Films to See at SXSW – Charles Bradley: Soul of America dir. Poull Brien

Posted on March 9, 2012 by


Film: Charles Bradley: Soul of America
Director: Poull Brien
When/Where: Friday March 9th @9pm – Alamo Ritz 2 320 East 6th St Austin TX 78701
Saturday March 10th @1:45pm – Violet Crown 2 434 W 2nd St Austin, TX 78701
Friday March 16th @2:15pm – Alamo Ritz 2 320 East 6th St Austin TX 78701
Saturday March 17th @7pm – Alamo Lamar C 1120 South Lamar Boulevard Austin, TX 78704
Why: We wrote about Charles Bradley in our Weekly Guide – Soul Edition and Albums You  Should Have Been Listening to in 2011 because he has an undeniably troubled life story that is told with every note he sings. When I first read an interview with Charles and discovered that his brother was shot and killed, he was homeless in his teens, struggled financially for most of his life, I said “Someone should make movie about this guy.” Well for good reason that someone ended up being Poull Brien, the director of his two music videos “The World (Is Going Up In Flames)” and “Heartaches And Pain.” This film marks Poull’s directorial feature length film debut!
More info: http://schedule.sxsw.com/2012/events/event_FS12425

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A Weekly Guide To Your New Obsession – Wet Nuns, Nite Jewel, and Only Real

Posted on March 6, 2012 by

By Sarah Besnard

Artist: Wet Nuns
Listen: “Throttle” *Warning: A lot of blood is involved in this video
From: Sheffield/Leeds, UK
Label: Unsigned
Sounds like: Creepy rock’n’roll
Reason to listen: Wet Nuns are influenced by “Women, whiskey, death. Enya”. Their single “Heavens Below” has been remixed by The Arctic Monkeys, listen HERE.
More: http: http://www.wetnuns.com/

Artist: Nite Jewel
Listen: “One Second Of Love”

From: LA, USA
Label: Secretly Canadian
Sounds like: Lo Fi Dance
Reason to listen: Stream the whole album HERE (out on March 6th)
More: http://nitejewel.com/

Artist: Only Real

Listen: “Cadillac Girl”
From: London, UK
Label: Unsigned
Sounds like: Lo fi pop, Jamie T meets King Krule
Reason to listen: Only Real aka Niall Galvin is all about eating “cerials,” listening to Die Antwoord and “repping real.” And that’s cool.
More: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Only-Real/219923141361051

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A Weekly Guide To Your New Obsession: Superhumanoids, Nicole Miglis, and Tall Tall Trees

Posted on February 28, 2012 by

By Sarah Besnard and Lee Cahill

Artist: Superhumanoids
Label: Unsigned
From: Los Angeles, CA
Sounds like: New Wave/Dreampop
Reason to listen: Supermanhoids are touring with for Cold War Kids in the US this spring, catch them with Active Child and Balam Acab at the Bowery or at Mercury Lounge in May
5/10: New York City (Bowery Ballroom)
5/11: New York City (Mercury Lounge)
More: http://superhumanoids.com/
Listen: “Geri”

album coverArtist: Nicole Miglis
From: Gainesville, Florida
Label: Unsigned
Sounds like: Cute Folk
Reason to listen: Nicole has a tiny soprano voice that gains power through vocal layering and harmonies on her debut EP. The combination of her voice, strumming guitars, and violins leaves you wanting to drive through a field in a convertible with the top down in the summertime.
More: http://nicolemiglis.tumblr.com/
Listen: “Moody Bible”

Moment CoverArtist: Tall Tall Trees
From: New York, NY
Label: Unsigned
Sounds like: Folk Rock
Reason to listen: You might hear the lead singer playing a banjo with a bow on a few tracks. Also because their new album moment that you may have heard about in our video interview with the boys is out now and streaming in its entirety on bandcamp!
More: http://www.talltalltrees.com

Listen: “Highwire”

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Sundance Feature: The House I Live In dir. Eugene Jarecki

Posted on February 21, 2012 by

By Sarah Hillman

2012Director and documentary filmmaker Eugene Jarecki (Why We Fight, Move Your Money) returned to Sundance once again this year and left a Grand Jury Prize Winner. His feature doc, The House I Live In, tackles America’s War on Drugs and its effects on impoverished communities both here and abroad (with a heavy focus on African-American communities). The film argues that this “war” isn’t working for anyone, with over a trillion dollars spent since its inception and little results other than overfilled prisons; instead, we should be considering the issue of drug abuse and addiction in our society. Continue reading →

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A Weekly Guide To Your New Obsession: Hannah Cohen, Kuedo, Hookworms

Posted on February 17, 2012 by

By Sarah Besnard

Artist: Hannah Cohen
Listen: “Child Bride”
From: New York
Label: Bella Union
Sounds like: Extremely soulful, polished, indie-folk. This song in particular features emotional lyrics and vocals over swelling strings and guitar.
Reason to listen: You won’t be able to resist Hannah’s hauntingly beautiful voice. She has worked with producer Thomas Bartlett (The National, Anthony and the Johnsons). Plus, she’s a model and a photographer.
More: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hannah-Cohen/247034815337526

Artist: Kuedo
Music
Listen: “Scissors”

From: Berlin, Germany
Label:  Planet Mu
Sounds like: Dubstep, electronic music a la Araabmuzik
Reason to listen: He sampled Carly Simon (watch original video here) without sounding ridiculous.
More: http://kuedo.tumblr.com/

Artist: Hookworms

Listen: Hookworms EP

From: Leeds, UK
Label: Gringo Records/Faux Discx
Sounds like: psych rock, Wooden Shjips meets Peaking lights
Reason to listen: Hookworms is made of members of two other Leeds-based bands: Spectrals and Idea Shower. Their debut EP was released on Gringo Records/Faux Discx – you should get it!
More: http://parasiticnematode.blogspot.com/

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Tall Tall Trees Video Showcase

Posted on February 14, 2012 by

By Lee Cahill

Since we labeled Tall Tall Trees a band to see at CMJ, our video interview has been long over due! We caught up with them a few months back at Mike Savino’s (the lead singer’s) apartment to talk about their new album moment. Check out what the guys had to say and pre-order their album HERE.

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Sundance Feature: The End of Love dir. Mark Webber

Posted on February 9, 2012 by

By Sarah Hillman

Mark WebberHave you ever wondered what it would be like to live a different life? What it would be like to lose the one you love? Director and actor Mark Webber explores both of these questions in his second directorial effort, The End of Love. I’ve gotta shamefully admit something: I’ve been a huge fan of Mark Webber ever since he appeared as “Designated Dave” in the ’99 chick flick Drive Me Crazy (a seriously guilty pleasure of mine). In addition to the Webber-appeal, the film features cameos from actors Jason Ritter, Shannyn Sossamon, and Michael Cera. Let’s just say these names piqued my interest. Continue reading →

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