If you’ve ever seen New York rocker Jesse Malin in concert, you know that he can tell one heck of a story. He fills in small details and shades his characters in a way that very few other storytellers can replicate. I greatly enjoyed reading his heartfelt tribute in the current issue of NYC’s Village Voice about the late great Hilly Kristal, patriarch of the legendary punk rock club CBGB.
Malin writes in part:
“I knew Hilly for more than 27 years, but had very few exchanges with him. I first played the club when I was 12 years old on one of those Monday audition nights. Nobody cared that we were underage. We didn’t pass the audition, but I would eventually play there at least a hundred times. I could never tell if he liked me or not. Then one day, he walked over to the bar on an empty Tuesday night and bought me a beer. We spoke about his time there, and he told me he liked the bands that came back to visit after they had made it big. He told me he liked the Talking Heads because they lifted their own equipment. Maybe he liked me because I was lifting other bands’ equipment with my ‘Man with Van’ schlep rock job.
In the mid-1990s, we were neighbors on what is known as the safest block in New York, East 3rd Street between First and Second avenues (next-door to the Hells Angels). We would occasionally wave to each other from across the way as he’d be walking home with his black leather briefcase. One night, I ran into Hilly at a party at Don Hill’s nightclub: He had told me that he’d just gotten back from Beijing, China. I tried to visualize this Bowery cowboy in the great Red East. I figured he deserved to have some fun, and what else was he going to do with all that T-shirt money? “
I was so happy to finally seize summer by the . . . horns (I started a metaphor I can’t finish) this weekend and go camping out in the Colorado wild. Well, as wild as you can get being twenty minutes from downtown Denver, but still — camping is something I’ve been meaning to do the last few summers and it just never seemed to happen until now. There were actual tents and campfires involved, and I couldn’t be happier. And really who knew that s’mores and beer went so well together?
So much awesomeness in less than 24 hours (ah yes, the short, wimpy kind of camping): I inadvertently melted the soles of my black flipflops by resting my feet on the firepit all night, got to see a gorgeously unobstructed sunset, and I’m not even kidding our tent got loosely surrounded by a yipping pack of passing coyotes around 3am — a bit eerie, but rad.
We didn’t try to bring any tunes camping, but if we had we would have first and foremost listened to Creedence (my favorite camping music) and secondly perhaps to some of these fine selections for the week:
Monkey Earl Greyhound This was another must-see recommendation to me from several different folks who caught blistering Brooklyn trio Earl Greyhound at the XPoNential Music Fest in Philly this past summer. Their influences range from the immediate swagger of Led Zeppelin (you can certainly hear the “Black Dog” echoes here) to The Beatles (on gentler songs like “Good”) and all kinds of Seventies jams in between. Guitarist Matt Whyte yowls and howls, sharing vocal duties with foxy lady bassist Kamara Thomas, while Ricc Sheridan kills it on the drums. They are coming to Monolith this weekend at Red Rocks — sign me up for a good seat Saturday night. Their album Soft Targets is available now.
The Girl (Beck remix) Dr. Dog Speaking of Philly, Dr. Dog is currently one of the absolute finest exports of the city of brotherly love. Their MySpace says they are “interested in three-part harmonies, the out-of-doors, soya rotis, baking bread and diminished chords.” Sounds good to me, as does their 2007 album We All Belong. This is a remix from the upcoming single of “The Girl” — Some Velvet Blog loves Dr. Dog and has the original tune here, if you are interested in hearing what it sounded like before Tiny Beck got his wildly creative hands on it. The Girl 7″ will be released in limited quantities in October and will be free at independent record stores when you buy Easy Beat or We All Belong. The flip side will feature their ace remix of “Heart it Races” by Architecture in Helsinki (go listen on their MySpace). Dr. Dog are currently on tour with and without Wilco.
Riot Radio Dead 60s I first posted this machine-gun dancehall punk delight waaaay back when I had 12 readers, after seeing The Dead 60sopen for Social Distortion at the Gothic Theatre in November 2005. They put on a great, energetic show and I can definitely hear that someone has been listening to a lot of The Clash and The Specials, which aren’t bad influences to have. This bright-eyed foursome from Liverpool is back with some new stuff this week (check it out on their MySpace), and they just announced that they’ll be supporting Ash (is this the end of the world?) on their upcoming Fall tour.
