The three parts of Nada Surf. (Peter Ellenby) Matthew Caws formed Nada Surf way back in 1993 and the band found success two years later when the song "Popular" became just that. Yet after a succes... Continue reading "Q&A: Nada Surf's Matthew Caws Wishes His Band Was Spinal Tap. Also: Another Giveaway!" >

Seeing that as on November 25th, Nada Surf will release all five of its studio albums on vinyl for the first time ever, the New York outfit has used the occasion for an excuse to tour North American. At least, that's how we see it. On November 19th, Matthew Caws and Co. will embark on a month-long stint with CoS favorites Delta Spirit and The Jealous Girlfriends , which will be highlighted by three performances in band's hometown/area/metropolitan area/whatever. Getting back to those vinyl reissues, which after all, are the reason [...]

October Mixtape Face A [ mp3 ] Cold War Kids - I've Seen Enough [ mp3 ] Ray LaMontagne - A Falling Through [ mp3 ] The Raveonettes - Black White [ mp3 ] Delta Spirit - People C'mon [ mp3 ] Guillemots - Big Dog [ mp3 ] The Dears - Berlin Heart [ mp3 ] The Rapture - No Sex For Ben Face B [...]

Black Diamond Bay at Pop Montreal (10/04/08) Photos : Jacinthe Fortier DOWNLOAD : Black Diamond Bay - "Blue Mace" As I mentioned a while back, Patrick Krief 's new band is called Black Diamond Bay and they're about to embark on a little tour which will bring them to NYC on Wednesday, November 5 for the first of three shows. The new self titled Black Diamond Bay LP came out in Canda [...]
COTV Tags: Delta Spirit , Gimme Some Motivation , Captain Obvious

I headed to Brooklyn Vegan's third and final CMJ event with two goals in mind. One, I wanted to cap off the final day of the CMJ Music Marathon with a bang and two, I hoped to discover three acts that I could come back and write abut. Little did I know however, that the first three bands I caught, would be the best three of the day. Think Bloc Party, just actually good. That's probably the best way to describe the Canadian duo better known as The Carps . Their clever blend of punk [...]

CMJ is going on strong, so that means plenty of shows heading towards NYC or on their way back. Either way, more for us in the IA region. Like always, Thursday has plenty to see. Forget the British Invasion of the '60s. The 2000s are having a Swedish invasion. Tonight and tomorrow, you can catch three of the best singer-songwriters Sweden has to offer. Ane Brun and Tobias Froberg are joined by former native Theresa Andersson , now calling New [...]

I posted Hi-Dive sets from Dr. Dog and Delta Spirit a few weeks ago, and wanted to introduce the opening act of that evening, San Antonio's Hacienda . These guys were a great addition to the lineup, and their flavor of psych-pop fit in perfectly with the other two acts. Their debut album, " Loud as the Night " (produced by Black Keys' Dan Auerbach), just hit the streets in September. To be honest, I didn't have a chance to pick it up at the show, and have only listened to the myspace tracks. But based on [...]
Sunday, October 19, 2008 Well my lovelies, it has been a long while since I've had the opportunity to write a column. My life is on a slightly busy track and for a bit, just a small, small bit I even considered shutting down the old Brain Notes. Luckily, for everyone, good old Johnny Boy Laird came to the rescue, breaking up the weekly columns in to bi-weekly columns and giving us each a direction that would allow, me at least, to think less. Since thinking is my mortal enemy, I [...]
By: David Schultz The spirit of John Lennon floats over Delta Spirit's Ode To Sunshine. You can sense the Beatle in Sean Walker's strident guitar playing on "Parade," in Kelly Winrich's rollicking saloon-hall keyboards and in the hope and optimism amid the trenchant unflinching observations of "People, Turn Around." Dripping with naked soul, lead singer Matthew Vasquez conveys just as much with
It's that time of year again. The leaves are starting to turn, I'm digging my long-sleeved shirts out of the closet, and more importantly, it's time for the CMJ Music Marathon. Every year, a massive gathering of music's finest unknowns (or in some cases, criminally underrated) takes place in New York. And many of our favorite bands will be there, not to mention some of our favorite labels and radio stations. KCRW is one such outfit, and they'll be showcasing several acts at the CMJ Artist Loft at the Red Bull Space, along with Paste [...]
The week of the 12th is a CRAZY week for upcoming shows. Some good ones of note: Sunday, 10/12.... What a one-two punch of an evening. The Morning Benders are opening for Walter Meego and Ra Ra Riot at the Black Cat (tickets are $12).... ...then we'll be testing how fast one cabbie can race from NW to NE that evening because Delta Spirit is headlining that same night at Rock and Roll Hotel (with The Moderate and Andy Zipf opening). I can't promise [...]

