nearsighted mind

margaret & i are playing some songs this saturday at the moscot store on 14th street in nyc. almost a year ago exactly we played a wild-n-crazy after hours party at the show, and it was so fun. this year, it will be a mellower daytime affair. this does not mean that there might not be a special guests or some exciting new covers. one never knows. it will be from 3-6pm, so come by!

from hangovers to glee: mascott in the uk

oh u.k. dream week tourcation how i loved thee. let me count the ways:
1. the mascott band was me, margaret & joe seely. it was our first time playing with joe, and he was amazing. he sings the most perfect harmonies and someone even remarked how he cradles his guitar like a baby. think it can't get any cuter? margaret and joe are also a couple. i was sandwiched in cute every night onstage.
2. we played the coolest lazy sunday going on in london right now: the hangover lounge. it's at a pub called the lexington & we got to hang out and listen to indie superstars harvey williams and pam berry spin all afternoon while sipping cocktails and reading the guardian. then we played a cozy all-acoustic set to friends (see picture above-no microphone!) and new friends alike. thanks again to all of our pals for coming.
3. we played another incredibly cool pub/venue a few nights later, the slaughtered lamb. the venue is a lounge-like basement, and people were lounging on couches and comfy chairs. it felt bohemian which is fittin since i dressed like a mexican hippie. we stayed long after the last band, hanging on the couches & talking to our london posse until they asked us to leave.
4. random things to love: margaret's b-day dinner at maggie jones's, westminster abbey, riding the buses late night, wagamama, so many good hangs with leader pete & meggean, dave's cafe on portobello road, general notting hill charming-ness.
5. we were invited to do a live performance on jon kennedy's amazing show on xfm: x'posure. jon was so charming & cool and was also wearing a pink and green sweater and pink pants. top that.
6. we took a bus filled with little old ladies to birmingham to play the glee club. amazing venue. got to meet the most-awesome tom rose from reveal who took us out for delicious local fare. we played with our new pal lucy wainwright roche, who has a voice that's clear as a bell and oodles of charm we were all in awe of.
the next day was all about buses, trains, cars & mj's death, but nothing could put a permanent damper on mascott's best week ever. london, we'll see you in october. mj, rest in peace.

(hangover lounge photo by michael jones)

Art Project Hops The Pond, At Last

It's here folks, a dream come true: Art Project out TODAY on the UK/Ire/Europe on Reveal Records! Get a copy here:

NME: "Recorded over two years’ worth of weekends, Kendall Jane Meade’s third outing doesn’t sound so much unhurried as it does stretched out on a hammock above a bubbling brook somewhere idyllic. It’s a genial, homemade record redolent of clever folk-popsters such as The Innocence Mission and Essex Green, and this New Yorker and sometime Sparklehorse member couples her sunny demeanour and honeyed voice with the gentle brushstroke of drums, scatty acoustic guitar and heavily whiskered pals on chamber-pop tools jamming into dusk like The Band after a long day. Even Meade’s mildly twee idealism, which means a fistful of her songs are perfect candidates for yoof drama, can’t stop this from shining warmly."

BBC2's Bob Harris: "60 seconds of magic"

There Goes The Fear: "...It really is beyond words - beautiful stuff..."

Best Tuna: "Drawing comparisons with prime time Joni Mitchell, Suzanne Vega after a shot of vitamin C, or Liz Phair overdosed on Sunny D, Mascott serve up satisfying helpings of intimate, dreamy indie folk that sparkles like expensive champagne and leaves you just as giddy."

Subba Cultcha: "There’s some delightful piano skifulls on Mascotts new album ‘Art Project.’ And listening to Mascott’s aka Kendall Jane Meade’s soft tones are joy to listen to, its like eating strawberry’s and ice cream on a sunny summer’s day however corny that sounds. Such as on opening track ‘Live Again’ it has a simple piano trilling along and then towards the end some strings just widen up the song a little. Piano isn’t the only instrument on this album, there’s some great guitar as well, on ‘4th Of July’ , which see’s the guitar really ride into town. Kendall Jane Meade clearly has some experience after being a guitarist in Sparklehorse, amongst other bands, and now she want to shine alone with some sweetly impressive results too judging by this album. She also has a knack of getting all of her songs under 3 minutes."

Wears The Trousers: Exclusive interview and Mp3 linked from homepage. "A going concern for over a decade, Mascott may be a rather less hidden gem than this column is used to but somehow, somehow, has flown beneath our radar until now."

God is in the TV: "New York singer/songwriter Mascott releases her new album ‘Art Project' on Reveal Records (home of A Camp, Joan As Police Woman etc) on the 20th April. Mascott is helmed by Kendall Meade, a NY resident who writes gentle piano-led folk rock. "

Real UK & Europe: "The first single from forthcoming album Art Project is 4th Of July and it’s heavy on the summer vibe, a relaxed and laidback track to flood your day. Mascott’s mellow sound has already garnered favourable reviews stateside ."

FDM: "But before all that a free Mp3 has been released of one of the album's stand-out tracks. '4th of July' is classic seventies-tinged pop majesty that finds a welcoming place midway between Joni Mitchell-like confessional folk delicacy and the dream pop of Azure Ray."

