In honor of NXNE this week we are giving you a few mp3s of showcasing bands on the GLG roster. Feel free to post any of the approved songs below on your blog or tweet to your friends. Not on our email list to receive these directly and want to be? Send an email over to info(at)greenlightgopublicity.com
I hesitate to use the word buzz, but for lack of a better word to describe the rabid fan base that's developing around Shawn Fogel's side project, Neutral Uke Hotel, I feel I must. And why wouldn't there be a rabid fan base when a musician announces they will perform Neutral Milk Hotel's pinnacle album,In the Aeroplane Over the Sea live in it's entirety? On ukulele. Only forming a few months ago, in late April, Neutral Uke Hotel already has 2,716 fans who have determined they do indeed "like" the band. One has even posted on Craig's List, trying to find someone to go to the Mercury Lounge show on June 15th where NUH appears with The Handsome Family. So it came of no surprise to us that NXNE would add a second Neutral Uke Hotel show to their lineup. If you are in Toronto on Friday, June 18th head on over to Yonge Dundas Square at 2pm to catch NUH on the Bacardi Dock stage.
And if you haven't heard of Shawn's original band, Golden Bloom, don't hesitate to check out the insanely catchy melodies on Saturday night at 9pm at Czehoski.
For full tour dates
Neutral Uke Hotel Tour Dates:
Tuesday, 6/15 - Mercury Lounge - New York, NY (with The Handsome Family)
Wednesday, 6/16 - Rongovian Embassy - Trumansburg, NY Friday, 6/18-NXNE - Bacarda Dock in Yonge Dundas Square,-Toronto ON
Friday, 6/18 - NXNE -The Painted Lady- Toronto, ON
Sunday, 6/20 - Mohawk Place - Buffalo, NY
Tuesday, 6/22 - The Khyber - Philadelphia, PA
Wednesday, 6/23 - Acoustic Cafe - Bridgeport, CT
Friday, 6/25 - The Basement - Northampton, MA
Golden Bloom's mega man Shawn Fogel had the chance to answer some questions for Canadian website FERNTV, "the only website on the planet that combines the beautiful world of entertainment with that of the environment." Wow, that's a pretty neat concept.
In anticipation of the Golden Bloom and Neutral Uke Hotel (a Mr. Michael Epstein of The Motion Sick will be in tow) showcases at Toronto's NXNE 2010festival on June 18 and 19, Fogel talked to FERNTV about Fan the Flames, its producers and the album's message. To which Fogel replied, "If you're not frustrated to the point of action by the injustices that take place in this world then you're just not paying attention. On the other hand, if you're really paying attention you can't help but be filled with optimism by amazing things we do for each other every day. That's what the album boils down to - being frustrated and optimistic at the same time." Sounds like something we can all relate to.
Read more of the interview here. It's almost summer in Toronto, which means it's time for NXNE. NXNE has always been a whirl of a week (or weekend) of running from show to show, trying, but usually failing to catch a cab, and stumbling into a showcase that when you end up finally leaving at 3 a.m. you are completely enamored with a new band. Plus it's Toronto; it's clean, safe, the people are nice, and well, I'm excited as heck to see Golden Bloom and Neutral Uke Hotel in my former hometown (ahem, of six months).
Friday, June 18
Golden Bloom Presents: Neutral Uke Hotel at NXNE The Painted Lady - 218 Ossington Ave, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Show: 9:00 PM
"Thank You, Good Night" takes a birds eye view of what it's like for a band to play a show that can only described as a pinnacle experience for the band themselves. It only seemed appropriate Shawn Fogel of Golden Bloom and now his side project, Neutral Uke Hotel, would kick off the inaugural post. Some may call it blasphemous (hint: read tomorrow's post to find out who) to recreate Neutral Milk Hotel's In the Aeroplane Over the Sea in it's entirety. Even if it is in a live setting, in a space which only holds 60 people. Ourselves, we call it sheer poetry. This is what Fogel said of the experience:
Neutral Uke Hotel at the Center for Arts at the Armory, Somerville, MA (Friday, May 7th, 2010)
"I've been playing music for almost 20 years (if you can count blowing into a recorder in third grade as music), and I've been playing my own songs in bands for about 10 years now. In that time I've played well over 200 shows, and I've never felt a stronger connection to both the music and the audience than I did during my first performance of "Neutral Uke Hotel" at The Armory in Somerville, MA.
The room only holds about 60 people. Every single person there had some kind of deep attachment with Neutral Milk Hotel's music, that album in particular. During Daniel Harris' opening set the audience was mesmerized and silent, so I made a point of inviting people to sing and clap along during our set. The whole point of this project for me is to get people who are in love with In the Aeroplane Over the Sea together in one room to share that love."
"After inviting the crowd to not hold back we dove into the album, and I consciously didn't say a word in between songs, to preserve the flow of the album. During that whole set I felt something I'd never felt before. I felt just as connected to the music as the audience did. Rather than the normal distinction between performer and fans, we were all fans that night. The experiment worked! That same spark I've felt every time I meet someone who shares my love of NMH was multiplied exponentially, the room was virtually glowing. I'm not embarrassed to say that I actually got choked up for a moment during the set. It was while we were playing the album's title track. As the words 'what a beautiful face I have found in this place' came out of my mouth, I realized that statement had never rang so true."
NXNE just confirmed both Golden Bloom and Neutral Uke Hotel showcases during the festival. Neutral Uke Hotel will perform Friday night, June 18th at the Painted Lady and Golden Bloom will perform Saturday night, June 19th at Czehoski.
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