Contribution by Terra James-Jura
This Wednesday night is going to offer a little taste of Brooklyn’s art-pop scene in our own backyard when New York’s Rubblebucket and Landlady hit The High Watt for a mini Communion event in Nashville. Both acts have been on the road in support of their respective summer releases: Rubblebucket put out their third release Survival Sounds on Communion Records this August, while Landlady released sophomore album Upright Behavior via Hometapes this July. The lineup offer musicians killing it on horns and keys in unconventional ways with marching band precision, as well as a good reason to get the Halloween partying started a few days early.
To drive home what a compliment these two bands are to each other, Rubblebucket’s Annakalmia Traver and Landlady’s Adam Schatz recently recorded a rendition of Nina Simone’s “Be My Husband.” You can find out more about the bands and check out the collaboration after the jump.
RUBBLEBUCKET
Seven years and three releases deep into their career, Rubblebucket has built a reputation on their big, off-kilter, dancehall-influenced sound and energetic live show. Their latest album, Survival Sounds, was produced by John Congleton, (Modest Mouse, St. Vincent, and David Byrne) a perfect fit for their “Is it a dance party at an art show, or an art show at a dance party?” approach. For anyone who hasn’t gotten the line “you came out of a lay-dee…” out of their head since hearing it on the soundtrack for Drinking Buddies, let Rubblebucket’s single “Carousel Ride” be its new replacement.
LANDLADY
Landlady is the solo work of Adam Schatz, a classically trained jazz musician and contributor to a slew of other projects (Man Man, Father Figures, Those Darlins, Vampire Weekend and Zongo Junction, to name a few). Landlady pushes the boundaries of a traditional song into some fascinating places, as demonstrated by their video for “Under the Yard.”
Of the collaboration with Rubblebucket on the Nina Simone track Schatz says:
We’ve been fans of Rubblebucket for a long time, and they’ve been coming to see Landlady shows long before this record came out and before anyone outside New York knew who we were, so it was a real dream to get the chance to go around the country with them. I wanted to do something special, to celebrate the tour and to make it apparent to our fans that we’re not just bands touring together but we’re a part of a bigger community that likes making music together in any way we can.
I love Nina Simone more than anything and there are hundreds of songs of hers I would love to record, but I knew this one would be a killer to team up with Kal on. Kal (singer of Rubblebucket) is such a sincere and passionate performer, and I liked the idea of taking this song and turning it into a duet. We recorded it in a few hours in my bedroom before Landlady left for tour this past August.
Check out “Be My Husband” below, and get in the mood, and get out tonight to see some great music.
Rubblebucket and Landlady will be performing at The High Watt this Wednesday, October 29th. The show is 18+, doors are at 8, and the show begins at 9pm. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.
