autumnshades.com
pitchfork news

Ida Update: New Releases and Shows Like Crazy

Catherine Lewis reports:
Elizabeth Mitchell of Ida has just released a children's record titled You Are My Sunshine on Ida's own Last Affair Records. It was recorded by Warn Defever (His Name Is Alive/4AD) and features Mitchell, her husband Daniel Littleton (Ida, ex-Tsunami), and their 1½-year-old daughter Storey. If this sounds familiar, it is: Mitchell and Littleton released a children's record in late 1998 called You Are My Flower. Congratulations, you win twelve scene points!

The complete 16-song tracklist for You Are My Sunshine is not yet available, but the album features covers of songs by Woody Guthrie ("Take Me Ridin' in the Car Car") and Elizabeth Cotten ("Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad"). They have a record-release show with Warren Defever planned for December 16th at the Knitting Factory in New York, and tentative plans for some East Coast shows early next year. Until those are confirmed, note that Ida bassist Karla Schickele (ex-Beekeeper)-- who records under the moniker "k."-- will be playing a show this week in support of her 2002 solo release Goldfish (Tiger Style) and this month's split seven-inch with Ted Leo (ex-Chisel), also on Tiger Style:

12-13 Brooklyn, NY - Pete's Candy Store (K. and Blood on the Wall)
12-16 New York, NY - Knitting Factory (Ida with Warren Defever)

In other Ida-related news, guitarist Dan Littleton has been busy with a number of other projects: he recorded an album called Music for a Meteor Shower with Tara Jane O'Neil (Rodan, Retsin, Sonora Pine), released this summer on Tiger Style, and has recorded two other solo albums ready to go, both of which will be released on Last Affair. The first, Down By the Riverside, is out now, a series of instrumental songs with loops of acoustic and electric guitars, melodica, harmonium, organ, and kubing (which they tell me is a Filipino mouth harp). The songs were recorded in Littleton's New York City apartment shortly after September 11th, 2001.

Littleton has also just finished an album entitled Nobody's Fault But Mine, which he made available on his recent tour of Japan. The U.S. release will feature a few bonus tracks not found on the Japanese version. That's right, completists, that's not a misprint! Don't shell out the extra dough for the Japanese import: this time the U.S. version has everything you want and more.

As if that wasn't enough, Last Affair's website hints that Littleton and Mitchell are nearing completion on a "solo" project formerly called Dumb Anger Orchestra, now referred to as Mooki. While I won't pick nits that a "solo project" shouldn't have two people involved, given Littleton and Mitchell's beautiful harmonies, the project should be a treat.

Finally, Ida are releasing a live album, Ida at the Angel Orensanz Foundation with Low, His Name Is Alive, and Secret Stars, a recording of a show from July of 2000. Like that show, the album will benefit the South Brooklyn Legal Defense Fund.

.: Pitchfork Review: Tara Jane O'Neil & Daniel Littleton: Music for a Meteor Shower
.: Pitchfork Review: k.: New Problems
.: Pitchfork Review: Ida: Live at Carnegie Hall: Insound Tour Support Series, Vol. 11
.: Ida: http://www.idamusic.com
.: You Are My Flower: http://www.youaremyflower.org
.: Tiger Style: http://www.tigerstylerecords.com
.: Originally published: 9 December 2002
.: Items mentioned above on Amazon.com: You Are My Flower (Elizabeth Mitchell and Daniel Littleton, 1998); New Problems (k., 2001); You Are My Sunshine (Elizabeth Mitchell, 2002); Music for a Meteor Shower (Daniel Littleton and Tara Jane O'Neil, 2002).