It is Season of the Summer Fest.

The 2007 Summer Meltdown is happening now and tomorrow.

Whitehorse Mtn. Amphitheater - An hour and a half northeast of Seattle in Darrington.

Saturday Aug. 11th:

AriSawkaDoria 2am until...

Flowmotion 11:15-2am

That 1 Guy 10:20-11pm

Yard Dog Road Show 9-10:15pm

McTuff 7:30- 8:50pm

Vicci Martinez 6-7:15pm

Kids Parade 5:45-6pm

TheMasses 4:30-5:45pm

Acorn Project 3-4pm

Intervision 1:30-2:30pm

Symphony De La Steel 12-1:15pm

Sunday Aug. 12th:

Special Guests 11:15pm - ???

Sky Cries Mary 9:30-11pm

Bad Dreams Good Breakfast 8:05 - 9:15pm

Clinton Fearon 6:30 - 8pm

Baby Gramps 5:25-6:25pm

Panda Conspiracy 4-5:20pm

Spoonshine 2:30-3:30pm

Jam On White Bread 1-2pm

Katie Gray 12-12:45pm

Rong Music’s Lee Douglas has really been putting together some solid disco re-edits lately with his amazing edits of Eddie Kendricks' "Thanks For The Memories", Nanette Workman's "Save Me", and Belle Epoque's "Bamalama". Here is another great re-edit from Douglas, this time going under the name Douglas Sound and re-editing Teddy Pendergrass' 1979 disco funk classic "Life Is A Song Worth Singing". This edit was recently released by Roy Dank's Wurst Edits label in New York. Douglas changes the title to the appropriate, "Do Right". Regardless of the title, Douglas has once again turned a solid disco song into a new disco classic.

Douglas Sound - Do Right

Wednesday night I headed to Neumos with the intent of hearing Voyager One (it's been a long time since I've seen them) and Sleepy Eyes of Death, the evening's openers. I knew nothing of the night's headliners, and honestly had no intention of sticking around. Then fate (or rather, a lack of reading comprehension) stepped in, giving me my biggest musical surprise of the week, as Grand Hallway managed to thoroughly impress. Details after the jump.

Continue reading "Grand Hallway Worth A Listen" »

Here's a link to the BBC obituary.

And here's a quote from said obit:

Wilson was a founder of Factory Records in the late 1970s, the label behind Joy Division, New Order and The Happy Mondays.
He continued to work in television even at the height of his work with Factory records.

In 1982, he set up The Hacienda nightclub, which became known as perhaps the most famous club in the world in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

It became the heart of the "Madchester" scene, playing host to bands such as New Order, The Smiths, The Stone Roses and Oasis.

Even Madonna played her first UK gig at the Whitworth Street club in February 1983.

Looks like Seattle's micro-celebrity promoter Fortune Kiki is back up to his old tricks. After a long hiatus from regular promoting, he's taking over Thursdays (other than the 1st Thursday of the month) at Havana with Back Door, bringing in a bunch of house music notables to rotate the vibe every week. Looks like this is where the weekend is going to officially kick off. Here are the very straight to the point details on the kick-off party:

BACK DOOR

kick-off party
august 23rd

with

WESLEY HOLMES (perfect hit / flammable)
J-JUSTICE (suntzu sound)
JOHNNY FEVER (seesound)

FREE!

Playing, usually, rock music backwards to discover hidden Satanic messages was SUCH the rage for the fundies back when I was in elementary/middle school...had NO idea so many idiots were still into it.

Check it out...

Some of these are quite a stretch...Number 9 x 7 = "nur mean non neman" does NOT sound like "turn me on dead man."

For more search Youtube - backward messages or backmasking

I should make it absolutely clear that I do not condone violence against karaoke singers. In the effort of full disclosure, I condone pretty much anything else--throwing tomatoes, interrupting with cat-calls, employing chemical warfare--but tackling and punching a guy at Wallingford's Changes bar--not to mention police and fire personnel at the scene--for singing Coldplay's "Yellow"...

Well... how bad was the singing?

The story's spreading quickly enough, with Seattlest already posting a Coldplay karaoke YouTube clip and alleging that the clip shows the very singer in question. Not sure if there's enough information in the Seattlest page--or the guy's YouTube profile--to link him to the Changes fracas, but we can at least link him to his bitchin' ponytail. Incriminating enough?

"I wanna run away."

The Hype Machine has it. Click here to listen.

I like it. I like it better than most stuff on In Your Honor, at least.

This e-mail/call for action is also making its way around the music community:

Voice your opinion to the City Council!

Last Thursday, the City Council's Neighborhoods and Economic Development committee passed a reasonable package of new nightlife rules which creates an advisory board, requires some nightlife businesses to develop security plans, and adds additional enforcement staffing for the city. This package can be viewed at http://www.seattle.gov/council/issues/nighlife_ord.htm.

However, a last minute push by Councilmembers Jan Drago and David Della has put the mayor's license proposal back on the table. The new proposal can be viewed here (http://seattlenma.org/downloads/prpsd_ntlf_lic_ord.pdf). This new license, combined with the new rules the committee has already passed, makes this new package as extreme – if not more – than what the mayor proposed. In addition, the council is working on a new noise ordinance which has yet to be made public, but is expected to be voted on next Thursday, August 16. The council is now contemplating even more regulation than the Mayor proposed!

Here is what we need you to do:

* Contact the members of the city council and tell them you support the package that the committee has approved and we don't need a license. They should just vote on what they have in front of them NOW and move on.

* Please contact the City Council today! Councilmembers email addresses are listed below.

* Attend the Monday, August 13th 2 PM City Council meeting and testify. You will have only two minutes, and they limit the total time allotted for public comment so sign up early!

