Hyperbole is the Best Thing Ever

Curtains For You Primer

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 12:56:00 -0700

For those of you who haven’t been around the last little while, here’s my brief primer on Curtains For You:

The band is:

Matt Gervais on vox, guitar and bass
Mike Gervais on vox, guitar, harmonica, saxophone
Nick Holman on bass and euphonium
Peter Fedofsky on vox and piano
Dave Lawrence on drums

Matt and Peter are the primary songwriters, but both Mike and Nick have written beautiful songs for Curtains’ studio albums.

The sound is: Harry Nilsson plays a punk show. It’s jangly retro-pop with a ragtime piano backbone, plus the raw energy and rough edges of guitar-driven rock. The lyrics are stunning, with unusual vocabulary, complex sentiments and just the right amount of macabre humor.

These are my favorite videos of their performances, which are uniformly joyful and energetic:

Curtains For You - A Tear and A Smile - Live at Caffe Mela from Voortex Productions on Vimeo.

and

Curtains For You - Live @ Neumos 1-14-2011 “What Good Am I to You Now?” from Curtains For You on Vimeo.

You can find their first album, Heaven’s Waiting at CD Baby and Amazon, the second album, What A Lovely Surprise To Wake Up Here, at Amazon and iTunes and the third album, After Nights Without Sleep, at Bandcamp (yay!), Amazon and iTunes.

You can find the band on Facebook, Twitter and CurtainsForYou.net.

You can see them on select tour dates with The Head and the Heart or at Barboza on September 22nd, opening for AgesandAges.

I’ve seen a LOT of chatter about phones at shows lately, and I wanted to put in my two cents....

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 06:42:34 -0700

I’ve seen a LOT of chatter about phones at shows lately, and I wanted to put in my two cents. I looooove live music, so much more than any other kind, but I can’t see everything. The most frequent way I’ve been drawn into becoming a fan of a band is through amateur concert videos, most commonly taken with a smartphone by an excited audience member. If folks are interested enough in you to want to document and share what you’re doing, all it does is extend your reach beyond the moment of the actual performance. Yes, that particular person isn’t giving you their full emotional attention, but he or she is going to introduce you to many more people who very well might. I say, YAY, phones.

Best start to the summer, thanks to the Artist Home Summer...

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 08:15:24 -0700

Best start to the summer, thanks to the Artist Home Summer Bonfire Series. The next one is on July 29 @ Golden Gardens.

It’s been driving me CRAZY that there’s no good live...

Wed, 23 May 2012 07:04:14 -0700

It’s been driving me CRAZY that there’s no good live footage of Curtains For You, because they put on such an energetic show, and they sound so different than they do on the albums. I looooove seeing them live, as I think you’re all aware, and it’s been hard to explain. This is, finally, a professionally-produced video of a new song from their set at Caffe Mela. You get to see their goofy jumping, Mikey’s enthusiastic harmonica playing and a drum solo from Matt. It’s the beeeeest.

Kris Allen Album Stream

Thu, 17 May 2012 07:05:39 -0700

Kris Allen Album Stream:

This isn’t my usual thing, I know. I don’t even watch American Idol, but Kris Allen came to my attention as the kind of Christian who should make all of the bigoted, close-minded, so-called devout who are shouting about how anyone different is ungodly feel ashamed of themselves. The show tried to set up a conflict between his small-town Arkansas self and the gay, LA weirdo on the show, and he just REFUSED TO PLAY. It was kind of the most beautiful thing happening in reality TV that year. I’ve been following him ever since, in sheer admiration for his class and integrity. And trufax, his voice is lovely. I wish he’d get away from the pop machine, and stop making over-produced albums, but you can’t have everything. This is fun to listen to anyway.

New song and beautiful new video from Matty and Mikey of...

Wed, 16 May 2012 05:39:39 -0700

New song and beautiful new video from Matty and Mikey of Curtains For You!

Bryan John Appleby’s full performance from KEXP’s...

Wed, 16 May 2012 05:38:10 -0700

Bryan John Appleby’s full performance from KEXP’s Audioasis.

Matty, Mikey and Peter from Curtains For You singing The Beatles...

Wed, 16 May 2012 05:36:50 -0700

Matty, Mikey and Peter from Curtains For You singing The Beatles with the Seattle Rock Orchestra! Whoever took this video also caught a bunch of other acts from that night too. It’s aaaaalmost like I didn’t miss it. :D

(Sean Nelson’s cover of Got To Get You Into My Life is my other favorite.)

