XM Radio recorded our CMJ showcase at the Knitting Factory last October, and are re-airing some of the sessions! If you have XM, listen in to XMU on channel 43 every Friday night at 10pm EST, with encores Saturday at 2pm EST and Sunday at 6am EST.
Merge sessions:
08.31.07 – Portastatic
09.21.07 – White Whale
10.12.07 – The Broken West
CMJ looms again – we’ll have announcements very soon about our plans!
Hey Kids,
Did you know that Vice Magazine now had its own TV network on the web? Sure you did. VBS TV (Vice Broadcasting Service) is now online and this week they are featuring new videos each day from various Merge artists. It’s Merge Week !!! Sort of like Spring Break, but G-rated and with less sunscreen. So far they’ve featured videos from Spoon, Camera Obscura, Portastatic and White Whale. More to come on Thursday and Friday.
They also have some backstage and live Arcade Fire footage from filmaker Lance Bangs in his regular feature for VBS, cleverly titled Bangs!.
So check it all out HERE!.
-martin
Atrios is on board.
Now, you may say “blogging about other blogs blogging about you is lame”, but Atrios is one of our favorites (and sometimes vaguely reminds me of my game theory professor at UNC), so a feedback loop it is.
-wilson
Photo by Doron Gild
Ahh, the post-CMJ sickness. It comes like clockwork. Now that I’ve been given a week to recover, let me tell you how awesome it was to see 5 of the Merge bands rock New York City! The Broken West burst onto the scene via CMJ’s Station of the Year,KEXP!
Thursday was College Day at Lincoln Center, where CMJ set up panels for all the music directors and handed out awards to the best of the biz – and yours truly was given one of the highest honors, Sexiest Phone Voice! Don’t ask me how I did it, but apparently I’m not allowed to send emails anymore.
Friday night at the Knitting Factory was definitely the highlight of the trip! The Broken West, Portastatic, White Whale, and Richard Buckner all represented in usual Merge fashion by blowing everyone away! It was an early night, which was good, since Saturday was full of Brooklyn fun.
The team at Sound Fix Records welcomed the Ladybug Transistor, Portastatic, and White Whale for a packed set of in-store performances! It was a relaxing ending to our CMJ trip, and hopefully some of you were there with us!
Oh CMJ, I’ll never forget you.
Lindsey K.
Richard Buckner stopped in at KCMP “The Current” in Minneapolis. Archive here!
M. Ward’s KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic podcast is up and running! Listen & Watch!
White Whale, Camera Obscura, Richard Buckner, The Clientele & Lambchop all recently taped live sessions at KEXP which can be found here.
Also, M. Ward’s KEXP session will be podcasted 10/27. Subscribe here!
Portastatic played the Cherry Blossom Clinic on WFMU while in NYC. Archive is Here.
Spread the love!
Christina
Ok. Yes. I should have posted this sooner. But to be honest I’ve been having trouble putting it all into words.
On Tuesday night we, along with 600 hundred or so of our closest friends, were treated to an evening of music that holds no equal in recent memory. The Cat’s Cradle was packed to the gills for a mini-Mergefest: Portastatic; Lambchop and M. Ward. I doubt I could ever muster the words to aptly describe the awe, excitement and pride I felt as I watched these three bands put on performances that simply had my mind, my body, my heart and my soul reeling. It was one of those nights you never forget. One of those nights that helps remind me why I do what I do.
Portastatic kicked things off in high form with Mac and Margaret doing stripped down versions of songs old and new alike. But soon they were joined onstage by a revolving cast of musicians that seemed to turn each successive song into it’s own little universe. M. Ward finished the night off with an incredibly rocking set that had my jaw on the floor. I had the same reaction the first time I saw Matt onstage, alone with his guitar, 4 years ago. This time the tenor and energy was completely different, but no less engaging, as he and his stunning band ripped and roared through a set that seemed to leave the crowd exhausted but elated, wringing every ounce of energy from the room.
Both Portastatic and M. Ward were stunning and either set on their own would have been in the top 5 shows I’ve seen all year. But the main purpose of my post here today is to try to tell you about Lambchop, whose performance on this night was so powerful that I almost found myself moved to tears…
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You almost never know what you are going to get in a Lambchop performance. How many people are going to be onstage? (I’ve seen performances with anywhere from 5 to 18 band members) Will it swing you like an R&B revival, or sooth you like a lullaby? Will Kurt Wagner actually stand up at some point (I’ve seen this happen exactly twice in 13 years)? The one constant always seems to be the quality of the performance. On this cool September evening in Carrboro, NC they managed to exceed already high expectations.
