Yellow Ostrich play Chicago tonight at Andrew Rafacz Gallery (835 W Washington Blvd) show starts at 8 PM! I first heard a few songs from the bands Morgan Freeman EP on the ever present The Waiting Room Radio Show, thanks C. I have been hooked ever since. The group started as a solo project for band The Chairs' member Alex Schaaf who the moved Yellow Ostrich from his home in Wisconsin to N.Y. Also in the group now are Michael Tapper and Jon Natchez. Their style is a swirl of lo-fi indie goodness that is marked by interesting percussion and must hear vocal compositions. Their latest full length, The Mistress is exclusively available at emusic. The rest of the bands catalog of music can be fond at their bandcamp page as a name your price zero minimum download. I am really excited to see this show and hopefully do an interview with the guys. Come on by the gallery tonight!
The next stop on their tour is tomorrow :
04-06-11 @ Beachland Tavern - Cleveland, OH
I was able to visit St. Louis last year twice with my family. So I passed on the gratuitous photo of the arch and chose a photo of our favorite place to go, the St.Louis Zoo. Pictured is one of many metal sculptures that are on the outside of the gates. They are near life size and must be seen in person to truly appreciate them.
I think for me to write a post about the St Louis music scene, it's important to give those of you who haven't been there a feeling for the city and the folks that call it home. I have been to St. Louis 5 or 6 times total now and have enjoyed every trip. The people are always nice. They have the niceness of people from the South, but the pace of living is more uptempo than their counterparts in the South. The St. Louis arts community is strong. They have great museums that are affordable or free altogether. There is a family vibe to a lot of the city that spills out into the music scene which is influenced by folk, Americana and shades of Country and Bluegrass.
St Louis has most of the things that make a music scene explode: great bands and venues, and they have their own indie publications that cater to the college students there that make for a strong fan base.
The openers, Wyoming Street, played awesome as well. (Can't wait for the album Sam). I was turned on to some St. Louis bands by Justin, and others like Alone In India I came across on Eleven Magazine's site.
Eleven Magazine is an indie music publication and website that covers both local St. Louis artists as well as the international music scene. The first magazine of theirs I found the music of Old Lights, The Middle East and Alone In India. I check out their site often, and am tempted to get a subscription to their print magazine.
There are some really nice venues in St. Louis. The Fox Theatre is a beautiful theatre (pic) which has a great vibe. It has been restored and is a must see for music fans and architecture buffs as well. CBGB's was a blast. Cheap beer and a decidedly rustic look. It's a neighborhood bar that happens to have a stage in it. The bands I am friends with in St.Louis like to play Pagaent, Firebird, and LEMP Arts Center.
Even though I feel like a bit of a travel show correspondent saying this, you need to check out the St. Louis music scene for bands like Theodore (pictured above). Visit because the city has so much to offer.
In a search of the Mininova bit torrent (Legal Free Torrents) I came across a great musical idea and some really good music to match it. 'In A Cabin With' is fellow Dutch friends Maarten Besseling, creator, and Jesse Beuker, producer. Every two months, 'In A Cabin With' invites a Dutch musician(s) to a different locale where they write, record and produce an album with local musicians in 10 to 14 days. They have recorded in Sweden, Thailand, New York and Ottawa. The musical styles of these albums run the gamut from jazz to metal to electro and singer/song-writer. They then mix and master the music back in the Netherlands. The album artwork is designed by up and coming artists. The albums are then available at the 'In A Cabin With' website for FREE download. Of course like almost all of the legal and free music on the net, donations are greatly appreciated. Maarten also releases these albums in the country that they are made.
I downloaded these albums and I suggest that you do so as well. There are 14 albums in all, and I have listened to 9 of them so far. There is a lot of diversity of the styles of music. My favorite so far is The Black Atlantic album Reverence For Fallen Trees. (I'll be reviewing that soon.) The 'In A Cabin With' series is planned to continue indefinitely with 8 albums being released each year. They have tours and workshops that all have the same aim of creating a true musical community. That communal spirit will be traveling to Canada and Shanghai in 2010.
Dedicated Ears Legal Free Album List features musicians from 53 counties and 48 U.S.states. This list grows daily. I am at 1500 posts and more posted every day. Styles featured, indie, pop, folk, Latin, rock, alternative, prog rock, math rock, pop, songwriter, classical, jazz, metal, doom, stoner, gypsy, African, Brazilian and too many more to count! Also a list of net labels and my favorite music sites.
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