SXSW 2009 – Cold War Kids – Part III.

St. John LIVE – I apologize for the poor quality. Guest appearances by Brigham Brough (saxophone), Wyndham Boylan-Garnett (trombone) and Nick Kinsey  (clarinet) of Elvis Perkins in Dearland.

SXSW 2009 – Cold War Kids – Part II.

Brigham Brough on saxophone and Wyndham Boylan-Garnett on trombone of Elvis Perkins in Dearland join the Cold War Kids for their last song, St. John. 

 

SXSW 2009 – Cold War Kids – Part I.

Part I. Before the show

I arrived to the Cold War Kids show 2 hours early. I was determined to be in the very front in order to have an unobstructed view when taking photographs. I brought flyers with me, the flyers advertise my free download offer on my website, along with labels to stick onto the flyers while I waited. The labels included my show information (my show was the following day). I would later hand out flyers to any willing recipients. I was pleasantly surprised when three lovely ladies who saw me at work kindly offered to help me with the tedious task (Kelly, Amulya & Charu). Then, another sweet soul joined, and then another and another. After conversing, I learned that they were all Austin natives. Their generosity left me thinking that Austin people are awesome!!

SXSW 2009 – St. Vincent

Annie Clark of Saint Vincent is not apologetic and I like that. She performed at the Presbyterian Church- the acoustics were gorgeous! She is a sick guitarist. Her voice is deliciously sweet… Definitely a fantastic performer.

SXSW 2009 – Ceci Bastida

Cesi Bastida, a Latin indie artist from Tijuana, performed at Flamingo last night. She sings in Spanish, dances and plays an array of instruments including the melodica and a tom (drum). She’s pretty darn amiable! The band (James Bairian, Jorge Villanueva, Dave Green, Louis Castle, Danny Rukasin) was very tight and looked like they were having the best time (that’s always a pleasure to witness). I heard quite a few people in the crowd saying “Te Llamó” and in addition to professing their love, the audience was jumping and dancing. Her energy is contagious, uplifting and fun. 

The Art of Shameless Promotion

It takes tremendous courage, strength and conviction to self-promote. It is one of the most challenging and daunting tasks, especially when you are humble and the thing you are promoting is intimately embedded with your deepest emotions. I give Tony Avitia serious props for his approach and execution. Not because it was an effective method (I hope it was), but because he was doing what most artists are too scared and proud to do. I shot this clip inside the Austin Convention Hall, where he stood wearing a gigantic sign with information about his band.  

Saint John by Cold War Kids, from Robbers & Cowards

I didn’t fancy the Cold War Kids from the get-go. They were definitely an acquired taste. They grew on me. Now I crave their music like an addict and Saint John is my favorite of their songs (at least right now it is).

SONG: Saint John

There are too many Saints named John to narrow this particular song title to one of them. John the Apostle, John the Evangelist, John of Patmos, John of Egypt, John the Merciful, John of Ephesus, Saint John of Damascus— you get my point, right? What do all Saint Johns have in common? Living righteously, challenging sinful rulers, calling for repentance, promising God’s justice, anticipating a messiah? 

Starting with a slow electric bass line and a few sporatic percussive sounds, the song stays simple musically while plunging into heavy, deep and profound subject matter (but you wouldn’t think so unless you really listened to the lyrics). I could be reading too far into it? I don’t know, you tell me?!

 I love how loose and imprecise the backing vocals are. I definitely detect a hint of PJ Harvey’s vocal styling (when he sings, “Tell My Sister Jane”). There is also a great and very effective time change in the song, upbeat in the verse, slower in the chorus.

The song actually tells a tragic story, seemingly from a minority’s perspective (as suggested by the line, “All the white boys in the stay-pressed slacks,
they’re home for the summer from college” inferring that the story-teller is not white) and possibly from a different era. It’s bluesy-ness is certainly suggestive of another time. The story: a group of drunk guys attempt to rape the protagonist’s sister. He (the protagonist) enters the scene and violently scares them away. It’s not portrayed as a heroic act as he ends up killing one of them and must go on the run. The protagonist apparently gets caught, living now on death row and testifying against the kids who tried to rape his sister.

