New Wolf Parade & Nada Surf Live Concert Stream

The news keeps on coming in and it seems to always be great. You may have heard that Wolf Parade will be releasing a new album on June 17th. You may have also heard me say years ago that Wolf Parade was the best thing to happen to music since sliced Bread...no? Well maybe I'm a tad crazy, but go ahead and feast on this new track.

mp3: Wolf Parade - Call It A Ritual --> website --> buy

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In other news, NPR has done us all a great thing by streaming the entire Nada Surf show from the 9:30 club that we attended last Saturday right here. Enjoy!

Nada Surf @ 9:30 club - In Review

After making the commitment to road trip to New York for Nada Surf, of course it was a no brainer that I would make it to the 9:30 club Saturday night. It felt a little strange to be waiting in line while the sun was still up, as this was an early show, but there we were. Openers for the show were The Jealous Girlfriends and Kaki King.

TJG’s were up first. Although they seemed a little sheepish while taking the stage, possibly because of the early hour, lead singer and guitarist Holly Miranda soon surprised the crowd with her energy and gripping voice. She also proved to be a pretty kick ass guitar player. Their songs were frenzied yet still very tight. This was the last night of the tour for TJG’s with Nada Surf, but I’d expect to see them to be headlining shows very soon.

Next up was Kaki King, formerly a solo singer/guitar player, but now with a full band. Immediately clear was that King is an excellent guitar player, leading with a display of slapping and finger picking an acoustic guitar before her band joined in. Also obvious was that Matt Hankle is a fiercely talented drummer. He stole the spotlight several times through their set. Overall, the set seemed to vary a bit too much for my taste. I don’t really know how to describe their sound, because it changed every song. How do you go from acoustic jam band to covering German metal?

After a lightning quick set change, Nada Surf took the stage. Although a very similar setlist to the Terminal 5 show, this one had a unique feel. Of course, it was more intimate, but it also felt a little more loose. The crowd was more energetic and seemed better versed in their music. Everyone seemed to sing along to every song, whether prompted or not. The beginning of Fruit Flies was epic, with the crowd almost forcing Matthew off the mic because they were so loud. Speaking of Fruit Flies, Ira played these wicked cool glowing drumsticks. Watch the video below. The other amazing crowd moment was during Inside of Love, when Matthew asked that the crowd do a two step sway in time with the music, and we all happily obliged. It was very cool.

Anywho, Martin Wenk of Calexico joined Nada Surf again, adding wonderful depth to the sound. Keys, synth and awesome horns popped up all over the set. Seriously guys, you need to keep him. Or maybe clone him.

Ahhh, another amazing Nada Surf show. These guys just get better and better.

Blizzard of '77


Crazy Glowing Drum Sticks


Some pictures HERE

Setlist:

High Speed Soul
Happy Kid
Whose Authority
What is Your Secret
Weightless
Killians Red
I like What You Say
Inside of Love
Fruit Flies
80 Windows
Ice on the Wing
The Fox
Do It Again
Beautiful Beat
See These Bones

Blizzard of '77
Blonde on Blonde
Always Love
Blankest Year

Nada Surf and Superdrag @ Terminal 5, NYC - In Review

The dream pairing of Nada Surf and Superdrag co-headlining in New York City was far too enticing for this blogger to pass up, even if it meant a trip up from B-more. And wow, was it ever worth it. First off, I need to compliment the incredible Terminal 5. What an amazing venue. 50 foot ceilings, two balcony levels, chandeliers, and a wonderful sound and lighting system. This was one of the best produced shows I've seen, and probably the best sounding show in any club. I'm so jealous.

Anyway, Superdrag began the night with a blazing set of songs from Regretfully Yours and Head Trip. They were very energetic and genuinely thankful to have such a large and boisterous crowd. They graced the crowd with two new songs and a John Davis song from his last solo album. Their set lasted an hour, which certainly meant they weren't the "opening band," but not quite the main event. I didn't track the full setlist, but heres the last four songs of the set:

Keep It Close To Me
Sucked Out
Cynicality
Destination Ursa Major

By the time Nada Surf took the stage, Terminal 5 was paaaaaacked. Well over 2000 people packed the floor and balconies. All were witness to what Nada Surf has become. I've seen them perform over 10 times, and they have always been good, but now they have reached another level. Nada Surf has become an elite live band. They captivate the crowd, their transitions are razor sharp, and the versions of the songs they play make the album versions seem mediocre.

