… are in the process of missing one of this weekend’s best damn lineups - and it’s taking place right now at Wildrose. Just missed was the Intelligence - the best proto-punk outfit in Seattle, maybe the world.

Photo: Kelly O

Currently playing are Hell’s Belles.

The remaining lineup includes:

The Ononos
Heavy Hearts
New Bloods
The Coconut Coolouts
Leslie & the Lys

It’s outside in the sun and it fucking rules. Whitey is there.

Get there too, and don’t be afraid of lesbian beer gardens!

When James Brown grunts and groans it makes you sexy. Really, JB was a predecessor to beat boxers. His ‘uh’ and ‘ah’ and ‘oow’s find themselves riveting the beat and the texture of the songs. When heard, you find yourself busting whatever move is on the tip of your move busting tongue, on the dance floor.

The first line Brown sings on the soundtrack album Black Caesar is, “I was born in New York City, on a Monday.” It’s the song “Down and Out in New York City” and it is the beginning to one of the greatest albums your ears will ever ingest.

As we sweat today in the beautiful heat of asphalt, grass, and sun, put on Black Caesar - your sweat will appreciate it. So will your move busting tongue.

This premiered on Pete Wentz’s new MTV video show FNMTV last night, along with a new T.I. video and a performance by Rihanna and Maroon 5. If you want to make your brain hurt a little, you can read the comment section for the video:

Ch-Ar-Lot-Te 06.28.08 | 12:04 AM

I thought the best part about this video was the McD’s commercial in the begging.

SingerGuyBlu 06.27.08 | 8:40 PM

Okay, so um…. what in the world was that? Lol. Fisrt of all, never heard of these guys before,a nd now, I know why. I never thought they were going to sing, and then, when they finally did I was kind of like, “What in the world are they saying?” but, maybe I didn’t want to know. I have never been high before but, this was one bad trip. What was the point of any of it?

Welcome to your new world, No Age.

Gigwise reports today that Peter Gabriel plans to cover Vampire Weekend’s “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa” (aka, the song that name-drops Gabriel in its lyrics). What’s next, a Lil Jon version of “Oxford Comma”? (Please, please, please let that be next).

And bizarrely impassioned Vampire Weekend hate in 3…2…1…

“Because Wu-Tang is that good, son. When you are ten, we will get you one.”

The RZA show this past Tuesday was all ages. Herb openly hung in thick low clouds. By 1 AM, the kids had had it:

SAT 6/29
Jewelbox: Astronautalis, Coconut Bonanza, Ladies on a Fence

Astronautalis moved to Seattle roughly two months ago, hauling his beat-filled laptop and sacks of laundry from Jacksonville, FL, to Cap Hill to set up a new homestead. But this white import is not a southern, swampy Bubba Sparxxx. Total opposite, really. Astro’s brand of hip-hop is both foreign and perfectly suited to his new neighborhood: sing-songy, melodic, full of acoustic accoutrement, much less abrasive—and often more impressive—than the stylings of Why?. His last record, The Mighty Ocean & Nine Dark Theaters, is a far cry from his teen years as one of the country’s best battle rappers (yep, he’s even been to the famed Scribble Jam), though his ridiculous ability to chain freestyle thoughts with indelible rhyme and flow pokes through even in his most recent material (and he proves his skills by taking freestyle suggestions Who’s Line style during most concerts).

Full disclosure—I’ve known the guy for years through Texas connections. But he doesn’t return my calls, and he hasn’t sent me a copy of his just-finished new record, produced by John Congleton (Explosions in the Sky, Black Mountain, The Mountain Goats) and featuring members of Midlake and the Polyphonic Spree in the backing band. Which means I’ll have to see him for the first time in forever tomorrow to watch him debut new, far-beyond-hip-hop material from his ambitious, two-year recording ordeal. Openers Coconut Bonanza are from a similar school of hip-hop—a lot jokier and sillier lyrically (like, ahem, pissing on a lover), but the group, composed of guys from local rock/metal bands like Lesbian, delivers a prog-ish mentality that keeps their goofiness fresh.

If it were any other man’s mustache I would probably call this a stupid idea. But Oates’ stache is legendary, and it deserves praise and attention. Billboard reports on “J-Stache:”

As laid out in a two-minute trailer, Oates is portrayed as a modern-day family man and finds himself enticed back to the rock star life by his mustache, which is voiced by comedian Dave Attell.

“In a cartoon setting, the mustache has its own personality,” Oates says from Aspen, Colo., where he’s finishing his latest solo album. “Just as I’m represented as the John Oates of today, the mustache is the John Oates of yesterday. The focus of the music will be on the back catalog, but it’s an open-ended situation. There’s even talk of the mustache trying to bring new bands into the picture.”

The idea for a TV show came to Primary Wave senior creative director Evan Duby while watching a Hall & Oates show late last year. “I said to myself that this guy could be a pop icon on a completely different level. I wanted to be part of bringing John Oates to a younger generation.”

The pilot, which Primary Wave estimates will be between six and 10 minutes long, is being storyboarded, and the aim is to have it completed in the next two months. It will portray Oates opening a new wing of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that focuses on mustachioed musicians.

On Doveman’s website, their cover of the Footloose soundtrack album is available for free. It actually reminded me how good the Footloose soundtrack is: the epic highs, the tragic lows; the antic uptempo and the dramatic, hormonal ballads.

I’m usually pretty fond of quiet rock, and of Doveman’s stuff, but I’m not really crazy about this cover album at all. I dislike, especially, the sad, plodding cover of the title track. When you slow down a song like “Footlose,” you’ve only got one thing in mind: you’re mocking it. And, as anyone who has sung “Footlose” at karaoke knows, it’s a great, fast song.

I generally dislike these slow, mocking covers of popular music, like Alanis Morissette’s even-more atrocious cover of the already-atrocious song “My Humps.” But Doveman’s cover of “Almost Paradise” is really, really good. It brings out the rawness and longing of the original song. I recommend downloading that one.

When I say the name Joan Armatrading do you have any idea who the hell I’m talking about?

