Tag Archives: Redbird Records

Oct3

A Very Ludo Christmas – December 10 – The Pageant, St. Louis

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I am the proud father of Andrew Volpe’s babies. Sure, the name on the birth certificate is simply “St. Louis” but I’m sure my performance during “Whipped Cream” in August was enthusiastic enough.

Half of the people who read this will understand it. The other half will be perplexed, embarrassed and possibly intrigued. For those who really want to know, follow this link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUw-V0GPvQU

If you weren’t offended by that video and accepted it for the upbeat satire it was, high five!  If you shut it off and aren’t reading my blog anymore…fine.  It must be a sad place inside the mind of a person who didn’t laugh and join in the dance.  <end pretentiousness >

Anyway. The point of this post isn’t to mock people who may or may not be in need of mocking.  Rather, you may recall me mentioning a few days ago (http://allysonssetlist.com/2011/09/29/weekly-setlist/) that my Ludo ticket for A Very Ludo Christmas had been mailed.

Well, it got here today.

LUDO PRESENTS A VERY LUDO XMAS 2011!!!

Is that my Ludo ticket resting on my legs bearing Christmas red and green striped knee socks because I got so excited for the concert that I started singing Christmas carols and wanted to dress the part for opening the envelope from Ticketmaster and finally getting my hands on The Red and Green Ticket?

No. That’d be weird.

Ludo Suggested Listening:

“Ludo”:

1. “Good Will Hunting By Myself”

2. “Laundry Girl”

3. “Hum Along”

“Broken Bride”:

ALL OF IT IN ORDER. DO NOT SHUFFLE. It’s a narrative that Andrew Volpe (Ludo’s lead singer) is now writing a book about.  Check it out here: http://brokenbride.tumblr.com/post/8798493302/how-i-got-here-a-poorly-structured-short-story-by

“You’re Awful, I Love You”:

1. “Lake Pontchartrain”

2. “The Horror of Our Love”

3. “Mutiny Below”

4. “Topeka”

5. “Love Me Dead”

“Prepare the Preparations”:

1. “All the Stars in Texas”

2. “Whipped Cream”

3. “Anything For You” (possibly my favorite love song)

4. “Battle Cry”

5. “Manta Rays”

 

Sep28

Without A Face

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Henry's signature on my shirt when my marker began to run out.

Sure.  He’s kind of a novelty.  Yeah.  He’s pretty quirky.  But those don’t even come close to describing Henry Dillard, master mind (and only mind) behind Without A Face (WAF).

It’s like he tells the listener on his first album (quite modestly titled, “Worst Debut Album Ever” [hint: it's totally not]):

“Well hey everyone, I am the kid / That plays acoustic music. / No drums, no bass, Without A Face / Is second rate and out of place / Don’t give me a chance / I ain’t got a band / Don’t give me a chance / I will understand / Don’t give me a chance / I ain’t got a band / Don’t give me a chance / I’m only one man.” [from "The Band Broke Up (Intro)"]

What I’ve been trying to discover ever since I first listened to him is precisely how one person can make and perform music with more energy and enthusiasm than a group of 8 people.

I’ve seen WAF live (at the Ludo concert in St. Louis on 8-7-11…blog post yet to be written), and he owns the crowd.  It’s not so much that his presence demands the crowd’s attention.  It’s more that he starts singing, and people start laughing and having a good time.  Who could resist a song about lactose intolerance?

And maybe that’s WAF’s charm.  He takes music seriously without taking it TOO seriously (or at least that’s the vibe I get from his music).  He makes music without worrying about universal popularity (somewhere, his song “Nickelcrap” is playing as you read this), but he still makes music that can make you smile.  It’s not dark and foreboding and pretentious.  For those of you into the indie or alternative scene, isn’t that refreshing?

I enjoy WAF’s music.  From the amusing dream sequence of “Stung” to the surprisingly poignant “Alice the Waitress,” WAF is always a solid bet.

Oh, and he hosts monthly online concerts.  That’s where you should be in an hour. Watching his concert.  Fans discuss the concert on the sidebar, and he just plays.

I’ve only met WAF once, but I feel like I have a better connection to his music because he has a better connection to his fan base than most other bands.

So, in conclusion, he’s pretty great.

Kindly remember at the Ludo concert, the theme was Space Dracula Basketball Expo. I was an alien vampire.

Suggested listening:

From “Worst Debut Album Ever”:

  1. “The Band Broke Up (Intro)”
  2. “Druggie Love”
  3. “31″
  4. “The Band Broke Up (Part 2)”
From “The 1st Album Was Better”: