New Band Altert: The Milk Carton Kids

It’s Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale! Looks like they’ve finally made it official. This makes me very happy as I LOVE this duo. The formation of The Milk Carton Kids was just announced so don’t forget to like on facebook, follow on twitter, and check out their website.

They have a couple songs up for FREE download on their site. So, what are you waiting for? Just press “download”!

They are on tour this summer, opening for Joe Purdy. That means, The Troubadour on April 30th for all my fellow Los Angelenos. For everyone else, check out their website or just look at the dates and places below:

 

4/22 Austin, TX: The Parish
4/23 Dallas, TX : The Loft
4/25 Santa Fe, NM: Corazon
4/27 Phoenix, AZ : Rhythm Room
4/28 Solano Beach, CA : Bellyup Tavern
4/30 Los Angeles, CA : Troubadour
5/3 San Francisco, CA : The Independent
5/5 Portland, OR : Doug Fir
5/7 Vancouver, BC : The Rio Theater
5/9 Boise, ID : Neurolux
5/10 Salt Lake City, UT : State Room
5/12 Denver, CO : Bluebird Theater
5/14 Lawrence, KS : Bottleneck
5/15 Des Moines, IA : Vaudeville Mews
5/16 Minneapolis, MN : Varsity Theater
5/17 Milwakee, WI : Turner Hall
5/18 Chicago, IL : Lincoln Hall
5/19 St Louis, MO : Off Broadway
6/9 Birmingham, AL : WorkPlay
6/10 Atlanta, GA : The Loft
6/11 Asheville, NC : Grey Eagle
6/12 Carborro, NC : Cat’s Cradle
6/14 Annapolis, MD : Ram’s Head
6/15 Philadelphia, PA : World Café Live
6/16 New York City, NY : Highline Ballroom
6/17 Fairfield, CT : Stage One
6/20 Northampton, MA : Iron Horse
6/21 Allston, MA : Brighton Music Hall
6/22 Fall River, MA : Narrows Center for the Arts
6/23 Burlington, VT : Higher Ground
6/25 Montreal, QC : Petit Campus
6/26 Toronto, ONT : Horseshoe Tavern
6/27 Pittsburgh, PA : Rex Theater
6/28 Cleveland, OH : Beachland Ballroom
6/30 Syracuse, NY : Westcott Theater

~ Kristen

 

p.s. Joey and Kenneth playing “Girls, Gather Round” live at the Vail Film Festival:

 

Carbon Leaf at The Troubadour

Do you ever associate a particular song or band with a certain time in your life so much so that whenever you hear that song or see that band you are transported back to those days when that music meant so much to you? Well that is how I feel about the band Carbon Leaf who had a strong presence in my college days. There is one verse in particular from their song “What About Everything” that really struck a chord with that particular time and place in my life. It includes the following lines:

“…Before time takes each year, like a knife cuts it clear
It’s school, then work and then life that just sharpens the blade
I think about time for fun
I think about time for play
Then I think about being done, with no resume…”

I first discovered Carbon Leaf in 2004. Their CD, Indian Summer, was just released when I stumbled upon it during one of my Borders listening sessions. I was immediately struck by the soothing vocals and the general positive/happy vibe I picked up from the songs.  I have been following Carbon Leaf ever since. The band is from Virginia and it took a couple of years for us to be in the same city at the same time. I finally saw them in 2006 at the TLA in Philadelphia. They were on Tour with Matt Nathanson and their CD Love Loss Hope Repeat had just come out.  It was a packed house and I remember struggling to get a good view, but also being impressed that the energy from the stage could make its way all the way to where I was, piercing my soul as all my favorite songs were being performed on the stage.

Last night at The Troubadour was only the second time I’ve seen Carbon Leaf live. Being in love with a local band is amazing if you’re in the same town, but I don’t make it to Virginia all that often and I kept missing the guys when they would go on tour. However, the little family of Carbon Leaf lovers that gathered at The Troubadour for the band’s 2 hour set made me feel like I hadn’t missed a beat.  I was certainly not alone in my adoration as the band’s unique brand of Celtic/bluegrass rock (Wikipedia’s categorization) seemed to transport the entire room to a different place and time where the one commonality was music that we were all, at that moment, experiencing together.

The band played songs spanning their entire catalog including many off Indian Summer despite the fact that the record was released 6 years ago. They also played some great tunes from other records including a couple songs from Curious George 2 (to which Carbon Leaf supplied the soundtrack), and one from their forthcoming album, How the West Was One.

This upcoming album is fairly special as it marks the band’s break from their record label and return to the DIY world of music-making.  They were especially proud to announce that despite the fact that the mixing of the new album had just been completed, the songs were available that night via download cards. It’s nice to know that I’m not the only one who is bothered by a record label’s decision to hold material for release long after it’s completed.  This move also means that the band will have a lot more music coming out over the next year or so. They say that How the West Was One is really going to be volume 1 of 3-4…all songs that the band has written over the years while they have been east of the Mississippi.

I have yet to download the new tunes, but I wanted to get something out about the brilliance of this band before tonight’s (Thurs July 8th) show at The Belly Up in Solana Beach (right outside of San Diego). I know many people at last night’s show plan to drive down and I wish I could join them. If you’re in the San Diego area, I’d highly recommend heading over the Belly Up (a fantastic venue) and checking out Carbon Leaf.

For the rest of their tour dates:

8 Jul 2010 8:00 P
Belly Up Tavern Solana Beach, CA Find Tickets
9 Jul 2010 8:00 P
Soho Restaurant and Music Club Santa Barbara, CA, us Find Tickets
10 Jul 2010 8:00 P
Cafe du Nord San Francisco, CA Find Tickets
11 Jul 2010 8:00 P
Fat Cat Music House Modesto, CA Find Tickets
12 Jul 2010 8:00 P
Harlows Restaurant and Nightclub Sacramento, CA Find Tickets
14 Jul 2010 8:00 P
Woodland Park Zoo Amphitheater Seattle, WA Find Tickets
15 Jul 2010 8:00 P
Aladdin Theater Portland, OR Find Tickets
16 Jul 2010 8:00 P
Basin Summer Sounds Free Music Fest Ephrata, WA Find Tickets
17 Jul 2010 8:00 P
East City Park Moscow, Idaho Find Tickets
18 Jul 2010 8:00 P
Knitting Factory Concert House Boise, ID Find Tickets
19 Jul 2010 8:00 P
Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT Find Tickets
20 Jul 2010 8:00 P
Bluebird Theater Denver, CO Find Tickets
21 Jul 2010 8:00 P
Santa Fe Brewing Company Santa Fe, NM Find Tickets
23 Jul 2010 8:00 P
The Warsaw Houston, TX Find Tickets
24 Jul 2010 8:00 P
The Aardvark Fort Worth, TX Find Tickets
4 Aug 2010 8:00 P
KELLYS OUTER BANKS Nags Head, NC, us Find Tickets
5 Aug 2010 8:00 P
KELLYS OUTER BANKS Nags Head, NC, us Find Tickets
19 Aug 2010 3:00 P
Rock and Blues Concert Cruise [Aboard the Frederick L. Nolan Jr.] Boston, MA Find Tickets
21 Aug 2010 8:00 P
Portland Music and Arts Festival Portland, ME Find Tickets

 

and a few more pics:

~ Kristen

Tour Alert! Civil Twilight + Paper Tongues + Neon Trees

So, when one of your new favorite bands goes on tour, you take notice, find the date in your city, and buy tickets.  When TWO of your new favorite bands decide to team up and go out on the road together…well, then you start thinking about how many of the shows you will be able to find people to road trip with you to go see! Both Civil Twilight and Paper Tongues are bands I’ve discovered and fallen in love with in the last year. I would never imagine them going on tour together as they don’t strike me as very similar…other than the fact that they both had free singles on ITunes, I can’t think of anything that would tie the bands together.

Also on the bill, Neon Trees, a band that’s been on my watch list since they did a tour with Nico Vega that never quite made it to LA. Their song “Animal”…hey…come to think of it this song was also a free ITunes download…hmm…anyway, I like it and have recently purchased their album Habits.

Point Being: They’re calling it the “Bang the Gong Tour” It starts next Saturday and It is going to be amazing. If you can, you should try to check it out.