Short history: Armatrading is a West Indies-born/UK-bred singer/songwriter who’s been putting out records since the ’70s. Her best-loved stuff comes from the late-’70s/early ’80s—1976’s Joan Armatrading, 1977’s Show Some Emotion, 1980’s Me Myself I—and her “greatest hits,” as they were, were an integral part of my sensitive high school and collegiate years. (Also falling during my college years: Tracy Chapman, whose status as a black woman with an acoustic guitar drew immediate comparisons to Armatrading and scorn from Armatrading fans, who viewed Chapman as a simplistic knock-off. To use an alterna-rock analogy: if Joan Armatrading was Sonic Youth, Tracy Chapman was Green Day.)

Despite several handfuls of unimpeachably great songs, Armatrading never really made one album that summed her up and secured her place in the singer/songwriter canon—none of her studio albums achieve the completeness of Blue or Tapesty or After the Gold Rush, though Armatrading’s place alongside Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Neil Young is indisputable.

Still, with no one record to latch onto, I left Armatrading back in the world of “college music” that I remembered fondly but listened to rarely. Then last year I came across her early-career-summarizing collection Love & Affection, and fell in love all over again, harder than ever. (Eternal favorites: “Friends,” “The Weakness in Me,” “The Laurel and the Rose,” “Down to Zero.”)

And then, right in the midst of this personal Joan Armatrading renaissance, I noticed that Joan Armatrading is coming to town, as part of the Cyndi Lauper/B-52s True Colors tour, which lands at Seattle’s WaMu Theatre next Tuesday, July 1.

I am swooning in anticipation.

For now, please enjoy a rich dose of Joan from 1979.

God I love her.

Here the Saturday Knights talk about their new album Mingle. There is a car ride. Lucky Charms cereal is eaten in two distinctly different styles. Olympic events are chosen. Tilson, Barfly, and Spence, nobody beats them. The Saturday Knights are a scent, they’ve become a fragrance:

Larry’s sick feature - here.

The Mingle release show is tonight at Nectar with the Budos Band.

I haven’t thought about this song/video since 2006, when I watched it as part of Vice magazine’s travel DVD.

But it’s the first thing I thought of when I woke up this morning—especially the image around 1:18 with the little Ugandan girl disappearing into herself as she dances.

I think it means I’m about to have a stroke.

What about Marty Robbins?: Tom Waits receives key to El Paso

How much did he pay Radiohead?: Prince sues artists on tribute album

Happy Birthday, Madela: London hosts concert in honor of Nelson’s 90th birthday

This is my final transmission: New bill proposes mandatory royalties payment for songs on the radio

Good news for Pearl Jam: Ticketmaster loses market power

Deported: Die Young get kicked out of Canada

Yes, you read that right – 12-string bass. Just thinking about it can give your fingers calluses. Eric Corson from the Long Winters has one and has calluses. But he’s master of the callus. He’s also master of the bass:

What made you want to get a 12-string bass?
Eric: I like weird bass instruments and when the opportunity to have a 12-string bass presented itself, I couldn’t turn it down.

Where did you get it?
A company called Waterstone Guitars makes the one that I have. It’s the Tom Petersson model. Tom Petersson is the bassist for Cheap Trick and he’s the person responsible for the invention of the 12-string bass.

Is it hard to play?
Yes, but you get acclimated to it if you play it often enough. Each of the four bass strings is accompanied by two additional smaller strings and the fret board is slightly larger to accommodate for that. That means you have to press down harder when hitting a note and you have to stretch your fingers a bit more when playing. It takes some getting used to, but it’s worth it. That muscle under your thumb on your fret hand burns a lot at first. It can also be kind of hard to keep in tune.

Are you ever like, “Ah, this song needs the 12-string.” ?
What happens is you end up writing something on the 12-string that you’d never have come up with on any other instrument. But I don’t think, “Oh my God! I’m going to put 12-string bass on every song!!” Actually, I do kind of think that.

What do you play with it?
Currently there are no Long Winters songs featuring it but it’s down in our practice space and we play it when we’re messing around with new stuff. I once played it along with “Achilles Last Stand” by Led Zeppelin (from the Presence album).

Do you have a nickname for it?
No nickname for it. And now that I think of it, we don’t really have nicknames for any of our instruments. Does that mean we don’t love them enough?

No, I think you have love for your instruments. I will name the 12-string bass for you now. Henceforth it shall be called ‘Ralph’.

Do you know anyone else that plays one?
I don’t personally know anyone who has one of these, although I think Jeff Ament plays one.

Do you ever sleep with Ralph?
No, I’ve never slept with Ralph. I’ll have to try that though.

From last Friday’s show at the Roundhouse, London:

(ht Matt Hickey)

I know (you know), not another Entertainment Weekly list, right? But this Michel Gondry cutated list of 25 classic music videos is actually worth checking out (Stereogum collects them all on one handy page here) if for no other reason than it includes this fantastic clip for New Order’s even more fantastic “Perfect Kiss,” which flips the conventions of the studio/performance video to create something more like uncomfortable verité (also: frog noises!), and which I’d somehow never seen before today:

I don’t generally go to tribute nights, but man, I’m glad I got to see last night’s tribute to Liz Phair’s “Exile in Guyville” (which is now FIFTEEN YEARS OLD, which makes me a hundred and seven), an album I was introduced to by a college boyfriend who was really into the song “Fuck and Run.” (Um, hot?) Anyway, the night was pretty fucking magical—not just because the audience consisted mostly of my fellow washed-up nineties oldsters, but because it’s just fun to be in a roomful of unironically devoted fans who love the same thing you do, for similar reasons. And the musicians—especially Ms. Led’s Lesli Wood—were almost without exception phenomenal.

But I won’t bore you with stories of how Liz Phair made me a feminist, or how “whitechocolatespaceegg” is secretly her best album, or whatever. I’ll just say this: Singing “Fuck and Run” onstage at Chop Suey like an idiot was the best drunk decision I’ve made all year. And now, please enjoy this video of Liz Phair performing “Divorce Song,” the best song on the album.

Last night at Chop Suey brought Exile in {Imaginary} Girlville, in which Three Imaginary Girls invited a plethora of Seattle talent to cover the 18 songs of Liz Phair’s masterpiece debut Exile in Guyville in order.

It was fucking great. One act after another knocked it out of the park, in radically different ways. Among those still haunting my brain: Rachel Flotard’s ace takes on “Mesmerizing” and “Fuck and Run,” Tennis Pro’s (pictured above) loud and smashing “Never Said” and “Soap Star Joe,” Team Gina’s sapphic “Shatter” and “Flower,” M. Bison’s ravishing “Explain it to Me” and “Canary” (which had a grown man near me in the audience in wracking sobs), and Throw Me the Statue’s fierce spin through my favorite Guyville track, the record-and-set-closing “Strange Loop.”

