Wallowing in self-absorption this past week, focusing entirely too much on my injury, I created the following mix. The song order kind of tells the story of how I became a crippled wiffle ball legend. You can listen HERE.
EAR FARM's Muxtape #8: I Broke My Arm Playing Wiffle Ball
1. "Wiffle Ball" by Halliburton(s)
2. "Falling and Laughing" by Orange Juice
3. "The Arm" by Islands
4. "Definition of an Accident" by Mancino
5. "Emergency" by Wilderness
6. "Broken Bones" by Howling Bells
7. "Broken Man" by Corrosion of Conformity
8. "Fractured (Like Chandeliers)" by Polvo
9. "Bones" by Radiohead
10. "Broken Wings" by Mr. Mister
11. "Healer" by Marnie Stern
12. "Good Arms vs. Bad Arms" by Frightened Rabbit
*above picture found HERE.
See also:
EAR FARM's Muxtape #1: 12 Songs For A Cat Named Joe
EAR FARM's Muxtape #2: April Fools Edition!
EAR FARM's Muxtape #3: Fank Fod it's Friday and Finally Fpring!
EAR FARM's Muxtape #4: Rock Band Setlist
EAR FARM's Muxtape #5: 2:42
EAR FARM's Muxtape #6: Songs that used to live in my TV set
EAR FARM's Muxtape #7: Happy Muxther's Day!
--
A Muxtape is a simple way to create and share mixtapes. That's all there is to it. Feel free to share your own mix in the comments.
16 May 2008
EAR FARM's Muxtape #8: I Broke My Arm Playing Wiffle Ball
Top 10 Things To Do in New York This Weekend
....musical things that is. Apart from the New Kids on the Block/Miley Cyrus/Gavin DeGraw/Jonas Brothers tweenstorm at the Izod Center tomorrow night, here are ten things worth checking out during this (rainy?) weekend. In semi-particular order....
10. See The Midgetmen, The Bosch, and Red Beard @ Fontana's TONIGHT
9. Go to Bowery Ballroom SUNDAY and see if Black Kids have gotten any better
8. Pick up a limited-edition copy of Seven Summits while watching The Secret Life of Sofia (and others) @ Rehab TONIGHT
7. See Beirut @ Music Hall of Williamsburg SUNDAY before Zach Condon disappears again
6. Watch The Virgin Suicides SUNDAY at BAM and surrender to Air's mesmerizing soundtrack
5. If you have young'uns (actually a prerequisite for attending), head to the Living Room SUNDAY for a special kids performance by Los Campesinos! and Pela
4. Witness Local H bring down Union Pool SUNDAY
3. Catch EF Band of the Week Plants and Animals TONIGHT @ Mercury Lounge and SATURDAY @ Union Hall (w/Rock Plaza Central)
2. Get your METAL on with The Sword, Torche and Stinking Lizaveta @ Music Hall of Williamsburg SATURDAY
1. Spend your entire weekend at the Knitting Factory as the No Fun Fest takes it over TONIGHT, SATURDAY and SUNDAY
Of course, there are tons more options out there, these are just the ones that have most caught our eyes/ears/broken bones. Let us know what else is going on?
David Byrne's Carpet of 100 Guitar Pedals
Look at all those pedals. No, it's not the bedroom of a Guitar Center sales rep, it's David Byrne's latest work in progress. As if turning the Battery Maritime Building into a massive sound sculpture wasn't enough, Byrne is now readying a "guitar pedal carpet" installation for an event honoring Christian Marclay next Wednesday at the Puck Building.
Recently on his blog (a regular source of info here at EF), Byrne briefly described the project, which will essentially take the space separating the entrance to the Puck Building and the reception area - meaning that everyone will have to pass through - and transform it into a giant walkway of 100 guitar pedals all linked together and then run through an amplifier and guitar. Byrne stated:
We’ve tested a portion of it to see if there are any unexpected problems and I was surprised to discover how well it works. Of course, the sounds are fairly random, and stepping on one or two of the distortion or fuzz pedals raises the screaming noise level pretty high, but that will be adjusted. Happily, some pedals will loop whatever is going on at the time of their activation, and so there will be constant sound changing all the time.
