A Milestone & Fall Concerts Galore!

The article your about to read marks my hundredth post here at Tapes on the Floor, a feat that took me just a little over three years to achieve. This entire blog has grown in fits and spurts, taking long hiatuses and then resurfacing without warning. To me, it's a tangible document of the part that music, film, etc. has played in my life over the past three years. I hope you, the reader, has been able to take away something from it as well. Now that we've marked the occasion, let's get to the good stuff...

The past few weeks have come with a deluge of concert announcements in the Central Ohio area that I'm very excited about. First and foremost was the not entirely unexpected revelation that Wilco would be making another stop at the Wexner Center in Columbus, playing the Mershon Auditorium on October 12 as part of their fall tour. The first time I ever saw Wilco was at the Mershon back in 2005 when the group stopped through in support of a ghost is born, so the venue itself holds a special significance to me. Needless to say, I'm very excited to hear some songs from the new album in a live setting. I'm also curious to see who they bring along as their opening act, Wilco has a knack for picking bands that make the ticket price seem like a bargain. As with all things Wilco, you'll certainly be hearing more about this one from me as the day of the show approaches!

Next up was the totally unexpected announcement that Yo La Tengo would be making a stop at Stuart's Opera House in Nelsonville, OH on September 24. For the uninformed, Nelsonville is just a 5 minute drive away from Athens where I currently attend school. Stuart's is, in fact, a beautiful old opera house that played host to the free Arcade Fire concerts I attended last year. Still, it's a little bit unbelievable that a band as legendary as Yo La Tengo will be coming within just a few miles of my adopted hometown to play a show. I really loved their performance at Pitchfork Fest last month, and I've really been digging what I've been hearing from their new record Popular Songs, so it stands to reason that I'm very psyched about this show. Should be an excellent night at the opera (house)...

While were on the subject of bands I've recently seen, Built to Spill, another of my Pitchfork Fest favorites, will be playing a show at the Newport on October 1. This sounds like the perfect kickoff to a weekend in Columbus, which is playing host to Mid-Ohio-Con on October 3 and 4. The group will hopefully be playing some tracks from their forthcoming record There Is No Enemy, due in stores sometime this October via Warner Bros.

Finally, rounding out my planned concert itinerary for this fall is an appearance by Dan Auerbach on November 5th at the Newport. Auerbach will be kicking off the next leg of his tour in support of his superb solo record Keep It Hid which was released earlier this year. This is a record that has really grown on me over the past few months, so I'm very excited to hear most of these tracks live. Joining Auerbach will be a pretty solid bill of supporting acts, including Jessica Lee Mayfield, who's latest album Auerbach produced, and Justin Townes Earl.

Don't think there's been this many groups I want to see coming through Columbus/Athens in quite some time. Central Ohio must be building a good reputation for live music, and rightfully so. I'll see some of you at the shows!

Live Review: Friday @ Pitchfork Music Festival

After years of making excuses, this year events conspired to make my first attendance of the Pitchfork Music Festival a reality. I was lucky enough to be there for all three days, and my experience ended up being worth every cent I paid for that privilege. You can read a bunch of very comprehensive recaps of the fest at just about every music blog on the web, so I'll just focus on my favorite bands of each day. The photos are once again provided by my Chicago tour guide/best friend Marilu, who accompanied me on my first foray into Union Park.

To be honest, Friday was the day of the fest I was most excited about from the get-go. I'm a pretty big Tortoise fan, and those guys don't tour a whole lot these days, so the chance to get to see them was hard to pass up. I missed their first song, but I arrived to the opening strains of "Djed" which sounded even better in a live setting, and was packed with tons of cool improvisational bits from everyone in the band. The other highlights of their set for me were spot-on renditions of some of my favorite tracks from TNT, including "Swung From the Gutters", "TNT", and "Suspension Bridge At Iguazú Falls" (complete with marimba and vibes!). I guess no one voted to hear any tracks off of It's All Around You, which is unfortunate because there are some good ones on that record, but it was just great to hear so much of their older stuff played live.

Next up was Yo La Tengo, a group that I've always heard great things about when it comes to their live show. The trio didn't dissapoint, delivering a set that was definitely heavy on the songs people wanted to hear, but not afraid to stray off into the weirder, more experimental tangents that the group is known for. One of the best moments of the set was their performance of "Mr. Tough", which stood in stark contrast to the rest of their set and was at once laughable and impressive. Another highlight was "Periodically Double or Triple", a track of their forthcoming record Popular Songs, which is a blues-rock number with a Yo La Tengo-twist. The songs I didn't know were a reminder of how much I need to aquaint myself with some of their older records, but their (or rather, the audiences') selection of tunes seemed to leave everyone, myself included, very satisfied.

Initially, I thought that scheduling Built to Spill as the headliners for the night was somewhat of an odd choice. After seeing them play, there is no doubt in my mind as to why that spot went to them. The group effortlessly sifted through their entire back-catalog, playing a set that was heavy on the essentials. From the opening chords of "Liar" it was clear that the band was having a good night. Doug Martsch in particular sounded really great, with songs like "Else" and "You Were Right" showcasing his unique voice. Most impressive was the group's three-guitar assault on the sprawling You In Reverse track "Goin Against Your Mind", a true showcase of the volume and technicality of this group. Built to Spill ended up being one of my favorite shows of the weekend and a band that I'd definitely see again if given the chance.