A New Look!

Welcome to the new fork/knife! We've made some changes to the layout, including some fancy new links on top that will hopefully make everyone's lives easier. It'll be a few days until we have all the kinks worked out, so thanks in advance for being patient with us. In the future, we hope to have a new main fork/knife picture, drawn for us by our talented friend Brian, which should round out the changes.

I'd also like to give a big thanks to our friends Logan and Chris from whale in a cubicle, who helped us with some page formatting questions. Be sure to give those guys some lovin', they run a great blog.

It's going to be a great week at fork/knife. Hold on to your trousers!

-Chris

Potent Potables

Next week is an exciting week for many reasons, and I thought I'd talk about them in this post. In addition to a surprise we've got in store on March 3, next week also marks some great releases (Neko Case and The Boy Least Likely Too's next releases), Jimmy Fallon's debut on Late Night, and my Intro to American Politics exam. But something else is happening on Tuesday that I'm really excited for, and it's something that combines my two other passions besides music: MLB 2k9. Last year they kind of screwed up the game with bad mechanics and sloppy frame rate, but this year is destined to be gold. I'm so happy to see spring training has come, and the season is now nigh. Here's a video to get you in the mood like I am, along with literally the only song I have in my iTunes with the word "Baseball."



Guided By Voices- Look, It's Baseball
Amazon

And then an actual song from GBV from their great album Alien Lanes.

Guided By Voices- Watch Me Jumpstart
iTunes / Amazon

-Chandler

Haunting Yet Mesmerizing

The Knife's Karin Dreijer has been branching out with her solo project Fever Ray. Dreijer directed the music video for her first track, 'If I Had A Heart', but left it to master Martin de Thurah to take on her song 'When I Grow Up'. Both videos are haunting yet mesmerizing and beautiful. The music takes some time to grow on you, but trust me, it will.






-Bishop

Fiona Apple Is Awesome

I have admired Fiona Apple ever since her unapologetic speech at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1997 where she harshly criticized the deification of artists, and in turn the media outlets that popularize doing so. Being known for this primarily, it can be easily forgotten how terrific her music is. Personally, no album does it for me like When the Pawn..., I think she's really on the top of her game on every song there. What I like about Fiona best is that rather than set out to write songs, she waits until they come, which means that breaks between her albums can be very long. We had to wait 8 years for Extraordinary Machine, and I'll be very sad if we have to wait that long again for more new material. These last two tracks are from When the Pawn..., the former being a bonus track, but a beautiful one nevertheless.

Fiona Apple - Across the Universe (Beatles Cover)
Buy Song: ITunes

Fiona Apple - Paper Bag
Buy Song: ITunes


Fiona Apple's Myspace

-Donovan

=[

The purpose of this post is to say that the fork/knife radio show will not be airing this week due to continuing technical difficulties. The media group that I air it through is poorly organized and so the station is still down. Hopefully sometime this weekend I'll be able to get in there myself and fix things myself. I apologize, I know everybody can't wait to hear my vocal chords come out of your radio, but you'll have to wait til next week. I will post a song that I was going to play tonight though.

The Rural Alberta Advantage - The Air

-Bishop

Your LOL Moment of the Week

Nothing you've seen can prepare you for "Tha Pumpsta." Let me assure you, this man is a real life person, an actual musician with a PR company, a MySpace, and everything. Yet somehow, it is difficult to imagine that such a human exists. Check out this video:

Tha Pumpsta - "L-O-V-E (No Crying at the Disco)"

After watching the video, its impossible to find words that can describe my utter amazement. First of all, this looks more like an SNL skit than anything else. Second, Tha Pumpsta is definitely on drugs. Third, I can't believe that anyone would take the time out of their life to make this video. Part of me is sorry that I even posted this for public viewing, but it's too priceless. I can promise you you'll never see Tha Pumpsta on fork/knife ever again, I just wanted to share the absurdity. I hope part of you enjoyed it.

-Chris

The Roots Become Late Night House Band??

If you were still holding out on misguided hopes for America's economy, here's something that should dash all of your foolish naivety. The Roots, one of the most well respected and critically acclaimed hip hop acts of the times, have announced that they will become the house band for Jimmy Fallon's late night TV show when Fallon takes over Conan O'Brien's slot later this year. What the f***? Don't look now, it gets even worse.

NBC isn't going to pay for publishing rights, even for songs The Roots wrote. This means that the band has to come up with 200 or more original snippets to play on Fallon's show. Holy moses. ?uestlove, the drummer of The Roots, told Jam Music that the group is currently writing about 25 songs a day, an unimaginable task. The band has cited low ticket sales, homesickness, and the stress of touring as reasons why they accepted the TV offer. All I can say is that this seems like a degrading and humiliating situation for them. I consider them one of the most genuinely talented acts of hip hop, and here they are now struggling to meet the demands of their gig as a house band...for Jimmy Fallon.

