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Friday, June 14, 2013

Nerd / Love TGITMBG: They Might Be Giants Bring Nerd Joy to Sodo

Posted by Emily Nokes on Fri, Jun 14, 2013 at 12:18 PM

John L., John F., and a sea of the best nerds.

Lelah Maupin
John L., John F., and a sea of the best nerds.

They Might Be Giants played Showbox Sodo on Wednesday. From where I was standing, John Linnell still looks EXACTLY the same. John Flansburgh now has a mustache; their voices haven’t aged a bit.

- One of the John's (it's hard to tell their voices apart) bellowed "HELLO MUSIC INSIDERS!" to greet Seattle.
- Their second song was “New York City”—one of their best songs (a cover of one of Cub’s best songs).
- When Linnell pulled out the accordion for their hit "Dr. Worm," the crowd went wild. He said, “We know why you came tonight.”
- The Johns plus their three backing musicians had a lot of energy. And a lot of instruments. Their melodica player was tops.
- During “Mammal” a guy with a ponytail jumped up from his chair so excitedly, he knocked it over.
- During “Turn Around," a woman in the bar hopped around in a circle, smiling with her eyes closed, every time the chorus started.
- Flansburgh told jokes into a robot-monster-voice microphone.

The show was a 14+ show (?), but I didn’t see too many teens there, though they could have been way in the front (I was way in the back in the drinking corral). What I did see was a lot of beaming nerds. Nerds holding hands, nerds being friendly—people able to drink a few drinks without turning into rage monsters or jerk messes. (That is, except for the single purple-haired tweaker in the bathroom. I'm not sure what was going on with her.)

This wallet doesnt even function unless its stuffed.

"This wallet doesn't even function unless it's stuffed."

I left before the set ended because I had four hours to pack and get myself on a plane to Chicago, but my friend (who has had a TMBG wallet since I have known her) sent me a video of them ending with their #1 song "Birdhouse in Your Soul." LOVE.

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Monday, June 3, 2013

Comedy / I'm Still a Virgin / Nerd / ??!! How Do You Fix a Cracked 45?!

Posted by Mike Nipper on Mon, Jun 3, 2013 at 2:14 PM

Nipsh
Oof. This ain't pretty.

With masking tape...DUH!!

The flip of this Flirtations 45, "Need Your Loving," is a solid play—it's always been in my box...till it cracked. Ugh. And I have no idea how it happened. Perhaps from a few years of wear and tear? I play it out often. Or perhaps it was compression stress as I tend to over fill my play box...WHATEVER, it was still cracked and wouldn't play!! Normally I'd just buy another one, but where it once was a $5-10 45, it's not so much anymore—a clean copy now rates around $30; hence my cheap assed, and quite dodgy, fix. For what it's worth, y'all, THE FIX DOES WORK—no clicks, well, not beyond the lead in grooves! Not sure how long this fix will hold tho...

Also: Tho' it's in fashion to call ALL records "vinyl," not all records are made of vinyl. This single is on styrene which is why it cracked so easily and cleanly all the way to the label sticker.

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Monday, March 25, 2013

Loud / Nerd / Song / ??!! Did the Teen Idles Record the Best Stooges Cover?!?

Posted by Mike Nipper on Mon, Mar 25, 2013 at 3:47 PM

When I was younger, just a budding record nerd, it was SOOOOOO much easier to find a copy of the Teen Idles Minor Disturbance EP and/or the DCHC compilation Flex Your Head than to find ANYTHING by the Stooges. Of course, it was the '80s and I was in North Carolina. That said, the Teen Idles hardcore version of "No Fun," found on Flex Your Head, was so different when compared to the Stooges' original slow paced and attitude-filled "No Fun," when I finally DID hear the original I didn't think it was the same song! DERP!

I hafta admit I'm SLIGHLTY trolling, or rather being kinda cheeky, when I suggest the Teen Idles produced the best Stooges cover, but DAMN, I do love this song. Also: the Damned's take on the Stooges' "1970" as "I Feel Alright," the Dictators' "Search And Destroy," Sonic Youth's "I Wanna Be Your Dog," Birthday Party "Loose," Radio Birdman "TV Eye," Hanoi Rocks "I Feel Alright," and like all of what anyone ever called (ahem) grunge.