Helping to up the ante for this tour was the addition of Martin Wenk of Calexico, who played keys, synth, and horns. He added very nice touches, especially on Killians Red (see video below) and 80 Windows. Other interesting moments were provided by Ira's ridiculous drumming antics. For Fruit Flies, he used a pair of sticks that had glowing tips, especially cool because the start of the song focuses the crowd on Matthew's vocals. Even more fun was provided by the breakdown at the end of Stalemate. Already an amazing song, which includes the Love Will Tear Us Apart Joy Division medley, but Ira played so powerfully at the end that he bounced one of his symbols away from him by about a foot. He was fun to watch throughout the show, making goofy faces and doing crazy fills constantly.

I am so happy for these guys that the years of hard work and touring seem to have finally payed off. I will miss the days of watching them play to crowds of 50 people, but as long as they keep playing shows like this, I will never complain.

Some pics from the show HERE

Killian's Red


High Speed Soul
Happy Kid
Whose Authority
What is Your Secret
Weightless
Killians Red
I Like What You Say
Inside of Love
Fruit Flies
80 Windows
Popular
Stalemate
Paper Boats
Ice on the Wing
The Fox
Do it Again
Beautiful Beat
See These Bones

Blizzard of '77
Blonde on Blonde
Always Love
Blankest Year

The Run Down - Sunday April 13, 2008

I'm crazy tired right now...but if you have an abundance of energy...GO SEE SOME SHOWS!!! My suggestion would be to check Nada Surf at the Troc in Philly with Illinois or perhaps Casiotone For the Painfully Alone and Clue To Kalo at the First Unitarian Church. There's a banger in DC with Wye Oak and These United States at the Black Cat or how about Colin Meloy and Laura Gibson at the 9:30 club.

mp3: Laura Gibson - Hands In Pockets --> website --> buy
mp3: Nada Surf - Do It Again --> website --> buy
mp3: These United States - Burn This Bridge --> website --> buy
mp3: Wye Oak - Obituary --> website --> buy

The Run Down - Saturday April 12, 2008

The weekend is here and a swarm of shows have come with it. In Baltimore check out Casiotone For The Painfully Alone, These United States, Clue To Kalo, and The Cotton Jones Basket Ride at The Talking Head. In DC the 9:30 has Nada Surf, Kaki King, and The Jealous Girlfriends, while the Velvet Lounge has De Novo Dahl, Modern Skirts, and Parachute Musical. Finally in Philly the M Room has The cobbs, The December Sound, and Asteroid #4, The Fire has An American Chinese, East Hundred, Akudama, and Bebek, and Johnny Brenda's has Superdrag.

mp3: Nada Surf - Treading Water --> website --> buy
mp3: Kaki King - 2 O'Clock --> website --> buy
mp3: The Jealous Girlfriends - How Now --> website --> buy
mp3: An American Chinese - Panic Pilgrim, Quick Grab Your Suitcase --> website --> buy
mp3: East Hundred - Climbing Up The Walls --> website --> buy
mp3: De Novo Dahl - Marketplace --> website --> buy
mp3: These United States - Burn This Bridge --> website --> buy
mp3: Asteroid #4 - Outside --> website --> buy

The Run Down - Friday April 11, 2008

Another Friday is here and it's a winner. Pasta Primavera will be in full swing up at Terminal 5 in NYC for Superdrag and Nada Surf, but there are some great shows around town also. In Baltimore Sonar has Spoon, The White Rabbits, and The Walkmen, while the Ottobar has Slick Rick with a full backing band! In DC the 9:30 club has Hot Chip and Free Blood, and The Rock and Roll Hotel has VHS or BETA and Tigercity. In Philly Johnny Brenda's has BC Camplight, The Swimmers, and The Capitol Years, The Fire has Thrushes, Boyskout, House Of Fire, Sonadors, and Music For Headphones, while the North Star has the Duke Spirit. Finally in Wilmngton, DE don't miss The Spinto Band and the National Eye at Mojo 13.

