If there is one trait that defines the band Futurebirds, without question it’s their work ethic.  After releasing their superb debut Hampton’s Lullaby in 2010, the band got right back out on the road and didn’t waste any time getting to work on their next album.  Writing songs while touring heavily in the Southern US over the following years, this Athens, GA band made a name for themselves for their rambunctious live shows.  For fans like myself that reside in the Northeastern US, they’ve been a group that’s been extremely hard to catch on tour.  Recently they’ve opened for Heartless Bastards and they are currently on the road with Band of Horses.  The latter of which is a perfect fit for a band whose sound has always reminded me of previous iterations of My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses.  There’s something about that reinvented twangy southern rock sound that I just can’t get enough of.

The new album is named after a monstrous female beast from Slavic folklore that would feast on children.  Not really certain why the band chose this as the title, but if I had to take a quick guess it would probably have something to do with, what a giant beast of a record Baba Yaga turned out to be.  Clocking in at over an hour long, it’s obvious that this was no easy feat to get these songs narrowed down to the 13 tracks that did make the album.  After all, there are five different songwriters in this band.  The only band member to not contribute to the writing process is the man playing the pedal-steel guitar, Dennis Love.  The pedal-steel is an unmistakable sound and it has become a keystone in the construction of Futurebirds two full-length albums.  Baba Yaga builds off of the spacy southern garage-rock anthems of Hampton’s Lullaby and adds a bit more polish to the vocals and overall sound.  Where Hampton’s was raw, Baba Yaga is refined.  That’s an incredible feat considering the album’s length.

The anathematic choruses that I loved so much on Hampton’s are also found aplenty here as well.  No song more so than the album opener, and first single “Virginia Slims.”  All the attributes that set this band apart, and make them an exciting live up and coming band can all be heard on this first track.  Pedal-steel winds its way through the melody and rhythm.  It takes you by the hand and leads you to that anathematic chorus over and over again.  “Serial Bowls” is a hearty southern romp through a matter-of-factly stated bludgeoning of the soul.  There are a few more songs on this album with a slower more introspective feel to them than there was on Hampton’s.  There are plenty of sing-along moments throughout the choruses of these slower songs.  The album feels like a release of pent up frustrations with plenty of personal highs and lows nestled gently in between feedback and guitar solos.  “The Light” is a more folky catchy little number that breaks up the spacy peddle-steel driven tracks that surround it.  “Womeo” and “Strangers” are similar in sound with a little fiddle and banjo thrown in for good measure.   The album ends with “St. Summercamp,” a nearly nine minute extravaganza of not wanting the album to end.

The band probably could have trimmed off a couple songs or made one less guitar solo on a few tracks to keep the album from feeling a bit bloated, which it does.  There’s plenty to enjoy here, especially if you were already a fan of the band.  Everything that Futurebirds does well, they do it even better on this album.  It’s expansive yet personal, ambitious yet straight forward.  These guys know their strengths and they do their best to hit those strengths time and time again.  Don’t let this band and this album pass you by.

