Huevos

fookcast Friday #1: Please Don't Adjust Yr Volume

2011-12-09T13:42:00.000-08:00

The newest addition to the Huevos exclusive music archive is fookcast, a series of digital mixtapes compiled with your mental well-being in mind.

It's typically the things we do outside of routine that shake up our lives. Consider fookcast when deciding what to do, especially on Fridays. Now starting on a biweekly basis, Huevos will feature 1-2 hour long music broadcasts provided by fook—pseudo name of Nathan Rich—who selects, snips, and shapes found songs into a self-indulgent stream-of-conscious experience, free from genre boundaries. For best results: use fookcast during long hours of work, boredom, masturbation and meditation. Stream or download. Indulge and enjoy.

This week's 'cast is designed for comfort, so some familiar names (Frank Zappa, Smashing Pumpkins, Modest Mouse) have been revisited. A vinyl rip of Bobby Vinton's "My Blue Heaven" kicks off the two hour long feast before channeling into space with No Age and Stereolab; the second half is a lucid void devoted entirely to Boris' 70 minute endeavor "Flood." Meanwhile, Red House Painters wrap up the exploration with one last plea.

download fookcast #1

featuring the sounds of...

BOBBY VINTON my blue heaven ... FAUST jennifer ... FRANK ZAPPA shut up 'n play yer guitar some more ... MODEST MOUSE grey ice water ... ALGERNON CADWALLADER horror ... HOLOPAW hula-la ... KICKBALL sea ... THINGY revolution in a box ... GASTR DEL SOL rebecca sylvester ... HELLA post-ivy league depression ... NO AGE glitter ... STEREOLAB parsec ... DEVIN TOWNSEND fall ... SMASHING PUMPKINS for martha ... BORIS flood ... RED HOUSE PAINTERS lord kill the pain

Pixies bring Doolittle to Palace Theater

2011-11-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

Guitarist Joey Santiago speaks about his side project with drummer Dave Lovering and keepin' on with the Pixies

The linear pattern of nostalgia-ready bands reunited and world tour bound continues. But the Pixies have been going at it for seven years. “I can’t even think of the end right now,” guitarist Joey Santiago told me during an interview conducted in September. “But I want to keep going. (Laughs) There’s no reason to quit. ”

It was a crucial move that the Pixies chose Doolittle as their touring album. It’s a record along with Surfer Rosa that both continue to be cited by artists as prime influences since their pinnacle of success in the 90s. Frank Black introduced Santiago and drummer Dave Lovering on his solo projects after the Pixies disbanded and in 2004 an official reunion eventually culminated from a few low-key rehearsals, releasing a new single [“Bam Thwok”] the same year. Although a new record isn’t in future sights, they’ve been dispatching free live albums on their website from the currently rolling Doolittle tour.

While taking a year off the Pixies madness in 2009, Santiago and Lovering launched a new fan-interaction project called The Everybody, meaning literally anyone. They released Avatar, a nine track album of instrumentals reminiscent of the Pixies without Frank Black yelling over them. Fans could download the album from their site in a mixing package of their choice and were granted complete freedom to clip, cleave, and dice these tracks into reinvented masterpieces. For a fee, they’re given then given the liberty to re-release these songs royalty-free and were encouraged to submit them for the the final compilation of winning tracks, ear-picked by the duo themselves. This was later introduced as Everybody Else, however, Santiago seemed to have remixed feelings about the outcome.

“I thought it was good. We had other ones that were better and I don’t know why we picked those,” he continued. “The mixes were good there, but I always have a different take. I should just do it myself--me and David, actually.”

Let’s hope the fans in Louisville aren’t as disappointing.

The Pixies will salute Doolittle this Wednesday, Nov 9th at the Palace Theater with Surfer Blood opening. Tickets are still available through the Palace box office and Live Nation. Doors at 7:30PM. All Ages.

*This article also appears at Louisville.com

Photo courtesy of Pixies

Interview: Lou Barlow on low-fidelity and felines

2011-11-02T22:12:00.000-07:00

Lo-fi veteran Lou Barlow returns to Headliners this Friday to celebrate the reissue of Sebadoh's beloved Bakesale. And cats.

As the 90’s dissolved, so did the uncertain future of Sebadoh that was left stalled in 1999 after their last album The Sebadoh was released. Every couple of years since then, Lou Barlow gets back together with bandmates Jason Loewenstien and Eric Gaffney to keep the legacy alive. Sebadoh breathed life once more when they embarked on tour in 2004, and again in 2008 during the wake of Dinosaur Jr.’s anticipated revival. “They’re all nostalgia tours for me at this point; not in a bad way,” he said in our interview conducted last week. “For us, it’s just a matter of keeping the light burning until the time comes for us to make another record, which seems to be getting to that time now.”

When Lou wasn’t touring, the music lived on through Loobiecore.com where he built an archive of Sebadoh demos and tracks from his stripped-down solo project Sentridoh, many of which fans can download for free. Although his music made the digital transition, the hand-made feel of his website suggests this to be the only change. It wouldn’t be surprising to find it looked the same exact way upon its launch in 2000.

Two years ago Dinosaur Jr. took on Louisville and this Friday Lou makes a triumphant return with Sebadoh for a night of ultimate low-fidelity. Mazes, sounding much like a blast from the 90’s themselves, claim the opening slot. Best word of advice: bring your cat. Lou Barlow LOVES cats!

Your website Loobiecore.com still remains very hand-made and DIY. It doesn’t seem to have made the digital transition. How involved are you on the internet side, with social media?

I’m there. I always check my forum and website, and I do my Twitter sometimes. I don’t have a smart phone so I’m not doing it every minute and sometimes Twitter seems really cool to me and other times I don’t think anything I have to say or am thinking is gonna be interesting, and I don’t feel worthy sharing it with the world. It’s pretty mellow. I definitely keep my own stuff up and I’m active, but I’m not obsessive. I don’t really get a lot of results from it either. I sell stuff on my website and get maybe 50 orders a year. There’s people on my forum, but you have two or three people on it at one time, if that. It pretty much stalled out 1400 followers. No part of it is really growing, and it’s kind of going on. Just trying to keep in touch with people. I like the aspect of that, like if you keep in touch with people, and if they wanted to they could contact me directly. But people don’t really contact me directly.

Yeah, it seems a lot more low-key.

It’s real low-key. [Laughs]

You tend to release a lot of recordings in your signature lo-fi quality that often blurs the line between demo and finished product. How do you determine what is refined?

I feel like if the lyrics are finished, the story’s been told. Having said that, I think there’s other...I mean, now it matters less and less as time goes on. I don’t think things have to sound finished. Back in the day, in the 90s, people were pretty hung up on lo-fi and it was considered lazy. It was this “lazy” thing and it’s just like, “you’re a stoner tossing stuff off.” I never really felt that way in a lot of the stuff I did do that was lo-fi. I mean, I really spent a lot of time crafting it. But I did all of that, and I would craft these things, and people would be like “you’re just tossing this off; why don’t you do it for real?”

I did spend some time doing some new stuff for real. But in the end it doesn’t really matter because, it just doesn’t matter. If I feel like I want to do something more with something or have ambition with the way something should sound, then maybe I’ll spend more time crafting it. But if I was to do a demo or something I recorded in a hotel room and think “wow that sounds great,” then I’d probably release that. And releasing- what does that mean? Releasing is like putting it on a CD no one buys. What is releasing?

Making it public, basically.

Yeah. With the website I can make things public immediately. There’s something satisfying about that. There’s not really an end to it.

And it’s free!

It’s free; it’s there if anybody takes it.

And you really only need to know the bare essentials of recording. Do you think that limits you sometimes?

I think I do all right. I did a couple solo records the last couple years that I did quite a bit of the work at home. But if I put the stuff I did at home next to the studio, you can’t really tell the difference. On a lot of occasions, the stuff I did at home sounds better than the stuff I do in the studio. I kind of know enough. Every time I get into a situation where I’m recording, I really get into it. I delve into it and I figure out what I need to figure out. It’s always a good trip/adventure. Every time I start a record I start from scratch and I feel like I’ve never recorded anything in my life and I don’t remember any of the things I did over the last record. I start everything from scratch and kind of build it by ear, and that’s what makes the project- the adventure: learning how to do it.

Have you ever felt inspiration from cats?

Cats? Of course. I love cats.

Have your own cats played a major role in your feline inspiration?

Well, all my cats split. At least, one of them got killed by wild animals. About six years ago when we had our first kid, our cats started disappearing. They left because they weren’t the most important things anymore and most of the cats we had were strays; they were the kind of cats that adopted us. And they kind of moved on. We don’t have cats now because my wife’s allergic. She had to go to the hospital a couple times when she was pregnant, so when the cats left I thought it was safer to not endanger my wife and keep her off asthma medication because she’s breastfeeding.

That’s crucial. And it’s a good thing that your cats are independent and they can just leave on their own. You didn’t even have to ask them.

I really believe what makes cats so unique-as far as housepets go- they really can lead a dual life. I guess dogs can have that duel life if they live in the country.

They’re so dependent, though.

Yeah, they kind of want you to be the pack leader. I find that endearing about dogs, but I also find that a little... One of the reasons I don’t have a dog, is because I have a lot of empathy for dogs and I feel like they spend a lot of time very sad and expectant and I find that a hard thing to look at every day. Where as with cats, you can look at them, and they can have these supremely relaxed looks.

It’s like total indifference.

Yeah. Depending on the cat. I’ve had cats that were really emotionally dependent, and we’ve also had cats that were incredibly empathetic. Like if I was sick, one cat would always know it in the proximity of wherever you weren’t feeling well. They’re simple creatures, but they’re not. Dogs have a pretty complex emotional life. The thing I really love about cats is, you know, it’s legal to let them run around and let them out of your house- it’s legal. The relationship to human beings is so much more...

Understood.

Yeah, it’s really interesting. Dogs, you can’t let them run around because they’ll fuck things up. They’ll get together and eat babies. Your family pet will a baby.

Yeah, and we don’t want that. You know how people are about killing babies.

[Laughs] Yeah.

So on your website people can submit pictures of their cats- have you gotten a lot of responses to that?

Yeah, I did initially. I made a bunch of pages of people’s cats. That was a long time ago; I had a lot of time on my hands. Now we’ve got kids at home and there’s no time to do that, but people still send me pictures which is great because I love people taking pictures of cats. It’s why I need to be looking at cats because it can be really calming.

It really is. I’ve actually done that a couple times. When I was really angry I’d look up some cat pictures, and it worked.

[Laughs] Your heart rate comes down a little bit.

Definitely, my mind shifts to more positive things. It’s a different vibe. Do you think you’d ever do an album of cat shit?

Maybe if I’m really old. I think maybe once my kids split and I feel a little senile, you know. And maybe I could really hook into some really heavy medical marijuana. Like if I was 65-70 and cats was the central theme of what I do. Sell cat related merch...[Laughs] Till I give up on all that, I don’t feel mentally feeble enough to chase my tail like that; I might put off the cat album.

It’d be really good in a time of intense writer’s block. You can always remember you’ve got that cat album on the backburner.

Sure, and probably with that being the most successful thing I’ve ever done, I can start wearing cat related clothing exclusively... and I’ll get a guitar with cat ears.

You could become a cat!

People would love that. Like in Cat Fancy magazine they’ll have an interview with me.

You can be the Grizzly Man of cats.

Exactly, that’s true. [Laughs]

Sebadoh will be playing with Mazes and Deer Meet at Headliners Music Hall on Friday, Nov 4th. Tickets are available through Headliners and Etix.com. Doors at 8PM; show starts at 9PM. 18+ with I.D.

*This article also appears at Louisville.com

PHOTOS: The Black Angels @ Headliners, Louisville. 10.21.11

2011-10-23T09:10:00.000-07:00

Photos by Lara Kinne

*See full gig review and additional photos at Louisville.com

Interview: Talking color with Alex Maas of the Black Angels

2011-10-19T13:48:00.000-07:00

In a hue of red-orange...

The black alliance was broken last year when the Black Angels canceled their opening set for Black Mountain on the Dropout Boogie tour, but this Friday they make a welcome return to Headliners Music Hall, this time as a headlining act. Sludgy shoegazers Dead Meadow are set to open with Spindrift; expect to hear a dynamic of heavy psychedelia and low-key gypsy rock jams to build anticipation.

I caught up with guitarist/vocals man Alex Maas who suffered from a hernia on their previous tour, resulting in a few canceled shows including Louisville. Now in full health, Alex took some time with me to reflect on visual songwriting, black metal and describing the unknown.

When you combined your first two EPs for Another Nice Pair, were any of these older songs reworked in the process of compiling the release?

It was more of a compilation because those songs were limited presses off records. I think there’s only 1,000 copies of each, so for bigger distribution we thought, “okay a lot of people haven’t heard these songs. let’s release them. ” A lot of people were asking of them.

Your style has changed since 2005 when these were released, have you also adapted this transition when you play these older songs live?

Yeah, we have. With a song, the more you play it, the better it gets. That’s my opinion. We’re playing a little differently now.

In another interview you said that your music was a way to commune with the unknown and unexplained. What exactly has that entailed for you?

For me it’s less of a communication between the two and more our descriptions of the unknown. It’s hard to communicate with the unknown if it’s unknown, right? It’s more our way of expressing these kind of mysteries. The unknown is really interesting. You don’t know what happens when you die-- not that you have to know, or that you need to know. The unknown has always been kind of a point of inspiration for us.

Do you feel like you’ve made discoveries from creating this music that moves you?

Yeah, I think we’ve definitely pushed ourselves not to sound cheesy and pushed ourselves into different realms. Whether it be a spiritual thing, or something a lot more simple than that. When we’re experimenting with different sound, I definitely think it’s a way to time travel and kind of get lost.

You’ve coincidentally toured and have been associated with bands that also use the word “black” in their name. For the Angels, what does black mean to you?

It’s the opposite of light. [Laughs] We got our name from the Velvet Underground song “The Black Angels Death Song.” As far as touring with bands with “black” in their names- The Black Keys and Black Rebel Motercycle Club being the two off the top of my head, it was really amazing to be able to tour with those bands. We’d always been big fans of them and when the opportunity presented itself to tour with these bands for the first time, I was like “wow, awesome.” Obviously with Black Mountain as well. It wasn’t until our first tour was booked that I’m like “man, we keep playing with these Black bands.”

I know! Such a weird coincidence.

Yeah, and it honestly wasn’t like “we’re only gonna tour with these bands.”

Black to me isn’t as evil as everyone thinks. I mean, half of the world is black when there’s no light. If you think it’s a bad connotation. It’s always been a darker people color throughout literature. To me it doesn’t really have that feeling.

Speaking of color—on your song “Deer Ree Shee,” is that a tambura you used for the drone?

Yes, that’s a tambura and a sitar as well.

In classical Indian music the feeling or emotion of a song is called the rasa. Would you say that you take this same approach to writing music?

Yeah. That’s a good description of the way we write music; it’s about the feeling. We used to get a lot of slack about being a band like “oh, this is too simple, or there’s only note, maybe one or two changes...”

That’s how a lot of that classical music was, though.

Yeah, and that’s not something that we sought out to do. Simple was good. It was easy to get moved by a certain mood or certain style, like the tambura or something. Like whenever you hear [plays notes on guitar], you play these strings, and you repeat them over and over, it’s almost like the instrument is breathing. And it’s breathing inspiration and life into a potential song. And the repetitive nature of that has its own loop. It’s a tone thing, like it’s living. A lot of times the music comes and then we’re just describing the images that we hear, or the images that we see. It is connected to your limbic system, which is where all your memories and images are stored. And so it makes sense to how we make music--our band specifically. A lot of times, it’s the music first and then we’re just telling the story afterward of what the music is telling us.

Right, so it’s your interpretation of the music— more visual.

Yeah, it’s a total visual thing. Until I realized how the human body works—I was always perplexed as to how that happened—how do we write a song? People would ask us. It’s hard and different every time. [that’s what she said!] Knowing that has enabled me to go to that place and be okay feeling like “this might be nonesense, but I’m gonna say it anyway.” I make a lot of headway that way, in terms of songwriting.

Definitely, because it becomes a more natural thing and you can make it a mindstate. Which is awesome.

Yeah, and to play these songs live in front of people, you have to go back to that spot. If you don’t, you’re probably not going to be feeling it. It’s almost impossible to be into it every single time. I have a hard time with people I know seeing the same songs played over and over, so I like to keep it fresh and play a different set list every night. To me it’s more real as to where the music came from and how it’s being projected.

Do you ever get reoccurring visions of color?

Red and orange, for some reason. It’s something I’ve talked about with friends. It’s like a tinted hue of orange. I don’t know why it is or what it means, but for me those two colors...it’s almost like a sepia. A red-orange that kind of goes back and forth. I first remember seeing that when I was little, like if I was sick, everything would have this weird hue.

I know what you’re saying, like if you closed your eyes?

Yeah, it’s really tripped out. It was really strange. I remember that and I don’t know if it’s because you’re sick and your mind isn’t well--something is happening and going on in there. Whenever we’re writing music, I had that same kind of indescribable hue that hazed over. And it’s not always there, but it’s on and off.

That’s a really intense color, too.

