The Big Takeover by Jack Rabid - A Super Fan

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]

Action scenes set to music by The Jesus Lizard

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.

WFMU's record library is a gold mine

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

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.

I dig the Hold Steady for everything they are not

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).

My Teenage Stride NY pop fest video

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)

Live Video Indie Rocker - Zac Clark Tycoon

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...

Sir Ben Kingsley as Ian MacKaye my dear sheep

Sir Ben Kingsley STOMPS into the shoes of Minor Threat's Ian MacKaye from Mean Magazine on Vimeo. You know an actor has class when he has no problem trying to act like he is 16 all over again. Funny idea for a Mean Mag promo video. Get some Minor Threat music and mosh or whatever it is the kids are doing these days: Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White | I Don't want to hear it | Think Again | Filler

Craig Finn From the Hold Steady talks about the Mats

Pretty good interview with Craig Finn from The Hold Steady interview from mog.com talks candidly about the first records he bought, seeing the replacements and growing up. Their new album Stay Postive is out now and pretty good. See them on tour now.

Scarlett Johansson 16mm NYLON video short

So the babe who is on the top of The List has put out a Tom Waits cover album? Scarlett Johansson has a tasty spoken voice as it is and it seem to translate to a sexy singing raspy voice in the music. A very strange and daring choice but not when you look at it from the perspective of a performer. She seems to interpret and pulls off some serious artistic integrity. She plugs myspace for musicians a little and seems full of sympathy for musicians who just want to create. Going to have to listen to this record. She is an actress who has the power to make things believable but singing is not something you can fake.

James Blunt saves face on Seasame Street

Ok, finally Seasame street is bringing pop stars back and using the internet to promote. I think the dream sequence part is hilarious. Interestingly enough, a couple weeks ago I found myself at the JIM HENSEN exhibit in Little Rock, Arkansas and met Kermit, and the Fraggles. That guy was a genius. Fraggle rock lives. A Christmas Together, w/ John Denver was one of my favorites full of all that great muppet chemistry.




you tube | John Denver Muppet Album