This seems like a punk rock version of the "Soundstairs" that Christopher Janney built for the Boston Museum of Science back when I was a kid. I used to spend entire afternoons running up and down those piano-like steps and triggering all the cool sounds; hopefully, the folks at Wednesday's benefit will have as much fun, though Byrne has expressed reservations about women showing up in heels and having to traverse the pedal minefield. But fear not stilettoed masses, he's busy planning an alternate passageway for you as well.
Listen: "Road To Nowhere"
Visit David Byrne on MySpace
OPP
The Guardian blog talks about the subtle art of selecting supporting bands
New hope for accused file-sharer in RIAA suit
Konami introduces Rock Revolution video game to compete with Guitar Hero and Rock Band
The Seattle Times profiles Reggie Watts
Wedding Present re-team with Steve Albini on new album - El Rey - coming out this Tuesday
Shania Twain and super-producer Mutt Lange to split
Guitar tutorials are blazing up iTunes podcast charts
15 May 2008
8+
"Backyards" by Broken Social Scene which clocks in at 8:14
"Sticks and stones may break my bones but wiffle ball will never hurt me."
Right? No. Actually, it's words. "Words will never hurt me" is the correct second half of the battle cry of the undersized that's heard in backyards across the US every summer. It means: "Yell at me all you want, you big bully, but your words won't be breaking these bones, no sir." It's a passive resistance meant to reassure those who can't yet defend themselves. In truth, I always paid the phrase little to no mind. But it rang in my head like a TV jingle because I had a strange fascination with the breaking of bones as a child. I'd say it over and over in my mind ("sticks and stones, break my bones...") and imagine the sticks and the stones and the breaking of bones and what that must feel and sound like. I didn't think it "fun" but definitely found the whole idea of fractures "neat." Which could be a result of me always wanting what I couldn't have (my friends were all breaking bones and getting casts -cool!- but not me); or, probably was just standard macabre little boyishness. Regardless, given the collective reaction to the story I'm about to tell you, you might think the axiom was meant to be about the impotency of wiffle ball rather than inability of language to crush anything other than one's spirit.
Here's what I've been telling people this past week that's had them all equally perplexed: "I broke my arm in two places playing f'ing wiffle ball."
And the standard response: "You broke your arm playing wiffle ball?! How the....???"
That's right, I did. I broke my arm playing wiffle ball. And this is how it happened...
I was in North Carolina last week, playing wiffle ball with my nephew. He's 10 years old and plays too much soccer for his own good. Which means he's quick and competitive (nice). But he needs some baseball influence in his life, especially growing up in the South. I know it. So I figured why not start with wiffle ball, right? A harmless introduction to America's pastime. Good, clean, backyard fun!
So there we were, two dudes playin' ball. It's important that you realize it was just the two of us because you can't really play any kind of baseball with just two people. But that didn't stop him from sprinting around the bases each time he hit one of my strike-every-time batting practice pitches. I'd toss it right in there and he'd smash it over my head and cruise around the bases before I could even retrieve the ball, let alone catch up to him and tag him. "Ohh, I scored again! Home run! Woo!! You can't get me out old man! 18 runs, no outs!!"
Once I considered winging the ball at him - hitting him with it to get him out, like in kickball - I knew it was time to step up my game. Hey, when I played wiffle ball as a kid with only two people pegging the other kid was fair game. Shoot, it used to be a legal way to get a runner out in pre-baseball baseball. And believe me, I could've hit him with that wiffle ball with ease. But it probably would've hurt, and -you know- I'm an adult and all. So instead I opted to go for the tag.