Yeah, I remember when I was younger and had the flu, kind of hallucinating. It has a kind of eerie feeling to it. But it has a negative connotation. I think of seeing it when I was younger, and I’m like “ugh.”

We’re still on the subject of color, but moving to more rapid fire questions. I’ll give you the choice of two black things and you name your preference. Black eye vs. Black tongue?

Black eye.

Black coffee vs. black tea?

I’m a huge tea drinker, but I like black coffee. I don’t put cream in either one.

Black cats vs black girls?

Black girls

Black metal vs. black light?

Black light

Black light? So are you a raver?

[Laughs] No, I’m not a raver. I was at a couple parties when I was a teenager, but I’m not a raver. I’ve never been into black metal. I never got big metal into it at all. If the right person turned me on to it, I’d probably be into it. I’m not a huge black light fan, but I remember being at the skating rink when I was younger and I’d wear a white shirt, and it would look so awesome.

It’s really intelligent, the music they play [in black metal].

Yeah, it’s really complex.

It’s almost like a classical composition, really in-depth, or like hitting 3 notes on a scale. It never was for me. Probably didn’t have the patience or wasn’t good enough to play metal.

Yeah, for me it’s only good at the right times.

Yeah, I could totally see that.

Blackberries vs black beans?

Blackberries

You don’t like burritos?

I do. I like black beans, but I was mainly thinking of the antioxidant value the black beans have versus blackberries. Antioxidants over no antioxidants, I’m going to choose the antioxidants. Black metal and blacklight...So what’s the best time to listen to black metal?

Only when there’s a funky bass. Because if it’s not funky, it doesn’t do it for me.

It’s an isolated dichotomy. The funky bass would even out the note riffs of the black metal.

Yeah especially in jazzy progressive metal. I’m still slowly getting into the pool of metal because I’ve been avoiding it all these years.

Yeah, I hear you.

Black Sabbath vs Black Francis?

Frank Black is a really good songwriter, but I’d probably have to go with Black Sabbath. My sister always listened to the Pixies growing up, I do like them. But I have to say Sabbath.

Black Mountain vs Pink Mountaintops?

Ah shit, you had to throw that one in there. Pink Mountaintops. It has to do with the music for sure, because Black Mountain is more like metal and Pink Mountaintops is more like the Velvet Underground.

I’ll have to agree with you on the Pink Mountaintops. The electronic stuff [on Axis of Evol] definitely changes it up. It’s a nice break.

Chris Farley Black Sheep or killer Black Sheep?

Killer black sheep? I know of the one with Chris Farley, but is that a movie?

There’s one with Chris Farley and the other is about sheep that murder people.

Oh, that sounds awesome. But because I haven’t seen it, I’ll have to say [Chris Farley] Black Sheep.

The Black Angels play with Dead Meadow and Spindrift on Friday, Oct. 21 at Headliners Music Hall. Tickets available through ear-X-tacy and Etix.com. $15 adv/$17 day of show. Doors at 8PM, ages 18+ with I.D.

*This article also appears at Louisville.com
Photo: Flikr/DCP313

Interview: Seeking out new tastes with Maps & Atlases

2011-10-15T11:37:00.000-07:00

Music. Math. Noodles.

The Chicago-based Maps & Atlases emerged after meeting in school at Columbia College where they were heavily inspired by the thriving arts scene around them. After releasing two EPs of noodle-heavy, spastic pop songs, their full-length debut, Perch Patchwork, took a different turn — the studio environment guided their sound down creative avenues they couldn’t have imagined. LEO caught up with singer/guitarist Dave Davison to discuss the new record and the importance of good food.

Your debut departs from the noodles of your earlier EPs; do you consider this to be the defining record for Maps & Atlases right now—or do you see yourself developing later on into something different?

From the beginning we were all sort of interested in experimenting with lots of different techniques, rhythms and aspects of music to try to be unorthodox. I think that we always wanted to write songs that were meaningful and catchy, and fun at the same time they were intellectually stimulating. I think this album is a continuation of that. The end result seemed a lot less jarring in some ways. I’m not sure exactly what we’ll still write in three years; I’m really excited to delve into that.

So, you’d say that your creative process is more of feeling things out?

Yeah, at least for Perch Patchwork, we were seeing what avenues that songs went down in the process of creating them.

Would you say that your live shows have become more improvised too?

They’re definitely calling it that. I think it’s interesting, because when we first started, the concept of ever improvising and jamming wasn’t something we would've really envisioned in the kind of show we were doing, but we loosened up a little bit.

In another interview you said all of you had an influence from 70’s psychedelic jams. For you, what was the defining record that made you want to be a musician?

I think if I had to choose an artist that made me want to be the kind of musician I am now, it would have to be David Bowie. Just because after discovering his records that my parents had when I was high school, it was all I ever grew up listening to. It just all of a sudden clicked for me in that way and really opened up a lot of different doors to me. Listening to David Bowie definitely was connecting a lot of dots in music that led me to where I am now as a songwriter and singer.

Have you ever been inspired by fine cuisine?

I totally have been. Being on tour and going to restaurants is the big highlight of going on tour for me just cus you can seek out different places. It’s kind of like how we’re able to find neighborhoods and remember how to get places, and I think in a lot of ways, we’re kind of a food centric band. A lot of our tour activities center around that. We’re mostly vegan or vegetarian band, so a lot of times we get really excited about seeking out a vegan place. I don’t necessarily write too much about food specifically, but a lot of times going in and seeking out food leads to the kind of experiences that are inspiring as opposed to a fast food restaurant on the edge of town.

So you have a pretty large palette.

Yeah, I would say so, definitely. I get mostly excited about spicy food, Thai, Indian, Ethiopian...

Maps & Atlases perform with Circa Survive and Sleeper Agent at Expo 5 on Sunday, Oct. 16. Show at 7:30PM, $20. Tickets available through ear-X-tacy and TerryHarper.com

*This is an extended interview. Read the condensed version at LEOWeekly.com

Photo: Drew Reynolds

Good news for those who buy Ben Sollee tickets

2011-10-12T20:28:00.000-07:00

10 VIP passes are up for grabs. Get off the fence already--10 first replies are wins!

Ben Sollee w/ Vandaveer

Headliners Music Hall

10/15 | 8PM, $20 + VIP upgrade

Travelling cellist and Kentucky native Ben Sollee plays Headliners Music Hall this Friday. If you've already thrown down the cash for a ticket in advance--congratulations! You're eligible to receive a Very Important Person privilege, courtesy of the nice folks of Crash Avenue.

What does a VIP upgrade entail?
Winners receive a wristband that grants exclusive access to the Headliners Mezzanine (including the bar on the Mezzanine) throughout the evening. Revel in the moment of VIP status.

Why Ben Sollee?

You've been hearing about him for months and have never checked out a show. Why not start here?

He returns to Louisville for what's likely to be sold-out show, so it would be ideal to buy your tickets, STAT! Replies accepted until 5 PM Thursday!

PHOTOS: They Might Be Giants @ Waterfront Park, Louisville. 9.21.11

2011-09-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

Photos by Lara Kinne

*See full gig review at Louisville.com

Interview: Lessons with John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants

2011-09-19T15:45:00.000-07:00

They Might Be Giants returns to Louisville to send off the last Waterfront Wednesday of the year. The band's other half, John Flansburgh, takes a moment to discuss the new record and sketchy situations.

We may not be aware, but we have all experienced They Might Be Giants in one form or another. As a child I unknowingly witnessed their work watching Tiny Toons and Malcom in the Middle and never imagined I’d be coming back to question the entity behind it all. They were still an established band long before this time and have maintained strong output of inventive art that marks them a beloved act by all audiences. Leading the forefront of the inevitable internet-music marriage, they were the first artists to self-run an online music store and release albums exclusively in MP3. The past few years have kept them involved in mostly youth culture (get ‘em while they’re young) with their last three albums directed at children. Today, the two Johns tour in support of their latest adult TMBG album in four years, Join Us, which has been received surprisingly well according to John Flansburgh.

I caught up with John to discuss music and their upcoming show at Waterfront Park, a free event hosted by WFPK in their final Waterfront Wednesday of the season. Through the thousands of interviews past, it was clear he knew how to throw one down and made good company for a relaxed conversation. Flansburgh says he’s looking forward to be back in Louisville; this time TMBG is joined by Baltimore’s J Roddy Waltson & The Business and Louisville pop posse The Deloreans. Although there probably won’t be science lessons on the set list, it shouldn’t discourage you from bringing along the kiddies anyway. It’s an awfully generous opportunity with a free event of this capacity, and could seriously handicap your credibility as a human being if you neglected the legs/nubs you were born and failed to attend. A free They Might Be Giants gig is more of a right than an opportunity; don’t waste it!

You’re going to be doing a free waterfront show here in September.

Right, right. It’ll be fun to be back in Louisville. You know, Louisville used to be very much on the circuit of cities that we played. And I’m not sure if the rock club that put them on the map closed down or…I can’t remember the name of the rectangular room we played in.

Was it Headliners? [Note: I later came to find it was Tewligan's, which is now Cahoots]

No, it wasn’t. I forget the name it was called. In fact, the name might have changed a couple times, but I remember at one point we were still touring in a van, so it must have been the early 90s. And somebody—a fan—stole a license plate off our van which was such a drag, because it was at the beginning of a month of touring. We would have t-shirts drop shipped to us every five or six days and we’d have to go to an airport to pick them up. So we’d go to a local airport in some city and pick them up wherever the drop shipping place was. And one might not know this—but they’ve done it—if you drive a van without a license plate onto an airport, they know right away. [Laughs]

Basically they tipped off a crazy set of police alarm bells. But fortunately we had paperwork from the Louisville police saying that our license plate had been stolen, but you can’t get a replacement plate until you actually get back to the state where the vehicle was registered. So, we had to wait a month. And we were driving around for a month without a license plate, so we got pulled over like a half-dozen times, which really sucked.

Wow, that’s really sketch!

Well what’s weird about it is they were, officially, our friends, you know? They were fans who were getting a souvenir, “ha-ha.” So that month was really shitty.

So, about how many interview do you think you’ve done?

Oh, I don’t know, probably a few thousand. We’ve probably done almost 2,000 shows, and we do at least an interview per show. And that’s actually probably a conservative number. I’m used to it.

The current tour is in support of your new album Join Us, and I've noticed through your Twitter feed that several of your shows have been free events. For a band of your notoriety, it seems odd you aren't asking for any kind of admission. Any reason why?

Well, we did a big free show in Brooklyn right as the album was being released and that was just a very celebratory thing. You know, we do a free show in New York and there are 10,000 people so it’s a way to celebrate the release. This radio show [WFPK] is just something that’s having a big event and we’re taking part in it. There’s nothing better than a free show; it’s a great vibe. And you kind of super-size your audience when you play a free show. You get the music out to more people, so it’s kind of a win-win situation.

What are your favorites to play live?

Well, whenever you play a super familiar song, it gets a different kind of response from the audience which is exciting. But I think on a musical level, it’s always interesting to have new songs in the show, whether they’re from the catalog or it’s an old repertoire that you brought back or brand new songs. Right now there’s a bunch of brand new songs from the album and they’re getting a very warm response which is…unusual. But it seems like people are paying a lot more attention to this record than typical. The typical thing is kind of a time delay on how audiences respond to songs. Like when they’re brand new, they tend to be kind of quiet.

Most of them don’t know or care to know about them yet.

That’s to be expected, but over time they become equally beloved. Although I have to say, this record’s getting a very different kind of response. Even the first couple times we played songs in the past couple weeks, certain new songs have just gotten a really big reaction, so it’s very exciting.

I think it might also be because your last releases have been children’s albums.

Oh, yeah. And that’s like a different audience entirely really. We don’t really mix those worlds. The stuff we do for adults is strictly for adults and what we do for kids is certainly for kids. So the shows are very distinctly different. We’re not into generating that level of confusion.

Right. So you’d take a different approach to making a kids album?

The things that are different are the things that are the same. You know, the challenge of writing a good song is always kind of there. Those things have a lot of common elements. They sort of function differently; it’s hard to say what the difference is, but I wouldn’t say they’re completely different.

Who writes more of the music/lyrics?

Well, we’re both songwriters and then we collaborate on things.

Has it varied over certain albums?

It really varies from song to song, but by large we typically just pull our efforts into the project. There’s a lot of experimentation in the way we approach collaborating. It’s not like one of us is a music guy and one of us is a lyrics guy. I would say a lot of songwriters work in sort a painterly way and a sculptural way- they kind of throw stuff out there and let it pile up, and there are people who are into editing and the subtractive kind of pruning of ideas. There’s a lot of peeling back of ideas in our work. To try to figure out how to arrange a song is always a big question for us.

TMBG has always been ahead of the curve in terms of adapting technology and alternative ways to distribute music. Where do you see this heading? Do you believe that file-sharing is a beneficial part of music's digital transition or does it do more harm than enrich?

In terms of the business of music, once you take the money out of it, it changes the talent pool. There was a time when a lot of very bright people were running record companies, because they were professionally ambitious. You know, people tend to look at the business of music from a very…they think about the artist and they kind about audiences, but they don’t think about how it functions as a business. There are advantages to having file-sharing and there’s things that are nice about artists being able to make a living. The economics right now are very different. And having been picking around this—you know, my first job was working in a record store when I was 17 years old; I’m 51 now. I’ve seen multiple formats come and go. I’ve seen generational shifts, and there was this period where. People always sentimentalize things. The truth of the matter is, in the 1950's there was a lot of crooks involved in music. A lot of those crooks kind of got pushed out by more legitimate business practices over the course of 30 years as the business got bigger and more corporate. And it’s hard to say. People talk about the 50’s like it was a glorious era, but it was an era where the only people managing bands were crooks and the people running record companies were crooks. So, how great is a business when it’s all run by crooks? I’m a little bit nervous that as the money marches out of the music business, it seems very likely that the crooks will return. But that’s just a guess. The music business is a very strange one.

This is totally on the side, but an interesting point. People are talking about schoolteachers and they’re complaining about…ah, it’s too complicated to explain. But it goes back to the idea of talent pools shifting. If you think of all the great women who are doctors, lawyers, engineers and business people- all the women in the workforce right now were doing all these amazing things. And imagine that all those women in a different generation would be teachers. Think about what a change in the talent pools for teachers it is. Just generationally. In one generation, it’s gone from being teaching and nursing were the professions of women and now women are everywhere in the business world. If you’re a teacher, and they change the culture of teaching. Because you just don’t have the best and the brightest in your work pool. And I have to say, I remember when there was a time when everybody’s kid wanted to be an intern at the record company. And when that changed, I really felt like, oh, music isn’t the business of future.

I also noticed your music video output has slowed since ’92.

Well, we’ve done three full length DVDs for kids in the past five years. There all like an hour long animated music video collection. MTV doesn’t really exist anymore. We’ve done lots of music video-type things, but the old fashioned music video doesn’t have as many outlets.

It’s definitely losing its value.

Yeah. And the shift in outlets and value kind of made the budgeting a really confusing thing. If you’re an established band and you try to make a rock video, people immediately want to attach a zero to the budget where it might not normally be because your presence makes it a bigger deal. But still, it’s a world of $5,000 rock videos now. It’s not a world of $50,000 rock videos and it doesn’t really make sense for us spend a whole ton of money on videos when there’s no place for them to get played. And they don’t hold people’s interest that much.

How did you get a spot on Xavier: Renegade Angel?

Oh, I’m friends with the people who put that show together and they asking if I could come in and do a thing. It’s very crazy.

What are your thoughts on the show? Did you have a fun experience?

It was very, very strange. I spent like an hour screaming at the top of my lungs. The production company that does those shows [PFFR], they also did Wonder Showzen, and they’re very creative people with loopy ideas. They’re neighbors of mine; just nice people.

It’s great; it really is. Do you have any current side-projects in the works?

No, we’re going on the road for six months, so my side-project is gonna be eating chicken wings at three in the morning.

They Might Be Giants will be performing with J Roddy Waltons & The Business and the Deloreans at Waterfront Park on Sept. 21st. Admission is FREE and all ages.

*This article also appears at Louisville.com.
Photo: Lastfm/TMBG photo album

Interview: Slug of Atmosphere and the Family Vacation

2011-09-12T14:44:00.000-07:00

Atmosphere stops at Headliner's this Wednesday, Sept. 14th on vacation with labelmates Blueprint and Evidence. Sean Daley, the other half of Atmosphere, speaks about Eddie Murphy, his six day stint in Deep Puddle Dynamics and crybabies.

With Atmosphere as the driving force behind the movement of Twin Cities hip hop, Minneapolis breeds more than just bodies of water. It plays host to a thriving music scene of issue conscious rapppers and those willing to put their stories out there in a style defined by its candor and eccentricity. Under the umbrella of Rhymesayers Entertainment—a hip hop label founded by Atmosphere, Brent Sayers and Musab Saad—these artists are given a central hub to release records. However, you won’t catch them hanging around the office for a grip as they are currently on vacation with labelmates Blueprint and Evidence. Louisville will be one of the last handful of stops left on this excavation, a journey that began in Chicago at Lollapalooza and eventually brought them full circle around the nation. It was a really scattershot circle, though.

