Keegan DeWitt Plays Communion @ Public Assembly This Sunday, March 6th

Communion was born in the Summer of 2006 at London’s Notting Hill Arts Club. Founded by Ben Lovett (Mumford and Sons), former Cherbourg bassist Kevin Jones, and acclaimed producer Ian Grimble, it quickly grew into a flourishing community of musicians and fans alike, providing a first independent platform for the freshest young artists on London’s circuit and beyond.

Since its humble beginnings from a West London basement bar, Communion has branched out across the UK to Brighton, Bristol, Leeds, York, Oxford, Dublin and Belfast, and internationally to Sydney and New York City. Communion is now working closely with the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas, The Camden Crawl, HMV’s Next Big Thing series, The NME awards, Belfast’s Open House Festival, and many more clubs and companies who all have a hand in promoting exciting new music to as big and broad an audience as possible.

Later this month, DeWitt will make his way down to Austin, TX, to perform at SXSW. He is confirmed to play at the 2011 Paste Party In Austin, The Billy Reid & K-Swiss SXSW Shindig presented by American Songwriter, and the Storychord day party, all on March 16th. A full itinerary is below. A noted film score composer, DeWitt's most recent work will also premiere at the festival in official selection No Matter What, directed by Cherie Saulter, and in the short film "Remigration," directed by Barry Jenkins (Medicine For Melancholy).

Keegan DeWitt Tour Dates:

MAR. 06 -- BROOKLYN, NY -- PUBLIC ASSEMBLY (Communion New York)
MAR. 16 -- AUSTIN, TX -- SXSW
* 12:00PM - The Billy Reid & K-Swiss SXSW Shindig presented by American Songwriter, The Swan Dive (651 Red River; RSVP)
* 1:30PM - Storychord SXSW Day Party, Cheer Up Charlies (1104 E. 6th St.; Free)
* 2:30PM - 2011 Paste Party in Austin, The Stage On Sixth (507 E. 6th Street; RSVP)

Links:
Keegan DeWitt

Keegan DeWitt Plays Rockwood Music Hall on Dec. 12th // Ltd. Edition 7" single out Dec. 14th

DOWNLOAD: Keegan DeWitt - "Two Hearts"

Keegan DeWitt is playing a show tomorrow night at Rockwood Music Hall in advance of the release of a new limited edition 7" single, "Two Hearts" // "Reluctance", which is due out on December 14th, 2010 via Nashville's Theory 8 Records.

The forthcoming single's two tracks, "Two Hearts" // "Reluctance", were written this summer while DeWitt toured in support of his recent "Nothing Shows" EP (released July 13th exclusively through Daytrotter). The tracks expand upon the cinematic, orchestral feel of "Nothing Shows", finding DeWitt moving in a notably different direction than either the EP or his debut full-length, Islands (Izumi Records, 2009).

The driving, dance-inflected pop of "Two Hearts" follows in the footsteps of "Nothing Show"'s propulsive, rhythmic closer "Hearts Beat Loud". The second track "Reluctance" - featuring vocals by Isaaca Byrd of The Bridges - has a delicate, shimmering uncertainty and might be the prettiest song he's penned. Each song deals with transition, fittingly, as the single itself continues DeWitt's passage from a solo singer/songwriter to a collaborator: the songs were written to be played live with his current touring band of Byrd, Matt Shaw (Hymns), Jeremy Bullock (Pico vs. Island Trees), and Dylon York (Band Marino), who back him on the recordings. Both songs will also be included on a forthcoming new EP, due Spring 2011.

Keegan DeWitt is going on at 9PM tomorrow night and cover is free with a one-drink minimum per set.



Links:
Keegan DeWitt

King Crimson: Islands (40th Anniversary Series) CD Review

After watching record labels repeatedly reissue a band’s back-catalog citing allegedly increased sonic fidelity with each reissue (Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin) or appending a limited set of what looks to be haphazardly selected bonus tracks (Blondie, The Replacements), I now approach reissues with a healthy degree of skepticism. In this case, my skepticism was unfounded with the 40th Anniversary Series edition of King Crimson’s Islands.

I’m not going to attempt to review the original six-track album as there is little that I can add to the scores of reviews that have been written over the past forty years. The one thing that I do want to note though is that the sound on this remastered reissue is impressive as it captures the audio warmth of an analog vinyl record with the clarity of a pure-digital recording. I’ve probably listened to my vinyl copy of Islands dozens of times but I heard more separation, depth and clarity on this reissue than I ever heard on the vinyl.