* Attend the Thursday, August 16th, 6 PM meeting of council's Neighborhoods and Economic Development Committee at the Highpoint Community Center – 6920 34th Ave SW. Testimony will be taken at the beginning of the meeting.

* Forward this email to your friends and colleagues asking them to voice their support of nightlife in Seattle. Neighborhood activists and the Mayor have been pounding on City Councilmembers these last few months. Our voice needs to be heard! Contact the councilmembers today!

Seattle City Council:
Sally Clark - sally.clark@seattle.gov
Richard Conlin - richard.conlin@seattle.gov
David Della - david.della@seattle.gov
Jan Drago - jan.drago@seattle.gov
Jean Godden - jean.godden@seattle.gov
Nick Licata - nick.licata@seattle.gov
Richard McIver - richard.mciver@seattle.gov
Tom Rasmussen - tom.rasmussen@seattle.gov
Peter Steinbrueck - peter.steinbrueck@seattle.gov

We just got word that there is a protest scheduled for 6 pm this evening outside Studio 7. The gathering is being arranged to protest Studio 7's policies of mostly booking "Pay to Play" shows. (Here's a link to an article we wrote about Pay to Play earlier this year.)

Here's the text from the email:

there's a protest going down tomorrow - friday evening @ 6pm at Studio 7 in efforts to protest against all the assholes at venues who force legit bands to pay money to play at their venues. if you're in a band, are a musician, are friends with a musician, whatever.... then you KNOW exactly the type of crap these people dish out and get away with on a regular basis. does it piss you off???? it damn well should.

here's you're chance to do something about it. come out friday evening, bring your posse, support the band that's going to be playing in the middle of the street, and take a STAND!!!

Jane


***Hills of Elysium will be there. You should be too!!!

Thanks to the Fossinator

... and now she's getting her stomach pumped.

The only surprising thing about this story is that we aren't hearing it for the two-dozenth time. But it's depressing how she keeps pawning off her troubles on "exhaustion."

You wanted to be our Queen of Damage, Amy, and now you're it. Stay high, get sober, do what you have to do, but please quit pussyfooting around with euphemisms like some common pop tart.

You're better than that.

A strip ad in this week's paper caught my eye: Concerts by Underoath and the Pogues (!!!) are billed as happening at "Showbox SODO (formerly the Fenix/the Premier)."

I'd heard rumors weeks ago that the Fenix had shut down; phone calls and emails to promoters and owners yeilded no results.

A quick email to Showbox booker Chad Queirolo elicited this resonse:

We bought it about 2 weeks ago and are going to press release on Monday it looks like. Just trying to clean it up and get ready for Fall/Winter shows. We'll run both venues concurrently. We'll get you much more very soon.

And later:

We didn't buy the Fenix. They went away about a month ago. We just got a new lease from the owner.

More info when we have it on Monday.

Apparently I've become desensitized to nightclub consolidation--I want to be angry but I don't have it in me. One thing I will say: They could've come up with a better name.

And we all remember what happened last time Kanye lost a video award to Justice, right?

(I can't seem to find the quote, but Kanye's said he would feel better about losing to "D.A.N.C.E." that he did about losing to "Never Be Alone," and that he thinks it's a good video.)

Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." is up for Video of the Year in this year's MTV Video Awards.

Their competition is Beyonce ("Irreplaceable"), Rihanna featuring Jay-Z ("Umbrella"), Justin Timberlake ("What Goes Around...Comes Around"), Kayne West ("Stronger"), and Amy Winehouse ("Rehab").

Nominees were announced yesterday. Sorry, for the delay in hearing about it, I'm not running to MTV for the latest breaking music news.

The award show will air September 9th and it features performances by Kanye, Rihanna, Foo Fighters, Fall Out Boy, Amy Winehouse, Timbaland, and Lily Allen (assuming she's allowed in the US again).

I bet you're gonna wish you had! Pancake Mountain looks to be the sweetest kids show ever--it's broadcast on public access in D.C. and it has indie rock notables on as guests all the time.

For instance, here's Doug Martsch of Built to Spill displaying anti-consumerism in kid-friendly form (followed by some quality rocking out)!

Or, how about Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips singing Jefferson Starship's "We Built This City" karaoke--with a puppet!

Probably not good for an extended hallucinogenic experience, but pretty good for kids! (I still maintain that all the best programming for kids should never be experienced by adults on hallucinogens.)

This week I've spent my evenings in an epic "purge my apartment" mode. I'm uncluttering and sorting and cleaning and getting rid of old shit and finding space for new shit, and it's sort of exhausting--mentally and physically.

But it needs to be done.

And because I refuse to turn my music collection digital, I have far too many CDs and absolutely no more space to store the in, so I'm forced to get rid of the junk. This has caused me to re-listen to a lot of the albums that got forgotten over the years, shoved to the back of the closet or hidden in the bottom of the stacks (I'm not OCD enough to alphabetize anything).

Some have had staying power and sound as good today as they did when I was a freshmen in high school. I'll keep those ones. But some are... well, they're bad and I can't believe I didn't sell them years ago (or even bought them in the first place, for that matter).

But you know what record I haven't listened to in years that sounds fucking great? Great to the point where I like it even more now than I did over a decade ago?

Have you listened to it lately? You probably have. You win.

But man, it's so good! And here's why: I no longer give a fuck about that whole shitstorm that clouded the record's release. When Live Through This was first release, everyone wondered who really wrote it. Everyone wondered if Courtney killed Kurt and if she did, funny it should happen right at the time of the initial release date for Live Through This. Everyone wondered if Courtney cheated on Kurt with Billy Corgan, and that caused everyone to wonder if Billy wrote the record. There was a lot of wondering going on. The only thing anyone could agree on was that Courtney Love did not write this record herself, but it was a good fucking record.