Along with the excellence of the performers, the evening also served to highlight the unimpeachable brilliance of Phair’s songs. From last night’s music, you’d never have guessed it was all the work of one artist. But the lyrics are entirely hers, and remain unmatched in the pantheon of postmodern relationship songs. Bravo and thanks to everyone who helped me spend a most amazing evening geeking out over one of my favorite records. (It was like playing Exile in Guyville Rock Star—with actual rock stars.)

And while we’re saluting the seminal output of 1993, let me say that I would be very happy to attend a cover night devoted to this.

(Tennis Pro photo courtesy of Jeanine Anderson.)

Ex-Starbucks president lands job with junk hauling company

… and …

Devo Suing McDonald’s Over Happy Meal Toy

They call him “New Wave Nigel.”

Speaker Speaker - “Statues/Shadows”

Happy Birthday, Chris Travis (Music) Chris Travis is the host of The Young & the Restless, 107.7 The End’s Sunday-night local-music show. He’s also co-owner of the small local label Burning Building, and if you ask nicely, he’ll listen to your demo tape when no one else will. For his birthday, Travis shares the spotlight with his favorite Seattle bands—melodic, instrumental act You.May.Die.In.The.Desert opens the celebratory show, followed by To the Waves, Hungry Pines, and Speaker Speaker. It’s his birthday, but you get the present! (Sunset Tavern, 5433 Ballard Ave NW, 784-4880. 9 pm, $6, 21+.) MEGAN SELING Megan Seling

Seattle Sound Second Anniversary: Blue Giant, Mark Pickerel & His Praying Hands, Siberian, Fourth City
(High Dive) Inspiration often strikes in strange ways, and for Viva Voce’s Kevin and Anita Robinson it came in the form of a Pink Floyd song—not hearing it, but covering it on tour with the Shins. Seems the experience reminded Portland’s favorite duo that as much fun as it is to push boundaries and constrictions as a pair, it can also be exhilarating to add a couple other people into the mix. The result is Blue Giant, who are making their Seattle debut tonight. The Robinsons haven’t fussed too much with the formula—the songs still have plenty of breathing space—but there’s a palpable sense of giddiness from the change in chemistry along with some darned fine hooks. Barbara Mitchell

Hear Blue Giant here.

Head Like a Kite - “No Ordinary Cavemen”

Head Like a Kite, Smoosh, Foscil, Glue, the Animals at Night, MC Troy Nelson
(Neumo’s) The problem with a lot of “experimental” or “arty” bands is that they’re often really hard to listen to. Head Like a Kite may use random sound snippets and odd building materials in their music, but (like the architect Gaudí) mastermind Dave Einmo knows how to skillfully incorporate unusual elements into a pleasingly organic and playful whole. “There Is Loud Laughter Everywhere” finds Einmo enlisting members of the Long Winters, Smoosh, the Animals at Night, and other local luminaries to help flesh out his peculiar pop vision. The sound bites may have been collected on recent tours of the U.S., but the result sounds like it could be pumping at the hip bar across from the space-shuttle passenger lounge. Barbara Mitchell

Fleshlight?

or Shred Neck?

Brent Amaker and the Rodeo check in about their open call for remixes for Hillbilly Electro Pop. The song is “I’ve Got a Little Hillbilly in Me” and the band wants you to remix it. They are going to take their favorite ones and put them on a CD. For instructions, go here.

Drummer and guitarist Mason Lowe spoke:

Tell me about some of the remixes you all have received:
Mason: The first response came from Randy Robot, a DJ from Berlin (MORE PLEASE!). He chucks out all but a few elements from the original song then tweaks those beyond recognition. This is a challenging listen, even to Rodeo fans who are, I find, some erudite MFers.

Randy Robot’s remix is exactly the kind of transformation Brent had in mind. I am a teensy bit bummed because neither my guitar nor drums made it onto this killer track.

Jay Cynik transforms a song of rural romance into a hip-hop duet with an anonymous male MC. Brent sings, “I wish that you would dance with me,” the MC adds “on the m-i-c.” It sounds way more natural than it should. Add a healthy serving of fiki-fiki scratching and a clever use of the lead guitar line and it’s pretty clear that Jay has had a little bit of hillbilly in him all along.

The good folks at Radio Free Bakersfield knocked together a minimalist remix that occasionally flies in a dubby, distorted guitar from out of nowhere.

Anything unexpected?
Yes, from Peter Fedofsky (of Seattle band Curtains for You). The Rodeo’s simple, happy song has become moody with minor keys and echoing choral voices. But just when you get adjusted to the gothic depth of Fedofsky’s remix, a jaunty piano and kazoos (!) lighten the mood with lovely added melodies. Curveball city, right? Well, I think I’m ready for anything now when – IS THAT A HARPSICHORD? Hats off, Pete. You blew my mind with your baroque-abilly remix.

Good taste would be a better excuse: Be Your Own Pet drop off Warped Tour

Annoying fans pt. 1: Tim McGraw manhandles drunkard at White River Ampitheater

Annoying fans pt. 2: Cher fan arrested

Lard? Swans? Jesus Lizard?: Wes Borland to release covers album

#1 Debuts: Lil Wayne bumped by Coldplay

After fans verbally attacked Kanye after he appeared two-hours late for his performance at Bonnaroo (apparently it was Pearl Jam’s fault), Kanye has decided to take this fight to the blogs (via Daily News):

“This is the most offended I’ve ever been,” he wrote. “This is the maddest I will ever be. I’m typing so f——— hard I might break my f——— Mac book air!!!!!!!! Call me any name you want - arrogant, conceited, narcissistic, racist, metro, f—, whatever you can think of BUT NEVER SAY I DIDN’T GIVE MY ALL! ” West goes on to point fingers at Bonnaroo for their disorganization, calling them “F——— IDIOTS” and noting, loudly, “BONNAROO SHOULD HAVE RELEASED A STATEMENT IN MY DEFENSE BUT THEY HAVEN’T. ” West does get around to an apology of sorts toward the end of his rant, telling fans, “I’M SORRY TO EVERYONE THAT I DIDN’T HAVE THE ABILITY 2 GIVE THE PERFORAMNCE I WANTED TO.”

Please don’t break your MacBook Air, Kanye.

