Live: Twilight Singers @ Webster Hall 5.13.11

I was kinda sorta on the fence about this show, it bring at Webster, but the attraction of going with Alex and the 8:30 start time sweetened the pot considerably. Alex and I grabbed some drinks beforehand and posted up in a pretty damn full room in time for the lights to go down.

Twilight Singers sports a revolving lineup, often sporting the likes of Ed Harcourt, Jeff Klein and/or Joseph Arthur in its ranks. This incarnation featured an amalgamation of Dulli cronies from LA, NYC and New Orleans, and was notable for a pretty aces keys/violin utility guy. The set list (above) is pretty solid, and featured a little AF interpolation to keep everyone on their toes. Still no chance of a Whigs reunion, but a good time and one that had me on the couch as JS-NYC HQ by 10:45, so kudos to all the bridge and tunnel folk who made the evening possible.

R

The Twilight Singers - Dynamite Steps

It's been over fifteen years since Greg Dulli shuttered the Afghan Whigs (with help from Elektra, and arguably a fairly pronounced love affair with marching powder) and started The Twilight Singers. Like most things these days, this makes me feel old.

Dulli has long loved soul and R&B music, wearing his heart on his sleeve with the Whigs Uptown Avondale EP and various interpolations of TLC hits in late period AW shows. The Twilight Singers are not without guitars, but definitely seems to be more rooted in electronica and dance music. Look forward to a more fleshed-out thesis on this soon, but I can see very little chance that Dulli and Kanye are not on each other's radar. In fact, I'll eat my AW Retarded 7" if Dulli doesn't cover Runaway on this upcoming tour.

The Twilight Singers have had many homes in their existence, the most recent being their old buddies at Sub Pop. Historically, the adage goes that Afghan Whigs were on Sub Pop to get laid, and moved to Elektra to get paid. I would expect that the opposite is true this time around. Luckily, Dynamite Steps is money, so both parties should be well satisfied. Eleven tracks here, all as darkly beautiful as the Italian ladies that Dulli is so fond of. I think Gunshots is probably my favorite track, as it hearkens back closest to my dear departed Afghan Whigs, but all of the tracks are solid, whether you find the Whigs or the Singers your favorite. Those who were not on board previously will probably not be swayed this time around, but neither does that excuse said naysayers lack of taste.

Interested proactive parties can preorder Dynamite Steps in cd or double white vinyl form from Sub Pop here and get two unreleased tracks for their trouble. Look for Twilight Singers to start the promo engine on Jimmy Kimmel in the next couple of weeks and stay tuned to JS-NYC for tour dates that aren't in Italy. The Twilight Singers web presence can be found here.

Ciao!

R

Live: Jeff Klein @ The Living Room 10.20.10

I got an e-mail at the last minute that Jeff was going to play a solo set at Living Room during CMJ. The previous night's The Riot Before showcase has been a scheduling clusterfuck of proportions that only CMJ could muster, but as the Living Room is close to my own living room, I figured it was worth the risk. His live shows can be kind of seat-of-the-pants affairs, and this one was no exception. Our hero arrived unrehearsed, on 100% borrowed gear and proceeded to level the crowd with forty minutes of amazing solo songs. Those that have seen Klein solo in the last couple of years have probably enjoyed his using loops and delays to compensate for the lack of a band. He's refined that technique to a remarkable degree. Few could pull such a feat off on borrowed gear, but Klein is seasoned well beyond his years at this point, touring heavily worldwide with Twilight Singers and My Jerusalem. The room was much closer to capacity than I've seen Klein draw in recent years and was pretty vocal about their enthusiasm. I'd say this bodes well for his recent EP doing ok and My Jerusalem getting some attention when Gone For Good drops 10/26. I just got a copy, so look for a review at JS-NYC soon.

Jeff Klein - Death Of The Fox EP

Jeff has been occupying his time not spent as a Twilight Singer of late with his My Jerusalem project, so it was news to me when I got an e-mail offering the new Death Of The Fox EP. I snapped it up in short order and have been pretty impressed. It reminds me a lot of The Hustler and the aforementioned Dulli/Lanegan helmed indie choir. There are percolating beats and lots of reverb, along with the quality songcraft that I'm continually amazed springs from Newburgh. My favorite is I Just Want My Fucking Life Back, but all of the tracks are pretty quality. Buy it here.

