False 45th

Renewed Faith in The Flaming Lips

2009-10-15T11:22:00.002-04:00

Embryonic, the latest album by The Flaming Lips (#12!) , has renewed my faith in the band. This new album pushes boundaries in the way that Clouds Taste Metallic did 14 years ago. [CTM continues to by my 5 year old's favorite disc to put on when my wife is out of the house]. This is their biggest release since The Soft Bulletin. Check out Embryonic's cataclysmic closer "Watching the Planets" from Wednesday's "The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien."

Empire State Troopers | 5/29 | Burlington

2009-05-28T10:25:00.002-04:00

Hard rock outfit Empire State Troopers are making a stop in town on Friday for a 10 pm show w/ Vultures of Cult at the Long Mustache (aka Burlington Factory Studios - 208 Flynn Ave). I've blasted off about them in the past (http://false45th.blogspot.com/2008/02/empire-state-troopers-upstate-again.html). They just finished a new album, Turn Lights Out [buy], also recorded and engineered by Jason Loewenstein (Sebadoh, Fiery Furnaces, etc).

They are one of relatively few bands that I know of whose recordings are proof that they are of an embarrassingly rare breed of great live bands. This immediately sets them apart from the current landscape of bands…They are the real deal.--Jason Loewenstein

EST were up here last Spring and nearly brought down Radio Bean. So f'n loud. They are now a five piece (vs 3), I'm curious to see how much fuller it can get.

I have yet to see Vultures of Cult, but the stuff off their myspace page is freaking great - very much like Queens of the Stone Age.

EST will be off to Portland, ME on Saturday before taking aim on NC.

Auto-Tune the News #2

2009-04-23T20:21:00.001-04:00

Death Finally Getting Attention

2009-03-26T20:37:00.002-04:00

The New York Times ran a great article on the mid-70's early rock/punk outfit Death and it's second generation VT based tribute band, Rough Francis, on March 12th. Check it here. It is a must read.

Here's a video of Rough Francis playing a Death tune at the Monkey House in Winooski - 12/6/08

The original Death album, ...for the whole world to see, was rereleased on Drag City last month.

Death | Politicians in My Eyes | Buy

Louis CK | Burlington | Saturday

2009-03-04T19:52:00.004-05:00

Comedian Louis CK's Higher Ground show this Saturday is nearly sold out. Get them while you can.

Here's an excerpt from "Late Night w/ Conan O'Brien" (RIP).

Bill Hicks, The Angry Shepherd (12/16/61-2/26/94)

2009-02-26T07:45:00.006-05:00

Photo courtesy of cashislindsey

Another comedian once said "Sometimes you just need someone to come up and just grab you and shake the bullshit out of you" in regards to the late Bill Hicks. I'm not sure anyone has done it better.

It's 15 years since Hicks died of pancreatic cancer and his material is still every bit as relevant today. His rants about Iraq were spot-on, including the one about the CIA having a fool-proof plan to get rid of Saddam Hussein. They just couldn't figure out a way to fly him to Dallas.

Hicks insisted on getting in your face and staying there, fancying himself as some sort of dark preacher. I'd love to hear Hicks' thoughts on spectacles like American Idol considering his rants on fevered egos and mediocre hacks.

It's amazing how when I put my iPod on shuffle, his bits seamlessly flow into the musical mix. Radiohead, among countless others influenced by Hicks, dedicated The Bends to him.

Even Jay Leno, who Hicks absolutely destroyed in a bit on Rant In E-Minor, still speaks fondly of him. And David Letterman finally made pennance by recently apologizing to Hicks' mother and playing a bit that had been censored in 1993 in 1, 2, 3 parts.

His discography starts with Dangerous and Relentless, but my personal favorite is Arizona Bay, including my favorite bit, Hooligans. Rant In E-Minor comes after Hicks knew he had been diagnosed with cancer and takes his final swipes at the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Jesse Helms and others. Flying Saucer Tour, Vol. 1 is a show he did Pittsburgh where he battles a lukewarm audience, half trying to coax them into laughter, half castigating them.

Then there's the issue of plagarist Denis Leary, who still wears the scarlet letter in the comic community for ripping off Hicks. When asked why he quit smoking, Hicks said "I just wanted to see if Denis would, too", adding later "I have a scoop for you. I stole his act. I camouflaged it with punchlines, and to really throw people off, I did it before he did."

Any fans of stand-up comedy should get familiar with Hicks. His death has left a massive void.

Champions League knockout round

2009-02-23T02:45:00.004-05:00

Imagine the NCAA Mens Basketball Tournament, except with North Carolina and UCLA drawing each other in the opening round. That's why I love the knockout round of the UEFA Champions League. Teams like Inter Milan and Manchester United can dominate their leagues with their superior resources. Now they're pitted against each other and it's who shows up to play on those two nights, one at each team's home pitch.

It starts up again tomorrow. Here's a quick capsule breakdown of the opening matchups:

Tuesday's matches
Manchester United at Inter Milan, 2:30 EST, ESPN2 - The defending champs and English Premiership leaders face the Serie A frontrunners. Both teams are likely to run away with their respective leagues as Inter is up 9 points and Man U is up 7. The Red Devils have standout defender Nemanja Vidic out due to suspension and several other defenders banged up.
Players to watch: For Inter, it's Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, moody as he is talented. He's deadly when he feels the urge but the knock on him is he disappears in big matches. Man U has reigning world footballer of the year Cristiano Ronaldo.
Juicy subplot: Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho clashes once again with Sir Alex Ferguson.

Barcelona at Lyon, 5 EST, ESPN Classic - Lyon sits six points up in the French league while Barca hold an eight-point lead in La Liga. The Catalans have stampeded everyone but have sputtered lately without Spanish sparkplug Andres Iniesta.
Players to watch: French striker Karim Benzema will shortly head to a huge club for a lot of money. Big, fast and good with either foot. After Ronaldo, the next name usually mentioned for best player on the planet is mesmerizing Argentine Lionel Messi, Barcelona's La Pulga Atomica (atomic flea).
Juicy subplot: Lyon dominates the French league every year but can't translate it into Champions League success. If that continues, Benzema has hinted it will hasten his departure.

Roma at Arsenal - Roma has lost just once in its last six matches. Arsenal have been ravaged by injuries and are in danger of not finishing in the top four in England for the first time in a decade.
Players to watch: Roma has been much better since getting icon Francesco Totti back from injury. For shorthanded Arsenal, it's probably Robin van Persie by default.
Juicy subplot: Arsenal has standouts like Cesc Fabregas, Theo Walcott, Tomas Rosicky, Emmanuel Adebayor and Eduardo all injured. New addition Andrei Arshavin is cup tied and can't play. If the Gunners find a way past Roma and get some more weapons back, no one will want to play them.

Porto at Atletico Madrid - Porto won the Champs League a few years ago (yes, miracles happen) and is four points up on the Portuguese league. Atletico has struggled to seventh in La Liga.
Players to watch: Argentine midfielder Lucio Gonzalez, or El Comandante, runs the show for Porto. Another Argentine, Sergio Aguero, is only 20 but is one of many young Argentines around the planet that can turn games quickly.
Juicy subplot: You'd think this would have a rivalry feel with Spain vs. Portugal but most of Atletico's top players come from South America.

Wednesday's matches
Juventus at Chelsea, 2:30 EST, ESPN2 - Juventus, a couple years removed from Serie B and the match-fixing scandal, are second in Serie A. Chelsea, last year's finalist, are third in England and are a soap opera and soccer team all in one. Russian boss Guus Hiddink took over temporarily for Felipe Scolari last week.
Players to watch: For Juve, it's either keeper Gigi Buffon, long believed by some observers to be the best netminder on the planet; or resurgent Alessandro Del Piero, who has found the fountain of youth and provided a big spark. For Chelsea, it's Frank Lampard because Michael Essien is injured and Didier Drogba is pouting.
Juicy subplot: Which Chelsea team will show up? The Blues are ridiculously talented but are aging and without a good winger. If Hiddink can get them motivated, look out.

Liverpool at Real Madrid, 5 EST, ESPN Classic - The most successful club in Spanish history, or the Champs League for that matter, meets the most successful club in English history. Between them, the two storied sides have 14 Champs League titles and five runner-up finishes. Liverpool staged a stunning comeback, down 3-0 at halftime, to win on penalties over AC Milan in 2005 and lost the 2007 final. Madrid hasn't won since 2002 when Zinedine Zidane's miracle strike stopped Bayern Leverkusen in the galacticos days. Real has won nine straight in La Liga and allowed two total goals in that span. Both teams are second in their leagues.
Players to watch: If Steven Gerrard is hurt, then it's El Nino, or Liverpool's Spanish waterbug Fernando Torres. For Madrid, it's another young Argentine, midfielder Gonzalo Higuain, age 21.
Juicy subplot: Managers Rafa Benitez and Juande Ramos crossed swords in Spain earlier in their careers and Ramos already tweaked Benitez last week about the failed Robbie Keane experiment.

Panathinaikos at Villareal - Panathinaikos is second in the Greek league; Villareal is fourth in La Liga. Villareal made a surprise run to the semis in 2006.
Players to watch: I'm not familiar enough with Panathinaikos. Villareal boasts US-born striker Guiseppi Rossi, who opted to play for Italy internationally. Midfielder Marco Senna was an important part of Spain's European Championship.
Juicy subplot: The Greeks won their group. Both teams play in small but intimidating venues. Whoever wins this could easily bite one of the big boys.

Bayern Munich at Sporting Lisbon - Germany's most successful club won the Champs League in 2001 but has sputtered to fourth in the Bundesliga. Lisbon is third in Portugal.
Players to watch: Brazilian Liedson leads the Lisbon attack. French winger Franck Ribery can cause all sorts of havoc for Munich.
Juicy subplot: There's a bit of grumbling going on in Munich about coach Jurgen Klinsmann. Departing the Champs League early would only intensify that discontent.

Fucked Up | Empty Bottle | Valentine’s Day

2009-02-22T12:58:00.004-05:00

Photo courtesy of silverfuture

It’s odd that it’s taking a while to sink in.
Especially considering that Fucked Up, the critically acclaimed Toronto hardcore punk band, is about as subtle as a two-by-four to the skull.
My friend Rich and I caught the second of their two shows in Chicago, which is a light day’s work for a band that once played for 12 straight hours in store window. I’m not sure how much sucking up to the Mrs. was required by Rich afterward, but being single, I don’t have such concerns.
Smitten by the release of the highly-touted The Chemistry Of Common Life, I couldn’t resist seeing FU live. Both having various illness-related issues, Rich and I nearly didn’t make the trip but decided to get our senses pounded anyway.
The Empty Bottle looks like a bomb shelter. It also doubles as a pretty nice small club with good sound quality and we found a good spot in the back, dead center, to take in the show.
Like any band with some talent to come down the pipe recently, they have to resist strangulation by tentacles of media hype. FU has been hailed as saviors and throwbacks to the punk and hardcore scenes by various pundits.
I don’t feel any need to jump into that debate. What I do know is that there’s a huge void for an utterly ferocious rock act and I’d recommend Chemistry to anyone pissed off for any particular reason that needs to get it out of their system.
The bomb shelter probably felt spacious to FU. They notoriously played a song in a men’s bathroom for MTV Canada and music like this lends itself to volatile crowd reactions.
Which is why it was nice to have a clear view of the stage from behind the mosh pit. It would be impossible to duplicate the immense layering and production values of Chemistry live so the band compensated by playing like they had a contest chugging Red Bull before taking the stage.
Crooked Head, a 6-minute track on Chemistry, seemed like it finished in three. They almost played too fast, if that’s possible for a punk band (if you choose to call them that), but a hardcore band that starts its album with a flute solo clearly doesn’t give a frog’s fat ass what anyone thinks.
Upon first listening to Chemistry, lead singer Damien Abraham (i.e. Pink Eyes) has a voice that will put you off and make you think they’re just run-of-the-mill hardcore. The more I listen to FU, the more I realize that Abraham’s snarl is the perfect final ingredient and anything easier on the ears would fail to match the brute force the band plays with.
FU is tough to get a handle on but there's more than initially meets the ear. The guitar work is frenzied and addictive, but No Epiphany starts with a chorus of sirens.
Abraham certainly looks menacing enough but is rather playful live. Anyone who lets a fan pull down hits pants and punch him in the left ass cheek two songs into his set doesn’t take himself too seriously.
I’m guessing band members must really enjoy seeing the hairy crack of Abraham, whose inability to keep his shirt on is matched only by his inability to keep his pants up, on a nightly basis while touring. Evidently his gut doubles as a stage prop, with various fans either poking him in the belly or using it for bongos.
He routinely shares the mic with the crowd and is prone to strolls in the crowd. Meanwhile, the guitars and rhythm section relentlessly pour it on.
The Pixies and the White Stripes are the only other bands I think of that whip through live sets in such a quick fashion. FU capped the night with their venomous Baiting The Public.
(Note to mosh pit jumpers: Along the lines of not biting the hands that feed you, it’s probably a good idea to avoid punching people in the face before jumping off the stage. Fellow fans will be more inclined to catch you.)
Clearly, FU is happy to skip along on its rampage. They'll leave sorting out the collateral damage to everyone else.
Various issues had us missing most of AV Murderer. The opening act, Boystown, had a great sound ruined by one guy that can’t sing and Rich agreed with my opinion, but it wasn’t unanimous:
Me: That guy in the red can’t sing.
Fellow fan: He’s a good friend of mine. I like the way he sings.

Awk-ward.

Dos y cero: More Mexican Misery

2009-02-19T10:18:00.006-05:00

photo courtesy of Bill Vieth/isiphotos.com

Here's a recap of my recent trip to Columbus, OH to watch the US national soccer team defeat Mexico in World Cup soccer:

Tuesday
6 p.m. CST - Bill becomes the early leader for trip MVP by borrowing an I-Pass from a work colleague and packing a cooler of snacks and drinks from his work place. Turns out his iPhone charger also works for my iPod.

7 p.m. CST - We pick up Tom St., who has his camouflage gear and combat boots with him. That's the difference between Tom St., a two-time Cold War vet, and myself, a mere Columbus vet from 2007.

9 p.m. CST - Between the I-Pass and midweek night traffic, we whip through Chicago with stunning ease.

9:35 CST - Upon entering the Skyway Tollway, it's not open-road tolling like most Illinois toll gates. This does not dawn on me until I nearly break a toll gate. My anti-lock brakes are my only saving grace. Bill and Tom St. fear for their lives and won't be sleeping in the car any time soon.