mp3: Nada Surf - The Fox --> website --> buy
mp3: Hot Chip - Shake A Fist --> website --> buy
mp3: Thrushes - Into The Woods --> website --> buy
mp3: Boyskout - Back To Bed --> website --> buy
mp3: House Of Fire - Twelve Stars --> website --> buy
mp3: Spoon - I Summon You (demo) --> website --> buy
mp3: The Spinto Band- Summer Grof --> website --> buy
mp3: The National Eye - Snowing In April --> website --> buy

Album Review - Nada Surf - Lucky

Lucky has absolutely nothing to do with luck. It has everything to do with talent, vision, innovation, and perseverance. The 5th full length album by Nada Surf may be their best yet, gleaming with passion and growth. Lucky is a branching out for Nada Surf. This is the first time they have widely incorporated extra instruments on a record, including strings and piano on Weightless, xylophone on Weightless, and horns on Ice on the Wings. The versatility in song structure and instruments reflects a mature band that really knows how to write songs (Are You Lightning especially). The album is both fresh and grounded in the Nada Surf tradition, with exceptional drum work from Ira Elliot, hooking bass from Daniel Lorca, and ever improving vocals from Matthew Caws. Seriously, his vocals seem to get better every day.

I think the new album is absolutely phenomenal. It has all the rockin' elements of their earlier work, and includes some of the more innovative tracks you're likely to hear this year, especially The Fox. Please, please, please go see these guys live. They are amazing. And getting better with age.

Their live show itinerary is HERE.

The pasta crew will be in attendance April 11th at Terminal 5 in NYC and April 12th in D.C. at the 9:30 club. Come rock out with us.

Mp3: Nada Surf - See These Bones
Mp3: Nada Surf - The Fox --------------- Website ---- Buy

Whole Lotta News

Lot's of news to report and not a lot of time to do it. So here we go. Destroyer, everyone's fave, has just released the dates for a spring tour! Here they are:

03.14.2008 Austin TX The Parish (Merge Records SXSW Showcase)
04.16.2008 Minneapolis MN 400 Bar*
04.17.2008 Chicago IL Logan Square Auditorium*
04.18.2008 Detroit MI Pike Room*
04.19.2008 Toronto ON Lee's Palace*
04.20.2008 Montreal QC Club Lambi*
04.22.2008 Brooklyn NY Music Hall of Williamsburg*^
04.23.2008 New York NY Bowery Ballroom^
04.24.2008 Philadelphia PA North Star Bar^
04.25.2008 Washington DC Black Cat^
04.26.2008 Asheville NC Grey Eagle^
04.27.2008 Carrboro NC Cat's Cradle^
04.28.2008 Atlanta GA The Earl^
04.29.2008 Nashville TN Mercy Lounge^
04.30.2008 St. Louis MO Blueberry Hill^
05.01.2008 Kansas City MO Record Bar^
05.02.2008 Omaha NE Waiting Room^
05.03.2008 Denver CO Walnut Room^
05.13.2008 Edmonton AB Starlite Room$
05.14.2008 Calgary AB #1 Royal Canadian Legion Hall$
05.16.2008 Salt Lake City UT Urban Lounge$
05.18.2008 Phoenix AZ Rhythm Room$
05.19.2008 Los Angeles CA Troubadour$
05.20.2008 San Diego CA Casbah$
05.21.2008 San Francisco CA The Independent$
05.23.2008 Portland OR Aladdin Theater$
05.31.2008 Vancouver BC The Commodore

* with Colossal Yes
^ with Andre Ethier
$ with Devon Williams

mp3: Destroyer - Foam Hands

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Speaking of tours, Shout Out Louds are pitching in with a couple of dates to go along with their new EP, Impossible. Here's the dates and the track listing:

03.09.2008 Big Cypress Indian Reservation, Florida Langerado Festival
03.11.2008 New York, NY Joe's Pub (2 shows! 9:30 and 11:30)
03.14.2008 Austin, TX The Parish (Merge SXSW Showcase)