I threw a big fat pitch and he belted the ball up over my head. It bounced off the roof of the garage, a rightful homer if such boundaries had been set up. But they weren't. As he trotted around the bases, secure that I'd lazily retrieve the ball and make no attempt to tag him out, something within me snapped. Not my arm bone -not yet- but something else entirely. My 'playing wiffle ball with a 10 year old' competitive pride. I grabbed the ball and sprinted towards the kid full speed. Even though I was wearing jeans and big clunky leather boots, there was no way I wasn't going to tag him out. A silent lesson for him: "if I wanted to, you'd be out every time little one." So I ran. And right before he touched home plate I got him. OUT. Proof that I can still move it if I want to. And right after that I "tripped over my own speed" (his phrasing, not mine) and fell with my arms outstretched, full-force on my left shoulder. OUCH. Proof that I can't still stop so well if I need to.
Immediately I heard a pretty gruesome crunching noise that sounded like a bunch of crisp stalks of celery being broken en masse. I figured I'd separated my shoulder and possibly torn some ligaments or something. I knew it was bad news on the spot. Then I went to the ER, got x-rays, and found out that I'd broken my humerus in two spots. The whole process took around four hours - a bit long if you ask me. Then again, it seemed like twelve hours at the time.
It's my first broken bone; first official one at least. I know I had a hairline fracture in high school on my thumb from playing baseball - real baseball - and catching one too many hard throws at first base. That one hurt, but not too terribly bad. I also had another baseball-related broken bone from having someone step on my pinkie toe with their metal cleats. Made my toe look like a little fat blood sausage, that one. I know... it was nasty, and hurt pretty fiercely too. However, neither of those injuries was anywhere near as incapacitating, or painful, as this wiffle ball injury.
I can't do much of anything. Or, now I can because I've relearned my entire existence based upon having only one functioning arm. But for the first three days I wasn't doing so well in life. Each moment was miserable. And I'm not meaning to be a drama queen, but seriously. The pain was extraordinary - it's since moved into the realm of "dealable."
The fractures are on my humerus at the very top where it connects with my shoulder. I likely have ligament or tendon damage, that's TBD sometime next week with an MRI. Fingers crossed, because I'd really rather not add rotator cuff surgery to the recovery mix. As it is now, simple acts such as putting on my socks can take minutes. I can't really fully bend over to pick anything up, I fear very crowded scenarios such as concerts or subway cars (I know right?), and I can't lay down flat to sleep in a bed. I've been sleeping entirely on the couch, propped up on my good shoulder with the bad one pointed skyward, hoping that I don't move in my sleep and wake up to sharp self-inflicted shooting shoulder pain. This tactic allows me to sleep for a few hours at a time; which is nice, all things considered. But any sudden movement of my left side involves potential terror... laughing, coughing, or sneezing hurts like a mofo and I've quickly grown tired of my sling and the side effects (no cast for this particular combination of fractures). Add to all of this the fact that I'm no big fan of my prescribed painkillers (Vicodin) and you might see why I've been a bit grumpy and inactive since last Friday. Did I wish this upon myself??
There was a time about ten years ago when I figured I'd probably never get to experience a real fracture. I was well past my "danger years" so, other than something like a random car crash, how could I break any bones now? Especially living in a slow and mellow place like North Carolina... no broken bones to be found there. And then I moved to New York City and that kind of thinking completely changed. The danger quotient skyrocketed from the moment I struggled to carry my guitar, suitcase, and synthesizer up five flights of stairs (all at once) to my first (nasty) New York apartment. I imagined what inevitable scenario would lead to my first fracture now that I lived in danger zone numero uno (and this was pre-September 11th, mind you). A mugging? Being caught in subway doors? Walking up and down those very stairs to and from my rat-partment every day?? A fall from a party on a roof deck in Williamsburg? Being hit by a taxi? Walking by a tall building and having the misfortune of being directly underneath some miserable soul who'd just lept out a window 50 stories above?? The possibilities were endless. Little did I know, the danger did not lie waiting for me in the harrowing concrete jungle of New York City; rather, I'd meet my doom back in sleepy old North Carolina playing an overtly low-impact sport called wiffle ball in a backyard (of all undangerous places) with my ten year old nephew...
