Miles Bonny's INcense & Wine comes out today, and you can grab that sucker at the dedicated site for the album.
Much like Coalesce's OX last year, INcense & Wine comes as a special package. Whereas with OX, you could get a pocketknife engraved with the symbol on the album's cover, INcense & Wine comes with an engraved flask.
The album and flask together will run you $25. It's limited, so grab it now if you'd like to show everyone how much you like to sneak booze while at the same time showing your love for Miles Bonny.
Oh, thank you, oh, Canada...our home and native land...
The Free Music Archive -- the "interactive library of high-quality, legal audio downloads" directed by New Jersey's WFMU -- recently added a new partner in CBC Radio 3, the branch of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that focuses on emerging Canadian artists.
In other words, there's now all sorts of high-quality live performances from Canadian artists like Feist and Neko Case available for you to check out. Remember, that's "ermerging Canadian artists." No fear of running into any Loverboy, okay? The CBC Radio 3 FMA portal page is a good place to start, as is the mix embedded below.
Releasing Hello, Goodbye back at the beginning of December, and the Still Ain't Easy Bein' Skinny mixtape at the beginning of last month hasn't put a crimp in Stik Figa's productivity.
The Topeka rapper released a brand-new track on his blog yesterday. It's a confessional piece, talking about the stress going on Stik's life, from family issues to money troubles to being on the road. He spits a flow of problems, and catches himself, saying "Lost myself in the moment there for a second."
"Panic Attack" isn't a complaint track, however. He gets stressed, catches himself, and then brings it back to the positive, all the while demonstrating clarity of flow over some more of those smooth-ass beats.
When attempting to describe Mr. Marco's V7, one is tempted to start talking about exotica, psychedelia, and assorted other far-out genres. Suffice it to say, the band taps into every style of music whose deeper meaning are enhanced by the addition of some recreational substances, be they pharmaceutical or fermented.
This track comes from a split 7" Mr. Marco's V7 did with Sandoval back in the late '90s. The liner notes provide a technically dense set of specs for the two tracks on the Mr. Marco's side, which were recorded live at a mini-golf course (specifically, Larry's Sunflower Minigolf at 75th and State).
The two tracks presented here, "Shanty" and "Cirrhosis," were the two "determined to fit the allotted space of a 7 inch. That leaves us with roughly two hours of unused material to be locked in the forbidden tomb somewhere underneath Mr. Marco's front lawn."
The band still plays live, and released a third full-length, Spaceraser in 2007.
We've made no secret of our appreciation for Florida's Fake Problems. It appears we're not the only ones, as a gentleman by the name of Dr. Zilog went to the trouble of recording an 8-bit cover of one of the band's songs.
Dr. Zilog did a right-on cover of the band's "Diamond Rings," which is the first song on the second side of Fake Problem's most recent album, It's Great to Be Alive. You can download it below. If you want some more 8-bit covers, Dr. Zilog's page has covers of tunes by bands as diverse as Metallica and Animal Collective, as well as the usual NES stuff.
Last week was kind of the week from hell, so forgive me for being about 10 days late on picking this up. However, for you sad bastards (like myself) who missed this nugget of fantastical news, here's the press release:
Kris Mestdag
The slumber is over and Man or Astro-Man? must see what has become of earth in the wake of their absence. So indeed, for all of humanity, 2010 will be the year of contact, or, at least re-contact with the original space cadets themselves: Starcrunch, Birdstuff, and Coco. In addition to all the scientific experiments and live music demonstrations, MOAM? will host a variety of benefits and charities for earth specimens, predominantly in the human or animal form.
The first opportunity to see them perform will be on March 6th at The Bottletree in Birmingham, Alabama. Later that month, MOAM will play several shows at the SxSW music festival in Austin, TX (March 17-21).
Expect to see various posts that look like this in a month and a half: "HOLY SHIT!!! I JUST GOT TO SEE MOAM!!! OMG!!!!111" Just a warning.
