Angel Olsen

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May 20, 2013 | 12:53 PM | By

Happy to be home, Kurt Vile brought Wakin On A Pretty Daze to life in front of a sold-out Union Transfer crowd (photos, review, setlist)

Kurt VilePhotos by Abi Reimold | AbiReimold.22slides.com

It was a full house at Union Transfer on Saturday night as Philadelphia welcomed home Kurt Vile & The Violators for the last show of their U.S. tour.  With strong openers and a career-spanning set list from the hometown hero, the night was jam-packed with stellar performances and a lot of love.

There’s an image of a couch and a heart on Vile’s now infamous Fishtown mural that reprises the line “There’s a place in my heart for all of my friends” from Wakin On A Pretty Daze’s “Goldtones” and that seemed to be the sentiment the Lansdowne native was going for during his set.  An intangible sense of community could be felt between the crowd and the frontman, despite minimal verbal interaction.  It was the clear the audience was well-versed in Kurt’s discography as they welcomed each eclectic twist and turn of the set list with claps and cheers.  As Vile stood on the stage dressed in all white, surrounded by a hazy fog with a scaled-down version of the mural behind him and Technicolor lights bouncing around, the effect was similar to that of flying through the clouds during a sunset when the light cuts through just right – transcendent, magical and rare. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Photos + Videos, Concert Reviews, Events, Scene, Angel Olsen, Kurt Vile, Steve Gunn
May 9, 2013 | 3:00 PM | By

A conversation about books and television with Angel Olsen (playing Union Transfer with Kurt Vile on May 18)

ANGELOLSEN-1Angel Olsen, the Chicago-based singer-songwriter, released a gorgeous and haunted and joyous album last year titled Half Way Home (Bathetic). And when she was in Philly last winter, she stopped by the WXPN studio to record a Folkadelphia Session, where she performed three songs from it. One of them was an extended version of “Lonely Universe,” where Olsen tries to make sense of a tragic world where the source of life has just died. It’ll bring you to your knees, and then lift you back up on your feet. “You won’t always be walking the safest streets,” she sings. “But you can find your way home.”

Olsen has since signed with the Jagjaguwar label. A release date for her upcoming album has not yet been announced. But, she says, “I’m working on some new things. I don’t want to force them, though. I have some vague idea of when I might record, but we’ll see. It will be sooner than later because I don’t want to wait too long. It has to come naturally.”

In the meantime, you can catch Olsen live in Philadelphia as she performs an opening set for Kurt Vile on May 18 at Union Transfer. We recently caught up with Olsen while she was touring the West Coast, and we spoke to her about television shows, books, painters, movies, and some other stuff. Here’s what she said.

The Key: Hi Angel. What’s up?

Angel Olsen: Not much. I just played Phoenix. It was really fun. Now we’re in Tempe, Arizona. We’re looking for a swimming hole. We’re going to a place called Kenyon Lake. And now I’m drinking some coffee. I just woke up like 30 minutes ago, so I feel like I’m going to be very experimental with answering these questions.

TK: Good. It’s Friday, and everyone’s over everything. So I won’t ask you all the dumb questions interviewers usually ask like, “How did you get the name Angel Olsen?” I’ll just ask you some random questions like this one: Do you watch television?

AO: Not really. But I got really into Downton Abbey over the winter. Me and my friends did. It was pretty ridiculous. I don’t know what’s so good about it—I couldn’t tell you. I’ve never been a television person, but I watched a lot of that. And I always go back to Freaks & Geeks. Every episode is so perfect. But I only really watch television in the winter because there’s nothing to do in Chicago and I get tired of going out and forcing myself to do things. But, in the summer, I’m normally out riding my bike, or getting some tacos, or running around outside. You know, living. Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Artist Profiles, Artists, Concert Previews, Events, Interviews, Angel Olsen, Union Transfer
April 5, 2013 | 2:08 PM | By

Steve Gunn announces details for Time Off release (playing AKA Music tonight, Union Transfer on 5/18)

Steve-in-studioSteve Gunn, the Lansdowne, PA native who has since become a mainstay of the Brooklyn experimental / singer-songwriter scene, will release his Paradise of Bachelors debut on June 18th.  Titled Time Off the album follows-up Gunn’s 2009 solo full-length Boerum Palace (Three Lobed Recordings) and joins the musician with longtime collaborators and friends John Truscinski (drums) and Justin Tripp (bass, formerly of local indie rock band Aspera).  From PoB:

Time Off deploys Gunn’s signature virtuosic guitar style, framed by the most commanding vocal performances he has yet committed to tape. These six songs showcase his oblique character sketches and story-songs about friends, acquaintances, and denizens of his Brooklyn neighborhood.

