Review Stalker

We're moving to Reviewstalker.com

2010-11-15T13:34:00.006-05:00

Hi there Ladies and Germs!

It's was just a matter of time before I decided to pack my crap and move over to a proper domain. I love blogger but it was time to move and rebuild. I was thinking about it for awhile but it was more of a matter of literally finding the time to move. Crap I started this blog in 2005 so it was about time. still no money in it but whatever. I don't do it for that reason.

Overtime I'll add some bells and whistles on the new site. The basic content migration seem to go ok and now it is time to tweak this junk and will be deleting old articles but have no fear you should be able to find them and dig through the archives. Which are skinny at best.

Please join me: http://reviewstalker.com

Thank you!

Daviso

Wesley Willis covers Bowie

2010-11-14T15:59:00.005-05:00

I had the pleasure of hosting Wesley Willis(RIP 1963-2003) a few times on his tours. You might even heard or read me tell the story that every time he managed to break my toilet seats but despite that he was a totally sweet human being. He had his moments being a diagnosed schizophrenic and all and it was quite the chore for any band to bring him out. One of those bands was a Chicago band called Today's My Super Space Out Day. Sort of a short emo band name by today's standards but actually a really powerful rock trio. Anyway, below is a jam recorded in my living room in Red Bank, NJ one morning after a rock show. Rock Over London Rock over New Jersey. Now give me a head-butt. Miss you Wesley.

"Ziggy killed the band" by Wesley Willis w/Rick Nitz on Acoustic Guitar from TMSSOD.
"Henry Rollins" by Wesley from SMD Promotions CD (autographed)

Held Ransom by Elvis Costello's R&B

2010-11-13T08:44:00.006-05:00

ALBUM REVIEW: Huge change in what we'll call "introverted" Elvis Costello for right now on National Ransom. This music is free in form with the it's subtle blues and that driving rhythmic bass pounding found on earlier Costello releases...

For the rest of Elvis Costello National Ransom Review please visist the new Review Stalker Music and mp3 Blog!

Get a sample after the jump.

If only you were braindead Black Angels

2010-11-06T15:58:00.007-04:00

ALBUM REVIEW: Working too much. Too tired to write or listen to music most of the time. I am so pathetic but i did just manage to pick-up Phosphene Dream by the Black Angels...

Get the rest of the Thank You Black Angels Album Review after the jump on the all new ReveiwStalker.com Music and mp3 blog.

Lots of awesome stuff on the other side. Won't you come over to the other side. If you stay in the boat it's up to you but if you get off the boat, you will dip into the other side. I promise the water is fine.

Halloween Costume playlist for Ghouls & Goblins

2010-10-30T10:03:00.004-04:00

I'm stuck trying to decide if tonight I should be The Situation or Bruce in keeping with our Jersey theme tonight. In the meantime here's some halloween songs for all of you who have decided to be your favorite political figure, a iPhone or that Oldspice Guy. Nerds.

Hallowe'en by Sonic Youth from Badmoon Rising
Halloween by the Dead Kennedys from Plastic Surgery Disaster
Haunted House Blues by Bessie Smith
Halloween by The Dream Syndicate from The Days Of Wine and Roses
It's Halloween by The Shaggs from Philosophy of the World

New hot and scary reviewstalker.com music blog over here.

The Big Takeover by Jack Rabid - A Super Fan

2010-10-21T23:04:00.005-04:00

Dear CMJ Friends, here's the one guy who has had the honor of drinking with Joe Strummer, seeing the music industry implode and basically keeping one of the most in depth music magazines alive for the past 30 years - The Big Takeover. This humble guy is Jack Rabid. His army of devout writers and friends have helped carry the torch for music with heart and that matters in a time when we need it the most. If you love music and understand the creation of it as one of those things that makes life meaningful. Then this is the essence what Jack and co have captured in print for all these years. I always talk "oh-crap - how did I miss this band or that band". Jack Rabid and company don't miss a beat or least twice a year they feature many not so obvious bands. What is super unique and whole reason in of itself to back-issues is he's never posted one word of the content featured in the pages of his magazine. So you'll only what I am talking about if you read and subvert this whole social media thing.

Back story: As I embarked on working on this Artist series for Ogilvy; little did a I know that myself as a super fan of his magazine, and a random music post about his 30th anniversary show that it would lead to episode in this mini documentary series. The topic is so close to my heart as the blood is in my veins that having him end up being featured has seriously made my year. So I am happy to share this video and I hope you dig it. Plus some of the others artists and tremendous talent I have been privileged to have met so far. Who should I interview next?

(The Create or Else Team: L-R Nancy H, Myself, Jack and D.Zellerford)

Related links:
Read more up on this Artist series on the Create or Else Blog.
The music post that started this journey: The Big Takeover turns 30!
From the Bell House Show photos

A short playlist for friends:
I Didn’t See It Coming by Belle and Sebastian from their new one Write About Love [BUY]
Second Life Life by Gang of Four from the Second Life EP [BUY]
Nothin' 'bout Nothin' by Joe Strummer. This track is music Joe Recorded after disbanding The Clash. I didn't know it existed until i found this comp from Permanent Records. [BUY]
Big Takeover b/w Attitude by Bad Brains self titled (1982) - [BUY]
Aftertaste by For Against from Nebraska. Featured in the video above. [BUY]

2 Minutes of Silence to remember dead Soldiers

2010-10-18T18:05:00.005-04:00

I think this could be considered a ode to John Cage's thoughts on Silence. Where on UK's Remembrance Sunday for us all to think about all the troops who have lost their lives in idiotic wars. The Goal is to get a silent single to go to #1. Thom Yorke has lent his mug to give this thoughts attention to this cause. This is Bono territory and good to see him not just talk the talk. Check out the poppysingle2010 page on facebook. This is the 10 second video single for "2 MINUTE SILENCE". Help get it to Number 1 in the charts for Nov 14. Sign up at the British Legion for a friendly reminder.

"The sound experience which i prefer to all others is the experience of silence. And the silence almost everywhere in the world now is traffic..." - John Cage.

Cage is known for the piece "4:33" or yes that is four minutes thirty-three seconds which you can see here being played here by a full concert orchestra on TV. On analog clock of course!

Hot Wax by Grant Hart

2010-10-17T09:40:00.015-04:00

(Photo from Aviso'Hara tours pics circa 2001, 40 watt Athens, GA - Grant and his bag-o-money. Note can of PBR in my hands. Was part of our pay... Get the rest of this Grant Hart Music Review pm the spanking new Reviewstalker.com music blog. It's very sexy Devil Dick.

60ish Surf Music

2010-10-11T15:40:00.014-04:00

I'm not a huge fanatic of Surf Music genre but there are a bunch of great bands that have kept this type of homage alive to 60's nostalgia, drive-in movies and the Hawaiian shirt. Ok a lot of images come to mind when you think of tunes drenched in fender reverb, fast guitar picking instrumentals and hot babes. Crap they'll write a song about anything. The greatest thing is the music is devoid of pretense and rarely a is there a vocal melody to be had. The guitars do the talking in it's purest of white-bread Americana.

Drag Strip by Link Ray w/ The Fenders Benders from Some Kine of Nut Vol.3. Yeah, this guy single-handedly pretty much defines quality control for Surf Music having recorded probably more than any other or even lent his gear to folks recording his kind of music. Frederick Lincoln AKA "Link" Wray Jr.(1929 - 2005) was first known for his song "Rumble."

Fathom This! by The Fathoms from Boston, Mass. Are you noticing a theme with all the water related names? Noticeable pun perhaps or just good surf marketing? Is there such a thing as bad surf music marketing? Some of these bands brought back the genre in 1990's and others are just some of the originators, which there are 100's of.

Six Pack by The Phantom Surfers. Yeah a cool a song about beer. What kind of beer? Does it even fucking matter? I could and will some day write a whole blog post about beer. From San Francisco according to their MS page and

"Better than Most Surf Bands, Not as good as Some". Have put out records on Estrus, Look-out you name it. Crap i don't even think the artwork is right but whatever...

Psychotronic by The Insect Surfers from the compilation Rock Don't Run Vol.3. A lot of great stuff on here. One song or band is more brilliantly titled after the next. Also features tracks by Los Straightjackets, Boss Martians, and The Tiki-Tones. Coming up with the kookie surf band names is a fun drinking game. TIS claim to be the longest running "modern" surf band.

Wave by Satan's Pilgrams from Around The World With Satan's Pilgrims. I was introduced to this band by Empty Records back in 94-95 and I loved them ever since. They took their name from 60's B-flick Satan's Sadists. Great shit. [Buy]

Ten songs about the future and aliens

2010-10-10T07:44:00.005-04:00

Homemade Spacecraft from Luke Geissbuhler on Vimeo.

Today is 10.10.2010: Here is what earth looks like from an alien's point of view. ok this father and son duo with small team of enthusiasts figured out how to send a balloon into space with their iPhone to get this amazing footage and documented the whole thing for their own Brooklyn Space Program.

Here is some music for aliens and humans:
Subterranean Homesick Alien(radiohead cover) by Easy Star All Stars from the album Radiodread
Watch Me Jumpstart by Guided By Voices from Alien Lanes
Like an Alien by Transilvia
Body Snatcher by The Dynamites from the album Kaboom!
First In Space by the band Tim from Kentucky off the record German Engineering.
Crushed by the Brian Jonestown Massacre from the record Space Girl And Other Favorites
Neither Heaven Nor Space by Nada Surf from Let Go(2002)
Space Gun by Poster Children from Daisy Chain Reaction (1991)
Wish you were here (featuring sparklehorse) by Radiohead from Lost Treasures 1993-1997.

John Peel says listen to some music

2010-10-09T06:36:00.008-04:00

‎"To be free you have to speak another language"

-Henry Rollins from Get in the Van

JOHN PEEL DAY!: I did not know there was such a thing as a International John Peel Day so thanks Ted Cogswell. The music geeks will argue if Mr. Peel(RIP 1939-2004) liked the oldies over live music even though he spent his whole career hosting and engineering live bands on his John Peel sessions on Radio1. This video series has never really been seen much before but for some more go check out sheffieldvision.com It's been up on youtube for years. Anyway, as a tastemaker he forged a lifetime career listening and recording bands from around the world. From The pixies to more obscure stuff. He would champion some pretty uncomercial stuff seemingly to seek out those that took risks and as he says in this videos even groups like The Slits who could not even tune their own instruments. More about the performance and execution than the virtuosity.

Horizontal Hold by This Heat from the record Made Available(1996). For a elite few of you the cover should be familiar as Shellac borrowed the packaging idea for 1000 Hurts(2000). This Heat is considered the missing link between progressive rock and alternative because of their mix of their musical expression with instrumentals, tape loops and general choas captured here in this live jam. Start with this track and then deep dive into a record called Deceit. [Buy]

Flying Saucer by The Wedding Present(Select tracks from later era Peel sessions 1992-1995). On a quick scan it seems David Gedge performed an awful lot on his show. Then again he is from the UK. Very tight band. Friend of mine from Third Hand Films was working on a live tour concert documentary tentatively called drive but it never got any muster out of the gate which shows The Wedding Present as a hard working band. Check out the documentary trailer. Gedger should get it together. [Buy]

French Disko by Stereolab from ABC Music: The Radio 1 Sessions. In spirit of finely recorded live music this double LP is awesome. This particular track was recorded on Mark Radcliffe show but the album mixes sessions from both. I just picked this track because I love the spelling of the title. If that is not a node to Kraut rock I don't know what is...

Birthday Boy by Ween

2010-10-04T14:44:00.005-04:00

COVERS: This is probably one of my favorite Ween songs, ok in the top 10 but it's a perfect little Bob Marleyesque ditty. I've seen Chris Hartford cover it really well what seems like 15 years ago at the Court Tavern and I even think Dave Dreiwitz was playing bass at the time. Here are a couple others plus the original from God Ween Satan The Oneness. Oh the picture above is the commemorative hat and coolie for music dorks over 40 I might make.

Birthday Boy by Ween [Buy]

For more Ween tracks that you can shake a boognish at try the Brown Tracker.

This is a good one by Mary_Lou Lord with Elliot Smith on guitar.

Ween plays a small records store in Denver.

Fake Matador 21 Las Vegas, NV Set-List 1

2010-10-02T16:03:00.009-04:00

SET 1: The Guest MC is Mr. Rick Sanchez & I am right there in the front row inbibing beers and peeing in-between the bands(not literally between them). Sometimes maybe in a cup. Thankfully the live stream exists so I can check the scene over the weekend. Catching some great performances and then...

After the jump get the rest of Fake Matador 21 Fantasy set-list story on the new Reviewstalker.com music and mp3 blog.

Dreamy Music for Librarians

2010-09-26T10:29:00.011-04:00

One of the weirder set of folks I follow on twitter are these wacky librarians who have anonymously aggregated themselves and who let you inside their very bizarre lives. Follow them on my librarians and collectors list if you want to see what I am talking about. Be warned they tweet and curse more than you average sailor so be warned in advance. Their minds are fascinating.

What is interesting to me about twitter culture is you get to be in the nitty-gritty of people's lives as much or as little you want. You follow(stalk) every random thought without the depth of a blog (yuk-yuk) unless your desire tells you to do otherwise. I love lists and librarians whole existence is about knowing where to file stuff so it can be found later. So from a social graph perspective this tickles my right brain. Sure, I am simplifying their job which from what I gather is mostly an exercise in managing people of all ages and getting lost in the stacks of books. They dread the reference . So in thinking about this list for folks who make lists I'm going to keep it simple and focus on a couple themes that come up the most. They work a lot of hours, hate most folks, drink a lot of alcohol and are also experts in the art of relaxing. This may be too easy or maybe just an excuse to make a list but it is not where I am going. The there is the whole obvious eyeglasses and plaid skirt thing to consider too but that is also too easy since some librarians are male. The good thing is they really take it to a whole other level and have these amazing minds. So what I came up with is more of is a list for music for the mind. Here is a some dreamy music to escape to which is what reading and listening to music is all about.