Amazingly, the group appears to be relatively optimistic. They hope to reach a larger audience, and have said that recording the show in NYC will allow them to spend more time at home in Philly, while also making it easier to record and or play shows in NYC. I guess more power to them. Expect a report on this bizarre situation once Fallon's show airs later this year.

-Chris

Jam Music Article
Spin Article

Tycho Sets The Mood

Here's a song by Tycho, my current electronic addiction:

Tycho - PBS
iTunes / Amazon

Known by his friends as Scott Hansen, this San Fransisco based electronic musician is a new addition to my music library. What does his music sound like? His work sounds like a huge painting, with each song a new color and with each color a new feeling. The album I got my hands on is called Past Is Prologue. The songs are all technically instrumental; however, what I love about Tycho is the way he uses spoken word samples, things like automated weather reports that in many ways convey more than vocals would.


By definition, Tycho is a passive listening experience. It's music that creates a mood, the kind of music I find most enjoyable when playing in the background while I'm busy with work or otherwise preoccupied. I feel like often times, instrumental electronic music is quickly pushed aside after one or two listens, because people get bored or because they can't find some sort of immediate satisfaction from it. If I could give any advice to someone listening to music like Tycho for the first time, it would be this: Don't put too much pressure on the music, take your time in deciding whether or not you like it. Sit with the music, take some time to explore all of the tiny parts that the musician crafted into the song. Listen to it while you're reading or writing, or talking a walk. Eventually, the music may find its way into your brain.

Electronic music is in many ways a completely different experience than pop or rock or hip hop. With any type of music, you have to approach it in a certain way in order for it to be an enjoyable. I hope that you take the time to give Tycho a shot, and let me know what you think.

Here's another song from Past is Prologue, called "A Circular Reeducation."Enjoy.

A Circular Reeducation
iTunes / Amazon

-Chris

M(S)MW Do The Impossible

The great instrumental jazz fusion trio that is Medeski, Martin & Wood picked up a forth member for their most recent album, and it was none other than the legendary jazz guitarist John Scofield. On the album, Out Louder, the four covered the scintillating Beatles' song "Julia", from The White Album, and they couldn't have done it any better. The combination of Medeski's transparent jazz organ, Martin's straightforward brush kit, and Wood's lucid bass line allowed for Scofield to play with the famous melody in any and every way he pleased. It's a song that forces you to drop everything, get comfortable and let things come and go without a care in the world. So sit back, relax and enjoy this nifty tune.

Medeski, Scofield, Martin & Wood - Julia
Buy Album: iTunes

-Bishop

Olly Oxen Free!

Mason Proper's new album, Olly Oxen Free, caught my attention with its fantastic album art. I'm always a sucker for a sweet album cover. After listening to the album, I was more confused than anything else. What had just happened? Mason Proper is unlike anything I'd ever heard, but I can't pinpoint why. They've got melodic hooks, fuzzy guitar, shiny keyboard, creepy falsetto, and tight drums. It all fits a way together in an off-kilter way that still trips me up every time I listen to it. Does that mean its bad? No, it's great. Wait what? Take a listen. I hope you enjoy.

Mason Proper - Lock and Key
Buy On: Amazon

Mason Proper's MySpace

-Chris

I Have It All Here On Videotape

This post has no other purpose then letting me shout out my love for Radiohead from atop a mountain, but unfortunately I don't have a mountain. What I do have though, is the internet and, of course, this lovely blog. So for everybody out there reading this, let it be known, "I Love Radiohead!"

Now, with releasing six critically acclaimed albums, from 1995's The Bends to 2007's In Rainbows and in between releasing arguably one of the greatest albums of all time, with 1997's OK Computer Radiohead has solidified themselves in the argument for greatest band of all time.They have composed masterpieces from "Karma Police" and "Paranoid Android" to "15 Step" and "The National Anthem", and can also be considered one of the most influential bands of our time.

I'd like to go off record and say that "Videotape", the closing track off In Rainbows, is my favorite Radiohead song. I am saying it off the record because it changes as often as Chandler's diaper, and so I very well may change my mind before I finish this post.

"Videotape" strips Radiohead of their home field advantage, consisting of numerous layers of intricately woven melodies and counter-melodies. It exposes them and gives them a sense of vulnerability. And let me tell you, they show that they can strive in any environment. Yorke's vocal frighten and calm simultaneously. The spectrum of frequencies that the timbral piano excretes chills the body as if a light feather has gently crawled up your spine. As Yorke's layered vocals start to blend, emotions begin to swirl around the body and once the verse returns they begin to align as if to shoot you upward, ascending you to unsurmountable heights, where the narrator starts the song.