Here’s the video for “Virginia Slims“

39. Patterson Hood – Heat Lightening Rumbles in the Distance

38. Chromatics – Kill for Love

37. Maps and Atlases – Beware and Be Grateful

36. Two Gallants – The Bloom and the Blight

35. Dr. Dog – Be the Void

34. Ty Segall – Twins

33. Michael Kiwanuka – Home Again

32. Helvetia – Nothing in Rambling

31. Flying Lotus – Until the Quiet Comes

30. New Multitudes – New Multitudes

29. Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Psychedelic Pill

28. Lord Huron – Lonesome Dreams

27. The Fresh & Onlys – Long Slow Dance

26. Sigur Rós – Valtari

25. Sharon Van Etten – Tramp

24. Menomena – Moms

23. Delta Spirit – Delta Spirit

22. Heartless Bastards – Arrow

21. Spiritualized – Sweet Heart Sweet Light

20. Gary Clark Jr. – Blak and Blu

19. Trampled by Turtles – Stars and Satellites

18. Woods – Bend Beyond

17. First Aid Kit – The Lions Roar

16. Cat Power – Sun

15. Divine Fits – A Thing Called Divine Fits

14. The Tallest Man on Earth – There’s No Leaving Now

13. Godspeed You! Black Emperor

12. Andrew Bird – Break It Yourself

11. Tame Impala – Lonerism

Top 10

10. Wild Nothing – Nocturne

9. Grizzly Bear – Shields

8. Polica – Give You the Ghost

7. Beach House – Bloom

6. Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls

5. The Walkmen – Heaven

4. Lower Dens – Nootropics

3. Jack white – Blunderbuss

2. The xx – Coexist

1. Father John Misty – Fear Fun

39. St. Vincent – Strange Mercy

38. The Dodos – No Color

37. Gillan Welch – The Harrow & The Harvest

36. My Morning Jacket – Circuital

35. The Roots – Undun

34. Nicole Atkins – Mondo Amore

33. Feist – Metals

32. Brown Recluse – Evening Tapestry

31. J Mascis – Several Shades of Why

30. tUnE-yArDs – WHOKILL

29. Deer Tick – Divine Providence

28. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – It’s a Corporate World

27. Panda Bear – Tomboy

26. Atlas Sound – Parallax

25. Toro Y Moi – Underneath the Pine

24. Yuck – Yuck

23. Vetiver – The Errant Charm

22. Givers – In Light

21. Blitzen Trapper – American Goldwing

20. Woods – Sun & Shade

19. Fruit Bats – Tripper

 

18. Explosions in the Sky – Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

 

17. The Head and the Heart – The Head and the Heart

 

 
16. PJ Harvey – Let England Shake

 

15. Akron/Family – S/T II: The Cosmic Birth and Journey of Shinju TNT

 

 
14. The Antlers – Burst Apart

 

 
13. Middle Brother – Middle Brother

 

 
12. The War on Drugs – Slave Ambient

 

 
11. Wye Oak – Civilian

10. Real Estate – Days

 
This album is just really really good.
 

 
9. Bon Iver – Bon Iver

 

Well polished second album from Justin Vernon. His sound is full and rich and it’s coming into his own.

 
8. The Black Keys – El Camino

 

Not as good as Brothers, but a solid barn burner through and through. These guys are officially rock stars.

7. Jessica Lea Mayfield – Tell Me

 

Dark and brutally honest. If Elliot Smith was a troubled girl from the Southern US, this is what it would sound like.

6. Wilco – The Whole Love

 

So many good songs on here. Fresh and new sounding. Best Wilco effort in quite some time.

 
5. Kurt Vile – Smoke Ring for My Halo

 
Lazy, hazy, sleepy, dreamy set of songs that sets quite the mood.

 
4. Radiohead – The King of Limbs

 

This album is highly underrated. Unique and tightly crafted Radiohead effort. Watch Live From the Basement and like these songs even more.

 
3. The Decemberists – The King is Dead

 
Every song is a winner on this one. The Decemberists at their best.

 
2. Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues

 
An amazingly deep and rich album that just gets better with each listen.

1. AA Bondy – Believers

 

This album is like leaving your entire life behind and hitchhiking to anywhere other than here. It’s dark and beautifully haunting.

Are you guys having a good Bonnaroo thus far – any favorite moments or shows?

John: Last night ruled. A good friend of mine got really drunk and high on ****. I peed on him and put toothpaste on his hair. We shot some fireworks off. I shot a candle with a gun and wax went everywhere – got all over Dennis. Then, he was going into random people’s tents and stealing their booze and, like, breaking shit. It was, umm, one of the most depraved things, I think I’ve ever seen.

We’ve been lucky enough to see you guys a couple of times this weekend, both your own excellent set and your late night Deervana set, which was nuts in the best way possible, delivered in a big way. With your own set, do you guys plan set lists differently for festivals?

Ian: We didn’t make a set list! We were running late. So, we just went on stage and when you don’t make a set list and then you’re like ‘oh, shit, we have forty more minutes left, what do we do?!’ Yeah, so we just, I guess, did it the best way possible!

With the Deervana thing, how did you guys get going with that and do you think there will be any Nirvana influence, intentional or not, with your newer material?

John: I think Nirvana has kind of always been a pretty strong influence on us. We started doing Deervana, I guess as a joke, really, for a friend’s birthday party. And then, people started to really like it, so, now we have to break up the band.

Dennis: Pretty soon, it’ll be no more.

What’s up next for you guys, as far as the new release goes, or anything else that will be hitting soon?

Ian: We just finished recording our record.

Do you have a release date yet?

John: We were thinking October.

Going forward, is there another band whose trajectory you can see yourselves sort of following, as far as mile markers and success goes?

John: Dean Martin.
Dennis: Dean Martin.

I’ve got a couple questions, from over on Inforoo, some big fans of yours. Who are some of your favorite touring mates, headliners or openers?