The tour is named after a signature hand gesture devised by Slug’s son, a gesture so commonly occurred that they decided to put it on the cover of their new record. Following up on the facts of life within 2009’s When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, things begin to get really slow. Usually this fixes everything; imagine any song with a beat and slow it down…that’s TENSE. Now, imagine the flow over top of this track spoken without much aggressive emphasis…that’s DYNAMICS. It doesn’t make much sense compared to the hip hop standards of violent subject matter and themes, but Atmosphere have been managing this sub-standard for a while. Piano trails littered the loungy, low-key nature of their last record, but now they’ve exchanged their coffee banter vibes with slithering psych-rock influenced platforms that conjure up enough texture to create its own natural system. In terms of where in the atmosphere this layer lies, it's the sub-stratosphere.

I didn't get into the scientific side of their music, but I feel some spark from Slug's very blatant answers. My spirit was crushed to hear Slug dismiss Deep Puddle Dymanics as a joke and was equally confused as to whether rewriting Eddie Murphy's "Boogie in Your Butt" is actually an ironic thing to do. I found him to be an extremely sincere guy serious with a respect for all art and the different purposes they serve.

I’m conducting this interview in the back kitchen of a head shop in Louisville. Where’s the strangest place you’ve done an interview?

I don’t know if I’ve ever done one in any strange places. Usually it’s over the phone, so it’s somewhere convenient.

That’s good. I’ve only seen a couple video interviews of you. I remember in one of them you said you became interested in writing hip hop from rewriting a really bad Eddie Murphy song…? Do you think if you chopped and screwed Kenny G it’d be any good?

I doubt it.

Is there no way of making it good?

No, I think it’s because the only reason someone would chop ‘n screw a Kenny G song would to be ironic, and I don’t think irony makes for very good art.

So you genuinely loved the Eddie Murphy song?

Which Eddie Murphy song-“Big Ol’ Butt?” “Put It In the Butt?” Yeah, that’s a great song- are you kidding me?

I’ve never heard it, but it’s definitely on the list to check out. (Note: I later came to find it’s titled “Boogie in your Butt,” something Eddie Murphy was not down with in the song.)

How does working in Atmosphere right now differ from your former rap group Deep Puddle Dynamics?

Deep Puddle Dyanmics was never a group. It was a thing, a side project that we did in 1998, but I’ve been in Atmosphere since 1989. Atmosphere has always been my group that I’ve been in. And then, a couple of dudes got together and said hey, let’s do this side project called Deep Puddle Dynamics and so we did that, and it was just a one-off. We only did one show because we all live in different parts of the country, so it was never really a group; it was just more like a recording project we did one time.

I meant that it was a group of people and collective effort.

Deep Puddle was never really work though, I don’t really know how to describe it. It was four guys who, for one week, smoked a whole bunch of weed and made a record. And so there’s really not a whole lot. Whereas Atmosphere is more like a machine, you know: a touring machine, recording machine. With Atmosphere I’ve put out about 7 official records, but we’ve put out about 15 records realistically. And Deep Puddle was something that lasted for six days. That’s what I’m saying, Deep Puddle wasn’t really a group, it was just a…a joke.

Well… I thought it was great.

Deep Puddle? Huh. That’s interesting.

I listen to it very often, actually.

You do?

Yeah, to this day.

Wow- right on, right on.

I just wanted to throw a question out there- I was genuinely curious.

I guess if I had to say it was different, I’d say that with Deep Puddle we didn’t really think about what we were doing. We were just doing whatever happened. We were under the pressure of time and six days together to make a record and so we just kinda did what happened without giving it too much thought. Whereas with Atmosphere, everything we do is very thought out; there’s a point to everything we do with Atmosphere.

I guess that’s why I like it- imperfect sound.

Right.

But with your newer stuff I noticed it’s becoming more positive- how have your audiences been responding so far?

So far, so good. Every time we make a record people have a tendency to go, “well I don’t know. I’ll really have to listen to it a couple times.” And then usually six months later they go, “wow this is great.” And I think this record is no different. When it first came out, everybody was like “well, it’s a little different, I don’t know,” and now that we’ve been out here for four months on the record everybody’s been starting to come around to it. I think people have this tendency to think they know us, or they know me. And so whenever I do something they think is outside of me, it’s like, they don’t know how to deal with it. They just all want me to be that guy that’s rapping about Lucy, and I haven’t mentioned Lucy on a record since 2002. So, Lucy’s been gone for about ten years. So when I quit doing it, cause I knew I had to move on and do something else—you can’t keep doing the same shit for more than two years, otherwise you’re a sellout—so, when I moved on…it’s like, audiences don’t move on. Things are timeless. Somebody today is hearing that Lucy shit for the first time ever, so they don’t put a time stamp on it. So you know, it’s more about when you take it in or how you take it in. For me, it’s more like it’s a straight line. Not a circle. And I guess that’s how it is for artists; they live on a straight line, however, for those of us that appreciate art you know, it’s circular, it’s a cycle.

Among your influences, what is the constant drive in your life?

Just my surroundings- the people that I’m surrounded by. I usually just steal my inspiration from my immediate surroundings.

What are your feelings on file-sharing? Do you believe it's beneficial to the music community or does more harm than good?

I don’t think I’d call it either; it’s just a way of the world, you know? It’s just the way things are today. When I was a kid we used to make mix tapes and share music with each other. People are always going to share music; that’s part of why music exists. I think that artists are being crybabies about not making any money because of file-sharing, because 100 years ago before the music industry existed, you would be lucky to get a pillow to lay your head on a bowl of soup for being able to sing a song. And then somebody invented this big scam called the music industry and a bunch of people got rich. Now, those rich people aren’t making as much money than they used to and they’re being little crybabies about it.

When you're writing, are you attentive to the pronunciation in how it affects the song in a sculptural way, or do you focus more on the words and their meanings?

I’d say, both.

Do you ever take breaks from writing or is it always a constant thing for you?

I take a break when I’m on tour.

Have you been through Louisville before?

Many, many times.

Any distinct memories?

None that I would talk about publically. I do like the airplane shoved into the side of the hill over there at Headliner’s.

Atmosphere will be performing with Blueprint and Evidence at Headliners Music Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 14^th. Tickets are $20, available through ear-X-tacy, Headliners box office and Etix.com. Doors at 8PM. 18+ with I.D.

*This article also appears at Louisville.com
Photo:Lastfm/Slug photo album

Gig review: Tech N9ne at Expo 5, Louisville

2011-08-04T16:45:00.000-07:00

Tech N9ne says that 6's and 7's stands for disarray and confusion. After rolling through Louisville last night with a crew of fellow artists off his label, Strange Music, some [children] might have felt that way.

8.3.11

There was already juggalo drama afoot upon my arrival to Expo 5, a venue that strangely resembles a deserted carnival even when no ICP fans are around. Offhand comments from police proved this to be the norm- “This is like an ICP crowd…” while a group of well decked-out fans were escorted outside the gates before the show kicked off. I found comfort in seeing younger fans, hoping that this would entice rowdy adults to calm their shit. Unfortunately, the term All Ages is only meaningful to those who haven’t quite peaked enough to buy cigarettes yet.

Tech N9ne rolled through Louisville last night with a large crew of fellow rappers to support his headlining tour, but they reassured us this was a party and not merely a performance. Stevie Stone initiated the night’s baller vibe, layin’ out the crunk…and yelling. The following act Mayday! succeeded at appeasing both rock and hip-hop lovers with their Beastie Boys delivery and ska/punk style, though it did border dangerously along Limp Bizkit territory.

Jay Rock did a brief set with material from his latest Follow Me Home, but brought nothing memorable besides an intense flow spat on his closing song. Kutt Calhoun was able to raise several hands with his single “Buy the Bar” and eventually Stevie Stone got back onstage as well. It appeared as though everyone had each other’s backs within stage banter that occasionally felt like watching a conversation aimed directly at us. Upon opening or closing a set, each artist dedicated their performance to a deceased fellow with the mysterious initials M.J. The party was for him.

However grueling it may sound, the slew of opening acts didn’t faze the patience of Tech N9ne fans. He entered the stage through an automatic door built within the giant red 9 that stood behind him, wearing matching Strange Music jumpsuits with the 816 Boys who are known for accompanying him on the single “Areola.” I definitely had the female advantage as Tech gave my camera extreme eye contact and followed my movement in front of the stage. The set was a chopped mix of old and new material, busting out with the first verse of “Worldwide Choppers” as he warmed up the crowd. There was no avoiding that some incarnation of “Midwest Choppers” would make an appearance (which has become a Technition anthem), but they only went as far to throw down part II in its entirety. “Psycho Bitch” was interrupted with “Psycho Bitch II,” and “Red Nose” was performed humbly by Tech sitting down. “Come Gangsta” also brought forth the unifying pride that this fan base shares. Of course, any fan could tell you what Tech N9ne’s favorite drink is; so when it was time to sing the ingredients in “Caribou Lou,” nobody had to tell the bar twice. On perfect timing, a pale yellow mixed drink was passed up to the stage once the song had concluded. Eventually it broke down to a mad-lib test of who Tech N9ne’s real fans were as he recited random lyrics from older songs like “Dysfunctional” to “Low” and allowed the crowd to fill in the blanks.

Things started getting pretty sloppy in the crowd and Tech definitely had this in mind while determining his setlist. 1) Convince everyone it’s a party, 2) Bust out “Areola,” 3) Demand women to flash titties. One poor soul ended up on stage lugging a pair of size infinite DD’s on her chest and showing them to whomever didn’t already have their head turned away. Even with this vague excitement, the show remained pretty anti-climatic until the evening came rolling to an end and he sang an excerpt from an unreleased track called “F.A.N.S.”- You are my heart/you are my soul/Thank you for all you’ve done for me. The big finish: Tech passing out free cans of Monster and a recital of The Pledge.

But just look at these photos!

*This article also posted on Louisville.com

Photos: Lara Kinne

Interview: Matisyahu, reggae's most spiritual Jew

2011-07-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

His name means "gift of God," his beard means business, and he's performing at Headliners Music Hall this Thursday, July 21st. Matisyahu speaks about Judaism and recording in Louisville.

Much like his Hasidic beliefs, Matisyahu communicates his message through telling stories, or adapting old ones. He cites the Torah as the influencer of his words while his music dwells primarily in reggae and hip-hop, but they have more in common than you think.

This Thursday Matisyahu will perform with electronic duo Sub Swara at Headliners Music Hall, however, he is no stranger to Louisville. Among his last few stops here included a recording session downtown that later became The Louisville Light Sessions EP, a collection of select tracks from the 2009 studio album Light.

While Light embraces the wonders of electronic manipulation and multi-track recording that creates a lush texture, it seems to have left part of the funk behind. That isn’t to say that the organic feel of his live performances don’t suffice enough funk to bring the house down. A live album recorded in Austin, Texas during 2005, Live at Stubb’s, peaked #1 on the Reggae Billboard charts before the young artist even released his second studio album. The impressive beat-boxing and intricate vocal patterns can easily entice a listener to check out a live show and witness these songs in action, many of which appear on his definitive record to follow, Youth. Of course homage to Bob Marley is paid in the couple acoustic ballads that are nestled into this empowering album, and only one song title with the word Zion. The rest is a funk-infused call to action, minus the love song “Unique is my Dove" which can be referenced back to his marriage nearly seven years ago. He now tours with his family of three and band to promote his latest, Live at Stubb’s Vol. II, a second take at the same Austin venue that helped launched his career, now six years later.

I spoke with Matisyahu over the phone while in Chicago and he was very patient with the brief connection issues we had to accommodate. Immediately I was at ease knowing that I’d be speaking to someone less concerned with how much time or money they don’t have. In fact, money wasn’t even brought up despite trying to get him to talk about file-sharing.

How has touring been this year? Does the experience improve over time or does it differentiate between cities?

It has improved tremendously, actually. I’ve always loved performing, but there was definitely a time when I knew less. It’s like anything; you grow with it. All the different elements behind it: going from being able to create the right space around you, adjust to being on the road, and having the right people around you- in terms of the band and people working for you, having more knowledge of my instrument, and being able to connect with the fans. I find that when time goes on, I really find myself enjoying it more and more every tour.

Do you ever feel like the fact you’re a Jew is abused subject matter in an interview?

No, I think it’s fine. It depends on the interviewer and what their interest is. One of the best interviews I did was the other day for a daily newspaper in Pittsburgh, and the interviewer was Jewish, and I think he was pretty connected with his Judaism and therefore had a lot of in-depth questions about my Judaism. I don’t mind discussing it.

Well, I’m about to throw a few at you. What significant experiences led you from being raised a Reconstructionist to an Orthodox Jew?

There were a few that I could suggest, but all of them would require an interview for each experience. It’s something I don’t really like to over-simplify. Would you like me to pick out one of them?

Yeah, if you could.

Overall it was a very organic experience for me. It wasn’t an overnight thing; it was the type of thing that really grew over time. When I was a teenager I started listening to Bob Marley and reggae music, and I really felt all the references to Judaism in there to the Old Testament in the lyrics of those songs. And the spirituality there. A lot of it is influenced and borrowed from Judaism and the Torah. So that was one of the initial draws to me: to explore Judaism on a deeper level. That’s one thing.

Another was when I moved to the west coast to Oregon and found myself to be one of the few Jews in the town I lived in. So I felt all of a sudden, going back from New York, this sort of… I guess at that time in my life, being in my late teens, I was looking for my identity. I felt that being Jewish was a big part of that, even though this wasn’t exploring religiosity, but it made me feel a connection to Judaism. Now when I was 16 I also went to Israel to and experienced a lot of Judaism and young American Jews, too. Israel was very different from the Judaism that we’re exposed to in America. Somehow it feels much more authentic over there. And the variety of Judaism that’s available is appealing.

In college I took a class on race studies. All of us white kids, we were taking the class expecting the black kids and the black teacher to tell us what it’s like to be black in America and be in those situations where there’s racism. And on the contrary, the teacher wanted us to talk about what it was like to be white in America, what it meant to be white and to really explore our identity. It was around that time that I began to really feel a spiritual pull, and an emotional pull from a lot of different directions towards Judaism. I decided, partially because of influence from that teacher and class, that I wanted to wear a yamaka. And let the outside world know that I’m Jewish rather it be a secret and something I keep to myself.

Now, do you find yourself identifying with more than one type of Judaism or religion?

Yes, to a certain extent. Judaism isn’t just a religion, it’s a people. So in that sense I find myself relating to all Jews. Coming from a cultural perspective, as people, yes. Coming from a religious standpoint, I don’t really identify or connect with reformed Judaism or reconstructionist as much, or conservative Judaism. I believe that the Torah’s the real deal; it’s the real thing. Within Orthodox Judaism there’s different branches, so I do find myself sort gravitating towards Hasidic and Kabbalistic thought, employing from those places mainly.

There is a Jewish fusion band called the Shirim Klezmer Orchestra that take the plot-lines from Jewish folk tales and play out the stories in their music. Have you ever adapted a folk tale to write a song?

The last studio release I put out is based on a story called The Seven Beggars which was written by Rabbi Nachman who was a Hasidic rabbi. He was the grandson of the Baal Shem Tov, who was the founder of the Hasidic movement and that was in the late 1700s. He basically believed that people weren’t really connecting to the Torah. The learning wasn’t real to them. Therefore it started creating an impediment between them and God. And therefore he felt that there needed to be a new revolution in Torah learning and that it had to come through stories, and so he began to tell these stories. I studied his work for about three or four years and it culminated in my records, based on one of his stories called the Seven Beggars.

What are your feelings on the digital transition to music, i.e. file-sharing? Have you been effected by the fact that people can download your music without paying or do you believe this transition has enriched the music community?

I think it does both. It allows music to get out there easier and in some ways…well, you know the story; you know how it works. I’m sure you’ve read plenty of articles about it.

Well, what solution would you offer on behalf of your music?

I don’t have a solution because I don’t really see it as a problem. Things just are what they are. It’s just the reality of: why are leaves green?

Do you go back to the holy land very often?

Yeah, I’m usually there two to three times a year.

Anywhere particular that draws you there spiritually?

If I’m there during the high holidays I usually stay in Jerusalem.

Do you have any distinct memories of your time in Louisville?

Yeah, we had a recording there called Louisville Light. This band that I was playing with at the time, we decided we wanted to record the songs from [Light] live. So we took a little break on the tour and stopped at a studio in downtown Louisville and spent I think four or five days there. Or was it three?

Also while I was there I spent some time over Shabbat by the Chabad. You know, just a normal Chabad house…nothing special.

Matisyahu will be playing with Sub Swara at Headliners Music Hall, July 21st @ 8PM. Tickets are $25 available through Headliners, ear-X-tacy and etix.com. 18+ with I.D.

FREE Matisyahu in-store performance and meet&greet at ear-X-tacy Records prior to show starts at 6PM.

Photo: Courtesy of MatisyahuWorld

*This article also appears at Louisville.com

Al Lover- Distorted Reverberations (of Reverberating Distortion) (2011)

2011-06-16T11:41:00.000-07:00

An essential part of keeping community alive in music is the remix: the act of artists reinventing another's work into their own. With Al Lover's new project in producing hip hop beats reworked from current psychedelic and garage bands, he helps to further bring a sense of connection within underground music. His last project was in the similar vein of remixing rock 'n roll as he produced Safe as Milk Replica last year, a tribute to the late Captain Beefheart. Adhering to his mission to extend the music community, all of these mixes are offered for free through Al Lover's website...and now on Huevos. Lay down a flow or let the beat ride, and enjoy the sound of legal- the way it should be.

