This month, a very special Yellow Bird did all of his Christmas shopping with YBP. His name is Paul Miller, and he purchased 7 t-shirts. We decided that we wanted to get to know him a bit more, so we went ahead and did a little interview with him. Turns out he’s a very interesting cat! We’re hoping that other people might be able to learn from this fine example. If you’re looking for easy way to do your Christmas shopping, and you want to find cool, interesting gifts, then don’t for forget your Yellow Bird! 

Yellow Bird Project: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? What do you do?

Paul Miller: I work for a little independent television production company at Fox Studios in Sydney (only in last six months). We make a real-life crime show about serial killers called Crime Investigation Australia as well as sports documentaries about horse racing, rugby league etc. I finished an Arts degree at Sydney Uni last year (at a very old 28) and have no knowledge or skills that equip me for this job. I actually moved to Sydney to become a professional boxer and my boxing manager owns the production company.

I think that is quite a lot about myself! I spent quite a few years boxing and actually traveled to Canada on one trip. (My first or second trip overseas with the national boxing team so it was very exciting.

YBP: How did you first come across YBP?

PM: I saw The New Pornographers at The Annandale Hotel in Sydney and they were sensational. I had already purchased their album Challengers and wanted to find out about the band members (the girl was fantastic but my friend had said it wasn’t the same girl as usual (Neko?)…. so I googled them and spied YBP.

YBP: Are you a fan of many/most of the YBP bands? Do you have any favourites?

PM: YBP almost seem to have catered to my choice in music. Its uncanny. There is actually a few that I still haven’t had a good listen to however.

In the same week (as I saw The New P.)I also saw The Tallest Man On Earth at The Hopetoun and he was really impressive. And then… you guys got hold of him for the theme song.

YBP: You did all of your Christmas shopping with YBP, and purchased 7 t-shirts. Which ones did you buy, and who were they for?

PM: I’m not sure if it is ALL of my Xmas shopping but it has taken the pressure off. They are original quality tees and the idea behind the whole YBP concept is appealing. I bought a few female sizes and a couple of the same prints in a few of the t-shirts.

YBP: Did you choose those tees for any reason in particular?

PM: Just the bands that I particularly like. I was also lucky to see Holly Throsby a few weeks ago at the Basement and she was great.

YBP: Why do you think YBP t-shirts make such good Christmas presents?

PM: They were something interesting to buy. And of course they are great quality t-shirts.

YBP: How does it feel to have made such a generous purchase?

PM: I don’t know how generous the purchase really is. They are extremely good value.

YBP: Would you recommend that other people do their Christmas shopping with YBP?

PM: Yes. Do it. Do it.

Hello Friends,

I have finally returned from my week in London. I would like to first and foremost apologize for my lack of bloggage last week. Internet in London was mucho expensive and to be honest I was quite busy seeing the sights. The good news is, the music did not stop! (does it ever?). Don’t worry I didn’t just listen to the Sex Pistols the whole week. The first thing that I found cool was on my hotel TV. On the second night in London on this random channel, there was this show that caught my attention because I heard them talking about Annie. And then to my surprise and delight there was a performance by my fellow Canadian Crystal Castles. So right away I was thinking, “London rocks!”. This was only the beginning.

One of my biggest musical highlights of the week was my trip to Rough Trade Records East. This store kinda blew my mind. I have never been to a record store with like 95% good music. Usually there’s a fair amount of shit music in every music store, but at Rough Trade this wasn’t the case. I made a list of bands that I discovered at the store to check out when I got home and I am in the process of doing so. Out of the bands I have checked out so far, Bodies of Water are really impressing me. I’m a little upset right now because I just saw on their myspace page that they played at Divan Orange in Montreal 3 hours ago. Oh well, I guess I’ll have to catch them the next time around.

As for shows in London, my luck wasn’t so great. I went to see Noah and the Whale play at Rough Trade, but we only got there for the last song! In London, when they say a show starts at 8:00, they mean it starts at 8:00! By 8:25, when we got there, they were just wrapping up. It’s too bad because I have been hearing some good things about this band.