Dennis: J Roddy Walston & The Business.
John: Dead Confederate.
Ian: Phosphorescent, some good friends of ours, and Dawes, as well.

We saw Phosphorescent on the Deervana stage – definitely making their presence known, which was awesome…

Ian: Yeah, the next morning they were like “We wonder if Deer Tick is actually pissed off at us?!” Us and them were kind of on a, I dunno, we’d been drinking all day…

Dennis: It was a long day.

John: Yeah, some people are like here (gestures low) we were like (gestures high) way up there.

Ian: I hardly remember that set…

Me, too, but it was a great set. How about some recent stuff that you guys have been listening to, when touring or on your down time?

Ian: Dennis is the mix master – give us a sample mix…

Dennis: Uhh, hmm. We’re listening to anything with James Gadson drumming on it, Bill Withers stuff, Dyke and The Blazers, and then a lot of Odd Future. What else do we like a lot? Ahh, Tad!

Ian: Tad.

John: Tad rules.

Dennis: We like Tad.

Another question we had – favorite hangover music?

Ian: No music. (laughs)

Quiet?

John: “Pleased to Meet Me” (Note: presumably the Replacements album)

Do you guys have any plans for a live release – DVD, live album, anything like that?

John: I dunno, we never really thought about that.

Ian: It’s a good idea!

I know a few folks who would agree with you. Someone on the board was also curious how you guys got hooked up with Rob?

Ian: Rob used to play keyboard in another band, Chris Denny and The Natives, and they went on tour with us. And then, he heard we were potentially looking for a keyboard player…he’s right there (points at Rob walking up) …film that guy…film him…this is a question for you!

There’s Rob – we were just asking how you got hooked up with the band?

Rob: Umm, it was a late night, there was a lot of alcohol involved – you know – Ian and I fell in love and, you know. Nah, I was playing with another band for a bit that was on the Partisan roster. We did the label tour together, so we met them through that. That band kind of dissolved, right around the same time they were looking for a keyboard player. I heard they were looking, so, I called John and I called Tim, from Partisan.

And it just came together?

Rob: Yeah, I went down and we were supposed to rehearse for three days and then head to South by Southwest. Instead, we did a lot of drinking, went into the studio, and headed to the first show.

Are you guys hanging around for the rest of the day today? Plan on seeing anything?

John: I guess the only thing I’d really like to see, is Dr. John with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Dennis: We just heard the Strokes were playing…so maybe, we can go see the Strokes!

John: I have no idea. I think I’m gonna eat some ****.

This is your first time at Bonnaroo, what’s your impression of the fest as a whole?

Russel: “Yeah, it’s our first time at this festival. It’s sort of a baptism by fire. It’s quite literally the hottest show we’ve ever done. I think the heat sort of adds to the atmosphere.”
How is Bonnaroo different from European festivals or festivals you guys have played in the past?
Matt: “This is more of a European type festival. We’ve played Coachella and Lollapalooza in the past, and yeah, Bonnaroo definitely has a more European vibe to it, with the atmosphere and everything. Yeah, it’s been great, really awesome.”

Have you seen anyone else? Who are you excited to see?

Emma: “I caught a bit of The Walkmen last night and Sleigh Bells were amazing. Looking forward to seeing My Morning Jacket. There’s loads, Bootsy Collins is playing, excited to see him. We’ve got the whole weekend to hang out and see people.”

At your show last night, you played a lot of new songs. What are your plans for the new album? When’s it coming out? What can we expect?

Russel: “We’re working on it. This is like a break for us from recording. We’re going to go back in the studio when we get home and finish it off. However long it takes to get it all worked out, but it’s coming together quite strongly now. Yeah, it was great last night to try out the new songs on a huge audience and check your work. It was a great feeling to know that the songs aren’t broken.”

A lot of the new songs we heard last night seemed to have a bit of a more straight forward Rock N’ Roll sound to them, whereas your last album was tinged with the blues. How would you describe your progression from your first album to this new one?

Russel: “I mean it’s always going to change a little bit because things change for us as a band. I definitely think playing in front of larger venues has opened up our minds to what’s possible. Things are written for our three-piece and it’s just exploring that. Yeah, it’s a little heavier in some places, but it has some softer moments. I think the balance will be sort of a bigger version of our last record. As for the blues, I think it’s just different ways of using that whole feel, that whole sound, it’s exciting for us to experiment with.”

