Steve Albini Interviewed in GQ Magazine

GQ Magazine has just posted an interview with Shellac mainman Steve Albini. The focus of the interview is on Steve's views on the state of the music business and how record production/distribution is radically changing. Click through on the link to read the full interview.

For anyone who thinks that that talking with GQ means Steve is softening on corporate mainstream culture, here is how he ended the interview:

I think fashion is repulsive. The whole idea that someone else can make clothing that is supposed to be in style and make other people look good is ridiculous. It sickens me to think that there is an industry that plays to the low self-esteem of the general public. I would like the fashion industry to collapse. I think it plays to the most superficial, most insecure parts of human nature. I hope GQ as a magazine fails. I hope that all of these people who make a living by looking pretty are eventually made destitute or forced to do something of substance. At least pornography has a function.



Links:
Shellac

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

Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling - "The New Number 2" EP Review

This disc slipped through the cracks a few weeks back but I've had this EP in heavy rotation since my initial listen. Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling is a duo comprised of Sophia Cacciola (drums/vocals) and Michael Epstein (bass) which takes its name from an episode of the British spy drama The Prisioner. The band has a raw, post-punk/no-wave sound that is comparable to Teenage Jesus & the Jerks/8-Eyed Spy and early Sonic Youth. The production is raw (somewhat similar to the open-mic sound that Alex Chilton gave the early Cramps releases) which adds to the urgency of the music.

Here is how the band described the lyrical themes/concept of the disc: "Our recent EP, The New Number 2 contains the first five songs of a project to write and record 17 songs, each one based on/inspired by an episode of the '60s cult spy-fi TV series The Prisoner. The record also features a cover of Leonard Cohen's "First We Take Manhattan." The Prisoner is an allegorical science fiction show about breaking free from societal norms and maintaining individuality under the thumb of faceless hierarchy and big-brother style totalitarianism. We thought these were interesting and always-relevant themes to work with, and of course, particularly compelling in the modern political climate."



"The New Number 2" is on my short list for being one of the "Best of 2010" releases. Hopefully the band continues writing and recording after they finish the next twelve Prisioner-based tracks.

Links:
Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling

Sonic Youth: "Expressway to Yr Skull", Live in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, July 31, 2010

The good folks over at Big Ass Lens reached out this morning and sent me some videos that they filmed last night at Sonic Youth's show in Prospect Park.

Here is a twelve minute performance of set closer "Expressway to Yr. Skull".

Sonic Youth - Express Way To Yr Skull - Live in Prospect Park from Big Ass Lens on Vimeo.

Check out additional video footage, set list, and a show review over at Big Ass Lens.

Links:
Sonic Youth

Bugs in the Dark Play Mercury Lounge Tomorrow Night (Jan. 25th) with Schwervon

Brooklyn art-punk band Bugs in the Dark are playing a somewhat last-minute show at Mercury Lounge tomorrow night.

"Cancel everything and go see their next show." - Indie Sounds NY, Pete Harris

There aren't many bands where I can stand behind the above quote but Bugs in the Dark are a great live band and I've yet to see them have an off-night. I understand that the band is working on some new material which will hopefully surface as part of tomorrow's live set.

Tickets are $8.00 and Bugs in the Dark are playing at 9PM.





Links:
Bugs in the Dark

Tournament - "Years Old" CD Review (Forcefield Records) / Show at Lit Lounge on 10/19

DOWNLOAD: Tournament - "Walking Negative Man" (Live on WFMU)

Brooklyn noise-rockers Tournament are playing Precious Metal @ Lit Lounge on Oct. 19th and this seemed to be a great reason to finally get a review of the band's latest disc posted.

Tournament's latest disc Years Old was released by Forcefield Records earlier this summer and this 10-track full-length follows the band's 2007 debut EP "Swordswallower". Tournament plays aggressive, fast-paced noise rock in the style of 80/90's bands like Jesus Lizard, Big Black and early Mudhoney. Similar to many of the aforementioned bands, Sean Kraft's throat shredding vocals are buried beneath a wall of squalling feedback, blues(ish) guitar riffs and hammering bass lines. The band keeps things interesting by slowing down to a Swans' style dirge mid-disc on the instrumental cut "From the Mouths of Non-Believers" before returning to their speaker-shredding core. The rawness of the production adds to the band's sound - all of the music was recorded live to 2" tape.

