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Sun. Jan. 31 Damon & Naomi – two locals who’ve made an international rep under their own names and their previous band Galaxie 500 – are playing the Brattle Theatre Sunday Jan. 31 ... with a bit of a wrinkle. They'll be presenting Naomi's new film, "1001 Nights," a travel-logue of the band's adventures from 2001-2009. Not only that, Haden Guest, director of Harvard Film Archives will be on hand for a post-gig Q/A session. (Sharon Van Etten opens the show.). As to Damon & Naomi, they’ve appeared in a lot of different combinations – including a full-on band – but this one it’s just them and Ghost’s guitarist Masaki Batoh (who’s played with D & M many times going back to ’95),. Dam on & Naomi has reissued their first album, “More Sad Hits,” on their own 20/20/20 label, which also released the band's latest album, "Within These Walls." Created as a swan song response to the dissolution of Galaxie 500, “More Sad Hits” was recorded with Galaxie producer Kramer, and it was, Damon says, intended to be a farewell as well as a debut.
“We didn’t plan a post-Galaxie career,” says Damon. “At the end there’s even the sound of needle being taken off the turntable. We really meant that. What’s weird is Sub Pop bought it, signed us, and we entered back into the ups and downs of a career, a career. We did not tour behind it. Then, there was this amazing thing Sub Pop did for us: They bought it from Kramer, reissued it in ’97, and tied it to our contract, so ten years later (it came back to us).”
“We were making vinyl then, and it was mixed for vinyl,” he continues. They don’t listen to their own records Damon says, but “we had enough distance from it. I had to go back and I really enjoyed it. It has the flavor of that time, it’s an early ‘90s sounding record, a lot of reverb, it was made analog, with layering, a kitchen sink old-style production. We really wanted to make our ‘Sgt. Pepper.’ It’s old enough so it doesn’t feel like yesterday’s music to us, it’s more a peak at ourselves in that era. We were in our late 20s, and we were playing with own image, being cheeky (with the title). Still, it’s very hard to reinhabit the songs, very few can we honestly sing in the present. It’s bizarre.” Expect soft, ethereal sounds – tranquil, melancholic, beautiful.
Tickets are $15. Show starts at 7:30
40 Brattle St., Cambridge, 617-876-6837 www.brattlefilm.org |