And now, it still is a great fucking record, and that's the only thing that exists. Whether Courtney or Billy or Kurt or whoever penned the songs is no longer important. We'll never know who wrote the songs. Whether Courtney had any involvement in Kurt's death doesn't matter. We'll never know if Courtney really killed Kurt/had Kurt killed (despite Richard Lee's undying attention to the case). Whether Courney cheated on Kurt with Billy Corgan doesn't matter either. Knowing isn't going to make the songs better or worse at this point, it won't change anything, it's no longer important.

The acceptance of that fact is what makes the record sound so good today. Because I have been able to let go of the debates that were on fire in 1995, I've finally been able to appreciate Live Through This. Before, even though I liked the album, the controversy of who wrote it, Kurt's death, Courtney's relationship with Billy, the grunge backlash as a whole, tainted it for me.

Today, though, in 2007, Kurt's been dead a long time, Courtney's a fuck up, but it's accepted that she's a fuck-up, and Billy's a parody of himself. Everyone who could've possibly written the record in 1994 no longer exists.

Live Through This is the only thing that has survived.

Man, what to do. Tomorrow night there's crazy punkers Mika Miko at SS Marie Antoinette (with Sex Vid, Coconut Coolouts, and Flexions)...

But there's also Devin the Dude at the Showbox (with Dyme Def, D.Black, I. Gang & Parker Brothaz)...

I mean, this man can smoke 60, count 'em 60 blunts!

Drum pads are the answer. If our politicians put down their agendas and picked up drum pads, world peace would be achieved.

Evolving out from the classic Synsonics, the world of drum pads becomes very varied. There are all shapes, styles, and price ranges.

The Roland SPD-S is a somewhat affordable, mid-size drum pad that is easy to play, operate, and integrate into your kit.

It mounts trouble free for placement, has great pre-loaded 808 and 909 sounds, and has big buttons that are simple to find and push. The rubber in the pads has good feel and the unit is readily expandable. Meaning the process for loading in your samples and sounds is relatively un-complicated.

And the Roland tech support is incredibly accessable. When you have a question, call the 800 number, and within minutes, they solve your problem with step by step answers. You’re not on hold forever and the people are nice. Sometimes I call them when I'm lonely.

What do you play? How do you incorporate your drum pads? Do they make you a space gangster?

Continue reading "Nice Pad, For Real Though" »

This one's called Henry.

THE THIEVES OF KAILUA
The Thieves of Kailua
(Mill Pond)
**

Jason Holstrom is a man of many hats. Most notably he's a guitarist for local party-positive dance band U.S.E, and he's one-fourth of electronic pop band Wonderful. But he's always juggling a number of other smaller projects at any given time, including the Thieves of Kailua, his Hawaiian-inspired solo project, whose self-titled debut is a 14-track postcard from a man who may live in Seattle but whose heart belongs to the beach.

Taking cues from his other sonically saturated projects, Holstrom's Thieves of Kailua features many layers of instrumentation (ukulele, slide guitar, horns), vocals (mostly Holstrom's multitracked into harmonies, but also some from his wife, Angela), and field recordings (birds, the ocean, rain, etc.).

The songs are laid-back, with melodic nods to the Beach Boys (of course), and the whole vibe is warm and loving. It's like a honeymoon on a beach, and in fact many of the songs are sung to or about his wife.

It's a cute record, and it's fun to listen to while picnicking in the park on a sunny afternoon. But I can't help but find it a little goofy when Holstrom, a fair-skinned Seattleite, exaggerates an accent to sing, "Me travel left to right/Me see a lot of sight/Me fly around the world/Me meet a lot of girl" or when he alters his voice to sound like a choir of harmonizing tropical birds on "Under Setting Sun."

I have no doubt the record is made with sincerity, despite the few moments of possibly unintentional silliness. But if Wonderful and U.S.E are Disneyland's Electrical Parade, the Thieves of Kailua are its Tiki Room.

The Thieves of Kailua are throwing a CD release party tonight at Chop Suey with Velella Velella and the Love Lights. 21+, doors at 9 pm, $8.

Click here for more CD reviews.

That's from a statement from Pearl Jam, who are pissed that AT&T censored part of a webcast of a Pearl Jam performance at Lollapalooza. The lyrics AT&T censored?

George Bush, leave this world alone.

And:

George Bush find yourself another home.

That gets censored? Jesus. This morning, Travis Hay, who writes a reader blog for the P-I, posted Pearl Jam's full statement and video of the performance that includes the censored lyrics.

This is a band called Loudness:

I had never heard of them until a friend of mine passed along the link. Japanese metal, my friend. Zebra-striped spandex, funny-shaped guitars, big hair, and the lyrics "You come to see the show/Well, we're gonna rock and shock you/Come on get on your feet/The sound hits you in the face, alright/Ohh, let's get so crazy tonight!"

It's hysterical.

"But why are they chanting MZA?" I asked him. "What does that mean?"

He directed me to an interview the band once did at Dinosaurrockguitar.com where the band explains:

DRG: In the song Crazy Night, what does M-Z-A mean? We've been wondering for 20 years!

Niihara: Actually it does not have any meaning. When we were doing pre-production for the Thunder in the East album, I did not have any lyrics for Crazy Night then, so I sung total nonsense as a guide vocal for the demo recording. I sung "M.Z.A." by accident and the producer Max Norman liked the line, even though that did not have any meaning. We were trying to create some cool line but we could not beat "MZA." Max ended up deciding to use "M.Z.A." for the real take.

Haha! That makes it even better.

(Thanks to Robby for sharing.)

Rock 'n' roll will be the savior of jazz.

