Live Footage

La Blogtheque review!!

2011-03-09T14:06:00.000-08:00

Big News!!! One of our all time favorite music blogs did a great review for Willow Be!

Here is the link (if you read French)
http://www.blogotheque.net/Live-Footage-Balmorhea-des-villes

..Translated.. (Crudely)
For Willow Be the first album of Live Footage, like Balmorhea two years ago, is primarily a story of pocket. A sober and elegant design that evokes the fusion of elements, ideograms (or other records of Asian origin) to induce a secret, a treatment rather high-end disk claimed as a self-production ...
And arguments that place the disc on the top of the stack, listening with a priori favor and do not regret it. He was not told that a fully instrumental disc, made of loops and improvisations, described as a surrealist masterpiece, played minimalist duo (Mike Thies on drums and keyboards, Topu Lyo cello and loops ) and embellished with clear springs mercenary (played heavily on the heartstrings), can inspire in me something other than a passing curiosity ...
Surely there is the effect of mode, Live Footage of a false airs Aufgang: less virtuosity and pure talent but effective tricks to compensate (severe rhythmic, powerful bass lines on "See The Reflection" in particular). The duo plays with nostalgia, too, is taking Royksopp in an instant revival and subtle dancefloor ("Working Man Is Always Poor ').
It's so direct and easy to listen that becomes suspect: it is in the sound world of ads most aesthetes (luxury deviant, perfumes that want to sell by caressing models), it provides the perfect material for generations of cultural programs ...
It borders on the looting and scholarly distillation of catchy melodies, archi-known guise reworked (the haunting feeling to know everything already be familiar melodies from the first listen) but that is very strange. Live Footage playing with electronics as if it was a framework that should be overcome, however: the frames are simple and synthetic cello alights slowly and using loops and other effects to enrich the whole, probably dreaming of an orchestra to replace them. Classical music is a permanent reference, but it is tackled head almost in fleeing, the economy or timidity.
Willow Be is a discrete disc, a small collection of valuable urban contemporary music and Live Footage, a kind of Balmorhea cities. Here, a sincere compliment ...

In the meantime, check out WEBSITE for updated info about our European tour.

the days fly by...

2011-02-20T01:32:00.001-08:00

hey hope everyone is well.

the weather is bi-polar one day hot and

sunny the next day feeling like its the

end of the world. wind swirling 90 mph.

trash cans knocked over another few mths

till spring and lucky four leaf clovers..

433am feels timeless in the winter..

getting all ready for our european tour,

getting all the ducks in a row: passports,

tickets, extra baggage, visas, riders, car rentals

housing, insurance. damn its a lot of stuff .

recently we've been writing a lot and messing

with a lot of music. we're also writing music

to a film which will be out later this year. fondi91.

check out our google maps of our tour thus far.

some 12 hour drives, no sleep nights , exploring

foreign towns. can't wait!!

t/m

Empire State of Mind

2011-02-04T10:32:00.000-08:00

We did a cover of "Empire State of Mind" by Jay Z! This was recorded at the Creamery in Greenpoint, Brooklyn by Quinn McCarthy.

City Winery/ New Years Eve

2011-01-09T10:36:00.000-08:00

!!!Happy New Year!!!

On January 7th we were honored to be on a great bill at City Winery in New York. We shared the stage with Emily Wells, Portland Cello Project, and Henry Wolfe. Every band was unique in their own way and brought great energy. All in all a fun night indeed, and as it turned out the brilliant actress Meryl Streep was in attendance and the late night band was Ravi Coltrane... Bonus!

Also for New Years Eve we had the pleasure to rock it at Club Norwood on 14th st. Everyone there was increadibly cool and attentive! Here's a couple shots from the night (by Monick Tijerina):

In other news we'll be resuming our 2nd and 4th sunday residency at Apotheke! 10:00 -1:00

Yesterday we had a great photo shoot by Marc Lemoine. We'll post some pics soon!

Also keep an eye on our WEBSITE for the latest updates for our EU tour in April 2011.

