For Folk's Sake » Jeffrey Lewis

Brian’s Mixtape #40: New York, New York

Brian — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 10:39:42 +0000

Brian’s recently gotten to thinking about how much of the music he loves is about the cities, suburbs and plains of the U S of A. He was going to do you a playlist about the whole darn country, but realised that that was biting off more than he could chew (which isn’t much – look at that beak). He’s decided to tackle the task city by city, instead. Wise owl.

Even after narrowing it down to the Big Apple, Brian struggled to keep the playlist to its proper length, so this week he brings you a feature-length compilation, complete with interval (during which he orders you to pop out for ice cream – if your boss won’t let you, RESIGN).

Here’s the tracklisting:

1. Leonard Cohen – Chelsea Hotel #2
2. Rufus Wainwright – 11:11
3. Suzanne Vega – New York is a Woman
4. The Mountain Goats – Lovecraft in Brooklyn
5. Jeffrey Lewis – The East River
6. Ella Fitzgerald – Manhattan
7. Bright Eyes – Train Under Water
8. New York Dolls – Subway Train
9. Vampire Weekend – A-Punk
10. Regina Spektor – Summer in the CityTom Waits – Coney Island Baby
11. Sufjan Stevens – The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts
12. Kings of Convenience – Little Kids
13. Magnetic Fields – The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side
14. Le Tigre – My My Metrocard

Intermission – The Carpenters

16. Stephen Fretwell – New York
17. Bishop Allen – The Chinatown Bus
18. The Wallflowers – 6th Avenue Heartache
19. Rufus Wainwright – Poses
20. Simon & Garfunkel – The Only Living Boy in New York
21. Interpol – NYC
22. The New Pornographers – Myriad Harbour
23. Stephen Malkmus – Vanessa from Queens
24. Sufjan Stevens – Chicago
25. Neva Dinova – Brooklyn
26. Belle and Sebastian – Piazza, New York Catcher
27. PJ Harvey – The Whores Hustle and the Hustlers Whore
28. Thea Gilmore – Dance in New York
29. Nicole Atkins – Brooklyn’s on Fire
30. Jeffrey Lewis – The Chelsea Hotel Oral Sex Song

And here’s the link to the whole dealio on Spotify: Brian’s Mixtape #40: New York, New York

Spotify is now freeeee. You can download it here for access to tons and tons of music. FFS has just splashed out for Spotify Premium and sadly admits that you really do notice the difference in sound quality. Vandross and Jackson are a pair of filthy liars.

Profile: Ben Phillips, artist for Peggy Sue, Alessi and Rachael Dadd

Lynn Roberts — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:51:40 +0000

Front Cover for Peggy Sue's debut album Fossils and Other Phantoms

We came across Ben Phillips through his intriguing artwork on Peggy Sue’s releases. But his involvement with the London folk crowd doesn’t stop there. The Camberwell-based artist has been prolific over the past few years, providing artwork and posters for Daniel Johnston, Rachael Dadd and Alessi’s Ark. We got in touch with him over the internets to find out more about the man behind the images.

FFS: How did you become an artist?
Ben Phillips: I always wanted to be an artist since I was really young. I was quite badly behaved at school, very short concentration span and I’d end up doing something disruptive and get sent to the Head-Mistresses’ Office. Though doing art was always my redemption. I won the ‘Liphook Carnival Poster competition’ four years in a row (though on the third year I came second, I think they wanted to let some other kid have the spot-light for a brief moment). Drawing was always something that I could do and it gave my mum a little bit of a break from me.

Last year I graduated from the Illustration Course at Brighton University and now I’m living in London, trying to do this illustration as a full-time job. It’s not too bad, I just about scrape by. I was working part-time at a cafe near Brick Lane though the boss is a really anal, highly strung, Italian male and I’m not sure if he liked me very much. “Benjamin do-a this, Benjamin clean-a the macheene, Benjamin be-a polite-a to-a the customers”. I worked there for a few weeks though one day they changed the rota and never told me about it. I haven’t had any shifts since and I think I’m fired.

