I'm a day late breaking this news, but, Pitchfork headlined yesterday that Black Lips and GZA collaborate on remix of Black Lips's track "Drop I Hold." Now Pitchfork did not meet such news with enthusiasm, citing, Black Lips and GZA's performance at SXSW as "more of a mess than anyone could have possibly imagined," however, they said the recorded track is not "THAT bad." I would urge to treat Pitchfork, like any critic periodical, with a grain of salt and decide for yourself. The remix will be released on Drop I Hold EP through iTunes on May 5. The EP will include album version of the song, instrumental, and video.
Blitzen Trapper's 2008 Furr was on everyones top 10/15 list of 2008. The group incorporates folk music with, bit pop rock, and alternative styles. Below they play Murder Babe, a perfect example of what Blitzen Trapper brings to the table, on Pitchfork TV's Juan's Basement.
Fucked Up is an overtly talented hardcore band that seemingly contradicts hardcore stereotypes. Check them out on Pitchfork TV's Analog Digital Digital:
My Excitement for the Dark Night of the Soul keeps getting peaked. Check out the newest pic from Dangermouse/Sparklehorse project that includes David Lynch.
Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley band will release Outer South on May 5th. Oberst and MVB released a One of My Kind, free documentary, about their recording of debut Conor Oberst, tour, and recording of Outer South.
Headlining Saturday at Coachella are large shoes to fill, especially when your fellow top-billers are Paul McCartney and The Cure (both bring long lineage of fanfare). There is no doubt that the Killers when standing in between McCartney and The Cure looked a tad young and over their heads. The Killers definitely brought their A-game to Saturday's performance and following the master hype woman that is M.I.A. they certainly needed to. The band played cohesively and sounded spot on bringing tons of energy. For me the performance and set list were not in question. I found myself jumping up and down like a sorority girl for "Somebody Told Me" and chanting "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier" for "All These Things That I've Done" (by far The Killer's best track to date). On paper (prior to M.I.A.'s performance) The Killers looked well placed as the Headliner. However, then came what can be referred to as "on the day." "On the day," it was very apparent that Saturday was the big day out. The Main Stage and Outdoor Stage traded blows like a great heavyweight fight starting with TV on the Radio (Main Stage) at 6:25 in the evening. TVOTR was followed (slightly overlapped) by the Fleet Foxes (Outdoor Stage), then Thievery Corporation (Main Stage), then band of Horses (Outdoor), then M.I.A (Main). then Jenny Lewis (Outdoor), then the Killers (Main), then Atmosphere (Outdoor). And all of these bands overlapped at one point in time. (I would have loved to see an overview of the thousands of people ushering from the neighboring stages). Then on top of the energy and fulfillment created by a seamless line up, The Killers had to follow M.I.A.'s performance that got the crowd beyond ruckus. The grounds seemed fertile for The Killers to "sink or swim" and perhaps the only way to stay afloat would to be near the caliber of Paul or Robert. There is no doubt that I was into the group and enjoyed myself greatly, and to that avail I wanted more. (More specifically I enjoyed the homage to Ian Curtis and Joy Division in form of a visual slide show behind the band as they played the very New Wave "Shadowplay"-- Brandon Flowers having dressed from Curtis's closet in all black jeans, boots, vest, and shirt) But The Killers don't have the deep pool of fans nor the amount of material to throw Main Stage worthy 3 hour, 3 encore bonanzas (ie. McCartney and The Cure on their respective nights). At the end of The Killers performance it just didn't feel right that the Main Stage was vacant near 11:45 PM and MSTRKRFT was still lighting up the Sahara Tent until the early hours of Sunday. In sum, The Killers were hugely entertaining, but, did not prove to be a main attraction.
