NEWSLETTER: Andy Zipf: Pfriends on Pfilm Coming to Tuscaloosa on January 22nd

You don't know me, but I want you to believe in Andy Zipf. You don't have to befriend him on Myspace, vote for him on MTV, or buy his album on iTunes just listen to him. It just takes a click, Zipf will let you listen, http://myspace.com/andyzipf , and then download, http://andyzipf.com , all without charging a dime.

"I believe that music isn't something that's meant to be encapsulated, homogenized and programmed into a commercially viable product," said Zipf. "Music transcends commercialism and is meant to be experienced live."

It would be easy to throw Zipf into the category of "performing singer/songwriter," but somehow that seems to understate the sound of the ballad belting sardonic singer from D.C. Never content with the traditional musical marketing formula, Zipf has continually sought ways to reach his audience and provide a different type of experience and on Jan. 22nd at 8:00 p.m, Zipf will be bringing the fruits of his most ambitious vision, the Pfriends on Pfilm Tour (Zipf, get it?) to Pour Cafe in Tuscaloosa.

With the help of a few friends, Zipf's created a 45 minute live concert experience that's a little different than most shoe gazing troubadours. Still images and old film fuse with live video shot during the concert are thematically projected onto a screen, while Zipf and his band providing a live soundtrack. Basically, think Sigur Ros meets Damien Rice and the Velvet Underground. You could also just watch this, http://youtube.com/watch?v=OC2mAo3Q7qo

It's not like Zipf's talent has never been recognized. He's toured across the nation, played SXSW, opened for numerous well respected bands, and been featured in PASTE, He's just never had that breakthrough taking him from clubs to arenas. Pfriends on Pfilm may not bring that widespread recognition, but that won't hold Zipf back at all.

"Pfriends on Pfilm will help to tell my story in a visually stimulating way, and enhance the musical experience for my audience," said Zipf. "I want to make this a unique show for each person that sees it, every night. It's going to be epic, or I'll go home."

Not many artists would attempt to independently take this type of sensory extravaganza on the road, but not many artists would try to pay for album production costs through the donations of fans. Zipf raised $45,000 to do just that in 2006, and in 2008, he'll try to make believers out of Tuscaloosa with Pfriends on Pfilm.

For further information contact Nathan at musicalhedonist@gmail.com

Kings of Leon, reviewed by John Brooks Pounders

This is the inaugural installment of 90.7's new venture, Capstone Concert Consulting. We send our staff to shows and events and they report back to us.

On October 10, John Brooks and I (MJ) attended the Kings Leon concert at the Alabama Theater in Birmingham. Pictures from the concert will be coming soon.

Manchester Orchestra opened the show and everyone around us in the audience kept asking one another, "Who is that band? They're really good!" You may recognize Manchester Orchestra if you subscribe to Paste Magazine. Their songs have been included in two Paste CDs so far. I managed to catch up with their lead singer after the show and gave him my business card (shamelessly promoting 90.7 The Capstone, of course). : ) Maybe we can convince Manchester Orchestra to come to Tuscaloosa.

After a short break, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club followed Manchester Orchestra. They definitely didn't disappoint the audience. I'm looking forward to seeing them again at Voodoo Fest in New Orleans October 26-28 (Kings of Leon will be at Voodoo Fest also).

Finally, Kings of Leon... I confess that I had not listened to Kings of Leon very much before, but after this concert I find myself playing and replaying the album that John Brooks graciously loaned me. They're fantastic live. I enjoyed watching the crowd's response to the music; their faces shined with an almost religious zeal - a cliched phrase, yes, but so applicable in this case.

I'll let John Brooks elaborate according to the questions I sent him:

1. Artist Quality:
Kings of Leon put on a really good show. They seemed like class acts, even though I couldn't understand what they said between songs. The main singer rocked a v-neck and gold chain like no other. Sometimes I did feel like they might have missed a few queues musically, but that could have been my imagination. They were nonetheless very good performers and left the audience happy.

2. Song Selection/Line Up:
The song selection was right on for me. They played their "classics" like Molly's Chamber and newer songs like Charmer. I was suprised that they would sing Charmer because of the painful screeching the song requires. Kings of Leon also wisely chose to play one of their newest songs, Knocked Up, as the lead song for their encore. The set list was strong and dynamic leaving new and old fans pleased.

3. Pretend I’ve never heard this band before, and try to describe their sound/genre to me:
Kings of Leon is best described as Southern Garage Rock. Using poetic and sometimes painful words mixed with usually up-tempo beats, Kings of Leon creates a slightly modded and very approachable southern rock sound.

4. Venue Atmosphere and Appearance:
The Alabama Theatre is a beautiful theater built in the 1920's by Paramount Studios. From Alabamatheatre.com, "It was used primarily as a movie palace for 55 years, with the exception of the annual Miss Alabama pageant and the weekly Mickey Mouse Club." The staff is very eager to fill any patrons in on information about the theater's history and significance to Birmingham, Alabama.

5. Venue Acoustics – and other technical issues that come to mind:
The Alabama Theatre has really good acoustics; the Kings of Leon sounded just like they did on their cds.