BrooklynRocks: NYC Music Blog

Quiet Riot Plays B.B. King's on Feb. 1st w/ All Points West (Spread Eagle) and Saviour

2012-01-25T20:14:00.005-05:00

I’ve never figured out why there seemed to be a mainstream backlash against Quiet Riot. When Quiet Riot last came though New York (they played the St. George Theatre in Staten Island in 2006), I asked some of my friends who have mainstream musical tastes (i.e. Nickelback and Poison fans) if they wanted to go with me to the show and they gave me looks like I asked them if they wanted to see (i.e.) The Wiggles open for Miley Cyrus. My friends missed a fabulous show – Rehab (which the band was touring behind at the time) has to be one of the band’s strongest discs and it showed them moving toward a 70’s “classic rock” sound that was akin to Rod Stewart & The Faces. Adding to the mix, love him or hate him, Kevin DuBrow was one of the best front-men in rock.

With the blessing of Kevin’s mom, drummer Frankie Banali reactivated the Rehab lineup of Quiet Riot and recently added vocalist Keith St. John from Montrose. This new lineup of the band is making their first appearance in NYC on Feb. 1st with a show at B.B. Kings. There are a strong set of bands opening for Quiet Riot (unlike the terrible Iron Maiden tribute band that opened for QR in Staten Island) – Ray West’s All Points West and long-running Long Island metalers Saviour. Tickets are $18 in advance and $22 DOS.

Links:
Quiet Riot

The Residents - "Rivers of Hades" CDR Review (Ralph Records)

2012-01-25T06:31:00.006-05:00

The Residents’ Rivers of Hades is currently available as a CDR which Ralph is selling through its eBay store. The band describes this release as “music conceived as an aural art piece to accompany the release party of The Residents toy figures recently designed by Steve Cerio. The original music was conceived to utilize two DVD players that were programmed to randomly play abstract bits of music. They would play 5.1 surround audio and each would play different things. The project (which required 12 speakers placed in a circle around the gallery) was entitled “Chaos is not just a theory”. In Greek mythology, Hades was a child of Chaos.

As these kinds of things go, it never quite worked out. The gallery never agreed to provide the sound system and some people felt it would be unpleasant for attending guests (correct) so by the time the toy release actually happened (there were several lengthy delays) The Residents had lost interest and had moved into other projects which did not allow them to even attend the toy release opening. “

A track from this project, “Hades” (which includes the music that ended up as "Acheron River"), first surfaced on the Ten Little Piggies compilation and The Residents adapted the music on Rivers of Hades from part of the music written for “Chaos is not just a theory”.

River of Hades is an instrumental disc which contains a mix of dark cinematic soundscapes and polyrhythmic and syncopated percussion. “Acheron River” starts with a percussive intro which leads into dark, cinematic synths and woodwinds. “Cocytus River” is a dense cuisinart of sound which is similar to the blend of percussive and cinematic music heard on THE UGHS!. “Lethe River” is less musically dense than its predecessors on the disc and its hazy atmosphere has a constant undercurrent of a pulsing organic beat. “Styx River” sounds like a couple of kids running amuck on Bill Bruford’s electronic drum kit and there are a couple of rock guitar riffs (Thin Lizzy’s “Jailbreak”?) thrown in for good measure toward the end of the song. The final cut, “Phlegethon River”, reverses the percussive/cinematic blend of “Cocytus River” and is (predominately) sweepingly atmospheric.

Tracks:
1. Acheron River - 3:23
2. Cocytus River - 13:14
3. Lethe River - 8:33
4. Styx River - 11:01
5. Phlegethon River – 8:46

Links:
The Residents

The Residents - "present THE UGHS!" CD Review (MVD Audio)

2012-01-24T21:26:00.004-05:00

To call The Residents “prolific” would be an understatement as the band seems to releases new and archival releases almost monthly. If you follow the band closely though, there are a number of themes that reemerge across the years and most of the band’s recent projects first surfaced on 2009’s Ten Little Piggies compilation (see previous review). The Residents will be releasing a new CD next month, Coochie Brake, which is the second release under “THE UGHS” concept so I thought this would be a good time to go back and review THE UGHS! disc (originally released in Nov. ‘09).

THE UGHS! is a return to the minimalist avant-garde music of the band’s Eskimo era. The band described the concept behind THE UGHS! as “[w]hen The Residents begin work on their 2007 opus to insanity, The Voice of Midnight, the group felt the need to shake things up, consequently they created an alter ego through which they could act out new roles. Proudly, The Residents christened this conceptual alter ego as THE UGHS! The group then fashioned "written music" from the raw, impulsive ideas created by The UGHS!, building the musical structure of The Voice of Midnight on these pieces. Two years later these original UGHS! recordings were rediscovered; freed from its previous role supporting The Voice of Midnight's narrative, the music suddenly sounded as fresh as when it was first recorded. The time had come to resurrect THE UGHS.”

THE UGHS! is a primal, percussive-based album that, aside for some inarticulate grunting and chanting, is all instrumental. The band uses this rhythmic foundation as a base to which they add a variety of instruments which twist and turn the music in different and often unexpected directions. The disc starts with “The Ughs”, which mixes industrial percussion with a prominent jew’s harp and xylophone and jumps from there into the free-form freak-out of “The Dancing Duck”. This later track builds up a wall of organic and industrial sounds over which soft woodwinds and crazed duck quacking are layered. On different numbers on the disc, the band works in assorted organic and electronic percussion, reeds and strings along with ambient synths. The music ranges from the Middle-Eastern note-bending tribal stomp of “Floating Down the Nile” to the movie soundtrack gone astray (“Squeaky Wheel”) to the free form jazz of “The Horns of Haynesville” to the King Crimson sounding “In the Dark”.

For anyone who got lost in some of The Residents’ recent narrative-based projects, THE UGHS! is the perfect road out.

Links:
The Residents

Fort Frances - Chicago Alt-Country Trio Plays Pianos on Jan. 28th

2012-01-24T20:51:00.008-05:00

Ghosts of California by Fort Frances

DOWNLOAD: Fort Frances - "Hard Earned Heart" (from the band's 2011 debut The Atlas)

"Wilco is an easy comparison to make here, and it’s an apt one; there are times during The Atlas when David McMillin sounds as if he’s channelled Jeff Tweedy." - - Tympanogram.com

What initially began as a solo project for singer/songwriter David McMillin gradually transformed into Fort Frances: a three-piece band whose debut album represents more than two years of drawing their own map for musical exploration. With an all-instruments-on-board approach to writing and recording, their heavily textured style introduces you to a band with a Beatles influence that shines through every note.

Produced by Sam Kassirer (Josh Ritter, Langhorne Slim), The Atlas was recorded in a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere Maine. If you listen closely to the album, you will discover some of the hidden secrets of what it means to make a record: trumpets in the open New England air, lampshades substituted for drums, dog barks and a continuing directional thread that runs between each of its 10 songs.

Fort Frances are headlining a show at Pianos on January 28th (11PM set time) and cover is $10. Also on the bill is Camden Joy (10PM), Life in a Blender and Mark Donato.

Links:
Fort Frances

Meat Puppets - "Monsters" CD Review (MVD Audio)

2012-01-23T21:51:00.004-05:00

DOWNLOAD: Meat Puppets - Live at Georgia Theater, Athens. GA 11-08-89

The Meat Puppets kicked off the tour for Monsters tour in December of 1989 at The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano and, in a review of the show, the L.A. Times said: “As individual and uncompromising as the band's approach is, it is still difficult to fathom why the Meat Puppets haven't found the larger success of the Replacements, Bob Mould and other contemporaries. There is a distinctive, imaginative song craft at work in the Puppets' recent material which, coupled with the trio's blistering musicality, could easily snare fans from such disparate camps as R.E.M. and Metallica.“

The Meat Puppets released their 7th album, Monsters, in 1989 and, while the band came extremely close to signing with Atlantic, this disc was their final for SST. In the liner notes, Derrick Bostrom mentions that this disc was the Pups attempt to take their career more serious and "[court] the major labels in earnest". Listening to this disc for the first time in twenty years, I can hear the sound that band Nirvana and Soundgarden capitalized on in the early 90’s. This disc was recorded instrument by instrument and Bostrom used a drum machine to lay down the initial drum tracks, all of which gives the music the sort of ‘high gloss’ radio-friendly finish first heard on Mirage. Derrick Bostrom comments in the liner notes :"We...kept the electronic drums a secret to see if anyone noticed. Not only did no one notice, but some people even said that Monsters was the 'livest' sounding album that we'd done yet!"

Monsters is a big alt-rock album that could and should have been the hit that Nevermind was…but the Pups seemed to be cursed by bad timing and a lack of interest in sticking with one particular style of music. In the liner notes to Monsters, Curt Kirkwood said “We could have done Up on the Sun the first time around, but we didn't want to. The sound of that first record wasn't an accident...we needed the debut to have a ferocity and weirdness to it.”

As compared with Up on the Sun, Curt dominates this album with controlled vocals (that are in-key) and some chunky guitar riffs that are a mix between Billy Gibbons and Jimmy Page. “Attacked by Monsters” and “Party Til the World Obeys” are an indicator as to what Nirvana would became and “The Void” isn’t that far off from Alice in Chains 1991 debut CD. Never keeping to one style, “Light” shows Cris and Curt singing in Byrdsian harmony. One of the disc standouts is “Touchdown King”, which is the jangle-pop song that R.E.M. never wrote. Curt flexs his guitar hero muscles with the ZZ Top-style instrumental boogie “Flight of the Fire Weasel” and two very different takes of this song have been added as bonus tracks. The disc closes with the mellow, psychedelic and layered “Like Being Alive” which is a precursor to the similarly-veined bonus track “Wish Upon a Storm”.

As a point of interesting trivia, Derrick Bostrom notes that Curt was unhappy with the final mixes of "Attacked by Monsters" and "Like Being Alive" so he replaced these tracks with his rough mixes. This reissue also includes the promotional video for "Light” which features concert shots of the band spliced with footage of the desert.

Meat Puppets – “Monsters” Bonus Tracks
"Wish upon a Storm" – 4:27
"Flight of the Fire Weasel, Pt. 1" – 4:25
"Flight of the Fire Weasel, Pt. 2" – 4:44

Links:
Meat Puppets

Town Hall: Brooklyn Indie-Folk Band Cover Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" / New EP Available as Free Download

2012-01-23T19:25:00.004-05:00

Sticky Notes & Paper Scraps by Town Hall

Town Hall "sold me" with their acoustic re-interpretation (and the vocals trade-offs between Stefan Weiner and Phoebe Ryan) of Jimmy Eat World's "The Middle" so I gave the band's new EP, "Sticky Notes & Paper Scraps" a spin. This is a mellow "late night" disc that is powered by the two vocalists with instrumentation like mandolin and omnichord carefully woven in beneath the vocals. Most of the songs fall into the "alt-folk" genre but the exceptions are the Appalachian/alt-country track "Pandora" and the indie-pop of "Mary A. Longden".

I'm going to have to see the band live after listening to this...

This EP release marks the beginning of three crazy months for us. Between now and our full-length album on March 12th, we’ll be releasing a series of cover videos, filming (and drawing?!) three music videos for singles off the LP, and to top it all off, Jesse will be teaching music to children in Africa.

Needless to say, we’re going to need your help- the most valuable thing you can do for us is share the music. Put it on your Facebook, Tweet about it, send a postcard to your weird Aunt Sally… give it to your friends, your enemies, even complete strangers.

Why?

Well, we put our hearts into it, it’s pretty good, and it’s free. There ya go.

Love and gratitude.

-TH

Links:
Town Hall

Il Abanico - LA-to-Brooklyn Post-Rock Band Plays Goodbye Blue Monday on Feb.11th

2012-01-22T20:41:00.003-05:00

Crossing Colors EP by Il abanico

Los Angeles-to-Brooklyn post-rock band Il Abanico plays music that sounds like one of the bands from the Teen Beat / Slumberland roster crossed with a heavy Latin influence.

Il Abanico is an Indie/Experimental band created in 2010 by Nicolás Losada (guitar) and Juliana Ronderos (Voice). They expose their personalities with innovative melodies, an upbeat rhythm section and unorthodox guitars. Originally from Bogotá, Colombia, this duo spent fall of 2010 composing what would become their first work “Crossing Colors” (February 2011); a 5 songs EP, recorded in well renowned Studio G (temporal studio for the Black Keys) in Brooklyn, NY. Established in Boston, MA, and playing around the east coast area, Il Abanico started to play with a full band. The new band members captured the attention of many blogs and interviews because of their diverse nationalities.

Il Abanico has recently moved from Los Angeles to Brooklyn and the band is playing their first show as a "local band" at Goodbye Blue Monday on Feb. 11th. This show is free and Jahn Xavier (who has probably done a million things over the past 20+ years and I'm still going to remember him as "X Sessive" from Richard Hell's band or from his stint leading The Nitecaps) & the Bowerytones, The Nu-Sonics, Mic Raygun and Band of Outsiders are also on the bill.

Links:
Il Abanico

Lou Reed - "Walk on the Wild Side" CD Review (XXL Media)

2012-01-22T18:38:00.003-05:00

Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side CD (XXL Media) is a re-release of Lou’s live-in-the-studio performance from Ultrasonic Studios which was recorded on Dec. 26, 1972 in Hempstead, NY. At the time this show was recorded, Lou’s second solo disc, Transformer, had come out the month prior and the songs on this ten track disc are predominately drawn from Transformer and the Velvet Underground’s back catalogue (Lou amusingly refers to one of the Velvet’s tracks as a ‘blast from the past’).

This disc is an important addition to Lou Reed’s catalog as his performance and the sound of his backing band, The Tots, sound like a logic extension of the Velvet Underground’s Loaded. In addition to the accessibility and spontaneous urgency of the performance, Lou seems (surprisingly) cheerful and upbeat, both of which stand in sharp contrast to some of his later live discs, specifically the heavy metal bombast of Rock & Roll Animal, which was recorded a year later, or Reed’s venom spitting performance on 1978’s Live: Take No Prisoners. Lou re-interprets most of the Velvet Underground tracks – playing a languid “I’m Waiting for My Man” and he adds back the verse that was dropped from the Velvet’s version of “Sweet Jane” during Loaded’s final mixing – and he gives a “punch” to the Transformer songs that David Bowie wasn’t able to capture in the studio. Lastly, this is the only legit live recording of “Walk It Talk It” and “I’m so Free” and the early version of “Berlin” (from Reed’s self-titled debut) only appeared elsewhere on the now hard-to-find live disc Le Bataclan ‘72.

For completists, there is one minor downside…this disc is missing two tracks that were part of the original radio broadcast. The first track is a brief interview that took place midway through the set where the interviewer asks Lou where Doug Yule is. The second missing track is “Rock n’ Roll”, which Reed closed the set with.

Links:
Lou Reed

Meat Puppets - "Up On the Sun" CD Review (MVD Audio)

2012-01-20T19:49:00.004-05:00

DOWNLOAD: Meat Puppets - Live @ McCabe's Guitar Show, Santa Monica, CA 5-3-85 (Up on the Sun tour)

In 1985, the Meat Puppets released their third full-length, Up On the Sun, and this disc was the turning point for the band’s sound. There is no sign of the band’s hardcore roots on any of the disc’s twelve tracks as the music continues on the acid-drenched, country-punk path that the band started down on Meat Puppets II. The music on this disc has held up well over the years and there seems to be an ongoing debate among fans over whether this disc or Meat Puppets II is the band’s strongest.

Looking back at this disc, it must be near impossible for anyone who wasn’t there to understand how a bunch of speedballing freaks who were recording for Black Flag’s label could transform themselves into a punk version of the Grateful Dead. In an interview with Goldmine Magazine, Derrick Bostrom described some of the impetus behind the band’s evolution in sound: “Being with SST gave us the opportunity to do even more gigs, expand our base,” Bostrom said. “And also play to their audience, which we found somewhat distasteful. So it led us to, like, blow off punk rock, and kind of go into the more mainstream sound. We started doing country-rock, or Creedence-y sort of stuff, or whatever we’re kind of still known for [today]. “

Curt’s cover art for Up On the Sun, which shows a coffee mug adorned with a pot leaf, establishes the mood for this disc. Cris and Curt mix intertwined, noodling jams with mellow vocals and deliciously off-key harmonies to come up with a sound that pre-dates the “jam bands” that started to surface in the later part of the 80’s. The music, which is a mixture of mellow jams and blissed-out shoegazing, combined with Curt’s surrealist lyrics led Robert Christgau to declare “Curt Kirkwood is the David Thomas of endearing sloppiness “.

“Up On the Sun” Lyrics
A long time ago / I turned to myself / And said,”you are my daughter” / I saw that the image / I saw there was well, / “so you are my daughter” / Well then maybe we’ve got / Something to talk about. / Who told you so? / That gold burns slow / Like coal camper’s candles / All lost in the snow / Lay down — you’re on / The warmth that I’m weaving / Is for you alone / Up on the sun where it never rains or snows / There’s an ocean / With a wind that never blows / And if you see it closer / Then the finer points will show / Not too much more / Too much more

This is a fun and undemanding disc that you can ‘sink into’ and sail away. Two of the stronger tracks are the refelctive title track and the instrumental “Maiden’s Milk”. The later features an intertwined bass and guitar jam mixed with the band members whistling in harmony.

There are a strong set of bonus tracks on this reissue (the first four tracks are from a scraped recording session for what Derrick Bostrom called a “psychedelic epic” and the last track is an extended instrumental demo of “Hot Pink” (from 1983). The disc also holds a video of a live performance of “Swimming Ground” (which is surprisingly not apparently posted to YouTube).