===============================================
The Kills
Vocalist/Guitarist, Alison "VV" Mosshart and Guitarist Jamie "Hotel" Hince took the stage late Sunday, taking note "Thanks for sticking around so late." The Kills capped off my Coachella experience (with the exception of a brief listen to The Cure) and sent me home packing eager for Mosshart's up and coming Dead Weather experiment (a la Jack White). They opened up with "U.R.A. Fever" off of 08's Midnight Boom and turned the Mojave Tent into a rock n' roll Sonne and Cher affair. The two play with pure angst-like flirtation. Mosshart strangles her guitar notably on "Kissy Kissy." She theatrically lights up a cigarette and sings facing Hince as if to say this song is about you. The Kills were a much needed blues/rock act at the end of Coachella as The Black Keys were to start it. The dim basement attitude was perfect for the nine o'clock hour, with songs that spit in your face like "Pull A U," up beat punches like "Getting Down," which spews seduction as Mosshart moans with rhythm and shakes her tall curvy frame behind the mic pole as if she is saying "where I'm from you can either be a stripper or a rock star, I chose to be a rock star." While I once called "Black Balloon" "the fulcrum" of Midnight Boom, it did not translate well live. It was noisy and lo-fi, contradicting the weightlessness and trance-like effect it has on disc. "Fried My Little Brains" was the epitome of what The Kills brought to Coachella. With most people in the audience having fried their little brains all weekend, the song's dangerous and clunky guitar accompanied by Mosshart's sex appeal was a blues rock translation of the three day madness that was Coachella.
===============================================
Fleet Foxes
As a first-timer to Coachella, I looked at the set times and noted Fleet Foxes was at the Outdoor Stage on Saturday. Being one of the many new fans sparked by their self titled debut, I thought to myself, "thats great I get to see these low key exceptional musicians play outdoors." Then came Friday (day before the Fleet Foxes would play) and I saw the scope of the Outdoor Stage and again corrected one of many notions I had about Coachella, "how are the Fleet Foxes going to fill this plot of land?" followed by an inner dialogue along the lines of "good more for me and you." If the Fleet Foxes couldn't amass a crowd large enough to fill the Outdoor field it wasn't the end of the world, but as a fan you certainly want to see the group succeed. Would the Fleet Foxes be dwarfed and put into their indie-context at the hands of the great Outdoor? To the contrary, the Fleet Foxes appeared to be very sucessful on Saturday evening. With the sun already behind the mountains and the orange glow hanging over the music festival, the Fleet Foxes packed the Outdoor field with interested and enlightened fans. "How nieve am I?" I thought, "like I'm the only one that reads Pitchfork.com and saw their debut was rated a 9.0, or, DVR'd their SNL appearance." (the former you constantly ask why do I, and, the later you sometimes wonder if you are the only one) It was very evident that I am not the only lover of everything Fleet and that the Foxes are truly admired by all. There was no better band to close out the euphoric sunset vibe created by TV on the Radio. Their harmonies were tight as they sang the acapella "Sun Giant," (on the EP of the same title) "what a life I lead in the summer/ what a life I lead in the spring/ what a life I lead in the winded breeze/ what a life I lead in the spring/ what a life I lead when the sun breaks free/ as a giant torn from the clouds/ what a life indeed when that ancient seed/ is a berry watered and plowed/ what a life." What a life it was, Outdoor[s] with the Fleet Foxes.
===================================
Lykke Li
The fair skinned Sweden native took the stage dressed for a summer funeral. Wearing all black from her knee high stalkings to the ironic abyss colored sun hat, Lykke Li was appropriately dressed for what her music represents. Her lyrics of heartbreak and dark issues involving child bearing ("Knocked Up") are all woven into euro club beats. You often find yourself dancing to songs that are about break ups, "Breaking Up" (in which she busted out the underused megaphone), spiteful abandonment, "I'm Good, I'm Gone," and "Dance Dance Dance, a mellow groove that says "my hips they lie 'cause in reality I'm shy, shy, shy." (not entirely an upbeat dance song) Her stature is tiny but demands attention with dance moves that are endearing as much as they are ferocious. She often would sing blocking the sun from her eyes in a meaningful action of deniability. The highlight and brief departure from her introspective dance party was her cover of "A Milli," in which the short blonde flowed "I'm a millionaire, no I'm not a motherfucking millionaire, so throw your fucking hands in the air." Shortly after her set on the Outdoor Stage she joined fellow Sweeds and label mates Peter Bjorn and John on the Main Stage for "Young Folks." Lykke Li left her mark on Coachella much like the sun left her legs rosey. (she definitely needed to reapply)
====================
Blitzen Trapper
Blitzen Trapper played a cozy, late afternoon set in the Gobi Tent. They played songs from 08's acclaimed Furr, with precision. Lead singer, Eric Earley, juggled his vocals, guitar and (Dylanesque) harmonica with ease. Barefoot, smoking cigarillos with a special punch, Blitzen Trapper was a great blend between alternative styles and folk music. The coming of age story of love, responsibility, and creation (musically or human) told in "Furr" is relatable to all and packed the greatest sentiment, in which Blitzen Trapper was there to represent. You weren't there to jump up and down or sweat provocatively, however, you were present to hear a meaningful and well orchestrated set. Blitzen Trapper's docile sound wont lead them to the Main Stage anytime soon, however, they are perfect for the tents of Coachella Valley and any small local stage they choose.
