Band Members
Jimmy LaValle
Matt Resovich
Drew Andrews
Gram LeBron
Tim Reece
Andrew Pates
The Album Leaf graced Neumos on February 6, 2010, and it was no ordinary show. Not an official album release show, but with A Chorus of Storytellers coming out only four days prior, Seattleites were in the mode of celebrating the long awaited record from one of our own native labels’ artists. Not only did the audience get to celebrate A Chorus of Storytellers with The Album Leaf in their full glory, there was also the added bonus of the Anomie Belle String Quartet–and what a beautiful, organic gift.
Before the music started, the room was dark and thick with anticipation. The Album Leaf always accents their sets with a grand backdrop to deepen their cinematic effect. As the soft inclines of “Perro” began, the room expanded with the reflected flecks of moving light giving a subtle, ominous tone to the evening. The mix of programed sounds, keys, sound bites, textures, and the visual show had the audience acutely engaged. Continuing with “Blank Pages,” the room was gradually lifted with strings to relaxation and elegant euphoria. The Album Leaf’s presentation of ambient electronica was well received.
As the set progressed, a highlight was “Falling from the Sun.” This song was one of the riskier ones out of the mind of Jimmy LaValle. Being such an important figure in the realm of ambient electronic music, avid fans of The Album Leaf have firm opinions about lyrics and standard structures being introduced into the The Album Leaf’s vernacular. Jimmy LaValle and his merry men performed “Falling from the Sun” with earnest, open hearts, and the audience ate it up. It was a beautiful interchange.
After “Falling from the Sun” completed, LaValle addressed the audience saying, “Those were the first five songs off of A Chorus of Story Tellers that just came out on Monday.” The audience cheered. Accepting the adulation, LaValle said “And this song is … old.” with a giggle in his voice. With the first notes of “2214,” the audience went wild. More cheering ensued when the set continued with “Outer Banks” and “Shine.” “Shine” was another set highlight; the programed electronics were beautifully married with smashing cymbals from the snare drum set. Smash, smash, smash, the cymbals went, and the room filled with celestial sounds. Jimmy LaValle’s keys were bright, and the string quartet beamed.
The Album Leaf threw in a few more songs off of A Chorus of Story Tellers mixed in with some old goodies, and the energy of the room never wavered. The last time I saw The Album Leaf, it was disheartening to see so many people talking throughout the set. That was not the case on February 6, 2010. Looking around the room, I didn’t notice a single person who wasn’t enveloped in the set. It was a beautiful night from start to finish.
Please enjoy “There is Wind,” and an interview I did with Jimmy LaValle before the set.
Are you looking for something to do tonight? Well you’ve come to the right place, because SSG has a SLEW of recommendations. We’ve been giving you sneak peeks at tonight’s amazing lineup, so scroll away for a host of musical ideas for tonight, as well as a chance to win tickets for one of them (pay close attention!). Fire away!
Flowmotion is Seattle’s “best-kept-secret” of Seattle’s live music scene. They’re a live rock band whose expert blend of funk, jazz, and smooth rock are known for producing a sound as large as the packed crowds who come to watch them. Playing everything from tender ballads to balls-out hard rock, this quintet’s sound and equated energy flows like no other. Also playing at The Croc tonight is Five Alarm Funk, a band that Jodi Kaufer raved about in a review last year for its “Afro-funk rhythms, blaring horns, and epic amounts of energy.” Read the rest of Jodi’s review HERE, then make your way to The Croc tonight to check out these two amazing bands!
Local band The Senate will be in town tonight playing two shows at The Triple Door. Below are a few words by yours truly from my earlier preview, which you can read HERE. Read on, and then catch one or both of The Senate’s shows tonight–it is their five year anniversary, after all.
The Senate is known for their ‘face-melting acoustic riffage‘…With only two acoustic guitars, an upright bass, and their voices, The Senate’s music ranges from sweet and simple to driving and hard-core, all the while sprinkled with smart, catchy lyrics. ‘I had no idea acoustic instruments could rock so hard,’ says bassist Andrew on the band’s website. You will have a similar feeling when you hear The Senate’s tunes.