The next show I went to see was Holly Throsby playing at this pub called The Slaughtered Lamb (or something like that). This time we were told she was playing at 10:00, but by the time we got there she only had 4 songs left, so obviously there were some communication problems there. I nevertheless got a good taste of Holly live, and I am glad for the 4 songs I did get to hear. Her voice is so soft and lovely on her albums, but live it’s just a whole new level of amazingness. I really can’t wait until I get a chance to see her play live again. Here is a pretty terrible quality video of Holly performing “The Shoulders and Bends”, a song from her album, Under the Town. The sound quality is pretty decent however. Check it out:

And finally I had a musical revelation in that I fell in love with Radiohead’s In Rainbows.

So what did I learn on this trip? Firstly, to listen to lots of Radiohead, always. Secondly, to go to shows EARLY (as if I have more important things to do). And finally, to return to London as often as possible, because it is a really great city.

In other news…

Have you seen what Torquil Campbell of Stars (not THE stars) had to say about his band’s nomination for the the 2008 Polaris Music Prize? Not only is he ultra talented…he’s funny too!

Well, that’s all for now…I must now get back to studying for my 2 final exams on the 15th and 16th. Wish me luck!

And stay tuned next week for a YBP exclusive interview with one of my favourite new artists, Birdie Busch! It will be a blog to remember!

Until next week…

-The Middle Distance Runner

I don’t know about you but there’s nothing I look forward to more than when the artists I love put out new albums. Often though, the intense excitement and high expectations that I have lead to disappointment when I actually do get to hear the new releases and they aren’t exactly what I was hoping for. Once I get over that initial disappointment however, I usually come to love the albums. The fact remains, new albums are exciting! Some great new releases that I have been listening to lately are Man Man’s Rabbits Habbits, Aimee Mann’s @#%&*! Smilers, Fleet Foxes’ self titled LP and Wolf Parade’s At Mount Zoomer. Now let’s take a look at what is on the horizon…try not to drool.

Ratatat: LP3 - July 8, 2008

I absolutely cannot wait to hear this new album by New York City duo Ratatat. Since first hearing about them two summers ago, I have been incessantly listening to their first two LPs, Ratatat and Classics. I only hope that their third LP, which is aptly entitled LP3, will have the same magic that made the first two as good as they are. I’m expecting something a little different this time around. While the first two albums were great, they were pretty similar sounding, so I think we can expect a little bit of variation.

Here’s a little taste of the new album: Shiller

CSS (Cansei de Ser Sexy): Donkey - July 21, 2008

Unless you have been living under a rock somewhere, you have definitely heard of CSS. I remember a time when nobody knew who they were. Until a certain Apple ad changed everything. Now, CSS is everywhere… and good for them! But the pressure is on for them to follow up their debut self titled album with something worth listening to. Here’s a sample from the new album called Rat is Dead (Rage). Sounds pretty good to me!

The Stills: Oceans Will Rise - August 19, 2008

Here’s a band that i haven’t thought of for awhile. Recently signed to Arts & Crafts Records, The Stills, who hail from my Montreal hometown, will release their third studio album on August 19th. I am very eager to hear how they have changed in the last 2 years. Their second album, Without Feathers, was much different from their first, Logic WIll Break Your Heart. Is this a sign that their new album will be much different from their second? We will have to wait and see. But for now, here are some samples from the new record:

Rooiboos/Palm Wine Drinkard

Being Here

Imogen Heap: Untitled Third Album - September, 2008

I have been waiting for a new album from Imogen for a long time now. It’s been three years since her last solo album Speak For Yourself and I think it’s about time we hear some new stuff from her. Being the awesome person that she is, she has been recording video blogs for some time now documenting the creation of her new album. You can check out her latest vblog (the 24th) below. Look for her new album to drop this September!

Of Montreal: Skeletal Lamping - October 7, 2008

I have been following them for many years and I consider them one of my all time favourite bands. While their last release Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? was probably one of my least favourite Of Montreal albums, I am still reaaaally excited to hear what they have in store for us this time around. The new album, which is to be entitled Skeletal Lamping, and will hit stores on October 7th, might just be the strangest thing we have heard from Kevin Barnes and his crew yet.

