music

The Confusions - I Won't Be Sober When This Is Over

2010-01-18T18:29:00.004-05:00

I've been paying attention to The Confusions since they uploaded some tracks to my erstwhile meal ticket, pulverradio.com (may it rest in peace), circa 2004. Since then, they've been steadily but quietly (to the observer in New York, far from their native Sweden) putting out some really good songs, The best of which I've tried to post here when I've become aware of them. I've never seen them live, or spoken with them, although I have done some emailing with lead singer Mikael Andersson-Knut. Anyway, this latest video, for "I Won't Be Sober When This Is Over," from the A Permanent Marker record, is pretty cool, in my expert opinion.

Shout Out Louds - Fall Harder (video)

2010-01-12T12:00:00.001-05:00

Shout Out Louds - Fall Hard from Merge Records on Vimeo.

Shout Out Louds will be touring North America in May (dates below). They're also playing a one-off show at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on March 1, but that shit is sold out, son.

As for the record, it's called Work, and it comes out in February. They're giving away another song, "Walls," on their website. And they're not even asking you to make up an email address to get it. Nice.

02 May - Washington, 9:30 Club
03 May - Philadelphia, First Unitarian Church
05 May - New York, Webster Hall
06 May - Boston, Paradise
07 May - Montreal, Cabaret Music Hall
08 May - Toronto, Mod Club
10 May - Chicago, Lincoln Hall
11 May - Minneapolis, Varsity Theater
14 May - Vancouver, Commodore Ballroom
15 May - Seattle, Neumos
16 May - Portland, Doug Fir
18 May - San Francisco, Great American Music Hall
20 May - San Diego, House of Blues
21 May - Los Angeles, El Rey

The Bravery - The Spectator (mp3)

2009-11-09T21:18:00.003-05:00

Back when The Bravery were first getting attention, a friend of mine went to go see them at a label showcase sorta deal in Los Angeles and had a vehemently negative reaction. So I was wary of them for a not very good reason from the beginning. And then they put out "Believe" and it sounded a lot like a Meat Puppets song that might not have been ubiquitous had Nirvana not covered it in a show that everyone in the entire world has listened to hundreds of times, and I sorta stopped paying attention.

But you know, whatever. Haters gonna hate; The Bravery're doing just fine. "The Spectator" will be on their forthcoming record, Stir The Blood, but it's also going to be released tomorrow on the Vampire Diaries soundtrack. Insert your own punchline about copycat vampires...all this negativity is really killing my buzz.

The Bravery - The Spectator (mp3)

Weezer Snuggies

2009-11-03T09:58:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure I've ever been inclined to do this before, but I'm doing it now. I'm just going to copy and paste the entirety of a press release I just received via email. I don't know that any editorializing I do is going to make this content any more salient. If this doesn't matter to you as written, I'm not sure anything I have to say about it is going to make any difference.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 3, 2009

WEEZER INTRODUCES THEIR VERY OWN SNUGGIE, AVAILABLE TODAY

FANS GET A COPY OF NEW ALBUM RADITUDE AS BONUS GIFT
WITH PURCHASE OF A WEEZER SNUGGIE

"THE BLANKET WITH SLEEVES" IS A NATIONAL SENSATION,
WITH MILLIONS SOLD AND STILL GOING STRONG

Alternative rock band Weezer and Allstar Products Group, marketer and distributor of the Snuggie, America's favorite "blanket with sleeves," have joined forces to create the official Weezer Snuggie. It will be launched today and will bear the band's trademark "Weezer" logo. This latest addition to the Snuggie collection will allow fans of the band to stay warm while keeping their hands free to rock out. And rock out they will; fans who purchase a Weezer Snuggie blanket will also receive a copy of the band's brand-new album, Raditude, as a bonus gift.

The Weezer Snuggie will be available for $29.99 for purchase online. It arrives around the same day as the band's latest album, Raditude. This new offering sees the band trying a brand-new approach, choosing to collaborate with a wide variety of musicians, songwriters and producers. The result of this collaborative effort is a collection of songs that amplifies Weezer's musical trademarks- deep-digging pop hooks and raucous rock riffs- while at the same time breaking new ground for the band. Raditude features appearances by Lil' Wayne, Jermaine Dupri and even a host of traditional Indian musicians.

From the subtly ironic but club-worthy "Can't Stop Partying," to the gleefully lascivious classic arena-rocker "The Girl Got Hot," to the sleek electro groove of "I'm Your Daddy," to the slow-building, anthemic "Love is the Answer" and the clanking, Motown-flavored "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To," Raditude, like Weezer, is full of thrilling surprises. As lead singer Rivers Cuomo says, "It sounds like a roomful of people having a great time."