Sleepless in Silver Lake (mp3) by Less Savy Fav from their new record Root for Ruin (2010). I like this song because it's a destination. Makes you want to hang out and escape in LA as it captures a vapid culture of late nights and growing up hipster which could have easily been titled Sleepless in Brooklyn. Obvious chick-flick reference but allas the record is spacey and rockin at times and far from uni-dimensional. Certainly a candidate for the top 10 for this year. [ Buy ]

Candy Season (mp3) by the Librarians from Present Passed (2010). I really like this record a lot when it pops-up on the random play. this band takes you places. I always have to see who it is. Sounds sort 80's with synthes and percussive guitars. You can't pigeon hole them but it's like jazzy rock and is pretty ethereal and they hail from West Virginia. [ Buy ]

Champ (mp3) from Last Days of Summer (2010) by White Denim. A collection of b-sides and unreleased stuff available for free from the band. Some of these tracks they reworked and recorded for this while they work on their next LP. Lots of great jams on this record. Total Americana menu of acoustic and electric songs with quirky rhythms that reminds me of Captain Beefheart. If you dig it they ask that you donate so [ Download ]

Zig Zag Wanderer from Safe as Milk(1967) by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band. I admit the only 60's band I paid any attention to were Hendrix and Pink Floyd in Highschool. A class mate was always going on and on about Captain Beefheart and I always shelved them in my mind with the Greatful Dead. I had a visions of tie-dy t-shirts and really long boring jams that I could not stomach for lack of melody or lyrics I could relate to. Regardless this album is amazing; as nutty as it gets I hear influence in all the bands in this post whether they realize it or not. Safe as Milk is one of the quintisential "jam" bands executed to a whole different orchestration level. After this release Trout Mask Replica (1969) would bring them onto musical map thanks to Frank Zappa. Both great introductions to the band and Don Van Vliet (AKA Captain Beefheart).

Christian Vander speaks Kobaian from Magma

2010-09-24T12:09:00.009-04:00

WEIRD JAZZ MUSIC: ATTAHK(1978) and UDU WUDU(1976) are just two titles from records put forth by French composer and drummer Christian Vander in his group Magma. This music is sung in language called Kobaïan. At some point Vander claimed he was communicated messages from alien visitors telling us of our fate and the narrative present in his music if we did not do something about the state of planet or so the myth goes. So it is probably no mystery to him that our nuclear missile silos have been disarmed by aeriel space crafts since 1948. Press Invite on the subject is Monday, September 27th on Witness Testimony of UFO's at Nuclear Weapons Bases ( I can't make this up).

Maybe it is for our own good as envisioned by Christian Vander a long time ago who had this vision of "humanity's spiritual and ecological future", as given to him by people not of this earth, who we hope wish us to preserve mother earth. G*d knows we've been delinquent with oil messes, plastics, bad farming practices and terrible genocides and never mind facebook crashing all the time(that was terrible). Do they really mean us no harm? Through the scat-yodelling vocal style is a language designed to accompany the instantly alien rhythms which are equally terrifying at times in this avant garde jazz. Telling us a story of our destruction and ultimate implosion. The compositions go on to tell stories of humans fleeing earth and going to this new planet. Oh the irony if these aliens abandoned their planet and hope to share ours because of what they learned. This music is also called "Zeuhl" (Kobaïan for "celestial"), there some offspring bands from influenced bands from France, Belgium and Japanese bands also including Ruins that worked off similar constructed language.

In the track Lirik Necronomicus Kant two alien Heroes Ourgon and Gorgo Meet

Alien music by Magman:
The Last Seven Minutes (1970-1971)from ATTAHK from the Tomato Label released in 1989.
Lirik Necronomicus Kant - Our alien Heroes Ourgon and Gorgo Meet from ATTAHK
De Futura from Üdü Wüdü (1976) Release on Tomato label
Üdü Wüdü Title track

Bonus:
Komnigriss (mp3) from the album Tzomborgha by Ruins. Totally awesome bass and guitar syncopation instrumental on this short spastic track. Less Claypool got nothing on these guys.

Rewind: It was the mid 90's and I was chatting with my friend and roommate Ted who had just recorded some music at Noise New Jersey with Kramer and he had brought up Magma to him. Kramer mentioned when last on tour with Bongwater he saw Christian Vander get in Jaguar with a couple hookers. If you wanted to add more to the mystic of crazy jazz musician but allas. I have a couple of these releases on vinyl. One of the cool ones is a live Magma form 1976 which I found at this weird diner in New Brunswick, NJ around the same time. I went into the Mack diner to visit Charles Ewen and asked him if had any Magma records also known as All Ears Music. You could barely walk around the place. Filled with literally stacks of records from floor to ceiling. He says to me come back in a week kid. A week later I show up and looks at me and says go look in that stack over there which was 3 feet high. Thus began the negotiation. "Look kid you could spend the rest of your days looking for this or you could just call it day and give me $50 bux." - The logic was good. Sold. As of a couple of years ago the place was still there but will report in on my next trip to the good old Hub City but I fear it's been since engulfed by UMDNJ. Anybody care to report?

Henry & Glenn Danzig Forever are lovers

2010-09-19T18:42:00.009-04:00

ZINE COMIC REVIEW: Henry & Glenn Forever is no Boiled Angel or Judy Blume but it is pretty funny I will admit. I could not resist the premise of a couple 90's indie superstars being wrung through the muck by some punk (Tom Neely). The diary entries and notes between characters are the funniest part which are hand scribbled. The artwork for exception of a few panels and cover is not so great sorry to say. The cover has obvious Pettibon sensibility and reference to Family Man spoken word cover art so if anything Danzig and Rollins should be most upset about the lack of likeness. But if you want to giggle their satantic neighbors John & Daryl Hall has potential and well making fun of Hank & Glenn is fun. You know one of them will at least deal with the truth or irony of these two muscle heads in a living situation even if it 15 years too late. Check out igloo tornado for more nonsense honestly was not a total waste of my $6 so thank you!

I know a bunch of tough guy punks and fathers these days with warn out Samhain and and black flag tattoos. Never met Glen Danzig but I did catch the rollin's band on more than one occasion. Sometimes Hank was angrier than other times but always rocked the house at some point he could not be trusted anymore. Maybe that was when he turned 30 and announced the fact at the Fastlanes II show. The point is glad to see somebody took the time to actually print a book verses just posting it on the web on some lame blog. So punk points there.

The soundtrack for reading this book:
Hammer of the Gods from Danzig's new record Deth Red Sabaoth. More metal than they started and has the sing along chorus parts you would expect. For fans of the dark metal this is decent update for Danzig. This record rips. The self titled track is like the others ballads Sistinas or Mother so you won't be disapointed.
Twist Of Cain by Danzig s/t. Tons of sing-a-longs on this old record that somehow all drunk preppy guys know the lyrics for. Weird huh? [ Buy it ]
Slip It In by Black Flag s/t. If you got laid in Highschool to this album you are very punk. If you lasted all the way through the first song that is. [ Buy it ]
Lonely By The Rollins Bands from album Life Time. This is a classic record with more brow beating guitar, bass and drum pummeling your teen angst could ever handle. Amazing bass playing by Andrew Weiss hands down a master next to Flea and Bootsy Collins imho. if you do anything download this record. Buy it.

Bonus mp3:
Wartime from the album Fast Food for thought. Features Henry Rollins, Andrew Weiss, Theo Van Rock, Sim Cain by studio experimental band Wartime.

Superchunk Digging for Something by some oldsters

2010-09-19T10:28:00.011-04:00

SINGLE REVIEW: Superchunk's Digging for Something off of Majesty Shredding. Love this song it's like a long lost friend who got drunk at the bar and then found their way back wearing the same cloths you saw them in the night before. ok maybe the label says reinvented by american apparel on it but they smell the same. Has the elements you'd expect from years gone by from portastatic to now from Mac and company. Never trying to be something they are not but except a indie rock band from North Carolina. No please all fucking hipsters please go die and then buy this record and all their old stuff on Merge Records. You are being made fun of by the old folks. WATCH VIDEO >>

Download mp3:
"Digging for Something" by Superchunk
"Through With People" (Portastatic cover) by Barbara Manning

Ok Go This Too Shall Pass - Smarty Music Video

2010-09-12T14:46:00.003-04:00

I hate most music videos with a passion but this one is intensely nerdy and craftily creative. "This Too Shall Pass" - Rube Goldberg Machine by Ok Go. Sorry I missed them at the union county music fest yesterday. Totally remind me of the flaming lips for obvious reasons.

Heavy Night Terror dreams by Helms Alee

2010-09-12T12:35:00.006-04:00

ALBUM REVIEW: Helms Alee Night Terror. I love heavy music that fills space like the absence of white that fills the nights sky between the stars. Sure I'm totally catching up to this band thru the interwebs but whatever. Hoz, Dana & Ben bring it on this one all the way through. If you dig later era neurosis, trail of dead and hum those would be good starting points to this brand of rocket ship guitar blasting of this co-fronted trio. The distorted bass parts are godfleshy which brings to mind old local New Brunswick faves Transylvia who were the indie rock version of Ministry. See where this going? The track "Big Spider" in particular has that twisted gated sound that if I told you it was Pigface you'd be none the wiser.

Night Terror although less gothic in its presentation thisrecord is more indie nue-metal I suppose. Ok and maybe no crazy double kick-drum or blood pellets but it's more about the razor like guitars feeding back and female vocals that drive the temptress like mini mosh-parts to some sonic depth that makes my ears perk up and pay attention when it comes. You will bang your head while arms folded and be consumed by the noise. Promise once you unfold your appendages you'll be glad you stopped letting your knuckles drag on the floor and will raise up the devil sign in honorary approval.

Left Handy Man Handle from Night Terror [ Buy it ] Instru-metal thrashing with a Don Caballero guitarscape is surely a great jam to open up a record with and that they did.
Big Spider

Bonus tracks:
Lionize from Helms Alee digital 7" - They could have been on a Amphetamine Reptile comp and you would be non the wiser in 1993.
dogsbody corpsegas by Transilvia off of Slugchuckles Insanely. This is the shit bad dreams and good acid are made of.
The Missing by Ministry off of Land Of Rape and Honey. The more well known track is the opening track Stigmata but you can go buy that.

Also, check out this FREE band compilation In Case of Evacuation presented by Exploding In Sound with a Helms Alee track "New Roll" from their NT plus other like minded ear candy which came out this past June. There is something here for everyone but here are a couple heavyish ones:
Good to Die (mp3) by Red Fang channels Judiest Priest dueling guitar solos.
I Should Be Coming Up (But I Keep Coming Down) by Sky parade. its what kids are dancing to these days disco rock like New Order but much less bass melodic. Good song though.

Harmonious bec the future of Her Strange Dreams

2010-09-10T12:58:00.008-04:00

ALBUM REVIEW: Harmonious bec from Japan's record Her Strange Dreams is a winner. All the comparisons are true amongst the light sprinkling of traditional instrumentation. Her Strange Dreams is brought to you by Monotreme Records and offer a mix reminiscent of those glorious DJ Shadow record bin finds and that weird techno music present in the sound bed of Lost in Translation (at least in my imagination) for those round eyes that are paying attention. Get the rest of this Harmonious bec post on all new ReviewStalker.com Music Blog site!>>

New Interpol and dark muses from The 1980's

2010-09-08T12:11:00.008-04:00

Words do not communicate knowledge in the way they should. Lets all thank Satan there is temptation (music) even if the words don't make any sense or their melodies paint the ether via soundscapes and the conspiracies that give us cultural relevance come through the audio. The best songs are like the most awesome females at the risk of sound totally misogynistic it's what you hope to get out of music. You know getting some feeling? Creating some sort of vision from that high that we could not see without hearing or tasting. This sensation would not be possible without some muse or soundtrack. The few bands do a good job of the above over and over again without risking being mundane or boring. Please fuel your libido below.

Dark Mix for dark moods:
Barricade by Interpol (new!) from their self titled record. A review is coming but for now enjoy a single. This band borrows and twists what the bands below started years ago. [Buy]
New Face In Hell by The Fall from Grotesque (After the Gramme)(1980) album art was drawn by Mark E. Smith's sister, Suzanne and album title was taken a from a film that was later renamed. [Buy]
European Female by The Stranglers from the album Feline(1982). Always a weird mix of pop and keywords mixed with your darkness. [Buy]
I Saw an X-Ray of a Girl Passing Gas by Butthole Surfers from Hairway to Steven (1988) Should be the album you listen to in order to perform that acid test you wanted to venture on. Just make sure you have a tripmaster. [Buy]
Do It Clean by Echo & The Bunnymen of their debut Crocodiles (1980) and probably one of the most brilliant songs ever that I still have no clue what it's about. [Buy]

Distance cousins but still related articles:
Butthole Surfers live review with The School of Rock
The Fall in my top 10 list for 2010! (mp3 Hot Cake)

Reintroduction to Frank Black Francis

2010-09-06T09:29:00.005-04:00

Right before The Pixies fall tour begins you can catch Mr. Frank Black Francis play live. He has more twists to his personality one would argue than a unrelenting vine, this is clear, the man behind the black sunglasses is more than just the music. A working artist for sure, always making something trying new things borrowing genres and key changes. Sure you met him in The Pixies but do you know him? Pan forward to 2010 it's been 17 years since they disbanded and he started writing songs about aliens, Ghosts and Pittsburgh. Quite a long time to build, remix and rebuild a whole body of work since anybody could be proud of. Sometime close to what the Pixies did other times just a live 2 track recording. It's all good and always worth checking to see what he's up. Who he has roped into to the jam in the tradition of blues masters and the likes of Lou Reed and David Bowie.

Live at Joe's Pub in NYC on the 3rd, 4th, & 5th.

Follow: Mr. Black Francis | Web

Saint Frank Black Francis Music Mix Road Tape:
Into The White(remixes) from Frank Black Francis (2004)
The Man Who Was Too Loud from Frank Black And The Catholics (1998)
Bad Harmony Pistolero(1999)
I Burn Today Frank Black Honeycomb (2005)
I'm Not Dead (I'm in Pittsburgh) Frank Black Fast Man / Raider Man (2006)
Threshold Apprehension from Blue Finger (2007)
Jet Black River from Frank Black Black Letter Days (2002)

Related stories:
BlueFinger review

Shellac of North America to Rock Brooklyn USA

2010-09-02T13:45:00.008-04:00

Back in the day I played bass in this little loud indie rock band from New Brunswick, NJ called Bubblegum Thunder. Above is photo of Albini's basement where we recorded a record and a 7" to acetate Ampex 24 track tape. I remember looking at the plans for a interface schematic for Electrical Audio with Bob Weston and thinking these guys are total fucking geeks. Catch Shellac live At Bell House in Brooklyn, Tues Sept 7th which is freaking sold out. Somebody please get me on the guest list for crying out loud. Thank you!

