Though it may not appear so, we at Trendwhore are working. Slow and hard. Tonight I’m heading to La Sala Rossa for Plants and Animals’ CD release party. Over the past few months I’ve been keeping a close eye on them since they opened for Wolf Parade last August. Check back later this week for video and mp3 goodness of this show. Speaking of Wolf Parade they recently joined the ranks of Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, The Shins and others who have created a shirt for the Yellow Bird Project. This Montreal based organization get artists to design t-shirts then sell those t-shirts via the website. All profits of each shirt go to a charity picked by the artist. I recently ordered Wolf Parade’s and Hayden’s design, both of which are dynomite. So if you want a shirt that gives to charity and makes you look fanatastic check out their stock.

That Vincent Moon sure gets around these days. The brain behind La Blogotheque made a trip to the USA last year to record Beirut in different settings; one video for each song on the The Flying Club Cup. Now, he has emerged again, in a big way. Seems like R.E.M., who are about to start a tour with Modest Mouse and The National, got wind of his projects with The National (finally coming out in May) & Beirut and wanted to do something similar. Over the past couple years, I’ve enjoyed seeing Vincent do all these impromtu shows with the latest and greatest on the Indie scene, which is why it’s strange to see him filming in a van with R.E.M.

At first I thought this was a very similar project, with a video per song on the album, but as I went through the videos, I noticed it’s the same song every time. Still a cool project, but can you imagine how sick everyone must have been of this song at the end? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good tune. Better than I’ve heard from R.E.M. in a while. Check out the project at…

SupernaturalSuperserious.com

…and while on the subject. If you liked what Mr. Moon did with Beirut, you can buy a DVD of all the videos here. (Only about $25USD, shipping included).

Edited to add: I’m a little out of every loop. Looks like Vincent Moon is in the middle of quite the journey with R.E.M. Check it out here.

Sunday night was a sold out house at La Sala Rossa. The lineup was Valleys (formerly There Were Valleys), MGMT and Yeasayer. “All Hour Cymbals” has been on shuffle for the past couple of weeks and had I got my hands on it last year it would have made my “Best Of” list of 2007. The opening act, Valleys where recently interviewed in Montreal’s Nightlife magazine which sparked my interest in the band. This quote from their interview describes their sound perfectly,

… vocals that feel like faded photographs and acoustic guitar parts that play like nostalgia and heartbreak while earnestly looking forward.

I’ve added a video and mp3 after the jump, be sure to check it out (who can name it? Thanks Marc). I look forward to seeing them again. MGMT took to the stage to the delight of the 100+ teenage girls that decided to stay up past their bedtime to get a chance to see Andrew VanWyngarden. They’ve got a great sound and its no wonder why Rolling Stone credited them as an artist to watch (not everything they write is garbage). My footage of having been too close to the speakers and rambunctious giggling teenage girls. As Yeasayer took to the stage, the teenage girls collected their coats and went home. Anand Wilder’s live vocals really made the show. He divides himself into two people, one a mild groover and the other a spastic yeller. I failed to obtain their full set, which as you would expect was 95% “All Hour Cymbals” with the exception of two songs I couldn’t recognize. If you know the names feel free to have my respect and add a comment. Video footage and MP3s after the jump.

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Two weeks ago I got to check out one of Sweden’s finest musical exports, Peter Bjorn and John. They were billed for Osheaga last summer but instead canceled to attend some poorly judged music awards show. Anyway, they didn’t win and they came back. I caught their show at Le National back in May of 2007. John wasn’t there for that show and Peter was sick but they still managed to pull off an excellent show. One thing you must realize about these guys is that their albums are no where near as impressive as their live shows. I mean no disrespect, as I’m a huge fan of their work, but the “rock factor” of a Peter Bjorn & John show is dialed to 11 (the footage I believe is evidence enough). Peter began the show apologizing for not showing up for “Ohseega” and proceeded to play a well rounded set dipping into all their albums. Montreal’s Young Galaxy opened with a fantastic set. Catherine McCandless backed Peter on “Young Folks” to the crowds content. The absolute highlight of the night was the “Up Against The Wall” jam session that lasted 15 mins with a sprinkle of Joy Divisions “Transmission” added for good measure. Peter Moren stayed back at the merch table and I got a chance to meet him. Could there be a Peter Bjorn John and Brock in the works? More news on Peter, he’s coming back to Montreal April 23rd at Cabaret Juste Pour Rire with his solo project, you can get tickets here. MP3’s and video of Peter Bjorn and John live at Club Soda after the jump.

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We here at Trendwhore are ecstatic for the opportunity not only to have our first interview, but to have it with the one, the only, Henry Rollins. Henry is currently touring the world telling it like it is on his one man show “Provoked With Henry Rollins”. Before I get to the interview let me give a brief synopsis on Rollins 101 for those who haven’t been paying much attention to him over the years. Henry Rollins joined Black Flag in 1981 and remained until their breakup in 1986. He went on to form The Rollins Band and 2.13.61 (his own record label) and publishing company. While writing music and touring with The Rollins Band, Henry made time to write several books, act in several movies and travel the world speaking about music, culture and politics. Currently Henry is hosting a weekly radio show/podcast “Harmony In My Head” and hosts a weekly television show “The Henry Rollins Show” that airs on the Independent Film Channel. Rollins is a hard worker, a punk legend and a role model to men and women everywhere. We are proud to have him on our blog.

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