New Music Everywhere!

As a booking agent for Airplay on WNUR 89.3 at the Northwestern Campus, I read up on new music and peruse venue calendars like it's my job. The Kinetic Playground, The Empty Bottle, Uncommon Ground, Reggie's Rock Club, Evanston SPACE, the Metro--all places I've either played or want to play, and all places to find potential artists for Airplay.

I am especially excited when an artist I am familiar with is coming to town, and I just might get the chance to invite them into our studio for a session or an interview. This past week, I was in luck. Indie rock Singer/Songwriter Greg Laswell, who will be having a concert at Evanston SPACE on March 3rd will be walking to our studio for an interview!

I've been following this San Diego based artist since I first heard "Worthwhile" off his sophomore album, Through Toledo and went on to explore "Days Go On" and other songs off of Three Flights From Alto Nido. Just recently, I downloaded Take a Bow, his latest release from Spring 2010, which he toured with Sara Bareilles to promote. "Take Everything" was an instant favorite of mine this past summer, when I first heard it on the Adult Alternative Music Choice channel. I love the descending vocals and the showcase of Laswell's baritone gritty voice. The album is sincere and flowing from beginning to end and I plan to give it a few more listens before Laswell comes to town. I will be extremely excited to conduct an interview with him and hear him play at SPACE. Laswell is currently signed to Vanguard Records, the same label that supports the Indigo Girls, Jesca Hoop, and Matt Nathanson to name a few of my favorites.

Another awesome group that I've been following since their single, "Golden Days" off of Air Stereo, is coming to Evanston SPACE in April. The Damnwells based out of Brooklyn, will be coming to the midwest in promotion of their upcoming album, No One Listens to the Band Anymore. Front man and singer/songwriter, Alex Dezen, has been driving the group forward since its inception in 2001. The band has an interesting history, having been picked up by Epic Records, and then let go upon release of Air Stereo. Subsequently, their third album, One Last Century was released as a free download in 2009. With such an interesting history and a real passion for sharing music freely, The Damnwells are a group to keep watching. No One Listens to the Band will be their fourth studio album and perhaps the title sums up their angst and struggle as a group over the past years. The album will be released with Pledge Music to help raise money to fight AIDS, Malaria and TB. I should be back in NY on spring break around the time of their release party on March 24th at the Bowery Ballroom. I would love to make it out then and I will be lucky enough to hear an acoustic set when they come into our studio at WNUR.

Peace.Love.Music

Kara Ali

Music-Filled Tuesday Night Madness!

So two days ago, I played my first official midwest gig at Uncommon Ground downtown off the Sheridan stop on N. Clark Street. I had been asked to open for my friend, Kim Schaefer, who has a residency there for every Tuesday in February. Kim is an incredibly talented guitarist and banjo player, and her songs tell stories similar to those told by Johnny Cash and Elvis in song traditions of Nashville. Her newly released EP, Holy Roller is awesome and definitely worth a gander.

In light of last week's blizzard, Kim's friend Jake Davis also played with us, because the gig had been cancelled. Davis is a native of Nashville, where he had an awesome folk/acoustic/indie rock band called Blue Cadet Three. It was great to hear his tunes and make some awesome new musical connections. Overall, I had a wonderful time hearing other folk artists and staying cozy inside, away from the 3degree weather.

After the gig, guitar in tow, I headed over to the Kinetic Playground, where I saw Sex Fist, a four piece bluegrass band with mandolin, bass, drums, and guitar that has a Tuesday residency at the club. For a bluegrass band, they have a pretty interesting following: a combination of hippies, stoners, and jammers all out on a Tuesday night at a club that usually houses Dubstep artists and DJs. It was definitely a sight to see, and since my friend knew the mandolin player from a trip abroad, I got a chance to chat with him about the band's upcoming tour to the west coast and then to Europe. When they get back in the spring, I will likely have an opportunity to open for them, which I welcome with open arms!

A productive and fun Tuesday night.

Peace.Love.Music

-Kara Ali

A Special Gig for DM!