Wednesday
Sometime after midnight EST - Between the lack of night traffic and the 70 mph limit in Indiana, we quickly reach the Indianapolis bypass. It's time for a pit stop, only to find myself with loss-of-balance issues upon leaving the car. Tom St. and I both are sick and I appear to have sinus-related issues. Bill takes over behind the wheel, probably to the relief of Tom St..

Just before 2 a.m. - Going nearly 80 through Indiana puts the fuel light on. Bill tries the next exit in Sunman, a one-stop-sign town with a gas station that is closed. The next exit has an open gas station and we breathe another sigh of relief as we wonder why we didn't just fill up in Indy.

Between 2:30 and 3 a.m. - We take the scenic route but eventually arrive at the house of my friend Tim, who volunteered to put us up at his house in Cincy. He also stayed up to take care of work stuff and greet us as well. A round of NyQuil shots puts everyone out quickly.

Later that morning - Coffee, OJ, and Krispy Kremes await us. One of the benefits of having a sister that's a nurse is that a diagnosis is always a phone call away. I get drugs at Walgreen's and we stop for food, OJ, a parka for Bill and ....Jo Ann's Fabrics. Why? I joked with friends that we should get soccer cards like the officials have, except throw in a green card for our Mexican friends. I watch in horror as Tom St. and Bill decide to make these poster-sized. I come to terms with the idea that if you're going to rub someone's nose in it, there's no sense being bashful about it. You've already crossed the line.

3 p.m. EST - We stop for gas and the skies look forboding. We also see a couple Mexican soccer fans but don't realize that's forboding at the same time. The good news is the drugs have taken effect and I've regained my bearings after being wobbly.

Shortly before 4 - We get to the parking lot and there are Mexican fans....everywhere. We decide to walk to the front gate looking for merchandise in the rain and walk past Mexican fans unfurling a huge flag. I start our chorus of 'dos y cero', the scores of the last two US-Mexico matches as well as the score when we knocked them out in the 2002 World Cup in Korea. My 6-foot-6 frame means the Mexicans respond with little more than dirty looks and the incessant blowing of horns.

4:30 EST - On the way back to the car, we find a building on the state fair grounds with a huge canopy and get out of the rain. It looks to be a good spot to spray glue the colored yellow, green and red poster boards to the thicker backing. Two Mexican fans walk by and their expressions turn sour when it dawns on them what the green is for.

5:20 - The wind shifts and despite eight feet of cover under the canopy, we nearly get wet. There's nothing but pure precipitation everywhere in the sky. It looks like a hornet's nest. Turns out it was a tornado watch. Fortunately, it passes as quickly as it comes on.

6 - It dries up. Seems like a good time to head for the gate.

6:20 - I hold the cards while Tom St. and Bill shop for merchandise. A Mexican fan ask what the big posters are for, which are turned with the white backs outside to the viewing public for now. I respond only with a huge smile.

6:55 - After just telling Flatlander by phone that it was wet and nasty earlier but it appears just dry and windy now, the skies open up again. Once more, the storm quickly departs and dries up after the brief but intense dousing.

7:05 - The anthems are played. We're relieved to find that what looked to be a 90-10 Mexican crowd split from the parking lot appears to be more like 60-40 US, like four years ago. Guess we were just in the Mexican parking lot.

6th minute - US keeper Tim Howard is forced to make a huge foot save early. The Everton netminder once again puts goalkeeping at the bottom of the list of American worries. This would be the best chance the Mexicans, who shrivel in Crew Stadium, get on the attack.

22nd minute - Landon Donovan, the player Mexico despises more than any other, lines up a free kick at the far end from the corner we're sitting in. I see a US player in the wall and hope Donovan takes that opening. He does, but he barely misses wide.

34th minute - Nery Castillo, who has given the US fits in past, goes down injured. One less headache for the suspect American back four.

43rd minute - One of my friend Mario's unwritten rules of soccer, which is two headers in the penalty area almost always leads to a goal, comes to fruition. DaMarcus Beasley's corner is headed from the far post back to the crease by Donovan, where Oguchi Onyewu heads it on goal. Mexican sieve Oswaldo Sanchez can't control the shot and Michael Bradley slams the rebound into the roof of the net. We erupt as the goal comes at a back-breaking time, just before the half. Mexico counters quickly but it ends 1-0 at the break.

65th minute - Rafa Marquez was our pre-match pick to enable us to use our red and green cards and the Mexican captain makes me look prophetic. It wasn't a difficult pick. Marquez always snaps when playing the US and we just watched him get sent off playing for Barcelona two Sundays ago at The Highbury, Milwaukee's superb soccer bar in Bay View. This time, Marquez goes in late on Howard with studs to the knee, setting off a skirmish between the two squads. The Guatemalan official had been loathe to book anyone all game. But Marquez gets a straight red from him and Mexico is a man short the rest of the way. Marquez once again proves to be an over-the-hill liability and he will cost the Catalans, who are destroying the Spanish league, the Champions League if they play him. You heard it here first.

66th minute - Because it was at the far end, we're not sure it's a red card until we see Marquez jog off. Up go to poster-size red and green cards. We're estatic and we're the envy of our section, except for the Mexican fans behind us. Not only do they know that Marquez just sealed their fate but then they had to endure our little stunt on top of it.

88th minute - One of the reasons I enjoy taunting Mexican fans is what is going down right now. When the US beats them, I have never seen a more unsportsmanlike group of ....douchebags. I don't know any other way to put it. Because the ref won't card anyone, the Mexicans are taking as many cheap shots as possible. The fans are every bit as classy, throwing beers and whatever else they can on the pitch.

90th minute - Bradley seals his man-of-the-match performance with the brace, a knuckling shot from the top of the 18 that dips under Sanchez, who looks like an idiot on the play. Sanchez is famous for trying to kick an American player while he was celebrating his teammate's goal. Sub Jozy Altidore and Donovan take fouls on the play to set it up. We're in a screaming frenzy at this point and start chanting 'dos y cero' once more.

Post-match - Bradley could have been the MVP by defusing one Mexican attack after another, say nothing of pumping in both goals. His dad played the formation I expected, a 4-5-1 with Brian Ching up top while Clint Dempsey, Beasley and Donovan join the attack from the midfield. Sasha Klejstan, fresh off an impressive hat trick against Sweden, appeared a bit out of place as a holding midfielder alongside Bradley to buffer the back four. But Mexico was relatively punchless once again in Columbus as it would be a major shock if the US didn't make it to South Africa next year. No better way to start the journey.

Hype Machine's Music Blog Zeitgeist 2008

2009-01-25T20:12:00.002-05:00

Photo Credit: Dries Buytaert.

At this point I think we've all read enough "tops from 2008" lists compiled by magazine editors and weirdo individual music bloggers. Well how about a master list compiling the tops from all those weirdo music bloggers? And how about that list containing the top 50 artists, 50 albums, and 50 songs? And how about all that music (songs and albums) completely streamable? Here it is: http://hypem.com/zeitgeist/2008/.

Best of 2008

2009-01-13T19:34:00.012-05:00

Flatlander got his list destroyed by the RIAA. Let me see if I can sidestep big brother a bit and get my favorites out to you. These aren't strictly releases from the previous year, but do represent my 9 heavy listens in the year of 08.

Angus & Julia Stone - A Book Like This

The Beast

Sera Cahoone - Only as the Day is Long

Only as the Day is Long

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

Heard them Stirring

Delta Spirit - Ode to Sunshine

Trashcan

Miracle Fortress - Five Roses

Hold Your Secrets in Your Heart

Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

Flume

Wye Oak - If Children

If Children Were Wolves

Plants & Animals - Parc Avenue

Feedback in the Field

The Dodos - Visiter

Fools

RIAA Update

2009-01-13T19:27:00.001-05:00

Alright. I've had time to stew and think about this. Thanks to everyone who has sent emails, written comments and left voicemails about this. Your support is very kind and folks have made a lot of good points about supporting independent label artists.

Here's what I'm thinking...I hate backing down to small town bully cops who tell you to cross the road for no good reason and this crap from the RIAA feels like the same thing. If I change what we do here, then I'm eating a bit of a shit sandwich from them.

Plus, I strongly believe that it's important for a fan to be able to listen to a song a few times, in the comfortable setting of their choice (car, couch, etc.), to determine if they like a song. Streaming it while you're sitting at your computer just doesn't always cut it. It gives you a quick sense of an artist but to get to the point of deciding to buy an album, I need to hear a song a few times. Therefore, I still want to make an mp3 file of the song available to readers.

Conversely, a lawsuit from the RIAA would destroy our family budget. I can't take that risk for my family's sake. And watching our posts being deleted is frustrating.

Therefore, here is what we are going to do: when we post about a band on F45, we'll post a streaming cut of the song. However, we'll also email the file of the song out to whoever is on the False 45th mailing list. If you want to be on the mailing list, send an email to false45th@gmail.com with just "Mailing List" in the subject line. I'll use those emails to create a distribution list and the mp3 files will arrive from the false45th email account.

One note about this, if you sign up for the mailing list, please use an email service that can receive large files. Gmail can handle up to 20MB per email and that is what I'll be using to send stuff. More commonly, there will be one or two songs in the email with each song being 4-5MB. So, just be sure your email account can receive such files. If it bounces back, I'm not going to make extra efforts to zip the files or split up the email. This needs to be simple to work.

Once again, thanks to everyone's kind words of support. Here is an example email we received from a band I had never heard of before called Black Bone Child:

Hello false 45th,

I am in an independent rock band from Austin TX named Black Bone Child. In an attempt to give our young band a little push in the new year, I have been contacting blogs to get some reviews and exposure. I came across your page through hype machine. I always try to read a little bit about the blog before I send them a message requesting a review. I read your recent posting about RIAA. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! "Has the whole world gone crazy?!!!!" If it wasn't for blogs like yours, a lot of artists would not even be on the map. Us musicians NEED you guys and I don't think that your hard work is not rewarded nearly enough. I wanted to personally thank you for that posting. As a musician who deals with this stupid type of shit on a daily basis its nice to know that I'm not the only one who thinks it's ridiculous. We recently had interest from Capitol Records and got jerked around pretty hard. RIAA is the same type of animal. It seems to me that the biggest problem is that the people who are "attempting" to run the business are not fans of music. Music is a widget to them. Music is not a shiny plastic disc, it's an emotion, it's a feeling, it's a lifestyle. Anyone who doesn't understand that needs to go back to wherever it was that they came from. Thanks again. Please do not give up. We all need to stick together. Don't let them get to you. Your friend through music.

Donny James
Black Bone Child

20 Years ago in Germany

2009-01-09T20:28:00.001-05:00

Best of 2008 & RIAA

2009-01-07T00:58:00.002-05:00

Fuck this. I spent a bunch of time putting together my post on the best albums of the year along with a link so readers could sample a song from the album. And what happens? The RIAA gets Blogger to delete the post. What the hell? I'm just trying to promote the artists. Screw this. I'm thinking of dumping this whole crappy blog. This is the third or fourth time recently that this has happened. I'm starting to feel that it's a waste of my time to try to help promote music. The RIAA seems to be against such promotion. So, why should I bother?

Here's the email I received:

Blogger has been notified, according to the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), that certain content in your blog infringes upon the copyrights of others. The URL(s) of the allegedly infringing post(s) may be found at the end of this message.

The DMCA is a United States copyright law that provides guidelines for online service provider liability in case of copyright infringement. We are in the process of removing from our servers the links that allegedly infringe upon the copyrights of others. If we did not do so, we would be subject to a claim of copyright infringement, regardless of its merits. See http://www.educause.edu/Browse/645?PARENT_ID=254 for more information about the DMCA, and see http://www.google.com/dmca.html for the process that Blogger requires in order to make a DMCA complaint.

Blogger can reinstate these posts upon receipt of a counter notification pursuant to sections 512(g)(2) and 3) of the DMCA. For more information about the requirements of a counter notification and a link to a sample counter notification, see http://www.google.com/dmca.html#counter.

Please note that repeated violations to our Terms of Service may result in further remedial action taken against your Blogger account. If you have legal questions about this notification, you should retain your own legal counsel. If you have any other questions about this notification, please let us know.

Sincerely,

The Blogger Team

Affected URLs:

http://false45th.blogspot.com/2009/01/best-of-2008-flatlander.html
http://false45th.blogspot.com/2009/01/best-of-2008-flatlander.html

Best of 2008

2009-01-04T22:04:00.001-05:00

The last few years we've asked other music lovers in the VT music scene to send in their favorites of the past year. Unfortunately, Nov & Dec wound up being two busy months and we weren't able to pull it together. So, in it's place, we're going to toss out what albums we fell in love with this year.

If any readers want to put together their own list and send it in, we'll gladly post it. Send your lists to False45th@gmail.com.

The Jazz Guys Cover Kanye West's "Robocop"

2009-01-03T14:02:00.003-05:00

Catchy as hell from The Jazz Guys. I wish I had heard this last month when I was picking cover songs for December's record club.

The Jazz Guys | Robocop (Kanye West cover)

Quite a Chotchke

2009-01-02T13:21:00.003-05:00

That interesting depiction of...ummm...life can be yours for just $2,699.99 at Overstock.com.

Geez, I can't imagine why the original manufacturer would be overstocked with them.

Re-Introducing TK

2008-12-29T19:49:00.002-05:00

Longtime readers are quite familiar with the excellent concert posts from our Senior Midwest Correspondent, TK (now going by TK856). Well, he's been bumped up to a full-time contributor. The post below is his first toss at this blog wall and we're expecting many more in the future. So, welcome TK full-time.

No Age | Club 770 South | Nov 17

2008-12-29T19:25:00.001-05:00

It was nice to be able to take part this time.

It was just over a year ago when the University of Wisconsin got Deerhoof to play a free show on campus. I was pretty excited at the prospects, only to have to go to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy that day.

I visited a friend in North Carolina last weekend and considered driving across the state because I've had a compulsion to see No Age again after catching them at the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago. Instead, I was able to catch them in Madison after getting back to the Midwest - for free.

After my buddy Adam and I got some good Peruvian food at Inka Heritage, we popped into Club 770 . It's a tiny venue that evidently is on the verge of being replaced.

No Age and opening act Titus Andronicus did their part to swing the wrecking ball on Club 770 Monday night. Despite my disdain for one-man groups playing with their toys, starter act Soft Circle didn't sound bad.

Then Titus Andronicus pulled two firsts...for me, anyhow. Their lead singer did his first couple songs in a winter coat with the hood pulled over his face, sticking his mic through the hood to sing like Kenny from South Park would.