Local radio station KEXP is hosting its monthly live broadcasting of radio show Audioasis and there are a couple reasons why you should be at The Sunset Tavern tonight. First, this live broadcasting event benefits a different charity each month, and this time, CD Forum is in the spotlight; all net proceeds of tonight’s show will go to Seattle’s leading Black arts and culture presenter. The second reason is tonight’s lineup which will include piano-based rock from People Eating People, 60’s style political rock from Blood Red Dancers, and conscious-inspiring rap from D.Black. Check out Billy McManus’ more in-depth preview HERE, and make your way out to Ballard tonight!
Jimmy LaValle and his band The Album Leaf will be making their way to Neumos tonight, bringing with them the ambient post-rock tunes they are known for. Their latest album A Chorus for Storytellers was recently released, coinciding with the band’s ten year anniversary. The 11-track album is full of crisp, flowing, complex tracks, and is said to be one of the band’s best. See what Gabriel Arguelles had to say about them yesterday by clicking HERE, and be sure to show up early tonight to catch Sea Wolf and Anomie Bell!
Who wants to be “Awesome”? Well tonight is your chance to be enveloped in awesomeness by experiencing said band at Chop Suey. Billy McManus has seen them several times before and has this to say about them:
Awesome is more of an artist collective than a band in reality. While it is true that all seven members are amazing musicians, that is really just the tip of their collective iceberg. Their wide range of talents and interests are what make Awesome’s music so worthy of their name…They can go from vaudeville to rock, then stop for a beat and go right into swing, with all of these changes often occurring in the same song…If you haven’t seen them yet, give them a chance and you might just find a new favorite band. At the very least, you will see something that is becoming increasingly rare: a band with actual musicians!
See Billy’s full preview HERE, and find out how you can WIN TICKETS to this show (there’s still a few hours left, so GO GO GO!!).
A year and a half after accompanying/enhancing a screening of F. W. Murnau’s 1927 silent film Sunrise at the Seattle International Film Festival, Jimmy LaValle and company will be arriving at Neumos. In addition to LaValle and his myriad of synths and pedals, there will be the addition of the Anomie Bell String Quartet. Given how great a project The Album Leaf is when it’s just LaValle, this will be a show you might just regret for missing. Added bonus–The Album Leaf has inspired hundreds of tattoos. If you’ve got one, you’re allowed into the show, free of charge; for more info click here. Click here for a sampling of Album Leaf fan tattoos.
A Chorus of Storytellers, the newest album, makes good use of layered sound. This is the direction that The Album Leaf has been headed in all along: confident, percussive, electronically tinged post-rock that never meanders. It works. Be sure to arrive at Neumos early to catch Anomie Bell, Sea Wolf and The Album Leaf–you’ll be in for a huge treat!
Sub Pop is being nice again and giving away some free music. The long anticipated album, A Chorus of Storytellers by The Album Leaf (TAB), is scheduled to be released February 2, 2010. Was anyone at the February 1st 2009 show when TAB debuted some of their new material at Neumos? If so, you got a taste of what Jimmy LaValle and company would be whipping up over the next several months.
In the featured song, “Falling From the Sun,” you get to hear an ambiguous story from your chorus of storytellers. The song wraps the audience in lyrics of effort, risk, and loss. But in failure, will the listener pick themselves up and be willing to take that risk again? Will we “find a way fall?” Of course I’m throwing my own interpretation all over this. Each listener will be able to find their own meaning.
One thing that will be consistent from one listener to the next is the quality of music that is present in this album. This is the first time that Jimmy LaValle invited his entire band to record The Album Leaf content. In the past, LaValle has recorded all the bells and whistles (no pun intended) by himself. The depth of sound might be too subtle on one’s computer speakers, so this will definitely be an album worth purchasing a hard copy of, maybe even on vinyl.
