Often, it's the time and distance away that can make one recognize his or her true passions in life.
This is the story of Beth Tacular and Phil Moore.
As founding members of the Triangle band the Bowerbirds, the duo has mastered their craft of delicate, captivating folk songs that make the heart swell. But between a few exhausting years of touring, a slew of ailments and an unsettling break in their relationship, the duo's future became uncertain. Although it seemed to be an insurmountable feat, after a year apart and a lot of thinking, they've since emerged with The Clearing, an album that encapsulates their rebirth as a band and a couple.
spinner.com
Tucking the darkness in
“For me, I didn't believe I would ever be able to fall out of love and back in love with someone,” Tacular said in a recent documentary. “That was really amazing, just believing again in things, you know.”
Despite the “disaster chapter” that proceeded the making of The Clearing, Tacular and Moore used their challenging experiences to help shape the themes on the new album. With this release, the band emphasized the importance of living in the everyday beauty and not taking so much for granted, including the ability to make music. As they sat closely together at the Chatham Marketplace in Pittsboro during our recent interview, it was evident that they are currently relishing in these newfound revelations while they move forward into the next chapter.
“I guess there are a lot of themes of impermanence, death, and enjoying the moment while you can, appreciating things that are around you,” Tacular said of the album's themes. “Also just joy in the things you do in life and taking joy in the things that are wonderful about your life.”
In addition, the couple's dogs, Olive and Spice, provided unique inspiration for the album. Spice came to be a part of their life following an accident resulting in a broken pelvis, and the duo decided to take care of her. For Tacular and Moore, Spice's positivity and loving nature was truly inspirational when the couple's life was particularly unsettled. And with Olive, it's her restless personality that became an important reminder for the couple to slow down, especially when life got overwhelming.
“I've had Olive for 11 years and she is a total sweetheart, but very anxious,” Tacular said. “It's actually perfect because a lot of the album is us talking to ourselves, telling ourselves, 'Don't be anxious, don't miss all the beauty, focus and calm yourself down.' We are singing these sorts of things to ourselves and trying to share those ideas with other people.”
For the cover art, Tacular wanted it to reflect these same themes. She turned to the help of artist Monica Canilao, whom she discovered during her break from Moore.
"The band come through and visited my studio, where I in turn dressed them up in assorted costumes and headdresses I had made," said Canilao. "Beth has been super supportive and we have kept in contact about music and projects since our first exchange."
Canilao is based out of Oakland, CA and creates a variety of art ranging from drawings and paintings to mixed media work that utilizes natural objects.
"I have been working on a series of portraits that consist of found remnants, lace, wood, and various materials which I have been picking up for years on my travels," she said. "They symbolize the secret lives of forgotten people, of exploration, memory and journey, much the same as Bowerbirds I think is trying to move through in their music." 
“What she does with visual art is so amazing to me, her colors and really awesome use of found objects that she combines in original ways,” Tacular said. “Her attitude on life is about making do with what you have.”
The piece that is printed on the album's cover features adornments of lace doilies mixed with animal bones, choices that Tacular said “are really visually representative of how we wanted these songs to sound.”
“In our songs, we were trying to honor that and those feelings we have about nature,” she said. “I think she (Monica) is doing a similar thing.”
This year, the new Bowerbirds
Beginning in spring 2011, The Clearing was recorded partly in a North Carolina cabin and partly at Bon Iver's Wisconsin studio. The plan was for the duo to finish the 11-song album during a 10-day stint in Wisconsin. When they weren't able to finish it in that time frame, they returned home to record the vocals, with the aid of a few microphones and a quiet log cabin.
“The demos we recorded before that were a little more simple and we had all this extra time to layer ideas and take stuff away as well, kind of figure out what each song needed,” Moore said.
These musical choices led to an album that is well-composed and full of layers. For Grayson Currin, music editor at the Independent Weekly, The Clearing “is a bigger record, then, with bolder sounds and a broader scope. "Tuck The Darkness In" surges in its final two minutes with a wall of electric guitars and drums. "Hush" plays hide and seek with restless vibraphones, pianos and drums, Beth's voice again providing a core of resilience in an otherwise ominous atmosphere.”
The Bowerbirds have struck a balance between the delicate and emotionally intense, all while remaining true to its sound. According to Moore, the key with this album was drawing the production process out longer.
“Our first record was like that and our second record was similarly done, in a very fast way,” Moore said. “We didn't really have as much time to sit around and think of all the little details, which I think is really nice.”
It's evident that the Bowerbirds have under gone a lot of personal growth since 2009's Upper Air. While the band's sound remains familiarly its own, in many ways, it is bigger and more mature. With the extended time to produce this album, both Tacular and Moore agreed that it allowed them to experiment more.
