Calvin Johnson and his Hive Dwellers played the 92nd Street Y Tribeca this past Friday.  He was as wonderful and charismatic as ever.  Here are some pictures of the set:

I actually took a lot more pictures than this.  Check them all out here.

City Center opened this show, and have already posted a live recording of their amazing set to the City Center Blog!  Download it here.

For more on Calvin and the Hive Dwellers click here.

Julie Doiron has been making music for many years now, and it all started back in 1990 with Eric’s Trip.  I wish I would have know about Julie back in high school and college, when all those Eric’s Trip 7″s were sitting on the shelf at 52.5…I guess I was too punk rock or hardcore or something to explore it at that time, but I’m glad I found her now.  She has been releasing solo recordings since 1993 (first as Broken Girl, and then as Julie Doiron)

I guess what opened my eyes to Julie Doiron’s beautiful music was her collaboration with Mount Eerie and Fred Squire last year titled Lost Wisdom.  Admittedly I am a really big Phil Elverum fan, and Lost Wisdom almost brings me to tears each time I listen to it.  I have to say that there really couldn’t have been a better way for me to be introduced to Julie Doiron, and he lovely voice.

It was about a month ago that I tracked down Doiron’s newest album I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day, and I’m so very glad that I did.  I had been told that her previous albums were depressingly beautiful so I wasn’t expecting I Can Wonder… to be a wonderfully up lifting album.  While you get a couple tracks on this album that are mellow with just Julie singing and playing guitar…those tracks are interspersed with really rocking heavier numbers (almost in the vein of Scout Niblett, but less abrasive) that really show how talented and diverse Doiron can be.  I Can Wonder… is a nice counter balance to Lost Wisdom, and I have tended to listen to them back to back…going from depressed to more or less happy in under two hours (manic depressive through music I guess).  It is a wonderful thing for one artist to be able to convey such diverse strong feelings through their music, and this is what Julie Doiron does best.

Other than Mount Eerie, Doiron has collaborated with Calvin Johnson and Herman Dune and many others.

I was able to see Julie play with Mount Eerie, but now that I am familiar with her solo work I am excited about the upcoming shows this weekend here in New York:

4/24/09- New York, NY @ Cake Shop (Early Show: Julie goes on at 9pm)

4/25/09-Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall

for other tour dates check out her click here.

[mp3] Julie Doiron- “Spill Yer Lungs”

“Spill Yer Lungs” is possibly my favorite song off of her new album.  Buy I Can Wonder What You Did With Your Day here! If you can make it out to either of these shows I think you will be very happy that you did.  See you at Cake Shop.

One of my indie rock crushes is the K Records head himself, Calvin Johnson, and he will be in our lovely city tonight (and again in a couple weeks).

This time Calvin isn’t doing it by himself …he has a new band, The Hive Dwellers.

I haven’t heard much by the Dwellers yet, except for the track they did for the Merge SCORE! Covers Comp (stream the whole album including the Hive Dwellers track for free for a limited time!), but I’m damn excited.  Gothamist confirmed that this is The Hive Dwellers first official release.

There really is nothing like watching Calvin mesmerize you with his dances on stage while you listen to his baritone voice.  Except the fact that his opening act is Fred Thomas and Ryan Howard’s CITY CENTER, and the headliner is Ian Svenonius’s new band Chain and the Gang.  Which makes these shows even better.

Besides Calvin fronting the Hive Dwellers and Ian fronting Chain and the Gang these two bands share all other members (they just switch it up on the instruments):

Bret Lyman (Bad Thoughts), Brian Weber (Dub Narcotic Sound System), Sarah Pedal, and Fred Thomas (Saturday Looks Good to Me, City Center).  [via TMT]

Yes, that’s right.  Fred Thomas will be playing in all of the bands tonight!

Tonight should prove to be a wonderful evening, and I will leave inspired by Calvin’s dance moves (and hopefully bust some of my own).

If you want to catch the Calvin Johnson and his Hive Dwellers there are two chances in the NYC area:

Apr 17, 2009 – New York City, New York
92Y Tribeca – (as The Hive Dwellers) w/ Chain and The Gang, City Center

Apr 26, 2009 – Brooklyn, New York
Market Hotel – (as The Hive Dwellers) Chain & the Gang , Mahjongg

And if you didn’t notice: Mahjongg (also of K Records) will be opening the Market Hotel show on the 26 of April!

Both of these shows should be super fun, and the line ups can’t get much better.  For the rest of the Hive Dwellers and Chain and the Gang’s tour dates check out the K Records tour page.

Gothamist just did a very entertaining interview with Calvin too…check it out here.

The Hive Dwellers will prove to be more rocking than some of Calvin’s more mellow solo stuff, but I found this recording of Calvin Johnson and Julie Doiron preforming the Halo Benders’ “Lonesome Sundown” and it’s just too good not to post!

[mp3] Calvin Johnson & Julie Doiron- “Lonesome Sundown” (Halo Benders cover) (via Gorilla Vs Bear) (well it’s not really a cover since Calvin sang on the original, but buy the original version here)

[mp3] Calvin Johnson- “I’m Down” (off of Before the Dream Faded) (Buy it!)

On a side note Julie Doiron will be in town next weekend…I should have a post up about her shows on Monday or Tuesday.

Photo of Calvin Johnson by Hillary Harris (via krecs.com).