Photos: The Walkmen at The Barrymore

Photos: The Walkmen  Sept 14, 2008; The Barrymore Theater (Photos by FJ Simani)

Upcoming Show :: The Walkmen at The Barrymore Theater on 9/14/08 @ 8PM

The Walkmen are an indie rock band from New York City. They will be here in Madison sharing the bill with Okkervil River at the Barrymore.

The members of the Walkmen grew up together in the Washington, D.C., area and have played in the same bands since the fifth grade. The Walkmen can be classified as sounding like such diverse bands as the Pogues, Joy Division, Springsteen, early U2, New Order, the Smiths, and the Clash. Their new music has favorably been compared to Pixies, Brian Eno, and the Velvet Underground with strong hints of Television.

They have made this conscious attempt to evolve away from the raw, fiery garage sounds of their previous bands (Jonathan Fire Eater & The Recoys). They incorporate piano into the new songs as well as take the compositions in new directions by experimenting with instrumentation and recording techniques. Although their new LP You & Me (2008 on Gigantic Music) is sort of a "return to form" for the band. Their guitar tones are bright and rich with reverb and Leithauser's vocals are sounding amazing with raw emotion in every phrase.

Take a listen to some cuts from You & Me and make sure to catch them at the Barrymore.

Do you realize that you should vote for the Flaming Lips!

Make the official song for Oklahoma a Lips tune!

The good people in the state of Oklahoma, the hometown of The Flaming Lips, are looking for a new official state song, and they have seen fit to include "Do You Realize?" as a possible contender! But they're up against some stiff competition, so they need your votes to hit the highwater mark! Clickhere to vote, and pass it on!



flaminglips.com

Dale Watson with Pupy Costell & His Big City Honky TonkClub Tavern, Sept 4 2008; 9pm

My buddy Ed Larson - guitar player extraordinaire and member of the Big City Honk Tonk - has been telling me for years that I "MUST SEE" Dale Watson. For one poor reason or another - it hasn't worked out for me during Dale's last two appearances.

This time the stars are all properly aligned and it looks like I'll finally get to see what all the fuss is about. Dale is a singer/songwriter/guitarist in the "authentic" country music tradition. You know - Merle Haggard and Johnny Cash kinda country; not the Garth Brooks variety.

I expect that the Club Tavern will provide the proper atmosphere for this show. Plus as a bonus: Pupy Costello opens!

Come out to Club Tavern and check it out for yourself.