You should have been there. And by “there” we mean the celebrated Troubadour club in West Hollywood, CA, on Wednesday May, 9th, where Jonathan Wilson and his band played an impressive set that lasted nearly two and a half hours. Wilson — in a threadbare blue plaid shirt that made us think he probably has piles of laundry waiting for him back home in nearby Laurel Canyon — was in truly fine form, looking a little like Neil Young circa 1971 whilst offering up selections from last year’s vaunted When You Awake fave Gentle Spirit, along with a handful of new songs we can’t wait to hear again. Read more after the jump.

It was wonderful to hear live versions of our favorites like “Desert Raven” and “Natural Rhapsody,” which began with certifiably Pink Floydian sonicry before veering into jazz rock fusion and then back again to delicately plucked guitars, but the admitted highlight of the evening had to be the late-set special guest appearances by Jackson Browne and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ keyboardist Benmont Tench, not to mention being joined on one tune by the wonderful Jenny O, who had opened for Wilson at the Troubadour last December. After first joining Wilson (who introduced Browne as “his best friend”) on the album’s opening gem, “Gentle Spirit,” which Browne also told the crowd was probably his favorite song ever (!), Browne then led Wilson’s expanded band into a memorably spirited version of that early ‘70s nugget “Take It Easy,” which certainly brought out the smiles while heads bobbed in recognition that Browne has probably played this song in this very venue many, many times before (let’s not forget that the tune, which he wrote with the Eagles’ Glenn Frey, was the first track on his second album, For Everyman, back in 1973). It was definitely one of the best shows we’ve been to in many a supermoon. Hopefully some of you faithful WYA readers can catch Wilson on a European tour this summer (including two sold-out shows at the Royal Albert Hall in June), opening for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, but last night in his hometown Wilson gave us all a night to remember. You should have been there. (Photo by Ted Wulfers).

Deer Tick played a packed out show at The Garage last Wednesday night in support of the UK release of their latest record, Divine Providence. I’ve had the pleasure of watching the band since they first emerged on the scene in 2007 and have seen them play live at almost every stage of their career’s progression: from a tiny coffee shop in Austin, Texas (for War Elephant) and a dusty desert outside of Joshua Tree (for Born on Flag Day) to their holding court at the Henry Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles (for The Black Dirt Sessions) and now, at this latest gig (for Divine Providence) at The Garage in London.

What’s struck me most about Deer Tick is that every time I’ve seen them they have completely surprised me. Some bands you can watch for 10 years and they always have the same tricks up their sleeve. But not them. Not Deer Tick. Though you can still hear traces of the ol’ bedroom recordings in their new tunes, life on the road these past 5 years has slowly but surely seeped into their sound and turned the one-man folk-tinged project into an all-out, bar-room power rock group.

From songs like “Let’s All Go To The Bar” and “Funny Word” to top-notch covers of the Traveling Wilburys’”Last Night”, Deer Tick had the whole bar bouncing and thrashing around and acutally inspired a mini-moshpit by a small group of youngsters at the front of the stage. Older favorites like “Ashamed” even got a makeover with a classy, slinky saxophone and piano rendition that would have made even 1970s-era Van Morrison weak at the knees. This gig also marked the first time that I’ve seen lead singer and Deer Tick founder John McCauley take a step back and let the other guys lead on some of the tunes (for the record, if drummer Dennis Ryan ever made a record of his own, I would be one of the first in line to buy it).

Verdict: Deer Tick is a band that is successfully evolving and letting the road harden their sound (and what a darn good sound it is).  Divine Providence? Divine Deer Tick.

Divine Providence is out now via Loose Music in the UK and Partisan Records in the US.
MP3: Deer Tick- Miss K (buy)

Photos from Jonathan Wilson’s headlining show at the Troubadour on Dec 7th. Check out more photos, taken by Jenna Bonenfant, after the jump.

Photos from the Jonathan Wilson and Dawes show, with special guest Jackson Browne, on July 19th at the Slaughtered Lamb in London. The boys are currently serving as Browne’s touring band, but stopped in London for these special shows in honor of Jonathan Wilson’s new record, Gentle Spirit (out August 8th via Bella Union). Dawes opened up the show and then were joined by Jonathan Wilson for his portion of the evening. Browne came out towards the end of Wilson’s set and performed on a couple of Wilson’s songs, before launching into some of his own, including “Take It Easy” and “These Days”.

The Slaughtered Lamb is an extremely intimate venue (everyone was sitting around on couches), and to see a legend like Browne in a space that small was absolutely astounding. Also apparent was the admiration, love and respect that these musicians had for each other. You could tell Browne adored the boys music just as much as they revered his. An incredible evening all around. Thanks to Will Rees for putting it on. More photos and a clip of the group singing “These Days” from the following evening’s show at the Borderline are after the jump.