1. Natural Child- "White Man's Burden"

2. Shapes Have Fangs- "Terlingua"

3. Oh-Thee-See- "If I Stay Too Long"

4. White Fence- "Sticky Fruitman Has Faith"

5. King Tuff- "Sun Medallion"

6. JEFF the Brotherhood- "Hey Friend"

7. Ty Segall- "Fist Heart Mighty Dawn Dart"

8. Davila 666- "Yo Seria Otro"

9. Night Beats- "H-Bomb"

10. Moonhearts- "I Can Go On"

Distorted Reverberations (of Reberberating Distortion)

Gig Review: Bright Eyes/Dawes at Iroquois Amphitheater, Louisville

2011-06-08T15:00:00.000-07:00

6.7.11

It was a beautiful summer evening to hear great music at the Iroquois Amphitheater last night. Conor Oberst must have been feeling the buzz too, because I wasn't expecting a Bright Eyes show to be so heavy. Sharing the stage with them were Dawes who released their second album yesterday and performed at ear-X-tacy before last night's show. They come close to a modern Band with California style that pulses straight out of their bluesy, Malibu roots.

By sunset, it was time for Bright Eyes to take the stage. Having never attended one of their shows before, I was expecting a mostly Conor-centered experience. But the addition of a larger band aided songs dating back to I'm Wide Awake and Lifted to sound more fleshy and vibrant than their studio counterparts. He often played around the wording of these older tunes and didn't appear bored from playing them over the years. Moreover the defiant nature in his earlier music wasn't lost, but became more refined and powerful.

Even though there was only one "MARRY ME CONOR" sign, it was clear that his fanship runs deep in Louisville. To many, he is presented as a prophet. It's a unique trait he has always been able to maintain as a songwriter; people tend to hang on extra hard to his words. In the instances where Conor performed without the band ("Poison Oak," "Lua") to a quieted amphitheater, you could hear shouts of approval and agreement amongst the crowd as if he was preaching to us some kind of truth. The raw subject matter in his songs definitely make it seem that way and one could easily get lost in the emotions they may evoke. This only goes to show what a great songwriter he truly is, unknowingly touching the hearts of many people young and confused.

Conor has had past connections to Louisville as he collaborated with MMJ's Jim James in Monsters of Folk and played at Headliners last year. He explained that "A Machine Spiritual" from the new Bright Eyes record was inspired by Jim and dedicated its performance even though MMJ is currently off touring. The set ended with a cheers to the audience in "One for You, One for Me," the closing song on The People's Key and an inspiring wrap-up for the encore.

Bright Eyes- "Four Winds"

*This article also appears at Louisville.com
Photos/Video: Lara Kinne

INTERVIEW: Afternoon in ear-X-tacy with Lucky Pineapple

2011-05-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

This Friday marks the final performance of Louisville’s beloved funky collective, Lucky Pineapple, who have graced the local scene for nearly seven years. Reasoning for the breakup remains slightly unclear, but during an interview Monday afternoon, it was apparent that these four members have their sights on endeavors set beyond just playing in a band. Although it was a fun ride, Lucky Pineapple have called it quits for good. However, the things that lie ahead for them could assimilate to be just as fruitful.

Starting out in 2004, the Pineapple began as a concentrated mix of musicians either classically trained or pulled from the Louisville punk scene, theater performers, and improv noise artists. The outcome made for a cultured take on fusing worldly music with the styles of anything it may have dragged along while returning to Louisville. Straight from the opposite hemisphere and into your backyard, Lucky Pineapple’s tunes sound like the well-seasoned, juicy piece of refreshing music that you’re probably looking for. But don’t ask any of them to describe it for you.

They enjoyed modest success during their run, landing a spot at SXSW last year and even getting a song featured on Jersey Shore. Their music video for “Moment in an Empty Street” was met with rave reviews after premiering at Louisville Film Society’s 2nd Annual Showcase of Short Film and Video, and they have shared the stage among bigger names like Meat Puppets and Man Man. A split 7’’ with Prizzy Prizzy Please called The Yellow Belt was their final release before finally announcing their disbandment in February.

For Lucky Pineapple’s last interview, I brought the band into ear-X-tacy as an inspiration to talk about their musical influences. The only rule is that whoever catches the beach eyeball must extend upon the artist and album they choose to discuss. Although trombone man Dan couldn’t find what he was looking for, an on-the-spot review of Tyler, the Creator’s "Yonkers" did suffice.

Joining us to sendoff the band on Friday are locals Ultra Pulverize who have performed with Lucky Pineapple several times in the past. As we celebrate their existence and impact on Louisville’s music scene, let us not forget what will become of its fragments later on. Hold on a little tighter to your yellow wax copy of The Yellow Belt and recall the good memories you’ve undoubtedly experienced from past Pineapple shows. Now savor it.

Lucky Pineapple will perform their farewell show with Ultra Pulverize on Friday, May 20th at Headliners Music Hall. Tickets on sale now through ear-X-tacy, Headliners box office, and Etix.com. $8 adv./$10 day of show. 18+ with I.D. Doors @ 9 PM.

Inside the Spacedome: An interview with Disco Aliens

2011-04-18T02:08:00.000-07:00

At the very peak of Thunder anticipation, DJ supergroup Disco Aliens plan to invade the Glassworks building at Landing on the Roof this Friday. Hailing from the Midwest, these DJs, Tyrohn Brooks (obitykenobi), Sean Collins (Plexxx), Daniel Batson (Archeon) and Chris Mindel (Elektrolyte) bring you a multi-demensioned experience. Through several mixed tracks and elaborate visual appeals, the Aliens are able to powerfully stimulate their audiences without spiking them with drugs beforehand. Their passion for sound and its potential is apparent through the music selection of their mixes. Many of these can be found and downloaded for free via their website or can be streamed through DJ G.F.G.'s podcast series Sunday Slackin', a soundtrack to your Sundays.

Although they are currently based out of Louisville, the group admits to not often playing local gigs. Many of their events are spread across the Midwest which included appearances at the Land of Nod Experiement, Underground Sound, Forecastle Festival and Halfway to Forecastle. They are preparing to fill a roster of shows for 2011 and intend to transpire new ideas within the studio.

Chris Mindel's basement, known formally as the Spacedome, is where the magic takes place. It's hard not to get engergetic and inspired looking around this home setup. From layered, technicolor banners to the flourescent paint, everything glow-in-the-dark, and two really cute cats, it immersed me in nothing but good vibes. To a group of producers experienced in crowd stimulation, the vibe of a setting is an important factor of ones reaction to the music and overall experience. They hope to bring this good spirit back to Louisville this Friday. Due to travel complications, Sean Collins (Plexxx) was unable to attend this interview.

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Disco Aliens will be bringing the house down with Secret Beats, Moogonaughts (G.F.G & John Napier) and Double Stuff (DJ Lady Carol vs Duffy) this Friday, April 15th. 5PM-Midnite, 21+, with a $10 cover charge.

Photos/Video: Lara Kinne; main image taken in Detroit by PictureThisDetroit

Interview: America's Funnyman Neil Hamburger talks rave music, Carl's Jr., and magical battered mushrooms

2011-03-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

Neil Hamburger says that he's been a comedian for over 92 years. Gregg Turkington is 43. Yet, both men have accomplished a plethora of work done in music, comedy and television. This is a known fact. It's also known that Neil and Gregg are actually the same person. Turkington, who is a musician credited for founding the now defunct Amarillo Records, plays as Neil Hamburger only to the public eye. This persona, comparable to Andy Kaufman's side stint as Tony Clifton, presents to the audience crude and often offensive humor that's incredibly difficult not to laugh at. Many interviewers in the past have found that inquiring about his endeavors as a musician seems to draw out more bitter responses than informational ones. Even the story of his upbringing changes periodically, but one thing that he stresses most is that it was a very disturbed one. Since changing his act from comedian to musician, Neil's roster of projects continues to grow. He's gone from hosting his own series on tomgreen.com (Poolside Conversations with Neil Hamburger) to recording his own country western album through Drag City. On Twitter, he recently admitted to wrapping up for a future Fantomas film, but refused any forthcoming information.

Neil’s last stop in Louisville with fellow funnymen, Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim, brought him as a opening act for the finale show of their Chrimbus Spectacular, referred to that evening as Chrimbus Eve. Neil is no stranger to opening for amazing acts, as he has also been seen commencing shows for names like Guided by Voices, Melvins, Iron and Wine, Pinback, and Louisville’s own Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy. This spring, Mr. Hamburger returns to Louisville for his own headlining tour at Headliners Music Hall. According to Neil, the Spring Value Tour is meant to pack as much entertainment and laughs into one night as humanly possible. Joining him are comedians Todd Barry and Brendon Walsh. Barry's comedic roots date as far back as Neil's, lending his talents as a voice actor for old-school shows like Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist and Home Movies. His current endeavors include a recurring role on the Adult Swim series Delocated and playing as himself on Louis C.K.'s television show Louie. Brendon Walsh has toured extensively for two years with Doug Stanhope and his appearances have varied from Premium Blend to The Bob & Tom Show.

I chatted with Neil in the afternoon while he was three hours behind me in California. During our conversation, I found him to be a very sincere man who has a serious commitment to his profession in making people laugh. Here's what Mr. Hamburger had to say about everything else...

Do you feel like there's any competition between you and other comedians?

Well there's always competition because the problem is, most of the folks these days, most of the night clubs and things, you know they have this techno music- have you heard this?

Yeah, I don’t really like it.

It's horrible. No one likes it, yet the clubs are packed. Now, they've taken bulldozers to some of the great comedy clubs, pizza parlors, and rock n’ roll night clubs, to put in these new techno buildings. They're very ice cold inside and they have vending machines at the bars that dispense drugs to these drug filled assholes to listen to that monotonous music. As a result of this, there's only so much comedy work to go around. But you’ve got 500,000 comedians and only 1,000 shows a night to pay, you can see where this competition creates, unfortunately, a very unpleasant environment when you when spend time with these other comedians, because everyone’s scrambling to get the same ten cents. Know what I’m saying?

Now in the case of the Spring Value Tour, we, some of the quality comedians, some of the real deal comedians, decided to join forces and bring a bill that packs so much entertainment into one evening, it's a surprise that it's not a $500,000 ticket. We're only trying to give the people their money's worth just by packing an insane number of laughs into a small amount of time; that's what we’re trying to do. Whether or not it works, well, we just don't know.

Yeah, but everybody gets their time, too.

Which is very important.

Twitter question from @KentuckyProphet: How do you determine your opening acts?

Well you know, that's an interesting interview question, it seems a little bit like trick, you know? A lot of interview questions would be things like "Neil! What's your favorite color?" "Neil! What’s your favorite Elvis Costello movie?" "Neil! What's your favorite Nancy Sinatra song?" Those are the sorts of questions you usually get. This question is more along the lines of probably your next question. I bet your next question is from the Super 8 Motel saying, "Neil, have you already reserved a room? We got great deals going right now." Now I don't want to speak badly of the Kentucky Prophet, I've heard that his music is in fact quite good. The sad truth is that we put together a full bill, a full night of entertainment, so there's really no more room for other acts. When we go out there, it's myself and Todd Barry, who everyone knows from movies, from all the late-night talk shows, from his really award winning career. Brendon Walsh who's been seen on all the late-night shows, you know, has also had a wonderful career; we already have three folks on one bill. There really isn’t room for anything more, so I must respectfully tip my hat to the Kentucky Prophet, but really this bill full. And if anything, it's over-filled.

I heard in another interview that you thought K-Fed's album was really killer, so I was wondering if there were any other records you would consider the best of all time?

Boy, that's a good question. That's not one you get very often, and normally it’s these motels trying to get you get to book them. Well there's an album by Frank Sinatra Jr., the son of Frank Sinatra, and the album is called Spice. And I think you'll find that it's one of the top albums that are out there for listening. We really have enjoyed it through the years and I would give my vote to that. I try not to listen to a lot of music because it distracts the mind from you really need to be doing, which is paying attention to the road.

Is that the only album?

Well, there are a few albums we have listened to. Do you know who I really like? Bow Wow Wow, did you ever hear these guys?

Yes.

That's really a good sound. I mean it really was a happy sound, Bow Wow Wow. They had songs that were very popular in the 1980's when I was getting my start. And they’re one of those [bands] I think really hold up today under the light, so I really recommend them. I'm also a really big fan of any of the old orchestras, you know the Tommy Dorsey orchestra, the Jimmy Dorsey orchestra, the Glenn Miller orchestra, any of the old singers like Rudy Valley, these guys who could really put a show out there for ya. Nowadays, I don't know if you've noticed this, but probably as a journalist you would, as journalists have an attention for detail but of lot of the performers are slobs, you know? You don't come out on the stage wearing a dirty t-shirt that's incrusted with all the garbage that's soaking out of their armpits. And sometimes if you go to...do you have Carl's Jr. in Kentucky?

Carl’s Jr.?

Yeah, you have Hardy's. Alright, Hardy's, on the west coast is called Carl’s Jr. and the further east you go they call it Hardy's. If you eat the food from Hardy's, you will sweat out a little stone. They’re the size of grains of salt, they're black, and they'll come out of your pores. It comes from the garbage that they're serving at that Hardy's. Some of the oils are straight out of hell itself. So, these bands they go to Hardy's and they'll have some kind of sandwich and the next day if you raise their arms and I don't recommend you do, because most of these musicians smell horrible. But if you raise their arms you'll see the oily black clumps that look like tar coming out of the pores under their arms. Now, it's disgusting. What they need to do is wash this off, but instead, these bands will get on stage wearing a dirty t-shirt and if you look under the shirt, it's filthy dirty from these globs of the Hardy's tar. They'll have dirt under their nails, halitosis, and a lot of them have hepatitis, or BD, and they get up on stage wearing sweat pants and that's not really the kind of music anyone wants to look at or hear. Compared to these great orchestras, to answer your question, if you were to ever go see the Tommy Dorsey orchestra, you would see guys wearing suits and ties, you know what I'm saying? Impeccably groomed and always smelling fresh and not eating at Hardy's… and that's really what makes the difference.

Do you have any distinct memories of your visits to Louisville?

Yeah I sure do. We had some real good mushrooms. They cooked these mushrooms up, oh boy...I don't know the place, it was downtown, but I'll never forget these mushrooms. They battered them in something, or maybe it was the Colonel’s 11 herbs and spices. It certainly was better than that. This place was just a little place downtown with these magical battered mushrooms. Do you know what place I’m talking about? I’d love to get some of those again.

I’m not sure, but I’m sure someone who reads this interview would.

[Note: If anyone knows the name of the restaurant where Neil got these mushrooms, please let me know! I would like to relay the answer to him and perhaps try them myself.]

Well they’ll have to get in touch. I also really had a wonderful show there some years ago with a wonderful, wonderful two-piece act called Elvis and Meatloaf dot com. They're two brothers. One of them was truly an amazing Meatloaf impersonator. He has the sound, he has the look, I mean he was Meatloaf. He would do a couple songs and then leave the stage, and then his brother would come out and did a fairly incredible Elvis impersonation. And then Elvis would leave and Meatloaf would come back out. It went like this all night long; it was really something. I was honored to share a building with this group. And I understand that they play some of the casinos in the area...I don’t know if the casinos are there in town or if they’re across the river or what but these guys were real great and it was real fun seeing them. Then afterwards as I said, eating these battered mushrooms...I think it was a cornmeal that was on the outside of the mushrooms. It was quite good.

Sounds really good.

Also, I went on tour there and went to the Old Spaghetti Factory; I remember that place. Now, I’m sure that’s not the finest place you’ve got in town there in Kentucky. I went in there and walked around and it seemed like there was a lot of bankers and financial guys in the area and I don’t tend to get along with those people.

Yeah, it’s definitely not the fanciest place here.

We also went to the Kentucky Fried Chicken headquarters and the beautiful mansion they have there. We tried to see Colonel Sanders’s grave and they wouldn’t let us because this was right after 9/11. We were told they were not letting visitors see the grave because of 9/11…I don’t see the connection, personally. They also had Colonel Sanders’s desk. You could sit behind it and have a photo taken. Another time we stopped in Corbin, Kentucky at the original location of Kentucky Fried Chicken at Sanders Court, and they were selling old photograph records of Colonel Sanders’s mandolin band. He had a whole band of mandolin players that played spiritual songs, and they were selling these albums right there at KFC over the counter for a mere five dollars. So you will want to stop in there if you get the chance, if you like mandolin music. I mean, who doesn’t like mandolin music? These are records from 1959 and they’re selling them there in Corbin, so do stop by.

Also, I was [in Louisville] with Tim and Eric and John C. Reilly. We travelled in a bus and had some wonderful fans that travelled all the way to Columbus, and they were there again in Kentucky. They were just the sweetest kids and we loved them. They were really nice people; nice folks.

What crimes have you committed spiritually?