Up On the Sun Bonus Tracks
1. "Hot Pink (Demo Version 1)" - 3:56
2. "Up on the Sun (Demo Version)" - 4:29
3. "Mother American Marshmallow" - 4:28 (Early version of “Maiden’s Milk”)
4. "Embodiment of Evil" - 1:53
5. "Hot Pink (Demo Version 2)" - 8:35

Links:
Meat Puppets

The Buddies (x-Welcome to Ashley) - Live Video From Bowery Electric, NYC 1/6/12

2012-01-18T19:57:00.004-05:00

F*** THE BUDDIES by THE BUDDIES

After watching a show at Pianos a couple years ago, where the European opening band made their NYC debut to an audience of three (myself and two other bloggers), I'm always impressed when an out-of-town opening band can fill the room.

Last Friday night, The Buddies played a strong 40+ minute set of memorable whiskey-drenched songs reminiscent of The Replacements or a "Southern rock" version of The Pogues and the crowd stayed at the front of the stage throughout the band's set. The band wrapped up their set by playing their final number, which sounded like an Irish drinking song, from the center of floor and it was met with an enthusiastic response. Obviously, I wasn't the only convert that night as The Buddies have been invited back to Bowery Electric and are playing a show on April 21st.

The Buddies combines three members of Chicago post-punk band Welcome to Ashley (bassist The Mouse [aka Jeremy Barrett], guitarist Pete Javier and vocalist Coley Kennedy) with Justin, Kim and Scott Collins from Nashville's Pale Blue Dot and the band just released their first full-length F*ck the Buddies.

Links:
The Buddies

LA Guns (Phil Lewis) Cancel January 29th Show at Bowery Electric

2012-01-17T22:12:00.003-05:00

There must be something about NYC that disagrees with the members of L.A. Guns.

Last November, the Tracii Guns-led band was scheduled to play a poorly publicized show at Club Rebel. All I can find online about the show is a one line comment: "L.A. Guns (Tracii Guns version) were supposed to headline but had a dispute with the club and walked out."

The Phil Lewis / Steve Riley lineup were scheduled to play Bowery Electric on Jan. 29th and the show description listed on Reverb Nation read "Shar Gorgiiss's BIRTHDAY BASH With LA GUNS Phil Lewis and Steve Riley with Panzie* The Mighty Pragmatics, and Suicide Boulevard." I don't know what happened but it looks like Wildstreet is now playing this show in place of LA Guns.

The Phil Lewis lineup's recent signing to Cleopatra may be what derailed this show as the band announced that they are: "currently in pre-production and expect to start tracking in early February with legendary producer, and old friend, Andy Johns (LED ZEPPELIN, THE ROLLING STONES, CINDERELLA, VAN HALEN, as well as the last three L.A. GUNS albums). A CD and vinyl release, as well as bonus tracks available only on iTunes, is set for early summer. A nine-month world tour following the release is also currently being planned."

Links:
LA Guns

Automatic Children Will Be Premiering New Songs at Spike Hill on Friday, Feb. 3rd

2012-01-16T22:40:00.004-05:00

"The holidays have come and gone. 2012 is well underway, and we have some exciting plans for the new year. We plan to record several new songs by the summer and release them later in the year. Perhaps you’ve heard some of them at our recent CMJ and Bowery Electric shows last fall. We are really looking forward to getting them out there for you as soon as we can.

On Friday, February 3rd we will be playing them in a stripped down three-piece format at Spike Hill, as well as some of our ‘classics’. We had intended to do this at CMJ, but this time it's really happening! Spike Hill is conveniently located right upstairs from the Bedford Avenue L train stop in the heart of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Air Traffic Controller and Swear and Shake round out the bill. It turns out Swear and Shake also have a song called “Johnnie” (ok well the spelling is different), so it must be fate. We are also really looking forward to playing with Air Traffic Controller, an amazing band from Boston. We hope you can make it, it will be a special night for sure. Buy your tickets here. It’s only $5. We play at 10pm sharp."
- Automatic Children

Links:
Automatic Children

Church of Misery - "Master of Brutality" Reissue CD Review (Metal Blade/Rise Above)

2012-01-15T22:16:00.005-05:00

Church Of Misery "Megalomania (Herbert Mullin)" by Metal Blade Records

While waiting for the Black Sabbath reunion album, Rise Above/Metal Blade’s reissue of Church of Misery’s full-length debut, Master of Brutality, should be a good holdover. Master of Brutality was Church of Misery’s first full-length and the disc originally came out on Southern Lord in 2001. This new reissue adds three bonus tracks which extends the total running time by an additional 33 minutes.

While a lot of bands were inspired by early Black Sabbath, Church of Misery is the first band that I’ve heard that writes songs that sound like they came straight out of the Sabbath catalogue. Guitarist Tomohiro Nishimura lays down chunky, blues-based, doom riffs on top of an ultra-heavy rhythm section and the only noticeable differentiation from Black Sabbath’s sound is that vocalist Yoshiaki Negishi has more of a Lemmy/Roddy Stone (Viking Skull) rasp. A quote that was included as part of the packaging with the disc’s original issue tells you everything that you need to know about Church of Misery: “We hate trend. We hate corporate attitude. We hate the word ‘stoner’. Death to false stoners!! Let there be DOOM!!”

Six of the disc’s nine tracks are about famous serial killers (Peter Sutcliffe, John Wayne Gacy, Albert de Salvo, etc.) and, for anyone who can’t understand the band’s disturbing lyrics; the tracks include voice-over sound bytes from the killers themselves. The remaining three tracks are a Blue Oyster Cult cover “Cities on Fire”, a (brief) instrumental “Green River” (4:30 minutes – which is one of the shortest tracks on this disc), and a 17+ minute live version of “Lucifer Rising” (which I presume is a cover of a portion of the Kenneth Anger film soundtrack). In keeping with the band’s obsession with serial killers, prior to the Masters of Reality tribute cover on this reissue, an earlier cover showed John Wayne Gacy’s face covered with blood spatter.

Church of Misery didn’t play outside of Japan prior to 2005 and this band is finally making their US debut, which will take place at the 2012 edition of Maryland Death Fest.

Links:
Church of Misery

First Aid Kit Release - "The Lion's Roar" CD Review (Wichita Recordings)

2012-01-14T22:59:00.003-05:00

Sweden's First Aid Kit is releasing their sophomore full-length album The Lion's Roar on January 24th, 2012 via Wichita Recordings. Where the bands 2010’s debut, The Big Black and the Blue, was lonely and intimate, The Lion’s Roar is a full band effort that is comparable to the recordings of American folk/country artists like Emmylou Harris and Nanci Griffth.

Klara and Johanna Söderberg recorded their new disc in Omaha with producer Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes) and contributing musicians include the girls’ father Benkt on bass, Mattias Bergqvist on drums along with Mogis, Nate Walcott and Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes along with a cast of Omaha-based musicians to round out the affair. In a recent interview the band was asked about how they discovered the distinctly American influences that are heard on this new disc. Klara responded: “I can say that it all sort of started when I heard Bright Eyes when I was 12, and I was like, “Well, OK, what did Conor Oberst listen to when he wrote this music? What has inspired him?” And through that [process] I found Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash and all those amazing musicians. It’s sort of been like that—through searching for their influences—and through Bob Dylan we found the Carter family and Bill Monroe and even older stuff. “

The disc’s title track opener, "The Lion's Roar" is a glorious, punchy waltz that sets the mood for the disc. In an interview with NPR, the band described the history of the song as being “written during a U.K. tour when we drove through very dramatic moorland in Scotland. During the tour, we listened a lot to Townes Van Zandt in the car. We were inspired by this mystic scenery, as well as Townes Van Zandt's beautiful melodies. By far our darkest song to date. It was the first song we wrote for the new record, and we chose to name the record after it. 'The Lion's Roar' marked a new stage in our songwriting, and the mystic feeling of this song came to characterize a big part of the new record.”

The disc continues strong with the wistful “Emmylou”, which is sure to quickly become a fan favorite. This track is full of acoustic guitar, pedal steel and piano, over which Klara's bell-clear voice name-checks heroes Ms. Harris, Gram Parsons, Johnny Cash, and June Carter. "It's about the connection you get when you sing with someone else," said Johanna. "It's a love song, but we name-drop some country artists!"

The disc ends on an upbeat notes and wraps up with the exuberate number, "King of the World", which features handclaps, fiddle, accordion, and mariachi horns. Conor Oberst wrote a verse for this song and sings on the track and The Felice Brothers (who happened to roll through town during the recording session) added some violin and accordion.

First Aid Kit recorded a nine song set live in the studio for KCRW last November and the new CD includes a link where you can download six of these songs.

First Aid Kit Live on KCRW, Nov. ‘11
The Lion’s Roar*
You’re Not Coming Home Tonight
Heavy Storm
Marianne’s Son*
Hard Believer*
Emmylou*
Ghost Town*
I Met Up with the King*
Our Own Pretty Ways
* The Lion’s Roar bonus track

As expected, First Aid Kit has made the transition out of the clubs and into the larger halls. First Aid Kit is kicking off their Spring North American tour at Webster Hall on March 28th. Tickets for this show are $20 and doors are at 8PM.

First Aid Kit - 2012 Spring Tour
MAR. 28 -- NEW YORK, NY, WEBSTER HALL
MAR. 30 -- WASHINGTON, DC, BLACK CAT
MAR. 31 -- PHILADELPHIA, PA, UNION TRANSFER
APR. 02 -- BOSTON, MA, BRIGHTON MUSIC HALL
APR. 03 -- MONTREAL, QC, LA SALA ROSSA
APR. 04 -- TORONTO, ON, THE GREAT HALL
APR. 06 -- CHICAGO, IL, LINCOLN HALL
APR. 07 -- MINNEAPOLIS, MN, CEDAR CULTURAL CENTER
APR. 10 -- VANCOUVER, BC, VENUE
APR. 11 -- SEATTLE, WA, THE CROCODILE
APR. 12 -- PORTLAND, OR, DOUG FIR LOUNGE
APR. 18 -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA, SLIM’S

Links:
First Aid Kit

School of Seven Bells Post "Lafaye" from Upcoming Disc "Ghostory" (out Feb. 28th on Vagrant)

2012-01-14T18:21:00.000-05:00

School of Seven Bells - Lafaye by Vagrant Records

School of Seven Bells have just posted the first official single, “Lafaye”, from their upcoming third CD, Ghostory. The track will be available as a single through all digital retailers on Tuesday, January 17th, along with an exclusive b-side titled "Love From A Stone."

School Of Seven Bells' third release, Ghostory, comes out February 28 on Vagrant Records/Ghostly International. Recorded in-between tours, Ghostory exemplifies a fervent progression of SVIIB’s growth as artists, preserving the common themes found on their last two releases but exposing them in different fashions. The familiar ethereal and enigmatic tones are omnipresent, surrounded by layers of influences from ‘80s pop, shoegaze and ambient electronic sounds. However, Ghostory comes with a story in mind; the tale of a young girl named Lafaye and the ghosts that surround her life.

“Everyone has ghosts”, says Alejandra Deheza; “They're every love you've ever had, every hurt, every betrayal, every heartbreak. They follow you, stay with you.” This detailed storytelling is evident from start to finish on the record, weaving a tale that moves between a fervent synthesized adventure and spacious lyrical euphoria. Tracks like “Love Play” and “Show Me Love” create a hauntingly indelible atmosphere that grab attention with the ambitious wordplay in the center of it all. Surrounding tracks like “Lafaye” and “Scavenger” entice the vibe of previous School of Seven Bells releases with their steadily dance-centric tempo and uplifting melodic progressions. Ghostory flows seamlessly and effortlessly, a result of the shared songwriting process.

School of Seven Bells is playing Feb. 28 and Mar. 1st at Mercury Lounge but both shows are already sold out.

Links:
School of Seven Bells

Sunn O))) - "ØØ VOID / The Iron Soul of Nothing" CD Review (Southern Lord)

2012-01-13T21:18:00.005-05:00

Sunn O)))’s newest release, ØØ VOID, brings back into print the band’s second disc, which was recorded in Hollywood in 2000 with producer (and Goatsnake / Kyuss bassist) Scott Reeder and originally issued on Hydra Head.

Like most Southern Lord releases, ØØ VOID is available as a limited edition vinyl pressing (1K on cream colored vinyl / 5K total pressing). There is also a limited 2CD edition of ØØ VOID (1,000 copies) being sold through Southern Lord’s web store that includes a bonus disc that features the ØØ VOID album remixed by Nurse with Wound. (Note: this bonus disc was originally released on the 2CD edition of ØØ VOID that came out on the Japanese label Daymare Recordings in 2008). Stephen O’Malley is also selling a vinyl edition of the Nurse with Wound remixes entitled “The Iron Soul of Nothing” through his new Ideologic Organ label.

ØØ VOID epitomizes the band’s “Maximum Volume Yields Maximum Results” philosophy as the disc is composed of four epic-length (~15 minutes each) tracks of menacing, monolithic drone. Each of the songs moves at a glacial pace and the band builds up layer upon layer of notes and riffs that are held to their limit and then crash like an ocean wave prior to rising again with the next riff. These pieces (I can’t really call them songs) are like aural sculptures that are designed to be felt and experienced so this disc requires a time commitment to really appreciate its power.

For this release, the band is joined by guest bassist Stuart Dahlquist (Burning Witch, Goatsnake) and the disc includes contributions from both Petra Haden (violinist/vocals) and Pete Stahl (vocals). I haven’t pinpointed where Haden’s contributions are woven within this thick sonic tapestry but there are a lot of different layers and dimensions within these recording so different facets become visible after multiple listens. Pete Stahl’s adds ‘vocals’ to “NN O)))” which are buried under waves of buzzing electronics with the end result sounding like a ghost in the machine.

“The group approached the compositions of this album in a different way than their previous recordings: each member focused intently on one composition/piece and brought it into the recording session. Then, each of those songs that were brought in were translated to the other members and nuances were worked out, on the spot, in the studio. Greg Anderson (aka The Duke) brought in “NNO)))”, Stephen O’Malley (aka Mk Ultra Blizzard) brought in RA at Dusk, Stuart Dahlquist (aka G.Subharmonia) brought in Richard. The exception to all this was the inclusion of a rendition of a obscure Melvins song called Rabbits Revenge. This song was actually never recorded in the studio by the Melvins and the riffs were salvaged from a live tape that Anderson had of the band playing the Gorilla Gardens in Seattle from March of 1985!”—from SouthernLord.com

The Nurse with Wound remixes amount to a complete re-working of ØØVOID so there really isn’t a one-to-one mapping between this disc and the original recordings. There is a bit more “light” and ambiance in this reworking and one of the highlights is “Ash on the Trees (The Sudden Ebb of a Diatribe)” where Pete Stahl’s vocals are pulled out from beneath the wall of noise of the original track to become a menacing instrument of unease onto itself.

"In 2007 we commissioned Nurse With Wound to re-work the masters of SUNN O)))’s second album “ØØVOID” to be included as a bonus CD on the Japanese reissue of said album released a year later on Daymare Recordings. We dug up the original 2" reels from the 2000 session, had Mell Dettmer bake the tapes, made the multitrack transfers and send the drive over to IC studios. The initial brief was to hopefully come up with to come up with something in the vein of Nurse’s legendary Soliloquy for Lilith set (my favorite release of the collective). What was returned was way beyond our expectations, completely transformed and rediscovered material, including highlighting formerly obscured vocals of the legendary Pete Stahl (Scream, Wool, Goatsnake). A vast creepy sonic journey some part drone/depth of SUNN O))), other part concrete weirdness of Nurse, third part just downright out there in surreality and obscure referencing." —Stephen O'Malley

Links:
Southern Lord

EULA opens for Mission of Burma at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Jan. 19th

2012-01-13T09:49:00.004-05:00

Maurice Narcisse by EULA

In late 2009, New Haven-to-Brooklyn post-punk band EULA was selected by Mission of Burma (through Matador's 'Battle for Burma' competition) to open for MOB at a free show at M.I.T. for Boston's "Mission of Burma Day". EULA has now been tapped to open for Mission of Burma at Music Hall of Williamsburg on Jan. 19th. Tickets are $20 and doors are at 8PM.

EULA's most recent release, Maurice Narcisse, came out last May and Paper Garden Records described the disc as "a playful treatise on pretension, part lamenting part castigating the metaphorical ‘character’ for his egotism. Alyses’ punching lyrics find their match in aggressive drums and plunging melodies, so despite the aforementioned woes, Maurice Narcisse is an undeniably fun listen. Give a listen to the record’s titular track, a smoldering, discombobulated pop song that EULA has made their specialty. It’s indubitably technical and well-crafted, every detail fired off with conviction and purpose."

Links:
EULA

Margot & The Nuclear So and So's Post "Prozac Rock" from forthcoming "Rot Gut, Domestic" CD (Out 3/20)

2012-01-10T11:35:00.004-05:00

Prozac Rock by MargotCloud

Margot & The Nuclear So and So's have recently posted the first single from the band's forthcoming studio album Rot Gut, Domestic. The single is currently available via iTunes and Amazon and a limited edition 7-inch is available in the band's webstore. Rot Gut, Domestic was produced by John Congleton (St. Vincent, The Walkmen) and comes out on March 20th, 2012 via the band's Mariel Recording Company.

