
You can listen to the podcast and read an interview with Landstrumm here (you must register with RA in order to gain access to it; it's free and painless). But hurry, as these podcasts live only for a couple weeks on the site.
Nothing is happening tonight.


Not. A God. Damn. Thing.
Sorry.
(And it's not happening tonight at The War Room, doors at 9pm. The incredible photos are all Kevin Kauer's fault! More after the jump.)

It's called Message to Garcia. I wrote about the woman who made it in this week's paper. If you are a fan of rock n' roll, it will kick your face in with pleasure.
Full Rachel Flotard/Visqueen/Message to Garcia word-explosion here.
And you may hear Message to Garcia's smashing "Janitor's Waltz" —my favorite MTG track—below.
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Tickets (available here) range from $25-$350, and all proceeds will be split evenly between the three campaigns.
In last issue's interview with renowned BBC Radio DJ Mary Anne Hobbs, I asked her about the dearth of female producers in dubstep and its bass-heavy offshoots. She said if you know where to look, women, to paraphrase Renegade Soundwave, are not only responding to bass, but they’re making music that uses a lot of the stuff, too. Below are the names she dropped on me. Now I’m passing them on to you for your own exploration.
50 should really smack down Amy Winehouse. And her new "Jewmaican" and "smoke bacon" rhyme. Eesh. Maybe Ames should stick to baby mice?



More photos after the jump...
Some next level shit...
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Just follow SEAshows, The Stranger's Twitter feed of ticket info for Seattle's music scene, and get instant information from dozens of local clubs, including their latest show date additions, ticket sale information, and even pre-sale passwords.
Listening to Neu!’s “Hallogallo” recently, it struck me that this song was an incredible way to launch one’s recording career. It also spurred me to ponder the idea of groups and solo artists bowing into the recording sphere with a sonic nuclear bomb. It’s crazy (and wonderful, too) to realize that some groups peak with the first song they issue into the world.
So below I’ve compiled some opening tracks from debut releases that qualify for that hallowed pantheon of songs that announces to the world, “Head’s up, motherfuckers! We’re gonna be important!”—which is not to say that I think every song here represents these artists’ peaks, although sometimes they do.
Just as interesting to consider is the number of classic artists whose initial efforts don’t merit inclusion here (ymmv, of course): The Beatles, the Kinks, the Rolling Stones, Captain Beefheart, Black Dice, Animal Collective, Tim Buckley, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, My Bloody Valentine, Primal Scream, etc.
Contribute your ideas in comments, if you’re so inclined.
*Indicates an album’s first track after what I consider an insignificant “Intro.”
Neu!- “Hallogallo” (Neu!)
Kraftwerk- “Ruckzuck” (Kraftwerk)
Funkadelic- “Mommy, What’s a Funkadelic?” (Funkadelic)
Hawkwind- “Hurry On Sundown” (Hawkwind)
Can- “Father Cannot Yell” (Monster Movie)
Roxy Music- “Remake/Remodel” (Roxy Music)
The Velvet Underground- “Sunday Morning” (The Velvet Underground & Nico)
Jimi Hendrix Experience- “Purple Haze” (Are You Experienced)
The Who- “I Can’t Explain” (I Can’t Explain 7”)
M.I.A.- “Galang” (Galang EP)
Public Enemy- “You’re Gonna Get Yours” (Yo! Bum Rush the Show!)
Mercury Rev- “Chasing a Bee” (Yerself Is Steam)
The Move- “Night of Fear” (single)
LCD Soundsystem- “Losing My Edge” (Losing My Edge 12”)
Sunny Day Real Estate playing "Seven" on Jimmy Fallon:
Fallon seems sincerely giddy about their performance.
They play the Paramount on October 16th and it appears tickets are still available here.
Today in rock and roll history marks the birthday of Frankie Lymon (1942-1968): rhythm and blues singer, songwriter, precursor to Jackson Five-era Michael, heroin addict from the age of 15.
Lymon and his group The Teenagers are best remembered for the 1956 hit "Why Do Fools Fall in Love"— a song repeatedly appropriated by white artists that remained more successful in its original incarnation, a rare feat at the time that numbers among their many coups as an integrated group in a very racist America.
Check out this golden, vintage (and completely unscripted) clip from their first national television broadcast. Watch how his nervousness during the stilted dialogue flips to complete panache when he breaks into his trademark falsetto croon. Man, rock and roll has gone downhill since.
* Actual lyric; was in fact the original title of the song.
In Up & Coming:
Jack Penate, Miike Snow(Neumos) Last time Miike Snow (two dudes from Sweden and one dude from New York; the former, Bloodshy and Avant, responsible for producing Britney Spears's "Toxic," among other pop singles) rolled through town, I was fixated on their song "Animal" and its remixes (especially the Punks Jump Up version). Then as I was waiting in line recently at the coffee shop, this nagging, sunny, playfully descending guitar melody was playing, and I knew I had heard it before but couldn't place it (Peter Bjorn and John, maybe? No), so I asked, and it was Miike Snow's "Song for No One." It remains a great little melody, but it's not really much of a song, and the same might be true for "Animal," really. Jack Penate is British singer-songwriter, in the pejorative sense of the term. ERIC GRANDY
Toubab Krewe, Danny Godinez(Tractor) This is a jammy little lineup: Danny Godinez plays acoustic-guitar compositions that derive from the blues, but sound lighter, with little Latin touches and pop-song changes. It's groovy, but not in a bad way: harmonics and muted strings, picking out arpeggios and slapping the neck for rhythm. The worst that can be said about it is that it would make excellent background music on a warm winter night at an excellent outdoor restaurant run by Italians on a beach in the Caribbean. And that's not so bad. Toubab Krewe are a bunch of dudes from Asheville, North Carolina, who play instrumental Afrobeat with dashes of zydeco and surf rock. These guys spent a lot of time creating their website, and before you can read anything on it, you have to watch a stylized digital tree grow. Which seems a bit presumptuous. What if I don't want to sit and watch your tree grow, Toubab Krewe? Does that make me uptight or square or something? BRENDAN KILEY
Looking for more? Search a complete listing of shows and live music in Seattle with our online calendar.
Let's play a game of compare and contrast.
Today, Mike McGinn released a released a five-point arts and culture plan—including funding for arts and music education through the Families and Education Levy, a recognition that money for culture is an investment and not a handout (using some familiar language and figures), a pledge to fund individual artists, and backing for CODAC (a push to preserve arts spaces in gentrifying neighborhoods like Capitol Hill, which tend to lose arts spaces when the developers move in).
Dom's right—it's not city-shattering news, but it's specific and pointed in the right direction.
What does Joe Mallahan have to say about culture in Seattle?
Seattle could not be the great town that it is without our strong arts and cultural scene. As mayor, I will continue the city’s support of arts programs around the city, which leverage economic activity and increase the quality of life in Seattle. Support for arts, film, music and other cultural events will have an official place in my administration. Supporting arts is something we all need to do, especially the city, and I will continue to do that as mayor.
Well, that's nice. But... how? Willing to put any specifics on the table, Mr. Mallahan?
Seattle has a lot of artists and arts workers: employees of STG, the theaters, the ballet, the opera, the symphony, SAM, music venues, dance clubs, independent movie theaters, etc., etc. I'm guessing there are thousands of you out there—enough to throw a tight election.
Seattle also has a lot of arts money: board members and donors and subscribers who care about all those arts institutions.
Remember: You are a constituency. Ask yourselves throughout the next few weeks: Which candidate will represent your interests—the interests of culture and urbanity, which means money as well as quality of life and edification and, you know, fun—when he's in office?
UPDATE
Commenter Enigma says:
It's too bad the Stagehand Union followed the rest of the unions in endorsing Mallahan. Seems a bit misguided when the other unions only supported Joe cause of the tunnel, the Stagehands don't have much to gain out of that deal.
Brother-union solidarity has its place—but it'd be a shame if the stagehands threw themselves off a cliff for the sake of the trade unions. (And when was the last time the trades did theater workers a favor?)