The Snuggie blanket was featured at New York Fall Fashion Week in September, where models graced the catwalk in some of the latest Snuggie designs, such Snuggie Wild Side in zebra and leopard print, Snuggie Soft Rose for breast cancer awareness and limited edition Snuggadelic Snuggie in funky tie-dye print.

The Snuggie blanket is more than a fun idea, impulse buy or kitschy TV ad; it is a truly innovative and ultimately functional product. It's made of lightweight, soft fleece that keeps people of all ages warm indoors and out, with large, roomy sleeves allowing for free movement. It answers a basic need shared by many - staying warm and comfortable while having hands free to do what you please - channel surf, snack, read a book... or crank up the volume on your favorite Weezer song.

About Allstar Products Group
Allstar Products Group, LLC is a leading direct response and consumer products company making quality products available to U.S. and international consumers through direct response television as well as internet, direct mail and retail channels. Snuggie™ is a trademark of ASM.

[images from weezersnuggie.com. really.]

Drew & The Medicinal Pen - Heavy Head

2009-10-26T13:12:00.005-05:00

For more than a week now I've repeatedly approached my computer to write a review of Drew & The Medicinal Pen's new record Heavy Head, only to retreat a few minutes later after a few false starts. I don't write as much as I used to on here, but even when I was writing about music every day I always had a hard time being coherent about the things that really resonated with me. So let me say this right now before I fall apart: I love this record and I will play it for anyone who rides in my car anytime remotely soon. I've been excited about it since this summer when I heard it was going to be done soon, and it hasn't disappointed. It was worth every minute of the wait.

Things have changed a bit for Drew since the release of Dream, Dream, Fail, Repeat. Most notably, there's a band involved now. So while Drew's hazy, dreamlike songwriting hasn't skipped a beat and the overall sound remains catchy, bedroom-jangly, and wonderfully loose, there are plenty of moments on Heavy Head to serve as a reminder of this progression. Female backing vocals, for example. Those are new, and nice.

Truthfully though, the thing I love most about this record is the same thing that I've always loved most about Drew's music: the vulnerability that's sometimes on full display, but usually bubbling just below the surface, masked by some of the cheeriest, sounds-like-it-was-fun-to-record* production I've ever heard. Or, maybe to put it another way, it's the way the music makes vulnerability feel OK to the listener. And sure, there are plenty of songwriters who specialize in that kind of thing, and some of them also have female backing vocals. I just like the way Drew does it, ok? I like it a lot.

An example. "Paper Pockets" (video here) is the perhaps best song on the record, and it ends triumphantly with a promise: "I will never turn my back on you." It's hard for me to explain why I like the sing-song repetition of that line so much. It's not profound, but it reveals an awareness that the fear that a loved one might turn away is universal, and that it feels good to be promised otherwise. All the better if it's shouted earnestly over and over again with a driving drumbeat driving a four piece band underneath. Maybe I'm just projecting now, but it's a great song regardless. Seriously. Click that link up there and listen to it. Now.

Like that? Then go listen to "Sleepy Don't Cry" at myspace.com/drewandthemedicinalpen. Like that too? I thought so. Listen to a bunch more stuff. You'll probably like that too.

And even once you've listened to everything, even once you've bought the record, there's still more to consume. As good as the music is on its own, full appreciation of Drew & The Medicinal Pen should include a perusal of Drew's non-musical pursuits. He's got tons of videos and photos floating around. A good place to start, you ask? Try his Dream Logs.

Gosh, I wish I could just get you into my car. To play you the record, you see. I really think you'll like it.
___________________________
* I'm assured that the production of this record involved copious amounts of blood, sweat, and tears. But it still sounds like it was fun to make.

Drew & The Medicinal Pen - Paper Pockets

2009-09-28T18:40:00.002-05:00

This video is a collection of clips from Drew & The Medicinal Pen's recent tour around the midwest, set to "Paper Pockets," which will be the band's coming-soon-and-you-must-buy-it record, Heavy Head.

A bunch more songs are currently playing on MySpace. From the sounds of it, Drew and co. managed to follow up one great record with another set of catchy, quirky, dreamy and fun songs to make you frustrated that more people haven't heard them. More on that once it's out, though. For now, enjoy the video.

I can't decide if this is progress or not.

