It’s been almost two months since Chocolate Bobka took over the basement of the Lutheran Church of the Messiah, and brought the sweet un-amplified sounds of Mountain Man and Alex Bleeker to this holy place.  It was a truly surreal experience to see so many people sitting quietly while these bands played their music in such a  peaceful setting.  It was the type of thing that can only happen when the people at an event want to be there, and aren’t just there because it was the cool thing to do…and that is what made this night so special.

While I had heard “Animal Tracks” before this was my first real experience with Mountain Man.  If you didn’t already know Mountain Man is actually three ladies from Bennington, Vermont who make mostly acapella folk music with the occasional use of acoustic guitar.  Their performance at the Church was nothing short of magical. From Singing with Alex Bleeker and performing a cover of “Oh, Boy” by Girls , covering  “My Roots are Strong and Deep” by Phil Elverum’s The Microphones, and even Tom Waits….

Mountain Man- “Green Grass (Tom Waits cover)” into “Animal Tracks”

Ray Concepcioñ always does an amazing job capturing Chocolate Bobka’s events.  I also recorded their cover of “Green Grass,” and while I’m not a magician with a camera like Ray is (nor do I have that type of equipment) I feel that this video captures the setting and vibe of the church.  The complete lack of light, the politeness of the audience, and what it felt like to be at such a unique event.

Mountain Man- “Green Grass (Tom Waits cover)”

I’m honestly not a Tom Waits fan, but this version can make even a person that hates Tom Waits like this song. These covers were in addition to their own beautiful musical creations.

Mountain Man was selling limited edition copies of their self titled cd-r at the show.  The cd-r’s that Mountain Man had at the Church were all made by hand out of paper bags, sewn together, and then decorated.  Every copy was different.  This version, from my understanding, is different than what they released earlier in 2009 because it has two additional songs: “Loon Song” and “Buffalo.”  I’m really happy to have been able to get a copy of one of their releases after reading about them non-stop for for so long.

If I had just heard this record without seeing them live I would have thought the music came from another time.  It’s oldtime-y in a way that feels classic, and if knew nothing about these ladies I would not be able to guess when it was released.  If you haven’t experienced them yet I’m happy to share a couple tracks with you now…  “Animal Tracks” is already a classic:

[mp3] Mountain Man- “Animal Tracks”

“Buffalo” is one of the newest tracks to emerge from these ladies, and while it still keeps the same vibe as the rest it brings us much closer to the plains than the mountains.  An ode to this glorious beast, and so short and sweet at that.  I’ve listened to this track probably a dozen times today…. follow the buffalo:

[mp3] Mountain Man- “Buffalo”

If you are interested in hearing more Mountain Man and don’t mind having a digital copy you can buy their 7 song EP directly from the band here.   This website also allows you to stream the entire album, and has a complete list of their West Coast tour…which is currently going on.  If you are in San Francisco this weekend I highly recommend checking them out.

Many of these tracks will be seeing proper release on one of my new favorite record labels…the magnificent Underwater Peoples.  Keep an eye out…it’s going to be a 10″, and is sure to be a must have.

Previously posted mp3s featuring Mountain Man:

[mp3] Alex Bleeker w/ Molly Searle of Mountain Man- “Oh, Boy (Girls cover)”

[mp3] Alex Bleeker and the Freaks- “Animal Tracks (Mountain Man cover)”

• Buy Alex Bleeker’s self titled LP here.

Mountain Man is just one of the many reasons why Vermont is such a wonderful state…maybe I will live there one day.

Links:

• the photo above was taken by Rez Avissar at the Lutheran Church of the Messiah.  More photos taken by Rez from this show can be found here.
• more on Underwater Peoples can be found here.
• more on Alex Bleeker can be found here.

——————————

I was going to a Best Of Limited Releases for 2009, and figured my energy would be better spent making this post.  Mountain Man’s cd-r is everything I look for in a limited release…amazing music, and packaging made with loving care.

There were several other releases that have made my shortlist of Best Limited Releases of 2009, and all of those have been previously covered in my posts called This Week In Mail Order.  Here is that list, and links to the original posts:

• Mount Eerie- White Stag
• Karl Blau- Baby Nettles
• Karl Blau- 96
• Cloud Nothings- Turning On

more of my best of lists can be found here.

Cloud Nothings are coming back to New York shortly after the release of Turning On, and this time it is to play with Alex Bleeker and the Freaks (and Beach Fossiles).  I’ve listen to Turning On more times than I can count on my headphones since I got it at the beginning of December (see my post on Turning On here), and I’m ready to see what it sounds like live.  Cloud Nothings’ Turning On is almost sold out at Bridgetown records, and Speaker Tree Records, out of Lynchberg, Virginia is planning to release it on LP toward the end of February (with an extra track).