I could go into heavy detail about every moment in every song that I find fascinating, but I don't have that kind of time and I highly doubt any of you would read all of it. Many of the people who view this post very well may just be here to watch the video and/or download the mp3, but for those of you who made it this far, I appreciate you took the time to hear [read] what I have to say. Hopefully since you read this you will enjoy and appreciate the music that much more than those who didn't.



Radiohead - Videotape
Buy Album: iTunes
Visit Radiohead's website (Good luck navigating through it!)

-Bishop

Kid Cudi Samples LCD Soundsystem

Hey there everyone! fork/knife has moved to here
This particular post can be found here
Thanks!!

-f/k

File Host Test

We're trying to find a new website to host our files, as the current one is beginning to be a bit of a hassle. So I'm making this really quick, and somewhat random post and hoping that it works with our media player.

Florence and the Machine- My Boy Builds Coffins

-Chandler

Music Movies Monday #6

Well tonight will be a little weird because this will be the first night without new Conan until he starts at the Tonight Show, so I'm a little sad. In memory, enjoy a couple of Walker, Texas Ranger clips that were shown on the show.







Also, here's a Mr. Oizo music video, just because I watched it recently and it's great.



Finally, I stumbled upon this by looking into one of our followers of the blog. I hope it's cool that I post it, because I'm digging it quite a bit. Anyway, it's a mashup of MSTRKRFT and Nas by Semi Automatic. Check out their MySpace here.

Semi Automatic- MSTRKRFT vs. Nas

-Chandler

Band Interview: Local Natives

I have featured the Local Natives, a phenomenal band from Southern California, a few times, including having them be a Band to Watch, and I must say I was delighted when I checked our inbox and saw that they agreed to do an interview with us. After way too many emails, and probably interfering with their lives too much, I finally have an interview to post, and I'd like to thank the Local Natives for taking the time to answer our questions.

I could go on and on about my love for Local Natives, but as I said, I have featured them a few times so you guys can check out those posts to see what they're all about. But now it is time to see what the boys over in California had to say...
-----------------

fork/knife: Alright, I have to start out by asking if you guys are locals/natives of Southern Cal?

Local Natives: Everyone but Andy, who is from Colorado. Ryan Kelcey and I [Taylor] grew up in south Orange County. We've been playing music together since high school.


f/k: So you guys just finished up your first tour. How did the band handle being on tour together? What's some advice you could give to future first-time tourers?

LN: We already live together, so we see a lot of each other, but nothing can really prepare you to have to cram into the same 40 cubic feet with five people for the majority of a month. Luckily we get along really well. It's the sort of thing where when we got home from a month long tour we all went out together that night. Sounds sort of psycho-therapy, but I'd just advice communication and wariness towards the need for space. Oh, and rotate who rides in which van! If you get sick of hanging out with your band, hang out with the other band for a while.


f/k: What was the best place to play? Worst?

LN: Best places we played were the east coast and a little place in Hattiesburg, MI. We had never played in NYC or Brooklyn before, and yet somehow a good amount of people had found out about three small LA bands that were playing for the first time at Pianos and The Public Assembly. We were welcomed with open arms at both venues and everyone out there was more than nice to us, except the ice queen bartender at Public Assembly. She found it quite amusing to pour cocktails half full and give us a look that could kill a puppy when asking for a drink.

Half way through the tour we puttered into a small town in MI called Hattiesburg. The town was literally dead minus these creepy giant painted Swan statues, which seem to be crawling over every street corner. We barely found the venue called The Thirsty Hippo at around 8pm. By 10pm this unique little venue was packed with music loving people and it turned out to be one of the best nights on tour.


f/k: The band is formerly known as Cavil At Rest. What prompted the name change? Did the change act as afresh start for the band?

LN: We had been toying around the idea of changing the name for awhile. Ryan and Taylor had been playing under the Cavil name since they were in high school and since then the music style and band members had changed quite a bit. While finishing up the album it became pretty apparent that the band had become its own separate style with the rest of us in the mix and we all felt it needed a new identity. It was our sound, our first full length and the first time that we had ever decided to try and be a full time band. Up until a few months ago none of us had really been doing the band as a priority in our lives. The timing was right for a change, and I guess you could say it did act a fresh start for us, it helped put us in the mind set that this was a real, legit band that is going to try and get ourselves out there.


f/k: What was it like living in Gorilla Manor and recording Gorilla Manor? Release date set yet?

LN: To record Gorilla Manor, we stumbled upon a gentlemen by the name of Raymond Richards who runs a little studio out of a garage right outside LA called Red Rockets Glare. All of out prior recording experiences had been very stiff and stale so one of our biggest goals going in was to get more of a natural and more relaxed sound. Raymond's place served perfectly for this and we spent the next five to six weeks hashing out all the songs. A nice experience all around.