Shellac Digital downloads even though Steve hates them:
Prayer to God from 1,000 Hurts
The Admiral from At Action Park
Disgrace Terraform
Holiday in Sun (Sec Pistols Cover) w/ David Yow Halloween @ The Lounge Ax

All of which I nerdly own on vinyl. Always funny when the blank CD with no artwork would roll-out of packaging and I'm like WTF? I'd think if the record had a baby it would at least be a flexi-disc.

BGT @ The Lounge Ax (note: the ween t-shirt)

From the Bubblegum Thunder Cock Monkey LP: (unmastered/unreleased from cassette - lol)
Ghost Town
Acid Gravy
Bedwetter
Safe from Me

Brett & Sandor

Free Summer Rock Concert in Union County New Jersey

2010-08-29T10:27:00.009-04:00

Lots of great bands playing the Union Country Music Festival this year in 2010. Nice mix of headliners like Spoon and supporting bands playing the stages like: The Zombies, Ok Go!, Jesse Malin, Soul Asylum, Suzanne Vega with bands starting Weds Sept 8th through Sunday Sept 12th. Oh did I mention the entertainments is FREE!? Another reason why Jersey is becoming cooler every year. Not that you had to tell me that but just in case you want to road trip it for the day. The fest usually has decent vendor provided food and recently has added a beer garden and lots of stuff for the kids to do. So great reason to burn in the sun in Oak Ridge Park, in Clark NJ.

Track a couple tracks from the bands that are playing:
Queen Of The Underworld by Jesse Malin. This is a older track from the glam punker you might know jesse from D Generation days. Matured into something influenced by The Rolling Stones and cleaner P.Westerberg jams.
The Way We Get by from Spoon's awesome Kill the Moonlight album. If you get anything before their new one Transference get that one then back-fill. All great records.

The Zombies live on the BBC 1965-66: I found these live radio tracks a year or so ago out in the blogosphere so enjoy them. The songs have little radio bits with the band being interviewed and telling funny little stories about young fan girls chasing them down in hotels. Remember this was on the eve of Beatlemania. They could have been bigger than Ringo, John, Paul and George.
I Must Move
Just out of reach
When Ever You're Ready
Will you love me tomorrow?
Sitting In The Park (1966)

Ted Leo funny Bottled In Cork video

2010-08-24T10:58:00.002-04:00

Ted Leo And The Pharmacists - "Bottled In Cork" (Official Video) from Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

I’m a big fan of Tom Scharpling; who not only hosts the best show on earth, he is also screen writer in "real life". (Isn’t everybody?). He’s a comedic spinster and spends most of his radio show hanging up on people and letting the Howard-esque one’s hang on for the fun if you are not conversationalist you are toast. Something sycophantic about it all but somehow super under-indie ground Ted Leo (also frequent guest of the show) put a cast of characters together and debuted his song Bottled in Corks on Funny or Die;s video channel. Here is a totally tongue and cheek and self referential uber cheese rock video. the song is classic Ted Leo.

Joe Strummer Know your Rights

2010-08-21T09:34:00.008-04:00

Direct from Julien Temple's movie The Future is Unwritten a great bit from Joe Strummer (RIP 1952-2002)when he's waxing philosophic, he says "without people, you are nothing". What I think Joe was driving at is we live in a insulated society and we need to pay attention to those around us to make our and their lives richer. Still to this day with dominance of office culture in our social networks this fact is even more true. Your head is down trudging along to the next email. In a recent interview, with my now friend Jack Rabid (for a project I'm doing), who had the pleasure of buying Mr. Strummer a beer when he interviewed him for his magazine The Big Takeover. I saw this intensity for people in Jack's eyes and in how hiss a passion for the people who make music, and in the things he said, and in particular when he recalled said interview. I won't be the spoiler until it's released on Create or Else just yet. but somehow the vibe was transferred to guys like Jack and between the sub-text and fascination with culture and class that The Clash and Joe cared about so much. The notion that you can affect the future even if it is one soul at time is pretty great. Here are few tracks that if anything will enrich your day but for a moment every time you listen to them or they randomly come up on your ipod. They do for me anyways. Enjoy.

Joe Strummer's Midnight Dream - By Angledust featuring Chris Harford and Andrew Weiss
"Without People, You're Nothing" - Joe Strummer from The Future Is Unwritten (Motion Picture Soundtrack)

The Clash Live Passaic NJ 1980 (When everything happened)
Guns of Brixton
Spanish Bombs
Police & Thieves
Complete Control
Bankrobber
Tommy Gun

Related Joe Strummer post:
Love Kills Mp3 post

The InnerSpeaker of Tame Impala

2010-08-15T15:31:00.004-04:00

ALBUM REVIEW: Tame Impala's InnerSpeaker is a jam band like no other in love with guitar effects, rubber soul and the mysterious retro parts of the Flaming Lips. Ok maybe they are more Pink Floyd but the thing is with the distortion and big drums things get like an ocean engulfed by pixies on the top with these spacey vocals that just make this album work. Right see key is here I said album. All of these tracks are woven together with guitars to create a great soundscape for that old black velvet 70's nude psychedelic poster you have.

Tame Impala_02_Desire Be Desire Go

The Ghost of New Model Army

2010-08-11T12:28:00.004-04:00

ONLY US SHOWS: Even 30 years ago New Model Army has always been a band way ahead of their time. Always political in nature to the point of keeping them out of US according to Wiki. If I had to batch them together you could say they were a mash up of The Cult when they go acoustic or solo, Killing Joke (when they light torches) and Jesus and Mary Chain because of the leather except they played with large rusty axes and played fast with lots of chicks dressed in animal skins (imagination runs wild). Fronted by Justin Sullivan a underworld cult hero and leading their 12th band release last year Today is a good Day is as fresh as it was back in 1986 and could give all the bands on relapse a wake-up call that there can be more depth to the thrash metal genre -something they invented in my humble opinion and are still taking it to the next level in the vain of Neurosis. When I first heard their music many presidents ago it hit me that the bass could be distorted way beyond anything Geddy Lee could pull off. The newer material is big rock in a big way and still good. Once you test drive the mp3s below go find The Ghost Of Cain release. Happy hunting.

Taste some of their dirt:
Today is a good Day (title track)
Autumm

They are coming to rip-up up the pavement:
Friday September 3 & September 4, 2010 - Brooklyn, NY @ Bell House
149 7th St., Brooklyn, NY 11215 (718) 643-6510; www.thebellhouseny.com

Sirs Chicago funny version of Shellac

2010-08-10T13:13:00.005-04:00

I like bands that randomly follow this blog's unbranded twitter feed. hello sirs what you un-follow me already? Main thing allows me to randomly stalk a band and check them out. I liked a funny lyric in one of their tunes reminded of how punk used to self mock a lot like in Repo Man where they agree to go do some crimes and get sushi and not pay.

... There is nothing that can't be blamed on Pakistani hackers

I would agree with their self assessment a noise-rock band from Chicago in the Touch&Go / Amphetamine Reptile tradition.

Anyway check them out: Illegal Criminal Crimes (Against The Law) mp3 | Sirs Band site

Jersey Beat Rockstar T-Shirts benefit foodbank

2010-08-10T12:40:00.006-04:00

JERSEY BEAT: It's A Zine! It's A Blog! It's A Podcast!

Do you feel like you need more T-shirts? I know I always do. Long time friend Jim Testa from Jerseybeat.com is donating everything he makes from shirts sales in August to the Asbury Rock Stars Charity Softball The Game is on August 28, who will in turn donate the money to the Monmouth Food Bank. This is a wonderful volunteer organization that helps feed the poor and disenfranchised in southern New Jersey. It's for the kids!

Contact and donate Jerset Beat on Facebook. Shirts are only $10 bux!

The Big Takeover Bell House Show Photos

2010-08-04T11:34:00.004-04:00

Coming soon will be videos and short documentary on Jack Rabid from the Big Takeover's 30th Anniversary show that I am working on. For now you can check out some of the photos from the show this past weekend at The Bell House with Flower, For Against, Mark Burgess, The Sleepover Disaster just to name a few of the bands that played the event.

Get some of the music here.

Music Bootleggers bring the show to you

2010-08-01T19:21:00.004-04:00

There are a lot of great shows this summer which makes it impossible to attend but goody for us the live show "tapers" are a dedicated kind. Sure it's all digital now but whatever. You don't have to stand there. They do the work for you. Here's some tasty bites. So crack open a beer and crank up these shows.

Tapers & Bootleggers:
nyctaper: Has very recent shows byBuilt to Spill and The Flaming Lips
Southern Shelter: Melvins@40WattAthens and a old Tortoise show the Standards tour 2001.
North East Recordings: Hold Steady at Toads places and The Feelies from back in March.

NYC's Flower reunited

2010-07-31T03:10:00.007-04:00

This photo is from The Big Takeover's 30th anniversary show at the Bell House in Brooklyn taking place this weekend. The opening band EDP broke-up a week prior so they did not play but was amazing to finally see Flower(ex-Versus and Cell/French) and hear Jack say as he was rocking out right up in front "that they sound as vital and fresh as they did 17 years ago!". To say the least the first night of these two shows was a raging success. Great energy and people meeting for the first time was among the chatter. Was very cool to see the nyc scene come out and give their support to The Big Takeover and see rabid shoegazer fans from all over the country who came to listen and play this one-off festival(or is it?). If you are in the neighborhood you should go to Night 2 which starts at 4pm. Oh and if you are worried about finding a place to eat around there; for this event there is a charcoal grill out front called Dirks Burgers; which you can feast on and bring inside to eat at the fest. If you ask nicely they might even make you a veggie burger. Lastly bring a wad of cash because the merch table has some pretty great stuff. Including a BTO beer cozies and back issues of the mag. More pictures soon!

Related post:
Listen and watch bands from the fest at Rabid in the Kennel | Follow on Twitter
The Big Takeover turns 30! (Lots of Mp3s)

Pete Yorn Single Review Precious Stone aquisition model

2010-07-28T12:20:00.005-04:00

Talk about a public advance. In September the new S/T album by Pete Yorn on Vagrant records is coming out. It's back to a older form from the sounds of the new single "Precious Stone". Which if you tweet and follow you can download here for free. I'm interested in this record as a body of work vs. a single but here you go. It's the new promotion model and the way things are going. The question is will the music industry ever be able to track this like a top 40 list for pop or rock? Or does a new music release really matter and can it make artists money with their tie-ins? Seems like a lot of work. Does it matter what brands they associate themselves with? Do you care?

If you were at one of the SPIN 25 live shows (Smashing pumpkins, Flaming Lips, BLack Keys) this week in NYC that were broadcast live you also got a download card (if you took one) and could grab four free music tracks from zync.hipdigitalstore.com (totally a banal url but whatev) some of the models handing out the cards were hot but I mostly witnessed people not taking the hand-out. Obvious catch it's a Amex credit card acquisition program looking to hook up another generation with buying power. I might be over qualified but if you don't have credit probably a good way to start your trek into adulthood and get some music. Then again the chick who had fallen down outside from the nitrous oxide balloon hit is probably not a good candidate but that won't show-up on her credit report.

These choices bring up a couple questions. How would you prefer to support your favorite artists? I'm ok with the Zync model because you know the Lips got paid to drive you to get some sponsored downloads (at least I hope) and see them do their thing live in a smallish venue. Much like iTunes did in the early days of those bottle cap promotions with Coke. Or was that Pepsi? Or does it matter? Truth is 10% of world cares how they get their music and even that guess is a generous one but question is how do we expand the branded model. There is so much great music out there and to support Lady Gaga does not make any fucking sense at all. It's a better practice to change the model of ripping of artists when we can although i don't see myself downloading anything above the line (ever!). Sure this blog posts free downloads but it's to hook you into the deeper quest to share culture and support by making the point of entry as easy as possible and turn you onto stuff you might like.

Anyway.

Songs you can't stoping listening too

2010-07-26T13:05:00.004-04:00

I sent a simple tweet and FB post this past weekend asking my "friends" what songs they could not stop listening too. Some folks sent a old song others something newish. Well at least in this decade. Here are bunch of tracks in exercise of randomness. Enjoy your New Music Monday.

Center of the Universe by built to spill (ANTHONY)

Miles Davis & Cool by The Gaslight Anthem (AMY K)

Yellow Pills by the band called 20/20 (J.WERTZ) Damn can't find this one but hopefully soon!

Nothing Better by The Postal Service (AMY S)

C'mon by The Soft Pack (ALBIE FROM THE STUNTCOCKS)

You're Black & Blue by The Exploding Hearts (ROKOSE)

What A Fool Believes(PADDEN FROM PILOT TO GUNNER) He was vague. There are like 100 songs with this title. Take your pick.

Hold On by Wilson Phillips (A.ROCKMAN) I could not find a copy in my library. Weird huh?

Why Worry by Dire Straits (EKATERINA) Ditto on this. I could not find but interesting selection from my russian Friend.

Touch Me I'm Sick by Mudhoney(F.BRIDGES) Wasn't sure if this was because of some Baletine ale he had consumed over the weekend and then proceeded to run a 5k but alas a great song!

Too Many Birds by Bill Callahan (MOSER)

Nada Surf If I had a hi-fi re-discover some covers

2010-07-18T11:52:00.004-04:00

ALBUM REVIEW: It's becoming quite the indie thing to cover things that inspire you. Used to be old form for labels in 50's 60's and 70's to have their big star play a great song by up and coming artists. Actually I don't think that practice ever stopped in this case we must behold Mathew Caws as a curator with exceptional taste on If I had a hi-fi. I'd guess he might have wished he wrote the song picks on this record because honestly if you told me hey here is new Nada Surf i would of said great and carried on with my album review. Actually, that is almost what happened but as looked at the liner notes and production credits it dawned on me. Sure the sticker on the cover gave it away that there were few covers like DEpeche F*cking Mode? So expected a couple but Really and entire Cd's worth? Cool. I have to admit some of these bands I've never heard of but acts poptopia bands like The Go-Betweens. Anyway, you can find most of these bands on emusic so if you are hurting for some selects. Start here and then go crazy.

