Ralph the Ralphing Everclear Otter Pop, Chubicabra, Russian Roulette, and All Ages Fun.

The Mormon presence shadows Salt Lake City with a stiff foreboding religious haze. There’s a quiet there. It’s not all choirs and polygamy though. There’s a music scene, and an adult novelty store with no windows called ‘Mischievous’. The ad for Mischievous has a young stud of a blonde haired man having his ass shaved that reads “Expand Your Toy Collection.” So Salt Lake has caught up to the times. There’s the Mormon Tabernacle and now there are quarter mile long party-dildos for sale called the Deep Star Rex.

Salt Lake City streets are extremely easy to navigate and the Mexican food is delecticious. Alberto’s is the absolute shit.

For music venues, there’s an all ages compound called Kilby Court. Down its own dusty piece of road, there are practice rooms, art spaces, the show room, and a patio with well watered foliage and a fire pit. Foals play Kilby soon. Kilby is an all ages Mecca. There’s a ghost there they call the Green Man. It’s the ghost of a Chinese guy who shot himself in the head while playing Russian Roulette. A casket sits outside in the back of one of the Kilby buildings. No word on whether it’s the Green Man’s or not.

Another place to play is the 21 and over Urban Lounge. GZA, Greyskul, Silver Jews, Deerhoof, and Stephen Malkmus play Urban soon. Blue Scholars recently played there.

Head Like a Kite was supposed to play at Kilby Court but it was moved to Urban Lounge. It’s cool to see different clubs work together to facilitate a touring band. It was Tate’s birthday. Tate is nice as can be. His band the Lionelle played and everyone danced and got scatter grooved. A pregnant woman was drinking beer out of a huge lager style mug. It wasn’t just a belly, the woman was pregnant, and drinking beer, and nobody said anything to her. Hopefully it was near beer.

The movers and shakers of Salt Lake City are engineering a new frozen alcoholic treat, never before attempted by man - Otter Pops with Everclear dripped in. The sure fire way to get your Mormonic vomit on. They call it the Alco-Pop. Instead of Alexander the Grape, it’s Ralph the Ralphing Flavored Iced Treat. Wait, Everclear can’t freeze. The Salt Lake movers and shakers will be enjoying Ralph the Slushie Treats instead. Good luck with that.

The owner of Kilby Court saw a Chubicabra beast about four years ago. Some sort of werewolf they say, or dog on its hind legs, gnarling. It was standing outside a window of one of the Kilby apartments looking in. The owner threw a hammer through the window at it. The beast made strange noises then ran to the other side of the place and apparently hopped on the roof where it made more weird noises. I believe the Chubicabra was an unshaven gnarling man who had dabbled a bit heavily into the Alco Pops.

We stayed with Steven that night. Steven was born in the United States, but has no social security number. He’s making a documentary about what his life is like. Somehow he has a passport, and he’s starting to invest in real silver and gold. The S in $, that’s silver. Thank you Steven. I held a real silver dollar from 1972, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the pregnant woman drinking beer.

An event that slipped under our radar—and many others’, I’d bet—is going down tomorrow at Free Sheep Foundation at 10 pm in Belltown (2400 3rd Ave.). The lineup offers a strong sampling of Seattle’s leftfield electronic flora and fauna (Filastine, Truckasauras, DJ Naha, Scratchmaster Joe), plus the Degenerate Art Ensemble.

Enjoy Filastine’s ruptured, post-world music from this live performance in Lyon, and read the press release after the jump..

Continue reading "Free Sheep Foundation Multimedia Throwdown in Belltown" »

Like the bastard offspring of a Chick pamphlet and an episode of Judging Amy, a comic book distributed by the non-profit National Center for State Courts is trying to scare kids away from file-sharing and vis-à-vis, ruining their lives. The NCLS purports itself to be an, “organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to court systems in the United States.” Well, far be it from me stand against the service of improving the administration of justice, so here’s an excerpt from the comic:

HT to Beaucoup Kevin. Plot summary from the Wired blog entry and more after the jump…

Continue reading "RIAA Propaganda Created/Distributed by Non-Profit" »

There’s a new best thing on the Internet, Donte:

Chromeo making the guest rounds, VP announcement soon

(From I Love Music)

Listen to this week’s Setlist to hear about the newish venue in town Full Tilt Ice Cream, some of my picks for the Carousel Festival, and songs by Last Slice of Butter, the Dimes, People Eating People, Tacocat, and more.

Click to listen.

Why YOU should play Salem, Oregon, ASAP:

On the few occasions my band has been able to scrounge together the time and money to tour, we’ve taken care to book Salem as our final gig before heading home. The local bands are fantastic, the audiences are hungry, and the scene is tight. If you’re genuine, you’ll fit right in.

Continue reading "In Praise Of Salem" »

The Rendezvous Jewel Box Theater has always been a bit of an anomaly among Seattle’s live music venues. Perhaps owing to its size, or perhaps its long-running emphasis on other realms of performance art, it’s a bit off the radar. Few national touring acts grace its stage. Their shows are less frequent than most other local venues. It’s quite a shame actually. In a city with a fair number of venues occupying the 200-700 capacity range, we could sure use a smaller active showspace. Yet the Rendezvous’ live music calendar is generally light, and typically geared towards the avant-garde and the obscure.

This is likely to change. Some of the Rendezvous’ most notable shows of the past several years have been hosted by Ladies Choice Presents. The production company’s head honcho, Adam Bass, is no stranger to this site. And no stranger to Seattle’s local underground noise/metal/experimental scene. So it’s exciting to learn that Adam was recently hired as the booker at the Rendezvous. While the theater still focuses on filling up its event calendar by renting out the space to outside promoters, Adam’s hire suggests that their programming emphasis may be shifting towards more live music.

I hope this personnel change draws a little more attention to the Rendezvous. In many ways, it’s the ideal venue for smaller shows. It feels full with 25 people in attendance; the audience has the option to sit or stand; the shows recoup rather easily; and the separation between the bar and the actual venue allows the regulars to get their drink on without having to pay the cover. With a fresh and savvy booker at the helm, I expect a bright future for the Rendezvous.

It’s now at Showbox Market, not Marymoor Park. Tickets are $30.50; show’s all ages.