Tuesday night's performace at the Triple Door revolved around the solar gravity of Marco Benevento's grand piano. With Reed Mathis on solid, sub-sonic bass and Matt Chamberlain playing steady, mostly unadorned drums, it was Benevento's wild creativity on the keys that sent the show into stellar realms. Call it post-rock or post-jazz--the terms are almost interchangable. This stuff was poetic, monumental, and mesmerizing all at once.

Benevento began the set with a few original numbers, rising into dramatic, right-hand-driven melodic heights. He occasionally added some sort of treatment to the traditionally stately grandeur of the piano; this little device made each note sound like distorted guitar, while also maintaining the clarity of the original note. He also had an tiny electronic keyboard set up next to the piano that he dabbled on, matching Chamberlain's electronic drum pads for a song. Chamberlain sizzled with rim shots and rolls, and kept time by running around it.

The band only acknowledged the audience between songs, with Benevento's goofy banter eliciting chuckles and catcalls from the crowd. Otherwise, the three were entirely locked in on each other, watching for cues, tossing leads and accents between themselves. I've long believed that the trio is the most potent format for a band, lean and streamlined, forcing an imbalance that leads to thrilling interplay; these three proved that point. And the grand piano filled the Triple Door's main hall like no other instrument can. This was indeed jazz for people that like rock 'n' roll.

Then the covers began. First was a waltzy rendition of My Morning Jacket's gorgeous ballad "Golden," rendered delicately and appropriately by Benevento's piano. Later, he phased into dissonant electronic weirdness with some sorta toy next to the piano; this intro became a cover of Pink Floyd's "Fearless." It's one of Floyd's early tunes, somehow not one of their most popular despite the unforgettable chord progression of the chorus. Benevento nailed it, again stipling around the melody with delicate stabs on the keys. Later in the set he played a slowly unfolding rendition of the Zombies' "She's Not There," the deliberate pacing highlighting the plaintiveness of the melody.

What's hard to get at here is the drama, the tension and release that the band flexed so deftly. For whatever reason you don't get a lot of post-rock trios--with the exception of Trans Am, most outfits tend towards larger formats, intentionally condensing and complicating the music. Here, with a trio in a jazz venue, with the historic elegance of the grand piano at the fore, the concept of post-rock--surpassing rock but also embodying it--felt most fully realized.

The KUOW morning show, with Steve Sher, is doing a show on Seattle Hip Hop right now. He's trying to tie all the local club unrest with the local Hip Hop scene.

God he's a fucking dork wad.

You ask for Foghat, you get Foghat. This one was definitely in Dazed and Confused.

Along with Molly Hatchet, Foghat is one of those bands that made the county fair circuit around South Florida during my youth. Which is strange, considering they're from England.

Really, "Slow Ride" needs no introduction. It's one of those songs you know you know, built on the simplest of melodies and the catchiest of hooks. It sinks in momentarily and the dislodges before you know it. Who doesn't wanna take a slow ride? Who's against taking it easy? Fools. Only fools.

"Foghat": One of the best band names ever, for one of the most forgotten bands ever.

Some snippets from the Foghat wiki:

In the music video for Yo La Tengo's "Sugarcube", the members of Yo La Tengo are sent to "The Academy of Rock" by their record company. There, one of the teachers informs them of the "Foghat Rule", which is that fourth album must be double live.

In the Simpsons episode, "Like Father, Like Clown", the radio talkshow host interviewing Krusty The Clowns father can be seen wearing a Foghat T-shirt.

In March of 2005 a high school student located in Chula Vista, CA petitioned his school principal to have "Slow Ride" by Foghat to be played as the school lunch bell. After lengthy battles with the administraion, threats of hunger strikes, and anarchy, an agreement was made. On March 18th Bonita Vista High School played Foghat as their lunch passing period bell.

"Slow Ride" was featured in the 1993 American movie Dazed and Confused. It has also been used in an episode of Malcolm In The Middle, in a Seinfeld episode and in an episode of Family Guy, where the evil monkey smokes a joint. It was also featured in the tv series Dexter, in the episode "Father Knows Best", when Dexter and friends are cleaning the house he inherited. It pulls station owner Jimmy James out of a coma in an episode of NewsRadio. It was featured in the K-DST classic rock radio station of the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and an advertisement for the Honda Odyssey, and also an ad for Carl's Jr.The song was also used in the movie,Wild Hogs,released in 2007.

Most, if not all tracks from "Foghat Live" are featured as party music in the 1981 action-adventure film "Nighthawks", starring Sylvester Stallone, Rutger Hauer, Billy Dee Williams and Lindsay Wagner - though the actual score is by Keith Emerson.

Roger Earl's brother, Colin, played keyboards for Foghat and was a founding member of Mungo Jerry, who had a hit of their own with "In the Summertime."

I praised the virtues of "In the Summertime" on Line Out not too long ago.

Activision has confirmed the inclusion of "Slow Ride" as a cover song on Guitar Hero III.

In 2005, Idjut Boys's Noid Recordings released one of my favorite LP's of all time in Major Swellings's, self-titled 2xLP. This debut record by Major Swellings, aka Prins Thomas was born when the Idjut Boys, who have DJ’d with him several times, were highly impressed with Thomas's interpretations and love for disco, which therefore led to the Idjut brothers promptly signing him to their new label, Noid. This LP consist's of re-edits of some of the most obscure, yet sexy disco gems. The whole record has a cosmic dub sexy disco sound that definitely draws you in. I'm not in the pornography business, however sometimes I like to think that this would be the perfect soundtrack. In my opinion there isn't a bad track on the album, and it makes me sometimes scratch my head as to why we haven't had a follow-up release. Since the self-titled LP however, Major Swellings has contributed some amazing remixes of more current singles including, Putsch '79's "Doing it", Stephen Malkmus's "Kindling For The Master" and Elitechnique's "Fingerfood". If you can get a hold of this record, don't hesitate in buying it.

