jff Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 These two dudes have a new band called Floored by Four. The band also features Dougie Bowne (drums, formerly with the Lounge Lizards) and Yuka Honda (I'm not sure what she'll be doing/playing). Should be pretty amazing. They're playing in New York on August 1. http://www.hootpage.com/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wendy Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 I moved this to Just A Fan because Nels is definitely Wilco-related! I think I love that Bob Bruno T-shirt! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yermom Posted June 11, 2009 Share Posted June 11, 2009 This photo makes me miss my goldfish (Watt & Nels). Watt is the man. Totally the man. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
the_fliz1 Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 All they needed was the one Hanson kid on drums and this would have been kick ass. No seriously, this really intrigues me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fatheadfred Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Watt is the muthafuckin' man. Puts on a hell of a show out the back of an econoline. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 These two dudes have a new band called Floored by Four. The band also features Dougie Bowne (drums, formerly with the Lounge Lizards) and Yuka Honda (I'm not sure what she'll be doing/playing). Should be pretty amazing. They're playing in New York on August 1. http://www.hootpage.com/ I'm a little strapped for cash this summer, but I'm hoping I can afford to head down to the city for this show. Look at the little bear in Watt's pocket! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yermom Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 The bear is Rilakkuma! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bböp Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 For handful of people on here who care, I just heard that Nels will be sticking around NYC for at least a few more days after the Aug. 1 show with Watt and Co. He's scheduled to play Aug. 4 at Le Poisson Rouge as part of Jenny Scheinman's "Mischief and Mayhem" band (almost the same band that toured briefly a couple of years ago, the tour during which Nels contracted the chicken pox!) The band this time around will be Jenny Scheinman (violin), Nels Cline (guitar), Matt Penman (bass) and Jim Black (drums). I'm not familiar with Penman, but the other three are all fantastic players, so check this gig out if you can! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted June 17, 2009 Share Posted June 17, 2009 I came in here to post about the Le Poisson Rouge show I'd love to see Nels play with Jenny again, but I'm not sure I'm going to be able to make it down for this. That's the one problem with Wilco touring so much this year--Nels has almost no time to tour with any of his other projects. He'll be playing the Angel City Jazz Festival in L.A. September 7 with the Singers, but I haven't heard about any other shows besides these two in NYC in August. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bböp Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 I think he mentioned trying to get Bobby Bradford to play with him at Angel City this year. Not sure if that was a separate thing or joining the Singers, but that would be pretty cool. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WaronWar Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 Does anyone know when the new Watt & Nels album comes out a.k.a The Black Gang (though there also is a drummer in the group, but I forgot his name)? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted June 19, 2009 Author Share Posted June 19, 2009 Does anyone know when the new Watt & Nels album comes out a.k.a The Black Gang (though there also is a drummer in the group, but I forgot his name)? The drummer is Bob Lee. I don't know when the album is due, though. Hopefully very soon, since he already has yet another album recorded. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted June 19, 2009 Share Posted June 19, 2009 The last I heard, Watt still needed to record vocals, but that was awhile ago, so hopefully it's just about done and will be out sooner rather than later. I haven't heard anything about the release date for the album the Singers recorded in March, so I'm guessing that won't be out until next year. Too much unreleased Nels stuff! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
WaronWar Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 I just saw an interview with Nels. He said they were going to mix the new Singers record in early Sept. and then release it with a live show recording too! The live show is going to be recorded in early September in LA or Southern CA. I also heard that him and Jon Brion are planning on releasing some of the duo shows they have played together at Largo, which would be awesome since I love both of them! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 I wonder if we saw the same interview recently? Two recent good interviews with Nels, one print and one video: A print interview with LAist here. An eight-minute interview with 93XRT from Bonnaroo . Nels's website is showing that the Singers will be playing at Cafe DuNord in San Francisco September 3rd and 4th and that both shows will be recorded (presumably for that live release). Also: he'll be at the Stone in NYC again on July 31 with Tim Berne and Jim Black, both the 8 and 10 pm sets. I wasn't planning to go down for that show with Watt, but I might have trouble resisting three sets in two days... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lamradio Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Watt is the muthafuckin' man. Puts on a hell of a show out the back of an econoline. He is the man. I remember seeing Watt a few years ago at a small place in LA. It's the only concert I've been to where the bass was so loud, it made my ears bleed. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 A head's up for anyone planning to catch Nels's shows with Tim Berne and Jim Black at the Stone--his website still shows that they're supposed to take place tomorrow night at 8 and 10, but the Stone's website is showing that they've been bumped up to tonight at 8 and 10 and Me'Shell N'degeocello and Brandon Ross will be playing tomorrow. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 has it been mentioned that M. Ward is opening the Central Park show on August 1st? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Three dollars and 63 cents Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 They're opening for M. Ward, I believe. And if it weren't for outrageous hotel prices, I'd be there Quote Link to post Share on other sites
solace Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 They're opening for M. Ward, I believe. And if it weren't for outrageous hotel prices, I'd be there ah, my bad. his myspace made it seem like he was opening. either way, still cool Quote Link to post Share on other sites
froggie Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 Nels looks like he' really enjoying the food! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
exo Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Anyone else end up going to the Central Park show? A bit of a let down for both bands as there were some serious sound problems (especially for M. Ward, who had to suffer through the first half of his set guitar-less or drenched in some kind of feedback). Musically though, it was an odd fit for Floored by Four because of the setting (a bunch of boozed-up hipsters at a free show in the park that expect Wilco and Minutemen songs) and pairing (quite different than M. Ward). I'd say it was fairly avant-garde, fusion-esque jamming, but a bit different than what I was expecting. Especially with Watt involved, I just expected a little more "oomph" in the music, but a lot of it were pretty subdued, with a rather lengthy one sounding more like a quiet ambient jam. This is where the fans really just went overboard, talking loudly and just seemingly not caring (I was up in the front too, can't imagine what it was like toward the back). One asshole, during one of the quieter parts went so far as yelling "Bored by four, not floored by four!" That said, they ended the night with Watt reciting the opening lines to Maggot Brain and jumped into the song, Nels-style. It was pretty awesome and a much appreciated jolt of energy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bböp Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 Anyone else end up going to the Central Park show? A bit of a let down for both bands as there were some serious sound problems (especially for M. Ward, who had to suffer through the first half of his set guitar-less or drenched in some kind of feedback). Musically though, it was an odd fit for Floored by Four because of the setting (a bunch of boozed-up hipsters at a free show in the park that expect Wilco and Minutemen songs) and pairing (quite different than M. Ward). I'd say it was fairly avant-garde, fusion-esque jamming, but a bit different than what I was expecting. Especially with Watt involved, I just expected a little more "oomph" in the music, but a lot of it were pretty subdued, with a rather lengthy one sounding more like a quiet ambient jam. This is where the fans really just went overboard, talking loudly and just seemingly not caring (I was up in the front too, can't imagine what it was like toward the back). One asshole, during one of the quieter parts went so far as yelling "Bored by four, not floored by four!" That said, they ended the night with Watt reciting the opening lines to Maggot Brain and jumped into the song, Nels-style. It was pretty awesome and a much appreciated jolt of energy. I was also at the Summerstage show. Definitely didn't seem too popular with the crowd as a whole, but I didn't really expect it to be. At least they couldn't complain about the price. Not sure I entirely agree that the Floored By Four set was subdued, though. To me, anyway, the first couple of pieces were almost metal-y, especially the one Watt sang on. And the last tune was almost downright poppy, with almost a little bit of a surf rock element in there. Of course, the long, kind of droney middle section was probably what most people reacted to as "boring." They played for just about an hour, which was longer than I thought they would get. From my understanding of the project -- which I know they have been recording in studio this past week (though, amusingly, was announced by the WFUV radio announcer guy as already being "out now") -- there are supposed to be four pieces, each named after one of the members of the band. It was interesting to try and figure out which was which. I had thought the FB4 material was going to be mostly improvised, but it seemed like they definitely