K.T. Tunstall/Paddy Casey Show - 5.19.08 - Brown Theater

Look who I found skipping around Fourth Street Monday evening. (OK, I admit it, I'm a starf*cker ... so what?)

The K.T. Tunstall and Paddy Casey show at the Brown Theater was bitter sweet. I wasn't too familiar with her catalog, other than the couple radio hits that have been beaten into our skull ("Suddenly I See," anyone?). But talented singer-songwriters never put on a bad show -- and K.T. and Irish opener Paddy Casey more than proved that theory Monday night. The Brown wasn't as packed as I've seen it, but the talkative crowd seemed pleased and content with the entertainment.

Props to K.T.'s band, which included a stand-up bass and a washboard that doubled as a tie. —Sara Havens

Backseat Sandbar celebrates first anniversary in style

BY AARON FRANK

It’s already been a year for the Louisville-based music blog Backseat Sandbar, and to celebrate, they’re holding their first band showcase Friday called “The Incident at the Pour Haus” (1481 S. Shelby St.)
Cory and Nick (no last names given), the creators of Backseat Sandbar, have specifically chosen the bands for The Incident, which kicks off at 9 pm, and will feature Louisville artists The Instruction, The Zero Element, Skyscraper Stereo, and Azns N Bnzs.

The idea for Backseat Sandbar came about when the two founders were still in law school at UK and realized they shared similar tastes in music. “We both had little mini-blogs at the time,” Cory said. After graduation, the two moved back to their hometown of Louisville and decided to merge their ideas together for a common purpose.

“We really wanted to use it as a way to integrate ourselves back in to the scene and to try and support all of the great local music that comes from Louisville,” Cory said. Since their humble beginnings last May — their first post was about an incredibly talented beer pong player — they have gotten positive feedback from local bands, fans and promoters.

At this year's showcase for the Louisville Is For Lovers compilation, Cory and Nick had an unexpected encounter with one of the organizers. “The guy that runs it kept telling us how much he liked the site, and I didn’t even know he had any idea who we were,” Cory said. It isn’t uncommon for readers of Backseat Sandbar to introduce themselves to Cory and Nick at local shows and tell them how they feel about the site.

Asked if they’ll put on more concerts and showcases in the future, Cory hesitantly said, “We hope so. We really hope that this one goes well.” They shouldn’t worry much: The Incident is free and the Pour Haus is selling discount Pabst Blue Ribbons for $1.25.

The Incident kicks off at 9 p.m. Friday. The Instruction, an indie-rock band with a strong influences from New York rockers The National, opens, followed by The Zero Element, a dance-rock band featuring Ex-People Noise guitarist Rahman McGinnis, and Skyscraper Stereo, a local hip-hop group that Cory said has a “very bright future.” Azns and Bnzs, a local DJ duo known for playing rowdy house parties, also performs.

Contact the writer at leo@leoweekly.com

Dead Child on MTV's "Headbanger's Ball"

This Friday May 23, The Headbangers Blog will premiere the video for Dead Child's "Sweet Chariot," off of their new Quarterstick full-length, Attack. The video then debuts on "Headbanger's Ball" at 11 p.m. Saturday, May 24, on MTV2.

Local company Finite Studios filmed the video in downtown Louisville.

LEO pal Mike Bucayu shot photos. —MH

Review: The Last Shadow Puppets: The Age of the Understatement

By Jay Ditzer

Alex Turner is the brains behind the Arctic Monkeys. Miles Kane is pals with Turner, and is also the lead singer of the Rascals, a band that has yet to release a full album but has toured with Arctic Monkeys. Obviously then, the time was right for a supergroup side project. Say hello to the Last Shadow Puppets.

Instead of the brash guitar pop one might expect from the Turner/Kane axis, "The Age of the Understatement" uses a different tactic. Traditional rock instrumentation underpins everything, but the brass, woodwinds and strings are the disc's sonic footprint. As a result, the album has a highly retro flavor, but never stoops to kitsch. It's pop, but not in the pejorative, "American Idol"-sense of the word: It's the kind of pop that used to coexist peacefully in the charts alongside the Beatles and the Byrds way back when. An obvious musical touchstone would be the four sequentially numbered albums Scott Walker released in the late ’60s. In fact, the title cut is highly reminiscent of Walker's take on Jacques Brel's "Jackie," sharing similarly galloping, driving arrangements, although the Puppets' lyrics are much less perverse than Brel's translated words.