2009-09-22T13:36:00.004-05:00

Amie Street announced today the addition of the Sony Music catalog to their site -- and the special status songs in that catalog will have. While all other songs currently on Amie Street start free, and can get as expensive as $.98 as more and more people purchase them, Sony songs will be fixed at either $.69, $.99, or $1.29 (more expensive than anything else on the site can ever possibly get). Here's an excerpt from the letter posted on their site:

The songs in the Sony catalog will be priced at $.69, $.99 and $1.29, not dynamically like the rest of the music on Amie Street. All the music you download on Amie Street, including Sony’s, is still iPod compatible DRM-free MP3s, meaning you can play it on any device and transfer it among multiple computers.
We know this is a big change, and we’re confident that it will make Amie Street a better place for you to discover, download, and share new music. We spent hundreds of hours asking members of the Amie Street community whether this kind of catalog belonged on the site, and for most of you the answer was a definite Yes.

eMusic added a bunch of Sony Music stuff too (songs over 2 years old, only), and was forced to drastically alter its pricing plans to do so. The reaction from eMusic's longtime customers to the changing of their plans was so strong(ly negative) that eMusic wisely sent out this email giving away 50 free songs for the trouble.

So, you add a lot of compelling, exciting music to your site. Springsteen, Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, etc. But in the process, you cannibalize that which made you different from (and many of your customers would say better than) iTunes, or the Amazon store. You haven't become the same as them, only more similar.

In the case of Amie Street, you haven't actually even changed anything about the pricing of music that was already available on your site, but you've still added a degree of complexity that will perplex and frustrate customers going forward. You've surrendered...something. Principle, maybe? I don't know. Amie Street recently stopped allowing multiple downloads of purchased songs...was that a precursor to this deal? Because that's kind of a pain in the ass.

Honestly, I'm curious to see how this works out, both for the retailers and for Sony Music. It's change at least, and it shows some developing openness (and admission that the old ways aren't quite working) on Sony's part. But to me, it feels like one step up and two steps back, and then maybe another step up.

New Say Anything: Hate Everyone

2009-09-02T22:26:00.002-05:00

Say Anything - Hate Everyone

Yeah, that's about right. I love this band.

New As Tall As Lions: Circles (mp3)

2009-08-04T16:10:00.004-05:00

As Tall As Lions Album Trailer from Alternative Press on Vimeo.

This just got emailed to me like I'm a real blogger or something. Sweet!

Seriously though, I love this band, and I've been excited for their new album since they put out ther last one. You Can't Take It With You is slated for release August 18th, and judging from the video above, it was hell and a half in the making. Judging from "Circles" (mp3), it might have been worth it.

U2 - Croke Park, Dublin, 7/27/09

2009-08-02T13:05:00.005-05:00

Let me get this confession out of the way first: I'm not the world's biggest U2 fan. Not even close, really. But I am a sucker for spectacle, and have been in love with Dublin since the last time I visited it years ago. So when the opportunity came to see the widely-reputed World's Biggest Band in front of a hometown crowd, I couldn't say no.

In order to be one of the 2000 or so with GA tickets to gain access to the center circle (stage diagram here), we had to line up at 11 am. Actually I guess people who came after us got in there too, so we didn't have to, but we did. And we sat and stood and got rained on and sunburned in the queue with fans from Dublin and all over the world for about 6.5 hours before we were able to actually advance into the stadium and stake claim on our positions. After that it would be about 5 more hours of only standing as Bell X1 (fun fact: Bell X1 contains everyone who was left in Juniper after Damien Rice left the band to go solo), The Script, and eventually U2 took the stage.

I'll leave the setlist commentary to the die-hards, and just go on record as saying that the show was...pretty awesome. It was pretty apparent to me that the band was still working out how it wanted to interact with the moving monstrosity of a stage they're touring with (often the moving bridges that connected the stage to the outer ring would move into position before a song, only to have the band remain firmly fixed on the main stage), but they still nailed it for most of the night, and of course found plenty of time for dogoodery: marching out an army of Amnesty International volunteers in Aung San Suu Kyi masks, and putting Archbishop Desmond Tutu up on the giant screen with a message for the audience.

Final thought: I've known since the last time I visited Dublin how strongly much of the city identifies with U2 and its music (the bus from the airport uses "Beautiful Day" in its intro video, the bar atop the Guinness Store House plays a basically all-U2 mix, and you've got a 90% chance of hearing at least one U2 song if you stay in any pub in Temple Bar for more than a few minutes), but I guess it seems less crazy to me now that I've seen that affection reciprocated. In a sense, the whole concert was a giant love-fest between a band and its hometown. It was amazing in many respects, but I keep coming back to that one as the big takeaway.

Anyway, here are some of the images I brought back with me. There are a bunch more in a Picasa gallery, if you're interested.

(I'm told it's a little tough to tell what this last picture is. It's Bono in a jacket with lasers on it. Durr.)

Brand New - Music Hall of Williamsburg, 7/11/09

2009-07-12T18:24:00.004-05:00

I hadn't exactly realized at the time that I managed to get them on TicketMaster exactly how hot the tickets to Brand New's first show in forever in New York were, but there were (probably untrue) rumors that at least one single ticket (thanks to the will-call only policy that all bands who wish to dampen scalper activity should implement) went for close to $1000. Absense, as my companion last night pointed out, makes the heart grow fonder, and for many more fans in New York than the Music Hall of Williamsburg can hold, it has been a very, very long time.