Rot Gut, Domestic is the Nukes' rawest take on their evocative, soaring brand of guitar-centric pop. The album follows in the footsteps of the more brazen, rocking songs that comprised 2010's Buzzard (called "masterpieces of controlled tension" by SPIN) and the first four tracks provide a fittingly booming intro. Opener "Disease Tobacco Free" is a propulsive low-end led rumble; squealing guitars and rough-hewn edges augment the sinister air of "Books About Trains"; "Shannon" is a bleary-eyed and grimy, fuzzy bass stomp; and undulating first single "Prozac Rock" is a modern pop song's frenetic, slightly spooky sister. The swinging, sweetly twisted tale of "A Journalist Falls In Love" and the rolling "Ludlow Junk Hustle" ease the album's pace, and The Nukes still pen some of the most moving, lush songs today, heard here in the gorgeous, sweeping guitar lilt of "Coonskin Cap".

Links:
Margot & The Nuclear So and So's

The Coastals (DC Power-Punk) Play National Underground on Thursday, Jan. 12th

2012-01-09T22:06:00.004-05:00

The Coastals - Burn White Hot by thecoastals

DC power-punk band The Coastals just released their second disc, Burn White Hot, and the band is playing a show this Thursday at National Underground with Greg Burroughs, Neil Davis, and Will McCranie.

On this new disc, the band delivers 17 songs about love, anger, addiction, mental illness, class warfare, and mortality, pervaded by the themes of resilience and finding strength in adversity. The band describes their music as mixing reggae, modern indie, and British invasion influences into the bedrock of raw punk rock and that is probably a pretty fair comparison. In listening to the band's disc, comparisons to a mellowed-out Ruth Ruth, Matthew Sweet and The Pilmsouls all come to mind.

The Coastals are playing upstairs at National Underground and I think those shows are free (though don't hold me to this). The band is scheduled to play from 9PM - 11PM.

Links:
The Coastals

WATERS (x-Port O'Brien) Announces Spring Tour / Show at Webster Hall on March 29th

2012-01-09T20:39:00.004-05:00

Following winter dates supporting Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, WATERS has announced a lengthy new run of spring tour dates supporting Delta Spirit. The tour will travel throughout the US and into Canada, and launches on March 19th at the Revolution Music Room in Little Rock, AR, before wrapping up on May 11th at The Music Box in Los Angeles, CA. The dates include a March 29th New York show at Webster Hall.

WATERS - whose debut LP Out In The Light was released in September via TBD Records - filmed a live session for Quit Mumbling while in Los Angeles this past fall, and stripped-down versions of album tracks "Mickey Mantle" (below), "For The One", "Back To You" and "O Holy Break Of Day" are posted on Quit Mumbling's site.

WATERS Tour Dates:
MAR. 14-17 -- AUSTIN, TX -- SXSW
MAR. 19 -- LITTLE ROCK, AR -- REVOLUTION MUSIC ROOM*
MAR. 20 -- ST. LOUIS, MO -- THE OLD ROCK HOUSE*
MAR. 21 -- MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- FINE LINE MUSIC CAFÉ*
MAR. 22 -- MILWAUKEE, WI -- TURNER HALL*
MAR. 23 -- CHICAGO, IL -- METRO*
MAR. 24 -- INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- RADIO RADIO*
MAR. 26 -- CLEVELAND, OH -- BEACHLAND BALLROOM*
MAR. 27 -- BOSTON, MA -- PARADISE ROCK CLUB*
MAR. 29 -- NEW YORK, NY -- WEBSTER HALL*
(Tickets are $20 and go on sale on Fri., Jan 13th at 12PM)
MAR. 30 -- PHILADELPHIA, PA -- UNION TRANSFER*
MAR. 31 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- 9:30 CLUB*
APR. 2 -- CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA -- JEFFERSON THEATER*
APR. 3 -- CARRBORO, NC -- CAT'S CRADLE*
APR. 4 -- ASHEVILLE, NC -- GREY EAGLE TAVERN*
APR. 6 -- NASHVILLE, TN -- CANNERY BALLROOM*
APR. 7 -- ATLANTA, GA -- THE MASQUERADE (Hell Stage)*
APR. 9 -- BIRMINGHAM, AL -- WORKPLAY THEATER*
APR. 10 -- NEW ORLEANS, LA -- ONE EYED JACKS*
APR. 12 -- HOUSTON, TX -- FITZGERALD'S*
APR. 13 -- AUSTIN, TX -- EMO'S EAST*
APR. 14 -- DALLAS, TX -- GRANADA THEATRE*
APR. 30 -- SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- URBAN LOUNGE*
MAY 1 -- BOULDER, CO -- FOX THEATRE*
MAY 2 -- BOISE, ID -- THE NEUROLUX*
MAY 4 -- SEATTLE, WA -- NEUMO'S*
MAY 5 -- PORTLAND, OR -- WONDER BALLROOM*
MAY 6 -- VANCOUVER, BC -- ELECTRIC OWL*
MAY 8 -- SACRAMENTO, CA -- ACE OF SPADES*
MAY 10 -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- FILLMORE*
MAY 11 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- THE MUSIC BOX (Henry Fonda Theater)*
* supporting Delta Spirit

Links:
WATERS

Poison Idea - "Darby Crash Rides Again - The Early Years" CD Review (Southern Lord)

2012-01-08T21:05:00.004-05:00

"We were going to write some self-righteous diatribe about the 'good old day' - but those days weren't good - we were pissed off then and we are pissed off now - go die. Positive = Boring"
- from "Darby Crash Rides Again" 7" inner-sleeve

Portland hardcore stalwarts Poison Idea are the beast that will never die. While guitarist “Pig Champion” died in 2006 and one-time drummer Steve "Thee Slayer Hippy" Hanford was arrested for a string of pharmacy robberies in 2008, the band continues to soldier on under the leadership of vocalist Jerry A. Poison Idea made their recorded debut in 1983 with “Pick Your King”, a 7” (which was issued with a two-sided cover showing Elvis on one side and Jesus on the other) that blasts through thirteen song of hardcore fury in sixteen minutes. While this was one h*ll of a debut, Poison Idea reached further back in their catalog in 1989 and released a 7” of 1982 demos entitled “Darby Crash Rides Again” (American Leather Records) which was clearly influenced by The Germs in both sound and lyrical outlook.

Southern Lord will be reissuing a number of Poison Idea titles this year on CD and the first of these, Darby Crash Rides Again: The Early Years, comes out on January 30th. This disc contains twenty-nine tracks (53 minutes) from the band’s earliest days, the 100% previously unreleased Boner’s Kitchen demo from 1981, the complete "Darby Crash Rides Again" demo from 1982, the complete uncut live-on-the-air set from the 1983 KBOO radio benefit, and outtakes from the Record Collectors Are Pretentious Assholes recording session. Much of this material has either been out-of-print or never before officially released! All the recordings have been meticulously restored and mastered by Jack Control at Enormous Door Mastering. The booklet contains liner notes, old flyers and tons of previously unpublished photos from the band’s beginnings.

The Boner’s Kitchen demos are similar to The Germs’ "What We Do Is Secret" EP as the band careens through six lo-fi hardcore blasts like a runaway freight train that is consistently on the verge on derailing. The tape is continuously rolling during this demo session so you can hear both bum notes and band dialogue between the songs. Prior to "Poser" kicking in, you can hear Jerry A., in a faux-British accent (similar to Darby's) say "Don't erase that, keep that". The eleven songs on "Darby Crash Rides Again" are similar blasts of hardcore fury that all clock in around the one minute mark. This recording has better sound quality and production (production is cheekily credited to Joan Jett, producer of The Germs' (GI)) than the 1981 demos but that doesn’t take away from or diminish the intensity of the band’s attack. The KBOO radio benefit is hilarious as the band plays a solidly sloppy set while alternatively threatening to stop playing if more pledges don’t come in and following that by threatening “if you don’t call in, we are going to keep playing this f@cking noise until it drives you crazy”.

Some songs are repeated between the four different recordings on this disc but that should be of little worry as I don’t think the band played any song the same way more than once. What is particularly enjoyable is the band’s deconstruction of the Lemmy-penned Hawkwind tune “Motorhead” which shows up in live in the KBOO benefit set and as an outtake from the Record Collectors session.

As Poison Idea seems to have fallen off the radar in recent years (due to infrequent touring and most of their discs going out of print at various times), this disc is essentially listening for fans of old school hardcore. After listening to this, I’m going to see if I can find my tape of the band’s 2002 CBGB show and ‘re-live’ the Poison Idea live experience.

Note: The CD reissues are coming out Southern Lord while TKO Records is handling the vinyl reissues.

Links:
Poison Idea

Van Halen: Download First Three Songs from Show at Cafe Wha?, NYC 1-5-12

2012-01-07T21:41:00.003-05:00

DOWNLOAD: Jim Florentine's Comedy Metal Midgets Podcast

Comedian Jim Florentine just posted live audio of the first three songs from Van Halen's set at Cafe Wha? and there are all kinds of quality live videos posted on YouTube.

Cafe Wha? Set List:
You Really Got Me
Runnin' With the Devil
Somebody Get Me a Doctor
Everybody Wants Some
She's the Woman
Dance The Night Away
Ice Cream Man
Hot for Teacher
Ain't Talking About Love
Jump

Van Halen 2012 North American Tour:
2/18/12 - KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, KY
2/20/12 - The Palace of Auburn Hills, Detroit, MI
2/22/12 - Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
2/24/12 - United Center, Chicago, IL
2/28/12 - Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
3/1/12 - Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
3/3/12 - Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT
3/5/12 - Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA
3/9/12 - First Niagara Center, Buffalo, NY
3/11/12 - TD Garden, Boston, MA
3/15/12 - Bell Centre, Montreal, QC
3/17/12 - Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
3/21/12 - Scotiabank Place, Ottawa, ON
3/24/12 - Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
3/28/12 - Verizon Center, Washington, DC
3/30/12 - Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, PA
4/1/12 - Allstate Arena, Rosemont, IL
4/10/12 - BankAtlantic Center, Fort Lauderdale, FL
4/12/12 - St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL
4/14/12 - Amway Arena, Orlando, FL
4/16/12 - Jacksonville Arena, Jacksonville, FL
4/19/12 - Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA
4/21/12 - Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, NC
4/25/12 - Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, NC
4/27/12 - Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
5/1/12 - BOK Center, Tulsa, OK
5/5/12 - Tacoma Dome, Tacoma, WA
5/7/12 - Rogers Arena, Vancouver, BC
5/9/12 - Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, AB
5/11/12, Rexall Place, Edmonton, AB
5/17/12 - MTS Centre, Winnipeg, MB
5/19/12 - Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN
5/22/12 - Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO
5/24/12 - Pepsi Center, Denver, CO
5/27/12 - MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, NV
6/1/12 - STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, CA
6/3/12 - Oracle Arena, Oakland, CA
6/5/12 - HP Pavilion, San Jose, CA
6/12/12 - Honda Center, Anaheim, CA
6/14/12 - Viejas Arena, San Diego, CA
6/16/12 - US Airways Center, Phoenix, AZ
6/20/12 - American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
6/22/12 - AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
6/24/12 - Toyota Center, Houston, TX
6/26/12 - New Orleans Arena, New Orleans, LA

Links:
Van Halen

120 Days (Norwegian Electronic/Dance) Announce Sophomore Disc Out March 6th / New Track "Osaka" Posted as Free Download

2012-01-07T21:12:00.003-05:00

120 Days- Osaka by JasiJasi

I neve got around to checking out Norwegian electronic/dance band 120 Days when they came through in 2008 (for show at the Merc) but I gave a listen to the first track off the band's sophomore disc (120 Days II) and got pulled in by the band's teutonic New Order meets Kraftwork sound. The band just released the first single from this upcoming disc, "Osaka", as a free download and this track is also the first release on Club Mod, a new singles imprint by Modular and both Sidwho? and Diskjokke remixed it.

If a year is a long time in politics, five years in music can be a career. The fact that 120 Days have taken half a decade to deliver the follow up to their debut album might have counted against them, especially in a world where things have never seemed more ephemeral, even more so since they flippantly admit that they spent as much time “lucid dreaming and partying” as they did “recording and touring”. But there’s no point making a record when you’re not ready, as any band forced to return to the studio prematurely will tell you. The old adage about having a lifetime to make your first record and only a few months to make the second is based upon truth, and 120 Days will testify to that, having entirely scrapped their original follow up. They had good reason: by the time they’d concluded the heavy touring that followed the late 2006 release of their self-titled debut, they were, quite simply, “sick of seeing each other’s faces”.

120 Days II is darker, dirtier, fiercer and sharper than the band's debut disc. The roots of their new, advanced level of savagery are varied: time spent working with other artists, including Serena Maneesh, Bygdin and Masselys, have undoubtedly broadened their horizons, and their equally broadened tastes in music have no doubt done wonders for their writing. Alongside Kraftwerk, Joy Divison, Neu!, The Cure and Primal Scream – XTRMNTR-era, naturally – new influences have come into play: “the hard minimalist industrial sound of Detroit Techno, the transcendental drone jazz of (early) Alice Coltrane, and the over-the-top orchestral maximalism of Wagnerian opera,” they claim rather magnificently. “When we recorded our debut, we were very much into minimalism, and a ‘changing chords is for pussies’ dogma. In the first years after we released it, we went even further in that direction, so, in a way, you could say that the scrapped sessions were our minimalist peak, and after that we started playing around with song structure again. 120 Days 2.0 sometimes likes listening to the Carpenters. We would never admit that before!”

120 Days are: Jonas Dahl, Kjetil Ovesen, Arne Kvalvik, Ådne Meisfjord

Links:
120 Days

Cursive Release "The Sun and Moon" As Free Download // Shows at Bowery Ballroom on Apr. 3 & 4

2012-01-03T22:07:00.003-05:00

Cursive's seventh disc, I Am Gemini, will be released February 21st, 2012 via Saddle Creek and the band just posted the first MP3, "The Sun and Moon", from this disc as a free download.

I Am Gemini is currently available for pre-order in Saddle Creek's online store and via iTunes. The album can be purchased in multiple formats (CD, LP, digital) and bundles through Saddle Creek, including a deluxe package that contains: exclusive colored vinyl; CD; a limited edition (only 500 copies printed) 10" picture disc featuring "The Sun and Moon" and "The Cat and Mouse" plus two B-sides; t-shirt; and poster, among other goods. MP3s of "The Sun and Moon" and "The Cat and Mouse" can be downloaded instantly after placing a pre-order, and all pre-orders will ship two weeks ahead of release on February 7th (at which point the album will also be available to purchasers as a full MP3 download).

Known for their explosive, cathartic live show, Cursive has announced an additional four weeks of shows this spring, from March 22nd to April 21st. This new run of dates includes two shows in New York City on April 3rd and 4th at the Bowery Ballroom. Tickets for these shows go on-sale on Fri., Jan. 06 at 12PM and are $16.

The band had previously announced shows throughout the west coast, southwest, and midwest, and is also now confirmed to perform at the 20th anniversary Noise Pop festival in San Francisco, CA on February 22nd. Cursive also recently added two early March shows, at Abode in Wichita, KS on the 1st and Record Bar in Kansas City, MO on the 2nd. A current itinerary is below.

I Am Gemini is the surreal and powerful musical tale of Cassius and Pollock, twin brothers separated at birth. One good and one evil, their unexpected reunion in a house that is not a home ignites a classic struggle for the soul, played out with a cast of supporting characters that includes a chorus of angels and devils, and twin sisters conjoined at the head. Recorded at Omaha, NE's ARC Studios and mixed at Red Room in Seattle, WA with producer Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Minus The Bear, Isis), the album marks the first time front man Tim Kasher, with the completed story already in mind, wrote album lyrics in a linear fashion from song 1 to song 13. The result is thirteen singularly cohesive song chapters that blend effortlessly into one unique narrative to create a dynamic, mind-bending, and imaginative ride.

Cursive is the longtime trio of Kasher (vocals, guitar), Matt Maginn (bass), and Ted Stevens (guitar, vocals), with Patrick Newbery (keys) and Cully Symington (drums).

Cursive Tour Dates:
FEB. 12 -- DENVER, CO -- LARIMER LOUNGE*
FEB. 14 -- SALT LAKE CITY, UT -- URBAN LOUNGE^
FEB. 15 -- BOISE, ID -- NEUROLUX^
FEB. 17 -- SEATTLE, WA -- NEUMO'S**
FEB. 18 -- VANCOUVER, BC -- MEDIA CLUB**
FEB. 19 -- PORTLAND, OR -- BUNK BAR**
FEB. 22 -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- GREAT AMERICAN MUSIC HALL**
FEB. 24 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- TROUBADOUR**
FEB. 25 -- POMONA, CA -- GLASSHOUSE**
FEB. 26 -- SAN DIEGO, CA -- CASBAH**
FEB. 27 -- TEMPE, AZ -- CRESCENT BALLROOM**
FEB. 28 -- ALBUQUERQUE, NM -- LAUNCHPAD**
MAR. 1 -- WICHITA, KS -- ABODE**
MAR. 2 -- KANSAS CITY, MO -- RECORD BAR**
MAR. 3 -- OMAHA, NE -- SLOWDOWN**
MAR. 22 -- IOWA CITY, IA -- THE MILL#
MAR. 23 -- MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- 400 BAR#
MAR. 24 -- MADISON, WI -- HIGH NOON SALOON#
MAR. 25 -- CHICAGO, IL -- LINCOLN HALL#
MAR. 26 -- CHAMPAIGN, IL -- HIGH DIVE#
MAR. 27 -- ANN ARBOR, MI -- THE BLIND PIG#
MAR. 28 -- PITTSBURGH, PA -- MR. SMALL'S#
MAR. 29 -- CLEVELAND, OH -- GROG SHOP#
MAR. 30 -- BUFFALO, NY -- MOHAWK#
MAR. 31 -- TORONTO, ONT -- HORSESHOE TAVERN#
APR. 2 -- BOSTON, MA -- MIDDLE EAST#
APR. 3 -- NEW YORK, NY -- BOWERY BALLROOM#
APR. 4 -- NEW YORK, NY -- BOWERY BALLROOM#
APR. 5 -- PHILADELPHIA, PA -- UNION TRANSFER#
APR. 6 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- BLACK CAT#
APR. 7 -- RALEIGH, NC -- KING'S BARCADE#
APR. 8 -- ATLANTA, GA -- THE EARL#
APR. 9 -- ST. AUGUSTINE, FL -- CAFÉ ELEVEN#
APR. 10 -- ORLANDO, FL -- THE SOCIAL#
APR. 11 -- TALLAHASSEE, FL -- CLUB DOWN UNDER#
APR. 13 -- HOUSTON, TX -- FITZGERALD'S#
APR. 14 -- AUSTIN, TX -- MOHAWK#
APR. 15 -- DALLAS, TX -- TREES#
APR. 17 -- MEMPHIS, TN -- HI TONE#
APR. 18 -- LEXINGTON, KY -- COSMIC CHARLIE'S#
APR. 20 -- ST. LOUIS, MO -- OFF BROADWAY#
APR. 21 -- COLUMBIA, MO -- MOJOS#
* Ume support
^ Ume and M. Moriah support
** Ume and Virgin Islands support
# Cymbals Eat Guitars and Conduits support

Links:
Cursive

Mission of Burma and The Static Jacks Play Music Hall of Williamsburg on Jan. 19th

2012-01-03T19:24:00.002-05:00

Mission of Burma Sampler by Fenway Recordings

Please note that the poster is from Mission of Burma's show at MHOW 2008 which was coincidently the same date. This year's show is on Thursday, Jan. 19th. Tickets are $20 and doors are at 8PM.

