Birdmonster Visits WNRN

Enjoy 'Born To Be Your Man' below. Read my recent Q&A with Birdmonster here.


MP3: Birdmonster - Live On WOXY

Birdmonster Keeps Tour Diary For Paste Mag

Their first entry begins like this: *I'm always conflicted before a long tour. While most of me is overjoyed at the prospect of trundling across America with my three closest friends, playing music nightly, and clogging our arteries with all manner of regional grease, there's that other part that hyperventilates over the loose ends and responsibilities I'm leaving behind...* Read the rest here. MP3 at bottom.

Visit Birdmonster on MySpace.

MP3: Birdmonster - Live On WOXY

8 Questions With: Birdmonster

This afternoon, I had a great chat with Birdmonster's electrifying frontman, Peter Arcuni. Enjoy the full Q&A session below. Photograph courtesy of Greg Crane.

1. Much has been written about the band's San Fran origin but as I recently found out, you actually spent much of your childhood in Connecticut. Which do you prefer, the East coast or the West coast? Also, I have to ask, were you and Martha Stewart bosom buddies?

Me & Martha go way back! I grew up in CT, an hour away from NYC. My family is still there. Their home is about a half hour away from Martha Stewart. Not in Snobsville! It's a small town, 8000 people. I went to school in Rhode Island. After that, I moved to the West coast, it seemed like the romantic thing to do (get the hell out of the Northeast). As far as which I prefer: on paper, the West coast has it. But I also feel like the East coast is truly in my blood.

2. Your new album, From The Mountain To The Sea, features production by Tom Schick (whom has previously worked with Ryan Adams & Rufus Wainwright). How did you two meet & was he someone you were actively seeking to pair with?

When I was writing songs for the record, the songs seemed to be drawn towards a different direction than our last record (No Midnight). Basic simple songwriting. Not about the sound per se, not about the image or the attitude, simply about the songs. We needed to work with somebody who appreciated that. Someone who wasn't going to try to overdo it & make it about the production. Tom was on top of our shortlist. He's worked with some great songwriters. It just made sense. He took a lot of pressure off of us!

3. I consider From The Mountain To The Sea to be a more gentle, perhaps more passionate record than your debut LP, No Midnight. Was this an intentional shift?

We tried not to have any preconceived ideas about how the new songs were going to come out. It just made sense. The songwriting was very intimate. Initially, we used guitars & pianos. Later, it become something else. We didn't want to overdo it. At the end of the day, it's nice to go acoustic & play any one of these songs just like that. They remain in tact. We didn't purposefully try to make this one different than last album, it just felt natural.

4. Speaking of the new album, it's being released through the Fader label. What did Fader have to offer that attracted you to them?

I liked the idea of working with a label for this record. There seems to be a stigma behind working with a label but in essence, we wanted to focus on the creative stuff. We wanted someone to help with the marketing and all the business ideas. This way we have more ability to flex our creative muscles. We met the Fader folks about 3 years ago. We had a similar mindset as to where the band wanted to go and it made sense to go with them.

5. You're about to travel around the country with UK buzzers, The Rumble Strips. Do you care to share any thoughts on the band?

I didn't know much about them before we were offered the tour. Since then, I've familiarized myself with their stuff & I like it a lot. One of my favorite bands of all time is The Kinks & I was immediately drawn to them because of the comparisons. I like where they are coming from. They have some great horn arrangements melded with acoustic threads. I think it's a nice compliment to our live show.

6. I must comment on your official blog. Not only is it updated regularly but it's exciting to read and at times quite hilarious. Do you all take turns writing entries or does one person control the majority of the content?

Justin, our bass player, started it. At first, it served as a way to document our experiences, keep our families & friends in the loop. Then, it caught on. What's nice about it is that it's not just a tour log. The blog references things we talk about, inside jokes, etc. The recording process can be quite serious so it's nice to have another kind of avenue.

7. Can you kindly explain the thought process behind From The Mountain To The Sea's beautiful & intriguing cover art? I'm dying to know.

It's landscape themes. We are using landscape as a metaphor, as the title suggests. The cover has droplets filled with earth, layers of rock & water all sort of falling down. Our designer, Katrina McHugh, did a great job. She truly captured the essence of the record.

8. Lastly, I was wondering what's in store for Birdmonster as we approach the new year. Another US tour? A trip overseas? A new EP? SXSW?

A lot more touring. We're going to try to go to the UK. Nothing has been set for that. We're still in the process of figuring it all out. More songs will be released in one format or another. This time around you won't have to wait another two years for fresh tracks!

Read my review of Birdmonster's recent NYC gig here.

Visit Birdmonster on MySpace.

MP3: Birdmonster - Live On WOXY

Birdmonster Performs Acoustic Set In Cali Mountains

Enjoy their take on 'The Only One' (at Heron's Head Park in San Fran) below.


MP3: Birdmonster - Born To Be Your Man

Birdmonster Debuts New Video

Enjoy 'The Iditarod' below. Download a Birdmonster track at bottom of post.


