DARLINGSIDE » Dave

Phone dump: In the studio

Dave — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 16:01:55 +0000

My phone’s been holding these in for a little bit too long, and getting very fidgety as a result. Finally, it all spills out:

May 27 — Band and producer meet, and promptly get to work.

May 18 — I can’t recall exactly what made me take this photo. But doesn’t Sam look great!? You know, sometimes it just makes me happy to see Sam so happy. (Behind him: the tracking progress chart!)

May 20 — This is either the same tambourine that was used for tracking James Taylor’s “JT” album, or else somebody went to great lengths to trick us into drawing that conclusion.

May 27 — The 3 lb. gummi-worm, part I: The worm is presented.

May 27 — The 3 lb. gummi-worm, part II: The worm is engaged in single combat (er… hmm… I guess it was specifically double-teamed). Happy birthday, Don!

May 28 — A Darlingside ProTools session bears an unsettling resemblance to the most revered bad guys in video game history.

May 29 — Alcohol, spicy food, and dairy: the three dietary no-nos of vocal health, and therefore precisely what I crave as soon as I finish doing takes.

Atlanta –> Knoxville

Dave — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 21:36:28 +0000

Though we’re no longer in Atlanta (we’ve made it now to our hotel room in Knoxville, TN), two things need to be said about our time in Georgia’s capital.

Firstly, the food was what-are-you-even-talking-about good: for dinner #1, we downed some classy yet affordable tacos, stuffed with the likes of grass-fed brisket, cow tongue, chicken hearts, and “young goat”; then for dinner #2, we were treated to even classier homemade chicken marbella, served up with salad, warm bread, cookies, beer, and lots of love. Many thanks to our hosts for the night (the parents of one of our singing buddies from school), who gave us all of this and a place to rest our weary heads, albeit briefly…

In order to make it to Knoxville in time for our noon radio slot, we needed to leave around 6 am, so it was in our best interest to head out and try to get some sleep as soon as possible after our set. However, Brooklyn-based experimental-rockers The Rex Complex made this very difficult, by way of taking the stage after us and being extremely awesome. We stuck around as long as we could, but we unfortunately weren’t able to catch the rest of the acts (we had to leave just as Railbird was taking the stage). Railbird and The Rex Complex share some members, at least in their lineups last night, so we’re willing to bet the awesomeness continued in our absense. Those of you interested in experimental-indie-roots music (with a penchant for reimagined jazz standards) should make sure to check these guys out.

So, I know we’re in Knoxville now, but for posterity:

Thanks to those of you who tuned in to the radio show this morning on WDVX’s Blue Plate Special. It was a wonderful success, and we’ll soon be making ready for the show tonight at 10 at the Preservation Pub. The weather is getting a little unruly, so bring your galoshes. And, oh dear, speaking of unruly:

Presenting: Exit Clov, Meatballs

Dave — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 13:12:34 +0000

Don’t forget, we’re still taking submissions for the open mic. Send us your artistic creations, artist recommendations, policy memos, whatever.

This Saturday, the 26th, we’ll be playing a set at 8pm at Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 2. We’re particularly excited about this show for a few reasons: (1) it’s the last stop of our tour, which means that Chauncey gets some well-deserved R&R; (2) NYC is the greatest city in the world, and certainly one of our favorite audiences to play for; (3) immediately after, and perhaps also before, and maybe even during our set, we’ll be procuring eats from The Meatball Shop, just around the corner from the venue; and finally, (4) we’re excited to be sharing the stage with the D.C.-based indie-rock band Exit Clov (videos below). Like us, they call themselves a “quintet”, and feature drums, guitar, bass, and two multi-instrumentalist string players. Unlike us, the string players are sisters, and also twins, and also girls. We’re looking forward to their set (they’re on at 11, so you’ll have plenty of time between sets to partake of some meatball with us…), not unlike the way Chauncey is looking forward to some sweet, sweet driveway time.

Amps and Lamps

Dave — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 06:09:10 +0000

Taken just before tonight’s show, from the balcony of the venue at HTGT Thrift in Baton Rouge, LA. Thanks to everyone who came out tonight for the very warm and well-lit Louisiana welcome.

Driving Southwest in Review

Dave — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 06:03:01 +0000

To be fair, it was actually westsouth. In fact, all we really did was drive west and then, somewhere in Iowa, “real sudden-like, turn left” (Some of us stayed in tonight and watched Last of the Mohicans… ). The significant events of the week went something like this:

After finishing out last week at Canadian Music Fest, we played a delightful house party on Saturday in Ann Arbor, MI, and then headed to Chicago on Sunday.

On Monday night, we played to a packed Elbo Room in the land of deep dish pizza and very happy Harrises.

On Tuesday, we arrived in Kansas City and had a great show with the high-energy crowd at Davey’s Uptown Ramblers Club. This rounded out the long-awaited, two-day segment of our tour devoted to band member hometowns.

On Wednesday, Chauncey set a few records (most miles in one day, southerliest destination, most Texases entered, etc.) as we made the 750 mile drive from Kansas City to Austin.

Yesterday, our first of four Austin showcases (Music Gorilla) was a wild success, and we’re gearing up for our second, the Sennheiser Hear. I Am. showcase this evening at 5 pm at the Stage on Sixth. Headlining the set are The Antlers, and in celebration of this, we offer the following (taken at Davey’s in Kansas City). Austin friends, we’ll see you out there!

Presenting Caitlin Canty

Dave — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 21:01:34 +0000

Many of our friends and fans, especially those in Vermont and NYC, are already familiar with singer-songwriter Caitlin Canty, having seen us share the stage with her and even perform on some of her songs. A former classmate of ours from college (albeit a few years ahead), Caitlin quit her 9-to-5 and began playing music full-time right around the same time that we did. We first co-billed with her in late 2009, at what was possibly Darlingside’s first “real” show, and we’ve been big fans ever since (some of us, long before that).

It’s been said of the Vermont native that her voice is like “maple sugar on snow”. That said, we’re getting a little sick of snow these days, and sugar is unhealthy, whatever, so we’ve been working on a new one, but “steamed kale at the beach” isn’t cutting it. “Golden Delicious apples in a nice field”? No? Hmmmkay, well, think of your favorite two things, whatever they are, and Caitlin’s kind of like that, but combined into just one thing.

In 2010, we produced and recorded Caitlin’s most recent EP, Neon Streets, the first of a series of EPs she plans to release. We’re very proud of the project, and we hope you’ll check it out.

Caitlin playing Forget earlier this month in Winooski, VT, with Harris and Auyon:

Caitlin Canty — “Forget” (live) from lasolas on Vimeo.

A Singular Mixtape

Dave — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 05:00:26 +0000

These songs are all performed by one person, with one voice, and one set of strings. I’ve stuck to original songs by artists who are still active, so that in theory, if any of these catch your fancy, you might be able to catch a live performance. Excuse the duplicate with one of Don’s previous mixtapes, but there are only so many songs I can use for this, and Loudon is my boy.

You can stream this mix at 8tracks.com, or check out the individual links (where given) for videos of the performances.

1. Josh Ritter — The Temptation of Adam
2. The Tallest Man on Earth — The Drying of the Lawns (further listening: here)
3. Anais Mitchell — Why We Build the Wall (further listening: Wedding Song)
4. Martin Sexton — Glory Bound
5. Glen Hansard — Say It To Me Now
6. Joanna Newsom — On A Good Day
7. Peter Mulvey — Rapture
8. Loudon Wainwright — Motel Blues

Presenting Jamie Kent

Dave — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 05:00:35 +0000

If you were paying attention when Auyon discussed his favorite local hangouts, first of all, that’s really sweet of you to indulge him like that. But moreover, you might remember him mentioning his “man-date” with local musician and friend-of-the-band Jamie Kent, of Northampton-based Jamie Kent & The Options. Jamie is an awesome guy, and not just because he’s our booking manager’s favorite other booking manager. He’s also a wonderful musician, and we had the pleasure of sharing the stage with him (in acoustic trio format) in Pittsfield a few months ago. Not surprisingly, we’re also embarking on similar tours for the month of March, intersecting in both Chicago and Austin. We’re looking forward to crossing paths again, and we’re getting prepped by listening to his newly released “Basically Unplugged EP”.

Those of you from the Northampton area should make sure to catch Jamie Kent & The Options at the Iron Horse on April 9th. They’ve also got shows coming up in Saratoga, Newburyport, Portland, Chicago, Austin, and DC. Maybe you’ll catch Jamie Fever, and then you and Auyon will have lots to talk about.

A Picturesque Mixtape

Dave — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 05:00:23 +0000

We’ve been saying “thank you” a lot this week, to our many fans who are helping us out in the ongoing SXSW showcase competition. In keeping with the spirit of the season, here’s a “thank you” mixtape dedicated to the photographers who have generously and repeatedly volunteered their time and talents to our cause.

1. Brooke Kaltsas — A little over a year ago, Brooke photographed two of our earliest and most memorable performances with singer-songwriter Caitlin Canty. Brooke is the talent behind Truckieloo Photography and specializes in pet and animal portraiture. According to her website, Brooke can be found “photographing packs of dogs, skiers on trails, bands performing on stage, runners in a race, and families spending time together,” which is sort of us in a nutshell. Brooke is located in Stowe, VT with travel throughout the greater New England area. Contact her at truckieloo@gmail.com.

2. Anand Jagannath — A close family friend of Auyon, Anand has taken more photos at more Darlingside events than anyone probably ever will (and we couldn’t be happier about it). When we played the sub-freezing barn party where this was filmed, he was there, immortalizing our frozen-ness and freezing his face off in kind. Anand shoots a wide range of material, including people, food, and sports. When he’s not taking pictures, Anand studies medicine at Tufts University and plays the violin in the Longwood Symphony Orchestra. Contact him at anand.jagannath@gmail.com.

3. Melanie Rose Prince — Based in New York, NY, Melanie Rose is an on-location, natural-light photographer who specializes in babies (it’s no coincidence that her shots of Auyon always seem to turn out the best). Melanie has an unmatched ability to manipulate the natural lighting of the room and stage to yield incredible and often surrealistic results. See more of her wonderful work at www.melanierosephotos.com, or contact her at melrose@melanierosephotos.com.

4. Robert Mark Adelman — A friend of ours from college, and currently living in the Philadelphia area, Rob is particularly familiar with the hazards of music photography. As he noted, he’s “far too familiar with Don’s facial expressions” and he accused me of having “man scruff,” whatever that means. See more of his excellent portfoilio at his website, or contact him at rob.adelman@me.com.

5. Greg Saulmon — Technically, Greg’s only taken photos of us once, during a concert series hosted in his own apartment. It only took a few photos to convince us that we needed to work with him again, and our people (Don) are currenly talking to his people (Greg) about specifics. In the meantime, we’ve been getting hyped by looking through his breathtaking portfolio, including his “Industry” gallery of run-down industrial mills in the Pioneer Valley. See more of his work at www.gregsaulmon.com.

Buggy Software in Review

Dave — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 05:04:30 +0000

This is Dave here, bringing you the sad news that this is not actually a week in review, because Sam’s not writing it until tomorrow, when the week is ready to be reviewed. For whatever reason, though, my code completely goes to hell in a handbasket when there isn’t at least one post in each category. So, for now, this is it. Thankfully, this shouldn’t be a problem for long.