Adrianne Lenker of Big Thief has released a music video for “symbol,” off her solo album abysskiss, out now via Saddle Creek. Directed by Vanessa Haddad of Slopehouse Productions, the video captures kind, human moments during a day at Coney Island. Continue reading →
Adrianne Lenker may be best known as the vocalist and songwriter of Big Thief, but fans of the popular indie band would be remiss to overlook her solo work. The prolific musician will release her next solo album, abysskiss, next month, and while Big Thief will be busy touring this fall, Lenker will tour the new album in early 2019, with a stop at the First Unitarian Church on February 15. Singer-songwriter Luke Temple will open. Continue reading →
Two seated shows on a snowy night at Johnny Brenda’s last Wednesday night had the audience holding their breath in fear of interrupting these intimate solo performers. If you closed your eyes you, couldn’t tell that anyone was in the room beside the person onstage. Performing for sold out crowds at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., Adrianne Lenker (co-frontperson of acclaimed indie folk act Big Thief) and Nick Hakim had the room’s complete attention. Continue reading →
If you couldn’t attend the Project Pabst fest this past September — and if, like I, you were distraught at missing Big Thief performing in the general vicinity without your presence to soak in the immense beautifulness of it — don’t you fret. You can still experience the soft, lulling magnificence of front woman Adrianne Lenker’s project this March at Johnny Brenda’s. Continue reading →
Adrianne Lenker, the vocalist and songwriter for indie trio Big Thief, has announced a new solo album, abyskiss and released the first single, “cradle.”
Capturing Lenker’s rich songwriting in a haunting and intimate folk arrangement, “cradle” is a chilling track that recalls the minimalist dirges of Sun Kil Moon. Talking of the album’s creation, Leneker says she “felt a growing need to document this particular time in her life in an intimate, immediate way.” The album, then, is her “document” of the songs she’s written for herself while touring and recording with Big Thief over the last few years. Continue reading →
After the excitement of ushering in the New Year, sometimes the winter months can become a bit bleak. The holiday season is over, but the freezing cold temperatures remain, and it can be tempting to stay indoors as much is possible. But we all know that the best way to keep the doldrums away is by catching some live music, and lucky for us there are a lot of great shows coming our way this winter. Here’s what The Key recommends. – Sarah Hojsak Continue reading →
Brooklyn-based indie rock band Big Thief announced their fall tour and are set to appear at Philly’s First Unitarian Church in October. The tour announcement comes on the heels of Big Thief’s recently-released experimental EP, Wide Winged Bird. The EP was made while on tour from summer 2015 to spring 2017, and contains ambient background sounds, field recordings, poems, and songs intertwined through out the 30-minute experience. Continue reading →
The artists in NPR Music‘s inaugural Slingshot class — Jamila Woods, Big Thief and Lo Moon — have had a busy 2017. In addition to recording and releasing new music and traveling the world on tour, they’ve been chosen as the featured musicians in the artist-championing collaboration between NPR and several of its member stations, including XPN. Slingshot was announced in September and will continue throughout the coming year as an effort to support and promote the work of some of the most promising emerging artists out there.
Until recently, Jamila Woods was known primarily as a frequent guest collaborator in hip-hop and R&B, appearing with the likes of Chance the Rapper. Woods has been touring behind her debut solo album HEAVN, and made a stop last week at BLK Wednesday in her hometown of Chicago, adding some unexpected covers to her set. Watch Woods’ take on Rage Against the Machine and Nirvana below, where she mashes up “Killing in the Name” with “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Continue reading →
Teased this spring at the annual NonCOMM-vention, the new program Slingshot is an artist-championing collaboration between NPR Music and 18 VuHaus member stations — including founding stations WXPN, WFUV, KCRW, KUTX and The Bridge.
Over the summer, programming staff from the member stations each nominated a handful of artists to throw their support behind over the coming year. The submissions were reviewed, and the stations came to a consensus — Big Thief, Jamila Woods and Lo Moon would be backed by Slingshot affiliates through interviews, editorial coverage, live performances and more over the next several months.
“Everybody in this room knows the impact of public radio on artist development,” XPN general manager Roger LaMay told the crowd at NonCOMM this spring. “It’s really been essential with NonCOMMs and public radio writ large to pool our resources and work together to grow our impact.” Continue reading →
Think of it as an old favorite teaming up with a new favorite. On Saturday night, Brooklyn breakouts Big Thief headlined The Bowery Ballroom in New York City in support of their killer 2016 record Masterpiece, and they were joined onstage by the wonderful Sharon Van Etten — who has taken a bit of a detour from her music career to act in the new Netflix series The OA, stunt double and all. Continue reading →
