Though they only formed a year ago, Brooklyn-based Whale Belly has made a name for themselves.
Still experimenting with their sound, frontman Todd Bogin explained what concertgoers can expect from their live show.
“We craft this soundscape. We think of classical music where you’d see 45 minutes [of music] straight,” he said. “What we’ve been reaching towards is bringing that idea to indie music, that 45 minute musical piece that goes through different movements. Our movements are songs; 10 different movements within the 45 minute piece.”
Hailed as a band that “would make Woody Guthrie proud,” Bogin says part of the group’s success is that they’re all friends.
“We really are best friends. We’re super close and trustworthy of each other and we all value each other’s talents,” he said. “We’re not following any trend that’s going on right now. We’re not doing something because it’s cool or following a sound that will be dated in a few years. There’s something really heartfelt in us.”
Nashville came to City Winery last night when singer-songwriters Griffin House and Matthew Perryman Jones performed to a sold-out crowd. Weaving poignant tales of heartbreak, love and loss alongside solid covers by Patty Griffin, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, the duo captivated.
Matthew Perryman Jones kicked off the night onstage alone with acoustic guitar for the haunting “Hole In My Heart.” The emotional number saw his whispered vocals rise and fall impeccably with a striking crescendo mid-track, further exhibiting his prowess.
“While I’m here in New York City I’d like to invite New York’s own Rosie Golan to the stage,” Jones said before the duo performed the beautiful fast-paced “Rain or Shine” with spot-on harmonies.
“That song was pretty much the only uptempo song I have for the whole night so drink up,” Jones quipped.
He wasn’t lying. The remainder of the set included powerful ballads like the slowed “O, Virginia,” positive love song “Until the Last Falling Star” previously featured in “Grey’s Anatomy,” and a striking performance of “Save You” by Jones and New York-based singer Katie Costello.
Jones prefaced his cover of Patty Griffin’s “Top of the World,” by explaining how he got involved with The Voice Project, a non-profit created to raise awareness for children forced to serve as soldiers in Central Africa. After he found out Costello covered his song, “Save You,” he decided to lend his voice to the cause.
Jones ended his set with an impressive cover of Tom Waits’ “Take It With Me.” Confessing that it took years before he appreciated Waits as a musician, he comically compared Waits’ music to drinking a really good scotch for the first time.
Friend and fellow Nashville musician Griffin House took the stage next with guitar and harmonica in hand. With delicate strumming on acoustic guitar and smooth vocals, House captivated the audience with his first song of the night, “Native.” He segued quickly into the more upbeat “River City Lights” before garnering screams from the audience for fan favorite “Waiting for the Rain to Come.”
Before the poignant “I Remember (It’s Happening Again),” House told City Winery that this past summer was the end of an era for him when his grandfather died. Reminiscing about the stories his grandpa used to tell him and how they flew to New York to make a music video for the song, House told a moving tale with wailing harmonica accompaniment and striking lyrics.
“Better Than Love,” a song that means more to him now than when first written, followed suit as the audience sang along word for word. Having just had a daughter 12 weeks ago, House said the track has taken on new meaning.
“I sing that to her sometimes. She also likes “Polk Salad Annie” by Elvis and all Johnny Cash so she’s definitely mine,” he joked.
The rest of his set included standout covers by Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash as well as older fan favorites that had the entire room singing and laughing along to the stories behind each track. House told the room that the comical “Colleen” was written for his sister’s roommate that “I thought was really hot.” The best kiss of death song because it embarrassed everyone involved, he had the venue laughing along at his quirky, yet relatable lyrics.
The beautiful “The Guy Who Says Goodbye to You Is Out of His Mind” continued to mesmerize as the room fell silent before House exited the stage. Not for too long, though as he ended his set with a solid five-song encore.
For more on each artist, visit their Websites. Matthew Perryman Jones performs tonight at Rockwood Music Hall at 8:30 p.m. Catch Griffin House Wednesday at The Living Room at 10 p.m.
Hunter Hayes’ latest single, “Storm Warning” has been stuck in my head all week long. Maybe it’s partly because the weather in New York has been less than stellar the past few days, but there is no argument that this country artist’s latest release is catchy. Watch the music video below.