Last night, I had the opportunity to open for Ezra Furman of Ezra and the Harpoons. He is a native of Evanston and has been on tour nationally with his band, so meeting him felt pretty cool. Along with me, The Main Men opened the concert. They consist of Chris Kim on Keys, Mike Johnson on Guitar and vocals, Zach Levine on Drums, and Bryant Millet on Bass and Trumpet. They are a really rocking little band with a great dynamic and clear Beatles influences. (All but the drummer lived in my dorm freshman year, and they would ALWAYS cover the Beatles and other groovy '60s and '70s bands of the same ilk.)

As for Ezra, he's amazing solo with a quirky personality that is infectious and an instant hit. He asked me shyly, "Are you staying for my set? If I break a string can I borrow your guitar?" The Tufts graduate of 2008 has been on the scene with his band for a few years and is due to release a new album in April. He's a man of few actions but all he does and says seems to be in earnest and his songs seem to be the only small gateway into his somewhat bizarre and "sheepish" personality as highlighted in "I Wanna Be a Sheep". I am excited to follow him and his band further and felt very happy to open for him.

"Kiss Each Other Clean"--A new and remarkable album from Iron and Wine

So, two days ago on January 25th, Iron and Wine's first new studio album in over 3 years, "Kiss Each other Clean" was released. It had been made available for digital download on the 21st but because I wanted to give it the appropriate time and care when I listened, I waited it out until today so that I had the chance to visit my Sam Beam anthology to reacquaint myself with the music I've been a fan of for years.

Iron and Wine first came on the scene in 2002 with "The Creek Drank the Cradle", a sparse acoustic album that evoked raw emotion purely through gentle picking patterns, vocals, and beautifully thoughtful lyrics. However, I first discovered Sam Beam with his cover of the Postal Service song "Such Great Heights" upon viewing Zach Braff's 2004 anthem to my home state of New Jersey, Garden State. I wanted to hear more and quickly fell in love with "Our Endless Numbered Days", with it's dark, but beautiful imagery.

All of the best elements of these two albums, mixed up with some gentle percussion and layered vocals made 'The Shepherd's Dog" a hit in 2007. With "Kiss Each Other Clean", Sam Beam went a step further and added electronic sound (ghasp!) For die hard fans of the gentle acoustic sound that Iron and Wine has churned out since "The Creek Drank the Cradle", this might come as a shock. Beam really diversified on this album while maintaining the integrity of his personal vocal layering style. The Album's opening track, "Walking Far From Home" has a gradual build reminiscent of "The Trapeze Swinger", but it builds to a great, almost larger than life finish by the end, where Beam is singing impossibly high falsetto notes over his own system of vocal layering. This climatic end is the perfect setup for the start of a diverse and complex album.

"Big Burned Hand" was one of the more surprising tracks off of this new album. It has a funky, 70's jazz feel with the addition of a bluesy saxophone and starts to explore a genre that isn't characteristic of the Iron and Wine that faithful listeners are necessarily accustomed to. Again on "Your Fake Name is Good Enough For Me", the last track before bonus material, the '70s are alive with horns as the 7 minute song grows into a vocal layering section reminiscent of Crosby, Stills, and Nash. When the meter changes about half way through the track, the vocal layering persists underneath Beam's solo and grows to the heights set by the opening track with a full drum set and electric guitar adding tasteful complexity to Beam's simple and beautiful ideas.

I am already gearing up to see Iron and Wine downtown at the Riviera on March 4th and look forward to following him as his style continues to evolve.

More to come.

Peace.Love.Music

Kara Ali

So, it's been FOREVER and so much has happened!---To Recap

Hello Friends of Music and Sound!

Since the summer when I last blogged, I have been back in Evanston, Illinois at Northwestern University for my Junior Year. (For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Norshore region, we are about 30 minutes North of downtown Chicago.)

The reasons for my failure to blog can be summed up by about four words:

Music and Sound Design.

For the first--I just released my second studio EP, entitled Lake Michigan's Chill on my bandcamp page! Since the summer, I have actually recorded and released two EP's! Lake Michigan's Chill is my 3-song tribute to winter, living in one of the coldest, windiest climates EVER! It was recorded while I was on winter break back in New Jersey at Soundwaves Academy in Union, NJ. The first was entitled Time Grasp as an homage to the first ever song I wrote in High School. Although the title song is absent from the album, most of the songs preserve the poppy element of some of my earlier songs.