For those lucky enough to have been inside, the show was anything but the experimental run through a bunch of new material that at least this intrepid blogger expected. There were, in fact, only 3 new songs performed from the forthcoming Daisy, which is slated for a September 22 release. I only got the name to one of them: "Bone Dry."

What follows is the rest of the setlist, from what I can remember. Students of psychology are sure to be familiar of the effects of primacy and recency on memory, especially for remembering things in order. Add a few beers to that, and this is what you get:

1. Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don't
2. Sic Transit Gloria, Glory Fades
3. The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows
4. The Shower Scene

...and then the best I can recall from the rest of the show minus the 3 new songs mentioned above, in no particular order:

- Jaws Theme Swimming
- Mix Tape
- Jude Law and a Semester Abroad
- Seventy Times 7
- Guernica
- Sowing Season
- Jesus Christ
- Flying at Tree Level (Version 1.0) (note: this was awesome)
- Archers
- You Won't Know
- Degausser

...and then the epic 1-2 punch finale:

19. Play Crack the Sky
20. Soco Amaretto Lime

So...wow, right? Add in there 3 new songs, 2 of which I thought were rad and one more I thought could be rad, and we're talking a fan's wet dream.

A few more things I've been thinking about since:

I love when bands just use all their set time on their set, and don't bother with the pageantry of an encore. If ever there was a time that a crowd would have screamed themselves hoarse for a real encore, this was it, but still the band took the road less traveled, and I thought that was cool.

Last time I saw Brand New, Jesse pretty clearly didn't even want to play Jude Law. It's nice to see the band (at least last night) playing that which they know their fans wanted. Like I said above, I had actually been excited for a whole bunch of new songs, but this was clearly a setlist designed to be a crowd pleaser, and please it did.

I think the crowd sorta botched the singalong during Soco Amaretto Lime a bit. That was still just as good a way to end a show as it was in 2001 though.

EDIT: there's a setlist posted here. The song I thought was called "Bone Dry" might actually be called "Bought a Bride"? I dunno, maybe. What am I, a reliable source for facts and information?

Idlewild - Post Electric Blues

2009-06-18T10:24:00.004-05:00

So Idlewild's great experiment ended for me yesterday when I received an envelope, customs declaration and all, containing the record that I preordered eons ago, and the poster with my name, and everyone else's (image of someone else's) that preordered the thing.

Also in the package was a note, asking very politely that I not give away for free that which I paid for months ago, and alerting me that each cd has been individually watermarked to track uploads. I don't know if that's true or not, but my Google search for an image of the cover revealed that it doesn't seem to have deterred a fair number of people from sharing away anyway. Sad, really.

Anyway, this has been an interesting journey for me, because it's the first time that I've participated in something like this and felt, pretty much all the way through, that the band bit off just slightly more than it could chew. Here's a recap of what was originally promised (from Myspace) with markups to reflect my experience:

By going to idlewildmusic.com you will get details on how to pre-order and what you will receive. [The order process was...sketchy? A secure purchase is a secure purchase, I guess, but make it look like something I can trust.]

These include a limited edition CD album (~~with free download version~~ [Never happened.]) in exclusive packaging & including ~~at least~~ one bonus track. This will be shipped within weeks of completion & before any standard release.

You can get your name to appear in the CD booklet with the album ~~and on a roll-call on the web site~~. [No roll call yet, not that this was a huge selling point.]

Access to download 15 free tracks from live recordings at the King Tuts "album by album" shows [Except the shows for Warnings/Promises and Make Another World. This process was riddled with bugs and caused a bit of a tempest in the WordPress teapot.] In December '08 & access to a members only section of the web site [Users needed to remember completely nonsensical passwords generated by WordPress (mine was ur2EsFuz32s@) that weren't changeable.] with album progress updates, exclusive photo and video content from the recording and preproduction process with diaries/blogs by individual band members ~~and lots more~~.

Signing up will also automatically enter you into draws for special prizes.

So here's the thing: the record is really good. A joy to listen to. And while it's too fresh still for me to rank it in the Idlewild pantheon, I'm already confident that when the dust settles I'll still like it much more than at least Make Another World, and I'll take great pride in recommending it to people, and maybe once in a while showing a friend my name in on the enclosed poster.

I like it so much, really, that I feel a bit shitty even pointing out the bumps in the road along the preorder process, because it's not like the band itself hasn't acknowledged them, and been pretty up front about most of them. Still, a little more preparation in this era of bands shrugging label support and handling distro themselves would have gone a long way. Here's to hoping Idlewild tries something like this again for the next record, and that it works a little better.

