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The charity compilation that The National's Aaron & Bryce produced for the Red Hot Organization, "Dark Was The Night", will be released this coming Tuesday, February 17, 2009. (February 16th outside the US). Please help support Red Hot's effort to raise money and awareness to combat the HIV / AIDS epidemic and go out and buy yourself a copy next week. It is well worth the money and you'll be contributing to an important cause. The record features 31 exclusive tracks and will be released digitally, as a double CD and triply vinly LP! You can learn more about the project and stream songs here: http://www.darkwasthenight.com

DARK WAS THE NIGHT

THIS DISC
1 Knotty Pine - Dirty Projectors + David Byrne
2 Cello Song (Nick Drake) - The Books featuring Jose Gonzalez
3 Train Song (Vashti Bunyan recorded, written by Alasdair Clayre) – Feist + Ben Gibbard
4 Brackett, WI - Bon Iver
5 Deep Blue Sea - Grizzly Bear
6 So Far Around the Bend - The National (arrangement by Nico Muhly)
7 Tightrope - Yeasayer
8 Feeling Good (popularized by Nina Simone) - My Brightest Diamond
9 Dark Was the Night (Blind Willie Johnson) - Kronos Quartet
10 I Was Young When I Left Home (Bob Dylan) - Antony + Bryce Dessner
11 Big Red Machine - Justin Vernon + Aaron Dessner
12 Sleepless - The Decemberists
13 Stolen Houses (Die) - Iron and Wine
14 Service Bell - Grizzly Bear + Feist
15 You Are The Blood - Sufjan Stevens

THAT DISC
1 Well-Alright - Spoon
2 Lenin - Arcade Fire
3 Mimizan - Beirut
4 El Caporal - My Morning Jacket
5 Inspiration Information (Shuggie Otis) - Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
6 With A Girl Like You (The Troggs) - Dave Sitek
7 Blood Pt 2 (based on original song "You are the Blood" by the Castanets) - Buck 65 Remix (featuring Sufjan Stevens and Serengeti)
8 Hey, Snow White (Destroyer) - The New Pornographers
9 Gentle Hour (Snapper) - Yo La Tengo
10 Another Saturday (traditional song) - Stuart Murdoch
11 Happiness - Riceboy Sleeps
12 Amazing Grace (traditional song) - Cat Power and Dirty Delta Blues
13 The Giant Of Illinois (Handsome Family) - Andrew Bird
14 Lua - Conor Oberst + Gillian Welch
15 When the Road Runs Out - Blonde Redhead + Devastations
16 Love vs. Porn - Kevin Drew

New show announcements from The National.

21 May: Kool Haus, Toronto (on-sale Feb 14th @ 10:00 AM)
22 May: Metropolis, Montreal (on-sale Feb 13th @ Noon)
23 May: House of Blues, Boston (on-sale Feb 20th @ 10AM)
24 May: 9:30 Club, DC (on-sale Feb 14th @ 10AM)
25 May: 9:30 Club, DC (on-sale Feb 14th @ 10AM)
27 May: Variety Playhouse, Atlanta (on-sale Feb 13th @ NOON)
28 May: Lincoln Theater, Raleigh (on-sale Feb 13th @ Noon)
29 May: Electric Factory, Philadelphia (on-sale Feb 20th @ 10AM)

Labels: Red Hot Organization, The National

It has been awhile since seeing The National in Philly and I must say I had hoped to see them live again before now, but sometimes that is just not possible. However, I keep up with them like an addict and they have been playing one of their new songs at shows recently.

So the next best thing to hearing them live would be to hear them this way, right? And until they put out a new album we're going to have to deal with this just morsel of goodness. =o)

Listen:
The National - "Around the Bend" (mp3)

Labels: The National

Straight from their website we have the latest and greatest news of one of my favorite bands ever, The National.

NEW SHOWS:
+ May 11 - Aula Magna - Lisbon, Portugal
+ May 12 - Olympia Theatre - Dublin, Ireland (Third + FINAL show added!)
+ August 11 - Vega - Copenhagen, Denmark

NEW FESTIVAL ANNOUCEMENTS:
+ T in the Park, Scotland: July 11-13
+ Benicassim, Spain: July 17-20
+ Haldern Pop Festival, Germany: Aug 2-4
+ Oya Festival, Norway: Aug 5-9
+ Way Out West Festival, Sweden: Aug 8-9

Being the loving people that they are they also wanted fans to know Bryce Dessner will be performing two shows with Glenn Kotche (from Wilco) at The Kitchen in NYC, March 13 + 14th.

Listen:
The National - "Slow Show"

Buy the Boxer album! (It's perfect, every track, trust me!)

Labels: music news, The National

Random music news. My Morning Jacket will be releasing a new album on June 10th. I don't know the title yet, anybody out there have the scoop? Let me know. =o)
**
What is going on with The National right now? I haven't been hearing much and that makes me sad. I love the band and am hoping for some new music. Matt Berninger said in an interview that there's nothing easy about being a member of the National.

"Our relationship as a group is, well, it's not a harmonious thing," he offers contemplatively, chatting from his Brooklyn home on the eve of their upcoming Australian tour.

I think it is fantastic that he was so open about that because we all know it is a truth amongst ALL bands. Hopefully they have been writing while touring and we'll be hearing something new soon.
**
We have less than a month now to wait for the new Mountain Goats record Heretic Pride, out February 19.
**
And your music for the day...

