Interview: This And That With Daniel Balk of the Postelles

From “White Night” to “1, 2, 3 Stop”, the Postelles have made catchy retro rock/pop with a city edge their signature sound and one that works. Between their eponymous debut album from 2011 and time spent on the road playing club shows, various festivals, honing their songs and live show, the New York City rockers have taken a minute or two to ready album #2 but ready it is and was released into the wild on April 23rd.  For those of you here in Los Angeles, the boys from New York City have a date at the Bootleg Theater on May 21st. For everyone everywhere else, check their tour dates HERE.

The Postelles voice and guitar guy, Daniel Balk, took a moment to discuss  important things like the new album, being shook and what he really thinks of Los Angeles.

Q: For those not in the know (and I’m very much in that camp), what exactly is a ‘Postelle’?
Daniel: In terms of the band it's a made up word, but we have had a fan from Australia tell us female postal workers in Australia are, indeed, Postelles.

Q: That’s…odd, but thanks for clearing that up. Now your new album …And It Shook Me seems like quite a romantic album or rather there is an overarching theme of ‘love’ in the lyrics: what’s the occasion?
Daniel: Love is the occasion. We've had one too many candle lit dinners as a band on tour. The album is dealing with life and relationships while away on the road and the emotions that occur with that.

Q: Speaking of love and relationships, the duet with Alex Winston (“Pretend It’s Love”) is a particularly bright spot on the album; her vocals are damned endearing. How did you wind up working with her on that track?
Daniel: We were friendly and I wrote a song that I was interested in having a female vocal involved on. I gave her a call and asked if she'd be down. She was a perfect fit and she did a great job.

Q: Definitely agree with you there. And now that album #2 is done, when you look at your two releases- other than time- what do you feel is a major difference between the two records?
Daniel: We've matured as musicians and people. We've grown as a band and understood the studio more so in my mind it is a much more mature record in terms of the sound and production. The songwriting is better but we've also learned so much from years of touring.

Q: Well one thing that definitely has not changed is the distinctly retro sound that you guys foster. How did such youth wind up with such an appreciation for such a not-so-young sound? Not complaining, mind you.
Daniel: Our parents were definitely musical people and they introduced us to their favorite bands. Whether it be Bob Dylan or The Beatles, we learned about rock and roll at a very young age and grew to love it.

Q: We appreciate all of your folks for the solid background. And being from NYC (as I am) I imagine the aesthetics of the city would filter into one’s music. I don’t know if that’s true or not for you, but I have visions of an odd morning getting flashed on the A train or an amazing bagel winding up in a song…like “Running Red Lights”, for example (don’t worry: I’m not calling Traffic Enforcement). Does that ever happen in the writing or is the writing a bit more general?
Daniel: You definitely are right with that assumption. The city definitely is a huge inspiration in our music. The most obvious influence might be 'White Night' from our first record where as ...And It Shook Me is influenced by many places because of all the touring. For example 'Tidal Wave' is a song that I wrote in Los Angeles, when I visited for the first time, so this album ventures out of New York. Having said that, New York will always be my biggest influence in terms of the band.

Q: I always like to know what musicians are listening to of late, so do tell: who’s listening to what these days?
Daniel: We really like the new Vampire Weekend record so far. It just came out, but what I've heard I've really enjoyed.

Q: You have tour dates in May and June with Aussies Atlas Genius (whom I adore) and sonically that seems like a good pairing; what's on the schedule through the rest of the year?
Daniel: More touring, we always love to be on the road. We are planning more shows now and we're excited to play the new record for everyone. Definitely check out our website for updates.

Q: Well, we know that you’re coming back to Los Angeles to play the Bootleg Theater on May 21st; tell me something nice that would make me believe that you like or you’ve actually missed our insane little city.
Daniel: I really love LA. I've actually visited as a traveler away from the band as I really wanted to experience the city apart from playing shows. It's very beautiful and we filmed our video 'Caught By Surprise' in Silverlake and the director, Gus Black, filmed not only that video but also 'Running Red Lights' in California as well.

Q: That was so sweet that I almost believed you. Now tell me what you REALLY think of LA.
Daniel: I really like it! At first I didn't. I love New York more because it's home and it's New York, but if you want some gossip here it is. Our bassist John doesn't like LA. I agree with him about some things, for example everything is so far apart. Though, I will say I personally enjoy it.

