Elba Sessions

This has been a firm fixture in my browser all week. Get yourself on to it for some burrito goodness and GET INVOLVED!

GLASGOW MEGA BURRITO

Aff to build a burrito!!

They say all good things must come to an end at some point and with that sentiment so it is that we say farewell to Barmellodie at Bar Bloc (Friday June 17th). Whether or not the nights will resume at some point, who knows but it’s fair to say the last 6 months have provided us with some great live music and sketchy dj’ing by the resident disc jockeys. There have been too many highlights to pick only a few and I’m sure that list will grow with the final night’s action.

Heading the bill are Armellodie stalwarts Cuddly Shark fresh from writing and demo’ing new tracks, they played at our 1st birthday party and they really aren’t one to be missed. Joining Cuddly Shark will be Galoshins, Lady North and recent Armellodie signings Something Beginning With L (new album is quality, check it oot) who you will no doubt spot from afar as they will be travelling in this colourful creation.

As ever, the fun starts at around 10:30pm with bands and DJ’s, it’s Peenko playing Kid Canaveral this month, going on until around 3am. It’s free if you turn up early enough too!

Another month and another new presenter for the podcast. This month it was Kim’s turn to pose the questions and our guest down the Hidden Lane at Elba was Mike Nisbet.

It’s fair to say that we got a bit giddy when we heard the new tracks by Mike Nisbet a few months back, we’ve now wrapped our ears around the new album, titled ‘Vagrant’, and it doesn’t disappoint. Mike popped by Elba a few weeks back to chat about why it was so great to tour with Washington Irving, writing songs whilst not really having a fixed home, whether the East coast are a bit more melancholic than the West and his forthcoming album and the launch for it, which takes place at The Ivy on Argyle Street, Glasgow next week (Thurs 9th June).

More info on the launch can be found here at the Facebook event page and to stream/buy the album, just manoeuvre your mice or trackpads here.

Mike Nisbet (June 2011) by elbasessions

I bestowed the title of one of my ‘Favourite New Bands’ to Johnny Reb in last nights post and it got me thinking about how The Portugal Years has been one of my favourite ‘exertions’, certainly by a local band, so far this year. However, hot on it’s heels will be the album from She’s Hit entitled ‘Pleasure’ (June 6th). It’s an absolute gem and it’ll get more column inches on this blog closer to it’s release date in June but I can say for now it’s a peach and very VERY loud. I’ve been pretty excited about hearing it since the release of their first single RE:Peater last year, it certainly doesn’t disappoint.

So, for some viewing over this weekend, here’s the video for ‘Shimmer Shimmer’, their new single which is out on May 23rd and if you are around the Stag & Dagger festival on May 21st in Glasgow, do try and pop along to see their set at Nice & Sleazy’s.

Johnny Reb have taken the title recently, along with a select few in my music collection, as one of my ‘Favourite New Bands’. They released their ‘debut exertions’ (first collection of songs resembling an album but preferably don’t call it a ‘debut album’) entitled ‘The Portugal Years’. A creative bunch this lot, the album being fittingly named after their time recording the tracks in Portugal with Morrisey’s axe-man Boz Boorer.

The Portugal Years rather kindly is available for free download over at Johnny Reb’s bandcamp page so point your clickers over here.

If seeing if bands can cut it in the flesh rather than on record is more your thing, then it’s a bit of a stroke of luck that Johnny Reb play Nice n’ Sleazy’s in Glasgow tomorrow night (13th May) along with Edinburgh School For The Deaf who are also brilliant, and The Amazing Snakeheads.

In our final section in preparation for this weekend’s annual Record Store Day we asked another friend – from fairly afar – about their preferred outlets. We do hope that you’ll support your local independent and are prepared to stop by early for those limited releases. The limited edition clear vinyl of Panda Bear’s Tomboy, which comes with a t-shirt is my own desired item. My oh my.