European reviews

2010-12-20T09:06:00.000-08:00

One from Italy:
http://www.impattosonoro.it/2010/12/13/recensioni/live-footage-willow-be/

aaaaaand one from Germany:
http://diekopfhoerer.eu/2010/12/tontrager-der-woche-live-footage-%E2%80%93-willow-be/

We cant wait to get over there in April!

After you read (and translate) these, listen to THOMAS MAPFUMO

Business Cards

2010-12-14T11:29:00.000-08:00

We spent 5 hours last night making 35 hand made business cards. Good use of time????

Currently Jamming Lester Young and Sufjan Stevens.

Apotheke and "Displaced Wedding"

2010-12-10T11:48:00.000-08:00

In case you don't know, we've been playing at this amazing chill out spot in Chinatown called APOTHEKE on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of every month (except for december... See below). They mix AMAZING drinks, and the overall atmosphere is really cool. Usually our friend/incredible musician Emily Wells DJ's in between our 3 sets. Please continue to check out our website for updated info on this. 9 Doyers st, Chinatown NY Free!

Also..

We've been working really hard on this off Broadway production called "Displaced Wedding". Opening night is Saturday Dec 11th. HERE is a link to see what its all about, and ticket info.

Finally..

January 7th, 2011 we're on a great bill with Emily Wells, Portland Cello Project, and Henry Wolfe at City Winery. Here is a link to buy tickets.

ny release, off b'way, europe, mixtape, ep

2010-11-07T21:56:00.000-08:00

hey everyone!

first and foremost thank

you for making our cd

release party amazing and

memorable! we got two kegs

which were dry before 12am

and the food by our chef

sam richman was flying off

the cutter before he could even

put it out! if you missed the

show you can watch the whole

thing on vimeo!

our future plans are to someday

release our 2nd LP nationally

and on-line sometime maybe in

2011. as of now you can only get

it at our shows.

for the month of december we will

be writing the music to and performing

on an off broadway called "DISPLACED

WEDDING". dates and location will be

placed up here soon.

right now we are booking our european

trip for april 1st which will last 3 weeks.

we will be going to: portugal, france, italy,

germany, and spain. we will have more details

on that front soon.

we also have recorded a jdilla mixtape and

have found a company to sponsor the recording.

more info tba on that also!!

more info as we get it!! stay warm everyone!

NY CD release!! October, 22, 2010

2010-10-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

HELLO! Yea, its been a while since we've posted here, but here's the info for the release of our 2nd full length album "Willow Be". October 22, 2010 9:00

Flyer By Sirin Thada

Cool pics, free stuff and upcoming Dilla MIXTAPE!

2010-08-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

Hola!
Lately we've been busting ass to get a J Dilla mixtape together. We'll be recording it this weekend at one of our favorite studios here in Brooklyn called The Creamery. This is a very exciting and new adventure for us, and it's proving to give us A LOT of new material! So be on the lookout by checking the Twitter page, and our website.

Click HERE to get a free download of our version of "Journey to Reedham" by Squarepusher.

And check out these pics from the northside fest and Mercury Lounge:

Northside Fest (by Jezzka Chen)

Mercury Lounge (by Chris Kuklis)
Currently listening to Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.

Journey to Reedham / Apotheke

2010-07-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

Here's our interpretation of Squarepusher's "Journey to Reedham"...

Also, be sure to come by our newly aquired regular bi-weekly engagement at Apotheke. This is a great bar/mixology spot located in Chinatown. Come on by and get a drink and listen to some tunes! Check our website for exact dates. pic taken by our amazing friend clare gibbons!!!

We've been listening to: El Guincho, and Holy Fuck.

Mr. Shomit Barua/Big Mind

2010-06-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

Our good poet friend Shomit joined us for a tune of our called "Big Mind". Check it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B78G4-Em8oo
The Myth of an Undertow

Wavering like the hips
of a water moccasin,
barely below the surface,
she invites for a kiss that
covers both nostrils and mouth,

and I am hungry for
her attention. So sated, to be
dragged in her thoughts,
scraping bottom, caught
in violence. Except, nothing
breaks. My footprints
hardly shift in the sand.

