A Conversation with John Vanderslice

We spent some time recently with San Francisco-based musician, producer, and all-around nice guy John Vanderslice. He talks film, photography, and Emerald City, the new album out last week on Barsuk.


Stream: A Conversation with John Vanderslice

Live: John Vanderslice with St. Vincent
Kilby Court, Salt Lake City, UT 4/9/07


Singer, songwriter, producer, and all-around nice guy John Vanderslice made his annual return to Salt Lake City last week, among the first dates on a tour that sees him joined by Dallas-based one woman band St. Vincent through the second week in May.


Leaving most of the members of his now regular band at home, JV did bring along drummer and longtime co-conspirator Dave Douglas, who also managed to somehow play sound samples and a bit of Moog. The duo served up plenty from the back catalog, while also premiering a couple of songs from the upcoming full-length album, due out in August on Barsuk.


Among the high interest points from a show that also included a duet with St. Vincent and an unplugged rendition of "Me & My 424," (performed with, and from the middle of, the audience) Vanderslice also made good on his website offer to host a sort of Vanderslice Idol. This is "Jason" from Salt Lake City, who laid down a rather impressive vocal turn on "Radiant With Terror."

Plenty more photos from Vanderslice's set here.


Her live introduction to most in the area, St. Vincent took to the stage in striking red leggings and delivered a unique and varied set, moving between charming and intense. Most of the songs performed appear on her upcoming Beggar's Banquet debut Marry Me, due out in July, though she also delivered a stunning reading of Nico's "These Days." All stage-stomped beats, disarming vocals, and unexpected flourishes of distorted guitar, it's not difficult to see why the blogosphere has been in love with St. Vincent for a while now.



See a few more from St. Vincent's set here.

Video: John Vanderslice & St. Vincent Together, Unplugged

A live, un-amped version of Vanderslice's "Nikki Oh Nikki" from Monday night's performance at Kilby Court in Salt Lake City.


As you may recall from Monday's show, the pair are currently out on tour together. Plenty more to come from that night's festivities here, including photos and a (hopefully) upgraded video of this song. Edit- So this version is a little better, but not much, thus beginning in earnest the Buy In House a New Camera Pledge Drive. Any little bit helps. Thanks in advance.

In House #1844: John Vanderslice & St. Vincent Tonight in Salt Lake City

We like to call him the busiest man in indie rock, and it's a case that can be well-argued. San Francisco's John Vanderslice has kept up a hectic schedule of producing, recording, and touring over the past decade or so, while still finding time to feed his passions for photography and cinema. He recently announced the release of a forthcoming album, his sixth, this August on Barsuk. Currently in the opening stages of a spring U.S. tour, Vanderslice and longtime collaborator Dave Douglas play Salt Lake City's Kilby Court tonight as part of a bill that will also feature the results of the duo's invitation to sing or play bass with them on stage (Vanderslice Idol, perhaps?).



Touring with Vanderslice this time out is the one-woman band St. Vincent, who is Dallas, TX's Annie Clark (erstwhile member of the Polyphonic Spree). She's parlayed a quirky, somewhat mysterious persona, a debut EP, and much blog-love over the past year or so into a debut full-length, Marry Me, out in July on Beggar's.




In House #1844.
Airdate: 4/9/07
Focus: John Vanderslice & St. Vincent play Salt Lake City's Kilby Court tonight. Plus, new music from Elk City, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, The National, Bill Callahan, and more.

BONUS MP3s-
John Vanderslice, live on Studio Brussel, Antwerp (Oct. 2006)

"Angela (LIVE)" (MP3)

"Trance Manual (LIVE)" (MP3)
...and from mass suicide occult figurines:

"Big Band Stars" (MP3)

St. Vincent, from Marry Me (due 7/10):

"Marry Me" (MP3)

"Now. Now." (MP3)

PLAYLIST

In House PODCAST #290