Tonight at Lo_fi Performance Gallery:

It’s the Emerald City Soul Club featuring deep and studied DJ’s Kevin Jones, Gene Balk, Marc Muller, Alvin Mangosing, and Mike ‘The Daddy’s Daddy’ Nipper.

Emerald City Soul Club is a monthly soul night dedicated exclusively to RARE SOUL from the 60s and Early 70s, Tamla-Motown favorites, with a smattering of 60s RnB, 70s Crossover and Modern on original 45.

Bring your ear-cup and let it filleth. 429 Eastlake Ave E.

I unfortunately missed openers Katherine Hepburn’s Voice, but made my way into the already packed Comet just in time to catch the start of Partman Parthorse. That band has a lot of sex coming off of it. It’s hard trying to figure out exactly what Partman Parthorse sounds like: I hear a mix between the Make Up and Suicidal Tendencies, my buddy Andrew said Black Flag and the Germs mixed with Rap and Devo. Whatever it is they’re doing, it’s good. There’s never a dull moment, and although they didn’t incite a full on dance party it was clear that they had the full attention of everyone in the crowd.

No-Fi Soul Rebellion is pretty much a guaranteed dance party. Mark Heimer is a seasoned vet at working the crowd, singing in everyone’s face and doing everything he can to make No-Fi shows completely interactive. He makes everyone take a knee, lay down on the dirty floor, take their clothes off and put them on him as he sings. He’s a fine showman. And his wife is a hell of a guitar player.

I don’t go out to hip hop shows that often as I have been dubbed “painfully white” by the urban community. It was nice then of Cancer Rising to make an effort to come to my turf to entertain me. I thought they sounded like the Make Up mixed with Suicidal Tendencies, but my buddy Andrew thought they sounded like Rap, mixed with Devo. They were excellent with words. When they get too old to run around stages anymore they might be able to get jobs writing about other people rapping. If they survive the game, that is. I hear it’s a jungle out there.

Here’s a closer look at the four bands playing tonight’s first round of semi-finals in EMP’s annual all-ages battle of the bands:

The Batteries from Carnation, Washington, are crazy—postapocalyptic carnival music with surf-style keyboards and vocals that sound like they’re being sung by a creepy scientist who breeds chemically enhanced species in his dungeon. There’s an obvious connection to Schoolyard Heroes to be made, but that could just be coming from their mutual appreciation for classic sci-fi and horror flicks (the description on their MySpace page: “Sounds like if Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, Peter Graves, and Vincent Price all had a party on the Forbidden Planet”).

Click to listen to “Put Your Face On.”

The Dead Are Judged from Marysville, Washington, are a higher concentration of evil, a nasty combination of hardcore and metal with face-melting riffs, booming drumming, and throat-shredding vocals that sound like they come from some hairless, red-eyed, little creature that lives in a damp cave. The band are trying to scare the shit out of you. Fans include KMFDM’S Jules Hodgson.

Click to listen to “Kill Me.”

On the other side of the spectrum is New Faces from Port Townsend, Washington, who, with singer Nico’s baritone vocals, sound like a new-wave Calvin Johnson project. They’re just as danceable as acts like Franz Ferdinand and, appropriately enough, they’ve already been booked for an upcoming installment of Club Pop at Chop Suey (March 13).

Click to listen to “Ms. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.”

Lastly, Southgate from Pendleton, Oregon, head back to the darker side, drawing inspiration from Lamb of God and Children of Bodom. But their sound is more otherworldly than metal-mates the Dead Are Judged. There’s an incredible bagpipe intro on the song “My Gift,” and the opening scream in “Universal Conspiracy” made my stomach drop. It sounds like dying.

Click to listen to “Universal Conspiracy.”

The show is at Level 3 of EMP|SFM. It starts at 8 pm and the line-up won’t be decided until the night of the show, so if you’re going for a specific band, you’ll wanna get there on time to ensure you don’t miss them. Tickets are $7 for EMP members and students and $10 for general public.

8 pm, channel 7. I’m going to be Liveblogging the Grammy’s. Because I’m a glutton for punishment, but I’m also really curious to see what goes down (will Michael Jackson be there?).

The full list of nominations is here.

I’m going to scream if Amy Winehouse wins anything and be shocked if Justice wins anything (only because they’re up against Justin Timberlake in “Best Dance Recording” and LCD Soundsytem in “Best Dance Album”).

Who do you think is winning what? Or, do you even care who wins what? Also, how did “Hey There Delilah” get nominated for anything??

These questions will be answered Sunday night. So if you find yourself watching the Grammy’s, log on to Line Out and join me while I throw fits/celebrate, gawk at the live performances, and make fun of people’s outfits.

Deerhoof bring another member on board- An added hoof makes four, perfect for walking.

Daft Punk, Hot Chip, & others design shirts for Playboy- The bunny never looked so good!

Neil Young announces big news- “Music can no longer change the world”

Timbaland to release album, with a catch- You can only buy it on your cellphone…

Genesis made $47,600,000 from touring in 2007. (Rolling Stone 2/7/08.)

I did not know there was that much crack in the world.

I made the mistake one time of falling asleep after watching the video for the Genesis song “Land of Confusion”. It’s the one where Nancy and Ronald Reagan are in bed with a monkey and at the end Ron accidentally hits the ‘nuke’ button.

That night I dreamt I lived in the orangutan cage at a zoo exhibit on the planet Tralfamadore (from Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five). The only thing they would feed us was shark meat with boysenberry syrup on it. The only thing they would give us to drink was Tab cola.

