Song, by Toad

I think this week may be very tricky for me indeed in terms of gig attendance.  Clients here at Proper Job have just this very afternoon ‘re-strategised’ a pretty significant piece of work so I will probably spend the week working late into the night on what I am actually paid to do for a change, rather than just writing posts and editing video for the entertainment of you bastards.

Still, it’s been a hectic as all fuck August, and I am actually kind of glad it’s over.  Not because of Festival hatred or anything, just sheer tiredness.  And The Bowery is back with us as of next Monday as well, which is bloody brilliant news.

Monday 31st August2009: Jeffrey Lewis & Withered Hand at Cabaret Voltaire.

Anti-folk legends old and new at Cabaret Voltaire tonight.  These two have actually got really similar styles – bleakness and cynicism made brilliant by wit and warmth.

Jeffrey Lewis – Banned From the Roxy

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Tuesday *!*8th*!* September 2009: X Lion Tamer at Electric Circus.

Erm, sorry everyone, this is next Tuesday apparently.

X Lion Tamer – Life Support Machine

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Thursday 3rd September 2009: Aidan Moffat & the Best-Ofs & Rick Redbeard at The Bongo Club.

I’ve said this a dozen times before and I will say it again: Rick Redbeard is fucking brilliant.  Anyone who likes the kind of hushed Americana played by the likes of the Willard Grant Conspiracy, Smog or Bonnie Prince Billy really should go and see him play.  And that Moffat character’s rather decent too.

Rick Redbeard – Dreams of the Trees

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Saturday 5th September 2009: Scott Hutchison (Frightened Rabbit), Withered Hand & Danny from Chutes at Electric Circus.

I don’t know much about Chutes – they’ve been working on new recordings recently, apparently, so not playing live as much – but I know the other two pretty well in terms of their musical output and a quiet solo show from either Scott or Dan would be worth making the trip for.  Put the lot together and you have an absolutely brilliant lineup, if you ask me.

Frightened Rabbit – Poke (Live)

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What a frustrating week in gigs – both Monday and Wednesday have overlapping shows I would love to go to, and sadly I can’t do both. Although according to Rob himself I could perhaps nip from the Wee Red Bar just in time to catch him onstage at 10.30 at Henry’s. Depends on your priorities of course.

Monday 11th February: Monkey Swallows the Universe at Cabaret Voltaire.
The Casket Letters was a low-key masterpiece, and this will be the last chance to see these guys play as they have called it quits for reasons as yet unknown. Lush, gorgeous, folky indiepop and absolutely not to be missed.
Monkey Swallows the Universe – Chicken Fat Waltz

Monday 11th February: Art Brut at The Hive.
Fucking arse. MStU on the same day and unfortunately something had to give, and it was Art Brut. Their slightly bizzare brand of fit-pop is oddly fascinating, deeply patchy and occasionally brilliant. I’d be there in a heartbeat if not for the bloody clash with the above gig. Arse.
Art Brut – Bang, Bang, Rock & Roll!

Wednesday 13th February: Broken Records at The Wee Red Bar.
Who? I hear you ask? Broken Records? Why’ve you not mentioned them before? Okay okay, I get the picture. But they’re great, they’re playing live and they have a single on the way – what’s not to love? Thanks again to Euan and Bart from Trampoline for another great lineup too – I don’t know anything much about support acts The Sweetheart Revue or Dead Beat Club, but I will be there early and make sure I find out!
Broken Records – Slow Parade

Wednesday 13th February: Rob St.John at Henry’s Cellar Bar.
There are a few others playing as part of the Hollow Heart Parlour monthly acoustic night, which I know nothing about, but really think I should investigate. Rob’s gorgeous EP of hush-folk was one of the highlights of (late, late, late) 2007 and there are only a couple of copies left. Because of the dash from the Broken Records gig I will miss the support, but if you are more acoustically minded get there early for Lindsay West, Ainslie Henderson and Anna K. Jarosz (who is, with all due deference to my glittering princess Mrs. Toad, rather fit. Sheesh sometimes I wish I wasn’t quite so shallow and predictable. Unfortunately I don’t wish it quite enough to actually stop being shallow and predictable, it seems.)
Rob St.John – The Acid Test

Thursday 14th February: The Phantom Band at Henry’s Cellar Bar.
I know nothing about The Phantom Band apart from the fact that they have just been signed by legendary Glasgow label Chemikal Underground, and that acoustic genius Rick Redbeard plays guitar for them. They sound nothing like him unfortunately, so here’s a wee reminder of how bloody great his music is. That’s his sister on backing vocals – what a bloody gorgeous voice.
Rick Redbeard – Blood

Saturday 16th February: The Low Miffs at Henry’s Cellar Bar.
You have to see these lads. Literate (very literate in fact) spiky, ambitious, and a wee bit retro. I have very, very high hopes for The Low Miffs this year.

The Low Miffs – Cressida

If a week like this doesn’t get me a fucking divorce then nothing will – especially when you factor in the fact that I am dragging Mrs. Toad through to Glasgow on Friday to see Frightened Rabbit and Popup, and then trying to talk her into recording an anti-Valentine’s podcast on Tuesday evening. Oh yes, that reminds me: apparently it’s bloody Valentine’s Day on Thursday. Fuck that for a game of soldiers.