Now for the bonus tracks – there are six bonus tracks (billed as an alternate version of Islands) added to the CD and a second disc (DVD-A) that holds additional unreleased audio tracks. The CD bonus tracks aren’t quite an alternate version of the full Islands album as “Islands” is a 2 minute snippet from the song that focuses on a middle-section with the oboe, “Prelude: Song of the Gulls” is swapped with a previously unreleased track and a number of the other songs are shorter run-throughs than what ended up on the final release. It is fascinating though to hear how these songs evolved as each of these bonus tracks contains notable differences from the previously released versions. The real stand-out track though is the previously unreleased “A Peacemaking Stint Unrolls” as this song contains segments that were later used in “Larks’ Tongue in Aspect” and “Lament”.

CD Bonus Tracks/Islands: The Alternate Album
- Islands (studio run through with oboe prominent);
- Formentera Lady (Take 2);
- Sailor's Tale (alternate mix/edit)
- A Peacemaking Stint Unrolls (previously unreleased)
- The Letters (rehearsal/outtake);
- Ladies of the Road (Robert Fripp & David Singleton remix)

DVD-A Content/Bonus Tracks

2010 Remaster:
- Formentera Lady
- Sailor's Tale
- The Letters
- Ladies of the Road
- Prelude: Song of the Gulls
- Islands

Original album:
- Formentera Lady
- Sailor's Tale
- The Letters
- Ladies of the Road
- Prelude: Song of the Gulls
- Islands

Islands: The Alternate Album:
- Formentera Lady (Take 2)
- Sailor's Tale (alternate mix/edit)
- The Letters (rehearsal/outtake)
- Ladies of the Road (rough mix)
- A Peacemaking Stint Unrolls (previously unreleased)
- Islands (studio run through with oboe prominent)

Route to Islands:
- Pictures of a City (Islands lineup rehearsal - song first recorded with original lineup)
- Sailor's Tale (Islands lineup rehearsal)
- Islands (fragment: Robert Fripp reference cassette—mellotron on vibes setting)
- Formentera Lady (rough mix)
- Sailor's Tale (rough mix)
- Drop In (Early rehearsal by Islands lineup)
- The Letters (Live at Plymouth)
- Sailor's Tale (Live at the Zoom Club)

Additional tracks: Assorted Ladies:
- Ladies of the Road (Robert Fripp & David Singleton remix)
- Ladies of the Road (Take 5)
- Ladies of the Road (Take 1)
- Ladies of the Road (Take 3)
- Ladies of the Road (Take 4)

For years, the only other recording from this lineup was the bootleg sounding live LP Earthbound. While KCCC have rectified this by issuing a number of live albums over the past decade, this set shows just how solid this under-appreciated lineup was in the studio.

In closing, I’m still scratching my head over how Boz could go from playing almost free-form jazz in King Crimson to Bad Company.

Links:
King Crimson

Keegan DeWitt Announces Ltd. Edition 7" single, "Two Hearts/Reluctance", out 12/14/10

DOWNLOAD: Keegan DeWitt - Daytrotter Session 7/13/10 (requires free registration)

Keegan DeWitt will release a limited edition 7" single, "Two Hearts" // "Reluctance", on December 14th, 2010 via Nashville's Theory 8 Records.

The single's two tracks, "Two Hearts" // "Reluctance", were written this summer while DeWitt toured in promotion of his recent "Nothing Shows" EP (released July 13th exclusively through Daytrotter). The tracks expand upon the cinematic, orchestral feel of "Nothing Shows", finding DeWitt moving in a notably different direction than either the EP or his debut full-length, Islands (Izumi Records, 2009). The driving, dance-inflected pop of "Two Hearts" follows in the footsteps of "Nothing Show"'s propulsive, rhythmic closer "Hearts Beat Loud".



The second track "Reluctance" - featuring vocals by Isaaca Byrd of The Bridges - has a delicate, shimmering uncertainty and might be the prettiest song he's penned. Each song deals with transition, fittingly, as the single itself continues DeWitt's passage from a solo singer/songwriter to a collaborator: the songs were written to be played live with his current touring band of Byrd, Matt Shaw (Hymns), Jeremy Bullock (Pico vs. Island Trees), and Dylon York (Band Marino), who back him on the recordings. Both songs will also be included on a forthcoming new EP, due Spring 2011.

