new website @ http://kokomo.fr

 

 Whirring: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

 

 Kids Aflame: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

http://www.myspace.com/armsongs

http://www.armsarms.com

We get lucky enough last week to hear live in Lyon two of the most beautiful american voices. Marissa Nadler and Alela Diane !

We shout 4 videos of Marissa’s concert that you can see here or on our YouTube channel.

bonus : here’s 2 mp3’s extract from the videos :
(the sound is better than on youtube)

Unfortunatly we couldn’t record Alela’s concert but here’s a video of something very similar we’ve seen:

see Alela DIANE performing « White as diamonds »

Photo by Mike O’Leary

Bob Keal, singer/songwriter of Small Sur gave us an interview:

How could you discribe your music to somebody who never heard you ?
Subtle and minimalist, but textured and pretty.

If your music was a landscape ?
I would say that our music is most like the ocean. It’s as methodical as the tide, but there’s a lot hidden beneath the surface that you won’t find unless you really search for it and let it soak into you.

What’s your story with music ?
I grew up singing in the school choir and playing trumpet in the band, but I never really liked it that much. I didn’t listen to a lot of music growing up, and my parents didn’t really have any tapes or CDs that they listened to aside from some religious ones. I bought a guitar the summer before my first year of college and started playing a bit here and there with friends. In 2004 I started writing songs and I recorded the self-titled EP with some buddies in California. When I moved to Baltimore in 2005 I played my first show and kept writing songs, and I’ve done so ever since.

What are your projects for the up coming months ?
Right now we are working on our second full-length and Andy Abelow (banjo/sax) and I are planning a do Small Sur tour of the West Coast (USA) for late July and early August.

Is there a new album to come ?
« Fall Fur » is the tentative title for our second full-length. We’re working on it right now and it’ll probably have around 10 tracks.

Did you plan touring ?
We have tours planned for the East and West coasts of the USA during July and August. I’ll be traveling through Europe for about three weeks during June and early July, but it’s mostly just a vacation. If anyone would like to set up some shows, however, I’d love to play a few.

Did you have side musical projects ?
The other members of the band play their own music, as well, and a couple of them play in several bands. Jamie (bass) is about to hit the road with Chicago-based « Nomo » for six weeks or so. They’ll be touring all over Europe and the US. Andy Abelow (saxophone, banjo, etc) plays music under his own name and with other projects around Baltimore, and Austin Stahl (drums) has his own band, Private Eleanor, and he plays music under his own name, as well.

What are you doing when you don’t play music ?
When I’m not playing music I love to cook and eat good food and drink wine with friends. I’m also an elementary school teacher.

Could you tell us the story of the song « Tones » ?
When I wrote « Tones » I was thinking about « tones » in terms of all of its meanings, the texture and qualities of one’s voice, the energy behind things we say, and how those tones resonate within our bodies and minds.

Most ever playing record at home ?
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy - Master and Everyone
Little Wings - Light Green Leaves
Grateful Dead – American Beauty

What are you currently listening to, any recommended records ?
Bill Callahan – Sometimes I Wish I Were an Eagle
Washington Phillips – Compilation
Gilberto Gil – Expresso 2222

http://www.myspace.com/smallsur

You can download a free 8 tracks E.P of Small Sur on the Secret Stereo’s website or directly here.

see also : a previous post about Small Sur

The beautiful new album of Weinland « Breaks In The Sun » is out since a few days.

Weinland
« Sunken Eyes » (mp3)
from « Breaks In The Sun »
(Badman Recording Co)

More On This Album

http://www.myspace.com/johnweinland

http://www.weinlandmusic.com

see also : previous post about Weinland

I have already post about Bill Callahan’s new record ; it’s so beautiful that I want to share this with you readers, listeners a secod time. Unfortunatly there is not a lot of interesting things about Bill on Internet … except this wonderful music video « Rock Bottom Riser » from a previously album « A River Ain’t Too Much To Love » recorded by Bill under the name of Smog.

_

here’s Went Walking, a song from Bosque Brown’s new record Baby

http://www.myspace.com/bosquebrown

« Wye Oak will release their new album, The Knot, on July 21st. The Knot was written and recorded by Andy Stack and Jenn Wasner in rural Cumberland, MD and in their Baltimore living room ».

here is « Take It In » from the upcoming album

http://www.myspace.com/wyeoak

http://www.wyeoakmusic.com

I Want You to Sing Along With Me: [dewplayer:http://radio.kokomo.free.fr/wordpress/audio/iwantyoutosingalongwithme.mp3]

http://www.emilyarin.com

http://www.myspace.com/emilyarin

Bars is taken from the album Come Home and Feast

 

 Bars - Charles Burst: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

http://www.myspace.com/charlesburst

http://www.charlesburst.com

Sharon Van Etten will release in May her second album  « Because I Was in Love ».