For the Lit Lounge show, Tournament is playing with Raise the Red Lantern (At A Loss Records) and God’s Revolver (Translation Loss Records); cover is $6.

Links:
Tournament

Gore - Hart Gore/Mean Man's Dream CD Review (Southern Lord)

DOWNLOAD: Gore - "Search Love" (MP3) (track hosted on SouthernLord.com)

Southern Lord has done a fabulous job resurrecting the first two CDs from Dutch dirge/instrumental rock band Gore. Southern Lord has packaged the band’s first two discs, Hart Gore (1986) and Mean Man’s Dream (1987) as a 2-CD set and each disc includes bonus tracks that amount to an “alternate” version, composed of live and demo tracks, of each of the studio LPs.

For anyone not familiar with Gore, the band plays aggressive, pounding instrumental rock that fits well alongside bands like Big Black, the Swans and My War-era Black Flag. At the time of their original incarnation, Gore had limited name recognition in the US but the band toured in Europe with the Rollins Band, Young Gods, Swans and Bad Brains.

While both discs are instrumentals, they were issued with lyric sheets to provide a vemonous “horror show” element to the band’s menacing sound. Lyrics are included in the CD booklet along with detailed liner notes from bassist Rob Frey (aka Marij Hel). Clear production by Rollins Band producer Theo van Eenburgen (aka Theo van Rock) gives the band a big sound, balancing Danny Arnold’s pounding drums with Pieter de Sury’s searing guitar lines.

Hart Gore is the more brutal of the two albums and the songs clock in around the two-minute mark. With Mean Man’s Dream, the songs are both more mature and slightly longer in length. On this later album, the band embraces more complex musical structures and hits a repetitive industrial groove similar to what Godflesh used in later years. This evolution is sort of the same path that Black Flag went down between their My War and The Process of Weeding Out LPs. You can definitely hear Gore’s influence on bands like Godflesh and The Melvins and perhaps on later period Big Black (Gore worked with Steve Albini on their final studio album)

It is great to see this material back in print as original versions of these discs are selling for $70 - $100 on Amazon. This Southern Lord reissue is available as both a double CD (containing all ‘four’ albums) or as two 2-LP sets.

Links:
Southern Lord

Bugs in the Dark Play The Cake Shop Thursday Night, Feb. 19th (Art Punk)

It has been too long since I've seen Bugs in the Dark (who are one of my favorite local bands) play live. I seem to be out of town every time that the band plays and tomorrow's show is no exception.

I'm hoping to catch the band live soon as I'm interested to hear how their sound has evolved now that guitarists Karen and Zach have added a bass player and are playing with a new drummer. Long-time drummer Julia Lomax relocated to the West Coast last year so Zeph Courtney is now behind the drum kit and bassist, Mark Turrigiano, will be playing with the band tomorrow night.

On the bill with Bugs in the Dark are Radical Dads (which includes Robbie from CYHSY) and Cinemasophia (who have a new disc, Fits & Cycles, coming out in April).

Tickets are $7.00 and the Radical Dads start things off at 8:30PM

Bugs in the Dark - "New Words"


Links:
Bugs in the Dark's MySpace Profile

Sonic Youth Play Final Show at McCarren Pool on Saturday, August 30th

There are still tickets left for the final show at McCarren Pool this Saturday with Sonic Youth.

Sonic Youth is playing with Wolf Eyes, Times New Viking and Vivian Girls. Doors open at 4PM and tickets are $35.00.

Green Point Wines is one of the sponsors of the event, and the profits from every glass of wine sold go to The Open Space Alliance, a nonprofit responsible for the preservation and renovation of Brooklyn parkland and open spaces.

Links:
Sonic Youth's Website
The Open Space Alliance's Website

Interesting CDs on Next Week's CD Release Schedule

Billboard has listed some interesting releases coming out on Tuesday:

Deep Purple - They All Came Down to Montreaux 2x DVD
This is a 187 minute 2x DVD set of Deep Purple performing live in Montreaux in 2006. This could be a fun one.

DVD Disc #1: 'Pictures Of Home', 'Things I Never Said', 'Strange Kind Of Woman', 'Rapture Of The Deep', 'Wrong Man', 'The Well-Dressed Guitar', 'Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye', 'When A Blind Man Cries', 'Lazy', Keyboard Solo, 'Space Truckin’', 'Highway Star', 'Smoke On The Water', 'Hush', 'Too Much Fun', 'Black Night'.

