All posts by Hallgeir

Indie, pop, Singer Songwriter

Sufjan Stevens new Christmas music and tour

I am a big fan of Sufjan’s Christmas songs and the proud owner of the first five EP’s collecting his festive output.

Songs For Christmas is a box set of five EPs released over six years between 2001-2006 (the missing year is 2004 when Stevens was  busy making Illinois). These collections of stripped-down carols, covers and originals where originally recorded as gifts for family and friends.

Now he is releasing the follow up(s)!

Silver & Gold: Songs for Christmas, Vols. 6-10 compiles five EPs recorded between 2006 and 2010.

Christmas Unicorn from the new collection, a 12-minute song that includes snippets from the classic “Love will tear us appart”, really great stuff!:

Press release:

“Silver & Gold is more than just another Christmas album, but an ongoing exercise in theme and variation, an annual tradition that offers this songwriter a chance to experiment with fashion and technique without taking himself too seriously. Sufjan’s playful (yet purposeful) expedition through the superficial landscape of sugar plum fairies and marshmallow fluff has produced an exuberant musical account of “all things Christmas” in the pursuit of the sublime. What distinguishes this project from the glut of Christmas albums saturating the market today are Sufjan’s unguarded enthusiasm for the genre itself (the sense of freedom he shows in celebrating with reverence and rebellion) and the belief that Christmas music contains a multiplicity of sacred and secular significance (from Baby Jesus to Babes in Toyland) that is ultimately ours for the taking. It’s safe to say that no one has taken it further than Sufjan, for better and for worse.”

Silver & Gold will be available in CD and vinyl formats, as well as as a digital download.

Continue reading Sufjan Stevens new Christmas music and tour →

Indie, Rock, Sound, Video

Arcade Fire performed new song, Crucified Again


A couple of days ago, Arcade Fire Tube released a video of Arcade Fire performing “Crucified Again”, a new song (from New York last Thursday, 4 oct). The band has played the the track before (Hotel Oloffson, Port-au-Prince, Haiti) but this is the first time the song was captured on video.

The official release date or title for their new album, however, has yet to be confirmed.

Check it out!

Crucified again:

– Hallgeir

Music Calendar, Video

Today: David Hidalgo was born 6 Oct 1954

One of our heroes have birthday today!

David Hidalgo (born October 6, 1954 in Los Angeles, California) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for his work with the band Los Lobos. He is also a member of the supergroup Los Super Seven and of the Latin Playboys, a side project band made up of some of the members of Los Lobos. He formed another side project band with Mike Halby of Canned Heat, called Houndog.

Hidalgo’s songs have been covered by the Jerry Garcia Band, Waylon Jennings, Bonnie Raitt and others. He performed at Eric Clapton’s Crossroads Guitar Festival 2010. His son, David Hidalgo, Jr. is the current drummer for Social Distortion.

In addition to his work with Los Lobos, Hidalgo frequently plays musical instruments such as accordion, violin, 6-string banjo, cello, requinto jarocho, percussion, drums and guitar as a session musician for other artists’ releases.
(read more at Wikipedia)

Recently he has played with Bob Dylan and Tom Waits.

Here he is part of the fantastic band backing Mr. Waits on Letterman in July 2012:

Album of the day, Colossal Head by Hidalgo’s main band, Los Lobos:

Here are some of the people he has worked with:

Buckwheat Zydeco (multiple projects),
T-Bone Burnett (self titled 1986 album),
Peter Case (The Man with the Blue Post Modern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar),
Elvis Costello (harmony vocal on King of America, guitar and harmony vocal on Momofuku),
Crowded House (multiple projects),
John Lee Hooker (multiple projects),
Roy Orbison (King of Hearts),
Willy DeVille (Backstreets of Desire, Crow Jane Alley)
Ozomatli (multiple projects),
Dolly Parton (Treasures),
Pierce Pettis (Chase the Buffalo),
Paul Simon (Graceland),
Marc Ribot (Border Music)
Tonio K. (Olé),
Suzanne Vega (99.9°F)
Tom Waits (multiple projects),
The 1994 tribute to songwriter Mark Heard, Strong Hand of Love,
Leo Kottke album Try And Stop Me
Gov’t Mule (guitar and vocals), on The Deepest End, Live in Concert
Bob Dylan (Accordion on Together Through Life and Christmas In The Heart, guitar, accordion, violin on Tempest)
G. Love & Special Sauce (Viola on “Missing My Baby”)
Los Cenzontles (co producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist) Songs of Wood & Steel
Taj Mahal & Los Cenzontles (co producer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist) “American Horizon”

Other 6 October:

Continue reading Today: David Hidalgo was born 6 Oct 1954 →

Bruce Springsteen, folk, Rock, Singer Songwriter

Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska covered, part two

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From Clubhouse Records UK:

The Nebraska Sessions – A Tribute

Back in 1982 Bruce Springsteen released ‘Nebraska’, a collection of sparsely recorded tracks originally intended to be demos for his sixth studio album.

Almost exactly 30 years later the UK’s Clubhouse Records gathered a group of musicians together at The Betsey Trotwood pub in London to pay tribute to this fantastic album.

Throughout the course of a single day, 10 bands recorded the albums 10 tracks live straight to 4 track cassette tape just like The Boss did back in the day.

The sessions were filmed for posterity and collected together here for your enjoyment.

Acts involved on the day include; Trevor Moss and Hannah Lou, The Dreaming Spires, Danny George Wilson, The Cedars, Case Hardin, The Redlands Palomino Company, The Hi and Lo, Mad Staring Eyes, The Arlenes and Michele Stodart.

Audio produced, recorded & mixed by Trevor Moss. Video direction, lighting, camera and edit by Pierre Thiébaut.

That was last sunday, but here are the artists doing very fine versions of the Nebraska songs.

Clubhouse Records UK is a very interesting label, visit their website for more information.

Side One:

Nebraska
Trevor Moss and Hannah Lou :

Atlantic City
The Dreaming Spires:

Mansion On the Hill
The Redlands Palomino Company

Johnny 99
Case Hardin:

Highway Patrolman
Danny George Wilson:

State Trooper
Steve Arlene:

Side two:
Continue reading Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska covered, part two →

Bruce Springsteen, folk, Rock, Singer Songwriter

Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska Covered, part one

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Nebraska is one of those albums, that have inspired lots of artists. There are many singer/songwriters that says it is their favourite Springsteen record. There are tribute albums covering Nebraska, Badlands: A Tribute to Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska beeing  the best known. It was released by Sub Pop Records in 2000. Another is the new release, Long Distance Salvation.

Concerts/tribute shows are played to honor this now 30 year old masterpiece.

I have picked some of my favourite versions of these fantastic songs, I hope you like them. Seek out the artists, and if you haven’t got Nebraska, well, buy it, everybody should at least have one copy of this artwork.

If you haven’t got a clue about Nebraska, read this first.

Side one:

Deer Tick – Nebraska (live)

The Band – Atlantic City (live)

Emmylou Harris – Mansion on the Hill (live)

Johnny Cash – Johnny 99 (offcial video)

Continue reading Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska Covered, part one →