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NEWS
meric long of the dodo's site bottletree as favorite venue!
Pitchfork:[What is your] Favorite Venue?
ML: I feel like I should probably say something in San Francisco since that's where we're from, but I don't know...I think the Bottletree in Birmingham, Alabama.
Pitchfork: I used to live in Birmingham, but sadly it was before the days of the Bottletree.
ML: It's great, the venue is really nice, they have awesome food and the people there are so freaking nice. And it's in the middle of Alabama, too, where you'll play a string of horrible shows at horrible venues and then there's little oasis in the middle of Alabama where they have...the cooks there are amazing, the whole staff is just super nice. They have an Airstream in the back with DVDs to watch, and last time we played there there's this tall bartender with glasses, and while we were playing people were talking and he was literally screaming, "Shut the fuck up!" They have your back there.
(Source)
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Wednesday, March 12, 2008
JEREMY BURGESS
For The Birmingham News
At the Bottletree Cafe Monday night, ticketless fans stood outside the sold-out venue trying to find a way to see Vampire Weekend, one of the most-hyped bands in the nation which performed on "Saturday Night Live" just two nights earlier.
Inside, the former Columbia University classmates lived up to the hype.
Although Vampire Weekend was the opening band for the night (preceding the Walkmen, another New York area indie rock outfit), the guys managed to steal the show in just under 45 minutes with a set full of catchy tunes that were equal parts New York and Africa.
Vampire Weekend began its short set with "Mansard Roof," one of the singles from its self-titled debut album that was released less than five months ago. After briefly addressing the crowd, the band continued with "I Stand Corrected" and "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa," another single and a clear crowd favorite.
"We're embarrassed to say this," lead singer/guitarist Ezra Koenig told the crowd, "but this is our first time here in Alabama. We're very excited." A round of applause quickly made Koenig feel at home: "Sounds like you guys are excited, too."
While the band didn't talk too much into its limited time slot, the members did take time to do what they called a "trust-building exercise" that involved a call-and-response echoing of the chorus to "One (Blake's Got a New Face)."
Vampire Weekend finished its set with "Oxford Comma" before The Walkmen hit the stage. Although the Walkmen were outdone by their opening act, they weren't to be ignored. Lead singer Hamilton Leithauser took to the stage and howled his lungs out, sounding like an intense combination of Bob Dylan and Morrissey. The band created an atmosphere, filling the room with a spooky rock'n' roll sound as it mixed several new songs with crowd-pleasers like "Little House of Savages."
Vampire Weekend may have been the reason why the show sold out, but it certainly didn't go to the guys' heads. They were out in the crowd afterward, enjoying the Walkmen's set and leading the encore-provoking cheers. Also refreshing was the fact that even though the show was sold out, it didn't appear to have been "Teasleyed" the way many sold out shows at the Bottletree have been in the past.
The Walkmen have been in their shoes before. They were well-hyped around the turn of the century, and now that they have four albums under their belt, that hype has been replaced by a quieter form of admiration.
Perhaps this show was as much a learning experience for the members of Vampire Weekend as it was a chance to show that they're as good as everyone thinks they are.
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1/16
BLACK MOUNTAIN IN THE NEW ROLLING STONE
The new issue of Rolling Stone contains both a feature article and album review of Black Mountain. They are playing at Bottletree February 23rd with Blood on the Wall. Here is a link to the album review. Please don't miss this show.
http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/6989463/review/7538257?utm_source=Rhapsody&utm_medium=CDreview
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SIERRA LEONE REFUGEE ALL STARS IN THE BIRMINGHAM TIMES
front page: http://thebirminghamtimes.com/news/default.asp
article link: http://thebirminghamtimes.com/news/Article/Article.asp?NewsID=85053&sID=4
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As you already know we have a website! It’s been some time coming and we’re excited about having a site of our very own. 2008 should be an exciting year for shows in Birmingham. We will continue to focus our efforts on Bottletree but will be branching out to other venues as well. Please email if you have any ideas or suggestions. We will also be looking for interns in the upcoming months so please let us know if you’re interested. Thanks a ton. And please come out to some shows!
Brian and Leah
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Visit Secret History on Myspace!
http://www.myspace.com/secrethistoryproductions
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