The Henry Clay People Release Video for "Your Famous Friends," Open for SSPUs at DAR Tonight

The Henry Clay People are opening tonight for Against Me and Silversun Pickups at DAR (tickets still available here). Their down-to-earth anthemic rock and roll is always crazy amounts of fun to see live. (They go on at 7:30 tonight so get there early.)

Their new record, Somewhere On the Golden Coast came out last week and it doesn't disappoint. It's music great for driving real fast to, for dancing in your living room with friends to, for anytime you want to witness merriment come alive in you or your friends.

The band released the first video today from Golden Coast for the song "Your Famous Friends." The video mixes their tongue-in-cheek humor (the HCP have long dressed up like Ronald Reagan and played shows) with their not-so-famous friends. "It was shot by Ben Hoste out in front of our old rehearsal space in downtown Los Angeles," says singer/guitarist Joey Siara. "We got some of our buddies to put on some presidential masks and goof around on a hot spring Saturday. The real star of the video is our pal Fieron Santos who endured water balloons aimed at his crotch, hair caked thick with wet flour and a flying attack from Saddam [Hussein]. If making videos were always this fun then we would have a lot more."



Give a Listen:: Your Famous Friends-The Henry Clay People/ Buy Somewhere On the Golden Coast

Henry Clay People Announce Summer Tour Dates with Silversun Pickups

SXSW 2010, Day 2: Henry Clay People @ Aquarium Drunkard Day Party (3-17-2010), originally uploaded by BetweenLoveandLike.

The Henry Clay People is a band we've long rocked out to around here. Their songs of fist-pumping choruses and driving guitars (made even better now with full-time keyboardist Jordan Hudock), mixed with the slower, almost mournful stuff that can only be conveyed by a talented slide guitar player (lead guitarst Andy Siara), make for a band that's definitely not a one-song pony with every song sounding the same.

HCP has opened for a multitude of bands at this point (Ben Harper and The Airborne Toxic Event being two), and just came back from dates with Drive-By Truckers. Next up will be a two-month tour with fellow Silver Lake-area friends, Silversun Pickups, which starts just after their first full-lenth release, Somewhere On the Golden Coast comes out on 6/8 (tbd Records). Both bands put on powerful stage shows, but HCP have been known to win over and take out an audience, so look for the intensity to be amplified with both sets.

Give a Listen: Your Famous Friends-The Henry Clay People/Buy Somewhere On the Golden Coast

Henry Clay People June/July Tour With Silversun Pickups
June 15th- Hard Rock Cafe,Orlando, Fl
June 16th - Sunset Cove Amphitheater, Boca Raton, FL
June 18th - Ritz, Tampa, FL
June 19th - The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
June 20th – Sunset Theatre At Disco Rodeo, Raleigh, NC
June 21st - The National, Richmond, VA
June 23rd - DAR Constitution Hall, Washington, DC
June 24th - Wellmont Theatre, Montclair, NJ
June 25th - Williamsburg Waterfront, Brooklyn, NY
June 27th - Landsdowne Street, Boston, MA
June 28th - Great Plaza at Penns Landing, Philly, PA
June 29th - The Sound Academy, Toronto, ON
July 2 - The Fillmore, Detroit, MI
July 3 - Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL
July 4 – Summerfest, Milwaukee, WI
July 16 - The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
July 17th - Marquee Theatre, Tempe, AZ
July 19th - Stubb's, Austin, TX
July 20th - Warehouse Live, Houston, TX
July 21st - Palladium Ballroom, Dallas, TX
July 24th - Live on the Fair St Louis, St Louis, MO
July 26th - The Fillmore Auditorium, Denver, CO
July 27th - The Rail, Salt Lake City, UT
July 29th - Crystal Ballroom, Portland, OR
July 31 - The Paramount Theatre, Seattle, WA
Aug 7th - Soma, San Diego, CA

Seen Your Video: Silversun Pickups Rock "The Royal We" on Jimmy Fallon

Voodoo Experience Festival, New Orleans, LA (10-30-09)-1466, originally uploaded by BetweenLoveandLike.