Well respected for his honest and heartfelt lyrics, singer-songwriter Griffin House is currently on an East Coast tour with friend and fellow musician Matthew Perryman Jones.
“We’re both going to be playing acoustic sets. That’s kind of rare for both of us because we generally either take a band out or have some kind of accompaniment with us,” House said. “We’re looking forward to stripping it down and having some conversation with the audience just playing solo.”
House moved to Nashville in 2003 to pursue music. Since then, he’s been traveling the country and moving audiences everywhere with his confessional and relatable music. I chatted with him before the start of his current tour to find out more about his songwriting process, the stories behind the songs and what’s next in store for Griffin House.
It’s been a while since your last release, has your songwriting process changed at all?
I think the songwriting process has remained the same. Life affects the subject matter. But in terms about how I go about writing, it’s the same way.
Does a song come out better when it’s based on real life or fantasy?
There’s always a little bit of both. A lot of the true stories that I’ve written have been based on real life and then they’ll take maybe a slight fictional turn for the sake of the song, to make the song work better. That’s usually how I go about it. I think a lot of times when you talk in first person people assume that it’s autobiographical but that’s not necessarily always the case.
Are you ever afraid to reveal too much in a song about your own life?
I’ve never been afraid to do that. I think in the beginning when I was writing, I used that more often. I think it was almost extremely confessional and revealing in a way and I think that’s part of what made the songs stick; their vulnerability. It’s a very tricky thing to do. Anybody can be vulnerable and say, ‘This is how I’m feeling and this is who I am.’ If you don’t do it in the right way it comes across as very trite. It’s something I’ve had to learn to work around but I also think that maybe I don’t hold back as much but I’m more conscious of what I’m doing.
Is there a song that means more to you now than when you first wrote it?
“Better Than Love” is a song that has turned out to be something that I play almost every night. At the time when I wrote it, I didn’t really want to write any songs that dealt with love or relationships and it just came out of me. It wasn’t what I was intentionally trying to go after. I was making a record in California with some of the guys in the Heartbreakers and some other really good musicians and I was trying to make more of a rock & roll record.
I wasn’t really all that excited about recording that song. Even when we w ere recording it, I just wanted to get it over with. It turned out to be one of my best songs for sure and one that I think has meant a lot to a lot of people. It just goes to show you that a lot of times the artist has no idea whether or not what he is creating is good. He or she may think that they’re creating the best thing in the world and it turns out to not be so special and other times they don’t think what they’re doing is anything and it turns out to be something really valuable.
“The Guy That Says Goodbye to You Is Out of His Mind” is one of my favorite tracks on that album. What is the story behind it?
That song was written in a way that was inspired by a girl that I just wanted to take out. We were out on a semi-date together and joked around that she’d marry me if I wrote her a song so I went home and wrote her a song. It was something that started obviously with a sense of humor but it really ended up incorporating a lot of heavier things that were going on under the surface too. It started out as a joke and then it took a multifaceted turn after a while. That song came out of nowhere. That was the same story, I didn’t know what I had until I played it for somebody else later and they said, ‘Oh man, that’s a hit song.’ I had no idea.
I was reading the stories behind some songs on your Website and “Heart of Stone” sounds like it was written subconsciously and after you wrote it you figured out more about your life. Does that happen a lot?
What happens is, a lot of times I see how maybe in my subconscious or underneath the surface I really know what’s going on but I won’t admit it to myself or maybe I’m in denial. So, when I write the answers all come down on the page but I might not see them until after, way after. Maybe a year down the line I’ll look back and go, ‘Oh I really knew what was going on I just wasn’t admitting it to myself in my conscious brain.’
How is the music scene in Nashville different from the rest of the country?
I think there is a sense of community here. First of all, it’s a smaller city so it’s become over the last six or seven years more densely populated with musicians so it’s easier for everyone to know one another. There does seem to be a sense of community. Everybody moved here to make it and a lot of people don’t mind helping each other out along the way and becoming friends and working together. While there’s always probably competition going on, maybe the Southern hospitality thing plays into a little bit where they don’t mind helping out a little bit.
