John Vanderslice performs "I'll Never Live Up To You" w/ Melodie Knight at The Rock Shop, Brooklyn from BlearyEyedBrooklyn.com on Vimeo . A John Vanderslice concert is always an authentic communal experience. John often spends time to talk directly and candidly to the audience and performs his very personal songs in a manner to which his fans can relate. That is to say that he's a performer without an ounce of pretense. On Friday night at packed Rock Shop , John added another dimension to the fan-friendly atmosphere [...]
Skeletons' new album, People, continues their rich mash-up of freak-folk and prog-rock, all while remaining separate from other contemporaries like Timber Timbre, Man Man, and Bruce Peninsula. People explores fuzzy narratives with fictional characters as idiosyncratic as the five-piece's bustling sound, with producer Rusty Santos masterfully keeping Skeletons' hypersensitive ambition in check. [...]

[Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Weinberg. See her outstanding photography here ] John Vanderslice has been another steady favorite of this site (one of his performances from back in October appeared in our Top 25 Concert Moments of 2010 ) and that status is well-earned through his universally strong performances, outstanding songwriting, and engaging rapport with his crowds. Those qualities were all on display during this recent show at the Mercury Lounge , an epic 90+ minute performance that showed off some stripped-down versions of songs from his 2011 release, [...]

Pair of tickets up for grabs - John Vanderslice with opening act Damien Jurado tomorrow night at Black Cat . E-mail me with the subject "White Wilderness" - 5actsblog at gmail dot com. Contest ends tomorrow at 2:30 pm ET.

If Edith Wharton's macabre novella Ethan Frome were to be made into a movie, John Vanderslice and Minna Choi (of Magik*Magik Orchestra) would score it. Actually, someone already made the movie—but the soundtrack surely isn't as fitting as Vanderslice's latest album, White Wilderness , would have been. The album—released in January—is a departure from Vanderslice's normal recording style; Wilderness feels like driving down a desolate dirt road on a New England winter night, with no signs of life in sight and your eyes playing tricks with the shadows on the bare trees. Even [...]

by Andrew Frisicano & Jake Forney Damien Jurado & John Vanderslice @ Mercury Lounge ( photo by Steven Marsh ) Damien Jurado and John Vanderslice started their two-night NYC run at Mercury Lounge on Thursday (5/12). They're at the Rock Shop tonight, and it's now sold out. On this tour, Vanderslice - accompanied by Jason Slota on drums, keys and other things - has been inviting the audience to join him on [...]

Lauren Dukoff Only the most optimistic of souls think we'll ever hear new material from Rilo Kiley ; aside from rumours of a b-sides/rarities compilation, it would seem that 20072s Under The Blacklight - on which they already sounded disinterested - will be the final word for the Los Angeles pop outfit. And while frontwoman Jenny Lewis has already established a pretty successful solo ( and duo ) career, former partner Blake Sennett is returning to active duty by turning his former side-project The Elected - [...]
His set featured: Sunken Union Boat Keep The Dream Alive Too Much Time Time To Go Download all tracks here. Catch John Vanderslice on his North American tour. Purchase John Vanderslice items via Insound. MP3: John Vanderslice - Sea Salt

Damien Jurado @ a BV Day Party @ SXSW ( more by Amanda Hatfield ) "For the most part, 95 percent of my songs are fictitious," says Jurado. But he does conceive his material much the way a novelist would, with dialogue, towns, characters. Many of his tracks are named after places -- "Arkansas," "Kansas City" and "Wallingford" (a Seattle neighborhood) on Saint Bartlett. "I just need a setting, a place to put the story," he says. "I do not write short stories, but I do write short stories. [...]

Last year, John Vanderslice, Minna Choi and nineteen members of the Magik*Magik Orchestra spent three days in the studio, capturing live recordings of JV's latest songs with Choi's orchestral arrangements. The approach might have been outside Vanderslice's studio wizard comfort zone, but the resulting album, White Wilderness , is wholly engaging, a vital, unique addition to one of indie rock-pop's most consistent discographies. On June 17, Vanderslice and Magik*Magik reunite for a one-time-only live performance of White Wilderness the way it was recorded, with a thirty-piece orchestra and choir. The show, at the [...]

