The 40 Best TV Theme Songs of All Time
Ben Kweller - "Things I Like To Do"
Live Review: Team B @ Union Pool 11/10/08
Live at Paste: Cory Chisel & The Wandering Sons
Back in August, Billboard reported that on the 15th anniversary of the release of Tim Burton's beloved Nightmare Before Christmas, a bunch of beloved bands (and, um, Korn) were set to release an album inspired by the animated musical.
For those who have never been to the Red Rocks Amphitheatre, picture an impenetrable mountain fortress. A skyscraper’s worth of stairs runs up and around the main stage, and two towering, triangular rock formations jut forth from the earth, framing an indescribably vast, epic scene.
Nick Urata, lead singer of the genre-defying group DeVotchKa (pictured above, second from right), is a busy man. When Paste first called him, he was just getting out of a live radio session and understandably needed a bit of downtime before our conversation began. An hour later, and he was ready and rearing to talk about the long hard road that DeVotchKa traveled before their recent success (stemming in part from their contribution to 2006's Little Miss Sunshine soundtrack and their subsequent Grammy nod).
Denver collective refines its earth-encompassing sound
Lauded for the ability to pluck and embellish elements from the musical heritage of Eastern European and Latin American folk traditions, DeVotchKa continues to refine its gift of blurring musical geography. While A Mad and Faithful Telling—the band’s first album of all original material since 2004’s How it Ends—doesn’t exactly break new ground, it offers a much fuller realization of dynamic and structural sensitivity. Due in large part to the underscoring of Shawn King’s distinctive percussion, the unique songs carry the band safely away from world-music clichés. The tightly organized Mariachi-meets-Balkan instrumental “Comrade Z” showcases the band’s musical proficiency, while the promenading “Blessing in Disguise” highlights the developing vibrato of singer Nick Urata. Once a distraught warble, Urata’s voice sits well within Telling’s balladry, but it struggles languidly in the urgency of songs such as “Transliterator.” These moments of misdirection are rare and, as exemplified in “The Clockwise Witness,” when the strengths of the group coalesce, the results are stunning.
Contrary to popular belief, Paste news items are not merely written to inform the reader. On certain occasions, they also provide new, valuable information to the writer. Such is this case with this item, as this writer learned only a few minutes ago that Denver-based band DeVotchKa were the magicians behind some lovely musical moments in Little Miss Sunshine. Head over to the band’s MySpace page and listen to “How it Ends” and “Enemy Guns” to get reminded of some yellow bus action.
Of course, these days, the Eastern European-referencin’ gypsy-appropriatin’ gang is offering a whole lot more than erudition to a lowly news writer. For one thing, there is a new album coming in two weeks: on March 18, the band drops A Mad and Faithful Telling on Anti-.
But there’s much more than that, as DeVotchKa gets ready to travel through Europe and North America, making stops at SXSW and Coachella along the way. The band has named the jaunt A Mad and Faithful Tour, and the ambitious designation seems entirely appropriate. There will be a string quartet, and the Slavic Sisters, a group of Cirque du Soleil-style acrobats, will appear on certain dates. Get ready for a mad, faithful, Slavic spring by accessing the presale right here.
DeVotchKa on tour:
March
13 - Austin, Texas @ SXSW
14 - Austin, Texas @ SXSW
15 - Austin, Texas @ SXSW
18 - Denver, Colo. @ Twist and Shout instore
April
4 - Manchester, U.K. @ Academy 2
5 - Dublin, Ireland @ Crawdaddy
6 - Glasgow, Scotland @ King Tuts Wah Wah Hut
7 - Newcastle Upon Tyne, U.K. @ Academy 2 Newcastle
8 - Birmingham, U.K. @ Academy 2 Birmingham
9 - London, U.K. @ Scala
11 - Rotterdam, The Netherlands @ Rotown
12 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands @ Melkweg
13 - Paris, France @ Café de la Danse
14 - Zurich, Switzerand @ Abart Music Club
15 - Istanbul, Turkey @ Garaj Istanbul
16 - Copenhagen, Denmark @ Vega
17 - Berlin, Germany @ Tacheles
18 - Cologne, Germany @ Underground
19 - Brussels, Belgium @ Ancienne Belgique
20 - Nigmegen, The Netherlands @ Doornroosje
26 - Indio, Calif. @ Coachella
28 - San Francisco, Calif. @ The Fillmore
29 - Eugene, Ore. @ McDonald Theatre
30 - Portland, Ore. @ Wonder Ballroom
May
2 - Vancouver, B.C. @ Richard on Richards
3 - Seattle, Wash. @ Showbox Sodo
4 - Boise, Idaho@ The Big Easy
7 - Minneapolis, Minn. @ First Avenue
8 - Milwaukee, Wis. @ Turner Hall
9 - Chicago, Ill. @ Vic Theatre
10 - Indianapolis, Ind. @ The Vogue
11 - Nashville, Tenn. @ Mercy Lounge
13 - Atlanta, Ga. @ Variety Playhouse
14 - Ashville, N.C. @ Orange Peel
15 - Richmond, Va. @ Toads Place
16 - Washington, D.C. @ 9:30 Club
17 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ The Fillmore at TLA
18 - Boston, Mass. @ Paradise
20 - New York, N.Y. @ Terminal 5
21 - Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Diesel Club Lounge
22 - Newport, Ky. @ Southgate House
23 - St. Louis, Mo. @ The Pageant
24 - Omaha, Neb.@ Slowdown
Related links:
DeVotchKa.net
DeVotchKa on MySpace
Slavic Sisters on MySpace
Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.
Gypsy kings and queens Devotchka are giving a few American cities a taste of their gypsy music with a small tour. Their EP, Curse Your Little Heart, was released in May on Ace Fu.
Tour dates:
December
1 - Madison, WI, Annex
2 - Chicago, IL, Logan Square Auditorium
4 - Lawrence, KS, Bottleneck
7 - Boise, ID, Neurolux
8 - Portland, OR, Berbatis Pan
9 - Bellingham, WA, The Nightlight
10 - Seattle, WA, Showbox
15 - San Francisco, CA, The Fillmore
16 - Los Angeles, CA, Avalon
17 - Solana Beach, CA, Belly Up Tavern
| Nov 20 Thu |
TV: Super Diamond (Neil Diamond tribute band) on David Letterman TV: Tenacious D on Jay Leno In-Store: Future Clouds & Radar live at Waterloo Records & Video in Austin, TX |
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Episode 70
August 19, 2008
Jolie Holland - "Mexico City"
