Perhaps the busiest band currently making music, Fleet Foxes have added to their tour itenerary which seems to have not been empty since way back when we saw ’em and filmed ’em in March. The band has had a length trek of the United States and Canada worked up for next month for some time, and now they’ve added a large run of European dates for my fair foreign friends to the east.
Check out the dates here.
[mp3] Fleet Foxes – Sun Giant
[mp3] Fleet Foxes – Katie Cruel [Live : Backstage in Nashville]
Buy Fleet Foxes at Insound.
Archive for the ‘fleet foxes’ Category
Fleet Foxes Announce Fall US/Winter Euro Dates
August 13, 2008Backstage Sessions : The First Ten Episodes – An Audio Recap
July 7, 2008
I realized today that the posting of the second installment of our session with Ingrid Michaelson marks our tenth episode of The Backstage Sessions. I know some of you have not yet hopped on board, so I wanted to post a little easy to download sampler zip. The zip contains my favorite performance from each of our sessions, and for your convenience you can also download each track individually. Of course you can see the HD video of these performances and grab the mp3’s not included on the mix by clicking on that shiny “Backstage Sessions” tab above you.
Don’t worry, we’re still in full-swing, I’m actually working on editing the wonderful Centro-matic session as we speak for your consumption.
[Zip] Hard to Find a Friend’s Backstage Sessions Sampler [Episodes 1-10]
[mp3] The Lonely H – Rollin’
[mp3] Headlights – Towers
[mp3] The Whigs – Like a Vibration
[mp3] Bon Iver – Creature Fear
[mp3] Fleet Foxes – Katie Cruel
[mp3] John Vanderslice – Numbered Lithograph
[mp3] Via Audio – Lizard
[mp3] Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Oceanographer
[mp3] Sea Wolf – Middle Distance Runner
[mp3] Ingrid Michaelson – The Way I am
What do you think of the series so far?
Rolling Stone gives Fleet Foxes 4 Stars
July 2, 2008
Holy parallel universe, Batman! If you’d have told me a year ago the Fleet Foxes record would be reviewed in Rolling Stone, nonetheless given 4 stars, I’d have insulted your mother. But here we are, in a parallel universe where, at least for now, Indie Rock has spilled over squarely into the spotlight of mainstream media outlets (flailing though they may be). The review is actually pretty good, and obviously favorable.
The foxes are still on tour of everywhere in the world, ever, and you can see their itinerary here to plan accordingly.
[mp3] Fleet Foxes – Oliver James (Live – Backstage in Nashville) – from our Backstage Session with frontman Robin Pecknold.
Fleet Foxes – "Fleet Foxes" Analysis
June 9, 2008
Some people are born with a knack for writing songs, and others are born with a knack for writing stories and happen to play guitar. The latter most qualifies Robin Pecknold, the not at all fresh faced, but very young still front-man of Seattle’s Fleet Foxes. His songs are nothing you’ll read about it in your next Commercial Songwriting textbook; they’re often meandering in structure, and even more yet similar in their characters and direction, but where these same traits plague someone like Conor Oberst, they couldn’t be more helpful to Pecknold’s aged and perspicacious narratives.
You’ll need to know some people; Robin’s brother shows up a lot, he’s the free-wheeling one who misses his flight due to the weather in Blue Ridge Mountains. Also Robin’s grandfather; apparently good with his hands (he built the family table in Oliver James, and the “wooden nest” in the aforementioned set of mountains. What makes these characters so special is their instant familiarity to a presumably un-introduced listener. The warmth in which Pecknold writes his characters, be they based on fact or fiction, is so immediately and fondly devoted that you feel as if you’re pouring through a big leather photo album in Grandma’s living room, yellowed by the years, but more vibrant and appealing than ever, rather than listening to a folk song.
The glue here cannot alone be found in the man behind the centered microphone, though. Fleet Foxes is a band, to be sure. The painstakingly picaresque and lush harmonies which crowd their way into most every track on the album will keep your ears in a constant state of Nirvana. Casey Wescott’s adept piano playing keep things from ever really drifting into anything that could be classified as that most dreaded of genre, alt country. The mallet-filled pounding of Nick Peterson behind the drum kit keeps the band from drifting into My Morning Jacket’s more heavy psych which the Foxes have already garnered many a comparison to; a comparison which may be more accurate if referenced to the MMJ of The Tennessee Fire.
