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Harvey shot this beaut 6 months ago, completely unaware that it would launch the band into the national spotlight that DMP commands.
Heh.
Matty, Marshall, Driveway and Barry will be rocking the Burro this Thursday night at the next DMP show (along with The Subterranean Bums).
Free local, original music, folks. Come on out, get your groove on and support your neighbors.
Photo by: Ken Pogs
Lyrics by Renee Mendoza Haran of Filthybird
I was born to birds
who were singing all of the time.
And I just don’t have time for talking
with singing on my mind.
I was born a bird
and a bird I will die
but I’ll just go on being a bird
singing in the southern skies.
I was born to sing
it’s all I know to do.
It takes all I’ve got
to do the things I know that I should do.
My mother was born to sing
and her mother too
but they lost their voices
singing in a world that was cruel.
I was born to love
even though it hurts.
The straight and narrow path
sleepin’ on the pews of the church.
But none of that was true
except for the part
the part about lovin’,
with all of your heart.
When I hold your hand
I feel you tremblin’.
Like you don’t know what’s going on
and everything you know is wrong.
I know who you are,
You’re a beam of light.
Shining down on me
in the darkest hardest loneliest night
In the southern skies.
A trailer for DOGS of CHINATOWN, a martial arts gangster film starring Eric Jacobus (of The Stunt People) and Huyen Thi. Directed by Micah Moore, produced by Blake Faucette.
I might be a bit biased with my brother’s involvement in this film, but I highly recommend checking out Dogs tonight in Winston-Salem. It’s a full length feature that not only looks beautiful, but is filled with kick ass fighting scenes, smoking hot women and some funny moments as well.
What else could you ask for?
9pm @ The Garage. (directions)
Filthybird and Albina Savoy — it has a certain ring to it when said at once, like Hercules and Love Affair.
These two Greensboro bands treated us to a set apiece on April 30th at the year anniversary of DMP shows upstairs at The Green Burro, both playing music characterized by diverse, striking melodies, fronted by exceptionally talented female vocalists — yet their sound and stage presence couldn’t have been more different.
Albina Savoy
“A long time ago, I met this lady named Albina Savoy,” says guitarist Barry Cantrell. “She was this vaudevillian, Floridian lady living in a motor home, and I knew that one day I was going to name a band after her.”
Photos by Kevin Belton & Mark Smith
There’s a strong vaudevillian underpinning to the songs of Albina Savoy (Crystal Bright, Barry Cantrell and Jon McLean), but it feels characterized more so by the physical presence with the long-lost art of busking. We should have ripped up the streetlight at the corner of West McGee and South Elm and hauled it upstairs as a backdrop for this trio. This is said not to trivialize their music, but hopefully it gives a sense of place and setting to their sound — an upright bass, keyboard, Django-gypsy jazz guitar, accordion, and wait for it folks…the saw.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to listen to a saw played properly, it’s fascinating. It makes the kind of sound that defies its method of sonic production. When played with a bow and twisted and just the right time, the saw sings a delayed to the twist, high, eerie wail. Though she’s only been playing saw for a year and change, Crystal Bright plays this unconventional instrument like she’s been at it for a while.
Albina Savoy opened their set with “Water,” a riffing, boiling and churning chant that owed a lot to gospel. With everyone singing on this number, there was a building aspect to the song with call and response. “Hip Bone” featured Crystal on accordion and with slapping bass and swelling tempo, the effect was something like a train trying to pick up steam all the while balancing to keep it’s momentum in the process. This deliberate kind of boozy, swaying quality with tempo helped establish early on that the songs would vary widely within the set.
With The Lounge of the Burro being closed off from the rest of the bar, it gave listeners a chance to dissect and insert themselves into the songs. Many of the later songs in the set demonstrated not only attention to melody, but striking lyricism. With “Emeline,” the causal set turned somber and self-focused. With a pervasive sense of loss and fragility, Barry sings:
Where’d she go
Where can she be
Who’s watching her
Don’t know, isn’t me
Stories that come with the experience and of having survived only to speculate. “We’re all damned and blessed, so indifferent and obsessed,” Barry sings on “Cynical and Vain.”
We all feel you, man.
Filthybird
Filthybird (Renee Mendoza, Brian Haran, Shawn Smith, Mike Duehring) is loud, yet subtle and distinctly joyful rock. Think Leslie Feist fronting My Morning Jacket. That evening, the vocals were intentionally drowned in reverb, washing through the guitar and keys. Unfortunately, at times the lyrics were indistinguishable, but this gave Renee Mendoza’s voice an otherworldly ring that contrasted the clear vocals of Albina Savoy.
Photos by Mark Smith
Having been on hiatus for some time and still drawing a strong crowd, Filthybird’s set was unfettered and electrifying. Brian Haran is an exceptionally captivating guitarist who is as dynamic as he is appropriate in the way he plays. He writes crisp and almost vocal guitar lines that add another dimension to Mendoza’s voice and keys. Where Mendoza’s sound is glass and endearing, the guitar contrasts with groaning and strung out melodies.
“The Gospel Song” is a bell-like, singing guitar waltz to grab someone close and spin. If I had to ascribe a physical action to the music of Filthybird, imagine “spinning and rocking.” These are songs to sway to and inevitably find a way to get lost. Mendoza describes Filthybird’s sound as “textures, vocal character differentiating between songs, but family members nonetheless.”
Many of the songs they played are from their new record which is to be released this fall that is tentatively titled, “Songs For Other People.” The new songs seem to more inclusive of Haran’s selection on guitar and it will be a highly anticipated follow-up to their 2007 release, Southern Skies.