Q: I hear you...and no foul on John. And nothing compares to NYC’s public transit system. One more question: …And It Shook Me: what, exactly, shook you?
Daniel: Life, everything. It's basically all of the experiences we've had in the last few years wrapped up into an album. Mostly touring and traveling and shows and all of that. This is a very personal album and a very genuine one and I hope people notice that.

Q: Is that your final answer?
Daniel: Can I phone a friend? If not, yes.

With no lack of humor, check out this irreverent video for the track, "Caught by Surprise" from ...And It Shook Me.

VIDEO: The Last Internationale Call For "Workers of the World Unite!"

Even though 'folk rock' has been around for years, as genres go, it's a conflicted one as 'rock' and 'folk' have such dissimilar energies and origins. But the merger of the two has gone on to be the impetus of great and highly conscious musical things: see Cat Stevens and Bob Dylan for further.

Today is International Workers' Day and that certain soul of protest, rebellion, social change- as well as good, old-fashioned blues-rooted rock and roll- can be found in the Last Internationale: a three-piece outfit from New York who embrace rawness in sound as well as a spirited esthetic of punk keeping it as real as it is reactive where you wouldn't be far off-base if you drew likenesses to Band of Skulls or the Dead Weather  (with a lot less annoying attitude). Politically minded (they're not above thinking President Obama should be tried for war crimes), wanting to spark a revolution and a primal sound and live show, all things considered, the Last Internationale are already rockers to reckon with.

In their latest video, "Workers of the World Unite!," Delila (vox, bass), Edgey (guitar) and Fernando Silva (drums) tame their usual high energy to shine a light on the plight of farmers and the American dream that doesn't always come to fruition as the images of farming life flicker by while Delila's clarion voice shifts from delicate inflections to powerful surges of demand. Check it out and I dare you to remain unmoved. There's much to like about the Last Internationale and this is merely the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

Delicious Synth Pop, Thy Name Is Jonathan Bates aka Big Black Delta

Jonathan Bates is the sexiest Venezuelan that I know. Granted, he’s the only Venezuelan that I know but that’s nitpicking and I’m not about to diminish his level of cool particularly on the musical front.

Now based in Los Angeles, in 2011 under the moniker of Big Black Delta, Bates (formerly of Mellowdrone) ventured off into the world of electronically designed music. Armed with a laptop, technology, synesthesia and his vivid sonic imagination, he mashed up everything there was to love about 80s synth, dance and pop and then French kissed it with a sci-fi celestial bend for additional sexy. An early result of this magic carpet ride that we got to enjoy was “Huggin & Kissin” which was nothing short of a fantastical thunder dance of rhythm.

As one with [extremely] limited appreciation for things electronic/a, EDM and the like (ok, Thomas Dolby was cool), Big Black Delta managed to hit all of the right notes with me with the massive sound and textures on his kind-of-debut-album-but-not-quite BBDLP1. I say “not quite” because the 10-song BBDLP1 went and got an upgrade. Tuesday, April 30th sees the release of Big Black Delta; the new 13-track ‘debut’ featuring a good portion of BBDLP1 lovingly re-mastered and tweaked with a few new additions making it a warm and full-bodied, futuristic warp of beats and propulsion.

One of those additions debuted in March: “Side of the Road” with its synth-laced buzz and vocoder contortions. If you haven’t already, check out the video which finds Jonathan inside the machine getting his Gene Kelly on in a very digitized world. Most apropos.

And yes, “IFUCKINGLOVEYOU” actually is the title of a song. Jonathan’s just not shy about letting us know how he feels and I can totally get behind that.

If you’re in LA tonight, Big Black Delta (the project) celebrates the release of Big Black Delta (the album) at It’s a School Night at Bardot. But the bigger point is that a full and proper album is here for your pleasure. Dig in to Big Black Delta in all of the usual social places: Official Web, Facebook and Twitter.

And the dude likes the kitties. See?

