Wye Oak
Callers
Thu, September 20, 2012
Doors: 8:00 pm / Show: 9:00 pm
Music Hall of Williamsburg
Brooklyn, NY
$17 advance / $20 day of show
Tickets
This event is 18 and over
http://www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com/event/146251/
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Wye Oak
Andy Stack and Jenn Wasner spent much of the first Wye Oak record, If Children, submerging their songs of youthful love and dread in a distortion haze, but the band’s new record, The Knot, starts with a bell. From the first, clarion-clear note, Wye Oak’s collective vision is sharpened on The Knot, a set of songs that sway, stretch, and scream while always reaching outward for personal connection.
As ever, Stack’s production layers his own multi-instrumental arrangements over Wasner’s woozy compositions, but musically, too, things sound more precise. There is perhaps less squalling feedback than before, but lingering violin and pedal steel bring out the droning Americana that has always informed Wye Oak’s sound. Throughout The Knot, Wasner's lyrics explore the metaphorical possibilities of the album's title, assessing the ways, voluntary and otherwise, that our ties to other people define our experiences. The Knot encompasses romantic possibility as well as unromantic obligation.
Wye Oak started as two friends recording songwriting demos together, but their basement project has since evolved to include tours of America and Europe, and a home on legendary label Merge Records. The Knot reflects that burgeoning confidence and comfort while maintaining the intimacy and emotional directness that are the band's hallmarks. Only good things can come of a band this curious, honest, and oblivious to current trends. Pay attention.
As ever, Stack’s production layers his own multi-instrumental arrangements over Wasner’s woozy compositions, but musically, too, things sound more precise. There is perhaps less squalling feedback than before, but lingering violin and pedal steel bring out the droning Americana that has always informed Wye Oak’s sound. Throughout The Knot, Wasner's lyrics explore the metaphorical possibilities of the album's title, assessing the ways, voluntary and otherwise, that our ties to other people define our experiences. The Knot encompasses romantic possibility as well as unromantic obligation.
Wye Oak started as two friends recording songwriting demos together, but their basement project has since evolved to include tours of America and Europe, and a home on legendary label Merge Records. The Knot reflects that burgeoning confidence and comfort while maintaining the intimacy and emotional directness that are the band's hallmarks. Only good things can come of a band this curious, honest, and oblivious to current trends. Pay attention.
Callers
Reviver is a statement on power, rhythm and beauty. The third LP from Callers, made up of long time collaborators Sara Lucas and Ryan Seaton, will be released on October 9th on Partisan Records.
While Sara grew up enveloped by R & B, Motown, gospel and jazz in St. Louis, Ryan was 400 miles away in Little Rock, nurtured by a community of eccentric artists and musicians, collaborating on ad hoc punk shows by the riverbank. Both musicians intuitively grasped the commitment to craft in their peers and mentors, shaping their purpose to create a strong, clear statement of their own.
New Orleans was the place that brought them together, the place where their first song was recorded over a landline, their first EP from a mic hanging on the ceiling fan. Sara’s freedom of expression, her ease of phrasing, the effortlessness and transcendence of her voice drew Ryan to working with her, while Sara was undeniably drawn to his vast arrangements, particular style, and grasp of musical realms.
Providence emerged as the hub for support and sustained creative advice, a second EP recorded amongst ghosts in the attic, and the source of collaboration with Keith Souza and Seth Manchester of acclaimed recording studio Machines with Magnets (Battles, Fang Island, Psychic Paramount.) Finally, Brooklyn became the city they now call home, leading to the creation of two LPs, Fortune and Life of Love.
With Brooklyn also came transition: after offering a new interpretation on Life of Love and Reviver, Don Godwin amicably moved on from the project at the latter’s completion. Meanwhile, Keith and Seth’s involvement in the production and development of Reviver thrived, ultimately inspiring them to join the band.
Reviver stands as the most fully realized vision Callers has as artists. Influenced by the poetry of Gwendolyn Brooks, ‘Heroes’ and ‘Reviver’ capitalize on a fierce spirit with driving rhythms and a hardened determination, while ‘Good Years’ and ‘Your Finest’ emphasize grandiose crescendos, idiosyncratic melodies and the complexity of surprise. On the album’s title track, one witnesses the satisfaction and strength they feel by attaining clarity: “We are older than ourselves / I’m your Reviver.”
While Sara grew up enveloped by R & B, Motown, gospel and jazz in St. Louis, Ryan was 400 miles away in Little Rock, nurtured by a community of eccentric artists and musicians, collaborating on ad hoc punk shows by the riverbank. Both musicians intuitively grasped the commitment to craft in their peers and mentors, shaping their purpose to create a strong, clear statement of their own.
New Orleans was the place that brought them together, the place where their first song was recorded over a landline, their first EP from a mic hanging on the ceiling fan. Sara’s freedom of expression, her ease of phrasing, the effortlessness and transcendence of her voice drew Ryan to working with her, while Sara was undeniably drawn to his vast arrangements, particular style, and grasp of musical realms.
Providence emerged as the hub for support and sustained creative advice, a second EP recorded amongst ghosts in the attic, and the source of collaboration with Keith Souza and Seth Manchester of acclaimed recording studio Machines with Magnets (Battles, Fang Island, Psychic Paramount.) Finally, Brooklyn became the city they now call home, leading to the creation of two LPs, Fortune and Life of Love.
With Brooklyn also came transition: after offering a new interpretation on Life of Love and Reviver, Don Godwin amicably moved on from the project at the latter’s completion. Meanwhile, Keith and Seth’s involvement in the production and development of Reviver thrived, ultimately inspiring them to join the band.
Reviver stands as the most fully realized vision Callers has as artists. Influenced by the poetry of Gwendolyn Brooks, ‘Heroes’ and ‘Reviver’ capitalize on a fierce spirit with driving rhythms and a hardened determination, while ‘Good Years’ and ‘Your Finest’ emphasize grandiose crescendos, idiosyncratic melodies and the complexity of surprise. On the album’s title track, one witnesses the satisfaction and strength they feel by attaining clarity: “We are older than ourselves / I’m your Reviver.”
Venue Information:
Music Hall of Williamsburg
66 North 6th St
Brooklyn, NY, 11211
http://www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com/
Music Hall of Williamsburg
66 North 6th St
Brooklyn, NY, 11211
http://www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com/