All in all, it was a great evening featuring two dynamic, local groups. Mark your calendars for May 28th when The Subterranean Bums and Eating The Invaders continue the FREE. LIVE. MUSIC. concert series.
Thanks Grandpa Phillips!
SAD was our first headline act way back in April of last year and it looks like they’ve got a new fan video.
James, Eric, Matt and John don’t play out much more — they’re working on a final studio album before hanging up their SAD hats — but I’m pretty sure they’ll be at Tir Na Nog this Thursday night in Raleigh. I’ll confirm in a few…
Hope to see you out.
Moustache’d friend who
slings coffee and guitar riffs
wears ties. Awesomeness.
Check him out at The Green Bean or this month with one of his (many) bands Eating the Invaders at the May 28th DMP show.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
8:00pm - 11:00pm
The Green Burro
106 W. McGee Street
Greensboro, NC
After a full year of putting on DMP shows, I have to say that Citified has become one of my favorite bands in the area. Not just because of their lush sound or their dedication to the craft, but for being great fans of the local music scene and making it out to practically every show I make in town, including our own.
All that said, you really should try to make it out to The Flatiron tomorrow night at 9pm and support these fine musicians — including the fun sound of Pinche Gringo and DJ Josh Neas, who’ll be spinning tracks out in the open.
Most importantly, you’ll have a chance to get absence (available at Eskimo Kiss Records on May 26th), three weeks before it hits the shelves.
Chris Jackson was nice enough to get me a copy of the EP a few weeks back and it didn’t disappoint. Even though the overall sound of the album has a slower tempo than their last release, The Meeting After The Meeting, it definitely moves the band into a genre beyond 80’s Shoegaze and Indie rock into one that begs to defy definition.
Check out the elemental, dreamlike qualities of Founded:
And contrast that with the 1950’s sounding rhythm, crispness and delivery of Dutiful Scout:
Chris’s vocals and the band’s rich experimentation with layered melodies tie the songs together as a cohesive presentation, but there’s real variety within the structure of each song.
Citified is three albums deep into their journey and their sound becomes more and more intriguing each time out.
See you tomorrow night.
UPDATE: Some memories from the show:
Photo by Sean Coon
Photo by Molly McGinn
Photo by Molly McGinn
Photo by Sean Coon
Photo by Sean Coon
The way it was told to Cyril Neville, “funk” comes from the West African word “fonk.” It refers to a person who breaks a “positive sweat,” who works hard and takes care of the family. Someone who is a credit to the village is a “fonky” person.
“Playing funky dance music is doing the same thing,” Neville said.
Expect that kind of performance from Neville this weekend, Saturday May 9 at the Piedmont Blues Festival. A member of the legendary funk/R&B band The Neville Brothers, Cyril and his family were among the vocal advocates for Hurricane Katrina victims and their New Orleans hometown. The percussionist and vocalist shows a deep affection for the origins of blues and funk, breaking a “positive sweat” for his music and family.
Saturday, May 9, 2009 at 2pm
Festival Park
200 North Davie St., Greensboro
23rd Annual Carolina Blues Festival
presented by YES! Weekly
$18 in advance; $30 at the gate
Produced by the Piedmont Blues Preservation Society, this is the anchor event for the Sixth Annual EMFjazz&blues. Headlining the festival will be Cyril Neville of the legendary New Orleans funk/blues group The Neville Brothers, with special guest Big Chief Monk Boudreaux. Also appearing will be Diunna Greenleaf and the Blue Mercy Band with special guest Steady Rollin’ Bob Margolin, the Nighthawks, Adrian Duke, as well as the two winners of the PBPS Blues Challenge: The Landon Spradlin Blues Band (electric band contest winners) and Greensboro’s Bump & Logie (acoustic solo/duo contest winners).
Well, I’m The Spring to be more precise, but I’ll get into that in a bit.
There was a lot going on last Friday night — Artbeat Greensboro kicked off their week long celebration of the arts, Lyndon Street had the guys from Found performing, Dan Bayer hosted a local music/movie night in the Underground Sound Studio at Lyndon — but I had my sights locked on Square One, for it was the farewell performance of one former DMP act and the CD release party of another.
Photo by Elizabeth Lemon
The Tiny Meteors played our September ‘08 show and just a few months ago, lead singer, Kemp Stroble — our town’s most recognizable, gregarious & often crazed music booker, promoter, coffee pourer and performer — made it known that he was leaving town, heading south to Athens, Georgia where the scene is just that much more alive.
After what seemed like months of goodbye parties, Kemp played his final farewell performance.
They rocked.
Kemp got a bit emotional as he dedicated a song to the audience at the (under) underground venue and busted up his guitar during the second song, but he pulled through with a lender and worked the crowd into a respectful frenzy. He’s good people and the scene is going to miss both his energy and personality.
Best wishes in the real south, brother.
After a quick dash to the mini-mart for some water, it became time for utter musical goodness: The Bronzed Chorus — another DMP veteran.
Photo by Jessi Hagood
Adam and Brennan’s music has been described on Last.fm as “math rock” and I can’t argue with what sounds like such a programmatic description of music. Patterns are evident throughout their music — much more so than the average pop tune with catchy hooks and choruses — but these guys are anything but pop.
First, they rock without vocals. Second, these two guys make music as if there were four of them on stage. Brennan is often banging away on his drum kit with his right hand while playing keys with his left, and then he starts looping key progressions to lays fresh chords over them. Meanwhile, Adam is dropping some amazing guitar work over the beats, driving the energy of the room from chill to head nodding back to chill.
Want a taste?
From the live DMP album, Underpass Sunrise:
From the new studio album, I’m The Spring, Underpass Sunrise:
It was a great night. I picked up the new album and got an open invite to crash on a couch if I ever make my way out to Athens.
On with the show.
