More No Bird Sing in my Headphones Please (now available on Amazon)

So I know its been a hot minute since I poked my head in over here but I promise I've been working on some things that I think will be pretty awesome including another collaboration with Miss Samiha. Enough excuses, the real reason for this post is that I desperately need to get something off my chest: No Bird Sing is the best thing to grace my headphones in the last six months. Easily.

It is safe to say our excitement about certain projects gets tossed around pretty frequently around Lovefest and among our extended family. I love that on a near weekly basis I get that "ZOMG" 3am text from Samiha quoting the most recent "best lyrics I've ever heard." And when Georgia recaps a show in which her "soul was touched" I can't help but smile. No Bird Sing makes me want to text everyone I have ever met at 3am all the time. To those who have actually received that text... I'm sorry, I hope I didn't wake you.

I was actually first introduced to No Bird Sing when they friend requested me on myspace believe it or not. I admit I physically cringe when I get a new myspace friend request from a music page, but I always find time to give whatever it is a listen before hitting deny. I think I barely got through the one song on their page before I was demanding to know where I could find more, following them on twitter and google stalking them. To save you the trouble the group is made up of members of both Hyder Ali and Abzorbr, they're described as "a cross between Crescent Moon and Black Keys", their cd comes out September 11th and they give me chills.

By now I'm sure we all know that a reviewer/critic I am not. So here's the part where I let you listen and draw your own conclusions. Those in the Twin City area may have noticed a certain young man who treks out to various shows and sets up his audio equipment in the back of the venue rain, snow or shine to record the sets. In case you were wondering many of those recordings can be found on Empty's Tapes. Among those recordings you will find No Bird Sing at the Triple Rock. I actually met John a few years back during the Mel Gibson and the Pants residency at the Nomad. After reading over that blog entry I realised he actually told me about NBS almost a year ago outside some show or other. I really dropped the ball on that one huh? In addition to these live gems you can also download ars poetica over at Culture Bully (where you can find plenty of additional NBS into) as well as Dead Leaves ft. Bo Ramsey over at Midwest Broadcast.

If all that isn't enough to pique your curiosity their upcoming album also features Eyedea, Kristoff Krane and Alicia Wiley. I can pretty much guarantee this will be in my top three releases of the year so if you are in the Twin Cities area or passing through I highly recommend scooting your tails on over to Eclipse Records on September 11th and the Triple Rock on September 12th for those release shows. Did I mention the 11th is ALL AGES and Big Trouble and El Guante+Big Cats! will also be performing? No excuses youngins. For all the old fogies (18+) the Triple Rock show will feature Black Blondie (be still my heart), Kristoff Krane and James Diers. Oh and the most awkward redhead alive (yes me) just might be in town for both.

I know some of you probably can't wait all the way until the 11th to witness a live set and I feel your pain... but you don't have to because you can catch them earlier in the month on the 5th at the Clapperclaw Festival... but you better tell me all about it because the line up for that is really great. How pretty is that? You know you want one.

*Update* Digital album now available on Amazon, $8 well spent.

This April it POURED

I am a creature of habit. Every December approximately a week after the Blowout I burrow myself a nest under my comforter and piles of half packed/unpacked clothes scattered across my bed and bunker down for the winter. I begrudgingly leave my hibernation headquarters only to go to work or retrieve supplies (food.) I resent anyone who attempts to drag, trick or force me into social interaction. The few times I am dragged kicking and screaming into the daylight only have me clinging harder to my hermit den in the coming weeks. This lasts until March. I peel myself out of my pajamas, wash and tease my hair, scrub my face and go blinking wide eyed into the sunshine of Paid Dues. The world is shiny and new, the raindrops smell fresh and sweet, spring has sprung and I anticipate Summer in a whirlwind of excitement. Not this year. This year the world unceremoniously booted my ass out into the shivering wonderland of February for the Never Better tour. (Minneapolis in February, really? What was I thinking?) And then a slew of releases, shows and lovely company followed one on top of the other and before I knew it Paid Dues had come and gone and here I was staring April in the face. And April stared back. Hard.

I have been waiting, and waiting... And WAITING to hear more from F. Stokes since I first caught him opening for Hand Over Fist last summer at the Entry. I watched the other faces in the front row and witnessed that exact moment some of them fell in love. Beautiful. And what better way to chase away those April showers than with certified Lazerbeak lava bangers? If "Tickle Me Mars" doesn't get you moving you are dead inside. Still no sign of this on iTunes but readily available from our friends over at doomtree.net. Stokes is on the come up people.

Speaking of releases that I've been waiting on, I was practically camped out at my mailbox waiting for my Black Blondie cd to make its way to me. Being hard working ladies I've managed to catch them a handful of times during my visits to Minneapolis and it was a total case at love at first sight/sound. To be completely honest I gave up on stalking my mailbox about an hour after I placed my order and then downloaded the album from Amazon. Shortly after I frantically texted the first person I could think of that would enjoy it half as much as I was and badgered him into check them out so I'd have someone to share my excitement. Being friends with me is an exercise in patience. You can still check out their track Candy Cigarettes over at City Pages but I really urge you just to pick up a copy of your very own. The wait paid off this disc is solid from start to finish.

April also brought Mr. Lif back to Seattle. This made me very happy for several reasons. One, its has been at least two years since I've caught Lif live. Two, he brought a new cd with him. Now its not on a Mo Mega level but I enjoyed it. Three, Monday night rap shows are my favorite way to start the week. Monday nights weed out the kids just looking for something to do while getting sloppy drunk and you find yourself in a room full of people really digging the music and having a good time. That said by the time I laid my little head on my pillow that night I was indeed sloppy drunk. Fail.

Later that week, on Friday in fact, I spent the evening not getting sloppy drunk at the Sodo for the When God Gives You Ugly tour. Last summer I narrowly missed seeing Attracted to Gods (at I want to say the Hexagon?) so I was very glad to get my second chance. So all you kids running on rap time and showing up late to the Atmosphere show, don't. Be on time, catch the openers its completely worth your while. I really probably don't have to say anything about P.O.S. but I really do love me some Never Better. The chemistry he and Bill have just makes for a fun time. I wore peep toed flats in the center of the mob. Bye bye pedicure, I may still have bruises. Picked up a copy of Mankwe Ndosi's ep and ATG's new cd before retreating to a safe spot in the bar for Atmosphere's set. Those kids play rough man. In the bar solo, (my fella's do not have the same fear of teenage girls that I do) head nodding I noticed a familiar t-shirt make its way towards me. Money, Paper, Loot, Scrilla. I of course had to stop the young man because I couldn't believe my eyes. Was that really a Muja Messiah shirt here in Seattle? He named dropped the Nomad and I felt heartsick. Seattle and Minneapolis really should be neighbors.

Honorable mentions for things I threw cash at that stuck this April include the new Kill The Vultures, Rick Ross, The FREE Houdini Mixtape and Dyme Def's new ep. April came hard but May isn't messing around either people you know you have a big sloppy red heart drawn around May 5th. Fess up.