Am I missing any quality Stooges covers, from like PRE-1990...?! And yes, I AM on purpose ignoring the Sex Pistols' version of "No Fun;" I hate the Sex Pistols. Gimme some danger in the comments, y'all.

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Monday, March 4, 2013

Loud / Nerd / Song Stealing a Break From Segal—Jamul: "All You Have Left Is Me"

Posted by Mike Nipper on Mon, Mar 4, 2013 at 12:12 PM

As I've said before, I'm not really a part of Segal's ongoing "I'll Give You a Break" series, but I am an awkward record nerd who sometimes THINKS he can add to the melee of beats/samples and whatnot and I'm willing to hi-jack Segal's action, occasionally! Uh, yeah..so, dig them first eight seconds of Jamul's "All You Have Left Is Me."

Originally known as Jamul City Funk Band, Jamul was a heavy blues/boogie trio of long hairs from San Diego. Their verion of "Tobacco Road" is quite nice, and a cheapy—you can find the 45 for less than ten bones!

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Thursday, February 28, 2013

I'm Still a Virgin / Nerd The Message of the Matrix

Posted by Mike Nipper on Thu, Feb 28, 2013 at 11:36 AM

For years, bands have scratched messages into the run off grooves of their records. I first noticed it on punk/hardcore records in the '80s. It was cool to suss out the shit cause it made the band seem that much MORE in the know and connected to who they were playing to.

Here's Bl’ast's message from their Power of Expression LP...what does it MEAN!?!

Side A: I DIE LAUGHING AT YOU WHEN YOU LAUGH AT ME
Side B: SCREAM FOR TOMORROW

If you have time to eyeball THIS PARTIAL LIST of matrix messages do it, it's a time suck, but entertaining! Please add any other found matrix messages in the comments!

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Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Nightlife / Party! / Nerd / Booze / ??!! Attention Nerds Who Love to Gorge!

Posted by Pamela Sternin on Wed, Jan 2, 2013 at 11:23 AM

Are you shitting me?! Highline has made all of my dreams come true!! ALL YOU CAN EAT SPAGHETTI and $5 off regional beer pitchers PLUS a showing of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers!! Dude, you can't beat it!! Gorgeasarus Rex Fest comes at you this Sunday, the 6th starting at 7pm. Put your wizard staff skills into action!

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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Art / Two-Block Radius / Graffiti / Nerd / Politics Re: GIRL ARMY!!!!!

Posted by Anna Minard on Wed, Aug 22, 2012 at 6:31 PM

As commenter Seattle Peach points out, "Poster Giant can't exist without their clients." So if those posters really are for/connected to PAX Prime, as other commenters and bloggers have noted, I wonder what PAX thinks of the Poster Giant controversy? PAX has a reputation for being a relatively safe/lady-friendly nerd con, due to its anti-booth-babes stance and for having a decent anti-sexual-harassment policy (and apparently decent enforcement of both). Although, they did get taken to school last year over a but-I-though-our-rape-joke-was-hilarious situation (just google "dickwolves" for more info). So... I wonder if they'd mind that they're now maybe part of the current poster wall brouhaha? I have some e-mails out to see if I can get an answer.

UPDATE: The posters are for Hawken, a game by Adhesive Games, who have a booth at PAX Prime, which they direct you to on their poster. But the posters don't seem sponsored in any way by PAX itself. Poster Wall War 2012 continues. PAX's involvement = pretty dang nonexistent.

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Monday, August 13, 2012

I'm Still a Virgin / Nerd / #1 Fan !!TeenBeat Mayhem!!

Posted by Mike Nipper on Mon, Aug 13, 2012 at 2:14 PM

Teenbeat Mayhem IS the end all-be all, an UNFUCKWITHABLE history/discography of EVERY American beat/garage record from the '60s. Uh...DAG!! This is the loving result of Mr. Mike Markesich AKA MopTop Mike's decades of research and obsessive collecting, and its DONE, printed and available to own. FUCK YES!!

It’s finally here! The ULTIMATE guide to garage rock in the 1960s. A massive A-Z discography documenting every known garage/teenbeat 45 release — over 16,000 songs by thousands of teenage rock’n’roll groups from across the USA. Also includes a detailed history of the mid-60s teenbeat explosion and its lingering impact on popular culture. Plus the Top 1,000 '60s Garage Tracks, as voted on by a panel of experts. Lavishly illustrated (in black & white and full-color) with rare band photos, label shots, picture sleeves and more. ESSENTIAL!