Admittedly, I wasn't crazy about the Silversun Pickups song "The Royal We" when I first heard it on their latest, Swoon. But live, live the song is an effin' force of nature. The energy that exudes from lead singer/guitarist Brian Aubert alone could blow a house down; add the power of drummer Chris Guanlao, and it's a full-on hurricane. That sort of band is a blast to photograph.

This is the Pickups playing "The Royal We" on Jimmy Fallon last night. It was sedate compared to a normal show, honest. If you ever get the opportunity, be sure you see this band live just once.

Silversun Pickups on Conan Tonight, Announce Spring Tour Dates with Muse

What a great reason to stay up late! The utterly rad Silversun Pickups are playing The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien tonight. Word is they'll be doing "Substitution"...no word if the musical chairs winner is part of the set.



The Pickups are also heading back out on the road in February as openers for the UK group Muse. More dates are coming, I'm told, but the first few are below. Seeing the Pickups in an arena type environment is just going to be amazing.

Silversun Pickups Spring 2010 tour dates (with Muse)
Feb 27: Gwinnett Center, Atlanta, GA
March 1: Patriot Center, Fairfax, VA
March 5: Madison Square Garden, New York NY
March 13: Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
April 5: McKay Event Center, Salt Lake City, UT

Silversun Pickups "Substitution" Video, Tour Dates

One of the gems of the Silver Lake, CA scene, Silversun Pickups truly blew me away when I saw them for the first time at last year's Monolith Festival. So much so that their completely packed SX set at Antones was the one I pulled out all the stops to get into. Lead singer/guitarist Brian Aubert's vocals continually intrigue me: he starts out sort of breathy and light, almost crooning, until he hits certain passages where he lets forth a gravel-laced yell that just knocks you off your feet.

SSPU's "Substitution"


If you like what you hear on record, be sure you catch them live, it's really something rad. The Pickups start their US tour today in support of Swoon, and then hit Europe November-December (dates below). Let's hope they add a DC or NYC date in there somewhere!

Silversun Pickups Fall Tour
US LEG/September 2009
-15- Grand Rapids, MI @ Orbit Room
with Manchester Orchestra & Cage the Elephant
-16- Green Bay, WI @ The Club
with Manchester Orchestra & Cage the Elephant
-18-Omaha, NE @ Sokol Auditorium
with Manchester Orchestra & Cage the Elephant
-19- Des Moines, IA @ Hoyt Sherman Place
with Manchester Orchestra & Cage the Elephant
-21- Fayetteville, AR @ George's Majestic Lounge
with Manchester Orchestra & Cage the Elephant
-22- Tulsa, OK @ Cain's Ballroom
with Manchester Orchestra & Cage the Elephant
-23- Memphis, TN @ Minglewood Hall
with Manchester Orchestra & Cage the Elephant
-25- Little Rock, AR @ The Rev Room
with Manchester Orchestra
-26- Huntsville, AL @ Big Spring Jam @ Big Spring International Park
with Manchester Orchestra & Cage the Elephant
-28- Lexington, KY @ Buster's
with Manchester Orchestra & Cage the Elephant
-29- Johnson City, TN @ Electric Cowboy
with Manchester Orchestra & Cage the Elephant
-30- Knoxville, TN USA @ The Valarium
w/ Cage The Elephant

US LEG/October 2009
-2- Gainsville, FL @ The Venue
with An Horse
-3- Ft. Myers, FL @ Ricochet
with Cage the Elephant & An Horse
-4- Jacksonville, FL @ The Florida Theatre
with Cage the Elephant & An Horse
-5- Columbia, SC @ Headliners
with Cage the Elephant & An Horse
-7- Hilton Head, SC @ Shoreline Ballroom
with Cage the Elephant & An Horse
-9- Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
with Cage the Elephant & An Horse
-10- Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore
with An Horse
-11- Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
with Cage the Elephant & An Horse
-13- Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
with Cage the Elephant & An Horse
-14- Ottawa, ON @ Bronson Centre
with Cage the Elephant & An Horse
-15- Toronto, ON @ The Sound Academy
with Cage the Elephant & An Horse
-17- Providence, RI @ Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
with Cage the Elephant & An Horse
-18- Clifton Park, NY @ Northern Lights
with Cage the Elephant & An Horse
-20- Hartford, CT @ The Webster
with Cage the Elephant & An Horse
-21- Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
with Cage the Elephant & An Horse
-23- Rochester, NY @ Main Street Armory
with Cage the Elephant & An Horse
-24- Pittsburgh, PA @ Ches-A-Rena
with Cage the Elephant & An Horse
-26- Toledo, OH @ Headliners
with Cage the Elephant & An Horse
-28- Peoria, IL @ Exposition Gardens
with Cage the Elephant & An Horse
-30- New Orleans, Louisiana @ City Park
Doors @ 10am, music from 11am-11pm. Set times TBA.

