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.

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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.

What is Speed Dating?  Well on the Great Pumpkin that is where a bunch of singles get together, and hang out, but this time it’s mp3s, 7″s, and EPs rather than people.  Speed Dating is where I highlight some tracks that I have been listening to lately.  Whether I like them, hate them, am intrigued by them… no matter what I think they are note worthy for one reason or another. Each post will feature one to five songs by different bands, and aim to get my thoughts out on music that I have been trying to write about, but might not have formed a strong enough opinion to write a full post on. Hence I think that Speed Dating is an appropriate heading for these posts….brief thoughts on singles from my record player and the web.

CO. is from Charleston South Carolina, and first caught my attention earlier this year when I heard “Waiting for Saints to Arrive” on Somebody Come and Play.  That song again showed up on the Charleston 2009 Compilation Zine (which if you are wondering what is going on artistically in Charleston, SC right now email Kim (at) maltedmilk.org for availability of the zine…lots of good stuff on there…and some more of it will be showing up here on the Great Pumpkin).  “Waiting for Saints to Arrive” is a fuzzy stoner jam that brings me back to college in a very good way.  As bored college kids in the south this song feels very true to life, but then again I feel that it is an anthem for bored youth everywhere.  It really captures something important about life, and the first time I heard it remember rewinding the Somebody Come podcast to listen to it five times in a row.  Starting off with just an electric guitar and vocals for almost the first thirty seconds I almost didn’t expect the rest of the band to kick in, but when it does it goes from a minimalist to full blown 90’s influenced indie guitar rock.  It’s a song I find myself returning to now, even months after I initially heard it.

[mp3] CO.- “Waiting for Saints to Arrive”

CO. seems to be moving away from the fuzzy guitar pop in favor of more complex, almost classic rock driven, jams.  They have posted five tracks from their upcoming full length, The Shepherd’s Ocean, on their myspace (and a lot more) for your listening pleasure.

Sole is one of those artists that I can credit with turning me on to hip hop, but I unfortunately haven’t been following him that closely in recent years.  Bottles of Humans, Sole’s debut, is possibly my favorite hip hop album ever, but in recent years he picked up a backing band…the Skyrider Band.  As expected this new track has what I remember best about Sole…his lyrics.  This particular track was remixed by Tobacco of Black Moth Super Rainbow, and adds a touch that I didn’t expect to hear in a hip hop track, even with a live band…Tobacco successfully gives Sole a synthy psychedelic touch…not overwhelming, but enough to make the track unique and still let Sole shine.  Either way it was enough to make me seek out the EP, and check out the new full length.

[mp3] Sole & The Skyrider Band- “Battlefields (remixed by Tobacco)”

[full album download] Sole- Battlefields EP

buy releases by Sole here.

track via No Conclusion.

Big Troubles? The initial information about this group only pointed to good things…from Ridgewood, NJ…associated with Underwater Peoples…and now I read that they have a 7″ and an LP coming out on Olde English Spelling Bee, another 7″ on Blackburn, a split with Fluffy Lumbers scheduled for Transparent, and will also be on the Underwater Peeps Winter compilation.  Musically Big Troubles has a bit of the fuzzy beachy surfiness you would expect hailing from this New Jersey crew, but unlike the rest portrays an almost authentic 80’s vibe on the track “Freudian Slips.”  This track got me hooked, and so far Underwater Peeps and OESB can do no wrong…can’t wait to hear the LP…only good things can come from these guys.  Keep an eye on the record labels listed above for ordering info (and from the looks of it…I’ll be writing about some of these releases in the future).

[mp3] Big Troubles- “Freudian Slips”

Video: Big Troubles- “Freudian Slips” by Ray Concepcioñ

This is it for Speed Dating Vol. One, but I hope to have another edition up next week.  I’m really looking forward to this new segment on the Great Pumpkin, and I feel like I will be able to cover some bands that I have been meaning to talk about for a long time.  Cheers, Tom.