"...Understatement" is no hodgepodge homage. Tracks like "Calm Like You," "My Mistakes Were Made for You" and "In My Room" are well-constructed tunes. The sweeping strings and parping trumpets do serve to add a sheen of maturity to the proceedings. "The Meeting Place" would make a great guitar-based number, but the orchestration adds a wistful edge to a tale of betrayal and loss, making the whole thing a tad more affecting.

Turner and Kane get all the attention, but drummer James Ford is a member of Simian Mobile Disco, as well as being an in-demand producer. In addition the Understatement, Ford has twiddled the knobs for the Klaxons, the Test Icicles and, get this, Arctic Monkeys. Owen Pallett, who arranged and conducted the strings, therefore providing a massive chunk of the album's sound and feel, has served in a similar capacity for a little band called the Arcade Fire. A group effort, in other words.

I can't imagine that the Last Shadow Puppets would be an ongoing concern, as all parties have steady day jobs, and the orchestrated pop gambit might seem gimmicky if used too often, but "The Age of the Understatement" is a solid record on its own merits.

Tegan & Sara concert in Cincinnati - 5.09.08

What can I say, it was a great week for concerts. The sold-out Tegan & Sara show at Bogart's was mayhem from beginning to end. I knew of some friends who were setting up camp in line at 10am Friday morning, just to ensure a good spot near the stage. I thought they were nuts, until I joined them around 5:30, bringing some much-needed bourbon and a fresh perspective on the situation. There were two doors. Were they going to open them at the same time, or was one line going to have an advantage over the other? After asking every staffmember reporting for duty, we were satisfied knowing that they'd open both doors at the same time.

The thing is, my friends already were fortunate to meet Sara earlier that day -- she was just walking around Vine Street, they said. Kinda scary if you're familiar with the area -- but not surprising if you know anything about T&S. They got everything -- the photos, the handshakes, the autographs. Why I didn't join them earlier I'll never know.

Once the doors opened, it was a mad dash up to the stage. I never saw so many rabid fans in my life -- even at a New Kids on the Block concert in the late '80s. They were pushing, scratching and clawing their way to the front. I could only stand and try to hold my ground. Luckily, my friends got front row, while I stood behind to safeguard them.

The show was so great. Tegan and Sara sang a lot of songs off their new CD, The Con, and would mix in our favorites from past albums. In true T&S style, their onstage banter was the most entertaining, as they revealed stories behind the lyrics and made fun of obnoxious audience members.

One funny story -- my "devoted" friends had been to the Tegan and Sara concert in Indy the night before, where Tegan apparently forgot some words to "I Know I Know I Know." So while in line on Friday, they wrote out the lyrics on posterboard for her. So the signs made their way to the stage that night, and Tegan was happy to oblige, saying they were going to skip this song if it hadn't been for the notecards.

My favorites of the night: "Where Does The Good Go," "Call It Off" and "Living Room," which they ended the encore with.

Wish they woulda played: "Noises In The Dark" and "City Girl."

As you can see, my pictures didn't turn out as good as Uh Huh Her, nor did I get to meet Tegan and/or Sara. But they put on a great show, as always. —Sara Havens

Uh Huh Her concert in Nashville — 5.07.08

Hands down, this is the best concert I've seen this year.

Uh Huh Her is a relatively new L.A.-based band, yet they have garnered quite a following because one of the members stars in a certain hit TV show on Showtime. But more on that later.

UHH released an EP in 2007, available for download only on iTunes. And they're currently wrapping up production on a new full release, titled Common Reaction, due out in August.

Their I See Red EP made my top 5 list of 2007. Here's what I wrote:

Uh Huh Her: I See Red — It’s a sad day when bands break up. It’s a happy day when disbanded band members find other disbanded band members and learn how to make sweet, sweet music once again. As is the case with this group, which formed when Camila Grey (of Mellowdrone) met up with … uh huh, her … Leisha Hailey (of The Murmurs). Although neither had frontman experience — Grey played bass and dabbled in production (Dr. Dre, Kelly Osbourne) and Hailey has been on a five-year music hiatus doing time on the boob tube (as Alice in “The L Word”) — both have effortlessly stepped up front and center with this electro-pop EP. It’s edgy without being loud. Surreal without being cryptic.