Track listing:
Impossible (radio edit)
Impossible ("It's Possible" remix by Studio)
Impossible (Van Rivers & Subliminal Kid remix)
Hard Rain (live from Haldern Festival)
December (b-side)
Video: "Impossible" directed by Ted Malmros

mp3: Shout Out Louds - Impossible

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In other tour news, Nada Surf announced today that the supporting bands for their US tour has completely changed. Sea Wolf will be opening from March 17-April 3.
Brooklyn's, The Jealous Girlfriends (www.myspace.com/thejealousgirlfriends)
support from April 3-April 12 (except for April 11). Illinois support on
April 13.

mp3: Sea Wolf - I Made A Resolution
mp3: The Jealous Girlfriends - How Now
mp3: Illinois - Screendoor

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Local favorite, Orion Rigel Dommisse has also scheduled a bunch of dates including one at Maxwell's in NJ with THE LISPS!!!!

2-2 Recess Coffee Syracuse, New York
2-3 liz’s house 116 w clinton st Ithaca, New York
2-5 SUNY Purchase
2-6 PA’s Lounge Somerville, Massachusetts
2-8 Chris Sadlers's house in providence, rhode island
2-9 Teahaus at Sarah Lawrence Bronxville, New York
2-10 a house in New Milford, Connecticut
2-12 The Chicken Coop 120 s manheim st Annville, Pennsylvania
2-20 The Boot Norfolk, Virginia
2-22 Twisted Tea Bazaar Charlottesville, Virginia
2-28 Maxwell’s (with The Lisps) Hoboken, New Jersey
3-2 Union Pool Brooklyn, New York
3-3 Cake Shop New York, New York
3-6 house show Nashville, Tennessee
3-13 SXSW at St. David’s Church Austin, Texas

mp3: Orion Rigel Dommisse - Fake Yer Death

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Speaking of the Lisps, they just put out a new video. Here's the Lisps and their political agenda! Woohoo!



mp3: The Lisps - Pepper Spray

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Speaking of videos, Thrushes just put out a video for the song 'Aidan Quinn' off of last years LP Sun Come Undone. Enjoy!



mp3: Thrushes - Aidan Quinn

Nada Surf now streaming Lucky on Myspace

If you can't wait until next Tuesday's release of Lucky, then head over to myspace.com/nadasurf where you can stream the entire new album.

And let me just say, this album is amazing.

Nada Surf Announces Spring U.S. Tour!!

I knew this day was coming! Nada Surf has released their U.S. tour schedule for this spring to support their upcoming release Lucky. If you're like me, you've noticed that they are playing New York, DC, and Philly on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Road trip anyone? A pre-sale starts tomorrow. To purchase tickets click here. Here's the dates:

3/17 Tempe, AZ – Clubhouse Music Venue
3/18 San Diego, CA – HOB
3/19 Los Angeles, CA – Henry Fonda Theatre
3/20 Off
3/21 Pomona, CA – Glass House
3/22 San Francisco, CA – Fillmore
3/23 Off
3/24 Off
3/25 Sacramento, CA – Harlow's
3/26 Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
3/27-Off
3/28 Seattle, WA-Showbox
3/29 Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
3/30 Off
3/31 Off
4/1 Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre
4/2 Omaha, NE – Waiting Room
4/3 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
4/4 Chicago, IL – Metro
4/5 Detroit, MI – St. Andrews Hall
4/6 Off
4/7 Toronto, ONT – Opera House
4/8 Montreal, QUE – Club Soda
4/9 Off
4/10 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club
4/11 New York, NY – Terminal 5
4/12 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
4/13 Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero

From 3/17-3/29 they're touring with the Little Ones(who are super good) and from 4/1-4/13 they're touring with What Made Milwaukee Famous. To top it all off on the 4/11 date they're co headlining with SUPERDRAG!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mp3: Nada Surf - Happy Kid (Live) --> website --> buy

Why Nada Surf Is Great

Written today on their myspace blog:

hello friends,

we hope this note finds you very well. as you may have noticed, a new nada surf record is coming out in february. it's called lucky, and we're very happy with how it turned out. in typical last-minute style, we put the finishing touches on it literally the day before mastering and just three days before we got in the van to start our most recent tour (thank you to everyone who came out—from philly to chicago to charlottesville, we had a great time, met quality people, and hopefully made some new fans). we got back to brooklyn a few days ago but i'm actually typing this in the dominican republic, on day one (of four) of my first legitimate, not day-off-from-tour-full-of-guilt-if-i'm-not-in-my-hotel-room-working-on-a-song vacation in 14 years! i didn't bring a guitar, a tape recorder or even a notebook. i actually had to borrow a pen to fill out my landing card!