"Suburbs and backyards may break my bones but New York City will never hurt me."
I think I'll stay here in the city for a while. Resting and recovering away from the perils of suburban backyard life. Typing. With. My. One. Good. Arm.
*above image from HERE.
Buy Bee Hives on Amazon.
EAR FARM's 8+ is a weekly feature that showcases songs longer than 8 minutes. In the recent past these songs were featured on EF's 8+:
Oingo Boingo - "Change"
Count Basie - "Blues For The Barbecue"
The Besnard Lakes - "You've Got to Want to Be a Star"
M83 - "Couleurs"
David Byrne - "Happy Suicide"
Fleetwood Mac - "Oh Well"
Phish - "You Enjoy Myself"
Green Day - "Homecoming"
To see a full list of every song featured in EAR FARM's 8+ click HERE.
The Streets will walk to the South of France for a video?
The Streets - aka Mike Skinner - unveiled some interesting news this morning via an entry on his MySpace blog. Attempting to shoot what he refers to as a "music video-type music video" for the new song "The Escapist", he wrote:
For this work of creative moving imagery I have decided to walk to the south of France. I will be relaying the highlights of it with you over the next few weeks of my journey. The fuller story will also be told on our new www.beatstevie.com website, but check that at your peril as it currently resembles a building site. Mayhem is trying to work out how to design websites.
From a grey Dover I bid my English and Albion farewell. Long live Michael Palin.
Okay, now for some context. Apparently, "The Escapist" was originally intended to be included in a film of the same name, but after the director rejected it Skinner decided to put it on his forthcoming album instead. And according to the Beat Stevie site (Beat Stevie being Skinner's "anything goes-based television show" that airs on Channel 4 in the UK), work on the new album - the Streets' fourth full length - is complete and a mastering date has been set for June 19th with the hopes of releasing it later in August. Just a warning though, any attempts at hearing the new tracks on Skinner's MySpace will only result in being subjected to a horrendous cover of Elton John's "Your Song". Honestly.
A casual Google mapping of the quest from Birmingham to Nice reveals it to be a shade under 1000 miles. Yikes. However, based on the ferry pics included on Skinner's blog post, it looks like he'll be starting his trek on French soil. It's almost like he's fit, and he knows it too...
Listen: "Fit But You Know It"
Visit the Streets on MySpace
*above photo found HERE
OPP
Jon Brion to score Charlie Kaufman's new movie
Black Tide to play free L.A. show as part of James Frey's book tour
Guitar Hero IV will allow users to create and upload their own songs, while first images of the game's drum set have also been revealed
Neil Diamond's newest album Home Before Dark is the first of his 46th charting albums to reach number one
Watch the new Man Man video for "Mister Jung Stuffed"
Santogold records song with Julian Casablancas and Pharrell Williams for Converse
And in other shoe collaboration news, Saul Williams pairs with Nike
Local H played every single song in its catalog during a recent seven-night Chicago stand
The Office's Creed Bratton is also a platinum-selling recording artist?
14 May 2008
Band of the Week: Plants and Animals
Band: Plants and Animals
From: Montreal, Quebec
Sound: Lush, 70s AM rock gets sprawling, epic treatment with incredible results
Similar Artists: Buffalo Springfield, Arcade Fire, My Morning Jacket, Loose Fur
Listen Now: "Feedback In The Field"
The picture says it all. As if the cover of Sgt. Pepper's came to life and had a hallucinogenic picnic in the backwoods of Middle Earth, the happening depicted above is about the most fitting visual representation of Plants and Animals that I could imagine.
That this is also the cover art for the Montreal-based trio's debut full-length Parc Avenue (Secret City Records) then makes perfect sense, a fitting harbinger of the eclectic menagerie of electric folk, psychedelic boogies, sing-song flower child freakouts and all around damn good songwriting contained within.