Mission of Burma, cited as an influence by such artists as R.E.M., Sonic Youth, the Foo Fighters, Moby and the Pixies, are returning to New York for the first time since playing last summer’s successful Seaport Music Festival on NYC’s Pier 17. The band has defied expectations throughout its more than three decade career is currently at work in the studio recording the follow up to 2009’s The Sound The Speed The Light. Describing the band’s approach to recording, drummer Peter Prescott explains, “Everything is in a constant state of flux, including the 4 of us. One thing remains the same when we make a record; a grim and relentless determination to not humiliate ourselves.”

New Jersey five piece The Static Jacks, whose debut record You Are Young (released August 30 on Fearless Records) was chosen as one of Newsday’s top albums of 2011, will support Mission of Burma on this bill. The Static Jacks, who have toured with Manchester Orchestra, The Wombats, White Denim, Young the Giant and the Futureheads among others, will head to the UK for their second visit in as many months following this opening slot with Mission of Burma.

Links:
Mission of Burma

Frank Zappa - "AAAFNRAAAAAM Birthday Bundle 2011" CD Review (Digital Only Release)

2012-01-02T19:57:00.004-05:00

I hate to sound like Tom Hanks in the movie Big but “I don’t get it”.

On December 21st, Frank Zappa’s estate released The Frank Zappa AAAFNRAAAAAM Birthday Bundle 2011 which is a digital-only release of Zappa covers and previously unreleased live recordings by Zappa himself. The “challenge” with this compilation is that there appears to be no unifying theme linking either the tracks included or the selection of cover artists. Without this – this compilation comes off as a random hodge-podge of songs.

Here is how this compilation breaks down – you have nine cover tracks by predominately little-known artists. The two “known” artists are Van Morrison and Serj Tankian who respectively cover “Dead Girls of London” and “Yellow Snow”. “Dead Girls of London” dates from a 1979 recording session and was “originally supposed to be sung by Van Morrison, but since Morrison was signed to the Warner Bros. Records record label who Zappa was in a legal dispute with at the time, Zappa was unable to release the song on his label with Morrison's vocals, and so they were re-recorded. This early version was heavily bootlegged before its official release.” (Wikipedia) Serj’s version of “Yellow Snow” is ‘middle-of-the-road’ as his straight-forward cover noticeably lacks the vocal timing of the original. The remaining tracks are straight-forward covers as well with no particular stand-outs with the exception of “Bobby Brown (Se Upp För F-N)” which is bizarrely sung in Swedish.

There are two Zappa originals that have been digitally ‘played with’ by members of the family. The first, “Wowie Zowie”, takes the original Freak Out track and overdubs vocals from Zappa granddaughter Mathilda Plum Doucette Zappa. The second, “Cosmik Debris”, adds Frank’s guitar and vocals to the ZPZ lineup. Remembering the Jim Morrison and Marc Bolan spoken word sessions later set to music after the artist’s death (bad idea) and Natalie Cole superimposing herself alongside her passed-away father in the video “Unforgettable” (unforgivable), I firmly believe this sort of digital slicing and dicing completely violates the artist’s integrity.

Lastly, there are two previously unreleased Zappa tracks. The first is “Another Variation of the Formerly Secret” which was recorded at The Palladium on 10/30/80. Personally, I always thought Frank’s Tinsletown Rebellion band was one of his strongest post-Mothers lineups so I’d love to hear the full show. The second track is a stellar live recording of “Peaches” which was recorded in Vienna on May 8, 1988 with the jazzier Broadway the Hard Way lineup.

Aside for the two live tracks from Frank Zappa and the Van Morrison cover, caveat emptor.

“Wowie Zowie” by Frank Zappa
Artist: Mathilda Plum Doucette Zappa
Produced by Gail Zappa
Vocals Recorded & Mix by Jared Lee Gosselin for UMRK
Lead Vocals – Mathilda Plum Doucette Zappa
All Background Vocals – Joe Travers
Original Track Produced by Frank Zappa:
Guitar – Frank Zappa
Rhythm Guitar – Elliot Ingber
Tambourine – Ray Collins
Xylophone – Gene Estes
Bass – Roy Estrada
Drums – Jimmy Carl Black
Mastered by John Polito, Audio Mechanics

“Bobby Brown (Se Upp För F-N)” by Frank Zappa
Artist: Lise & Gertrud
Vocals – Lise Hummel & Gertrud Stenung
Cello – Gertrud Stenung
Lyrics by Lise & Gertrud by permission of The Zappa Family Trust © 2009 ZFT

“Yellow Snow” by Frank Zappa
Artist: Serj Tankian
Engineered, Produced & Mix by Jared Lee Gosselin
Backround Vocals – S Gonzalez, B Thomas, C Norton
Guitar – Orbel Babayan, Jamie Kime
Horns – Scheila Gonzalez, Ben Thomas
Keys – Chris Norton
Vibes – Billy Hulting
Bass – Kurt Morgan
Drums – Joe Travers
Mastered by John Polito, Audio Mechanics

“Magic Fingers” by Frank Zappa
Artist: Rama Duke
Engineered, Produced & Mix by Jared Lee Gosselin
Vocals – Rama Duke
Guitar – Orbel Babayan
Keys – Zoux
Bass – Kurt Morgan
Drums – Joe Travers
Mastered by John Polito, Audio Mechanics

“Dirty Love” by Frank Zappa
Artist: The Dirty Diamond
Engineered, Produced & Mix by Jared Lee Gosselin
Lead Vocal – Sam Babayan
Background Vocals – Rama Duke
Guitar – Adam Schalke, Orbel Babayan, Sam Babayan
Keys – Zoux
Bass – Narek Pogosyan
Drums – Shay Godwin
Mastered by John Polito, Audio Mechanics

“Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?” by Frank Zappa
Artist: Pancho and Sancho
Engineered, Produced & Mix by Jared Lee Gosselin
Guitar, Vocals – Orbel “Pancho” Babayan
Guitar, Vocals – Alexy “Sancho” Yeghikian
Trumpets – Brian Garfield
Saxamaphone – Colin Kupka
Trombone – Craig Kupka
Keys – Sandro Rebel & Chris Norton
Bass – Artyom Manukyan
Drums – Mike Schron
Mastered by John Polito, Audio Mechanics

“Dead Girls of London (vm)” by L Shankar & Frank Zappa
Artist/Producer: Frank Zappa
Lead Vocal – Van Morrison
Background Vocals – Vicky Blumenthal
Acoustic & 5 string Electric Violin – Shankar
Acoustic & Electric Guitars – Phil Palmer
Fender Rhodes, Organ, Acoustic Piano, Synthesizer – James Lascelles
Bass – Dave Marquee
Drums – Simon Phillips
Mastered by John Polito, Audio Mechanics

“Another Variation Of The Formerly Secret” by Frank Zappa
Artist: Frank Zappa
(Recorded live at The Palladium, NYC, 30 October 1980)
Produced by Frank Zappa
Mixed with Bob Stone at UMRK, ca. 1981
Original Recording Engineer: George Douglas
Digitally transferred from original 1/4″ analog stereo mix master at 96K 24B by Joe Travers, UMRK
Players:
Lead Guitar – Frank Zappa
Rhythm Guitar – Steve Vai, Ray White, Ike Willis
Keyboards – Tommy Mars, Bob Harris
Bass – Arthur Barrow
Drums – Vinnie Colaiuta
Mastered by John Polito, Audio Mechanics

“Peaches (Vienna 88)” by Frank Zappa
Artist: Frank Zappa
Recorded Live at Stadhall 8 May 1988
Produced by Frank Zappa
Mixed with Bob Stone, UMRK
Transferred from 1630 digital mix master by Joe Travers, UMRK
Players:
Guitar – FZ
Guitar, Keyboards – Mike Keneally
Keyboards – Bobby Martin
Trumpet, Flugel Horn, Synth – Walt Fowler
Trombone – Bruce Fowler
Saxes – Paul Carman
Tenor Sax – Albert Wing
Baritone Sax, Contrabass Clarinet – Kurt McGettrick
Percussion – Ed Mann
Bass – Scott Thunes
Drums, Electronic Percussion – Chad Wackerman
Mastered by John Polito, Audio Mechanics

“Cosmik Debris” by Frank Zappa
Artist: FZ with DZ/ZPZ
Vocals, Guitar – Frank Zappa
Guitar – Dweezil Zappa
Guitar – Jamie Kime
Vocal – Ray White
Sax, Keys, Vocals – Scheila Gonzales
Keys – Aaron Arntz
Percussion – Billy Hulting
Bass – Pete Griffin
Drums, Vocals – Joe Travers
Mastered by John Polito, Audio Mechanics

“Sleep Dirt” by Frank Zappa
Artist: Pete Griffin
Recorded, Produced, Mix by Pete Griffin
Mastered by John Polito, Audio Mechanics

“Evelyn, A Modified Dog” by Frank Zappa
Artist: Jamie Kime
Mix by Jared Lee Gosselin, UMRK
Mastered by John Polito, Audio Mechanics

“Love of My Life” by Frank Zappa
Artist – Jerry Lawson
Produced by Gail Zappa
Recorded, Mix by Jared Lee Gosselin
Mastered by John Polito, Audio Mechanics

Links:
Frank Zappa

One Stop Beer Shop - A New "Beer Mixology" Bar Opens in East Williamsburg

2012-01-02T18:43:00.000-05:00

On Dec. 28th, One Stop Beer Shop opened in East Williamsburg. This new bar has over 100 diverse beers, 16 taps and specialty beer mixology cocktails. The tap selection currently includes beers from Van Steenberge (Belgium), Brooklyn Brewery (New York), Sly Fox (Pennsylvania) and Dogfish Head (Delaware) along with the non-alcoholic Kombucha Brooklyn (a fermented tea beverage) and the selection will change from season to season. For anyone who lives in the area, the bar also offers 64 oz. growlers to-go and is planning on offering delivery service later this year.

While the beer selection is great (and there was a food menu that I didn’t pay a lot of attention to…though the Cajun-spiced popcorn on the bar was frighteningly addictive), the real attraction at One Stop Beer Shop is the beer mixology cocktails. The concept behind beer mixology is to creatively do more with beer, using a variety of beer blends and quality spirits. For opening night, there were four cocktails being served and all of the drinks were patiently hand-made (as opposed to the recently sprung-up trend of “cocktails on tap”).

I tried three of the four cocktails and the “Orange You Glad?” cocktail was the highlight. This drink consisted of: The Original Moonshine whiskey, orange juice, agave, muddled orange and lemon which is then topped with Brooklyn Winter Ale. “Sinfully Original” was a close second and this drink is made with Original Sin Cider over tea infused Tito’s Vodka. The bloody mary tasting “MiShinelada”, which is made with The Original Moonshine whiskey, tomato juice, lime juice, Sriracha sauce, Chipotle Tabasco and topped off with Brooklyn Lager was a bit too esoteric for my taste and I never got around to the whiskey, mint and blueberry flavored “Clandestine Moon” .

One Stop Beer Shop is located in a pre-war storefront and the interior is beautiful with a lot of wide open spaces (though it was standing room only on opening night but I got to meet some great people). The bar was designed by Tanya Beuyukian who “was inspired by the property’s original 1920’s aesthetic and features an eclectic collection of furniture, floor to ceiling brick walls, and many reclaimed materials within an open bar space.”

One Stop Beer Shop is located at 134 Kingsland Avenue and it is about a 10 minute walk from the Graham Avenue stop on the L. The bar is open Sunday-Wednesday 11am-2am; Thursday-Saturday 11am-3:30am.

Links:
www.onestopbeershopny.com
www.facebook.com/onestopbeershop
http://www.twitter.com/onestopbeershop

The Buddies (x-Welcome to Ashley) Play Bowery Electric on Friday, Jan. 6th

2011-12-31T15:05:00.003-05:00

DOWNLOAD: The Buddies - "All the Beer is Gone" (from F*ck the Buddies)

F*** THE BUDDIES by THE BUDDIES

I really enjoyed the music of Chicago post-punk band Welcome to Ashley (which sounded something like The Smiths crossed with Urge Overkill) and the band has now morphed into The Buddies (which has been called a "southern rock version of The Clash"...though I'm thinking more of The Pogues or Jason and the Scorchers).

The Buddies combines three members of Welcome to Ashley (bassist The Mouse [aka Jeremy Barrett], guitarist Pete Javier and vocalist Coley Kennedy) with Justin, Kim and Scott Collins from Nashville's Pale Blue Dot and the band just released their first full-length F*ck the Buddies.

In a recent interview with Chicago blog DO312, Collie described the band's sound as "Garbage-rock!” (As Justin once referred to our sound). The Mouse and I love old rockabilly music. We are also really into bands like The Smiths, Echo and The Bunny Men, and Jesus & Mary Chain (as is Pete). I think the front-porch/alt-folk/’60s/grunge-ier sounds The Buddies make are the result of Justin, Scott and Kim. The six of us all place a lot of importance on a really strong melody. We all share adoration for bands such as The Clash, The Faces, The Replacements, The Pogues, and The Stones. Throw all of our influences in a trash can, shake it up and dump it out … voila! The Buddies!"

At the show at Bowery Electric, The Buddies are playing with American Darlings and Sangsara. Cover is $8 and doors are at 7:30PM.

Links:
The Buddies

This Frontier Needs Heroes Posts New Single "2012"

2011-12-30T12:28:00.003-05:00

2012 by thisfrontierneedsheroes

This Frontier Needs Heroes’ sophomore release The Future (released last May) was one of my favorite discs of the year. Brother-sister duo Brad and Jessica Lauretti wrapped textured vocal harmonies with a minimalist guitar work and various hazy electronica to create a mood around their rich narrative lyrics.

The band has recently posted a new single "2012" (streaming above) which was recorded with Jason from Justice of the Unicorns. The band has also posted a free download of a solo show Brad played in Jacksonville, FL.

Links:
This Frontier Needs Heroes

Craig Finn Posts Acoustic Performance of "Jackson" from Forthcoming Solo Disc (out Jan. 24th)

2011-12-30T11:06:00.003-05:00

"In July 2011, I went to Austin Texas to make a record. The Hold Steady was on a four month break, and I wanted to try something a little different. Earlier in the year, I had written a bunch of songs that were outside of the norm for The Hold Steady, a little quieter and perhaps more narrative. I also wanted to gain some experience and insight into the process of making a record by working with new
people.

I'm calling this record “Clear Heart Full Eyes”. It's a juxtaposed reference to Friday Night Lights, a TV show that excited and moved me and also happened in Texas. Further, “Clear Heart” signifies honesty and transparency, and “Full Eyes” suggests experience. Thus, it's about being optimistic and open without succumbing to the weariness or doubt that comes with age and experience. To me, that is what it's all about." - Craig Finn

Finn invited The A.V. Club to his Brooklyn apartment where he discussed the making-of his debut solo album, Clear Heart Full Eyes, and performed an acoustic version of the excellent song "Jackson" for their One Track Mind series.

Craig Finn discusses and performs "Jackson"

Craig Finn Tour Dates:
2/01 - Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
2/02 - Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
2/03 - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
2/04 - Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social Club
2/06 - Iowa City, IA @ The Mill
2/07 - Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle
2/08 - Detroit, MI @ The Lager House
2/09 - Columbus, OH @ The Basement
2/10 - St Louis, MO @ Off Broadway
2/11 - Kansas City, MO @ Record Bar
2/13 - Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
2/19 - San Diego, CA @ Casbah
2/20 - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
2/21 - San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
2/23 - Portland, OR @ The Doug Fir Lounge
2/24 - Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
2/27 - Ringwood, NJ @ Live @ Drew’s House
2/28 - Allston, MA @ Great Scott
2/29 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge (Early Show) SOLD OUT
2/29 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge (Late Show) SOLD OUT
3/1 - Hoboken, NJ @ Maxwell’s (Tickets are $15 and are still available)
3/2 - Washington, DC @ Rock N Roll Hotel
3/3 - Chapel Hill, NC @ Local 506
3/5 - Atlanta, GA @ Earl

Links:
Craig Finn

Camper Van Beethoven Will be Debuting New Material @ Highline Ballroom on Sat., Jan. 14th

2011-12-29T22:29:00.004-05:00

DOWNLOAD: Camper Van Beethoven - Live at The Independent, San Francisco, CA 12-28-11

Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven's annual year-end California trek is underway and the last night of this run of shows is Dec. 29th in Petaluma. After which, Cracker heads further north to Portland on December 30th for a special one-off with bluegrass jam band Leftover Salmon, where the two bands will perform their highly-lauded 2003 album O Cracker, Where Art Thou? together in its entirety.