the reason i'm writing is that we're putting together the album art and part of it revolves around the title. we've tended to have titles in the past that embraced the up-and-down nature of life, particularly because, like most people, those are the sorts of lives that we've been living. but remembering to be purely grateful has been taking on more and more importance of late, paticularly after the last few years in which we've all experienced some real challenges in our personal lives. we are lucky to be alive, to do something we love, to have people around us that we adore, to still have hope in ever-increasingly distressing times, to be members of a species that can live long, to have music and books and movies and experiences that enrich our lives and that give us endless new angles on how to best navigate easy and trying days. having any positivity at all feels more and more like something to embrace and to celebrate.

If you would be kind enough to share with us what you feel grateful for, what you think about when you take stock of your life, we could include it in some of the text that will be part of the album art. if you want to take the time, please email us whatever you like , whatever comes to mind with regards to the word lucky, that is so general and yet so specific to each of us in a different way. the address is:

l u c k y @ n a d a s u r f . c o m (without any spaces)

we'll read all your messages and will excerpt some of them to use in the album's booklet. we'll only be able to use a small percentage of what comes in, but we'd love to get as much as possible. if there are enough submissions, we might post them all in a page on our website sometime (leaving out any personal information about you of course). i'm writing this in english, but if you speak another language, then feel free to write in that language too. we just want to get some real thoughts from the people that make everything that we do possible.

thank you so much for contributing and helping us with this project. we're lucky to know you.

all the best,

matthew (and daniel and ira)

Nada Surf - Live at the 8x10

Its taken me three days to actually be able to process my thoughts enough to post about this amazing show. Laurent the Laurent has posted about Sea Wolf opening this show, and I second everything he wrote. They were a great opener, but the crowd was there for the main event. This was the second sellout crowd for Nada Surf at the 8x10 club in lovely Federal Hill in Baltimore.

Nada Surf took the stage to a serious ovation. They commented on how it was great to be back, and thanked the crowd for coming out. They opened the show with Happy Kid, but about a minute into the song, Matthew stopped playing, and said something along the lines of, "forget all that, I'm really in the bathroom right now," and ran off stage only to return with a different guitar. He quickly reiterated all the previous remarks, and started Happy Kid again. This set a playful and loose mood for the set that would ensure a good time for all. After rocking through a few favorites, the real nature of the show and the crowd was revealed when they played Fruit Flies. It would have been great no matter what, but when the song got to the whole "I'm sorry, you've got no where to go" part, the Matthew let the crowd sing along, and WOW, what a moment. I've seen a LOT of Nada Surf shows, but never have I witnessed a crowd so well versed in their music, or so into the show. All throughout the set, the crowd sung along loudly (myself included). It's great to see that people have finally discovered this incredible talent.

Anywho, Nada Surf rocked through an amazing set that included two new songs, Whose Authority and I Like What You Say which can be found here as part of a live acoustic show. The new material sounds great; Certainly they fit well with the Nada Surf library of music.

As far as the older material, Nada Surf really brought the fire to this show. Maybe it was because this was the last date of this tour, or maybe because of the great crowd, but they played at a whole new level. Every transition was sharp. Matthews voice sounded better then I've ever heard. They were clearly having a good time on stage.

The last two songs of the main set, Paper Boats and Hyperspace rocked to no end, with extra crazy jamming at the ends, that included Matthew playing his guitar on his mic stand during Hyperspace. After a very brief break which had the crowd chanting Nada Surf, they returned to the stage and brought with them Lisa Fendelander, the keyboardist from Sea Wolf to play the accordion for Blonde on Blonde. It was a nice addition to the song. After absolutely killing Do It Again, the crowd got another bonus. Alex Church, the front man of Sea Wolf joined the band for a song. I don't know what it was called, but it was pretty cool. After that, they closed the set with Always Love and a crazy singalong version of Blankest Year that had the crowd screaming "fuck it" back at the stage. The song concluded with two separate crazy breakdowns, only to return to the main of the song.