You can read my Up&Coming blurb for this gig and check out a video to Blackalicious’s “Alphabet Aerobics” below.

STS9, Blackalicious Crazy bill. STS9 (formerly Sound Tribe Sector 9) epically ramble with a jam-band/trance-act’s “we’ve got all the time in the world” sprawl; Blackalicious are conscious-hiphop exemplars who bust ridiculously intricate verbals with vociferous velocity (that’s the type of polysyllabic alliteration rapper Gift of Gab regularly spits like many rappers mutter “Uh… yeah”). STS9 encourage urges to space out and maybe languorously shake half an ass cheek to their vaporous beatscapes, which sometimes go into Santa Cruz control (that’s their home base; see what I did there?); Blackalicious, on the other hand, plunge you into the real, with dazzling verbosity and galvanizing funkiness. So, yeah—crazy bill. But it might just work, especially outdoors at Marymoor Park. DAVE SEGAL

Carl Stone - “Nak Won”

Carl Stone

(Chapel Performance Space) A student of computer- music innovators James Tenney and Morton Subotnick at California Institute of the Arts, Carl Stone has been creating weirdly alluring electronic music since the early ’80s. On discs like Mom’s (1992) and Em:t 1196 (1996), Stone generates hypnotic collages constructed from sampled and looped speech and instruments, whose sonic DNA he processes into psychedelic, miasmic symphonies. “Sudi Mampir” (a slurred bit of speech from a Tokyo “elevator girl” finessed into a haunting, unearthly drone composition) off the Em:t Explorer comp remains one of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve ever heard. Stone is often classified as a minimalist, but his sound packs maximal fascination and a broad tonal palette. DAVE SEGAL

Sera Cahoone live at the Triple Door earlier this year.

Sera Cahoone, Daniel Martin Moore, Widower

(Neumo’s) Former Carissa’s Wierder Sera Cahoone recently released her sophomore solo album with Sub Pop, Only as the Day Is Long. With a hint of the rain-stained misery of her former outfit, the album and its title track twists the hopeful phrase “as the day is long” into something bleak and more appropriate for Seattle’s too-short fall and winter days. But Cahoone’s country-tinged songs recall her native Colorado as much as their attitude aligns with the Northwest. Cahoone’s voice is simultaneously strong and plaintive, understated rather than showy, and it’s surrounded here alternately by spare acoustic arrangements and by a fuller backing band that includes pedal steel guitar, banjo, violin, and drums. Live, Cahoone and her band should have you weeping into your whiskey if you have anything close to a soul. ERIC GRANDY

That’s all, folks, but Carousel Festival 3 sure sounds fun. Read more about it here.

20th Century pioneer: Brian Wilson reveals track listing for new album

21st Century pioneer: Squarepusher reveals new album

No one gets out of here alive: The Doors settle lawsuit

Guaranteed to resent his parents: Gwen Stefani names her new son

Karma: Dead Kennedys announce hiatus

Japan vs. Jersey: Thursday and Envy announce split LP

This is Jake One:
I have argued elsewhere that Jake One is one of the three producers behind Seattle’s third and current wave of hiphop (the other two producers are Bean One and Vitamin D). Here is the new about Jake One:

G-Unit Producer Jake One Signs to Rhymesayers for LP Debut album features MF DOOM, Busta Rhymes, Brother Ali, Young Buck, De La Soul’s Posdnuos

Mainstream meets underground in a big way on White Van Music, the debut studio album from Jake One. The Seattle producer is part of G-Unit’s production team, and in the past, he has worked with 50 Cent, De La Soul, Snoop Dogg, Young Buck, E-40, and Lil Scrappy, among other folks.

Suss the tracklist for White Van Music:

White Van Music:
01 I’m Coming [ft. Black Milk and Nottz]
02 Gangsta Boy [ft. M.O.P.]
03 The Truth [ft. Freeway and Brother Ali]
04 Turn It Down
05 God Like [ft. D. Black]
06 Bless the Child [ft. Little Brother]
07 Oh Really [ft. Posdnuos and Slug]
08 Hi
09 Trap Door [ft. MF DOOM]
10 Dead Wrong [ft. Young Buck]
11 Kissin the Curb [ft. Bishop and Busta Rhymes]
12 How We Ride [ft. Freeway]
13 White Van [ft. Alchemist, Evidence, and Prodigy]
14 Big Homie Style [ft. J Pinder, GMK, and Spaceman]
15 Scared [ft. Blueprint]
16 Great Sound
17 Get Er Done [ft. MF DOOM]
18 Feeling My Shit [ft. Casual]
19 Soil Raps [ft. Keak Da Sneak]
20 Glow [ft. eLZhi and Royce Da 5’9”]
21 RIP
22 Home [ft. Vitamin D, C-Note, Maneak B, and Ish]

The album is not just a mix of pop and indie rap, it’s also a serious mix of local and national cats. D. Black, J Pinder, Vitamin D, and GMK? Jake One, our man of the moment, knows how to give back.

Sound Off! at EMP|SFM, the Pacific Northwest’s largest underage battle of the bands, is now accepting applications for its 2009 competition. Performers 21 or under who play rock, hip-hop, electronic, pop or any other kind of music are encouraged to enter Sound Off!

Applications—which can be downloaded at www.empsfm.org/soundoff—and a non-returnable CD with original music must be mailed to: EMP|SFM, Attn: Sound Off!, 330 6th Avenue North, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98109 by Monday, Nov. 10, 2008 for entry into the 2009 Sound Off! competition. All participants must be 21 years of age or under as of March 7, 2009.

Sound Off! veterens include New Faces, the Lonely Forest, Schoolyard Heroes, Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head, among others. The winning band will perform at next year’s Bumbershoot.

One thing I have learned from doing the listings is that there are nearly infinite ways for band names to be bad. There’s the overly conceptual or referential but ultimately meaningless (the Colour Revolt (See what they did with the spelling there? So cool! So Different!) Black Nite Crash, Five A.M.). There’s “words that sound cool together” which is sort of related to the previous (cool being a relative term here, as we have: Cicada Omega, Crack Ratchet, and Nihilistic Terrorist.) There’s bands that obviously just saw something written down and said, “Hey, let’s call it PC Load Letter,” there’s that special sort belonging to metal (Partial-Birth Abortion et al.… oh wait…), and then there’s the just plain lame (I’m looking at you, Press Start to Rock).