had more of a compositional element. Anyway, I enjoyed the set quite a bit. "Maggot Brain" to end was really phenomenal and seemed to wake up a lot of people in the crowd. I don't know what people were expecting, but I think if they were looking for something like Nels' "Impossible Germany" solo, then Maggot Brain certainly came the closest to giving them that. Nels really did Eddie Hazel proud, at least to these ears. The sound didn't seem too bad during the FB4 set, just a little feedback from Yuka Honda's keyboards. There was an amp problem, it looked like, during the early part of M. Ward's set but they eventually rectified it. I thought the set was actually pretty loud, given the decibel cap they usually have for Summerstage shows. Matt started with solo acoustic versions of "Sad, Sad Song" and "One Hundred Million Years" and then proceeded to rock out with his band. He mentioned that this was pretty much the end of their touring to support "Hold Time." They stuck to mostly upbeat tunes, closing the main set with their usual rollicking cover of "Roll Over Beethoven" and then doing two one-song encores ("Helicopter" and Daniel Johnston's "To Go Home.") The only bummer for me was no "Vincent O'Brien." Again, though, no one could complain about the price. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
brownie Posted August 2, 2009 Share Posted August 2, 2009 I tend to hate the Summerstage venue even under the best of conditions, so I'm glad I didn't go. I really like M. Ward, and was interested in Floored By Four, but to a lesser extent. I was thinking to go and just hang out outside the venue itself and listen...I can never, ever see the stage in that venue. Ever. It just gets so packed, and I'm only 5'3", and it's hopeless for me to see anything there. The sound problem with M. Ward seems to have made it a good decision not to go just to hang out outside and not be able to hear anything. Glad I skipped it....sounds like everything I hate about Summerstage was out in full force, M. Ward sound problems doesn't sound too good, and I'm guessing it was packed, being free. I read about the show on someone's blog earlier today, and the writer referred to M. Ward as 'an indie-pop songwriter'. Eh? Not how I would describe him at all. I'm tending to think exo's post was pretty accurate about the hipsters. Thanks for the reviews. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted October 29, 2010 Author Share Posted October 29, 2010 Downtown Music Gallery wrote up the Floored By Four release for this week's newsletter (I'm sort of surprised that the bold portion hasn't gotten more attention around here): FLOORED BY FOUR [NELS CLINE/YUKA HONDA/MIKE WATT/DOUGIE BOWNE] - Floored By Four (Chimera 4; USA) Floored by Four features Nels Cline on electric guitar & effects, Yuka Honda on keyboards & vibes, Mike Watt on bass, voice & songs and Dougie Bowne on drums. This is an odd and rather incestuous line-up of four famed folks from varied backgrounds. Monster guitarist Nels Cline tours & records with both Wilco (worthy stadium contenders) and his own Nels Cline Singers (diverse jazz/rock power trio). Yuka Honda was once one half of Cibo Matto (US/Japanese twisted pop duo), was married to Dougie Bowne, involved with Sean Lennon and is currently engaged to Nels. Incredible electric bassist, Mike Watt was a founding member of the legendary Minutemen, Firehouse, is currently in the reunited Stooges and has worked with Nels in previous solo efforts. Dougie Bowne was one of the most in-demand drummers to move to NY in the eighties, working with John Cale, Iggy Pop, the Lounge Lizards, Arto Lindsay & many more. He was off the scene for a while and returned to concentrate on production, composing, guitar, sampler and now is finally back on the drums. I wasn't certain what to make of this but here goes... This disc consists of four chapters, each one named after a member of the quartet. "Nels" is swell, sort of funky thang with some fine atmospheric guitar over a great groove. Yuka contributes swirling synth-like samples with nifty guitar effects from our main man. The overall vibe is similar to one of those Funkadelic jams that used to make us all smile. "Miss Yuka" starts with hypnotic synth sounds from Yuka but soon switches into a Mike Watt sung throbbin' rock tune. Mike sings like a pirate and the song has a certain bent charm that is hard to describe. Yuka sounds as if she is playing organ which fits this song just right. An even better organ sound is used on "Watt" which has a swell Booker T & the MG's like sound & vibe and classic stinging solo from Nels. Get down! The final song is called "Dougie" and it begins with some impressive drums from Mr. Bowne. This piece is slow and mysterious, with drifting synth and guitar effects. Dougie's calm, hypnotic drums are central to this quietly disorienting work. Nels creates sounds like ghosts floating in the distance. Nels pulls off a great eerie, softly psychedelic guitar solo towards the last part of this long piece. Only 43 minutes long but still well worthy of your time and consideration. This is the second disc featuring Nels Cline in the past week so those who need even more of Nels' great guitar, please grab his ambitious new double disc set on Cryptogramophone called 'Dirty Baby'. - Bruce Lee Gallanter, Downtown Music GalleryCD $15 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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