Jim Mahfood is well-known around these parts. He went to the Kansas City Art Institute, and during his time there, he started his Grrl Scouts comics (then known as Girl Scouts), as well as doing some time with Flavorpak and the paper whence comes this blog.
A brief aside: Mafood did the cover for the "Best In Music" issue one year ('97 or '98), and it hung on the wall of three different dorm rooms, and then died a terrible death from a water spill. Seriously, it's one of my favorite illustration pieces ever.
Mahfood's early comics were notable for the fact that each one featured recommended listening, and musical details stuck in here and there. The Generation X Underground Special has Jubilee rocking Fishbone, for instance. There are so many damn good musicians this man has turned me onto, I can't even begin to count.
Let him do the same for you, by aiming your favorite podcast listening device to "The Beat Bee Sessions." Mahfood, as Food One, teams up with Miss Jane Dope to bring you the best in funk, dance, and hip-hop every couple of weeks. It's like having a really awesome dance night in your living room. If you're a fan of folks like Cyrus D, you need this.
Download the Beat Bee Sessions Volume 3 or drop this link into your RSS reader to subscribe to the podcast.
G.I. Joe (despite the travesty that was last year's movie) will always be cool. Cobra helps. Ninjas are pretty badass -- even the well-informed Josh and Chuck of "Stuff You Should Know" spent a good portion of this week's podcast discussing Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes. But a G.I Joe musical? Could this be the death knell of the franchise, or is it surprisingly badass?
Yes, it is badass. Why? It's about fucking COBRA, not. G.I. Joe. Cobra was always far more interesting than the Joes, anyway. Is it as cool as Man Factory's Street Fighter Rock Opera? Only time will tell. Certainly, it beats the hell out of the stack of crap that was the Protomen's series of albums based on Mega Man (seriously, they're awful and uninspired -- avoid them at all costs).
If you can't take out your sweetie this Valentine's Day, why not make it up to her the next night? Nothing says "you're my special someone" like a pair of gents dressed up all classy-like in suits singing songs that would make the boys in Tin Pan Alley jealous.
Some of you may have been lucky enough to have caught the Two Man Gentlemen Band this past summer at the Lawrence Busker Fest. They play banjo, kazoo, guitar, and sing songs that bring to mind both barbershop and medicine shows.
These guys are entertaining like crazy, and they manage to play music that's certainly retro without seeming like it's a novelty. The topics run the gamut from family-friendly to mildly risque at times.
The family-friendly stuff got play this past summer, but I imagine the more ribald material will be played for the PBR-swigging masses at the Replay come February 15. At $2 to get in, you and your significant other can still manage to get good and loaded for under $20. And, really...isn't that what young, bar-hopping love is all about?
If I had to pick a band I wish I'd seen more when they were around, it's the Hefners. When they were around, I liked them, but never made a concerted effort to go see 'em when they played live. By the time I finally had the musical knowledge to get their organ-powered garage, they'd broken up.
T
he few times I managed to stumble upon a Hefners' performance (an El Torreon show with the Chickenhawks and Parlay, a house party on 13th), it was always a fantastic show, if a bit brief. The band's set rarely went past 20 or 30 minutes.
They released The Hefners Play "Hefner Style on their own label in 1998. That bikini on the cover is actually silk-screened onto the poly sleeve. You slide that sleeve off, and you get to see that cover model in all her cheesecake glory. Ooh-la-la. The rest of the band's releases were on Middle Class Pig, with the label's first release being a split between the Hefners and Germany's Schwarz (which actually came out before Hefner Style).
The line-up for these first two releases was actually different than the band's later years, as Bryce Hefner (formerly of the Norman 360) joined the band on keys before the recording of the band's debut LP, Lay Off This Is The Old Man's Private Poison.
All of you who entered the remix contest the Record Machine did a few months back for Capybara's "The Wimp"? You got schooled.
The winner was the always-lovely John Bersuch (of Bacon Shoe, et al) with his "Wimpybara the Cap" remix.