It’s changed a lot since I moved here. When I moved here in 2003 I literally felt like one of the only people doing what I was doing which is an alternative style of music in Nashville, just a songwriter with a guitar. There were a lot of people in the country world and Christian world doing that but I felt there were only a handful of people doing what I was doing. Now, since I’ve been touring over the last five or six years I’ve come back to Nashville and have seen hundreds or thousands of people who have flocked here from all over the country to start doing music and I think it’s really had an influx of a lot of people since I moved here under that demographic.
How do you stand out being one of so many?
I don’t try to at all. First I moved here and tried to play as much as I could and tried to stand out as much as I could. Now I’m not on the scene at all. I’m actually not even that social. I have a routine where I go and I work on my hobbies that I do in my spare time. I’m a dad and I spend time at home with my wife and I do some yoga. When I go out on the road I’m in front of people. I don’t really mix it up in Nashville a whole lot.
What do you wish you knew before perusing music?
I don’t know. I was very green when I got here. I didn’t really know anything about the music business. It’s easy for me to look back and say, ‘If I had this bit of information then I would have done this differently.’ There’s really no telling where that would have taken me. It’s not like you can know what would have happened if you would have made a different choice. You just know it would be different. A lot of the learning I’ve had, I’m thankful I moved down here a long time ago and I’m still playing music and still enjoying it and still making progress. I can’t really ask for anything more than that. It’s been good.
What can fans expect from you in the next few months?
Well, I’ve been doing this for a while now and I’ve been thinking about maybe compiling a “Best of” record that has 10 or 12 songs that are maybe the most popular ones. Putting them on a record and re-releasing that so that other people can hear my music and have a better idea of what I’m about and what I’ve done over the last decade. That might come first before a brand new record. Maybe there will be a new song on that or something. That’s just an idea but that can very well happen.
What’s going through your mind while you’re onstage performing?
Sometimes you’re a million miles away in the middle of the song. You just get lost and forget where you are for a minute. A lot of the songs have been played so many times that you’re really on automatic. I try to think about singing the words and hitting the notes. It’s pretty simple. I try not to think about anything else other than what I’m doing at the moment and not get ahead of myself, what I’m going to say next or what happened a few minutes ago. It’s a good exercise in really being in the present moment and that’s usually when performances are the best, when you can do that well.
For more on Griffin House and his current tour dates, visit his Website.
Last week, James Morrison performed an intimate NYC showcase for fans at Dominion NY. For just under an hour, the UK singer-songwriter played material from his latest release, The Awakening, as well as older fan favorites. All the while, he told the stories behind many of his songs alongside quirky banter of him trying to talk in an American accent.
The soulful singer kicked off the night with the emotional “6 Weeks.” Powerful backup vocalists, soaring keyboard interludes and a driving percussion beat flushed out the track. The poignant “In My Dreams” followed suit. A song he wrote for his father who passed away a few years ago, he dedicated the track to “anyone out there who has lost someone.” With heartfelt vocals and a slowed beat, the song struck a chord.
Aptly titled, “Say Something Now,” Morrison told the audience that the track was written when his girlfriend wasn’t talking to him. “I wrote her a song to persuade her . . . she still doesn’t talk to me,” he joked. Bluesy electric guitar parts blended impeccably with Morrison’s raspy singing style.
Easily able to switch gears from serious subjects like death and heartbreak to more lighthearted, upbeat numbers, Morrison proved himself as a standout performer. The powerful “Up” was written from firsthand experience.
“This song started out as a personal song for my dad and it became a single,” he said. “Every time I play it, it reminds me of the feeling I felt when I wrote it.”
A massive Michael Jackson fan, Morrison said “Slave to the Music” was inspired by the King of Pop. The danceable number had the crowd clapping along throughout the song’s entirety. Fan favorites included older numbers like “You Give Me Something,” Morrison’s first big hit. Written years ago, he said he’s still in love with the girl he wrote the song for. With sexy vocals and captivating keyboard features throughout, he had fans singing along word for word.
“This is just a little taste of what’s to come in April and May, so I hope to see you again then,” Morrison said before he closed his set with “Wonderful World.” As he neared the edge of the stage signing autographs for fans, there was no doubt that they’d be back in a few months time.
Watch Morrison’s interview and live performance on “Today” below.
A vibrant community, New York boasts countless locations to swing dance. Whether you’re a beginner or looking for supplement from the studio, here are five spots that are sure to keep you swing dancing every night of the week.
