ChordStrike

Elton John vs. Warren Zevon vs. Dent May: Who Wore it Best?

I've recently happened upon what appears to be a decades-spanning rock 'n' roll fashion triumvirate and thought I'd throw the photo evidence out to Chordstrike readers for a vote. Who do you think wore this look best? Was it eccentric, piano-man Elton John, “satiric songwriter” Warren Zevon, or ukulele-toting indie rocker Dent May? You be the judge.

   Elton John, circa 1970

vs.

  Warren Zevon, circa 1978

vs.

  Dent May, circa 2009

 

-- Shelby Earl

Own a Piece of John Vanderslice

Dead Oceans artist, John Vanderslice, is making an offer his most dedicated fans will be clamoring to redeem. According to the Dead Oceans site, the first 100 fans to pre-order JV's upcoming album, Romanian Names, will each receive a limited-edition, letterpressed wallet containing a small snippet of analog tape from the recording sessions. The most remarkable bit about it is that "John Vanderslice and Dead Oceans grant free reign and full rights to those that receive this tape snippet." Tres cool! Act fast and get your own piece of JV's new album here.

Check out a video of John Vanderslice and Magik*Magik Orchestra performing "Too Much Time" off the new album:

 

A.C. Newman On Tour

I had the great pleasure of catching New Pornographers front man A.C. Newman live in concert in Seattle last weekend and I would strongly encourage everyone else to do the same! I will admit that prior to the show I was expecting to mourn the absence of the brilliant Neko Case (also a member of New Pornographers and one of my all-time musical heroes), but A.C. more than thrilled the crowd with a selection of pop delights from his buzz-worthy new solo album, Get Guilty. 

The tour’s second greatest asset is nerd-core newcomer Dent May, who played songs from his aptly named new release, The Good Feeling Music of Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele. Sadly for those catching this show in another city, you will not be fortunate enough to hear the music of Seattle-based opener, Cataldo (who I suspect you will hear more from in the future), but you just might be lucky enough to catch L.A. darlings, The Broken West, who will be joining Newman mid-tour in support of their latest release, Now or Heaven. 

A.C. Newman Tour Dates:

•    2/24 Sacramento, CA Harlow’s*
•    2/25 San Diego, CA Casbah*
•    2/26 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour*
•    2/27 Santa Barbara, CA Club Mercy*
•    2/28 San Francisco, CA The Independent*
•    3/1 Eugene, OR John Henry’s*
•    3/10 Ithaca, NY Castaways*
•    3/11 Toronto, ON Lee’s Palace*
•    3/12 Montreal, QC Il Motore*
•    3/13 Providence, RI Club Hell*
•    3/14 Boston, MA Paradise*
•    3/15 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom*
•    3/17 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brenda’s**
•    3/18 Washington, DC Black Cat **
•    3/19 Chapel Hill, NC Cat’s Cradle**
•    3/20 Atlanta, GA The Earl**
•    3/21 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge**
•    3/22 St. Louis, MO Blueberry Hill**
•    3/24 Minneapolis, MN 400 Bar**
•    3/25 Chicago, IL Logan Square Auditorium**
•    3/26 Pontiac, MI The Pike Room at The Crofoot**
•    3/27 Cleveland, OH Grog Shop**
•    3/28 Pittsburgh, PA Andy Warhol Museum**

*with Dent May & His Magnificent Ukulele
**with The Broken West

Check out Dent May and his Good Feeling Music:

--Shelby Earl

SASQUATCH! MUSIC FESTIVAL Official Line-up Announced

 

Festivals have been all the rage for ages now, but Washington State's own Sasquatch! Music Festival at the beautiful Gorge Amphitheatre is a mind-bending three-day music celebration that gets more massive by the year. Tickets aren't cheap, but one look at this year's line-up and you'll find yourself babbling "recession? what recession?"

Memorial Day Weekend | May 23, 24, 25, 2009
The Gorge | Quincy, WA

Music line-up includes Jane's Addiction (feat. all four original members), Kings of Leon, Nine Inch Nails, Ben Harper & Relentless7, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Erykah Badu, The Decemberists, Fleet Foxes, TV On The Radio, Animal Collective, Silversun Pickups, Bon Iver, Santigold, Of Montreal, Explosions In The Sky, Devotchka, Peter Bjorn & John, Gogol Bordello, M. Ward, The Avett Brothers, Doves, Calexico, Grizzly Bear, M83, Girl Talk, The Gaslight Anthem, The Walkmen, Chromeo (dj set), Deadmau5, Mugison, Sun Kil Moon, Airborne Toxic Event, Blitzen Trapper, Shearwater, BLK JKS, The Wrens, Tobacco, Monotonix, King Khan & The Shrines, St. Vincent, Passion Pit, John Vanderslice, Bishop Allen, Blind Pilot, AA Bondy, Black Moth Super Rainbow, The Knux, Ra Ra Riot, The Dodos, Beach House, Arthur & Yu, The Submarines, Owl City, Viva Voce, James Pants, Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band, The Builders & The Butchers, The Dutchess & The Duke, Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele, Fences, School of Seven Bells, Death Vessel, Horse Feathers, Hockey, Point Juncture, WA, The Pica Beats, Loch Lomond, Vince Mira & more to come.

Comedy line up includes Zach Galifiankas, Demetri Martin, Tim & Eric Awesome Show Great Job, Todd Barry, Jon Benjamin, God's Pottery, People's Republic of Komedy & more.

Tickets go on sale Saturday February 28th at 10AM and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, sasquatchfestival.com, all Ticketmaster outlets, or charge by phone in Seattle (206) 628-0888, in Oregon (503) 224-4400, and in Eastern Washington (509) 735-0500

--Shelby Earl

All You Need Are These Four Chords

In case you've ever wondered what the magic formula is for a hit song, you need wonder no more. Australian musical comedy trio, Axis of Awesome, demonstrate how with one simple four chord progression, 36 hit songs (at least) have been penned.

You want to be next? Grab a guitar and do as I say: 6, 4, 1, 5, repeat = jackpot.

New Ryan Adams Black Cab Session…Sigh…

Call me old fashioned, but I love Ryan Adams. And nothing could have started my day off better than seeing a new Ryan Adams Black Cab Session posted online this morning.

Big thanks to Ryan for fighting his tendency toward car sickness in order to bring us this...

Watch Ryan Adams on Black Cab Sessions

--Shelby Earl

Sufjan Stevens Has the Holiday Spirit

Years ago, Sufjan Stevens vowed he would make a new Christmas album every year. The merry indie rocker kept his word and went on to release the first five volumes in one fabulous box set collection called Songs About Christmas. Although Sufjan reportedly has no plans to release his 2008 volume of songs, he has posted all kinds of interactive holiday fun to his web site. Go here to play Christmas dress-up with Sufjan, check out previously released tracks, and play a holiday-themed video game.   

Reinvigorate your own holiday spirit by singing along to Sufjan's “Put the Lights on the Tree”