[RH Interview] Sandra Vu of SISU
Transitions aren't easy. For some, change comes easy and they slide into the new routine, for others it's a bit more difficult to adjust. Sandy Vu of the Los Angeles-based band Dum Dum Girls falls somewhere between the former and latter. Vu, who entered the scene as the drummer for Dee Dee Penny's all-female project steps out from behind the drum set on a new venture of her own, SISU. Where she was a moving part in the Dum Dum Girls, Vu is free to creatively express herself with the new band, moving about from on instrument to another and crafting a sound that is wholly hers. The transition hasn't been an easy one though. As anyone with a lot on their plate can attest to, starting a new band while in another is no easy task. I caught up with Sandy, who plays The Empty Bottle in Chicago tomorrow night, as she was just getting out on tour with Dirty Beaches in support of her upcoming album, Blood Tears, out on Mono Prism September 17th.
Jake: Tell me a bit about the tour and opening for Dirty Beaches.
Sandy: We have been super excited to play with Dirty Beaches, I met him about two years ago now when Dum Dum Girls did a tour with him and it's just going to be special because we're all family at this point. Their tout manager is our good friend and stuff so it's kind of like a big reunion party.
Jake: What was the transition like coming from the Dum Dum Girls?
Sandy: The Dum Dum Girls have been in town rehearsing and learning the new songs for the new record and we're doing rehearsals for the tour for SISU, so if I didn't have anything else to do and I just had to go to these rehearsals it wouldn't be that bad but my days are just stacked with things I needed to do to get ready for the tour. Switching gears is not hard, it's maybe a little bit stressful learning a lot of new material in a short amount of time. Going from Dum Dum Girls to SISU, in itself, isn't that big of a deal to me.
Jake: Do you ever find yourself at a Dum Dum Girls rehearsal accidentally playing a SISU song?
Sandy: No (laughs), I think it occupies two totally different areas of my brain to just play drums compared to leading the band so it feels so different. In Dum Dum Girls it's like I kind of turn off my brain a little bit. That band is set up so I just learn all of the songs and just play them (laughs).
[Video] Father John Misty: "I'm Writing A Novel"
Photo By Virgil Solis
Former Fleet Foxes drummer Josh Tillman, better known to some by his stage name, Father John Misty, has been doing his thing and follows a successful summer that included a Lollapalooza set with a Fall tour which was announced along with the video for "I'm Writing A Novel." Check out the video and tour dates below.
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Father John Misty:
10-03 San Francisco, CA - Slims *
10-06 Seattle, WA - The Moore Theatre *
10-07 Portland, OR - Aladdin Theatre *
10-08 Vancouver, British Columbia - Commodore *
10-11 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue *
10-12 Chicago, IL - The Vic *
10-13 Madison, WI - Capitol Theatre *
10-14 Pontiac, MI - Crofoot *
10-15 Toronto, Ontario - Queen Elizabeth Theatre *
10-16 Montreal, Quebec - Corona Theatre *
10-20 Somerville, MA - Somerville Theatre *
10-22 Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer *
10-23 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club *
10-24 Richmond, VA - The National *
10-25 Chapel Hill, NC - Cat's Cradle *
10-26 Athens, GA - Georgia Theatre *
10-28 Dallas, TX - House of Blues *
10-29 Austin, TX - Emo's *
10-31 Phoenix, AZ - Crescent *
11-01 San Diego, CA - House of Blues *
11-02 Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern *
* with Kate Berlant
Earl Sweatshirt Announces Tour, Talks EarlWolf
Photo By Virgil Solis
Since setting foot back on American soil after a forced year abroad, Earl Sweatshirt has basically done what everyone had been waiting for: make hot rap songs. On the heels of his critically acclaimed Doris, Earl recently announced the dates on his upcoming tour and also talked about EarlWolf, the rumored collaboration album with Tyler, The Creator. "We'll do the record when we're ready to sit down for a month and a half and do it in one [specific time period]," Earl Sweatshirt said during an interview with nme.com. "It'd be shitty if it was spread out. That's how I want to do shit from now on. That's what I learned from doing Doris. Trying to piece shit together that's hella spread out kinda sucks. You hit a lot more walls trying to make it sync." Keep it posted for more on that and look below for when Earl rolls through your town.