Well, I don’t know if this is spiritual or not, but when I’m in the hallways out of my hotel room, and [on those carts] the maids sometimes have a little box of pens, a little box of shampoo bottles, and usually I try to scoop my hand in there and try to take as much of that as I can. I wouldn’t say it’s a spiritual crime, if anything it’s a very un-spiritual crime, but it is a crime. It is something I feel bad about.

Is that the only crime?

There are a couple shows where I didn’t give it my all, and for that I’m very sorry. I’m not going to name the cities because I don’t want to disgrace myself, and anyone who paid money to see the show. Generally I will give it my all every single night and that’s what you have to do, but when you do an average of 400 shows a year, which I’ve been known to do. You get the occasional night where you feel sick or maybe you ate some bad canned food and you don’t give it your all. That really is a crime against God, who created the some of the canned food that got me sick. But you really need to give it your all, or it’s a crime against the readers, you know?

How do you feel about kids these days?

Well you know I think a lot of them are souped up on God-knows-what. They need to clean up their act and quit listening to that techno music that I’m talking about, which is real garbage. They play a lot of televised shows with remotes and everything, but I think what the kids need to do is come see the show. Can they even get into the venue? I have no idea, but I do think kids need to laugh more these days. There’s a lot of stress going around and this is a difficult time to be a young person today. So I do salute them. Any time there are kids at the show, we always try to shake their hand, give them discounts on our merchandise. Neil Hamburger dolls… a lot of the kids really like dolls, you know, it’s sort of a security blanket sort of thing. I do wish they would educate themselves some more about good comedy because some of this junk you see in the theaters... I don’t know if you’ve seen Marmaduke, but that was garbage. It was rubbish. I think you’d be much better off watching Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy or Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man. I mean, those are quality movies. But this Marmaduke dog, is clearly on drugs or something. And to promote drug use amongst animals is the lowest of the low.

Favorite pizza.

Well you know, I prefer something that doesn’t have a lot of oil on it. Have you seen the Nile in Egypt? If you can imagine transplanting the river Nile on top of pizza, except imagine that the river Nile was all oil. That’s what all the Pizza Hut pizzas look like. It’s really quite disgusting. I think that’s pretty shameful; I would stay away from that.

Twitter question from @Thaxter: Why is the guy who plays Neil Hamburger on TV not the guy I hear on my vinyl records?

Well, it is the same guy. The problem is, Thaxter, smart aleck, is that if you’ve been buying the records, look at the year on the record. I’ve been doing this for so many years, and honestly my act has changed over the years. I’ve gotten older and as you get older your voice deepens, sort of mellows with age and that sort of thing. I could say to Thaxter: why is a 3-year-old baby that I have photographs of with a diaper full of feces not the same strapping young man that’s on Twitter asking questions? And the reason is, Thaxter, is that you’ve grown and changed with time. Now, I don’t know what records I’ve mine he has. But I can guarantee it’s the same person, but I have aged considerably. Now, Thaxter, you’ve aged, we’re all heading towards the grave. I haven’t had a day off in 12 years; if you work this hard doing this many shows it ages you prematurely. Every one year that you age, Thaxter, I age two, because unfortunately show business is the hardest type of business to be involved in. So if you have a record, say he has my first album America’s Funnyman, from 1996, well that’s 15 years ago. In show business years, that’s 30 years ago. If you listen to Frank Sinatra’s vocals from 1948 and listen to his vocals from 1978, you could easily say that this is not the same man because Frank Sinatra used to have the voice of an angel. He used to have a very sweet, tenor voice and with time it became raspy, old and crotchety. Now I happen to like that very much and any fan would, but I don’t believe conspiracy theorists like this Thaxter guy accusing them of having switched out one Frank Sinatra for the other. Frank Sinatra from 1948 was as thin as a rail, the man probably weighed 110 pounds soaking wet. And Frank Sinatra from19 78 was quite a bit more hefty. I don’t understand how Thaxter got through life not noticing this. Did he not notice at one point that he started growing hair above his lip? I mean come on, Thaxter.

You’re 43, aren’t you?

Well, there’s a lot of misconception about that. There’s a lot of information out there on the internet and there’s no way to control it.

So how old are you?

Well we can’t answer that because we don’t want to feed the misconception on the internet. We have a policy of not answering questions like that, because if you do, it causes more inaccuracy.

I guess it’s better to remain inaccurate..?

Well it’s better if people try to get their facts straight, but we can’t contribute to the mass by giving answers like that.

And you’ve been doing comedy for 92 years?

Well, I wouldn’t say that many, but that’s closer to the truth than some of the other things I’ve read. Definitely there has been a lot of comedy, and it has gone on far too long, but a lot of the audiences have moved onto other things. A lot of folks that used to come to the shows are in nursing homes, or some of them are working as strippers. I mean, anything can happen; the next great thing might change. I’ll tell you, my interest in putting on the best show that I can, that never changes.

Do you have a message for Louisville?

Yes. We are bringing what I think will be the show of the year, 2011. I think it will be the most talked about show of 2011 and I dare say it will be the best value show of 2011. What else is coming to town this year? Do you know of anything that could rival this? I don’t think Limp Bizkit could compete. I don’t think Eric Clapton could.

Robert Plant, Wanda Jackson…

Well, those are great legends in their own right. How much are the tickets, though? The thing is, we have a good price. If you were to see these acts separately, you would be paying three times as much at least. Todd Barry, you might have seen in the Oscar-award winning motion picture, The Wrestler, and on every late-night comedy show there ever was. If you were to ever see him in concert, you would have to go to the emergency room from an aching gut, a bleeding throat, and tears at the side of your mouth because you smiling and laughing so damn hard. Put him on a bill with somebody like myself and Brendon Walsh, it really speaks very well of what kind of year 2011 will be, because you will be kicking it off with laughter, joy, happiness, a little bit of disdain, disappointment, maybe some anger. But mainly, the other things I was mentioning. It’s really going to be a fantastic show and I really hope the town comes out and gets behind it. The last time I was up there it was snowing. I don’t know if we’ll have snow; I could be wrong.

It’s possible.

Well, wear something like boots to protect your feet in the snow when it’s snowing, and look fashionable if it’s not. That would be my recommendation.

Neil Hamburger will be performing with Todd Barry and Brendon Walsh at Headliners, 1386 Lexington Rd., April 14th. Tickets are $17 advance and $20 day of show available through Headliners, Ear-X-Tacy, and E-tix. Ages 18 & up. Doors open at 8 PM. Show at 9 PM.

Photo: Flickr/ Rick Hall

Al Lover- Safe as Milk Replica (2010)

2011-01-17T13:27:00.000-08:00

I picked up Safe as Milk Replica from fellow Louisville blogger, Micheal Powell, who shared this album on his site The Decibol Tolls days after the death of Captain Beefheart. Hip Hop beat-maker Al Lover crafted this tribute album to the late music legend by remixing his first LP with the Magic Band. The outcome is a cool, loose-threads take on the original psychedelic tunes. The best part is that he has released this as a free album through bandcamp.

Here's the official message from Al Lover regarding the album:

"In Honor of the late great Captain Beefheart, Al Lover presents his latest work 'Safe as Milk Replica', a distorted reworking on the amazing first LP by Captain Beefheart & his Magic Band. With each track sampled from a different song from the original record, Al Lover has created something all his own, a dusty, psychedelic, boom-bap journey into the past.

From the chunky, off kilter head nodding revision of "Zig Zag Wanderer", a fuzzed out drunken echo chamber of a track, to the driving exotic rhythms and erie 78 era phonographic tones of "Grown so Ugly", which sounds like an acid trip to the Middle East, 'Replica' throws Instrumental Hip Hop, Psych, Electric Blues & S.F. Garage, into a blender and force feeds you the Slop produced.

Created in one week of all nighters, heavy alcohol consumption, and paranoid reclusiveness the results are both gruesome and beautiful - drowned with delay, beat to death by distortion, and hung out to dry on a tambourine. A heavy cloud cover of sonic bombardment cut by thunderous crushing drums, the album is a hologram of the original seen through a shattered mirror reflecting into eternity.

Play it loud, and raise a toast to Don Van Vliet!"

1. Sure 'Nuff 'N Yes I Do

2. Zig Zag Wanderer

3. Call on Me

4. Drop Out Boogie

5. I'm Glad

6. Electricity

7. Yellow Brick Road

8. Abba Zabba

9. Plastic Factory

10. Where's There's Woman

11. Grown so Ugly

12. Autumn's Child

Safe as Milk Replica (2010)

Best Albums of My Year

2010-12-31T12:40:00.000-08:00

Everyone is making lists this time of year, so I wanted to craft one of my own. Usually this would be when I make a Best Albums of 2010 type of deal, but for the past year I've been really caught up in other things. It almost feels like I've been in a hole, listening to only a small fraction of good records that have come out in the past decade. This, among other things, also leads into why Huevos isn't as active as it used to be.

In October I got hired as a music writer to Louisville.com, my first real job in the journalism field. It was hard getting accustomed to writing articles so frequently, but I also feel that it has definitely improved my abilities, especially when it comes to being punctual. Therefore, most of my literary energy is taken up writing for their site rather than my own. I hope to avoid this becoming a problem in the approaching year, though it's hard to say how I'll feel about things by then. But despite being completely out of the musical loop, I still found a few records that really meant something to me during this stressful time of my life. So instead of trying to keep up with the usual line of 2010's most anticipated albums, I sought out records that were released relatively closer to the year I was born, in an attempt to re-connect with what came along in the decade I hardly remember. Obviously a majority of these turned out to be from the 90's, but I did find a few modern gems that I could probably see myself listening to years from now. They accompanied me through a difficult year, and I expect them to help me through the next. Below is a list of those records.

Boston Spaceships- Planets Are Blasted (2009)

If I haven't made it obvious enough yet, I'm a huge Robert Pollard fan. That isn't to say I suck dick on everything he releases, but I find myself continually influenced by his songwriting and musical style. Although I've liked Guided by Voices for a while, 2010 is when I really got into his other band Boston Spaceships. Along with the GBV classic lineup reunion, Pollard and the gang also managed to squeeze out a new Spaceships album this year titled Our Cubehouse Still Rocks, which I really liked too. Planets Are Blasted is a pretty straight-forward rock album, like a refined GBV with more cohesive songs and structure. What makes it really golden is how fresh Pollard can still make his songs sound, even if he may rehash a few melodies here and there. Fortunately, there's no re-hashing here.

Camper Van Beethoven- Telephone Free Landslide Victory (1985)

I remember doubting that Telephone dated back to 1985 the first time I heard it. Coincidentally, the same thought immediately came to mind when I heard 89's Key Lime Pie. It's clear that Camper Van Beethoven were ahead of the alternative curve that was to hit mainstream in the 90's. By that time, frontman David Lowery had already left Camper and went on to be co-founder of the more traditional rock band Cracker. I came across a vinyl copy of Telephone a few months ago and it's been one of my favorite music purchases this year (right behind the German pressing of Pink Floyd's Animals on pink vinyl, obviously.)

Porno for Pyros- God's Good Urge (1996) and Porno for Pyros (1993)

I lump these two albums together because that's usually how I would listen to them: one right after the other. After being unfairly hesitant about liking Jane's Addiction, a friend of mine suggested I listen to Perry Farrell's other stint in Porno for Pyros. The first time I heard "Pets," I knew there was already an emotional connection I felt with this music. This somewhat instigated a search for more early 90's/late 80's music that could make me feel this way. I was looking for music that was released during the time period of my childhood because recalling those years has always felt sort of dreamlike to me. These albums were like flipping through a photo book that I don't remember, but I learned something about myself anyway.

Silver Jews- American Water (1998)

I guess you could say 2010 is when I started appreciating more boring 90's indie rock. Silver Jews aren’t boring to a bad extent, but David Berman’s singing voice always makes me want to fall asleep; perhaps it's the monotone, or too laid back. I do appreciate the occasional Stephen Malkmus vocals that pop up around their albums, though. Maybe that’s what keeps me awake? In any sense, I love American Water and Starlite Walker. Silver Jews are clearly still engaging enough.

Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse- Dark Night of the Soul (2010)

There really couldn't have been a more exciting collaboration of effort than on Dark Night of the Soul. A cascade of music heroes including Wayne Coyne, Iggy Pop, Frank Black, Jason Lytle, James Mercer and several others each contributed their talents as tribute to the late Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse. All visual artwork for the album was done by David Lynch, who even himself provided vocals for two eerie songs on the record. What also made this special was the boxset (limited to only 5,000 copies) that included a hand-numbered book of photographs taken by Lynch; he referred to this as a visual narrative for the music. It makes me happy to listen through this record and know that it was done in spirit of Mark. I believe he would have loved its outcome, too.

Technology vs. Horse- Four Against the Minotaur (2007)

Technology vs. Horse were the first band I interviewed for Louisville.com and one of the first band's that I've gotten to know personally. The band began to get a lot of press after winning a local Battle of the Bands competition, so I decided to take advantage of my connections and do a more in-depth perspective. Though, I must admit that I didn't really appreciate them until I witnessed their performance at Derby City Espresso back in July. They play a killer show and I don't think anyone can really get them unless they experience it too. They've got a really special thing going. I hold a lot of high hopes for this band and I will continue to log their success along the way. Four Against the Minotaur is my favorite of their three official releases, but I do have a weak spot for their debut Teddy Jam, silly as it may be. Louisville people take note: get to know this band! Then book them.

Sun Kil Moon- Admiral Fell Promises (2010)

Mark Kozelek's brand of folk music is often easily overlooked for its length. Most don't expect an extended folk tune to be exciting, and it's not, but there is a beauty within the subtlety of his songs. He represents complete respect towards the ways of finger-picking and clearly shows that he has already mastered this liberating technique. The only thing that may unsettle you is the heavy weight of emotion that he exerts into his music. Sometimes the downer is too down, and I often find myself becoming more depressed as the album goes on. Admiral Fell Promises has been a comforting companion to me this year as I've had more sleeping problems than usual. It has also been an emotional comfort when needed. It's simply too easy to keep yourself from connecting to these melodies, but Kozelek comforts you all the way through.

Slint- Spiderland (1991)

Time and time again, Spiderland keeps popping up into my life significantly. Earlier this year I wrote an extended article about this legendary album for A Future in Noise, and it's the first record I've owned on vinyl, CD and digitally all at once. You know how people have musical identities? Maybe not, but I feel like Slint could very well be part of mine. I've delved a lot deeper into writing music this year than I ever have. It's actually gotten to the point where I'm fooling around on guitar more than I'm on the internet. Slint has been a big part of my year in that respect, because they're such a big influence on what I create. Discovering them has been one of the best things I've picked up from living in Louisville. So in a weird sense, I feel extremely connected to them. I've listened to Spiderland many, many times and the music still sounds fresh to me. It takes a really great piece of art to still have such an impact to come back to.

The Smashing Pumpkins- Adore (1998)

Nathan Rich at Sexy Kangaroo sent me a copy of Adore on cassette tape over the summer. I figured I would give it a listen through because I realized that I haven’t actually listened to an entire album on tape before. (I don’t really consider the audio spanish lessons and sing-a-longs of my childhood to suffice as actual albums.) Because of this, Adore has become my favorite Pumpkins records thus far. When I caught them playing at the annual Forecastle Music Festival, it was more like Billy and the Corgans if ya feel me. And as expected, the only song they played from this album was "Ava Adore." I do give Billy points for letting the audience pummel him with hundreds of glow sticks; it's become a fond image in my mind.

Pavement- Wowee Zowee (1995)

2010 was definitely a Pavement year for me, and it was definitely a Pavement year for them too. My favorite collection of their songs comes from side two of the Crooked Rain reissue L.A.'s Desert Origins. I didn't realize until later that a lot of those songs were also on Wowee Zowee, one of Pavement’s more bizarre efforts. I was fortunate enough to catch the band on their reunion tour when they played the Pitchfork festival, suitably synched up with the time I really started getting into them. The show was great from my perspective, but not great enough for me to keep Stephen Malkmus in my sight the entire time. Although I had only gotten familiar with Pavement at the beginning of the year, at that moment I felt like I was reliving something too. Like so many who spoke of their 90's shows, there was this uncontrollable giddiness that I felt before, during, and after the performance was over. I walked away feeling both incredibly sad and satisfied, along with another checked box on my list of life goals.

Deerhunter- Halcyon Digest (2010)

Bradford Cox has had some bad luck with web sheriffing assholes in the past, but luckily they will be distracted enough with the release of Deerhunter's Halcyon Digest to not fool around with free Atlas Sound. Ever since the single "Helicopter" was released prior to the album, the anticipation was still almost impossible to withhold, and you could feel it around you. Halcyon was everything I hoped it would be, even far outshining 2008's Microcastle. Deerhunter seem to be the kind of band that continue to improve over time, and who can enrapture you in new experiences with every record they release. There's a reason why Halcyon Digest persists to pop up in everyone's lists this year.

Cass McCombs- Dropping the Writ (2007)

Cass McCombs was one of the first acts to play at this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival, and my first one attended. After a rainy stint, the weather finally cheered up enough to provide a tolerable climate the remainder of the entire day. It was the first time I ever heard the word “Chicagwa.” Dropping the Writ has become a favorite of mine over the summer, and it really exhibits McCombs's ability to belt it out beautifully. I'm still working on hitting the high notes in "Windfall."

Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band- Trout Mask Replica (1969)

It was only a little over a week ago that Mr. Don Van Vliet (a.k.a Captain Beefheart) passed away. After his death went public, I spent the day listening to Trout Mask Replica for the first time and felt foolish for not checking out these things sooner. I was familiar with "Willie the Pimp" and Bongo Fury, but nothing that wasn't Zappa related. I believe I am probably one of many who will hear about his death and discover these musical gems. Like several before him, the captain will finally get the recognition he deserves.

Honorable Mentions:
Freddy K- Stand by the Sea for Good Luck (2004)
Chavez- Gone Glimmering (1996)
Boston Spaceships- Our Cubehouse Still Rocks (2010)
Guided by Voices- Universal Truths and Cycles (2006)
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks- Real Emotional Trash (2008)

The Black Keys- Brothers (2010)
The Cranberries- To the Faithful Departed (1996)
Swans- Cop/Young God (1984)

Jane's Addiction- Nothing Shocking (1988)

Vladee Divacc- Hoop Dreamz EP (2010)

2010-10-06T23:27:00.000-07:00

Pitchfork has claimed new genres in waves. They have their darkwave, chillwave and Wavves, but what Pitchfork is currently (and unknowingly) let slip under their radar is a new brand of music. The style is set upon a balance of dark ambiance, howling, siren-like clamor and a love for the sport. This style of music is known as dunkwave, and let it be known that Huevos will be the first ever publication to endorse it.

Crafted by former Panda Steps in Chocolate boss, Christian Filardo, the contents of this EP fall into a much deeper and darker category than what has been heard on his work shared here in the past. I have known this musician long enough to trust nothing but quality music from his name, even if the artistic integrity of his sound may change dramatically. Versatility and a will for constant progression are what I believe to be incredibly important qualities to possess a musician. After knowing and listening to Christian's work over time- from all the way back to his first full length as Panda- I can confidently say that he carries these traits.

If you can imagine David Lynch filming and producing an NBA game, this EP would probably come close to how it would sound. There's a hint of unnerving nature (one that comes with most sports), but there is also something intriguing about its purpose. Most see basketball as a game of precision and really tall black dudes that can jump like Super Mario. Through an exploration of this highly regarded sport, the spirit of dunkwave emerges with its darker side. It's the side where everyone on the bench is brutally murdered, where everyone is guilty, and the court is left empty. It's when everyone has gone home and the jingling of the janitor's keys have already faded away, and the stirring turmoil of dunkwave begins. Hoop Dreamz contains no catchy anthems and hardly anything that I could legitimately label as a song. This EP is merely part of the birth. I want Huevos and all of its readers to serve as a loving, nurturing family for this delicate and fresh concept. Spread the word, and keep close for more material to come from dunkwave's very first proprietors, Vladee Divacc.

1. Chris Mullin

2. Expansion Teams

3. Phoenix Suns

4. Hoop Dreamz

5. John Stockton

Hoop Dreamz (2010)

Guided by Voices- Universal Truths and Cycles (2002)

2010-09-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

"I can write six songs while sitting on the toilet, and three of them will be good."

--Robert Pollard

It's always a tasking argument when it comes to the importance of quality and quantity. There is hardly a population of artists that can accomplish both. Those of who we associate with this trait are folks like Frank Zappa, Sun Ra or even Pollard himself, though there are some uncomfortable exceptions. Some people have pinpointed that there was a stopping point in the Guided by Voices catalog, but I can hardly believe that some would cut it off before 2002. To cut off Universal Truths and Cycles hurts my heart more than it could hurt Pollard's; it's been such a long time since I've heard an incredible rock album like this.

For those accustomed to the two minutes-or-less, scratchy structures of the old GBV material, the production quality will be the most obvious factor to jump out. The cohesiveness between the songs has also improved over the years, but that isn't the only change. Since the classic lineup's split, the band brought in two former members of the Breeders for their new lineup started in '98; they also jumped around record labels before returning to Matador.

In my mind I divide this album like it is on the LP, split down the middle between the hefty 19 tracks that sprawl across it like a landscape. A quick, catchy introduction by "Wire Greyhounds" shows that Pollard didn't leave his good tunes back in the toilet bowl. Following after, "Skin Parade" delivers a sonic grind of trippy riffage and word play. The album takes a break from this experimentation come track five and whisks over a breath of poppy hooks in "Cheyenne"; I am still surprised that this wasn't a huge radio hit. While this was also one of the highest chart topping GBV album's at the time of it's release, it seems to have been long forgotten, buried underneath the heaps of Pollard releases to follow. It's really hard not to love an album that can manage to squeeze in the dessert crème brûlée as a lyric.

The songs on the record fluctuate around the traditional two minute mark, but there's also some that may venture passed four minutes: an uncommon trait for the band. "Car Language" is one of these uncommon slow burners, but the intense build through the track is rewarding. Though it isn't hard to reach the end of the album, the title track "Universal Truths and Cycles" is definitely a treat for anyone able to stick it out, set on a heavy-ass, infectious groove. In the closing song, the record ends on a positive note with Pollard repetitively singing "so God bless you." After the final click of closure from my record player, I tend to take this blessing to heart. The world of music is truly blessed to have a band like Guided by Voices around, who even after years of servitude are able to still deliver their own quality brand of ever-evolving music.

Technology vs. Horse

2010-09-06T14:51:00.000-07:00

It is really criminal the amount of local acts and artists that go so easily unnoticed. What's surprising is that they're really not hard to find. Attend a show at Skull Alley with a five-for-one ticket lineup and you are sure to find a band that you absolutely love. Good talent is everywhere, but it comes in such a large dose that it may seem overwhelming for somebody just delving into the local scene. There is really nothing more exciting than witnessing and communicating with these great acts so up close. It's such a different feel from seeing a performer standing hundreds of heads away on a stage; something gets lost in that distance.Last week I saw Bowling Green, Kentucky-based band Technology vs. Horse at Derby City Espresso in Louisville. It is clear that these men were not meant to be confined in their hometown, their sound descending far past what you would expect from their origin. On the group's latest effort Bearula: The Bear Dracula, they reveal a broad spectrum of influences that make this sound fairly difficult to pinpoint. The only things that come to mind are the likes of Zappa and Mike Patton: both iconic and prolific with their talent to create boundless concoctions of records. Technology vs. Horse seem to be fueled by this kind of inconsistency, with each of their albums sounding not only more progressive than the last, but also increasingly pleasing to the ears. These dudes are no strangers to fluctuating with the structures of rock music.
In person, the band is an odd bunch, described by singer Michael Farmer as an "unfuckable Roxy Music." It isn't uncommon to catch one of them donning a vampire cape during a show, and a hell of a show it is. While playing a set in front of a projection of Down by Law, Farmer (also known as the Kentucky Prophet) makes it a point to keep the experience interactive. Not only are you getting to hear great music, there is also definitely a tinge of entertainment to the show. It's rumored that the band may return to Louisville in October for a Nosferatu-themed set, but one can only hope this to be true. With new bands starting up every day, it's sometimes hard to weed out the ones who really put forth an effort to stand out. Bands like Technology vs. Horse should be celebrated for this. While we're in a time when originality is white-washed over with gimmicks and effects, there are still bands like these that can completely blow you away. It's so refreshing to hear this new music that doesn't leave a pre-processed taste in your mouth. Keep a watch on these guys, they bound for supreme recognition.
Bearula:The Bear Dracula (2009)

Four Against the Minotaur (2007)

Built to Spill @ Headliners Music Hall, Louisville

2010-08-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

Built to Spill/Chikita Violenta

Sunday, August 29th, 2010

Headliners Music Hall

Better than: getting a second chance at life.

Back when I was introduced to Built to Spill, it never occurred to me that I would ever have the chance to see these rock heroes in person. All hope was lost when they arrived in Louisville two years ago with the Arizona cow-punks of Meat Puppets, scheduling an 18+ show, and I'm pretty sure the same thing happened again the next year. It's been a really frustrating effort on my part, but I finally got my night. I shook the hand of Doug Martsch and felt my face brighten like Christmas morning. It was like he transferred all of the evening's energy from his palm to mine.

Now that I am 18 and can legally have access to more shows, it makes me so much more grateful to have venues like Headliners who have played as a temporary hutch to so many fantastic acts. There wouldn't be opportunities like this without it. When hosting such a broad array of genres, performances and artists, there really isn't a better place to be when you want to see an amazing show. Of course, this night's lineup was no different. Although I have a tendency to be late upon my arrivals, I have always cut it close enough to catch the headlining act. This is, after all, the reason I am forking over twenty dollars. So even if I did miss Chikita Violenta's set, I still feel like I received well worth what I paid to attend.

With "The Plan," Built to Spill opened up the set in a burst of excitement. Any song from Keep it Like a Secret had a tendency to energize the crowd more than the rest, I noticed. Several shouts for "Broken Chairs" and "Carry the Zero" were commonly heard during in-between song tune-ups, but most of these requests weren't honored until our well deserved encore. Throughout the set, the band made it a point to explore their catalog without totally voiding their new material as well, honoring an oldie like "Three Years Ago Today" and fairly new tunes such as "Things Fall Apart," jamming it out when necessary. The new material translated well live, but it didn't seem to have as much kick as the kind of jams they've been playing for years. Midway through after pounding out "Sidewalk," Doug took a moment to tussle his head with a towel, already dripping with sweat. With his hair sticking out like a clown and a quick survey of the crowd, he announced "this is when the show really begins." And the magic erupted there.

Like the heroes of their era, it's not long before it will be time for Built to Spill to hang their hats for good. I would advise anyone to check out the remainder of their tour and try to make it to a show. Although it seems like they aren't finished for good, it's hard to say what the future will bring for this band. Maybe it could be for the best; Doug can still continue will solo work, or he could even go totally wild and bring back Treepeople. Time has been good to Built to Spill, but let's hope it doesn't spoil them either. It is a much too precious legacy to tarnish.

Elvis Perkins in Dearland- Elvis Perkins in Dearland (2009)

2010-08-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

If you've seen the 1960's version of Psycho, then you already have a vague idea of who Elvis Perkins is. Not only is his father Anthony Perkins—one of film history's most distinct serial killers—his bloodline includes other famous personas, from his great grandmother and fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli to actress Marisa Berenson. It really only made sense for Elvis to receive the hereditary torch of fame. This time, in a different realm.

After suffering through the death of his mother who was a victim on the hijacked American Airlines flight that crashed into the twin towers (a day before the anniversary of his father's death, no less) Perkins wrote his first solo effort, Ash Wednesday, heavily based off of these events. Now accompanied by a backing band, Perkins had no interest in creating an Ash Wednesday II. It was time for the rest of the band to have a say, and within Elvis Perkins in Dearland the complimentary chemistry between these musicians is mystifying.

Opening tune "Shampoo" jumps from mellow folk, to poetry, to straight up jamming in the midst of what people call "feeling the music." The fact that these band members are also multi-instrumentalists plays into the vibrant and diverse sound of each track. This would be the defining factor that separates Elvis Perkins as a solo act and the talented collective that is the rest of Dearland. But this unity doesn't take away from the times where Perkins can truly shine. He did, after all, start out writing poetry before translating his work to music. "Send My Fond Regards to Lonelyville" displays this talent well, painting for the listener a homely picture against a soulful and bouncy, acoustic tune—right before a parade of horns come marching passed. But don't be fooled by these ballads; Elvis Perkins in Dearland can get seriously heavy. Check the chimes, organ and stomping riff that craft the folk-sludge of "I'll Be Arriving." It is obvious from here that Elvis Perkins is not new to fidgeting with the structures of folk, and a regular Dylan when a harmonica is to be had. If only I knew about this before I made my Best Of '09 list...

Amaranth- California Demon (2010)

2010-08-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

Rock duos are underappreciated, and their significance is overlooked. Even in full bands of four or five guys, there's usually two that sync up and play off of each other exclusively that forms the critical foundation of any group. Most usually, it's down to the bassist and drummer that propel and drive each song into a natural groove and rhythm. The ill dubbed genre of math rock has been one of the more prominent styles to feature and spotlight this phenomenon, with a planted seed from Louisville's dark quartet Slint and mass influence from Heavy Vegetable and Don Cabellero throughout the '90s. One of modern year's most well respected, Hella, is a showcase of pure force and spastic melody within this sparse genre, led by the octopussian drummer hero Zach Hill and the eccentric Spencer Seim on guitar. Hold Your Horse Is and There's No 666 in Outer Space both remain as snob favorites, with the latter being Hella's only album to feature lead vocals. Those in question were performed by Aaron Ross, who later formed Amaranth with bandmate Seim to play and release—rather simply in description and sound—straight up rock music. So far they've only played in select basements around the California area, but their debut album is fully accessible and a substantial piece of work. Tracked live with presumably little overdubs, Ross and Seim sync up not unlike that of a youthful Bonham and Jones... a classier Perkins and Avery... a gentler Chippendale and Gibson.

Songwriting duties within California Demon are noticably split up: Ross's tracks are crafted with a sprawling chaos that beckons the anarchy of folk music, while Seim delivers what could be considered Hella if their emotions were to be awfully conservative. Regardless of who wrote what, each track is tightly rehearsed and brimming with purpose. If their contributed work on There's No 666 in Outer Space was an interstellar exercise in existentialism, then California Demon is a trip back to earth with a similar perception but a further view of it, and from a concentrated focus of two people rather than five. The album begs to be played as loud as the ears can handle, enclosing a full spectrum of claustrophobic sound, practically swirling and evolving like a fractal abused with psychedelics. It can be meticulously catchy and downright introspective when it wants, but more importantly its most appealing trait is the unforced development of the duo's unbridled self-expression. The basements they've been playing in aren't the surroundings of someone trying to cash in their celebrity status and make a few dimes, but the surroundings of living in the intimate moment of creation with family and friends, close and far.

Guided by Voices- King Shit & the Golden Boys (1995)

2010-07-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

As if the day would never come, Guided by Voices are revisiting the spotlight once more. Earlier this month the band agreed to take on a reunion tour of their classic lineup circa '94-'96, and Robert Pollard has already announced to release five albums within a ten month span. However, none of these albums will be under the name GBV.

King Shit & the Golden Boys is as non-traditional as any of Guided by Voices' numerous records. It originated as part of the band's first box set released in 1995 suitably titled, Box. King Shit was included as an LP of previously unavailable material, reminiscing old tunes from Bee Thousand and miscellaneous demos from their first four releases. The record is satisfying in terms of the GBV signature lo-fi to the extreme, but the static and background noise doesn't take away from the beauty that the group has managed to slip in between grit through all of these years. Call it wankery, but I find that a lot of lo-fi recordings tend to be a lot more interesting than a solid studio cut. Maybe it's something about the buzzing, empty air, or the background noise you hear right before the first strike of a song. Nothing is more intimate than a pure, straight cut of a band playing together in a small room.

For those who are already familiar with Guided by Voices, it won't be hard to pinpoint old tunes and melodies found on previous releases from the prolific band. "At Odds with Dr. Genesis" can be easily recognized as an extended cut of Bee Thousand's gorgeous "Ester's Day." Other mellow songs like "Don't Stop Now," as unnerving as it may sound near the end, are fairly catchy and easy to come back to. It is a trait that makes a Guided by Voices track so prone to love: short, jingly tunes with a sentimental intimacy; Robert Pollard's silly and sometimes nonsensical lyrics are also a factor in this. You just can't help but love a lot of these songs.

"It's my birthday... aren't you going to sing happy birthday to me?"

2010-06-10T11:27:00.000-07:00

The American Astronaut - "Party"

I turned 18, you guys.

Andrew Jackson Jihad @ Skull Alley, Louisville

2010-05-28T15:22:00.000-07:00

My pal Devin and AJJ's Sean

Andrew Jackson Jihad/Laura Stevenson and the Cans/ The Wild/ Paul Baribeau/ beady/ The Ambulars
Thursday, May 27th, 2010
Skull Alley
Better than: breakfast for dinner.

Never before has the letdown of a previous night's show effected me so anxiously the following day. As I'm beginning to piece together the blueprints for my life as a high school graduate, there has always been a nauseous skeptical feeling in the pit of my heart, even as things may seem they're going the way I wanted. Perhaps these feelings are normal, but the optimistic thrill I feel today seems like it was meant to be. Seeing Andrew Jackson Jihad at this peak in my life was destiny.

As this was my first time seeing AJJ in action, it was also my first time to attend a show at Skull Alley. Although it's small size may be climatically suffocating, the space still serves for a much more intimate show. In the long run, this is really all that matters; it's hard to pinpoint this kind of experience in the midst of a crowded arena. But the only things that keep those moments alive are the immense amount of talent and fanship that pour from the venue's walls. An exhausting familiarity found between the fans and musicians has created a close-knit environment that feels both comfortable to music scene queens and casual showgoers alike. This relationship bonds an understanding. Faulty strings and forgotten lyrics can be excused as a part of the show, and impromptu performances of cover songs are taken as a treat over filler. Attending this show has reminded me that these imperfections can sometimes transpire to be what truly complete an experience. And I guess that evening I was lucky.

