The backstory alone should tell you something about Breathe Owl Breathe‘s relationship with the unexpected: primaries Micah Middaugh and Andréa Moreno-Beals were born in Southwest Asia and South America, respectively, but they met in a Dairy Queen parking lot; the first time drummer Trevor Hobbs met Middaugh, they turned a party full of strangers into an improvised zombie movie. Continue reading…
Watching opening bands can be a bit of a gamble, but you’ll definitely want to arrive early at the Casbah on Friday, September 17. Before the feisty trio known as Menomena blows the crowd away with its sometimes bloody, always amazing act, Tu Fawning will take the stage, and you won’t want to miss it.
The Portland four-piece employs driving rhythms and delicate cacophony to create evocative, sinister moods that lie somewhere between the realms of Beach House and Portishead. It’s a smokey, intriguing combination of sounds, all tied together by Corrina Repp’s sultry vocals.
Repp was kind enough to share her Poetic Memory with us, a “smattering of records and songs” that form a cross-section of her musical influences. While you’re reading the list, you can download the free single of Tu Fawning’s “The Felt Sense” (MP3), which should whet your appetite for Friday’s show quite nicely. Click here for the Poetic Memory.
In May, Texas songwriter Sarah Jaffe released Suburban Nature, her excellent sophomore album. She also just completed tours with the likes of Norah Jones and Lou Barlow. Now, she’s heading out on her own.
Jaffe’s brand of stripped-down introspection is a breath of fresh air in an age of muddy music. Her well-developed, resonant lyrics and songwriting are reminiscent of old Moon Pix and Knock Knock-era Cat Power and Smog, respectively. When I saw Jaffe open for Barlow in June, her set might’ve been the highlight of the night.
It doesn’t look like she’ll be stopping in San Diego this time around, but there is a conspicuous gap between her stops in Phoenix and Los Angeles, so you never know. If you get a chance, check out her show. In the meantime, download “Tour dates are below.