Major Swellings - Assquake
Major Swellings - Stinkende Finger

The Fall of Troy have filmed a new video for their song "Cut Down All the Trees and Name the Streets After Them" from their latest album Manipulator.

Surprisingly, they don't fight or call each other names in it. Thomas does shake his hair around a lot, though.

Today is all about the writing/editing trance for me, and there is no album better for that productive zoning than Bordeoms' rework of Vision Creation Newsun: Rebore Vol.0: Vision Recreation by EYE. Catchy title, no? Anyway, I must get back into it, but here's some sufficiently illustrative video of Bordeoms playing All Tomorrow's Parties 2006:

...A Russian intelligence officer called Lew Besymenski, who was given the job of cataloguing what was in Hitler's bunker after his suicide in May 1945, took away several boxes full of the Führer's favourite discs. Besymenski, it is said, later felt guilty about his larceny and hid the records in an attic, where his daughter, Alexandra Besymenskaja, discovered them by accident in 1991. Now, two months after her father's death, she has revealed all.

If it's true--if this is actually Hitler's collection of tunes--well, guess what he liked listening to? Jewish soloists and Russian composers--"degenerate music according to official Nazi policy."

More details--and a picture of some of the records, sitting on a beautiful phonograph--here: "Nearly 100 records suggest Hitler also listened to Russian and Jewish musicians declared 'subhuman' by the Nazis, according to an article in the current issue of Der Spiegel magazine."

It's been announced that Portland's own Blitzen Trapper have just inked a deal with Sub Pop for the international licensing of their self-released Wild Mountain Nation, in addition to a forthcoming fourth effort by the band at some point in the undisclosed (distant) future. Wild Mountain Nation will be re-released in October on the 22nd, along with a vinyl seven inch of outtakes from the sessions in September ("call it: cool love 1").

I haven't gotten my hands on a copy of Wild Mountain Nation yet, but I do know at least that their video for "Devil's A-Go-Go" rocks shit out with toy keytars. Or are those just toy guitars with buttons for frets?

Blitzen Trapper hit Seattle at the Crocodile as they kick off their tour with Two Gallants in September.

I haven't been able to stop playing the latest track on Lupe Fiasco's MySpace. "We On" is every single thing that hiphop can be: smart, funny, boastful, funky, name-brand name dropping, and totally uplifting.

Smoothed-out over rich, orchestral production, swaggering on a hopscotch beat, the song sounds like pure class. Gemini proves that he's a major force on the mic; his flow's faster than Lupe's but equally easy, natural. The two complement each other perfectly: next wave playboy skateboarders, 20-something jet-set hustlers with heart.

They trade these lines:

We the '85 bears
'92 bulls
'05 sox with a whole lotta pull
All rolled up
And theres no lettin' up
You smart you wanna be the '07 us.

I'm guessing that's Pooh Bear singing the chorus: "We on, we on, we on, we ON." Listen to this gem and you'll feel like you are, too.

Gets me really excited for Gemini's upcoming album (Gemstones, out September 7), and Lupe's too (The Cool, out in October). And it looks like Gemini will be rocking with Lupe during Lupe's live set at Bumbershoot, Monday night on the main stage.

The YouTube version is censored; the Myspace version is not.

With warm weather fading fast, you better enjoy the outside while you can. After our five week long summer, it’s time to get ready for an eleven month winter, and celebrate Lake Fest.

This Saturday, August 11th. All ages
$5 Suggested donation
TOPS Seward School
2500 Eastlake Ave E

There is a pet parade, a rochambeau tournament, fun kid stuff, music, a beer garden, and a vomiting contest. Ok, so there’s not a vomiting contest, but there is a pet parade.

Music Lineup:

12:30 Soul Kata

1:30 Root Beer Barrels

2:30 Shake Some Action

3:30 Marmalade

4:30 Macklemore

5:30 The Lights

6:30 Optimus Rhyme

7:30 Carrie Akre

8:30 From The North (Shawn Smith & Kevin Wood)

_{Helio Sequence, shot from the balcony}

"I live around the corner and I've never seen it so packed in here," said one reveler to me at last night's Nectar re-launch party. A line out the door and around the block was clear proof. The place was packed to capacity--some 500 or so people--with another 100 or so hoping to get in.

_Truckasaurus

That line kept me waiting during Truckasaurus' set, unfortunately, which I totally missed.

_Lifesavas

Between acts, Colin Johnson, Nectar's new booker and the brains behind last night's eclectic lineup, DJed a fun set of golden age hiphop, the perfect intro for funky prophets Lifesavas. Lifesava's Vursatyl is both a master wordsmith and a master showman--with Jumbo as hype man, he took the spotlight and the lead on the mic. Stripped down of the fluffy blaxploitation background soundtrack they led in with, the last half of Lifesavas set was much stronger than the first, ending on a much stronger note than it began. When asked, the crowd--a mixed bag of hipsters, hippies, and hiphop heads--showed serious love for the PDX mainstays.

It was very cool hearing Vurs give props to Truckasaurus and Helio Sequence--certainly not Lifesavas' usual stage-mates.

FITS played a brief between set directly afterwards. In the middle of the mostly non-plussed crowd, a tight throng of eight or so kids fully rocked out. Whether they were Cap Hill hardcores or just down with some loud, beat-mad tunes was unclear, but they were definitely having the most fun in the room.

