Preview: Worried Noodles at the Knitting Factory [New York, 12.05.07]

David Shrigley is an artist from Scotland with a very unique sense of humor. See, for example, the following photo:



Or these fancy salt and pepper shakers:



Thanks to the Tomlab label, we now also know that Shrigley has unique taste in music, as his Worried Noodles compilation CD features artists such as Grizzly Bear, David Byrne, Liars and Deerhoof taking their turn performing pieces from Shrigley’s 2005 “Worried Noodles” songbook – a book of lyrics to songs that Shrigley wrote, but never actually composed or recorded.

Take a trip to the Knitting Factory on December 5th and you’ll be treated to live performances of songs from Worried Noodles by album contributors Phil Elverum (aka Mount Eerie), Islands, Yacht, Tussle and more.

Now watch these Shrigley-animated videos and get excited! (Or just more confused.)

[Photos courtesy of David Shrigley's official website]

Live Review: Feist at McCarren Pool [08.29.07]

Ike. Janet. Mr. Irkins. Just a few suggested names, per Leslie Feist’s request, for her brand new guitar. After Feist put out the call for guitar names prior to playing “So Sorry”, the opening track from this years’ excellent album The Reminder, the petite chanteuse saw paper airplanes bearing suggested names sail towards the stage throughout her entire lively set at McCarren Pool.

The sold out crowd seemed just as excited by the prospect of naming Leslie Feist’s guitar as they were about her performance, joined on the bill by top notch acts Grizzly Bear and (Feist’s main man) Kevin Drew. “Norman!” One friend of mine cried out repeatedly between songs, hoping that Feist would answer her pleas by naming the guitar after her boyfriend. Frustrated, she left, returning shortly with a balled up piece of paper, “Norman” scrawled upon it. “I’m going to throw this at her head”, she told me, and with that, disappeared into the crowd to take aim. Should I be concerned that I haven’t seen her since?

It’s a testament to Feist’s growing popularity that folks are almost ferociously clamoring to name her guitar. It not surprising - Feist is a dynamic stage presence, effortlessly hip, charming as she joked about the irony of playing a song called “The Water” inside a massive pool, and completely captivating as she ran through the smooth “My Moon My Man” and the folksy, light as a feather “I Feel it All”. By now, the blogs have probably all reported that Feist also performed “1234” sans her David Letterman all-star indie backing chorus, but it was still upbeat and adorable, and I think the crowd filled in the sing-along parts just as well.

Feist was quite humble throughout the performance, and it was clear that playing to a pool full of thousands of rapt listeners was an almost surreal experience, a milestone for the singer who told us of once taking the Greyhound bus to New York to perform at clubs where her payment came from bills thrown into a tip hat passed around the audience. If she had in fact taken off her white fedora and passed it around this crowd, I’m pretty sure it would be overflowing.

Later on in the night, around the time that Feist performed crowd-pleaser “Mushaboom”, someone shouted another suggestion for the nameless guitar: “McCarren!” After some consideration, the name seemed to get the seal of approval from Feist and the band. If it sticks, I’ll feel honored to be a small part of the mythology of Leslie Feist’s new guitar, as it travels the world with its owner, plucking out her beautiful songs for listeners wherever her music may take her.

[Photo by Kyle Dean Reinford via Flickr]