I had a friend of mine who’s a drummer come in and we made the demos for the record in just a few days. It was really quick. Danny recorded with me for a bit on the album ended up doing some of the vocals for the demos. In a very short period of time we had a focus of what the record was going to be like and then since, spent about two or three months recording and mixing the album. Usually I’ll get a melodic idea, then one or two lyrical phrases that go along with it. The lyrics I usually fill in last, sort of like the last piece of the puzzle.

KS: You just played SXSW. Did you have a chance to see any other bands? If so, did you see anyone worth mentioning?
JM: I went to see Lower Dens and really loved that show. SXSW is kinda weird. Everybody is there in unideal circumstances for performing, but you’re all kind of handicapped the same way. You just see other bends suffering through iffy venues and terrible PAs.

KS: What is it like to be a band from Austin?
JM: I lived in Austin for 12 years and actually just moved to New York a few months ago. In general, Austin was just a very friendly place to be. People always say that it’s laid back, and actually, it kinda is. It’s easy to find a lot of musicians around. If you want to start a band, it’s a great place to start one. And it’s not too expensive that you can’t find some place to practice. It’s just a good petrie dish for bands. We didn’t spend a lot of time playing in Austin that much, except for maybe the very first years of the band 1999-2000. The last several years, most of our shows we wouldn’t play in Austin. We’d only play there once or twice a year, and I thought it was just a place that I lived, and when I wasn’t on tour, I didn’t really want to go out to clubs and see shows that often because it feels a bit too much like going to work. We just did a tour of Europe where we played a string of 17 shows in a row without a break. When we got back from that I think we were all a little bit tried. We had about a week off, and everyone seemed to get their joy of life back. It doesn’t take too long to bounce back.

KS: What do you guys like to eat when you’re on the road?
JM: We try to avoid fast food as much as possible, though we do have a few fast food junkies in the group. In general, sort of the rules for living on tour are – don’t eat garbage, don’t drink too much and get enough sleep. And all of those things are actually quite difficult to do, but for me those are three keys to actually enjoying a tour from start to finish.

KS: Do you have a relationship with any of your Sub Pop labelmates?
JM: I just went to see the Father John Misty guys play on Letterman last week, and I really liked them. I’m not super close with anyone else on Sub Pop, but I’m a great admirer of many of them. The label has been fantastic to work with. All the people there are very passionate and very organized, which can be unusual for a record label.

KS: What are your thoughts on your new record, Animal Joy?
JM: The last three records that we did, we conceived them as one big piece and we performed them all in Austin and we just did this one big show. At the end of that show, I wanted to go somewhere different. Those records are very atmospheric and spacious, sort of my concept in ways, but with this record, I just wanted to make a solid collection of songs that you could maybe dance to, or maybe just shuffle around a bit, but something with a more earthy, grounded and vital feel to it. Less heady and more body. Because of the process we went through of making the demos, like I told you, we spent a long time previously polishing at the genesis, and this was more kind of quick and dirty and I like that a lot.

KS: Major influences? What are you listening to right now?
JM: There’s a way in which listening to other bands is like reading the Wall St. Journal if you had a stock portfolio. You’re just trying to keep current with what’s going on other than really appreciating things for their own sake, which is why I think a lot of bands tend to gravitate towards music by people who are dead, or you can’t see any more. You don’t feel like you’re running in the same race with that. They’re more like the standard by which you are judged. Danny says the new Norah Jones record is amazing. And the new Sarah Jaffee record he also said is good. Also, Hospitality. I still get so stuck into listening to Nina Simone that I forget to listen to other things. She’s my favorite musician of the 20th century.