_{Helio Sequence}

Helio Sequence stepped up and played some truly mesmerizing space-rock jams. Outfitted with an effects-laden guitar and digitally enhanced drum kit, they made far more noise than seems natural for a duo. They stretched out each number, but only in service of the song. Drummer Ben Weikel played with total abandon--his movements were animated, exaggerated beyond reality and a total joy to watch. Guitarist/vocalist Brandon Summers belted out with a powerful voice, his guitar leading the way through dense, fuzzed-out explorations.

Through each set, the sound in the club was crisp and heavy--no small feat in spanning several different genres, and DJs as well as bands. The bar scene downstairs was hectic, but outside the patio was nicely relaxed and cool. And the upstairs bar is brilliant: Cash only, sure, but no lines the entire night.

Last night--super-sold-out, sporting a diverse lineup of NW acts spanning the best in techno, hiphop, and rock--was a proper introduction to the new Nectar. Seattle is in for a huge treat. Just as some moves in the nightlife scene make the city smaller, blowing up Nectar will make it that much bigger.

All photos by Justin Renney

Idiot Pilot, the Bellingham duo/recently turned trio (they've supposedly added a live drummer) who took screamo to a new level in 2004 via laptop and heavily programmed tunes a la Radiohead and Muse, have posted a new song from their yet-to-be-released album Wolves on their Myspace.

The new album (dropping like it's hot September 25th) was produced by Ross Robinson and Blink-182/+44's Mark Hoppus. It also features drumming by Hoppus's Blink bandmate Travis Barker and Dillenger Escape Plan's Chris Pennie. It's being released on Reprise.

The song is a lot more approachable and tighter than their earlier tracks (which got a little sloppy at times), and the production (as you'd imagine) is huge--slick and bright, but still really bombastic.

The band had another new song on the Transformers soundtrack which featured Linkin Park, Smashing Pumpkins, and Disturbed.

Now here's the video for their song "A Day in the Life of a Poolshark," where they (Michael Harris and Daniel Anderson) beat each other up.

I have been a huge fan of anything produced, written, or composed by the late Arthur Russell. He's been one of my biggest influences for quite sometime. There is something about his music that generally compliments my mood at any point of any given day. One of my favorite Arthur Russell songs, the Danny Krivit re-edit of "In the Light of the Miracle", is a fourteen-plus minute dance gem, that in my opinion tops all the other edits that this song has received. And as amazing as this song is, it never saw an official release, however finding it's way onto a white label 12-inch with two other mixes of the same song. I was fortunite enough to find this hard-to-find 12-inch at the bottom of hundreds of records at my favorite record store in San Francisco, Open Mind Music (the old location). When I first heard this version, I thought to myself, this is Arthur Russell's best track next to maybe Dinosaur's "Kiss Me Again" or Loose Joints's "It's All Over My Face". I would like to see this unreleased track get remastered and possibilly get the official release it deserves. However, until then, enjoy a true rare disco gem.

Arthur Russell - In The Light Of The Miracle (Danny Krivit Re-Edit)

This past Friday night I stayed home and had a Jerry Garcia celebration of my own.

Thanks to a suggestion from Michaelangelo Matos, I rented the documentary Festival Express. The film follows a 1970 tour--by train--that took the Dead, the Band, Janis Joplin, the Buddy Guy Blues Band, and several more acts to three different festivals across the Canada.

If you're a fan of any of those bands, or have any interest of music and culture from a very inspired, very twisted era of recent history, the film is a must.

It's astounding to see bell-bottomed longhairs protesting the concerts; after Woodstock, apparently, hippies thought that all festivals should be free. Kids rioted in all three Canadian cities--Toronto, Winnipeg, and Calgary--which brought out tons of cops, forced the cancellation of two more dates, and ensured that the promoters completely lost their shirts. Apparently $15 to see a daylong festival of the biggest acts of the era was too much.

The concert footage is riveting and the sound quality superb. I've never seen footage from that era so vivid and well-produced; Festival Express indeed surpasses Woodstock in that regard, as Matos suggested to me. And the set list, collected from the three concerts that the Festival Express stopped at, kicks ass:

"Don't Ease Me In," the Grateful Dead
"Friend of the Devil," the Grateful Dead
"Slippin' and Slidin'," the Band
"Money," Buddy Guy
"The Weight," the Band
"Cry Baby," Janis Joplin
"New Speedway Boogie," the Grateful Dead
"Tell Mama," Janis Joplin

There's a bunch more, and the DVD comes with bonus footage as well, including Pigpen belting out a scorching rendition of "Easy Wind," one of my favorite Dead tunes. These bands during this era were all at the top of their game and hearing and seeing them live sends chills. As does knowing that a few of them wouldn't survive much longer.

Again as Matos suggested, the most riveting part of the film comes during an overnight trip aboard the train. At one point, the train runs out of booze; the train stops in front of a liquor store somewhere in Saskatoon and the promoters buy the place out. $800 and one enormous promotional bottle of Canadian Club later, the train is rolling. This massive bottle of Canadian Club--mounted with a plastic pump for easy dispensing--has been heavily dosed, and everyone's drinking.

Seated in the train car are a clearly-lit Rick Danko from the Band, Janis, Jerry, and Bob Weir, surrounded by other musicians and friends and folks. They're jamming freely--I mean freely--on an old spiritual-type song the credits list as "Ain't No More Cane." There isn't much form to what they're doing, other than improv. Danko is hollering a vocal, Janis is backing him up, while Jerry and Bobby play acoustic guitars. The whole car is trying to sing along, stay in the game with these four, who are in their own world, together, careening across the Canadian countryside in a train.

The scene is potent: You can feel the acid-soaked sweat, the twinge of in-the-moment psychedelic awkwardness, the sense of posterity being created in this footage. Jerry finishes a nimble, soulful solo and the session winds down with a loopy Danko shouting "Thank you Jerry Garcia!" Jerry smiles, and amidst the post-jam chatter, looks Janis in the eye.