The album cover is also as good a place as any to delve into discussing a band that has as much to offer as Plants and Animals. Without getting too preachy about the necessity of listening to certain albums start to finish - or too curmudgeonly by wishing for the bygone era of sitting down with a tangible piece of art in your hands (ie vinyl) - let's just say that Parc Avenue makes a strong argument for the simple joys found in fully losing oneself within the nooks, crannies, and broader landscapes of an entire album. Of all the records I've heard so far this year, this is the one that I'd most like to strap on a pair of vintage cans for, plop down on my beanbag chair, fire up the lava lamp, and listen to while obsessing over the liner notes (you know, assuming my bedroom looked like Greg Brady's).
Plants and Animals seem to not have forgotten the lost art of album listening as an event, and for that reason alone Parc Avenue is an utter standout. Of course, such grand visions haven't always defined the band either...
Formed while Warren Spicer (guitar, lead vocals - eventually) and Matthew "The Woodman" Woodley (drums, vocals) were still in high school in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the complete lineup didn't come together until the two met Nicolas Basque (guitar, bass, vocals) while studying in the music department at Concordia University. The trio put their first batch of songs to tape shortly thereafter, a collection of instrumental jams that would form the precursor to their current pan-optic sound. From these more modest attempts at songwriting, they eventually evolved into a phase their bio refers to as "taming the sprawling wilderness of their sound and sculpting real songs," which naturally meant the introduction of vocals. Thus, Spicer stepped to the mic and "lead the way to a (hitherto unheard of) vocal domination of their material—as if he had been possessed by the ghost of some recently departed soul singer."
Truly, and it's this emotive and dynamic howl that binds much of the disparate sounds and genres on Parc Avenue into a cohesive whole. As such, it's incredible to think that this powerfully effective instrument was the last element introduced and incorporated within their songwriting process. Alongside the crackling rhythm section of Basque and Woodley, Spicer's lived-in voice adds even more warmth and organic familiarity to the material. One moment, he adds snarling Mark Knopfler-esque affectations to the verse of "Feedback in the Fields" while the next leading the sugary sweet chamber chorus of "Bye Bye Bye".
Of course, with track titles such as "Faerie Dance", "Feedback in the Fields" and "Guru" and several songs clocking in at over seven minutes to accompany adventurous instrumental breaks, jam-band conspiracists may cry foul at the band's presumed lack of focus (as though they've gone a bit "too organic" perhaps?); such charges would be short-sighted though. There's an enormous difference between writing a long song for the sake of writing a long song and doing so because the composition requires appropriate time and space to grow, shift, evolve and resolve.
Every song on Parc Avenue unfolds patiently and naturally, and as a result the entire album feels fully realized instead of half-baked, in service of the song as opposed to in spite of it, and always pushing forward instead of treading water. Besides, if you were having this much fun recording the seven-minute album closer "Guru" (see video below), you wouldn't want to stop the jams either:
Luckily, we'll have ample opportunity to experience such revelry firsthand as the band is in the midst of an East Coast tour that includes a pair of New York-based shows this weekend. Plants and Animals and hippie dances oh my!