Click here to view the embedded video.Jackson Browne, Jonathan Wilson and Dawes- These Days

Thanks to everyone who came out to the sold out When You Awake Present’s Akron/Family show last week at the Echo. More photos from the evening, by Hagop Kalaidjian, are after the jump.

The Satellite was abuzz last Friday night.  Having recovered (mostly) from our post-SXSW hangovers, dankovers and Texas heat exhaustion, the energy of our favorite glitter-curtained venue had us clapping, cheering and swooning from opener(s) to headliner, Sharon Van Etten. Read more after the jump.

Seattle add-ons Ivan & Aloysa provided a youthful bounce to those devoted enough to arrive early.   Propelled by songwriting reminiscent of the harmony-infused nature rock of the Pacific Northwest, the group’s heel stomps and cathartic guitar lines got even us “arms folded” Los Angeles natives to clap to the goddamn beat.

Next, Little Scream—a Montreal-based project spearheaded by magnetic frontwoman and songwriter/guitarist Laurel Sprengelmeyer—made no delay in melting our unsuspecting faces off.  The songs played out in fits and starts, like barrages of fists attacking at one moment and relenting the next.  Sprengelmeyer (in heels, no less, by necessity due to the need to quickly access buttons on her extensive pedal board) wrangled her instrument like an unbroken horse, gripping it with focused ferocity, while the accompanying two members blended violin swirls with accented drum flourishes.  Little Scream is a surrealist freakout—an indulgence for the senses.

And then the room seemed to suddenly fill in every annex as our hero for the evening, soft-spoken Sharon Van Etten took the stage.  Given to self-deprecating stage banter, Etten’s greatest strength is her willingness to be vulnerable with the audience.  She seems overcome by an internal spirit when singing, her jazz/folk toned voice bellowing in transcendent arcs, her eyes rolling in the back of her head like a transfixed healer.   And yet only moments later she can confess: “This song is dedicated to Kurt Russell.  Don’t tell my Mom I said that.”

And it’s this no-pretense presence that allows her songs to carry on repetitive chord progressions, their deliberate order somehow hypnotizing the listener deeper into the rawness of lyrics.  Supported by an air-tight rhythm section, the only elements missed were the complex vocal harmonies from the recordings. Closing out the night, our lady returned for a final Encore, taking solo guitar requests of the audience’s choosing.  The strength of her appeal—a communication of deep set personal pain as a means to overcome—was only further highlighted when the music was stripped to its naked essence.  We couldn’t help but cheer.  The woman is just too damn genuine. Note: She’ll be returning to Los Angeles in September (Sunday, September 11 to be exact) for another KCRW sponsored event—this time at the Hollywood Bowl alongside The National and Neko Case. More info about that show is here.  Photos by Jon Mackey.

Admittedly knowing little in advance about Danish band Efterklang, I was convinced by a friend and die hard fan to check out their recent sold out show in London at Scala. From the minute the event kicked off with a screening of their new documentary, a collaboration between the band and renowned filmmaker Vincent Moon called An Island, to their brilliant set that inspired numerous members of the audience to lift their hands up to the heavens, I can say those boys impressed. In fact, the night left me with such a high that when I realized I had lost my credit card, debit card, driver’s license AND oyster card, I didn’t even blink an eye. If that’s not a testament to the power of Efterklang, I don’t know what is. More photos are after the jump.

Langhorne Slim (HK)

Photos from When You Awake’s Free For All Festival that took place on Sunday night. Check out more pictures from the evening, by our lovely photographers India Brookover (IB) and Hagop Kalaidjian (HK), after the jump. For the complete set, including some sweet face painting shots, visit our Facebook page.
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Dreamcatcher (IB)

Dreamcatcher (IB)

Dreamcatcher (IB)

Roadside Graves (IB)

Roadside Graves (IB)

Bad Weather California (IB)

Bad Weather California (IB)

Don Juan Y Los Blancos (IB)

Don Juan Y Los Blancos (IB)

Old Man Markley (IB)

Old Man Markley (IB)

Old Man Markely (IB)

Old Man Markley (IB)

Mouse Heaven (IB)

Smart Brothers (IB)

Frank Fairfield (IB)

Frank Fairfield (IB)

Dustbowl Revival (IB)

Dustbowl Revival (IB)

Dustbowl Revival (IB)

Dustbowl Revival (IB)

Sean Hayes (IB)

Active Child (IB)

Active Child (IB)

Active Child (IB)

Hi Ho Silver Oh (IB)

Hi Ho Silver Oh (IB)

Langhorne Slim (HK)

Langhorne Slim (HK)

Langhorne Slim (HK)