Swing 46
349 W. 46th St.
New York, NY 10036-3816
212-262-9554 swing46.com
A popular spot, Swing 46 is the only jazz and supper club in the world that has live swing music and dancing seven nights a week. As a result, international and local dancers can be found here on a nightly basis with free dance lessons every evening except Monday. George Gee, Big Band leader of George Gee Swing Orchestra, has been a weekly fixture at the establishment since Swing 46 opened its doors in May of 1997. Performing every Tuesday night, he says visitors can expect “a totally awesome presentation of Big Band, Jump, and Swing music that is sure to keep the dance floor hopping and jumping all night long with great vocals by our singers. Plus, the band is anchored by some of the top Big Band Jazz musicians that New York City.”
A fan of swing, Gee says what astonishes him most is the generations that run amuck on the dance floor, Swing 46 being no exception. “You look across the room and you’ll find anyone from 20-something to 70-something and literally from all walks of life smiling from ear to ear. What other culture or musical style or movement has that same quality? It’s really such a cross-denominational appeal.”
Sofia’s Restaurant
221 W. 46th St.
New York, NY 10036
212-719-5799 sofiasny.com
Head to Sofia’s Restaurant on Mondays and Tuesdays to catch Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks perform. The same band showcased on HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire,” during the band’s three sets dance the night away at the Edison Hotel in your best 20s-esque getup. Who knows, maybe you can make your way into the show as an extra.
The music world lost quite a songstress yesterday. Etta James, perhaps best known for her rendition of Glenn Miller’s song “At Last,” died yesterday after complications of leukemia. For more on her life and legacy, read The New York Times article here. Watch her perform “At Last” below.
After a name change and EP release, Chicago rockers Vintage Blue, formerly Tanglewood, are back with their debut full-length, Strike the Mics. The bluesy quintet impress with 13 tracks of standout vocals, powerful music accompaniment and evident rock influences. With alternating vocalists and songwriters Ben Bassett and Ryan Tibbs sharing the mic, each track is refreshingly new and unpredictable.
First track, “Set You Free” features ear-grabbing guitar riffs, powerful horn interludes and smooth harmonies. An appropriate start to Strike the Mics, the energy skyrockets throughout the entirety of the track. With driving guitar and a slight jam-band feel, Vintage Blue quickly draws the listener in.
“Unchained” captivates with a guttural scream at the track’s start before percussion and soaring electric guitar parts enter. A heavier rock number, the song showcases Vintage Blue’s musicianship with driving beats and striking vocals. With soulful keyboard accompaniment and gritty guitar throughout, Vintage Blue’s prowess is evident here as it is easy to envision them rocking in an arena setting.
“California Road” follows suit with delicate vocals and a steady drumbeat showcased. With descriptive lyrics and insightful life reflections, the band demonstrates its more serious side. Soulful background singers coupled with blasting horn features further flush out the sound.
The first single off Strike the Mics, “Speak” picks up the pace next with nearly 30 seconds of instrumentals before sultry singing is heard. With a driving beat and sexy accompanying music, it’s impossible to not tap your feet along. An adequate introduction of Vintage Blue to the rest of the music world, the song impresses.
“Hey Hey” and “Sleep On This Tonight” continues the energy before the rustic “Here To Stay” takes over. With a biting guitar riff at the song’s start before wailing vocals enter, the song embodies distinct country and rock influences. Lamenting and begging “Don’t leave me here alone,” the listener feels for the man in the song. Resembling Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl at times, the rock undertones leave a mark.
Introspective ballad “Just Breathe” strikes a chord with slowed music and heartfelt singing. With relatable lyrics and a perfected blend of music, never overpowering the story behind the song, Vintage Blue show their knack for songwriting and musicianship. “What Lies” appropriately follows with measured guitar interludes and percussion accompaniment next to dark and smooth vocals.
While the early tracks on Strike the Mics showcase Vintage Blue’s rock side, the end of the LP demonstrates the more serious nature of the band. With thoughtful lyrics, emotive vocals and yearning guitar parts, the band demonstrates their ability to easily switch gears without losing sight of who they are. Tracks like “Great Divide” satisfy with beautiful string parts and poignant harmonies. With whispered vocals that bring to mind singer-songwriter Joshua Radin, the track strikes a chord.
