Blogs

Caroline Herring released her latest album on the local Signature Sounds label.

Photo Courtesy carolineherring.com

From fiction to real life, you've drawn from many different themes to write your songs. What's the one thing you have wanted to write and sing about but haven't yet?

Actually, my list keeps growing. I am more and more interested in writing about others. Right now I'm working on songs about Corrie Ten Boom (The Hiding Place), Edward Curtis (American Indian photographer) and Walter Anderson (Mississippi artist). And next year I'm participating in a huge Eudora Welty celebration, and I'd sure love to pour over her work and do some writing based on one of her stories. We'll see. To be honest, though, it's the love song with the great hook that still eludes me.

Since having children, which undoubtedly turns your life upside down, how has your writing process changed?

Even though two kids take up A LOT OF ONE'S TIME, in general they are constant fodder for creativity. They see things, and say things, in such a fascinating and ever-changing way. Right now I'm writing whenever I can grab a moment.

You are from Mississippi. Where is home now for you?

I think Mississippi will always be home for me. And Austin, Texas will always be my musical home. But I live in Decatur, Georgia, which is in the perimeter of Atlanta. We have great friends here, and live on a street where my children can play safely. There's a terrific folk club just a few blocks away, Eddie's Attic. And I'm close to a major airport. I guess I shouldn't ask for better than this.

Your latest album was released on Signature Sounds, a local label here for us in Western Mass. How did that come about and what has working with the label been like for you?

Signature Sounds is a stunningly good label. I love it. Jim Olsen liked my work--thankfully--et voila!

You're touring with Richard Shindell. How has that been going?

Richard has some southern roots, and we both love whiskey, so we get along just great.

What can we expect from your Iron Horse show this weekend? Any surprises?

My goal is to completely wow the audience. I'm still plotting.

Sunday's show starts at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $25 at the door.

The Eye and Zorn Studio is located in the Eastworks Building in Easthampton.

I was lucky enough to get invited to a private performance at the Eye and Zorn Studio in Eastworks on Monday night. The Eye and Zorn is located in the former space of Spirithouse studios. Brightly painted walls and subdued lighting adorn the space, making it cozy among all of the music equipment.

The group was ready to hear some good music. Don't they look ready?

Photo by Kristen Beam

Matt Hebert started out the evening with his set, a mix of new songs and older songs. Hebert shares the studio space with Jose Ayerve and hopes to do more small in-studio pass-the-hat concerts like this one. He mentioned that sometimes you can hear the sound of "someone on a Big Wheel" rolling across the floor above. Sure enough, later in the night, we heard it. The studio is located on the third floor. Eastworks has apartments on the fourth floor.

Photo by Kristen BeamMatt Hebert

Matt Keating played his set next. Keating's voice reminded me of Lou Reed's. He played a handful of ballads and a few political songs.

Photo by Kristen BeamMatt Keating

Photo by Kristen Beam

Here are a few more photos of the evening, for good measure.

Photo by Kristen BeamPhilip Price and Flora Reed

Photo by Kristen BeamMatt Hebert, Michael Metivier and Philip Price rounded out the evening.

Photo by Kristen BeamHeather Rush is at left, and my husband Matthew Larsen is at right. There were a lot of Matts at the show. Off the top of my head, I can name five of them.

Photo by Kristen Beam

Photo by Kristen Beam

DCFC's third Narrow Stairs video is for bouncy, upbeat "No Sunlight," the album's most obvious single contender. This clip imagines the song's title literally, inviting us on the night vision journey of a young boy through his neighborhood of like-minded daysleepers. The band's not in it, but we do meet night owls doing errands and playing sports as the protagonist bikes to a beach bonfire. As sunrise approaches, all the partygoers bolt for the indoors. Maybe everyone suffers from solar urticaria. More likely they're all vampires because everything's about goddamn vampires these days.

Ever the realist, Kanye figures if people are going to bootleg his 808s songs and videos, he might as well put higher quality source material out there. So via his blog, we now have a clearer Vimeo and a Vlado Meller remaster of "Heartless." "Love Lockdown," too, while he's at it. PLEASE PLAY THIS VERSION INSTEAD, SQUIDBRAINS!!

Apple's long-running Mac vs. PC ad campaign may be elitist, but as Videogum points out, "at least they addressed the superiority of their product over the competition, emphasizing the fact that PCs get viruses and break all the time." This new "I'm A PC" spot starring Girl Talk in his hotel room fails to identify why PCs are better, but we can assume it's because Gregg needs a laptop that can withstand flailing hipsters spilling Sparks. (Panasonic Toughbook is the mashup maestro's preferred brand.) Girl Talk's computers are covered in plastic because Mr. Gillis likes to make people sweat, and he is going to sweat on you.

It makes sense I had to watch a Pantene commercial before getting through to MGMT's Spinner/Interface session: Andrew VanWyngarden has good obnoxious hair like the guy from Ted Leo's band had three years ago. Regardless, the recently Cool Listed Summer Of Love-loving Brooklyn crew brought some of their Oracular Spectacular to the AOL studios. The resulting video has a certain graininess to it, which goes well with the music's retrofit feel, but there are no very sexy girls who can dance for real, so the vibe's not 100%.

Elvis Costello's been hanging out with a diverse group of artists this year (Fall Out Boy, Lucinda Williams, the Police, a Jonas Brother), but he really seems to have hit it off with Jenny Lewis. (She contributed vocals to his Momofuku and he returned the favor on her Acid Tongue.) Seeing Elvis join Jenny's band on Letterman this week was a treat. The duo returned to Times Square last night to perform at the Edison Theater for a wrap party celebrating the Sundance Channel's new Spectacle: Elvis Costello With.... talk show. It was a short gig by Jenny and her band with Elvis joining for a few songs. The set was comprised mostly of Acid Tongue ("Fernando," "The Next Messiah," "Carpetbaggers"), though we also got Momofuku's "Go Away" and a song I couldn't identify that Elvis said wasn't on either of their records. The night ended with Jenny and boyfriend Johnathan Rice softly dueting on oldie "Love Hurts" for a chatty crowd more focused on the open bar. These corporate gigs are tough. I took some video, Amrit took photos, and you can compare everybody's fedoras after the jump.