**Update** I spent some time talking to my friend Andy about this on his podcast last night, which is now posted here.

Max Bemis will Say Anything you want him to.

2009-06-04T20:03:00.005-05:00

In the days of knights and maidens, it wasn't an uncommon thing for a nobleman to glorify himself by commissioning a minstrel to write a song. I think. So while some may call Max Bemis's latest idea innovative, and more will call it downright batshit, I'm choosing to nod approvingly at the notion of kicking it really old school.

Read more about how for $150 and for a limited time only, Max will write a song for you and only you, your highness. Just like in medieval times, only with more overt references to masturbation.

Art vs. Commerce

2009-05-06T22:30:00.005-05:00

My friend (and old boss) Seth Resler posted a meditation on art and commerce yesterday, and it inspired me to sit down and write for the first time since...gosh, February? Really? Anyway, here's a quote:

The trick, of course, is to play tons of Nickelback, but make people think you’re playing Radiohead a lot more than you really are. So you “image” yourself with Radiohead by finding excuses to say their name without playing their music. Contests and specialty features are a great way to do this. I was the king of this kind of smoke and mirrors. During my time at BRU, the playlist was all Green Day, Linkin Park and the Chili Peppers, but the contests were all about Deathcab for Cutie, Modest Mouse and the Dropkick Murphys. Few people fake indie cred as well as I do.
And this never bothered me, because I knew that the only reason people would ever be able to hear the cool indie bands was because I played mass-appeal bands like Nickelback. Nickelback records pay the bills. And while the true music lovers may hate the band, they fail to realize that without Nickelback, their favorite bands would never get any airplay at all.

[Read the whole thing here.]

So, I got all fired up and started to leave a comment. And it just kinda went for a while. So, I figured, since I haven't posted on my own blo~~viation center~~g for a million years, why not take this opportunity to inch Marvin Gaye down the page a bit? So then I was all like:

Hey Seth,

In spite of myself, I agree with a lot of what you're saying here. Especially the bit about the Nickelbacks of the world indirectly making life easier for the indie band du jour. I don't think Radiohead a very good example because I'd argue they're propelled by a loyal mainstream fanbase that they accumulated long before Kid A, and that if Sr. Kroeger ever wrote a song as crunchy, gritty, or mainstream-sensible as "Creep," a lot of his detractors would just shut the fuck up and find something else to gripe about. But still, a rising tide lifts all boats and all that. I'm with you.

But I have to be picayune for a moment and take issue with what I know isn't your main point: I wouldn't be so quick to pat myself on the back for faking indie cred on the radio. That's only good enough when there's absolutely no alternative, and it breeds resentment more than loyalty. Anyone who cares about indie cred can see right through the smoke and mirrors, and will gladly "make the switch" (remember that shit?) if something more authentic comes along.

These days, I don't know a single person who really cares about indie cred that turns the radio on and listens to anything other than news, sports, or public radio. "Faking" it has chased all but the Luddites (and there aren't many indie-craving Luddites around) away from terrestrial music radio broadcast, to either their iPods, or the plethora of narrowcast options available to them via the Internet that cater more directly to their tastes.

Now, As you said, that's a pretty small fraction of the population, and I do know plenty of people who still listen to the radio. They like Nickelback. They like American Idol, too. But they don't like fake indie cred either, albeit for different reasons. To them, it's just an inconvenience. They reach for the dial when a band they don't know comes on and it doesn't sound like a hit in the first 5 seconds.

I guess what I'm surprised to find myself arguing is that faking indie cred has already cost radio one small subset of listeners, and is chafing at another, larger one. Maybe, from the radio station's perspective, it's time to cut the act, stop trying to be everything to everyone, and just play exactly what brings the ratings.

Did I really just write that?

Get it on.

2009-02-13T08:09:00.004-05:00

This is hokey, but let it never be said that, even when I'm posting as infrequently as I have been, I make careful editorial decisions with regards to the content on this site. From now until Valentine's Day, Amazon.com has decided to give away an .mp3 of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" for free. If you don't already own this (HOW COULD YOU NOT ALREADY OWN THIS?!) you now officially have no excuse. Click here, this ish is FREE.

Don't cross The Boss

2009-02-04T18:22:00.004-05:00

Bruce Springsteen will provide your company email address to the entire frothy, biley Internet. The following pretty much speaks for itself.

(As posted at MySpace)
A Letter to Our Fans:

We know there was much confusion regarding Ticketmaster and TicketsNow during last Monday's on-sale dates. We were as confused as you were, as we were given no advance notice of the major changes in the Ticketmaster-TicketsNow world. (Bear in mind that we are not clients of any ticketing company, and that all those arrangements are between venues and ticketing companies.)