Beat Surrender: "Don’t you hate it when fairly underground artists change record labels for just about every release? I’m only saying that because it makes it harder for Johnny-come-lately’s to get hold of their albums…which is going to apply to me I think with Mascott! Mascott is a New York singer/songwriter who is gearing up for the release of a new album, they may have been sporadic releases over her nine year career but that probably just makes them harder to come by, either way i’m going to make sure I get my grubby little mitts on a copy of her latest when it’s released. I’ve decided that based soley on the one track, her new single 4th Of July (which you can listen to free with the link on the right). Sometimes you hear a song and just know you’ll love everything by them, that’s what happened with me when i’d finished playing this two and a half minutes of beautiful folk-pop, it just oozes class and soul. Right where shall I start…ebay maybe!"

Music OMH: 3/5 Album review. "Art Project works best when Meade strips away the indie pop layering and sings alone over her own acoustic guitar. Red Flowers is a beautifully restrained modern folk song that suits Meade's girlish vocals, while her cover of the old Carter Family standard Wildwood Flower (featuring Anna Padgett of The Naysayer) is ramshackle but endearing."

Indie London: 4/5 Album review. "Indeed, there’s barely a dud song on the album, with breezy bonus track Oh Pehhy ushering the LP to a close in supremely engaging fashion and making you want to hear it all over again. And at a tidy 25 minutes, that’s not a big ask. You’ll want to hear more from her…"

Rock Feedback: 4/5 Positive single review. "It’s pretty as Spring-time rain, and for once, it is over far too soon, as indeed in her 25 minute-clocking album, Art Project. This is a faultless introduction to a standout voice in a genre so often lacking in unique voices. "

Heart is officially warmed. England, we hope to see you in June.
Love,
Mascott

The Making of Art Project

Making Art Project took a few years, which is funny considering it's such a short record. It was supposed to be an e.p., and then my good friend Anders Parker basically encouraged me to stop whining and just make a record.
We recorded at The Fort Brooklyn with Jim Bentley. He's a great engineer with strong instincts. He's also my fiance. Here's a pic of everyone who played on the album...it was quite a revolving door over at The Fort. Can you spot anyone you know?

God Save The Queen

As the days lead up to the UK release (europe & ireland too) of Art Project on May 4th, I try and stay cool and laid back but OH MY GOD a MASCOTT album is coming out in the UK!!

If anyone knows my very first ep, Electric Poems (anyone?), I sing "I dream of England" on the first song "Eyes." I really did, and i still do.

So imagine my excitement when the BBC played songs off of ART PROJECT not once, but twice in the last few weeks. Gideon Coe played "Nite Owl" on his totally cool BBC 6 show, and then on Saturday "whispering" Bob Harris played "Dream Another Day" and called it "60 seconds of magic..."

Then, this morning the awesome UK mag WEARS THE TROUSERS ran a feature about the band and asked me 20 questions which i answered in post-coffee dull disclosure. They're also giving away a FREE download of "4th of July" for one week, so grab i now! Get the song and read the article here! You can find out about my very early obsession with Shaun Cassidy.

Ode to My Band

I am madly in love with my band.

I have no ownership over them, and know that this union is fleeting,
but i cherish our moments together. I even said that to Doug (he plays guitar) after Saturday night's set. He casually said "Hey, good show" as he was moving his amp off the stage and i said, "I cherish each gig i get to play with all of you," and didn't feel weird about it for one second. I can't speak for Doug.

Let me tell you about these great players...

Margaret White: Everyone is obsessed with Margaret, and rightly so. We met in 2001 when we both played in Sparklehorse. We've played in front of 20,000 people (with sparklehorse) and in front of 5 (with, uh, mascott), and still always have fun. She's one of those angel people. Her pedigree is impressive too, and here is her website.

Ben Lord: Ben plays drums in Up The Empire, a band where you have to wear earplugs to be in the rehearsal room while they're playing. In Mascott he is so solid, but with a light touch. He also wrote and played the keyboard melody on the song "Opposite" on Art Project. He ALSO runs The Cougar Label. Multi-talented.

Doug Keith: Doug is a beautiful songwriter. He just had "Song of the Day" on NPR! I play guitar in his band whenever i can and i love it. In Mascott he holds it down and adds fancyness that i do not posess. He has, without trying i might add, become the secret heartthrob of the band.

Craig Chin: I met Craig years ago through Rainy Orteca. She brought him by a bag store i was working at in Brooklyn when they were on their way to see some sort of avant wrestling match. He also made three Mascott videos. One for Bluebirds in Heaven and one live vid for Off Blue. He most recently did genius animation for the Dream Another Day video (see Mascott TV on the right!). He is first and foremost a great songwriter. He writes about objects and food and has been compared to Syd Barret.

And so concludes this very special blogpost about the band.

Spring Shows

Come to UNION HALL on Saturday March 14th we're playing with pals Chris Mills and Bird of Youth, and offering a special gift for you, just for making it out to the show. This could be the last full band show for awhile, so come and catch the full-band experience!

On April 4th we're playing a FREE show at Pete's candy store with Shannon McCardle. More info to come.