There was no better night and no better place for a Ray LaMontagne concert than last night at Rumsey Field in Central Park, New York. Ray was the perfect choice to close the Park’s annual Summerstage concert series. With a light breeze in the air and a packed house singling along to many of his songs, Ray led us through a soulful, mostly subdued set, that included hits like “Trouble” and “Be Here Know,” along with songs from his most recent album, 2010′s “God Willin’ & the Creek Don’t Rise.” And to our surprise, he played one of our favorite songs, even though he was performing in NYC*:
Punch Brothers opened for Ray and he later brought them on stage again to perform a couple of songs. But the night belonged to Ray and his bluesy, achy voice. It was the perfect soundtrack to the end of the summer and the perfect evening to take it all in.
- PL
(This version was recorded in 2010 at World Cafe Live)
When we interviewed actor Jason Ritter for Issue 4 of Corduroy, we immediately hit it off. His easy-going nature and sense of humour made us quickly feel like old friends and we appreciated how he’s managed to find some levity in his often too-serious and overly-stressful profession. This is all to say we weren’t surprised when Ritter’s latest endeavour popped up on our radar this week. The actor has teamed up with LA rockers, Army Navy, on a brilliant new music video that offers an absurd and hilarious take on romance and relationships.
The video, for the song, “Ode to Janice Melt,” is from Army Navy’s sophomore album, “The Last Place.” Released in July, the album was produced by Adam Lasus (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Yo La Tengo) and is a rollicking romp of shining guitars and bittersweet lyrics, made even sweeter by lead singer Justin Kennedy’s earnest voice. The band embarks on a U.S. tour next month. In the meantime, check out their video for “Ode to Janice Melt,” starring Corduroy fave Jason Ritter, below:
British singer Anna Calvi has had a heck of a year. From working with Brian Eno and releasing her debut self-titled album in January to being shortlisted recently for the 2011 Mercury Prize, Calvi’s haunting voice and unique brand of opera, rock, jazz and folk has resonated with critics and audiences alike from around the world.
Her latest single, “Suzanne And I,” was filmed in Paris by Romain Chassaing and remains true to the mysterious, seductive nature of her previous videos, while revealing a much softer, organic type of imagery. Currently on an extensive European tour, Anna recently announced a run of North American dates in December, including a top billing stop at the Brooklyn Vegan Holiday show in New York City on December 13th. Tickets will be available soon. In the meantime, check out her new video for “Suzanne And I” below:
After a year in which they made numerous best-of lists and spent months on the road touring with people like Aimee Mann and Lucinda Williams, Seattle-based Ivan & Alyosha, are prepping their next musical course of action — and we couldn’t be more intrigued.
First off, there’s that name, spawned from a love of Dostoevsky rather than eponymous self-promotion. And while Ivan in “Brothers Karamazov” moves through the novel with doubts, Ivan & Alyosha band members Tim Wilson and Ryan Carbary navigate the indie rock world with contemplative lyrics and soulful, folky melodies inspired by love, family and the endurance needed to make it through the day to day tribulations of life. Their music is at once cynical and hopeful; aggressive and tender; apt descriptors for a band unafraid to probe their collective faith and doubts through song.
The band has released two EPs and is currently prepping their upcoming debut album, scheduled for an early 2012 release (they recently spent time in the studio working on material for their full-length debut album with producer Kevin Augunas, who’s worked with Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros and Cold War Kids, among others).
Check out a recent live, acoustic performance of “I Was Born to Love Her” by Ivan & Alyosha below and find out more about the band HERE.
Brooklyn-based duo, Holy Ghost are back with a new album and a new fall tour, and we couldn’t be more excited to take it all in! After spent the last year supporting friends like LCD Soundsystem, Chromeo and Cut Copy on the road, the guys are now set to headline, as they kick off a string of North American dates in October.
First though, they’re giving away their track “Some Children,” featuring the lord of Yacht Rock, Mr. Michael McDonald (available to fans for a “like” on Facebook). The amazing accompanying music video, meantime, was illustrated by Adam Fuchs (brother of The Juan MacLean’s late drummer Jerry Fuchs) in collaboration with Adult Swim. Fuchs says he’s known Holy Ghost’s Nick and Alex for a while now, and wanted to create a video that would play off of Michael McDonald’s voice and have “an image that would represent him as God, but also not be taken so literally.”
The song — and animated music video — is instantly catchy, upbeat and already playing on repeat in our office. Check out the video for Holy Ghost’s “Some Children,” below:
