Posted inLive Recordings

Nada Surf @ Cutting Room Studios

[caption id="attachment_1765" align="aligncenter" width="500"]Nada Surf Nada Surf @ KEXP[/caption]

. : : January 7th, 2010 : : .  

Nada Surf was riding an incredible career resurgence.

 

Often classified as a one hit wonder with the alternative radio hit Popular in the mid-90s, creative differences with their records label lead them to sit out their sophomore album, Proximity Effect, in North America.

 

Constant touring in Europe while waiting for their contacts to expire lead to a diamond sharp refinement, and the band was surprisingly wholly embraced by the indie-rock community for their follow up disc, Let Go, which was in turn followed up by excellent efforts The Weight is a Gift and Lucky.

 

The band has also had some crossover success with soundtrack covers of songs like If You Leave (OMD), Where is my Mind (Pixies), and All You Need is Love (Beatles) in the mid-to-late-aughts.

 

It was unusual that the band would follow up a trio of critically acclaimed indie rock albums with a covers album -- especially one with a selection of songs considerably left of the dial.

Posted inLive Recordings

Nicole Atkins @ Late Show with David Letterman

[caption id="attachment_1628" align="aligncenter" width="500"]Nicole Atkins @ Late Show with David Letterman Nicole Atkins @ Late Show with David Letterman[/caption]

. : : January 9th, 2015 : : .  

Hey, remember about a month ago when I said I only had one more Nicole Atkins recording to share?  

I was happily mistaken!  

I also captured her performance on Late Show with David Letterman in January of 2015. At this point, Letterman was only four-months from retirement, but still brought the excitement and enthusiasm for his musical guests like it was his first week on the job.  

Nicole and co. perform a version of Neptune City's War Torn that trades the lush keyboards of the recorded version for dreamy, reverb-drenched guitars that ultimately delves into a crunchy, distorted punch-in-the-face climax.

Posted inLive Recordings

Kathleen Edwards @ City Winery, NY

[caption id="attachment_1336" align="aligncenter" width="500"]Kathleen Edwards Kathleen Edwards @ City Winery[/caption]

. : : January 31st, 2013 : : .

There's something to be said about wineries.

Not content to merely be fancified drinking holes, North American wineries have diversified into premiere hot spots of arts and culture.

It is hardly any wonder that musicians, perhaps some of the greatest patrons of potent potables, seem to flock to them like moths to lamplight.

As a sober person, I can see and appreciate the appeal. It extends the relaxation and social aspects of concert-going throughout the afternoon. Or, if you're there for the booze, you get to top your day off with a musical performance.

Because it's not their primary purpose, these wineries are often smaller, intimate venues. The wine barrels give them warm, rustic ambiance. All-in-all, pretty great places for artist and fan to see a show.

City Winery is a chain of wineries throughout the US, and although I can't claim to have visited one, "Keith from NY"'s recording of Kathleen Edwards performing there in 2013 makes a strong case.