"Janis, I've loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you," he says.

GOOSEBUMPS. It's impossible to tell from the footage--which is fucking astounding, that someone was in that train car with a camera and a mic right up in their faces--whether Jerry's joking, tripping, self-conscious, or sincere. Janis demurs. The scene ends, and the train rolls on to another festival the next day.

The film wraps up with a ferocious Janis Joplin performance. All at once you can see exactly why she became what she was. She's a powerhouse, caterwauling, overwhelming as she sings "Cry Baby." But between verses, the facade cracks and you can see all the vulnerability, the need for approval. And somehow it only makes her stronger. She needs approval not because she lacks confidence, although she does. She needs it because she has so much to give back, she's such a wellspring of faith and emotion that she's actually invulnerable, invincible, and she looks it and sounds it in full force while she's on stage.

She'd be dead four months after Festival Express was filmed.

I love "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters"--it's such a beautiful song. It's one of my favorite Elton songs in fact (my house was very pro-Elton growing up, "Your Song" was my parents wedding song). But just like Love Spit Love's "Am I Wrong?" (which I also adore), I really have no clue what some of the lyrics mean.

Now I know, "Spanish Harlem" are not just pretty words to say.
I thought I knew, but now I know that rose trees never grow, in New York City.

Until you've seen this trash can dream come true,
You stand at the edge, while people run you through.
And I thank the Lord, there's people out there like you,
I thank the Lord there's people out there like you.

While Mona Lisas and mad hatters,
sons of bankers, sons of lawyers,
turn around and say, "good morning" to the night.
For unless they see the sky, but they can't and that is why,
they know not if it's dark out side or light.

Huh? Then there's that bit about rich men riding and hobo's drowning... I think I have a vague understanding, but I can't seem to piece it together.

I tried to ask Ask.com what the song meant, but it just wanted to tell me why Mona Lisa smiles, and where the painting hangs. That's not helpful at all.

The line "I thank the Lord for people out there like you," always made me assume it's a love song. And while it very well could be, the line "I thought I knew, but I know that rose trees never grow in New York City," almost sounds like a sad or bittersweet lesson learned.

If we interpret the Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters as being all the characters in the city, ie: the masks people wear, and the sons of bankers and sons of lawyers as being people who are completely disregarding the romanticism of the city that spawns this love by busying themselves with meaningless work from dawn to dusk, maybe it's a love song within the context of a world that seems to be completely blind to the idea of love?

I have no idea. I'm grasping at straws here. Where's Bernie Taupin when you need him?

Idolator today spots a hilarious correction in the Washington Post:

"Because of a typographical error, a story on the Virgin Festival in the Aug. 6 Style section referred to Girl Talk's Greg Gillis as a one-trick phony instead of a one-trick pony."

"One Trick Phony!" It's like a dis mashup! It would also make a great album title (Gillis, if you're reading this, you can have that, not that Girl Talk would be hung up on the intellectual property rights or anything). And, btw, he is totally phony—I hear that's not even a real laptop!

This song sounds really great on a mellow and gray afternoon...

Spencer Krug’s journey towards becoming indie rock’s next all-encompassing Sam Walton continues on October 9 with the release of his third Sunset Rubdown album, Random Spirit Lover. And much like the last great overzealous one, Robert Pollard, Krug’s yet to really fall into an identity crisis between his songwriting efforts for SR, Wolf Parade and Swan Eyes Wolf Frog Lake.

Though his songs certainly meander and shape shift, he’s still dabbling healthily in his usual faves: intricate guitar solos--like the classic rock mega-riff that kick starts Random’s first track--and all varieties of keyboard-aided melody. That is to say, the guy hasn’t reached his world-conga phase yet. The closest he gets to blowing minds is the carnival hop-skip-and-jump of leaked single “Up on Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days,” though really, it’s not too distant from the whistle-riddled glee of the last record’s “They Took a Vote and Said No.”

Though the rest of the unreleased album keeps up Krug’s knack for six-minute mini-epics, “The Courtesan Has Sung” is a standout for being one of the few truly stripped-down tracks. During the percussion-only intro, Krug’s multitracked voice rattles off in rapid-fire fashion: “Think of the scene where washed up actor wipes the makeup off his wife and says ‘morticians must’ve took you for a whore.’” It sounds like an imitation of his old friend Isaac Brock, both in the sing-yelling and the abrupt endings to syllables, but the similarity dries up once Krug starts into a series of awkwardly echoed “whoa-ah-oh”s. As guitars and more vocal oohs kick in, there’s a very welcome return to familiarity: the extra-fuzzed guitars that opened their last LP, Shut Up I Am Dreaming. Save the congas for next year, Spence.

Lily Allen today vowed to do everything she can to overturn a ban by U.S. authorities who have stripped her of her work visa.

The singer was "shocked" after being searched and questioned by Los Angeles custom officers for five hours on Sunday night following her arrest and subsequent caution in London last March for assaulting a photographer.

Her tour of the States in September is now in doubt because she will be unable to perform without a work visa.

Full story at Daily Mail. She's supposedly playing the Paramount September 15th... we'll keep you posted on the status of the show.

(Thanks to Mr. Garman for sharing.)

As true as ever. But what does Adam Horovitz say about the presidential election?

In case you were wondering, Gothamist has the Beastie Boy's views on Rudy Giuliani and the price of Horovitz's Hillary Clinton endorsement:

Okay, last question. With John McCain’s campaign faltering many see Rudy Giuliani as the man to beat in 2008. What do you think about President Giuliani? What do I think about President Giuliani?

Yeah, how would you feel about that? How do I think about him in relationship to McCain?