I don't know if you knew about this or not, but Nathan at The Record Machine was holding a remix contest for a Capybara song called "The Wimp". These guys are local, and they are amazing. I decided to give it a shot. AND MINE WON!!! wholy carp.
Despite the fact that I hoped and hoped, there is no song on Sex Wing Starfighter's Same Old Hope entitled "Rebel Scum" and set to the tune of Descendents' "Suburban Home."
I wanna be a Jedi Knight
I wanna be like Quigon
I wanna fight with clones
I want to be Rebel Scum
Rebel Scum
Rebel Scum
Rebel Scum
What could've been, huh? Still pretty catchy pop-punk about Star Wars, though.
Spinner debuted a download of the new single from Alkaline Trio's forthcoming This Addiction. The song's the title track from the band's Epitaph debut, due out February 23.
The song's been streaming on the band's MySpace page for a couple weeks now, but here's you chance to start figuring out how to work it into that new mix you've been working on for that girl in your math class. You know...the one who never notices you, but will surely be won over by the heartfelt lyrics in the new mix you're burning.
Oi pioneers and recent Sailor's Grave signees the Business are coming through for the first time in what seems like ages. I think I've managed to miss Micky Fitz and company every time they've come through in the past decade. I do not plan on that happening again when they hit the Riot Room on May 1, touring in support of their as yet untitled Sailor's Grave debut (due out April 20).
It's pretty much guaranteed that you'll hear "Drinking and Driving" and "Yesterday's Heroes," in addition to whatever new stuff the band is flogging.
Also on the bill are labelmates the Hollowpoints, whose album Old Haunts On The Horizon hits on May 11. It's their first album since 2005's The Black Spot -- highly recommended, if you don't have it. It's sick.
This week's new releases include some dance-floor ready jams, dreamy pop, and mainstream country. Read on for the details.
Four Tet's There Is Love In You starts off crazy as all hell, with this glitchy number called "Angel Echoes." It eventually chills out, and the rest of Kieran Hebden's new Domino release is a dance party for your living room. It's good thing There Is Love In You is out now, because it's going to have a good fight on its hands when Hot Chip's One Left Stand comes out on February 9.
More dance, but of a more lounge and chilled-out vibe, come courtesy of Charlotte Gainsbourg and her IRM. Daughter of fabulously naughty French singer Serge Gainsbourg, Charlotte collaborates with Beck for this, which is only her third studio album in 14 years. Given that Beck's touch is all over IRM, it's only natural that it inspires comparisons with Hansen's own tropicalia and lounge-tinged Sea Change and Mutations. They're pretty spot-on. IRM sounds like Beck took the median of those two records, and let Gainsbourg sing over them. Thankfully, that's a good thing.
Also pop and dreamy is Beach House's Teen Dream. Sub Pop's been kicking out the dreamy pop lately, and this is just a continuation of the quality indie the label's moved towards as of late, like Fleet Foxes or Band of Horses. Stereogum puts it best: "That album really is as good as everyone is telling you it is."
We'd be remiss if we didn't mention what is probably the biggest release this week. I reviewed Lady Antebellum when they opened for Kenny Chesney last May, and it's amazing that they've gone from being an opening act to award-winners in such a short period of time. They're up for two Grammies for "I Run to You," off their self-titled debut, and it's pretty much a given that the Need You Now will follow in its predecessor's footsteps (going platinum, running up the charts, etc.).
In that vein, he's offered up another tweeted cover, "for no reason other than that you've put up w/even more tweets than usual from me..." In this case, it's Samhain's "Archangel." Badass. I suggest cranking the fuck out of it for maximum rock.
The only thing better than a free mix with music from new albums by RJD2, Dum Dum Girls, Brother Ali, and more is when said free download comes complete with an unreleased tune from Elliott Smith.
Verbicide Magazine is offering up a ten-track mix. It's your basic compilation of label-approved tracks meant to get you to go out and drop some coin on what's deemed "hip" and "cool." Previous versions (available here and here) have included Xiu Xiu and Nirvana. It's the sort of thing that used to come included with magazines like Alternative Press or CMJ's New Music Monthly. It's nice to see that content as advertising is still alive and kicking.
