Sometimes it's the little things. As a recent student of the speech and hearing sciences department, I'm constantly reminded about hearing damage and thus the important need for hearing protection. I'm pleased to report Benaroya Hall is an exception to your average concert experience: no ear plugs required. The massive grand piano, of stage-filling proportions in a smaller venue like Chop Suey , looked almost lonely in center stage. Simple lighting, simple dress: Rufus Wainwright demonstrated that you don't need any flashy business to awe the crowd (ok, maybe his tie/scarf [...]
My first CMJ Music Marathon was a fun-tastic one. Most of my CMJ-ing was done @ Pianos, a great little venue on historic Ludlow St. I've discovered at least half a dozen promising new bands (Seven Saturdays, Warpaint, Deastro, Peggy Sue, Jeff The Brotherhood , Hurricane Bells, Pete & The Pirates, Choir Of Young Believers) which will [...]
So, daylight saving, huh? It starts to get dark at just about 5 in the afternoon here now. The last winter of the noughties is coming. Oh well, more reasons to stay in and listen to sad music. As promised, here is another batch of rare covers. I believe these are definitely the best picks in recent memory. Joan As Police Woman - Overprotected (Britney Spears) (Cover, 2009) Such a peculiar pick. I mean when you decide to cover a [...]
There is something so simple about an artist borrowing a fellow musicians piece of work and reinterpreting it. But the novelty never wears off on me. I spent some of my weekend perusing through BBC's Live Lounge website which is a nifty piece of web-space. The beauty of all 5 of these covers certainly isn't lost on me. I hope you feel the same. [...]
Filed under: News , New Music , Exclusive If you have the opportunity to call in the big guns on your debut album, why resist? That's exactly what Harper Simon , son of Paul Simon , did for his country-tinged eponymous collection of folk rock. While his voice faintly recalls his father's at times, he's gone a different route in the cast he's surrounded himself with. He brought in the Bird and the Bee 's Inara George for backing vocals on 'The Shine,' Joan [...]
Vancouver won't be the only thing Canada will be showing off when it hosts the 2010 Winter Olympics early next year. As it turns out, the country will also be showcasing its incredibly talented and diverse music scene throughout the Olympic's two+ week run, set to take place from February 12-28. Broken Social Scene, K'Naan, Stars, Matthew Good, Joel Plaskett, Steve Earle, Laurie Anderson, Martha Wainwright, Blue Rodeo, Iron & Wine, Corb Lund, Ron Sexsmith, Joan As Policewoman, and Sun Kil Moon are all confirmed to be performing in some capacity at an Olympics related event. [...]
First up we're delighted that our favourite ethereal chanteuse Julianna Barwick (see September 12 post) has reached her pledge target for recording a vinyl release of Florine. We're looking forward to getting our grubby mitts on the vinyl when it arrives. Hope you pledged too!Download Julianna Barwick - Bode mp3 (from Florine EP)Secondly, the Insound free sampler is up again for a limited time -
We Cut Corners are Conall O'Breachain and John Duignan, a drum/guitar duo ala, well, you know the set up. These guys, playing support, are fresh though. Admitting to being "unbelievably nervous" the lads garner immediate attention with O'Breachain's gender bending falsetto and lightly strummed cymbals over Duignan's gentle guitar. This breaks swiftly into a rocking alternative pop number with melodic power chords over some energetic percussion. Their shared vocals couldn't be more complimentary with Duignan's tones weaving a warmness into the delivery. The lyrics are sharp and clever with a heavy dose of humour. Bright Eyes immediately [...]
Joan Wasser began playing violin at age eight, and played with the Boston University Symphony Orchestra while she was in college. Her resume aldo includes live performances and studio work with Lou Reed, Elton John and Sparklehorse. Along with working as a violinist for hire with artists as diverse as Sheryl Crow, Rufus Wainwright, and Antony and the Johnsons, Wasser formed Joan as Police Woman in 2002. While on tour they are selling a brilliant compilation of cover versions, taking on artists like Public Enemy, T-Pain, David Bowie, Hendrix, Sonic Youth and more. Here is some info I [...]