We are hoping to release the album within the next 2-3 months.

All living together is like having the giant dysfunctional family that I never had growing up. Constant people in and out, tripping over left over pasta and pizza from a week ago, Kelcey's usually shouting in the background and yet somehow there always seems to be at least one or two of us hiding in the corner somewhere with a guitar or piano playing with melodies.

f/k: If you had to beat up one member of the band, who would it be? Why?

Andy: Hmmm...well Matt, Ryan and Kelcey are all MIA at the moment so I would first break Kelceys writing hand because he never emailed me back his answers to a couple of the above questions. I would then proceed into Ryan’s room, wake him up, and as soon as he opened his eyes I would mace him. I don’t know where Matt is so I think I’m just going to set up the old bucket filled with tacks and water above the door prank. Then I wait.

Taylor: What? What a divisive question! Alright well...if I had to beat up one member of the band it would be Kelcey because he is the nicest and has the slowest temper, that way he wouldn't get mad at me until it was too late and he was unconscious.

Ryan: Andy is out of the question, as he could clearly destroy any one of us (see: the scar on Taylor's forehead). It would definitely have to be Kelcey because he is soft like dough and has the memory of a goldfish. We'd probably be back to normal like five minutes later.


f/k: Lastly, fork or knife? Why?

LN: From a logical standpoint it would have to be knife. I mean a knife can essentially be used for the same function as a fork. However, forks are just a better looking and all around more stylish piece of steel, and who the hell wants to be logical anyways? I remember when I was in 5th or 6th grade I was a little metal-head and had this album with a picture of a fork jabbing into an eyeball being served on a plate and I thought it was the coolest thing in the world.
-----------------

Be sure to watch out for Gorilla Manor, due out in "2-3 months". Included is a track from the upcoming album entitled "Airplanes".

Local Natives - Airplanes
Check out a few other tracks on their myspace.

Again, we'd like to thank Local Natives from the bottom of our hearts for taking time out of their busy schedule and dealing with our pesky emails. Hope you enjoyed it, because it's all for you.

-Bishop

Cruisin' Song of the Week #10

This week's crusin' song is an old favorite. It's a pivotal track off My Morning Jacket's magnum opus, Z. It comes after the disastrous experimental track "Into the Woods," which is coincidentally the name of fork/knife co-founder Chandler's failed solo blog. You can check out that epic failure of a blog here. The track is called "Anytime," and is one of the best, purest rock songs of the 00s. It's really a treat live, and they like to play it towards the beginning to whip the audience into a frenzy. Enjoy.

My Morning Jacket - Anytime

Buy Song: iTunes

-Donovan

Aesop Rock Loves fork/knife

None Shall Pass is one of my favorite records of 2007, a dark record from the dark mind of Aesop Rock. Below is easily the best song of the album, the title track. The best part? The fork/knife shout out. Drums, synth, and the unmistakable tone of Aesop's voice, which is one of the most distinguishable in the hip/hop world. What more could you want?

Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
Buy Song: iTunes

-Chris

Watch Conan tonight!

Though this is and forever will be a music blog, occasionally we stray into the murky waters of other topics. Tonight marks the end of a historic late night run, for it is the last episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Conan's been doing the show for an amazing 16 seasons, and is taking over for Jay Leno on The Tonight Show in June. We don't know much in the way of guests, or if there will be any. We do know from Late Night's website that the White Stripes will be there. Whether or not you like the White Stripes, you have to tune in tonight, for no other reason that you simply won't have another chance until June.

The White Stripes - The Denial Twist
Buy Song: iTunes

-Donovan

You've Gotta Hear: Laura Veirs

Hailing from the marvelous Pacific Northwest, Laura Veirs makes damn good music. Much like myself, Veirs went to college in Minnesota...I guess the similarities between us end there. Her music is calculated and lush, lathered in natural imagery and filled up with cavernous arrangements. What I like most about Laura Veirs is how genuine her music feels, how unassuming and satisfying it is. By the end of her latest album, Saltbreakers, you feel like you know Laura well, as if she were a neighbor down the street. Here's a favorite from the album, "Pink Light." It explodes into a tumbling and shimmering ball that I wouldn't mind curling up inside for a while. I hope you enjoy.

Laura Veirs - Pink Light
Buy Song: iTunes

-Chris

Just Because I Can...

I don't know how many of you guys actually read my review of the Delta Spirit show, but in there I mentioned that Other Lives, the second opening act, played my favorite set of the night. So after having their EP on repeat for the past few days I though I'd share a few more songs with you, just because I can. As I said in the review I don't have words to describe the band, but since my ears have had more time to digest these sweet sound waves my best description is...Radiohead-like compositions with Decemberist-like instrumentation/mentality. Short and sweet. Again, although I do it too often, I hate comparing bands for obvious reasons, but I only do it to give you an idea of what it sounds like.