Later, while playing harmonica, he dropped to his knees on stage. "An angry Dylan," Adam said.
Anyway, it was tough to resist their energy. At one point, the lead singer endured an assault conducted by his own fist and mic.

One of the things I love about shows like this is sometimes you'll see the band members holding down their own merch table. It gave me the opportunity to briefly shoot the breeze with No Age guitarist Randy Randall.

Super sweet and cool guy. Quite humble. He said Pitchfork was fun but agreed with me that the sound crews needed to have their asses kicked.

Titus turned out to be a good primer for No Age. The LA duo had one problem: drummer Dean Spunt needed to turn up his mic.

I understand if something is going to give, it will be Spunt's vocals rather than the uncanny amount of sound Randall conjures out of his guitar. Maybe it was the venue, maybe it was Spunt drumming while he sang, but his vocals didn't always come through clear and he shouldn't hide his voice.

OK, enough of the nitpicking. I love these guys. Same for the crowd.

In some ways, it was better than a regular venue. Between the small size and the already jacked-up crowd, it made for a volatile mosh pit.

Adam and I were tempted to join in but given my size and our blood-alcohol content, I think we made the better decision to just look on longingly. At one point, the pit almost tipped over the speakers to the right of the stage.

No Age was wired to play for the students and the crowd kept urging them on. They even unveiled a new track, which Spunt afterward titled "Fuck Prop 8 In The Face".

During one song, Randall jumped into the front of the crowd and started lashing away. The crowd formed a circle around him as he thrashed away.

On one hand, the show was every bit the chaos I hoped it would be. No Age's live work makes me eager for what the band has in store after Nouns, a disc I can't get enough of.

On the other hand, I have to wonder sometimes about the Madison music scene. I thought a band like No Age might have the place packed, but to each their own, I guess.

I'm not sure if I'll catch another show before the year ends. But No Age followed Deerhoof last month in Milwaukee, and with Pitchfork and Lollapalooza last summer, my Christmas stocking is already stuffed with great live performances.

photo courtesy of mel.opho.be concert photos

Little Drummer Boy - David Bowie & Bing Crosby

2008-12-25T20:54:00.000-05:00

Best Christmas Mix Ever

2008-12-17T20:26:00.004-05:00

My family is big on the Christmas season - choosing a tree, cookie decorating, first sledding tracks, etc. Vermont makes the cheer pretty contagious, with blankets of snow and a multitude of Rockwellian scenes. The frustrating part for me has been locating the perfect soundtrack. I've purchased an embarrassing number of really bad holiday compact discs. Each time I purchase a new one I hold out that it will have classic tunes, a jolly spirit, and perhaps some interesting newbies. Sadly they seem to be rife with absolutely annoying tracks (Wham, Kenny G, Chipmunks).

This year I decided to stop looking elsewhere and make a compilation of the best within my collection. Below is that mix. I think I've put together something that has the right temperament - upbeat but not grating. Feel free to let me know what is missing.

Chris Brokaw | Will Johnson | Kris Gruen | Coming to Montpelier | Dec 12

2008-12-05T07:26:00.004-05:00

It's not often that Montpelier gets a cool show in town. So, this Friday's show at The Lamb Abbey is a bit of a treat.

Chris Brokaw, Will Johnson and Kris Gruen will all be performing sets starting around 8:30. For those unfamiliar with the trio, here's a rundown of the artists.

Chris Brokaw is the former frontman for both Come and Codeine back in the 1990's. He now plays in The New Year, has a solo career and recently played with Thurston Moore at this falls' All Tomorrow's Party festival in NY. Expect a mix of tunes from different parts of his career.

Will Johnson is the frontman for both Centro-matic and South San Gabriel which are two Texas-based bands consisting largely of the same members but possessing different sounds. South San Gabriel tends to be quieter and mellower. Both bands are good stuff though and I'm hoping for a mix of both.

Montpelier's own Kris Gruen will be kicking off the evening. He's been performing some new material recently which you can find on his myspace page. Beautiful stuff which sounded real nice when I heard him open at Higher Ground over the summer for The Avett Brothers.

The show is at The Lamb Abbey which is a bit of a word-of-mouth underground music club in Montpelier. If you need directions, email me at false45th@gmail.com. The show will start around 8:30. The artists will appreciate donations at the door. Oh, and it's B.Y.O.B. Enjoy your own choice of brew.

Chris Brokaw | I Remember (Suicide Cover) | Buy

Chris Brokaw | Move | Buy

Centro-matic | Covered Up in Mines | Buy

South San Gabriel | Evangeline | Buy

Tick Tick Shows | This Weekend

2008-12-03T21:38:00.004-05:00

Friday Dec 5

Tick Tick presents:
KIRA KIRA (Iceland), Dygn (Baltimore), Toby Aronson of OAK
At the North End Studio (294 North Winooski Ave)
8pm,
$7 advance at www.ticktick.org, or $8 at the door

Kira Kira, Kristín Björk Kristjánsdóttir, is a founding member of Icelandic art collective Kitchen Motors. For the past 10 years she has tinkered with noises in bands such as Spúnk, Big band brútal, Stórsveit Sigríðar Níelsdóttur and as Kira Kira since autumn 1999 when she had a funny nightmare in Tokyo. She has composed music for theatre, dance and movies and performed exhibited extensively in her home country, Iceland as well as around Europe.

Kristin's visual work is often a staged haunting of some sort created with sound, smoke, wind and light presented in installations or on film: Singing black holes, blood driven cowboy hats hovering in thin air, a duel between smoke machines in castle towers, beset tape recorders, eternal explosions, trembling doors and someone who's dead by laughter or romance.

Saturday Dec 8

Tick Tick presents:
mi3 (free jazz vets with some strong electric influences!)
Saturday, December 6th
At the Firehouse Gallery
8pm, $7 at the Door

BIO:
The members of mi3 are veterans of the Boston free jazz scene who have worked together for years, but this band's genesis took place in 2002 under special circumstances when Nate McBride was hosting a series called "mim" (modern improvised music) at Boston's Abbey Lounge, a tavern without a piano that was usually home to rock bands. Mi3 became the house trio with Pandelis Karayorgis playing electric piano. The results of the experience (both in situ and in the studio) were collected on We Will Make a Home for You (on Clean Feed), a notable release from 2005. The electric incarnation of mi3 might suggest what certain very high profile piano trios should sound like, combining some of the drive and riff-driven energy of electrified music with the fluid, complex creativity of jazz.

"If you asked me to make a long enough wish-list for musical projects, I'm sure I'd wind up asking for a trio with an elite post-jazz keyboardist smearing a Fender Rhodes electric piano over a snap-crackle-pop free jazz rhythm section. You can imagine how great it felt to have any such wish pre-empted by a disc that jumps right into the stratosphere with a leadoff take on Dolphy's "Gazzelloni" that fits the proposable scheme as tight as I could hope for. This disc just destroys me... "

Michael Anton Parker, Downtown Music Gallery (NYC)

Deli Magazine | Band of the Month

2008-11-26T15:40:00.002-05:00

How about a vote for Lendway?

Lykke Li + Bon Iver | Dance Dance Dance

2008-11-21T00:12:00.001-05:00

Sixpoint Hop Obama

2008-11-18T22:36:00.003-05:00

From the beer list at The Sierra Grille in Northampton, MA this past weekend. I tried to order it but they had already sold out of it.

REMINDER: The Radiator Benefit Show

2008-11-16T22:51:00.000-05:00

The Radiator is having a benefit show on Monday, Nov 17 at Club Metronome. Here are two reasons to go:

♫ The Radiator is a great radio station playing a wide variety of DJ-chosen music. However, nobody is getting rich. This is a community focused project that survives on volunteerism and some minimum underwriting from local businesses. So, you can support it by going to this show.

♫ There's a sweet lineup. I've not caught The Vacant Lots twice and am loving their VU-inspired sounds. And I've been hoping to catch Nosebleed Island for a long time.

$5 donation at the door.

False 45th Record Club | Dec 2

2008-11-16T20:20:00.003-05:00

What's a better way to kick off the holiday season than sharing music with some friends? With that in mind, the next date for the False 45th Record Club is Tuesday, Dec 2. Due to the growing number of people that want to participate, we'll start an hour earlier this time at 7pm.

The change this time is that we are going to do a night of cover songs. So, your two submissions must be cover songs. Our working definition of a cover songs is: a song by a band that was originally released by a different band. Simple enough.

All of the other rules still apply:

(1) Every genre and time period is fair game.

(2) The two songs must be from different artists and different albums. The emphasis is on variety.

(3) The songs have to be eight minutes or less.

(4) They can't be from your own band.

So, if you want to join the fun, email me two cover songs by Sunday, Nov 24th. Please include the name of the artist that did the original version since I'll include it with the tracklist.

Email songs to: False45thRecordClub@gmail.com

See you on Dec 2.

Sock Sale | Nov 15, 16, 22 & 23

2008-11-13T22:05:00.002-05:00

Here's my annual reminder about the sock sale at Cabot Hosiery in Northfield. It runs from 8:30-4:30 on Saturday and Sunday this weekend (and next weekend). If you are heading south on Rt. 12 from Montpelier, the Cabot factory is on your left a mile or two before downtown Northfield. Look for the sign along the road.

The video above is Eva Sollberger's excellent take on last year's sock sale. Some girl in Argentina even made a parody of her video. Check it out here.

More Love for Lendway

2008-11-13T21:58:00.003-05:00

Dan Bolles has a nice review in this week's Seven Days of Lendway's new album The Low Red End. Here's the money quote:

The band’s full-length debut, The Low Red End, casts a saccharine sheen over the city’s thriving lo-fi rock set. Their bright, hook-laden indie-pop owes heavy debts to Built to Spill, Olivia Tremor Control and, of course, Lennon-McCartney — but don’t we all?

See the info below for their CD release party on Friday night.

Lendway | CD Release Party | Club Metronome | Nov 14

2008-11-11T00:50:00.004-05:00

It's been a good year for albums from local bands and you can add one more to the list. On Friday, Nov 14, Lendway will be releasing their debut album The Low Red End. The CD release party will be at Nectar's (9:30pm).

I was lucky enough to get a copy of it last month and it's been getting constant play ever since. The album is part Luna, part Grateful Dead, part Beatles and lots of foot-tapping melodies. It's one of those albums where a few songs immediately catch your ear and then you eventually find your focus shifting to other songs on the album. That's a recipe for an album that'll stick with you a lot longer than the typical debut CD.

Apparently, their goal is to immediately record a follow-up EP and then another full-length album in the spring. Then they'll be hitting the road out of VT on the strength of those albums. In the meantime though, they'll be at Nectar's on Friday night.

Lendway | Two Sleepy Arms | Buy

I May Never Eat Skittles Again

2008-11-11T00:48:00.001-05:00

More funny videos from the "Contagious: Commercials" channel at Heavy.com

The Capstan Shafts | Cretin Flowers

2008-11-10T23:55:00.005-05:00

A few bits of Capstan Shafts news...

♫ About a month ago, Dean Wells moved to West Virginia from Lyndonville, VT. So, we no longer have a claim to the latest torch bearer of the lo-fi movement. However, he said in an email that he'll periodically be back up in VT. Hopefully, that'll mean a show or two in the area.

♫ The Capstan Shafts have recorded a song for a new indie rock compilation called "Fake Bookshelf" which is from an Australian zine called The Lifted Brow. it comes out on January 17. They still have zines in Australia?

♫ Last month, he played CMJ in NYC.

♫ Lastly & most importantly, Wells just released his third album of the year. This time it's a 6-song collection of singles called Cretin Flowers. The album is available via archive.org. Wells just asks for $2 or $3 to be sent his way via paypal. You can use his address of deanedwardwells at yahoo dot com.

It's a packed and stacked ten minutes of music; not a single dud in the six-pack. In fact, it even includes my new favorite Capstan Shafts song, "Space Nut to Ape Length", which is a cruising rocker with some odd "twangy yet humming" guitar in the background. I was painting the ceiling of our living room this weekend which meant the room was clear of furniture. Well, I had Cretin Flowers blasting away and the kids completely busted out into a dance party. In fact, I thought my son was going to go spaz straight through the wall during "Space Nut to Ape Length". Good stuff.

The Capstan Shafts | Space Nut to Ape Length | Buy

Swedish Dance Bands from the 70's

2008-11-10T23:50:00.002-05:00

Oh, those Swedes! So filled with pop yet so poorly dressed.

Then again, it wasn't like VT was lighting up the fashion world in the 70's either. Regardless, it's fun to laugh at these promo shots from yesteryear.

Log Fail

2008-11-10T23:48:00.001-05:00

I Value the Drawing at $233.95

2008-11-10T23:42:00.002-05:00

If you haven't seen this yet, it's worth reading for a good laugh; particularly if you like Don Novello's Lazlo Toth books.

Fantastic Contraption

2008-11-10T23:15:00.003-05:00

Looking to kill a few hours? Well Fantastic Contraption is your answer.

Fantastic Contraption is an online physics game that my kids and I have been playing a lot lately. The game works well because it's a simple premise (move a ball into a box) that uses simple tools (wheels and sticks) but gets progressively more challenging. It's easy enough for my kids to work on solving the problems but complex to keep me interested. That's a recipe for many hours of free time disappearing.

You can also save your designs so they can be shared with others. Then once you've completed a level and shared your design, you can view other designs for that level. It's interesting to see how others have approached the same problems. On the higher levels, when I've been completely stumped, I've resorted to YouTube for help. Lots of people record their designs and post them there.

You can view a few of my designs here, here, here and here. And my son has one's here and here.

Just remember...I warned you about it eating up hours and hours.

Women | The Fifth Element | Oct 18

2008-11-10T22:00:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite albums this year has been Women's debut self-titled album. Imagine The Kinks recording in a garage into a boombox and you get an idea of what Women sound like. Lo-fi pop gems.

Well, they are starting to get some attention as shown by their recent swing through CMJ where they seemed to have played about nine shows in five days or something ridiculous like that. Fortunately, the VT is blessed with the killer instincts of the Tick Tick crew who got Women to make a stop in Burlington on their way to NY from their homes in Canada.

Besides have great ears for talent, the Tick Tick folks are great about pairing artists with cool and appropriate locations. Whether it's the solitude of a remote church for an acoustic show by an artist looking for confidence or, in this case, an industrial basement packed with local hipsters for a hot lo-fi band, Tick Tick gets the right venue for the right artist.