A couple of bonus reader comments from this story on why organized labor has endorsed Mallahan, even though he comes from years as a vice-president at T-Mobile, a virulently anti-union business:
Oy! Considering I'm a former TMO worker (emphasis on FORMER), I dread Mallahan. If he runs this city like he ran TMO, we're in for a bad ride. TMO was the very definition of "ride employees until they break" and "no job is good enough."McGinn needs to get his head out of his ass and realize he's wasting time pissing and moaning about a tunnel. It's NOT the biggest issue on the table for Seattle. Bread and butter issues like AFFORDABLE housing (not just yuppie condos), environment, and living-wage work need attention.
Because the unions are corrupt, out-dated and run by the very same yuppies Mallahan represents. The unions do not have the interest of their members in mind - they have their own interests in mind.DON'T JOIN A UNION - FORM A UNION!
...Jared Swiley of the Black Lips' moronically homophobic "official" response:
“First of all, I just wanna say that Wavves was NOT involved in that fight. That faggot didn’t even touch me.I’ve never “come after” that kid, it wasn’t four a.m., that wasn’t my girlfriend, no one was spitting, and I didn’t attack him. I don’t give a shit about that kid and his music.
What happened was, after we finished our set I went to Daddy’s with some friends and saw that faggot from Wavves talking to a photographer friend of mine. The only thing I did was walk up to him and say “You’re that faggot from Wavves and I don’t like you”. He smiled a bit but didn’t say anything.
After that, I went outside and saw their tour manager hanging around with some guys. They started getting all chuckles with me and so I told them I wasn’t gonna have it. After that, Wavves tour manager hit me square in the face with a bottle. Blood started pouring out and six dudes fucking started kicking me until I blacked out.
All I remember is getting hit with the bottle and my friends dragging me to another bar. They wrapped my head up until I looked like a Confederate soldier.
So yeah, I lost the fight.
I also missed three flights. I’ve been in the airport all day having stewardesses cleaning my head because it kept cracking open. You can’t go on board if you’re bleeding.
Bottom line is that faggot from Wavves didn’t even hit me. Never touched me. And he should’ve, cuz he had a free shot.
He’s coming to Atlanta October 3rd and we’re gonna get ugly on him. We’re gonna destroy their van, we’re gonna destroy their faces, we’re gonna get crazy on em’. Nasty style.
Seriously. Fuck these clowns. Anyone playing in a "punk" band (fuck, let alone a "flower punk" band) who uses insinuations of homosexuality as an insult* (because, you know, being gay is weak and despicable and thank god "that faggot" never touched him, because, eww gross) is either an idiot or a homophobe or both. Dudes sure didn't seem too homophobic when they played hella gay faggot bar Pony in its original incarnation, so maybe Swiley just has the mind and the mouth of an 11-year-old elementary school drop-out. In any case, stay assy, Black Lips.
*This post dedicated to anonymous commenter #2.

Tomorrow at 1:00 p.m., City Attorney Tom Carr and challenger Pete Holmes will face off in Electionland to answer your questions. Here are the most popular questions so far:
Do you support WA Senate Bill 5615, which would reclassify adult possession of marijuana from a crime to a civil infraction? Why or why not?Would you be for encouraging the WLCB to allow later closing times for bars?
How would you advise the police handle noise complaints on established bars and clubs by home/condo owners in new buildings?
You can vote "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" on all the questions. And you can add new questions until 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
Triple Door discounts your bar tab 33 percent from 9 pm-close on Sundays through Thursdays; it also offers two happy hours during week nights, from 4 pm-6 pm and 9 pm-12 am.
"Any other rapper would've just done, 'Yay, we're partying! Let's drink and have fun,' but he gave it the edge I was looking for. You can hear in his voice, it sounds so dark, like he was gonna get shot or something when he walks out of the studio. So I was real happy that everyone involved got what we were going for."
hi
in the past couple of weeks i've been getting a band together for fun to play the eraser stuff live and the new songs etc.. to see if it could work!
here's a photo.. its me, joey waronker, mauro refosco, flea and nigel godrich.at the beginning of october the 4th and 5th we are going to do a couple of shows at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles.
we don't really have a name and the set will not be very long cuz ..well ...we haven't got that much material yet!
but come and check it out if you are in the area. we've also got locals Lucky Dragons playing.
all the best
Mercer has teamed up with producer extraordinaire/one half of Gnarls Barkley Danger Mouse to form a new band. The band's name is still up in the air, but they're going with Broken Bells for the time being. The debut from Broken Bells (or whichever name they decide to go with, I guess) is due early next year on Columbia.To be clear, this is not just a "produced by Danger Mouse" one-off thing. Mercer and the Mouse are apparently in it for the long haul and already have plans extending past their first album.