With all that being said, be sure to look out for Other Lives' self-titled debut album, due out March 31st.

Other Lives - Don't Let Them (Luxury Wafer Session)
Other Lives - Precious Air (Demo)
Buy EP: iTunes
Listen to the entire EP on myspace

Oh, and "End of the Year" is posted with the Live Review.

-Bishop

Song o' the Week #11

I'm posting this song because it's so hard to find, and deserves to be heard by many, many people. The original is a classic by Harry Nilsson, and whenever I hear it I think of the scene from Goodfellas when Ray Liotta's driving paranoid because of the helicopter. And then I think of how good of a director Scorsese is, and then of how he has so much money and can't find some time to trim his enormously bushy eyebrows. I mean, that's out of control. Anyway, I digress. This is another instance where LCD Soundsytem takes a great song and makes it even better by adding that LCD Soundsystem "oomph." So here you go. Please play as loud as possible.

LCD Soundsystem- Jump Into the Fire (Harry Nilsson cover)

-Chandler

Delta Spirit/Other Lives/Dawes @ Castaways: 2/18/2009

After frantically running all over the streets of Ithaca and getting lost several times, I finally arrived at Castaways just in time to catch Dawes, the first opening act. I must admit that I thought Delta Spirit would be going on at 9, but I am so pleased that I also got to catch the opening acts.

Now, Imagine Phil Collins taking over the vocal duties fror The Beatles, and then having this band cover Band of Horses' sophomore album, Cease To Begin, and you have yourself, Dawes. It may sound deranged, but they put on a hell of a show! I, the person with no money, even purchased their album upon the other two bands telling me how great it was, and I must say that I am pleased I took their advice.

Next up was Other Lives, my favorite act of the night. First I must say that lead singer/guitarist Jesse Tabish's general demeanor (and beard, of course) make him a front-runner for my favorite indie frontman at the moment. With that being said, let us move on to the music they so generously let us enjoy with them. Rising from the ashes of Kunek, Other Lives have set out on a new musical journey like no other and I cannot wait to see where they take us. I could find new, quirky ways of describing this band's music, but they deserve so much more than I could deliver (maybe we'll leave it to Idolator). You'll just have to listen to it yourself...

The clock struck 11 when Delta Spirit finally arrived on stage, and the anxious crowd greeted them with a warm applause. Now I'm not sure if it was the caliber of the opening acts or what, but Delta Spirit didn't live up to my unusually high expectations. Now don't get me wrong, they were fantastic live, but since they went on so late lead singer Matthew Vasquez was able to put back a few drinks, which both added to and detracted from the performance. The band was loose and enjoyed every minute on stage while being playful and witty at the same time. The crowd at Castaways was also treated to a few new songs, and it seems the band is continuing to head in the right direction after their sensational debut album Ode To Sunshine. Every song of theirs grew into flourishes that often included multiple percussionists, including Dawes' drummer Griffin Goldsmith, and culminated with Vasquez letting out Avey Tare like screams. The energy was undeniable, the music was unmistakable, and the atmosphere was unforgiving.

So, be sure to check out a show on this Delta Spirit tour because you'll catch three rising bands that will I can guarantee will be huge in the coming years.

Dawes - When My Time Comes
Buy Album: iTunes
Wonder Years Troubadour (video)

Other Lives - End Of The Year
Buy EP: iTunes
Luxury Wafer Session (video & mp3s)

Delta Spirit - Trashcan
Buy Album: iTunes

Other Lives....




Delta Spirit...

Band Interview: The Antlers

The Antlers caught my attention a few months ago when I really began to branch out for new music, and I even made them a Band To Watch. The first song of theirs I heard was "Bear", of their upcoming album Hospice, due out March 3rd. Peter Silberman opens the song by using the all-so-familiar "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" melody to capture the listeners attention, and then quickly distances himself from the monotonous motiff and brings the song to a whole other level of raw emotion.

Recently, Silberman was able to take time out of his schedule to sit down and answer a few of our questions, so we thank him for that. And not just because Peter is a great guy, but also because his music is astonishing, be sure to pick up a copy of Hospice on March 3rd. Or pre-order it here.

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fork/knife: Peter, in the winter of 2006 you moved to Manhattan and "disappeared for a year and a half." What brought you to this and what was it that you did for a year and a half?

Peter: Well, it's a really long story, and it's one I'm not all that good at telling anymore. The record itself is probably the best explanation of all that.

f/k: The two songs off your newest album, Hospice, that you've made available for download seem to be very intimate. Could you take us through your writing process?