"I remember my first tour with a smart phone and using it to find amazing Mexican food in the middle of the Arizona desert. I thought: Oh shit, I get it, GPS, satellites, the world will never be the same."

Live music picks for WEDNESDAY MAY 4 through TUESDAY MAY 10, 2011. WEDNESDAY MAY 4 / YELLE / OPERA HOUSE / 735 QUEEN ST E / $21.50/ 19+ Fresh from their California adventure where they rocked out Coachella Valley, the French electro-pop trio Yelle - led by the leopardess Julie Budet - bring their Safari Disco Club LP to the Opera House. Yelle pounces on stage with stadium-ready songs like "Safari Disco Club" and "Que Veux-Tu" - all sung in Budet's silky [...]

Graham Kennedy Canadian music circa 2011 is doing pretty great; more plentiful, creative and respected at home and abroad than ever before. No doubt sometime in the not too distant future, someone will write a book about this 21st century musical renaissance that (mostly) put an end to having Bryan Adams and Celine Dion as our national ambassadors of song. But this golden age didn't just happen, and the crucial decade that laid the foundation for today was documented by local scribes Michael Barclay , Jason Schneider and Ian AD Jack [...]
Nothing bolsters an artist's popularity like a smidgen of controversy. In 2000, John Vanderslice released a moody rock number called "Bill Gates Must Die" on his debut solo album, Mass Suicide Oc... Continue reading "After 10 years as a solo artist, John Vanderslice wanders into White Wilderness" >
The lead up to Coachella (see the Coachella Mix) and Record Store Day (extensive RSD mixes with rare songs), meant that we didn't get to all of the Best New Releases for the week of April 12th. In addition to the regularly scheduled releases that week, there were the hundreds of limited edition vinyl releases [...] Read more, get songs or stream the entire mix on Indie Rock Cafe
Notes From Home - Damien Jurado/John Vanderslice (Preview) from Notes From Home on Vimeo. Part of what we love most about living in Seattle today is the wealth of creative individuals we share our city with. Not just musicians, but photographers, videographers, poets, painters, dancers, actors. Seattle is brimming with active, passionate creators. Notes From Home is [...]

John Vanderslice (born May 22, 1967 in Gainesville, Florida) is an American musician and songwriter. Previously a member of the band Mk Ultra, he now records and performs as a solo artist. In 2000, Vanderslice released his first solo album, Mass Suicide Occult Figurines, and briefly gained some national media attention for the single "Bill Gates Must Die" after concocting a hoax in which Microsoft supposedly threatened legal action over the song; Vanderslice then however had trouble manufacturing the CD because the artwork resembled that of a Windows installation disc, and at least one manufacturer was [...]
I sort of missed out on John Vanderslice's last album. It wasn't his fault, by any means. I just sort of let it slip past me in the cultural jetstream. His new one is White Wilderness and from the first song, well, it's very John Vanderslice. And that's a great thing. More about the record: "John Vanderslice's latest album, White Wilderness , was an ambitious undertaking. For starters, the entire record was captured live in two days at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, Calif. He also [...]
John Vanderslice and the Magik*Magik Orchestra "Overcoat" from Yours Truly on Vimeo . NPR premiered the live video of John Vanderslice's "Overcoat" from the White Wilderness recording sessions. JV, Minna Choi and her Magik*Magik Orchestra's were filmed by Yours Truly at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley, California. Vanderslice will be taking to the streets as he goes on an extensive tour, taking with him Damien Jurado in support of the album Tour Details 04/18/11 Portland, OR - Doug Fir Lounge w/ Ivan & [...]
Tweet Via NPR , here's a live video (shot by Yours Truly ) of John Vanderslice and the Magik*Magik Orchestra performing "Overcoat" at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley during the White Wilderness recording sessions. JV's currently on a US tour - find all of the dates on his web site . John Vanderslice - "The Piano Lesson"