With the vision of placing a contemporary twist on classic rock, Vintage Blue succeed. Strike the Mics embodies 13 standout tracks that showcase the band’s ability to rock arenas while at the same time perform an intimate acoustic set. Not always an easy thing to accomplish, Vintage Blue’s debut full-length aptly showcases their staying power.
On any given night in New York you can stumble into a venue that’s hosting a hip-hop dance party, rappers or a live band. But, have you ever seen a tap dancing rapper that combines all three?
Meet Benjamin Ryan Nathan.
He’s a performer that combines all his skills into one performance, and he’ll hit the East Village Thursday night for a performance.
“There’s always that reaction, ‘You tap and you rap? What does that look like?’” Nathan admits. “There’s a lot of intrigue around that because people have had so much exposure to tap as children. And then to see it again as an adult and see it in a different way that’s not in a dance class, in a venue that’s onstage with popular music, it’s interesting.”
Combining rap and tap is a long process for Nathan, which often begins with lyrics.
“I write lyrics whenever it comes to me, a lot of times it’s on the train,” he said. “I create structure of the song first and then once I get together with the rest of the band and they’re writing their musical parts I’ll bring in the beats and see where that fits. It’s an experimentation together starting with the lyrics first.”
As with creating a song, Nathan’s routine is always getting tailored to his surroundings.
“Often I have to bring my own floor with me. It’s about figuring out what the space constraints are, how much I can move around, how it will be audible with musicians. My first question always is, ‘Will they have a wood floor?’”
Nathan didn’t want to audition when the National Dance Institute came to his school in the fourth grade. Today, though, he can’t imagine what his life would be like without dance.
“I definitely wouldn’t have become a dancer or a filmmaker if it wasn’t for this program in particular. It helped me get outside of myself and be able to get onstage in front of a community,” he said.
While Nathan admits there were challenges over the years, one being that it’s never easy being a young boy taking dance classes, he said he has always been an individual.
“I think I’ve learned from a young age that people are going to judge what I do. It’s just a question of really pursuing what matters. To me, I feel like tap is in my blood and I can’t not do it,” he said. “I’m always tapping, whether it’s tapping my fingers, or tapping my feet or tapping in my mind. It’s just how I express myself. I tap because I love it but I also tap because I have to.”
At the end of his first year dancing he performed onstage at Madison Square Garden with 1,000 other kids from New York Public Schools. He loved dancing onstage so much he decided to stick with it and soon discovered tap.
“I would go to jam sessions with older tap dancers at Swing 46. It was encouraging and supportive. Everyone would come and dance,” he said. “The other way I learned tap was by just watching. I would get my hands on any video tape on great tap dancers and just watch it again and again in my room and try to copy the steps.”
As a teen he started rapping and once college came around, Nathan decided to combine his tap and rap skills.
“I started a band in college called Ben Tap Soul and we started to experiment with how we can bring the tap and rap together with musicians. Instead of hip-hop beats behind it, there is actually live music being created with all of these elements.”
Additionally, Nathan has started to loop his tapping into his live band performance, providing an entirely new element into his live show.
“It’s great. I love to push the envelope. It’s important to keep pushing new ideas and surprising people and bringing it to a new audience and level,” he said. “It’s always been important to use the skills I have in a positive way. I call it conscious rap. There’s a Hasidic saying that music is the language of the soul. When you put music out there, it’s speaking people’s language and it’s important to know what you’re putting out.”
Ben Tap Soul performs tonight at Alphabet Lounge at 8 p.m. For additional tour dates in February, visit their Website.
Music fans can enjoy live acts every night of the week in Brooklyn if they so choose. Here are five must visit venues to discover the next big act. Just think, you’ll always be able to say, ‘I saw them first in Brooklyn.’
Located in the heart of Park Slope, after playing bocce ball on one of the two indoor bocce courts, head downstairs to the live music venue. Showcasing acts of every genre on a nightly basis, you’re never quite sure what to expect but it’s nearly impossible to walk away without becoming a new fan of at least one band.
Housed in an old warehouse in Gowanus, Littlefield is an art and performance space that hosts local and international bands year round along with monthly art exhibits, literary events and film screenings. With a diverse lineup, music genres showcased include everything from indie rock, electronic and hip-hop to dance, soul, jazz, experimental and reggae.