Shenandoah Davis got to play one of her newer songs on the...

Wed, 16 May 2012 05:33:36 -0700

Shenandoah Davis got to play one of her newer songs on the world’s longest piano, and Michael Ryan Dellinger captured this video of it. I’ve heard the song a few times in concert, and I’m so glad to have a recording. It’s intimate and dramatic and beautiful.

Doe Bay Fest Snippet #3: I’ve raved before about Bryan...

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 07:56:00 -0700

Doe Bay Fest Snippet #3: I’ve raved before about Bryan John Appleby’s writing, and I’ll probably do it again. He stands out even in the crowded field of Seattle talent. His voice is clear and warm. Listening to it is like being wrapped in the softest blanket. Which you are going to need to cushion your fall, because his lyrics are often intense and heartbreaking. He speaks knowledgeably about despair and loss and doubt, and his imagery is so specific and clear, you feel as if you are living those feelings. There’s a moment in one of his songs that has startled me to actual tears on more than one occasion. And yet, his songs contain moments of exaltation, either lyrically or musically, and even the saddest of them aren’t the kind of sorrow that drags you down. There’s something heroic about them, the voice of someone who is looking suffering right in the face and describing what he sees in the most clear-eyed way possible. It’s beautiful.

Better writers than I have said everything that ever needs to be...

Sun, 21 Aug 2011 10:17:19 -0700

Better writers than I have said everything that ever needs to be said about Damien Jurado’s songwriting, which is intimate, beautiful and melancholy. I won’t belabor the point here, but what gets me each time I listen is how vulnerable his voice is. He sings in a conversational style, like he’s confessing something to you, but then leaps up into these quavery high notes at key points. They’re like an arrow to the heart, truly. The timbre and vibrato of his voice recall the sound of someone in the grip of strong emotion, and it’s hard not to follow him there.

Tony Kevin, Jr

Fri, 19 Aug 2011 11:36:32 -0700

Tony Kevin, Jr:

Okay, Doe Bay Fest bands, let’s do this! The first official act I saw was Tony Kevin, Jr. He has a self-deprecating stage presence that is very appealing, but that self-deprecation is nowhere to be found in his music. He’s a passionate and powerful singer, with a voice that commands attention. It’s got a rough edge to it that makes me think of wide-open spaces and dusty country roads, and it communicates anger, longing and triumph by turns. Great stuff.

Sound on the Sound and Tyler Kalberg have done it again!...

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:33:32 -0700

Sound on the Sound and Tyler Kalberg have done it again! They’ve found a way to explore the mechanics of songwriting without robbing it of any mystery or magic. This is a beautiful, strange and interesting look into the creative mind of Bryan John Appleby.

I can’t wait for this show. Shenandoah Davis is a...

Wed, 27 Jul 2011 11:35:00 -0700

I can’t wait for this show. Shenandoah Davis is a compelling performer. Even though her beautiful songs are carefully crafted, you feel as if they’re being spontaneously formed. The music seems to take over her body and rush out her fingers, and the way she uses her gorgeous voice, it sounds as if she is working out something personal, murmuring questions to herself. It’s impossible to look away.

I fell stupidly in love with Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside...

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 12:45:55 -0700

I fell stupidly in love with Sallie Ford & the Sound Outside this week. I cannot stop listening to their album, which you can stream in full at their site. They also just recorded a session with Daytrotter.

Geez, the Doe Bay Fest lineup has been the source of manymany treasures already, and it’s not even August yet.

After Nights Without Sleep by Curtains For You

Tue, 17 May 2011 12:10:49 -0700

After Nights Without Sleep by Curtains For You:

The new album from Curtains For You is out today! I LOVE it. There’s a rawness to it, both sonically and emotionally, that the previous albums only hint at. The songs are just as carefully constructed. Matt’s voice and the unique way that Mikey uses his guitar still intertwine beautifully, but there’s a new urgency to the singing and to the instrumentation. Well worth checking out. ♥

The band Curtains For You sounding great and being awkwardorable...

Thu, 12 May 2011 11:07:00 -0700

The band Curtains For You sounding great and being awkwardorable on their television debut.

C'mon by Fun. and Panic! At the Disco

Thu, 12 May 2011 11:03:00 -0700

C'mon by Fun. and Panic! At the Disco:

fun. and Panic! at the Disco collaborated on a song in preparation for their tour. It’s glorious orchestral pop, an excellent marriage of both their styles, plus Nate and Brendon sound fantastic together. YAY.