Breakfast of Champs have posted a newish mp3 from Cloud Nothings that will be on their forthcoming compilation:

[mp3] Cloud Nothings- “Crying Underwater”
(eventually it will be available here)

On top of Cloud Nothings….Alex Bleeker is playing too…

When I got to see Alex Bleeker play with Mountain Man back in December (actually the same weekend I got the Cloud Nothings CD) it was a truly surreal event. Alex Bleeker played a beautiful set, and his only backing musicians were the women from Mountain Man. The crowd was the most respectful I’ve ever seen in New York, and let the quietness and intimacy of the Lutheran Church of the Messiah, as well as the music itself, shine. As wonderful of an experience as that was I’m looking forward to seeing him backed by the Freaks.  But we do have this mp3 to remember that event by, thanks to Chocolate Bobka:

[mp3] Alex Bleeker w/ Molly Sarle of Mountain Man- “Oh, Boy (Girls cover)”
recorded live at the Lutheran Church of the Messiah. via Chocolate Bobka.

Saturday should be fun…you should be there:

Presented by Chocolate Bobka & Group Tightener:
This Saturday, January 16th
Beach Fossils.
Alex Bleeker & the Freaks.
Cloud Nothings.
Nude Beach.
at Monster Island Basement.
Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Links:

• Buy Cloud Nothings’ Turning On from Bridgetown Records here.
• more on Cloud Nothings here.
• more on Alex Bleeker and the Freaks here.
• Buy the Alex Bleeker & The Freaks LP from Underwater Peoples here.
• more on Group Tightener Records here.

My first show of Twenty Ten will be tonight, and as far as I’m concerned it couldn’t be any better than Julian Lynch.  Julian Lynch made one of my favorite records of 2009 (my lists are still to come), and he will be contributing his own best of list to the Great Pumpkin later this week! I also hope to shoot a little video at the show tonight as well…we will see.

If you can make it this should be a really good show(oh and it’s FREE!), honestly it would be a really good show if Julian was the only one playing…but I’m pretty excited to see Big Troubles as well.

I’ve been digging on the Julian Lynch tracks that Friendship Bracelet posted a while back from the Birthday CDr on Buffalo Songs, and I thought I would share one here with you now.  Just as dreamy as Orange You Glad, but with some found tapes and loops added in…initially reminded me of the backwards speak in Twin Peaks.

[mp3] Julian Lynch- “dubna”

If you missed it a while back I posted Big Troubles “Freudian Slips,” and here it is again:

[mp3] Big Troubles- “Freuduian Slips”

Here is to hoping that all of Big Troubles’ songs are this wonderful.

See you at Bruar Falls tonight! Again this show is FREE!

Links:

• more on Julian Lynch here.
• more on Big Troubles here.
• this show is presented by PopJew
• Concert Poster by Courtney

Halloween is a holiday that always has really high expectations, and typically doesn’t live up to them…so when I heard that Mount Eerie was playing my decision was made for me…Mount Eerie never disappoints.

This was my first time hearing Malkuth and Liturgy.  Malkuth went on shortly after we got to Market Hotel, and played for what seemed like forever…and not forever in a bad way, but more like…wow this opening band is playing for over an hour.  I was pretty impressed, but as I soon found out it is hard for any band to share the stage with Liturgy. I haven’t been to a metal show in a couple months, and I really did enjoy it…even klk got into Liturgy, and the metal typically isn’t her thing.  As far as black metal goes I got more out of Liturgy’s performance on Saturday than I did out of Wolves In the Throne Room earlier this year. Liturgy can keep the underlying melodic guitars even during a full blown thrash session.  Totally worth checking out:

[full album] Liturgy- Live on My Castle of Quiet at WFMU (via FMA)

Mount Eerie took the stage in a form that I have yet to see, and this was due to the recent release of Wind’s Poem.  Not only was Elverum on stage, but he was accompanied by both Julia Chirka and Nick Krgovich of No Kids as well as two drummers.  Their set consisted entirely of songs from Wind’s Poem, and Phil let us in on something that I was previously unaware of…Wind’s Poem was written by himself and Nick Krgovich (last time I saw Nick play it was less than exciting, but he redeemed himself on Saturday night).  Mount Eerie sounded thunderous, and the amazing part was that there was only one guitar on stage.  Krgovich and Chirka both played keyboards, and Elverum stood center with the guitar. For me heavier music can sometimes get lost in the wall of sound created by too many guitars, and I think Elverum has found the perfect combination for his live set up to show off both his song writing and vocals.  With only one guitar Elverum was able to shine over the the heaviest music he has ever written.  Mount Eerie’s set was near perfect, and Krgovich even interjected a dance beat into what I consider one of the best songs of the year:

Mount Eerie still have most of their tour to go…I highly recommend catching them…only good things can come of it….tour dates can be found here.