Before headlining act Andrew Jackson Jihad took the stage, their predecessors of opening acts handled the small venue's spotlight surprisingly well. Among these artists was the Brooklyn-based collective Laura Stevenson and the Cans, who pounded out an impressive and moving set led under front woman Laura Stevenson's sweet croon. Paul Baribeau, a solo artist from Michigan, also presented himself quite intimately, who for a small instant was able to hush an entire venue of people.
It was mid-intermission when AJJ's Sean Bonnette broke me the news that the band's other half, Ben Gallaty, was unable to attend. In lieu of a duo performance, Sean executed a one man act of Andrew Jackson material, including both freshly written songs and older works from their debut record, People Who Can Eat People are the Luckiest People in the World. With "Rejoice" as the set's suitable opener, Sean veraciously strummed through AJJ's other standards, "No More Tears," "Brave as a Noun," and "Personal Space Invader." Near the set's close he surprised the crowd with the long awaited "People III," a song that picks up from where "People II: The Reckoning" had left off on their debut album. It seems that despite the lack of Ben, Sean was able to perform comfortably as a solo act. Among the stage patter, Sean took time to explain some of the purposes behind his typically angry songwriting while also touching upon subjects like the nutritional mistreatment of the homeless. It was a serious inspiration to hear someone tell me to "be the best fucking human you can be."
Rest assured, I was promised by Sean that Ben will be present for their following Louisville show. Lucky for us that the group loves to play here. For those who may have missed Thursday evening's show, AJJ will be returning on June 24th for yet another round at Skull Alley. I hope to see you there.

Bobby Vinton- Blue Velvet (1963)

2010-05-22T13:44:00.001-07:00

Like many easy listening artists of his time, there were only a handful of tracks Bobby Vinton could claim for his own. Ironically enough, the one song on this record that was actually written by Vinton himself, "Little Miss Blue," received little to no commercial success. His chart topping hits remained as the iconic "Blue Velvet" with "Blue on Blue" right on its heels, both of which played as candidates for the title of his soon to be best selling album. After being renamed Blue Velvet, this chart dominating record permanently engraved Bobby Vinton's name among the long and exclusive list of great vocalists. The remainder of the album is a diverse collection of jazz and pop covers that Vinton so willfully adapted to complete the album's blue concept. Therefore, every single track on the record has something to do with the color blue. Whether it is if Vinton himself feels like "Mr. Blue," or if he feels optimistic enough to invite you to his "Blue Heaven;" both the calming effects of Bobby's soothing, timeless voice and the color blue have a chilling inducement on the soul; the effect is almost romantic in a way.

After the success of Blue Velvet, Vinton's career was put on the back burner, although, his material continued to flourish among the Top 40. David Lynch titled his 1987 film "Blue Velvet" after the song, bringing a small wave of interest back to Vinton's music. Later on, his tracks were used in commercials and his voice was once again borrowed for something few artists can pull off with dignity: a Christmas album. He continued to release new records, but there has yet to be any to match up with Blue Velvet's success. Bobby Vinton was merely part of the curse. It's a curse where nothing you create outside of your peak years will ever overshadow your best selling material. But the older material always wins, doesn't it?

Happy Record Store Day~

2010-04-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

While it's unfortunate that this year's Record Store Day is the same date as the obnoxious Thunder over Louisville celebration, I still encourage everybody to stop by your local music source and show some support. Most stores are hosting sales on vinyl/CDs, so it's the perfect day to nab something while it's cheap!

Pictured above is Ear-X-Tacy, Louisville's famous locally-owned record store. The business started in 1985 as a small outlet run by John Timmons whose stock was his own personal collection of music. Now, over twenty years later, Ear-X-Tacy has become a landmark for both music and movie lovers alike. Unfortunately, as with many modern record stores, the economy has begun to take its toll on this once thriving business. And as less people feel the need to purchase music in a physical form, places like Ear-X-Tacy are being closed down. Anyone from Louisville knows it wouldn't be the same without this sacred place. Even after only living here for three years, I hold a lot of sentimental value with this store.

To quit downloading music and to throw yourself in debt to buy it instead would be too much for me to ask. But I do ask for some acknowledgement. After all, there are things you simply can't experience from an illegal download.

Pink Mountaintops- Axis of Evol (2006)

2010-03-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

Is there anything Jagjaguwar puts out that doesn't fucking rule? As a home to Dinosaur Jr.'s Farm, Women, Black Mountain and Sunset Rubdown, it's not hard to distinguish what the true answer may be. Pink Mountaintops is also not immune to this truth. Starting out in 2004 under the control of Black Mountain's crooning frontman Stephen McBean, the band released a self-titled under the name of The Pink Mountaintops, but since the release of Axis of Evol, they made a good call to drop "The" from their name.

Even though I started as an initial fan of McBean's similarly named band, Black Mountain, there was still room to be pleasantly surprised by Axis of Evol's continuous flair. It wouldn't be right to say it's more chic than a Black Mountain album, but it's definitely a little more controlled. You can really tell this is all McBean, from the solo acoustic opening tune "Comas" to a psychedelic voice overlay with Black Mountain bandmate Amber Webber on "Slaves." Contrary to what McBean's roots may suggest, the album's foray into electronic undertones is what really sets his side project apart from the stoner rock label he might have gained in his other involvements. But there's definitely a balance of those undertones with gentle acoustic ballads between these funky tracks. No nonsense here; McBean made a hell of an album.

R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country (2006)

2010-03-02T13:52:00.000-08:00

One thing I love about Robert Crumb more than his drawings is his taste in music. Without him, I probably wouldn't have dared venture into weeding out the good blues/ragtime artists, even though I consider them one of my favorite styles of music. This CD came with a book I bought of the same title, which was based on a trading card series Crumb drew of old blues artists. It's a fairly good sized book, each section split into labeled sections (Heroes of the Blues, Pioneers of Country Music, and Early Jazz Greats), so it makes it easy to reference an artist if I need to. Each picture is drawn by Crumb himself, along with a small biography of the artist with their origin and time of activity. All of this, and a free CD! But for those of you who may not read, or who wouldn't want to trouble with a book, I'm being nice enough to offer this fantastic compilation for free. All songs were arranged by Crumb himself, all of which are highly regarded recommendations from the brilliant cartoonist. So, you have nothing to lose. And if you find yourself craving more, it wouldn't hurt to check out the soundtrack to Terry Zwigoff's disturbing and moving documentary, Crumb, based off the artist's life (conveniently found here). Enjoy!

1. Memphis Jug Band- On the Road Again
2. Blind Willie McTell- Dark Night Blues
3. Cannon's Jug Stompers- Minglewood Blues
4. Skip James- Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues
5. Jaybird Coleman- I'm Ganna Cross the River Jordan/ Some O' These Days
6. Charley Patton- High Water Everwhere
7. Frank Stokes- I Got Mine
8. "Dock" Boggs- Sugar Baby
9. Shelor Family- Big Bend Gal
10. Hayes Sheperd- The Peddler and his Wife
11. Crockett's Country Mountaineers- Little Rabbit
12. Burnett & Rutherford- All Night Long Blues
13. East Texas Serenaders- Mineola Rag
14. Weems String Band- Greenback Dollar
15. Bennie Monten's Kansas City Orchestra- Kater Street Rag
16. "King" Oliver's Creole Jazz Band- Sobbin' Blues
17. Parham-Picket Apollo Syncopaters- Mojo Strut
18. Frankie Franko & His Louisianians- Somebody Stole my Gal
19. Clarence William's Blue Five- Wild Cat Blues
20. "Jelly Roll" Morton's Red Hot Peppers- Kansas City Stomps
21. Jimmy Noone- King Joe

R. Crumb's Heroes of Blues, Jazz and Country (2006)

Holopaw- Quit +/or Fight (2005)

2010-03-01T02:15:00.001-08:00

While you'd have to be pretty hard-pressed to not know who Modest Mouse is, there is sometimes the occasional fan who hasn't been exposed to Isaac Brock's side stint with Ugly Casanova. In fact, it's even easier to discredit its eclectic cast of cabin rockers. Brian Deck produced two of Iron & Wine's most critically acclaimed albums (Our Endless Numbered Days and The Shepherd's Dog), while Tim Rutili remains as the driving force of Califone. John Orth of the Florida-based band Holopaw is a grand element to Ugly Casanova's sound; with writing credits on four songs, he accompanied Brock on the microphone with a wavering voice that will soon be unmistakable to your ears.

Only formed just a year before Sharpen Your Teeth's release, Holopaw provides soothing, mellow folk jams and ballads with a certain grace and majesty that is as fragile as it is powerful. Maybe that's milking it a little too much, but every once in a while, "that" kind of music just happens to be composed and is left waiting to be discovered. The band's sophomore release, Quit +/or Fight, was and still is mostly forgotten, especially on the tails of their latest 2009 masterpiece, Oh, Glory. Oh, Wilderness. They're both excellent tapestries of pure musical charm, but today we'll be unearthing the former and giving it some extra necessary exposure.Quit +/or Fight may only run for half-an-hour, and it may be too delicate for some in terms of its cushiony execution and Orth's feminine croon, but underneath lies 11 resplendent tunes that beg to be loved. If it rubs you in the right spot, return the love and share it with others; Holopaw is far too brilliant to fall into the unknown.

The DarkSide of the Wall @ The Brown Theater, Louisville

2010-01-29T16:59:00.000-08:00

The DarkSide of the Wall
Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
The Brown Theater
Better Than: Going to the dentist...?

I have spent at least ten minutes trying to remember what music I listened to in middle school through freshmen year of high school, and the only thing that prominently comes to mind are the words Pink Floyd. This is when I realized that through that entire period of my life I listened to virtually nothing else. There may be a foggy memory of Dinosaur Jr's Green Mind, or a Mars Volta album somewhere in the mix, but as far back as I can remember (and that's not very far), I lost my entire middle school/9th grade years to Pink Floyd, and there's no regret there. I've benefited from the binge. From an exhausting knowledge of their catalog, to a growing affection that becomes stronger as the years go by, I find that having such a strong connection to a band is like having affection for a kitten: it's unconditional. Even if they may piss on your rug that really tied the room together (Momentary Lapse of Reason, ahem), or split up because one of the members is a little bitch, you find a way to overlook that flaw. The great thing about having this affection for such a high capacity band like Pink Floyd is that there are so many different albums, eras, and sounds to get into at once. You're never left bored or pining for more; it is emotionally, physically (and maybe a little sexually) satisfying. The downside to liking a band like Floyd, though, is that two very significant members are already dead. Syd Barrett may have been kicked out of the troupe earlier on, but it doesn't stop that part of Pink Floyd from being totally irreplaceable. And speaking of which, how are we supposed to expect a reunion now that Richard Wright is dead? This is where tribute bands come into the equation.

There's always been a sort of 50/50 love-hate affection I've had with tribute bands, but when your long time favorite band is slowly dying off, sometimes you have no other choice, especially when you long to hear that music amplified to a live capacity. I've seen The Pink Floyd Experience twice: four years ago in Huntington, West Virginia and roughly one year ago while residing in Louisville. Both sets where sensually satisfying, but not because they played "Wish You Were Here"- in fact, they didn't play it at all. They were satisfying because they took time to cover virtually every era of Floyd, cascading from the late Division Bell to the ancient jam tune known as "Astronomy Domine." No Floyd was left behind. So after seeing this band twice, I've had pretty high expectations when it comes to these kinds of concerts.

The DarkSide of the Wall is a Louisville-based band consisting of what the website claims as "some of the top music and production talent in the region." Unfortunately, there is a difference between being exceptional and genuine. I totally understand the concept of playing what the crowd may want to hear, but sometimes the crowd isn't all middle aged washups. Perhaps there are eager high school girls crammed between drunkards who simply wish to hear a song from Obscured by Clouds, or maybe just a couple tracks from Relics. It's hardly a selfish thing to ask for; after all, why would we want to hear songs we hear consistently on 107.7 anyway? No luck. It was all strictly Dark Side and The Wall as their name so fittingly proclaims. Although I have no complaints about hearing "Welcome to the Machine" or "Pigs," I just kind of wished there would be more variety. You would be considered naive to think this set list did any justice.
But the set list wasn't the only problem I noticed with the band. There were several instances during the show where specific guitar solos were omitted in replacement for vocal solos instead. Take the second acoustic solo in "Wish You Were Here," the glorious moment when David Gilmour scat vocals with his guitar: completely ignored here. It's almost like the guitar player was either too stupid or too lazy to learn the solo. Even I know how to play that solo. I also noticed a problem with the band's guitar tones, specifically on songs like "Run Like Hell" or "Pigs" where the initial guitar tone is absolutely key. I've listened to these songs enough to know a wrong tone when I hear one. As opposed to the hollow and twang-like tone used in these tracks, the band adapted a more heavy and almost metalesque sound that didn't work well with the music they were supposed to be playing. The lead guitarist was also prone to jumping around the stage as if in a slow motion mosh pit, something I've never seen David Gilmour do on stage before. His only job is to play and look cute!

I feel I could fill up another paragraph or so about how I was close to walking out mid-show or about the sloppy vocals on "The Great Gig in the Sky," but I guess I should have seen this coming. I can't expect less-than-perfect musicians to give me the absolutely perfect show that I want. That's not what a tribute band is about. They may know how to play all the notes and use all the right lights at the right time, but it all comes down to the fact that it's not Floyd. Not even close. These are merely people like me, committed in their fanship, just in a different way. I know I wasn't fortunate enough to be born in a time where a Pink Floyd tour was the norm, but I wish that I could at least have a taste. Just a little bite.

Huevos's Best Records of 2009

2009-12-29T10:50:00.000-08:00

Although not taken kindly to by my Imprint staff, I still hold strong to my year's end list. It's good to know there's no prejudice here against things that people would consider 'too obscure,' even though some of these results are pretty obvious (i.e. Embryonic or Merriweather) But even so, I did try to include albums I believe to be wildly underrated and unfairly overlooked during the passing year. And even though this may be what's posted, there is always an underlying feeling I've forgotten something, so be sure to tell me yours!

10.
Akron/Family
Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free

9.
Blackout Beach
Skin of Evil

8.
Built to Spill
There is No Enemy

7.
Monsters of Folk
Monsters of Folk

6.
Yo La Tengo
Popular Songs

5.
Tom Waits
Glitter and Doom Live

4.
Dinosaur Jr.
Farm

3.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

2.
The Flaming Lips
Embryonic

1.
Animal Collective
Merriweather Post Pavilion

Honorable Mentions

Big Business- Mind the Drift

Meat Puppets- Sewn Together

El Grupo Nuevo de Omar Rodriguez-Lopez- Cryptomnesia

Antony and the Johnsons- The Crying Light

Bat for Lashes- Two Suns

The Bad Plus- For All I Care

Tortoise- Beacons of Ancestorship

Boris- Japanese Heavy Rock Hits Vols. 1–4

2009-12-24T00:09:00.000-08:00

Throughout the last several months of 2009, Boris put out four 7" vinyl singles that somehow showed them experimenting more with their music than before. The freedom of the medium sparked some creative outputs, and the results are unsurprisingly vintage Boris. Vol. 1 kicks off with the epic rocker "8," a blazing number that could have seemingly been plucked from yesteryear's anime hit. It still has that Heavy Rocks edge in a way, so there's definitely no misled presumptions of what the single collection offers. "Hey Everyone" may be the more unorthodox of the two, boasting a party banging beat and drunken vocal chants.

Boris took the opportunity to display their fun side with these singles without being constricted by the wild concepts of previous endeavors like Flood and Feedbacker. On Vol. 2, it's made clear by even the title of "H.M.A. -Heavy Metal Addict-" as much as the song itself. Led into the groove by the rare appearance of synthesizers, echoing yelps and chugging guitar growls propel the track through five minutes but doesn't seem to go anywhere. Fortunately "Black Original" makes up for the lackluster rocker with its '80s new wave-inspired sentiment. Remember the Psychedelic Furs? Me either, but if they were Japanese and (presumably) not hung up with cheesy love songs, it might have sounded something like this. It's certainly a treat to hear harmonizing vocals in Boris's music...

...just as much as it is to hear lead guitarist Wata perform vocals herself. The post-rock "16:47:52..." of Vol. 3—reminiscent to the quieter moments of Flood—moves along at a very contemplative pace while Wata sings ever-so-softly, as if whispering inches away from your ear. Of course it's in Japanese, leaving most listeners in the dark on what the song means. "...And Hear Nothing" keeps on the crawling tempo but amps up the grandiosity with an anthemic quality akin to Pink's "Farewell," complete with the trademark droning feedback we've come to love from our Japanese trio.

The fourth and final single was released this month in December, although without a cover sleeve, any accompanying artwork and only only features one song rather than two. The band covers an upbeat '70s oldie called "Seasons," originally by a Dutch progressive rock group called Earth and Fire. Wata makes yet another appearance on lead vocals, but in an almost adorable manner when her Japanese accent drives the English-spoken lyrics. It's a substantial finish to the singles tetralogy and leaves Boris as eclectic as ever, while fans are left wondering what the band could possibly experiment in next.

If, Bwana- Tripping India (1997)

2009-12-23T22:31:00.000-08:00

If, Bwana's mystery goes far beyond its bizarre lengthy tracks and baffling name.

