It seems illness has forced She & Him– one M. Ward and one Zooey Deschanel– to cancel tonight’s set at New York City’s Hiro Ballroom, which would’ve kicked off their all-too-brief touring plans. (Via Brooklyn Vegan.) All other dates on the tour are still on, as is their appearance on tomorrow night’s episode of “Late Night With Conan O’Brien”.That “Conan” performance will be extra special because Deschanel and Ward will have an extra special backing band: Yo La Tengo. (Yo La’s Ira Kaplan was also set to play piano with the A-Bones tonight when they opened for She & Him show at the Hiro. They won’t be opening tomorrow’s show.)

Here’s the statement released via the band’s publicist:

Due to illness, tonight’s performance of She & Him at Hiro Ballroom has been postponed to a TBA date. We’re still working out the details for the new date, but we ask customers to be patient and hold on to their tickets until a new date is announced, all tickets from the original date will be honored. We’ll have more details very shortly, thanks for your understanding.

When they’re not flaunting the ampersand, Zooey’s got plenty of film stuff in the works, while M.’s lining up the festival appearances, with dates at Outside Lands, Austin City Limits, and the Pitchfork Music Festival.

She & Him:
04-21 New York, NY – Hiro Ballroom
04-22 New York, NY – Hiro Ballroom
04-28 Los Angeles, CA – Vista Theater
04-29 Los Angeles, CA – Vista Theater
05-18 San Francisco, CA – Oysterfes

Source: PitchforkMedia

“That’s one of the most exciting things for me about listening to records: It’s a moment in time, and the less it’s messed with the more powerful it is.”

Interview by Mike Carriere

To read the whole interview click on read more ».
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Zooey Deschanel and her She & Him collaborator, M. Ward, looked so stylish together, it was befitting that they played surrounded by the latest fashion at Barneys New York. As the guest performers for last night’s party thrown by eco-friendly clothing line Loomstate and the Sundance Channel, the duo, who recently released their debut album, “Volume One,” played a five-song set. It was short but sweet enough to make me want to find some way into their two sold-out shows later this month at the Vista.

Sandwiched between their bluesy takes on Smokey Robinson’s “You Really Got a Hold on Me” and Sam Cooke’s “Bring It on Home to Me” were original tracks “Take It Back” and “Change Is Hard.” Skepticism is naturally warranted when actresses take on music, but Deschanel is actually good. Dressed in vintage, she was every bit the doe-eyed ingénue she conveys on-screen, but her voice echoed the soulful smoky tone of Dusty Springfield or Linda Ronstadt. Ward quietly held his own, strumming his cherry red guitar and occasionally providing backup vocals.

Afterward, I briefly chatted with the two in what looked like a fitting room on Barneys’ fifth floor.

– post and photo by Enid Portuguez

Is there a different energy you put into music than you do in film?

Deschanel: It’s fun to get to see a project from beginning to end. Writing the music, coming up with ideas, sending them to Matt and then making the music — it’s all encompassing. As an actor, you do the job and a lot happens after that you don’t take part in. Music is more of who I am creatively.

How’s your experience so far performing in front of an audience?

Deschanel: I love singing onstage! It feels like the energy moves through you and into the audience. It’s this amazing exchange.

What’s the songwriting process like for you two?

Ward: Zooey writes the lyrics and the melody. She sends it to me and I listen to them. She’s the skeleton of the song, and I guess you can say I’m the flesh. It’s hard to go back and dissect teamwork. There are so many things we work on together.

What’s the origin behind the name She & Him?

Ward: Zooey came up with it. It came from the idea that we wanted people to hear the songs first before making a fuss about who was making it. We were inspired by the Band and the anonymity of it. It puts what you do in front of your name.

Source: LATimes

7 pictures from She & Him’s performance at the Barney’s NY Soiree were added to the gallery.

The New York Times has written an article on Zooey and She & Him. To read the full story, click on More

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Remember Zooey Deschanel’s alluring rendition of “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” from the movie Elf? The indie-film ingenue has honed her classic vocals and songwriting chops and teamed up with alt-folk artist M. Ward, who produced Jenny Lewis’ side project with the Watson Twins.”Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” the catchy first single from Vol. 1 was already snagged by Urban Outfitters to soundtrack their Spring line on their website. It is no wonder as the song’s simplistic, guileless charm screams Springtime. M. Ward’s countrified guitar is the ideal complement to Zooey’s delectably layered vocals. The slight vibrato in her voice (a la Rosemary Clooney) is supplemented with a dash of twang while the singalong ahhhs and background giggles peppered throughout the track evoke AM radio and the Shangri-Las. Only one question: When will Vol. 2 arrive?

Source: Filter-Mag

I have added 5 movie stills from the upcoming The Happening.

The Erin Fetherson video Zooey was featured in has finally up on her website. To watch it, click here.