For Peggy Sue's album Fossils & Other Phantoms

FFS: Who was the first artist to commission you to do their artwork?
Ben: Peggy Sue were the first band to commission me to do a record cover. I met them down in Brighton when I was selling some of my etching prints at a print fair at Brighton uni. They bought 1 or 2 of my prints and then they got back in touch about 6 months later when they saw one of my illustrations in Brighton Source magazine. I’ve done 7 record designs for them now and they keep me busy with other bits and pieces too. I met Alessi at a little festival in Kent last year and we soon became good friends.

Record sleeve design for Peggy Sue's Watchman single

FFS: Can we find your work elsewhere? Do you exhibit?

Ben: I do exhibit and I’m part of a couple of shows in the not too distant future, though dates have not been clarified yet. I sell a selection of prints and greetings cards at an art boutique off Brick Lane in east London.

Cover design for Rachael Dadd's Moth in the Motor mini album

FFS: Who are your favourite artists and who or what influences and inspires you?
I’m into Outsider art and in particular the work of Henry Darger and Adolf Wolfli. I also really like the expressionist painters and printers from Post War Europe. I’m interested in work that gives some insight into someone else’s thought process, work that doesn’t let it’s audience dictate its outcome. My work is inspired by my own experiences, though I take these often mundane happenings and recreate them in a fictionalised world. I try to be honest in my work.

Poster for Daniel Johnston/Jeffrey Lewis London show

FFS: Are you from an artistic family?
Ben: My parents aren’t art directors or fashion designers or architects or embroidery geniuses. Though both of them have artistic outlets, my Dad is a talented engineer and in his spare time he makes engines in his workshop at the end of the garden, my Mum is creative and is a compulsive car-boot sale buyer, she’s quite house proud. My Nan is great, I think if I get my artistic skills from anyone its probably her. She customises her clothes and decorates her house in a very individual way. She goes through fads with her creative output. A few years back she started collecting decanters and she’d paint them with very bright, gaudy patterns. She must have done hundreds of the things, though I think she’s grown out of that now.

FFS: What’s your favourite medium to work in?
Ben: Of late I have been working a lot in pen and watercolour pencils, they are a very underrated medium. Though I also love working with paint, graphite, ink and using print methods.

CD design for Alessi's Ark - Soul Proprietor EP

FFS: What’s your favourite music? Do you listen to music while you work?

I do like the folk. I’m really enjoying the new Tallest Man on Earth album. I tend to listen to band-based music, I really like The National’s new album a lot too. I tend to have music on while I work, unless I’m in the ideas stages, it can be a little to distracting when trying to think.

Three-Headed Girl (personal work)

FFS: What have you got planned for the future?
Very Little plans, it’s each day as it comes! No kidding. I would like to move away and work as an illustrator somewhere else in the world for a while. I have a few places in mind though I’m hoping one will pull me towards it, rather than me choosing it myself. Those sort of decisions are so tricky to make.

Gender (personal work)

FFS: Where are you based? And where are you from originally?
Ben: I live and work in Camberwell in south London. I live with 9 friends from Brighton where we all studied, and originally I’m from a little village in Hampshire. It’s pretty, but pretty boring too.

For more from Ben, visit his website: www.benjaminphillips.co.uk.

Also in FFS’s artist profiles series: Sophie Milner, artist for Laura Marling and Mumford and Sons.

Hear Jeffrey Lewis reveal his comic book secrets

Lois Jeary — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 09:49:33 +0000

Most will know him best for singing charmingly odd little ditties about mosquitos, oral sex and ghouls; but anyone who has spent time hanging about the merch stall at a Jeffrey Lewis gig will also know that he is a highly talented artist and has produced all manner of comic books and illustrated histories of the world. As you do.