Sorry for the crap pic, it was carelessly taken in my dim assed kitchen.

Nipsh
Sorry for the crap pic, it was carelessly taken in my dim assed kitchen.

I just got my copy on Saturday, but have yet to find any time to crack it open. Attention record nerds: MINE IS CURRENTLY STILL SEALED! Right, this thing is huge and instead'a kinda getting a quick passing gander I wanna find an afternoon to soak ALL the info up. Or...really (ahem) to just drool over all the label scans...HOLY CRAP!!

The first run is small, so if you want one, get it while the gettin' is good. I have no idea if there will be a second printing. Ugly Things magazine has copies on offer or you can go direct to Markesich's blog. If you do visit Markesich's blog scroll down and read a bit of his story, do it...seriously, about the trials of a record collector in way deep collecting not only records, but the STORY of each record.

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Monday, August 6, 2012

Nerd / News An Old Rocker With a Pompadour Is the Guy Who Got Us Back on Mars

Posted by Megan Seling on Mon, Aug 6, 2012 at 12:48 PM

Last night, as I watched footage of the new Mars rover, Curiosity, I developed quite a crush on Adam Steltzner. He's the NASA engineer who lead Curiosity's Entry, Descent, and Landing team. But did you know he also used to be a bass player in Bay Area bands, nearly flunked out of school, and initially passed on college to be a rockstar?

It's true! NPR.org recently profiled him, saying:

Steltzner's path to becoming team leader for this new Mars lander was hardly direct. Unlike many successful engineers, he struggled at school. An elementary school principal told him he wasn't very bright. His high school experience seemed to confirm that.

"I passed my geometry class the second time with an F plus, because the teacher just didn't want to see me again," he says.

His father told him he'd never amount to anything but a ditch digger, a remark he still carries with him years later.

Maybe that's because school wasn't a priority, particularly with the distractions of the flower-power era in the Bay Area.

He had a ’69 Cadillac with a bed in the back. He was living a life of, as he says, "sex, drugs, and rock and roll." But after looking at the stars and noticing Orion one night, on the way home from a show, Steltzner was inspired. He enrolled in a physics course at a local community college. Then, he put a fucking magical robot on Mars.

So the next time your parents flip you shit about playing music, you tell them about Steltzner, just one more freakishly smart musician who can join the growing list of rock and roll geniuses, which includes Brian May of Queen (PhD in astrophysics), Greg Graffin of Bad Religion (PhD in zoology, teaches at Cornell University, and has a new species of bird named after him), Milo Aukerman of the Descendents (PhD in biochemistry), and Mira Aroyo of Ladytron (PhD in molecular genetics). And there are plenty more where that came from.

Who's your favorite rock and roll smartypants?

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Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Sort of News / Nerd We're Number 13! We're Number 13!

Posted by Megan Seling on Tue, May 22, 2012 at 11:03 AM

According to the delightfully nerdy MusicMachiner.com, Seattle is the 13th most musical city in the US. Here's how they got that statistic:

I gathered up the top 50,000 or so U.S. artists, found their city of origin and tallied the number of artists per city. From this tally I calculated the number of artists per 1,000 inhabitants in each city. The more artists per 1000 inhabitants, the more musical the city.

Neat idea with some unexpected results. Beverly Hills is #1, San Francisco is #2, and Nashville is #3, but New Orleans, which I assumed would be in the top 10 at least, is all the way down at #36. And New York City is #37! I suppose if it were just kept to Brooklyn it'd be a much different story. If you throw a rock in Brooklyn, you hit a musician. (But it's not nice to throw rocks, so don't do that.)

See the top 25 cities (and find out more about how they got the data) here.

(Thanks for the tip, Ben H.!)

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Friday, May 4, 2012

Words / Nerd / RIP A Nerdy Contribution to the Beastie Boys Lovefest

Posted by Anna Minard on Fri, May 4, 2012 at 12:13 PM

I know I've never heard of any music, but if pressed to name my favorite album of all time, I'd probably say Licensed to Ill. If you are like me, and love both the Beastie Boys and random knowledge, I highly recommend checking out the Beastie Boys Annotated, a totally impressive fan project where one dude went through and annotated the lyrics and samples of every song—noting what they're sampling and what pop culture or literary references they're making. For example:

Because mutiny on the Bounty's what we're all about
A reference to the mutiny on the HMS Bounty in 1789. Used commonly in popular vernacular to indicate subversion.

