Horsefeathers- Bottom of the Hill

I went to Bottom of the Hill again to see Horsefeathers play. I love that venue... it sounds great, and the people I went with are the sort of people with high energy and so much to talk about. Since we were having so much fun, it took a while to get to the club.

Even with our lagging, we caught plenty of the opening band (TV Mike and the Scarecrows?)... who were in my opinion, awful. Most of their songs featured guitar picking that weighed heavily on the beat (though, the lap-steel was a nice touch). Their singer (in what I am sure was an attempt to sound like Neil Young) sang only through his nose about something deep and heart felt nobody in the audience could be bothered to listen to.
I think this was an instance of good musicians who did not have a good combination when playing together...

Then, finally, after what seemed an extremely long set change, Horsefeathers! I was excited to see this guy/ band play. For one, I think Horsefeathers is a great band name- the word flows so smoothly off of the tongue, and I've heard good things about them. Their setup is pretty simple a singer with a guitar, a drummer, and a string section! I loved the instrumentation, the singer's voice was full of emotion soothed by his accompaniment... the musicians harmonized with each other beautifully. All of this, and my unfortunate inability to understand the singer's lyrics lulled me into a very sleepy place. I'll admit I left a little bit early, but I had very sweet dreams that night!


Note: This video is a good recording done in a living room- not at Bottom of the Hill

here is a sample of Horsefeathers for bed time
Bottom of the Hill is a great venue

Hockey- Bottom of the Hill

I went to Bottom of the Hill last night to see a band, Hockey perform. The show was sold out, the venue sounded amazing, and the band had incredible stage presence. I really enjoyed seeing a trendy indie show with simple, layered melodies (and catchy click tracks) that came through clear as a bell on the venue's PA.
There was one thing that I noticed, though.... Hockey cannot end a song. Every song made the crowd want to rock and sway, but when it came time to end the song the band would drop the beat and the great groove they established would suddenly stop. I loved the simple blues structures- and the singer is talented as hell. I hope somebody teaches them the value of an ending (ii V I) cadence, and soon because I would love to see them perform again.

Check out future shows at Bottom of the Hill
Hockey's website
Their big song, Too Fake on youtube (note: I tried to include a music video sample but EMI has blocked embedding)

Ending Cadences

Preserving America's Historical Instruments

I am headed to the Bay this weekend to check out a wonderful shop (in the Westfield Mall on Market) that restores antique pianos to their original quality. I love the idea of preserving historical artifacts in their top condition.

If you're in another city, no problem. The website revolves around educating patrons on the different pianos that they specialize in maintaining.

The Antique Piano Shop