Theo Vaness was an openly gay disco star from the Netherlands. In 1979 he released Bad Bad Boy, his homage to the gay bars of Amsterdam.

In homage to gays in Seattle STUDIO at Havana is throwing a gay-ass disco night tonight and I couldn’t help but think about Mr. Vaness as am working on what records to bring out. My fave cut on the album is the title track “I’m A Bad Bad Boy”. It’s got a great synth line bubbling underneath the guitars, and a sassy little bass line.

The album was produced by Michaële-Lana and Paul Sebastian (real names Evelyn and Andrias Andrians), the same people who worked on the best albums by Madleen Kane. The album features mixing work by proto-techno DJ Francois K., and most of the drums were performed by Marc CHanterau of the French disco group Voyage.

But wait! There’s an even gayer reason to play Theo tonight. “As Long As It’s Love” his paean to gay lovers everywhere.

Don’t accuse a man who loves another man Don’t accuse in vain, his pleasure or his pain Black man, white man, gay man, straight man He’s doing the best he can!

Don’t accuse a girl who loves another girl
Don’t accuse in vain, her pleasure or her pain
Good girl, bad girl, sexy girl, shy girl
She’s doing the best she can!

As long as it’s love!

Both songs can be found HERE!

Join us tonight in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who gay out everywhere!

STUDIO: Keepin’ it real. Gay.

Yesterday we heard Shaq rap about Kobe tasting his ass. Today the internet has graced us with former Mariners manager Lou Piniella doing a back and forth rapping car commercial with White Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen. There is something inherently funny about watching a cranky old baseball coach try to flow. This commercial feels like it was directed by Tim and Eric:

(ht Idolator)

Watch this trailer for Rebel Scum, an upcoming rock documentary on the Dirty Works, a “pshyco white trash punk band from Knoxville, TN.” I never heard of them until today. Their MySpace profile makes ‘em seem legit, but this documentary just looks too crazy to be based on truth. Still, fake or not, I can’t wait to see it.

Find out more about the movie here.

(Thanks for the tip, Robby.)

Chuck Mung!

^{Photo by iamdonte}

Two shows tonight, both Stranger Suggests:

The Dodos - “Fools”

The Dodos
Not every acoustic-guitar-and-drums duo could open one tour for shock-art rockers Les Savy Fav and headline another with garage-burners the Oh Sees. Not every such duo is the Dodos. The SF band more than holds its own, with energetic shredding, masterful musicianship, and songs that range from spider-walking indie pop to string-rattling blues-punk ragers. The Dodos always showcase deft guitar work, precise percussion, and the kind of stop-start synchronization only duos can achieve. With the Oh Sees. (Neumo’s, 925 E Pike St, 709-9467. 8 pm, $10, 21+.) Eric Grandy

Liz Phair - “Never Said”

Exile in (Imaginary) Girlville
In 1993, a whole bunch of people met and fell in love with a record that would quickly distinguish itself as one of indie rock’s greatest—Exile in Guyville, Liz Phair’s career-engendering, critics’-poll-topping debut that recalibrated expectations of what a girl and her guitar could do. Tonight, Three Imaginary Girls honors Guyville’s 15th anniversary with a slew of local folks—including Rachel Flotard, Ms. Led, Throw Me the Statue, Team Gina, and Tennis Pro—playing Guyville start to finish. (Cohosted by yours truly.) (Chop Suey, 1325 E Madison St, 324-8000. 8 pm, $8, 21+.) David Schmader

Not good enough? Search through our comprehensive listings to see what else is going on tonight.

^Supergrass

Foo Fighters and Supergrass are playing KeyArena Wedneday, July 9. Want to go for free??

Supergrass’ nice folks want to give one lucky Line Out reader a pair of general admission tickets to next weekend’s show. To enter, just send an e-mail to lineout@thestranger.com with your name and mailing address (we’re not going to keep this on hand for anything else, don’t worry) by 5 pm today! Please put SUPERGRASS TICKETS in the subject line.

A winner will be picked randomly, the tickets will be sent in the mail.

Click here to hear Supergrass.
Click here to hear the Foo Fighters.

Good luck!

A track that has quickly found it’s way into every STUDIO! set-list since it’s repressing has been Five Letters’ italo disco classic “The Kee Tha Tha”. Featured on Strut’s new italo compilation Disco Italia: Essential Italo Disco Classics - 1977-1985 (which Terry reviewed a few weeks back), this track was originally released in 1980 off of Five Letters’ amazing Yellow Nights LP. Five Letters, which included disco producers Claude Vallois and Denis Desrouvres had a nice run of releases during the late 70’s and early 80’s releasing records off of the legendary French disco labels Malligator and Crocos Records. The originals can cost a pretty penny, however, the good people over at Strut have made it cost effect to at least own one of their classic tracks.

Download Five Letter’s 1980 classic cut of “The Kee Tha Tha” by visiting the new STUDIO! Disco Blog.

Ernestine Anderson lives in Seattle!

That’s the good news. The bad news: she’s about to get evicted.

THE MORTGAGE and housing market crisis has ensnared a lot of household names across the nation.

Now we can add a Seattle music icon to the list.

Jazz vocalist great Ernestine Anderson, who lives in the Central District, is in danger of losing her home, which is in foreclosure proceedings.

Friends and supporters citywide are trying to raise $45,000 by a June 30 deadline to prevent the 79-year-old woman’s six-bedroom family home from being auctioned.

In the words of Washington: This bitter earth.

Speaking of rock photography and David Belisle, Mr. Belisle also has some photos hanging in the show Accidents Will Happen at Belle & Wissell, Co. (6014 12th Ave S). Also featured: Jini Dellaccio, Charles Peterson, Curt Doughty, Lance Mercer, David Belisle, and Morgan Keuler. You no doubt recognize Curt and Morgan’s names, their work is often being featured here on Line Out (Curt shot the Weezer show recently, and Morgan shot Matt & Kim at Neumo’s).

Here’s a little more info via press release:

Belle & Wissell is pleased to present “Accidents Will Happen: Stories from Rock Photography,” an exhibition examining the evolution of music photography in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Organized by Belle & Wissell resident curators Gabe Kean and Marq Dean, together with EMP curator Jacob McMurray and photographer Curt Doughty, “Accidents Will Happen” explores the creative process of masters of the genre through video, photographs and digital media.