===============================
*honorable mention: Fucked Up put on a bloody (literally) Hardcore Show, with No Age playing a song with teh band.
**acts I wanted to see, but, missed: Ida Maria, Vivian Girls, and Jenny Lewis
*** act that I saw and didn't need to: Morrissey- complaints of burning flesh (concessions stands), forgetting lyrics to songs, leaving stage at one point to, what looked like, throw up. As noted by my brother on Friday, "there are probably going to be a surplus of Morrissey t-shirts after that performance." Then brought to my attention on Sunday, "every food booth is selling garlic fries, they'll probaby start giving away Morrissey t-shirts with a purchase of garlic fries," which set off a tangent between the two of us and lead to putting Morrissey's performance in a nutshell, "If you want to see Morrissey, eat some garlic fries, run over a squirrel, and shit your pants."
My last memory of Coachella will be starring at the stars as The Cure played, only to eventually sit up and find my brother falling asleep. I woke him up to see if he wanted to go, in which he replied, "I just don't want it to end." That made two of us. Until next year.
Created by Annick Durban and described as: "L'Avventura": "A mysterious female silhouette, caught in mid-movement, seems to be opening a window onto the magic of cinema and invites us into a dream..."
I saw the Digable Planets play the El Rey (Los Angeles, CA) on my birfday (Spetember 19th) last summer and was blown away. Marry Ann "Ladybug Mecca" Vieira is all kinds of hot. The group is funky, groovy, and old school (fitting cause they get a shout out on Fresh Prince by Dubya Smith).
MGMT talked to Australia's triple j about their newest album. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden are currently recording with a five piece in Malibu, CA after also writing during the winter in Catskills, NY. Goldwasser explains, "That was part of our idea that we were going to be locking ourselves up in the middle of winter, all cold and depressed. And then move somewhere where we’ll be out on the beach and enjoying ourselves in the sunny weather, try to get some different influences." Apparently their newest work is more in the rock direction.
There is no better way to say it...I love live music. So it was no surprise that the hundreds of shows I have attended seem to culminate into this one weekend of pure celebration. From the moment you step foot on the Indio Polo Fields, you know that Coachella is more than just music, it is what passion for live music can create. Although the heat can be intimidating from the hours of noon to three, there is no better place to watch your favorite artists than on the Polo Fields when the sun begins to set at 6 o'clock, you feel the grass between your toes, the palm trees move with a slight breeze, your skin starts to sizzle as it cools, and the sky turns into orange sherbert. (Connor Oberst, T.V. on the Radio, and Yeah Yeah Yeah's played around these times on their seperate days). Coachella was the largest collection of quality acts I have ever seen and I felt priveleged to spend the weekend in a universe of stories (whether it be musically or visually) told by those that chose to venture beyond the ordinary.
** Paul McCartney's performance was like musical caviar. I will never be able to put his performance into words. "Blackbird" was the highlight for me. (I never knew it was a Civil Rights song.)