(Also.)
So, of course...

Mudhoney, Brothers of the Sonic Cloth (featuring TAD), and Unnatural Helpers are slated to play at Neumos Nov. 13 to celebrate the release of the book Grunge by Thurston Moore (text) and Michael Lavine (photos).
Wikipedia nails it with this description/history of grunge—in case you missed out on the movement while it was happening. The online encyclopedia thrusts you straight into the heart of it.
Catching up on the wacky Wavves vs Black Lips blood feud that's burning up the Internets has led me to an important realization: Wavves is lucky as hell to have Hella's Zach Hill as his new drummer. Just look how dude totally turns Wavves' poppy punk anthem "So Bored" into the fucking Zach Hill Animal Drums Show:

Current.com is streaming it for free, so you can try before you buy.
(Thanks to the lovely Sarah C. for the tip.)
To supplement Eric's post on his Decibel highlights, here are some of mine from days 3 and 4, written in serious post-fest hangover mode.
Sat. Sept. 26 Sole Repair
Spacetime Continuum (aka Jonah Sharpe): When I arrived, he was in the midst of some slate-gray Arctic ambience that was incongruous with the sunny 70º weather. Gradually, he let in some gently undulant rhythms, and things got narcotic and subaquatic, like Basic Channel on Quaaludes. Things became very beautiful near the end with a muted, melancholy guitar motif spangling above the frigid, stolid tower of dub rhythm. Overall, Sharpe crafted timeless, classic chill-in music.
Sat. Sept. 26 Neumos
Nosaj Thing achieved a brilliant balance between elegant melodies and rugged, glitchy rhythms (and weirdness and accessibility) with his hiphop of the near future (I predict he’s really going to blow up in 2010). His set had incredible dynamics, changing up every 45 seconds or so, but not in a jarring or annoying way.
Megasoid (aka Sixtoo, left-field hiphop producer renowned for his recordings on Ninja Tune, Vertical Form, and anticon.) peddled some chunky, gritty business, somewhere between ruffneck dancehall and glitch-hop. It was alpha-male bass music done with great finesse.
Daedelus—only caught about five minutes of his performance, but it seemed more manic and visceral than the previous times I’ve caught him. His sideburns and threads are still amazing, by the way.
Big regret: missed Mary Anne Hobbs. Many folks I spoke to raved about her brutal dubstep selections, although one notable local DJ said she was awful. He was in the distinct minority, though.
(More reviews after the cut.)