Cool Show Alert: Poliça with TM Eye and RIVKA

Kymbo Slice — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:02:01 +0000

We’re here to tell you about a band that’s hitting the Club at Stage AE this Friday night. You might not be familiar, but that’s what we’re here for. Their name is Poliça, and they’ve been making waves in 2012 after a string of dates at SXSW, which caught the attention of many industry insiders. Forming less than a year ago, in June 2011, Poliça (pronounced po-lisa) began as a collaboration between fellow Gayngs’ members Channy Casselle and Ryan Olson. You might remember Gayngs, a super group collaboration of 25 individuals such as Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and Rhymesayers rapper P.O.S, Har Mar Superstar, from their breakout track “Faded High”. I know I was a big fan when they stepped on the scene back in 2010. Poliça’s first album was completed in June of 2011 after Mike Noyce of Bon Iver lent his voice on “Lay Your Cards Out” and “Wandering Star” and the record was brought to Austin, TX to be mixed with Jim Eno (Spoon).

Some may recognize lead vocalist Channy Casselle as the singer from popular roots band Roma di Luna, which disbanded in 2011 when she and her husband/bandmate Alexei Moon separated. Poliça’s sound presents a sharp contrast to the folkier, guitar-driven approach of Casselle’s former band. According to the website for the venue First Avenue, located in Poliça’s hometown of Minneapolis, “Casselle says the idea for starting a new project came about when she began collaborating with Ryan Olson for his massive recording project, Gayngs, and was particularly intrigued by the vocal manipulators she used while performing and touring with the group last spring. “The interesting thing about this project is there are a lot reasons for people to hate it,” Casselle says brazenly, reflecting on the stigma surrounding Auto-Tune in popular music.”

I’m really curious about Poliça’s live setup, which I’ve heard consists of two drummers. Their electro-tinged r&b/goth style vocals should compliment the energy of the drums quite well. Take a peek at one of my favorite songs from their debut album, Give Up the Ghost.

This is actually my favorite song on the album, but there’s no video for it. Turn it up real loud.

Locals RIVKA and TM Eye were recruited to round out the bill. A pretty fantastic lineup if you ask me. We’ve covered both RIVKA and TM Eye in the past, so you already know we’re fans. In fact, we covered TM Eye on our very first post on NYO. I’m also a really big fan of this RIVKA edit:

The show has a door time of 8PM and is located at Stage AE on the North Shore, right across from Heinz Field. $10.00 Advance / $12.00 Day of Show

The Dirty Ball

Kymbo Slice — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:13:54 +0000

It’s that dirty time of year again! The Dirty Ball, Attack Theatre‘s annual fundraiser and one of our favorite parties of the year is poppin’ off this Saturday, May 19th. This year’s location is 2401 Penn Avenue in the Strip District. This year’s theme is centered around “choose your scene, design your experience.” You will be given the tools to open the door and assemble your adventure. Those tools include a plethora of entertainment, food and beverage, fashion, art installations and much, much more!

Attack Theatre is a Pittsburgh-based dance company that utilizes a combination of modern dance, original live music, multimedia and interdisciplinary art forms to present work in traditional and nontraditional spaces both nationally and internationally. According to their website, “They have collaborated with major regional theaters (Quantum Theatre), NYC Broadway productions (Squonk), museums (Carnegie Museum of Art, Andy Warhol Museum, Frick Art Museum, Mattress Factory), symphonies (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra), operas (Pittsburgh Opera, Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, Spoleto USA) and international dance companies (Japan’s Nibroll Collective, Belgium’s Compagnie Matteo Moles), thereby presenting nearly 100 original works in theatrical and site specific settings.”

Join Title Town deejays J. Malls and Gordy G and other performers as you enjoy complimentary food, drink and most importantly, frivolity.

Tickets are available at the following price levels:

The Dirty Donor Reception
$250
6:30pm – 8pm
This exclusive pre-party event, hosted by Attack Theatre’s Board of Directors and The Dirty Dozen, features elegant fare, fine wine, martinis, and an intimate Attack Theatre performance (includes admission to The Dirty Ball with Velvet Lounge access).