No, just how do you feel about him as President? I got to say Giuliani… I don’t like Giuliani but something happened to him right toward the end. I remember hearing that toward the end when he was going through his separation and he was crashing on a friend’s couch with two guys, a gay couple, and he went through some transformation. Honestly, I don’t know how I feel about Giuliani as president. I know I hated his guts for a long time.

Okay, so you’re holding out on the endorsement. I am not giving Giuliani my endorsement. I’m down with Hillary.

Really? That’s right. You heard it here.

Okay. I’m sure my endorsement’s going to be the best thing for the campaign.

Yeah, I’m sure you’ll be contacted by them tomorrow. [Laughs] I just want Knicks tickets.

You have a problem getting Knicks tickets? You know what I mean: I just want ‘em.

Grand Funk Railroad will be playing at the Kitsap County Fair, 1200 NW Fairgrounds Road in Bremerton, WA on August 22 at 8:30 PM. Admission to the fair is $12, and the show is free with fair admission. VIP seats available for an additional $12. The fair runs August 22 through the 26.

Grand Funk is available for interviews with the media in advance of the show!

Wet Willie are a revelation, and this song is a mood elevator. The hows and whys of how and why I came across "Keep On Smilin'" are lost to posterity, but man I'm glad I did. It was a toss-up between this classic cut of Southern soul-pop, which was a minor hit in 1974, and Wet Willie's "Baby Fat," a funkier, slinkier, more electrified number. The gospel-ish anthemic uplift of "Keep On Smilin'" wins out, but if you can dig up "Baby Fat," that's a guaranteed winner, too.

Other terrific song titles by Wet Willie include "Macon Hambone Blues," "Red Hot Chicken," "Shout Bamalama," and "Grits Ain't Groceries."

Wiki says Wet Willie were from Alabama. It's actually a clever and accurate entry:

Formed in 1969, Wet Willie was a versatile, high-energy Southern Rock band that, from 1971 until 1978, produced an array of albums awash in good-time music, rollicking high-energy blues-rock, and white Southern soul, but racked up just one Top Ten hit and a lot of admirers. Wet Willie put out several albums on Capricorn Records between 1970 and 1976.

Capricorn Records--now there's a great slice of Southern-fried culture. Ever hear Johnny Jenkins? Once was Otis Reddings chauffeur, then became a cult star in his own right whose epic cover of Dr. John's "I Walk on Guilded Splinters" was eventually sampled for Beck's "Loser." But that's a whole nother story...

I've never had any interest in going to Texas ever. Until now. The Fun Fun Fun Fest sounds... well, fun.

From Punknews.org:

Fun Fun Fun Fest span two days in Austin Texas, bringing 75 bands to four stages on November 3rd and 4th at Austin, TX's Waterloo Park. While the event's official website has yet to announce a full lineup, local concert listing the Austin Show List has posted a pretty impressive line up. Take this with the usual grain of salt until you get an official announcement, but currently the show will feature another Murder City Devils reunion show, Lifetime, Against Me!, Youth Brigade, the Saints, the New Pornographers, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Neurosis, Sick of it All, The Sword, Explosions in the Sky, Of Montreal, Girl Talk, Angry Samoans, Fucking Champs, Madball, Channel 3, Riverboat Gamblers, Horrorpops, Complete Control, Emma Pollock, Final Fantasy, White Denim, MGMT, Zykos, Mates of State, I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness and Headlights.

Again, you may want to wait for a full list from the fest itself before booking those plane tickets, but their MySpace page indeed confirms the Murder City Devils. The Devils split in 2001, playing a reunion show last year for the Capitol Hill Block Party in Seattle, WA.

The Stranger has confirmed the lineup for this year's fabulous Genius Awards party, happening the night of September 14 at the Central Library. Dig it:

The Blow
Velella Velella
w/ DJ Nordic Soul/Broken Disco DJs

Radical!

I've said it before--Velella Velella is a newfound love. Their hip-swiveling electro-funk seems like the perfect sonic complement to the technorganic architecture of the Central Library.

Port Angeleno post-emo classic rockers The Lonely H have the distinction of being Spin.com's Band of the Day. What, once a week isn't enough?

Though they're certainly not the first to nab the magazine's daily spotlight (geez, just look at all the "the" bands), the local 18-year-olds might be the first to mark their Spin "fun fact" box with a boundary of pee:

Vocalist Mark Fredson got a bit sloshed during a high school dance and opted to relieve himself on the bleachers. The police busted him, and Fredson was issued a citation for Minor in Possession (M.I.P.) and eventually prosecuted on the crime. The case was ultimately dismissed though, as the judge was biased towards The Lonely H's music. Talk about small town luck!

Hopefully, Spin.com will up the bathroom ante tomorrow by featuring these knuckleheads. In the meantime, click the Band of the Day link for a free MP3 download and a glimpse at The Lonely H's first music video...that is, if you'd rather not just watch it right here:

Both are playing the Bank of American Arena Monday, Sept 24.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, August 10th, at 10 am via Ticketmaster. They're pricey, $39.50.

But for forty bucks you get to see this band:

do this:

Seafair ‘07 had more than hydros, Blue Angels, and artery clogging food.

Mudhoney headlined the music festival. Ronald McDonald did a 360 on his Segway personal transporter and was confronted about the fat content of a Big Mac. A kiddie slide called 'The Wave of Fire' looked like the wave of something else. Stern words were issued by the oldest Sammamish Indian in the Northwest. And words from Patient Patient on mullets and Marines.

But really, where do all the fish go when the hydros are racing?

It’s all right here:

Lee Hazlewood, the country singer and pop producer perhaps best known for his work with Nancy Sinatra in the '60s and '70s, passed away this weekend due to complications from renal cancer. He was 78.