It’s been a long time coming, this album. Last June a friend sent me 8 early un-mastered versions of what would ultimately be erased and re-recorded altogether for this record. Those songs have playcounts so unimaginably high in my iTunes that you’d think I’d been listening to them for a decade. So now here we are a year later with a real product in our hands, with a Sub Pop logo on the side nonetheless! You may have also started to hear that Fleet Foxes are totally the next big thing, whatever that means. Pitchfork gave their record a 9.0, their first record, and publications from minuscule to mammoth have lined up to shake their hands, the effects of which would be hard to measure. What I do know is this; if Fleet Foxes are forgotten about by next year, or even next decade, I’ll eat my proverbial hat. To avoid adding to more than half the record already being available on various blogs, I’ve posted one of the mp3’s from our Backstage Session with Robin in March. Enjoy!
Fleet Foxes Add member, Announce more dates.
May 2, 2008
According to the band’s myspace, Seattle singer-songwriter J. Tillman is now a Fleet Fox, handling “drums and singing and doing many other things over the next decades with us.” In addition to gaining a new van driver, the Northwesterners announced a bunch more U.S. dates to coincide with their tour of Europe through July.
They’re busy little foxes, those ones.
[mp3] Fleet Foxes – Quiet Houses
[mp3] J. Tillman – Now, You’re Among Strangers
See the dates here.
Sub Pop Announced SP20 Fest + Lineup
April 15, 2008
In unabashedly conspicuous celebration of 20 years of not going out of business (sometimes only barely), Seattle’s Sub Pop Records will gather past and present label-mates for a series of events, including a two-day festival at Marymoor Park on July 12 & 13 and a comedy show on July 11 at Seattle’s Moore Theatre. Proceeds from the sale of tickets will go to support beneficiaries of each participating act’s choosing. Tickets go on sale April 26 at 12 PM Pacific at SubPop.com and all Ticketmaster locations.
Initial Lineup:
Beachwood Sparks / Comets on Fire / Fleet Foxes / Flight of the Conchords / The Fluid / Foals / Grand Archives / Green River / The Helio Sequence / Iron & Wine / Kinski / Low / Mudhoney / No Age / Pissed Jeans / Red Red Meat / The Ruby Suns / Seaweed / Wolf Parade, and more to be announced
[mp3] Fleet Foxes – Endless Evening Light
[mp3] Wolf Parade – It’s a Curse
Fleet Foxes : Hard to Find a Friend’s Backstage Sessions
March 21, 2008
Hard to Find a Friend Presents : The Backstage Sessions Featuring : Fleet Foxes
Exit / In : Nashville, TN
Exit / In : Nashville, TN
When Fleet Foxes started White Winter Hymnal on Wednesday night, the cheers of the crowd caused a reaction not often seen by frontmen on the face of Robin Pecknold. He laughed – uncontrollably, and commented on how “completely crazy” it was that people in Nashville knew their songs when they’d never been on tour before. He started again, met with cheers once more, and had to repeat the whole cycle of shock, laughter, and apologies. This would happen a total of four times before the band could start the pitch-perfect harmonies which are the song’s calling card. Two songs later, the band ended their set to overwhelming pleas to “keep playing,” “play one more,” and “please come back soon!”
I found a huge grin on my face watching these events unfold. I’ve had some early form of the band’s demos for their upcoming LP Ragged Wood (Sub Pop) in my possession since June, and have listened religiously ever since. I didn’t even expect to get to even see the Seattleites anytime soon, nonetheless with a hundred or so other rabid fans, and it made me happy to be where I was. I have a feeling the next time Fleet Foxes comes my way they’ll be bringing with them a good deal of notoriety, and I sure hope I’m right.
Before all this happened, however, Robin sat down with us in the tiny second green room at the Exit/In to talk about Nashville, Bon Iver, and guitar strings, and play three songs for your aural and visual pleasure. Enjoy, and please be sure to pick up Fleet Foxes newly released Sun Giant EP at insound.
Editor’s note: PLEASE click the links to watch the HD versions. I guess Vimeo doesn’t allow hd embedding, and the difference in quality is a marked one. It’s hard work putting these things together and I wish for you to enjoy them in the best quality possible.
[mp3] Fleet Foxes – Katie Cruel (Live – Backstage Session)
[mp4] Fleet Foxes – Katie Cruel (Live – Backstage Session – HD Video)
[mp3] Fleet Foxes – Oliver James (Live – Backstage Session)
[mp4] Fleet Foxes – Oliver James (Live – Backstage Session – HD Video)
[mp3] Fleet Foxes – Innocent Son (Live – Backstage Session)
[mp4] Fleet Foxes – Innocent Son (Live – Backstage Session – HD Video)
Watch more Backstage Sessions Here.
Days are just drops in the river
March 19, 2008
Tonight Jeff, Ethan, & I will brave the thunderstorms and possible tornadoes to go record and then watch Fleet Foxes play music. We’re pretty psyched, understandably, as I’ve been spinning the Sun Giant EP and what I have of their full length for several months religiously. When you like a band that’s just getting started who live in Seattle it’s rare you get to see them in Nashville, so thanks to Blitzen Trapper for taking them on tour I guess!
If you haven’t bought Sun Giant yet……you better.
Indie Rock Votes : 2008
February 5, 2008Well, friends today is the day! For those of us who reside in the United States today is “Super Tuesday,” that is the day on which twenty-four states hold their Presidential primaries. After today we should have a somewhat accurate idea of who will be on the real ballot in November. I myself make no secret in pulling for Barack Obama. I won’t divulge why here, and I certainly won’t chastise you, should your opinion differ from mine. I do, however, strongly encourage, no, beg of you to exercise your right to vote today. If you’re not sure where or when you can vote, go here to find out.
I asked some friends who they’d be pulling for and you can read their answers below!
Chris Walla – Solo artist, producer, and guitarist/co-founder of Death Cab for Cutie –
“Barack Obama. Audacious indeed!”
[mp3] Chris Walla – Make Way For the New Times
Bob Andrews – Artist Manager / Undertow Music (David Bazan, Centro-matic, Jesse Harris) –
Barack Obama represents a much needed shift in this country. If I may use Bob
Dylan to help explain: For the past 20 years we have been “Only a Pawn
In Their Game,” but now I am more optimistic than ever because “The Times They Are A- Changin’.”
Molly Chance– Artist Manager / Undertow Music (Damien Jurado, J. Tillman) –
Mike Huckabee – A seemingly great guy, and the only candidate I have ever financially supported and literally campaigned for. It’s a bummer the pundits have all but pushed him out of qualification. He’s an excellent candidate who would make some sweeping and necessary changes to health care, education, and the tax code, not to mention the way Washington does business. He’s continued to be a very viable candidate as far as delegate numbers and polling go, but unfortunately the media and the money will probably have their say.
Matt Lunsford – Co-President of Polyvinyl Recording Co. (Of Montreal, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Aloha, Architecture in Helsinki) –
“I am definitely going for [Barack] Obama of my home state of Illinois!”
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – (Singer/Songwriter/Drummer/Guitarist Phillip Dickey) – “I’ll be writing in a vote for Bill Pullman.”
[mp3] Someone Still Loves you Boris Yeltsin – We Can Win Missouri!
Van Riker – Barsuk Records (Death Cab for Cutie, The Long Winters, Menomena, David Bazan) –
“I’m Pro Edwards at the Moment.”
David Bazan – (David Bazan, Pedro the Lion) –“I’m not sure who I’m voting for yet. I guess it’s between Obama and Edwards, I’ve got some more reading to do.”
[mp3] David Bazan – Backwoods Nation
TW Walsh – Songwriter, Drummer, & Engineer –
“I practice political abstinence. If I had a gun to my head I’d probably vote for Kucinich. I like Ron Paul but he’s said some questionable things regarding race, and he’s a religious zealot, which is a real wild card.”
Via Audio – Seriously & totally awesome band from Brooklyn
Via Audio supports Barack Obama. We as a band believe that Obama will encourage a positive change in economic, environmental, international and foreign policies and pull America out of its current decline.
Fleet Foxes – (As declared by Vocalist, Songwriter & guitarist Robin Pecknold)
The fact that next January we could be swearing in either a woman or an African-American is so exciting. Hilary is wise and the thought of Bill Clinton as First Husband makes my heart swell – Obama is super inspirational and both would represent a huge step forward for the collective American subconscious. It’s a pretty rote perspective for a musician to take but it’s the truth.
A noted (i assure you) musician – who was asked to be quoted under anonymity
“I guess either Huckabee or Thompson since I live in Tennessee…..no, I’m kidding, I don’t vote.”
The fact that next January we could be swearing in either a woman or an African-American is so exciting. Hilary is wise and the thought of Bill Clinton as First Husband makes my heart swell – Obama is super inspirational and both would represent a huge step forward for the collective American subconscious. It’s a pretty rote perspective for a musician to take but it’s the truth.
A noted (i assure you) musician – who was asked to be quoted under anonymity
“I guess either Huckabee or Thompson since I live in Tennessee…..no, I’m kidding, I don’t vote.”
Hard to Find a Friend - A Music Blog 