MP3: Birdmonster - Born To Be Your Man

Birdmonster Shares Cover Art & First Single Off New LP

Enjoy 'Born To Be Your Man' at bottom.

Learn about the recording process behind Mountain here.

Visit Birdmonster on MySpace.

The troupe recently played a free show in NYC.

MP3: Birdmonster - Born To Be Your Man

Birdmonster @ Mercury Lounge: Fake Tales Of San Francisco

Considering my undying adoration for their 2006 debut LP (No Midnight), I was elated upon hearing the news that Birdmonster was set to premiere selections from their highly anticipated sophomore effort, From The Mountain To The Sea (due out in August), at NYC's Mercury Lounge. The 11 song set focused heavily on LP2 but wasn't totally void of early Birdmonster staples. The Cali based band soared through 'Spaceman' & 'Balcony' with as much finesse & exhilaration as ever. The newer tracks certainly broaden Birdmonster's range. Whereas nearly every tune on No Midnight was magically abrasive, Mountain's hymns tend to skew somewhere between ballad and fist pumper. A truly tremendous & rarely tackled median. Catch a video from last night's performance over at Q's Gigoblog.

Visit Birdmonster at their official MySpace page. Enjoy the full setlist & an MP3 below.

Setlist: Our Ashes. Lost At Sea. Greenland Sound. Balcony. New Country. Born To Be Your Man. I Might Have Guessed. Spaceman. The Only One. My Love For You. Residue.

MP3: Birdmonster - Spaceman

Birdmonster Announces Free NYC Gig

All the info you need:

Wednesday, May 28th
Mercury Lounge
Invite-Only

To secure tix, head here.

Visit Birdmonster on MySpace.

MP3: Birdmonster - The Bar In The Back...

Birdmonster Announces Gigs With Superdrag

Catch both acts at:

June 1st: San Fran, Bottom Of The Hill
June 2nd: San Fran, Bottom Of The Hill

Visit Birdmonster on MySpace.

MP3: Birdmonster - Spaceman

Birdmonster Debuts New Track At SXSW 2008

Their sophomore LP is due out this summer. Enjoy 'I Might Have Guessed' below.


MP3: Birdmonster - Alabama

Birdmonster Sets US Tour Dates

Additionally, their sophomore LP is due out by June!

Mar 8 Angelo’s Lounge: Phoenix, Arizona
Mar 11 Rockbottom: San Antonio, Texas
Mar 12-15 SWSW: Austin, Texas
Mar 28 High Dive: Seattle, Washington
Mar 29 The Blvd: Spokane, Washington (2 shows)

Visit Birdmonster at the band's MySpace page.

MP3: Birdmonster - Alabama [alt link]

The World Of B-Sides & Rarities, #347

Birdmonster - Live On WOXY

Setlist:
Ice Age
'Cause You Can
The Bar In The Back...
Balcony
Resurrection Song
Spaceman

Visit Birdmonster at their official site.

MP3: Birdmonster - Live On WOXY

Birdmonster Heads To Chicago To Record LP2

The band shares the following update on their official blog: *Last October, we found ourselves in New York, doing the CMJ thing, riding in taxis with bloodthirsty, braying lunatics. This year? Well, we're flying to Chicago, we're doing a little recording. Thing is, its been a while since we recorded our last album and we're in full on 'let's get our lazy asses into the studio' mode. We've got plenty of new songs and now, alls we need is to find somebody who can make those songs sound the way they should sound and, quite honestly, that's what this weekend is for. Maybe we've found someone. All we can do is try it out. It's like a really expensive, horribly loud first date. Except without the sexual tension. Or the dressing well. Or the copious lying. Needless to say, we're excited. Our current recordings of these new songs have that AM-radio quality to them, which is to say they sound like they're coming out of my old Dream Machine...* Hop over to the band's MySpace page here.

MP3: Birdmonster - Live On WOXY

Birdmonster Treats Minnesota...

...To two brand new tracks!

Luckily, the fine folks over at KCMP (Minnesota Public Radio) recorded the in-studio set and posted it up on YouTube as soon as they possibly could. The tracks are acoustic and stunning, a special treat indeed. I seriously can't wait for the follow-up to Birdmonster's debut, No Midnight. Check out clips of the new ditties below.

Birdmonster - Only One


Birdmonster - Mama Oooh

Birdmonster To Fool NYC

Music Slut faves, Birdmonster, just announced a headlining show at the newly opened - Gramercy on 3/31. Purchase tix here! Additionally, they will be opening for The Long Winters at Mercury Lounge, the following day, April Fool's.

We never miss Birdmonster when they're in town, and you shouldn't either! Their live show is truly spectacular (read our reviews of prevoius shows here, here and here!).

Still don't believe us? Check out this video of the guys performing 'The Bar In The Back Of The Basement' at Pianos on Halloween, during CMJ. Now you will.