"Two Hearts" // "Reluctance" will be available as a 7" via DeWitt's website and at his upcoming shows, and a download card for MP3s of the two tracks will also be included with each copy. A digital download version will also be available at all major digital retailers and includes the bonus track "Shut Your Eyes", a demo of "Reluctance," and a radio edit of "Two Hearts."

DeWitt will spend the month of November in Paris working on the new EP and playing a handful of solo shows. He'll return home to play a single release show at the Exit/In in Nashville on December 15th, where the first 100 fans through the door will receive a free copy of "Two Hearts" // "Reluctance".

Keegan DeWitt tour dates:

NOV. 16 PARIS, FR -- POP IN
NOV. 24 PARIS, FR -- FARGO (In-store)
DEC. 10 NYC, NY -- ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL
DEC. 15 NASHVILLE, TN -- EXIT/IN (Record release show)

Links:
Keegan DeWitt

Keegan DeWitt Releases "Say La La" Remix EP As Free Download

Nashville-based film composer / Roman Candle guitarist Keegan DeWitt released his latest EP, Nothing Shows, on July 13th via Daytrotter's Record Barn. After a successful run of tour dates, Keegan has just released a free 5-track EP of remixes of "Say La La" (from Nothing Shows). These remixes were done by Jensen Sportag, Wild Cub (DeWitt's DJ moniker and the name under which he releases a free monthly mixtape), Unkle Skeleton, Youth Club, and Sun Ray Estate.

Below is a video from last year's Lake Fever Sessions which has Keegan singing with Madi Diaz, who also sang on the EP's "Michel Bizot".



Links:
Keegan DeWitt

Keegan DeWitt : "Nothing Shows" CD EP Review (Daytrotter/Record Barn)

DOWNLOAD: Keegan DeWitt - "Say La La"
DOWNLOAD: Keegan DeWitt - Daytrotter Session, July 13, 2010

Nashville-based film composer & indie singer/songwriter Keegan DeWitt just released a new seven-track EP, Nothing Shows, via Daytrotter's Record Barn imprint. Five of the tracks on this new disc fall into the genre of orchestral pop and the remaining two are essentially 80's-style BritPop.

Each track on Nothing Shows provides the listener with a short glimpse into a particular time, place, and feeling. For 30 days in the early fall and winter of last year, Keegan crossed the Atlantic and holed up in a Parisian flat to finish work on Nothing Shows (the title originating from the collected works of poet Philip Larkin). It was there that he’d meld the tender craftsmanship of his New York Times-heralded film scores together with the resonant lyricism found on the diverse Islands. And what emerged are seven songs steeped in specific moments, locations, and emotions.

The majority of the seven tracks are built around Keegan's winsome vocals and the layered production brings in backing harmonies, strings, piano and other instruments to complement the vocals. The lyrical themes center around love, desire, yearning and frustrating. "Tired of Love" highlights the conflicting emotions within this introspection with the couplet "I'm tired of love, I'm tied to love". One of the standout tracks is "Michel Bizot" where Keegan sings a duet with Madi Diaz.



The two cuts that fall outside of the orchestral pop genre are "Say La La" and "Hearts Beat Loud" and both are swirling dance-pop tunes with an infectious beat. "Say La La" has a memorable keyboard riff that repeats throughout the song and is reminiscent of some of the thinking-man's pop that came out of Britain in the 80's. "Hearts Beat Loud" is equally danceable - here is the video:



Links:
Keegan DeWitt

The Mary Onettes: CD Released Today, Show at Union Hall Tomorrow (11/4)

DOWNLOAD: The Mary Onettes - "Puzzles" (MP3)

Jesus and Mary Chain/Smiths inspired Swedish four-piece band The Mary Onettes release their sophomore album Islands today (Labrador Records) and the band is playing three local shows over the next week.

Here are the upcoming shows:
- Nov. 4th - Union Hall, Brooklyn (w/ Blacklist and Submarine Bells)
- Nov. 6th - Studio @ Webster Hall (w/Kordan)
- Nov. 8th - Mercury Lounge (w/The Art of Shooting, Coyote Eyes and Werewolves)

Tickets for each of the shows is $10 in advance. The Union Hall and Webster Hall shows are $12 DOS.



Links:
The Mary Onettes