Online here now, a new interview with Ester Drang's James McAlister (read it here). James talks about the band's lush, orchestrated sound, being on Jade Tree, the band's near-fatal van accident, and the live show they're bringing to Sokol Underground this Friday night. There was little from the interview left out of the story. Interestingly, Ester Drang is constantly touted for being from Oklahoma, even by the band itself -- they still call themselves a Tulsa band -- when in fact they've lived in Seattle for a while now. McAlister said there's probably more of a San Francisco influence to their new album than Tulsa considering most of it was recorded there at Tiny Telephone studios. The Oklahoma thing, he said, is a reporter's hook... sound familiar? I will be surprised if the band can pull off their lush sound live as well as McAlister says they will.

The same can be said for the 7-piece Anathallo, which plays tonight at O'Leaver's. I'm listening to Floating World, their latest on Nettwerk, as I type this -- it's big, with tons of keyboards and horns, very theatrical, reminds me a bit of Sufjan Stevens what with its hand claps, foot stomps and multiple harmonies. This could be a very cool show. Get there early. The beautiful acoustic splendor of Lincoln's Tie These Hands (here's their myspace) is opening. $5, 9:30 p.m.

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