M.I.A
M.I.A.'s show at Coachella was nothing short of pure empowerment. If the sight of a female rapper from Sri Lanka on the Main Stage (second billing to the Killers) wasn't enough, M.I.A. made sure you knew who ran the show. She started her performance with dancers outlined with neon lights (lights off looked like glowing skeletons dancing) and then emerged from behind a press conference podium wearing neon general gear. She was the woman in charge and we were her soldiers. She claimed she wasn't used to the Main Stage and would love to revisit the tent, "I like being down here with the sweat," as she was one of the few acts to actually step down to the ground level with the crowd. She also told her long term fans that she sold out by playing the Grammies, and probably sold out by Main-Staging (a replacement for the fickly-sick Amy Winehouse). She then commented and said "they asked me to play the Oscars and I said 'No,' they asked me to play the Oscars and 'I said No, No , No' (singing the hook from Amy Winehouse's "Rehab"). Then came "Bird Flu" which will live forever as the "stage invasion." Rye Rye (M.I.A.'s hype woman/partner in crime) invited anyone with "balls" to come up to the stage and start an invasion. M.I.A. mentioned she had already been banned from Coachella once and figures it happen again. Amidst a dancing crowd of fans on the Main Stage, M.I.A. performed "Bird Flu" from behind her podium. There was no mistake about it, her show was for the fans. With constant blaring horns, M.I.A. invaded Coachella Valley and inspired her army.
================================================
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
With Sunday, starting to cool down into what would be the night's coming Main Stage acts (My Bloody Valentine and the Cure), the Yeah Yeah Yeahs seemed a fitting group to close out the energy inspired by the desert sun. As Karen O took time to mention upon taking the stage "Sunday..." it seemed as if the Yeah Yeah Yeahs were meant for a bigger day or maybe a better slot. Personally prior to their performance, that slight tinge of annoyance seemed premature, however, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs made future festivals and Coachella take notice the next time they make the schedule. Karen O is as enigmatic as she is relatable. Her pear-sized sequin attire was elegant as much as it was strange further highlighting her essence as a front woman. The band's leader is detached from what it means to front a band, but, with a flash of her coyote grin, lets her fans know she is right there with them. Her high kicking strides and bounce are characteristics that will be associated with her distinguished performance style. She constantly holds the mic away from her body perched up on the tips of her fingers as if it has a life of its own (her + the mic is another entity). There is no Karen O when a mic is involved, there is only the music. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs played a mixed set with new tracks like "Zero," "Dull Life," and "Heads Will Roll," while holding true to their roots with "Maps," and "Y Control." (going 15 minutes overtime) "Y Control" was the closing song and most appropriate track to the task. As a fan of Fever to Tell, I have listened to "Y Control" numerous times through many speakers, so it was an amazing moment to hear it play from the stack of 15+ hanging amps on the Main Stage at Coachella. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs carry through an emotional performance that involves everyone and were fully grateful for the audience, taking their own personal video and bowing to the crowd.
===================
TV On The Radio
TV on the Radio arrived on the Main Stage at 6:30 PM on Saturday, with the mission "to set the sun." Like the shepherds of celestial spheres, with hanging tapestries behind them, TV on the Radio flung out a musical lasso around the fiery orb and pulled it just beneath the Coachella Valley Mountains. The crowd, energized by the soothing dance grooves of TVOTR, created their own dance parties (one of which I was apart of). As I looked forward at the stage through a hipster girls flower-child-like arm movements (reaching towards the sky as if they were snakes being serenaded from their basket) her hands coming together to form the likes of a lotus flower, I saw TVOTR bring their groovy moods to dance music. At times their sound was muddied by too much bass, but, overall TVOTR surprised me with the clarity of their sound. I had recently written them off as studio musicians after I saw their noisy indecipherable performance at the Wiltern in Los Angeles this past November, however, their performance at Coachella put me in my place and set them firmly in theirs, as a live act to see (perhaps at their best in a festival setting). Their set hit its climax with "Wolf Like Me," that says, "my mind has changed/my body's frame but god I like it/ my hearts aflame/my body's strained but god I like it." On paper the song is a orgasmic plea to a lover, a "just give me a chance." However midway through a three day music festival in the desert sun, your heart aflame, your body strained...TVOTR made you scream "But god I like it."