You Don’t Wanna Leave Mike Mangione This warm and rootsy song from Chicago+Milwaukee singer/songwriter Mike Mangione could be the perfect tune for the impending autumn weather. Its honey richness sticks in your head, and made me smile from the moment I first heard the opening melody. The acoustic playfulness reminds me a bit of Van Morrison, and is recommended for fans of the literate alt-county of Rocky Votolato, or even the catchy pop hooks of Rob Thomas, believe it or not. Tenebrae is the Latin word for darkness, and it’s also the title of his newest release, which can be streamed in full over on his website.
The Beat That My Heart Skipped Dan Le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip This is the song I am most giddy about today, because it’s so much fun. I’ve written about this Essex, England duo with the odd name before – remember that fantastic video for “Thou Shalt Always Kill”? Yeah, I watched that about a dozen times in one day; I find the contrast of the literate words, the hip-propelling beats, surreal video art direction, and the appearance that the guy could possibly be a traditional old-school Hasidic Jewish man (he’s not, he’s just rockin the beard as far as I know) to be irresistibly interesting. This new song starts out like something Ben Harper would conjure up, and sounds even better while watching the video:
THE BEAT THAT MY HEART SKIPPED, DAN LE SAC vs SCROOBIUS PIP[UK download]
All you need to know about what a show from The Format is like can be learned by watching this (bouncy, sometimes too loud) video that I shot on Friday night at the Gothic Theatre:
THE FORMAT: “THE FIRST SINGLE” (live 9/7/07)
Don’t you just want to be a part of that? Yes, yes you do.
The concert was every bit as fantastic as I was expecting (a few more pics here) and I was pleased to get a chance to catch up with Nate Ruess, the frontman of the group. The Format was formed in 2001 by Nate and his longtime friend Sam Means; they make great music.
A FEW QUESTIONS WITH NATE RUESS Me: One of my favorite songs from you guys is “The First Single,” where you sing “You know the night life is just not for me.” However, you have chosen this nightclub-rock&roll-saturated 2am lifestyle, at least for now. Do you find it draining or do you love it? Or both?
Nate: We are fairly boring people so I’m still sticking to our guns on this one. And because we are so boring I think the “rock n roll” lifestyle gets to us really quickly. Unless it involves watching a good movie. Then I am game.
Denver is honored to be the last proper show of the long-running tour for Dog Problems. What’s next for you guys after this?
Gonna take a break from touring and being in a band, and try to write and make a record all at the same time I’m looking forward to it. But the first thing on my mind is finishing the tour.
Now, no pressure (who am I kidding, I’m eager) — but are you already working on writing a follow-up to Dog Problems?
Yeah we have five or so songs in their incubent stage. I’m anxious to hear what it’s going to sound like. In my head they’re great songs so far, but we have so much work left.
Here’s a possibly hard question – Everyone always asks me to “describe the sound” of The Format when I rave about you all to whoever will listen. How the heck do you usually answer that same question when people, doubtlessly and ad nauseum, propose it to you? How then shall we refer to you?
It’s the question that angers me most. I say pop if I’m not scared of the person asking me. But I’ll say rock if I think they pose a threat. But really I don’t know.
What new and distant horizons would you like to explore musically with your next album? I read something about steel drums?
Maybe a little bit, I tend to throw crazy words and instruments around but in the end it comes down to what’s best for the songs. With that being said…I hear a gospel choir.
[New song] Swans is fantastic, and I gotta say I loved the fact that there are jingle bells in there. Far underused outside of December festivities. I am curious to know what your studio space looks like, in terms of the dozens of instruments you use. You’ve got some awesome wacky stuff, eh?
Yeah for awhile before Dog Problems was recorded we spent a lot of time collecting crap, but the studio we recorded at in California had so many great instruments that we never used our own stuff. We are toying with the idea of make the next album in Arizona so I guess we might get to put 5 out-of-tune pump organs to use.
I am very interested in hearing about any new developments with your Vanity Label. Are you planning on adding some other artists to the roster? It must be a pretty cool feeling to be able to help and actually get good music heard by the general populace.