The inclusion of Smith's recently unearthed "Cecilia/Amanda" makes this worth getting, however.
Pierre and the Dead Girls crew wrote and recorded a song in five hours. Steve Squire recorded the song, entitled "It's All Happening," and the whole process went like this:
After arranging a couple of riffs, everybody instinctively worked together assemble the pieces into a song. After one live take, Justin and Cameron wrote some quickie lyrics and recorded vocal parts. Add a little Warnock backup sauce, and we're good to go.
Evidently we totally slept on it, because it was offered up way back in November. So, we're making up for that, and offering it for you now. Enjoy the pop!
With the sheer number of celebrity songs mentioned in today's Rock of Pages post on George Gimarc and Pat Reeder's Hollywood Hi-Fi, it seemed appropriate to launch the Wayward Podcast. This is going to run once a month or so, highlighting music that gets mentioned in conjunction with a book, incoming artist, or whatever happens to be in the news.
Because there's so much information in the book, and due to the fact that the companion album is out of print, it seemed worthwhile to dig into my collection and present a few of the gems mentioned.
The audio quality is a little spotty in places, due to the fact that some of this stuff is sourced from LPs and singles recorded on the cheap. It's not like a lot of this stuff is dying for a remastered and remixed reissue.
So, take a listen, and let us know what you think.
Lefse Records announced earlier this week that they were launching a new imprint to focus on instrumental and "hard-to-define music."
That new imprint is called Waaga Records, and they've made a compilation available to introduce you to their artists, as well as some friends of the label. On the comp are both FUR and Emily Neveu, who will be releasing albums on Waaga on February 23 and March 30, respectively.
It seems like all the craziest punk bands always had a really short shelf-life. With the exception of the occasional return of Cocknoose, most wild and nutso local punk acts last a year or two and then disappear forever.
The Fashion Statements are the only other exception to the rule that I can recall. They formed in 1998 and were together for over five years, although I can't recall them playing a show past 2003, when they changed their name to Exit Out. They'd play short sets, because all their songs were under three minutes. With Derek Noll fronting the band and screaming at the microphone like he was trying to teach it a lesson, they were the sort of band that couldn't have maintained that level of fury past 20 minutes.
Fun story: I saw Noll front Proudentall at a Guns 'n' Roses tribute, and it was the one and only time that band ever rocked the fuck out. It was like someone had flipped a switch on Matt Dunehoo and turned him into a crazy rock 'n' roll machine. They did "Welcome to the Jungle" after opening with Nirvana's "Breed" (I have no idea why, but it fit into the set like a hand in glove) and it was electric.
They put out one album, The Emperor, in 1999. It was self-released and while rough, the recording at Underground Sound managed to capture he spirit of the band's live performance on tape. Sadly, "The Crimefighters" didn't use the Scooby Doo, Where Are You? riff that started it off when played live.
Hailing from the great city of Columbus, Ohio, comes Two Cow Garage. They sound kind of classic rock and kind of country -- not unlike a rougher-edged Gaslight Anthem. If you want an idea of what sort of show you're gonna get, understand that they were handpicked by the Hold Steady to open for them last year.
Two Cow Garage is stopping at the Riot Room on Saturday, March 13, on their way down to Austin to play a few shows during SXSW. Last year, they teamed up with Grand Champeen to form some sort of rock 'n' roll supergroup that I should be shot for missing.
Also on the bill at the Riot Room will be Tumbledown, a country outfit featuring MxPx's Mike Herrera, and Andrew Anderson.
The band released Speaking In Cursive on Suburban Home last year.
Are the Minibosses a little too prog for you? Finding it difficult to differentiate between HELLA and the Advantage? While they might be a little more narrowly focused, Metroid Metal might be the band for you.
As the name implies, the band -- brainchild of Grant Henry -- plays metal versions of songs from the Metroid franchise. That's the adventures of Samus from NES all the way up to the Wii. The tracks are all available on the Metroid Metal site for free (donations encouraged, of course), but the songs have evolved and changed in the live performance realm with the addition of various members.