Listen:
"Feedback In The Field"
"Faerie Dance"
See Plants and Animals Live:
14 May - Philadelphia, PA @ World Cafe Live Upstairs (with Rock Plaza Central)
15 May - Baltimore, MD @ 8 x 10 (w/ Rock Plaza Central)
16 May - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
17 May - Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall (w/ Rock Plaza Central)
18 May - Boston, MA @ TT the Bear’s (w/ Rock Plaza Central)
01 Jun - Haarlem, Netherlands @ Patronaat
02 Jun - Utrecht, Netherlands @ Ekko (with Sunset Rubdown)
03 Jun - Njmegen, Netherlands @ Dornrosje (with the Do)
04 Jun - Tilburg, Netherlands @ O13
05 Jun - Dublin, Ireland @ Crawdaddy
06 Jun - Glasgow, Scotland @ The Captain’s Rest
07 Jun - Edinburgh, Scotland @ Wee Red Bar
09 Jun - London, UK @ Big Chill House
13 Jun - Lausanne, Switzerland @ Le Romandie
14 Jun - Paris, France @ Mains D’Ouevre
23 Jun - Seattle, WA @ Nectar
24 Jun - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
25 Jun - San Francisco, CA @ Rickshaw Stop
27 Jun - Pomona, CA @ Glass House
28 Jun - Los Angeles, CA @ Spaceland (with Panther)
10 Jul - Ottawa, Ontario @ Ottawa Blues Festival
16 Jul - Sherbrooke, Quebec @ La Telephone Rouge
18 Jul - Yellowknife, Northwest Territories @ Folk on the Rocks Festival
19 Jul - Yellowknife, Northwest Territories @ Folk on the Rocks Festival
25 Jul - Guelph, Ontario @ Hillside Music Festival
26 Jul - Guelph, Ontario @ Hillside Music Festival
03 Aug - Montreal, Quebec @ Osheaga Festival (Parc Jean Drapeau)
09 Aug - Marysville, Ontario @ Wolfe Island Musicfest
17 Aug - Salmon Arm, British Columbia @ Salmon Arm Festival
Visit Plants and Animals on MySpace.
--
In the recent past, the following bands have been featured as EAR FARM's Band of the Week:
All the Saints
I'm From Barcelona
Bombadil
Tapes 'n Tapes
White Hinterland
Man Man
We Barbarians
The Dodos
See the entire list of bands featured as EAR FARM's Band of the Week HERE.
Fugazi Covers Project for Charity - Bands Wanted
Christina Da Costa, Jeffry Opdyke, Michael Sowiski, and Phil Rosenbloom have put together a benefit project for charity - Fugazi has agreed to let them produce and sell the album - and they're looking for more bands to participate.
The foursome is participating in Braking the Cycle (a 275 mile benefit bike tour which supports HIV/AIDS services provided by the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of New York City) and decided that putting together, and selling, a Fugazi cover album would be a great way to raise money for the event. All proceeds from sale of this cover album will be going to the benefit via this fundraising team.
The one catch is that the time frame is rather condensed: they want to have a list of all participants and the songs they are going to cover within the next two or three weeks. You will then have until August 4th to arrange, rehearse, dust off your 4 track, whatever, and get them an MP3 file of your final track. Sound exciting? Then visit The Fugazi Covers Project for more information.
See the tracks already spoken for HERE.
Listen:
"Styrofoam" by Fugazi (from Repeater)
*above cover of End Hits from HERE.
Visit Fugazi on MySpace.
OPP
Community Board meeting to decide the fate of Union Hall tonight?
Explosions in the Sky give Drowned in Sound a guide to this weekend's ATP shows, which they've also curated
The Minneapolis City Pages interviews Bon Iver
Weezer pushes up release date of their new album by three weeks to June 3rd
Beck's new album has a name: Modern Guilt
MTV's The Real World is coming to Brooklyn this summer?
Rush's founding drummer - John Rutsey - found dead at age 55
Also, RIP American artist Robert Rauschenberg
Green Day side project Foxboro Hot Tubs map small spring tour
13 May 2008
I Want My MTV - new videos from Radiohead, Justice, Stereolab, and Portishead
It's as simple as that - below are recently released videos from Radiohead, Justice, Stereolab, and Portishead that have caught my eye. Meaning, I like them and you will too...
"All I Need" by Radiohead (above)
"Stress" by Justice (above)
"Three Women" by Stereolab (above)
"The Rip" by Portishead (above)
Three for Free - Hint Hint, Minus the Bear, Six Parts Seven
EAR FARM's Three for Free: three EF approved, free and legal MP3s posted each week. This week - three songs from artists on Suicide Squeeze Records. Click on the artist name to go to their site, click on the song name to listen to the song.