But the absolute worst: any kind of Effect, Explosion, Fiasco, Experiment, Collective, or Situation.

Sera Cahoone - “Couch Song”

Neumo’s is giving away a free pair of tickets to tomorrow night’s Sera Cahoone show. Just e-mail your name to lineout@thestranger.com with Sera Cahoone in the subject line. One winner will be picked at random tomorrow morning at 10 am. I’ll e-mail you if you won and your name will be on the list at the door. The show’s 21+ (more details here), so don’t enter if you can’t provide valid ID to get in.

UPDATE: The winner has been notified. Thanks to all who entered!

The Kane Hodder digital-only EP I mentioned a few issues ago is finally out. The band haven’t officially released anything new since their 2005 full-length, The Pleasure to Remain So Heartless, so it’s about fuckin’ time!

I’ve been a Hodder fan for about as long as I’ve been writing for The Stranger—the band was the subject of my first lengthy music feature, we go way back. But after some shake-ups over the past couple years (member replacement, label replacement, and tour cancellations), Hodder has had a hard time regaining their footing.

It felt like forever for this EP to finally come out, and a few times it felt like it was going to never happen. But it’s finally here, and it’s a hell of an effort—a weirdo hardcore dance party that shifts speeds, moods, and genres quicker than Lindsay Lohan does sexual orientation. Vocalist Andrew Moore still croons and screams in the same breath, the guitar shreds and shimmers in the same riff. It’s everything Hodder is best at being and it sounds like they’re having a hell of a time doing it.

You can get the record for less than $5 at www.hodderrock.com.

Andre Harris: Sagely advises clubbers to STFU.

The internets are abuzz with “right on”s and LOLs for Chicago DJ Andre Harris’s so-true-it’s-hilarious house track “10 Things Not to Say to a DJ,” which details the shit you should never utter to individuals working the wheels of steel. Listen, learn, and laugh.

Tip: Brian Go in The Stranger’s IT dept.

One of Seattle’s most brilliant techno producers throughout the ’00s, Bruno Pronsato (aka Steven Ford) headed to Berlin a couple of years ago to reap the whirlwind of profits and fame that brilliant techno producers regularly experience in Europe. Life on the Continent has been rewarding both financially and creatively for Pronsato. He’s risen to the superstar status your correspondent once predicted of him back when he dwelled in the 206 and played to crowds of a few dozen. Now Bruno fills clubs in Tokyo, Buenos Aires, and Istanbul. How you like him now?

Earlier this year, Pronsato released Why Can’t We Be Like Us (on Germany’s Hello?Repeat), a triumph of leftfield dance music loaded with Villalobos-level musicality and weirdness. That same label will be issuing a 12-inch, Nobody Calls, in September. Hear a snippet of the track—featuring the understated, electro-soul vocals of Bruno’s Seattle bro Caro (aka Randy Jones). It bears Pronsato’s trademark eerie atmospheres, odd percussion accents, and subliminally sensual rhythm. You can also check out an excerpt of the B-side, the strangely erotic “Where’d You Learn to Kiss That Way.”

Go to Pronsato’s website for more info regarding his future projects and tour dates. Unfortunately, Bruno won’t be playing this year’s Decibel Festival, although he will be performing with renowned Perlon Records producer Sammy Dee as Half Hawaii in San Francisco Oct. 11.

Bruno Pronsato’s “There’s Galaxies Better”

Radiohead at White River Amphitheatre

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^{photo by Piper Carr}

^{photo by Piper Carr}

Listen closely, it’s not an echo—the repetition of a sound after its source. With “Top Billin’,” the word or words are heard before their source. The movement is not from real to ghostly, from life to afterlife, but from ghostly to real, from afterlife to life. It is the sonic version of raising the dead. And I can think of no other rapper who used this special magic, this other kind of dub—the echo as its opposite.

In this week’s Stranger, Michealangelo Matos pits Ryan Adams and Oasis (who share a bill this Tuesday at the WaMu Theater) in a little media mouth-off tête-à-tête (bouche-à-bouche?):

Vices, They’ve Had a Few

ADAMS: Came clean on his Tumblr recently: “I used to take drugs and drink … I, like most [A]mericans, would seek some kind of peaceful bliss after a bone crushing day. I only used speedballs (snorted not shot) at the end of my drug use, which was parallel to my last romance. I am in recovery for both things.”

OASIS: Liam, speaking from over-experience, recently called drug-troubled rockers Pete Doherty (Babyshambles) and Tom Chaplin (Keane) “posh lightweights”: “They have one little line, they have one burn and they’re all in rehab.” He was kinder to Amy Winehouse: “[S]he’s young so I’d be probably doing the same thing, except for twice the drugs.” As for Noel, when he was invited to meet Tony Blair in 1997, he asked the newly elected Prime Minister how he’d managed to stay awake all night watching the election; Blair replied, “Probably not by the same means as you did.”

WINNER: Oasis. Adams went through the wringer, but George W. Bush never cracked cocaine jokes at his expense.

It’s good, clean fun.

Today, Stereogum reports that not-quite-recovered Internet addict (and perpetual oversharer) Adams has posted some suggestions on how to enjoy his upcoming shows with the Gallagher brothers (oddly, nothing about not requesting Bryan Adams songs):

1. If you come to see us with OASIS, awesome, remember it’s their game and we’re there too, but their crowd are deep and loyal like us all are to our scene so be nice and also, you know, expect when they play for plenty of singing along- they got mad hits. (also, we prob won’t play wonderwall at an OASIS show- too weird- but i might just be saying that to be contrary (which I love)

2. At our shows, please remember, not everyone who comes knows how this all works. How Cardinals shows are about FANS first and CARDINALS second and if there are some new folks there who want to hear “come pick me up” and get weird, if it upsets you, just be polite and maybe remind them “Ryan is really deaf in one ear and heard of hearing in general so he just can’t hear you,” you know, or whatever.