 The message: life sure isn’t fair. But why bring Saint John into the song? Maybe a statement about society’s fucked-up moral compass or the lack of God or justice? A person becomes a saint if he/she has demonstrated a life of almost perfect virtue. That’s the irony. This fellow is a saint (or his action was saintly) but he’s still on death row. And, “all us boys on death row are just waiting for pardon.”

Like I said, I may be giving it more meaning than even the Cold War Kids intended. Whatever the case, it’s a fantastic song on all accounts.

LYRICS:  

Supper time in the hole. Supper time in the hole. I shame my family,
shame my home.
Supper time. Old St. John on death row,
he’s just waiting for a pardon.
All the white boys in the stay-pressed slacks,
they’re home for the summer from college.
Stayin’ out late, getting rowdy at the bar
and lookin’ for trouble uptown.
They come up my block, about 5 or 6 of them,
smashing their bottles in the gutter. Yelling all kinds of obscenities,
about women and God and law. Supper time in the hole. I
shame my family,
shame my home. A young girl turning the corner with a clerk dress on,
that girl was my sister.
Just got off the night shift, at Pennington’s place—
just wanna go home and get some sleep.
Well, he grabbed her by the waist with the caffeine eyes, their hands all fidget electric.
I picked up a brick from my papa’s front yard
and threw it at the tallest boys face. Well blood was streaming like a well that sprung.
I couldn’t believe what I had just done. Well the other boy’s ran and this one stayed on the ground and he would never move again. Old St. john on death row,
he’s just waiting for a pardon.
All us boys on death row,
we’re just waiting for a pardon. Jury on trial, I testify.
Got to keep on runnin til the well runs dry.

Smart & Creative Advertising, Banana Republic’s “City Stories” Campaign

OK GO

“We want this campaign to strike an emotional chord with Banana Republic customers,” said Peter DeLuca, Chief Marketing Officer for Banana Republic. “By tapping into their passion for music, the campaign brings to life Banana Republic’s tradition of city style along with a level of inspiration and optimism that is as refreshing as Spring should be.”

I’m thoroughly impressed with Banana Republic’s “City Stories” Campaign. Cheers to smart and creative advertising! It’s interesting to witness the ways in which the music industry is changing and the increasing role of music in advertisements (and I don’t mean jingles). In this case, it’s not just an exciting new song bringing life to a particular product in a commercial (like Yael Naim’s “New Soul” in the MacBook Air commercial). The musician and their respective image or brand is equally as important in portraying the eclectic side of Banana Republic. 

 The new ads feature nine Grammy-nominated artist/performers (David Garrett, Liz Phair, Chris Carrabba, Tommy Torres, David Sanchez, OK GO, Esperanza Spalding, Ayo and Sara Bareilles), each photographed in BR’s spring and summer 2009 apparel, with New York City as the backdrop.

 City Stories is meant to reflect Banana Republic’s modern look and enduring style while highlighting the vibrant energy of the city. The “eclectic pool of musical talent “who “echo the multicultural richness of the city” share their unique, creative experiences with a city of their choosing. Each artist is featured on the Banana Republic website, with a biography, behind-the-scenes interview, unplugged performance, free music download and streaming music sample. 

iTunes gift cards were given to customers with purchase from February 17 to 26, redeemable for a free compilation of songs by the participating artists. From March 1st through June 31, 2009, Banana Republic’s “City Stories” will be available on RED, Virgin America’s in-flight entertainment system, as the first-ever branded channel.

It’s obviously an incredible opportunity for the artists involved as the exposure is tremendous and potentially expands their target audience into new demographics. OK Go gets to be exposed to financially stable individuals- the Banana Republic customer, the young and self-expressive professional. In turn, Banana Republic seems a little more hip and may appeal to a younger, creative crowd (the type that may not a wear suit to work).

The campaign speaks volumes about the power of music and it’s ability to elicit an emotional reaction/connection. It also shows that the artist or band’s brand is a key factor in cutting through the clutter and competition of mass media and establishing a deeper emotional connection with a target audience.

Check out this great article about music in advertising, the jingle — but one created by a superstar musician: http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/55359750