Covers by original Artists from If I had a hi-fi(Mostly):
Electrocution by Bill Fox
Enjoy the Silence by Depeche Mode
Love Goes On by The Go-Betweens
Janine by Arthur Russell 70's scenster and musician
You Were So Warm by The Dwight Twilley Band. I couldn't find this one but here is I "I Love You So Much" which is just as as good.
Love and Anger by Kate Bush from her record The Sensual World. I have to admit I never was a big fan but this song is great.
The Agony of Laffitte by Spoon, an Acoustic diddy on a Saddle Creek cd single
Bye Bye Beaute By French singer/songwriter intstrumentalist Coralie Clement. I could find this track but found something equally as good. Try "Paris dix heures du soir - Coralie Clément" instead.
Question By Moody Blues. her'e a version live from the Isle of Wright
Bright Side by The Soft Pack formerly The Muslims.
Evolution by Mercromina. This band is from Spain and pretty damn awesome. If you go and scoop up a whole discography blindly from any of these do it for these guys.
I Remembered What I Was Going to Say by The Silly Pillows. Try "Music on my Mind" which has a ripping solo.

The Big Takeover Turns 30!

2010-07-16T11:26:00.012-04:00

Wow, Jack Rabid has been publishing The Big Takeover for 30 years! Impressive. I must be really old now. F*ck! To celebrate he's throwing a rockandroll party at the Bell House with all these amazing bands. I don't remember 30 but please step into the time machine over here:

FRIDAY JULY 30, 2010
THE AVENGERS – Open Your Eyes San Fran '70s punk legends, featuring Penelope Houston & Greg Ingraham!
CHANNEL 3 – Manzanar - Early 80s L.A. manic punk. Like screaming and hollering with tweeky guitars.
VISQUEEN – Beautiful Amnesia - Great singing on this track. Female-led Seattle post-punk rockers' first East Coast shows in 5 years
SPRINGHOUSE – Enslave Me - Jack playing his first show with original lineup in 8 years, playing a "normal" set.
LIBERTINES U.S. – Bad Memories Burn Are you feeling the nostalgia yet? Reformed Cincinnati '80s greats first-ever NY show!
FLOWER – Empty Head New York postpunk band’s first show in 16 years! I think i have a actual LP lying around somewhere for these guys but I do remember all the bass strumming. Cool sheet alla GVsB.
EDP - Wallflower The guitars wrangle and rattle on this one - get your zero T-shirt out and grease the scooter to catch their set. Check out New York’s hard-hitting, Jam-like, mod revival band.

SATURDAY JULY 31, 2010
MARK BURGESS – On The Beach - Get yer ecstasy broker lined up. Manchester England's Chameleons star. Playing Acoustic and full band!
FOR AGAINST – Aftertaste - A little proggy track w/ what sounds like some serious slap back on the snare from Lincoln, NE post-punk legends. Their first East Coast show in 15 years.
SPRINGHOUSE – Asphalt Angels - Jack and Co whip out the delay and phaser pedals; playing their second LP, Postcards From the Arctic, start to finish. Spoiler alert this is the opener!
THE SLEEPOVER DISASTER - Hold My Tongue This Fresno shoegazer band sounds something like Black Angels and British Sea Power. Come support their first-ever East Coast appearance.
DON MCGLASHAN – While you Sleep New Zealand’s ex-Mutton Birds in his only U.S. appearance.
STEVE DREWETT - When the Oil Runs Out by Newtown Neurotics main man makes his U.S. debut.
JON AUER – The Year of Our Demise Seattle’s Posies star and 17-year Big Star member.
THE SHARP THINGS - Now That I'm Back by New York's acclaimed orchestral poppers!
PAUL COLLINS - She Doesn't Want To Hang Around With You Big starish Poptopia track. Former member of The Nerves and of Paul Collins’ Beat fame.
THE CURTAIN SOCIETY – Cave In by veteran Boston shoegazers, also backing Burgess for part of his set. Vocals a little Bryan Ferry a little Sunnyday. Enjoy.

ADMISSION: $25.00 per night or $40 for both
LOCATION: THE BELL HOUSE @ 149 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
DOORTIMES: Friday @ 6:00PM and Saturday @ 4.00PM
TICKETS ON SALE: www.thebellhouseny.com/calendar.php

Free Superchunk vs The Screaming Females

2010-07-15T15:27:00.005-04:00

Digging for Something - Majesty Shredding by Superchunk new single. Classic all around and good enough reason to try and see them play as if it were the 90's again.
I Don't Mind It - Castle Talk by The Screaming Females, such a big voice for such a short gal and such powerful guitar makes her 9 feet tall(removed Spinal Tap style typo ain't the web grand). Totally amazed how they are mowing down the indie scene. Was glad to have been a part of the New Brunswick scene that has bread bands like this.

The Night Marchers + Obits = Pure RockNRoll

2010-07-10T03:52:00.008-04:00

Just when you thought you were an orphaned child The Night Marchers and Obits decide to tour together in California. Don't feel like you're left out completely it's actually a no brainer for them I would imagine. The Marchers will be on the East Coast for two shows shows: Siren fest 7/17 and Maxwells 7/18 w/ No Pasaran!(Obits plays the waterfront same day - so you'll have to make yer choice), the rest happens in swami territory and then they are off to Europe this fall. Which sucks. Would have been great to see them all together here in the tri-state area. Maybe when they get back.

Cram your device with these tracks:
Evil of Idle Hands - MP3 - WJ & The Sweet Sacrifice - All parts rock~n~roll in this handy. Channeling the dirgy upper lip of Elvis and the slow rock of Eddie Spaghetti. Jersey style.

Widow of My Dreams (live Cake Shop nyc 1.12.08) - Obits - I was at this debut show, as uncool as I am; I have no clue who recorded this but some say the whole bootleg sounds better than the subpop release. Which I can appreciate being a fan of good boots so somebody please share the rest of the g*ddawg show with me. Fuckers. Thank you!

I Wanna Deadbeat You - The Night Marchers - This track in particular with the combo of Reis, Wood and Kourkounis is as close to a Hot Snakes reunion you are going to get unless on the West Coast tour they do some sort of encores together. Giving you a buy 2 get 1 free deal. Lets see what happens but lets not hold in the bong hit too long or you will choke.

History is written:
John Reis Vs. Rick Froberg HA!

Pronto Sphere sound cloud making machine

2010-07-02T13:04:00.005-04:00

I always like to keep an eye on what Mr. Mikael Jorgensen Wilco keyboardist and his side project Pronto are up to. Check out his site, he's just posted some very interesting german techno influenced soundscape grooves that available for streaming. He should get into the soundtrack business.

Check Pronto out live:
Sunday, July 18th at Pianos in NYC with Todd Barry(Comedian)

Friday, August 13th at Solid Sound Wilco curated Festival
North Adams, MA at Mass MoCA. Full schedule here.

2010 Summer Rock Mix II - Can you say jail-bait?

2010-07-01T22:45:00.012-04:00

Try some of these jems in your mix this hot summer. Haven't really had anytime to make a podcast so you'll have to make your own. I'll call you up on the phone and mumble a couple things about any of these bands after I've had a few beers. Do you sense a theme? Do it to impress the ladies.

Nervous Breakdown from the Drunken Confessions Whiskeytown demo by Ryan Adams and friends. Get all these bootleged tracks from CaptainsDead

Hot Tub by Full of Fancy - Killer distorted bass playing on this. This jersey band is really coming into their own. These girls know how to partay. Check out some more jerseyrock on the nj underground.

I Will Be by the Dum Dum Girls s/t - Great shit, Riotgurl throwback but not as low-fi but just as likable despite all the reverb. It's the fem fatale version of Obits.

All Things This Way by Male Bonding From Nothing Hurts - Dig this Brit-Rok band. "Produced" by John Agnello to boot. If you like We Were Promised Jet Packs you might like these guys because they are more fIREHOSE and husker du in their approach. At least IMHO.

Karma Police(cover) by Easy Star All Stars - Was reminded of this band when I heard Amanda Palmer covering Idioteque on a Ukele? WTF? Strangely fitting.

Little Red Corvette (Cover by you know who) by Montagna & The Mouth To Mouth from L'avenir. This is the closer on this record and it really caught me by surprise since I first listened to it in reverse. This track came-up first. You should try that some time if your' into ignoring bios and other liner notes.

The Go Getter by The Black Keys from their new one Brothers. Is it me or does everything sound like its a soundtrack for Treme? Distorted and un-pretty groovy sounds on this one posing as down and out New Orleans street music. It works for me.

The Newborn Hippopotamus / Jazz Rock Machine Curated by DJ Shadow from his Schoolhouse funk compilation. I picked this CD up at the Sound Station as a reco from my bearded friend there. These are a bunch of one-off Highschool jazz band records. Super rare obviously.

Related linkage:
Quick Summer Mix I for cruisin down the beach
Hot Summer Rock Mix 2009
John Reis Vs Rick Froberg

Pernice Brothers help me drag my ass off the floor

2010-07-01T21:58:00.007-04:00

ALBUM REVIEW: Something brilliant about how simple good songs can make the recording process sound deeper than it actually is. Joe Pernice's latest effort Goodbye, Killer has horns and some 12 string strumming held together in a easy and balanced mix. Think Harvest but not as reverb drenched as previous Pernice Brothers records but with equally Honest lyrics make up the crackle in this home schooled american pop-music. The harmonies are as decent as the lyrics. Guitar play is what you would expect; and that is what you get. This Pernice record is like sober and clean shaved Whiskeytown.

The End of Faith - mp3

Matador Record 21st b-day vegas bash trip

2010-06-29T14:21:00.003-04:00

I'm not sure how you train for this? But I'm going to start now! Tix go on sale July 5th for Matador's 21st Anniversary birthday bash. I would not even begin to comprehend how you pick a headliner out of this crazy line-up: Belle and Sebastian, Cat Power, Cold Cave, Earles & Jensen, Fucked Up, Guided By Voices, Harlem, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Kurt Vile, Pavement, Shearwater, Sonic Youth, Ted Leo And The Pharmacists, The New Pornographers, Yo La Tengo, chavez...

Holy crap.

American Slang for Jersey youths

2010-06-26T15:39:00.010-04:00

ALBUM REVIEW: Good and hearty tunes from Brian Fallon and the boys on American Slang. No doubt about The Gaslights Anthem's 4th release is a winner. Could be it's own reality show taking place in the suburbs of Jersey and spilling out across America. RXP is going to be playing the crap out of them no doubt. Classic diddling guitar riffs backed up by a solid rhythm section. Jersey bar bands needs to take lesson from these guys and they need to take some more risks too in my humble opinion but then again I always say that. A few too many rebel Clash punk cliches but ready made they are for mass consumption at your local Cheesecake Factory bar. I think I know "The Queen of Lower Chelsea", she works at Bis.Co.Latte perhaps? The lyrics are the meat of this New Brunswick band, like a well planned tattoo, with a voice which is straight from the souls of rebellious youths who really don't stand a chance. The bar is really high especially when you're one of them kicking it up in the air.

Action scenes set to music by The Jesus Lizard

2010-06-08T17:21:00.005-04:00

Pure from Jacob Bricca on Vimeo.

Don't have any new music to share today but this is pretty cool. Crank it up at work and annoy your neighbors. Tons of jump-cuts with The Jesus Lizard blaring and David Yow howling about drunken nothingness by Jacob Bricca with close attention to stuff blowing up. Nice.

Ode to Dennis Hopper a subculture icon

2010-06-01T23:29:00.003-04:00

Dennis Hopper 1936-2010 - Total shame about Mr. Hopper passing this past week. He was definitely one of those guys you'd want to meet to see if he was the real deal which from all accounts he was. He was a talented photographer, a icon and certainly a bad influence or good depending how you look at it. All the movies I saw him in over and over again growing up were always on the edge. He freely and easily spoke to a youth subculture of decent, hippies and drugs. The most bizarre character was the freaky Frank Booth in the David Lynch film Blue Velvet but then again all were pretty out there man. Here are some tracks for your pot mix.

Born to be Wild by Steppenwolf from the Easy Rider Soundtrack
The End by The Doors Featured in Apocalypse Now
Puffy Clouds - By Ween
Handshake Drugs - By Wilco live at Troutdale

Quick Summer Mix for cruisin down the beach

2010-05-27T10:19:00.003-04:00

I wait all year for this time of year. I love coming in from the scorching outside into the cool breeze of the air conditioning. I love beer more in summer and it loves me. Cooking outside is much easier and then there are all those interesting drinks and margaritas to fulfill the soul.

Summer...It's Gone by Grandaddy
Noisy Summer by The Raveonettes
Summer Teeth by Jeff Tweedy(live solo)
Summer U.S.A. by the Rip Chords from Michael Shelly Cut that Out! Vol.2

Because you like it hot:
Hot Summer Mix 2009

The Enthusiasts 7 inch review infirmary phonographic

2010-05-25T13:09:00.006-04:00

I like bands that are born out of boredom the right way vs lost emo kids pretending to be wolves. The Enthusiasts are proud suburbanites brought-up the right way by annoying their neighbors making rockn'roll even gilfy grandmas could admit to liking. We encourage you to help them in their quest to keep their amps fuzzed out, cigarettes lit and their city dreams by getting yerself their IN THE CITY debut 7" from infirmary phonographic. So what if I'm giving you one of tracks here. it's much cooler way to impress the girls by spinning the wax. Both sides are great. We particularly like the spaced out jam at the end of My Two Worlds. The A side is about.. well going to the city. Enjoy.

side A: IN THE CITY
side B: MY TWO WORLDS

Also, in case you want more rock like this check out the free album from Sympathy for the record industry on Amazon with music by ROcket from the CryPt and The Oblivians

Caress my electric guitar by Free Electric State

2010-05-20T12:03:00.004-04:00

ALBUM REVIEW: I like my 90's rock and love it when bands take slices and load squealing droning distorted guitars and paste them up in their songs in a melodic format. This is not your monotone indie rock-band and I wouldn't dare call Free Electric State's - Caress retro in the least but there are hints of undeniable dark influences like Sioux and the Banshees backed with the equal nod to pop sentiment of The Breeders; mixed in there when the band breaks it down and turns the fuzz-off, you get a blast of warm vocal air. Holistically it's raw enough to please your shoe-geezer crowd and way better than most ironically groomed facial hair bands.

The dueling guitars are led by David Koslowski and Nick Williams which are complimented gracefully by the vocals of Shirlé Hale. Koslowski and Hale are North Carolina transplants who had played previously together in Baltimore's Gerty! and Ex-Members. Koslowski foremerly fronted local grungesters Liquor Bike and made infamous Melody Lane their home. Needless to say these folks can be my DJ's anytime and that is saying a lot.