MP3: Birdmonster - 'Cause You Can

When Articles Go Bad

The LA Times learns about 'blogs', 'buzz bands' and these crazy things known as Monsterbirds and TV on Radios.

Article here!

They even quoted the editor of Bitchfork, jeezus!!

Big thumbs down.

Birdmonster: NOT A Fan Of Has-Beens!

Best rant ever!

Just stumbled upon this Mario Lopez/game show host-hating post from our dear friends in Birdmonster and I LOVE IT!

One thing about America is this: if you're famous, you're never out of work. An actor who was as best a has-been and at worst a never-was, Joey Lawrence, for example, whose entire emotional range is varying eyebrow maneuvers whilst "whoa"ing, can now, in late 2006, not only get onto a reality show where he learns to dance, but can also go on a multi-city tour, selling out arenas with other paragons of thespian virtue (Mario Lopez), and foxtrot his way to the further outskirts of "that guy" fame and glory.

Of course, if you aren't attractive or spry enough to land yourself on a didactic reality show, you can always host a second-tier game show. Since you're a bottom-rung also-ran, the producers will feel it necessary to make the contestants a parade of spastically energetic mongoloids who would rather going into fits of epileptic yelping than actually try to figure out the game.

Of course, if you aren't bald enough or poor enough to be given Emcee duties on "Deal or No Deal" or "Identity," you can always be the sibling of another famous person. Or you can marry another famous person, impregnate them with your magical famous mansperm (as opposed to the highly underrated womensperm, of course), and sell the pictures to US Weekly. Or you can have a reality show about your family that exposes your hitherto imagined lunacy. Or you can box other once-famous sit-com bit players.

Or you can do something. Maybe the problem with pop culture right now is that we reward ex-stars for being has-beens....

Read the rest of the entry here!

MP3: Birdmonster - All The Holes In The Walls

And The Award For Band That Blogs Most Goes To...

BIRDMONSTER!

Whoa! It's been about a month or two since I last visited their blog and I was shocked to see that the band now updates their site not once, not twice, but sometimes THREE times a day! Long entries too, mind you.

Guess the guys have lots to say. Judging from the posts it also seems as if they really dig the interaction between the fans and just looooove to type type type away. I say kudos!

For the record, Nous Non Plus also keeps a fantastic blog, which I suggest you check out as well, right here!

What's your favorite blog, as maintained by a band? We want to know!

MP3: Birdmonster set on WOXY

Birdmonster Captured!

By Baeble Music!

The site recorded the entire Birdmonster set from the fantastic Mercury Lounge show back in September.

Click here for a sample video of 'Skeleton Suit' and purchase the entire show for your home viewing pleasure.

The guys or gals who taped this must have been standing right next to me, don't you think?

Birdmonster & Ra Ra Riot & Division Day & The Head Set @ Sin-e (CMJ Day 5)

I would have to say that over the course of CMJ's 5 days, I saw some phenomenal acts. The Knife for starters, Pela rocked the hell outta B61 on Halloween, The Thermals really wowed me but it was Saturday afternoon's line-up at Sin-e that probably will go down as my favorite show of the festival. The show was put together by Rachel Underrated (kudos!) and was amazing.

The Head Set started the afternoon off around 1pm with a bevy of songs from their debut LP (to be released next week). We've seen them now a handful of times and each time we ask ourselves why they are not selling out shows at Bowery. I think that will change within the next 6 months, for sure. You can sample and download my personal favorite, "Hollywood" on their MySpace page.


The record release party is on 11/16 at The Annex (Stolen Transmission night). See ya there!

Next up was Division Day, straight outta Compton, or, err, LA.


Their set featured an appearance by Birdmonster frontman, Peter Arcuni, and was quite impressive. Their set may have been overshadowed by TMS staples Birdmonster and The Head Set, alongside our new crush, Ra Ra Riot, but we did truly love their set. We promise to give a better review their next visit!

Third band on the bill was Ra Ra Riot, a band we saw just 15 hours earlier at Studio B (see review a few posts down). Their set was just as exciting as the night before, despite it being almost identical in terms of setlist and energy. This is definitely a band to watch.


Already having had a session on much-loved WOXY, it's only a matter of time before Ra Ra Riot is the talk of the town. How awesome would it be if they co-headlined a tour with Ratatat? Just sayin...

Closing out the afternoon was one of my favorite new bands of the year, Birdmonster. I just can't get enough of them.


This show made the 3rd time I've seen the band over the last 5 months and they have never sounded more cohesive and intoxicating. I think what sets Birdmonster apart is their true love of the music they produce. It's obvious that they adore playing their songs live which in turn makes it feel so genuine.


Additionally, their songs are addicting as all hell.


The set featured much-requested but rarely-played 'Resurrection Song' and No Midnight heavyhitters 'Ice Age', 'Alabama', 'Spaceman' (for Pete's dad in attendance!) and 'The Bar In The Back Of The Basement' amongst others.


The band won't be back in NYC until late winter/early spring of '07 but here's a track to hold you over....

MP3: 'The Bar In The Back Of The Basement'