Langhorne Slim (HK)

Akron/Family (HK)

Akron/Family (HK)

Akron/Family (HK)

Akron/Family

Akron/Family (HK)

The Crowd:

(IB)

(IB)

(IB)

(IB)

(IB)

(IB)

(IB)

(IB)

(IB)

(HK)

(HK)

Festival Organizer Jody, Langhorne Slim and Zach from Dustbowl Revival

Festival Organizer Bobby and Phil (HK)

Thanks for donating! (HK)

Since I couldn’t make it up to Portland’s Pickathon this year (aka my favorite music festival in the country…seriously, it broke my heart), When You Awake reader Tim Marvin was gracious enough to share his experiences and photos from the fest with us. Check it out below. Thanks Tim!

Pendarvis Farm

What happens when you mix hippies, hipsters, hillbillies and a strong showing of cowboy boots? Apparently, Pickathon. Having sworn off festivals about seven years ago- too much money, too many people, too far from the stage, and the whole stinky shitters problem – the rumors of Pickathons past wore away at me to try one more time, but I was still skeptical.

Langhorne Slim

Just outside of Portland, Ore. on Pendarvis Farm, with camping in the woods and a lineup including some of the best indie roots music in the country-, I finally broke. Still, I swore if one dreadlocked kid with a pit bull asked me for money to bail their friend out of jail I would be out of there faster than a Frank Fairfield banjo roll. Thankfully, the closest thing I saw to a pit bull was someone from the farm riding a horse bareback – Hell Yeah.

Frank Fairfield and Blind Boy Paxton

The folks at Pickathon 2010 did it pretty right, living up to the rumors. I would have been happy just seeing Bonnie Prince Billy and Frank Fairfield playing multiple sets – I figured that anyone who was hip enough to put those two on the same bill had my musical tastes nailed to the door – but with six stages throughout the farm, Pickathon managed to hit just about every genre of roots music.

The Cardboard Songsters

Though to be honest, when folks built a stage in the woods among old growth trees, they sealed my fate as to who I would be catching. I didn’t move from my hay bale in front of the Woods Stage on Saturday where things started off quirky and whimsical with the Saturday Morning Cartoons by the Cardboard Songsters. The laid back vibe in the woods seemed to give the artists an easy feeling too as Frank Fairfield heckled Blind Boy Paxton from the audience to which Paxton responded by announcing the title of his next album, “Songs That Make White People Uncomfortable”.

Little Wings

Bonnie Prince Billie sat around watching Little Wings play a wandering magical set. Megafaun blew everyone away when they left the stage to come play a couple of acoustic ditties in the audience. During Bonnie Prince’s set, me and some new pals got communal on a watermelon and had a nice talk about the swarms of ladies that came to see Langhorne Slim. That night as we wandered through the lit trails, we came upon Frank Fairfield and the fellas from the Dust Busters (I believe) picking in the parking lot.  I also caught Michel Hurley three times, once in the woods, in the barn, and one more time in another barn- really that guy is a treasure.

The Crowd

Fact is, you could plop yourself down anywhere at Pickathon and see someone worth looking at twice. Artists walking through to catch other artists and, of course, the cavalcade of style. Seriously, I have seen fewer Wrangler shirts and pretty girls with boots on at the rodeo. People looked good, really good. As one particularly lovely lady put it “Seeing all these people dressed to the nines makes me wish I left my boyfriend at home.” The photos with my crappy digital camera don’t begin to do them justice, so just go next year and see for yourself.

Cute Kid

The downside of any good festival is that you are bound to miss out on some great bands and moments, and I was bummed to not catch These United States or a full set of Breathe Owl Breathe.
Talking to folks wandering through the woods or reclining on a hay bale, I heard the same thing from everyone: what a great vibe Pickathon brought out. Reasonably priced food, free water, composting, $4 decent beer that you had to put into a Kleen Kanteen cups instead of plastic. They even thought to put the beer line in front of the music – genius. Add all that to trails wandering through some pretty Oregon forest and Pickathon created a peaceful easy feeling – pretty fucking wonderful.

Dancers

Thanks to everyone who came out to our intimate Breathe Owl Breathe house show. First, Hi Ho Silver Oh and The Dustbowl Revival serenaded the audience in our backyard garden. Then, Breathe Owl Breathe got up close and personal with a candle-lit (and fireplace-lit) set. It was a truly magical evening filled with friends, smores and midnight pancake making (check out Micah from Breathe Owl Breathe’s masterful pancake flipping after the jump). And a special thanks must be said for not trashing the house. Seriously, I’ve never had a party where every single person picked up after themselves. Just goes to show how wonderful and considerate the LA music community truly can be. Check out more pictures, taken on my little point and shoot, after the jump.