Without further ado, enjoy the bits of matter picked from Judd of Ba Da Bing Records‘ brain. Did you say ‘ew’ at that? I’m quite appalled by that sentence. So much so that I had to include it.

- Which store would you name your favourite record store?

Rainbow Books & Music

- Where is it located?

Newark, Delaware

- How would you describe the store?

Like falling through a hole of awesomeness

- Do you remember the first thing you bought there?

Either Casket Lottery – Survival Is For Cowards or Daft Punk – Discovery. Can’t remember which they rang up first.

- What is it about the store that keeps you going back?

Being in an independent record store makes me want to discover new music.

- Which format do you purchase most?

Vinyl

- Which format do you use most?

Probably digital, but if I had my druthers, it’d be vinyl.

- Recently Ba Da Bing have been involved with the Grapefruit Record Club, this features not just well packaged product but real collector’s items. What do you think is the significance of such items within the broader instant access mindset?

The idea of an album as an encompassing work of an artist is something which has fallen by the wayside in the digital age, when it is all too easy to flip from song to song. Listening to a record in it’s entirety is ultimately a much more fulfilling experience and vinyl records are more conducive to this idea. Creating a club of vinyl only releases is perhaps the most fantastic aspect of GRC.

- Is there anything that your hoping to get your hands on due for release as part of 2011′s Record Store Day?

Damon & Naomi are releasing a 7″ on Record Store Day. I would bite, kick, and claw for one of those.

In the second of our Record Store Day themed posts, Chris gives us some info on one of his favourite record stores…in Cheltenham. With the internet being so important to bands, labels and Record Stores these days, Badlands specialise in the type of thing a certain type of music fan may not find down at the their local store…

When we spoke about doing a post on our favourite Record Store for Record Store Day I had the thought ‘Can I really write a post on a store i’ve never been to…!!!???’

The answer is quite clearly yes…

I first came to know about Badlands when I walked into bar in Belfast, pre-Springsteen gig, and found that I had walked into what I now know as a Badlands Party. What I encountered was an all day sessions with sing-a-longs, bootleg CDs & DVDs, cool (& cheaper than the official merch) t-shirts and a pre-gig show by a local guitarist. Since that day I have been to similiar pre-gig Badlands Parties in Cardiff, Dublin & (finally) Glasgow, each as much fun as the last.

Now I know what you’re thinking, the above is no reason to mention them as a great Record Store, surely this just shows that they can throw a great party, however since that first event I have been a regular visitor to the store’s website. Any Springsteen fan will find something on the site to keep them happy with full back catalogue along with a number of bootlegs aswell. I use Badlands regualrly to get copies of Backstreets magazine which isn’t readily available in the UK. And it is worth a visit for said t-shirts alone.

Badlands don’t just cater for Springsteen fans, they have a good taste in music and when Bruce downs tools they’re always off to other shows creating a similar atmosphere so I highly recommend a visit to their site.

For Record Store Day the guys at Badlands have there very own release called ‘It’s Boss Time’ which is a compilation by a number of artists of Springsteen covers, as well as a Saturday night show with Willie Nile and Danny & The Champions of The World.

Oh and not to make this post too Bruce Springsteen orientated… Bruce Springsteen – Gotta Get That Feeling is released for Record Store Day also… (bet you didn’t see that coming!)

As I am sure most of you are aware, Record Store Day takes place next Saturday, 16th of April. We’ve decided here at Elba to scout around a bit and bring you some thoughts from Record Stores out with our locale. Today, we feature Drift Record Shop from Totnes in Devon. I’ve only ever made a ‘record store day purchase’ once before, I didn’t get up early last year to get the limited 7″‘s or anything but a couple of years ago, Drift Record Store gave away the Drift Records back catalogue, around eight albums, along with a few other bits and pieces. The majority of the artists I’d never heard of before but I now count several of these albums as some of my favourite albums, Tandy Hard – Tandy Hard, Birdengine and Thirty Pounds of Bone included.

We caught up with Rupert to get a bit more of a lowdown on Drift as well as getting his opinion on his favourite record store.