I had never been to The Fifth Element but was told to make a left onto Battery St. and go until it ends. The show will be downstairs. What could go wrong with such directions? I suspiciously followed the directions and found myself in some sort of industrial quarry/cement site. However, sure as shit, when I got out of the car I heard music. I found a door at one end of the building that was less then a typical entrance to a show and more like a door you'd see in a indistrial garage door at an auto repait shop. Then it was a concrete ramp into what looked like a pre-war storage basement for the neighboring business. A low celing with lots of exposed wooden beams and electrical conduits surrounded by random boxes, old windows and other stored items. However, it was actually somebody's apartment that Tick Tick uses occasionally for shows. Perfect atmosphere for a stripped down rock show. Minimalist for minimalists.

I missed Ryan Power's set but got there in time to catch The Vacant Lots. I had heard them briefly one night while walking past Red Square with my wife. Not knowing who they were, we stopped for a few minutes to listen. After about one song, I decided I wanted to know who they were. So, I asked a waiter and later dug up their myspace page.

This show was my first time to take in a full set of theirs. They are two people. Jared Artaud sports the Joey Ramone look as he knocks out deep fuzzy VU-sounding licks on his hollow-body guitar. Brian McFadyen is a teenager schooled in classical music but who hammers away at a stand-up drum set Mo Tucker style; someone needs to get him an upside down metal garbage can to complete the sound. Regardless, the kid does a great job of driving the droning beat until you find your head knocking up and down; similar to what happens to me during a Yo La Tengo show. Sucked in by the drone but floating on the melody. Good stuff.

After The Vacant Lots, Women were up. I wasn't sure what they thought odd playing such a unique venue but I later heard that they loved the place and were very excited to play there. Between their enthusiasm for playing an intimate show for about 40 people in a basement and my joy of seeing a band with only a debut album that I knew inside and out, I felt it would be a good show.

Here's the funny thing about Women. The production of their album is so rough that they sounded much cleaner live; even playing in such an industrial setting. They played everything I could think of off the album and everyone was into the show as they danced along. There was about a ten minute break while they restrung a broken string and they didn't play an encore. However, those were minor issues. Overall, it was a fun show.

At the end of the show, someone yelled "DANCE PARTY!" and immediately dance tunes came over the PA system. I was on the way out but for the rest of the folks, the night was just heating up. Well done, Tick Tick.

Women | Black Rice | Buy

Women | Shaking Hands | Buy

Paul Metzger & Tim Kaiser | Coming to Burlington | Nov 16

2008-11-10T21:35:00.002-05:00

From Greg Davis

paul metzger and tim kaiser are coming to town & im really really excited about this show. itll be a rare chance to hear these guys play live. if you are at all interested in hand built, homemade, modified, circuit bent instruments, then this is the show for you. this promises to be a visual & aural delight. dont miss it!

About Paul Metzger

With some of the most inventive (and brilliant) playing heard in a long time, the buzz about Paul Metzger is raging through the improvisational music community like wild fire. His weapons of choice are a heavily modified fretless guitar and a 21-string banjo. On these almost-alien instruments, Metzger creates otherworldly sounds unique unto themselves. His long, elaborate gypsy raga improvisations are skillful sonic meditations that sound both ancient and fresh in their immediacy.He has released several recordings (including vinyl) in the past few years on the Archive, Roaratorio and Locust labels.

http://www.myspace.com/paulmetzger

About Tim Kaiser

Having built over 150 electro-acoustic contraptions, Tim Kaiser has truly mapped out his own musical frontier. His sonic atmospheres are a kind of adventurous experiment leading to a singular, artistic voice. This is a hand-made music that Make Magazine calls "eclectic genius." Kaiser's recording Analog was released on the Innova label last year and he just finished work on two limited edition projects: Elements and Machine Music.

http://www.myspace.com/kaiserelectrical

Burlington Underground

2008-11-10T21:20:00.004-05:00

There's a nice new addition to the VT music scene...Burlington Underground. The site basically is a listing of shows in the Burlington area. The functionality works well with you being able to search either by date or by venue. The list of venues seems pretty exhaustive too. It's missing The Firehouse Gallery but I'm having trouble finding any other absent venues.

It seems like a good tool for planning a night out or checking out to see what's coming up for the weekend. Hopefully, the updating process is an automated program because keeping that calendar current would be a major pain-in-the-ass. I can barely keep the tiny show calendar in our sidebar updated.

1,240 Cupcakes

2008-11-10T21:19:00.002-05:00

Obama Has a Posse

2008-11-05T21:01:00.004-05:00

Bo of Eat More Kale Shirts has a new design for the historic moment. It's based upon Shepard Fairey's OBEY Giant design of the 1980's but with President Obama. Very cool shirt.

I love writing "President Obama".

By the way, Fairey also did the well-known Obama poster that hung in every field office for the last few months. I wonder if Bo has shared his shirt design with Fairey. He'd surely dig it.

will.i.am | Yes We Can

Clues + Elfin Saddle | Thursday | Burlington

2008-11-04T19:14:00.007-05:00

Tick Tick presents Montreal (and BTV) goodness:
CLUES (Montreal, featuring Alden Penner of the Unicorns and Brendan Reed of Arcade Fire)
ELFIN SADDLE (Montreal)
NOSEBLEED ISLAND (local)

At 143 North Avenue, 8pm, $6-$10 suggested donation
Thursday, November 6th

Elfin Saddle has come in the past, and also played a memorable show in Stannard on a very smoky december evening as the church's woodstove backdrafted crazily. They have a really creative approach to being a two person band.

Clues | Perfect Fit

Elfin Saddle | The Sun

Leap Day

2008-11-04T17:17:00.003-05:00

Billy Bragg | Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards | Buy

Vote

2008-11-03T19:06:00.001-05:00

Sunset Rubdown | They Took a Vote and Said No | Buy

RAD + VEGA = Totally Awesome

2008-10-31T22:05:00.000-04:00

Midwest Dilemma | Langdon Street Cafe | Oct 29

2008-10-29T23:59:00.004-04:00

Some shots from tonight's Midwest Dilemma show.

Halloween in Vermont

2008-10-29T19:39:00.002-04:00

Midwest Dilemma | Coming to Montpelier | Oct 29

2008-10-27T21:32:00.002-04:00

Sometimes idiocy works.

Everyday I get 10 to 20 emails from bands/promoters/publicists/labels asking jds and I to write about their band/album/show. 99% of them immediately go into the cyber dustbin. However, one caught my eye due to the silliness of it. A publicist from NYC was offering us a spot on the guest list for a show at Langdon Street Cafe. Obviously, the publicist doesn't know that LSC is a "pass-the-hat" gig. So, it's like being offered free tickets to my son's soccer match. It's a kind offer but not one that has any value.

Having said that, it got me to take a second and listen to the band's music. And I have to say, I'm glad that I did.

Midwest Dilemma is a 23-piece band out of Omaha that plays...well...let's call it orchestral folk. I can't imagine that they'll bring all 23 members on the road with them. It's got to be some pared down version of themselves to make any sense financially. However, the number of folks on the stage may still equal the number of people at LSC on any given night. Either way, I like them and am going to check it out. It's local and they sound good.

The other bonus is that Kris Gruen will be opening the show for them. Kris is working on his next album and the new tunes he played at Higher Ground last summer sounded sweet. It should be a good show.

Midwest Dilemma | Chicago and North Western | Buy

Debris Slide

2008-10-27T21:13:00.001-04:00

Now The Vermont Teddy Bear Company Has Been Dragged Into This Mess

2008-10-27T21:10:00.001-04:00

The New Year | Club Metronome | Oct 13

2008-10-26T22:30:00.005-04:00

It's always nice to have a quality hometown show. It's doubly nice when the band ranks fourth on my "most listened to" list on Last.FM. That's where The New Year stand for me and why I was excited to see them make a VT stop for their first time.

In a rare move, my wife came to the show also. Prior to having kids, my wife and I would regularly hit shows together. However, due to the cost of babysitters and general exhaustion of parenthood, she's left the concert-going to me. So, it was fun to have her company for the night.

We got to Burlington early so we could grab a pre-show dinner. Here's the thing, it was a Monday night in Burlington and the economy is tanking. However, you would never know it from the restaurants. We had to go to four different places before we could find one with less than a half-hour wait. And we were only able to eat at Sweetwaters because we were willing to sit at the bar. I guess the financial downturn hasn't impacted the Queen City yet.

Lendway opened the show. I've known Michael Clifford, guitarist and vocalist, for Lendway for a few years. he used to work at Buch Spieler in Montpelier and would offer great tips on albums to check out. However, he would also share some of the tunes he had written and recorded by himself. Now, 99 out of 100 times someone you know casually gives you a copy of their music, it stinks. However, Michael's stuff was fantastic. Gorgeous pop songs that I'd play over and over on my iPod. The problem was that whenever I'd ask Michael about putting together a band, he'd talk about problems playing with this guy or that guy. It never worked out.

Well, Lendway has worked out for him.

My wife pegged their sound as being similar to Luna which is a good comparison. There's a bit of a Dead and Beatles feeling in there too though. Regardless, it's infectious stuff and they played it well. Their debut album is coming out next month and they're having a CD release party on Nov 14. However, I'll post more about those things later.

The New Year hit the stage around 10pm and immediately started ticking off songs from their new album. "Folios", "The Company I Can Get", "X Off Days" all fell towards the start of the set. In fact, I think we heard the majority of the songs off the self-titled release. Braving my permently foggy memory, I believe we also got "Gasoline", "End's Not Near" and "Chinese Handcuffs" off their prior albums.

Despite a slight rattle off the drum kit, the band sounded good. What sucked was all of the talkers in the back of the room. I could live to be 104 and I'll never understand why people pay to go to a concert and talk the whole time. It's arrogance. Why else would the talkers think what they have to say is more important than what is going on the stage? I'm not expecting people to be mutes (God knows I comment on the show to my friends mid-song; but with a brief interjection) but do they really need to carry on constantly?

it's just a shame because The New Year have some beautifully delicate songs that are quiet. When folks are chatting, it stomps all over the beauty.

Don't take that mini-rant as a sign that I didn't enjoy the show. The louder songs weren't impacted at all and I still thoroughly enjoyed the entire evening.

By the way, the photo below explains how they get the drumming piece done on "The Door Opens". Matt Kadane plays the cymbal while Chris Brokaw does the main drumming.

Lastly, Bradley's Almanac has posted the mp3 files from The Kadanes Brothers set at The Middle East from this past July. I'd also keep watching the 'Nac for the mp3 files from the Boston show of this tour with the full band.

Hard Rock Hotel

2008-10-26T22:15:00.004-04:00

While I was in Chicago for work recently, I stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel. While it's a nice hotel and well located with beautiful views, I find all the memorabilia to be silly.

I was located on the Kiss floor which meant that whenever I passed through the elevator waiting area on my floor, I was met by a smiling Gene Simmons and the bands' guitars.

The silliest though and ultimate disrespectful move was in the bathroom of my room. Come on! Doesn't Roger Daltry deserve a more dignified location than right above my toilet?

However, like I said, the views from my room were sweet; right down to the river.

Team Band | The Abbey | Oct 6

2008-10-26T21:47:00.006-04:00

The headliner was indie starlets The Black Kids but the beast of the show was Team Band. The Chicago foursome was simultaneously a complete mockery of the entire indie scene bullshit and a ferociously rocking half-hour of music. They're excessively self-aware in a "Hey! This is all ridiculous but no less ridiculous than The Black Kids" way. However, while you chuckle at their antics, you find your head grooving, your heel slamming the floor in rhythm with the drummer and your brain thinking "Fuck Yeah!"

The Virgins and The Black Kids played next but Team Band had ruined any attempt on their part of having a good show. The brains of anyone paying attention had been become a toxic setting for the meager stirrings of the "hot band du jour".

The show poster from their myspace page may be the finest poster of the season.

Team Band | Team Band Fight Song | Buy

Team Band | If Rain (Sambassadeur cover) | Buy

No Age | Coming to Montreal | Nov 22

2008-10-26T21:11:00.004-04:00

No Age, purveyors of one of the best albums of the year are hitting Montreal for the second time this year. The show will be at Theatre Plaza on Nov 22 (yes, it's a Saturday night show; no exuses). I'll be missing the show because we have ten friends visiting that weekend but I was lucky to catch their show at La Sala Rossa back in July.

Here are some shots from that show.

No Age didn't hit the stage until after 12:30 because they had gotten stopped at the border. Throughout the show, they kept repeating sarcastically that everyone should feel very safe with the way that the border agents are scrutinizing indie rock bands.

Prior to the show I wonder if they'd be able to reproduce their studio sound live. I didn't know how much of it was post-production magic. However, when I saw this board of pedals at the guitarist Randy Randall's feet, I knew we'd be in for a whirlwind of fuzz.

Good show. At one point, in the middle of a song, Randall threw his guitar guitar across Dean Spunt's drum kit as Spunt kept drumming; just slamming his right-hand stick into the guitar. Make the trip for the show. It's worth it.

No Age | Sleeper Hold | Buy

The New Year | Club Metronome | Oct 13

2008-10-12T23:29:00.003-04:00

Reasons to go see The New Year at Club Metronome on Monday night (9pm):

☺ Quality...Their excellent self-titled album is getting rave reviews here, here, here, here and here.

☻ More quality...Their previous two albums are even better.

♥ Local connection..bassist Mike Donofrio grew up in and lives in Vermont.

♦ Exclusive...This is the band's first ever show in Vermont.

♣ Economic bailout...tickets are just $8 which is about $4 less than in other cities.

♠ Bonus...Lendway is opening the show.

The New Year | X-Off Days | Buy

Lendway | Yard Sale

photo courtesy of jinners

Stuck In Vermont | Langdon's Army of Fun

2008-10-02T17:01:00.004-04:00

"You can wander in town [Montpelier] any day of the week and not know what you are going to find, such as a bunch of kids throwing stuff at cardboard"

The Smittens | The Coolest Thing About Love

2008-09-23T01:46:00.003-04:00

Reason #487 Why I'm a Sucky Blogger: The Smittens' The Coolest Thing About Love came out a month ago and I've yet to post about it. I even got a copy of it a few weeks prior to its release which gave me plenty of time to fall in love with it and I still failed to sing its praises.

Here's why this is such a mistake...this is a blog about VT music and it's one of the best releases by a VT band this year. In fact, I should have ignored the VT qualifier. It's just a good album and a must for any lover of twee and pop.