Tuesday’s performance featured 8 Choppers, with the Tosca String Quartet bringing the total number of musicians on the crowded Cat’s Cradle stage to 12. The thing that always amazes about Lambchop is that all those people can blend so seamlessly together, presenting layer upon layer of sound that draws you in as you try to enjoy every intricate nuance, every flourish. Playing a healthy dose of songs from Damaged, as well as digging into the treasure chest for a few golden nuggets, the band was tight and on point all night long. The Tosca String Quartet added a dimension that we don’t always get here in the States but that European audiences have probably grown spoiled by. I know I could get spoiled by it in a hurry.
All in all I can’t recall a more powerful night of live music in my recent experience.
Lambchop is heading through the northeast this weekend with shows tonight in Boston (Paradise Club), tomorrow night in Montreal (Le National) and Sunday night in Toronto (Mod Club).
Portastatic ends their stint opening for M. Ward with shows tonight in Denton, TX (Haileys) and tomorrow night in Austin (The Parrish), while M. Ward heads westward on the final leg his tour.
Me? I’m off to see Richard Buckner / Eric Bachmann tonight, and will probably get blown away all over again.
If you have the chance to check out any of these shows in the next week or so, I couldn’t recommend them more.
Lambchop tour dates HERE.
M. Ward tour dates HERE.
Portastatic tour dates HERE
Richard Buckner tour dates HERE.
White Whale tour dates HERE.
-martin
(photo courtesy of Enid Valu)
I have just returned from an extended vacation – my longest ever since grade school, really – and it’s great to be back among the Mergistas. While I unfortunately did not get a chance to see WHITE WHALE while I was gone, I did get to see the menacing fellow above swimming along the side of Route 6 near Hyannis, MA. Someday, I swear, I will kill him and get my leg back…
I did have one random Merge related encounter when I ran into Magnetic Fields cellist Sam Davol at the Wellfleet Public Library. Small world.
Tonight I will see Deerhoof.
I promise if I post again in the future it will be more interesting.
-Paul
Just returned from the Team Clermont Prom weekend! White Whale slayed the Athens masses! Our Kickball tournament was a huge success – despite the mighty K’s losing by one point to the cheater W’s. And our very own, Lindsey Kronmiller was crowned queen! Our honorary Merge “big brother,” Matt Morseth was crowned king! (see picture)
I stayed an extra night to see The Clientele in Atlanta. It was beautiful! Be sure to catch them this month on tour. Their new songs are fantastic! The photo is of James and Mark from the Clientele with Neko – one of the cutest dogs I know!
Christina
Last night, we had the pleasure of having Merge freshmen, the mighty White Whale in town. Though many Mergers (and fans) had the opportunity to see them at SXSW, this was my first stampede (to borrow a phrase from the inimitable Towne Dandies) and after working with them on the album artwork for a couple months, I was eager to sample the product live and amplified. Let me tell you up front, kind listener, these fellas brought it.
Most of our bands report that playing in the Triangle feels like a hometown show. Of course, they are surrounded by the Merge family—which extends well beyond the dozen or so of us in the office—and all of the fabulous fans that this little patch of Carolina seems to breed. Within moments of arriving, they were asking after friends they have met here or elsewhere and heading toward the OCSC for icy cold beers, as if they did so every night.
The culture here is generous in supporting bands and turning out for shows, to be sure, but they are also a critical lot, especially toward a band few have seen play. It was significant, then, to witness eyes open wider, positions shift forward, and chatter cease at the Local 506 as White Whale launched into a set so full of energy, confidence, and awesomeness. There was nodding and smiling and people looking at each other with raised eyebrows and an expression that says, “Hot dog!”
While I have been digging the record ever since I first heard it, this is definitely one of those bands for whom the live performance enriches one’s reception of the record in immeasurable ways. Do not, I repeat do not, miss White Whale on tour this Fall. I’m smitten.
Maggie
This weekend is the 9th Annual Team Clermont Pabst Blue Ribbon Ball in Athens, GA aka Merge Radio Dept’s fave event of the year! This year is even more special, because White Whale will be bringing the party to Athens on Friday night at the 40 Watt!
The “prom theme” is country western, and we promise to post photos of our fantastic square dancing dresses!
Click HERE for further info, and please come if you are within driving distance!
Tomorrow is White Whale Day!
Finally, you will be able to go to your local record store and celebrate this most important of new holidays! The State of Kansas has recognized the members of White Whale on their achievement, and we made an
ECARD in honor of this momentous occasion.
What will you do to celebrate? Listen to WWI, and let us know how you took the whale for a ride!
Christina
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