3. Be kind to your neighbors. They might really have to use the men’s/women’s room- maybe you could be polite and hold their place and stuff- It’s nice when you guy’s have your own seats though. It makes me feel like we are actually like showing you guy’s a movie of a concert we are editing as we play. Also, long shows are tiring and some people are older than others or maybe they have challenges and I think it’s okay for rock to happen where people can sit,

plus we know you know they can’t tell where the weed is coming from if your’re all sitting and trust me, i can smell that stuff up there. smells like a honey cave.

Elsewhere in the post, he uses the word “folks” a lot and describes his new stage setup, which he guarantees will cause you to “poop- srsly ha when you see of the shit we are gonna use.”

Ah well, at least the man loves Superchunk (and after effects):

Sugar rush: New Coldplay album in the works

Catering to the collector nerds: The Decemberists announce new vinyl

Free music is bad: Varying verdicts on the penalties of piracy

Free music is good: Sheryl Crow gives free music to new voters

Harmful to children pt. 1: Gary Glitter’s international journey

Harmful to children pt. 2: Teenage killer inspired by Slipknot?

Chris Littlefield is one of the best musicians in Seattle. Period. When he plays his trumpet and his flugelhorn, his sound dives into your ear. There, cities are made to your inner specifications as quadrants in the whole of the flow. Chris Littlefield is a complete player. His tone, his ear, his phrasing, his presence, and his stream of confidence are all there. His playing is able yet patient, appropriate as the centerpiece yet unafraid to support from the periphery if need be.

Chris is a Seattle musical mainstay. His present endeavors include Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe, Olympic Sound Collective, Soul Provider, and his main focus Blusirkut, where he does more writing, producing, and experimenting with electronics.

Wednesdays he plays at Lo-Fi with SEAllective (formerly Dasrut) and Thursdays, Chris is part of the Fremont ToST Institution of Marmalade.

Chris’ instruments of choice are the B flat trumpet made by Lawler Trumpets in Florida and the Yamaha 731-ST flugelhorn. Besides Miles Davis, his favorite trumpet players are Woody Shaw, Freddy Hubbard, and Lee Morgan. Chuck Mangione’s “Feel So Good” is the song that convinced Chris he wanted to play flugelhorn.

I caught up with the man Chris himself before playing a Marmalade set to talk flugelhorn. He displays, plays, and talks about embouchure and spit valves.

Joseph Shikany—who played guitar and bass in Seattle-area rock groups Magic Bus, the Davanos, PowerCell, and others—died Monday in Spokane after being struck by a falling tree, Seattle Times reports. He was 58.

Below, Shikany plays a cover of ZZ Top’s “La Grange” with Spike & the Impalers.

Ball of Wax Audio Quarterly is hosting its 13th edition release show at the Sunset Tavern tomorrow.

That’s Thursday, 8/21. 8:00 PM. $6 (includes a copy of Volume 13).

The show will have performances by Southside, Smile Brigade, Virgin of the Birds, Jon Garcia and the Best Laid Plans, Bret Phillips, St. Rainbow, and Olie Eshleman.

Ring leader Levi Fuller spoke about this 13th edition:

What’s this one like?
Levi: This one is the Parental Advisory edition. When George Carlin passed away recently, I wanted to do some sort of tribute. This is that tribute in very teeny, infinitesimal way. Carlin brought us The Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television. Those words are shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, and tits. I wanted to have a Ball of Wax full of songs containing these and other inappropriate words.

How was the response?
Huge. I got a wonderful response, including some songs that people already had at the ready and some written and recorded just for me. Meyercord’s “Shit on My Heart” is a favorite, featuring all seven words plus a couple. The new volume of Ball of Wax contains fifteen FCC-inappropriate tracks, ranging from a tossed off “fuck” here and there to a full on dirty-ass rap or two. Not for sensitive ears, this one.

This past weekend I flew back to my home town of Sacramento, Ca. for a friend’s wedding. During that trip I decided to stop at a couple local record stores to see if I could find any hidden disco gems tucked away in the stacks. I always love going to a small city record store where there isn’t a hint of a disco scene, you’re bound to pick up at least a few classic records for a ridiculous cheap price. I found the same true when I made stops in Portland and Tacoma this past year. That being said, I did pick-up many great disco finds including Revanche’s 1979 Music Man LP, John Davis & The Monster Orchestra’s Up Jumped The Devil and Ain’t That Enough For You LP’s, Loleatta Holloway’s classic “Loleatta” LP, Taka Boom’s 1979 self-titled LP, as well as many others. However, maybe the overall best find of the weekend came when I picked Two Tons Of Fun’s 1980 self-titled disco classic. Two Tons Of Fun where one of those groups I had heard about a lot, but unfortunitely hadn’t checked out, so when I came across the record I thought I would give it a listen. From start to finish I was pretty blown away with a very reminiscent sound similiar to Sylvester, whom the two singers Izora Armstead and Martha Wash orginally sang back-up vocals for. Overall, the record is pretty solid with classic cuts like “I Got The Feeling”, “Earth Can Be Just Like Heaven”, and “One-Sided Love Affair”. I highly recommend the record if your a fan of Sylvester’s early releases. That being said, it was a nice weekend of great finds in a small city.

Download Two Tons Of Fun’s 1980 disco classic “I Got The Feeling” by visiting this site.

If this has already been posted, then my apologies, but easily the best thing on the entire Internet today is Chromeo’s appearance on Live From Daryl’s House, the monthly series where the Hall & Oates member brings in guests to chat about music and of course, play live. It’s raining outside, but this is sunshine coming at you through the tubes.

[via Jizosh]

Never thought I’d read that headline: Ricky Martin fathers twins

Internet vs. the music biz pt. 1: Warner consultant proposes blanket license for digital music

Internet vs. the music biz pt. 2: Bradford Cox fucked up

Asshole alert: Lennon’s murderer speaks

More tempting than SXSW: Austin’s Fun Fun Fun Fest

Couldn’t they get Kerry King in a jockstrap? For me?: Metal Dudes offers first metal male modeling site

Saxophonist LeRoi Moore died yesterday at the age of 46. His death was a result of injuries he suffered from an ATV accident back in June, although the press statement did not specify exactly how he died.