Here’s what Barnes had to say about it on Of Montreal’s Myspace Blog: “I wanted to make an album that was unpredictable and, at times,startling, yet always hummable and catchy. some of the transitions are intentionally awkward. I did this to keep the listener off guard and to dismantle people’s perception of how an album is supposed to be constructed. I am so bored with art that makes sense and ‘works’. I wanted to do somethings that didn’t ‘work’.”

Metric: Unknown Title - Summer 2008

According to this article a new Metric album should be hitting stores at some point this summer. I wouldn’t expect it before the fall but this is still exciting news! I don’t think Emily Haines has ever put out anything that wasn’t great. Whether it be with her band Metric or on her own with the Soft Skeleton, her music has always been amazing and I expect no less from their new LP, whenever it does come out. Here are two new songs that we can expect to hear on the album:

Give Me Sympathy (Acoustic):

Twilight:

Here are some more albums to look out for:

Holly Throsby: A Loud Call - July 12, 2008

Midlake: The Courage of Others (Tentative Title) - 2008

Final Fantasy: Heartland - Unknown Date

Well that’s all for now. It looks like it is going to be a pretty exciting summer and fall. Lots of new music for us to live our lives to. If you have any more information about future albums from these or other artists, please let me know!

Until next week…

-The Middle Distance Runner

Who doesn’t love a soft female vocalist singing along with the sweet sounds of an acoustic guitar, piano, or in some cases, a harp. If you’re anything like me, there’s nothing sweeter than the sound of a talented female artist doing her thing. Artists that we know and love, like Joanna Newsom, My Brightest Diamond, Feist and Regina Spektor (to name a few) and artists that aren’t so well known like the one’s I’m about to name. This is a tribute to some up and coming female artists that I think we will be hearing a lot more from in the coming years.

Laura Marling

At the mere age of 18, Marling has created quite a stir not only in her Eversley, England hometown, but across the pond, here in North America. I was lucky enough to see her open for Adam Green last month in New York City, and even though many people didn’t know who she was, the performance was great, and I’m sure it got whoever was at the show talking about her. She has a whole bunch of shows coming up this summer, mostly in the UK with 2 more stops in New York City next week.

Check out all of her dates here.

And here is her video for the song “Ghosts” which is off of her debut album Alas I Cannot Swim:

Birdie Busch

This is a new discovery of mine, recommended to me by my friend Jeremy of good musical taste. There isn’t a lot about her out there on the internet (just yet) but I think she has a nice sound, and could be big one day. She has already released 2 full length albums, and I think she may have a third in the works.

Here is a sample track and the best quality video I could find for you, the song is called “Mystical” and the video is called “Go Go Gadget Heart”, both songs off of her latest release, Penny Arcade :

Birdie Busch - Mystical

Basia Bulat

The first I heard of Basia Bulat was at the inaugural Osheaga Festival in 2006 in Montreal. Unfortunately, I just stopped for a few minutes on my way to see Final Fantasy play so i didn’t really get to enjoy her set. If I knew that I would like her as much as I do today I would have definitely made a point of watching her entire set. Along with acoustic guitar Basia also plays the autoharp regularly at all of her shows. And best of all, she is Canadian!

This is a video of her performing “Snakes and Ladders” from her latest release Oh, My Darling, live in Brussels

Holly Throsby

My last up and coming solo female artist is the amazingly talented Holly Throsby, who has gained significant popularity in her hometown of Sydney, Australia and is continuing to gain popularity around the world. She has toured with the likes of Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, Joanna Newsom and YBP’s first official artist, Devendra Banhart. She has already given us two amazing albums and the third will hit shelves on July 12 entitled “A Loud Call”

Here is Holly performing the song “Spare-Ohs” along with violin/whistler extraordinaire Andrew Bird:

And finally, here is a little taste of Holly’s new album A Loud Call. The song is called “A Heart Divided”:

So, readers, you have some homework to do…check out these artists and then go to their shows!

Until next week…

-The Middle Distance Runner

In recording news from across the seas, Holly can be heard singing on the new Hayden record, In Field & Town, which is out now in Canada & the USA on Hardwood Records and out soon in Australia on Spunk Records.