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JESSE SYKES
& THE SWEET HEREAFTER
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The word 'artist' these days is used to refer to pretty much any musician, but few songwriters or performers approach their musical life with the degree of intense concern as does Jesse Sykes. Although originally a visual artist, Sykes sings that "only music sets my soul free." She's always, however, brought a deep visual sense to her textually (and texturally) rich songwriting.
Her new album was produced, recorded and mixed by Tucker Martine (Decemberists, The Long Winters) and Martin Feveyear (Mark Lanegan, Kings of Leon), with additional recording and production by Randall Dunn (Kinski, SunnO)))). Like, love, lust & the open halls of the soul is a musically deep piece of work, addressing themes of love, illusion, forgiveness, and the universality of the human experience. Her band, The Sweet Hereafter (along with guest appearances from Scandinavian cult songwriter Nicolai Dunger, jazz keyboardist Wayne Horvitz, and avant garde violinist/composer Eyvind Kang), explore new sounds with a confident ease. Open halls' guitar solos and driving rhythms could easily be lost gems cut by Crazy Horse between takes with Neil, yet the record retains the atmospheric beauty of much of Sykes' earlier work as well.
The band's musical growth has been mirrored by the evolution and maturation of Sykes' distinctive singing voice, which time has saturated with a weathered wisdom that connects to something beyond the singer and the song. And the visual aesthetic of Sykes' songwriting has never been more evocative. Listen closely to her stark descriptions of isolation, sometimes-swaggering toughness, fragile human emotion, and the possibilities of love, and you'll hear something that perfectly, tenderly, and surprisingly captures the feel of the 21st century so far — it's the sound of vulnerability, and the sound of the best and most relevant piece of art Jesse Sykes has ever made.
A new song from Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter is being featured on the NPR show "All Songs Considered" — check out the podcast here. To purchase the new EP from which this song was taken, visit Jesse's official site. |
Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter will be playing a string of shows with Black Mountain this month in the midwest and east coast of North America — tour dates can be found here. Also, the song dreaming dead (from the album oh, my girl) was put to good use in the premiere episode of the new HBO show True Blood — you can learn about all the music used on this show here. |
On Saturday, April 19, independent music stores across the country will be taking part in the first annual Record Store Day, celebrating those wonderful and unique places where music fans can find satisfaction. Several of Barsuk's artists will be taking part in this event — be sure to check out your local record store to find out what events they have planned.
Here's where you can find our bands:
- Aqueduct performance at Sonic Boom (Ballard) in Seattle, WA at 4pm
- Mates of State performance at Newbury Comics (on Newbury Street) in Boston, MA at noon
- Menomena foosball tournament at Jackpot Records (SW 9th) in Portland, OR from 1pm to 3pm — anyone who beats the band members at foosball will have their name put into a hat; at the end of the tournament, one lucky winner will win a special gift. The band will also be DJ'ing during the event.
- Nada Surf performance at Vintage Vinyl in Fords, NJ 2:30pm
- John Roderick (The Long Winters) DJ set at Sonic Boom (Capitol Hill) in Seattle, WA at 3pm
- Jesse Sykes performance at Easy Street (Queen Anne) in Seattle, WA at 5pm
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 Jesse Sykes' critically acclaimed album from 2007, like, love, lust & the open halls of the soul, is available on beautiful double vinyl, packaged in a swank gatefold jacket. Get yours while supplies last — we have a very limited quantity, including a handful of the peach vinyl version.
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 The concept: gather together a bunch of bands in a house that will be destroyed. All bands play one song each, and perform their song twice, and then the house is destroyed. Capture everything on film, and release it on DVD.
For the Seattle edition, Death Cab's Ben Gibbard gathered together a bunch of great local bands: The Long Winters, Jesse Sykes, David Bazan, Harvey Danger, Tiny Vipers, The Cave Singers, Minus The Bear, Eddie Vedder, Kinski, Spook The Horse, The Can't See, The Blue Scholars, Triumph of Lethargy Skinned To Death, and, of course, himself. Released by Trixie DVD, but available here while supplies last. |
Not only does she write great songs, have an awesome band and a heavenly voice, but Jesse Sykes also takes photographs. Some of her work from the early '80s is available for sale now at her website. All photographs were hand printed on fiber-based paper, and come with handwritten notes from Jesse. Sweet! |
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7 Jul |
SEATTLE, WA [ Triple Door ]
The Round: A Benefit for Fremont Abbey Arts Center's Youth Program, all-ages |
11 Jul |
SEATTLE, WA [ Marymoor Park ]
No Depression Festival, all-ages |
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Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter are: Eric Eagle (drums), Bill Herzog (bass), Anne Marie Ruljancich (viola, cello), Jesse Sykes (guitars, vox), and Phil Wandscher (guitars) |
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videos and streams