The orangutans spoke English with Latino-Mexican accents and played the board game Chutes and Ladders for like 10 hours a day. They constantly cheated. They also swung on ropes.

I don’t like boysenberry syrup anymore.

Is this normal or not?

English subtitles for a tune (Midnight Oil’s Beds are Burning in English) sung in English? I must be missing something.

Hot on the heels of Megan’s interrogation of Tad from TAD I bring you another slice of grunge history.

It was mid-April of 1991 and Nirvana was playing the OK Hotel, debuting songs from their forthcoming second album (which ended up being the culture-shifting Nevermind). My friends and I had no idea history was about to be made. We were just pumped to see another Nirvana show and to hear some new songs.

Across Alaskan Way there was a film shoot going on in a giant warehouse on one of the piers. Apparently it was for a big “rock show” scene from a movie being made “about the Seattle Scene” and that Matt Dillon was in it. That movie turned out to be “Singles.” Thankfully we missed the cattle call to be extras in the movie and ended up where the real deal was going down. (When I finally saw “Singles” about a decade later I was amazed how bad it was. Barely a notch above “Reality Bites.” Barely.)

Anyway, back at the OK Kurt came out with pink hair and did a solo vesion of Polly. Not quite what we were expecting. Then Chris came onstage with his arms outstretched, nearly spanning the width of the stage, and so tall his head was almost grazing the ceiling. Plus they had their new drummer who was a fucking powerhouse. Then all hell broke loose.

I’m the kid who starts crowd-surfing at the 2:20 mark.

The best 206 hiphop album of 2007, Future Talk, is now available on iTunes.

Future Talk is by the Physics, and a sample of their slick style and confident mode can be heard on the second track of this mix.

The Physics got next.

Here is a video of the Dillinger Escape Plan playing Conan O’Brien on Wednesday night:

This makes me want to drop a barf. For a band that basically reinvented tech metal to go on national TV and play a glorified Orgy cover song is disgraceful. Sure, they lost their hotshot drummer and one of their guitar wizards since they’ve been a great band, but really now, they should know better than this. Even Alex Ross gave them props for their amazing composition in our Interrogation of him a few weeks ago, but I guarantee he wasn’t talking about this trite. I understand being in the game a long time and having to make sacrifices to earn a dollar, but this is just too much. If they would have been singing this song in black leather onesies and eyeliner I wouldn’t have been surprised. How the mighty have fallen. It just makes me glad Botch broke up before they ever had the chance to pull some bullshit like this.

Here is what the Dillinger Escape Plan used to be all about. There’s no going back.

A few friends are at KeyArena right now with thousands of other Obama supporters (Mayor Nickels just announed there was 18,000 inside with 3,000 more outside), and with another half an hour or so before Mr. Obama starts to speak, this is apparently what they’re having to listen to (I’m guessing on the artists in some cases, they could be covers of the originals, for all I know):

“Celebration” by Kool & the Gang

“Change the World” by Eric Clapton

“Only in America” by Brooks and Dunn (?)

“Unwritten” by Natasha Bedingfield

“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell

“Ain’t No Stopping Us Now” by McFadden & Whitehead

And now, Matt Cameron from Pearl Jam is also there and they’re now showing the video for the song “Fired Up, Ready to Go,” which is one of Obama’s campaign songs. The video was filmed here in Seattle.

(Thanks to Matt and Robby for the info.)

Cancer Rising, No-Fi Soul Rebellion, Partman Parthorse, Katharine Hepburn’s Voice
(Music) Tonight’s bill presents four local bands with four totally different sounds. All the major food groups are represented: Cancer Rising’s clever, conscious, but party-friendly hiphop; Partman Parthorse’s strip-teasing punk screeds; No-Fi’s prerecorded dance beats, funk grooves, and soul-revival wailing; and KHV’s bedroom-pop oddities. It should be one hell of a good time. (Comet, 922 E Pike St, 323-9853. 9 pm, $8, 21+.) Eric Grandy

Broken Disco 11: Abe Duque, Bryan Zentz, Kris Moon, DJ Eddie, Sean Majors, Jen Woolfe, Broken Disconauts
(Chop Suey) The importance of the Roland TB-303 can’t really be overstated when it comes to foundational techno. The machine, a little gray box, attempted—and failed gloriously—to emulate the sound of a bass guitar. Instead, it became the sound of acid house, and its high-pitched resonant squelches and deep bass burps are all over the best of Abe Duque’s prolific productions (he also wanders into less acidic electronic territory both on his own and with his Rancho Relaxo Allstars). The Ecuador-born, NYC-raised artist bought his first synthesizer in ‘83 and cut his teeth playing in church with his father, a musician and evangelical minister. His live sets avoid the techno-as-mass overkill of, say, Justice in favor of subtler, more sustained electro-spiritual conversion, but still, if you worship speaker-thumping bass, Abe Duque will deliver you. ERIC GRANDY

The Coup
(Nectar) The Coup make great music. That’s a fact, Jack! And Boots, the rapper of the duo, is one of the most intelligent heads in the game. That’s another fact, Jack! It’s also a fact that the first cover of the Coup’s fourth CD, Party Music (it’s of Boots and DJ Pam blowing up the World Trade Center months before it was hit by terrorists on September 11, 2001), gave the duo the kind of press and fame they were not looking for. What the two wanted the world to recognize was their social activism, their dedication to Marxist theory of wealth and income distribution, their burning hostility toward corporate America, and their constant call for prison and legal reform in the U.S. of KKK. When will the press forget that one stupid cover? It was just a pure coincidence. That’s all! Now listen to their message. They’ve got something important to say. CHARLES MUDEDE

(Read more about the Coup show in this week’s My Philosophy.)