Peter: The writing process seems to change with each album. With Hospice, it was labored over a lot, but in a way it happened organically. Whenever I would get ideas for lyrics, I'd start writing them down, and they'd all have the same melody in my head. Because of this, there's a couple songs on Hospice that have the same melody, as well as one on New York Hospitals, and about four other songs that weren't released. They all have the same melody, and share some lyrics, but they're all different songs. But I don't know if that quite answers the question...really that's just the answer to one part of the process. My process is pretty disorganized, so I'm not sure I could say there's one particular way I write a song.

f/k: How much do your personal experiences influence your writing?

Peter: I'd say every Antlers song is based on personal experiences. Some are more directly personal than others, like Hospice, while the songs on In The Attic Of The Universe were still very personal, but more about something going on inside my head that I didn't quite understand at the time. So Attic was a little less overtly about my life.

f/k: We all know that times are continually changing with the advancement of technology, and the arts seem to be taking a big blow due to this. Your music is fantastic on so many levels, from composition to musicianship. What are your thoughts on this movement of sorts? Do you think it is helping or detracting from the modern music scene? And where do you find yourself in it?

Peter: I think there are some definite drawbacks to technology advancing music, but it all seems overwhelmingly positive to me. So many bands I've come to know and love over the past few years have been the result of this forward movement, bands I would have never heard without the internet. It creates enormous opportunities for people making music in their bedrooms, music that would likely never see the light of day if it weren't so easy to send people. As for where I stand in it, I doubt I'd be doing what I'm doing now if not for the way music's changed.

f/k: New York City is obviously a huge breeding grounds for bands. What's your favorite thing about being involved in the NYC music scene? Least favorite?

Peter: Lately my favorite thing has been the small-world-ness of New York. I've lived here for a little over three years now, and it still amazes me how few degrees of separation can exist between people in such an enormous city. For music, that means everyone's connected to everyone else, in one way or another. Sometimes that's a really incredible feeling. My least favorite part of New York is how easily it can convince you to quit.

f/k: Do you guys have a favorite city or venue to play? Or do you prefer recording over playing live shows?

Peter: We've toured only a bit (several weeks), and have mostly been in the Northeast, East Coast, Midwest, and South. Bloomington, Indiana was pretty great, and Portland, Maine stole my heart.

f/k: Is there a band that you're listening to that you wish more people knew about?

Peter: I discovered this album about a year and a half ago, and think it's criminally underrated. Gowns' Red State. I've been obsessed with it for awhile.

f/k: Lastly, fork:knife::_____:music. Why?

Peter: Enthusiasm. Music can exist without enthusiasm, but barely. It thrives when you're thrilled about the music you like or thrilled to make it.
-----------------

We would like to thank Peter from The Antlers for taking time out of his schedule to answer our questions, and it would be an understatement for us to say that we're looking forward to Hospice. Be sure to check f/k in the future for more updates.

Silberman was also nice enough to allow us to post "Bear", a song off the new album. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

The Antlers - Bear
Pre-order Hospice

-Bishop

F**k My Life...

"Today, my mom decided to tell me about her new boyfriend. I know him. I've slept with him. FML."

"Today, I stood by the wall at a party while everyone else danced and ignored me. It was my birthday party. FML."

"Today, I logged onto facebook to realize that my boyfriend is now listed as single. News to me. FML."

"Today, I woke up to the sound of scissors. My mom was cutting my hair while I was asleep. FML."

Wow. These are some of my favorite posts from the blog, F*** my life. It's a place where people anonymously post their horrifying everyday stories. They range from hilarious to terribly depressing. For some reason it's nice hearing people's incredible stories. You can rate them, and either agree that their life is f****d or that they set themselves up for failure and that you therefore have no sympathy. Either way, this blog is great! Enjoy.

fmylife.com

-Chris

Crash Overdrive

We received an email today from Crash Overdrive, an electronic musician from LA. This is an interesting track called "Black Hole," a straight ahead dance song with some extra grit. Not your grandma's grits. Better. Probably. Unless your grandma made amazing grits. I don't know your grandma. I'm sorry. Listen to this song. You can download a free EP from Crash Overdrive here.

Crash Overdrive - Black Hole
Crash Overdrive on MySpace


-Chris

Wednesday Wiggles

So I was debating whether or not to put up another Wednesday Wiggles, and I've decided to because everyone could use more wiggles. Instead of Justice, though, I'm given ya a good dosage of Oizo. Because a little bit of feel good goes a long way.


Jamie Lidell- Little Bit of Feel Good (Mr. Oizo Remix)
Buy Jamie Lidell: iTunes
Buy Mr. Oizo: iTunes

-Chandler

Happy Birthday!