I want to say the air
becomes thicker somehow,
that it is harder to walk
on the ocean floor,

but the sun illuminates—
despite its many fractures—
like the pale ghost of emeralds
that are lost near a ceiling.

I often emerge from sleep
thinking I know the answer,
but that delusion isn’t anything
one can look forward to,
so I bury my hands
in my pockets and stroll
towards the divide.

Mercury Lounge... Solid show.... solid.

2010-06-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our Friends Gary and Erica (Setting Sun and Quitzow), we were able to play at the Mercury Lounge on sunday. What an experience it was! This was one of our best performances, and the sound was so good, it felt like we barely had to try!! Siwat opened up the show and set a great mood for the rest of the night, and Quitzow and Setting Sun were absolutely on point (especially coming off a 4 week European tour). Also, let me say that our fans REALLY came through for this one. It's not always easy to come out on Sunday night and watch 4 bands, but they did, and I think it made a good impression for the Bowery Presents people. Hopefully you'll be seeing us at the Bowery Ballroom next!
HERE is a video link to the entire show.

Look forward to more brilliant photos from Chris Kuklis from the show.

In other news...
- we just recieved the mastered tracks for our upcoming Full leangth! Wow, this is sounding epic.
- Don't count on myspace for information on upcoming shows. Rupert Murdoch is kind of an A hole, and they made it incredibly hard to post new shows. So please visit our website for the latest upcoming events.
- We just made another batch of t-shirts so drop us a line if you wanna get one of those gems. Handmade, screen printed by us (with extremely generous help from Chrissy Reilly and Sirin Thada) !

Topu and Mike are watching: Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Big Baby, Rondo, Rasheed Wallace, Kevin Garnett, and Nate Robinson. Lets go Celtics!

Mercury Lounge

2010-05-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

Hey there, come on out to the Mercury Lounge on Sunday June 13th! This may be our "biggest" venue we've played thus far..
(Another Gem by Sirin)
Mike is Listening to: Black Keys
Topu is watching Spike Jonez

Time 4 T-Shirts

2010-05-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

Last week we decided to make some t-shirts. This was no easy task, but it's good that we're blessed with such wonderful artistic friends that are willing to help out. The design was illustrated by Sirin Thada, and Chrissy Reilly lent a hand for the printing portion.

If you wish to own one of these gems, please visit the Merch page on our website for instructions. Or better yet, come on out to our next show!

2 Shows This Week: fun, free, t-shirts !

2010-05-10T16:13:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

We have two shows this week

which will be exciting!

thursday may 13th: local 269 bar :: 269 E. Houston st 9pm

http://thelocal269.com/
http://www.myspace.com/bipolarexplorer

friday may 14th: Powerhouse Arena:: 37 Main st. DUMBO 10pm
NY PHOTO FESTIVAL
http://www.powerhousearena.com/

new songs/new covers/new shirts (http://sirinthada.blogspot.com/)

check our website:
http://www.livefootagebrooklyn.com
http://www.twitter.com/livefootage
http://www.myspace.com/livefootagebrooklyn

flyer by elena margarita zapata
http://www.misszapata.com/

**Injury Report and upcoming shows

2010-04-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

The great aspects of analog instruments are numerous in count. One might think that a broken down instrument is something only a "professional" should handle, when in reality, a lot of times its a simple matter of soldering something back in place. Above is a picture of Mike's keyboard undergoing surgery. We're happy to say the surgery was successful and the keyboard is recovering. What's next for this guy? Maybe a little circuit bending??????

Be sure to come check out a couple shows coming up:

5.13.10 - Local 269 bar - w/ Bipolar Explorer
5.14.10 - Powerhouse area - for the NY photo festival.

Topu is listening to: Elgar and The Morning Benders
Mike is listening to: Slick Rick & Outkast and The Kinks

www.livefootagebrooklyn.com

..:PIANOS 4.15.10:..