You know I got rhymes like Abe Vigoda
Abe Vigoda is probably best known for his character Detective Fish on the television show Barney Miller which aired in the 1970s.

Thunderbird is the word and you're light as a feather
Thunderbird Wine is a cheap wine.
"Bird is the word" comes from the surf/rockabilly classic "Surfin' Bird" by The Trashmen (1964)

Ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-ch-check it out, especially if you're going to spend the rest of the day listening to the Beastie Boys, which you should. RIP, MCA.

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Thursday, April 12, 2012

Nerd May the 4th Be With You (Or: A Rock Show for Nerds)

Posted by Megan Seling on Thu, Apr 12, 2012 at 3:47 PM

Heads up, Star Wars fanatics:

Kithkin will be playing a special show at Chop Suey with Tomten, Nude, and Feet on May the 4th. In honor of this most galactic of holidays, we will be celebrating "May the 4th Be With You" by promising at least one Star Wars cover per band for each set. The show is all ages, begins at 8 pm, tickets are $8 adv, $10 at the door.

Unless you wear a Star Wars costume at the door, then it's still only $8! (And in that case, this might come in handy.)

Also worth noting (via the Facebook event page):

*Anybody dressed as Jar-Jar Binks gets a special gift from Kithkin.
*No toy light sabers, this is not a joke.

Pre-sale tickets are available here.

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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Nerd / #1 Fan What's In A Name: Sons of Warren Oates

Posted by Kelly O on Wed, Feb 8, 2012 at 2:49 PM

Dear Sons of Warren Oates: You're a local band that I've never seen, except for this video from Magma Fest 2011. Now I'm not a really a folk rocker, but I think your acoustic sets are excellent! I realize you're made up of members of the Maldives and the Moondoggies, so you know what-the-F you're doing. One thing I ask though, is PLEASE do right by the real Warren Oates (RIP)? He's one of my favorite actors of all time—making three, count 'em three, of my very favorite films. (ONE, TWO, THREE). Anyway, don't do anything the real Warren wouldn't do (and maybe Neumos should have a drink special in his honor at your next show?) —LOVE, Kelly O

"The Warren Oats," circa 1974's Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia:

Sons of Warren Oates, with Kevin Murphy (of the Moondoggies), and Davidson Hart Kingsbery, @ Neumos, 2/22, 8 pm, $8, 21+

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Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Nerd Stealing a Break From Segal...Montrose's "Rock Candy"

Posted by Mike Nipper on Tue, Jan 31, 2012 at 1:19 PM

Okay, obviously I'm not really part of Segal's ongoing "I'll Give You A Break" series, but I am an awkward record nerd who sometimes THINKS he can add to the melee of beats/samples and whatnot...so, dig the first twelve seconds.

"Rock Candy" is from the first Montrose LP, Montrose, it was also the first rock record I ever bought. That is, a rock record not like Bo Diddley or Elvis, but for reals LONG HAIR shit. My Uncle had this, so I had to get it. And when I say I bought it on "record" I um, actually bought it on cassette. I didn't actually start buying records like a proper record nerd until someone broke into my car at a high school party and stole all my cassettes!!!! GAH!! After that I figured if I bought LPs and taped 'em THEN I'd never lose 'em. It worked. All the subsequent times my car has been broken into NO ONE took my HUGE box of homemade tapes.

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Gear / Nerd A Record Player That Plays Trees???

Posted by Kelly O on Thu, Jan 26, 2012 at 12:15 PM

This is all over the interwebs. I can't believe it's real. A record player that can play slices of wood? Makes me wonder what a monkey tail, or as Charles Mudede would call it a "monkey puzzle tree" would sound like...

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Friday, December 23, 2011

Nightlife / Nerd / Last Night / #1 Fan Add-a-Ball!!!