Among the participating artists in “Accidents Will Happen” is Jini Dellaccio. Her seminal work in the early 1960s with influential Northwest proto-punk pioneers the Sonics, Wailers, the Daily Flash and others set the bar for later generations of rock photographers. On display will be her stunning photos from the Sonics “Boom” album sessions. Currently 91 years old Dellacio has, until recently, remained a reclusive, unheralded genius. Also included in the exhibition are Charles Peterson, Curt Doughty and Lance Mercer, whose singular styles helped define and document Seattle’s “grunge” era in the late 1980s and 90s. They will be joined by their younger contemporaries David Belisle and Morgan Keuler. An oral history video captures the artists’ passion for our region’s rich contributions to rock ‘n’ roll and provides a fascinating window into their approach to music photography, as well as their individual techniques.

The show runs through July 13; gallery hours are Friday and Saturday, 4-8 pm and Sunday, July 13, 10 am-5 pm.

The Saturday Knights’ Mingle is out today. You can buy it and flip over it like I have been for weeks. If you wanna peep it online first, check The Old Kentucky Blog, who’s got the first 6 tracks for your audio pleasure. Then, hit the KEXP Blog to hear the rest. Once you’ve done that, take your ass to the store and cop what is IMHO the illest Seattle album you will hear all year.
Bang the bass. Fuck the neighbors.

How it was done back in the day.

Q: What do these bands have in common?

The Descending Teeth
Rupert Smooth and the Sandwiches
Spandrel Addict
The Chiffon Robots

A: They don’t exist … not yet. Each tasty little moniker up there was randomly generated by way of a secret Surrealist recipe I concocted a few years ago under the influence of Andre Breton and a few bottles of porter. I’ve been known to impose this game on friends whenever uncomfortable silences threaten to derail an evening out. I call it “The Band Name Game”. Ooh! Not bad. Yes, I’m a writer too.

Official Rules for “The Band Name Game” after this brief pause for station identification…..

Continue reading "The Band Name Game!" »

As you’ve probably heard, Liz Phair is releasing a deluxe expanded edition of Exile in Guyville, her legendary double-album debut that kept so many of us swooning for the majority of 1993, and whose off-the-blocks brilliance somehow diminished the rest of her output forever.

But that’s beside the point, which is this: Exile in Guyville remains a start-to-finish masterpiece. To salute this fact, tomorrow night Three Imaginary Girls take over Chop Suey for Exile in {Imaginary} Girlville, wherein a plethora of local bands/musicians—including Visqueen’s Rachel Flotard, Ms. Led’s Lesli Wood, Team Gina, Tennis Pro, and Throw Me the Statue—tackle Exile in Guyville’s 18 miraculous tracks in order.

Nine acts, two tracks each, with events commencing at 9pm (with co-hosting duties supplied by yours truly.) No spoilers here, except that Throw Me the Statue will be playing my personal favorite Guyville track. More info here, see you there.

Down in darkened basements out there, and rehearsal space bins, there are drummers playing and practicing. There are no windows. It smells of earth and stale beer. A small fan points from a corner. A Dorito from two years ago is crushed into crusty carpet. Over and over these drummers repeat beats, runs, rolls, fills, and paradiddles. Brains send signals through spinal cords. Patterns are instilled. They are trying to get unconscious with it, to play the beat without having to think about playing it. They are trying to build muscle memory. Listen and you can hear them. Letting the beat be sloppy, but playing on.

Being loud and off, this is why the drummer must isolate. It’s not something they want everyone to hear. The cacophony is a necessary prelude, but fine lines are forged. Forty times through the cycle the beat gets tighter, the fill closes in, the mitochondria in the muscle cells are beginning to learn. A pause is taken, water is needed. Then monotony of repetition is entered again.

Muscle memory is a neuromuscular facilitation. It means that motor skills have been memorized. Through repetition, muscles slowly learn movements to a point where the brain no longer has to consciously control the movement.

The thing is, is that our hands and feet can already physically play the individual parts of the beat, but our brain has yet to coordinate the movements. Once the brain understands what we should be playing, our body can follow the signals. Through repetition, playing the passage will gradually become easier while we think less about it. At some point our mind makes the connection between our body movements and the sounds they produce. Be patient, be loud, be OK with being off. Effortlessness will come.

Break the beat down. Practice slowly. Once you’ve figured something out at a slow tempo, resist the urge to speed it up. Do ten minutes of repetitions at that slow tempo, then speed it up. Some beats come easier than others.

The younger someone is, the less repetitions they need. At age five or six, movements become muscle memory with fifty or sixty repetitions. For someone who’s fifty or sixty, they need to repeat something five hundred to five thousand times. If you’re sixty, be more OK with yourself being off. Your rock will come in time. If you’re sixty, bird watch less, play drums more.

It’s noon on a Tuesday. Somewhere a drummer is midway through a fill, and they are off. In an hour they’ll be closer.

Photo by puddletownphoto.

Upload your own live music shots to the Stranger’s Flickr Pool.

RZA as Bobby Digital - “You Can’t Stop Me Now”

RZA as Bobby Digital is at the Showbox SoDo—Sam Mickens interrogated RZA for this week’s paper. Here’s a clip:

Do you feel like Bobby Digital is a format in which you’re looking at the more serious value of things like Marvel Comics—things that people might be real deep on as kids and then come to greater understandings of later in life?

Definitely, definitely. Marvel, that’s a great example because some of the shit in Marvel Comics came to life and shit. And the stuff that didn’t come to life still resonated so much in the thread of our society that you got movies making $250 million, $300 million in a couple of months, based on childhood fantasies and childhood ideas, you know what I mean?

I was reading something yesterday—my son was actually reading it to me, looking at the news, and he comes across a story about Obama. First, he’s looking at the entertainment news: He came across a story about Iron Man and Indiana Jones, and how they made $200 million or something like that in a couple of weeks. And then he went on to a story that said in the last 17 months, John McCain’s campaign only raised $117 million; meanwhile, Obama’s campaign had raised about $267 million in the last 16 months, which is less time, more money. That’s big, right? Yeah, but look at this—fucking Indiana Jones made that in three weeks! Iron Man did it in a month! So it’s like, yo, who’s the real stars and powers and minds and movers of our fucking world, na’ mean?

The Saturday Knights and Stone Mecca open.