2010-04-16T10:28:00.000-07:00

Thursday night, Lower East Side, NYC. We were honored to partake in a show put together by Gary and Erica from Setting sun and Quitzow. They're leaving for a healthy tour of Europe on Tuesday, and decided to have an American kick off show. Both bands sounded tight as ever, and the Live Footage set ranks amongst the best we've ever had! Pianos has great sound, and last night proved no different. Here is a video of "Fatherado" (which was not exemplary of Pianos sound, but cool anyway)! We sincerely thank all our fans for coming out, especially because lately, we happen to be playing late night shows on weekdays...

Look forward to T-Shirts and homemade art from our old instrument parts!
As always..
www.livefootagebrooklyn.com

Topu is listening to: 10
Mike is listening to: legend of Ghanaian highlife -City Boys Band
Pics by Maya, and video by Marc Viloria.

April Fools/NY Bathhouses/NUBLU

2010-04-03T08:36:00.000-07:00

On April Fools day we had a double header. First we played for another epic WIN party.
These are always really fun, and the night was complete with everything from swinger sideshows, really strong cocktails, and even Elvis! Another big thanks to Hans for having us.

Later that night we had to make the journey to NUBLU for a late night show. I can recall going to NUBLU when I first moved to NY and thinking how cool this place is. If you don't know its located in the heart of Alphabet City. There's no sign and the interior is a psychedelic dreamlike bar with great music all the time. A great NYC club all in all... As we were about to go on one of Topu's many pedals broke pushing our start time back from 1:30 am to 2:00. This is why we appreciate our fans so much because it's not often that people will make the trip to a place that isn't close (too many trains) and hang out until 3:00 am on a Thursday . So if you were there, THANK YOU!!!

Latest news:
About to Master our newest record!
We're gonna make T-Shirts!
Talking to P.R. and Publishing companies!
Playing at PIANO'S on 4.15.10 with Quitzow and Setting Sun !

Mike is Listening to Karl Blau, and Learning Music Monthly
Topu is Listening Zakir Hussain

As always don't forget to check our website for gigs, and other cool stuff. Pics by Matilde Soligno, and Mike.

zebulon:: RISD ii

2010-03-07T13:12:00.000-08:00

hello everyone!

just wanted to give thanks to everyone who has come

out to our shows at: Zebulon and RISD. we had a great

time playing! unfortunately our good friends from boston

got snowed in and couldn't make it down to the city!

thanks to (hyone kim for the photos)! shout out to SABA Ahmed

for setting us up at RISD!

the new album is done being recorded and almost done

being mixed! we'll have more info as we have it.

we have some tracks in a beautiful documentary by

david feinberg. it is a beautifully shot/paced film so please

watch it here on vice tv!

mike listening to: mighty imperials, the matador

topu listening to: detangler and emily wells

both inspired by gabriel roth's interview on recording/music!!

------> Los Angeles

2010-02-09T11:21:00.001-08:00

Cruising the 101 to LA:

Ladies and Gentleman, the Pacific Ocean!

Around 8:30 we arrive in K-town, LA to meet up with 2/3rds our entourage. This is a Sopranos pic of Monick, Topu and Hanie (not pictured was SHARON) also shout out to "Pickle", "Carl", "Ellie", and "Leonard" , the 4 dogs living with Hanie.
We were fortunate enough to link up with our NY buddy Brian House and his artistic LA based partner Sue Huang. Together they form Knifeandfork. They accompanied us for our two shows in the city of angels. Everybody we talked to in LA knew their work and for good reason.. They are amazing! They helped SO much on the back end of everything and are truly amazing human beings!!!
1.30.10 - Fais Do Do

This was a large-ish club in downtown LA that hosted us. We played with LA's finest: Detangler, and C. Vincent Plummer. These bands all whipped ass in their own unique way! We're grateful we got to share the evening with them.
1.31.10 - The Last day. 10:00am awake, Beach, Echo Curio, Drive to San Francisco and fly to NYC.