The Delusions, Sleep Capsule, Valis, Bricklane
(Funhouse) The Delusions first caught my attention with 1998’s I Hope It Dies on a Sunny Day, a thoroughly charming record that posited the Seattle indie-rock quintet as the bastard spawn of Built to Spill and Imperial Teen—the Delusions weren’t above a shoe-gazey guitar wank, but it was always countered with a pop punch. For many more, however, the Delusions first registered as “that kick-ass band that opened for Built to Spill,” with whom the Delusions have enjoyed a symbiotic chemistry for years. (Guitarist Jim Roth consummated the relationship in 2003, when, in addition to being a Delusion, he became an official member of BtS.) Tonight, the Delusions celebrate the release of a new EP, Torn. DAVID SCHMADER

And Chris DeLaurenti has a few suggestions for this evening as well:

TEMPERED STEEL
Avant guitarist Dennis Rea, Ffej, and instrument builder Frank Junk (remember Utterance Tongue?) update and electrify the thumb piano, an ancient African instrument of flattened nails, wood, and hollowed-out, dried gourd. Tempered Steel dubs out, distorts, and layers gentle tones into blipping polyrhythmic soundscapes. Floating Leaves Tea House, 2213 NW Market St., 529-4268, 7:30 pm, donation requested.

SEATTLE COMPOSERS SEMINAR
Not the Seattle Composers Salon, but a showcase organized by composer Gloria Wilson Swisher. The evening’s eight premieres include works variously scored for recorder and viol de gamba, choir, flute and piano, string trio, and other atypical combinations by Swisher, Greg Bartholomew, Fabio Ciofini, Dale Dykins, John David Gordon, Nancy Kern, Georgia Lockwood, Bernard Super, and the 15-year-old Lauren Geertsen. Christ Episcopal Church, 1305 NE 47th St, 633-1611, 7:30 pm, free.

SEATTLE IMPROVISED MUSIC FESTIVAL
The first weekend of North America’s longest-running festival devoted to freely improvised music boasts a slew of excellent players: Japanese avant guitarist Tetuzi Akiyama and a solo set from Gregory Reynolds (Fri 2/8); the seldom-seen but superb bassist Mark Collins and Zürich-based electronicist Jason Kahn (Sat 2/9); and ad hoc duos and trios with the aforementioned musicians and more (Sun 2/10 at Gallery 1412). Fourth floor Chapel Performance Space, Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave N, 8 pm, $10—$25 sliding scale donation.

And as always, there’s more to be found in our Live/DJ listings. Do it.

The synthno and guitar beat-luring mystery – the Luchnow Brides have collaborated with Khingz Makoma of Abyssinian Creole. Khingz did a ‘vocal refix’ of the Brides’ song “Oo ee”.

For your Line Out exclusive listen - click here.

The Brides spoke, as I had questions for them:

How did you guys come to work with Khingz?
We know Khingz through the beat production aspect of our work, so it was natural that he jump on one of our songs. We consider him to be one of the best emcees in the town, and it’s a pleasure to share creative energies with him. Also, he’s a great guy.

Tell me more about the Luchnow Brides. You’re originally from Luchnow India?
Well, there are three of us, that much we know for sure. In terms of other musical endeavors, we do a lot of different things, including djing, beat production, and of course, vaguely electronic projects involving guitars. You’ll hear some of our beats on upcoming releases from various members of Seattle’s hip hop community.

What can you say about your song “Let Them Eat Hipsters”?
It was inspired by a particularly annoying group of cooler-than-thou rock types at a party we DJ’d. Nothing says hipster like a Hall and Oates sample.

What music are you all into?
We’re big fans of folks like Pillow Fight Fight and Foscil.

How did the Luchnow Brides form?
We’ve kind of fallen into this by accident. The Brides are really a sideshow to a lot of the other stuff we have going on. We try to make music that we would want to listen to, and that’s just about the only thing guiding us.

You’re not a hipster are you, Trent?

This week’s Setlist is packed to the top with gooey local-band goodness.

Seriously!

Check out songs from Katharine Hepburn’s Voice, Feral Children, Don’t Tell Sophie, Suicide Jack, the Curious Mystery, Narwhal vs. Narwhal, TacocaT, and Lonesome Rhodes & the Good Company. Plus, get the lowdown on where and when these bands are playing, and some brilliant* commentary by me and Megan Seling.

Click to listen.

*Commentary may not be brilliant.

Yep, that’s Kimya Dawson guesting on the Terrordactyls’ song, “Devices.”

and trying to keep things mellow, don’t play “Dust in the Wind” by Kansas.

That’s just taking it too far.

They’re also a great band. They’re from Portland (supporting the theory that everything good comes from or goes to Portland) and the thing I love most about their music is that they have a saxophone (and other horns, it seems), but they use it (them) in subtle ways.

An unassumingly sax plays along with the guitar and keyboard in mellow, melodic songs like “Fake Yr Tan” and “My Wing” and it brings a party (without shoving itself in your face) on the higher-energy dance track “World War Dream.” It’s not all “Look! I’m a saxophone in a indie band!” It’s not bragging. You don’t even notice it at first, you just know there’s something new and awesome about the band’s Built to Spill meets the Hold Steady sound.

Listen to a few songs via their Stranger Bands Page:
“Fake Yr Tan”
“We Wait”
“Stay”

I only just heard about them a week ago (I checked them out because I liked their name… I like narwhals) and I’m stoked to have the opportunity to see them this weekend—they play the Comet this Sunday with Vanishing Kids.

And now, I will close with a picture of a narwhal. Awe!

An anonymous letter writer has some rumors and gripes about KEXP and John Richards (surprise, surprise, right?):

Now KEXP has given John Richards a big raise and he was able to sell his house here and buy a new big house in New York. He’s going to “split his time” between NY and Seattle? Are my membership dollars going to support this? How much is one DJ worth? Why is my membership money going to support them doing a broadcast in New York?

I can’t understand how asking people for a donation can be justified when they are paying a DJ to live in New York. Please DON’T use my name, because I volunteer at the station and really love KEXP, but I don’t make alot of money, and when I give to them I don’t want it to go to a raise. And he’s not even the best DJ.

Update: KEXP has declined to comment at this time.

Hot Water Music announced that they’ll be performing (via punknews.org).

Here’s what I’ll be missing, while being left in Seattle:

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck. I would LOVE to see that band. Play that song. One more time.

Of course, this appearance follows a few other reunion shows the “defunct” band played earlier this year, so it wouldn’t be unheard of them to play more. Closer to Seattle. Right?

Cross your fingers and say it with me: “Reunion tour, reunion tour, reunion tour, reunion tour…”

Nada Surf are on Conan O’Brien tonight.

That is all.

The Lonely H, local boys signed to the Control Group, have a new video for their song “Hair” and the only place to see it is on Spin.com where they also got a nice little write-up.

Click to watch ‘em rock the barbershop.

Personally, I’m pro. In most cases.

I also love the movie Mannequin.

Today, I wanted to share one of my all-time favorite songs in Gotham Flasher’s “I’m Never Going To Leave You (New York)”, which appeared on the group’s only self-titled LP back in 1979. Gotham Flasher was another brilliant project put together by legendary disco producers Gino Soccio and Peter Alves, who also came together to produce the classic 1978 Witch Queen disco single “Bang A Gong”. I think that to this day, the Gotham Flasher productions that found their way onto their self-titled LP remain some of the most forgotten and unplayed great classics to come from the disco era. I highly reccommend picking up this album if you can get your hands on it.

Gotham Flasher - I’m Never Going To Leave You (New York)

Band of Horses come down with the flu- Cancel two Florida shows, will they be better in time for Conan?

Amy Winehouse can’t attend, but still performing at the Grammy’s- “Straight Outta’ Rehab” via satelite

25th Anniversary release of “Thriller” to come out 2/12- The Michael Jackson songs you love, but sung by Fergie and Akon!

Full SXSW band list released- Forget about being in two places at once, what about three?

Morris, decended from the word “moorish”, describes a type of folk singing and dancing performed in England. Very rhythmic, Morris dancers usually use props such as long sticks or swords, and sometimes hand-kerchiefs to beat out the time of the dance or to use in some form whilst dancing. Morris dancers often dress up in outfits that are related to the regions they come from, Cotswold, Border Areas and the Northwest of England. English records, according to Wikipedia, mention morris dancing as far back as 1448. It can probably be seen today all over England at various folk festivals and once a year at Folk Life here in Ye Olde Seattle.

Some morris dancers in costume.

Ok, sounds geek-ish enough.

Move on to Morris On, an album of folk music performed by Ashley Hutchings, Richard Thompson, Dave Mattacks, John Kirkpatrick and Barry Dransfield with help from a certain Shirley Hutchings (né Collins).

I’ve prattled on before about folk/rock and the combinations of the two conventions, but this album is brilliant, often hilarious, meshing of the two styles. This really is a folk album that rocks (as opposed to a rock album that folks). Though folk svengali Hutchings is the real force behind the creation of this album, it would be unremarkable without the metronomic drumming of Fairchild Convention’s Dave Mattacks whose loud and boisterous playing propels all players on the album to great performances. Thompson’s guitar work is fairly background here as these are dances and not meant for intricate solo work, but the group is awesomely tight even so, and Hutchings fantastic basslines work as one with the brash Mattacks all the way through.

Lyrically the album plays all the british folk cards in spades, with the exception being that the songs are more about sexual canoodling (one song, “Cuckoo’s Nest” is so blatant that it nearly makes me blush to hear these guys sing, about planting their faces in it….) then the death and despair so often associated with the british folk scene.

Let’s not forget to mention Dame Collins (I mean Hutchings. Why did she use her married name on this recording?) who guests on two tracks, calling out the young gentlemen to dance. I can say nothing about Shirley that hasn’t been said a hundred times before. As usual her stark voice, ever-so-slightly out of tune/touch brings immediacy to the tracks.

A note about that cover: It shows all of the members wearing traditional morris dance costumes from different regions of England, but updates them with modern amenities. So Ashley’s musical morris is playing the Flying V, Kirkpatrick’s chimney sweep has a vacuum cleaner, Thompson’s Robin Hood a crossbow, etc.

But what is the tranny Mattacks about? Well, apparently it is a tradition in some Morris troupes to have a “Fool” who dresses in women’s clothing, usually something fairly ruffled and pink, but always with a big pair of mens boots on too. The fool usually dances in a special morris dance called a “Molly” dance. Below is a picture of a real Molly dancer.

And here’s a video of a bunch of guys wearing g-strings doing a morris fertility dance. It’s fucking CUH-RAY-ZEE!

Samples from Morris On can be found at my blog here.

He told me about it when I interviewed him for this week’s issue. First, though, I had to ask him about the chances of a TAD reunion since Sub Pop is celebrating 20 years in April, and there are rumors about a big show featuring some old SP legends. I thought maybe TAD would make an appearance… sadly, they’re really a thing of the past.