As for tonight’s Up & Comings…

Extra Golden performing live (YouTube video by breakfastontour)

Extra Golden, the Staxx Brothers
(Nectar) Extra Golden were born from a three-hour international jam session in Nairobi between native musicians Otieno Jagwasi and Onyango Wuod Omari and American indie rockers Ian Eagleson—in Kenya to research a doctoral thesis on the country’s popular benga music—and Alex Minoff, both of the D.C. band Golden (Minoff also played in the Make-Up, Weird War, and Six Finger Satellite). The group released the results of that jam, Ok-Oyot System, shortly after Jagwasi’s death. The band recruited new members for live performances and to record follow-up album Hera Ma Nono but had difficulty getting the Kenyan musicians into the U.S. (a difficulty that was ultimately resolved with an assist from Barack Obama, leading to perhaps the first nonembarrassing song bearing the presidential candidate’s name, Hera Ma Nono’s “Obama”). More than just a corrective to all the critical hand-wringing about Vampire Weekend’s alleged musical colonialism, Extra Golden are benga translated with little more interference than some English-language lyrics and the arrangement of visas. ERIC GRANDY

The Blakes - “Don’t Bother Me”

The Blakes, the Broken West
(Neumo’s) Say hello and wave goodbye to the Blakes, as they make a brief stop in Seattle to rock your socks off, do some laundry, catch a couple nights of sleep in their own beds, and then head off to tour the UK with the Brian Jonestown Massacre. They say that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, so by the time this nonstop touring machine next hits a Seattle stage (at Bumbershoot), they should pretty much qualify as a superpower—assuming they survive three-odd weeks of life with Anton Newcombe. Stop by to pay respects, slip ‘em some Prozac, and soak up some of the catchiest, most electrifying rock and roll to come out of Seattle in quite some time. BARBARA MITCHELL

Our online listings will tell you all about the rest.

There is a book-related/music-related/photography-related hybrid thing going on tonight that I wanted to post over here, since I know that the Line Out masses love the R.E.M.

Tonight, at Easy Street Records, photographer David Belisle will be in attendance with some photos from his book Hello, which is a collection of photos from Belisle’s travels with R.E.M. Also in attendance will be former Stranger art director Corianton Hale, who designed the book. And also in attendance will be Peter Buck and some sort of touring member of R.E.M.

The launch party will go from 7 to 10, and Belisle, Buck, and Hale will be signing from 7 to 8. Attendance is free. The book costs money. More info here.

Click here right now, then click on “Watch it Live” and you can watch a live feed of Curtis Hall from Grand Archives attempting to eat a 72 oz. steak in one hour.

No love songs, please: Gary Glitter plans new record while in prison

They’re locking up all our stars: Nate Dogg arrested for making terrorist threats

Take that, Beyonce: Kelly Rowland of Destiny’s Child and the fight against AIDS

When great concepts go wrong: New Bearforce1 video

Reunion news: Carcass announce U.S. tour dates

Thug life: 50 Cent issued restraining order

Praying there isn’t any Zeitgeist nostalgia: Smashing Pumpkins celebrate Gish anniversary

Lamenting Nu Metal nostalgia: New Staind album

Speaking of bad music: Info on the new Heavy Heavy Low Low album

Threat to national security: Boy George cancels U.S. tour due to denied visa

That never would’ve happened at the Goat Haus: Singer stabbed at house show

So, yes, the new Vampire Weekend video for “Oxford Comma” bites Wes Anderson (and perhaps by extension French New Wave/Rive Gauche) about hard as the band supposedly does Paul Simon (harder, in fact). But, really, who gives a fuck? The album is catchy as hell, and this song is smart and funny and sweet, turning Lil John-isms into worry about deceit and sexual anxiety, making the phrase “your diction dripping with disdain” sound vaguely dirty. Why would you lie about how much you obviously love it?

Vampire Weekend play the Capitol Hill Block Party, Friday July 25th

His name is Pico. He plays bass for a band called Woody Hagfy and he told me his dream. Or loosely told me after he had a slugfest battle between himself and a two pitchers of PBR.

What does Woody Hagfy sound like?
Pico: Like a piñata full of sex.

Who is Woody Hagfy?
Woody Hagfy stands for ‘Why Don’t You Go Outside and Play Hide and Go Fuck Yourself?’

Excellent. Do you have any shows coming up?
We don’t do shows.

What was your dream?
I dreamt that I was being punished by Jerry Garcia for making fun of Dead Heads. Instead of following the Dead in the dream, I had to follow My Chemical Romance. I had to stand outside all the shows with a box full of puppies and let Goth people pet them.

How did the dream end?
There was another Katrina flood during one of the shows and everyone was trapped in the arena. After a while all the food ran out and everyone wanted to eat the puppies. There were all these starving Goth teens chasing after me trying to eat the puppies.

What do you think it means?
I don’t really care what it means.

Do you like My Chemical Romance?
No.

Do you like the Grateful Dead?
No.

What do you like?
I like piñatas.

I recently reacquired a digital copy of Jets to Brazil’s stellar first album, Orange Rhyming Dictionary (to go with my orange vinyl double LP, natch), and damn if it doesn’t hold up pretty well for those times when you wish Blake Schwarzenbach had recorded just one more Jawbreaker record. Especially heavy in my rotation lately is “I Typed For Miles.” Back when the record came out, my friends would rag on this song because the opening guitar part sounds so much like the opening to “Heart Shaped Box.” In the context of the song, though, it seems obviously intentional.

From the titular/lyrical references to Truman Capote’s famous dis of Jack Kerouac (“That’s not writing, that’s typing”) to the song’s fixation on “love songs on the radio tonight,” the song is as much about loneliness as it is about writer’s block (both share a strain of self-doubt). For the (song-)writer, the song on the radio is not only a reminder of absent/lost love but also a source of creative/professional anxiety. (It’s not hard to imagine Schwarzenbach, who once opened for Nirvana, feeling such weight attached to “Heart Shaped Box.”) The best part, though: The song’s accusatory coda, screamed in hoarse refrain, seems to fly in every direction, its meaning shifting fluidly from one utterance to the next, hitting every target—Kerouac, the song on the radio, the absent lover, finally the writer/singer himself: “You keep fucking up my life.”

If that isn’t writing, then it is some damn fine typing.