===============
Conor Oberstand Mystic Valley Band
As a fan of the drudge, often dark earlier work of Bright Eyes, I
found my self partial to the group's more folk I'm Wide Awake Its Morning. Knowing that the heart of Bright Eyes, Conor Oberst, would be performing with his newest vehicle for solo success (billed as Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band) I was interested to see where the Bright Eyes style would end and where Oberst would pick up. From the first note played it was apparent that Oberst has assembled a cohesive and unfaltering band (Mystic Valley) bringing them to Coachella for everyone's enjoyment. Not since The Raconteurs played at the Greek this past September have I seen a group of musicians play with such accuracy. While Oberst's stage personality is a tad "mystic," at one point he pointed into the distance and rambled about a philosophy of paralleled universes and some speculate he was drunk, (intoxicated...who could blame him, it is Coachella) his music doesn't suffer at the hands of his eccentricity or recklessness. He is still a professional musician to the core and played music that made me not only want to pick up Outter South (the newest Oberst/Mystic Valley album) but go back a year prior and pick up the self titled album. As the sun set on Day One, Oberst transplanted you to a time of the wild west, gold rushes, saloons (beer gardens) and was a perfect soundtrack for the desert festival. Cowboy hats off to Oberst and his earthy ensemble.
========================================
the Black Keys
I once read Carlos Santana say that blues was like syrup, anything it touches just tastes better. The same can be said about the bluesy rock brought to Coachella by the Black Keys. Ooozing with maple blues, the Black Keys were a great band to start Saturday making everything before and after taste great. Dan Auerbach soulfully twists his guitar notes suspending them mid air, keeping you on your toes and hanging on his words sung with a spirit that likens his guitar. While some artists are purely studio musicians, the Black Keys are live artists. Ideally, you would want to see the two piece in a dive bar over some whiskeys, but, they were certainly capable of playing on the Main Stage and moving a festival crowd. At one point i found myself lost in the music only to be brought back to "reality" by a neighboring fan that was once as lost as I was. (it helped it was girl, but didn't that she was wearing a Led Zeppelin t-shirt probably purchased at Urban Outfitters and accompanied by a guy, nice, but a guy)--regardless the Black Keys proved unifying. Often times looking bare, the Black Keys brought tons of attitude and flavor to the beginnings of what was to be an amazing collection of musical acts.
With Kanye in self improvement mode and Brandon Flowers touring (or trying to tour with aggitated bandmates...who'se to blame?) in support of newest (deeply disappointing) Day and Age...it seems like the two are perfect partners to collaborate with. Right? According to Spin.com, Flowers dropped by ye's studio while he was recording with Jared Leto from 30 Seconds to Mars and My-So-Called Life. (Which of Jared's characters do you like better...down and out teenager or rock singer? I personally like heroin addict [Requiem for a Dream]) Kanye tells a story only like a true linguist can:
"I WAS WORKING ON THIS DOPE ASS SONG WITH JARED AND BRANDON STOPPED BY"
"Dope Ass" as it might have been, it wasn't dope ass enough that Flowers couldn't interrupt in his Swarovski Crystals encrusted shirt (note picture and then contemplate the last person you saw wearing Swarovski Crystal...Grandma?) But midst a recording session:
"BRANDON HOPPED ON THE KEYBOARD AND I HOPPED ON THE MPC [type of drum machine.]"
As noted on West's blog, this took place "before everyone bounced,"so lets not make Flowers seem like he high jacked the intensely creative recording session between Vocoder and Actor. Flower's trip to the studio is nothing more than a "lets get my solo career going, and, please Kanye either show me the power of the Vocoder, or, produce the single on my next camaraderie-free (that I loved to fake on my rock band obsessed Sam's Town) album. (what's missing from Day and Age? Cohesiveness of styles.) Flowers is proving too large for the band that made him famous, and traveled to the sensi of "too famous," West and current understudy Leto. West stopped rapping (made him famous) and started singing, Leto paused acting (made him famous) and started singing in all white outfits (although he seems to be more Cobain now [see photo]), and it seem Flowers is going to abandon the Killers (although they seem to be like the Titanic, nose deep in water just waiting for the rear to become heavy enough to split the tanker in half). I know money, fame, and admiration for your art can prop you into lala land--think you can sing or think you can go solo (question: are you that iconic--or can you be?) but please remember when your ego gets you into places you don't belong, you should have stuck to what made you famous in the first place.