In other Mount Eerie related news….

Julie Doiron, who collaborated with Phil Elverum on last year’s wonderful Lost Wisdom, will be gracing NYC this Thursday, November 5th, accompanied by Herman Dune at the Bell House. Julie released an excellent album this year, I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day (which will also be making my best of 2009 list), and was great when she played Cake Shop this past spring.  If you are unfamiliar with Julie she used to play in Eric’s Trip, and has been making music on her own since the early 90’s.  Check out one of my favorite tracks from last year’s Lost Wisdom:

[mp3] Mount Eerie w/ Julie Doiron & Fred Squire- “Voice in Headphones” (from Lost Wisdom, buy it here.)

Links:

• more on Mount Eerie and Phil Elverum here.
• buy Mount Eerie and P.W. Elverum and Suns releases here.
• more on Julie Doiron here.
• buy Julie Doiron’s releases here.
• more from the free music archive here.
• more gprecs video (Karl Blau, Dum Dum Girls, Los Campesinos! and More) here.

End Note: There has been a lot going on in my real, non-internet, life this week…so blog posts will be scarce until sometime next week.  My stress will greatly decrease tomorrow, and I am looking forward to enjoying Julie play in one of my favorite venues in Booklyn…beer will be calling my name.

There are very few things musically that could make my week better than Karl Blau coming to New York, but this week has topped it.  Phil Elverum and his Mount Eerie will be making two New York appearances this weekend as well!

Mount Eerie released the wonderful Wind’s Poem a couple months back, and if you are a listener or reader of NPR you might have heard about it from them (they know their stuff).  Wind’s Poem is Elverum’s second venture into the realm of black metal, and his vision is breath taking.

Don’t let the words “black metal” or even just the word “metal” scare you away from this album…let me assure you the Phil put’s his own spin on the genre (s), and it is unlike anything I’ve have heard before…metal or otherwise.   Bringing things a little closer to the pacific north west Elverum even incorporates elements of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks into this album, and brings this to the forefront on, another one, of my favorite songs of the year:

[mp3] Mount Eerie- “Between Two Mysteries”

Buy Wind’s Poem here!

I’ve now let you in on two of my favorite songs of the year (one yesterday and one today), but I will even go as far to say that Wind’s Poem is right near the top of my best records of 2009 as well.

Appropriately enough Mount Eerie right after this venture into the expanding realm of black metal will be performing on Halloween….with two of New York’s finest black metal acts….Liturgy and Malkuth!

This is not just any show, but a collaboration between Todd P and Pitchfork’s Brandon Stosuy.  This show is part of Stosuy’s  Show No Mercy series:

Halloween!
Saturday October 31st
at Market Hotel

Also appearing at this show will be No Kids and Tara Jane O’Neil.

I have seen Phil Elverum play as Mount Eerie several times before, and it has never been anything less than magical.  I’m extremely excited to see what type of set he decides to perform while playing with not only one, but two well know black metal acts….could there be a collaboration…I can’t wait to find out on Saturday.

If Market Hotel and black metal aren’t your thing you have a second chance to catch Elverum’s magic:

Sunday November 1st
Wordless Music Presents:
Mount Eerie
with
Tara Jane O’Neil
No Kids
and
Dina Pruzhansky
at Le Poisson Rouge

If you have a chance to catch Mount Eerie at either of these shows you will not be disappointed…if you are not in NYC Mount Eerie will also be appearing at these times and places:

• Mon. Nov. 2nd- Harrisburg, PA- Midtown Scholar Bookstore
  • $7- doors at 6:30, show at 7PM (with Tara Jane O’Neil and No Kids)
• Tues. Nov. 3rd- Pittsburgh, PA- Garfield Art Works
  • 8pm doors, $8 (with Tara Jane O’Neil and No Kids)
• Weds. Nov. 4th- Cincinnati, OH- Art Damage Lodge
  • $7 (with Tara Jane O’Neil and No Kids)
• Thurs. Nov. 5th- Louisville, KY- Skull Alley
  • $8, doors at 8pm (with Tara Jane O’Neil and No Kids)
• Fri. Nov. 6th- Bloomington, IN- Banneker Community Center
  • 9:30, $8 (with Tara Jane O’Neil and No Kids and Prayer Breakfast)
• Sat. Nov. 7th- Madison, WI- High Noon Saloon
  • $10, EARLY! 5pm doors, show ends at 8pm (with Tara Jane O’Neil and No Kids)
• Sun. Nov. 8th- Chicago, IL- Lakeshore Theater
  • $10, doors at 6pm, show at 7 (with Tara Jane O’Neil and No Kids)
• Mon. Nov. 9th- Iowa City, IA- Public Space One
  • 9pm, $5 (with No Kids)
• Tues. Nov. 10th- Minneapolis, MN- Bedlam Theater
  • EARLY! doors at 5pm, music at 6, $10 (with No Kids and Lucy Michelle and the Velvet Lapelles)
• Weds. Nov. 11th- Rapid City, SD- Sports Rock Pizza!
  • $5 (with No Kids and Motorbikes and St. Merman)
• Fri. Nov. 13th- Pullman, Wash- The Bell Tower
  • $6/$8