EUROPEAN LEG/November-December 2009
-November 29, 2009 - Bologna, Italy @ Futurshow Station
with Placebo
-30- Milan, Italy @ Palasharp
with Placebo
-December 1, 2009 - Zurich, Switzerland @ Hallenstadion
with Placebo
-3- Rotterdamn, Holland @ Ahoy
with Placebo
-4- Cologne, Germany @ Lanxess Arena
with Placebo
-6- Antwerp, Belgium @ Sportpalais
with Placebo
-8- Birmingham, UK @ LG Arena
with Placebo and The Horrors
-9- London, UK @ O2 Arena
with Placebo and The Horrors
-11 - Bridlington, UK @ Bridlington Spa
with Placebo and The Horrors
-12- Manchester, UK @ Manchester Central
with Placebo and The Horrors
-14- Glasgow, UK @ SECC
with Placebo and The Horrors
-15- Dublin, Ireland @ Olympia Theatre
with Placebo
-16- Dublin, Ireland @ Olympia Theatre

Seen Your Video: "Two Can Play" (Nikki Monninger and Peter Walker)

Silversun Pickups bassist Nikki Monninger and Eulogies guitarist/lead singer Peter Walker's video for their lovely duet, "Two Can Play." Can't say the video makes a whole lot of sense to me, but many guy friends who've seen it have rhapsodized about Monninger in a tennis skirt, so maybe that's its point?



Give a Listen: Two Can Play-Eulogies (with Nikki Monninger)
Buy: Eulogies, Silversun Pickups

Silversun Pickups Announce Four UK Tour Dates

Silversun Pickups announced four UK dates in support of their upcoming release, Swoon, out April 14 (UK and US). They are totally amazing live, we highly recommend them!

friday, april 3, 2009
club nme @ koko
london
tickets available @ ticketweb.com

saturday, april 4, 2009
be @ proud
london
tickets available @ ticketweb.com

monday, april 6, 2009
barfly
london
tickets available @ ticketweb.com

tues, april 7, 2009
borderline
london
tickets available @ ticketweb.com

Silversun Pickups Talk About the Making of "Swoon"

Lots of strings on this one it seems...

MTV Shows

SXSW 2009 News...

Music news for your day party/night show schedules at this year's SXSW Music. No idea on specifics like place or time yet but will post as soon as I hear more...

--Rhett Miller playing an acoustic set...of covers?



I spoke to hip-swinger extraordinaire Rhett Miller after his recent show here in DC (photos forthcoming, honest!), and given the New West day party last year completely changed my SXSW outlook, I had to ask if Miller and the Old 97s were slated to play again this year. He said he will be playing a solo acoustic set at SX in support of his new album that drops that week (3/16). It's a live record, of covers in fact, recorded at Largo in Los Angeles. Covered artists include Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel ("Homeward Bound," he said), and...wait for it...Michael Buble (which confused me because I thought Buble's whole career was him singing covers...) Ah, but whatever, it's Rhett Miller singing, the man could sing the phone book and every female would swoon...

Hopefully we'll also get some of the material from his new solo record he said is coming in June, and the new Old 97s record that will follow later this year.

--Lucero joining The Hold Steady and Airborne Toxic Event at Rachel Ray's shindig...



I also had a few words about Lucero's SXSW plans this year with frontman Ben Nichols after a recent show. Lucero is playing a night show at Dirty Dog Bar but they are also playing Rachel Ray's day party this year along with The Hold Steady and The Airborne Toxic Event! As Ben sang on the latest Hold Steady record, I'd say that makes a good possibility of some intermingling onstage, you know?

--Daniel Johnston possibly...