“On the previous albums, we had a set palette of instruments that we were working with and that was very intentional,” Moore said. “On this latest record, we just forwent that entirely and decided to use all the tools, all the instruments, all the effects and everything that we possibly could and still make Bowerbirds records. We really wanted to add some more textures and I think that is really the main difference.”
For Bowerbirds fans, it's these intricately-layered songs and thoughtful lyrics that affect them the most.
“It's transcendent, their sound is transcendent,” said Evangeline Mee, a UNC student and Bowerbirds fan. “It elevates you to a different time and place. It takes you away to the story world they are singing about, while at the same time it's about finding beauty in things of everyday life.”
And for Tacular and Moore, returning to everyday beauty through nature is exactly what they intended to do. In addition to making music, the couple has been building a log cabin in the woods of Pittsboro, a project they have worked on since 2007. Following a period in the wilderness of South Carolina, the couple decided they needed to permanently move somewhere more natural. Next, they bought an Airstream trailer and made themselves at home while beginning the log cabin in the woods.
“It really helps us to be in a quiet place with nature around when we are writing instead of being with the distractions of the city, the parties every night and the noise,” Tacular said. “It also silences all the other voices and helps you be more original and not think about what everyone else is doing in the world right now, for us anyway.”
The cabin's progress has been put on hold, due to the making and release of the new album, but it's a project the couple plans to go back to between tours. And although they appreciate the quiet of the woods, after a two-year break from touring, the band is excited to take a break from the simpler life and get back to the road.
“It's just like the ebb and flow,” Moore said. “When we haven't toured in a long time, we are really excited to get back out. The momentum of that excitement gives you enough momentum to get back out there.”
bowerbirds.org
Bright future
After months in the making, The Clearing, will be officially released Mar. 6 on Dead Oceans. On Mar. 17, the Bowerbirds will kick off their U.S. tour at the Cat's Cradle, with local bluegrass/folk duo Mandolin Orange opening the show. For Bowerbirds fans, this show will be one of the first to feature a five-member line-up on stage. Although Tacular and Moore will be aided by a few more hands and several more instruments, the show still promises to be a showcase of the band's enduring collection of folk songs.
Mee, who plans to attend the show at the Cradle, recalls how magical her first experience with the band was in 2009.
“When I saw the Bowerbirds for the first time in Gerrard Hall, I really didn't know anything about them,” Mee said. “But it took one song and I was totally there. Their instruments filled the room and I remember specifically Beth's accordion just electrifying the space.”
With a beautiful new album and a lively return to the stage pending, there's no doubt that Tacular and Moore will electrify and renew the Triangle once again. Because after a few years of growth and introspection – musically and personally – they've shown us that often it's the important things in life that really take some time, and that while you're waiting, you should remember to celebrate your surroundings as best you can.
Bowerbirds' The Clearing will be available on Mar. 6 via Dead Oceans. Bowerbirds play the Cat's Cradle on Mar. 17 at 9:30 pm with Mandolin Orange. Tickets are $12 in advance and $14 day of show.
As referenced in my first post on the matter, I'm constantly attracted to new news-based Tumblr sites and upon finding an article entitled, Time's 30 Must-See Tumblr Blogs, I immediately feel in love. As a self-proclaimed Tumblr addict, I've recently come to recognize the enormous journalism benefits this blog website can have for individuals looking to develop a voice and style, as well as already established members of the industry.
I constantly rave about Tumblr as a successful and innovative blogging format, because I've seen that it works. It combines a variety of post styles in one, it is very user friendly and also has a lot of aesthetic appeal. In the blogging world, a large part of the process is networking and getting your name out. With Tumblr's active reblogging feature, it is easy to do both of these things. Additionally, when you can tailor your dashboard to reflect your interests, it is very easy to specialize or develop a blog centered around numerous interests. And for publications that rely heavily on multimedia, it is a perfect and clean way to display photos, videos and even audio with the click of a few buttons. Forget all that complicated coding.
Check out the recommended Tumblrs above and perhaps by the end of the list, you'll want to start your own.
With their vintage tour bus in the parking lot, it appears the members of Blind Pilot have stepped away from the ambitious style of touring via bicycle like they did on their 2007 West Coast tour. But then again, Carrboro is quite the distance from their hometown of Portland, and with several new members in tow, the comfy blue bus is probably just what they needed.
What once began as a two-man show has expanded into a robust sextet that features almost twice as many instruments. From banjo, upright bass, vibraphone and trumpet, the members of Blind Pilot have crafted themselves into a talented indie-folk outfit, their craft further evidenced by the group's infectious performance Tuesday night at the Cat's Cradle.