Alors bonne semaine les enfants ? C'est reparti pour une nouvelles épopée musicale. Coté sons, cette semaine fut relativement riche, et trève de blabla, on y va ! Sa voix nous avait bien bluffé lors du dernier festival Solidays aux cotés d'Alela Diane. Je parle bien sur de sa choriste Alina Hardin. Elles ont eu l'excellente idée de collaborer sur un EP à paraître le 6 octobre prochain, et sobrement intitulé Alela & Alina. Une carrière solo pour Alina serait de bonne augure, et promettrait du très très bon... A [...]
For the Scissor Sisters guitarist, Del Marquis , the mainstream music industry can be a little, well...limiting. In the interim between Scissors albums (they're preparing their latest now!), the artist chose to go his own way and explore an independent solo project for himself, collaborating with several different producers and artists (including Joan as Police Woman and Basement Jaxx ) along the way. After completing a handful of releases over the course of a year and a half, Del Marquis is now rolling out the final thrust of his [...]
Joan as Police Woman - Whatever you like [T.I.]
Slowing a song down is usually a good way to find a fresh take on the material, but as far as covers go, Joan As Police Woman's re-imagining of this Hendrix classic is wild and soulful. It's the opening track on her new album of covers entitled Cover , featuring versions of songs by Britney Spears, David Bowie and Public Enemy, which is currently being sold on her European tour. Watch an intimate live performance of the cover after the jump. [...]
No, we're not kidding! Stream 'Overprotected' at her MySpace page. View all dates on Joan's Euro trek here. MP3: Joan As Police Woman - To Be Loved
Unique alternative folksters Peggy Sue will be heading out to support two wonderful headline acts this autumn – The Maccabees and Joan As Policewoman! Peggy Sue will be playing with the bands on their tour dates as follows: Joan As A Policewoman 27th September: Brudenell Social Club, Leeds 28th September: Glee Club, Birmingham 30th September: St Georges, Bristol 1st October: Deaf Institute, Manchester 4th October: Union Chapel, London 5th October: St Georges, Brighton The Maccabees 3rd October: Academy Brixton, London 6th October: [...]
Be sure to catch her at: Sep 27 - Brudenell Social Club Leeds, England Sep 28 - Glee Club Birmingham, England Sep 30 - St Georges Bristol, England Oct 1 - Deaf Institute Manchester, England Oct 2 - Oran Mor Glasgow, Scotland Oct 4 - Union Chapel London, England Oct 5 - St Georges Brighton, England Oct 6 - Craw Daddy Dublin, Ireland Win [...]
7/25 @ 92Y Tribeca. Wanna attend with a guest? If so, then e-mail us ASAP! A winner will be randomly chosen on 7/20 @ NOON. Read my review of Joan As Police Woman @ NYC's Bowery Ballroom here. Visit Joan As Police Woman on MySpace. MP3: Joan As Police Woman - To Be Loved
Forget the old adage about a man in a uniform, we're talking a woman in a helmet here (and a mighty spiffy one at that). Joan Wasser -- AKA Joan As Policewoman -- still manages to escape the big time for some unknown reason but we did see that she's lining up a full-band U.S. tour for the fall -- and any reason to put JAP in the spotlight makes perfect sense to us. "Joan is Carole King in a little black dress, Burt Bacharach with balls and Lou Reed without the mean streak, all rolled into [...]
Paul Shambroom - Missile, First Baptist Church [Covington, OH] (2008) More Great Songs of 2008 continue through the weekend... including a cultural cornerstone covered by the Rock-afire Explosion , a breath of fresh air from a young Nashville country singer, a song I heard everywhere I went in 2008, the new sounds of a classic indie favourite, an experimental highlight from last year's Forward Music [...]
There's something about odd couples I find strangely compelling, in a squinty-eyed, amateur anthropologist middle school girl type of way. And not necessarily peculiar physical pairings, though the metabolically challenged/beanpole, hottie/nottie combos are always worth a good gawk. What really gets my synapses firing is couples, friends and families with totally divergent approaches to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Strangely, these red/blue, church/state, Pabst/martini pairings often end up being as delightful for the participants as they are for the observers. That's why these borderline freakazoid new supergroup partnerships have me reeling, clapping, cackling and [...]
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