Fantastically happy 29th birthday to piano player, vocalist, percussionist, and beatbox virtuoso Regina Spektor. Regina is rumored to be recording new material right now, which gives me an air of contentment. Since releasing Begin to Hope in '06, she has busy touring until now. She also recently collaborated with Ben Folds on a fantastic little ditty, and proved herself to have retained her incredible voice and style. She's released two albums through record labels, Soviet Kitsch and Begin to Hope, the former being one of the most succintly wonderful albums I've ever heard and the latter being an extremely charming if not as quite as satisfying complement. Both albums are fantastic and you should buy them if you don't have them. Period. I'll leave you with two numbers, one a song by Dept. of Eagles which beautifully samples "Prisoners" off her self-released album Songs, and then a Regina original off Soviet Kitsch.

Department of Eagles- Noam Chomsky Break 2002

Ghost of Corporate Future - Regina Spektor

Regina's MySpace

-Donovan

Band Interview: Viernes

Viernes is an up-and-coming band from Florida that creates soundscapes to get lost in. The band is a duo comprised of Alberto Hernandez and Sean Moore, 25 and 26 years old, respectively. After stumbling upon their music, we here at fork/knife had to learn more about the band. Viernes was gracious enough to sit down and answer some of our questions.

fork/knife: You guys are called Viernes. How'd the name come about?

Viernes: We just needed a name and it was simple. It came from the fact that every Friday afternoon we both got out of our 8 to 5 day jobs a little early and that was really the only day of the week we were able to set aside the time to record. Our connection was immediate. We started recording on our very first session playing together on a Friday last February. A little less than year ago. As most people know, Viernes is Friday in Spanish, and it just felt right.

f/k: What's the Florida music scene like? What's the best part?

V: It's all over the place, and that's really the best part. There is something for everyone. For the longest time, there has been a stigma associated with Florida music. We had some awful bands come out of here years ago, that didn't help. But there are some great new bands starting up all the time. Especially in Winter Park, near us, the local college radio station WPRK gets really involved in local music and were one of the first stations to play our songs. Having a local indie station that actually plays good music, that follows and supports local music, makes it feel a bit more like a community.

f/k: Your band has a haze and washiness that many believe creates your distinct sound. How did you guys come upon this aesthetic? Has your music always sounded like this?

V: We sort of stumbled into it. The process is very organic. The sounds we strive to create are a result of mutual, aural communication. It's not premeditated. We just listen and react, and when one of us has an idea, the other finishes it and makes it a complete thought. Sort of like tag team wrestling?

f/k: What is a Viernes show like?

V:We want to make it as live as possible. Obviously since we are a duo, we have some sounds to sequence and play to. We both rotate between some instruments. We try to focus on our vocal harmonies, which we think translates pretty well at our live shows. Songs like Glacial Change of Pace, for example, we play a stripped down version live with just piano and guitar, no sequencing, and it really bring our voices front and center.

But the general consensus has been that it sounds like you are in the middle of a dream. Some great multimedia artists who are also friends of ours, plan to incorporate some sort of interesting visual elements in the future, and we're all for making it an complete sensory experience.

f/k: On your MySpace, you announced that you'll be opening for Deerhunter in March. What does it feel like to get asked to play a show by a band that released what many thought was one of the best albums of 2008?

V: Well we both thought it was one of the best records last year too, so it's definitely an honor! We love what they do. We also enjoy all of Bradford's Atlas Sound work. He makes some great Micromixes that he posts every now and then on his blog too. Turned us onto a great Bobak, Jons, Malone song, "On a Meadow Lea" that Alberto became somewhat obsessed with for a bit.

f/k: The internet is starting to play a huge role in the way that people access and discover music. What are your thoughts on the way such technology is changing the music industry? Do you think it's a good or bad change? What kind of effects has it had on Viernes?

V: For us it's been a good thing in terms of getting people to hear our music. Myspace especially, for an unsigned band, is a useful tool. Without us having a label or distribution yet, people all over the world have still been able to listen to our music. That in and of itself is a good change. Hopefully we'll be able to get it out all over so the people in these random countries can get it, cause they're asking us for it. As for the bad aspect, well, everyone and their mother who has internet and Garageband has "started a band," which isn't always a good thing.

But we both enjoy technology, and to have electronic elements in your music like we do, it's best to be somewhat of a techie, which we both admittedly are.

f/k: You're in the process of working on your first release, Sinister Devices. Does it have a specific musical direction? Do you have a release date in mind?

V: We came up with the name for the record after recording the first song. It just kinda fit with the somewhat dark and electronic vibe we stumbled into on "Glass Windows." And it sort of created a theme for which to record. We keep the songs simple in terms of structure. We both have worked on much more complicated compositions in previous projects, but with this record we took a more minimalistic approach. But at the same time, some of the underbelly and some of the rhythms in our songs are complex. But you described it well earlier when you said it has a haze and washiness to it.