In addition to the impending release, PoB has announced Gunn’s new role as a Violator for the upcoming Kurt Vile & The Violators tour, for which Gunn will also be an opener.  Tickets and information for that May 18th show at Union Transfer with Angel Olsen can be found here.  Tonight, Steve Gunn will play a set at AKA Music in Old City for the record store’s First Friday event, presented by Philebrity.  More information for the free show can be found on the Facebook event page here.  Below, watch Steve Gunn perform “Old Strange” at the Kensington Picnic and then check out Time Off‘s track list.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Previews, Events, News, Scene, A.K.A. Music, Angel Olsen, Kurt Vile, Steve Gunn, Union Transfer
February 11, 2013 | 10:46 AM | By

Just Announced: Kurt Vile playing Union Transfer on 5/18, plus free download from new LP

Huge news out of Kurt Vile‘s camp: the local rocker will be playing Union Transfer on May 18th with Steve Gunn and Angel Olsen.  The date follows the release of Vile’s upcoming album Wakin On A Pretty Daze on April 9th, which Matador Records has announced will be a 69-minute double LP.  In addition to a full tracklist and U.S. tour dates, Matador has also shared a free download of lead track “”Wakin On A Pretty Day” here.  On first listen it’s clear Vile has stayed true to what he does best, namely playing warpy, bright guitar riffs and singing poetic lyrics with strong imagery.  Check out the track below. After the jump, watch last week’s documentary on the album’s cover art below, featuring appearances by local street artist Steve Powers and Mr. Vile himself.  Tracklist follows.  Tickets and information for the all-ages hometown show will be available here.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Artists, Downloads, News, Scene, Angel Olsen, Kurt Vile, Steve Gunn, Union Transfer
January 5, 2013 | 3:32 PM | By

Watch two new videos from Angel Olsen; hear her Folkadelphia session

You’ve got to give it up for our compatriots at NPR Music for this cool collaborative music and film project featuring the music of Angel Olsen.  A group of artistic minded friends- Angel Olsen, Randy Sterling, Ashley Connor, and Zia Anger- worked on producing two music videos, one for “Tiniest Seed,” a track from Olsen’s buzz-inducing HalfWay Home (2012), and one for a new rockier song “Sweet Dreams,” which is available on her forthcoming “Sleepwalker” 7”. Both videos almost perfectly encapsulate the mood and feel of the tracks, a necessity for a musician who lives and dies expressing emotions.

Last year, the Internet was abuzz with glowing reviews of Olsen’s sophomore release Half Way Home and rightly so, for her emotive singing, honest lyrics, and rawness of spirit resounded with many listeners (including this one). Folkadelphia was lucky enough to capture to record a few songs while Angel was in Philadelphia, which is available here for streaming and download.

FILED UNDER: Artist Profiles, Artists, News, Angel Olsen, Folkadelphia, NPR Music
December 16, 2012 | 12:30 PM | By

Folkadelphia Session: Angel Olsen

Photo by Zach Blum (The Deli-Philly)

Welcome to the Folkadelphia Sessions, a weekly feature focusing on the in-studio performances recorded by the Folkadelphia crew. Here, folk musicians and singer-songwriters are given the opportunity to share songs that we have recorded in a live, intimate, and often stripped-down fashion at the WXPN studios. There is a real truth and beauty in the rawness of the whole set-up that we hope you’ll hear and enjoy!

As we approach the end of the year, we undoubtedly arrive at “Best of 2012” Season, where everyone and their mother finally reveal what they’ve been considering, constructing, and bottling up for the last twelve months: their favorite albums, songs, and musical discoveries of 2012. I say this with a fair amount of derision, but I’m no different, for I dutifully piece together lists upon lists upon lists without really knowing why. This takes me to my main point- let us not forget these lists’ purpose. When I talk about “Best of 2012,” I mean songs that led to watershed moments in my musical thinking and listening, artists that now hold a significant gravity in my musical prioritizing, albums that will now become an inextricable part of my personal record collecting canon. When I say “Best of 2012,” I’m really not joking around.

Now that I have waxed philosophic on the nature of “Best of” lists, let’s talk about Angel Olsen. Angel Olsen is a Chicago-based songwriter who this year released her second LP called Half Way Home through Bathetic Records. Olsen has ties to Bonnie “Prince” Billy and The Cairo Gang. These are all facts and say nothing about the way that you’ll feel emotionally devastated after your first run-through of the record. Nor do they tell you how to anticipate the shear thrilling power and intensity of Olsen’s multifaceted voice, which ranges from sotto voce to full-blown operatic. In a single word, it is amazing. Half Way Home will certainly make its place in my “Best of 2012” list, but also in my daily listening habits. I’m sure that many will emphatically agree and be acting similarly.

Before her Folkadelphia concert on November 13th, we were able to record a few songs with Angel in stripped-down fashion — electric guitar and vocals – her configuration for this past tour. Sit back and click stream (or download), and take in Angel Olsen’s Folkadelphia Session.

FILED UNDER: Artists, Downloads, Recordings, Angel Olsen, Folkadelphia, Folkadelphia Sessions
November 13, 2012 | 10:02 AM | By

Tonight’s Concert Picks: Ben Vaughn Quintet at The Tin Angel, Angel Olsen at Studio 34, The Astronauts at PhilaMOCA, Mirah at Johnny Brenda’s, The Tragically Hip at The TLA

South Jersey-bred rocker, producer and XPN host Ben Vaughn takes to the stage of The Tin Angel tonight. The venue is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month, and XPN Welcomes Ben and his quintet to rattle the walls a bit with some timeless garage rock tunes. The 21+ show begins at 8 p.m., tickets and more information can be found here. Below, watch a video of the Ben Vaughn Quintet playing “My First Band” at Maxwell’s in Hoboken last year.

Continue reading →

FILED UNDER: Artists, Concert Previews, Events, Angel Olsen, Ben Vaughn, Ben Vaughn Quintet, Brendan Codey, Folkadelphia, Johnny Brenda's, JUMP Philly, Meg Baird, Mirah, Mount Moriah, PhilaMOCA, Studio 34, The Astronauts, The Tin Angel, The TLA, The Tragically Hip, Tuesday Tune-Out