Yeah, we tend to forget we have the ability to sign other artists because we are so wrapped up in running the label for The Format. But once we hear something great or get a significant amount of time to work with someone, it’s something we would take very seriously.
[Me and Nate and my friend Jill after the show]
Bonus reading: A highly entertaining two-part tour blog written by Nate for Spin Magazine, wherein they crash a frat party and hone their skills in competitive drinking. [Part One] [Part Two]
Yesterday Stereogum highlighted the fact that Blind Melon‘s MySpace page has some new tracks on it. This is odd, to me, considering that lead singer Shannon Hoon died back when I was in high school.
After disbanding for a time, they’ve now replaced Hoon with a new singer, one Travis Warren. Am I being too narrow minded, or myopically lead-singer focused, in doing a bit of a double-take? When the frontman –the distinctive voice of your band– dies, it seems weird to replace them and go on as the same band. First Alice in Chains, now Blind Melon? Take a listen to the new song:
I really cherish some of the older stuff from Blind Melon. I can do without the No Rain because I have heard it so many times (even though it’s still catchy with those snaps), but these tracks are absolute essential favorites. If you’ve never heard Blind Melon beyond the radio hit, you should probably seriously really take a listen to these, I promise:
Tones of Home – Blind Melon (a fantastic, flirty, bluesy opening and sublime harmonies) Paper Scratcher – Blind Melon (rocks) Soup – Blind Melon (this one takes a blessed long time to build, but I love that meandering, like a stream, and then the break like a waterfall)
And on a loosely related note (I’m telling you it really does all come back to PJ), here are Jeff Ament and Eddie Vedder in Denver last summer performing “Bee Girl,” the salute and warning to the dancing bee girl in the Blind Melon music video and on their 1992 album cover:
This morning as I struggled to get out of bed because my legs, arms, stomach, butt, and most everything else except my face felt like I was slogging through a painful and stiff quicksand, I admit that I cursed you, as nice of a woman as you are. Why don’t you consider changing the name of your Tuesday/Thursday gym class to “Nazi Death-Squat Torture with Pam”? Or maybe “How Many Reps Can You Do, You Sniveling Baby? How About Eight More?”
Both have a nice ring to them, and I think that would be a more accurate descrption of what occurs within those bemirrored walls on floors of shiny wood and padded colorful mats that smell like sweat. You sadist.
Sincerely, The one cheating on the overhead presses when you weren’t looking
Jon Spencer’s blues are not currently exploding, now he is into Heavy Trash. The frontman of the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion has a new gig –well, since 2005, I am just hearing about them– with former Madder Rose/Speedball Baby member Matt Verta-Ray (which totally sounds like a superhero name, or an aquarium animal). Heavy Trash released their self-titled debut in 2005, and this week followed up with their sophomore effort, Going Way Out With Heavy Trash.
Currently signed to YepRoc Records, they have rough and tumble rockabilly punk sound that makes me want to drink, smoke, and fight. And I don’t even do two of those three things. Their website boasts, “As boozy and frantic as a trailer park stabbing,” and from the opening crunchy reverb surf riffs of “Double Gold” to the Sex-Pistols-thrash of “Into Oblivion,” or the traditional ’50s rockabilly structures of “Outside Chance” (not a Turtles cover, but just as retro), this album is stuffed with the genres and sounds I love. “That Ain’t Right” is straight up cash money, and by Cash I mean Johnny.
The first time I heard Heavy Trash, I found myself verbally egging on the song while I was listening to it; “COME on now!” This is one band I would absolutely, positively go see live. I mean, just listen to em. I think the ideal tour pairing would be with the Ike Reilly Assassination, but I kinda get the feeling Ike and Jon might beat each other up.
I was recently reading about this new show on Nick Jr. called Yo Gabba Gabba (not to be confused with Yabba Dabba Doo, or Gabba Gabba Hey) that features all kinds of musical guests like The Aquabats (co-creators and regularly on the show as character voices), The Shins, Mark Mothersbaugh, Biz Markie (who teaches the kids how to beatbox, I love it), The Postmarks, Chad VanGaalen, Mark Kozelek and more.
This sounds like fun — the show just started a few weeks ago and The Shins have made their debut to the hip kid set with a life lesson song called “It’s OK, Try Again.” You can watch them perform it on the Nick Jr site and then learn to draw Wubbzy once you’re finished.