Here is  » For You » a song taken from this album  :
Sharon Van Etten - For You
http://www.myspace.com/sharonvanetten

http://sharonvanetten.com

« Eid Ma Clack Shaw » is taken from the up coming Bill Callahan record « Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle »

Boston singer/songwriter Marissa Nadler just realeased her fourth album: Little Hells. For this occasion she gave an interview to KOKOMO WebRadio :

Marissa, if your music was a landscape ?
A bleak desert landscape, or a very barren dead winter one. The wild wild west. Somewhere far away from Suburbia. Somewhere where I could have a Victorian house to fix up and children to raise. I am a dreamer and an escapist.

Do you know your audience ?
My audience seems to be pretty mixed. Its a lot of young people, a lot of older people. Some gothic people but you know I don’t really look at it that way. I hope that people listen because they dig the music. I am grateful as hell that people are listening!! Its very very exciting to me.

Is there some countries in which you have more audience than in others ?
Europe more so than the United States. Although everywhere it seems to be growing through the years. I think that the US is harder than most places to gain an audience because it is SO big. But I am starting to do very well in the major cities finally, and I love touring Europe !!!

You are on myspace, ilike, last.fm, blobspot, are you curious of people on these sociable networks ? what it brings to you ?
Well. I didn’t put myself on iLike or last.fm I do like myspace because it really does help connect people. The blog is easier for me to update than my website, which takes me ages to update.

(photo credit : Nicolas Oliier)

You have (and will) travel a lot for touring. Is there one or many places you fall in love and think you could live there ?
Home home home. You know, all the places are lovely. But, I never get to stay at any place long enough to see more than the hotel rooms. So, I find myself lonely on tour and missing someone or something intangible. But, this time I am going to be touring with three guys behind me !! And I won’t be lonely this time, because I will have company and won’t be alone any more. So, It should be entirely more fun. Maybe I will fall in love and move to Paris !!

Have you ever done strange meetings during your tours. Do you remember strange or funny meetings with fans ?
Um. Yes. Many. I have had too many to count. Lets just say that when you tour alone there is nobody to « protect » you against people that are may or may not have an unhealthy obsession with who they think you are. I have had some scary run ins. I don’t want to name names, but have pepper spray and a band now, and some of that is for the reason of being on many unsafe tours.

What did you learned about human being touring around the world ?
Most people are very good at heart. I truly believe that.

What is most beautiful compliment (musically) you ever received ?
I’m not sure, but people are very nice to me. Marry me?

There is in the same time something dark and luminous in your music, that makes it very unique. How could you explain this antagonism, is it a part of your personality ? Tell us about your fears an you hopes.
I am definitely into the dark side on a lot of days. Its part of spinning from emotional ups and downs on a daily basis. I fall in love way too easily, constantly get my heart broken. Then I become miserable and write songs about it. I hope I am not self-defeating any chance of happiness but I just can’t seem to find "the one" and all the little hells of heartbreak- well, they really come out in my songs.

My personality: I am a hard core romantic with unrealistic fairy tale ideals. I do "break just like a little girl."
My nickname is the "iron curtain" because it take a lot to make me laugh. Its not really true. I just have a dirty sense of humor.

Here we don’t stop listening to « Loner », could you tells us more about it ?
That song. I am totally a Loner. There is nothing I can say about it that isn’t in the lyrics. Dave Scher rocked that organ solo in the wee hours of the morning. Its totally crazy. I love it.

Did you ever plan to sing a song with someone else, with who would you like or dream to sing as a duo ?
I would love to score a David Lynch movie. I would love to sing with Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Neil Young. Maybe a record with Nick Cave ? I would love to meet Woody Allen.

Are you involved in the engineering process of « Little Hells », did you enjoy and care, about sound recording or do you just like playing and singing ? and what do you think about those « mp3 » times.
I was very involved in each and every process of the new record. I am completely OCD. And I think mp3s suck compared to real records. Its a shame. They sound like tin can versions of the originals. But, the times are changing. What can we do ?

River Of Dirt

http://www.myspace.com/songsoftheend

http://marissanadler.blogspot.com

http://www.therosebuds.com

http://www.myspace.com/therosebuds

Weinland’s new album « Breaks in the Sun » out April 21 st.

 Weinland
« The Devil In Me » (mp3)
from « La Lamentor »
(Badman Recording Co)

More On This Album

Weinland
« God Here I Come » (mp3)
from « La Lamentor »
(Badman Recording Co)

http://www.johnweinland.com

http://www.myspace.com/johnweinland

[youtube width="425" height="344"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVPet3TWwHw[/youtube]

J. Tillman
« Steel on Steel » (mp3)
from « Vacilando Territory Blues »
(Western Vinyl)

More On This Album

http://www.myspace.com/jtillman

[youtube width="425" height="344"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kp7ekqTj9eo[/youtube]

http://www.myspace.com/elvisperkins

http://www.elvisperkinsindearland.com

« Tight Knit » is the fourth full-length album from Vetiver. Here’s the first single from the record:

http://www.myspace.com/vetiverse

http://www.vetiverse.com

http://www.myspace.com/thecottonjonesbasketride