Since I am heading out of town for a long weekend, the usual weekend show preview is combined with the shows that will be coming through the area today and Thursday. Quite a few big names are playing as well as some hitting multi-city stops. TV on the Radio just dropped their new disc Dear Science and are on tour with the Dirtbombs , playing at the Electric Factory in Philly Friday night. After a long hiatus, Shudder to Think is back together and out on tour. This [...]
This Friday night at the Middle East Downstairs, Dr. Dog and Delta Spirit grace us with their presence. For those Dr. fans, Delta Spirit has a similar 60's, Beatlesque filled with Americana that Dr. Dog is superior at. In fact, P-fork found their Beatle similarities to be their downfall. But one thing I know for [...]

(Setlist photo courtesy of Heather Browne !) The Delta Spirit set turned out a bit rougher on tape than Dr. Dog, but still quite listenable.... enjoy, y'all! Delta Spirit 9.27.2008 Hi-Dive, Denver, CO Source: Microtch Gefell M300's > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Nomad JB3 > WAV > Adobe Audition 3.0 > CDWave > Flac16 Setlist: 1. Bleeding Bells 2. Strange Vine 3. People C'mon 4. House [...]

Dr. Dog September 30, 2008 The Record Bar Better Than: Drinking pints of Boulevard Wheat with your brother who just got back from a semester in Greece and wants to tell you all about it. By JORDAN EDWARDS Photos By MICHAEL FORESTER Before headliners Dr. Dog took the stage, San Diego's Delta Spirit set the room (or at least the front few rows) on fire with songs from its [...]

Saturday night was a fantastic night for shows in Denver. I split my time equally between the Hi-Dive and the Gothic and caught a few superb and passionate performances. First up, Hacienda opened the night at the Hi-Dive, in a sold out show with Dr. Dog and Delta Spirit. I didn't know what to expect from this band of Mexican-American brothers (+1 cousin) from San Antonio, Texas, but their sound fit in nicely with the serrated retro vibes of their tourmates. Their 6-song demo [...]

Dr. Dog was kind enough to let me tape this weekend at their sold-out Denver show. I'm sure a lot of people will be wanting this one...no introduction needed! Dr. Dog 9.27.2008 Hi-Dive, Denver, CO Source: Microtch Gefell M300's > Lunatec V3 (opti-mod) > Nomad JB3 > WAV > Adobe Audition 3.0 > CDWave > Flac16 Taped by: Lance Stack (inthistube [at] gmail.com) Setlist: 1. The Old Days 2. Hang On 3. The Way the Lazy Do 4. [...]

(RFT freelancer Roy Kasten is attending the Austin City Limits Festival in Texas this weekend, and kindly offered to blog about it for us. Here's his first dispatch; all photos by Dana Plonka .) My fourth year at the Austin City Limits Festival started out inauspiciously, nearly depressingly. I couldn't blame the weather. Now in its seventh year, the three days of bands, beer and blazing sun began a week later than usual, a move the wisdom of which is written in the predicted temperatures: Highs of 92 and lows in [...]