This new show reminded me of an earlier incarnation of the “Really Good Music For A Kids Show” concept on Nickelodeon, the band Polaris from The Adventures of Pete & Pete in the mid-Nineties. I’ll have to cop to never seeing this show, as I was in high school when it came out (and we never had cable, just rabbit ears — I know!). But thanks to an old tip that I am just remembering, I am enjoying the crisp autumn feelings of the Polaris sound.
The show started with a band fronted by Mark Mulcahy rocking out on your average suburban front lawn:
I recognized Mulcahy’s name from the chapter dedicated to him in Nick Hornby’s Songbook/31 Songs book, about how his song “Hey Self Defeater” made it onto most of Hornby’s mix tapes for friends in one certain year. Mulcahy’s voice is moody and a bit warbly; I find it kinda like Westerberg-meets-Kozelek. It’s effervescent yet bittersweet indie-pop.
The show also featured a gazillion other cool guest stars: Janeane Garafolo as the English teacher, Michael Stipe as the ice cream man, Juliana Hatfield as a lunchlady, Gordon Gano (Violent Femmes) as a substitute math teacher, Patty Hearst as a mysterious neighbor, and Luscious Jackson as the band that played the school dance. Only on TV, right?
So it was a show I’ve never seen but it sounds like I should have. Polaris was the house band, and they originally released a cassette tape in 1995 that you could get only by sending in UPCs from boxes of Frosted Mini-Wheats (oh how I loved those sugary days of kids cereal promotions).
The cassette is now ridiculously impossible to find, but luckily in 1999 Mezzotint Records released a full album from Polaris, including the songs on the original cassette plus 8 more. Here’s a selection, and if you’re feeling nostalgic, or just looking for some good tunes, the CD is for sale here.
[Cassette introduction, read by Older Pete]
“Hi, I’m Pete and the band you’re about to hear is Polaris. They’re three guys: Jersey, Muggy and Harris, who came out of nowhere, disappeared without a trace, and left behind music that’ll steer you clear of danger. So put on some unmatched socks, wipe the crud out of your eyeballs and give a warm welcome to Polaris.”
As Usual - Polaris (bonus song only on the CD, because I like it)
[Closing, read by Older Pete]
“Thanks a lot for listening. Remember: everytime you pop in this tape, always point yourself in the direction of these three songs and I guarantee, you’ll never get lost.”
What better way to spend a holiday Monday than at the ballpark? That’s a trick question; there is no better way.
We had a mini family reunion this afternoon at the Giants vs. Rockies game in Denver, as my sister was in town from California for the long weekend. We brought our own small contingency of Giants fans to represent with cheers and SF love while they painfully lost (7 to 4 final – it was 7-1 for a while there). But not for lack of fan support out in the bleachers, I tell ya.
And (!) I got stung by a yellow jacket that I figure must have been Rockies-trained to go after the orange and black. I guess that’s what I get for wearing a Giants tank top. Seven hours later, it still feels like a hot needle in the skin of my forearm. Little yellow striped bastard.
Playboy Decoy (demo) Probably Vampires Oh vampires are so hot right now. I thought I had read about Chicago’s Probably Vampires in Rolling Stone, but I think that was actually Vampire Weekend, an NYC band also with an EP coming out. These guys don’t sound anything like vampires, unless vampires got all poppy ’60s harmonies (like The Redwalls with a vengeance) when I wasn’t looking. There’s nothing about this band hearkens the pasty gothness of nocturnal bloodlust — this will make you tap your toes and feel sunny. They’ve opened for folks like Voxtrot, Harvey Danger, and Phantom Planet, and this track is a home demo version of a song on their forthcoming EP, Sons of Guns, due out in October. Be their MySpace friends — they’re not as scary as they sound.
Tick Tick Boom The Hives I love this new Hives song because it’s unrelenting and urgent, making me feel like I am the protagonist in a high-action movie like Mission Impossible, racing against the clock. It will undoubtedly be optioned for a film soon, what with the ticking time bomb chorus and tightly-caged riffs, so listen to it now. In fact, I made a whole mix around this vibe over the weekend. This is the first single off their upcoming October album The Black and White, which is conveniently also the two (non?) colors that they allow in their strict matching band dress code. This Swedish garage rock five-piece is on tour now with Maroon 5 (and did you see them on the cover of Rolling Stone and is Adam Levine’s head molded of rubber?).