A Silent Film: LA Moments and a Bed To Call Home

A Silent Film = Robert Stevenson (vox, piano), Karl Bareham (guitar), Ali Hussain (bass) and Spencer Walker (drums)

Their stop in Los Angeles at the Troubadour on February 28th was a sold-out one and- along with Australia’s Gold Fields- fits perfectly into A Silent Film’s nefarious master plan of being (according to Spencer) the “only English band on the road” in a respective tour. Even so, they do admit to being open to the prospect of possibly touring with fellow countrymen and High Voltage favorite, the Chevin. I may have planted an extra seed of potential for such a thing to happen by heartily endorsing the Chevin as really nice guys and reminding them that both bands chose to record their current albums in the same studio in- of all places- El Paso, TX. “I do really like that song [“Champion”],” mused Spencer.

Collectively from Oxford, England, the guys of A Silent Film make beautiful music: the kind that is heartfelt with uplifting, thoughtful and exploratory narratives that pretty girls love to sing along to. And what they deliver live cannot be mistaken for anything other than a rock show as they translate the beautiful into damned fine energy. Touring on their second album, Sand and Snow, and with the radio-ready hits “Harbour Nights,” “Danny, Dakota and the Wishing Well” and “Anastasia” under their belts, they’ve made a healthy impression on this side of the pond, certainly in Los Angeles: this is their fourth tour visit. Their initiation into the City of Angels, their very first LA show, turned out to be at none other than the infamous Viper Room in 2010: An experience categorized as “crazy” and “a bit of a blur.”

Robert: “That was our first opportunity to play LA. The coolest thing about it was when we finished sound check and we had to put our gear somewhere and the guy said ‘Put it in Johnny’s [Depp] booth’. That’s pretty cool.” And the show was a good one, complete with pretty girls singing along so cheers all around.

As far as ‘LA moments’ go, A Silent Film were surely gifted a high quality one that evening, but you’re not truly one of us until you’ve been subjected to when things get just a little awkward.

Karl: “Oh, when we went to that party…”

Spencer: “OH THAT WAS SO LA! That was amazing.”

Robert: “We get invited to this party, we went all the way to the top of Beverly Hills…in a van and trailer [at this point Spencer is giggling, Karl is shaking his head]. There was a valet at the party, so you know what kind of party it is, at a really, really big mansion. Spent ages trying to get the van up the hill to the party! All these fancy cars and there’s our van with a trailer. When we actually did get to the party there were about 15 people there?”

Spencer: “If that. Basically the person whose party it was wasn’t there and there was just a bunch of people like…who just when you walk in immediately look at you, don’t recognize you and go back to their non-conversation while looking over the shoulder of the person they’re talking to. It was the weirdest night.”

Robert: “Actually there was a DJ in the corner just spinning records to nobody. Just being paid to be there. It was so LA. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve had some great nights in LA, but that’s probably the most ‘LA’ night.”

On the flip side, Karl offered up what he considers to be an ‘awesome’ night in Los Angeles: “I like to go to Swingers (West Hollywood diner). Just hanging out.” Robert and Spencer are in wholehearted agreement.

Band formation can tend to be a fluid process as, over time, members may come and go and A Silent Film has been no different. Coming from different bands and moments in time found a way to conspire so that Robert, Karl, Ali and Spencer would eventually and fortuitously meld in 2010. “The nice thing about this band,” Robert says “is that it’s come together like gravity pulled us together. Some benevolent force has got the four of us together to make music because it’s happened very naturally.”
Spencer adds, “It’s evolved into this. Which is a great feeling rather than the four of us just being together and trying to make it work just for the sake of it. This is what’s stuck.”

From here A Silent Film continued their co-headlining tour with Gold Fields in the US, ending their road trip in March at South By Southwest in Austin, TX. There I caught two of their festival sets and, even though it had been a long few months and they were a little road-weary, their shows were no less endearing and vibrant than in Los Angeles. A nomadic and rock and roll lifestyle is not easy. It may be a dream come true, but it’s hard work and sometimes there’s just nothing like sleeping in one’s own bed.

After SXSW, they headed back to the UK for a few weeks of rest in those beds of theirs before resuming life on the road in the US. They're coming back for you, America, so check out their tour dates HERE.

Speaking of beds...

Robert: “Oh my goodness it feels so good when you finally get out of the van and you have somewhere to call ‘home’.”

Spencer: “We don’t say that word, actually, because it’s too emotive. So we don’t use the “B” word in relation to the possessive. It’s too much to handle.”

I’m almost positive that Spencer whimpered.

