Shonen Knife - Live at Mohawk Place 2009 DVD Review // Show at the Knitting Factory on Sept. 28th

Shonen Knife's live DVD comes from the last night of the group's 2009 Super Group tour of North America. The band plays an exuberant 18-song // 60 minute set that spans their catalog, playing as many songs from Super Group as they do from Pretty Little Baka Guy.

While there have been some lineup changes over the past decade around core member Naoko (vocals/guitar), the band's brand of bouncy power-pop continues on unchanged. Amusingly, the band breaks from their traditional sound for the doomy "Muddy Bubbles Hell" (from Super Group) and Naoko introduces the song by talking about how the band was influenced by the NWOBHM bands of the 80's. Adding to the fun, original drummer/bassist Atsuko makes a cameo appearance and joins the band on "Fruits and Vegetables".

The band talks with the crowd frequently between songs and seems quite happy to be playing in front of this Buffalo crowd. This show is filmed with multiple camera and the editing does an excellent job of capturing both the enthusiasm of the band and the audience along with the Shonen Knife live experience. This is just pure fun and the show is all about celebrating the moment as opposed to trying to save the world .



Shonen Rock is heading out on a US tour next week in support of their latest CD Free Time (Good Charamel Records). The tour stops at the Knitting Factory on Sept. 28 and Shonen Knife is playing with Hard Nips and Grooms. Tickets are $12 and the show starts at 8PM.

Here is the complete run of tour dates:
09.14.2010 -- Spaceland, Los Angeles, CA
09.14.2010 -- Amoeba Music, Los Angeles, CA (free - 5PM)
09.17.2010 -- Red 7, Austin, TX
09.18.2010 -- The Loft, Dallas, TX
09.19.2010 -- Record Bar, Kansas City, MO
09.20.2010 -- The Cave, Northfield, MN
09.21.2010 -- Schubas Tavern, Chicago, IL
09.22.2010 -- The Strutt, Kalamazoo, MI
09.23.2010 -- Midpoint Music Festival, Cincinnati, OH
09.24.2010 -- 31st St Pub, Pittsburgh, PA
09.25.2010 -- Asia Society and Museum, New York, NY
09.26.2010 -- Rock and Roll Hotel, Washington, DC
09.28.2010 -- Knitting Factory, Brooklyn, NY
09.29.2010 -- Daniel Street, Milford, CT
09.30.2010 -- Pop Fest Montreal, Montreal, ON CAN
10.01.2010 -- Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, ON CAN
10.02.2010 -- Mohawk Place, Buffalo, NY

Links:
Shonen Knife

Mavis Staples Releases "You Are Not Alone" on Sept. 14th with Two Jeff Tweedy Penned Songs

DOWNLOAD: Mavis Staples - "We Shall Not Be Moved" (hosted on Anti.com)

Earlier this week, the Library of Congress selected the Staple Singers' seminal 1968 album Soul Folk in Action for preservation on its National Recording Registry. The album was the Staples' debut for Stax, and the Library of Congress calls it "the pivotal album of their career."

Now in her sixth decade as a performer, Mavis Staples is releasing her third album for Anti, You Are Not Alone, on Sept. 14th. This forthcoming disc was produced by Jeff Tweedy at Wilco's studio The Loft and includes two tracks penned by Tweedy along with unique interpretations of songs by Pops Staples, Randy Newman, Allen Toussaint, John Fogerty, Rev. Gary Davis and Little Milton.

"I have almost everything she's ever recorded, and I dug back through very thoroughly when I was given this job to do," says Tweedy. "I thought that if I refreshed myself about where she's been, it would help her figure out where she wanted to go. I wanted to be sure that we were making a record that she really wanted to make."

This summer Mavis Staples will play the Toronto Jazz Fest on June 30, Lollapalooza on August 6, and the Wilco-curated Solid Sound Festival at Mass MoCa on August 14, with additional US and European tour dates to be announced soon.

Links:
Mavis Staples

Electric Touch - Pre-Show Interview from Crash Mansion / Early Show Tonight at Piano's

Electric Touch is playing the final night of a three-show NYC residency tonight at Piano's. This is an early show and the Electric Touch goes on at 7PM.

The band puts on a great live show and has been playing a lot of major festival (including All Points West this Saturday) so I would expect Piano's to be packed; Get there early!



Links:
Electric Touch's Website

Electric Touch Play the Second of Three NYC Shows Tonight at Crash Mansion / Play All Points West on Saturday

Austin, TX post-punk band Electric Touch is in town for a three-night run of shows prior to their appearance at All Points West on Saturday (3:05PM set time). The band played Piano's last night and is back at Piano's on Thursday for a free show. This is an early show and the band is going on at 7PM.

Tonight's show is at Crash Mansion; Electric Touch has a 10PM set time and they are playing with BB Gun, Freedomhead, The Embracers, Electric Chariot and The Slant. Tickets are $12 @ the door.



Links:
Electric Touch's MySpace Profile

Electric Touch: Review of Self-Titled Debut CD (Justice Records)

Coming across like a less-mopey version of The Killers or The Bravery, Electric Touch has spent a lot this year on the road playing high-profile festivals and creating a lot of buzz. The band formed just over a year ago and spent this year playing SxSW, ACL, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo Music Festival, V Festival in addition to touring with The Fratellis. The band's self-titled debut came out at the end of the summer on Justice Records.

Electric Touch's CD is a solid piece of 80's new-wave crossed with 90's indie-rock. The band is composed of three Texans (guitarist Christopher Leigh, bassist Ross Dubois, and drummer Louis Messina) and a British transplant (frontman/guitarist Sane Lawlor). The band has a distinctive sound as Lawlor has a tendency to sound a bit like late-period John Lenon (thinking specifically of Lenon's work with Cheap Trick) and the band's rhythm section falls somewhere between Cheap Trick and a more aggressive version of Duran Duran. Producer Chris Smith (Meat Puppets, Built To Spill, The Dandy Warhols) adds a clean feel to the band's sound where the vocals and instruments are equally highlighted and he also gives the disc a "big rock/arena" sound.

This is one of those CD where, if you like one of the cuts, you'll likely enjoy the whole disc. While the band's sound is consistent across the disc's ten tracks, none of the tunes are repetitive and Electric Touch's debut is engaging from end-to-end.

Six of the disc's ten tracks are streaming on the band's MySpace page (link below) and here is the promo video for "Live In Our Hearts".


Electric Touch just finished an East Coast tour and are currently playing a few shows around Texas. Upcoming tour dates are:

Dec 8 2008 8:00PM, Scout Bar, Beaumont, Texas
Dec 9 2008 8:00PM, Scout Bar San Antonio, Texas
Dec 10 2008 8:00PM, Dos Amigos, Odessa, Texas
Dec 12 2008 8:00PM, Warehouse Live w/ The Secret Machines & Perry Farrell, Houston, Texas

Links:
Electric Touch's MySpace Profile