Thus, the group went into the studio, and recorded Varia Suite. Henry describes the sound of the record as "a reinvention of a reinvention with a more human, solid, and commanding sound than any of the Metroid Metal material so far" in the press release, and that's a fairly solid explanation, as these songs are way heavier than anything an 8 bit system could ever pump out.
Lincoln, Nebraska. An unlikely setting for a band that sounds like Dance Hall Crashers, but there you are. The Heat Machine plays sunny, two-tone styled ska with dual female vocals that are pure and sweet.
Formerly the Incredible Heat Machine, the band's passed through this area a couple of times. On their various tours, they caught the attention of Asbestos Records, who released No Coast Dance Party late last year. There's a fairly accurate review of the record over at Alternative Press, who aptly point out that the record's final track, a toss-off country version of "Bottlerockets," is probably the best thing the band has done.
However, you can take a listen and decided for yourself, as the label has seen fit to post the whole thing for download. If you like it, you can head over to the Asbestos website and buy a copy on LP.
For those of us not going to SXSW this year, we can find joy in the fact that Lawrence and Kansas City lay right in the path of bands going to and returning from the festival. Shows are beginning to be announced, and one of the first is the red-hot Florida indie garage act Surfer Blood.
Their debut album, Astro Coast, comes out next week on Kanine Records, and it's a catchy blend of surf, garage, psych, and indie pop. The single off the record, "Swim," came in at 37 on Pitchfork's Top 100 Singles of 2009.
What makes this March 13 show at the Replay excellent is that it's not only before they play a million shows in Austin, but they're playing with the fantastic Turbo Fruits. Turbo Fruits are former members of Be Your Own Pet playing dirty-ass stoner garage. This show is an easy decision -- it's a Saturday night and the show's going to be three bucks. Mark your calendar now.
In a stroke of genius, Dutch Newman has made his new single available as part of an event on Facebook. That event is called (remarkably enough) "Dutch Newman "Andale" feat Ron Ron prod. by Greg Enemy."
The track features Ron Ron over a high-hat tinged beat that bubbles and pops, and was produced by Greg Enemy. Big props to the fact that the track checks both Scarface and the Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh classic "La Di Da Di."
Back in 1981, the Plimsouls recorded a Halloween show at the Whisky A Go Go. The band was a live force to be reckoned with at that point, and were picked to be in the film Valley Girl, whose soundtrack yielded their biggest hit, "A Million Miles Away."
After that, the band re-recorded the song for their 1983 album Everywhere At Once, which is one of those albums that everyone really ought to own. It's a masterpiece of power pop.
With the release of this new live album on February 23, which is called Live! Beg, Borrow & Steal, it'll be the only Plimsouls album in print. Of course, you can get the others via Amazon and the various used bins around town. The live album will be released by Alive Records, and includes three songs done with special guests the Fleshtones.
Every time I've seen NOFX, they've heckled the audience with a level of abuse that baffled me. It was witty, insightful, and pointed in ways that would've made Don Rickles proud.
Chad Sengstock
NOFX's Fat Mike
They seem to be one of those bands (much like Less Than Jake) for whom stage banter and audience interaction is almost as important as the songs themselves. NOFX's pop-punk is well known, and some of those songs are so familiar, you'd think they were radio hits. They're touring behind last year's Coaster released on their own Fat Wreck Chords. They have put out several singles since -- notably, "Cokie the Clown."
Fat Mike, El Jefe, and the rest hit the Beaumont on May 2 with Fat Wreck labelmates Teenage Bottlerocket, who played the Record Bar back in October -- you can read my review of that show here -- along with No Use For A Name's Tony Sly.
Now, the band is willing to let you have some of their music for free. The "Ascending Melody" single is available for download from the band's website, or you can buy it from Domino.
The single has the songs "Ascending Melody" and "Emblem Of The World." Both tracks are previously unreleased, and come from the recording sessions for Bitte Orca.
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