- Firstly, tell us a little about Drift and how you got started.

Drift has been in Totnes (small town in Devon) high-street since 1994, originally as a world music specialist but for the last decade specializing in contemporary rock/pop/indie/avant-garde/house/electronicia/minimalist/soundcape/disco… amongst others.

The shop has always been run on a rolling 12/18 month schedule of the best new music we here and love to promote. We’re very lucky that we have such a good set of customers (or perhaps good fortune in that we’re one of only about five record shops in 600 square miles) and it has enabled us to get behind labels like Woodsist, Souterrain Transmissions, K, Holy Mountain, Anticon, Tri-Angle… support and stock people doing really special things. Not too bad for an indie record store in a tiny little conservative safe heaven in the farming countryside. We can pretty much do what we want and I think that people recognize that we care about… so keep coming back!

- You have an online store as well as the shop. Is it important for a record shop to offer an online option in this day and age and do you find you get orders from all over the place?

We went online about 9 months back and it has been nice to meet more people that way also.

shop: www.thedriftrecordshop.co.uk
blog: www.driftrecordshop.com

- Does Drift have any plans for Record Store Day?

We’ve got a SMASH load of new music coming in so we’ll be trying to keep calm amongst the chaos of guys in denim looking for the illusive Queen 7″. Besides this we’ve been stock piling some great treats and we’re going to be dishing out (amongst other warehouse finds) Some rare Dungen vinyl, a couple of Warp Box Sets and a few copies of Thom York + Burial + Four Tet… so there’ll be some rare stuff flying about in the shop come Saturday 16th.

Come Sunday morning we’ll drunk still and have empty wallets and full record bags I am sure.

- You also have a label, Drift Records. How did this come about and do you find having it alongside the shop mutually benefits each endeavour?

The label came about primarily as a means to releasing my first album (The R.G.Morrison – Learning About Loathing) and just got a lot of good support. We’d put out Thirty Pounds of Bone and Birdengine pretty quick after that and we got some good momentum.

I think running the label made me very sympathetic in running the shop; I listen to all promos we get, I take things on sound not press release, spread the shelf space out a little… get behind things that maybe other shops don’t have the opportunity to. We root for the little guys!

- Some of my favourite albums in my collection were actually released on Drift, Tandy Hard and Thirty Pounds of Bone, do you have any future releases planned?

Thank you!

… Having said all that I did only this week start looking into licensing Townes Van Zandt material plus I saw band called ‘Barr Brothers’ who really blow me away… so you never know!

- Other than Drift, of course, what’s your favourite record store and where is it located?

I am and have always been a huge fan of Rough Trade (“west” now). It’s just such a great outlet. Waterloo records in Austin Texas is very thorough and very friendly. Amoeba Music in LA is just something else… be careful!

I love record shops… I always make a point of going and meeting people in them. Spencer at Rough Trade is tireless, Simon Pure Groove is a genius and Stephen at Mono is a great guy also.

- Do you remember the first record store you visited and what you bought?

‘Our Price’ in Torquay – I remember going to buy Blur ‘Leisure’ … I did own ‘Substance’ before that… mmmm James maybe? Frank and Walters maybe? I also had ‘should I stay or should I go’ on 7″… that was quite early?

- What’s your preferred format?

Vinyl… A nice heavyweight 10″ always gets me most excited. I bought two copies of the ‘Factory Floor – Wooden Box 10″ ‘ as it was just so pretty.

The title says it all really, or maybe it doesn’t actually. If you scroll your mouse down you will see that the last time we posted, it was still the month of March, and there was over a week left of that month. It’s not the case that we’ve been up to nothing mind you, life gets busy and sadly the things you love get pushed to the side a little bit. After all, it’s more important to be able to put sneakers on your kids’ feet right?!

When I say drought we’re talking strictly in a writing sense, getting the words into my keyboard so that they appear in wordpress and end up on the Elba blog. You see, this is a time issue, pure and simple. It’s not because there is a lack of things to write about, if I could pay myself a lovely salary I’d do it all day but needs must and off to work I go each day.