The following night, Cracker & CVB will be in Chicago for a celebratory New Year's Eve bash at Chicago's House Of Blues. Camper Van Beethoven will open, followed by Cracker ringing in the new year, and then Big Head Todd & The Monsters playing into the wee hours.

Then Camper Van Beethoven will start off the year with their own headlining shows in Milwaukee, Madison and Iowa City, before hooking up with Cracker again for shows in St. Louis and Minneapolis. The two bands will then head east for their annual winter run through the Northeast. As David Lowery (frontman for both bands) told the Boston Herald earlier this year,"We always do it in January when it’s really cold and not many bands go up to the Northeast. It started from the fact that it was the only time that was slow for the Camper Van Beethoven guys who have real careers. Then we accidentally figured out nobody else is touring, so it’s seen as this mid-winter cabin-fever kind of party."

Both Cracker and CVB will be running through their career-spanning canons of hits and fan favorites, while, perhaps even more exciting, Camper Van Beethoven will be performing a handful of new songs slated for their new studio album - their first in over seven years!

CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN & CRACKER'S WINTER 2011-12 TOUR
Thu., Dec. 29 - Mystic Theatre, Petaluma, CA [CRACKER / CVB]
Fri., Dec. 30 - The Roseland Theater, Portland, OR [CRACKER & LEFTOVER SALMON perform O Cracker Where Art Thou?album]
Sat., Dec. 31 - House Of Blues, Chicago, IL
[CVB 8pm / CRACKER 10pm / Big Head Todd & The Monsters 12:30am]
Tue., Jan. 3 - Shank Hall. Milwaukee, WI [CVB ONLY]
Wed., Jan. 4 - High Noon Saloon, Madison, WI [CVB ONLY]
Thu., Jan. 5 - The Mill, Iowa City, IA [CVB ONLY]
Fri., Jan. 6 - The Pageant, St Louis, MO [CRACKER / CVB]
Sat., Jan. 7 - TBA, Minneapolis, MN [CRACKER / CVB]
Fri., Jan. 13 - World Cafe Live, Philadelphia, PA [CRACKER / CVB]
Sat., Jan. 14 - Highline Ballroom, New York, NY [CRACKER / CVB]
(Tickets are $22 in advance and $25 DOS)
Sun., Jan. 15 - Middle East Downstairs, Cambridge, MA [CRACKER / CVB]

Links:
Cracker
Camper Van Beethoven

Jim Florentine - "Cringe and Purge" CD Review (Metal Blade)

2011-12-27T21:45:00.000-05:00

Jim Florentine "Kids" by Metal Blade Records

Wikipedia defines cringe comedy as “a comedy genre that uses awkward and embarrassing situations to cause audiences to feel uneasy”. The problem with this definition is that uber-PC folks need to realize that everyday life has a large number of “awkward and embarrassing situations” and Florentine touches on a number of these situations over the course of his new disc.

While Jim Florentine is well-known for his "Special Ed" and "Bobby Fletcher" characters, Cringe and Purge (Metal Blade) is straight-forward stand-up comedy delivered in a matter-of-fact tone similar to Richard Pryor’s Live on the Sunset Strip. It should be fair warning to the easily offended that Florentine recently opened up for the Big 4 tour (Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax) but for those who didn’t get the hint, he starts his show with the comment “if you DVR the show “Glee”, this is going to end badly for you”.

This 45 minute disc is divided into nine tracks and Florentine’s subject matter ranges from the inanity of modern life (“Superstitions”, “Old School Parents”) to the potentially inflammatory (“Gay Guys”, “Religion”, “Hip-Hop Sticks”). Florentine takes on each of these topics with well-developed stories and anecdotes which allow the audience to relate to his feelings and observations. Some of his funnier narratives touch on parents, sex and Catholic priests, the typical angry meathead fans at a Slayer show, and the stupidity of today’s “matching bling” hip-hop culture.

While there are shocks, surprises and stepped-on toes over the course of Florentine’s delivery, his stories and the rhythm of his delivery separate him from comedians who use “shock for the sake of shock”. Florentine will drop a bomb in the middle of one of these narratives and nonchalantly move on to the next topic.

For anyone who appreciates stand-up comedy, Florentine’s social commentary on Cringe and Purge is funny, poignant and most often dead-on.

Links:
Jim Florentine

Austrian Death Machine - "Jingle All The Way" CD EP Review (Metal Blade)

2011-12-26T18:28:00.002-05:00

Austrian Death Machine "It's Turbo Time" by Metal Blade Records

When Austrian Death Machine’s (ADM) first disc came our in 2008, Tim Lambesis describes it as "a tribute to the great Arnold movies. It is a band fronted by Ahhnold with music I wrote and recorded in my free time. But, most importantly, I had so much fun!" Tim and the boys are back with a new three-song EP where the songs are based on Das Ahnold’s 1996 (very painful) holiday movie Jingle All the Way.

Similar to ADM’s earlier releases, all three tracks “I’m Not a Pervert”, “It’s Turbo Time” and “Who Told You You Could Eat My Cookies” contain dialogue related to Arnie’s pursuit of a Turbo Man doll in Jingle All the Way. Given the problems that Arnie ran into earlier this year with his love child and messy divorce from Maria Schriver, you can’t help but chuckle embarrassedly when you hear Das Ahnold roar on the first track “I’m not a pervert – I was just looking for a Turbo Man doll”. The last track, “Who Told You You Could Eat My Cookies?”, was first heard on 2009’s Double Brutal and Das Ahnold sets the stage for the death metal growls that follow by saying “If you're going to sound like Cookie Monster, then we might as well write a song about cookies”.

Musically, ADM play thrashed-up metalcore which utilizes a mix of chugging guitars, technical death metal solos and mosh-ready blast beats and breakdowns that are “totally brutal”. Ahnold calls for the solo at the end of “It’s Turbo Time” with the comment: “What the hell's the matter with you? You totally forgot the guitar solo, you idiots! Play it...Play it now!" As you can gather from all of this, the vocals are a mix of Tim’s Cookie Monster death metal growls and Das Ahnold voice-overs.

While this release doesn’t break any new ground, it is simply a fun disc…and a great counterpoint to sappy Xmas discs like Scott Weiland’s cringe-inducing disc It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.

Links:
Austrian Death Machine

Holy Grail - "Seasons Bleedings" EP Review (Prosthetic Records)

2011-12-24T22:08:00.000-05:00

The two best metal Christmas releases this year came from Holy Grail and Austrian Death Machine.

Los Angeles thrashers Holy Grail released a two song, limited edition colored vinyl 7” (“Holy shades of Sub*Pop Batman”), "Seasons Bleedings", and these two songs are also included on a four-track digital EP which was issued under the same name. The vinyl single contains covers of King Diamond’s first solo single “No Presents for Christmas” and Rainbow’s “Kill the King” and the digital EP adds covers of Judas Priest’s “Exciter” and Accept’s “Fast as a Shark.” These later two cuts are from the original pressing of the band's " Improper Burial" EP

This release marks the recording debut of guitarist Alex Lee (x-Bonded By Blood) and he and guitarist Eli Santana give “No Presents for Christmas” a heavier feel than the King’s original. The band has some fun with this track, substituting a selection from the Nutcracker Suite in place of the original’s “Jingle Bells” and some music from Charlie Brown’s Christmas for the original’s snippet from “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer”. The second track, “Kill the King”, is a heavier, thrashed-out rendition of Rainbow’s classic song where the original’s keyboards have been substituted for Holy Grail’s dual guitar attack.

The vinyl version of "Seasons Bleedings" is limited to 500 copies (250 on Red and 250 on Green) and is still available through Prosthetic Records’ web shop for $6.66.

Links:
Holy Grail

La Coka Nostra Post Free Download - "Malverde Market" - from Forthcoming Second Disc "Masters of the Dark Arts"

2011-12-24T13:29:00.004-05:00

DOWNLOAD: La Coka Nostra - "Malverde Market"

Hip Hop super-crew, La Coka Nostra (LCN) has re-surfaced in time for the holidays with a new song for free download and video! "Malverde Market" features LCN members Slaine and Ill Bill (Bill also doing double duty as producer of the track) and is a sampling of what is to come for 2012. The group has announced they are working on a new full-length titled Masters Of The Dark Arts to be released next May. This will be the follow up to the group’s 2009 debut album A Brand You Can Trust.

There is an in-depth interview with Bill published on The Spizzy (snippet below) where Bill talks about his latest mix-tape, Howie Made Me Do It, and the forthcoming La Coka Nostra album.

Pacino: What’s poppin with La Coka Nostra’s next album, Master of the Dark Arts? How’s that coming along?

Bill: That’s the next record coming out that I’m involved with and it’s coming along crazy, man. Lethal just hit us with a folder of beats. We haven’t heard beats from him in a while. He’s one my favorite producers… he slept-on, he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves but I think he’s a great producer. We’ve sitting on a bunch of beats. I’ve done some production for the record. C-Lance has done some production for the record so far. Jack of All Trades, who did some joints on the Heavy Metal Kings record, he’s done one so far that we’ve rocked. Got a couple more in the chamber.

We’ve waited a while to get into recording this record because everybody’s so busy individually. It presented itself opportunity-wise to be able to work on this record and put it out in the time frame. We have to make moves based off of different schedules, being that we’re all real busy. Slaine might have become the busiest dude in the group in the past couple of years… especially him with the movie work he’s doing. So we had to jump on it. So basically me and Slaine have pretty much been in the studio kind of spearheading everything. We’ve been putting in the work so far, going in. I’m excited because I already got two beats on the record, which is like, a beat and a half more than the last album.

Links:
La Coka Nostra

Neil Young - "Live in Chicago 1992" CD Review (Immortal)

2011-12-23T10:38:00.003-05:00

After enjoying Neil Young's acoustic set on the recently released Live on Air / The Lost Tapes CD (see review), I've been more attentive to some of Neil's one-off releases that have been coming out on little European labels. I recently picked up this 2CD set, Live in Chicago 1992, from Amazon.co.uk for ~$15 (inclusive of shipping.

This 20-song / 110 minute set captures a tight solo performance by Neil which was recorded on Nov. 17, 1992 for broadcast on PBS' "Centerstage". As Neil's previously released live disc from his Harvest Moon tour, Dreamin' Man Live '92, contained only by-the-books live recordings of the 10-tracks from Harvest Moon, it is nice to hear these songs sequenced into the context of the full setlist. Live in Chicago 1992 contains nine of Harvest Moon's ten tracks along with a mix of tracks from Neil's career that include "Long May You Run", "Pocahontas" and a delectable version of "After the Goldrush".

While Live in Chicago 1992 is a great performance, Neil doesn't take any chances this night so the loose arrangement of "Old King" and the two unreleased numbers "Homefires" and "Love Art Blues", which were played on other nights on the tour, aren't included in this night's setlist. All-in-all though, this set is a major leap forward from Dreamin' Man Live '92.

Neil Young - "Live in Chicago 1992" Track List
1. Long May You Run
2. From Hank To Hendrix
3. Unknown Legend
4. Love Is A Rose
5. Pocahontas
6. Like A Hurricane
7. War Of Man
8. The Needle And The Damage Done
9. Tonight's The Night
10. One Of These Days
11. Such A Woman
12. Harvest Moon
13. Dreamin' Man
14. Natural Beauty
15. Don't Let It Bring You Down
16. Mr. Soul
17. Powderfinger
18. Sugar Mountain
19. You And Me
20. After The Goldrush

Links:
Neil Young

Chantilly - "Caught Light" CD Review

2011-12-23T10:31:00.004-05:00

caught light sampler by chantilly

The holidays seemed like a good time to catch up on some of the discs that slipped through the cracks earlier this year and one of these was the debut disc by Brooklyn singer/songwriter/blogger Chantilly, Caught Light.

I got a huge kick over a rant on Chantilly’s blog about the term singer/songwriter: “anytime you mention the words "singer" and "songwriter" in the same sentence, people automatically raise a leery eyebrow and assume some stereotype of beatniks singing self-indulgent lyrics in a coffeehouse. if you're a girl and play guitar, there's usually some variation of ani difranco involved, as well.” With this in mind, perhaps a little clarification is in order – Chantilly is a singer/songwriter in the spirit of Shawn Colvin and Jenny Owen Youngs (and not the self-indulgent nonsense that I’ve seen at Sidewalk Cafe).

The nine tracks on Chantilly’s debut disc run 32 minutes and, while Chantilly’s vocals are the focal point of each of the songs, the disc stays fresh through Chantilly’s different vocal styles which are backstopped by a variety of carefully arranged instrumentation, that includes strings, piano and hand-claps. Chantilly’s vocals range from the ethereal (“Birthday Wish”) to a soaring crescendo (“Flowing Ice”) and she even utilizes an “alt-country” bluesy twang on “Springtime Travels”. Her lyrics touch on different aspects of the human condition but, outside of “An Affair”, never seem to get into the semi-confessional Ani Difranco territory. The disc ends on a high note with "Springtime Travels" which is a joyful “campfire” style tune complete with handclaps. The song charmingly seems to break down at the very end and the track fades out with a laughing voice saying “That’s a wrap then”.

Chantilly's first album “caught light” was recorded by friend Danielle DePalma, on the heels of graduating from the esteemed Purchase College music conservatory. It was followed up by a quick little Northeastern tour, as well as some slow-building praise from key music blogs. Since then, she has been plodding away at gaining a following through hard work and word of mouth.
– from Chantilly’s web site

Chantilly just concluded a successful Kickstarter campaign which will fund the recording of her second album. For more details, see the video below:

Links:
Chantilly

Exhumed: NPR Posts Full Set from Maryland Deathfest 2011 as Free Download

2011-12-22T08:30:00.004-05:00

DOWNLOAD: Exhumed - Live at Maryland Deathfest, Sonar, Baltimore, MD 6-23-11

I'm pleasantly shocked as I never would have envisioned that I would mention Exhumed and NPR in the same sentence...but NPR has just posted some of the sets from this year's Maryland Deathfest as free downloads.

Exhumed released their All Guts, No Glory full-length earlier this year via Relapse Records. The record continues to reap critical acclaim from fans and critics nationally and has left it's grisly mark on multiple Year End lists including Decibel, Pitchfork, NPR.org, MetalSucks and Skulls N Bones! The band played their first U.S. show in over six years at the 2011 edition of the Maryland Deathfest and thanks to NPR, the set -- in all its uncensored glory -- is available as a free download (above).

Said vocalist/guitarist menace Matt Harvey: "2011 has been a great year for the band. We've had a killer time scraping off the rust on the gore metal machine and getting back on the road and partying with necromaniacs all over the place. It's amazing how many people have enjoyed our racket and have actually said nice things about our record -- sometimes even in public! We have a lot of shit planned for next year and we're chomping at the bit to continue subjecting the universe to more of our god awful noise! See you on the road...or at the bar. Play fast or die, dudes. Cheers!"

As previously announced, Exhumed will be showering Brazil with their infernal live rituals this Winter with Aborted. This will mark the band's first time ever in the country.

Exhumed w/ Aborted:
2/17/2012 Music Hall - Belo Horizonte, MG
2/18/2012 Hangar 110 - São Paulo, SP
2/19/2012 Hangar Bar - Curitiba, PR
2/20/2012 Bar Opinião - Porto Alegre, RS

Links:
Exhumed

X (the band) - "The Unheard Music" DVD Review (MVD Video)

2011-12-21T22:57:00.006-05:00

Earlier this fall, the original lineup of X regrouped for a limited run of shows where they played the entirety of their 1980 debut Los Angeles and screened their little-seen 1986 bio-pic The Unheard Music prior to the show. While similar minded bio-pics like Decline of Western Civilization (1981) achieved cult status, The Unheard Music seemed to slip under the radar of most people at the time of its original release.

The Unheard Music was filmed between 1980 and 1985 by Angel City Productions – a group of first-time film makers. The film captures the evolution of X over the course of their first four albums and also documents the evolution and decline of the LA punk scene. All of this is set against the background of the Reagan administration’s “Morning in America” and a hostile and apathetic music industry that were looking for the next AOR stadium act.

Director W.T. Morgan and the Angel City team do an excellent job of capturing the personality of each of the band members through candid, ‘at-home’ interviews along with a number of high-energy live and rehearsal performances from X. This footage is inter-spliced with pre-MTV music videos (for the song “The Unheard Music” and “Because I Do”), a variety of topical and stock footage and interviews with various personalities from the LA music scene. These interviews range from Brendan Mullen giving a tour of his short-lived punk club The Masque (which was in the basement of a porno theater) to an MCA Records executive talking about how he didn’t hear the commercial appeal in X’s music and he and MCA were expecting Point Blank to become the “next big thing” (aka the next Journey). There is also a reoccurring thread about a letter that Slash Records received from a girl who claimed that the lyrics from “Los Angeles” were stolen from her life story (but she wasn’t going to sue) so Angel City turned this theme into a mini-video featuring actress Alizabeth Foley.

The individual footage with the members of X include DJ Bonebrake demonstrating a polyrhythmic beat that he came up with on his apartment stove, John and Exene playing an acoustic Hank Williams number in their apartment, Exene giving a ‘behind the scenes’ tour of the Whisky prior to its closing in 1982, Billy goofing at home discussing his musical upbringing (and there is some footage of him playing the clarinet) and John explaining how the band came together and how he was able to acquire the “X” from the marquee of the old “Ex-Lax Building”.