Check out:
"Six is one" By Free Electric State

Catch them live in 2010:
May 20th CAT'S CRADLE w/ Silver CARRBORO, NC
May 28 THE WINDUP SPACE w/ Hammer No More The Fingers BALTIMORE, MD
May 29 The RED & The BLACK w/ Hammer No More The Fingers WASHINGTON, DC
Jun 4 NEW FRENCH BAR w/ Hammer No More The Fingers ASHEVILLE, NC
Jun 5 Annual Daniel Festival w/ Hammer No More The Fingers PULASKI, VA
Jun 10 RESERVOIR CARRBORO, NC
Jun 11 THE SOAPBOX WILMINGTON, NC
Jun 12 Art Bar COLUMBIA, SC
For more Free Electric State Shows go here | Fan them on Facebook

Because it's relative man:
Free Electric State vs Panther
Ten North Carolina Bands You should hear right now

Ian Curtis from Joy Division Died 30 years ago today

2010-05-18T16:53:00.006-04:00

Just, yesterday I was walking down 10th Ave and I saw this chick wearing an old unknown pleasures T-shirt and I thought to myself. Nobody wears or makes cool band art anymore. This design is a simple classic illustration that you can almost hear. Created by the band that originally came in a textured sleeve with no track listing on the back cover to speak of. Just black and mysterious. Such an awesome place in time when you discover this record helps you creep inside into the impossible. Then you realize there is this guy Peter Hook who plays the bass as the lead instrument and your musical world explodes.

Side one "Outside"Disorder Side two "Inside" Shadowplay
from Unknown Pleasures by Joy Division

WFMU's record library is a gold mine

2010-05-18T12:35:00.004-04:00

I love vinyl records. In my basement that I just finished I made sure there was built in shelving to house my minuscule record collection which pales in comparison to the WFMU record library featured here in a video series by Michael Cumella for www.goldminemag.com.

Following The River lost track from Exile on Main St

2010-05-17T17:47:00.003-04:00

The new video for Following the River was not on Taxile on Main Street bootleg listing but who knows this could have been recorded back then. Sure sounds nice and not the edgy bluesy stones present on Exile. The Stones typically recorded twice as many songs as they needed and then culled from there; over-dubbed and put an album together. For some Exile on Main Street is the best album The Rolling Stones ever released. I'm partial to Let It Bleed and my good friend Steve remembers buying this on 8track when he was 12. I can't wait to hear the whole thing mastered end-to end which would make this not a double album but a double-double? Regardless looking forward to this release a lot.

Hey it's 2010 and the Oldsters are kicking Brooklyn ass (Mostly)

2010-05-16T10:11:00.007-04:00

Hey ironic mustaches! Can you focus on the music and less on your retro brown pants? I dig the tats but those will get saggy in due time. I dig openness but most of you will get conservative soon too but what will last is your attention to music and your legacy. Not going to directly slag your scene but this year yet again The Oldsters are kicking music's punkless-asses all over Fulton Street like a sober pathetic drunk. It should be an all out knife fight with the jukebook but it mostly sounds like a tuneless teen idle worship. I'm begging for somebody to point me to some new dish. Seriously this is your last chance.

Here's 7 of my Top 10 Music List of 2010 (so far):
Teenage Fanclub - Four Thousand Seven Hundred and Sixty Seconds: A Short Cut T Damn talk about a pop-tart vocal triumph. Try this T on for size "Ain't That Enough" mp3
The Fall - The Future of Clutter Wow on first listen its like peeling the wax out of my ears with pretty distorted things like solvent is to glue is to the desperate need of fresh air in this lame new music landscape. Taste this download "Hot Cake" - mp3
The New Pornographers - Together Has already made billboard waves. It's going to be huge this year no denying the songster genius. Kick down the clutch and download "If You Can’t See My Mirrors" - mp3
The Hold Steady - Heaven Is Whenever Ironically mustacheless with one man down there is no stopping Craig Finn and this band. Toping their last release it gives a big fat lip to Aerosmith greatest hits like it was nothing. Have a drink my fellows and sample "The Weekenders" mp3
Sweetapple - Love & Desperation Dude you like kiss and big monster drug rock guitars with solos? If Witch, Cobra Verde and J Mascis started a band they would sound like this... oh wait. You can't be metaphor to yourself or can you? Chomp on this one geeks (Hint: sounds nothin' like Country Life but the cover sure is nice)"Flying Up A Mountain" m4a
Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts You know your local record store dorks have made this record just for you when think it just flows naturally after listening to all the bands listed above no matter the track. They cut out the schwagg and just give you the raw parts. Sort of like Obits meets Crystal Stilts. It's raw like the smell of a hot plastic cassette mix in the summer which you bank on upping you chances of getting some(From London so Brooklyn you just had your teeth given to you neatly wrapped in under 29 minutes and 34 seconds. Try "Year's Not Long" mp3
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks Jersey always performs well with Bloomfield local with this one being Ted's 9th release. This batch of songs is up there with The Tyranny of Distance in my humble opinion. It's raw in all the right places and never trying to be something he's not so super huge amount of respect to this brand of punkrock. Dig "Gimme The Wire" mp3

Ex Models live at the Court Tavern

2010-03-14T14:33:00.005-04:00

I was digging in the archives a few months ago looking up video footage to lend to the Cruel but Fair movie [CBF on Facebook] and i cam across half a set by Ex Models from a Aviso'Hara Record release show for Made From Scratch. Anyway. The banter is funny and if you dig these guys you should enjoy these live nuggets which are not available anywhere else.

Ex-Models live @ The Court Tavern 2000 mp3s
Girlfriend is worse
the fun system
The Mechanic

The pic is from a earlier EM show in 1999 way before they broke...note the plug spark sanjay t-shirt.

Time to Pledge to WFMU.ORG 2010 Marathon

2010-03-13T13:06:00.005-05:00

It's that time of year right before you pay the tax man where WFMU needs your dough so they can entertain you for another 50 weeks of year. Qaulity free form radio entertainment. For her and his pleasure.

Get some free nuggets:
mp3 19th Nervous Breakdown by Shockabilly from Cherry Blossom Clinque premium cd from the 2009 Marathon.
Bounce by Bo Diddly from a J.R. Williams comp get the whole shaker set on the site.

Keep it funky and groovy by Lefties Soul Connection

2010-02-20T21:05:00.004-05:00

I was in the mood for some funky sheet and it all found me today so sharing it with you. Lefties Soul Connection's record Skim skimming The Skum is the real deal. Meters dig it and so should you. Recorded live to 8 track. Plus some other nuggets.

Paul Newman [Mp3] by Lefties Soul Connection
Hey Ya(cover) [Mp3] by Booker T from the new album Potato Hole. Featuring Neil Young and Drive By Truckers
I Thank you [Mp3] by Sam & Dave

Radio Free Song club like a fireside chat

2010-02-10T14:22:00.003-05:00

Found a interesting song writers podcast through my facebook aquintances called Radio Free Song Club and the only one I've ever heard of is Freedy Johnston and Laura Cantrell and Dave Schramm to name a few. Alright lots of song writers in the immediate NY/NJ area with a outlet to share their newest and coolest demos. The number one issue as they are calling it (need to work on your podcast vernacular guys) has a some live music and narrator reads out writers notes and stuff. Really under the hood kind of stuff. If you are passionate about the art of song writing you might really enjoy this fireside chat style podcast. I did. subscribe. Hosted by Nicholas Hill.

Best Mashups by FanFarOff and others thanks to the Amen Break

2010-01-23T08:55:00.007-05:00

You gotta dig the effort in put into mash-up by individuals like FanFarOff who figure out how to featuring the Beatles, LCD Sound System and the kinks all in one tasty aural music pizza!
There are a couple other dancy ones with Nirvana and Dead or Alive that are cool but damn does Dave Grohl put down a mean dance beat not unlike the super famous "Amen Break". Yes, indeed the documentary monotone piece below by Mobius32 is like listening to paint dry but even the little bit of discography history in it is dang cool. Who knew that 6 seconds of a performance could lead to the concept of mash-ups? Where these rebels post stuff for free on the internet. Must drive the execs nuts. If you are wondering if anybody is making money on video mash-ups? Well duh g**gle figured it as reported by Business week out as long the labels don't shut it down. The 80's were cool when the new sampling art form was started. Gave rise to all sorts of creative from De la Sol to NWA. Then quickly dismantled by the record industry itself because of their shitty artist royalty trickle down economy that only works if they have a stake in it. My 10,000 foot pov here but whatever. Enjoy it while it lasts.

In particular i love this mash-up by FanFarOff with James Brown. Such a great use of melody and beats that creates this feet shuffling audioscape. Crazy.

here are some mash-up downloads with the band Muse or Prince vs Steve Nicks. Also for the lazy DJ like me there are some good mash-up on Culture Bully's best of 2008. As usual enjoy.

The Feelies the Good Earth release

2010-01-05T09:34:00.004-05:00

Album Relistening Review: the Good Earth by Feelies is like returning to memories of your first love. Thanks to Bar/none for this on cd! Featured on vinyl all the time on my podcast it's nice to have a shiny version. Thanks to Amoeba in Berkeley for having a copy for me this xmas. This record was originally out on cayote records in 1986 and remember picking this lp up because Peter Buck(REM) was involved somehow with this jersey based band. Years later I had the pleasure of catching them live at a super club in Princeton in the early 90's before disbanding and now apparently reuniting for awhile. All you wanna be folk crooners should aspire to this level of melody with out too much emphasis on the poetics. Their debut in Crazy Rhythms is great too don't get me wrong but this softmore release was a lot smoother production wise for me and not as derivative to their obvious influences. What makes it really grea still to this day is that the vocals don't over ride the simple and fast open riffs like bad pop music does. The guitars remind me of jersey fields somehow (maybe it's the artwork). When the jams kick in it's at the sonic level of the velvet underground for sure without being too noisy and just using mostly clean and well toned guitar melodies. ahh bliss.

If you this you might dig new bands like:
Point Juncture, WA (folky and handmade sounding one of the singers Amanda has killer sense of melody | choice mp3 link coming | last.fm
The Librarians (more smiths sounding in a coctue twins kind of way) | mp3 link coming
BUY SOME FEELIES

DID YOU FRIEND ME(daviso) ON LAST.FM YET?

Great unheard Christmas songs

2009-12-21T12:35:00.004-05:00

So i got lazy this year and plain old overworking. However you want to look at it but my friend Matt put his Christmas Playlist together. Actually he has been working on The Great Unheard covers project for many years. Check out the awesome covers by all the sorts of folks for music lovers. He sure did save me a lot of work so welcome him on the launching of his new mp3 site. glad I can check make killer Xmas playlist cd off my list. Good job Matt!

I can't believe another year's gone o'well...

Save the Court Tavern from their ungodly taxes

2009-12-15T15:19:00.004-05:00

Open letter from Eileen Albert

Family,
Once again I am in the position of writing an extremely difficult letter. We have 24 hours to raise $20,000 or we may be forced to close. I know that times are tough and it is the holiday season but it's not impossible, 4 people to lend us $5,000 ea. - 10 people/$2000 ea. - 20 people/$1,000ea - 40 people/$500 ... See Moreea. and so forth. Here's why: We owe @ $26,000 in back property tax and water and sewer to the city of New Brunswick. A friend of ours knew we needed help and offered it based on the fact that he was selling his house and asked how much we needed. Bobby told him $20,000 or so. He said he could help us out provided his closing went through on Friday, which it did. Today he came in with $5,000, apparently all he could do. Bobby was under the impression that he could lend us the bulk of it. Now we are really screwed. We must pay the entire amount by 4:00 tomorrow ( Tues. 12/15 ) or it will go to tax sale. If it goes to tax sale the mortgage company will start foreclosure proceedings. Commercial mortgages are different that residential and the only way to stop it would be to file bankruptcy. The bankruptcy court will take over the business and liquidate it. The end of the Court Tavern. Bobby and I and Cassius have sacrificed so much of our family time and money over the years just trying to stay afloat. Everytime we are ready to throw in the towel , someone will come along and tell them how much the Court means to them so we keep on going. Tony Shanahan is in the process of organizing a benefit concert for us at the state theater in March. We thought we had it covered, borrow the money from our friend, pay the taxes, in March pay him back and have some extra cash to get caught up on some other stuff. Not going to happen. If you can help at all please call my cell phone at 732-887-1612 ASAP. All loans will be repaid in March with interest. We only have 24 hours. You can also text me if it's late tonight although I don't know how I'll sleep.
Sincerely,...
Eileen Albert"

IF 200 people give $100 dollars this should do it. Come on WFMU people.

If you know anyone in a financial position to help save the Court, PLEASE pass this along to them! The Court could go under....TODAY!

Visit the Court's FB page to find out more: http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Brunswick-NJ/The-Court-Tavern/95906964037
Or call or text Eileen directly: 732-887-1612
Or call The Court: 732-545-7265

UPDATE: 12.15.09pm
SO the Benefit is on for March. Looks like somebody walked into the bar and gave them 20k. Good to have friends, family and fans -- oh and money. The Court Tavern is safe for now.

PAYPAL INFO TO COME!!!
The saga will continue.

Hub City Cruel But Fair the show

2009-12-02T11:15:00.008-05:00

Well the first show in support of Stuart Wexler's ambitious documentary on the 90's New Brunswick Music scene was a huge success. I never saw so many gadgets and die-hard fans all in once place. The "Scene within the scene" to quote Bryan Bruden the old Mad Daddy's manager. Was really awesome to see so many oldish faces in one place and sad that I could not talk to everybody. Hadn't seen some of these characters in 5-8 years or so and glad to most are still alive.

So what does this all mean? Who cares right? it was so 90's ago? Well first off the music was vibrant like the first time you self discovered. All the colors were represented and none sounded like the other. For quick view go ahead and download or listen to DJSPORK SHOW #29 No Frills Rock podcast. I play a few select tracks mixed in with current talent out there. it's all about the rock.
Cruel But Fair movie page on Facebook or on YouTube.
NEXT SHOW: Sat 12.126.09 Court Tavern w/ Horsey, 3 to 6 inches, Prosolar Mechanics, Buzzkill and The Stuntcocks.

Aviso'hara Boss Jim Gettys and Bionic Rhoda WRSU

2009-11-23T12:33:00.003-05:00

Coming up this weekend is big retro 90's show happening Saturday Nov 28th At The Court Tavern. Check out a podcast of Boss Jim Gettys, Bionic Rhoda Aviso'Hara being interviewed by Jard Mignon from on WRSU's Overnight sensation's this past friday night on nice one -up.