Having previously delivered a lecture on Watchmen, Jeffrey Lewis will now talk about his own comic books and inspirations, as well as revealing some unpublished works and sketches, in a conversation hosted by comedian Robin Ince.

The talk will take place courtesy of Show + Tell at The Old Queen’s Head, Islington, on Tuesday 1st June at 7pm. Tickets are £15 and can be purchased through Ticketweb.

Brian’s Mixtape #35: Leave the Animals Out of It

Brian — Tue, 25 May 2010 10:35:10 +0000

Following a delectable week of Joni Mitchell, Brian’s allowed his hippy side out of the oak tree for a pad around the forest floor. Now, don’t get Brian wrong: he’s not about to give up his beloved dormouse suppers. He has been thinking a lot about lentil-munching, Haribo-avoiding vegetarians a lot over the weekend, and for that reason he began to notice some interesting messages in many of his favourite songs.

Some are rather subtle, others (Morrissey, we’re looking at you) not so subtle, but all the songs in his playlist this week are in some way related to taking care of the animals, and not eating them. No need to follow the moral imperative though – Brian certainly isn’t – just enjoy the fact that, on top of sharing a theme, they’re all pucker songs.

1. Herman Dune – Pet Rabbit
2. God Help the Girl – Musician, Please Take Heed
3. The Smiths – Meat is Murder
4. Jeffrey Lewis – Life
5. The Beach Boys – Vegetables
6. Anton Barbeau – Quorn Fingers
7. Belle and Sebastian – Meat & Potatoes
8. Of Montreal – Vegan in Furs
9. The Pernice Brothers – Cruelty to Animals
10. Butcher Boy – React or Die
11. Willy Mason – Where the Humans Eat
12. Efterklang – Prey and Predator

Click the link for the Spotify playlist: Brian’s Mixtape #35: Leave the Animals Out of it

Spotify has finally heard Brian’s pleas for a free service and launched Spotify Open, which is rather lucky as the kind folk who’ve been donating their Spotify invites to you readers seem to be running out a bit now. Download Spotify Open.

Brian’s been making these playlists for as long as he can remember. If you’d like to catch up on his previous efforts, take a look at our mixtape section.

FFS interview: The Bundles

Lois Jeary — Tue, 18 May 2010 08:50:35 +0000

Photo: Sarah Cass

Whether or not they should be described as ‘Antifolk’ seems to be a matter of debate; however, one thing is for certain – The Bundles is a remarkable concoction of musicians who each owe something to the collaborative, supportive musical community based around the Sidewalk Café in New York’s East Village (the only place I know where free shows come with a ‘two-drink minimum’). Following the release of their debut album, The Bundles tour the UK this week, although they will be sans one member – Kimya Dawson, yet another casualty to that great ash cloud in the sky. Thankfully, the rest of the band – Jeffrey Lewis, Anders Griffen and Jack Lewis – have decided to go ahead with the tour after two surprise ‘dress rehearsals’ at Cakeshop and the Sidewalk Café went rather well, despite their diminished numbers.

“I love the community in New York. It’s so amazing to have a bunch of people who all play different types of music and come to each other’s shows, and also hang out on a regular basis,” Jack replies, when I ask The Bundles trio what this Antifolk haven over the sea is really like.

“Hanging out at Sidewalk and performing with a bunch of different creative folks there broadened my interests and understanding a lot. I wonder if I would be as open to different music had I not been there,” says Anders, while Jeff says that for him, “it’s important to have this wider community, partially for the sake of having an audience and social network that understands the context of what I’m doing. By way of contrast, the brief time I spent living in Texas I was often frustrated by the fact that other people seemed to either be ’serious’ musicians or non-musicians. I had a hard time finding a middle ground. Stumbling into the New York Antifolk scene was a great thing and not to be taken for granted, also the fact that it was, and remains, mostly under the radar.”