Last Monday, we were informed that Ticketmaster was redirecting your log-in requests for tickets at face value, to their secondary site TicketsNow, which specializes in up-selling tickets at above face value. They did this even when other seats remained available at face value. We condemn this practice.

We perceive this as a pure conflict of interest. Ticketmaster is there to ensure that we have a good, fair sale of our tickets at their face value plus normal ticketing charges. TicketsNow is supposed to be a secondary site where people who already have tickets may exchange, trade, and, unfortunately, speculate with them. We have asked this redirection from Ticketmaster to TicketsNow cease and desist immediately and Ticketmaster has agreed to do so in the future and has removed its unwanted material from their and our site.

We know the many cynical arguments some make in favor of the Ticketmaster system: There are rumors that some artists or managers participate in Ticketmaster charges--we do not. There are rumors that some artists or managers are receiving a percentage of the amount above face value at secondary outlets like TicketsNow--we do not. Some artists or managers may not perceive there to be a conflict between having the distributor of their tickets in effect "scalping" those same tickets through a secondary company like TicketsNow--we do.

While many of you have sent notes to us and your local promoters, you may also send accurate informational letters to Albert Lopez of Ticketmaster [Albert.Lopez@ticketmaster.com] and he will try to address your questions.

A final point for now: the one thing that would make the current ticket situation even worse for the fan than it is now would be Ticketmaster and Live Nation coming up with a single system, thereby returning us to a near monopoly situation in music ticketing. Several newspapers are reporting on this story right now. If you, like us, oppose that idea, you should make it known to your representatives.

The abuse of our fans and our trust by Ticketmaster has made us as furious as it has made many of you. We will continue to do our utmost now and in the future to make sure that these practices are permanently curtailed on our tours.

Bruce Springsteen, Jon Landau and the entire Springsteen Tour Team

[I found the animated .gif at Kissing Suzy Kolber, who say they found it at Texas Gal's twitter feed, so I guess maybe that's where it came from. KSK, by the way, had the best post-SuperBowl Springsteen post that I saw. Read that here.]

I scooped Kanye.

2009-01-30T19:19:00.003-05:00

Kanye West (or a nameless minion thereof) has apparently taken notice of Providence's Triangle Forest. Sure, the copy underneath the picture is nothing more than an exact rip of the band's Wikipedia page, but still. At least it's not a direct rip of the "About Triangle Forest" section of the band's own MySpace page (see for yourself, lazybones).

For what it's worth, I was one of the judges at the WBRU Rock Hunt these guys won, and they are the realest of real deals. And I said as much way back in April of 2007. Booyah.

Kanye: 282763458264, Mike: 0 1

Lily Allen - Straight To Hell

2009-01-22T10:35:00.003-05:00

Straight To Hell has always been my ~~favorite~~ favourite Clash song, so it's a pretty sure thing that if someone covers it, I'm going to listen. Lily's version is...fine I guess. It's from a charity album put together by an organization called War Child, which is a pretty good name for a group that aims to protect children living in war zones. I can get behind that.

Matt Singer interview

2009-01-05T10:00:00.001-05:00

Download: Matt Singer - The Poet (mp3)
Also check out: myspace.com/mattsingermusic

A few months ago, I wrote a review of Matt Singer's latest EP, The Drought. Then I heard about a residency he had at The Living Room during December, so I went to check out a show. He played a bunch of stuff from The Drought, a few songs I hadn't heard before, and even found time in his set for an audience participation dreidel tournament. The way every rock show should go, really. I'm a total jackass for never getting around to writing about it (blame Left 4 Dead), because I was going to call the post "From the dreidel to the grave," which would have been a big hit, I think.

Anyway, a week or so later, Matt emailed me a quick note about the first review, and I asked if he'd like to do an interview. He very graciously consented.

Mike McClenathan: When you meet strangers at parties and they ask what you do, how do you describe it?

Matt Singer: Ferocious sensitive 90’s folk rock?

Actually, I always feel like I’m answering that question for the first time, so if you’ve got any good ideas, please let me know.

MM: You write songs on a pretty wide range of subjects. George Bush, American Idol rejects, The Catholic church, amazing dongs. What really gets you fired up to write? Or, perhaps a better question: is there anything you won't write about?

MS: I can never really predict what is going to grab me. About five years back, it’s clear that church scandals, the Iraq war and the statewide bans on gay marriage were on my mind, but looking back on that time, I realize that those songs were just as much (if not more) about personal stuff… romance, loyalty, my own craziness… The same stuff still seems to be happening in my writing… I just finished a few songs that touch on the lives of refugees and the challenges faced by immigrants, but they’re still totally personal somehow, even though I’m a relatively spoiled suburban kid.