For more than twenty years, the project has been quietly run under the hands of noise music artist Al Margolis. It remained passably popular through time, and from what I can see, has still yet to recieve any kind of true recognition... and that breaks my heart. There have been very few albums to make me react so ecstatically, especially to something that would be considered all noise. But I feel like it's something totally beyond that. Joined by a hefty collective of experimental performers, Margolis created a nucleus of sound that could only be described as a stripped down Sun Ra sweating through an acid induced hour long take in an outhouse studio during a thuderstorm. Three different pianists consistantly play at different times, both manipulated and processed to inject a riveting sense of familiarity to the listener. But within these tracks of clangs and piano keys, there's a larger story. You just sort of have to let the album overwhelm you, allow the soundscapes to narrate themselves and at the same time, prevent concern about where it takes you. The experience could be completely frightening (for me, it was), but it affected me so much more in larger way. I truly think it's an experience worth taking, for anyone, even if it's just once.

(some weed helps, too.)

1. 3 Out If 5 Ain't Bad

2. Pr-Dr

3. Tripping India

Tripping India (1997)

Dinosaur Jr. @ Headliners Music Hall, Louisville

2009-10-18T14:53:00.000-07:00

Dinosaur Jr., Lou Barlow and The Missingmen

Friday, October 16, 2009

Headliners Music Hall

Better than: Any experience in my life leading up to this show.

One thing I've learned about Headliners is that they really don't give a shit about your age. Although, it's not particularly a bad thing; eighteen and over shows should be banished altogether. Really, why? No one's buying beer with their little wristbands and hand stamps; no underage child is going to go home drunk. It seems that there is an unfair prejudice against people under 18, and with a band like Dinosaur Jr. arriving in town, the hate should stop here. To my absolute pleasure, it did. Eighteen or no, I got through that door.

The only downside to my experience was arriving extremely late. I missed Lou Barlow and The Missingmen's set -a total bummer because this time, I actually wanted to see the opening act. But my absence was made up for (see paragraph 4) and I believe it was well deserved. After all, who can deny the significance of flowers? Carrying a bouquet around a gig is a sure way to get noticed, at least; making friends this night was far from avoidable. It's nice being able to charm your way to the front.

Around came 9:00 and J Mascis took the stage, unnatural platinum hair swaying side to side with awkward bluesy sound checks and all. I never expected to take J for a bashful guy, but aside from mumbled thanks in between songs, he said nothing the entire set (this, of course, assuming he sang lyrics.) But modesty aside, the set list was insane. Predictably, tracks from Farm took up a good portion of the night -"I Don't Want to Go There" included an extended jam, along with a funky version of "Over It" and the record's catchy opener, "Pieces." But old school Dino fans got their treat as well. You're Living All Over Me's "Little Fury Things," Bug's "Freak Scene" and the popular "Feel the Pain" of Without a Sound were also honored. Keep in mind (for those who aren't familiar with the band) Lou Barlow is in Dinosaur Jr., even though he also produces solo work and was one of the founding members of Sebadoh. For the record, I freaking love Sebadoh. And deciding whether my bouquet should be given to J Mascis or Lou was an epic on its own. This, along with a few drunken dancing wash-ups, was my only distraction of the night.

It turns out my internal conflict was decided for me. Immediately proceeding the show, J Mascis hightailed to the tour bus and never came out, no answer to my urgent knocks and still no Lou to be seen. As with the Melvins, I figured lurking near the backside of the building was my best option, so I shot the breeze with some of Lou's old college friends, one of whom stole part of my heart.*

The whole ordeal lasted for at least two hours after the show had ended, but in the end Lou got my flowers and he wrote me a note in thanks. It was actually the first time I've had a real conversation with one of my underground heroes. And I didn't cry this time. It's not like I try to be the creepy fan chick anyway, it just comes naturally. But we'll see how long this newfound coolness fairs. Meat Puppets are hitting Headliners Nov. 17th. You bet your ass I'm there.

*TOM IF YOU SEE THIS POST, CALL ME.

The Smiths- Strangeways, Here We Come (1987)

2009-10-13T18:53:00.000-07:00

The Smiths were more expansive than their generic name gave away. Does it even need to be mentioned what a great duo Morrissey and Johnny Marr made? To this day, they still refuse to tarnish their legendary years in the '80s by reforming, as if anything could be done to ruin a band so flawless. With a cadence that dripped with sincerity and sex, Morrissey gave voice to a muted generation. There weren't a lot of songwriters with the huevos to speak up about such sexual and personal subject matter before him; songs from human nature to comatose girlfriends and the every day life in between.

Strangeways, Here We Come is short, barely brushing past the 36-minute mark, but you'd be a fool to underestimate how much is packed into a half-hour with The Smiths. There are jams, ballads and anti-ballads that paint a vivid picture of mundane-yet-provocative life, and as mentioned prior, they are wildly relatable with Morrissey's affection. Even from the song titles alone, there's a certain atmosphere that's dark and inviting for anyone yearning to dim the lights and take a closer look at themselves. Strangeways is introspective music at its finest.

Melvins @ Headliners Music Hall, Louisville

2009-10-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

Melvins, Weedeater, Evil Army and Down
Monday, September 28, 2009
Headliners Music Hall
Better than: Nearly every rock show I've ever seen.

Perhaps it's dry city for Down fans, or maybe too many people just don't like Pantera, but I was expecting sheer mayhem. Hardly anyone was risking their limbs to be up front to, at the least, catch a glimpse of Phil Anselmo or even Jimmy Bower assaulting his drums. It's one of the very few occasions where people care more about the opening act rather than the actual headliner; it was beautiful.

The Melvins graced the stage by 9:00, as promised by Coady Willis whom I had spoken to earlier while waiting in line outside. I caught him before the band was apparently going out to eat (-yeah I know! It's like they're real people too!), and fortunately he remembered me. We had previously spoke after a Big Business show and we talked about tapeworms or something; sorta eerie, but mostly exciting. Buzz came out wearing his signature suede smock/turtleneck thing, immediately breaking into the set's first song, while the band's two drummers, Dale Crover and Coady Willis, pounded ferociously on their two drum sets. Among the night's setlist was Houdini's "Hooch" and "Night Goat," along with "Billy Fish" and "The Kicking Machine" from their '07 release Nude With Boots. The audience was treated to a dose of comedy as well. Between three and four song intervals, Buzz would stop to tell some kind of obscure joke no one really understood (or at least didn't hear over ringing feedback), but we would pretend to laugh and think it's funny anyway. It's Buzz, after all.

The show was great, yada yada. But here's where it really comes down to:

The Melvins have been one* of my favorite bands, at least since 10th grade, and are probably the only artists who have survived my drastic change in apparent 'taste'. This wasn't a promotional tour. The Melvins haven't had a new album since 2008. Ultimately, this tour was for the fans, (and maybe for some money too), but more importantly, for me. So you can probably imagine my immediate reaction when I was personally escorted behind the band's tour bus. Buzz in front of me, and my arms around his neck.

I am an emotional person.

I have no other reaction except to cry.

And to think I never understood those girls in the 70's, who ripped each other's heads off in the presence of John Lennon or Paul McCartney. To me, it was part of the era, and to me it looks ridiculous. But that's just how I was to everyone else. I was the sobbing teenage girl who could barely speak, and when I did, in complete gibberish. The only issue was that I didn't care. You get so overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude that it doesn't even seem real. It's everything you've dreamed of in front of you, and you're hugging it.

I encountered Dale Crover later in the night, along with a couple dudes from Weedeater. I cried in front of them, too. Maybe it was the alcohol (I literally had 12 beers), or it could have been the Buzz overhaul still seeping in, but I couldn't stop. The only thing that really sinks in now is that it was definitely worth coming home extremely late for. I would get grounded for the Melvins any day.

*The list of artists I label as 'one' are usually considered my absolute favorite. Although, given the amount of absolute favorites I actually have, I still feel using the word 'one' lessens Melvins value to me. It's like saying Tom Waits is one of the greatest songwriters of all time. What I mean is that he actually is the greatest songwriter of all time, among others. Therefore, there's no specific way to classify something I consider to the absolute best. I just, like the Melvins...a lot.

Boris- Boris at Last -Feedbacker- (2003)

2009-09-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

Not unlike an ominous premonition, the quiet drone of an idle amplifier invites you. The volume dial is cranked up to 10 and engulfs your ears in overdriven chords that are strummed and sustained for what feels like eternity. A second guitar teases its presence with brief shrills wavering in the background. Open string resonating, the first cohesive and structured bar of music enters, complete with plodding drums. It's brooding and damn near melancholic, tinged with the forsaken characteristics of analog equipment: played and recorded on. Fuzz, feedback and repetition are what plague this epic 44-minute song. If you're familiar with remastered editions of classic records, a large majority still and forever will hold the originals as the true work of art, defects and all. The plague that Boris eminates shines through just as gorgeous as anything else. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, of course.

A guitar solo drenched in wah blasts through just as Feedbacker begins climbing to the top of its first peak. The fuzz becomes overwhelming and dominates the mix, sounding more like a disaster of Mother Nature than it does music. It dissipates very quickly and makes space for Japanese sung vocals. Don't worry about translating any of it. Let the emotion of the music translate it for you. However, within minutes, the soul of the Melvins abruptly takes over and launches the massive suite into a stoner rock jam that packs a monstrous punch. The peaks are jagged and refuse to remain in one spot, as the guitars shift from distorted messes to clean tones accentuated with echoes. While only just past its halfway mark, Feedbacker's crescendo comes upon quickly, but sticks around for another eternity. Cymbal crashes become crackling havoc on top of looping drones and feedback for several minutes before the hurricane dies down.

The record ends on a reprise of the original verse, showing evidence that it's stunningly based around a simple song structure; granted, the verses are stretched out to hell and back and it bares little-to-none resemblance to most things one would call music. Feedbacker is a testament to unbridled art, leaving the reins at home to roam wild in its natural state of beauty and ugliness.

Blog Roll

2009-08-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

Somehow my blogroll got completely swiped clean.
I can't remember most of the blogs I had added to the list, so if you know you were one of them, leave a comment and I can add you back.
thankss

Modest Mouse- No One's First, and You're Next EP (2009)

2009-08-02T13:34:00.000-07:00

After multiple delays, Modest Mouse's brand new EP has finally seen a release. Was it worth the wait? Is it true that the band is catastrophically going nowhere after their previous two fan-proclaimed abortions? Here's a full track play-by-play, void of (most) personal opinions for your reading pleasure.

"Satellite Skin" leads off the extended play in a form that's been missed since 3rd Planet, followed by Isaac Brock's drunken barking on the upbeat "Guilty Cocker Spaniels." Fans of Conor Oberst will seemingly enjoy the mellow folk pop of "Autumn Beds," before getting thrown into the ocean of "The Whale Song"'s piercing guitar riffs and dense vocal loops. Modest Mouse hasn't jammed like this since The Moon & Antarctica, so it's sure to be a treat for the close-minded kids of the band's catalog.

The second half (or side B to us vinyl and cassette junkies) jumps into "Perpetual Motion Machine": a jazzy lounge number that wouldn't be unlike a Tom Waits concoction, featuring slick brass and a smooth Brock. "History Sticks to Your Feet" seems to be the only generic Mouse track on here, but is completely forgiven for the inclusion of two excellent b-sides that finally get a wide release: "King Rat" and "I've Got It All (Most)." The former strikes you with whimsical imagery of a howling Isaac Brock having a jaunty stroll through a town's mischief-filled cobblestone walkways, while the latter closes up the compilation in one of the greatest crescendos Modest Mouse has penned.

In retrospect, No One's First, and You're Next stacks up well with the band's past EPs, and it documents nicely the varied happenings behind their last two studio albums. However, only time will tell what the next progression will be for the Mouse.

Aaron Ross- Shapeshifter (2007)

2009-07-28T22:27:00.000-07:00

Aaron Ross wields a magical voice. The folk singer, anyway; not the defensive back. He's undoubtedly well known for his short stint as the vocalist of Hella's transcendental sci-fi math rock record, There's No 666 in Outer Space. There was some great anticipation from the hardcore kids over whether or not he'd return for a follow-up album, but it's very unlikely as Zach Hill and Spencer Seim are returning to the Hella roots of playing as a duo.
Fret not, for Ross has been recording his own solo albums for years now. It most likely won't satisfy your craving for universal space jams like on 666, but if you're willing to come back down to earth and listen to Ross play his psych-folk ballads by fireside, you'd forget all about the ungrateful dead, free-spirited anarchists, and those weird dudes who do things when they think nobody's looking.
Shapeshifter is probably Aaron Ross's greatest musical collective so far. At first glance, you'd be confused at how the guy could fit over an hour's worth of pure barre chord guitar strumming into nine tracks, but by the time you get to Elevator Blues, it'll start to make sense. The verses are long, the melody structures are cohesive, but what ties it all together is Ross's ever expansive lyrics and vocals. If this were the product of some other guy, it would easily lose more than half its charm; Ross displays pure soul in his compositions. It's hard to accept how much of an underground talent he is post-Hella. Maybe that's how he likes it, but it's surely something to treasure for the audience that he has.

1. Pass the Peace Pipe
2. Mama Lonely Wolf
3. Elevator Blues
4. Looking Glass Mass
5. Mississippi Burnin
6. Sin Is a Spell
7. The Mountain
8. Made in Stone
9. Speak the Truth

Shapeshifter (2007)

Hawnay Troof- Islands of Ayle (2008)

2009-07-09T00:35:00.001-07:00

Coming off of the joint release of Dollar and Deed/Community EP, Mr. Cooler began to record his most eclectic offering yet during the massive world tour that led him everywhere and nowhere. Spastic hip pop laced with LSD is what this album sounds like, but don't take my word for it—you'd be surprised how many areas of music Cooler touches upon here. The bouncy glitch of "Front My Hope" starts the album off in top Troof form. "Water" is a bizarre head-nodding cruise that leads into "The Gods Are Crazy," which displays the damaged pop sensibilities in the best context available on Islands. The aptly titled "Out of Teen Revisited" closes the album, effectively showing the ongoing progression of Hawnay Troof's music by taking a previous Dollar and Deed track and rehashing it into a peppy chiptune anthem.

If you're bored with the standards of pop music and sick of amateur hardcore MySpace bands abusing Auto-Tune, this could be worth your time. Vice Cooler is going places as an artist and deserves the recognition for all the time, effort and passion he puts into his craft. Did I mention he's already got another record coming out this year? Get it on!

1. Suspension and Conclusion / Finale
2. Front My Hope
3. Underneath the Ocean
4. Two Week Bruise
5. Zhou Zhong
6. Connection
7. Water
8. The Gods Are Crazy
9. Oblivions
10. Venus Venus Piper
11. Bizarre Triangle
12. Feelings
13. Out of Teen Revisited

Islands of Ayle (2008)

Birthday

2009-06-12T14:59:00.000-07:00

I meant to actually post this on the appropriate date of June 10th, but plans and surprise arrangements are what have been keeping me from updating things as much as I used to. But it's summer. Meaning I really will have nothing to do but listen to music anyway, with occassional parties, obviously.
Anyway, my parents got me a strawberry cheesecake for the celebration. I'm 17, btw. Cool!
and one more year to go.

Come to this

2009-05-04T19:54:00.000-07:00

more at http://www.forecastlefest.com/

Panda Steps in Chocolate- Just Pretend You Are a Pegasus (2008)

2008-07-18T16:29:00.000-07:00

I gotta admit, this kinda blew me away. Christian Filardo has really evolved as an artist and nothing represents that more than this album. Just Pretend first bestows us with a soothing rhythm of rain and electric keyboards but once you hit the second track it's enough to make you rethink how you live your life. Filardo's distinct vocals are sorta touching in way, almost enough to start plucking at your heartstrings and make you wish to be a pegasus, maybe that's why I fell in love with this album so quickly. This is also a step up from Filardo's previous release, Panda Brings the Viking Heat which I posted a while ago here. I think if I ever wanted to be anything, it would be a Pegasus and if I had a Panda, I'd undoubtedly have it with chocolate.

1.To Build A Hot Air Balloon
2.Don't Look Over the Edge you Might Fall
3.Clap On Clap Off (omg)
4.Shift Your Weight Hit a Double
5.My Pool Nice Jacket Aaron
6.Dinos Come From the Deep
7.PANDA IS VIKINGS
8.Panda Meets a Girl
9.Chk Chka Scared Priest
10.Rebecca
11.If You Are Mighty and Triumphant You Like Carls Jr.

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Panda Steps in Chocolate- Panda Brings the Viking Heat! (2008)

2008-04-19T17:26:00.000-07:00

Panda Steps in Chocolate is the solo project of a very nice individual named Christian Michael Filardo. Hailing from Arizona, Filardo brings together elements from Hawnay Troof, Bark Bark Bark and The Unicorns to create a delicious (and absolutely precious) sound blended with ingredients of experimental folk and electronica. Panda Brings the Viking Heat is like one of those happy dreams with fluffy bunnies -not even the song titles scratch the surface of Panda's eternal cuteness.

1. Big Shots
2. Duck Duck Black Panda!
3. EAGLE VS SHARK
4. Heavy Hearts
5. Johnny
6. Oh no! Giant Robots are Attacking your Hometown!
7. Panda is the Darknight!
8. PANDA IS VIKINGS!
9. Panda Meets a Girl

Panda Brings the Viking Heat!(2008)