The dates are (as listed on the Neon Trees myspace):

26 Jun 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Heritage Landing – Main Stage – Muskegon Summer Celebration Muskegon, Michigan Find Tickets
27 Jun 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Summerfest – US Cellular Connection Stage Milwaukee, WI Find Tickets
29 Jun 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ NEWPORT MUSIC HALL Columbus, OH Find Tickets
30 Jun 2010 7:00 A
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ House of Blues Cleveland Cleveland, OH Find Tickets
1 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Altar Bar Pittsburgh, PA Find Tickets
2 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Crocodile Rock Cafe Allentown, PA  
 
8 Jul 2010 4:00 P
KXNA PRESENTS : X FEST 10TH ANNIVERSARY – Dickson Street – Entertainment District Fayetteville, ARKANSAS  
12 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ 9:30 Club Washington, DC  
13 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Bowery Ballroom New York City, New York  
15 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Common Grounds Music Festival Lansing, MI Find Tickets
16 Jul 2010 7:00 P
89X BIRTHDAY BASH / BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ The Fillmore Detroit Detroit, MI Find Tickets
19 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Triple Rock Club Minneapolis, MN Find Tickets
20 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ The Beaumont Club Kansas City, MO  
21 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Bluebird Theater Denver, CO Find Tickets
23 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Velour Provo, Utah Find Tickets
24 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ The Knitting Factory reno, nv Find Tickets
25 Jul 2010 6:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre Chula Vista/San Diego, CA  
27 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Slim’s San Francisco, CA Find Tickets
28 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Glass House Pomona, CA Find Tickets
30 Jul 2010 7:00 P
BANG THE GONG TOUR w/ PAPER TONGUES + CIVIL TWILIGHT @ Hard Rock Cafe Las Vegas, NV

 

For some enticement:

~ Kristen

Carney Day!

Today is the day folks! Mr. Green Vol. I is officially out in stores, on ITunes, etc. Carney’s first full length CD has been on the precipice of release for sometime now it seems, but I’m pretty sure it’s actually happening this time. I would highly recommend everyone go out and get yourself a copy. Once again, for a taste, enjoy the video for the band’s first single, “Love Me, Chase Me” :

The release falls in the midst of a little tour…to get your taste of Carney live (trust me, you’ll love it), see if they’re coming to a town near you. And if you live in LA, I really hope you can come to The El Rey this Saturday to see the boys put on their last hometown show before heading of to NYC.

As for the rest of the dates (copied directly from Myspace):

10 May 2010 8:00 P
Casbah San Diego, California, US  
11 May 2010 8:00 P
Hotel Utah San Francisco, California, US  
13 May 2010 8:00 P
Detroit Bar Costa Mesa, US  
15 May 2010 8:00 P
El Rey Theatre Los Angeles, California, US Find Tickets
30 May 2010 8:00 P
Furthur Festival Angels Camp, US  
31 May 2010 8:00 P
Maxwells Hoboken, New Jersey, US  
1 Jun 2010 8:00 P
Bowery Ballroom New York, New York, US  
2 Jun 2010 8:00 P
Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub Cambridge, Massachuse, US  
3 Jun 2010 8:00 P
Johnny Brenda’s Philadelphia, Pennsylvan, US  
5 Jun 2010 8:00 P
The Bell House Brooklyn, New York, US  
6 Jun 2010 8:00 P
Jammin Java Music Club & Cafe Vienna, Virginia, US  
7 Jun 2010 8:00 P
Lee’s Palace Toronto, Ontario, CA  
9 Jun 2010 8:00 P
Double Door Chicago, US  
10 Jun 2010 8:00 P
Triple Rock Social Club Minneapolis, US  
12 Jun 2010 8:00 P
Bluebird Theater Denver, US  
14 Jun 2010 8:00 P
Crocodile Cafe Seattle, US  
15 Jun 2010 8:00 P
Venue Vancouver, CA  
16 Jun 2010 8:00 P
Mississippi Studios Portland, US  
22 Jun 2010 8:00 P
The Rhythm Room Phoenix, US  
24 Jun 2010 8:00 P
The Cambridge Room @ House of Blues Dallas, US  
25 Jun 2010 8:00 P
Stubbs Jr BBQ Austin, US  
26 Jun 2010 8:00 P
Walter’s on Washington Houston, US  
28 Jun 2010 8:00 P
WorkPlay Theatre Birmingham, US  
29 Jun 2010 8:00 P
Vinyl Atlanta, US

 

~ Kristen