Dark Night of the Soul By Danger mouse and sparkle horse

2009-11-01T13:32:00.004-05:00

So many great singer all on one record. One day the public will hear this awesome collaboration by Danger Mouse(Brian Burton) and Sparklehorse(Mark Linkous). One quick deep dive and you will some of the most beautiful songs sung by Wayne Coyne(Flaming Lips), Jason Lytle(grandaddy) and Casablanca(strokes). Hey I'd send you to buy link if I knew it but seems like EMI is holding this collaboration. Oh' and did i mention David lynch is involved? yea this is dark and fantastic so far. On the top 10 list for 09.

Aviso'Hara Boss Jim Gettys and Bionic Rhoda

2009-10-21T18:10:00.002-04:00

...and they said damn the creatures will rise again, rise again for one night only: Aviso'Hara, Boss Jim Getty's and Bionic Rhoda to perform at the Court Tavern Saturday Nov 28th, 2009. This show is being taped for the Hub City Rock City documentary.

Jonesey and xray lbj schmooze cruise

2009-10-11T14:29:00.000-04:00

Lots of drinking and cursing around manhatten a live radio broadcast (recording) featuring Xray Burn and Jonesey. Thanks poseiden for a pleasant voyage.

Wfmu boat ride w/ jonesey and xray 2009 ibj cruise

2009-10-11T14:14:00.003-04:00

Took and hour to get going while we waited for pizza. Ran out of beer before we left.

Brooklyn bridge with jonesey and xray water tours

2009-10-11T14:14:00.001-04:00

Yeah!

Doug Gillard Live playing Gibralter

2009-09-29T09:59:00.003-04:00

The Young Leaves Singles review

2009-09-20T17:49:00.003-04:00

OK, OK OK. I've been absent. There was a tornado of work that has overtaken my soul and a couple months in I am none the wiser but i do no when The Young Leaves are on my car stereo I'm quickly reminded about the influences they wear on their sleeve and proud of it. They have a few recent tracks that just crank unforgivably and the volume goes up and time stops. This is what you want from quality rocknroll from North Dartmouth, Mass; to hell with all that poser hairspray weak electronic crap. This is the real deal. Buy their shit. Check out "Hey Man (Backup Plan)", "Boot to the Face" and "Life Underneath" that will remind you of Husker Du, Dino Jr, mats, and a more distorted Archers of Loaf all pack in one bombastic set alla sorry ma forgot to take out the trash. Easy as that.

Internet Hits that retred that sound man

2009-07-11T14:52:00.009-04:00

As I sit here on this Saturday night drinking beers and it occurred to me how much I sickly like sharing my thoughts on music for the four or five of you who care. There are lots of new bands on the block these days as they seem to replicate faster than the rabbits do in my neighborhood. There are so many one internet hits that surely I'd think you would like to take advantage of since the kids these days all have smart recording devices. If there is good song they really do have the potential to sound good. Magically awesome sounds come right out of their pods and away they go! Here are a few of our picks for this month check them out while they are hot because then they will be gone starting another band trying to re-live the now.

MP3 - "A Brighter Sunday" Farmer Sea's Italian ass sounds more like Mathew Sweet, Dave Grohl and the song Solar Sister with some oohs and aaahs that give them a bit of a familiar majestic sound. This track is the lead song from their debut Low Fidelity in Relationships - BUY IT its like that lost strokes album that never followed Is this it. Well sorta.

MP3 - "I Am Blind" by Elephant Stone a little of more of the same as above and chip in with a little British new-wave pop ditty that is as pleasant as a setting sun down the beach. I suppose they have beaches in Canada where they are from but I think they are on lakes. This track is from their debut The Seven Seas. BUY IT.

MP3 - "Pacific Nostalgia" by Fungi Girls from Texas is by far one of my favorite tracks with such a nice roughness to it alla No Age that it will be hard to beat it's sincerity. Reverb is used like a knife that JAMC used to cut feedback out of their guitars with. You can tell these kids ( 15 - 16 years old) listen to a unreasonable amount of music and take advantage of their youth. They can't even buy freakin' cigarettes for Christ's sake. Check out their id reverberations blog where they post a ton of RAR files (i dunno even how to open). They are not afraid of being uncool and sincerely remind me of my youth. Listening to this track feels like that High-fidelity scene when the John Cusack character discovers the skater's tape. Anyway... I don't even know where to send you to buy the Fungi Girls so good luck with that.

MP3 - "Wind Phoenix" - Cymbals Eat Guitars is more than likely on the top of their game. Who knew cool bands could be based out of Staten Island? I kid because I live in Jersey and well there are many. Anyway, this tune has lots of layers and floatty vocal melodies of the Shin's variety but in this case they are not afraid to flip the volume knob all the way up. Doesn't hurt either that pitchfork likes them. Lucky for them with so many different things going on in their music and all... CEG is on tour this fall. I will have to check them out live if somebody puts me on the guest list. They mention MMR in their bio which makes one of their band mates around my age. Ha! The good thing is they sound nothing like most of the crap in that old rag. Check out Why there are Mountains now. Buy it.

Other bands with singles in rotation at the homestead: Wolf Gang, The Watermarks, Memory Tapes, Local Natives and Real Estate.

Buzzoven vs Buzzkill Free T-Shirt Story

2009-07-03T11:21:00.001-04:00

Seven Inch Friday: This little punk rock story is probably one of my favorites although I probably won't do it justice; it's funny none the less. It's the story of how the whole New Brunswick NJ scene got a Buzzov•en t-shirt but first about the music...

After the jump I promised you'll get some free mp3s and the Buzzoven vs Buzzkill story>>

Hot Summer Rock Mix

2009-07-02T22:18:00.008-04:00

I'll be honest. I'm still working on my summer mix of course but one quick gander and sure enough there is some good stuff out there. Heather from Fuel Friends never dissapoints with her take. I'm not quite sure where she finds the freakin' time but she is the hot one third from the left above. Vinyl district has a few choice tracks to grab. Mars needs guitars also has a good set of summer songs. Anyway here are some to add to your mix not in any particular order, rhyme or reason other than to annoy your friends.

Here's to summertime, summertime, summer:
Mp3 Summer Here Kids - Grandaddy from Under the Western Freeway
Mp3 Celebrated Summer - Husker Du off of New Day Rising
Mp3 Endless Summer Of The Damned - Bauhaus from Go Away White
Mp3 Summertime Blues - Stones - Made in the Shade 1978
Mp3 Summer of Protest - The Dears - Protest Ep
Mp3 Summer Teeth - Jeff Tweedy Live at the Vic Theater, Chicago, IL, 03-05-2005

Related for summer fun:
Summer Surf and Turf driving mix 2009
End of Summer Playlist 2008

Arizona the glowing bird band

2009-07-01T21:10:00.010-04:00

Album Review: Glowing Bird by the band known as Arizona. I had a dumb idea for a comp the other day which would feature 50 bands from 50 states. Probably do-able but you would end up with some crap. Although we're a little late to the game we are always weary of a band falling through the cracks. The good news is that these guys would be a good opener for said project. No doubt about it.

Studio geeks beware of the state of the band Arizona currently 3/4 parts Asheville North Carolina and 1/4 part of course Brooklyn. One band guy is still holding on apparently. Pretension aside, this band has none, this review is about the art of making an album. Something that is missing these days in 9/10 of the releases out there. More than likely because it's so easy to make a record on a computer but composing one like this is a whole other level. It's obvious they worked hard at the knob twiddling to create the ear candy on this shinning release borrowing
some from the reverb playbook with their brand of folk-electronica guitar rock and things that sounds like a melotron and um' talent? Yes, it's a damn fine release put out by echo mountain records with so many layers of feel good harmony in the vain of yes the Beatles (on the McCartney side), Sunny Day Real Estate, and contemporaries Okkervil River. A complete pleasure to listen to the two singers trade the lead role seamlessly that they seem as one. At times they get a little proggy and southern rock with their guitar jamming but it's ok we forgive them for thinking big and letting it rip on the title track. They are best on the last couple simple ditties like "The Fairly Light" and "Whiskey Or Wine" which is mollusk-esque(Ween) but I say just go for it all. You can't go wrong.

Mp3 Heath - BUY SOME
Mp3 The Fairly Light

Joe Strummer Love Kills

2009-06-27T13:31:00.004-04:00

So did Farrah Fawcett get trumped or what? When one large icon dies it's always a good time to remember some of the others who were nothing but good souls. Joe Strummer (1952–2002) was always true to his roots and the origin of rockn'roll. Thus his 50's look I would say. Part of legacy brings the Strummerville Foundation which strives to enable folks the opportunity to create music who may not have the chance.

"Love Kills" was the title track for Sid & Nancy movie soundtrack. Being as I totally missed 7" Friday yesterday I'm giving you a 12" LP on Sunday. Here's the dub mix promo of said song which I found in the bins at the Princeton record exchange. If you want some nostalgia check out this Out of Control T-Shirt from the good folks at worn free. I have a red one and so should you if they are still available. They have some cool stuff.

MP3 Love Kills Dub version [buy some]
BONUS:
MP3Silver & Gold with the Mescaleros
MP3Straight to Hell Cover by Lily Allen who Joe was a godfather too. Strangeness.

7 Inch Friday: Baxter vs Unsane

2009-06-19T11:27:00.009-04:00

Seven Inch Friday: Noise pollution sometimes can be seen as good thing. The east coast was fortunate to have plenty of bands stricken with the need to play fast and loud with the vocals and melody playing a backseat. Enter the Toms River New Jersey band Baxter and Unsane from NYC.

Although they were around for short blip in time the punk rock continuum they put out one hell of 7 inch on their own make-shift label Velocipede. Mark (vocals/Guitar) and Daneal(drums -later to play in Aviso'Hara) were the Jersey shore's king and queen of indie. This blistering inferno of a band was known to play 4-5 sets tops and then cut the chord. Mark would later go on to form The Trans Megetti and put out a couple releases on Art Monk Construction and full length on Southern Records. Photo by your's truly.

Baxter an accident waiting to happen Velocipede 7"
mp3 car twenty seven - Side 1
mp3 simba - Side 2
mp3 superstar

BONUS: The Trans Megetti (pictured above) mp3 - "Opposite of Techno" (Courtesy of Southern)

Now onto one of the most morose record covers I own by a band that made a interesting turn post-hardcore.

mp3 - Concrete bed A side
mp3 - El Mundo - B Side
This is probably a little tasteless considering the Cobain reference below but then again I feel this is the premise. The music of the UNSANE should scare you out of your gore. Chris Spencer(Guitar.vox) and team were big time into horror flicks and the german Glitterhouse(GR0090) label were more than willing to accommodate. Now for some this straight forward display of rock was everything the new york noise scene stood for and umbrella'd like Foetus, the Swans, Sick of it all, etc. I saw them open for Crash Worship once (more on them sometime) and the unsane just made such a awesome wall of sound. Delivered with a scalpel precision which was only to be washed out by a literal flood and fire by CW. Amazing show. I remember Allen Ginsberg's boy punk rock lover David Greenberg cowling over them one time. I didn't get it at first but then I was like this rocks to holy hell. Damn. Don't expect a melody to catch you. Just let the molten guitar power grab ya which is akin to electrifying a vacuum cleaner sucking the air right out of you right to the end.

Unsane @ Wetlands NYC - More fanzeen rock scene photos up on the facebook

Past 7 Inch Fridays:
Jesus and Mary Chain vs North Elementary and Pistolero
Superconductor vs Mudhoney and George Clinton
Monster Magnet Glitterhouse seven inch

Day of the dead Kristen Pfaff RIP Janitor Joe

2009-06-18T09:01:00.008-04:00

Kristen Pfaff RIP 1967-1994: There were few bass players in the Alternative scene in the early 90's who used distortion and in particular chick bass players who were as killer as Ms. Pfaff. Enter Kristen who died of a heroin overdose some 14 years ago in a bathtub today. Safe to say grunge got the best of her...

Get the rest of this story about Kristen Pfaff on the all new Review Stalker Music mp3 Blog>>

Jesus and Marychain vs North Elementary and Pistolero

2009-06-12T08:26:00.007-04:00

On this rainy seven inch Friday we have "What is the sound of somebody scraping the underbelly of a jumbo jet" which is how Ethan Stein(RIP) from Captn' Video, WRSU's Overnight Sensations and his New Brunswick NJ band Leather Studded Diaphram(LSD) once described The Jesus and Mary Chain to me and I've been quoting him ever since because he was so damn right. More on him later but he was always good for long music chats till his unfortunate self destruction. This one goes out to you my friend.

This is, from I can tell, the first jesus and marychain release that came out in oh god 1981? I need to get a loop out to actually read the 7" label but I'm going with it till somebody corrects me. This was later to be followed up with the must have PSYHCOCANDY full length debut by JAMC. I discovered them in highschool before going to college and it was one of those life changing bands that basically broke a lot of sonic rules and were a perfect companion to Day Dream Nation and New Day Rising as those type of get-up and go or go to bed and smoke pot records(either way worked). Anyway, this has got all the killer feedback that can make you want to stick a fork in your ears in order to scratch inside the part of your skull. You eventually get used to it when chorus parts kick-in. Enjoy.
A Side: Upside Down - BUY JAMC
b Side: Vegetable Man(Sid Barret cover)

Before school lets out we bring you North Elementary a hook filled indie rock band from Chapel Hill NC who has a new full length out called Not For Everyone, Just For You on Eskimo Kiss records. NE remind me of grandaddy meets the big rock of Blue Tip in a can filled with dreamy lyrics and reverb. As a limited edition promotion you can get a split 7" with their friends Pistolero from Atlanta which reminds me of the warmers/cloud cult mixed with something hooky and smartly mod. Dig it. If you don't have a record player just go to their site as they are giving you the tracks (oh hell linked below for your convenience) for free of course. I love the split tradition. I wish more bands did this more often but it totally helps if the songs are good and herein is the case. Thanks. Keep them coming!

EndlessSummer (NE covers Pistolero) - Great song. Dig the big oasis type bass groove, which then picks up in to this awesome live lou reed jam circa rockn'roll animal machine.
Fuzzy TV Delay (pistolero covers NE) Big drum beat and keys layered in a hand clapping pastiche of what is a minimalist nation of Ulysses style all their own.

Emusic is going to obscure the indies with Sony BMG

2009-06-11T10:11:00.008-04:00

So I opined on my tech/life blog the other day about SonyBMG screwing the Emusic pooch with the coming of a mostly lame catalog from the behemoth label that has such great chart topping artists like Jefferson Airplane, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Faithless, Kelly Clarkson, Dolly Parton, Judas Priest according to last.fm. Ok I of course like Cash and sorta is like blasphemy or communism not like Elvis but C'mon. Really?

