today’s vegetable

I’ve got seven words that should make you love Portugal. The Man:
futuristic space grizzly punks in white suits.

Portugal. The Man is a new kind of band, or at least they’ve built a new kind of crowd. They could play on a hill in Texas, far from their Alaskan home, and pack it. They roll into Georgia, Wisconsin, or Rhode Island and fill a room. For a long time now they’ve flown just under the mainstream radar and have built an impressive following by tirelessly playing music to an audience almost every night.

Sure, perseverance pays, but Portugal also brings dedication to every detail, a great sound, and a style that’s approachable without being dumbed down. There’s art in all aspects of what they do, and it dangles like a carrot pulling you forward into their world. From John Gourley’s illustrations to his lyrics there’s an imagery woven throughout everything Portugal that builds a sense of grandeur or greater vision.

Lately they’ve been getting more notice, so don’t expect them to stay under radar much longer. Kanye West and Justin Timberlake both dedicated time on their blogs praising their video for ‘Do You’ — in which the band turns into the futuristic space grizzly punks shown above.

(In addition to the lithograph they donated to the CASH fundraiser, Portugal also let us use ‘Do You’ as part of our thank you mix. Thanks guys!)

Here’s the thing to love about Portugal. The man: they make real art that’s fully palatable to the world of pop, but won’t ever be tamed by it.

Portugal. The Man’s CASH fundraiser contribution
Portugal. The Man at CASH
Portugal. The Man on Twitter
Buy The Satanic Satanist
portugaltheman.net

Today was the release of Thao with The Get Down Stay Down’s new record, Know Better Learn Faster, on Kill Rock Stars. I hope it shatters the most optimistic projections for sales, becomes a cultural touchstone for Autumn in 2009, and gets in on that Nobel prize action. Why the enthusiasm? Well it’s a great record, and success couldn’t happen to a nicer person.

I asked Maggie Vail if she’d talk to Thao about the CASH Music fundraiser. Not only did Thao say yes to getting involved, she literally offered us her heart.

Seriously. Thao offered to send us the paper mache heart from the Know Better Learn Faster cover. She didn’t stop there, and asked if it would be okay if she did a sort of singing telegram for the fundraiser. A song written just for the winner, carrying any message as long as its positive. Such a great idea, and it holds all the charm and energy you hear in this latest record.

As for the album itself, Know Better Learn Faster will make a lot of favorite lists by year’s end. The band got a good deal of attention with their We Brave Bee Stings And All debut, and this record is a nice step forward. All the infectious energy is still present, hitting hard in tracks like ‘When We Swam,’ but there’s also an added degree of smart introspection in tracks like ‘Body’ and ‘Good Bye Good Luck.’ Thao also shows off her voice a bit throughout the record, carrying softer tracks with some really beautiful singing.

In a sentence, Thao with The Get Down Stay Down is a band that makes you feel good about music. They’re headed out on tour right now, so catch them when they’re close and put Know Better Learn Faster on your list of records to check out.

Thao wTGDSD’s CASH fundraiser contribution
Thao wTGDSD on Twitter
Buy Know Better Learn Faster
thaomusic.com

ps
Una’s rad ‘Bag Of Hammers’ video

It’s Sunday night after a pretty perfect fall day in Newport. There’s a part of me that wanted to skip the blog entirely in favor of a more mellow night with my wife. But when I say I’m going to do something, even something simple like write a post-a-day for October, I do it.

Of course, there’s a loophole.

The perfect compromise is to write about Willard Grant Conspiracy, which in my mind means Robert Fisher. I’ve never been exactly clear on the membership in said conspiracy, but it’s safe to say that whatever band exists under that name revolves around Robert. And I think that Robert, more than most, could appreciate a short note of thanks with the knowledge that its brevity came at the hands of a perfect Newport evening.

Robert Fisher is someone I’ve gotten to know more through anecdote than actual conversation. We’ve spoken a couple of times, but I sort of appreciate the limited view. The Robert I know is comprised of his music, stories from friends, and short email exchanges about espresso and cheese. In the limited time we’ve had actually speaking he’s shown himself to be kind, knowledgeable, and passionate about his music and the craft that goes into producing it. In his records Robert is all those things and nothing more. He offers bare, honest, and intelligent take on Americana; always with an appreciation of the finer details.

Willard Grant Conspiracy’s new album, Paper Covers Stone, is out now with a streaming preview available at willardgrantconsiracy.cashmusic.org. There you’ll find purchase links for various regions, including iTunes for those that can’t directly purchase from the small labels that support WGC.

Robert’s offering for the CASH Music fundraiser is beyond generous, as he’ll play a house show for the winning bidder. This is limited to cities/times around the Willard Grant Conspiracy tour schedule.

Willard Grant Conspiracy’s CASH fundraiser contribution
Willard Grant Conspiracy’s at CASH
Willard Grant Conspiracy on Twitter
willardgrantconspiracy.com

“I just fell in love with a band.”