Nowadays, it seems that for every new book I read, a song comes out of it. I’ve been reading a lot of different stuff… Dave Eggers, Alison Bechdel, Cormack McCarthy… so my songs are pretty varied. Then again, with me, they always have been.

As for dongs and sex on restroom sinks, that’s all just an over-active imagination. And wishful thinking.

And no, there is nothing I won’t write about. Except pate. Don’t care for it.

MM: You've been at this a while now. What would 2008, fresh-off-a-Living-Room-residency Matt Singer say to 2003 Matt Singer if he could?

MS: Avoid cruelty, floss daily, and take occasional deep breaths. But not too deep. Oh, and do some recording on your own, Matt… It’s great that you’ve got ridiculously talented friends who do you favors, but buy a freaking pre-amp and a decent microphone, and make it happen, for God’s sake.

MM: How much does it burn you that myspace.com/mattsinger is some other dude that plays music, who claims to sound like "ten thousand farts through paper towel tubes, all in unison"?

MS: Yeah, there are actually quite a few Matt Singers involved in the arts, including a guy from North Carolina who harassed me once for not promptly responding to an email about how cool it is that we have the same name. I like to think that I shoulder this heavy burden with grace, although I’ve been typing the hyphen in my own website for years now (matt-singer.com), and it still makes me a little queasy. Hyphens suck.

MM: Aside from the other Matt Singer, who do you listen to?

MS: Mostly, the folks from the same music scene as me… Lowry, The Blood Sugars, Pearl and the Beard are a few.

MM: During your residency at the Living Room, you were collecting different charitable donations (canned food, toys, warm clothes) each night. What are your favorite charities?

MS: The New York Immigration Coalition and Generation Q do great work. Not sure if they qualify as charities, but they are fabulous organizations.

MM: Where and when can we catch you next?

MS: Union Hall (Brooklyn), Fri. January 2nd

The Dahlak (Washington, DC), Sat. January 10th

Rockwood Music Hall (NY), Mon. January 26th

There's (still) something special happening in Johnstown, PA.

2008-12-26T12:39:00.000-05:00

put a quarter in the telescope and you can almost make it out
the artspace that they're opening right outside downtown
it's going to be our hearts, it's going to be our souls,
it's going to take the place of work and church and school
if it doesn't get shut down by city council

Endless Mike and The Beagle Club - The Incline of Western Civilization

Got a tip the other day to check out one of the newest releases from My Idea of Fun records: S/T by Emmet and Mary. It's...well...it's sort of a post-apocalyptic rock opera. Or at least part of one. It looks like there'll be more to come, if one inspects MIoF's releases page. There's a lyrics transcription that clarifies which character (or group of characters) is singing any given line, which is an absolute must-have if you're to have any chance of following the plot. Even with it, you've got an uphill climb. But, no complaints. It's a fun little record, and if you're looking for something off the beaten path to check out, it might be perfect for you. There are sample mp3's at the link above, if you'd like a taste.

What's really striking to me about the project (and many like it coming out of Johnstown) is its ambition. The sheer magnitude of people who were involved in bringing it from concept to reality. My Idea of Fun is, as advertised, an artist collective. If you take a look at the cast, band, cult members (really), etc that put time into making this thing happen, and you happen to also know the names of the people in bands like Endless Mike and The Beagle Club and Elementary Thought Process, you'll see familiar names, among a host of others. All of whom, as the name of the label suggests, participate in huge, ambitious projects like this because it is their idea of fun.

All these people hang out at 709 Railroad Street, an art space in Johnstown. From the looks of things from afar, it's really becoming quite a happening. Keep an eye on it.

Drew & The Medicinal Pen looking for a new drummer

2008-11-24T16:28:00.005-05:00

If you're a drummer, you may be interested in the opportunity to join an extremely cool band. If you're not (like I am not), let this video be the time you finally take my advice and listen to Drew & The Medicinal Pen for a little while. When you're done with the video, head to myspace.com/drewandthemedicinalpen and listen to "Hole in my Sail" and "Spotlight" and everything else and then tell everyone you know.

Idlewild will let you buy a record that hasn't even been made yet.

2008-11-21T11:33:00.004-05:00

Idlewild will be spending early 2009 in the studio to record an album slated for conventional release over the summer, but fans are being given the opportunity to buy the record (and some nice bonus material) now, months before the first note has been committed to hard drive. Bonuses include 15 downloads from also-yet-to-be-recorded live shows in December, access to the music (download and CD) within weeks of completion, and one's name in the CD booklet, perhaps. I don't really understand how that last part's going to work. Anyway, in their own words:

By going to idlewildmusic.com you will get details on how to pre-order and what you will receive.

These include a limited edition CD album (with free download version) in exclusive packaging & including at least one bonus track. This will be shipped within weeks of completion & before any standard release.