Cotton Jones, the duo comprised of Michael Nau and Whitney McGraw, started the night with dulcet, nod-worthy indie-pop that served as an appropriate intro to Blind Pilot. From McGraw’s role on keys and to Nau’s folk-twinged vocals, the band delivered a set of pleasing songs that drew strongly on the duo’s fine-tuned harmonizing.
By the time the “acoustic and trumpet” group arrived on stage before a mixed bag of an audience, the air was already thick with anticipation. With an abundance of youthfulness, the band launched into a wonderfully balanced set that pulled key songs from both of its albums, including the instrumentally-layered“The Colored Night” and the energized feedback intro of “One Red Thread.”
From beginning to end, front man Israel Nebeker kept things lighthearted with his jovial banter. Add in multi-instrumentalist Dave Jorgensen's effervescence while switching between soaring trumpet and keyboards, Kati Claborn’s dulcimer and banjo contributions and the band's overall genuine humility, fans, young and old, were treated to true authenticity. By the time the band finally honored the request for the crowd-favorite cover of Gillian Welch's “Look At Miss Ohio,” there couldn't have been a disengaged soul left in the packed club.
As if their emotive and high energy hour and half performance wasn't already enough, Blind Pilot broke a few more hearts when it returned with a three-song encore, the final being an acoustic rendition of “3 Rounds and a Sound.” When the band took its instruments to the floor among the crowd, they asked for silence, but welcomed sing-a-longs, as the crowd gently pushed their way to the front of the stage. With band and fans united, it was a necessary way to end a such a passionate night, with Blind Pilot tenderly leaving a few pieces of themselves to those at the Cradle. Looks like they'll be returning, and hopefully sooner rather than later.
Sharon Van Etten walked onto the stage Sunday night at the Cat's Cradle with bright red lips and clad in a casual slouchy sweater. Without hesitation, she humbly began to set up her own equipment. After some last-minute tinkering and just as the atmosphere buzzed with anticipation, the Brooklyn singer/songwriter finally launched into her raw, confessional method of storytelling, sharing the stories from her newest release, Tramp, with the quiet, but certainly appreciative, audience.
Tramp is the third chapter of Van Etten's personal story that begins with the end of a tumultuous and unsupportive relationship in Tennessee. Considering Van Etten's recent rise, you can assume that now the ex-boyfriend is probably kicking himself. Since then, each of her three albums has been a progression of heartbreak and heartache, delicately raucous outpourings that have considerable emotional reach.
Recently, Van Etten has garnered quite the widespread appeal and the New York Times directly hones in on her draw when it said, "Van Etten has found herself cornered by bearded guys who want to read her poems, teenage girls who simply need to be close to her and at least one lesbian who was outraged to discover that Van Etten isn’t gay." Those who flock to Van Etten might not exactly relate to her stories of overcoming heartbreak, but they certainly can't ignore the pure human emotion she exudes in her music. Sunday's crowd in Carrboro was representative of this — a mix of ages, genders and races — but hopefully all seeking some kind of authentic emotional connection.
The night kicked off with an energetic set from Austin, TX band Shearwater, a well-suited musical complement to Van Etten. Fronted by Jonathan Meiburg and once a side project of fellow Austin group Okkervil River, Shearwater performed a set of mostly new songs from its recent release Animal Joy. With Meiburg howling through the songs alongside the backing of the band's multi-instrumentalists, Shearwater drew almost as many fans, if not more, than Van Etten with its delectable breed of gloomy rock-pop.
Next, SVE kicked things off with "Warsaw," the hard-hitting opener from Tramp. The majority of her set consisted of songs from the latest release, and included standout performances of "Give Out" and "All I Can" that flowed directly from the soul. As she shared the stage with collaborator Heather Woods Broderick, the rough and tumble songs were transformed into breathtaking statements on broken love and the process of picking up the pieces.
In between songs, she kept things jovial with her cute and honest small talk and shared her love for all things Southern, from barbecue to banana pudding. Throughout the set, Van Etten peppered her in-between-song banter with comments like, "This song is about trying to quit smoking after breaking up with someone...double whammie," (in reference to the song "Kevin's") as well as a personal dedication to a close friend who made the trip from Asheville to see her perform. Even when Van Etten hilariously struggled with the settings on the Omnichord, the crowd joined with her laughter, sharing in the experience like a familiar friend.
As the night closed, and Van Etten returned for a two-song encore featuring "Life Of His Own," a recent B-side and "Love More" one of the most wrenching songs from 2010's epic, her voice more than captivated the crowd, just like the genuine smile she frequently flashed throughout the course of the night.
