MP3: Pony Express

King of the Bay Area John Vanderslice has made a new EP, Green Grow the Rules, available as a free download. Get the tracks as 320kbps MP3 or full uncompressed WAV files.

I’ve posted one song above but all of them are worth your bandwidth.

Every once in awhile I let John’s music slip out of my rotation of what I listening to on a daily basis, and when it creeps back in I’m usually like WTF WHY AM I NOT LISTENING TO HIS STUFF EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE.

MP3: The Morning Benders – Promises

Ever wondered what it would be like if EVERYONE from the Rock Potluck worked on just one song? That’s what The Morning Benders did in their most recent video, congregating friends in San Francisco to record this track (“Excuses”) Phil Spector-style. Keep your eyes peeled for Chris Owens of Girls and John Vanderslice. Morning Benders will play the Rough Trade showcase in Austin along with Warpaint (who’ll be at The Summit March 6th).

Photos by Kim Rottmayer. Keep reading to see more.

Last week I saw three great shows: Caribou with Fuck Buttons and Sinkane at the Wexner Center, Okkervil River and The New Pornographers at the Newport, and John Vanderslice and Spanish Prisoners at Skullys.

Quick recaps….

Sinkane – I liked their set, but I wish they would have played another song to show their diversity… (although I know they had a short timeframe)

Fuck Buttons – If this type of music isn’t your thing, well, then it isn’t your thing. I loved it, though. Sometimes sinister, sometimes reminded me of Underworld, always interesting. I also liked that it was more than two dudes and two laptops.

Caribou – Ahmed from Sinkane just showed Columbus why he is one of the best drummers in town. Holy crap. He played like he had been playing that music for two years, but in reality it’s been less than TWO WEEKS. It was hypnotic to watch him play. So so good. Discuss the show here, too.

The New Pornographers – If you’re a band that does male/female vocal harmonies in a strong way, you’ve won me over. Despite sound not being as good as it could have been, the band pulled through an excellent set, hitting upon their entire catalog. I was also happy to see the show sold out, or at least nearly sold out. That’s the power of CD101 + a great band.

Spanish Prisoners – I thought the set was good, but the energy from Leo’s debut record did not translate well as a two piece. Hope to catch them again with more people.

John Vanderslice – Disappointing turnout, but that didn’t stop Vanderslice and his band from putting on the best set I’ve ever seen by them. They were all in a great mood, and when the band came off the stage for the encore and performed in the middle of the crowd without any microphones or amplification, it was a thing of beauty. Definitely one of the most memorable music experiences I’ve had in a loooooong time.

The weather is getting better in Columbus, people, so that means you should do your best to spend time inside our sweaty rock clubs. Here’s what’s up:

Friday
It’s been some time since The New Pornographers have been in Columbus, and this time out they’re upgrading to the larger Newport Music Hall. Their last album, Challengers, was on my favorite albums of 2007 list, so you can imagine I am pretty excited about this. Opening the show is Okkervil River, a band that could headline on their own.

Saturday
Over the last few years, CD101 Day has not had any major headliners. While earlier versions brought bands like The Black Keys and Dresden Dolls, the more recent versions have been made up of rising bands who have yet to make their mark. And while I’m always a little disappointed that there’s never a bigger name involved, I also think it’s a good thing to have a radio station put together a show with bands of this smaller size and get behind it both on the radio and with an affordable $5 price tag. Saturday’s version at Promowest includes such rising stars as The Whigs, Von Iva, The Duke Spirit as well as locals The Whiles (who have not updated their website since the Reagan administration).

Sunday
John Vanderslice (mp3) returns to Columbus for an early show at Skullys. Yesssss. The last time he was here was when we brought him to an early Monday show at High Five. That show was great, so I’m expecting this one to be 30 times better.

Also on Sunday, and also early, Times New Viking are playing Bourbon St for what they’re calling “their last Columbus show in awhile.” Details here.