“I’m going to start welling up. I’m gonna be weeping uncontrollably on the floor if you start talking about my bed.”

I had no idea they were so sensitive.

Official web
Facebook
Twitter

Dangerbird Co-Founder Peter Walker Finds His Punk Spirit With Broadheds

Say 'hello' to Broadheds. An unexpected musical offering for sure, but shape-shifting from the delicate melodies of his band Eulogies to ska-infused punkish rock is a transition that Dangerbird Records co-founder Peter Walker has taken seriously; hence enlisting the likes of Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Beck, NIN) on bass, Fitz & the Tantrums sax man James King and Denny Weston Jr (Earlimart, the Kooks) on drums. Broadheds’ 13-track, self titled debut checks in at under 30 minutes (which is totally punk rock), scratches with rawness and youthful agitation yet fine-tuned undertones that don’t undermine Walker’s energy. It's a dichotomy in the listening, no more so than when a breakneck pace is pitted against the out-of-sight and off-the-wall brassy wailing from King's saxophone in the track "Nothing That I Care About." Feel free to get to downloading it right here.

Accompanying the listening, the album comes with a 64-page booklet created by visual artist Mark Todd who sat in during the band's 3 1/2 day recording blitzkrieg and it's pretty dynamic, eye-involving stuff. The album hits the streets on Tuesday, April 9th and Broadheds will celebrate it with a CD release show that night at Bootleg Bar. Shows to date are:

April 3rd   @ Sainte Rocke, Hermosa Beach, CA
April 9th   @ Bootleg Bar, Los Angeles, CA (CD release show)
April 10th @ Fingerprints Music, Long Beach, CA

Broadheds may be a momentary flex of Walker's creative muscles but it's a good one worth paying attention to.

South By Southwest-Watch: Track-By-Track With Irontom

The number of times that I’ve mentioned Irontom via Tweet, Facebook, email or face-to-face conversation probably cannot be counted but you should know that it is for cause: I happen to believe in this band. A five-piece out of Los Angeles, Harry Hayes (vox), Zach Irons (guitar), Dane Sandborg (bass), Daniel Saslow (keys) and Dyl Williams (drums) are, by my ear, a little too dynamic, too talented and too non-ordinary of a band to be ignored. It’s classic rock high on youth, fresh blood and swagger: unabashedly loud, dense and eclectic.

Two seminal events have and are about to happen: Irontom has released a 4-song EP (Loose) and they’re making their first trip to South By Southwest (SXSW) this week. This simply means that they now have recorded music to be judged by and that they’ll be before more eyes and ears than ever before. As Harry put it: “This is our first EP. We put it out basically to announce the existence of the band.”

Announcement, made. Each of those four songs has an individual killer rhythm, upheaval and instinct about it and apparently- with a full-length album on the way- it’s only the tip of the iceberg. Here’s introducing you to those four songs by way of Harry, himself.

1. “Mind My Halo”
This was one of the first songs we wrote as a band. Over the course of a week At Zach's grandma's house we wrote and recorded four songs. One of them was “Halo.” Dan came in with most of the chords on the Rhodes and then one night we sat in a circle and figured out all the rest. We all knew that we had something pretty decent with this one. The lyrics are about a guy turning towards religion as an answer to his lonely and empty feelings. The dude basically finds out that even though his new creed might've distracted him from his deep fears, it's all still there as plain as ever.

2. “My Brothers”
The song is about my two drug addict brothers. They've caused a ton of grief for my family over the past couple years. It's a pretty personal song and that's why it's sick.

 

3. “Goin’ Slow”
This is a song Zach and I wrote some time before the band. It was really easy to bring into the group and it's great live because Dan and Z get to solo and fly with the seagulls. It's a song about being too content with whatever's going on. And then getting into the habit of being stuck there. The day we recorded this one, Z had been drinking quite a bit more 4loko then he normally does. When we told him to slow down, he just said 'never tell me what to do'.

 

4. “Lady Got Me”
Another song Zach and I had written that we brought into the band. Z is playing drums on this recording as well. Zach and I wrote this with him jamming on drums and me on guitar. We wrote this song the year the band basically came together and I remember it exciting Dane and Dan to start working seriously with Zach and I. It seemed like a good one to include on the EP. Lyrically it's a song about trying to forget about a crazy old girlfriend.

