The Books
Monday 3/13/6 at Schubas
Speaking of bands I like to paint to….The Books are experiential and examine each life experience you can think of in sound forms. Between sound samples of people talking, cello, acoustic guitar, and field recordings, the Books have that whole experiencing life thing in the bag.
I didn’t know what to expect seeing them live as this was the first time I have been able to. My biggest fear was that they would just come out and sit down with a sampler and that would be the end of it. (There’s a certain aesthetic to watching people play and sing live…otherwise, you could just sit and listen to it in your living room.) The Books were actually amazing live with Paul de Jong playing absolutely perfect cello and Nick Zammuto filled the room at Schubas with nice acoustic guitar chords.
The other thing that was great about them were the visuals they provided, which completed the experience the music provided so you couldn’t help feeling completely engaged. I have all of the Books albums and I find them to be consistently showing of their talent (they also collect all of the samples and do all of their own recordings). Highlights of the show include “Take Time,” “Don’t Even Sing About It” “An Owl With Knees” and “Twelve Fold Chain” They also did an encore covering one of my favorite Nick Drake songs: “Cello Song”
Here are some direct links to the mp3s they provide on their site: Note: The Books have provided alot of free mp3s there but people should really buy their stuff if they like them. These are two very talented musicians who can’t even afford health care. They are doing something that truly matters. And let me tell you, there’s nothing better than putting on a Books album in the summer while you’re painting or just at anytime when you need to be reminded of all the great things in life. Also, here’s a myspace page set up for them by a fan.
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