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A Collection of Stories about Collections of Colonies of Bees: Bon Iver, Pitchfork and sleeping instead of Cactus

February 16, 2008
concert photography, music
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Since I first saw them play about six months ago, I’ve said this randomly to various people at various times: Collection of Colonies of Bees may be my most favorite Milwaukee band of all time. I saw them open for Slarrafenland (the Danes) that I was blown away. I bought a copy of “Birds” that night, but didn’t realize their official release just happened. I love the textures of their music, the delicate melodies, the thought-out percussion.

I’ve analyzed their songs in various movements and permutations, dissected layers of guitar and loops and percussion, danced around my room and fallen asleep to their newest album, “Birds.” Sometimes I can’t believe I’ve seen them at the more low-key Milwaukee venues: Stonefly, Cactus Club and Mad Planet. I’ve also been to drummer Jon Mueller’s house. EEEEE!

And because I’m an old school music fan, I hate when the masses discover something close to my heart and co-opt it. I refer to songs, bands and sonic images in particular, mostly because it’s the most likely to be turned it into something I hate. Hey — it happened with the Pixies, being used in soundtracks everywhere. It happened with the Arctic Monkeys, and Feist with her iPod commercial.  Meh.

So I feel very protective of Mueller, guitarist Chris Rosenau & co. — I admire them from afar, am generally intimidated by them (it’s the all-black outfits and being part of various noise acts and intellectual sonic experiments. Plus, Rosenau is a biochemist!).

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2230/2214069532_c3839bfbef.jpg

But now that Bon Iver just championed them on Pitchfork, the masses are going to co-opt my love for “Birds” and I’m going to see ten gazillion hipsters at their shows, which will all sell out! Waah!!! I mean, obviously that’s good for the band, which is traveling to South By Southwest next month as part of the Table of Elements showcase, but still. I feel like someone copied a secret recipe for chicken soup that my mother passed onto me and started selling it at McDonald’s. Or posted my secret crush on a billboard on 16th and National.  Or something. That didn’t even make sense, byt mine all mine!!!

Today is Cocobee’s release party at the Cactus Club, and today is also the day we shot them for MKE’s Feb. 28th issue. I kind of ruined my fangirldom today though. I was up early for various work things, I dressed in a summer dress, I froze all day, I interviewed about six people in the span of eight hours — I was totally tired. So when Rosenau asked me if I was going to their show, I muttered something like, ‘no I have to sleep” and immediately started kicking myself.
AAAAGGHGHGHGHGH! I didn’t mean that in the “i have to wash my hair way.”
I really didn’t.

I was just really really tired. I would watch a Cocobees show over very many things I enjoy, including but not limited to: eating foie gras, riding a ferris wheel, getting free drinks, shopping for clothes, petting rabbits and eating chocolate. But I was exhausted. Mueller and their guitarist Daniel were nice enough to let me off by saying they felt like sleeping too. But I really really did want to watch the show. Anyway, there it goes.

P.s. CoCoBees precursor, Pele, has its whole catalog on sale at the  Polyvinyl store for $20. That is such a good deal! $20 worth of GOODNESS!!!

Hot to Not: A short list to induce warm fuzzy feelings in you (Bon Iver, Bird and the Bee), then cold wrangly ones (lame fashion shows at art museums)

January 28, 2008
concert photography, music
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1. Vampire Weekend -  I was whining to a friend about the lousy Coachella lineup (this may be the first one I’ll miss in five years), and he said: “I have two words for you: Vampire Weekend.” So I looked them up and couldn’t stop listening to it. Shades of the Clash, some afro-beat influences, lots of poppy, happy ska. I love when savvy Ivy Leaguers (the quartet all met at Columbia) make world-inspired music, talk about punctuation marks and name check Peter Gabriel, Benetton and Louis Vuitton in the same song. Their debut album comes out (officially) next week on the 28th or the 29th, depending on where you live. Buy it, steal it, whatever — just make sure it’s within your aural vicinity.

2. Bon Iver @ Mad Planet – Increasingly I am getting lamer and lamer with posting show reports on time. Hey — we’re short-staffed. It’s cold. I park six blocks away from my office. I was made for tropical climates, I have an excuse for everything.

But there’s no denying that last week’s Bon Iver set, though short, was the best local show I’ve been to in a while. Worth braving zero-degree weather for — and since Mad Planet was packed, I’m glad a lot of people felt the same way.

He came onstage with only two other people — another guitarist (who looked like he was 15) and a drummer, but the whole band had percussion instruments at their feet — which they used. Justin Vernon did spare, emotional renderings of songs like “Skinny Love” and “For Emma.” I was slightly worried that his songs, which are delicately beautiful and perfect for alone-time listening, wouldn’t be great in a live setting. But they were.

As usual, openers Collection of Colonies of Bees were incredible; I’m not sure, but I thought I heard them play their new album “Birds” from beginning to end. I’m thinking of driving to Eau Claire on Feb. 10 to watch him again.

3. Bird and the Bee @ Schuba’s – It was a dream come true to finally, finally see this band live. The LA duo, led by singer Inara George, was so cute on stage in her 60’s tent dress and blue tights that audiences kept oohing and awwing throughout the show. She said, “I feel like a kitten. Or a unicorn.”  Their electro-bossa-pop songs were perfection live, as delicate and delicious as creme brulee. They also played new songs, like “Birthday” which is up on MySpace. George promised “something really cute” for thier last song — and even bet an audience member that they’d definitely say ‘aww’ over it. It was their rendition of “How Deep Is Your Love” by the BeeGees. AWWWWWW!

I miss them already! (They are, BTW, also performing at Coachella.)


4. While at Present Music at the Milwaukee Art Museum, I was struck by how lame it was that Fashion Ninja’s pseudo-runway show used the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s “Date With a Night” and “Rich” as background music. If you’re trying to impress people with new, interesting fashion forward pieces (hey, I loved the clothes), why would you date your clothes as old by using music that was trendy in 2003? Ecchh. It just seemed so backwards to me. There’s so much cool new music around, you barely even have to look.
5. This weekend I am going out of town so I am missing rollerderby tomorrow and Louis XIV on Sunday (also at Coachella this year).  I am so boo. You guys gotta let me know how it goes.