The way in which SVE laid it all out is representative of an emotional risk that few can manage while still emerging relatively unscathed. But for Van Etten, the initial scars of a failed relationship have not only provided tremendous inspiration for her material, but also allowed her to showcase her rise from the ashes. The evidence of this growth was visceral when Van Etten hit the stage Sunday, and for those in Carrboro, they were assured that she's confidently standing on her own stronger than before.
Sharon Van Etten and opening act Shearwater will continue their North American tour through the end of February. Both bands have new albums out this month, Van Etten's Tramp and Shearwater's Animal Joy.
Since joining Diversions with the Daily Tar Heel my first semester of college, I have written quite a fair amount (right around 30) of music reviews, mostly about albums. After thoroughly listening to the album, one of the next things I frequently do when approaching a review (and in order to familiarize myself with the subject) is to find out if there are other reviews of the same album and to determine whether they are favorable or not.
I frequently write local music reviews and the publication I turn to the most for reliable critiques is the Independent Weekly. Music editor and Hopscotch Festival co-director Grayson Currin runs a tight ship when it comes to local music coverage and the reviews are based on a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the music industry, both local and national. Although he also contributes to national publications including Pitchfork, he helps maintain credibility with the reviews he runs in the publication's music section. In terms of accessibility, I find that the Indy Week's reviews much more accessible than the muddled, snooty ones featured on Pitchfork.
During my first year on staff with Diversions, I reviewed Inspector 22's Hey Man, I Understand pretty harshly. My editor at the time was originally reluctant to run the review because it was blatantly unfavorable to the local community. When the Independent Weekly ran a more neutral/slightly positive critique (written by Currin), my negative review offered some competition so it was included in our paper. Despite the fact I look back now and realize I was perhaps a little to harsh in some areas and my writing could have been more objective (I also received a nasty Facebook message from a supposed fan), I still think providing a variety of reviews regarding a subject is the key to insuring a sense of objectivity in the rather subjective field of music journalism.
Overall, my position on Diversions has taught me that we really don't owe anything to local musicians except to give them all a chance to be exposed--thus favorable or not, reviews should be published. (I have come across a few local musicians who think they are entitled to good reviews because we they are "owed" local credibility. That's really NOT the case.)
For the ninth year in a row, NCSU's student-run radio station WKNC 88.1 FM will be showcasing some of the best local flavor with not one, but two nights of performances by local bands including The Future Kings of Nowhere, Organos, Gross Ghost and Heads on Sticks.
On Feb. 3 and 4, the radio station is holding its annual fund-raising event, Double Barrel Benefit 9, which provides the community with a showcase of local music.
“My favorite thing about the Triangle music scene is the variety of venues we have and the enthusiasm and dedication of local music listeners,” said Rebekah Zabarsky, a student at NCSU and a WKNC DJ. “Also, people of the Triangle really support our local bands.”
The Pour House in Raleigh will be hosting the event and tickets can be purchased in advance for $10 a night or $15 for both nights. For those under 21, there will be an additional $5 surcharge at the door.
Historically, the lineups for Double Barrel Benefit represent a diverse cross-section of Triangle music. With such a large pool of local musicians to choose from, compiling the lineup for this year's benefit proved to be quite an extensive process for the station's DJs and planning committee members. Since its first year, Double Barrel Benefit has hosted several big-name acts that claim North Carolina as home, including Roman Candle, Megafaun and The Mountain Goats.
“For choosing bands this year, the planning committee sat down and came up with a list of bands we thought would be a good fit for DBB 9,” said Nicole Kligerman, a student at NCSU and a WKNC DJ. “From there we pulled all our contacts and asked the bands, not all at once, but once we heard yes/no from a few we would ask a few more.
Although the event has remained relatively the format each year, a two-night gig of eight bands total, this year there will be some new additions.
“Both nights will be great but Saturday we're having a day market where local vendors will sell their handmade goods,” Zabarsky said. “It's the first time we've done something like this and there will be some cool art and items to buy.“
The day party consists of the market and a show at Tir Na Nog Irish Pub in Raleigh on Saturday, Feb. 4 from 1 pm to 5 pm. Musicians including Baobab, Juan Huevos, Jeff Crawford and Luego will peform starting at 1 pm at Tir Na Nog, which is conveniently located next to The Pour House, where Double Barrel Benefit will culminate with Saturday night's show.
“We're expecting a pretty full house, obviously we want a sold out show!” Kligerman said. “All the money goes directly to WKNC, which is really important to the station since we don't really get a lot of school funding.”