The blogosphere went gaga earlier this year for fellow popsters Magnetic Fields' Distortion. However, I'd contend that if you loved Magnetic Fields' earlier work, you'd prefer The Coolest Thing About Love to Distortion. It's truer to the genre of fun bubbly pop melodies with an undercurrent of meloncholy lyrics. Distortion is an interesting diversion to MF's sound. However, The Smittens' new LP will keep your head bopping and heels swinging a lot longer.

The Smittens | The Interstate | Buy

The Smittens | One Hundred Roses | Buy

By the way, here is a live performance of "One Hundred Roses" from a show last year at The Firehouse Gallery.

Yearbook Yourself

2008-09-23T01:29:00.004-04:00

If you haven't played around with Yearbook Yourself, give it a whirl. Stupid silly fun.

Basically, you upload a picture of yourself, or in this case Bonnie Prince Billy, and then the software shows you what you might have looked like in a yearbook book photo from various years going back to the early 50's.

Bonnie Prince Billy almost resembles Richard Branson in his 1956 yearbook photo. And the "butt cut" from '88 makes his cheeks look even more "squirrel-like" than usual.

Speaking of the Prince, if you haven't picked up his latest studio album Lie Down in the Light, stop reading this stupid blog and go get it. So beautiful.

Bonnie Prince Billy | Easy Does It | Buy

Apples to iPods Contest

2008-09-23T00:35:00.005-04:00

Same contest as last year. Go apple picking in one of VT's 24 orchards, find a wooden apple and you win an iPod Nano, Shuffle or Touch from Small Dog Electronics. It's that easy. And in a worst case scenario, you go home with a bunch of fresh apples.

We gave it a try this weekend at Liberty Orchard in Brookfield. You can find a list of all the participating orchards here.

The lady at the gate said that the wooden apples are not painted and are brown. I looked while picking but all I saw was real apples.

No luck. However, as I said above, we still took home a bushel of sweet crisp apples. Now we just have to find a bunch of recipes for apple dishes. How does apple jelly sound?

Oh, and the other upside is getting to spend an hour wandering around a picturesque landscape on a sunny fall afternoon. The iPod is completely unnecessary for it to be a good day.

One last note about apples. The honeycrisp apples are now at the farmer's market. Just a freakishly good apple. The best.

Ruben's Tube

2008-09-23T00:28:00.002-04:00

I know this would seem to be crazy dangerous following the disaster at The Station in RI five years ago. However, I would love to see a band bring this out on tour in some sort of safe controlled manner. It would be cool to watch throughout a show.

The Dodos | Coming to Dartmouth | Oct 3

2008-09-22T23:58:00.003-04:00

Existing in the gap between Americana and freak folk, The Dodos are palatable for people who are bored with the graybeards in the coffee shop and befuddled by Animal Collective. Or in other words, me.

jds introduced me to their album Visiter [sic] earlier this year and I've enjoyed it each time I've played it. It doesn't blow me away but whenever I hit play, it makes me wonder why I don't listen to it more often.

Next month, the San Francisco duo will be playing at the Fuel Rocket Club at Dartmouth College. The show is on Fri Oct 3. In the past, we've been told that shows at Dartmouth are not open to non-students. However, I went to see Parts & Labor there last spring and nobody said boo to me. The only thing I'd caution about is the start times. Things are relaxed at the club so while they say things get going around 10pm, expect to hear music closer to 11pm. Once again, the upside is that the shows there are free. Zero bucks to hear a band like The Dodos is always a good deal.

The Dodos | Joe's Waltz | Buy

The Dodos | Jodi | Buy

photo courtesy of Leia Jospe

Anarchist Candy

2008-09-22T22:47:00.003-04:00

As if the world needs further proof that VT is a bit different, Saturday saw the grand opening of a new pair of stores in downtown Montpelier. The old location of Paseo Shoes is now occupied by the unique combination of Black Sheep Books and Delish. That's right...you now have one stop shopping for your anarchist books and gummy bears.

All oddities aside, we stopped by Delish this weekend and enjoyed it. There's a nice selection of candy (including the VT requisite organic candies) and it seemed fairly priced. In fact, I was expecting to pay more than what our final bill came to. They still have some space to fill in with more bulk candy and they need a counter; the scale was balanced unstably upon the curved top of the glass case which may be why our cost came in lower than expected. However, it's nice to have a place in town to grab some treats. We've been missing that ever since the Country Store closed four years ago.

Speaking of candy stores, we were recently in NYC and got to check out Economy Candy down on Rivington St. Extrawack! had tipped me off to the place and it was the perfect antidote to the upscale uptown Dylan's Candy Bar. For all the fanciness of Dylan's, Economy Candy comes hard with it's no-frills approach. Just a huge selection of candy piled up everywhere; warehouse style. It feels downtown. Plus, it's cheaper. The kids say they still prefer Dylan's but kids are always drawn to flash.

The Kadane Bros + Bottomless Pit | Le Divan Orange | Jul 13

2008-09-17T20:20:00.001-04:00

I've been a crappy blogger this summer. Pretty much checked out all summer. I'm going to try to get back into it but I'm not making any promises that it'll take.

One of the posts that I started two months ago but never finished was this one about The Kadane Brothers and Bottomless Pit at Le Divan Orange in Montreal on Jul 13.

Here's the skinny...good music...crappy club.

Heavy rain for most of the drive which stinks when you're flying solo.

At least the rain yielded to a cool sky as I was approaching Montreal.

I had some time to kill before the show. So, I wandered around the neighborhood and snapped this cool picture of the post-storm vapors rising against the hillside.

The reason I had time to kill was that Le Divan Orange listed the starting time for the show as 9:30 with no opening band. However, when I arrived at the empty club around 9pm, I was told by the bartender that shows at Le Divan Orange generally don't start until 11pm and that there would be an opening band. Shit. Why the hell do they post completely wrong info on their site? Are they too cool to post accurate info? Do they think that we all live such carefree lives that the showtime on a Sunday night doesn't matter?

Whatever, I had a bunch of time to kill. So, I drank a few beers, read the paper, talked to some folks and listened to the soundchecks.

The opening band was some completely forgettable band. I don't mean that I've forgotten who they were to months after the show. I mean that I had forgotten their name before I had reach the US border.

One thing that popped in my head was the band's use of cello and a violin. I guess if you're a band from Montreal these days, you think you're going to get noticed by replicating Arcade Fire. Not even close.

Matt and Bubba Kadane came out and played a bunch of songs off their new self-titled album (I'll try to post a review of it later this week...in short, it's a goody) and some earlier gems such as "Gasoline" and "End's Not Near".

I'm always impressed when a song can be stripped down to a minimum of instruments (in this case, just two guitars) and the songs are still enjoyable. Well built tunes.

The transition from the Kadanes to Bottomless Pit was one of the slickest I've ever seen. The Kadanes finished their song with a long tune which was slowly filled out by members of Bottomless Pit as the band members slowly came on stage to join the song. The song then transitioned into a Bottomless Pit song as Matt and Bubba unplugged and left the stage. Bottomless Pit then just went right along with their set. More bands should find ways to do this. It keeps the show going and is interesting to watch...much more interesting than watching roadies change the stage over.

Bottomless Pit sounded good. The bonus of hearing their soundcheck was that I got to hear "Dogtags" twice in one night. However, I think the highlight of the set for me was "Reposession" which is good on the album but fantastic live.

The big problem of the night was Le Divan Orange. In addition to the mistake on their website, it's a miserable place to watch a show. They have an oven behind the bar (not a toaster oven but a full kitchen oven) which they use to cook and reheat food. So, that thing is cranking out heat all night and there isn't any air conditioning. Well, as the sweat began to build, the employees of the club hung big industrial fans on the wall. However, unless you were standing right in front of them, they didn't cut your sweat runs. Plus, they made a loud humming sound which drowned out the quieter, more subtle moment of the Kadane Brothers set. Such a disappointment of a club. They seem to be making an effort to bring in lots of good acts but unless they get their website and climate straightened out, it's all a waste of effort on their part.

The New Year (Kadane brothers band) start touring later this week. Here are their dates:

9/18 - Granada Theatre - Dallas, TX
9/19 - Rudyards - Houston, TX
9/20 - Emo's Alternative Lounge - Austin, TX
9/22 - Launchpad - Albuquerque, NM
9/23 - Modified - Phoenix, AZ
9/24 - The Echo - Los Angeles, CA
9/25 - Bottom of the Hill - San Francisco, CA
9/26 - Doug Fir Lounge - Portland, OR
9/27 - Sunset Tavern - Seattle, WA
9/29 - Larimer Lounge - Denver, CO

10/9 - Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, PA
10/10 - Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn, NY
10/11 - The Middle East - Boston, MA
10/12 - The Livingroom - Providence, RI
10/13 - Club Metronome - Burlington, VT <--- Can't miss show (with Capstan Shafts)
10/14 - Le Divan Orange - Montreal, QC
10/15 - Lee's Palace - Toronto, ON
10/16 - The Pike Room - Pontiac, MI
10/17 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL
10/18 - Maintenance Shop - Ames, IA
10/19 - High Dive - Champaign, IL
10/20 - Grog Shop - Cleveland, OH
10/21 - DC9 - Washington, DC

I Bought Stowe Resort Tonight...and I Now Sponsor Manchester United...Damn!

2008-09-16T23:44:00.003-04:00

According to the NY Times tonight, the federal government has taken an 80% stake in AIG in exchange for an $85 billion dollar bailout. That means that since AIG owns Stowe Mountain Resort, we are now all the proud owners of the big hill. Where's my friggin' free pass!

Plus, it now means that I am a sponsor of Manchester United. Sweet Jesus! This deal sucks.

Q: How do you know someone isn't from Manchester?
A: They root for Manchester United.

Q: How many Manchester United fans does it take to change a light bulb?
A: 560,001. That is 1 to change it, 60,000 to say they've been changing it for years and 500,000 to buy the replica kit.

Q: What's the difference between Alex Ferguson and God?
A: God doesn't think he's Alex Ferguson.

Pop Montreal | October 1-5

2008-09-11T23:20:00.002-04:00

Pop Montreal is far and away the biggest indie music/industry festival within a days drive from Vermont (2.25 hrs from Montpelier). The lineup and events don't quite compare to Austin's South By Southwest and NYC's CMJ Music Marathon, but it is never far behind. In some ways it is much, much better, given that it is a waaay better City, the acts are a bit more interesting and usually less discovered, and the weather is great (there's nothing like 40 degree nights).

Here's a handful of groups that'll be at Pop Montreal's 7th edition:
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Wire, Hot Chip, Dan Deacon, The Sainte Catherines, Beach House, Chocolat, Silver Apples, The Dodos, Crystal Castles, Julie Doiron, The Wedding Present, Vetiver, The Dodos, Black Kids, Jana Hunter, Cex, Evangelicals, Liam Finn, The Veils, Great Lake Swimmers, Jason Collett, You Say Party! We Say Die!, Irma Thomas, Chad VanGaalen, Dark Meat, Headlights, and Burt Bacharach.

Individual tickets for shows are starting to sell out (Ratatat and Nick Cave tickets are history), so you better get on it. The platinum "Industry Passes" can get you into these "sold out" shows, but it'll set ya back $225 bucks.

iTunes Survey #2

2008-09-11T21:41:00.003-04:00

Flatlander did the following iTunes survey in February '06. I didn't have an iPod or even iTunes at that time. I'm finally up to speed (I joined the Apple revolution about a year ago) and am putting my hat in the ring.

How many songs: 5,336

Sort by song
First Song: "A-Punk" - Vampire Weekend
Last Song: “Zoothorns” - HEALTH

Sort by time
Shortest Song: “Here Come the ABC's” (0:11) - They Might Be Giants
Longest Song: “Confusion” (25:37) - Fela Kuti
(not including podcasts or speeches)

Sort by artist
First Artist: A.C. Newman
Last Artist: Zeigeist

Sort by album
First Album: À Coeur Léger Sommeil Sanglant - Destroy All Dreamers
Last Album: Ys - Joanna Newsom

Top Three Most Played Songs:
1. “Just A Boy” - Angus & Julia Stone (18 times)
2. “Only as the Day Is Long” - Sera Cahoone (18 times)
3. “Heard Them Stirring” - Fleet Foxes (15 times)

First song that comes up on Shuffle:
“Pedestal” by Portishead

Search ….
“sex”, how many songs come up? 19
“death”, how many songs come up? 36
“love”, how many songs come up? 208
“you”, how many songs come up? 538

Angus & Julia Stone | Just a Boy | Buy

Top VT Craigslisting of the Night

2008-09-11T21:14:00.006-04:00

Wheelbarrow - $100 (Marshfield)Wheelbarrow slightly used. Frame bent, tire flat, body has holes, one good handle.

This is freaking amazing. I can't believe someone is trying to trade this for a benjamin. Awesome.

Sera Cahoone | You're Not Broken | Buy

Miracle Fortress + Ryan Power | Sept. 12 | Burlington

2008-09-10T20:03:00.004-04:00

Photo: Indyish

Tick Tick has another sweet show set for this week. I'm going to try everything I can to get to this one. Friday for me is shaping up like this: Vespa to a full day in the office -> fried dough, ferris wheel ride, and horse pulls at the 137th Tunbridge World's Fair -> cruise back across the state to catch the magnificent Miracle Fortress. It'll be full, but totally worth it.

5 Roses, by Montreal's Miracle Fortress, was my 2007 "headphones album of the year." It is a sweet, succulent, and complex album that hits the Brian Wilson Pet Sounds sound better then most Elephant 6 bands. Song by song it is good, but the album as a whole rewards those that relax and hear it in full. Miracle Fortress will follow local hero Ryan Power. Here are the specifics and bio:

Miracle Fortress + Ryan Power | Sept. 12 | 5th Element (bottom of Battery St) | Burlington

Show starts at 9 pm

$5-10 donation at the door

Blending dreamy, atmospheric noise pop with Brian Wilson-style psychedelia, Miracle Fortress formed in 2005 as the solo project of Think About Life's Graham Van Pelt. He self-released Miracle Fortress' first EP, Watery Grave, that year, and went on to release his debut full-length, Five Roses, two years later. Adam Waito (Telefauna), Jessie Stein (SS Cardiac), and Jordan Robson-Cramer rounded out the lineup for the project's live show.

Miracle Fortress | Maybe Lately | Buy

Miracle Fortress | Have You Seen in Your Dreams | Buy

False 45th ♥s Record Club

2008-09-10T19:53:00.004-04:00

We want to type a quick thank you to the 30+ folks who partied with us at the second False 45th Record Club. It was a smashing success. The track list will be posted soon, chock full of mp3s.