Velvet Lounge Access
$100 until May 1st
$130 after May 1st
A secluded oasis inside The Dirty Ball with a private bar, unscripted revelry, and enhanced customer service (includes admission to The Dirty Ball).
8-midnight

General Admission
$50 until May 1st
$70 after May 1st
8-midnight

Check out some footage from past Attack Theatre events below:

Afterwards, don’t forget to hit up the Go! Dutch Pop-Up Party at Bally’s downtown where you can shake your booty til the wee hours of the night.

Danielle Barbe Wins the Iron City Sound Contest!

Kymbo Slice — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:25:07 +0000

We’d like to take this opportunity to shout out Danielle Barbe, the winner of the first-ever Iron City Sound Contest, and send her a huge congrats on behalf of NakYouOut! We here at NYO work closely with the Iron City Sound Ambassadors and couldn’t be more excited to work with such a talented artist. As many of you know, Iron City Sound is a program formed by Iron City Beer that sponsors events and five local artists – Kellee Maize, DJ Bonics, Bear Cub, Dream Job, and 1,2,3. They’re pumping more life into the already flourishing arts and entertainment scene here in Pittsburgh, and recently held a contest to provide a new ambassador with a $5,000 sponsorship to support their musical endeavors. Through the process of a public vote between eleven finalists, Danielle Barbe emerged as the victor.

Danielle is a young rock artist from Charleroi, a small town just south of Pittsburgh. She started performing at a very young age, honing her craft and her stage presence. Her talent eventually caught the attention of Grammy-nominated producer and songwriter Luke Ebbin. Ebbin has worked with the likes of Bon Jovi, All American Rejects, Plain White Ts and Rival Schools. Her debut album dropped in 2010 and its first single, “Ghost Town”, got the attention of music supervisors to the point that it was included in an episode of the popular CBS television program “The Ghost Whisperer”, as well as a nod from industry publication Kings of A&R who named her #3 in the Top 10 Emerging Artists of 2011.

Most recently, Barbe was selected as the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands winner out of over 23,000 bands nationwide and will perform Vans Warped Tour this summer. She is currently working on a new record with producer Matt Squire, who has worked with artists such as The Used and Panic at the Disco. Check out one of her other most recommended tracks below:

Congrats again, Danielle, and good luck on your journey! We know you’ll be a great addition to the Iron City Sound family!

Jenesis Mag Presents Pittsburgh’s Top 5

Kymbo Slice — Fri, 11 May 2012 19:19:05 +0000

What are you doing tonight Pittsburgh? You might want to stop by the Shadow Lounge for Jenesis Magazine’s showcase, which features a slew of local talent. Join Beedie, Devin Miles, Pyrex Press, Hubbs, Jon Quest, special contest winner Romy Bizz and host Ivory the Human Hustle for this awesome occasion. DJ the NY Giant will be providing musical interludes for the evening. If you aren’t familiar with the publication, get hip to it.

According to their website, “JENESIS Magazine meshes together our urban society with local and national updates on music, the latest in fashion, news, and also brings in influences of international happenings. JENESIS is targeted towards 18-34 year old men and women.” That’s you!

Beedie is a young rapper who has set some serious standards for Pittsburgh rap since stepping on the scene in 2007. Beedie has formerly released music as part of the East End Empire, a conglomerate of Pittsburgh rappers, before forming the duo Varsity Squad with rapper Jon Quest.

Devin Miles is a rapper/producer who recently made his first appearance at SXSW this past spring. He has worked with notable producers like Big Jerm and E-Dan of ID Labs, CardotGotWings, The University, Chase N. Cashe, and the Xtraordinary Gentleman. Devin has also gone on to produce for Pittsburgh prodigy Mac Miller, and perform alongside artists like Wiz Khalifa, Kid Cudi, Mac Miller, Wu Tang Clan, and Three Six Mafia. Check out his sounds below.

Doors are at 10. Show starts at 10:30. This is an 18+ event and features Clique Vodka specials and giveaways from Rocksmith. $8 at the door.