Further investigation reveals that this is but one of two EP slated to come out this year from Klein. There is evidently also a full-length from My Jerusalem, so if you're a fan, things look promising for 2010. Keep track of the possibilities here.

R

Jeff Klein - 33

I'm far from a MySpace guy, but clicked the link when I got the alert that Jeff Klein had updated his little blog presence there. Jeff is from my hometown, inexplicably, and after catching his set at a Guitartown party a couple SXSWs ago, I've gone out of my way to keep him on my radar. He's been touring as a member of the Twilight Singers in recent years and has popped up in various live ensembles Msrrs. Dulli and Lanegan have put together to promote their myriad projects as well as playing with some TS compatriots in the My Jerusalem ensemble. This rolling stone is gathering no moss. To commemorate the start of his 33rd year, he posted a 23 minute track that has got a bunch of new material along with some wankery. The threat was that it would be available for 24 hours only. Luckily, I'm a nerd and snapped it up quick. It seems like the threat is a valid one, as the link is now dead, but I would expect that a little internet prospecting will turn 33 up. It's worth it. I'm not sure whether any of this stuff will ever see a formal release, but the best place to find out (and check out some other quality tracks) would probably be here.

R

My Jerusalem - Without Feathers EP

My Jerusalem is the new-ish project from Mr. Jeff Klein, erstwhile Twilight Singers keyboardist, Newburgh native and all-around talented guy. Team TS is sort of the Ocean's Eleven of the up-and-coming set, what with Klein, Ed Harcourt and Joseph Arthur either currently or formerly tenuring in the fold helmed by Gutter Twins Greg Dulli and Mark Lanegan. My Jerusalem coalesced in New Orleans in Spring of last year, releasing Without Feathers and playing a handful of shows between NYC and the Midwest. The five songs here don't fall far from the tree, arriving darkly yet yielding strangely uplifting results. Sweet Chariot got some buzz early on and there was word of a twelve song full-length around the same time. No word on when the dirty dozen will be polluting our earholes, but My Jerusalem are playing CMJ on Saturday night at Fontanas around the 9:15 hour.

R

Greg Dulli - Live At The Triple Door

Maybe it just the day I've been having, but its currently pretty hard to think that the Afghan Whigs dropped Gentlemen fifteen years ago. A lot has changed since then. For one, the Whigs are no more and Dulli has founded The Twilight Singers as his primary musical focus, with his Gutter Twins project batting clean-up. Much like The Hold Steady is an older, less sleazy Lifter Puller, The Twilight Singers reflect more of a post-snowstorm Dulli. There is still a fair amount of darkness, but there's a little bit less of the self-destructive nihilism.

Dulli released his first official solo record, Amber Headlights, in 2005. The record had been recorded in 2002 and shelved in the wake of the passing of his dear friend Ted Demme, but was released to a fair amount of success. Live At The Triple Door isn't so much a solo record as it is a solo recording, if I may split a hair or two. Various Twilight Singers and long-time cohorts like Shawn Smith and Petra Haden back Dulli up, but this acoustic set is pretty Greg-o-centric. If you are into such things, Shawn Smith sings a couple tunes with Greg. It's great to hear them singing together again. The Brad shows at Highline earlier in the year were a nice tease, but I'd sure like to see more of SS on this side of the country.

Live At The Triple Door was recorded over two days in Seattle as a benefit for local youth charity The Vera Project. The recording is available as a download only via Dulli's own Infernal Recordings. Check I-tunes and your favorite digital retailers. The set goes as far back as the AW chestnut, Tonight and along with a dozen or so other favorites spanning the last decade or so, including that Jose Gonzalez cover that all the young kids dig. If there is any shortcoming to this release, it's that there's not all that much Dulli stage banter, but I trust the average listener will live. I'd like to see a DVD of the set, but in the interim, download the set here. You can keep up on all the other goings on in the world of The Twilight Singers here.