popcorn youth

American multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter Annie Clark makes art look effortless. After stints performing as a band member of The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens, Clark released her first solo record under her moniker St. Vincent. Marry Me (2007, Beggars Banquet) was a lush, precocious record that earned her comparisons to her more established peers […]

Last Saturday, Charlottesville, Virginia-based musician Alex Caton performed with clawhammer banjo player Pete Winne at The Shop in support of her latest and second solo album, The Sinners and The Saved. We recently spoke to the Binghamton native about her recent tour to the West Coast, recording at Levon Helm’s studio, and playing old time […]

National Book Award Finalist, Cornell poet, acclaimed author and all-around wonderful lady Lyrae Van Clief-Stefanon will be reading a selection of her works with live accompaniment from two of my favorite Ithaca musicians: Johnny Dowd and Richie Stearns! J. Robert Lennon and H.G. Carillo will also be reading from their works. The reading begins at […]

Chicago quartet Califone plays tonight at Cornell Cinema, alongside a screening of Tim Rutili’s feature film debut, ‘All My Friends Are Funeral Singers.’ Earlier this month, they released an album of the same name, and it is excellent. What would Wilco have sounded like without Nels Cline’s wanky guitar solos? What kind of magic would […]

Last winter, I interviewed Brooklyn musician Morgan Packard and artist Joshue Ott in conjunction for their appearance at the Light In Winter Festival, in an event co-sponsored by Deep Beatz and held at Castaways. The show itself was marvelous — a combination of intuitive, on-the-fly drawings and music that held the audience rapt — as […]

[By Brandi Herrera Pfrehm] As a kid growing up in the Pacific Northwest — where the coffeehouse is king, and there were drive-thru espresso joints on every corner before the idea was even a glimmer in Starbucks’ eye — I experienced my first green-siren latte in 1989. That was back when the company fostered an […]

Tomorrow I will be the featured guest on Tracey Craig’s radio broadcast ‘NONESUCH‘ on WVBR FM. I will be on the air from 2-3pm EST, and the program streams live as well! A description of Nonesuch:
Nonesuch is old folk, it’s new folk; it’s blues and bluegrass…the best of traditional music right alongside emerging songwriters. Sometimes […]

[A version of this interview appears in this week’s Ithaca Times; photos via Amazon] A certain philosophy towards food consciousness — a desire to know how our food is grown, made and sold, as well as a keen advocacy for sustainable consumption — has skyrocketed in popularity in the last five years.
Some take it even […]

[From the Ithaca Times] In the year 2009, the 1990s are enjoying quite a renaissance. Cult 90s-era bands like Jawbox and the Jesus Lizard are getting the reissue treatment, while Shudder to Think are due to release their first live album in over 15 years. Sonic Youth, Yo La Tengo and Dinosaur Jr. all released […]

Earlier this summer, I interviewed George Johann and Stephen Burke in anticipation of their joint opening of Angry Mom Records / Small World Music. I believe that I forgot to post to the article, as well as show Rachel’s killer photographs of the new space. Since I last spoke with Johann and Burke, the pair […]

This past Wednesday, Sept. 16, American folk / psych rock trio Akron/Family played at Castaways. Slaraffenland and Jeffrey Lewis opened. I’ve caught them twice before, once in 2006, in San Diego, and later in spring of 2007 at Cornell University. I missed the show this time around — their first tour as a trio (Ryan […]

Tonight at Castaways local rock quintet Veda — nee Ayurveda — will perform in celebration of the release of their second full length album, Down the Staircase. I recently spoke with all five band members (they’re quite the raucous, hilarious bunch) for an article that appears in this week’s Ithaca Times. From the article:
“I almost […]

Popular Louisiana Cajun band the Red Stick Ramblers return to Ithaca this Saturday, Aug. 22. I’ve long been a fan of their eclectic-but-it-works combination of Cajun, zydeco, honky-tonk, Western swing, and ragtime jazz. They’re super fun live and their new album, “My Suitcase is Always Packed,” is excellent. I recently spoke with Linzay Young about […]

[Text by Chris Lisee; from the Ithaca Times] If you haven’t been to the Korova lately, Friday night is the time to go. The opening reception for Meredith Towsand’s art show, “Violets in the Snow,” will start at 6 on Friday, August 21. Enjoy art, beer and the ever-irreverent sound of Hee Haw Nightmare. […]

Intern Chris recently interviewed The Campbell Brothers for their second feature in the Ithaca Times (the first being Corey’s interview with the group last summer; you can read it here). I caught the Campbell Brothers’ two performances at GrassRoots earlier this summer, and this is a group that only gets better with time. Gospel with […]