Mrs. Got Books and I went to see Dean & Britta last night at Eddie’s Attic in Decatur. At this point, the list of bands that we’re willing to get a babysitter to see on a Monday night is very short. The show was FANTASTIC. Afterwards, the band hung out on the patio chatting with fans and just hanging out.
I’ve always loved Dean Wareham’s music. He was the leader of the seminal indie rock bands Galaxie 500 and Luna. (Full disclosure: Mrs. Got Books introduced me to Luna — otherwise I may have missed them entirely.) Luna dissolved, but Dean & Britta have emerged from the ashes.
If you loved the movie Once (Academy Award winner for Best Song in a Motion Picture), you should check out the music of Dean and Britta. In the band’s documentary, Tell Me Do You Miss Me, it is revealed that Dean Wareham kept Luna going to see if he could make that love connection with the new band member, Britta Phillips. (Britta was the voice of the cartoon character Jem.) They were married last year.
Imagine my surprise last night to find the flier below on my chair:
Holy shit! Dean Wareham has a memoir coming out next month! Why wasn’t I notified? I asked him if there would be any tour dates for the book beyond the dates listed on the card, and he told me that his publisher assured him that authors don’t do book tours anymore. What???!!!!
I’d share my favorite Dean & Britta song with you as streaming audio, but due to DRM restrictions related to iTunes, I’m unable to do so in a timely fashion. Don’t even get me started…
February 26th, 2008 at 8:49 am
I’m very excited about the book too - although with reservations - I love Dean Wareham but am worried I might love him less once I know all his secrets!
There are a stack of (unreleased) mp3s on my website (http://www.fullofwishes.co.uk/mp3/) - and last.fm streams the whole of Back Numbers - if your fave track is on that album.
February 26th, 2008 at 10:49 am
That was such a great show last night. I wish they would have had time for a few more.
Maybe next time!
Did you see them at the Variety last time they were in town? A great show too.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/johnmcnicholas/sets/72157600037087689/
-John
February 26th, 2008 at 11:40 am
Yes. This will be an interesting read. He’s a great songwriter, and he told some very cool stories in the Luna tour movie.
February 26th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
There was a good excerpt from his book in Men’s Vogue:
http://www.mensvogue.com/arts/music/articles/2008/02/facingthemusic?printable=true¤tPage=all
February 26th, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Andy: Thanks for the link. I’ll be checking those songs out this evening. My favorite D&B song (which they played last night) is Moonshot off of L’Avventura. I stupidly burned the album to iTunes in the AAD format. Now I have to find the CD, reburn it as an MP3. Hassle fest.
John: I missed them at the Variety last go round. It was amazing to see them in such a small place last night.
Christa T: Thanks for the link. I wouldn’t have found my way to Men’s Vogue on my own.
February 26th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
They were also interviewed in the Onion AV a few weeks back. The accompanying photo goes a long way to explaining why Dean was keen for a love connection.
February 26th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
http://www.avclub.com/content/feature/random_rules_dean_wareham
Good gawd.
February 27th, 2008 at 2:24 am
I wish I could’ve made it out to this, but I was kind of screwed with my schedule. I had two shows planned this week, and I couldn’t afford to drive to Atlanta twice in one week, let alone get the night off from work. The other show is Beach House this Saturday at The Earl, which i’ll be at if you’re looking for something to do that night.
February 27th, 2008 at 9:56 am
The show was wonderful. I just pre-ordered a signed copy from Brookline Booksmith. Shipping adds about $7.50 to the cost but seems well worth it to me.
http://brooklinebooksmith.com/Events/MainEvent.html
February 27th, 2008 at 1:38 pm
Paul: The Beach House show should be cool, unfortunately I have a conflict that night. Have fun!
Andrea: I can’t order a signed copy yet, that would mean that I’ve given up on getting him down here - Never say never.
February 28th, 2008 at 6:37 am
I completely forgot about that show — until 10:15 Monday night. Still ticked at myself for wasting a good ticket.