09.15 San Francisco, CA Rock The Bells
09.28 Washington, D.C. Rock The Bells
10.04 New York, NY Rock The Bells
10.06 Boston, MA The Sinclair
10.07 New York, NY Bowery Ballroom
10.08 Philadelphia, PA TLA
10.10 Pittsburgh, PA Mr. Smalls Theatre
10.12 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig
10.14 Minneapolis, MN Fine Line
10.15 Chicago, IL Metro
10.22 Boulder, CO Fox Theatre
10.24 Phoenix, AZ Club Red
10.26 Las Vegas, NV Life is Beautiful Festival
10.27 Santa Cruz, CA Catalyst
10.29 Eugene, OR Wow Hall
10.30 Seattle, WA Neptune
10.31 Vancouver, Canada Vogue
11.09 Los Angeles, CA Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival
[Video] Nico Segal: "New Bisness"
Donnie Trumpet/Nico Genius/Nico Segal himself took some time while on tour overseas with Frank Ocean to shoot a video for "New Bisness," off his solo project, Donnie Trumpet. The video, shot and edited by Andy Singh, was actually shot on the last day of the California Live Tour in Melbourne, Australia. The former Kids These Days member gets his workout on in the hotel gym and spends some time strolling the halls in a fresh robe. If you haven't gotten the project yet, it's definitely recommended because, as Nico lays out in the video below he's "gonna be somebody."
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Animuse: "Mayday/Holy Donuts"
Animuse has been making waves in the city recently and continued that trend today, dropping the two-side release "Mayday/Holy Donuts" that easily demonstrates the full scope of what Savier and Elishua can do both on the production side and behind the mic, changing things up early and often across the duo's drop. On their Facebook page, Animuse describes itself as being "kinda like that unpopular kid that you like to chill with, the kinda kid that just grows on you," the tracks definitely share a personality with their creators, growing on you with each listen. Check the track out with download below.
[RH First Glance] Courtney Barnett: "Avant Gardener"
They are taking music seriously in Australia. It seems like every week a new artist emerges from Australasia and this week it is the supremely talented singer/songwriter Courtney Barnett, who's debut album, The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas is due for release October 15 on House Anxiety/Marathon Artists has been steadily making a name for herself via the web. "Avant Gardener," the lead single off the upcoming project was released as a "Best New Track" on Pitchfork. In the song, Barnett croons, "I should have stayed in bed today, I much prefer the mundane," in a voice that can be most-accurately described as a dynamic female Bob Dylan. Barnett will make her US debut later this Fall at CMJs in New York City, for now, pre-order the album here or check out the track below.
Courtney Barnett: "Avant Gardener" (SoundCloud)
[Video] Rock The Bells: Wu Tang Clan & Hologram ODB
The Wu Tang Clan got everyone together, almost. RZA, U-God and the crew were able to bring Ol Dirty Bastard back from the dead to perform as a hologram at Rock The Bells in San Bernadino, California but apparently didn't have the same luck with the living as Ghostface Killah and Raekwon were both absent, as they were last week when Wu Tang performed at North Coast Music Festival in Chicago. Ol Dirty, it turned out, has perfect timing even as a light fixture, bridging the gap between while Wu Tang DJ Mathematics rebooted his computer after it crashed in the middle of the performance. For his part, Method Man was unhappy with the set and took the chance to send a jab to the missing Wu members. "I wish Raekwon the Chef and Ghostface could have been here to see this shit. Also, regardless of the technical difficulties, y'all showed a lot of heart by sticking around and I respect y'all for that. I promise you, you will never see a fuckin' show like this again from us. Trust me." The performance wasn't the first by a hologram for the festival, Eazy-E's likeness made an appearance with Bone Thugs n' Harmony to open Rock The Bells. Video below.
Sydney A: "Where We Going" (Prod. by Mike Jaxx) Feat. Grade Aplus
Chicago's own Mike Jaxx is back with a new track with fellow Sydney A titled "Where We Going". The song, written and produced by Jaxx, features a verse from Grade Aplus alongside Sydney's sinewy, on point vocals that accent steady 90's-era production from Jaxx. Check the song, with free download below.