I’ve been wondering how you guys decide who sings on what song. Is that something that gets decided in the writing process or does it get worked out when you’re recording?

Emma: “It’s just whatever works the best really. We all write lyrics and melodies, so it’s usually who’s voice sounds the best at whichever part. You know, if someone is straining to sing a chorus, the other one will take over. There’s a lot more unison, with us both singing on this new album. It’s been interesting to kind of fatten up the sound of it.”

You released your current album exclusively on iTunes, when it first came out. What made you decide to do that? Do you feel that was a good method to get your music out there, more so then putting out a physical album?

Russel: “It was an opportunity that we were sort of presented with. We realized that if we did that we’d have to hit the ground running and that there wasn’t going to be a slow, slow build up. We had to have some other songs ready and have the show ready. It was a bit of a risk, but we did it. Yeah, it wasn’t the defining moment, but it was a very positive start. We got the album to a lot of people very quickly. It went live one morning and that was it. It went from songs only being heard by us and our producer, to days later it was out. It was exciting.”

You’ve lent out many of your songs to various commercials, TV shows, soundtracks, and video games. Do you feel like that’s something that has helped you gain notoriety and get your songs recognized?

Russel: “I just think that, it’s really difficult to survive as a band. So if you get a chance to get your music out to people, there are lots of opportunities to. It’s not so much that people are buying records anymore, and sometimes it’s difficult to get alternative music onto the mainstream radio. So yeah, people discovering you, it can happen anywhere, and for our first album it was quite important.”

How do you feel about albums leaking before they’re released?

Emma: “There’s sort of an excitement before a record comes out. If it gets leaked, I mean, people are going to hear it anyway. Hopefully if people like it they’ll go out and buy it when it comes out.”

What have you guys grown up listening to? What have been your influences?

Russel: “There are some things that are all the same with us. The Stones and The Beatles and all that sort of classic rock stuff. It was basically our parents’ record collection. Mine went from punk to Pink Floyd, which I think, my taste probably sits somewhere between the two.”

Emma: “My mom had a lot of solo singer/songwriters like Carole King and James Taylor. My dad was more into bluesy kinds of music, so we had a lot of old blues records. We had a lot of BB King, Stones, and Beatles, so it was a good mix.”

You guys have toured with Muse, Dead Weather, and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. Do you guys have more fun on a tour where you’re opening for a bigger band, or when you’re doing your own headlining tour?

Matt: “Yeah, it can be more fun to open for a larger band because you’re done by nine o’clock and you have the rest of the night to relax and enjoy the other band. Headlining you kind of have to sit around, wait, and get nervous. Yeah it definitely has its benefits. Plus, when you play with someone else, they’re not your crowd, so you sort of have a blank canvas to try and steal as many of their fans as possible and win them over.”

How do you guys keep your energy up playing gigs every night on a long tour?

Russel: “I don’t know really…..Beer.”

Emma: “Beer and sweets.”

Russel: “That’s in America. In Europe it’s more like cheese and meats. Yeah, it sort of depends really. Every day is sort of timed out. It’s like a science experiment. Eat at the right time. Drink at the right time. Get terrified at the right time. You just sort of have to get it all worked out every day.”

Where do you guys hope to be as a band in another five years?

Russel: “Well, you know, we’ve been a band for a while and I’d really love to still be doing this in five years’ time. Yeah, we’ve definitely not explored everything we want to, and we’re in no rush. We’re definitely looking forward to it…..here, here at Bonnaroo.”

Rhythm Edit Trailer from Dan Worcester on Vimeo.

For our second project, we were given about an hour of raw footage from the television show, Monk. It was our job to edit the scene down to what it would look like in the show.

Raw Monk Footage Editing Project from Dan Worcester on Vimeo.

Our third project was a sports news piece we were to put together using the given footage and voice overs.

Non Fiction/News Exercise from Dan Worcester on Vimeo.

For our final project we were directed to create another movie trailer like clip out of the entire movie we chose. I chose Mr. and Mrs. Smith. We were to choose a song to use as the soundtrack. I used Explosions in the Sky’s song Postcard From 1952. It’s off of their latest album Take Care, Take Care, Take Care. I had to edit the song down quite a bit to make it fit within the time frame needed for the project. Unfortunately, due to some video conversion issues, I had to export the video with a watermark. Apparently the Temple computer labs don’t have the full complete Final Cut Pro on their computers, otherwise that wouldn’t have happened

MR & MRS Smith Trailer Exercise from Dan Worcester on Vimeo.