CURRENT OBSESSION

Deer Tick, These Old Shoes

Deer Tick will be doing some dates (though not the NYC-area shows) with Neko Case in November. I would love to see them together.

The new album Born on Flag Day is great. Check it out when you get a minute.

If you can't see this video you can access it with this link.

HELLO AGAIN!

Sorry about the lack of posts lately. Everyone needs a blogcation, right?

Despite the blog slacking, we have a lot going on. We're gearing up for the CMJ Music Marathon 2009! Our showcase is on Wednesday, October 21st at the Alphabet Lounge (Avenue C and E. 7th Street) at 10pm. Here's the schedule for the night:

7pm - Heath Street
8pm - Jones Street Station
9pm - Blair
10pm - Bel Air

Notice anything about this list? Two "street" bands and then Blair and Bel Air. The CMJ schedulers have an interesting sense of humor. When Wyatt was in Masculine Feminine he played a CMJ showcase with Junior Senior and Mommy and Daddy.

The weird thing about this bill is that it actually makes sense. Heath Street is folkie singer/songwriter kind of stuff, Jones Street Station (who didn't get to play at last year's ill-fated pig roast) are great country rock featuring our friend Jon Hull on harmonica. Blair's songs are really interesting - influenced by Neil Young and alt-country but not in an obvious way. Then us. You know what we sound like: kind of an amalgamation of all of the above.

Besides CMJ, we (read: Wyatt) have been working on our brand new OFFICIAL WEBSITE!!! It's your new one stop place for all things Bel Air. It has photos, a store, our twitter feed, news and MORE. Check it out! We're excited about it.



We've also been working on our fall tour-de-south. It's coming together. Here are the dates:

15-Nov-09 The M Room Philladelphia, PA
16-Nov-09 Juggling Gypsy Wilmington, NC
17-Nov-09 The Garage Winston Salem, NC
18-Nov-09 The Bobo Gallery Asheville, NC
19-Nov-09 8th and Rail Auburn, AL
20-Nov-09 Hang Fire Savannah, GA
21-Nov-09 Slims Raleigh, NC

I've started chronicling the process of booking/planning/doing a tour in my Eight Million Stories column. You can read the first installment here. The next one will be posted next week (Oct. 16th).

Thanks for reading this long-winded post. I guess I'm trying to make up for lost time!

XOXOXO

ON THE BEAT - TOUR EDITION

Hey there. My September On the Beat column is up! In it, I begin what is looking like it might be a 2 or 3 parter about planning a tour as an indie band.

CHECK IT OUT!

We might be jumping trains if we don't secure a van soon...

CUTE!

Last winter, Bel Air went to see Wilco and Neil Young at MSG. The concert happened to fall on the birthday of Jeff Tweedy's son Spencer. We all sang Happy Birthday to him and then he played drums with the band on... Late Greats I think? Anyway - 13-year-old Spencer Tweedy has a blog in which he quotes his father, philosophizes about hipsters and penguin classics, chronicles his dates with the style rookie and apologizes for going to WalMart.

VMA CRAZINESS

This get-up is just disturbing. Even bastion of human sympathy, Eminem, looks concerned.

WOW!

"Joshua Bell is one of the world's greatest violinists. His instrument of choice is a multimillion-dollar Stradivarius. If he played it for spare change, incognito, outside a bustling Metro stop in Washington, would anyone notice?"

This is a great article from the Washington Post. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend taking a minute to do so.

Here's a video of Joshua Bell doing what he does best: looking cute. Oh, and playing the violin.



If you can't see this video you can access it with this link.

BEL AIR ON THE AIR

Bel Air opens and closes the current episode of Americana Rock Mix! Check it out here! Scroll to the bottom to listen to the episode.

SHOW AT PETE'S

After practice on Thursday, Bel Air went to Pete's Candy Store to see Hartwell Littlejohn and T.K. Webb play. They were both great and both covered great songs - Hart did 3 Gram Parsons songs and T.K. did Pancho and Lefty. Here's a pic of T.K. (it was dark in there):

CURRENT OBSESSION

Antony and the Johnsons - Aeon

Just try to watch this video and not get completely sucked in. I dare you!

I'm totally obsessed. Who's with me? Antony and the Johnsons' new album The Crying Light is really, really good. Antony's voice would have been enough for me to love it but his songwriting puts it over the edge. It incorporates melodies and cadences that seem to be inspired by the "classical" art song tradition and still manages to sound of the minute.

8MS - ON THE BEAT - AUGUST

Hey Y'all! My August edition of On the Beat is now up on Eight Million Stories. Check it out!

LIVE AT LEGION

The fundraiser for Toy Box Theatre Company was a success! Here is a video clip sent in by a very nice friend of Matt's that features a sneak peak at one of our brand new tunes. And, a creepy, moving (possessed?) doll:

LIVE SHOW!!

Bands start at 4, we're the second band. Extrapolate from that what you will.

Not only is there no cover for this show, the hosts of this party are paying people to attend (in BBQ which is the best currency I can think of).

This is a benefit show for our pal Mike Holmes' theater company so you can feel good about drinking in the middle of the day. You'll be (drunkenly) supporting local theater!