Love In A Trashcan The Raveonettes This track is worth listening to simply for the feeling I get that it’s what Hole would sound like if they joined a ’60s surfing community. The guitar tones on this are amazing, echoey and warm and so close you wanna dive in. Another Nordic delight, The Raveonettes are a duo from wonderful Copenhagen with an edgy retro-Spector 1950s sound. This is track 3 on their 2005 album Pretty In Black (Columbia/The Orchard) and I’m glad to be finally hearing it now.
My Party (Kenna & Chad Hugo remix) Kings of Leon Stereogum had this up last week [story here], and I gotta confess that Kings of Leon are one of the last bands that I expected to get the remix treatment from Ethiopian musician Kenna and sometimes-Neptune Chad Hugo, but this song has a strong backbeat to begin with and actually works pretty well. We’re still not sure what Caleb is singing about (she saw his party?) but this remix is suitable for busting out at your next shindig, and will help me get ready to see KOL in two weeks at the Monolith Festival out at Red Rocks. I am ridiculously excited, you don’t even know.
Naturally Middle Distance Runner So at least my tastes are consistent. I was finishing up the post for today, including my favorite tune off the new Middle Distance Runner EP, when I realized that this is a new version of the same song I posted from them last November. Originally included on their full length Plane in Flames album, this re-recorded version is cleaner and tighter for the new EP, and I still love the handclappy pop sound. MDR is from Washington D.C., and their hometown paper (the Post) said, “MDR’s sound clearly draws on mid-’90s British rock — think pre-OK Computer Radiohead, Blur, Oasis — and exudes a confidence and professionalism that many young bands lack.” The more I listen to this, the more I like it — especially the layered breakdown at the end with cascading chorus harmonies. Addictive.
“Jeff Tweedy is some sort of crazy genius,” I found myself thinking as I watched my first Wilco show from front and center, pressed up against the barricade on Saturday night at The Fillmore. I had prepared myself for a really good show, but I was completely blown away by this band. There was the warm and rich display of the alt-country sound I’d expected, but also raw, real, fantastic rock blended with intelligent melodies and retro pop sensibilities. I’ve listened to them casually before last night, and holy cow now I understand what I’ve been missing out on. Their catalog is so much better than I had ever imagined, even just the two hour glimpse we got last night. I stand 100% converted.
They opened with a blue and gorgeous “You Are My Face,” and then launched right into this, which literally left me standing there with my mouth agape in wordless pleasure by the time it was over:
WILCO: I AM TRYING TO BREAK YOUR HEART (watch out for the unavoidable loud fuzzy spots in the audio)
I took several videos from my prime real estate location (Nels’ relentless pogoing in a snippet of “Shot in The Arm” and the engagingly playful sound of “Hummingbird“) and drank in the set that ran a full two hours.
Tweedy has an ineffable charisma, and makes something inside of me wince with recognition when he chisels out his best icy aching lyrics. I wasn’t expecting the power and range of his voice. He was letting it fly, with a soulful edge that to be completely honest brought to mind something like Black Crowes on a couple of occasions, which surprised me. I love this man.
I resolutely held my place on the railing so I had a clear view between the monitors of drummer Glenn Kotche, who is insanely good on drums — inventive and exacting, possessing a true joy in his playing. He was absolutely drenched in sweat by the third song (maybe also because it was twelve million degrees in the venue).
Nels Cline is face-meltingly amazing on the guitar — that man needs to be added to my pantheon of best guitar players. He plays with a class and a dignity of some middle-aged British duke (he had jaunty red pants on) but then absolutely shreds it. Check this video of him and Tweedy doing the dueling guitars on “I’m The Man Who Loves You.” The band was a full six people strong, lush and potent and shattering. It was a sheer delight to behold.
For me the most visceral song of the night was “Via Chicago” — it kicked me in the gut. It starts out with the casually sung lyrics, “I dreamed about killing you again last night, and it felt alright to me.” What a way to catch your attention, with those stabbing lyrics that aren’t afraid to speak out loud your deepest and ugliest thoughts. But the melody is fairly typical, a rustic and warm ballad-type. I’d like it well enough the way you think it’s going to go.