What are the chances of a TAD reunion?

Pretty slim. My heart’s just not into that anymore. I’ve put that period of my life behind me. I’m working on a new project.

So you still play music?

Yeah, I play with drummer Eric Akre and bassist Peggy Tully. We’re called Brothers of the Sonic Cloth and we’re getting ready to play our first show in March. It’s dark and heavy, with lush, quiet parts and then some raging parts, too. I’m doing a lot of electronic sampling and triggering, so it’s a new direction. I’m really excited about it.

So it’s not grunge?

I don’t even know what grunge means.

So they aren’t grunge, but they’re still really heavy shit. Tad hasn’t forgotten how to slay. And apparently the newer stuff they’re doing is even a little more experimental than what you can hear on their MySpace page—www.myspace.com/brothersofthesoniccloth.

According to Tad the show in March hasn’t been confirmed yet, but as soon as I find out when and where, I’ll let you know. It might be a good idea to wear earplugs too, so you don’t end up with tinnitus like Tad.

Q: You were the singer/guitarist for the loudest fucking band in Seattle in the 1980s and ’90s. How’s your hearing? Did you wear earplugs? Did anybody?

A: I did toward the end, but there’s definitely some hearing loss. I’ve got tinnitus, the ringing in the ears.

That’s no fun.

No, it’s not. Especially if you’re out camping, and it’s really quiet. It’s like somebody should answer the phone or something.

You can read the whole interview here, and the TAD documentary, Busted Circuits and Ringing Ears, shows Wed Feb 13 at 7 pm at the Varsity. It’s a good documentary about a band who saw far more struggle than I was aware of. They don’t delve too deep into some of the darker aspects, but they go deep enough to leave a touching impression of a man and a band that most people wrote off as being simply loud, chaotic, and drunk.

(You can watch the trailer via the Stranger’s videos page. Click here!)

Tonight at Chop Suey is the LA Hip Hop outfit Bromance. The only reason I looked them up is because I thought their name was funny. It kind of looks like some frat boys decided to start a rap group after they had an epiphany like, “Dude, we shouldn’t just drink all the time. We should do something while we’re drinking too!” Here’s a sample:

On the other side of town at the Sunset is local grrrl powered poppunk outfit Ms. Led. On all counts, they are the exact opposite of Bromance.

The choice is yours. Enjoy your diversity.

Yesterday Jeff Kirby’s post about math rock and the girls who (don’t) love it begot a discussion about prog-rock that begot a discussion about Rush that begot the statement that Rush is a musician’s band that begot a discussion about whether or not anyone but musicians like Rush that, of course, leaves these three very important questions asked by commenter cosby:

@31 (and all):
the concept of a musician’s band brings up more fundamental questions:
1) do musicians enjoy rush or do they just respect rush’s chops?
2) can non-musicians (aka lesser people) understand what musicians understand about rush’s music?
3) do (non canadian / non musician) girls like rush?

All good questions, my friend. I wanted to bring them out of the den of the comments and open the thread to everyone since I fully agree that only musicians (or people who really wish they were musicians) claim to like Rush and I’m of the opinion that they don’t actually like Rush (despite what they say) but they only respect what Rush does.

Why?

Because of all my friends who claim to think Rush is great, I’ve never once heard Rush them voluntarily listen to Rush—while they were at home, in the car, or at work listening to music… I’ve never heard a friend who “loves” Rush, listen to Rush.

Carry on.

So I’m on the wagon. (Don’t worry, Jameson Corp, it’s only until March.)

I feel like this is probably something our readers have a lot of experience with, but I haven’t tried to quit drinking since I turned legal and it’s haaaaard! Because I go to bars every night! FOR MY JOB!

Case in point: Last night, I went to the Funhouse to catch a band I had heard good things about, Detroit’s Terrible Twos.

In order to not tempt myself to drink, I left all my money and cards on my bed at home. No money, no drinky, right?

But then, I liked Terrible Twos so much that I wanted to buy their record. And I couldn’t. All because of that stupid goddamn wagon.

Sorry guys. I’ll buy it next time you come through, I promise. It was an unintended consequence of forced sobriety.

Taken and submitted to the Stranger Flickr Pool by tomika davis.

(By the way—Happy Birthday, Alicia!)

This will be my first year at SXSW (hence the n00b breakfast taco above). Here are some acts in addition to the ones Sam posted below that I’m excited about seeing in Austin (and yes, I know one of these acts is a French mp3 blog; i’m still excited about seeing them—maybe they’ll play blog house!):

Annie (Bergen NORWAY)
The Big Sleep (Brooklyn NY)
The Bloody Beetroots (Bassano del Grappa ITALY)
Cadence Weapon (Edmonton AB)
Chrome Hoof (London UK)
Cut Copy (Melbourne AUSTRALIA)
Dalek (Newark NJ)
Does It Offend You, Yeah? (Reading UK)
Duchess Says (Montreal QC)
Ecstatic Sunshine (Baltimore MD)
El-P (Brooklyn NY)
Fluokids (Paris FRANCE)
Fucked Up (Toronto ON)
Genghis Tron (New York NY) 

Ghislain Poirier (Montreal QC)
Kim Hiorthoy (Oslo NORWAY)
The Hood Internet (Chicago IL)
How’s Your News (Boston MA)
Joan of Arc (Chicago IL)
Juiceboxxx (Detroit MI)
The Kills (London UK)
Le Loup (Washington DC)
Lindstrom (Oslo NORWAY)
Mahjongg (Chicago IL)
Peter Moren (Stockholm SWEDEN)
N.E.R.D. (Virginia Beach VA)
No Kids (Vancouver BC)
Old Time Relijun (Portland OR)
Parts & Labor (Brooklyn NY)
Pissed Jeans (Allentown PA)
Sightings (Brooklyn NY)
Simian Mobile Disco (London UK)
The Slits (London UK)
Thee Oh Sees (San Francisco CA)
White Mice (Providence RI)
WHY? (Oakland CA)

Also: is “Kevin Shields (Midcity CA)” the Kevin Shields, from MBV, and if so what is he doing in Midcity CA? And, did you know there’s already a band called “You and Me and Everyone We Know”? We can only hope they’re better than The Devil Wears Prada.