That’s how Emily first told me about Family Of The Year. Emily is of course the amazing Emily White of Whitesmith Entertainment, and within two days or so she was officially managing the band. Immediately (and not coincidentally) following that the band started getting piles of attention, played some amazing shows including one with Ben Folds and the Boston Pops, and really haven’t looked back since.

I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know them and their enthusiasm is contagious. There’s a lot of talk about connecting with your audience, and Family Of The Year should be the role model. Not only is their appreciation of their supporters genuine and deep, but as a fan you just want to see them do well.

A quick listen to their Where’s the Sun EP and it’s easy to understand why folks are falling for them. The music is great, they harmonize like you never hear anymore, and it’s got great personality.

I can’t even pick a favorite song. Hard pressed I might say it’s the EP’s first track, ‘Let’s Go Down,’ a simple country tune about the band having a simple country day. But in the course of five songs Family Of the Year manages to cover so much stylistic ground that by the fifth and final track, ‘Psyche Or Like Scope,’ you’ve hit a more electronic sound. It’s almost a French electronica thing, but in only the best ways. That’s what their music is like: reminiscent, evocative, and the best parts culled from a wide array of influences.

I guess I can’t say it any better than Emily. I just fell in love with a band.

FOTY’s CASH fundraiser contribution
FOTY on Twitter
FOTY on Facebook
familyoftheyear.net

I suppose the title of this post should read ‘Spotlight: Headphones’ to match the fundraiser contribution, but it was TW Walsh who sent the test pressing to us. He played drums in Headphones behind his Pedro The Lion bandmate David Bazan and Frank Lenz.

My introduction to TW Walsh came earlier this year, thanks to Brad Searles and his fantastic music blog ‘Bradley’s Almanac.’ Brad was talking about TW Walsh and one of his projects called The Soft Drugs. Minutes later I found a page on TW’s website modestly titled ‘songs‘ and I was listening to The Soft Drugs’ In Moderation EP and loving it. It quickly became one of my favorites of 2009, regardless of its 2006 release date. It’s frank, well written, and TW sings so matter-of-factly that it’s hard to avoid his charms.

There are 3 other albums (2 full-length, 1 EP) and a collection of MP3s available on his site, all worth checking out.

This morning I had no idea who I should write about for my daily post. If anything I had too many ideas, and I couldn’t find a place to start. Around midday I saw a tweet from TW Walsh talking about a benefit album he was part of called Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy.

I don’t know Mark, and I won’t claim to be overly familiar with his work. But his music made an impact on the lives of a lot of musicians. When he suffered personal tragedy many of them came together to help him in a beautiful gesture elegantly executed. 41 tracks from an array of artists featuring Thom Yorke, Michael Stipe, Mercury Rev, Dinosaur Jr, Buffalo Tom, and TW Walsh. I still haven’t given all the tracks the time they deserve, but as an album it’s wide, rich, and wonderfully diverse — a great look at Mark Mulcahy’s body of work from the perspective of an amazing group of people touched by his music.

You can hear TW Walsh’s version of ‘I Hate To Need You’ here. But Ciao My Shining Star has one major standout: it’s letting a man continue to make music while raising his daughters as a single father.

TW Walsh/Headphones CASH fundraiser contribution
twwalsh.com
davidbazan.com

Talking about DM Stith is easy. His story is one that you want to tell.

Before this CASH fundraiser craziness started I had never met him or even heard his music. My friend Marisa Handren introduced me to Michael Kaufman at Asthmatic Kitty, suggesting I ask them for help. It was at a point where the effort was taking a toll, and organizing a fundraiser on top of a full plate of development and artist support was just feeling like too much. Michael changed all that. It was an incredibly positive conversation, a lot of it focussed on how great he felt this artist named DM Stith was. Michael said he’d talk to DM for me.

So before I could even listen to all the tracks on DM Stith’s site, he had written to say that he’d love to help out with the fundraiser. (In fairness, he posts a lot of music.) He led with kindness and generosity, winning a fan for life in the process.

It was his paintings that first struck me. Beautiful compositions that blend colors and techniques, perfectly framing his music. Somber fields of black, broken up by ink blown textures mask subtle vibrancy and an underlying grace.

That last sentence works for his music too. It’s haunting, elegant, and rich — but in a hidden way like the subtleties of his painting. There are layers of small sounds, strings, and echoey choruses floating from a distance. He sings, really sings, often over piano and acoustic guitar. The result is a song that brings its own space, and environment where it lives as you listen.

As if it’s not obvious, I really like it. There’s a depth to it that’s worth a few listens, each time bringing something different.

As for the fundraiser, well in truth it’s all an elaborate ruse for me to get a print of his art. He’s donated a limited run of up to 100 signed/numbered giclée prints of the painting featured on the cover of Pity Dance.

DM Stith on Twitter
DM Stith Daytrotter Session
dmstith.com