South Africa’s HOT R.S. (aka House Of The Rising Sun) could be credited for just about everyone’s favorite slow-tempo disco song with 1977’s “Slow Blow”. This track which has been edited by both Phantom Slasher and Prins Thomas (under the name Major Swellings) originally appeared on HOT R.S.’s debut self-titled record that featured a dark-italo cover version of The Animals’ popular classic, “House Of The Rising Sun”, which by the way, seems to have been covered by every disco group during the 70’s. This project was anchored by l egendary South African clarinetist Dan Hill and producer/percussionist Kevin Kruger, mind behind the disco project Disco Rock Machine of the late 1970’s. From what I know, HOT R.S. only released one more record in Forbidden Fruit in 1978, however their 1977 classic cut of “Slow Blow” still seems to be a favorite among many disco enthusiasts and producers.

I also came across a slightly different version of “Slow Blow” by the Bongo Disco System, which was renamed “Slow Disco”. I haven’t been able to find out anything about Bongo Disco System or the actual release. Does anybody have any information on this record?

Download HOT R.S.’s “Slow Blow” and “House of the Rising Sun”. as well as Bongo Disco System’s “Slow Disco” and more by visiting this site.

It slipped under the radar of this week’s Up & Comings, but Tigerbeat6/Trouble&Bass artist Drop the Lime will be playing a free show tomorrow night at the War Room along with iheartcomix honcho Franki Chan and Radiocl*t. RSVP required at http://www.scion.com/avrelease (yes, it’s a corporate promotional party, but it should still be plenty fun).

From Chop Suey:

K’s Dream, a nightclub based in Chiba City, Japan, is in the process of acquiring Seattle nightclub Chop Suey. Bookings and staff will remain the same. More info to come as everything becomes solidified.

K’s Dream, Megan Seling informs me, stands for Kurt’s Dream, as in Kurt Cobain (this info comes to her via Kane Hodder).

Yeah, it’s on that other local music blog too—Chop Suey has been sold. But that’s about all anyone knows right now.

We’ll tell you more when we know more.

This just in: Sigur Rós will play Benaroya Hall Sunday, October 5th.

Tickets go on sale this Saturday at 10 am. All the details are after the jump.

The new album, Með suð í eyrum við spilum endalaust (in English: “With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly”), is in stores tomorrow.

Continue reading "Sigur Rós Coming to Seattle in October" »

Yet another great photo from Rabid Child Images.

Bassist Derek Harn:

“After 10+ years, four releases, countless tours and almost incomprehensible (yet constant) upheaval, the last three years of the band have been relatively stable. Having sacrificed everything we had in order to ensure the band’s survival it’s time to let it go. We made a great CD (Summon in Thunder/Century Media); reportedly, our best. We’ve got a great label. We’re getting along, we’ve toured and we’re fine. It’s all good. We’re leaving it at that. A relatively unremarkable closing to HIMSA’s gi-normously dramatic career, there appears to be no acrimony or unpleasantness, simply the end of a blistering, phenomenal, tumultuous era of the metal that HIMSA permeated into the modern musical landscape. References have been made to the band’s evolving difficulties with the relentless touring schedules that have been the hallmark of Himsa’s career. If we can’t tour, and our reality is we can’t tour as we have in the past, then it’s not Himsa. Better to hang it up than fade away.”

“Unleash Carnage”

One time when my friend Carrie was 15 she made cookies for Himsa with her blood in them, and they ate them, stoked. Himsa will play their final show on August 16th at El Corazon.

Click on over to www.thecrocodile.com for something… weird.

In white text against a black background, it reads:

Elitism:

1. The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources.
2. a. The sense of entitlement enjoyed by such a group or class. b. Control, rule, or domination by such a group or class.

You no doubt remember the club suddenly closed down last December. To this day, there has been no explanation from owner Stephanie Dorgan, who ignored requests for comment from press (and in some cases, former employees). So, is this it?

On Saturday evening, around 6 pm, 200 lucky Weezer fans brought instruments to the Vera Project and recorded a record with the band.

True story.

^{Photo by Curt Doughty}

For the past week, the band has been hosting their first annual “Hootenanny” tour in a few cities on the West Coast, and Saturday was Seattle’s turn. To get in, you had to win passes via 107.7 the End or be invited through the Vera Project. Once everyone was there, instruments in hand, we were sorted into sections and lead into the room accordingly—guitars in the front, horns to the side, strings to the other side, woodwinds in the middle, percussion in the back, etc. There were mics all over the room, and Weezer and their people kept reminding us that it was an actual recording session (the best cuts from every city are going to eventually end up on a CD). Among the usual suspects (lots and lots of guitars and shakers) we also had an accordion, a bassoon, an oboe, a didgeridoo, some tomtoms, even a gong.

The members of Weezer were spread throughout the room. Rivers (weirdly in head-to-toe Weezer swag) stood in front by the guitars. Brian Bell (who looks like a sexier Marc Jacobs in person) was to his left with the string section. And Scott Shriner (who was the most animated Weezerite of the night) stood to his right by the horns and kazoo players (that’s where I was, I play a mean kazoo). Those who didn’t have an instrument clapped, stomped, and sang along.

^{Photo by Curt Doughty}

Surprisingly, once we started playing, it wasn’t a complete disaster. The room was full of a talent, a who’s who of local bands with members of the Lashes, Schoolyard Heroes, Speaker Speaker, Tennis Pro, Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground, Wild Orchid Children.

Eric Howk (the Lashes, Palmer, AK) took one of the guitar solos, while his bandmate Note Mooter was a star during “Creep” with his weepy accordion. Danny Oleson (Speaker Speaker) impressed Rivers and Brian with his secret violin skills, so he had a couple solos himself. The kazoo section (with Jonah Bergman and Ryann Donnelly of Schoolyard Heroes) even got a few minutes in the spotlight, taking the solo in Beverly Hills.

^{Photo by Curt Doughty}

We played “Pork and Beans,” “Island in the Sun,” “Say it Ain’t So,” “El Scorcho,” “Beverly Hills,” and Radiohead’s “Creep” (which was actually one of the most epic parts of the night—our version was string and accordion heavy with very little percussion and everyone singing the chorus as loud as they could).

The End’s website has photos, video, and recordings from the session posted here. And the band promised there’d be some videos on their YouTube channel too.

^{Photo by Curt Doughty}

It was awesome—really, really awesome. I was singing “El Scorcho” at the top of my lungs and Rivers was singing it with me. Right there. Just feet away.