There is not an instrument I despise more in the rock and roll context than the saxophone. For example, my least favorite song of all time is “Old Time Rock and Roll” by Bob Seger, thanks mostly to that sax solo. I’m sure Clarence Clemons is solid enough guy, but he’s kept me from ever truly appreciating the Boss. Don’t get me wrong, the saxophone is not inherently shitty – I love me some Coltrane. And there are several rock bands that have used the sax tastefully and interestingly (Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower, Mars Volta, to name a few), but 99% of the time the rock/sax combo is all Bob Seger, and it makes me want to stab out my ears.

I know it is monumentally uncool to admit to it, but there was a time deep in my adolescence when I could get down with some DMB. It was short lived, only until I was introduced to the wide world of independent music, but there’s still a soft spot. The pro-DMB outpouring on the Stereogum message board is a bit baffling considering that site’s usual indie commenter snark, but it would seem that “soft spot” is more commonplace than I would have thought. Though I haven’t listened to their records in years, and don’t plan to ever again, I can remember back to the time when I did, and realize that my feelings toward LeRoi Moore’s saxophone are decidedly out of step with my opinion of rock saxophone in general. When it came time for me to leave DMB behind and never speak their name again, it had nothing to do with the saxophone of LeRoi Moore.

Neil Young: “Hey hey, my my, vinyl records will never die”

How many times have we read this story (the latest version appears in the LA Times as “Vinyl Records Make a Return”; off day at the headline-writing desk) in the last few years? Many, my friends, many. And yet I can’t get enough of it, I never fail to get all tingly and misty-eyed, no matter how often the tale’s spun.

Pronounced dead in the 1980s by the record moguls who made their fortunes with it in order to usher in the era of COMPACT DISCS! PERFECT SOUND FOREVER!, vinyl keeps on returning to favor among young music freaks while analog-forever advocates who never gave up on the format continue to keep eBay hoppin’ and used-record shops solvent. In an ironic/schadenfreude-y twist in the vinyl saga, even corporate behemoths like Capitol/EMI are jumping on the groovy bandwagon. Coming soon to a YouTube near you: vinyl rekkids dancing on CDs’ graves.

From Melinda Newman’s LAT story:

“I have family friends whose 10-year-olds are asking for turntables,” said Tom “Grover” Biery, Warner Bros. Records’ executive vice president of promotion and the Burbank-based label’s vinyl guru…

Biery’s light bulb moment came three years ago when Neil Young came to Warner Bros. to play his greatest hits album for the staff. “At the end of it,” Biery recalled, “he did a whole speech about how sound matters and someone needs to stand up for sound.”

How novel: a record label caring about sound.

Okay, who’s going to pony up $60 for Geffen’s 10-year-anniversary, 180-gram vinyl reissue of Beck’s Odelay?

Forget getting a face tattoo. It’s time for your tongue tatt. Yes. Think about it, it makes sense. The rest of your body is already covered, where else can you go with fresh ink? The tongue. How much fun would you have at parties or in the fruit section of the grocery store sticking out your tongue to reveal a double helix? Or maybe you could get a tongue tatt of Batman reading a book while relaxing on a lounge chair.

Tongue tattoos aren’t wrong. Ink up your tongue and be you.

A man in a band called Killgasm is thinking about getting a tongue tattoo. He says he’s either going to get a cinder block or a viper’s head. I say viper’s head. Or why not really fuck with it, and get a viper reading a book while relaxing on a lounge chair? I mean, you’re getting a tongue tattoo, don’t be boring with it. You’d have more fun sticking your tongue out if the viper were reading a book on a lounge chair.

There’s a place in LA that does the tongue tattoos. Graphic designer Curtis McMurty has developed a Tongue-Dyed Tattoo Technology. He says it has the same durability as a regular tattoo. He also says the tongue tattoos can come with tastes like chocolate, vanilla, or garlic. They also say getting a tongue tattoo hurts like absolute fucking hell.

The first person to have the procedure done was Egrett Emry, who has a depiction of vomit (it was a toss-up between that and an “Eat Me” graphic). Emry’s roommate acknowledged that Emry’s first week after getting it done has been “a real tongue twister. He really sucks at taking phone messages.”

by tae.rhee

TV on the Radio - “Wolf Like Me”

TV on the Radio are playing Seattle Saturday, September 6th and the nice folks at Showbox Sodo are giving away a pair of tickets to two lucky Line Out readers!

To enter, send your full name and e-mail address to lineout@thestranger.com with TVOTR in the subject line. Two winners will be picked at random, all entries must be received by 3 pm Wednesday afternoon.

The winners have been notified, the tickets are gone. Thanks to everyone who entered!

One of the guys that made this:

is going to be at Vito’s tonight, for this week’s edition of Made (the generally free weekly that started up a few months ago). Andy Toth, aka Dr. Toefinger, is no longer part of the Detroit Grand Pubahs, but he’s still putting out music on his label, People Mover Productions (it’s nowhere near as humor-filled, but still decent stuff). Since I never got to see the Pubahs (other than on Groovetech), this’ll have to do. For only $3, you should do the same.

Bus Stops Flawlessly Mimicking the Grand Face of Arena Rock Fire: A Conversation With That Fire.

This morning a drunk man named Hank treated the people waiting for the downtown 2 bus to Guns N’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle”. Hank’s version was “Welcome to the Jumble”. He definitely knew the next section, “We’ve got fun and games”. The games clearly being word puzzle games, such as jumbles. Then he sped loudly into, “You learn to liiiive like an aaaanimal in the jungle where we play”. And there, he faded into a bit of a mumble, but knew the melody. “You gotta take it eventually”. He ended with, “That’s the place where I’ll make my stand,” petering into a light hum. When the chorus came around again, he was back on track. “Welcome to Jumble, baby, you’re gonna diiiieeeeee. Jumble, welcome to the Jumble, it’s gonna take you doown…. Huh”.

Others were bothered by Hank. A few of us soaked him in. The arena of his CD Walkman headphones was packed. He ducked under a wet baseball hat and a hood so you couldn’t see his eyes. He made the mistake of nudging into a lawyerly looking man who was reading the paper. After Hank slinked into his space and made contact, the man ripped his paper away in complete disgust. I spoke to the lawyerly man:

Is he at this stop often?
Lawyerly looking man: Tuesdays and Thursdays.