In Up & Coming:
The Blakes, the Purrs, Strong Killings(Neumos) If you think it's impossible to be a Britpop band from Seattle, you haven't heard the Blakes, who cheerfully chop up hooks and riffs from early Who/Kinks/Beatles to create shambling rockers all their own. Tonight's show celebrates the Blakes' brand-new LP, Souvenir, scheduled for release by Light in the Attic records on October 13. Opening the show: Seattle's Purrs, who pull their influences from a later era of Britpop; the band's forthcoming Amused, Confused, and More Bad News comes on like an eager-to-please Stone Roses, all psychedelic shimmer and guitar-driven melody. DAVID SCHMADER
Jeffrey Lewis & the Junkyard, Shilpa Ray and Her Happy Hookers(Tractor) Jeffrey Lewis's latest album, Em Are I, finds the lo-fi anti-folkie (buzzwords!) teamed with backing band the Junkyard. At its most drastic, the arrangement adds rumbling, fuzzy electric bass and loose, driving drums to Lewis's rapid-tumble, almost atonally nasal singing. On other songs, Lewis's voice is left alone with little more than acoustic guitar, some subtle electric accents, and a gently brushed snare. As always (except, I suppose, on his album of Crass covers), the draw is Lewis's freewheeling lyricism, which is equal parts irrepressible, stream-of-consciousness improvisation and careful, thoughtful songcraft, as often wide-eyed and childlike as it is morbid and neurotic. ERIC GRANDY
Telefon Tel Aviv, the Race, eR DoN(Chop Suey) This comes as a bit of a surprise—a bittersweet one. At the beginning of the year, Chicago duo Telefon Tel Aviv released Immolate Yourself (Bpitch Control), a moody, gothic-informed left-field album that was the night to the day of the bright, in-your-face IDM of TTA's previous work. Unfortunately, Charlie Cooper of the group died right before the disc's release—not from suicide, partner Joshua Eustis has clarified—which put the brakes on things, understandably. Now Eustis is touring under the TTA banner, and since Immolate Yourself would be one of the year's more stirring records even without its tragic context, the live show will likely have a similar effect. MICHAELANGELO MATOS
Sondre Lerche, JBM(Triple Door) If I had a dollar for every band or artist that cites the Stooges as an influence, I'd have more money than the Stooges made in their entire lives. But if I had a dollar for every band or artist that cites bookish British pop-twerps Prefab Sprout as an influence, I'd have one dollar, courtesy of Norwegian pop twerp Sondre Lerche. (Thanks for the dollar, Sondre! I love them, too!) Tonight at the Triple Door, the widely praised Mr. Lerche showcases his just-released sixth LP (if you count the Dan in Real Life soundtrack), Heartbeat Radio. DAVID SCHMADER
For more concerts, DJs, and live music, search our online calendar.
Someone in the office just started singing this song:
A Line Out reader forwards a memo sent to KEXP staff and volunteers on Friday by Executive Director Thomas Mara which announces four layoffs to the station's NYC part-time staff due to hard economic times (perhaps you've heard of them!). No layoffs have been announced in Seattle. The memo:
Hello all,
As you know, we are in the midst of hard economic times. It is with difficulty that I write to inform you that the recession has required KEXP to reduce staffing in order to maintain economically stability.
Earlier today, we conducted a lay-off including primarily folks who have been supporting our NYC project: Kevin Helfrick, Fred Rains, Tyson Lynn and Jacob Bennett.
Kevin was working part-time as our primary board operator. Fred, Tyson and Jacob were spending a one or two days a week helping with Mo-Glo and Wake Up. Michele Khazak will continue to work on WNYE and KEXP production.
Let me immediately say that each and every one of these individuals has done a /stellar/ job lifting our NYC broadcasts off the ground and creating some of the most innovative music programming in the country's largest city. The reasons for these reductions are purely economical. The economy simply has not been cooperative enough to sustain the current level of operations in NYC.
I encourage you to reach out to Kevin, Fred, Tyson and Jacob and offer your support. I've directed our HR staff to take steps to support them as much as possible in their transitions.
At this time, we have no plans to perform further layoffs. I believe the changes we have made will keep KEXP sustainable into next year and will position us to continue to make progress in regards to our mission. However, as we operate in this down-turned economy, we must remain agile. I will continue to communicate with you if we face compelling reasons to make further cuts.
In addition, I have directed our leaders to reduce non-staffing expense as much as possible. (I very much appreciate efforts people have already been making to stretch dollars and reduce cash expense these past few months. That has helped quite a bit.) From office supplies to equipment to remote broadcasts to travel, we have done a detailed job scouring our operating budget and identifying ways to reduce expense while upholding our core services.
I very much appreciate the time, energy, and creativity you contribute to our organization. Your fierce support of our mission is enabling us to continue being such a significant part of people's lives.
If you have any thoughts or questions, please feel very free to swing by.
As usual, a pleasure working with you all.
-Tom
Update: A little background: KEXP moved some operations to NYC, partnering with that city's WNYE, in February of last year, at which time divisive morning show host John Richards began splitting his time between Seattle and NYC. Since then, some have speculated that Richards wasn't too happy either there or here.
Update: A correction: the laid-off staff were working on the station's NYC operations but were based out of Seattle. The post has been amended above.