Links:

• more on Mount Eerie and Phil Elverum  here.
• buy Mount Eerie and P.W. Elverum and Suns releases here.
  • Mount Eerie releases should always be purchased directly from Phil…I am always amazed at how delicately they are packaged.  I have never been disappointed…hands down some of the best things to pass through the USPS.

Links:

• more on Sore Eros here.
• more on Family Portrait here.

Tonight, Friday August 28th, 2009

• Ducktails, Burning Star Core, Talk Normal and Noveller @ Bruar Falls
• Holiday Shores, My Teenage Stride @ Little Field
• PC Worship @ Cake Shop

Saturday August 29th

• Celebration @ Market Hotel
• Chocolate Bobka Presents! Beach Fossils, Holiday Shores, Sore Eros, Family Portrait @ The Cameo
• Screaming Females, Sharon Van Etten @ The Yard

Sunday August 30th

• Lightning Bolt, Hot Box @ 979 Broadway Backyard
• Grizzly Bear and Beach House @ Williamsburg Waterfront (FREE!)

Tuesday  September 1st

• Screaming Females @ Mercury Lounge

Wednesday Septmber 2nd

• Titus Andronicus, Smith Westerns, So So Glows @ Monster Island Basement
• Gary War, Jana Hunter, Talk Normal @ Market Hotel
• Coco Rosie @ Highline Ballroom

*more to be added as I find them.

When I started writing the Great Pumpkin at the beginning of this year I could have never predicted how many good things would be revolving around a little record label that I had never even heard of…and all of the magic started with Real Estate’s first 7″…then a wonderful compilation CD,  followed by Julian Lynch and Ducktails split 7″/DVD combo, and now it is all culminating in a showcase of wonderful bands that Underwater Peoples Records are pushing into the spotlight (all in under a year)!

For those of you unfamiliar with Underwater Peoples it is a record label based in Washington DC, but has strong ties in New Jersey and Brooklyn.  The boys that run the label are super nice, and give off positive vibes all around.  In addition to running a record label and playing in bands they are now responsible for a study of people who create homemade flame throwers (more on this below).

Tomorrow night marks a very special event in the early life of this record label…August 22nd will be Underwater Peoples Records Late Summer Showcase at the Market Hotel!

SET LIST!!!!! (rumor has it these might have been pushed back by 30minutes)

• 5 – Big Troubles
• 5:30 – Dana Jewell
• 6 – Ducktails
• 6:30 – Frat Dad
• 7 – Liam The Younger
• 7:30 – Beach Fossils
• ***Second half***
• 8:15 – Fluffy Lumbers
• 8:50 – Andrew Cedermark
• 9:25 – Alex Bleeker & The Freaks
• 10 – Family Portrait
• 10:35 – Pill Wonder
• 11:10 – Air Waves
• 11:45 – Real Estate
• click through on any of the bands to hear their music.

The showcase only costs $5, and tickets can be purchased in advance here. If you can make it out for any part of this event it is sure to be special.  I’m personally hoping to catch Liam the Younger, but overall you can’t go wrong…so many good bands and so cheap.

If you are interested in buying Underwater Peoples releases you can do it directly from them.  The Real Estate 7″ is now out of print, but the compilation and Julian Lynch/Ducktails 7″/DVD combo are still available here!  Keep an eye out…there will be more good things to come from Underwater Peoples in the future.

If you are interested in supporting Underwater Peoples study of homemade flamethrowers please check out their  first video documenting it which is also the first “music video” by Family Portrait titled “Mega Secrets.”  For more info on the study read their full blog post about it and vote for them to present their findings at SXSW.

I’ve written about a handful of these bands in the past too (click through for videos, mp3s, pictures, and more):

• More on Ducktails here.
• More on Real Estate here.
• More on Liam the Younger here (including free albums!)
• More on Underwater Peoples in general here.

Saturday should be a blast!  And congrats to Underwater Peoples for coming so far in such a short period of time!