Talkdemonic, the Animals at Night, Diego’s Umbrella
(High Dive) Portland duo Talkdemonic make riveting instrumental electro-acoustica via laptop, viola, and live drums. Their songs tend toward melancholy downtempo full of weeping strings, glacially moving textural samples, and looping melodies. But some songs, like “Final Russian,” are marked by crescendos and propulsive, digitally delayed drum fills. The Animals at Night is the ambient electronic project of Seattle musician Graig Markel, aided by friends like Modest Mouse’s Jeremiah Green, Daniel G. Harmann, members of the Long Winters, and Head Like a Kite drummer (and Stranger contributor) Trent Moorman. Markel and company mine similar chill-out tent territory without ever lapsing into somnolence. San Francisco’s Diego’s Umbrella are, generously speaking, a mismatched opening act, with their self-described “Mexi-Cali Gypsy pirate polka.” ERIC GRANDY

And from this week’s The Score:

SEATTLE SYMPHONY
A rare event: The symphony plays music by one of the lodestars of the 20th-century avant garde, Edgard Varèse (1883—1965). Conductor Michael Stern and the band essay Intégrales, a brief, surreal swirl of monstrously groaning brass and fractured military marches. Cellist Lynn Harrell is the soloist in the Cello Concerto No. 2 by the all-but-forgotten Victor Herbert (1859—1924). Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 3 plumps up the bulk of the program. Also Fri Feb 8 at 8 pm and Sat Feb 9 at 8 pm. The Sun Feb 10 performance at 2 pm omits Intégrales. Benaroya Hall, 200 University St, 215-4747, 7:30 pm, $17—$125.

JESSICA WILLIAMS
This jazz piano virtuoso debuts a new suite of compositions. In a segment described as “part talk show,” Williams riffs on her musical forebears, influences, and music technology, and chats with show opener Aiko Shimada. The Triple Door, 216 Union St, 838-4333, 7:30 pm, $20.

Also playing:
*Sirens and Sailors and Holy Ghost Revival at the Rendezvous
*Orkestar Zirkonium at Neumo’s
*Open Choir Fire and C’est la Mort at Mars Bar

This is old, so perhaps you’ve already seen it? But man. Using a Beach Boys song to send a pro-war message? Nuts-o, dude.

America’s republican presidential candidate, ladies and gentleman.

Don’t forget to caucus this weekend.

The stars, the sharp shoes, the MJ hairdo, the glasses, the popping, the locking, the computers, the space ship—“the future, the future is here”:

In case you missed the Seattle Chamber Players’ Morton Feldman marathon, Kyle Gann posted his talk, In Dispraise of Efficiency: Feldman, which profiles and parses Feldman’s influence on post-classical composers today: “Feldman changed what composers think, how we feel about what we think, and how we are allowed to defend our choices. He gave us a sword with which to shatter the thick shields of rationalism, professionalism, and conventional wisdom.”

Following the tradition of composer-as-writer (Berlioz, Wagner, Debussy, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Cage…and later Ellington, Braxton, Mingus, Cardew, Gann…), Feldman was a fine, fun, wry essayist. Peruse a selection of his essays here, especially “Boola Boola” - “…my father said he would give me what his father gave him - the world. The world turned out to be Lewisohn Stadium on a hot summer night. It never occurred to me to go to a University.”

A few folks asked me about the source of the Anthony Braxton quote in “The Score” recently - “anyone seriously studying composition and making music in this current time-space needs to pay attention to what the video-game people are doing. They’re navigating a dynamic system that can go just about anywhere at any time and we can learn a lot from their solutions.” Read the rest of it here. Hat tip to HurdAudio.

I’m also enamored with Music as a Living System by Seattle composer, improviser, and SIL2K honcho Stuart McLeod: “Time is not an absolute entity but instead a ruler by which we measure the relationship between objects.” I don’t agree with all McLeod’s propositions, but he thinks big, something composers rarely do these days. It’s provocative - and essential.

I finally read the masterly profile, Frank Sinatra Has a Cold, by Gay Talese. The piece portrays Ol’ Blue Eyes at work, with his cronies, and talking about his “bird.”

I don’t know how I missed this book when it was published in 2005.

Turn The Beat Around is an absolute treasure trove of interviews, information and critique on the culture of the disco era which stretches, by Peter Shapiro’s standards from roughly 1973-the beginning of the eighties. Full of amazing insight into race, gender and (duh) sexuality, what he describes seems obvious when read, but I’ve never read a book so eloquently written on how thoroughly disseminated disco became in America and abroad.

The writing about it’s downfall and the “disco sucks” movement, which still exists in the anti-dance music attitude of some musicians today, and it’s basis being awash in racism, misogyny and homophobia at the dawn of Ronald Reagan’s “Morning In America” is both exciting and frightening to read.