Which if you take a close peak at the metrics on last.fm there it equals 420 Million unique listeners for the combined fans of those groups who scrobble their music from iTunes alone! Holy F*ck batman! That is a lot of freaking band equity. There will invariable be a few issues they will have to deal with this marketing conundrum.
(1) They might start crashing because of the boon of new subscribers. Which in most cases is a good problem to have but much better to grow steadily than over night.
(2) They will or in process of obscuring the indies and fans who have helped build up emusic for the past 7-8 years (see the thread). New music fans take risks with on all these artists because of the low entry cost. Angry user will need to appeased one way or another.
(3) Financially, sorta supporting point above, the indie 00' band hey day is in serious jeopardy. There is huge set of emerging artists that will be competing with releases older than 2 years. You know that will change once the price point start to turn over fast there could be roll back. These are just mp3s in the over-all scheme of dismal cd sales there are lessons to be learned from the past. Remember the beta and VHS war? Lower quality always wins for mass distribution with right price point (So markety i know). Slowly emusic may (hopefully not) start to obscure these artists for moving volume. If I were them my immediate course of action would be to segregate the "Majors" in the charts like they do in record stores sometimes (remember those?).

Personally, I am going to be on pins in needles as this fiasco unfolds PR nightwares get sorted out. I'm not going to up my emusic subscription and I'm not going to cancel it either. I've been a loyal customer since Jan05. It's still the best deal out there these days and people gotta eat. It will slow my support and consumption of the indies since I'll only be able to afford on average 3 albums a month as opposed to 5 and half a month in previous plan in this new budget. I would have preferred a subtle 10-20% rent increase but oh'well. Quite a slow down in my music consumption. Again, not that I always downloaded my whole 65 tune subscription previously. Emusic secretly loves that kind of customer with their use it or loose it rule. Which was a great revenue stream for them. Lets see what happens for now there was a Alice Cooper song I wanted to buy... Seriouly it's bit of sell-out but somebody had to give my only hope is that it benefits all the little guys in the long run or short run. Somehow.

Mp3 - The Big Sell-Out - Bongwater - BUY SOME WHILE IT'S CHEAP

What's Sonic Youth got to do with the Dustdevils?

2009-06-08T10:17:00.011-04:00

Nothing really is the answer, unless you consider SY the only band of it's type of which case you live in a very narrow universe.

So the other night a post caught my eye on mog by a mogger posting a Live Bush tetras video at the knitting factory, which i have scratched up, i mean really scrappy 7" copy of "Things That Go Boom in the Night" (i think), and was then subsequently chatting with my friend Jim about Danceteria and couple bands from the past including Mission of Burma and the one other bands that came up during the conversation were of course the Dustdevils and I said holy hell I just ran into this band accidentally again...blah,blah,blah. Seriously file Dustdevils with your noise bands on the farther end with neurosis and live skull as far as I am concerned. SY is a pop band compared to this drug smuggling outfit or least in the middle of their output. for the most part Dustdevils are a really noisy rock band founded by English Guitarist Michael Duane and Aussie vocalist/guitarist Jaqi Dulany. They started the band in the Mid 80's in the UK then transplanted themselves to NYC. With a inconsistent line-up of now well known NY scenesters playing in the band on and off again up until the late 90's where they toiled their brand of sonic pollution. The exact dates for these things are not so important sometimes if the discography overshadows it in the annals of rock history. Probably a foot note (if that) for some but for others a major part of a scene along with thinking fellers union, Fly Ashtray, Wider, Gerard Cosloy Matador owner, and Crown Heights among other band folk; all whom did time as part of the Dustdevils. I can't even keep up but this trouser press discography review does a good job naming names. Now seriously, you really need to be into dissonant guitars and feedback that creates this aural landscape to enjoy it. The later stuff gets all trance and mixxy but you'll like it. I have.

Here are a few choice selections:
Mp3 - Young Moss Tongues - from Geek Dip (Matador 1989) where you really get that SY comparison to something could have easily been on EVOL and you would be none the wiser.
Mp3 - Encient - from Rhenyards Grin (Rouska/Fundamental -1987) - This album starts does hit part of pop department alla throwing muses a whee bit but i think it has to do more with production and more apparent song structures. I honestly start with this one then work you way up or down.
Mp3 - Receiver - From Extant EP (Matador - 1996) Recorded in 1993 sometime and released posthumously after for good parting of Duane and Dulany.

Live dustDevils Video
Grab just about the whole Dustdevil discography for yourself here or buy some somewhere if you can find some. They're better than drugs kids.

Superconducter vs Mudhoney and George Clinton

2009-06-05T11:00:00.018-04:00

Throwing a couple things at ya this on 7" Friday from the grunge and funk variety.
First up is a group called Superconductor from Vancouver, B.C. Canada that featured 10 freakin' band members at times that came out on Scratch and boner Records (catalog number BR30) out of California (same label as the Melvins) in the very early 90's. On this release they had (7) seven guitar players, (2) two bass players and (1) one drummer nicknamed on the 45 as follows: Dream Whip (G), It's on You (G), Thighmaster(B), He who is named (G/V), Flying Fist(G), Noise Annoys(G), El Impacto (D,V,bontempi), Sweet Bitch (B), Alan Smithee(G) and Delicious Warm on (G). This particular release was called Heavy With Puppy, produced by Don Gordon and band, engineered by Ken Marshall in Nov of 1991. The photo above is by Mike Ledwidge and group photo below by Mark Critchley from the inside cover. Now I suppose you're going to find out what this sounds like if like loud raunchy guitar music. I was always impressed how tightly they could play together and not sound like a washed out mess. Then again I never got an opportunity to see them live but always enjoyed their releases when I could find them. Enjoy the noise man.

Mp3 - This side: Bushpilot - Superconductor
Mp3 - Baby Side: Satori Part One - Superconductor

Printed on baby side it says "Smoking during pregnancy can harm the baby"

The bonus for today is a cover of "Pump It Up"(Elvis Costello Cover) by Mudhoney that was a 7" promo for the movie PCU. The flip is George Clinton doing a track call "Stomp". Fun stuff. Enough said.

Mp3 - Pump it up (cover) - Mudhoney
Mp3 - Stomp - George Clinton

I dig the Hold Steady for everything they are not

2009-06-03T23:18:00.004-04:00

Major leage props to pitchfork (yes I know who knew this day would come) for posting 7 songs from their festival on their TV channel of the hold steady playing live. Damn. These guys were nerds. Nobody was paying attention to them years ago in their earlier incarnation of Lifter Puller. I had their cd back in the zines daze and thought they were just another rocknroll band too. Now they are doing the same thing on south and main from Brooklyn usa and still killing it 4 albums in. Drinking budweisers and talking at you live before happy hour starts. Check them out when you get a chance. If you dig the replacements and ac/dc and kiss. Chances are they will be as drunk as you are but still be able to hold their tune drinks above the bar as they have learned from the mistakes of their former masters and on their own. To repeat this is a bar band so you're going to need to know the words because there are a lot of them.

Find some Hold Steady tracks on hype-non-standard
or
mp3 - Atlantic City (Spingsteen Cover)
mp3 - Constructive Summer - Stay Positive

or better yet buy some on emusic (better idea).

Music for haters, liars and cheaters

2009-06-02T11:59:00.006-04:00

I did a rant about a social network for karma police site on my life/tech blog today called Ventma.com which didn't work when i tried to login to vent! ha! The site did inspire some songs about liars, haters and cheaters though.

Anybody know any good tattle-tale or whistle blower songs? I'm sure this is just the tip of the proverbial ice-burg.

Listen to some hate for now:
Liar - Built to Spill - mp3 from you in reverse
Cheater - Bubblegum Thunder
Hateful - The Clash - London Calling
Hate Paste - Archers of Loaf
I am the Jury - Moistboyz

OK that is it. Enjoy.

I Was A King and you were from The Rural Alberta Advantage

2009-05-31T13:47:00.012-04:00

Saturday Sunday live review: Last minute phone call last night led me to the Mercury Lounge on 5.30.09 with my bud Jim to catch a early show by The Rural Alberta Advantage who recently signed to Saddle-creek, I Was A King from Norway and Elevator Fight (Philly).

Ok so we totally missed Elevator Fight, who apparently have some star power in the band with the offspring of Lenny Kravitz and Lisa Bonet. Zoe freaking Kravitz who my daughter is named after on vocals. Can't believe it honestly. Has it been that long? But we had a decision to make at the bar as to what to drink as they played their last song. I'm sure they will get other Saturday nights and I'll try not to miss it; just somebody send me an invite and we'll be cool. They play this sort of cliche roots rock from the couple tunes I heard on their myspace.com page. I think her band needs to do some more digging in Daddy's record collection and find their own voice but I get the sense they are going for a straight up pop direction so there may be no hope. Her voice is good so hopefully they put that to good use as you would expect she got her mamma's looks. This is all pretty funny to me because I'm now recalling as we were waiting for the next band that I noticed this smashing gal that reminded me of a grown up Cosby kid and it all makes sense.

In the grand scheme of things culturally America has influenced the world musically and I Was a King is proof positive of that. The first hurdle I always wonder about is how do bands write melodic pop songs in Nordic and then sing them in English?
Ok, I know the rest of world needs to learn more than one language so that is probably a barrier on our part. I Was A King borrow nicely from art of the short song by gbv and blast out equally potent and abbreviated J Mascis like solos. This band's performance was a surprise and in this configuration was truly driven by their rhythm section as the two guitarist pretty much played the same shoegazer parts. They were most powerful when they broke away from that but damn I don't think I've seen more capos used in a single show-- that's got to be a pain in the butt to remember so kudos just for that. The real glue was in the singing above the mask of the guitar wash. Guy/Gal vocals really is part of their magic that could be compared to Belly and Swervedriver jamming the black angels without the heroin parts. heh? The lead singer Frode Strømstad has got his song writing machine down Anne Lisa can sure hold her own vocally. I was impressed.

Live I don't think they sounded anything like Apples In Stereo or Neutral Milk Hotel like their bios says to file them under; in particular because of the lack of additional instrumentation in the live configuration joining them on stage but allas this is a good band and worth catching. I tried to chat with the other guitarist about her guitar playing and pedals but she was chatting up some haggard looking new yawker dude. Check out their most recent self titled album on emusic which was recorded in Brooklyn U.S.A btw.

Now The Rural Alberta Advantage (gotta love that nationalistic Canadian pride) sounded more like NMH in the singing delivery department with the support of their diverse but bare bones instrumentation. With barely any gear on stage you could fit this trio in a Fiat! The powerful vocal melodies indeed carried them from song to song. If you had to file and tag them under quirky and diverse would be appropriate like tapes n tapes is to spazzy drumming and their keyboard parts. Was cool to see the main singer guy Nils Edenloff playing a Seagull acoustic guitar. The string that was holding it looked uncomfortable but he seemed truly happy to hold it up and carrying the band out of obscurity coming from a self-released record and now being picked up by Saddle-Creek quite a story actually with a little push from emusic for RAA is all it took which is one of them stories in the big scary city. So expect lots of interesting things from them if they survive their first big tour. At the end of their set they pulled a move straight out of the small band playbook and sang in the middle of the crowd alla Violent Femmes/Arcade Fire. If you never got a chance to see neutral milk hotel and you have 10 bux burning a hole in your pocket this summer go check RAA or I Was A King when they are in your town. The experience will be worth it. A good time was had and thanks for filling my night this past Saturday. No thanks for $7 Sierra Nevada's Mercury Lounge. Please send this writer beer money.

Summertime songs:
In the Summertime - The Royal Albert Advantage - buy
Fading Summer - I Was A King - buy

Monster Magnet Murder b/w Tractor 7 inch

2009-05-29T16:13:00.007-04:00

Welcome to 7 inch Friday! I really miss picking these up more frequently. This week we bring you a early release from Monster Magnet on Primo Spree which was "distributed" by Caroline records.

For the rest of this post on Monster Magnet get some free mp3s on the all new Review Stalker Music Blog.

Enjoy the rock more often in particular the fuzzy junk.

Cheap Trick In Color mix by Steve Albini

2009-05-28T14:57:00.008-04:00

I'm a late comer to this lost mix sessions by Steve Albini of Cheap's Tricks record called In Color which has been posted over on the Rock Town Hall blog in it's entirety for download. I'll also admit I had no clue... Get the rest of Cheap Trick In Color mix by Steve Albini on Review Stalker Music Blog.

hey I know it's cheap trick but the free mp3s will be worth it man.

Whatever happend I Apologize - Jay Bennett

2009-05-27T10:45:00.012-04:00

Is there such a thing as the 5th Beatle? The guy who you have in your creative circle and gotten into arguments as documented in the film I Am Trying To Break Your Heart? This is Jay Benett (RIP 1963-2009) or at least how most of us will remember him as the creative muse and friend of Jeff Tweedy. Welcome to your acoustic singer songwriter overdose and posts of some really great stories. It does not really matter how he went but one of many cautionary tales of loss and we can talk and talk about it or just listen and have a few.

Grab a zip of Whatever Happened, I Apologize from Chrome Waves
Heather from fuel friends offers up a video and a couple mp3s with Jay playing with Jeff

Tank Boy remembers running into Jay and shares his story
Ohm Park posted a whole live show Jeff Tweedy w/ Jay Bennett from 11-20-1996.
Chicago Sun Times Jim Derogatis following the Obit.
Good Jay Bennett interview on My Old Kentucky Blog from December 2008

Here are some selects:
Jay Bennett - The Engines are Idle
Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett on Banjo - We've Been Had - from the Cost What? Bootleg
Venus Stop this Train - Wilco Yankee Hotel Foxtrot demo - Jay on Piano

British Sea Power - Man of Aran

2009-05-23T22:02:00.004-04:00

Man of Aran is a beautiful black and white silent film that British Sea Power created a sound track for that takes place in Ireland. In this segment the track No Man Is An Archipelago is featured. The song is similar to one on Do you like Rock Music? but it works beautifully. I don't don't care. Glad to hear such stellar music form these Brighton chaps.