Both albums can be heard at www.karaalimusic.bandcamp.com and will shortly be on iTunes! Yay digital releases!

Also, check out my new website here

In other news: SOUND DESIGN

I am currently sound designing Sit & Spin's production of A Streetcar Named Desire at Northwestern University. We go up in roughly 2 weeks. STELLLLLAAAAA! The director, the lovely Ms. Allie Gallerani has been one of the most helpful directors ever to work with, offering so much insight into the piece and willing to take a really interesting new spin on Williams' classic piece. I watched a run last night and couldn't have been more thrilled. I mean, rope nets and harnesses are involved...come on!

Additionally, (I guess I should have mentioned this) I am currently interning at Studiomedia, a Recording Studio in Evanston. The studio has been around for 30+ years and walking into their main engineering room is like walking into a time capsule. With the vintage English Trident board from the '70s and a rare combination of analogue and digital technology, it is apparent to me how unique this place is. Being the music and audio nerd that I am, I am chomping at the bit wanting to jiggle every knob and test out every piece of outboard equipment in the room. But I know better--I will be a good observer for now and soak up all I can while I make the occasional pot of coffee and set up mics, stands, and windscreens for the next voiceover session.

Along with my sound design classes, work on Streetcar and my own music, it's shaping up to be an incredibly productive quarter. As I sit in Starbucks and listen to "The Shepherd's Dog", I couldn't be more juiced about Iron and Wine's release of "Kiss Each Other Clean" tomorrow. First album impressions and my own review to come!

I'm back folks, and I plan on sticking around for a while this time. What else will get me through all the snow?

Peace.Love.Music.

Kara Ali

THE FLAMING LIPS!!!

So, I know this is a bit overdue...

But I went to see The Flaming Lips last Tuesday night in Central Park as part of the summer concert series!

Funny story about the tickets---I went to order one from ticketmaster, and they were sold out. So, naturally I checked ebay...

Actually, I was a first time ebay user and when I ordered the ticket and it was due to get to me the next morning, I knew that timing would be important. I gave the seller a shipping address that differed from my billing address because I've been staying in NY for the summer.

Lo and Behold! Come Monday morning, there is a ticket waiting for me!!---At home in New JERSEY!!!---It was delivered at 9:30AM and I happened to leave my house at 9:00!

Bummed and sad, one of my friends said, "maybe try seeing if they have tickets at the door?!?!"

Second Attempt.

Word to the wise: never buy a ticket in central park. It ended up being a fake...me and my better sense should have known it would be. Nonetheless, I grovelled and recapped my story for the authorities at the concert, while my 4 friends looked sad that I couldn't get in and by a strange stroke of luck, or maybe some undue kindness from the man in charge, I was let in.

Despite the terrible heat wave that had been taking NY by storm, Monday night, August 26th was a brisk 84 degrees with a cool breeze.

The opening act Oneida was one I was unfamiliar with---to be frank, their music just sounded like one long continuous noise to me. It was just instrumentalists, half wearing sunglasses and hunched over their instruments. That act went on for WAY to long in my opinion. I would have preferred a tribute or jam band. I am giving their album a listen as we speak, hoping maybe I got the wrong first impression from what sounded like drug-induced, confusing noise.

I think I'm confirmed in my opinions.


The Lips, however, were incredibly entertaining! I actually didn't really follow them before seeing the concert, but I always have a desire to go to concerts and listen to bands that I haven't heard before. I did a little research on some of their hits before the concert and thought I'd dig it, which I did!

"Silver Trembling Hands" and "The W.A.N.D" were among my favorites. "She Don't Use Jelly" I knew from the Ben Folds Five cover version, so for me the original sounded new.

I think like Oneida, they might of stretched some of their song lengths out so as to either fill out set time or just because they liked to jam. For me, I could take or leave some of their music but the show overall was very entertaining with some of its gimmicks: Lead singer Wayne Coyne's entrance into the audience in a bubble, a full light show, and confetti cannons of orange and yellow. Not to mention, the band was "born" through a woman's legs at the show's start to symbolize their album, Embryonic. Despite some of the silliness, including the song "I Can Be a Frog", where the whole audience was engaged in animal noises, the band looked to be having a blast and so did the audience.