First off, Live Footage would like to thank these people here:

That's Monick, Hanie, Sharon, with us. Without them our experience would not have been nearly as fun and convenient so thanks ladies! Also greatest thanks to George and Galena for allowing us to borrow their car! Without them there is no way that the trip could have taken place. Tigran and Grace maddest props for picking us up from the airport, treating us so kindly. cooking us every meal, making us feel at home. Jeff (Tigran's neighbor) so generously allowed us to borrow his guitar amp, bass drum and hardware for the trip to LA! amazing! Also, Vince, Davin, Sam, Andrew, Jay, Brian, Sue, Dan, and Rob offered crucial assistance.

Echo Curio was easily the best show of the entire trip. My friend Jeff Eliassen recommended this small art Gallery in Echo Park. Everything felt right about the vibe of the place and the crowd was great! Sam Robles' band Tango Nuevo slayed the first set.

.
Recapping the last day in LA goes like this:
10:00am - Awake
2:00pm - Santa Monica beach
5:00pm - Doughboys for dinner:: much anxiety about whether the car is fit to drive 7 1/2 hours back to S.F. with breaks that don't always work.
8:00pm - Echo Curio set up begins
8:50pm - **Injury report** Mike realizes his snare is broken. Topu's main midi pedal is injured.
9:10pm - After much deliberation and unsuccessful attempts to repair, Jay drives me at top speed to the nearest Walgreens to buy zip ties. Meanwhile Tango Nuevo begins.
9:25pm - watch Tango Nuevo
10:15pm - Live Footage
11:30pm - Finished set, and preparing to pack the car for an immediate 7 1/2 hour drive with sketchy brakes to San Fran.
12:45 am - Goodbye's said to all, and we're on the road..
12:50 am - Numerous wrong turns, and worry about the car begins to set in.
3:00am - Still no car problems, and we're about half way to San Jose. Route 5 is the straightest rode in history.
8:00am - Safe arrival in San Jose to drop off gear. Immediate departure to San Francisco to return more gear.
9:15am - We drop off the bass cab in northern San Fran, and immediately head back to San Jose to catch a 12:00 flight.
10:30am - Arrival to San Jose to hastily pack for our flight. 24 1/2 hours no sleep.
10:45am - Tigran awakens for the 2nd time that morning to drive us to the airport with our heads in the clouds.
11:10am- Smooth check in. "Sure we'll pay the extra fee for that bag", "Sure you can search that bag", "Its musical Instruments.."
12:00pm- Departure to Houston
4:40pm - Depart Houston for La Guardia
10:00pm - Arrive in NYC. Cant sleep on planes, so going on 36 hours virtually no sleep.
10:30pm - Retrieve bags from baggage claim...... Wait.... Where's the big Duffel Bag? FUCK!!!!
10:50pm - Claim made at Continental for lost bag. Goodbye keyboard, snare, cd's, and a bunch of other stuff.
11:00pm - Randy and Ali pick us up! Hurray for NYC, we're back to the bleak NY winter!
12:01 am (2.2.10) - Sleep.

Mike is listening to Delby L
Topu is listening to Janos Starker

San Fran continued, then off to the city of Angeles.

2010-02-09T10:45:00.001-08:00

We couldn't come to Cali without sampling the famous Mexican food, so we did. Thanks to the advice of our good friend Gary, we dined at an un-assuming place in the mission that blew our minds. Here's a pic of the ceiling:
Our last gig in San Francisco was at a quaint little cafe in the Castro called Duboce park. Everyone was really cool there, and the turnout was spectacular!! Here's a pic of us making a set list: Thanks to Beartrap Mind for playing an amazing set before us (pic by Sha Sha Chu, and she wrote a great review of the show). They jumped through hoops to get us some gear to borrow, and Andrew from BM said it best when we were having the typical NY freak out about getting the gear in time: "Mike, now that your in Cali, just go with the flow. Eventually everything just works out, so chill". This ended up being the motto for the duration of the trip.

cali:: beautiful trees huge skies! KIMOS

2010-01-28T13:37:00.000-08:00

monday night 1/26

12am packing gear up in tons

of bubble tape.