Pontiak + Arbouretum | Sept. 10 | Burlington

2008-09-04T19:20:00.004-04:00

Burlington music promotion heroes Tick Tick are starting this new school year white hot. On Wed., Sept. 10th they are bringing a combo of heavy stoner riffs and acoustic ballads with Thrill Jockey label mates Pontiak and Arbouretum.

Pontiak + Arbouretum Sept 10 The Bakery

[294 North Winooski Avenue, Burlington]

Pontiak is a trio of brothers from the Old Dominion State making heavy and expansive sounds "straddling a wide sonic rift valley, with references that stretch from the southern latitudes of Spain's Viaje A800 to the northern majesty of Black Sabbath and Harvey Milk via the Doors." Their second full length, Sun on Sun, is getting the Thrill Jockey treatment on the 9th (previously limited release via their own Fireproof Records in 2007).

Arbouretum is the work of Baltimore's Dave Heumann, formerly a player in Anomoanon, Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Cass McCombs, & Papa M. Arbouretum utilizing the "basic structure of folk-affected rock songs to paint broad landscapes with literary allusions, loner ballads, fuzzy bass and acid drenched guitar solos." Think Palace Music and Neil Young.

Both groups recently released a 7-song LP-only split EP called Kale. It includes both originals and John Cale covers, including classics Buffalo Ballet and Mr. Wilson.

Here's a review of a killer show from these two earlier in the tour.

Pontiak Shell Skull Buy

Abouretum Buffalo Ballet Buy

The Most Incredibly Lifelike Baby Monkey Ever!

2008-09-03T20:43:00.003-04:00

I'm always amazed by the crap that is sold in magazines like "Good Housekeeping." This one, though, takes the cake. Who the heck wants a miniature monkey in a "sweetheart" shirt? For 5 payments of $27.99?!!? Sure, it's "a masterpiece of amazing realism," but freaking out overnight guests with Little Umi tucked into their bed sheets isn't worth 140 bucks. Or maybe it is. Hmmmm.

Beastie Boys | Brass Monkey | Buy

False 45th Record Club in 6 Days!

2008-09-03T08:04:00.003-04:00

The second installment of the False 45th Record Club will take place on Tuesday, September 9th at the Black Door in Montpelier. Our first go-around in June was wildly successful and, taking a look at the submissions thus far, we expect nothing less for our second run. Song submissions are due Sunday, September 7th, so get them in.

Oh, and here are two songs that I'm not going to submit:

Dead Meadow | Eyeless Gaze All Eye-Don't Tell the Riverman | Buy

Fleet Foxes | White Winter Hymnal | Buy

Full details here:

It's back!

A couple of months have passed since June's record club and it's time for the next one. This one will be on Tuesday, Sep 9. Everything else is the same deal.

If you'd like to participate, email me two songs you'd like to share by Sunday, Sep 7. The same rules apply regarding the selection of songs.

If this is the first time you've heard of the False 45th Record Club, then you can read about the concept here. The song list from the last one is here.

Here are the details:

When: Tuesday, Sep 3 @ 8pm

Where: The Black Door in Montpelier

Who: Anyone. If people don't want to submit songs but just want to hang out for the night, please do. Bring whoever your want.

What: Send us TWO songs.

Song Rules:

(1) Every genre and time period is fair game. You have some kick-ass polka you'd like to share? Let's play it.

(2) The two songs must be from different artists and different albums. The emphasis is on variety.

(3) The songs have to be eight minutes or less. We won't have enough time to get through everyone's songs if someone drops a twenty minute Godspeed You Black Emperor track on us.

(4) They can't be from your own band. We don't want people using this as an opportunity to just pimp their own bands.

(5) Send us your songs by Sep 7 so we have time to burn the CDs.

Suggestion: Keep in mind that your songs will be playing in a bar. Therefore, a quiet atmospheric piece may not be heard over the din of chatter and beer glasses. It'll need a little volume to be noticed.

Submissions: Send your songs to False45thRecordClub@gmail.com

There are two updates since the last club meeting:

(1) Someone has offered to correct the equalizer for each song as the playlist progresses over the night. That should help with some of the songs being too bassy, low, etc.

(2) I spoke to The Black Door about doing a drink special on beer that night. They seemed to be cool about it. They said they'd talk about it and let me know. So, hopefully, we'll have some cheaper beers this time.

Songs for Eating and Drinking

2008-08-26T20:37:00.003-04:00

Music, food, and fun. Those are the tenants of an exciting event recently taken place in a naval airplane hanger in Seattle. The project, entitled Songs for Eating and Drinking, is a collaboration between table guru Michael Hebb and photographer/director Chase Jarvis. Here's a description of the concept and a video of the band Fences performing "We Wore Panthers on Our Hands":

get a bunch of insanely talented musicians together, and let them share songs, food, and drink. many a musical career starts with small audiences, impromptu performances, late night mutterings; and then the lucky end up on large stages and tucked deep inside recording studios - often vastly disconnected from those that love their music. our friends in the music industry have bellyached that industry folk hardly ever share food in a meaningful way – or rarely just get together and f’in chill. so we decided to create these evenings for our musician friends built around long tables, remarkable locations, sturdy drinking food, and bottles of wine and whiskey – with the hope that throughout each night songs would rise up from the table...

Menomena | The Pelican | Middlebury College

2008-08-24T22:40:00.004-04:00

I shot this video at Middlebury College's Sepomana 2008 festival back in May (thank you WRMC). Sadly I only recorded the first 1:46 of the song, but at least it gives an idea of how dramatic their performance was. Make sure that you WATCH THE DRUMMER.

US v Guatemala | World Cup Qualifying

2008-08-20T02:05:00.006-04:00

Time to dust off your Hugo Perez jersey...it's World Cup Qualifying.

Qualifying for South Africa 2010 kicks off in earnest for the US on Wednesday (Aug 20) when they travel to Guatemala for the opening match of the semifinal round for CONCACAF (ESPN2, 10pm EST). In this round, there are three groups with four countries a piece. Each team plays every other team in their group twice (home and away) with the top two teams in each group advancing to the final round of qualifying.

Here are the four groups:

Group A
United States
Guatemala
Trinidad & Tobago
Cuba

Group B
Mexico
Canada
Jamaica
Honduras

Group C
Costa Rica
El Salvador
Haiti
Suriname

Group B is easily the roughest group and Group C is one of the most ridiculous groups ever created. The US is the heavy favorite to win its group but starting with two games on the road is tough. We dominate Guatemala at home but are only 1-4-4 at Guatemala with our one win coming in 1988. Thankfully, the weather looks more pleasant in Guatemala City than you'd expect for August. Regarding Cuba on Sep 6, you have no idea what sort of reception we'll receive in Havana. Then again seven U-23 Cuban players defected when they played in the Olympic qualifying tournament this spring. So, they may not be at full strength. If we take four points from those first two matches, we'll cruise through the rest and top our group.

Here's the schedule for the US matches:

Aug. 20........@ Guatemala..........Guatemala City, Guatemala
Sept. 6..........@ Cuba.................................Havana, Cuba
Sept. 10......vs. Trinidad & Tobago.......Bridgeview, Ill.
Oct. 11...........vs. Cuba.........................Washington, D.C.
Oct. 15........@ Trinidad & Tobago...Port-of-Spain, Trinidad
Nov. 19..........vs. Guatemala......Commerce City, Colo.

Montpelier Street Band

2008-08-20T01:56:00.001-04:00

I like the spirit but the same melody for two minutes is ponderous; just fucking ponderous.

iPod Fire

2008-08-20T01:42:00.002-04:00

Be careful out there.

Sustainable Dance Club | Club Watt

2008-08-20T01:25:00.003-04:00

The average music club uses 150 times more energy than a normal house. However, Club Watt in Rotterdam is trying to change that. They plan on using 30% less than a normal house. How? With a new dance floor that has a 1cm give to it. Then as people dance, the bouncing of the floor will generate energy which will be used to run the club. The more people dance, the more energy that'll be create. If it works as billed, that's a fantastic idea.

Guess who the first artist to play with the new floor will be? Iggy Pop. Get your "Raw Power" on.

Iggy & The Stooges | Raw Power | Buy

False 45th Record Club | Sep 9

2008-08-17T01:19:00.004-04:00

The New Year | "The Company I Can Get"

2008-08-16T21:28:00.002-04:00

The New Year's self-titled third album is still a few weeks away (Sep 9) but they've released a cut from the album. "The Company I Can Get" is one of the piano-heavy songs I was referencing when I commented on the album a few months ago. I'm still trying to reconcile rednecks and Corvettes though. When I think of rednecks, I think pick-up trucks and Corvettes make me think of a-holes at a country club.

Regardless, good song. You can download it for free courtesy of RCRD LBL.

TNY also have two new album teasers available. Oh, all the teasing. Make it stop. Pre-order here.

Radiohead | Comcast Center | Aug 13

2008-08-16T16:19:00.006-04:00

I've never been much of a Radiohead fan. When I listen to their stuff, I can respect them for what they are trying to do and understand why others love them so much. However, they've never made an emotional connection with me.

So, when a friend mentioned that he had a pair of VIP tickets to see Radiohead outside of Boston, I suggested he find a hardcore Radiohead fan to go but if none appeared, I'd be interested. Perhaps seeing them live would explain their massive fan base to me.

On Wednesday night, we drove the 3 1/2 hours down to the Comcast Center in Mansfield which is one of those sterile corporate outdoor amphitheaters that every medium size city and up seems to have. I hadn't been to that large of a facility to see a show since 1995 when I went to Giants Stadium to see Bob Dylan as he opened for The Dead. Besides Wilco at Shelburne Museum, everything had been small clubs and theaters over the last 13 years.

The Comcast Center was a nice place tucked into a wooded lot. The VIP passes allowed us easy access into and out of the place, entry to the hospitality tent and box seats behind the first seated section. The parking is the best part of that package. Not having to wait in line is beautiful. The hospitality tent above was a relaxing place to hang in before the show but the food prices were criminal. Two burgers and four beers between us cost $67 with tip. Ugh.

The box seats were nice though because we had a bit of elbow room and were raised up slightly above the rows in front of us. Plus, the movable chairs made it easier to get comfortable. One thing about the place that shocked me, in contrast to the usual shows I see, was the amount of staff employed for the show. At one point, while waiting for the show to begin, I counted the ushers and security guards. There were 25 of them just in the section between us and the stage. I guess that's why burgers and beers ran us $67.

Grizzly Bear opened the show. Like Radiohead, I'm a bit mystified by their popularity. They sound highly ordinary to me but they get a lot of attention in the blogosphere. I thought seeing them live would explain it to me but...nope.

They still sounded like an Elephant 6 wanna-be band with some nice harmonies and pleasant melodies but no compelling reason to buy any of their stuff.

Note: I like the look on the security guard's face in the shot above. You know he's thinking, "I really wish one of these fuckers would do something wrong; so friggin' bored."

One thing you don't get in small indie clubs is a light show; perhaps a bit of smoke and a strobe light if you're lucky. However, you never see anything on the scale that Radiohead used to entertain my eyeballs.

There was about two dozen long tubes dangling from the rafters that changed colors throughout the show. That was enhanced by a series of lights above and around the stage that cast more color across the band. Then to top it off, they had video of the band running on a screen at the back of the stage and on the jumbotrons on either side of the place.

The cool thing about the video was that the angles and images they caught didn't look like traditional concert footage. By capturing the musicians at weird angles, cutting off their heads, arms, etc., focusing on inactive instruments at times and dividing the screen into quadrants, the video more closely resembled a 7-11 security tape rather than Austin City Limits. It gave you a voyeur feel which was kind of interesting.

You can see the full package of what I'm talking about in this video I shot. It's no Yes in Madison Square Garden in 1985 with laser light geometric shapes spinning over the crowd but it's a nice visual.

As for the music itself, being a lesser fan, I relied on my friend to inform me that they played a lot of In Rainbows, four or five songs from Kid A and OK Computer, one or two from Hail to the Thief, the title track from The Bends and nothing from Pablo Honey.

They clearly know what they are doing and are hyper-polished on stage. And while their quieter songs didn't pull me in, I was definitely enjoying their loud rockers. For some reason their grooves infected me more live than when I had heard the albums.

Thom Yorke's frontman persona is a bit too much of "I'm a tourtured artist who's willing to dance" for me but I have a well-developed callous to that particular portrayal after years of seeing it played out in numerous clubs across the fruited lands over the years. So, it didn't bug me too much.

Bassist Colin Greenwood was sporting a No Age t-shirt which immediately made him my favorite member of the band.

Overall, I enjoyed the show. The light show was fun to watch and they definitely had me bouncing to the groove. It wasn't enough to get me to buy a Radiohead boxset but I'd pay to see them if they came to VT.

The last point about them coming to VT is key because the drive home was brutal. We stopped at two different gas stations on the way home that we knew were 24-hour stations. However, as we later learned, due to cost-cutting measures, they had recently decided to start closing rather than staying open to help the late night stragglers. Fuckers.

The closed gas stations led to us running out of gas at Exit 13 on I-89 in NH. Anyone who has driven on that stretch of highway knows that there isn't anything out there. It's a dead zone unless you're a woodchuck. Luckily, we ran out right at an exit ramp and managed to roll into a closed gas station. Double lucky was the fact that my friend had AAA coverage. It was a long wait for the dude to show up with a can of gas for us (and depressing when the newspapers were delivered) but we eventually got home at 4:30am.

So, like I said, if they come to VT, I'm there...but I'm not staying up until 4:30am again.

Baseball in Vermont

2008-08-16T16:09:00.003-04:00

No need for a fancy recreation park when you have a cow pasture. The game and the bovines were coexisting nicely until a bull decided to go check out home plate. One of the kids yelled, "COW ATTACK!!", and they all went scurrying under the fence.

Coming Soon: New Live Bonnie Prince Billy

2008-08-14T20:02:00.004-04:00

October 10th marks the Domino Records release of Bonnie 'Prince' Billy's third live album, entitled Is It The Sea? The thirteen tracks were recorded at various locations during his Spring 2006 tour, including Scotland, Ireland and Newcastle. Will Oldham was joined by Edinburgh's Harem Scarem on harmonies, fiddle, flute, banjo and accordion, as well as Glasgow's Alex Neilson on drums and percussion.

I was blown away by the Superwolf (Oldham and Matt Sweeney) show I witnessed at Higher Ground in 2005 (along with 30 other people). The greatest thing about the show was how different the tracks were presented then the album. The songs had been restructured and were much fuller and interesting - it was as if the album was the blueprint and the performance was the full structure. That same richness is found on this new album. I've spent many hours pouring over Will Oldham's body of work, but I've never been swept away like I am while listening to these strangely familiar ballads.