Listen:
Hint Hint - “Long Branch, New Jersey”
Minus the Bear - "Dr. L’Ling"
Six Parts Seven - "Falling Over Evening"
The Secret Life of Sofia - Seven Summits Out Today
When we last checked in with The Secret Life of Sofia, they assured us the release of their debut full-length Seven Summits was "semi-imminent". And after weeks of hand-assembling 500 limited edition copies, they've emerged from their impromptu sweatshop to announce that as of today the wait is officially over!
To get your mitts on one of the limited edition copies, you have several options. Firstly, you can head over to their site right HERE and have it shipped to you for $12 (includes shipping).
OR, if you're like us and have one of those semi-fetishist collection compulsions, lead singer/guitarist Kyle Wilson tipped us off that the lower-numbered copies (they are all hand-numbered after all) are currently stocked at Etherea and Sound Fix (and he assures us that #1 of 500 is on the shelves at Etherea) for $8.
And of course, the band will also be selling copies at all future live shows for $10, their most recent string of dates listed after the jump along with some interesting info about the inspiration behind Seven Summits....
Wilson posted a MySpace bulletin late last night/early this morning detailing the stories and characters behind the songs on the album. As he writes:
"All of the stories on Seven Summits are at least partly true. Some are completely true, and were told to me firsthand. Some are more like historical fiction. All of them, I hope, are respectful to the parties involved, most of whom I have great admiration for.
The idea of writing the album Seven Summits first came to me on a climb of Long's Peak in Colorado. The experience was life changing, and I soon became intoxicated with the drive to climb more peaks. I also became fascinated with the stories I was hearing from other climbers and reading in books.
So it's a limited edition, hand-numbered concept album? Shoot, we like where this is going.....
Listen:
"Outside"
"Fifty Fourteeners"
See also:
- The Secret Life of Sofia - new record, two brand new MP3s, live dates
- The Secret Life of Sofia @ The Delancey - 26 February 2008
- StereoactiveNYC/Hot Rocks Official CMJ Showcase - 20 October 2007 @ The Delancey
- The Muggabears, The Secret Life of Sofia, Mancino, Nous Non Plus @ Pianos - 12 May 2007
- EAR FARM Presents... at Sin-e - 29 June, 2006
See The Secret Life of Sofia Live:
16 May - New York, NY @ Rehab (Crashin' In)
30 May - New York, NY @ The Delancey
05 Jun - Brooklyn, NY @ Glasslands Gallery
20 Jun - Harrisonburg or Charlottesville, VA @ TBA
21 Jun - Washington, D.C. @ The Velvet Lounge
22 Jun - Philadelphia, PA @ M Room
27 Jun - Lehigh Valley, PA @ TBA
04 Jul - Brooklyn, NY @ The Yard
Visit The Secret Life of Sofia on MySpace.
Today's NEW Releases
This weeks best and brightest:
- Acid Mother's Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. - Recurring Dream and Apocalypse
- The Black Angels - Directions To See A Ghost
- Death Cab for Cutie - Narrow Stairs
- Dosh - Wolves and Wishes
- Duffy - Rockferry
- Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time: The Best of 1980-1989
- Local H - 12 Angry Months
- Old 97's - Blame It On Gravity
- The Presets - Apocalypso
- The Secret Life of Sofia - Seven Summits
- The Submarines - Honeysuckle Weeks
- T Bone Burnett - Tooth of Crime
- Tobias Froberg - Turn Heads
- Vetiver - Thing of the Past
- We Are Scientists - Brain Thrust Mastery
OPP
After The Jump tickets are on sale now
Arcade Fire to score writer/director Richard Kelly's (Donnie Darko) newest film
Mark Ronson to team up with The Zutons at Glastonbury
Watch My Morning Jacket perform on last weekend's Saturday Night Live
Shearwater's frontman leaves Okkervil River to focus on his other band full time
Did you know that Cher will be playing 200 shows at Caesar's Palace in Vegas over the next three years? Neither did we
Well, did you know that Madonna played Pantera at a recent UK concert? Again, same here
Prefix has photos from Sunday's Radiohead/Liars show in Washington D.C.