What else can I say. This was easily the best Nada Surf show I've ever seen. I can't wait for the new album in February, or the tour that is sure to bring them back to Baltimore. Wow. I sound like a total fan boy. I guess I am.

Do It Again
Blizzard of 77
See These Bones

Full Setlist:

Happy Kid
Hi Speed Soul
What is Your Secret
Fruit Flies
Killians Red
Whose Authority
Blizzard of 77
Concrete Bed
Inside of Love
80 Windows
I like What You Say
Imaginary Friends
Paper Boats
Hyperspace

Blonde on Blonde
Do It Again
The Killing Moon by Echo and the Bunnymen w/ Alex Church
Always Love
Blankest Year

Update:

A new Nada Surf song called "Weightless" will be featured on Heroes tonight. Even more reason to watch the best show on TV.

Get In On It! Live in BaltoDCPhilly!

Tis a busy Friday for live music. Those of you who have been reading this blog know Evilhomer and I will be enjoying a pretty much guaranteed awesome show of Nada Surf and Sea Wolf at the 8x10. Hope to see you there. If you're in Philly The Velvet Teen, Say Hi To Your Mom, and The A-Sides are playing Johnny Brenda's. Down in DC Band of Horses is at the 9:30 with The Drones. Have a good one!

Nada Surf - Treading Water.mp3
Sea Wolf - The Garden That You Planted.mp3
The Velvet Teen - Caspian Can Wait.mp3
Say Hi To Your Mom - The Twenty-Second Century.mp3
The A-Sides - Park Avenue.mp3
Band Of Horses - Monsters.mp3

That's some good stuff right there.

More "old" news

Nada Surf played a 7 song acoustic set in Chicago on October 20th at the Apple store. And of course there is video. Included are the new tracks "Whose Authority" and "I Like What You Say." Watch and drool.

Its in three parts.

Nada Surf / Sea Wolf @ the Bottletree 10/24

So i had the pleasure of seeing Nada Surf and Sea Wolf last night and it was quite an eventful evening. I'll start with the venue. The Bottletree has recently emerged here in Birmingham as the place for quality but not huge bands to go. Perfect place for Nada Surf. There is a projection screen covering the stage at first but when the band is ready to go they flip the screen up and BAM! let the show begin. Its great because you never really feel that sense of urgency when you are just starring at an empty stage and you get pumped every time a tech comes on stage to prep. On to the shows.

Sea Wolf had a lot going against them. Its the opening band syndrome and it occurs at nearly every show. It must be hard and i feel sorry for bands for this too. I mean 7 times out of 10 you usually haven't heard of the band so that hurts. Then you have the fact that the people cant wait to hear those famous "this is our last one" so after every song you're just another song closer to seeing the band you came for and people just want you off the stage. I don't know if this is just me or if this happens to a lot of people but there is usually something that pisses me off during the opening act be it a drunken fool talking too loud or a funny looking band member or its the person who is pissed off at me because I'm so tall and i am blocking their view because i don't belong there or something.

Sea Wolf - Black Dirt.mp3

All that being said Sea Wolf was able to overcome the odds and put on a great show. They started out a little slow but song 3 got me. I am going to show my ignorance by saying that even though this blog recommend you check out Sea Wolf i did not do so besides a single that i got at my record store. Please forgive me for not knowing the song titles. Anyone that does know about them knows that they write very genuine songs with lyrics that may not grab you at first but come across sincere and heartfelt. OK so the opening band syndrome did strike in the form of a band member that distract me from my enjoyment. It was their cello player, she played great, there was nothing wrong with that but she apparently had a hard time looking at the crowd. It wasn't that she just looked at her instrument and was concentrating on her playing she was intentionally not looking at the crowd. I know, i know i am being WAY to picky here but toward the end of the show it was really bothering me. That was until they played their "last song" (cue crowd cheer) 'Black Dirt'. WOW What a tremendous song. They packed this song full of intensity and a couple of different building sections that made me want to hear them play another set. If you go just to see Nada Surf you won't be disappointed if you see these guys. Good job Sea Wolf to overcome the odds.