Via the very nice people over at High Wire Music who handle Johnston, he'll be doing a night show and perhaps grace us during the day in a couple of places.

In other notes...

-- Seems PJ Harvey is heading down for a show on Saturday March 21st.

--SILVERSUN PICKUPS WAS ADDED! SSPU's new record Swoon drops 4/14 so hit their SX show early, it's going to be mobbed.

Show Review: Monolith Festival @ Red Rocks, Denver, CO--Day 1 (continued)

Early part of Day 1 review here.


8. Liam Finn
One thing I found myself thinking during certain acts on the indoor stages was "Why are they down here in such tiny rooms if you know the band will attract a big crowd?" Space probably, and a desire to keep stages within easy distance from each other so that they're centrally located yet far enough apart so that sounds don't bleed into each other. Which makes sense. But that sort of calm logic doesn't register when you're a sardine in a million degree room. The first time I found myself thinking this was during Liam Finn.

Liam Finn was playing on the WOXY.com stage, the stage area space that also doubled as a hallway to the other parts of the visitor's center, including the Rock Room Stage (which was within a proper room with well, rocks, hence the name). So when that hallway area got really crowded, it made things difficult for the folks trying to watch the show onstage because there was always a stream of folks trying to move past you and get through (a feat hard for them as well). (This, in fact, did become a problem in that area during The Presets set, as well as the next night during Does it Offend You Yeah?). All 5'5 of me was stuck in the back behind every tall guy who came to Monolith I think, so the only thing I took from the Liam Finn show was that a) his sound is way more rock than the quiet and vastly different sample tracks I’d heard, and b) his female cohort, whose voice I initially liked, began screaming like Yoko doing Japanese hetai but worse, which I did not like.


9. A Place to Bury Strangers
You ever listen to a band’s recorded stuff and think “Eh,” but then you see them live and it’s “Ahhh, NOW I see what the fuss is about”? I call this “The Replacements Factor,” because if you just heard the Mats on record, typically, you liked them ok. But if you saw their live show, you'd, typically, become a full blown convert for time and eternity because their live shows were amazing, so unscripted and spontaneous. The Mats had an essence, that incredible “it” factor, which could just never be captured properly in the sterility of a recording studio. And be it a night when they were *on,* or a night they were a ramshackle shambles, it was always just, well, pure.

This is what happened when I saw APTBS. I'd heard one track of theirs but only had them listed as a "maybe if I'm in the area" (read: not awful but not great) band to catch that day. And I'd only wound up in there because I tagged along with Matt. (Big ups to Matt!)

My first impression of APTBS was that they were decidedly older than anyone else I'd seen thus far and SERIOUSLY FUCKING LOUD. Like put your head in a bell and beat the outside with a hammer loud. The organizers probably kept these guys inside for fear they'd start a landslide outside. And there were only three of them!



Initially, there were no stage lights, almost like "lights, our bad asses don't need no stinkin lights!" (so the only reason I snagged any photos at all was to use the "forbidden" flash). As the band got more and more into what they were playing, a quick glance out to the faces of the audience convinced me that I wasn't alone in feeling like what we were seeing something very different from everything else that day; folks were standing as slackjawed as I was. One thing that bands remarked on at Monolith was that the thin air made performing a little more difficult. With the ferocity and intensity that APTBS performed, I was shocked they didn't drop from sheer exhaustion when they were done because when I say they played hard, I mean HARD, like pop your guitar strings and beat up your guitar hard.







Later, I would read they are known as the "loudest band in NYC," and given the number of loud bands in NYC, you might think that's hype. But believe it, cause that moniker totally applies to them. If the spirit of the Ramones and speed and volume of Jesus and Mary Chain had a baby, APTBS would be it, full of piss and vinegar, shredding and feedback. And I’m not normally a fan of that sort of thing (Ramones and Social Distortion aside of course). But for the sheer love of how overwhelming their music was, and sheer tenacity at which each of them played, it was overwhelming in a very good way. I stood there just dumbfounded for most of the set.



Seriously, this set ranked as one of the two best shows I saw over the two days. Incredible. They’re currently on tour so be sure to go see them….just don’t forget your ear plugs.

(More photos from the A Place to Bury Strangers set here.)