You don’t think he adds color to the city?
I think he needs help.

What do you do?
I’m a judge.

Then I spoke to Hank:

Do you like Jumbles?
Hank: I love jumbles.

Do you like Guns N’ Roses?
I love Guns N’ Roses.

Who’s your favorite band?
Jim Croce. Operator, won’t you help me place this call.

Do you know that guy over there is a judge?
That guy over there is a total asshole. He’s here on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Usually he’s doin a jumble.

The Dead Science has posted a mixtape, School of Villainy on their website today in advance of their forthcoming album Villainaire (due out 9/2). I had some trouble downloading the first mixtape, but the “originals” have downloaded just fine; the excerpts of Sam Mickens’ Stranger interview with the RZA are particularly curious.

School of Villainy (The Digga Crates Real Deal) Mixtape:

INTRO
MODERN VAMPIRES
VILLVILLE
DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
GREY DIAMONDS
MAKE MINE MARVEL (CRAIG DUB PLATE) FEAT. CRAIG WEDREN
THRONE OF BLOOD RMX FEAT. ZAC PENNINGTON & KATRINA FORD
INTERLUDE
GARDEN WALL
MAKE MINE MARVEL RMX FEAT. CARLA BOZULICH
HEAVEN ON THEIR MINDS (EXCERPT)
CLEMENCY (FREDDY RUPPERT HOUSE MIX)
ADRIAN DESCANT
IMPLIED VIOLENCE RADIO PLAY-“A GHOST ON THE BOAT”
MAKE MINE MARVEL (REMIX)
THE APOLLONIAN
OUTRO

also available for free download:

School of Villainy (The Originals) Mixtape:

RZA #1
INTRO
DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
THRONE OF BLOOD RMX FEAT. ZAC PENNINGTON & KATRINA FORD
VILLVILLE
RZA #2
GARDEN WALL
MAKE MINE MARVEL(CRAIG DUB PLATE) FEAT. CRAIG WEDREN
HEAVEN ON THEIR MINDS (EXCERPT)
RZA #3
MAKE MINE MARVEL RMX FEAT. CARLA BOZULICH
INTERLUDE
GREY DIAMONDS
RZA #4
CLEMENCY (FREDDY RUPPERT HOUSE MIX)
IMPLIED VIOLENCE RADIO PLAY-“A GHOST ON THE BOAT”
RZA #5
MODERN VAMPIRES
ADRIAN DESCANT
MAKE MINE MARVEL (REMIX)
THE APOLLONIAN
RZA #6
OUTRO
RZA #7

Download both, and check out the schedule for their “Villainaire Festival of Culture” (9/1-9/7) at http://www.thedeadscience.com/.

Blind Pilot - “Go On, Say It”

Randy B., Blind Pilot, Sonic Smith
(Blue Moon) At the risk of starting—or, more accurately, perpetuating—the rivalry between the Emerald and Rose Cities, Blind Pilot sound like a Seattle band. While a legion of Portland musicians labors industriously in dark basements to bring you crafty, hand-sewn, hand-drawn and seemingly hand-recorded works of lo-fi, folk-tinged crochet-rock, their neighbors in this modest duo have delivered a dazzling unassuming album that wears its heart on its fully realized sleeve and is capable of devastating listeners at 20 paces. The most quietly confident purveyors of wounded folk-pop to emerge from Portland since Elliott Smith, they are a band that are—gasp—more than worth the trek to the Blue Moon. BARBARA MITCHELL

UPDATE: Blind Pilot were originally scheduled to play the Blue Moon, but the band is now playing at the High Dive. The show at the Blue Moon will go on, though, and like every show at the Blue Moon, it’s free.

Also tonight (with songs from the Stranger’s Bands Pages):

Hypatia Lake at King Cobra
“Fishes vs. Lines” by Hypatia Lake

Dance Music for Depressed People at Chop Suey
“Friday 13” by DMFDP

The Purrs at the Tractor Tavern
“Waiting for the Asteroid” by the Purrs

This is how they roll in Queens, NYC, apparently. Step up your game, Seattle.

Tip: Wall of Sound

So good: New Destiny’s Child album?

Passing the torch: Neil Young touring with Wilco and Death Cab

RIAA killed the web radio star pt. 1: No more Pandora

RIAA killed the web radio start pt. 2: Muxtape gets shut down

Fat Mike gets political: NOFX play Punk In Drublic at DNC

You might have noticed that Line Out has added some new names to our Friends of Line Out blogroll over the weekend. Some introductions:

20 Jazz Funk Greats, Bristol, UK’s premiere space disco/nu italo/industrial noise/8-bit hyper rave concern.

Dip Dip Dive, the once and temporary home of Tom Breihan, formerly of Pitchfork and Village Voice blog Status Ain’t Hood, currently working on some top-secret serious business.

Last Plane to Jakarta, the online home of Mountain Goats lyricist and master of Master of Reality, John Darnielle.

Mudd Up!, the globally-minded media and musings of DJ/Rupture.

Tiny Lucky Genius aka the Unicorn’s Tear, care of Jessica Hopper, currently at work on a book, whose essay “Emo: Where the Girls Aren’t” is required reading.

The Loom of Ruin, proprietor Sam McPheeters, formerly of Born Against and Men’s Recovery Project, currently of hilarious.

Blissblog, by Simon Reynolds, author of Energy Flash (aka Generation Ecstacy), Rip it Up & Start Again, The Sex Revolts (with Joy Press), and more.

Philip Sherburne, the blog of the eponymous Portlander, DJ, and resident techno advisor to Pitchfork.

Sasha Frere-Jones, an (again eponymous) blog, consisting mostly of photos and timely links from everyone’s favorite race-baiting funky white guy, New Yorker pop music critic Sasha Frere-Jones.

Hipster Runoff, a blog whose daily satirization of “hipster” culture makes Adbusters look like tired, old (but glossy) toilet paper.

(We’ve also had to let a couple friends go, including Nick Sylvester’s blog Riff Market and the anonymous Gerard vs Bear, both of which are internet gold but have been dormant since February and April, respectively.)