2am quick food run to hana

one last sandwich

3am taxi to la guardia

4am check in luggage carrying 55 lbs

of carry on, arms don't work any

more. $125 extra baggage weight fee.

5am leave nyc!

10am pacific time:: Grace comes and picks us up!

rest of day getting gear sf, sunnyvale. This was a pic of the absurd amount of gear we brought with us. Notice the bag in the bottom left... That's probably floating around somewhere in the Houston airport as we speak.

tues night 1/27

KIMOS family and friends and good bands

thx to mermaid bones, side - wise 8

and wanda and wonder. We did get this lovely note from an anonymous hater:

It says "Where is the -Lead Vocals - Rhythm Guitar - Back Up Singer - Lead Guitar -- Send them out from NY -- Or find them here "

Ha ha. Suck it.

Artwork for San Fran and LA

2010-01-23T10:11:00.000-08:00

Layout by Mike Thies, and C Vincent Plummer. Pics by Etta Shon, and David Feinberg.
Topu is jamming : Steve Reich Chad VanGaalen and watching the Savages
Mike is jamming : Bibio and watching Alejandro Jodorowsky.

Mix It Up

2010-01-04T12:22:00.000-08:00

A View of the beautiful parking in front of BPL Dallas, TX. It was an amazing studio, and I think we made some Amazing music.

playing the furniture.

Topu is lisetning to Mogwai.
Mike is listening to Alton Ellis, and watching Harmony Korine.

holidays:: more music!

2009-12-28T00:34:00.000-08:00

happy new years everyone:: and holidays.

so for the upcoming year we have some

big and exciting news~

1. we will be teaming up with young love records

to release our upcoming album.

2. we will be hitting the west coast to

spread some live footage love. we almost

have all the dates booked. keep checking

our myspace page for updates.

3. the upcoming cd is being mixed right

now in texas and we will finish the rest of the

record here in nyc.

4. check ou the deli magazines little blurb of

us!

5. monkeytown is closing and we will be one

of the final artists playing before the doors shut

for good. please make reservations for that show.

brian house will be doing visuals as well as hitting

the west coast with us!!

listening to : school of seven bells, q-tip the entire

renaissance record, trojan dub box set!

watching: broken embraces

Its a party..

2009-12-20T09:19:00.000-08:00

Recently we played a couple house partys. Thanks to Jodi, Ray Ray, Kate, and Hans for providing the good tidings. Here's a couple random pics..

Mike's been checking out Malian guitarist Boubacar Traore , and Raphael Saadiq.
Topu's been spinning Harmonic 313.

zebulon STATICTRIOLIVEFOOTAGEBEYONDO.

2009-12-16T13:59:00.001-08:00

Great GIG at ZEBULON!

Mike's awesome colorado group

played first at 10pm.

STATIC TRIO followed by LIVE FOOTAGE

and BEYONDO band.

recently been listening to bunch

of HARMONIC 313, BORN RUFFIANS.

mike has been working on his new school radio show "sounds of the city and beyond". The next show is an African extravaganza!

RECORDING

2009-12-09T12:31:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of Abe prepping the tracks for Mixing at his home studio, and some pics of the tracking process at Young love studios

nyc 2nd snow and music

2009-12-08T23:29:00.000-08:00

last week we played an amazing party in soho

and met some amazing people including

photographer hans neleman.

we have a few exciting shows coming up

including shows in San Francisco and

Los Angeles and one of the last shows at

MonkeyTown jan 13th 1030pm which will

be closing in early 2010 . visuals with

brian house.

topu currently listening to: QTIP, Gil Scott-Heron

and always Roy Shirley!

mike currently listening to: Tommy James, Brazilian Girls

Gstaad 12.2.09

2009-12-08T10:12:00.000-08:00

GSTAAD!! Yea, the Professional creative Mingle Party went off again without a hitch! This is the 2nd time we played this event, and its always a blast. We met a lot of really cool people, and thanks to all our friends who came out and supported us.
Photos by Brian Belluomini