Fascinating threads on electronic music and why it attracted so many transgendered artists, whether in drag or completely transformed, were ideas I’d never even heard discussed before. His section on “The Hustle” and disco dancing being welcomed by conservative movements for it’s rigidity and “teamwork” by people like William Safire was revelatory. And in-depth critiques of groups like Dr. Buzzard’s Original “Savannah” Band and Chic opened up albums to me I’ve revered for so long, and can now look at in completely different ways.

Did I tell you yet that this book is just really fucking great?

You know a book is done well, when it can reach out to people who might not have an interest in the main subject and pull them into the discussion as well. That is exactly what Shapiro has managed to do with this book. As I read it last week I would email my partner, who is not in the least bit interested in disco (“Show Tunes” are his thing…), quotes from the book and discuss elements with him about the time period. Eventually I found him curled up in a chair reading it and asking me to play him records he’d never even feigned interest in before. Really? You want to hear that? Um. Okay.

If you haven’t already read it, which I know from previous comment threads, some have, go out and buy it.

Then read it. Digest it. Think about it.

I’m so glad I did.

Why do sometimes I wish I would randomly walk into a night club, and everyone was dancing like this?

I think Napoleon Dynamite’s character was based off the guy that starts dancing around 3 minutes into the clip.

Today’s ingredients: 1,594 bands, Tapatio sauce.

SXSW’s first official lineup has been posted, and lest you wonder why the hell an outlet all the way up here is bothering to post about a fest in Texas, this unending list of bands may help.

Lots of previously unannounced national/international treats on here…here’s what stands out in my first run-through of the list: Akron/Family, Astronautilus, Castanets, Billy Bragg, Elliott Brood, The Concretes, Dr. Dog, El-P, Evangelista / Carla Bozulich, Jana Hunter, Legendary Shack Shakers, The Lemonheads, Lucero, Madlib, The Meatmen (whoa, really? the ’80s punks who wrote the song “Crippled Children Suck?” holy shit.), Tift Merritt, Thurston Moore, The Octopus Project, Ola Podrida, Peter & The Wolf, Phosphorescent, The Sadies, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Tokyo Police Club, Two Gallants, The Weakerthans, White Denim, Yo La Tengo, and motherfuckin’ HANSON. In bad news: Oates still hasn’t signed on to play with Daryl Hall. Shit.

Of more interest to y’all might be Seattle’s official contributions, many of which were previously unannounced:

David Bazan
The Blakes
Blue Scholars
The Boss Martians
Sera Cahoone
Cave Singers
Choklate
Coconut Coolouts
The Fall-Outs
Femurs
Fleet Foxes
Fourcolorzack & Pretty Titty
Grand Archives
Grayskul
Kate Tucker and the Sons of Sweden
The Lonely H
Ian Moore
Mark Pickerel
Presidents of the USA
The Saturday Knights
Say Hi
Search/Rescue
Steve E Nix & the Cute Lepers
Supersuckers
Throw Me The Statue
J. Tillman
Trespassers William
Unnatural Helpers

Other WA haunts…ABERDEEN: Black Top Demon. ANACORTES: Karl Blau. TACOMA: Lozen. From the list above, it looks like Seattle hip-hop and soul will represent in Texas come mid-March, no? If you dare peruse the thousands of bands, lemme know what names stick out.

When you are listening to the radio, would you rather listen to a commercial or a shitty song?

Which of the following would you listen to?

And which of these would you listen to if there was nothing else on?

And finally:

A media and market intelligence company called Navigauge did a study of radio station audience behavior in and around commercial breaks. Over 46,000 commercial breaks were examined in roughly a three month period. They have GPS and analysis systems that can tell you where drivers are, what they are listening to, and for how long.

Navigauge CEO Tim Cobb says:

People listening to radios within an arm length of the tuning buttons are the most discriminating listener that can be studied. The results show that premium pricing for commercials early in the break is justified.

The study shows the longer the break, the lower the percentage of audience that makes it through the entire break and back to station programming. Less than 2/3 of the audience that tuned prior to the start of the first commercial break is retained after four commercials. Just under half the qualified audience is retained when six or more commercials run. First position 30 second spots retain more audience than the first position 60 second commercials.

Thanks Tim. No shit. How much money do you make a year?

What about the discriminating Foreigner listener? Where’s that study?

A couple weeks ago I posted a link to the website Stage6 which hosts a bunch of great live videos. Most of the good ones I found were from Philly, but I was recently directed to a video of the amazing set San Diego’s Sleeping People played at Chop Suey last November. The sound quality is not great, but the band’s talent shines through just fine. Watching guitarist Joileah Maddock got me to thinking about girl math rock guitarists, and if perhaps she was the only one. Are there any more? Do any other female musicians care about this genre? I am stumped to think of any other similar band that has a girl in it, particularly one who can shred a guitar like Maddock can. Come to think of it, I don’t even know any girls who like listening to math rock. All of a sudden my loneliness is starting to have new context…

Reads: “You will need to relax today.”

For right now, No Kids are helping. But it’s a Sisyphian task.

Wednesday now has dueling karaoke nights! And they are right across the street from each other.

Down in the Neumos/MoeBar VIP Room (go to the back of MoeBar, down the stairs, and down the shifty hallway), the space has been turned into a “Karaoke Den,” replete with comfy leather chairs, fake money to write your song selection on, and best of all, the old Bus Stop karaoke machine and book. The Bus Stop’s Sunday night karaoke was one of it’s proudest traditions, and definitely the one most attended by me, so it was super fun to go down and see all those same faces who followed the book here. Unfortunately, it’s not hosted by Adé, who’s bitchiness was one of the highlights. But last week, it was hosted by Tara Thomas, who’s easily twice as lovably crazy. Fun ensues!