And yet, for all this talk of a community, it has always been practically impossible to tie down what ‘Antifolk’ really means. It so frequently defies definition or explanation, which Jeff seems to think is pretty much the point: “It has never been a ‘movement’, just an open space for people who are starting out and maybe don’t have any other place to play or people to play to, or with. In that openness there’s inevitably no particular defining musical style.”

“No one in the New York scene would normally call themselves Antifolk,” according to Jack. “If someone asks them what type of music they played, they might say indie-rock, or folk or punk or new wave. But now, since Antifolk got some press in the UK back in 2001, there are musicians in the UK and around the world who started calling themselves Antifolk. It’s kind of fascinating.”

Yet Anders identifies a common thread: “It’s kind of a simple affirmation of personal creativity. As Emerson said, “[one] should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across [the] mind from within.” My favourite artists, and only a few of these could be considered Antifolk, have done this in their way, and have thereby produced, to my astonishment, the most unique, personal expressions. Antifolkers tend to just go for it, no matter how weird their idea may seem, or how much others might disagree with them, or no matter how scared they are to go through with it; they just say it anyway.”

This ‘just sing it and see’ spirit was integral to the making of The Bundles’ album, which was recorded over a matter of days in Olympia, Washington, with Karl Blau acting as sound engineer and additional member.

“There wasn’t much time for things to be anarchic,” Jeff claims, “it was just like “hey, that works, let’s just hit record and get what we get”.” For him, the process “was a nice return to the good old days, after my own most recent album had taken me over a year of slow puttering to finally complete.”

The album features songs written by Kimya and Jeff many moons ago, and according to him there is a notable difference between these and the newer tracks, worked on during the recording session and “mostly written collaboratively among all the members, meaning more musical parts included and more lyrical and vocal flavours included.”

“We wrote a handful of other songs together including ‘Desert Bundles’ and ‘In the Beginning’ which I think are awesome.” Jack adds. “It was great working and collaborating with Karl. He was just supposed to be the engineer, but we loved his own songs so we made him write songs with us.”

“We figured out how to play some of the old songs while Karl got set up, and then we just knocked ‘em out one by one. When we were ready for more material we sat down and started writing together, and then we knocked those out one by one,” Anders says. “Most of The Bundles’ aesthetic, along with most of the writing, comes from Jeff and Kimya. I contributed few words. The words I offered were all I could allow myself to say, sometimes obscured versions of what I was too shy to say. But I do like the effect of a room full of people all repeatedly singing “I love you” together.”

And as for Anders’ and Jack’s contributions to the recording process, there’s quite a lot of that love all round. “Anders is probably the best musician, most drummers are.” says Jack, with Anders replying, “it’s honestly not simply to return the compliment, I’ve said it before, but Jack’s bass playing and overall musicianship was above and beyond what it was the last time we played together.”

Comprised of so many well-known musicians with their own reputations and individual projects, there is a risk that The Bundles may not be seen as a great band in its own right, but merely as a novelty collaboration to be judged against each member’s solo work. Not that this seems to bother Jeff: “it would be odd to think of people hearing The Bundles album without already knowing our other individual work. I wonder what impression it would give.” Yet Jack thinks that the album, “works on its own if no one knows Jeff or Kimya’s music. I hope more people discover it. I think I prefer listening to it then some of our other albums.”

It is clear that The Bundles works because it takes the strengths of each member and throws them all together to see what comes out. This is only possible in a community where respect for each other’s talents precedes any notion of stardom or commercial success. It’s a very Antifolk mentality, one that has served each member well throughout their career, and one that it seems will continue to be central to the band’s continuing success. That is, if freak geological events don’t keep getting in their way.

Brian’s Mixtape #31: All at Sea

Brian — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:00:45 +0000

This week Brian’s been completely and utterly unaffected by the volcanic ash cloud. He’s not even been subject to a light dusting, the lucky bird. He has, however, been following the news with avid interest and has concluded that all these silly bipeds should travel by boat for the time-being. He certainly would, were his means of transport not attached, rather helpfully, to his back.