We missing anyone?

*Note: these people may not actually be all my (or Line Out’s) friends.

Occasionally, Paul Constant takes a book out for a lunch date on the Slog. Sometimes, I too read books. Frequently, while listening to music. Every once in a while, the book/record combo will just click. When that happens, and as the mood strikes me, I may make a point of letting Line Out know about it.

This weekend, I was finally reading The Thing About Life Is That One Day You’ll Be Dead by David Shields. I tore through it, but it still took the duration of several records. One record fit perfectly: Alopecia by Why? The obvious common thread here is, of course, death. Shields works out his morbid fixations with precise biological and biographical detail; Why?’s Yoni Wolf exorcises his using more oblique strategies—recurring poetic images and themes; cold, hollow tonal spaces. There are other connections—looming father figures (although that’s more pronounced on Why?’s “Fall Saddles” from Elephant Eyelash than it is on Alopecia), sexual urges and their resulting moral conflicts, basketball courts, Judaica, atheism. Also, they’re both excellent. Alopecia (and, really, everything by Why?) is pretty lyrically dense, which can sometimes make for a distracting reading soundtrack, but if you’re already accustomed to its songs (as you should be), it’s easy enough, and a fine pairing.

With tropical rain storms in Florida dominating the news as of late, I thought I would post one of my favorite “tropical disco”(Obviously a made-up genre) songs in Ottawan’s 1979 disco classic “D.I.S.C.O.”. When I first heard the track, I admit that it took me a little time to get into some of the song’s vocals, however over the past few weeks I’ve started to warm up to them and really get into the entire production. An interesting side note to this song, is that it was produced Daniel Vangarde, father of Thomas Baltanger from Daft Punk. If the sunshine ever decides to come back to Seattle, “D.I.S.C.O.” might make for a nice addition to those “end of summer” dance mixes.


Download Ottawan’s 1979 disco classic “D.I.S.C.O.” and more by visiting this site.

Am I pleased?

Yes, I’m pleased to know Navarro is watching my shit.

RIP pt. 1: Rhythm & Blues creator dies at 91

Boner repellant: Malaysian Muslims deem Avril Lavigne too sexy

In case you missed it the first time: Radiohead and Coldplay vinyl reissues delayed

Hoping both file for bankruptcy: 30 Seconds To Mars sued by record label

Back from the grave: Rocket From The Crypt releases rarities

RIP pt. 2: Ronnie Drew of The Dubliners passes at age 73

2008 DECIBEL FESTIVAL FINALE

Supermayer (Cologne) : Debut Seattle DJ Set - Kompakt

The Bug featuring Warrior Queen (London): Debut Seattle Live Set - Ninja Tune, Rephlex, Tigerbeat6

Flying Lotus (Los Angeles): Live - Warp, Plug Research Records

Fax (Mexicali) : Live - Static Discos

Sunday, Sept. 28th @ Neumos - $20 presale / $25 at the door - Doors open at 8pm / 21+

Damn!

All photos from The Stranger’s Flickr Pool. See more shots here.

^{Brothers of the Sonic Cloth by shinymama}

^{Sing Sing at the McLeod Residence by Lauren Max}

^{Mt. Eerie at the Vera Project by Joseph Peter}

^{Hot Mess at the War Room by piojin}

New Earache Records signing Oceano recently had several photographs deleted from their MySpace page for being “too violent.” You can view five of those controversial pics here. (You can view one of those scandalous shots after the cut.)

The holocaustic-metal Chicago quintet—self-described as “the angriest band on the planet,” and only a fool would argue with them—are not scheduled to play Seattle in the foreseeable future.

Continue reading "Band Photos Too Graphic for MySpace" »

As often happens, a friend recently asked me if I’d heard any good music lately. (Sometimes I’m an asshole and say, “No, none at all. Why don’t you be a dear and make some?”) But this time I said, “Debashish Bhattacharya.” He said, “Gesundheit.” I said, “Ha,” then punched him in the solar plexus, before explaining in tedious detail why Debashish Bhattacharya is the bomb—even if his name sounds like a rare wasting disease you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.

I discovered Debashish Bhattacharya in March through his album Calcutta Chronicles: Indian Slide Guitar Odyssey (Riverboat Records). Bhattacharya also used to play with John McLaughlin’s excellent Indo-jazz fusion ensemble Remember Shakti.

I didn’t know much at all about Indian slide guitar (to my ephemeral shame), but after listening to Calcutta Chronicles, I realize that you really haven’t lived until you’ve heard a pandit (master) play Indian slide guitar. It is some the most beautiful music ever conceived. In fact, it may be too beautiful.

At times when listening to Calcutta Chronicles, I feel unworthy of being in the presence of such beauty. I feel as if I’m going to simply dissolve in my own tears. This feeling is akin to looking at a stunningly gorgeous person and realizing that you will never get within whiffing distance of him/her. A chronic ache in your marrow forms and you understand that frustration can infiltrate you like a toxic gas.

But back to Calcutta Chronicles. The nine ragas mostly move at a stately pace: Subhasis Bhattacharya’s leisurely tabla slaps buttress Debashish’s crystalline notes, which gently sob, sigh and then gracefully curve into the loving embrace of Swati Biswas and Sukanya Battacharya’s tamboura drones, spurring contemplation of humanity’s deepest emotions. (They may also provoke Pavlovian pangs for vegetable biryani.)

Debashish isn’t burning up his fret board on Calcutta Chronicles (except in the ravishing “Aviskaar” and “Maya”), but rather caressing it with tenderness and profound knowledge passed down from centuries of raga pandits. His playing is one of the purest manifestations of peace through sound I’ve ever heard.

The Punks - “Air it Out”

The Punks, Talbot Tagora, Catatonic Youth
(Vera Project) With more employee turnover than an airport Starbucks, the Punks, whose current members are split between Brooklyn and Portland, are a textbook example of resilience. Through the toils of losing seven members over their five-year tenure, the Punks have persevered, and continue to create a haunting and complex sound. Plenty of delay, ethereal ghostlike vocals, and steady heartbeat rhythms on the floor tom act as the backbone for dirty layers of noise. The trio’s sound will so intensely pierce your ears, you’ll feel like a 12-year-old at Claire’s. Though Catatonic Youth also sees nothing wrong with a little delay pedal here and there, the one man band’s perfect mix of thick noise over fun punk anthems will also please fans of the less abstract. CASEY CATHERWOOD

Find today’s complete music listings here.

Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter played at the Mural Stage this past Friday (thanks to KEXP). The weather was gold and the songs were jewels. The Maldives opened and were shining as well. Pedal steel player Chris Zasche painted lines with his notes, then sank them into the other instruments. Coloring and complementing, showing faces here and there. Zasche sat in with Jesse and band for a few and was perfect.

The Spinning Man was there. I call him the Spinning Man. You may have seen him around at other free shows. He takes whatever concert he attends to another level. Most people at the Mural Stage were sitting or lounging on the grass. Not the Spinning Man. The Spinning Man was up, doing his thunder chicken truck dance. The Spinning Man ain’t afraid.

The Spinning Man is a combination of Hulk Hogan, Willie Nelson, and Michelle Kwan. His technique is to hold one arm out and do a head shake like he’s trying to get rid of his brain. If you are lucky, he spins. Majestically and gracefully, with the skill of a ballerina on swan lake.

Please now, enjoy two shots of the Spinning Man, then Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter playing “Hard Not to Believe”:

A frustrated Partman Parthorse kicked off the final night of Total Fest, struggling with amps, microphones, cables, sound guys. As usual, singer Gary Smith undressed down to a pair of ripped black underpants, giving the audience and his band a strip tease as he crooned. He was noticeably frustrated with the situation after “driving seven fucking hours to get here,” and tore around the stage, demanding the mic be turned louder and louder until it was clipping with every scream of “Don’t fuck with the horse, you’ll get the hu-hu-hooves.”

Next were the Limbs, a one-man band from Denver. With an electric guitar, harmonica, kick, snare, tambourine, and hi-hat, you would never be able to tell without looking that there wasn’t a full band on stage. Bellingham’s the Narrows slowed things down with a set of heavy, brooding rock. Maybe it was just seeing them out in the country, but their sound would make a perfect score to the Jim Jarmusch movie Dead Man. I enjoy slow, droney music as much as the next guy, but I usually end up wishing after about ten minutes that I had someplace comfortable to sit down. The downstairs Palace stage at the Badlander is a giant room literally filled with couches. Best festival ever. Upstairs, the Trucks were the first band of the weekend to really get the crowd dancing. An unexpected but awesome moment was Kristen Allen-Zito letting out a staggering death metal scream of “No I won’t sit nice and be quiet!” They played two new songs that signaled some maturation in their songwriting without sacrificing any of the fun.

Tom Glose of Portland’s Black Elk is a salty old dog. That man has about the worst attitude as anyone I’ve ever seen. Once again there were problems with the microphones, and much like the singer of Partman Parthorse, Glose got pretty mad about it. Deciding to keep with the earlier band’s routine, he began stripping off his clothes as well. By the second song he had gotten completely naked, save for a strip of duct tape in his ass crack and another across his legs and dick. The audience shared some obvious discomfort at the sight of the agitated naked man, but it was quickly overpowered by the sheer dominance of the band’s performance. Black Elk played a brutal, dominating set. Somehow that bitter old bastard didn’t seem out of place screaming his guts out with his dangle bouncing around for everyone to see (and photograph). It almost seemed to push the band’s performance to a higher level.

A level that was then immediately matched, if not surpassed by San Francisco’s Triclops!. This band kicks and unbelievable amount of ass. They are a hybrid of punk and prog, in your face and screaming when the Mars Volta would be off noodling. Singer Johnny No’s spirit animal is a jackal, and to him the audience is raw meat. He spent as much time on top of the crowd as in front of it, wailing through a vocal effects pedal. Their debut record Out of Africa is great, one of my favorite rock records of the year, but it doesn’t nearly do the band’s live performance justice. I couldn’t help but wonder if Johnny watched the set before, if he knew how many times Glose wiped the sweat from his ass crack and balls and then smeared it all over the mic. If there was any guy at Total Fest who wouldn’t care though, it would probably be Johnny.

Having done time in the Bellingham music scene, I’ve been a big Federation X fan for years. They never got the respect they deserved as a great Northwest band, but I guess they also were never really striving to get it. It was odd then to have them headlining the final night of such a huge festival, with their performance being touted as their only show of 2008. Other than friends from Bellingham, I’ve never met any out-and-out Fed X fans, so it was a pleasant surprise to see a full crowd of people dancing and chanting along to their songs. The band was obviously and sometimes painfully rusty, like when they butchered my favorite song of theirs “Gone Too Long,” but the crowd didn’t really seem to mind. Eventually the band hit their stride and nailed the first two tracks off of American Folk Horror to end the set. I don’t even know if Federation X would have even gotten a sing along in Bellingham, but in Missoula their performance was an excuse for an excited crowd to go all out. It was a pleasantly unexpected end to a not-unexpectedly fantastic festival. The amount of grass-roots planning and hard work that went in to Total Fest by the music lovers of Missoula and Wantage Records is an exemplary and all too rare feat. It was an oasis of awesome in an otherwise dog shit summer. Big thanks to Lou and Wendy for letting me and my crew crash their house for three beer-soaked days. We had a hell of a time.

After their tough haul of a move, and several years of being the only record store not in the game, Capitol Hill’s Everyday Music is finally hosting in-stores! Obviously shows at record stores rule because their free, but their almost always all-ages which is awesome too!

A pretty exciting show is happening at the store’s new location on Broadway & Pine tonight at five PM, with the enchanting, Americana-Rock unit from Salt Lake City, Band of Annuals. Country isn’t really my pleasure zone, but one listen to the group’s newest album, Let Me Live, was all it took to get me excited about tomorrow’s show. Sometimes there’s nothing more heartbreaking than vocal harmonization, and on top of perfectly textured Wurlitzer organ with soft and swinging guitars, the bearded dudes, and lone gal, from Band of Annuals have a couple pair of pipes that might make you want break into tears. It’s the perfect Sunday occasion, so bring the kids, come at five, and get pumped for more in-stores at EM in the upcoming future!

Preview the band’s music at their myspace page!