Live Band:
Drew Andrews – Guitars, Keyboards
Matthew Resovich – Violin, Guitar, Glokenspiel, Vocals
Luis Hermosillo – Bass
Timothy C. Reece – Drums, Keyboards
Andrew Pates – Live Visuals
With such a drastic difference in my “To See Rating” and my “Just Curious Rating” of this event, this is the perfect time to remind everyone that the “Just Curious Rating” is pointing to my personal experience of THIS show in particular, and the “To See Rating” is my recommendation for you invest your time and money to see the artist/band live.
With that said, the only reasonable question is, “Why such a mixed bag?” Well, first let me state for the record that I am a lover of The Album Leaf, but to be honest, I wasn’t feeling this show. My feelings about this show had nothing to do with the material played or the execution of it, I just didn’t feel like the setting was very conducive for me to get into the music. I love Neumos, they have my favorite sound system/sound technicians in the Seattle Independent Music Scene, but I think The Album Leaf would be a lot easier to fall into in a more intimate setting.
In my experience, when you are dealing with a band that has such a relaxing ambient approach to music, your experience can greatly depend on the rapt attention of your fellow concert attendees; if people are talking through the concert, it simply does not afford me the space to get into it. With the level of noise on this particular night, The Alum Leaf just seemed to float over the top like background music. That being said, my experience could have been completely different simply if I were closer to the stage. But you know what? I didn’t know that for my ultimate concert experience I needed to bring my GPS, and if my experience could be so circumstantial, was it really all that good?
On a more positive note, I felt that Jimmy Lavalle was a very charismatic entertainer. Featured in the clip is a sneak peak of some new material that he is currently recording. Also, at the end of his show he invited the bands he was on tour with, Anomie Belle and Black Mamba, to join him and his live band on stage to really end the evening with a bang. That was a beautiful experience and I’m happy to share it with you.
On Jan 15, 2009 I had the pleasure of seeing Anomie Belle live at Neumos. What stood out to me about her music is that it has a very significant message, and a call for self examination. I really like approach of a poignant message wrapped in an nonabrasive little package. Anomie Belle really creates the space where you can be confertable reflecting on what’s going on in the world and your place in it without feeling judged.
Having your music be a platform for social change can be quite and undertaking, to the point where it effects your life in ways that you could not have predicted.
I asked Anomie Belle, ” How has music shaped who you are as a person?”
She commented, “It’s just been a blessing to have a means of personal expression that I feel capable with – that I am able to articulate abstract, emotional, conceptual and poetic thoughts that aren’t as expressable through writing or other forms of communication. The capacity to do that has opened me up to many parts of myself, to be honest. I’m kind of an introvert too, so it gives me a meaningful way to interact with lots of people in the world, which might not happen otherwise.”
There are lots of ways to attempt making a difference in this day and age, some passive, some aggressive, some passive aggressive, but how effective? Determining ones own effectiveness on changing a person’s viewpoint is arguably something that can not be measured. What you can measure is what you are up to. What are you doing to make a difference weather it is effective or not? How are you leaving your mark? With these questions in mind, I took a closer look. Please enjoy this thought provoking interview with Anomie Belle back stage at Neumos captured February 1, 2009.
Please enjoy clips from Anomie Belle’s song American View captured February 1, 2009
Seattle Show Gal is in hot pursuit of undiscovered talent! How many great bands are out there that are slipping through the cracks? Seattle is saturated with so much music, it would be nearly impossible to sift through it all to find the good stuff. The Seattle Show Gal staff is not so proud to think that we can bring you all of it, but we are actively pursuing all different types of acts to give you a pulse on what is going on--right here in Seattle! (See more in "About")
Local band The Senate will be in town tonight playing two shows at The Triple Door. Below are a few words by yours truly from my earlier preview, which you can read 
Local radio station KEXP is hosting its monthly live broadcasting of radio show Audioasis and there are a couple reasons why you should be at The Sunset Tavern tonight. First, this live broadcasting event benefits a different charity each month, and this time, 