Songs, in order of performance:
· Los Angeles
· Year One
· We're Desperate
· Because I Do
· Beyond & Back
· Come Back to Me
· Soul Kitchen (w/ Ray Manzarek on backing vocals)
· White Girl
· The Once Over Twice
· Motel Room in My Bed
· The Unheard Music
· Real Child of Hell
· Johny Hit & Run Paulene
· I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts
· The World's a Mess; It's in My Kiss
· The Have Nots

"Well in the early 80s, there was a lot of attention on the punk scene then, because it was a revolutionary movement and was important and all that, and then students from UCLA wanted to make videos about us and we didn't really take it very seriously but further on we realized they were serious. Eventually they finished and it was called The Unheard Music and I'm glad they did it because I think as far as documentaries go, it's really good. It really is a good capture of that time and the music business. And it focuses on us, and it also focuses on the bigger picture. I'm a documentary fan. I love any kind of documentary, pretty much.” -- Exene Cervanka (from an interview with Helen Bach)

To celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the film, Angel City Productions released a “Silver Anniversary” special edition DVD on December 13th with a new film transfer and 5.1 mix of the original documentary along with bonus footage which includes previously unreleased live footage (“Some Other Time”), a current 25th Anniversary ‘look-back’ interview with John and Exene along with an inside look into the making of the film with the members of Angel City Productions (circa. 1983).

Links:
X (the band)

The Smiths: "Please, Please, Please: a Tribute to The Smiths" CD Review (American Laundromat Records)

2011-12-21T22:22:00.000-05:00

Sheila Take A Bow (Smiths Cover) by Telekinesis by americanlaundromatrecords

Panic (Smiths Cover) by Kitten by americanlaundromatrecords

I'm not sure what will happen first: the Age of Quarrel line-up of the Cro-Mags reunite, The Smiths reunite or hell freezes over. It is a funny world though as I can remember listening to a mid-90's interview with Metallica where they were laughing when asked about the possibility of ever playing again with Dave Mustaine and Dave just played with Metallica at the band's 30th Anniversary show in San Francisco.

For anyone who needs a fix while waiting to see whether the rumor is true that The Smiths are reuniting for Coachella 2012, American Laundromat Records has just issued a loving 2-CD tribute to The Smiths - Please, Please, Please. Following up on Morrissey and Johnny Marr's fascination with English pop-singer Sandie Shaw, American Laundromat Records secured rights to use a Sandie Shaw photograph for the cover of this new tribute disc and tapped rock-poster designer Lonny Unitus (Apples In Stereo, The Decemberists, Willie Nelson) to design the cover art and eco-wallet packaging.

The twenty indie-rock band on this collection keep the core foundation of Marr and Morrissey's songs intact and immediately recognizable but each of these bands reinterprets and adds their individual imprint to the songs so this collection should pull in both long-time Smiths fans along with indie-rock fans who want to hear a new take on the band's back catalogue. Sadly, aside for a few greatest hits releases, The Smiths' catalogue has languished since the late 80's so this compilation breathes some new life into the band's well-established legacy.

Disc One starts with a shoe-gazer, shimmery cover of "Panic" by Kitten and some of the highlights on this first disc include Tanya Donnelly and Dylan in the Movies' languid cover of "Shoplifters of the World Unite" and the industrial leaning "Shop Me If You've Heard This One Before" by The Rest and "Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others" by Chikita Violenta. One of the other stand-outs on Disc One is Greg Laswell's moving piano-driven cover of "Half a Person.

Disc Two starts with Telekinesis' cover of "Sheila Take a Bow" which is one of the few tracks on this set that doesn't stray far from the Smiths' original. From there, Solvents pick things up with a shambling alt-country cover of "Is It Really So Strange?" and Wedding Present deliver an alt-metal version of "Hand in Glove". There are a number of engaging tracks on this second disc, which range from Trespassers William's shoe-gazer version of "There is a Light That Never Goes Out" to Girl in a Coma's alt-punk delivery of "Rubber Ring" to a Blondie styled cover of "I Know It's Over" by Elk City. This disc closes on a striaght-forward note with a glistening cover of "Reel Around the Fountain" from Built To Spill's Doug Martsch.

Links:
American Laundromat Records

Paul McCartney Releases First Single, "My Valentine", From Forthcoming Album

2011-12-20T10:10:00.003-05:00

My Valentine - Paul McCartney by PaulMcCartney

While many a musician is often asked about the tunes that have influenced their songwriting, it is not a question Paul McCartney ordinarily gets to answer – until now. Paul is about to offer a glimpse into “the songs which inspired the songs” with the upcoming release of a brand new album of those standards he grew up listening to in his childhood—plus two brand new McCartney compositions: the album, which is currently untitled, will be released on Hear Music/Concord Records on February 7th 2012.

With the help of Grammy Award-winning producer Tommy LiPuma and Diana Krall and her band—as well as guest appearances from Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder, McCartney’s new album is a deeply personal journey through classic American compositions that, in some cases, a young Paul first heard his father perform on piano at home. As authentic and daring a musical statement as he could make, this is the album Paul has been thinking about making for more than 20 years - and probably the last thing his fans are expecting. “In the end it was ‘Look, if I don’t do it now, I’ll never do it,” he says. In short, Paul believes it is about time “the songs me and John based quite a few of our things on” received the recognition they deserve. Moreover, the record also features a couple of new original McCartney compositions in the spirit of those classics.

“When I kind of got into songwriting, I realised how well structured these songs were and I think I took a lot of my lessons from them,” Paul explains. “I always thought artists like Fred Astaire were very cool. Writers like Harold Arlen, Cole Porter, all of those guys - I just thought the songs were magical. And then, as I got to be a songwriter I thought it’s beautiful, the way they made those song’.”

Determined to approach the record in a new and unique manner, Paul enlisted the help of LiPuma and Krall and her band—who delivered ultra-high quality musicianship and were completely in tune with Paul’s restraint and feel for the music. In the studio, the recording of this album was also a new challenge for Paul who, for the first time ever, performed exclusively in the vocal booth without no instrument – no guitar, no bass, no piano - which led to a vocal performance like no other in his career.

Paul said, “It was very spontaneous, kind of organic, which then reminded me of the way we’d work with The Beatles. We’d bring a song in, kick it around, when we found a way to do it we’d say ‘Okay, let's do a take now’ and by the time everyone kind of had an idea of what they were doing, we’d learnt the song. So that’s what we did, we did the take live in the studio. It was important for me to keep away from the more obvious song choices so, many of the classic standards will be unfamiliar to some people. I hope they are in for a pleasant surprise.”

The album was recorded at the legendary Capitol Studios in Los Angeles, New York and London throughout 2011. It also features guest musicians Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder, respectively, on the original compositions "My Valentine" and "Only Our Hearts".

Links:
Paul McCartney

Yes - "In the Present: Live from Lyon" CD Review (Frontiers Records)

2011-12-20T08:45:00.003-05:00

One of the challenges in writing a review of a long-running band’s “greatest hits” album is that the band (most often) has an established and well-known sound so the reviewer adds little value. I feel like I’m in that quandary with the latest live album from Yes, In the Present: Live from Lyon, as Yes has already released over a dozen live albums, CDs and DVDs and the set list on this new disc is predominately comprised of Yes’ greatest hits. One could argue that this is the first live album with vocalist Benoit David but, while his voice sounds closer to Trevor Horn’s than Anderson’s, he delivers the songs in the same style as Anderson so that doesn’t seem to be a valid counterpoint. Songs like “Roundabout” or “Starship Trooper” simply haven’t changed that much over the last 30 years (see comparative Anderson / David live videos below).

In the Present: Live from Lyon was recorded on 12/1/09 at La Bourse du Travail in Lyon, France during the band’s 2008-09 “In the Present” tour. This tour served to introduce Benoit David to Yes fans so the set list consists of the ‘chestnuts’ that are likely on ALL of Yes’ previous live albums along with a few ‘surprises’ in the set list – “Astral Traveler”, “Machine Messiah”, “South Side of the Sky” and “Onward”.

Here is the track list:

Disc 1:
1- "Siberian Khatru"
2- "I've Seen All Good People"
3 - "Tempus Fugit"
4 - "Onward"
5- "Astral Traveller"
6 - "And You And I"
7 - "Corkscrew" (Steve Howe Solo)

Disc 2:
1 - "Owner of a Lonely Heart"
2 - "Southside of the Sky"
3 - "Machine Messiah"
4 - "Heart of the Sunrise"
5 - "Roundabout"
6 - "Starship Trooper"

While this show doesn’t break any new ground (and I assume its main point is to prove that Benoit David can sing like Jon Anderson in a live setting), it captures a solid performance by the band. My one complaint is that the band slows down the tempos on some of the faster material so it is a bit disconcerting not to hear the expected burst of speed and energy as (i.e.) songs like “Your Move” shift into “All Good People”. This complaint, though, isn’t unique to this new recording as Yes has been slowing down for the last couple of years. My other complaint is that Oliver Wakeman doesn’t have the flair of his father and the keyboards sound rather bland. The good news is that Steve Howe and Chris Squire both sound perfectly on-point (and Howe adds a spark to the end of “Yours is No Disgrace” with some innovative guitar work) and Howe and Squire’s backing vocals perfectly balance David’s alto tenor.

There are a number of live video from this show posted to YouTube so you can check out the recording in advance to see if this is for you.

It would have been nice if this record had broken some new ground (a complete run-through of Drama would have been brilliant) but In the Present: Live from Lyon doesn’t diminish the band’s 40+ year legacy.

Links:
Yes

Margot & The Nuclear So and So's Announce Fourth Disc, "Rot Gut, Domestic", Due Out on March 20th (Mariel Recording Company)

2011-12-19T23:06:00.003-05:00

Margot & The Nuclear So and So's have announced the release of their fourth studio album Rot Gut, Domestic on March 20th, 2012 via their own Mariel Recording Company.

Rot Gut, Domestic is the Nukes' rawest take on their evocative, soaring brand of guitar-centric pop. The album follows in the footsteps of the more brazen, rocking songs that comprised 2010's Buzzard (called "masterpieces of controlled tension" by SPIN) and the first four tracks provide a fittingly booming intro. Opener "Disease Tobacco Free" is a propulsive low-end led rumble; squealing guitars and rough-hewn edges augment the sinister air of "Books About Trains"; "Shannon" is a bleary-eyed and grimy, fuzzy bass stomp; and undulating first single "Prozac Rock" is a modern pop song's frenetic, slightly spooky sister. The swinging, sweetly twisted tale of "A Journalist Falls In Love" and the rolling "Ludlow Junk Hustle" ease the album's pace, and The Nukes still pen some of the most moving, lush songs today, heard here in the gorgeous, sweeping guitar lilt of "Coonskin Cap".

Singer/songwriter Richard Edwards wrote Rot Gut, Domestic over 26 days in Pismo Beach, CA last spring. Plagued by chronic stomach pain, he'd headed to Pismo Beach - which had become a somewhat mythical place for the band, a respite of calm and healing where they'd somehow always been drawn - following the last days of the band's touring around Buzzard. The album was conceived as the second installment of the band's 'panic pop' trilogy, Edwards composing a new set of songs about Midwestern fringe characters set to his skewed version of the pop music on which he was raised. Upon returning to his current hometown of Chicago, IL, Edwards and the rest of the band headed into Electrical Audio studio with producer/engineer John Congleton (St. Vincent, Bill Callahan, The Walkmen). The Nukes churned out these 12 resounding tracks over 10 days in July before Congleton returned to his Dallas, TX studio to mix the album. A full track listing is below.

Margot & The Nuclear So and So's will perform a New Year's Eve show at Deluxe at Amber Room in Indianapolis, IN. A limited edition (500 hand-numbered copies) 7-inch single of "Prozac Rock", which includes non-album track B-side "Fingertips", will be available exclusively at the show. The majority of the copies will be printed in standard black vinyl, while 50 will be white and less than 10 will be multi-colored. Beginning January 1st, any remaining copies will be available first to fans who contributed to the album's PledgeMusic campaign for one week before a wider release via the band's website. The "Prozac Rock" single will also be available digitally beginning January 3rd.

More touring news will be announced soon.

Rot Gut, Domestic track listing:
Disease Tobacco Free
Books About Trains
Shannon
Prozac Rock
A Journalist Falls In Love
Frank Left
Fisher Of Men
Arvydas Sabonis
Coonskin Cap
Ludlow Junk Hustle
The Devil
Christ

Margot & The Nuclear So and So's Tour Dates:
DEC. 31 -- INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- DELUXE AT AMBER ROOM

Links:
Margot & The Nuclear So and So's

R.E.M. Shutters Fan Club with Low Key 2011 Christmas Single

2011-12-19T22:50:00.001-05:00

R.E.M. Fan-Club Holiday Single 2011 by Slicing Up Eyeballs

Way back in the pre-Internet dark ages, it used to be the epitome of indie record-geek cool to be a member of R.E.M.’s fan club as the club put out an annual limited-edition Christmas single containing exclusive material. The original fan club releases were vinyl singles which contained (generally) a unique, one-off cover along with a holiday-themed song. The first few singles contained covers of songs by Television, Mission of Burma and Flipper along with ‘goofy’ holiday covers that included ‘Parade of the Wooden Soldiers’, ‘Toyland’, and ‘Good King Wenceslas’.

I lost interest in R.E.M. in the middle-90’s and dropped my fan club membership but got back involved this year as I expected the band’s final holiday single (the fan club is now disbanded now that the band has broken up) would prove interesting. Unfortunately, the final release from the fan club is unremarkable…it is a two song CD which contains live performances of “Perfect Circle” (Twickenham 8/30/08) and “Life and How to Live It” (from R.E.M.’s final show, Mexico City 11/18/08). While the recording and performances sound great – there doesn’t appear to be any rhyme or reason as to why these tracks from these shows were chosen. In fact, R.E.M. had previously posted the six song encore from their final show in Mexico City to YouTube.

As R.E.M.’s final holiday single is pretty unremarkable, it is disappointing to see the fan club go out with a whimper rather than bang.

Links:
R.E.M.

One One Seven: Long Island Modern Rock Band Makes Their NYC Debut with a Show at Arlene's Grocery on Dec. 29th

2011-12-18T22:10:00.003-05:00

Long Island's One One Seven started in December 2007 and the band's acoustic-based music and rich vocal harmonies immediately bring up comparisons to bands like The Trews and 90's "modern rock" bands like Matchbox 20 and Hootie & the Blowfish.

To date, One One Seven has been giging outside of the City and have shared the stage with acts like Romance on a Rocketship, This Condition, Austin Gibbs, Brian Bonz (from Kevin Devine's Band), Truth In Transit and Jonas Sees In Color. The band is making their NYC debut with a show at Arlene's Grocery on Dec. 29th. One One Seven is playing alongside Inlite, I Can See Mountains and the night ends with the Party Money rave - cover is $8.

Links:
One One Seven

Johnny Thunders - "Who's Been Talking?" Live DVD Review (MVD Video)

2011-12-18T21:43:00.007-05:00

With the release of the New York Dolls’ DVD Looking Fine on Television, I went back to check out some of the Dolls/Thunders releases that I’ve missed over the years. These first of the discs that I dropped on was Johnny Thunders Who's Been Talking which is a live DVD of one of Johnny’s last concerts. This show was filmed at Club Citta in Osaka, Japan on April 3, 1991 and this is the last known recorded show that Johnny played as he was found dead in New Orleans on April 23rd. The music on Who's Been Talking will be familiar to long-time fans as a portion of this show was released on the 2CD set Add Water and Stir and the full show was released on the two volume Japanese set Saddest Vacation – Last Live in Japan. What makes this release a treat is that it is the first full concert video of Johnny playing with the Oddballs as, outside of 10 minutes of bootleg footage from the Cat Club, I haven’t seen anything else out there.

This show is neither the barn-storming, ball-busting rawk of the Heartbreakers nor the troubadour-style acoustic sets that Thunders was playing around NYC prior to his death but contains elements of both. With the addition of Allison’s Gordy’s prominent backing vocals (she takes lead on the torch song “I Can’t Go On Without You”) and Jamie Heath’s saxophone, the show has more of a “Buster Poindexter” style flair than Johnny’s typical stage show. Johnny takes on a “showman” role for this concert but his illness has him obviously moving at a slower clip. He rarely plays guitar while singing but guitarist Stevie Klasson plays some nice leads with Johnny adding in some of his immediately-recognizable licks when he isn’t singing. The drug-fueled sloppiness may be gone but Johnny stays true to form by getting both the name of the city wrong (he gives a thank you to “Tokyo” at the end of the set) and improvising some dirty lyrics to “Hang on Sloopy”.

The setlist spans both the Dolls and Thunders back catalogues and Johnny plays some material (“Society Makes Me Sad” and “Disappointed in You” that was new at that time (and "Disappointed in You" was ultimately released on the 1993 Totonka bootleg Sticks & Stones which was later re-released by Cleopatra). It is an interesting and eclectic set list as Johnny skips “Chinese Rocks” and “You Can't Put Your Arm Around A Memory” from his ‘traditional’ set and includes covers of “Hang on Sloopy” and “You Can Walk My Dog” (which are in addition to the standard covers in the set list of “Pills”, “Louie Louie”, and “Stepping Stone”).