In an attempt to encourage us all to take to the high seas, Brian’s put together a collection of rather marvellous songs about sailing. Here they are, in all their briny, shiver-me-timbers glory:

1. Mechanical Bride – See Worlds
2. Laura Marling – The Captain and the Hourglass
3. Jeremy Warmsley (& Emmy the Great) – The Boat Song
4. Camera Obscura – French Navy
5. Regina Spektor – Sailor Song
6. Neil Young – Sail Away
7. Jeffrey Lewis – Sea Song
8. The Decemberists – The Mariner’s Revenge Song
9. Laura Veirs – Ocean Night Song
10. Sons of Noel & Adrian – The Wreck is Not a Boat
11. Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – The Ship Song
12. Erland and the Carnival – Arabian Sea

Grab it on Spotify here: Brian’s Mixtape #31: All at Sea

Tell Brian in the comment section below if he’s left out any corking sea shanties. His collection is far from exhaustive.

Our Spotify Inivtation amnesty continues – if you need one let us know and we’ll make a request of the ever-generous posse of FFS readers. Similarly, if you have any going spare let us know and we’ll give you the opportunity to do a good deed for a stranger, providing them with an lifetime’s supply of free music.

Have a flap around our mixtape section to find Brian’s previous efforts.

The Bundles: the ultimate Antifolk team tour the UK

Lois Jeary — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 22:52:30 +0000

‘Supergroup’ is such a hideous term, sullied as it has been by a deluge of well-meaning yet utterly annoying charity singles, that it seems crass to use it to describe something as wonderful as The Bundles.

Yet use it we must, for how else can you adequately explain a musical entity comprising ex-Moldy Peaches and Juno songstress Kimya Dawson, Jeffrey Lewis and his amazing brother Jack, drummer for practically everyone Anders Griffen, oh and the talented Karl Blau too, just for good measure.

The Bundles, mostly spawned from the hallowed New York Antifolk community, have been making music on an ad-hoc basis for the best part of a decade, and in 2009 finally got together to properly combine old songs with new. The resulting self-titled album is a lo-fi marvel and was released on K records this March.

The Bundles will be embarking on a suitably frantic tour of the UK in May, with support on all dates coming from Your Heart Breaks (which naturally counts Karl Blau as one of its members). And if that’s not enough for you then Anders Griffen will be playing with Diane Cluck at the End of the Road Festival in September.

The Bundles:

15 May – Leeds – Brudenell Social Club

16 May – Glasgow – ABC2

17 May – Manchester – The Deaf Institute

18 May – Bristol – Trinity Arts Centre

19 May – London – Union Chapel

20 May – Brighton – Komedia

Brian’s Mixtape #28: Talkin’ ‘Bout A Revolution

Lynn Roberts — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 12:58:57 +0000

Our regular readers will be pleased to hear that Brian’s got himself together now. He’s decided to stop all this wallowing and introversion and turn his thoughts to more important matters.

Brian’s as concerned as any of us about the proposed closure of BBC 6Music. He’s been listening since Phil Jupitus spun the first record just over 8 years ago. He’ll be protesting with the 6 Music Protest Group on Saturday — 12 noon outside broadcasting house for those who want to join him.

There are plenty of other things that Brian (who’s quite a politically-aware owl, it turns out) is cross about, but he knows these things can be pretty divisive so he’s keeping schtum about every cause but the one he knows every reader is behind.

Brian’s put together a playlist of protest and revolution, some personal, some social, some political.