Amy Winehouse has emphysema. From the Mail Online:

Amy Winehouse’s devoted father Mitch has revealed the singer is covered in nicotine patches in a bid to save her career.

Winehouse, who has contracted emphysema, was rushed to hospital last week.

“The only thing that can go into her lungs are fresh air. She faces a stark choice - either she sticks to it or she won’t sing again.

“The doctors have said that if she had continued the way she was going she could have ended up an invalid - she wouldn’t have been able to breathe.

“With smoking the crack cocaine and the cigarettes her lungs are all gunked up. There are nodules around the chest and dark marks. She’s got 70 per cent lung capacity. “

Winehouse – who has suffered two seizures in the past year – was also suffering from irregular heartbeats when she was admitted to private London hospital The Clinic, the condition is now being controlled by medication.

The singer is now desperate to turn her life around and has promised to stay clean, recently starting a drug replacement programme,

But her father admits that he is terrified that his she will fall into her old habits after she is released from hospital – where is being observed by a nurse 24 hours a day – and be “dead in three months”.

2006 NY US Air Guitar Champion William Ocean

US Air Guitar
(Chop Suey) Since 2003, US Air Guitar has scoured the nation for the best air guitarists in the country, whittling them down to one representative to compete against the world’s best in Oulu, Finland. This is the first Seattle competition, but between our concentration of real guitarists and techies with Guitar Hero/Rock Band setups, there’s definitely a champion in our midst fit to represent the region at the nationals. All we have to do is drop the too-cool-for-school attitude for a night and remember that air guitar is about embracing our inner idiot, and doing so with style. Most of the time it’s about keeping it real, but in this case it’s about keeping it really, really fake. DONTE PARKS

Plants and Animals - “Good Friend” (Live)

Plants and Animals, Night Canopy, the Quiet Ones
(Nectar) Plants and Animals’ Parc Avenue is an exhausting, fantastic journey. Opening track “Bye Bye Bye” (my personal favorite) is a huge, sweeping Flaming Lips–meets–Polyphonic Spree number. “Faerie Dance” sounds like dusk in the forest: Fast-picked guitars dance under breathy vocals and minimal drums, the instrumentation slowly builds, and after two minutes the song turns louder and darker, with strings more clunky than graceful and piano that pounds instead of prances. “Mercy” takes on gospel, “Keep It Real” is more guitar- driven rock, and closer “Guru” is a seven-minute instrumental with a racing, organic beat supporting impressive guitar work. Plants and Animals have no idea what kind of music they want to make, so they make it all, magically, and without sounding confused or contrived. MEGAN SELING

Dysrhythmia - “My Relationship”

Dysrhythmia, Barefoot Barnacle, Hunab Ku, As Dead as O-ren
(Studio Seven) Chances are good that the three members of Dysrhythmia are better musicians than you, and they’ll spend the entirety of their set drilling that notion into your skull with their energized prog-metal instrumental compositions. For some folks, that kind of showmanship is completely satisfying. Others might find it engaging for about 45 seconds and then simply grating for the remainder of the performance. Nothing wrong with falling into either camp, but for those unfamiliar with the band, you can probably figure out where you stand based on whether you prefer hypermusicianship or subtlety. Fans of the latter: consider yourselves warned. BRIAN COOK

A year-and-a-half ago I posted about how much I hate the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Whatever. I still do. But nothing is ever forgotten anymore, thanks to the internet. This morning, I get this e-mail regarding that old, old post:

hey Megan you really need to get a life i just read your little article about the Red Hot Chili Peppers and people like you disgust me why don’t you just get a fucking life and instead of fuckin wasting your time writing shit about bands why don’t you get that time and suck an aids infested dick….I don’t understand how you can actually “hate” a band there’s no need for all of that seriously do something better with you life. gosh fuck off you dumb ass and think next time before your writing shit about the greatest band ever!

- Jesyka

Happy Monday, everyone!

Plants and Animals play a free show at Nectar tonight, but if you’re not familiar with the band (and their exhausting in a good way new record Parc Avenue) you can get a taste before your drag your ass out to Fremont tonight—tune in to KEXP at noon for the band’s on-air performance.

After several listens in the car and one run-through with a buddy trying to figure out what the samples were, it was time to test drive Feed the Animals on an un-expecting group of house partiers. In a controlled environment, actually listening to Feed the Animals, it has proven itself a respectable follow-up effort. Similar testing last year with Night Ripper showed general enthusiastic approval and scattered-to-full-blown dancing.

The scene: a small house party in the Sand Point neighborhood. The evening’s drink special is Kool-Aid and Everclear. It tastes just fine. Several people are involved in engaging matches of foosball; mostly there are conversations in the kitchen and casual drinking. Around 1:00am the stereo goes silent and Girl Talk is introduced to the environment. There is another gentleman looking to choose the music selection as well, he waits. At first the partygoers do not acknowledge the music, then speculative looks begin appear on a few faces. The album is lightly discussed as it plays - interested parties are given a bit of back story about what they are hearing. Occasionally heads bob with an up-tempo sample, but the momentum built rarely lasts more than a few seconds, then the heads stop bobbing. Only one person is genuinely interested in the record, a timid Irishman who sits next to the speakers so he can give the album his full attention. Occasional sections are hits – Jay Z and Radiohead, Metallica and Lil Mama. The guy who wanted to put something else on keeps walking over to the iPod and checking how much time is left. About 30 minutes in he turns the record off and puts on KMFDM. The guys playing foosball applaud his selection. It is unclear how much, if any, of the applause is because he put something else on.

During this past week’s Studio!, when Terry and I were playing just about every 70’s afro-latin disco-rock song that we owned, I realized how much I loved the Traks 1982 cover version of The Doobie Brothers 1973 classic “Long Train Running”. This version takes the funky gritty classic, and gives it a bit of a cosmic vibe by adding a slight spacey feel, especially when it comes to the songs lead vocals as well as including some nice afro-latin flavored percussion work. I’ve heard a few different versions of the song, obviously The Doobie Brothers, as well as a Prins Thomas’ edit of Panama II’s version which is also really good, however, I have to say that I tend to enjoy Traks version the best. Overall, it’s a tough song to not do well, that being said there probably is some aweful Doobie Brother cover band out there that could probably challenge that theory. Regardless, Traks isn’t one of them. Enjoy!

Download Traks’ 1982 version of “Long Train Running” by visiting the new Studio Disco Blog.