So the concert was amazing. My friend and I made the journey down to Nashville early Wednesday afternoon and decided to pass the time before the show doing the typical tourist stuff -- knocking back a few at a live music venue on Broadway. Robert's, Legends ... we saw all the big-hitter venues. Getting antsy and wanting to make sure we had a front spot in line, we headed over to Exit/Inn around 6pm for the 8pm show. Since no line had formed yet and we didn't want to look like stalkers, we walked over to a nearby coffee shop to mix in some espresso with all the beer now swirling in our bellies.

As soon as we entered the small, unassuming joint, there sat Cam, texting on her phone. I couldn't move, but my friend Lori had some courage and sat down right next to her, asking if she's ready for the show. I finally introduced myself and wished her luck tonight and quickly got back in line. As soon as I turned around, out walks Leisha from the bathroom, passing right by me. Again, my breathing stopped and I froze. She seemed happy that we were fans -- but glad we weren't too obsessed to break out the cameras. They said they were both tired from the trip in from Texas and got up to head back to the bus. Of course, I found out all of this only from listening, as I was still frozen from seeing Leisha in the flesh. But as she walked out, she looked back at me, smiled, and in a sweet, little voice, said, "You girls better scream loud for us tonight."

So the concert starts. We were near the front of the line, so we got in perfect position for the show (read: 2 feet from Leisha's keyboards and bass guitar). Their setlist featured songs from their EP, which most of the packed audience knew by heart already, as well as some new ones off the upcoming album. It was amazing. Rocking. Inspiring.

And afterward, Cam and Leisha stayed to sign and take photos with the audience -- something I doubt will happen often once they get more of a following. Being the dork that I am, I brought Leisha some Yoplait yogurt -- you may recognize her from those commercials ... you know ... "Burning this dress good." She was kinda weirded out at first, and then just laughed, saying, "You know, no one has ever brought me yogurt before."

Hey, I never said I was cool. But it was a great show. And if they ever come around again, I encourage you to check them out. —Sara Havens

These New Puritans - "Beat Pyramid"

accentuations

If the Killers had cute English accents and tried to cover Animal Collective, they might produce a sound similar to that of Southend, England’s These New Puritans. On their MySpace page, they call themselves live electronics/big beat/shoegaze, TNP released their debut album Beat Pyramid in the U.S. this March, which contains tracks that may or may not make you want to shake your booty or grind your teeth. If you’re into repetitive jams that are so multilayered you keep thinking your cell phone is ringing, then TNP might be the hip new band for you.

TNP offer some danceable tunes with excellent beats and captivating guitar riffs, but some songs such as “Numerology (aka Numbers)” were just irritating. But in all fairness, it just may be a case of the first album jitters. Twin brothers Jack and George Barnett, Thomas Hein and Sophie Sleigh-Johnson make up TNP, and claim that the Wu-Tang Clan is one of their major influences. When listening to this album, RZA and Method Man were the furthest people from my mind, but if an American hip-hop group can inspire British post-punk, I guess we shouldn’t be too quick to judge. —Jane Mattingly

Idaho, Alaska - Kissin' With The Devil

regional flavor

Kissin’ With The Devil is the self-released debut album from Lexington indie-rockers Idaho, Alaska. And though Idaho, Alaska is far from becoming a household name, these guys rock out with the passion and skill of seasoned veterans.

Obvious influences on range from Pavement to early Modest Mouse, but Idaho, Alaska also exhibits a number of qualities that separate them from the greats. They definitely aren’t hesitant to experiment with different recording techniques, which really works to their advantage on the 10-minute jam “Mechanical Wave/What’s The Matter.”

There’s a stripped down, early ’90s feel to the recording, and lead singer Chris Soulis’ muffled vocals tend to compliment this well. He touches on several dark themes, including substance abuse and failed relationships, and you can sense his desperation on “Muscle Car.” However, the band has a strange, cathartic side, and by the end of Kissin’, the album is more about hope and progress than anything else. —Aaron Frank