Bright Eyes – Road To Joy
Tracy Chapman – The Times They Are A-Changin’
Pete Seeger – A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall
T. Rex – Children of the Revolution
Phil Ochs – I Ain’t Marching Anymore
Patti Smith Group – People Have The Power – Live
The Beach Boys – Student Demonstration Time
Woody Guthrie – This Land is Your Land
Frank Turner – Love Ire & Song
Buffy Sainte-Marie – Universal Soldier
Jeffrey Lewis – I Ain’t Thick, It’s Just A Trick
Warren Zevon – The Envoy

Listen on Spotify: Brian’s Mixtape #27: Talkin’ ‘Bout A Revolution

Have a flap around our mixtape section to find Brian’s previous efforts.

Brian’s Mixtape #25: Hello, Sunshine

Brian — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:15:39 +0000

Every discerning folk fan’s foul of choice, Brian Wilson II, is pleased to announce that spring has most definitely sprung. He’s spent most of the morning being dragged around a meadow by a fresh-born lamb in whose fleece his talons became most unfortunately entangled, and yet his pleasure in the changing of the seasons remains unassuaged.

For that reason, this week’s playlist is quite the joy-fest. If you’ve just been dumped/fired/treated rather rudely by the young man who made your afternoon coffee, this’ll perk you up. Either that or the unbounded exuberance that spring inspires in Brian’ll annoy you so much you’ll want to stick daffodil stalks in your eyes.

Let’s hope for the former. Here’s the tracklisting, with the Spotify link below. Happy spring!

Noah and the Whale – The First Days of Spring
Monsters of Folk – Dear God (Sincerely M. O. F.)
Belle and Sebastian – Another Sunny Day
Adam Green – Bathing Birds
The Lovin’ Spoonful – Daydream
Erland and the Carnival – One Morning Fair
Efterklang – Natural Tune
Air – Cherry Blossom Girl
Emmy the Great – The Easter Parade
Fairport Convention – Chelsea Morning
Giant Cloud – Rainbows
Jeffrey Lewis & The Junkyard – Bugs & Flowers
Eels – Mr. E’s Beautiful Blues

Link: Brian’s Mixtape #25: Hello, Sunshine.

If you’ve not got yourself registered on Spotify have a look at their website to learn more. And, if you need an invite (so you can use Spotify for free) let uncle Brian know in the comments section below and he will bestow one on you.

Have a flap around our mixtape section to find Brian’s previous efforts.

Brian’s Monday Playlist #2: Brian’s Pick of the Scmercuries

Brian — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 20:42:06 +0000

Brian’s been agonising over our Schmercuries shortlist this weekend, trying to work out which of the wonderful albums to vote for in our poll. (You can still vote NOW, HERE) Sadly, FFS’s resident owl is quite the procrastinator, so what he’s actually done is pick his favourite song from each album. Whilst this hasn’t helped him make his mind up, it has produced a lovely little playlist to be shared with his friends on the interweb.

Here’s his playlist, which you can listen to, free, on Spotfiy.

1. The Leisure Society – The Darkest Place I know
2. Wildbirds & Peacedrums – My Heart
3. Camera Obscura – James
4. Darren Hayman & The Secondary Modern – High Rise Towers in Medium Size Towns
5. Emmy the Great – Bad Things Coming, We Are Safe
6. Jeffrey Lewis and the Junkyard – To Be Objectified
7. Drever, McCusker, Woomble – The Poorest Company
8. St Vincent – Save Me From What I Want
9. Alessi’s Ark – Constellations
10. The Decemberists – The Wanting Comes in Waves

Two of our nominees aren’t on Spotify yet, but you can have a listen to Grant Campbell and Butcher Boy on MySpace to complete the set, which you really should.

Brian says: “When the wind is southerly, I know a hawk from a handsaw”

Make of that what you will.

For Folk's Sake » Jeffrey Lewis

Brian’s Mixtape #40: New York, New York

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Profile: Ben Phillips, artist for Peggy Sue, Alessi and Rachael Dadd

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Brian’s Mixtape #35: Leave the Animals Out of It

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FFS interview: The Bundles

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Brian’s Mixtape #31: All at Sea

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