Across the street at King Cobra, tonight is the debut of their karaoke night, which is reportedly being hosted by Karaoke Steve, aka the guy who does the much-loved Sunday night karaoke at the Twilight Exit. And that’s all I know, because tonight is the first night.

It’s a duel!*
Former Sunday Karaoke Machine vs. Current Sunday Karaoke KJ!
North Side of Pike vs. South Side of Pike!
Underground Bar vs. Where the CHUDS Don’t Live!

WHO WILL BE THE WINNER?

*How would you even determine a winner? I’m gonna go ahead and say: Best version of any Bonnie Tyler song. Pick your poison.

Amy Winehouse questioned over crack video- They try and make her go to rehab, but she says…

Britney Spears out of the hospital- Thank heavens, now everything can go back to normal again!

The Breeders announce national tour dates- New album, Mountain Battles, comes out in April.

Hot Chip played on Jimmy Kimmel last night- The main guest on the show was DREW, not Nick, DREW Lachey!

Pitchfork reports today on a slew of new Breeders tour dates, including an appearance at Memorial Day Weekend Gorge blowout Sasquatch.

05-24 George, WA - The Gorge (Sasquatch)

The rejuvenated Breeders will be touring behind their forthcoming 4AD album Mountain Battles.

(On the Sasquatch rumor front: REM, Modest Mouse.)

I have never listened to Iron Maiden in my entire life. Call me lame, misinformed, or lucky, but before last night I just hadn’t gotten around to it. As I sat down to watch their newly released 1985 World Slavery Tour concert film, Live After Death, I had no idea I was getting my self into what would be a wild, wild, ride.
The movie opens as the camera pans a sold out Long Beach Arena. The year is 1985, Ronald Regan has just started his second term, the Cold War is at its peak, and 13,000 kids are fucking stoked to see Iron Maiden. A fragment from a Winston Churchill speech plays over the loud speakers as the lights close in on a British flag hanging over where the band will play. The energy and anticipation is impalpable, as the band takes the stage, which also happens to be a giant pyramid. At first, I must admit, I was not impressed. As the band started their set with “Aces High”, I was under whelmed and couldn’t get past their neon spandex, the fact that the lead guitarist bore an uncanny resemblance to Jon Cusack, and singer Bruce Dickinson’s unreal crotch bulge. As the first song ended, I began to jump to negative conclusions before all of my doubts were put to rest.

Continue reading "My First Iron Maiden Concert" »

Slog beat him to it.

(hat tip to flamingbanjo)

There are always ways to expand musical appreciation.

I now bring you the Wikihow -

How to Appreciate Death Metal:

1) Learn about the history and characteristics of death metal. I bet that it’s more interesting and complex than you thought. Also, learn about all the stereotypes of death metal music and its fans and why they aren’t true at all. They are not all lazy, Satan-worshipping, animal-sacrificing psychos. They are actually normal people with family, friends and complex off-stage personalities, with the exception of maybe Glen Benton (from Deicide).

2) Listen beyond the crunching guitars and harsh singing. Although the rough guitar sound and grating vocals permeate all of death metal, it can take a little getting used to, especially if your ears are accustomed to softer sounds. Believe it or not, it’s more than just noise…There are melodies, patterns, and complexities to be appreciated if you listen attentively enough.

3) If you really don’t understand the harsh death grunts, don’t be afraid to look at them on a lyrics website. Two great lyrics websites are metal-archives.com and darklyrics.com. You might be surprised by the complexity and large vocabulary of some of the lyrics. And it’s also worth noting that if you like music that rhymes on every line you might not like Death Metal that much because a lot of Death Metal musicians don’t use this technique.

4) Realize that playing and singing death metal requires enormous practice and skill. Even bass players, who don’t do the complex leads and melodies associated with death metal guitar, cite to have practiced one piece of music for at least a full year just for a mere audition.

5) Watch a live death metal performance. Even if it’s on a TV screen, observe how the group members manipulate the instruments. If you’ve ever tried to play those instruments yourself, you’ll probably be amazed with how skillfully they play. It takes practice, and dedication, which challenges the stereotype of metalheads being lazy and careless. You might also be surprised about how energetic some of the performers are.

Via Kirotv.com:

EVERETT, Wash. — A man who falsely claimed to be a member of the local band Queensryche was sentenced in Everett to more than six years in prison Tuesday.

Guitarist Scott Moughton was convicted of 10 identity theft and forgery-related felonies.

The judge also ordered Moughton to pay $13,000 in restitution.

In court Tuesday, a tearful Moughton blamed his actions on drugs and pleaded for reduced time and treatment.

(ht to Idolator)

You can walk and walk and walk in that weird part of town south of Safeco Field and north of Georgetown and never see anyone. It’s all train tracks and shipping companies and marble distributors and “business parks.” If you decide to make this walk—from Safeco Field to Georgetown—in the rain, well, you should know that it’s a longer walk than you’re expecting, and you should have the Murder City Devils (or something else loud and messy) queued up on your iPod. Your jeans are going to become soaked, see, but if you’re listening to the Murder City Devils you won’t care. Something about how loud and messy they are makes you happy to get a little messy yourself, and the lack of people in that part of town really contributes to a I’m-a-walking-zombie sort of daydream.

On the Airport Way bridge right before you get to Georgetown—that part of Airport Way that shoots up into the air over the train tracks—I looked both ways, confirmed no cars were coming, and took a long leak onto the train tracks. It looked cool. The Murder City Devils were screaming at me. I was hoping a train would come along, but no dice. That part of town is so dead.