Archive for the tag "central falls"

April 19 - Friday
Frost Bite
If you’re a fan of laid-back, melancholic country-style folk music, Chicago-based singer-songwriter Edith Frost is the gal for you. Sounding somewhat like indie vocalist Liz Phair, Frost — a devoted collector of cowgirl memorabilia — writes songs, most in a minor key, that examine love, especially disappointment in love. The gentle vocal phrasings on her third album, last year’s Wonder Wonder (Drag City), belie the frequent bitterness in her songs. In "Further" she sings, "Further down the ladder my brave fireman reaches out, he’s gonna drop me down and leave me further behind." Local indie trio the Court and Spark, Chicago band Central Falls, and Olympia’s Sarah Dougher also play.
9 p.m., Bottom of the Hill, 1233 17th St., S.F. $10. (415) 621-4455.

April 12: Edith Frost w/ Central Falls
Café Montmartre, 9 p.m., $8
Much like Canadian singer Julie Doiron, Edith Frost coaxes beauty from sadness and longing. Although Frost’s music is often pegged as alt-country, her songs rarely muster up enough energy or twang to warrant the tag. She played with bar bands in her native Texas for years,* but didn’t find her true voice until she discovered Chicago’s underground-rock scene. Last year’s Wonder Wonder benefits greatly from those around her: Archer Prewitt and members of Wilco and Eleventh Dream Day help lay the foundation for Frost’s lovely, world-weary songs. Adam Vida, leader of opening act Central Falls, moonlights as the drummer for the insanely spastic No Wave band U.S. Maple. But Central Falls is everything Vida’s other gig isn’t: languid, pretty, tuneful, dreamy, and so on. Its new album is Latitude.

Edith Frost  With the exception of the time Johnny Cash showed his affection for Trent Reznor by covering a Nine Inch Nails song, Edith Frost has been central to the strangest musical marriages in all of folkdom. Her first album Calling Over Time signed up experimentalists Gastr del Sol to back her on twisted Palace-like songs. With the Drag City Supersession group, she made Smog’s nihilist Bill Callahan sound almost cheerful. And her latest Wonder Wonder (Drag City) finds Frost doing her best Liz Phair over Gillian Welch-like traditionals that tug at your fiddle strings. Thank god she’s a country girl. With Central Falls and Jackaro. 21+. $8. 9:00 p.m. 400 Bar, 400 Cedar Ave. S. (at Riverside Ave.), Minneapolis; 612.332.2903.

Edith Frost, Central Falls, Sarah Dougher
The credits on Edith Frost’s albums read like a Who’s Who of indie rock: contributors include the Sea & Cake’s Archer Prewitt, Gastr del Sol’s Jim O’Rourke and Rick Rizzo of Eleventh Dream Day, among others. Steve Albini even produced* her latest CD, Wonder Wonder. Yet despite such enviable affiliations and a spot on the roster of hip Chicago label Drag City, Frost’s music lacks any cooler-than-thou pretense. She calls on her Texas roots to lend a loping cadence and occasional twang to minor-key melodies, her voice alternating between a subtly country swagger and a ghostly, childlike whisper awash in delicate harmonies. Even if she rolls into town with no renowned labelmates in tow, Frost — armed with an acoustic guitar and a wounded heart — is plenty captivating all by her lonesome.

Edith Frost, with Central Falls
Wednesday, April 17 at Graceland, 8pm, 21+
The weather outside is becoming warmer, and the flowers will soon be blooming. Ah, spring, a time for frolicking, and being light and listening to happy music. One show that will definitely have heavy Springtime vibes will be Edith Frost at Graceland on April 17. Frost has that sort of indy-rock meets country feel, like Aimee Mann or even Kristen Hirsh. She is touring in support of her third album, Wonder Wonder, a record that was engineered by Steve Albini, and has been called "ambitious" and "strong" by critics. The songs from this album, along with many from her previous three, should make for a night of fun and springtime giddiness. Opening for Edith will be Central Falls, another band from Chicago, who have been described as "Acetone with twang." This show is the perfect event for this time of year, so dance around the puddles as you head on down to Graceland and get your life set for Spring!