*note: I know this is probably my fourth Kanye related post in this blog's short life, but the guy is everywhere--on one of my favorite TV shows, working with one of my favorite directors...
**second note: exposure does not make you an icon... longevity does.
-- White Stripes Film. According to the Self-Titled interview, he's currently working on approx. 40 songs for a Stripes movie due later this year.
-- White is "producing four or five records right now," that include one from a new artist named Mildred and one from New York City singer-songwriter Rachelle Garniez.
-- He's initiating a Photo/Song Series: "We've got this whole series coming out where people are just taking a photo at the Third Man building with a blue background, and you just hear the music and look at their photographs. I've been producing and playing drums on all these records as well."
-- Jack's newest band, the Dead Weather, is planning a summer tour that will run from June to August.
-- Dead Weather's debut, Horehound, is due out in June on Third Man
-- "There's some other stuff I can't tell you about, but other pretty big records."
Things Fall Apart, written by Chinua Achebe, is a Greek tragedy situated in Nigeria, about the downfall of a man, Okonkwo, and the change in his traditional tribal customs with the introduction of Christian British colonists. Okonkwo is a man living in fear of following his father's failed legacy. As a result, he over compensates with force, using his success as a wrestler to prop up his manhood. Through Okonkwo and the poetic voice of the narrator we experience the novelty and fallacy of tribal customs in Nigeria (as read with a Westerners point of view).
Advice from the motherland: This archetypal African novel written in English, is a quick read carrying few, but, important themes. The first notable lesson is, "from whom it is well, for whom it is well? There s no one for whom it is well." Okonkwo encounters such words of advice upon his exile from Umoufia (his tribe). The words that once were uttered to a down trod ended disgrace seeking comfort from his motherland, ring true to a reader two years out of college living in his mother's home in 2009. Consequently this theme can be understood by any person that feels like they are falling short. In this world, especially in a competitive country like the United States, it is easy to feel like you aren't making the grade, "or not well." What is beautifully expressed is that everyone feels short changed, deprived, or frustrated. Once we look beyond ourselves, we can come to recognize that we all suffer, perhaps not to grave degrees, but, regardless we all ail in some way. So if we live in an absolute reality where everyone hurts, then it is quite possible we aren't suffering at all. The acknowledgement of suffering is only derived through the contrast of what it is to flourish and we only understand our own languish through our perception of isolated agony (not shared by everyone). Once we understand that everyone falls (some worse than others) then suffering isn't suffering. It's simply a unifying life experience, the leaves we all have to rake as habitants of a home amidst the Fall.
The primary theme of the novel is consequently the name of the book. Okonkwo comes to this realization and "was deeply grieved. And not just a personal grief. He mourned for the clan, which he saw breaking up and falling apart." If you subscribe to the idea that the purpose for the creation of matter is for it to be destroyed, then its no surprise that things often fall apart. There is day only for there to be night. So when I started reading Things Fall Apart, I had a full understanding of the concept as it applied to the tribal community in Nigeria and main character Okonkowo. What I didn't realize was how this book, published in 1958 and taking place in the 15th century Nigeria, applied to why your car breaks down, why families dissasemble, why after 25 years of employment you're laid off, why after years of home ownership you're suddenly homeless. Things, relationships, economies, for whatever reason, fall a apart and then take upon a different context (existential crisis). Whether it be from flawed intuition or circular theory, things that seem to work always tend to stop. No matter how high your penthouse, or your bay view office is, you tend to always reach the ground floor with your work cut out for you. We will always create ourselves anew only to disassemble again. Chinua Achebe presents this theme only for us to answer the question that follows: How do we put ourselves back together?