Will Oldham | Birch Ballad

Will Oldham | Love Comes to Me

Sip Sip Sip Sippin' on some sizzzzurp...

2008-08-14T19:34:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Three 6 Mafia, we have this ridiculous concoction:

1. Cough Syrup (anything with Codeine)
2. Vodka
3. Milk of Magnesia
4. Jolly Ranchers Red

Sizzurp goes by other names, such as lean, syrup, purple jelly, barre (seriously), and purple drank. Given the fact that at least two rappers have died of codeine overdose due to this stuff (DJ Screw and UGK's Pimp C), you'd think the sizzurp days were numbered. Guess again. An enterprising soft drink company is capitalizing on the woozyness. In leans Drank.

Innovative Beverage Group has taken time and great care to design the first and only anti-energy drink of its kind 'Drank.' Drank was formulated to be an extreme relaxation beverage that personifies the slow, smooth style of chopped and screwed music put forth by hip-hop giants such as: Mike Watts, Paul Wall, Chamillionaire, Slim Thug, Mike Jones, Johnny Dang, Three 6 Mafia, T.I., Rick Ross, Ludacris and the late D.J. Screw.

Instead of codeine, the slowness effects are provided by a mixture of rose-hips, melatonin, and valerian root (natural sleep aides). So now you can get your nap on the old fashioned way.

The AV Club did a hilarious Taste Test of this sleepy time beverage so that you don't have to.

Three 6 Mafia ft. UGK | Sippin... (DJ Emagen Purp Sippin Bass Drippin Remix)

Cold War Kids | "Something Is Not Right with Me"

2008-08-08T01:34:00.003-04:00

Cold War Kids have posted a track from their upcoming album Loyalty to Loyalty on their website. It's a good song but not killer. If it's the best track on the album then the album might be a clunker. However, if it's just an average track then the album might be Cracker Jack.

The street date for the album is Sep 23.

Here's a little factoid for you: CWK are Norwich City FC fans. I didn't see that one coming.

Cold War Kids | Something is Not Right with Me | Pre-Order

Devendra Banhart | "Carmenista"

2008-08-08T01:17:00.002-04:00

Warning! This new video from Devendra Banhart is NSFW.

Not because there's anything raunchy in it; just because if a co-worker catches you watching this freakfest, they'll never look at you the same way again.

Oh, and Natalie Portman is in it.

Devendra Barnhart | Carmenista | Buy

Honda Step Bus

2008-08-08T01:10:00.002-04:00

Then you can stick your transparent canoe on the roof and slick bike on the back of Honda's Step Bus and you're looking like you just step out of 2030.

Beautiful Canoe

2008-08-08T01:02:00.001-04:00

To go with the bikes, here's a sweet canoe.

Beautiful Bikes

2008-08-08T01:01:00.002-04:00

More of these bikes here.

Von Südenfed

2008-08-07T23:59:00.003-04:00

Back in college, my freshman roommate introduced me to The Fall and frontman Mark E. Smith. At that point, I never thought that 22 years later I'd still be listening to the same guy and that he'd be doing German dance rock. I don't know if it says more about Smith's longevity or me being stuck in a two decade long musical rut. Regardless, Von Südenfed is here and I'm enjoying it.

Besides Smith, the trio includes Jan St. Werner and Andi Toma from Mouse on Mars. Quite frankly, Von Südenfed sounds like a Mouse on Mars album with Smith handling the vocals. Although, like The Fall, some of it is just terrible and some of it is fabulous. The beats are disco infectious and, at this point, Smith's vocals are comforting in their familiarity. However, some of the songs go too krautrock on me.

Von Südenfed | The Rhinohead | Buy

Von Südenfed | Fledermaus Can't Get It | Buy

Eric Chanaux | Coming to Burlington | Aug 10

2008-08-07T23:42:00.003-04:00

If you're loving Bon Iver (and...really...who isn't?), then you may want to hit the Firehouse Gallery on Sunday night to catch Eric Chanaux. Chanaux is more electrified than Bon Iver but they both have that mellow intensity and melancholy voice that sucks you in. He'll be performing with Burlington superhero Greg Davis.

Showtime is 8pm and tickets are $7 at the door.

Eric Chanaux | Love Don't Change | Buy

Lollapalooza | Day Three

2008-08-04T20:47:00.003-04:00

And the beat goes on with TK...

==================================================================

Sun., Aug. 3

We arrived just in time for the start of Iron And Wine's 4:15 set at one of the big stages. Considering we did this two weekends ago and this is the third straight day, it's starting to take a toll on us. We felt relieved to sleep in and do a huge breakfast before we left. Just as it was the case with Explosions in the Sky the day before, Iron And Wine was the chill-out time slot. Great band to just lay on the grass and relax to. The overcast weather keeps things cool and makes life easier for everyone. Hearing Woman King and staring at the sky was bliss.

Let's say Iron And Wine is the neighbor that calls ahead and then rings the doorbell. Then Flogging Molly is the type that just walks in and kicks your ass off the couch. Their introduction from a local DJ bordered on an overslurp but they were an absolute blast. Irish music on amphetamines. Lead singer Dave King cracked us up by saying Irish football is so bad right now they had to hire a fucking Italian coach. He later dedicated a song to himself and completely energized the crowd. Some bands take breaks between songs; Flogging Molly's bassist uses that time to slam a beer. It was that point I think I really came to admire them. We realized the only problem with their set was that our blood-alcohol content was way too low. One of the joys of Pitchfork is having unfamiliar bands freight-train us and Flogging Molly provided that joy.

Either my memory fails me or I don't recall Love and Rockets being this ....heavy. Despite a food and beverage break, we stayed within earshot. I can't recall a truly disappointing band from the final two days. Love and Rockets kept the roll going.

It was nice to hear Love and Rockets clearly because we were focused on getting up close for The National. At some point, you reach a saturation level with a band because you've listened to them so much. The National only makes me enjoy their music even more. Like Radiohead, they have an uncanny ability to sound isolated and intimate at the same time. Fans insisted on clapping early but quickly realized if they stopped, they'd fully appreciated The National's wonderfully layered sound. About the only time it worked against them was Mistaken For Strangers, when the murky, menacing rhythm section unfortunately ceeded to everything else. Otherwise, fantastic. Matt Berninger can be your lonely crooner or your fanatical outburst on tracks like Squalor Victoria and Abel. They capped the set with Mr. November, introduced as follows: "This song is not meant for John McCain. We're sure he's a nice guy and everything, but it's not for him." The joke here is that The National is selling shirts with Obama's mug and Mr. November written below it. If you haven't hit a National show and screamed the chorus of Mr. November at the top of your lungs, consider yourself cheated.

Finally, it was Nine Inch Nails, who I'm fine with but I'm not a big fan, either. They sounded great when they weren't wanking with their electronic toys and we got to hear a flushed-out version of Terrible Lie, one of my fave NIN tunes, before we had to catch our train.

All things considered, we had a great weekend and got our money's worth. I'm probably hesitant about coming back because the crowds were ridiculous, but part of that is like Coachella in 2003, I'd hate to taint a great experience with a lousy one. Get another great lineup and they can talk me into it.

photo courtesy of Robert Loerzel

The Avett Brothers | Higher Ground | Jul 29

2008-08-04T01:16:00.000-04:00

Some thoughts and photos from The Avett Brothers at Higher Ground:

A few years ago, I reviewed Kris Gruen's debut album, Lullaby School , for 7D and enjoyed it. So, I was happy to see him opening for The Avett Brothers. In fact, it was probably the factor that tipped me towards going since I was sort of middling towards The Avetts.

Gruen played for about a half hour and showcased all new material (as far as I could tell) which would make sense since he's been working on a new album. You can hear some demos from his recording session on his myspace site; I'm digging "Memoir". At the show, Gruen had everything stripped down to just him, an acoustic guitar and a bass drum and the songs sounded good in their minimalist versions.

The bass drum was a great idea. Typically, playing just an acoustic guitar as an opener is a recipe for lots of crowd chatter. However, with Gruen stomping on that bass drum pedal, the chatter was completely drowned out but his guitar and vocals still came through clearly. More acoustic performers should try that move.

Prior to the show, my knowledge of The Avett Brothers was limited to just their 2007 album Emotionalism. The album is pretty but their mellowgrass sound never completely sucked me in. Just a bit too subdued. So, I went into the show expecting to hear quiet but beautiful folk songs. However, in place of that, I caught a rollicking hillbilly stompdown.

From the moment they hit the stage, their energy was evident. They seemed a lot closer to the frantic dynamo of Old Crow Medicine Show than I had previously appreciated. In fact, at one point, I noticed that sweat was pouring off the elbow of Scott Avett; not an occasional drip but a constant drip-drip-drip. At first I thought there was a leak in the roof but then I realized that the guy was just showing the effects of not stopping for an hour.

The other thing I picked up on about them was how much they are influenced by The Beatles. It comes through much more in their live show than recordings but they could forge a whole new genre of Beatlesgrass. I know...that's terrible...but it'd be fitting.

About 3/4 of the way through the show, Seth Avett was left alone on stage to perform "The Ballad of Love and Hate". While I was grabbed by the energy of the show, I'd say Seth's performance of that song was my favorite of the night. Beautiful. In fact, when it was done, someone in the crowd yelled, "That was fucking amazing!"

Apparently, they sold-out a 7,000 seat venue in NC the weekend before the show at Higher Ground. So, it must have been difficult for them to be excited to play in front of 400 people a few nights later. However, if you didn't know about the NC show, you never would have thought it was an issue. They seemed pleased to be there and I can't imagine them putting out more energy for a show than they did on Tuesday. Kudos to their professionalism.

One note about the crowd, there was a couple in front of me (about ten feet back from the stage) that brought their two-year-old to the show. Don't do that. It's just stupid. The kid doesn't want to be there. It's bad for the kids hearing. The people around you who have to deal with a squirming kid don't want the kid there. You'd enjoy the show more if the kid was at home. Just cough up the money for a babysitter and leave the kid at home.

I still don't consider myself to be a big fan of The Avett Bros. but, as a half-hearted fan, I'd see them again. Quite simply, they put on a good show.

Note: jds was at the show with me and has some differing opinions but I'll let him express them rather than put words in his mouth.

Romance in the Bronx

2008-08-04T00:42:00.002-04:00

The Yankees are having a lot of promotions commemorating the final year in the current Yankee Stadium but this one has to be the cheesiest. It's a contest to see who gets the privilege of being the last dork to pop the question on the Jumbotron in front 55,000 people. I can only hope that the lady will say no and run away crying.

Lollapalooza | Day Two

2008-08-03T23:46:00.003-04:00

The odyssey continues...

===================================================================

Saturday - Day 2

Let me backtrack briefly and give you the lay of the land where Grant Park is concerned. Columbus Drive in front of the park is closed off and shut down for emergency vehicles. There's only one main entrance in front of Buckingham Fountain, which dissects the venue. Fortunately, with three-day passes like we had, you only had to sit in a huge line Friday and getting in Satuday was a piece of cake because they give you a wristband.

The two biggest stages sit at opposite ends of the park about a mile apart. Two other stages sit adjacent and two smaller stages sit behind those toward the middle on intersecting, blocked-off streets, Jackson and Balbo. The ground rises toward the fountain so you don't have sound from one end messing with sound from the other.

We started off with the Gutter Twins playing the stage Radiohead played on the previous night. Instantly,we noticed the sound quality was much better, something I hoped we were past from Pitchfork but evidently not. We were real close for the Black Keys but I guess the sound was awful in the back. The Gutter Twins, comprised of former Screaming Tree Mark Lanegan and Greg Dulli of the Afghan Whigs, describe themselves as "the Satanic Everly Brothers". Even though Lanegan just stood there to sing and couldn't get off the stage fast enough, they put on a quality set to start the day.

Having eaten early and skipped breakfast and lunch, it was 3:30 by this time so we pigged out. It was much cooler with a nice breeze and we froze the four 1-liter bottles of water we brought in (two each), so we had cold water all day as they melted.

Explosions in the Sky played the other big stage and I was familiar with their early albums and saw them at a tiny club in Madison. Still tired and short on sleep, we found a spot of grass and laid down while listening to them. I think I fell asleep for a bit. Normally, that wouldn't be a compliment but it was great music to relax and unwind to, even if there were no lyrics.

From the same spot, we were able to just turn and catch the first half of Okkervil River's set. I'm not very familiar with them but they continued the great vibe of a pleasant afternoon, even though they opened with a song that talked constantly about the president getting shot.

Because of the distance involved, we cut early and grabbed a vegan ice cream (Pitchfork had it too, it's quite tasty) on our way to Battles, who we saw at Pitchfork last year. I don't even know where to begin as far as describing these guys but they got the crowd energized and were a good pick-me-up for the evening sets.

Staying on that same side, we caught the Toadies, who sounded like a bunch of pissed-off Texans. This was a good thing. There was an underlying agitation throughout their set which I guess is just the way they play. And I enjoyed it. Lead singer Vaden Todd Lewis wore a sly grin before leading the crowd in Possum Kingdom's signature line, "Do you want to die?" Their first new album in eight years is out in September and if their set was any indication, it's good to have them back.

Finally, the early evening crescendo of anger built to the headliner, Rage Against The Machine. We picked Rage over Wilco, the other headliner, because my buddy Rich never saw Rage live and we both saw Wilco put on an impressive set at Sasquatch in 2004. Perhaps we made the wrong choice. We lingered at the back so we could bolt early to catch our trains. While this compromises the headliner, it got us in and out in a clean and cheap manner (we heard one tale of a two-hour traffic jam downtown). The sound was too low early and Rage had to stop twice for extended periods because of fan mayhem and they threatened to cut their set short the second time they stopped. On one hand, I commend Zack de la Rocha for looking out for the safety and well-being of his fans. On the other hand, he plays in a band called Rage Against The Machine that plays some of the most angry, inciting music ever recorded. How do you expect nearly 40,000 people to respond? By sipping tea? It entirely killed any momentum of their set and gave us that last little push out the door. I'm not sure that it dawned on de la Rocha that he followed his two look-out-for-each-other sermons with Bombtrack (chorus: Burn! Burn!) and Bullet In The Head. Yeah, that'll chill everyone out, Zack. Like Public Enemy two weekends before them, it's not if they remain relevant but rather if anyone is still listening or going to do anything about it. When he told people to save their anger and energy for the streets, it came off as a punch line. If they do new material, perhaps they should rage against apathy and indifference.

photo courtesy of brokenbat

Lollapalooza | Day One

2008-08-03T23:33:00.003-04:00

You can't keep up with TK. You can only hope to live vicariously through him.