Their current SXSW schedule looks like this but don't be surprised if more shows get added:

SXSW
Mar 12th @ The Jr (603 Red River St)
Mar 14th @ The Old School (401 E. 6th St)

Last Week In Review: Irontom, Gold Fields, & Snowden

Three musical offerings of vastly different natures highlighted last week that are worth pointing out. If they're not already, maybe these will wind up on your radar to look forward to when coming to a city near you:

Irontom @ Dragonfly, Hollywood 2/26/2013

There are many reasons why I keep eyes and ears keenly focused on Irontom and this show at Dragonfly was yet another summation: they're one hell of a fucking band. Their immense and eclectic sound taps classic rock, 90s rock and even an undercurrent of reggae and youth and young manhood are definitely on their side. The five-piece of Zach Irons, Dane Sandborg, Dyl Williams, Daniel Saslow and Harry Hayes whose cherubic offstage demeanor in no way prepares you for what he unleashes on stage, made heads bounce and bodies move with songs like "Your Mother" (no really, that's the title), the circus baroque of "Going Slow," the well thought out derision of "What Will Happen To All The Indie Stars?" (yeah that, too, is the title) and "Mind My Halo." 

Their 4-song EP, Loose, and upcoming full length album were both produced by THE amazing Alain Johannes (from Eleven, Queens of the Stone Age, Them Crooked Cultures) and that, alone, speaks to the potential of these guys. Next week they make their way to SXSW to put a beautiful hurt on Austin, TX, so if you're out there, put Irontom on your "must see" list and make it happen. You'll want to be able to boast that you saw them "way back when."

Hits: At one point 2/5ths of Irontom was naked from the waist up.

Misses: Other than their set always seeming too damned short...

Gold Fields @ the Troubadour, West Hollywood 2/28/2013

The electo bombast and rhythm of Gold Fields came to do their thing in Los Angeles and do it on the Troubadour stage for a sold out show. The last time this five-piece from Ballarat, Australia came to LA was in October  2012 for the Culture Collide Festival and it was nothing short of balls to the wall as their dense electro pop aerated by great harmonies served notice that these guys meant business. Now where that October show was a 10 on the rocking scale, this Troubadour show registered about a 7.5. I can't speak to what was ailing young Mark Robert Fuller (vox) but something surely was: it seemed a bit of a challenge for him muster his full-on self and he frequently clutched at his throat but for the 45 minute set he gave it his best and, for the LA crowd, it seemed just fine. Their freshly released full-length debut album Black Sun got proper treatment as the set kicked off with "Meet My Friends" and Fuller pushing through, seemingly feeding off of the energy of his mate Ryan D'Sylva's tribal beat, the swirl of synthesizers, electric chords, more cowbell than you can shake a cow at and a crowd there for a good time. In the end a good time became a great time with "The Woods," "Treehouse" and breakneck "Moves" sounding full and the fully realized gems that they are as Gold Fields brought everything to a rowdy close with their signature "Dark Again." 

Hits: Youth and energy triumphs. Glow sticks were present: yes, I had one.

Misses: No "Ice." Now THAT'S the song I want to hear live. Next time, boys? Thanks in advance.

Snowden @ the Satellite, Los Angeles 3/1/2013

By the looks of and the number of bodies occupying the Satellite in Los Angeles on this Friday night you would think that a few folks have missed Snowden aka Jordan Jeffares and the songs that made his sideways pop nod on post-punk so endearing. "It's been a long seven years since we've played LA." said Jeffares.

"Too long!" random dude loudly volunteered from somewhere in the middle of the Satellite floor. The masses seemed to agree.

This is what happens when you drop a record, it leaves a mark and then you kind of do whatever they did that kept them out of arm's reach for seven years. Doing a balancing act of material from Anti-Anti, EPs and forthcoming album, No One In Control (due May 14th) it was a successful return for Snowden: "Between the Rent and Me" and "Don't Know Me" garnered some sing-along action (love it when people know the words to what others find obscure) and it all came to a fruitful end when Snowden dangled the hook of that damned catchy "The Beat Drops" over the room.

Hits: That guy who kept it analog by waving a real lighter (as opposed to a cell phone or the lighter app) in the air. It was a moment.
Misses: Why didn't more people follow suit? That would've been awesome.