Sorry I didn't update yesterday and to be updating so late today. Yesterday I had casting all day for my pilot, which was... interesting... Perhaps I will write more about that later. And today Yousendit has been down all day (which is how I upload files for you guys) and I was hoping it would be up, so I kept waiting and waiting to post but now I feel I shouldn't put it off any longer.
Tonight I went with my friend Diana to see Arthur and Yu at Soundfix Records in Williamsburg. Sadly, I forgot to bring my camera because I have been running around like crazy the past few days. And the lighting was actually decent enough that maybe my pictures wouldn't have totally sucked. So apologies for yet another pictureless post. Anyway...
Arthur and Yu actually consists of Grant Olsen and Sonya Westcott and their band of Dove Amber, Adam Howry and Daniel Hunt. I was kind of sad to find out that their names weren't really Arthur and Yu because they looked like that should be their names. Grant looks more like an Arthur than a Grant. It was pretty easy for me to tell which ones were Arthur/Grant and Yu/Sonya even while they were just setting up. Both are gorgeous in that understated kind of way, and they were dressed in tune with one another.
Arthur and Yu are not only from Seattle but they embody it. Or, well, they what I imagine Seattle to be like, as I've actually never been there. They are really quiet and chill and shy (Sonya goes "we're probably like the shyest band you'll ever meet or see. Sorry guys..."). They wore very earthy tones and had a very relaxed-yet-put-together look. This is also how I would describe their music (quiet, chill, relaxed, maybe even earthy-yet-put-together). It was nice seeing them in such an intimate, relaxed setting. It felt like we were all just chilling out together. I can't imagine seeing them in a big concert hall with a crowd of people.
My friend Diana made a good observation that there seems to be a sort of gimmick lately in the indie music scene where there's one cute girl in a band of all or mostly guys who sings a little - usually has a kind of soft pretty voice - and maybe pokes at a keyboard every now and then, and/or a glockespiel or some other instrument that makes you go "well isn't that not-quite-so-ordinary" - in this case one of those little toy keyboard things that you blow into like a recorder, which I have no idea what they're called). Sonya was definitely cute. And, not to sound mean, she didn't really do that much. She had a nice voice, but half the time she wasn't really doing anything besides playing the tambourine kind of half-heartedly and standing behind the keyboard (not playing it). I think they could utilize her a little better. I'm sure she knows/could learn how to play more than three notes on that fancy keyboard she stood behind the whole show. I also feel like there's a trend right now of having guy-girl bands that are simply named "guy and girl" (insert two names there, ie Matt and Kim), which could become confusing should too many bands jump on that bandwagon.
If I were to describe them by using other bands I guess I would say if the lead singer of Psapp and Rufus Wainwright joined The Shins and went through a Mad Gregs phase, they would be Arthur and Yu.
Since Yousendit it down, I can't post any songs for you. However, if you go to their myspace (which I linked to above), you can download one of their songs for free. So go, listen, enjoy. They are doing a show tomorrow night (Tuesday) at Highline Ballroom. See them while you still can, before they become the next big indie thing and you can no longer see them in an intimate, uncrowded setting. Tata dahlings.
Tonight I went with my friend Diana to see Arthur and Yu at Soundfix Records in Williamsburg. Sadly, I forgot to bring my camera because I have been running around like crazy the past few days. And the lighting was actually decent enough that maybe my pictures wouldn't have totally sucked. So apologies for yet another pictureless post. Anyway...
Arthur and Yu actually consists of Grant Olsen and Sonya Westcott and their band of Dove Amber, Adam Howry and Daniel Hunt. I was kind of sad to find out that their names weren't really Arthur and Yu because they looked like that should be their names. Grant looks more like an Arthur than a Grant. It was pretty easy for me to tell which ones were Arthur/Grant and Yu/Sonya even while they were just setting up. Both are gorgeous in that understated kind of way, and they were dressed in tune with one another.
Arthur and Yu are not only from Seattle but they embody it. Or, well, they what I imagine Seattle to be like, as I've actually never been there. They are really quiet and chill and shy (Sonya goes "we're probably like the shyest band you'll ever meet or see. Sorry guys..."). They wore very earthy tones and had a very relaxed-yet-put-together look. This is also how I would describe their music (quiet, chill, relaxed, maybe even earthy-yet-put-together). It was nice seeing them in such an intimate, relaxed setting. It felt like we were all just chilling out together. I can't imagine seeing them in a big concert hall with a crowd of people.
My friend Diana made a good observation that there seems to be a sort of gimmick lately in the indie music scene where there's one cute girl in a band of all or mostly guys who sings a little - usually has a kind of soft pretty voice - and maybe pokes at a keyboard every now and then, and/or a glockespiel or some other instrument that makes you go "well isn't that not-quite-so-ordinary" - in this case one of those little toy keyboard things that you blow into like a recorder, which I have no idea what they're called). Sonya was definitely cute. And, not to sound mean, she didn't really do that much. She had a nice voice, but half the time she wasn't really doing anything besides playing the tambourine kind of half-heartedly and standing behind the keyboard (not playing it). I think they could utilize her a little better. I'm sure she knows/could learn how to play more than three notes on that fancy keyboard she stood behind the whole show. I also feel like there's a trend right now of having guy-girl bands that are simply named "guy and girl" (insert two names there, ie Matt and Kim), which could become confusing should too many bands jump on that bandwagon.
If I were to describe them by using other bands I guess I would say if the lead singer of Psapp and Rufus Wainwright joined The Shins and went through a Mad Gregs phase, they would be Arthur and Yu.
Since Yousendit it down, I can't post any songs for you. However, if you go to their myspace (which I linked to above), you can download one of their songs for free. So go, listen, enjoy. They are doing a show tomorrow night (Tuesday) at Highline Ballroom. See them while you still can, before they become the next big indie thing and you can no longer see them in an intimate, uncrowded setting. Tata dahlings.
share this post on de.licio.us / facebook
1 comment:
how was your mb visit?
Post a Comment