DVD Bonus Disc #2 (London Hard Rock): 'Fireball', 'I Got Your Number', 'Strange Kind Of Woman', 'Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye', 'Rapture Of The Deep', 'Wrong Man', 'Lazy', 'Perfect Strangers', 'Highway Star', 'Smoke On The Water'.

Halford - Metal God Essentials
It is always a debate whether 'best of' CDs are worthwhile because, in the majority of case, if I like the artist, I'll buy the original CDs. This CD/DVD set covers the best of Halford from '92 - '07 but what makes this release interesting is the inclusion of 4 previously unreleased tracks (one is a remix) and a bonus DVD exclusive to this release.

The bonus DVD contains:
1. Resurrection - Behind The Scenes
2. Live Insurrection - Behind The Scenes
3. Made In Hell
4. Betrayal
5. In The Morning
6. Silent Screams
7. Never Satisfied
8. Forgotten Generation

Psychic TV - Hell is Invisible..Heaven is Here
Genesis has reformed Psychic TV (PTV3) and this is his first new studio release under the PTV name in 12 years. Based on the songs I heard the band do at the Galapagos shows last year, this should be a gret release.

Queens of the Stone Age - Era Vulgaris
Evidently there is a Circuit City and a FYE Edition with Bonus Tracks. You can only assume that the bonus tracks will differ between these editions. (Why make it easy for fans?)

Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation (Deluxe Edition)
This looks essential -- The reissue contains live versions of all of the studio cuts, demos, rarities, etc. Rolling Stone has posted an article with more details about this release.

Suzanne Vega - Beauty and Crime
This is supposed to be her best release in years.

The View - Hats off to the Buskers (with 3 bonus tracks)
Their debut CD has been out for under a year and already it is being reissued with bonus tracks. The bonus tracks are two live tracks (Skay Trenchy and Same Jeans) and a cut that was previously released in the UK (Posh Boys). This doesn't look essential...

Thurston Moore - Street Mouth Art Exhibit at KS Art Through May 12th

KS ART presents New York-based artist Thurston Moore’s first one-person exhibition, Street Mouth. Although better known as the highly influential, experimental musician and co-founder of Sonic Youth, Moore has created a suite of photomontages which are razor-sharp visual equivalents of New York`s underground music and poetry scene around the late 1970s -- primarily joyful noisemakers circulating around CBGBs, Max’s Kansas City and St. Marks Church.

Deploying collage techniques mashed up through a process described by the artist as “a kind of punk photoshop,” these brand new works re-purpose vintage press clippings, press photos, and correspondence culled from Moore`s own archive. The results are a compelling series of personal, urban daydreams, cast from a fan’s perspective. Familiar downtown faces include Iggy Pop, the Ramones, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Allan Ginsberg, and Kathy Acker. Screaming fields of disjointed imagery and deeply saturated colors collide and overlap, yielding tales from the pulp crypt of a not-to-be-forgotten New York underground. Only rarely do musicians translate their sonic talents so fittingly and so refreshingly into the domain of visual art.

"I am basing the work on exercises I did as a teenager cutting out pictures from Rock Scene, Creem and Circus magazines and collaging them as an obsessive diarist. Doing this work now utilizing some kind of punk Photoshop method where I can actually drop myself and other referentials into the pieces has allowed me (starting) at age 47 to create an ongoing open-heart bio-historagophy." -Thurston Moore

Int'l Shades Live @ Northsix, Brooklyn, Nov. 24, 2006

Int'l Shades (or IS as they are sometimes called) took the stage after The Star Spangles. The band has been around since 2002 but they play this side of the river way too infrequently often.

For anyone who hasn't seen Int'l Shades, last year Time Out NY said this about the band:

"Int'l Shades is the sort of band NYC needs more of - kind of an odd thing to say about a decidedly untrendy quartet of veterans (including Bob Bert, once of Sonic Youth and Pussy Galore, and Mark C of Live Skull.) But when musicians who've been around the block (and not just clockwise, either) set down rough-edged melodic rock songs, their assured nature rips the white belt off the local scene."

Since the Time Out piece was written, the band has added Alexa Georgevich on keyboards and vocals which gives the band more of a Fall like sound (but the band doesn't succumb to any of Mark E. Smith or Brix's excesses).

IS has one release (CD/LP) out on Cass Records. I haven't heard this release but if it is anything like the band's current and past live shows, it is worth picking up.