Ultimately, Things Fall Apart is still a poignant read for the times of today. While the language is beautiful, the themes are the greater point of discussion. The idea that things fall apart is a common thread throughout history, societies, and personal lives; and encourages us to understand our own suffering. The book is not masochistic and doesn't encourage self inflicted pain, however, it simply serves as comforting words of perspective. The tribes of Nigeria were created to be colonized by the British, like Okonkwo lived to serve as a human example of ruin. The redeeming idea within this philosophy is that once things fail, the only option is to progress. We learn from the Okonkwos in all facets of our lives and move forward only to fall in another ways. Ironically, failures serve a greater purpose, and in essence cannot be considered failures at all.
Amy Winehouse has reportedly signed up to guest on Damon Albarn's new Gorillaz album. Her vacation in St. Lucia inspired a list of reggae-style tracks that were rejected by Island Records for her nagging "in the works" new album. Apparently, her new songs fit with the Gorillaz style. As a fan of the Gorillaz and not so much of Winehouse's music as much as her reckless despair (missing tooth), I can only have faith in Albarn and his ability to create music that drives you mad.
==============================
Lake Inferior is a band to look out for. The five piece plays on the University of North Carolina's student label Vinyl Records. As posted on Aquarium Drunkard, "it is note perfect 'Spiders' that is the crowned jewel of this EP."
Although I like the original more, the full version of the remix is better than I thought.
======================
I heard these rip roaring guitarists over Mimosas and an Easter brunch. Rodrigo y Gabriela are currently recording in Mexico, but they have a live album, Live in Japan Rodrigo y Gabriela, (with bonus DVD footage of the concert) in stores. "Tamacun" as played live in Japan is a must see (this version is great as well). Never have acoustic guitars sound so large.
===========================================
films:
From the Director of Brick, Rian Johnson:
Documentary that won SXSW's Emerging Visions Audience Award:
Mike Judge's new film, Extract, stars Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Kristen Wiig, and a bearded longhaired Ben Affleck:
My only exposure to The Minutemen was "Corona" via my adolescent fascination with Jackass and its crew of pranksters. I was drawn to the show because I too had a crew of pranksters that just wanted to drink and run into garage doors. The Minutemen seem to live by the same rules as expressed in the clip from We Jam Econo a la Aquarium Drunkard:
there comes a period where you're going to have to do things, become your own person, pick your own friends. Guys you want to build dreams with and stuff.
As you listen to the preface interview, then to the Jam, and watch the sign off; understand that this is the inner workings of my desire to build a creative community and thrive from it.
As posted earlier in the day, South Park featured Kanye West as an accepting "gay fish" in last night's episode. Here's his response via his blog:
SOUTH PARK MURDERED ME LAST NIGHT AND IT'S PRETTY FUNNY. IT HURTS MY FEELINGS BUT WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM SOUTH PARK! I ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN WORKING ON MY EGO THOUGH. HAVING THE CRAZY EGO IS PLAYED OUT AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE AND CAREER. I USE TO USE IT TO BUILD UP MY ESTEEM WHEN NOBODY BELIEVED IN ME. NOW THAT PEOPLE DO BELIEVE AND SUPPORT MY MUSIC AND PRODUCTS THE BEST RESPONSE IS THANK YOU INSTEAD OF "I TOLD YOU SO!!!" IT'S COOL TO TALK SHIT WHEN YOU'RE RAPPING BUT NOT IN REAL LIFE. WHEN YOU MEET LITTLE WAYNE IN PERSON HE'S THE NICEST GUY FOR EXAMPLE. I JUST WANNA BE A DOPER PERSON WHICH STARTS WITH ME NOT ALWAYS TELLING PEOPLE HOW DOPE I THINK I AM. I NEED TO JUST GET PAST MYSELF. DROP THE BRAVADO AND JUST MAKE DOPE PRODUCT. EVERYTHING IS NOT THAT SERIOUS. AS LONG AS PEOPLE THINK I ACT LIKE A BITCH THIS TYPE OF SHIT WILL HAPPEN TO ME. I GOT A LONG ROAD AHEAD OF ME TO MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE I'M NOT ACTUALLY A HUGE DOUCHE BUT I'M UP FOR THE CHALLENGE. I'M SURE THE WRITERS AT SOUTH PARK ARE REALLY NICE PEOPLE IN REAL LIFE. THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO DRAW MY CREW. THAT WAS PRETTY FUNNY ALSO!! I'M SURE THERE'S GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN THIS... THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW IT'S ME!