So here I am, finding time in my complete lack of time, to moan about not having the time to write. Kind of ironic, maybe I’ve just wasted a precious 200 words that could have been better spent giving a lot more attention to some of the things I’m sure I’ll go on to mention.

As I have said, there’s no lack at all of good things to write about. I’ve found an abundance of new things to listen to recently and I’ve also filled in a few gaps with old albums I’ve not ever had the chance or even inclination to listen to at the time. I found that I’m really liking the lo-fi/west coast (USA) type bands at the moment, y’know some of the bands who sounded like the kind of band my brother listened to in the early to mid nineties. Smith Westerns, Ringo Deathstarr, Girls (okay so this ones not just out but I’ve been listening to it for the last year), Lower Dens and have I rekindled my interest with Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Best Coast in anticipation of the former’s new album and latter’s gig at The Arches on the 27th of this month.

Talking of things I’m liking at the moment, I’ve received a couple of really great records in my emails recently that I really must mention.

The first EP in question here is The Whittling EP from Andrew Lindsay and The Coat Hooks. Chock full of jangly guitars and sing-a-long melodies it’s been the perfect listen for me on my way to the office in the morning. The Coat Hooks include, amongst others, Shambles Miller and Matthew of Elba favourites Loch Awe. If you fancy giving it a go, you can head over to their bandcamp where you can purchase either a digital copy of the album for £3 or a nicer wee package including badges, a note and some demos for a couple of quid more.

Knowing of my slight penchant for their music, Johnny Reb have sent me over their first album, or ‘debut exertions’ as they have put it. It was recorded in Portugal with Boz Boorer, him being Morrisey’s guitarist and that, and it will be released through their Bandcamp on April 18th. It really is rather excellent.

Also, if you’ve not yet picked up the Song, By Toad label sampler yet, you really should. It can be downloaded for free over here. My personal favourite is the Lach track. I’m looking forward to hearing that album when it comes out in July.

I’ve not just been hiding away listening to records though, I’ve been to a couple of cracking gigs by Deerhunter and Josh T.Pearson (Skinny Review Here) in the last couple of weeks and rather looking forward to seeing Marina Celeste and Best Coast over the next weeks.

Also coming up on the 21st this month, three days after the official release date, is the Le Reno Amps album launch at The Captain’s Rest. Not only are LRA playing, obviously, it’s a monstrous line-up completed by The Douglas Firs, Super Adventure Club and Galoshins. It will be awesomes!!!! You can stream or buy the album over here!

Anyways, we’ll be back again shortly with more stuff, hopefully in a more timeous manner giving a bit more focus to stuff.

x

I’m sure we’ve all seen the awful pictures and devastation that the earthquake and subsequent tsunami has caused over the last few weeks in Japan. We just wanted to highlight a couple of the many worthwhile fundraising efforts that are being made to help send a bit more aid to the region.

The good people over at Audio Antihero have released a compilation with a staggering 34 (THIRTY FOUR) tracks featuring the likes of Meursault, Nosferatu D2, Darren Hayman and Le Reno Amps. The donation for this album is as follows, straight from the horses mouth;

“It’s priced at £3.99 to those of you who can’t afford much and the ‘pay what you want’ option invites those of you with a little extra to dig a little deeper. Thank you”

The proceeds will be split between the following, Japan Society, Shelterbox, Red Cross, Save The Children and The Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Relief Fund. You can buy the album, titled ‘Bob Hope Would…’ here

Meanwhile, on the live front here in Glasgow, there will be a fundraising gig for the Red Cross taking place at Stereo next Wednesday 30th March. The line up includes a Sparrow and The Workshop/Strike The Colours mash up with a Jill O’Sullivan and Jenny Reeve collaborative effort, Haight Ashbury and Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit. Tickets are a fiver in and are likely to shift fast. You can buy in advance here.