Here is the complete (and corrected) set list:

1. In Cold Blood
2. Hit The Road Jack > I’m Not Your Stepping Stone
3. Blame It On Mom
4. Disappointed In You
5. Sad Vacation
6. You Can Walk My Dog
7. Pipeline
8. I Can't Go On Without You
9. Louie Louie / Hang On Sloopy
10. Society Makes Me Sad
11. Too Much Junkie Business > Pills
12. Just Another Girl
13. So Alone
14. Personality Crisis

Encore: (w/ Kiyoshiro Imawano on harmonica and backing vocals)
15. Born To lose
16. I Wanna Be Loved

The disc runs for 66 minutes and also contains a bonus feature which is a short bio write-up by Betty Chienne. The audio quality is solid and on-par with any of Thunders’ previously released live shows but the video is a bit hazy. The video editing shows some ‘amateur’ camera jerks and rough edits but it is very watchable and there is a lot worse –looking Thunders footage out there. While video only shows a single camera angle, the show was filmed with multiple cameras so you get to see different visual perspectives of the whole band in action along with close-ups of the members.

Long-time Johnny Thunders fans will want to check out this disc if they haven’t already picked up a copy.

Links:
Johnny Thunders

Meat Puppets - "Huevos" CD Review (MVD Audio)

2011-12-17T23:39:00.001-05:00

DOWNLOAD: Meat Puppets - Live @ Variety Arts Center, Los Angeles, CA 1-22-88

Always a prolific band, The Meat Puppets followed the April 1987 release of the very accessible Mirage with Huevos, which came out just six months later. This time out, the band are going for a bluesy, riff-rock power trio sound akin to the James Gang or ZZ Top. In the liner notes for the reissue, Derrick Bostrom said: “At this stage of our career, we weren’t punk enough for our old fans and we were too punk for our new ones...we decided we’d hit a ceiling with SST and developed the self-defeating attitude that as long as we were on an indie label, there wasn’t much sense in putting as much time and effort into out albums as we had with Mirage. For Huevos then, we took the directly opposite course: we vowed to finish the album in a week. “

Like Mirage, Huevos is very accessible and, retrospectively, seems to pre-date the alt-rock explosion of the 90’s. The disc’s sound centers around Curt’s thick guitar riffs and upfront (and reasonably) clear vocals, both of which are accentuated with a raw “live in the studio” production. A number of website cite a Musician magazine interview where Curt Kirkwood claimed that a fan letter he had received from ZZ Top guitarist Billy Gibbons inspired a songwriting spree that resulted in many of Huevos' tracks. Derrick Bostrom mentions in the liner notes that a handful of the other tracks on this disc were leftovers from Mirage. While the songs on this disc come close to replicating the band’s live sound, the bonus video of “Automatic Mojo” (filmed at the Variety Arts Center in Los Angeles, Jan. ’88) shows the band playing more aggressively in the live setting.

There are a handful of standout tracks on this disc – “Paradise", "Automatic Mojo" and the brilliant "Sexy Music" – but one of the challenges of the disc is that too many of the rough edges have been smoothed off. This disc is extremely radio friendly, which shows that the Pups should have exploded long before Cobain and Too High to Die, but long-time fans will likely miss the eccentricities and raw intensity of the band’s earlier albums.

Moving over to the bonus tracks, most of these are ‘snoozers’ as four of the five bonus tracks are instrumental versions of album tracks that are extremely close to the final version. The one interesting bonus track is “Baby Want You Want Me to Do” which combines the words from “I Can’t Be Counted On” with the music of “Baby What You Want Me to Do” (a Jimmy Reed song that the Pups used to cover in concert).

Huevos Bonus Tracks:
1. "Baby What You Want Me to Do" - 1:29
2. "Sexy Music (Demo Version)" - 6:40
3. "Automatic Mojo (Demo Version)" - 3:56
4. "Paradise (Demo Version)" - 4:06
5. "Fruit (Demo Version)" - 5:20

Links:
Meat Puppets

New York Dolls - "Lookin' Fine on Television" DVD Review (MVD Video)

2011-12-17T20:58:00.006-05:00

"The legendary and infamous New York Dolls at their best! Amazing rare live clips and interviews filmed by Bob Gruen and Nadya Beck in the heady days of the band's ascension in the 70s. Footage from early shows in NYC all the way to the TV studios, clubs and swimming pools of Los Angeles. Black and white film was never so colorful! Includes ripping versions of "Personality Crisis," "Who Are the Mystery Girls?" "Babylon" and more. See the incredible early days of the band that influenced generations of punks and rockers." -- Press Release

I'm the wrong person to write a review of the latest archival DVD from the New York Dolls, Lookin' Fine on Television, as my expectations likely don't match that of a casual fan. To back up, I've bought pretty much every NY Dolls release that I could put my hands over the last twenty years so I have a (too) large collection of the band's commercial releases, quasi-legitamate releases and bootlegs. As such, my expectations are high for any new archival release and Lookin' Fine on Television is a "good" but not "great" addition to the band's catalogue.

This new DVD consists of live audio tracks (likely from the '73 era of the Dolls) over which Gruen and Beck over-layed cut together live footage of the band playing that song from a number of different shows. The footage used came from a variety of shows which include local shows at Kenny's Castaways and Max's Kansas City as well as footage from the band's late '73 West Coast tour. Some of the footage includes clips of the band with Peter Jordan on bass, with Arthur (with his arm still in a cast) looking on, very brief clips from the band's Red Patent Leather era and some great shots of the Dolls' Halloween show at the Waldorf Astoria. As complete performances of songs from some of these shows were released on All Dolled Up, I keep hoping that the full performances will be released so I was a bit disappointed that the cut-together shots on Lookin' Fine on Television end up feeling more like a MTV-style music video than a live performance.

On a positive note, there is some cool interview footage sequenced between the songs. The disc starts with an impromptu interview with the full band who are relaxing on a meadow overlooking the City (and there are some brief shots of future Dolls Peter Jordan and Tony Machine during the interview). There are various clips from a poolside interview with David Johasen which was filmed in Los Angeles and there is also news footage coverage of the Dolls' 1973 Halloween bash.

The disc ends with a bonus clip that is absolutely priceless - this is a 1976 clip of David Johansen interviewing journalist Lisa Robinson on the street outside of CBGB and the taping is 'crashed' midway by a very mod-looking Johnny Thunders.

Links:
New York Dolls

Lissie Releases Cover of The Pretenders' "2000 Miles" as Free Download

2011-12-16T20:22:00.002-05:00

DOWNLOAD: Lissie - "2000 Miles" (Live - not on Live at Shepard's Bush Empire CD/DVD)

Happy holidays!

I wanted to share my version of the Pretenders' '2,000 Miles' from a show I did last year in London! I hope it's a nice complement to your holiday season and helps ya to feel festive! I also hope you all have a very happy holiday surrounded by loved ones and delicious food!

Love, Lissie

Links:
Lissie

The Magnetic Fields Return to Merge for Tenth Disc "Love at the Bottom of the Sea" / Show at Beacon Theater on April 3rd

2011-12-16T17:14:00.003-05:00

The Magnetic Fields’ Love at the Bottom of the Sea will be released by Merge Records on March 6. The band’s tenth full-length album is their first release of new material with Merge since 1999’s highly acclaimed 69 Love Songs. The band will celebrate their new album with a North American tour that passes through the SXSW Music Showcase in Austin, Texas.

After putting out three synthesizer-free albums, The Magnetic Fields are returning to the signature mix of synth and acoustic sounds they established in the 90s with Merge releases such as The Charm of the Highway Strip and Get Lost. Stephin Merritt has come back to the synth with a fresh approach: “Most of the synthesizers on the record didn’t exist when we were last using synthesizers,” he notes. The songs — none over three minutes long — were recorded in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York with Merritt’s usual cast of collaborators: Claudia Gonson, Sam Davol, John Woo, Shirley Simms, Johny Blood and Daniel Handler.

There will be a limited-edition eggshell-colored vinyl available exclusively to those who pre-order the album at the Merge Records store. The first 100 people who order the album from Merge will receive a free signed poster and a Magnetic Fields button, as well.

The Magnetic Fields’ debut album Distant Plastic Trees was released in 1991. In 1999, The Magnetic Fields’ three-CD collection, 69 Love Songs, established Stephin Merritt as one of his generation’s most talented songwriters. That breakthrough was followed by three albums on Nonesuch Records: i in 2004, Distortion in 2008 and Realism in 2010. Between Magnetic Fields releases, Merritt has recorded side projects and albums with his various other bands, Future Bible Heroes, the Gothic Archies and the 6ths, as well as soundtracks to the films Eban and Charley and Pieces of April. In 2006, Nonesuch also released a collection of songs Merritt wrote under the name The Gothic Archies to accompany the Lemony Snicket books, The Tragic Treasury: Songs from a Series of Unfortunate Events. In 2009, Merritt scored the Off-Broadway adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel Coraline.

'Love at the Bottom of the Sea' Track Listing:
1. God Wants Us to Wait
2. Andrew in Drag
3. Your Girlfriend’s Face
4. Born For Love
5. I’d Go Anywhere with Hugh
6. Infatuation (With Your Gyration)
7. The Only Boy in Town
8. The Machine in Your Hand
9. Goin’ Back to the Country
10. I’ve Run Away to Join the Fairies
11. The Horrible Party
12. My Husband’s Pied-a-Terre
13. I Don’t Like Your Tone
14. Quick!
15. All She Cares About Is Mariachi

The Magnetic Fields’ Tour Dates:
March 6 -- Helsinki Hudson, Hudson, NY
March 7 -- Union Transfer, Philadelphia PA
March 14, 15, 16 -- SXSW, Austin, TX
March 18 -- The Vogue, Vancouver, BC
March 19 -- Neptune Theater, Seattle, WA
March 20 -- Neptune Theater, Seattle, WA
March 21 -- Roseland Theater, Portland, OR
March 23 -- Orpheum Theater, Los Angeles, CA
March 24 -- Fox Theater, Oakland, CA
March 26 -- Vic Theater, Chicago, IL
March 27 -- Vic Theater, Chicago, IL
March 28 -- Englert Theater, Iowa City, IA
March 30 -- Sound Academy, Toronto, ONT
March 31 -- Le National, Montral, QUE

April 3 -- Beacon Theater, New York, NY
(Tickets are currently on-sale and range from $35 - 40)

April 6 -- Berklee Performance Center, Boston, MA
April 7 -- Berklee Performance Center, Boston, MA
April 9 -- 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
April 11 -- Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC
April 12 -- Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC
April 14 -- Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA

Links:
The Magnetic Fields

Meat Puppets- "On My Way" CD Review (MVD Audio)

2011-12-15T18:51:00.001-05:00

DOWNLOAD: Meat Puppets - Live @ KCRW Studios, 1-16-86
(contains live versions of many of the songs from On My Way)

The Meat Puppets’ Up On the Sun (1985) was a staple of my college radio days and there was a rumor circulating at the time that the popularity of the disc was going to lead to the Pups signing to a major label. At this point in the band’s career, Curt’s songwriting had significantly matured, leaving no trace of the speedballing freaked-out punk from the band’s first disc.

Drummer Derrick Bostrom noted that, after the lengthy Up On the Sun tour, “no longer were we scruffy punks making noise for the party-soundtrack of our peers, we were now the proprietors of a prosperous new franchise”. As such, the Pups decided to record their next disc outside of an SST studio and planned test the chemistry at a local Phoenix studio with a stop-gap EP, “Out My Way”, prior to recording a full-length disc later in the year. (Those plans quickly changed after Curt broke some of his fingers and Mirage was delayed until almost a year later).

Out My Way was originally released as a 24 minute six track EP and this reissue has now been expanded to 52 minutes with the addition of seven bonus tracks. Most of the songs are straight-forward country-flavored 70’s rock with a little bit of Byrdsian psychedelia (“Other Kinds of Love”) thrown in. The disc opens with the rave-up “She’s Hot”…and the original disc closed on a similar note with Pups steamrolling through a cover of “Good Golly Miss Molly”. There isn’t a bum track on the disc but two of the stand-out tracks are “Not Swimming Ground” and "Mountain Line", which captures the classic Pups sound.

The bonus tracks, which were recorded around the same time as the EP, show the influences on the band range from George Jones (one of the bonus tracks is the Jones popularized song “Burn the Honkey Tonk Down”) to Foghat / ZZ Top-style southern boogie to Grateful Dead style jam bands (“Everything is Green” is a 8+ minute instrumental of Curt jamming to a drum track). The one oddball track of the lot is “Backwards Drums”, which has a trance dance- club sound. Derrick Bostrom describes this last track as being cut during Curt’s wood-shedding period for Monsters. The disc also includes a bonus live video of the Pups covering Hendrix’s “Little Wing” live at The Stone in San Francisco which shows just how tight the band had become musically.

Links:
Meat Puppets

The Fall - "Ersatz GB" CD Review (Cherry Red Records / MVD Audio)

2011-12-14T21:41:00.004-05:00

Toward the end of last month, The Fall released their 29th studio disc Erstaz GB (Cherry Red Records / MVD Audio). Longtime champion of the band John Peel said that “The Fall are always identifiably The Fall, but they do seem to evolve” and there is no mistaking Mark E. Smith’s garbled stream-of-conscious, sing/speak vocals on Erstaz GB which are interwoven into a dense layer of frenetic punk riffs, rumbling dirge and crashing heavy metal chords that collectively end up not too far from the music on The Fall’s last two discs.

This disc also marks the most stable lineup that The Fall have had in years as Pete Greenway (guitar), Dave Spurr (bass), Keiron Melling (drums) and Elena Poulou (keyboards) started with the band on 2008’s Imperial Wax Solvent and soldiered on for 2010’s Your Future, Our Clutter.

As to be expected, Smith lets his bile flow across the disc’s ten tracks. Erstaz is defined as “made or used as a substitute, typically an inferior one, for something else” and Smith lets loose his observations on middle-class culture (in addition to taking a swipe at Snow Patrol) with his typical non-sequitur rants. Musically, the band careens between amphetamine-fueled post-punk (“Cosmos 7”, “Taking Off”), metal (“Greenway”, which is a reworking of Anorimoi’s ”Game Boy”) and rockabilly (“Mask Search”). One notable exception is “Happi Song”, which is a Velvet Underground style number sung by the now third Mrs. Smith, Elena Poulou.

The Fall have been on the road touring in advance of the release of Ersatz GB and below are some live performance of songs from this disc.

Trying to interpret Mark E. Smith's lyrics is a thankless task and one is probably happier not knowing what was on Smith’s mind when he spits out “I had to wank off the cat to feed the fucking dog” (“Greenway”)...but Smith has long used his vocals as a musical weapon. Amusingly, I’ve made fun of hair bands (Bon Jovi and Warrant) in the past for their rhyming lyrics and Smith seems to take his own swipe at lazy lyricists by stringing together all sorts of crazy words that rhyme during the 6 minute rant “Nate Will Not Return”. The disc ends with the propulsive “Age of Chang” on which Smith repeats the chorus “Time for a Change”. With Smith’s track record of leaving dozens of former band members by the roadside over the course of his 30+ year career, I’d start getting nervous if I were one of the other members of The Fall.

The Fall just finished a UK tour last month and are off the road until March '12 when they are playing some shows in France as a run-up to the UK All Tomorrow's Parties Festival.

Links:
The Fall

LA Guns Replace “New” Vocalist Dilana as Lead Singer after Two Months / BrooklynRocks Publisher Rejected as Replacement

2011-12-13T21:22:00.003-05:00

Only kidding about the later portion of the title but…Tracii has swapped out Jizzy Pearl’s replacement, former Rock Star: Supernova contestant, Dilana Robichaux after just two months with the band. Tracii has had a revolving cast of vocalists over the years but Dilana’s departure has to set the record for the shortest tenure. Dilana’s replacement is Tony West, who played with the band Blacklist Union (never heard of him or the band…but I never heard of Chris Van Dahl either before or after his tenure in LA Guns).

According to Blabbermouth, Dilana called the band "a fucking joke" after being fired by Tracii and said "I have all the notes written n some recorded about this very fucked up L.A. GUNS tour," she wrote. "One day, you will understand!"

Editor's Note: Would anyone understand what is going on in Tracii's head at this point in time?

Tracii followed this by saying: “It was truly the best L.A. GUNS I ever heard on stage, hands down. Sometimes the greatest art comes from the madness and this was the case here. I know Dilana is ripping on every aspect of the situation and I know that’s how she vents, so I am OK with it. “

After watching one episode of Rockstar: INXS (and being nausiated), I’m opposed to any “reality show” contestant fronting ANY band. My fear is that I’ll see Sanjaya fronting a metal band as he will end up being “the most popular” contestant. (Crowdsourcing musicians doesn’t work!! What happened to talent and synergies within the group?). You can watch and decide for yourself if this swap-out is an improvement.

Somwhere, Steve Riley and Phil Lewis are laughing…

Links:
LA Guns

Deep Purple - "BBC Sessions 1968 - 1970" CD Review

2011-12-13T20:44:00.001-05:00

After getting fairly annoyed / disappointed with the recent series of major label “deluxe reissues” (Nirvana, Pink Floyd, etc.), Deep Purple’s The BBC Sessions 1968/70 is a welcome change - along with being a great addition to the band’s extensive catalog. It isn’t quite fair to call this 2CD set a “deluxe reissue” but about half of these tracks had circulated previously on various compilations and reissues. This is the first time though that ALL of Deep Purple’s BBC session that were recorded between 1968 – 1970 have been released in chronological running order.

Disc One chronicles the band’s under-documented Mk 1 line-up's sessions for the BBC. Disc Two douments the early days of the Mk 2 lineup and captures this lineup prior to their initial studio release (In Rock) with a session that took place less than two months after the Mk 1 lineup came to a close. This 2CD set also comes with a 10-page booklet that details each of the sessions and the songs played. The sound quality on Disc One varies (depending on the source material) but the flaws are minor. The sound quality on Disc Two is “pin drop” perfect.