====================================================================

Fri., Aug. 1
Grant Park
Chicago

It's my first crack at Lollapalooza and it comes two weeks after Pitchfork. This time, the setting is Grant Park, where my sidekick Rich and I caught Radiohead in 2001 for one of their most famous shows. The lines turns out to be massive to enter and sure enough, we get stuck in line behind the dickheads that don't read the website and bring in their own water jugs rather than two sealed bottles as per the rules. As a result, we miss the Black Lips. Later we would find out that this event sold out for the first time in its history with over 75,000 in attendance.

We did get to catch Rogue Wave, which was kind of like easing into the pool rather than just diving in head first (see Boris at Pitchfork). They had to compete with a nearby stage but were well received.

I cut short on them to catch The Go!Team while Rich stayed to catch Yeasayer. Rich's quick-capsule guest review: They sounded pretty good.

I've really enjoyed the last two Go!Team albums but I was also mindful of Flatlander hitting the gong on them after seeing them live. It seems like lead vocalist Ninja is the weak link here. Her mic was too low on sound early in the set but I swear she was freestyling different lyrics. I suppose it's her right with her music and I'm usually not that particular with lyrics being sung in the exact same manner as on the CD. It just alienates the audience is all. It'd be like going to see Steven Wright with the same mannerisms, only to have him start telling George Carlin's jokes. But Ninja doesn't totally suck either and she got better towards the end of set. She and the band just need a bit more polish. The music was spot-on. During The Power Is On, they unleashed a pure sonic avalanche. If you listent to The Go!Team's CDs, you figure their show should be bumper cars with all the asses shaking but it wasn't. Some of that may be the eclectic, mash-up nature of the music,some of that may be the heat and people not wanting to pass out in mid-afternoon. The infectious energy was there but if the Go!Team could get the lightning to match its thunder, they'd surely have a massive strike.

Then it was break time for a couple of brews before The Black Keys and goddamn if they didn't kill. I wondered what kind of reception they'd get after singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach pissed all over the Chicago white boy blues scene in an interview with The Onion (it had it coming, by the way).There's something about the Keys that just leads to a sweaty show, be it small club or huge venue. They didn't completely win the audience over but maybe it was full of Chicago white boy wannabes, as evidenced by the huge roar when cloud cover provided some welcome respite from the sun. Otherwise, they were fantastic with Auerbach's chainsaw riffs and drummer Patrick Carney playing like a gun was pointed at his head. From 10 A.M. Automatic to the new stuff, the Keys are 3-for-3 in times I've seen them.

A fair number of musicians can't get one group to sound good but Jack White's doing well for himself as a White Stripe and a Raconteur. He seems relieved to not have to carry the load like he does with the Stripes, but it doesn't hurt to have a guy like Brendan Benson to turn the wheel over to, either. The Stripes put on a terrific show and the Raconteurs played to a very high standard as well. Flushed out versions of Level and Top Yourself were highlights. Like the Keys before them, when the Raconteurs jam, I'm actually curious as to where they're going with it. The only regret was to have to bail early to catch some Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks on the way to Radiohead.

We only caught a passing bit of Malkmus and the Jicks,which was a shame because I like Sleater-Kinney and they've added S-K drummer Janet Weiss. It's a good thing we started getting into position when we did for Radiohead because....holy freaking sea of humanity. No other act played opposite them so everyone sardined into that side of the festival. Over 75,000 people crammed in as far as the eye can see. I'm just glad I didn't have to pee. I was there when Radiohead sold out Coachella in 2003 and this was much bigger. Radiohead have a reputation for delivering big-time performances in huge venues and once again, they didn't disappoint. This time, the groundbreaking light show was almost worth the cost by itself. It looked like they were playing under a set of huge wind chimes but they were manipulated to simulate candlelight, rain and many other dazzling visual effects. The sound quality was a bit low at first but it was either us not being right by the speakers (as usual) or the crowd finally learned the deal and joined the compliant Radiohead faithful. Few things are cooler than tens of thousands singing as one and it was goose-bump inducing to hear The Bends' final line of "Where are you now, when I need you?" sung in complete harmony. Radiohead, for me anyhow, has an ability to entrance an audience be it with a lullaby like No Surprises or singing about cracking your little skulls (Dollars And Cents). When fireworks went off behind the stage as they played Fake Plastic Trees, an interesting contrast, the fireworks reflected off one of the nearby skyscrapers to look like Christmas tinsel. By the time they played their sultry House Of Cards, the place was either dead quiet or singing along, and careful not to spoil the music. I've never seen so many cellphones taking pictures. Normally I'd be distracted and/or agitated but I can't blame people for wanting to make a moment like that last forever.

One day in the books and I already feel like I got my money's worth.

photo courtesy of swth

Best Looking Arcade Fire Fan

2008-07-31T21:51:00.001-04:00

I generally don't think of Arcade Fire fans as being the model-types; more untucked than primping. However, AF fan, Andrew Savage, is setting the bar a bit higher for the rest of us after being named in the recent release of the 50 Most Beautiful People on Capitol Hill by TheHill.com.

Savage, the Communication Director for Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) and native of East Montpelier, was the person responsible for Welch using AF's "Rebellion" as the intro to his victory speech on election night in 2006. It was a pretty ballsy choice considering (1) that most campaigns play it safe by selecting tired classic rock tunes and (2) the full title of the song is "Rebellion (Lies)" which some right-wing blogger could have jumped on.

By the way, regarding the list of the most beautiful people on the hill, the blog DCeiver has a hilarious post up mocking it (including calling Savage "the white Barack Obama"). Well worth the click.

Arcade Fire | Rebellion (Lies) | Buy

Portugal. The Man

2008-07-24T19:21:00.002-04:00

Holy cumbersome band name Batman. A place, period, a definite article AND "Man." Welcome to Portugal. The Man. I guess when you hail from Alaska (Wasilla to be exact) an unwieldily name is par for the course. A 4 piece folk-blues-americana-experimental-rock outfit, the group is on the verge of releasing their 3rd LP (entitled Censored Colours due 9.16.08).

Below is a stripped down slow going video highlighting a track off the new disc.

Pitchfork Festival | Chicago | Jul 18 - 20

2008-07-23T01:14:00.003-04:00

False 45th's Senior Midwest Correspondent, TK, is busy these days. After hitting Les Breastfeeders last week, he went down to Chicago for all three days of the Pitchfork Festival. Very jealous.

==================================================

Friday, July 18 - All Tomorrow's Parties "Don't Look Back"

The format for the first night, like last year, is to have three bands play a "classic" album of theirs from start to finish. First up was Mission of Burma, who had already started even though my watch showed 5:55 p.m.. They decided to take the stage early and play some cuts off of Signals, Calls and Marches before launching into Vs., the album they were scheduled to play. Mission of Burma was fantastic here two years ago and turned in another impressive set. They got off to a somewhat restrained start, an interesting bit of tug-o'-war for a band that seems to relish pushing to the edge of flying apart at the seams. The album format did make for several jokes in between songs - we forgot our set list, now we have to flip the record, it takes a certain talent to screw up the track list on your own album - but drummer Peter Prescott had perhaps the best hoot by bellowing "Welcome To The Burmadome" at the start of the set. When they played, MOB has a no-nonsense sincerity that really pulls you in, particularly when the dude face-butts his mic every time he goes up to sing into it. The churning of "Weatherbox" was a highlight and they ended the set strong. Now I know who I want to be when I grow up. If only more rockers aged this gracefully. I can only hope they have something else even approaching The Obliterati or Vs. left in them.

Sebadoh was up next with Bubble and Scrape. I can't say I'm very familiar but they didn't turn me off.

Next up was Public Enemy with It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. I told friends beforehand I couldn't lose because it would either be a laughable train wreck or an impressive show and it was some of both. Public Enemy has long stood above nearly every other rap group in mind and Friday was further proof of that. Evidently you lose street cred if you show up on time for your gig in hip-hop but Public Enemy took it to a whole new level with Flavor Flav showing up after his own freaking band started. Seriously. Chuck D had to rap into two mikes during Bring The Noise because Flav had his mike and...Flav wasn't there. They'd both get into a slight tiff over it later in the set with Chuck D saying Flav left him hanging and Flav telling Chuck he could have waited. Heaven forbid Flav make it to the stage by 8:50 for an 8:30 show. This touched on a bit of a rift between the two because Chuck D remains razor-sharp on his social commentary while Flav has turned himself into a circus sideshow with his reality TV exploits. Flav would try to plug his new reality TV show at one point. Wrong gig. He got his ass roundly booed and then got pissy about being booed. Chuck D, however, still has his game and his voice still cuts through. PE seemed like it would get it going only to sputter until about the last four songs of the set. They salvaged the night with a half-hour plus encore of greatest hits, starting with Welcome To The Terrordome and finishing with Fight The Power. If the entire set had that same rhythm and energy, and showing up on time would have helped, it would have been something special.

Sat., July 19

I'll just start reviewing this day off by giving a special Pitchfork, rounded to the nearest tenth, grade for all the sound crews the first two days:

SUCK.ASS

Just brutal. One mishap after another. Then again, we started the day by missing a train (and Jay Reatard in the process) and not packing folding chairs, umbrellas, sunblock...I would have forgotten my freaking head if it wasn't stitched on tight.
Anyway, at least we got there in time to see Caribou. Not familiar with them before but that will change. Really impressive.
Then we scooted over to the Balance Stage, which they moved to the back and away from the two main stages, for the Fuck Buttons. I can't speak for everyone, but with the exception of Air, I have my own math on this type of music:

Band + keyboards/synthesizers only = Jerking off

Two guys playing with their toys on stage had us leaving early. And memo to Dizzee Rascal: Public Enemy wants their siren back.

Then we caught Vampire Weekend, who really excite some people and leave others wanting to smash acoustic guitars over their heads. They succeed Jamie Lidell as The Pitchfork Act Most Likely To Get Its Ass Kicked By Anyone Here. Maybe if they just stuck with their laid-back vibe I wouldn't have minded so much but then their lead singer had a couple tunes where either something bit him in the ass or he had Tourette's, which ruined what the rest of the band tried to accomplish. And spare me the whole bashful routine in between songs like you asked your mom for permission - you're the lead singer of a band playing a festival. I figured I'd make a verdict on Vampire Weekend and I was still indifferent, still mumbling just like their lead singer does in between songs.

Then came !!!, who got their disco on and delighted the crowd with their energy.

Finally, it was curfew for the kiddie bands to go home and time for the adults to take the stage. I've seen The Hold Steady a bunch of time and they have yet to disappoint me. They had sound problems (grrrrrrr) too but we intentionally watched from a distance so we could bail quickly to catch No Age. Oh yeah, and give The Hold Steady brownie points along with Mission of Burma for actually giving a shit about the fans and taking the stage early so they could squeeze more songs in. Take notes, future Pitchfork acts.

Before No Age was Atlas Sound, and if I my theory holds true for synth only bands, then the same wanking bylaw holds true for just one guy and sound tracks. Yawn.

At the risk of losing out on Jarvis Cocker and Animal Collective, I had to go see No Age in the back because I've been entranced by their new album, Nouns. Talk about taking the stage by force. Midway through Cappo, their second song, I though my chest was going to explode. Every so often someone comes along like a breath of fresh air and reaffirms your joy of music. Seeing Les Breastfeeders and No Age in the same week has recharged my batteries. What is it with groups that have just two people producing such huge sound? It's like number of times I've seen a soccer or hockey team go a man down, only to play better because everyone knows they have to do more. They dragged the beginning of Here Should Be My Home but they were only setting us up for a full-on thrash from the chorus on. Unfortunately, they had to overcome tech issues and drummer Dean Spunt had to stop just shy of the end of Sleeper Hold because the security guys roughed up a bodysurfer (Note: I used to work security 2-3 years and I had a band yell at me once but not once did I or anyone I work with ever do anything to make a band stop and bitch them out in mid-song. Especially at Pitchfork, a place I don't feel is overrun with felons.). To cap their night perfectly, guitarist Randy Randall bailed early on the encore with tourmates Abe Vigoda by leaping into the crowd and bodysurfing, a perfect F-you to the security goons. I can't wait to see No Age again, hopefully in a small club doing their own thing.

Sun., July 20

Far more prepared this time, we were able to kick back in our chairs, see both stages and use umbrellas to beat the heat, which was straight rather than the fall-over-and-wilt humidity that marked the first two days.

Just as I get comfy in my chair, Japanese imports Boris take the stage. From the first riff, it seemed like Boris showed up with the intent of turning into rubble whatever No Age left standing from the night before. I quickly had a grin and kept it through 30 minutes of mayhem. Boris has this ability to have its guitars soar over the driving rhythm section and differ from just straight speed metal. Between them and Caribou, 2 p.m. was the money slot, making you wish they could play more than 30 minutes. They said they had to stop because the power went out, yet another aggravating glitch in a weekend full of them.

Fortunately, the music was strong most of the rest of the the day. The Apples In Stereo were solid and Les Savy Fav sounded pretty good as well, but with a catch. Their lead singer came out in sparkly red tights with one leg cut up to the cheek before going shirtless. If fat, bearded bald guys with jiggling moobs and hairy asses are your cup of tea, this set was bliss. Not only did I throw up slightly in my mouth as I just wrote that, but you're so used to watching a band as they play that it was difficult to just listen and not watch that spectacle. I'm sure these are exactly the type of people Vampire Weekend's moms don't want them hanging out with.

The Dodos put on an energetic set. Spiritualized followed and impressed with their overcaffeinated take on gospel.

Dinosaur Jr. continued the string with a heavy, crunchy set that satisfied. Then it seems we bailed on the wrong headliner.

We were pretty tired so we lost out on Animal Collective, in part because No Age ran late and in part because we had to catch a train. Now I wish it had been Spoon that headlined Saturday.
I'm sure Spoon hold great appeal to a lot of people but I'm not one of them. I've tried but I just can't get into what they're doing. We borrowed the gong from Boris and bailed after 30 minutes.
I don't want to completely unload on Pitchfork for all the sound problems because it's still a great way to hear a lot of good bands for $60 total. Hell, I'd gladly pay that much for a Boris/No Age show. I'm sure sound problems are more likely to occur at festivals but it needs to be addressed before next year.

Early wish list for '09: Les Breastfeeders, Deerhoof, Mudhoney, The Earaches, Liars.

Next up: Lollapalooza.