But about hafway through the live performance, the back end of it completely falls out, things fall apart. The drums go all dischordant, the backing melody splinters off, I had bright lights shining directly in my eyes — except Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt kept on with the regular melody, the regular harmonies as if nothing was happening. I thought something went wrong, I was confused – did the post-show music sound system come on or something?
Then the overpowering craziness stopped and the song continued. I realized it was intentional, and it truthfully made a weird hot burning come to my chest just because of the power of a song to do that to me. It’s brilliant — Tweedy works out (what I understand as) his feelings about “coming home” through these bursts within the song of crazy, deceptive, controlled anarchy. It was so unexpected, and therein lay the power and the genius.
Some artists do stuff like that all the time to shock you – or their world is so chaotic that it is a part of every song, that experimentalism, that avant garde chaos. But precisely since I would never have expected to have that happen, the performance of the song becomes a wonderful two-faced illustration of deception and conflicting feelings through singing one thing and half the band playing a complete other. He stands there, being the troubadour, oblivious in his deception.
* * * * * *
I told several friends today about the show with the hushed and breathless wonder usually reserved for religious pilgrimages or transcendental journeys. Everyone kind of shrugged and was like, “Yeah, Wilco’s cool.” I pressed them, “Yes, but have you ever seen them live?” None of them had, which explains why they could be so casual about it. If any of them had seen Wilco like I saw them last night, they’d be radiantly glowing too. The people standing on either side of me on the barricade were from Iowa and California, respectively, and had followed Tweedy like he was their prophet. I was kind of chuckling at them at the beginning of my night (“wilco has crazy fans!” I texted a friend). But by the time the band ripped out a thirteen minute version of Spiders (Kidsmoke), I was ready to pack up and follow them too.
Full setlist, Wilco in Denver 9/1/07 You Are My Face I Am Trying To Break Your Heart Pot Kettle Black Handshake Drugs A Shot in the Arm Radio Cure War on War Side With The Seeds Shake It Off Too Far Apart Jesus, etc. Walken I’m The Man Who Loves You Hummingbird On and On and On ———————————- Impossible Germany How To Fight Loneliness Spiders (Kidsmoke) ———————————- Via Chicago Hate It Here Heavy Metal Drummer I’m Always in Love Outtamind (Outtasite)
Pals from across the Atlantic (and from L.A.) emailed me recently to draw my attention to the fact that Fuel/Friends got a miniature shout-out in the the September issue of the U.K.’s Q Magazine (the one with “Guitar Heroes” on the front). This was hugely cool for me and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t squeal a little bit. On the “Essential Downloads” of the month:
Yep, blink and ya miss it — but I’ll take it! One lovely friend near Manchester generously called it: “high praise from the UK’s leading and most respected music paper.” If you’re here looking for that Ryan Adams track they mentioned, it’s still live and it’s here.
Name: Heather Browne Location: Colorado, originally by way of California Giving context to the torrent since 2005.
"I love the relationship that anyone has with music: because there's something in us that is beyond the reach of words, something that eludes and defies our best attempts to spit it out. It's the best part of us, probably, the richest and strangest part..."
—Nick Hornby, Songbook
"Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel." —Hunter S. Thompson
Mp3s are for sampling purposes, kinda like when they give you the cheese cube at Costco, knowing that you'll often go home with having bought the whole 7 lb. spiced Brie log. They are left up for a limited time. If you LIKE the music, go and support these artists, buy their schwag, go to their concerts, purchase their CDs/records and tell all your friends. Rock on.
[Me and Nate and my friend Jill after the show]
I resolutely held my place on the railing so I had a clear view between the monitors of drummer Glenn Kotche, who is insanely good on drums — inventive and exacting, possessing a true joy in his playing. He was absolutely drenched in sweat by the third song (maybe also because it was twelve million degrees in the venue).
Yep, blink and ya miss it — but I’ll take it! One lovely friend near Manchester generously called it: “high praise from the UK’s leading and most respected music paper.” If you’re here looking for that Ryan Adams track they mentioned, it’s still live and 
Name: Heather Browne