Disc One – Mk 1 Lineup (Seven previously unreleased songs + a previously unreleased brief interview with Rod Evans)

John Peel “Top Gear” Session – June 18, 1968
- "Hush",
- "One More Rainy Day"
- "Help"

“Symonds on Sunday” Session - 1968
- “And the Address"

John Peel “Top Gear” Session – January 14, 1969
- "Hey Bop A Re Bop" (early version of "The Painter")
- "Emmaretta"
- "Wring That Neck"
- "Hey Joe"
- "It's All Over"

"Sounds like Tony Brandon" Show Session – June 24, 1969
- “The Painter”
- "Lalena"

Chris Grant’s “Tasty Pop Sundae” Session – June 30, 1969
- "The Painter"
- “I’m So Glad”
- “Hush”

Disc Two – Mk 2 Lineup (Ten of the eleven songs along with a brief interview with Jon Lord were previously released on 2002’s Listen, Learn, Read On box set)

“Symonds on Sunday” Session – August 11, 1969
- “Ricochet” (early version of “Speed King”)
- “The Bird Has Flown”

Stuart Henry’s “Noise at Nine” Session – October 31, 1969
- “Speed King”
- “Jam Stew” (aka “John Stew”)

Mike Harding’s “Sound of the Seventies” Session – April 21, 1970
- "Hard Loving Man"
- "Bloodsucker"
- "Living Wreck"

BBC Transcription Services Session – September 23, 1970
- “Black Night”
- “Grabsplatter” (Early instrumental version of “I’m Alone”)
- “Into the fire”
- “Child in Time”

Links:
Deep Purple

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Live Photos from Webster Hall, NYC 12-7-11

2011-12-13T20:04:00.002-05:00

Confessions of a heretic…I went to last week’s Clap Your Hands Say Yeah show to see WATERS as I really had no idea what CYHSY sounded like. I watched the energy of the sold-out crowd explode when the band took the stage but, for whatever reason, the band’s music just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I was trying to get a feel for the band’s music during the first few songs and, for whatever reason, i couldn't shake the jam band comparisons. CYHSY are certainly talented musicians but I have an innate bias against anything that even remotely resembles a jam/Further Fest band.

CYHSY released their third disc. Hysterical. in September and just finished up a series of US and Canadian tour dates. The band is off the road now but are heading to Japan followed by Europe in January.

For anyone who missed the band this time out, they have posted live performances of songs from Hysterical to their website (link below).

Ketamine and Ecstasy from CYHSY on Vimeo.

Links:
Clap Your Hand Say Yeah

WATERS (ex-Port O'Brien) - Live Photos and Review, Webster Hall, NYC 12-7-11

2011-12-12T23:46:00.001-05:00

I think I made a mistake not seeing WATERS when they came through in both June and October for shows at Mercury Lounge. In a live setting, the band’s songs have a raw energy that wasn’t fully captured on the band’s debut CD and frontman Van Pierszalowski plays guitar with an intensity that reminds me of Evan Dando when The Lemonheads were first starting out.

The band stuck primarily to the upbeat, guitar and drums powered rock numbers from their recently released debut album, Out in the Light, but slowed things down toward the end of their set when Van doned an acoustic guitar.

While the band held the attention of the sold-out crowd, the energy behind the songs would have turned the room into a communal sing-along in a smaller space. Perhaps thinking the same thing, Van and band unplugged and took their instruments into the center of the crowd to play their final song, “Mickey Mantle”, acoustically. Reminding me a bit of the Port O’Brien shows of yesteryear, before starting the song, Van coached the crowd to sing along on the chorus.

WATERS canceled its European tour due to health reasons but have a month of dates booked in Europe for next February with Nada Surf.

Feb 7 - King Tuts Glasgow, UK ^
Feb 8 - KOKO London, UK^
Feb 10 - Melkweg Amsterdam, NL ^
Feb 11 - Le Splendid Lille, FR^
Feb 12 - AB Box Brussels, BE^
Feb 14 - La Bataclan Paris, FR ^
Feb 15 - Le Krakatoa Bordeauxm FR ^
Feb 16 - Le Bikini Toulouse, FR^
Feb 18 - La Riviera Madrid, SP^
Feb 19 - Apolo Barcelona, SP ^
Feb 20 - Le Transbordeur, FR ^
Feb 22 - Posthof Linz, AUT^
Feb 23 - Bloom Club Milan, IT^
Feb 24 - Komplex Zurich, SWI ^
Feb 25 - Backstage Werk Munich, GER ^
Feb 26 - Huxleys Berlin, GER ^
Feb 27 - Markthalle Hamburg, GER ^
Feb 28 - Live Music Hall Cologne, GER ^
^ w/ Nada Surf

Links:
WATERS

Radical Dads: Photos & Review from Webster Hall, NYC 12-7-11 / Upcoming Shows on 12-15 & 16

2011-12-12T22:35:00.003-05:00

Know-It-All by Radical Dads

DOWNLOAD: Radical Dads - "Skateboard Bulldog"
"This song was inspired by a real canine I met at a skate park in Astoria, Queens. He tried to steal my board, then got distracted by someone else's board, then jumped back on his own and innocently cruised the concrete as if he hadn't just tried to kill the sesh. A quick Internet search will show that many types of animals are capable of riding skateboards, but only the bulldog can be bred to shred." -- Guitarist Chris Diken

Brooklyn's Radical Dads opened the sold-out Clap Your Hand Say Yeah show last week at Webster Hall. I'm not that familiar with the band's music but will make a point of hunting down the band's debut disc Mega Rama. The band also has a new 7", "Skateboard Bulldog", posted above. The band's music has a 90's post-punk sound that sounds like some of the bands that came out of the post-harDCore DC scene in the 90's (Velocity Girl and Tsunami are the first two bands that come to mind).

Radical Dads are playing Whatever Blog's holiday party on Dec. 15th @ Cake Shop along with Hilly Eye (ex-Titus Andronicus), EULA, and Libel. Cover is $8 and Radical Dads go on at 11PM. The next night, Radical Dads are playing Brooklyn Night Bazaar (149 Kent Avenue) along with Fucked Up, DOM, Big Troubles and Caged Animals. Tickets are $10 and doors are at 5PM.

Links:
Radical Dads

Erika M. Anderson (EMA) Announces Deluxe Edition of "Past Life Martyred Saints" / Show at Music Hall of Williamsburg on March 16, 2012

2011-12-12T19:08:00.003-05:00

EMA - Angelo by souterraintransmissions

EMA has announced the first dates of a spring North American headlining tour, which will launch on March 1st at the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco, CA and continue through March 16th at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, NY. Tickets for the show at MHOW go on sale on Friday, Dec. 16th at 12PM (EST) and are $12 in advance and $15 DOS. All of the announced tour dates are listed below.

Year-end praise has begun to roll in for EMA's debut album Past Life Martyred Saints (Souterrain Transmissions), which has continuously garnered acclaim throughout 2011 from The A.V. Club, Flaunt, Foam, NPR, Nylon, Pitchfork, Popmatters, Refinery29, Rolling Stone, SPIN, Stereogum, Time Out New York, Under The Radar, Village Voice, and Zink, among others. The album has already found spots on best of '11 lists both here and abroad, including the BBC Music Writers' Top 25 Albums of 2011 (#20), The Quietus Albums of the Year 2011 (#27), SPIN's 50 Best Albums of 2011 (#3), and Stereogum's Top 50 Albums of 2011 (#7), while The Sunday Times (UK) named her the #1 New Artist of 2011. Album track "California", meanwhile, can also be found on year-end lists such as Consequence Of Sound's Top 50 Songs of 2011 (#7), Rolling Stone's 50 Best Singles of 2011 (#39), and SPIN's 20 Best Songs of 2011 (#3).

EMA - former GOWNS singer/guitarist Erika M. Anderson - has spent the better part of the year on the road in support of the May release of Past Life Martyred Saints. Since March, she and her band have performed at festivals including SXSW, the Pitchfork Music Festival, The Great Escape, Primavera Club, and the CMJ Music Marathon, while also touring aross the US, UK, and Europe as both a headliner (selling out the Mercury Lounge and Glasslands in New York) and as support to CSS, MEN, Wild Beasts, Kurt Vile, Zola Jesus, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., among others.

A deluxe edition of Past Life Martyred Saints will be released exclusively via iTunes on February 7th, 2012 and will feature: original iTunes bonus track "To Leave With Love"; videos for album tracks "California", "Milkman", and "Marked"; and her cover of Nirvana's "Endless, Nameless", originally featured on SPIN's Nevermind tribute album Newermind, as well as the track's accompanying video. EMA's recent single Angelo/Marked is currently available as a limited edition 7-inch (only 1,000 copies printed worldwide) exclusively via Insound and digitally via all major retailers. The single's new song B-side "Angelo", which features a guest verse by Mz'Gorjis of Oakland, CA's Platnum Platnum Glam Squad, is streaming above.

EMA spring 2012 North American headlining dates:

MAR. 1 -- SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- RICKSHAW STOP
MAR. 2 -- LOS ANGELES, CA -- NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
MAR. 6 -- DENVER, CO -- HI-DIVE
MAR. 8 -- MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- 7TH STREET ENTRY
MAR. 9 -- MADISON, WI -- THE FREQUENCY
MAR. 10 -- CHICAGO, IL -- LINCOLN HALL
MAR. 11 -- CLEVELAND, OH -- BEACHLAND TAVERN
MAR. 13 -- TORONTO, ON -- THE GARRISON
MAR. 14 -- MONTREAL, QC -- IL MOTORE
MAR. 15 -- BOSTON, MA -- BRIGHTON MUSIC HALL
MAR. 16 -- BROOKLYN, NY -- MUSIC HALL OF WILLIAMSBURG

Links:
EMA

Flipper - "Live at the Fillmore 1981" Digital EP Review

2011-12-11T19:51:00.000-05:00

Flipper seemed to play the East Coast all the time in the early – mid 80’s but I only remember one tour in the 90’s (with The Dwarves, if memory serves). Given this, I was surprised when Flipper resurfaced for two “Save CBGB” shows in 2005 and followed this up with both a new studio, a live disc and another tour. Aside for a one-off show with the Dead Kennedys earlier this year and an archival DVD from MVD Video released last year, Flipper has been keeping a low profile.

I recently found that I had missed a live release from the band that Flipper fans are going to want to check out. I generally don’t pay attention to digital-only releases so I’m not shocked that I missed this “new” live album from Flipper, which was released about a year ago by CD Presents. This show captures Flipper’s 20+ minute set opening for PiL at The Fillmore in San Francisco on 10/31/81. Earlier that year, Flipper had opened for Throbbing Gristle at their (then) final show at Kezar Stadium and Flipper’s epic, monolithic drone seems more in line with TG’s experimentalism and the average PiL fan may have agreed with Will Shatter’s comment at the TG show: “This is actually a test in future torture”.

This new recording sounds great and it captures Flipper in all their shambolic glory, continually hovering on the edge of chaos and collapse. The band plows through three songs: “Sacrifice” [4:38m] (which starts with a long instrumental build-up of a wall of noise), “Survivors of the Plague” [7:18m] and they close with an extended version of “Life” (…the only thing worth living for) [7:46m]. This set is well-worth picking up as it is only $3.99 on iTunes and it comes with a digital booklet that details the history behind the show and how the band’s sets with PiL were an outgrowth of David Ferguson trying to help the band after Bill Graham scheduled them to play AFTER the Sex Pistols at their (final) Winterland concert.

This video isn't from the show at the Fillmore but it is from the same era of the band:

Links:
Flipper

Some of the other CD Presents shows available on iTunes include:
- Avengers/ Live at Winterland 1978 (opening for the Sex Pistols)
- Bad Brains/Live at the Fillmore 1982
- Black Flag/Live at the On Broadway 1982 (two complete shows)
- Circle Jerks/Live at the Fillmore 1982

Pulling Teeth Announce Final Performance Will Be at A389 Anniversary Bash in January

2011-12-11T19:38:00.003-05:00

Baltimore hardcore stalwarts Pulling Teeth are calling it a day. I hate seeing good bands “pull the plug” (and bad bands never do) but you have to give kudos to a band (or anyone, for that matter) who isn’t afraid to acknowledge that they have accomplished what they set out to do and are ready to move on. The band said "As a band we have accomplished everything that we have set out to do. Life is short. It’s time to move on and do other things.’"

From Pulling Teeth - Maryland Deathfest, Baltimore, MD 5-27-11

Pulling Teeth’s final show will be at the A389 Anniversary Bash, which will be held at Sonar in Baltimore on Jan. 21, 2012. Other bands on the bill are: Eyehategod, Integrity, Gehenna, Starkweather, Weekend Nachos, Seven Sisters of Sleep, Pick Your Side (Ex-Haymaker/Fuck The Facts), Junior Bruce (Ex-Bloodlet), Full Of Hell, Low Places, Young And In The Way, Homewrecker, Hatewaves, Triac & Eddie Brock. Tickets are still available and are $30.

Here is recent live video of the band which was filmed last month in Italy:

Links:
Pulling Teeth
A389 Records

Futurebirds - Athens, GA Psych/Country Band Brings Their "Holiday Road" Tour to Brooklyn Bowl on Dec. 12th

2011-12-10T20:58:00.006-05:00

DOWNLOAD: Futurebirds - "nearsayefive"
DOWNLOAD: Futurebirds - Live at Union Pool, Brooklyn 2-26-11 (posted to www.nyctaper.com)

(Photo: Eddie Whelan)
It is hard to put a label on Futurebirds' music as some of their songs fit perfectly alongside the music of recent touring partner J, Roddy Walston but other songs sound like something out of Explosion in the Sky's catalogue.

2011 has been a large year for Futurebirds. The Athens outfit has released two well-received EPs; road-dogged the nation with bands such as Widespread Panic, Drive-By Truckers, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Gary Clark, Jr., J Roddy Walston & the Business, Thomas Hardy, and grass giraffes; rocked to rave reviews at Bonnaroo Music Festival and Austin City Limits; and generally simply had a swell time—though brains and livers might scream otherwise.

Futurebirds' Holiday Road Tour, which includes grass giraffes and Brantley Jones, plays Brooklyn Bowl on Dec. 12th. Futurebirds will have a tour-exclusive single - the Holiday Road Super Single - for sale at each stop. The split single features new Futurebirds track "Serial Bowls", a cover of eddie the wheel's "nearsayerfive", a grass giraffes remix of Futurebirds' "Megachills", and a grass giraffes original, "Don't Forget Me." Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 DOS - Doors are at 6PM and the show starts at 8PM.

Links:
Futurebirds

Band of Skulls Releases Second Track - "Sweet Sour" - From Forthcoming Sophomore Album (out Feb. 21st)

2011-12-09T22:23:00.000-05:00

Sweet Sour by Band of Skulls

Southampton’s Band Of Skulls have just posted the second track from their forthcoming sophomore disc Sweet Sour (out Feb. 21st on Vagrant Records). and the band is kicking off a US tour in March next year with shows at Webster Hall and Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Sessions for Sweet Sour started in January of this year when the trio returned to the cradle of their first album, their home studio in Southampton. The creative juices soon started flowing, and the three songwriters – Marsden, Hayward and Richardson – were collaborating more fully than ever before. Scraps of melodies, lyrics and riffs fell into place, and complete songs began to emerge: the slow-burning album opener "Sweet Sour", rockers "Lies" and "The Devil Takes Care Of His Own". The results were designed for bigger crowds. “We wanted to write material that’s primed for where we’d got to,” says guitarist/vocalist Russell Marsden. “Beefier songs for bigger stages.”

By the time they reached Rockfield, the legendary residential studio in Wales, the band were primed to road-test the new material, playing a handful of US dates in a break from the album sessions. The response was electrifying: at the Beachside Festival in San Diego, one over-zealous fan rocked out so hard during new track, "You’re Not Pretty But You’ve Got It Going On" he was tasered by the police. “I guess he was having too much of a good time,” shrugs bassist Emma Richardson. “It felt like a real moment”. Later, a performance at the Bonnaroo festival went on to shape the album’s character. “The new songs went down so well there we decided to incorporate some of the mistakes and mishaps into the studio versions,” says Marsden. “We had Ian [Davenport, returning Baby Darling... producer] jumping on top of our Fender amps to recreate one bit where the reverb was crackling and making weird noises. All the gear still had the dust and mud on it from the festival, so the dirt was there – a bit of filth from the road that made it onto the record.”

Band of Skulls had previously released the track "The Devil Takes Care of His Own" (from the forthcoming album) and have now followed this up with a video for the song.

Band of Skulls' show at Webster Hall is on March 22nd and tickets are $20. The band's show at Music Hall of Williamsburg is on March 27th and tickets are also $20.

Links:
Band of Skulls

Beady Eye Plays Terminal 5 on Dec. 9th - Tickets Still Available

2011-12-03T19:57:00.004-05:00

I saw Oasis on their 1994 club tour and, post show, wasn't convinced that it was worth the $8 cover. I came away thinking that the band couldn't decide if they wanted to be Paul Weller or John Lennon but, in either case, they weren't on par with either artist.

Surprisingly, I liked Beady Eyes' debut disc, Different Gear, Still Speeding, as there was an energy and a sense of urgency in the songs that I hadn't heard in any of the later period Oasis material. Sadly, my opinion flipped back the other way after hearing Beady Eyes' "iTunes Festival 2011" EP as this phoned-in performance from Liam reminded me of everything I disliked about Oasis.

Check out this live video of the band from earlier this year that was filmed at Webster Hall and decide for yourself...

Tickets for the show at Terminal 5 are $43 (in advance + a $8.85 'convenience charge') and $48 DOS. Black Box Revolution is opening the show and doors are at 7PM.

Links:
Beady Eye