Video stars Fred Armisen of SNL, Charlyne Yi (stoner girl in Knocked Up and star in upcoming indie flick Paper Hearts), and Ice Cream Man (my dream job).
This post is for my friends who have stuck with 311. 311's single "Hey You"(free download) will appear on new album Uplifter (June 2nd). Music and 311 were fun records because they were dirty reggae-rap-rock albums that had bounce and groove capabilities. "Hey You," however seems like the 311 of late (flat, PG, alternative rock.) Is it too much to ask for a track that is part "Freak Out," part "Feel So Good," with a pinch of "Jacolantern's Weather." (Transistor to From Chaos are sporadically good, but not complete albums.)
Beck is going to reissue 1994's Foot in the Grave on April 14 a la Interscope Records. Foot in the Grave is his last album before his departure from K Records in Olympia, WA. (kicking myself as I type because I passed up an original vinyl copy of Foot in the Grave this past weekend.) The news is not entirely the reissue, rather, Foot in the Grave will be accompanied by 13 unreleased tracks from previous Beck projects (aka another album).
All that is in-store is listed below:
Original album: "He's A Mighty Good Leader" "Sleeping Bag" "I Get Lonesome" "Burnt Orange Peel" "Cyanide Breath Mint" "See Water" "Ziplock Bag" "Hollow Log" "Forcefield" "Fourteen Rivers Fourteen Floods" "Asshole" "I've Seen The Land Beyond" "Outcome" "Girl Dreams" "Painted Eyelids" "Atmospheric Conditions"
Bonus tracks: "It's All In Your Mind" (K Records 7") "Whiskey Can Can" (K Records 7") "Mattress" "Woe On Me" "Teenage Wastebasket" "Your Love Is Weird" "Favorite Nerve" "Piss On The Door" "Close To God" "Sweet Satan" "Burning Boyfriend" "Black Lake Morning" "Feather In Your Cap" (K Records 7") "One Foot In the Grave" "Teenage Wastebasket" "I Get Lonesome"
Question of Wednesday night (or perhaps of the past five years in the music biz): "can Kanye West take a joke?" (or look beyond his ego to understand a joke).
I'll keep a close eye on Kanye's blog to follow up with his response. Has South Park shown him how to have a sense a humor, or, will he accept he is just a gay fish? Until then check out the full episode and all seasons of South Park uncensored on the show's official website.
One last note: I wonder if Cartman and Jimmy's working relationship is similar to Matt Stone and Trey Parker's.
Oberst will release a free behind-the-scenes documentary, One of a Kind (April 15th), about the making of his second album, Outer South, with the Mystic Valley Band. One of a Kind was directed by Oberst's guitar tech, Phil Schaffart and follows the group from recording Conor Oberst in Tepoztlán, Mexico, to Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, TX where most of Outer South was tracked. The film is made available for free stream or HD download by Cuasecast (social networking/charity website). You will also be able to find the doc on Conoroberst.com, IFC.com, along with Oberst's U.S. label Merge.
Casual Mafia is a project by a college friend of mine and Mafia member Christine Casagrande (Executive Producer). As advertised, the Casual Mafia are good looking people joking around about sex. If you like most Lonely Island (Andy Samberg project) then you'll appreciate "Douchebag Anthem," which stars Josh Macuga (Creator/Executive Producer). Ricardo Martinez is notable as a performing arts-style herpe (think Green Man a la It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but red) in the appropriately named "My Herpe." While the Casual Mafia seems to rework established comedic styles and jokes to fit their pieces, I'm interested to see what they have in store beyond their most recent "Douchebag Anthem."