Now onto Nada Surf. I've seen them half a dozen times and after the last time i thought they couldn't get any better but man was i wrong. They really brought it tonight. I don't know if its because they have played these songs so many times that they sound better together as a band or if they have re-tooled a couple of things to make certain songs different but this was the best i have seen them play. Starting off with 'Happy Kid' was a perfect way to begin things. Their energy really shined through right from the start. At the last show the bassist Daniel did a lot of the talking but at this show lead singer Matthew was engaging the crowd and introing all the songs with inspiration driven tales about how they came to be. Before 'Fruit Flies' he told us about how just recently he had to rid his house of fruit flies and how he hoped the flies didn't hold grudges. 'Killian's Red' which is one of my favorites was delivered with a harrowing bass line that really set the tone of this song. A couple of new tracks were debuted as well 'Whose Authority' and 'I like what you say' . 'I like what you say' was my favorite of the two but each of them got me real exited for the new album which will be coming out in Feb. '08. As many times as I have seen them I had never heard the song 'Popular' which I thought up until now was a song that they had blacklisted and I was never going to hear it. Some would say it wouldn't be their choice pick if they got a request but a fan had brought a guitar for the band to sign and he had asked them if they would play it. They not only played it they tore it down. He was singing the verses like a madman and by this point in the show sweat was pouring down his face as they launched into the chorus. It made it worth waiting this long to see it. They ended their regular set with "Imaginary Friends", 'Paper Boats' and the best version of 'Hyperspace' I've ever heard. It was almost as if they just didn't want to leave the stage they just kept rocking the end. They came back out and cooled everyone off with a touching 'Blonde on Blonde' which we needed after the way the ended the first set. ' Do it Again' really got the crowd going mainly due to a large contingent of people near me that had wanted to hear that one the whole time and they went crazy. ' Blankest Year' is and was the perfect closer for this and any subsequent shows that they have. Having the whole crowd shouting FUCK IT! is always a recipe for success.
After the show we met up with Matthew and got him to sign our set lists, how we got them is a story I'd rather not tell at this time but anyway, and we were about to leave when we say the bassist Daniel outside the van. When we asked for his autograph he invited us back in to have some drinks with him. How can you say no to that! We ended up buying each other a couple rounds talking about everything from the new album to kids needing to learn foreign languages. It was great it wasn't until the bartender said " If you're not leaving with the band you gotta leave here" that I realized that we had been talking for an hour and a half, just Daniel and two of my friends. It was an all around incredible night. Go see Nada Surf if they are anywhere near you and I'm sure you will have a good time.

Nada Surf - Killian's Red.mp3

New Nada Surf

As if this week wasn't already chocked full of great music, I just found out today that Nada Surf has officially announced the release of their next album entitled lucky. The release date is set for February 5, 2008. The album is produced by the band and John Goodmanson(Death Cab For Cutie, Blonde Redhead, Sleater-Kinney) and feautures contributions from Ben Gibbard and Ed Harcourt. They also have made a free track available for download to give everyone an idea of what this album will sound like.
Nada Surf - See These Bones(from lucky)
If the whole album sounds like this I would be most pleased. The end of this song just kicks butt!
Here's the tracklist from the album:

Weightless
Whose Authority
Beautiful Beat
Here Goes Something
From Now On
I Like What You Say
Ice on the Wing
The Film Did Not Go 'Round
The Fox
Are You Lightning?
See These Bones

They are also on tour w/Sea Wolf as I mentioned a coupla days ago.

More Nada Surf --> website --> buy --> mp3

Mysterious Wolves Of The Sea

While temporarily engulfed with the beautiful music of Radiohead, I some how managed to come up to the surface and remember that there is some other music being produced these days. And hey this music ain't half bad either. Sea Wolf's frontman Alex Brown Church is mysterious fellow it seems. Or at least that's what comes across in Sea Wolf's music for me. This is music to sit on the porch of an old cabin by the mountainside while gazing into the light fog hanging there down in the valley. Not really Friday music, but quite possibly good Sunday morning music.

Sea Wolf - Black Dirt

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Also Sea Wolf is currently on tour with NADA SURF! Check their myspace page for the dates. If you're in the Baltimore area they will be at the 8x10 on November 2nd.