Listen: To Fix the Gash in Your Head_A Place to Bury Strangers

10. Vampire Weekend
Holy crap, they aren't robots after all, they realized they should actually look at their audience! Man, all that touring has really paid off.









(More photos from the Vampire Weekend set here.)

Listen: Everywhere (Fleetwood Mac cover)_Vampire Weekend

11. The Night Marchers
I liked what I heard from The Night Marchers' mp3 but live, not so much. Maybe it was coming off the high of A Place to Bury Strangers...maybe it was because I hadn't eaten in 14 hours...but I just wasn't super blown away. The Night Marchers had all the elements I typically like: guitar-driven rock, great backbeat and bass, lead singer very Mike Ness-reminiscent, all snarly and strong jawed like....but it just didn’t wow me. So I dunno what the deal was. But I do plan to check them out again; perhaps they just require being in another state of mind to give them a fair assessment.



(More photos from The Night Marchers set here.)

12. Corey Chisel and the Wandering Sons
I’d really liked what I heard of Corey Chisel beforehand so I raced back down the 230 steps to find that I liked him live just as much. He and his band, the Wandering Sons (although one of the Sons was an awesome female back up singer, Adriel Harris), is music for a Sunday morning, with a paper and a coffee to slowly drink it all in, or for after a breakup during that period when you’re dwelling. At Monolith at least (I couldn’t find band member names sans that of Harris, so I wonder if the players change depending on his needs), Chisel played acoustic, and the Sons were comprised of Harris, who traded keyboard duties with another guy, an electric guitar player, and for a song or two, one of the guys from Band of Horses (they were playing Monolith Day 2).



Corey Chisel’s 6-song EP, Cabin Ghosts came out in July, and I highly recommend it. His is lush Americana music that is forlorn, soft, and heart-shorn with a tinge of blues, and just really, really lovely. And I cannot wait to see him and the Sons again when they’re out wanderin on tour (though hopefully in a bar that’s got warmer winds going through it than Red Rocks in September at twilight heh).



(More photos from Corey Chisel’s set here.)

Listen: Home in the Woods_Cory Chisel

13. Silversun Pickups
Anything and everything good you’ve ever heard about the Pickups’ live show is all true. They are this incredible bar band, great musicians whose playing as a collective is really tight and can burn down amphitheaters as well as bars (and any place else). What do I mean by that? There are plenty of bar bands, but a really good bar band can touch every person in that room in one way or another. And the Pickups brought that feeling to a huge amphitheater setting and seriously make it work. Not an easy task by any means.

Tearing through a set with tracks from “Pikul,” “Carnavas,” and one or two new ones, the Pickups were clearly having a ball onstage; it was obvious they were happy to be playing again (lead singer/guitarist Brian Aubert mentioned they were in the midst of finishing up a new record). Aubert kept pacing the long stage, oftentimes coming right up to the front of the photo pit; had there not been barriers, I do believe he would have waded into the crowd for sure.



Aubert and bassist Nikki Monninger were disarmingly sweet to watch, oftentimes laughing and sporting ear-to-ear grins, like they couldn’t believe folks were so thrilled to see them (and boy were they).



Drummer Christopher Guanlao is, hands down, one of the best drummers I’ve ever watched. (And here’s a question I may ask The Whigs’ Julian Dorio when I interview them next month: do drummers practice playing all nutso in front of mirrors so they can find the coolest way for their hair to fly around?)



How much did I like the Silversun Pickups show at Monolith? I went out the very next day and bought Carnavas if that says anything, and haven’t turned it off since. The Pickups truly really deserve any and all kudos because they’re just that good.

(More photos from the Silversun Pickups set here.)

Listen: Common Reactor live (Paris, 11-17-07)_Silversun Pickups


14. Devotchka
Beautiful is an adjective I find I wrote down a bunch in my notes on Devotchka’s set at Monolith. Even in a place the size of Red Rocks, on a stage as big as the main stage where Devotchka played at Red Rocks, their live show was so engaging they made it feel like they were playing somewhere very intimate and personalized. And though the temperature had dropped and a cold rain started drizzling just before their set started, it somehow added to that intimacy, like some weird modern version of “Casablanca.” I’m sure playing such a unique place for a hometown crowd (Devotchka hails from Denver) had a lot to do with that. It was something very lovely to witness.




