Arrah and the Ferns Reunite

NEED I SAY MORE?!

Here is the Arrah and the Ferns' (former) ExBand of the Week article written on Voilà! only a couple months ago.
Here is Arrah and the Ferns' Myspace.
Go to either to find more info on them.
Following is their official reuniting statements!

"Hey all,
Sure has been awhile since i've written one of these. As a lot of you know the 4 of us went our different ways, on good terms, back in early '08 and as most of you have probably guessed this blog is about a reunion tour...and no, it's not a joke. Arrah and I will be playing shows around the midwest and joey and dave will be playing some of them too. Then she and I will head east with some good friends to play a few towns ending in a weekend of shows in philly and NYC to promote peace between the two cities after the world series craziness. We'll be playing a mix of mostly acoustic stuff from Evan is a Vegan as well as new songs.

Check out our page to see the tentative dates. We've got some stuff brewing so check back for updates. Also, if you live in or near one of our TBA cities and can help us we'd love it. Most of the shows will be just Arrah and I so we are down for acoustic house show parties or whatever. We're just excited to be on the road again because the life we love is making music with our friends and we consider ourselves blessed to have so many.

see you soon and love from all of us,
carl"

Soirée de Poche - Kings of Convenience

Delicacy, intricacy, subtlety... plenty of words describe it well, but no word can accurately explain simply how beautiful the music of two Norwegian guys truly is. In a very calming style, Kings of Convenience is more than accustomed to sing their sweet songs as they pluck their dual guitars expertly, creating melodies with incredible depth for our auditory enjoyment. It's been awhile since Erlend Øye and Eirik Bøe have treated us to some new music. But as of last month, Kings of Convenience released their latest and greatest album, Declaration of Dependence, and is a delightfully mellow album that has been so eagerly awaited by fans.

Recently, though, the Norwegian duo wandered to Paris. In a special presentation with the series of recorded performances, Soirée de Poche - a series hosted by La Blogotheque - Kings of Convenience offers a truly unique performance. I could tell you all about it, but instead, why not watching it right here on Voilà!, and experience it for yourself? And don't forget to visit Soirée de Poche's archives, which include Andrew Bird, Beirut, and many more lovely performances.

Hallow's Eve 2009

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Video: Noviembre (Live) - Bell Orchestre

For post-rock / instrumental music fans, one of the hidden loves in the chilly city of Montréal is Bell Orchestre. Their unique twist on instrumental music, often forgoing the use of rock aesthetics often found in other instrumental artists, puts a nice spin on their sound. If you're a good fan of Bell Orchestre, you'll already have their debut album, Recording a Tape the Colour of the Light. And if you're a punctual fan of Bell Orchestre, you would've been one of the first who went out and got their latest release, As Seen Through Windows, not to mention their remix album, Who Designs Nature How?.

But if you're a real fan, you know all about the unofficial Bell Orchestre demo. Here's a brief history for those out of the know: Bell Orchestre originally recorded Recording a Tape... at the same time as their sister band, The Arcade Fire, was recording and releasing the one and only Funeral. Bell Orchestre delayed the release of Recording a Tape... until 2005, when they made their official debut. But in secret, Bell Orchestre already had a debut album. Circulating around the internet and via secret hand-to-hand exchanges, there exists a rare demo of otherwise unreleased Bell Orchestre material, all professionally recorded, never properly publicly spoken about.

I'll leave the mystery of searching for the self-titled, unreleased album up to you. But just as a tease, this is one of my favourite live Bell Orchestre performances that circles the internet. It's their performance of "Noviembre," off their unreleased album. The climax is particularly fabulous. When you're done with this video, don't forget to peruse Bell Orchestre's Myspace, or wander over to their official website to find out the latest.

The Get Up Kids on Daytrotter

There are quite a lot of bands that we tend to forget about. Bands that take their leave of the stage or the spotlight, and fade into the abyssal black beyond musical venues. For whatever reason, some bands just disappear out of our collective consciousness. But one of the most glorious feelings is when one of these glorious ensembles return to their instruments once more and begin strumming on our memories held on our heartstrings, playing on our love for when we eagerly related their next note back in the day.

The Get Up Kids, 90s emo rock superstars, eventually announced their break-up back in 2005. Though members of The Get Up Kids had moved on to other projects such as The New Amsterdams and Reggie & The Full Effect, the affect that this band had on their fans was long withstanding beyond the break up of the band. Then, quite suddenly, The Get Up Kids announced thier shocking reunion at the end of last year!

Presently the blokes are in the studio, working on a brand new record to christen their reunion properly! But in the mean time, it seems like the boys dropped in at Futureappletree Studio 1 to record a session with the Daytrotter crew! Featuring two old The Get Up Kid favourites, as well two exclusive, unreleased tracks, you can check out The Get Up Kid's Daytrotter performance right now! I suggest you do it ASAP! But when you're done there, feel free to drop by The Get Up Kid's Myspace page, and make sure you stay informed on the latest and greatest from this reunited band.

The Eigenharp

Music nerds and band geeks all over the world, REJOICE! There is a new instrument to meet the world that you're going to have to embed within your vocabularly.

The Eigenharp! Ah yes, this... peculiarly named instrument is the latest and greatest in musical-electronic engineering. What IS an Eigenharp? Well, I could get all technical, but I'll save you the trouble. The nickname for this curiosity that has spawned on the internet is "The Any Instrument" Instrument. Obviously, this is on account as the Eigenharp is capable of reproducing the sounds of a large amount of different instruments within one object, including clarinet, synthesizer, drums, and many more.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8295813.stm

The BBC did a cover story that shows you a quick run down of how it works, as well as lets the students who have begun mastering this odd instrument to play you a song. Okay... so they play Moby, but it sounds REALLY COOL. You guys won't be disappointed. You'll also want to see them play The James Bond Theme. View the BBC link before you watch this lower video though. And enjoy!

Video: Hotel Song (Regina Spektor) Cover

I love covers. I make that very much apparent in my frequent praising of the ability of musicians playing the music of other musicians. It was once, quite some time ago, that I featured a delightful darling from deep in the heart of Mexico, putting her own twist on Panic At The Disco's "Build God, Then We'll Talk." No big stage, no big band, just a guitar, a camera, and subsequently, a YouTube video.

Once more, I take you to another wonderful young lady putting her own twist on some of our favourite artists' music. Meet Irma, hailing from Cameroon in West Africa. With her acoustic guitar, and a computer to help with some back-up vocals, she offers us a taste of Russian-American singer-songwriter Regina Spektor, in Irma's cover of "Hotel Song." It's quite delightful. If you enjoy it, definitely wander over to Irma's YouTube to catch more covers by her.