You can get your name to appear in the CD booklet with the album and on a roll-call on the web site.

Access to download 15 free tracks from live recordings at the King Tuts "album by album" shows In December '08 & access to a members only section of the web site with album progress updates, exclusive photo and video content from the recording and preproduction process with diaries/blogs by individual band members and lots more.

Signing up will also automatically enter you into draws for special prizes.

The pre-order will set you back £16.50, or approximately $500 (I kid). So yeah. I bought this because I'm a superfan, and because it's nice to see that bands continue to buck standard record release trends, and bands that do so deserve support. And also because I want my name on their website.

Interested parties should pull out their credit cards and head directly to idlewildmusic.com.

One additional note: The album by album shows mentioned above will be happening in Glasgow, which is a bit of a commute for me so I won't be going, though I have long dreamed of witnessing a full performance of The Remote Part.

Iron & Wine - Terminal 5, 11/17/08

2008-11-18T11:16:00.006-05:00

Pic from Morrissey

It was my first time in Terminal 5 (a testament to the precipitous dropping-off of my show attendance of late), so let's get the venue griping out of the way first. There aren't enough places to stand and actually see the stage. The entire 3rd floor is basically a waste, the 2nd floor has very little decent viewing that isn't VIP seating, which basically reduces Terminal 5 to a venue no better than any other stand-on-the-floor-and-try-to-peer-between-heads venue in the city, only the fire marshall lets them sell a lot more tickets. I don't have any complaints about the sound system though. Iron & Wine sounded amazing.

But I was sold before the first note was even picked. Sam Beam had me at "Woo, beards!" which he exclaimed in response to the enthusiastic welcome he received from the sold-out, heavily bearded crowd, a light jab, it seemed to me, at the too-ready-to-shout-ILOVEYOU-or-NAMEOFSONG-or-HOMETOWN-or-ANYTHING-in-even-a-moment-of-silence throngs out to see him sing that night. Try to follow that last sentence. Just try. But really, it was like that. That shit drives me nuts.

And then he started playing, first joined on stage by only a female accompanying voice. "He Lays In The Reins." I had steeled myself against the possibility that he wouldn't play a single song from my favorite of his records (okay, not exclusively his), and he opened with it. The highlight of these affairs for the majority of the audience, it seems, are these stripped down numbers. Sam can play the hell out of a guitar, and he's surrounded himself with a group of similarly able musicians, but he can't escape the shadow of his own whispery voice, which is all anyone wants to hear. The crowd grew noticeably restless during the longer full-band breakdowns.

I, for one, like seeing artists retool songs live on stage, but experience dictates that most fans disagree. I would think that most fans of the act would pretty much know what they're getting into at this point, but those who would rather an artist sound just like the record in concert were, fortunately for me and unfortunately for them, out of luck for most of Iron & Wine's set last night.

Edit: I forgot to mention this before posting, but I genuinely enjoyed Blitzen Trapper too. I was a hater when I saw them at The Mercury Lounge months ago, so that was a very pleasant surprise.

New Third Eye Blind is on the way

2008-11-13T11:08:00.003-05:00

Funny how all this time I thought his name was Stephan Jenkins. But "Stephen Perkins" is close enough I guess. I don't know how you screw up the name of a guy that says things like "I don't know you, but I love you all for you are all made of lions!" in his MySpace blog.

Anyway, after having been gone for what's felt like forever, 3eb is inching back towards the spotlight. The three songs they have posted on MySpace all sound to me exactly like what I thought new Third Eye Blind should sound like, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I really like them.

My favorite, I think, is the live version of "Why Can't You Be," in which Stephan Jenkins manages to weave straight-up filthy lines like "Sometimes a blowjob's not enough" into a tapestry of failing relationship heartache, and have it work. Nobody does that like he does.

Third Eye Blind will release the Red Star EP on 11/18, and the full length Ursa Major is tentatively slated for February 2009.

Springsteen to premier new song on Sunday Night Football

2008-11-11T15:07:00.004-05:00

I'm still not sure how I feel about The Boss playing the Superbowl, but it's becoming clear that the NFL had to sweeten the deal a bit before he signed on. Way to make 'em work for it, Bruce.

Are you ready for some football? Well, even if you're not, you'll probably want to tune in to the Cowboys/Redskins Sunday Night Football game on November 16. As NBC's Al Michaels announced last night: "Next week we'll have the world premiere of Springsteen's new song 'Workin' on a Dream' set to NFL highlights at halftime at next week's game." Springsteen performed an acoustic version of the new song last week in Cleveland; this will be the world's first chance to hear the studio recording.

The video above is that performance in Cleveland, which the MySpace Bulletin fails to mention was at a rally for Barack Obama.