50% of Neutral Milk Hotel reunited this past Friday when Julian Koster and Jeff Mangum took the stage together at BAM’s Gilman Opera House for a memorable and magical performance.

(Julian Koster, Jeff Mangum, Scott Spillane, Jeremy Barnes)

It was a wonderful surprise to see that Koster’s current project The Music Tapes were opening for all three of Mangum’s scheduled BAM shows. Koster is widely known for his use of the singing saw and banjo, and his stage presence is pretty unbelievable. Needless the say, The Music Tapes put on a pretty unique performance—involving props such as a 7-foot-tall talking metronome (You can see said metronome in their video for “Minister of Longitude” here.) They were the perfect act to open for Jeff, and Koster’s on stage banter and stories added something very special to the show. The Music Tapes are like nothing you have heard or seen. If you are looking for something new, refreshing and corky—read more about them on their website. Their most recent record Music Tapes for Clouds and Tornadoes (2008) can be purchased here, and the band is currently working on a new album to be released late this year. 

And then there was Jeff..

If there is one thing I am certain of it’s that Jeff Mangum still has it going on. His voice is an insane instrument, and both times I have seen him play in the last few months have been great shows. To hear him play the classic Neutral Milk Hotel jams and some other off the beaten path tunes never gets old. Though he has been criticized for not playing a lot of new songs, I will always be happy to sit down and hear whatever he would like to play for the audience. The man is a musical genius, just let him do his thing. This particular show was taken to a higher level by the addition of Koster and his singing saw on several tracks—and also the brass instrumental backup that took the stage for several songs. The Music Tapes will be back with Jeff on quite a few future occasions, so here is when you can see them next.

Jeff Mangum 2012 Tour Dates:  

01/25 Philadelphia, PA Irvine Auditorium at University of Pennsylvania *
01/27/28 Washington, DC Lincoln Theatre *
01/30 Chapel Hill, NC Memorial Hall at University of North Carolina ^
02/01 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse ^
02/04 Minneapolis, MN Pantages Theatre ^
02/06 Chicago, IL Athenaeum Theater ^
02/07 Chicago, IL Athenaeum Theater ^
02/08 Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater ^
02/10/11 Athens, GA 40 Watt Club ^
03/07 Dublin, Ireland Vicar Street ^
03/09/11 Minehead, England ATP Curated By Jeff Mangum
03/13/14 London, England Union Chapel
04/09/10 Oakland, CA Fox Theater
04/14 Indio, CA Coachella
04/16 Seattle, WA Moore Theater
04/18/19 Portland, OR Crystal Ballroom
04/21 Indio, CA Coachella
05/30 Barcelona, Spain Primavera Sound
06/07 Porto, Portugal Primavera Sound

* with the Music Tapes
^ with Andrew Scott Laura

A side note…

Another good discovery from Friday was the BAMcafe Live (Schedule of events here.) Most of these shows are free (A lot of cool jazz acts perform here), and it is a really amazing space. If you haven’t been, be sure to check it out sometime soon. If you head to BAM’s Opera House for a music performance, you can pop into the BAMcafe between acts for a drink or two (if you snag tickets in the mezzanine, it is particularly convenient).

Happy Monday, friends!