We hope to release Sinister Devices digitally in the coming months, we are almost done, we've tracked about 12 or 13 songs, but we want to lay a few more down, just to have options and make sure each song really stands up on its own. Then just a bit more mixing and mastering.

f/k: What does the future hold for Viernes? What's the ideal scenario?

V: The ideal situation is to be able to do this full time for a living, but we would be happy just being able to release records that people respect and love, tour the world a bit, do festivals with bands we respect and love, and be able to take our lovers along with us.

But in the near future we have several things. We did a video for our song "Sinister Love" with a very talented friend of ours named Chase Heavener, (www.fctn.tv) that should be done soon. As we said, Sinister Devices should be out by summer, then we'll do some shows, and right after, we are planning to record an EP with Brian Foote (Atlas Sound/Nudge/Valet/Lotus Plaza/Kranky) out in Los Angeles. We are all excited about doing something from the ground up, and he has some amazing synths he wants to use, like the Prophet 5.

f/k: Is there a band you're listening to that you wish more people knew about?

V: How about several?

We both think Women (from the Jagjaguwar label) are pretty great, they're relatively new. We listened to that record a lot last year. - Listen to Women on MySpace

That Grouper record Dragging a Dead Dear Up a Hill is lovely. - Listen to Grouper on MySpace

Our friend Lane in Portland does some great stuff under the name The Ocean Floor. It's sorta like if Van Dyke Parks and Joanna Newsom had a baby who plays guitar. He's a sweetheart and a real talent. - Listen to The Ocean Floor on MySpace

William Basinski's The Disintegration Loops is one of the most beautiful pieces of sound that doesn't seem to get old. Its hours of the same loop but it's constantly changing as the tapes were literally disintegrating as he transferred them. By the end of loop 1.1, it's quite haunting, especially considering he transfered all that music as 9/11 happened. - What?? Learn more here.

We both also can't help but dance to that jam "Walking on a Dream" by Empire of the Sun. Whether they are serious or not, that song is too good! - A fork/knife favorite! Listen here.

f/k: Lastly, you're stuck on a deserted island with a fork, a knife, a monkey, and a big blue tarp. What do you do?

V: Make a teepee/hut with the tarp, or better yet, a slip and slide, become best friends with the monkey, train the monkey to help us gather food, eat some Caribbean/Jerk style cuisine?
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We'd like to thank Viernes for taking the time to answer our questions, and we eagerly await their release Sinister Devices. Here's a sample of their music, a song called "Glass Windows." The band had this to say about the song:

Viernes - Glass Windows
Viernes on MySpace

Glass Windows is the very first song we recorded, and it was done in just a few sessions, pretty effortlessly. Most of the tracks were done on the first take. The song started with sequencing that irregular beat and the low synth line over it. We just built it up from there. But initially we liked the idea of having a beat that didn't really repeat its pattern. As the song developed, we wanted to have the electronic beat transform into a big, real drum track. But in order to track real drums for the second half of the song, after the vocal percussion, we had to watch the computer screen and hit the tom on each peak of the electronic drum track to dub over it. We probably could have notated the pattern, but Sean found it to be an entertaining session, almost like playing Rock Band. And he nailed those with 100% accuracy on the first take.

But as soon as we finished this song, we knew we had to continue recording music together each Friday thereafter. That was the beginning of Viernes, this song, was the beginning.

Viernes is playing the "Harvest of Hope Fest" This March! Viernes will be playing on the second of three days, Saturday, March 7th. The festival has an awesome lineup, we strongly encourage anybody in the area to go hear some great music!

HARVEST OF HOPE FEST
Viernes on MySpace

-Chris

Drink Up Buttercup Does Wanna-Be Take Away Show

Just the other day Drink Up Buttercup, who I featured on Bands to Watch a few weeks ago, played at the Secret Garden with Hooves on the Turf. I don't have too much to say except that it's worth a watch, so watch.

-Bishop

Album Review: March Of The Zapotec/Realpeople Holland

A fantastic combo of old and new...Beirut released a double EP in record stores today, titled March Of The Zapotec / Realpeople Holland. They split it in half, so that the first disc is classic Beirut, and the second disc is an electronic side that is some sort of solo project for singer Zach Condon. What’s the outcome? A fantastic combo of old and new. For your listening pleasure, I’ve decided to post a sample song from each disc. “The Shrew” is from March Of The Zapotec. Full of tubas, trumpets, and other various horns, there is something about its simplicity that makes it great. “My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille “ is arguably the best song of the dual EP set. It’s dancey and joyous, with a steady bass drum and some catchy synth to seal the deal. I highly recommend that you go out now and download the full release. Enjoy.

Beirut - The Shrew
Beirut - My Night With The Prostitute From Marseille
Buy Beirut: Amazon iTunes

-Chris