We are bloody well homeless, which is making it very tricky to record podcasts at the moment, so I apologise for the enormous wait since the last one.  I promise I’m not losing interest, it’s just been a logistical nightmare to find the time and space to actually sit down and record of late.  It takes a few hours, not least because my computer is depressingly slow, so please bear with me.

I’ve got a couple of new singles by The Indelicates and The National, as well as a couple of groups I’ve seen live recently, and then some more esoteric stuff towards the end including the highly uncharacteristic Nicole Atkins and a potentially naughty sneak preview of the new Raveonettes album.  Enjoy, Toadlings, enjoy yourselves all to pieces.

Toadcast #15 – The Homeless Podcast

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01. Dragons – Here Are the Roses (01.50)
02. Killing Joke – Eighties (08.28)
03. The Indelicates – Sixteen (13.42)
04. The National – Apartment Story (18.30)
05. Arcade Fire – Neighbourhood #1 (Tunnels) (21.51)
06. The Parish Music Box – Heavy Drinkers (30.40)
07. Rick Redbeard – Dreams of the Trees (35.45)
08. Loch Lomond – Tic (41.49)
09. Over the Rhine – Don’t Wait For Tom (48.10)
10. Ravens & Chimes – The House Where You Were Born (52.10)
11. Siberian – Islands Forever (59.27)
12. Ice Cream Socialists – Mr Crazy (65.42)
13. 586 – Rags & Tags (71.47)
14. Nicole Atkins – Brooklyn’s On Fire (75.03)
15. The Raveonettes – Aly Walk With Me (82.22)
16. The Sugars – Monsters (88.27)

It’s funny you know: I just got a comment on an ancient post about Rick Redbeard, tonight of all nights.

I posted about Rick Redbeard months ago. He was one of the first small artists I ‘discovered’ for myself when I began this blog, and I hadn’t thought about him for a bit when what should happen but I get a MySpace message informing me that he has a new song. I went along and listened, and it is just as gorgeous as the four I first heard that I thought were so unspeakably gorgeous the first time round. So, I thought to myself, it’s definitely worth doing another post about him to see if I can drum up a bit more support and see what my new, now much larger, readership make of the man.

So you can see how it seems a little odd that all of a sudden someone leaves a comment on that old post, where the mp3 links are long since defunct, on the very day I decide to write about this unsung Glasgow hero once again.

What is so bloody good about this fella then, I hear you ask. Well he sounds an awful lot like Bonnie Prince Billy or the mellower Willard Grant Conspiracy moments. Fans of the recent Iron & Wine album would also be well-advised to check him out as well. Usually when you can so clearly compare an unsigned and largely unheard of artist to such music scene staples so directly, it is because what they are doing is pale imitation. Not so here. My surprise commenter said:

I suspect it won’t be long before Mr Redbeard is singing from the warmth of a big cozy record deal. I can’t wait – he’s better than those artistes you compare him to.

I don’t agree, entirely, but I can certainly say this. If you put his songs up alongside those of Kurt Wagner, Sam Beam, Robert Fisher and Will Oldham then I defy you to spot the callow newcomer in amongst the indie legends. He is not copying this genre, he is adding to it, with gorgeous music that sits comfortably along far more illustrious acts with every right to hold its head confidently high in such company.

Rick Redbeard – Dreams of the Trees The new one. Listen for the melodica (I think) at the end – gorgeous.
Rick Redbeard – Blood
Rick Redbeard – Anyway I Can

Rick’s MySpace is here. Go say hello.

It’s all gone a bit American this week, Toadlings. I have no intention of putting out a series of strictly themed podcasts, but it’s still early days and there are so many massive chunks of my music collection I want to poke about in that this may happen a couple of times before things settle down. So I started with a couple of vaguely American-sounding tracks this week and before you know it I ended up with a podcast with a definite Americana theme.

I’m quite happy with how it’s all turned out though, I must confess – a nice combination of classics and small, small bands, so the playlist is working quite well by itself. And actually handling the microphone is getting easier as well. I am quite liking this podcasting business, I’d say!

Toadcast #3 – With added Americana

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1. The Band – The Weight (02.16)
2. Hem – Half Acre (09.18)
3. Elvis Perkins – While You Were Sleeping (12.38)
4. Cherry Ghost – Mathematics (20.27)
5. The Holy Modal Rounders – Hey Hey Baby (25.30)
6. Night Jar – Sweet Annie Lee (28.30)
7. Caramel Jack – Lincoln Jackson Incident (33.45)
8. The Builders & the Butchers – Spanish Death Song (39.27)
9. Willard Grant Conspiracy – Ballad of a Thin Man (49.51)
10. Rick Redbeard – Blood (54.06)
11. Billie Holiday – Georgia on My Mind (59.26)
12. Night Jar – Big Black Horse (64.05)
13. Broken Records – Lies (71.45)
14. DeVotchka – The Enemy Guns (77.57)