Listen:
Ceremony - "I Heard You Call My Name" (mp3)
(word on the street is Ceremony will be releasing an album in the next few months)

Kaki King - "2 O'Clock" (mp3) (her new album, Dreaming Of Revenge, releases on March 11th

Labels: Ceremony, Kaki King, Mountain Goats, My Morning Jacket, The National

Woohoo! It is the U.S. Independence Day.

Quick history lesson for you..

I got this excerpt from a book written by Pauline Maier. This particular passage is actually included on the government website for The United States Department of State...

"The Declaration of Independence is in fact a curious document. After the Civil War members of Lincoln's party tried to write its principles into the Constitution by enacting the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments, which is why issues of racial or age or gender equality are now so often fought out in the courts. But the Declaration of Independence itself is not and has never been legally binding. Its power comes from its capacity to inspire and move the hearts of living Americans, and its meaning lies in what they choose to make of it. It has been at once a cause of controversy, pushing as it does against established habits and conventions, and a unifying national icon, a legacy and a new creation that binds the revolutionaries to descendants who confronted and continue to confront issues the Founders did not know or failed to resolve. On Independence Day, then, Americans celebrate not simply the birth of their nation or the legacy of a few great men. They also commemorate a Declaration of Independence that is their own collective work now and through time. And that, finally, makes sense of the Fourth of July."

And now that the nerd fest is over...hehe, here is some music for you. May not all be patriotic, but the word July or America is probably in the title. And so it's being included.

Adam McIntyre - "America" (mp3)
Ani DiFranco - "Independence Day" (mp3)
Cary Judd - "American Girl" (mp3)
Cat Power - "American Flag" (mp3)
Def Leppard - "Hello America" (mp3)
The Damnwells - "God Bless America" (m4a)
The National - "American Mary" (mp3)
The New Pornographers - "July Jones" (mp3)
U2 - "4th of July" (mp3)

Labels: 4th of July, ani defranco, cary judd, cat power, the damnwells, The National

North Philly isn't so bad. I'm used to South Street, but this had quaint shops and eateries as well.

So let's talk about the show.

Johnny Brenda's is a new bar in an old area. It's actually quite nice on the inside, especially upstairs where the very tiny stage sits in a corner of the room. There were two pub style tables with six stools and everyone else had to stand. Fortunately, my crew snagged a table and stole a stool, so the four of us had seats only five feet from the stage.

Doors opened at 8:30. A "band" (and I use that term very lightly) called "Bears in Heaven" were the openers for "The National." Maybe it was the fact that it was nearly 100 degrees in the venue, maybe it was the fact that this "band" didn't come out on stage until 10:30...I didn't like their "music" at all. I hope everyone else did. I hope I was just being a hot, irritable snot. I couldn't understand a word the singer said and I should have been able to catch it since every single song consisted of echoing vocals. Aside for behaving as though he had stepped into a cave for the first time, he also was doing something on possibly a keyboard. But to me it amounted to pushing the demo button on a cheap Casio. The mustache on guitar strummed so furiously that his entire right arm swung back like he were hitting a golf club. Every single time he strummed the guitar he would swing his arm back. I don't know what he thought he was doing, but it added nothing to the sound or quality of their performance. The man dressed from head to toe in white (white t-shirt and white denim) also did some sound mixing casio demos.

Hold your horses, this isn't all bad. Their drummer and bassist were excellent. The music all had a great beat that you could really get into So to you two guys, I'd say...start new with another band and leave that "band."

And now for the main act.

"The National" didn't get set up on stage until 11:20-ish. By that time I was literally sweating like a football player in the heat of a game. I was disgusting myself. And every man in that room was dripping with sweat. Horrible.

But.

"The National" turned everything around for this sardine, because I was entranced by their performance. They are incredible on albums, but seeing them live was an experience like no other. This might well have been my favorite performance of all the indie bands I have seen. I can't put it on the top of the list due to the insane amount of time waiting for the band to play and the sauna-like venue.

They are out on tour to support their new album Boxer which is just freaking awesome.

Matt Berninger, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Bryan Devendorf, and Scott Devendorf are five of the most amazingly talented musicians I have ever seen. They switch off at each song and trade instruments. And man are there instruments...guitar, bass, piano and drums, with brass, woodwinds, strings, and organs. Each member handling multiple different parts of the show. If you get a chance to see them, do it, it's awesome. They are currently on their way up to Canada.

The National - "Racing Like A Pro" (mp3)

Buy their music!

Labels: Johnny Brendas, The National

Well it will be part of the afternoon and into the evening...and a late night.
We're heading up to North Philly for two super fun reasons.

1. The Art Star Gallery is having a craft fair type thing and I'm covering the piece for VENUS. If y'all head up that way you should stop by this weekend at some point. They are open until 7 p.m. today.

2. The National is playing at Johnny Brenda's and we've got four tickets! Fun times, I am super psyched. I hope they play "Green Gloves" but anything will be awesome!

Grab the "Green Gloves" mp3 above...

And here are some other fun tracks for ya!

Chemistry - "About You" (mp3)

Spoon - "Chips and Dip" (mp3)

Labels: Chemistry, music, The National