There was no aerialist this time, (probably because she’d have frozen to death), but that was ok because it allowed the focus to stay on the band and their talents (Tom Hagerman is always exciting to watch because every time you blink, he’s playing a different instrument). Another neat thing was these black and white "home movies" that played between certain songs on the Jumbotron screens. Given how much the little kid in one of them looked like lead singer/guitarist Nick Ulta, I wondered if they weren't real ones of his family.

I could go on and on about how incredible and amazing Devotchka was at Monolith (“Queen of the Surface Streets” damn near brought me to tears), but then, their live show is always an experience. Bravo to the festival organizers for closing the first night of the unique festival with these hometown heroes.





(More photos from the Devotchka set here.)

Listen: Venus in Furs (VU cover live)_Devotchka

Up next...Day 2, including The Whigs, The Airborne Toxic Event, CSS, Sharon Jones, and TV on the Radio.

New Silversun Pickups Record, "Swoon," Released Early 2009

As the Silversun Pickups last release, Carnavas, has not stopped playing on my Ipod since picking it up after seeing their show at the Monolith Festival a few weeks back, I'm thrilled to read that the Pickups have announced that their follow up will be titled "Swoon" and out in early 2009.

Silversun Pickups is currently tucked away in a Los Angeles studio working hard on the follow up to Carnavas, titled Swoon and scheduled for release in early 2009. Dave Cooley, the man behind the soundboard for Carnavas, was once again the chosen one to produce. Silversun Pickups frontman Brian Aubert on the reunion: “He’s a stronger producer now because of the records he’s done since we worked with him on Carnavas. And as far as experimenting with sounds and everything, he’s just as great as ever.” (source)

For Your Listening Pleasure: Silversun Pickups @ SXSW 2006

(Photo by Greg Perez)

If you've read Between Love & Like for awhile, you know that the whole Silver Lake, CA music scene and I fell deeply in love at SXSW last year via these guys. One group that has been reigned at the helm of that scene, regardless of what the author of a snotty review has to say is Silversun Pickups. (By the way Mr. Cohen, you could use an editor in addition to a fact checker as I think the word is flagship not flasgship.)

At the Monolith Festival in Denver, CO last weekend, I got the opportunity to catch the Pickups live, kind of rarity these days as they finish up their new record. You kids going to the Austin City Limits Festival next week, be sure to hit the AT&T Stage at 4:30 pm on Sunday, trust me. The Pickups and A Place to Bury Strangers were my two favorite shows of the two days and 60 bands who played at Monolith. (Look for my review and links to the 1000 photos by the end of this weekend.) Like I went out the next day and bought the Pickups' Carnavas for the drive back to Red Rocks, I was that impressed.

Thus, it was exciting to see this podcast from today's post over at Web in Front, a podcast of a Pickups' show from SXSW 2006. Knowing WIF's owner Travis, it's great quality, so take your lazy eyes on over to Web in Front for a download.

Check out my shots of the Pickups from the Monolith Festival here.

Quick-Like: Monolith Festival, Day 1

Ok, I'm bone tired but wanted to give you a glimpse of the Monolith Festival:

1. I took about 987685675675 pictures. I think I really like taking pictures.

2. If you ever come to Red Rocks, that whole mile above sea level thing really takes the wind out of you (literally) when walking anywhere uphill. That's no bull.

3. I met and became friendly with a consortium of cool fellow music writers like this guy, these folks, this gal, and this guy. Hey guys!

4. I wound up talking with Jon Fratelli, lead singer of the Fratellis, about how cool Worn Free shirts are (he was sporting the one I've been planning to buy).

5. Devotchka put on an incredible performance. No aerialist this time but she would have been frozen solid (Denver=damn cold at night).

6. Best show of the day? A Place to Bury Strangers out of Brooklyn. Their recorded stuff I listened to in advance I wasn't too thrilled by (sounded a tad too electronica-like for seeing live), but their live show, with the energy, intensity, and frantic pace was insanely good to watch. Remember what I said about a a passion for music? These guys have it and slap you around with it. (And there aren't any synths or computers involved, it's just them). Silversun Pickups ran a very close second.

More tomorrow! With pictures and such!