Posted by Mike Nipper on Fri, Dec 23, 2011 at 1:01 PM

Okay, so I just moved to Fremont, up the hill and EAST of 99, natch, and last night was the first time I had a chance to go out and exactly what the fuck did I find? ADD-A-BALL!! An ARCADE?! In godamn FREMONT?! Yup, AND...by the way, they serves the beer, so 21 and over, kids. In fact, Add-a Ball ain't nothing but an arcade, it's NOT a club with an arcade, it is solely an arcade. Right, so, holy shit I had fun, even tho' I royally SUCK balls when it comes to video games. Um, as I'm a record nerd I dunno exactly the huge awesomeness of the games they evidently have, but the "World Cup Soccer" game was some serious kick ass. The jams were sweet too, they had their RADIO dial set to 104.5, so both Spirit AND the Sonics buzzed my ears. The atmosphere is "perfect hang out." It's the basement you wish you could'a had when you were 14, if you were 14 in 1983, AND with a beer option, so, a TOP CLASS HANG OUT all 'round.

As for any other details...um, well, I was quite wasted when I showed up so I have no idea their hours or shit like that, but I can tell you where AaB is located...it's BEHIND, and under, Piece of Mind (315 N. 36th St.) in Fremont. Just head down the hill, parking lot/taco truck side, towards the alley look to your right and you'll see a real bright blue and red sign that says "Arcade". Okay?! Dig?! Now go, hang, and be stoked.

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Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Fall Video of the Day / Nerd / Album The Fall's "Nate Will Not Return," From Ersatz G.B.

Posted by Grant Brissey on Tue, Dec 20, 2011 at 3:25 PM

So what if it's just a picture of the album cover with the song playing. It's Fall Video of the Day because "Nate Will Not Return" is one of the stronger points off Ersatz G.B., and G.B. does NOT stand for Grant Brissey. How does Mark E. Smith continue to make good music at this point? I'm pretty sure he's just a songwriting robot that runs on alcohol, an extremely non-lucrative creation of some crazy/genius scientist. Sure the robot has slipped up a couple times, but this album, which dropped December 6, and the last one I heard, 2005's Fall Heads Roll are both tits.

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Nerd Let's Talk Holiday Music! (Dave Segal, Avert Your Eyes)

Posted by Megan Seling on Tue, Nov 29, 2011 at 11:52 AM

Even my cat loves Christmas!

There's nothing I love more this time of year than holiday music. I will even listen to shitty holiday music, like Mariah Carey's Christmas album, because that is how much I love holiday music. (I draw the line at Michael Buble—fuck that guy.) But thankfully, for every cheesy, awful, boring Christmas song out there, there's also some good stuff! It's just a little harder to find. Right now, for example, I'm listening to the Parenthetical Girls' "Thank God It's Not Christmas."

And while I have a pretty impressive arsenal that I've collected over the years, there's always plenty more to uncover. Any other holiday music nerds out there have any favorites I definitely need to add to my collection? Yesterday Kelly O shared the new Shannon and the Clams holiday hit with us. Is the new She & Him Christmas album any good? I'm not usually a fan of S&H, but maybe I will like them when they sing about presents and snow? I know Exohxo is working on their annual holiday EP, but are there any other local bands getting in on the action this year?

Tell me everything you know about holiday music! I will sit here and wait, while listening to Stevie Wonder tell me what Christmas means to him (candles burning low/lots of mistletoe!).

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Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Nerd / Guilty Pleasure / History The End for Twi-Rock?

Posted by Bree McKenna on Wed, Nov 16, 2011 at 5:44 PM

A few years ago, I started hearing about a fan genre called "Twi-Rock." Similar to the way the genre "Wizard Rock" produced “Harry and the Potters," Twi-Rock gets its lyrics from the themes/heroes from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. I became obsessed with the whole Twi-rock phenomenon because, despite the series’ weak female characters and thinly veiled religious values (Meyer has wiped Mormonism all over those books,) I couldn't help loving the fact that they were mostly nerdy teenage girls writing weird acoustic rock songs based on books (for instance, the guitar, bass and tambourine combo in one of the "Bella Cullen Project" videos I watched can almost be a weird love child of Kum-bay-yah generic Christian acoustic and The Fabulous Stains).

So I guess Twilight couldn’t be all that bad if it was encouraging young girls to be passionate enough to write their own music within the safety of their romantic/vampire book sub-culture, right? For a while, bands with names like "Bella Cullen Project,” “Forks High School", "Bella Rocks," ” and "The Twilight Music Girls" started getting national attention, playing major chain bookstores, the Hot Topic Tour, and getting shout-outs from the likes of MTV.com and Seventeen Magazine.