My Teenage Stride NY pop fest video

2009-05-18T11:20:00.006-04:00

Always good to see tris mccall jamming on the keys. Here are some more photos from the NY Popfest at the cake-shoppe. My Teenage Stride do this alla Jay Reatard a little bit. Total low-fi with the high fidelity quality of great 60's singles and their Creep Academy single is great example of this psychedelic influence of the velvet underground mashing up with the pop aesthetic. Ok so the singer Jedediah Smith looks like he's in his 40's and that is ok. Pollard was in up there too when he broke to masses on college radio. So easy to say a creative peak indeed! Let your ears do the listening and your feet do the dancing as this music reminds me of what i got with wfmu Michael Shelly bonus pledge cd Cut that out! Sampled below for you to dig man.

Single B-side:
Average Justice - By My Teeenage Stride mp3
Not Behind The Fighter Jet - GBV from Mag Earwhig! (bonus mp3)
Green Onions - Byron Lee & The Dragonaires (wfmu bonus mp3)
Sidewinder - Wes Dakus & The Rebels wfmu bonus mp3)

John Reis Vs. Rick Froberg

2009-05-16T00:06:00.007-04:00

John Reis and Rick Froberg still make sounds like Rocket from the Crypt, Drive Like Jehu and or the Hot Snakes. You can put them on different coasts but the proof is in the California. Or is it Brooklyn these days? Shit I can't keep up with these men with their Obits and Night Marchers but I know it sounds awesome.

For the rest of this original story and with some free mp3s after the jump for you check out John Reis and Rick Froberg on the all new Review Stalker music mp3 blog.

It's a cheap trick but somebody's got to do it.

Live awesomology by The Supersuckers in Asbury Park

2009-05-15T09:00:00.010-04:00

SHOW REVIEW: Thurs May 14th 2009. I know when I venture to a show like this I'll see at least a few rock-n-roll addicts and sure enough Tom from the Stuntcocks was leading the pack, the guys from The Sex Zombies, Jeff Wood the record scavenger, a few other court tavern folks, and Jared from WRSU were all there to see Eddie Spaghetti and The Supersuckers do their thang. Opening the show were two loud local rock bands. First up was cutlass who sported three guitars which was cool and then followed by The Loose Roosters who were also good with a lemonheads/mudhoney/eddie vedder thing going on. Nothing compared to The Supersuckers who have survived some shit, paid their dues and will gladly take your money because they are a high-quality molten lava real rock-n-roll band. Last night's performance at the only slightly cheesy Wonder Bar was no exception, sure it was a truck stop for them as they were heading over the pond to play with X and John Doe but who are we to complain. Well take a legendary band of this caliber anytime. I missed them last time and promised myself hell or high water I would go. The fuckers were loud, tight and brought everything you'd expect from living legends.
You know you're having a good time when during the country portion of the show the drunk girl who was with one the opening bands gets flagged literally twice in a row by two different bouncers who were watching her make a fool of herself all night long.

They have the merch thing down as I totally got sucked into the vortex of buying a beer koozi to go with my collection of summertime bar-b-q accoutrements. No medium long sleeve pirate skull T-though which was a bummer but I'll survive. Maybe next time fellas or just send me one. The most recent release Get It Together! on Mid-Fi Records comes with a DVD of a 90 minute performance in Anaheim, California so pick it up. I prefer the early classics from La Mano Carnuda and in this show they mixed em' all in there perfectly like the master drink masters of sin. They also cranked out a Ramones cover to boot so all was good ladies and germs. A few show pics and video. If you're my facebook friend there are a ton more there. Adios.

Beer Koozi autographed by the man himself. Thanks Eddie.

SAMPLE SOME SHIT. THEN GO BUY SOME SHIT!
Run Like A Motherfucker - Sacrilicious
Rock-N-Roll Records Ain't Selling This Year - Motherfuckers Be Trippin'
What it takes - Get It Together!

Remember the good book of awesomology.

What if music were free?

2009-05-11T23:56:00.006-04:00

Well ok, maybe not all of it. Musicians, artists and engineers have to eat. The things I think are working are film licensing, the retro vinyl market, merchandising, my emusic account, and live performances. iTunes raising the cost of single to $1.29 is totally absurd and fighting this thing called progress. Fingertips community's music is not like water rant brought up a lot of these points in a rather long winded fashion around the idea of the Gorge Jetson's flying machine throwing in a wrench of conventional wisdom but he brought up some pretty good points. Some of which i am paraphrasing here. Granted the music industry had its grips on the recording and radio payola for a very long time which is quickly changing and nobody is sure how. That is what worries the system. Paying per listen radio might work even though it is veiled like payola but you don't actually "own it" even though it's there all the time assuming you have a internet connection. I am sure it can't all be free, some stuff should be free but not all; as other channels and models get developed in these tricky innovative financial times. Crap just take a look at how much money you spend on communication services. I wonder how else will music monetize itself and get a slice and maybe trickle it back down to the makers? ha! ha! We all can't support all the artists we like by checking out a performance. The cheaper ticket is licensing the music or renting it but the price is too steep. there is also this thing called a glut in the supply and demand chain.

Sure I am ranting now. I for one like to own music I like outright and I know that is a antiquated idea. Believe me I'm totally happy with said right to download what I like and then become a fan on my own terms. Lets face it not all of it is good. Owning a la carte is much better way to go though. Most of it is crap but what is one persons golden era is another person's nightmare. Let think and discuss the details to the obvious answer that is right in front of us and remove the ambiguity and amplify the detail.

What'cha Gonna Do About It - Condo Fucks
This Way Out - Rocket from the Crypt
Backwater - Meat Puppets

I hate your playlist and taste

2009-05-11T14:34:00.002-04:00

Don't try this at home. You will overwhelm your storage space. You will eventually collect unemployment and won't want to part with your records. In case this does happen. Hang tight you can always hide in the basement with your records and talk about the good ole'days of making mix tapes for your friends singing at the top of your lungs while driving down the garden state parkway to the shore.

SIDE 1: Don't hate the player. Hate the game.
I Hate Music - The Replacements
The Girl who is lives on heaven hill - Husker Du
Celebrated Summer - Husker Du
The second coming of huge - Huge
The Softest Hammer - fIREHOSE fromhio
Making Time - The Creation
Pil Shovel - Monster Magnet

Killer mp3 blogs for the moment

2009-05-06T20:51:00.003-04:00

In no particular order of hipness or musical taste. Was just cruising for some new music up on elbo.ws and came across these folks plus a few of my normal mp3 haunts. hypem.com has been too elitists recently. So enjoy the rock as this fan of music fans is fickle.

vainzine.blogspot.com more new disco but cool

prettymuchamazing.com - nice and well rounded.

http://captainsdead.com/ Has sunny day real estate @cats-cradle 1998

poptartssucktoasted.blogspot.com got tapped on the hand by Matador for posting SY. Also featuring some polvo. Right on!

Lets Sexy Fighting - always gotta love weird blog names that make no sense sober but have good taste. dig it.

TOP SINGLES IN THE GREAT ESCAPE POD:
Learn to Surf - Superchunk - Mac has not lost his touch. Kids please take a rock guitar lesson from your lame gitter twanging.
I want you to know - Dinosaur jr.- dude nobody makes rock like this anymore
Let Love Rule 2009 (Justice Remix) Lenny Kravitz
High Class Slim Came Floatin In - Tortoise - a little annoying bit the retro keyboards do the trick
Straight To Hell (The Clash) By Bill Janovitz I'd pay 10 bux to see him perform and I hate singer songwriters except for Glen Hansard from the frames.
Yours Truly, The Commuter s/t by Jason Lytle solo record(grandaddy) giving AIR a run for their frenchy money.

That's it.

Rock n Roll Court Tavern Seminar Sat 4-25-09

2009-04-20T12:39:00.007-04:00

Andy Diamond presents a rockn'roll seminar at the Court Tavern this coming Saturday, April 25th, 2009 featuring sets by The Stuntcocks, Eastern Anchors, Harlot and from Baltimore LandSpeedRecord![ View FB Event invitation ] Now in order to take advantage of this special offer you don't much preparation to do except get there early by 10PM EST to enjoy everything the bands and court have to offer. You don't even have to bring your friends. You will make friends but it would be nice if you brought your chick and some money to drink with.

Sample some mp3s by the bands:
"Punk Rock Guy" by The Stuntcocks
"Release the Dogs" by Eastern Anchors Listen to more on last.fm
"Dead girlfriend" by LandSpeedRecord!

The Meatmen play the Brighton Bar

2009-04-19T15:57:00.005-04:00

Monday, April 21st The Meatmen are playing the infamous Brighton Bar with The Takers, The Sexzombies and American Speedway.
Get yer punk rock on.

Mp3's from Go Cart Vs. The Corporate Giant:
Morisey Must Die
Abba, God and Me
Buy some Tesco Vee vt The Meatmen on Emusic

Radical Rock Reactionaries

2009-04-06T15:36:00.004-04:00

Way back in the mid-80's there was a great local alternative band called Animation
that borrowed from Echo and The Bunnymen, Lou reed and whatever was hip at the time. The town benefited from having a pretty decent local record shop called the Music Staff. Life was good. Animation's release Loud Day had everything; a great intro song with a stomping bass part promised you that the rest would be great and it was with suburban themes and a cover of The Velvet Underground. It didn't get any cooler. Ok maybe, I'm lying. Westfield High School in the 80's was not a normal place when I think about it. One of the school clubs was called the Young Leftist and another one The Radical Rock Reactionaries (RRR) that was found by the Margulis Brother's Oren (88) and Gil(86). They put on shows and is where I got my taste of original live music not just attendee but as a musician. i was part of the scene and where i got to know the Don, Jerry and Bob from the Whirling Dervishes (pictured) - i probably saw them play more times than I can count. The good thing it was great every time. One of the bands RRR got to play early on was Animation who originated black T-shirt as far as I was concerned. Other bands that made appearances for RRR were Hoboken's Tiny Lights, Das Damen (SST), the Whirling Dervishes of course, Spiral Jetty, The Unemployed (haha a one off band of mine) and Psychic Fair (WHS 86-88). There were probably others and maybe I'll remember them later but in the meantime here are some selects by said "local" bands that enriched my life and introduced me to whole other world of alternative music. Another band that was in a parallel music universe to Westfield was Skunk from Maplewood, NJ. Enjoy. More later.

MP3s:
Animation - What goes on (Velvet Underground cover)
Animation - Hide & Go Seek off of Loud Day(Vital Records)
Das Damen - Gray Isn't Black from Jupiter Eye(SST)
Tiny Light - Sweet Solutions from LP Prayer for the halcyon fear
Spiral Jetty - The Hour from Dogstar LP (Absolute a go go/Rough Trade)
Skunk - (There'll Be Other Girls) Hoss from Last American Virgin LP (Twin/Tone)
Skunk - Chezone and Trevor
Whirling Dervishes - Cop from the CD Strange & Wonderful
Whirling Dervishes - Your Little Finger from the CD Strange & Wonderful

Live Video Indie Rocker - Zac Clark Tycoon

2009-04-03T12:54:00.004-04:00

Always love it when a music fan puts so much energy into seeing live music. Zac Clark the Rocker Tycoon is one of those open minded guys that cares and comes armed with cameras in tow and stands in the front row. He made one song videos for Frankie and his Fingers, No Pasaran!, Eastern Anchors, and Binky Bianca at a recent Jersey City show at the IMAC. I wish there were more folks like them and not just those mp3 bloggers or reviewers who hide behind their blog. It's refreshing and helps that the quality is good too! Friday nights are for dancing after all...

Summer Surf and turf driving Mix

2009-03-23T23:16:00.003-04:00

If you are planning on escaping for the weekend and taking off on a friday let me help with the summer mix. Hopefully you're headed to someplace hot and with A/C. There are a few classics on here with a little bit of twist backed with some golden nuggets. From the newish bin are Desolation Wilderness from their record White Light Strobing; lots of twirly reverb and delay that can help you get lost during the driving process. To help with surf are The Woggles (not be confused by the Boggles) do Got a Heat on, circa 1993 off their excellent record on Ragged But Not Right. I also put the Wipers from the Is This Real? Box set, who were a huge similarity to Mission of Burma and were a huge influence on nirvana and post-pink bands like fugazi. Download and enjoy.

01. Forget Everything - mp3 by Desolation Wilderness [ Buy ]
02. Got a Heat on mp3 by The Woggles [ Buy ]
03. Doom Town mp3 by the Wipers
04. Venus in Furs Remix mp3 (velvet Underground cover) from the chrome kids blog
05. Run Run Run (another velvet underground cover) by Capsula. This is a killer version.
06. Good friends have gone by Pronto [ buy ]
07. ...and you will know us by the trail of dead - Inland Sea mp3 [The whole new album rocks buy it ]
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08. Fallout mp3 - The Weirdos
09. I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass mp3 - Nick Lowe - from Jesus of cool (reissue)
10. Lost In The Woods mp3 by Pete and Pirates from Little Death [ buy ]

Here's the end of summer playlist from 2008. This one is for the beginning.

Review Pronto All Is Golden today and always

2009-03-12T22:35:00.007-04:00

The early description of 70's icons like Randy Newman, Jackson Browne and Glen Frey come to mind when listening to Pronto's debut All Is Golden. Under the analog edge is a indie band playing retro, sparse and working to let the core of the song bring it on home like a inspired yelling carpediem. No massive amounts of compression, comfortable sweaters, or studio trickery can fool the good song radar. The tracks are purposely sparse with just enough musical layers to keep it honest and golden. ha! In the middle of the record there is an attempt to get a little proggy in a AIR sort of way but it's quickly abandoned for higher ground. This is all Mikael Jorgensen. Labeled as his solo project he is supported by long time friend and drummer Mr. Greg O’Keeffe and some other indie guys from Iron & Wine, Califone, and Antibalas as a the namedrop bio's goes on. He could have picked up anybody in all honestly and I wouldn't have noticed. The New Jersey roots are having played in Movere Workshop and Lizard Music. If this band would have come in 1978 nobody would have noticed but being that the time machine was fixed and have transported 30 years later. Their debut is much welcome in the emosoundscape and the mushrooming repeater stations. The music is proof positive that the art of song writing is alive and well and has not changed much since that time. You can even twitter them in the prontospere but no modern marketing tool gimic will change the connection the music makes all on it's own. I'm not sure how access translates into live performances or music but what do i know. The couple sample tracks here are quite good cuts like a freshly poured beer. They refresh and numb the palette. There is hope for people who will take the the time to seek out music. Catch them live starting in March and thru out the spring of 2009.

Precious Like A Sneer by Pronto | Buy some
Good Friends Have Gone | Label Contraphonic

Later.