12 May 2008
Hit-or-miss: "Buzz Fledderjohn" by Tom Waits
Listen:
"Buzz Fledderjohn" by Tom Waits from Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
View:
Image search results for Buzz Fledderjohn - above image is from the first page of results (and was originally from HERE).
--
In the recent past these songs were featured in Hit-or-miss posts:
"Pump up the Bass" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
"Jet City Woman" by Queensrÿche
"II. In Taberna: Estuans Interius" by Carl Orff
"Dangerous" by Frente!
"Keep Their Heads Ringing" by Dr. Dre
"At It Again" by Sublime
"The Day I Tried To Live" by Soundgarden
"I'm Comin' Down" by Primal Scream
--
EAR FARM's Hit-or-miss is a weekly feature (every Monday) wherein the EF music library is put on shuffle, the song that plays is then searched (using the song title) on Google images and a resulting photo (plus an MP3 of the song) is posted. You can see all of EAR FARM's Hit-or-miss posts thus far right HERE.
Vinyl Triumphs Over CDs (again) + New Ratatat
Last Saturday at Manchester's Futuresonic 2008 Festival, participant Aleks Kolkowski hammered another symbolic nail into the compact disc's coffin, recycling unwanted CDs into functional 45rpm's for curious festivalgoers.
Using a vintage vinyl cutter, Kolkowski "overwrote" existing files on CDs by physically etching new songs onto them. Apparently, people could provide whatever WAV file they wanted and he would then cut it onto the disc. The result was a fully functional "vinyl disc" that could be played on any 45rpm-speed turntable. Pretty awesome, and a perfect illustration of Amanda Petrusich's recent article in SPIN detailing vinyl's resurgence as CDs continue to suffer. It also made us wonder whether the dude from the CMJ panel back in October will still stand behind his statement that CDs will be the dominant music medium 10 years from now. Idiot.
Now, what does that have to do with Ratatat? Well, as Gorilla vs. Bear just pointed out, the duo released a brand new vinyl 7" single last week. The track, "Shiller", will be on their new album, out July 8th on XL Recordings. Check it out below....seems everything's coming up vinyl.
Listen: "Shiller"
Visit Ratatat on MySpace
OPP
NYC Taper recorded Saturday's British Sea Power show at Bowery Ballroom
Pitchfork interviews Scarlett Johansson
Metallica's new "Mission" beta site launched, and then crashed
Led Zeppelin to announce 250 million pound world tour?
DMX arrested again, this time for drugs and animal cruelty
Hype Machine calls Viacom sale rumor not very accurate
Echo & The Bunnymen announce Oct 1st Radio City date, playing Ocean Rain in its entirety with a 10-piece orchestra
09 May 2008
EAR FARM's Muxtape #7: Happy Muxther's Day!
A special mux for a special day; this one goes out to our Earfmoms for raising their sons into some tall drinks of water who never fail to irk those standing behind them at concerts. To all the mothers, grandmothers, mothers-to-be, and erstwhile maternal figures, enjoy the following collection of maternally-themed songs hand-picked to soundtrack your Mother's Day celebrations. You can listen to this mix/mux right HERE.
EAR FARM's Muxtape #7: Happy Muxther's Day!
1. "Mama" - Stephen Malkmus
2. "Mama, Won't You Keep Those Castles In The Air & Burning?" - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
3. "Some Mother's Son" - The Kinks
4. "Your Mother Loves You Son" - Beulah
5. "Momma's Boy" - Chromeo
6. "Hey Mama" - Kanye West
7. "Shop Around" - The Miracles
8. "Mama Says" - The Beach Boys
9. "Rabbit Fur Coat" - Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins
10. "Your Mother Should Know" - The Beatles
11. "Mother and Child Reunion" - Paul Simon
12. "Mother Popcorn" - James Brown
*above picture found HERE.
See also:
EAR FARM's Muxtape #1: 12 Songs For A Cat Named Joe
EAR FARM's Muxtape #2: April Fools Edition!
EAR FARM's Muxtape #3: Fank Fod it's Friday and Finally Fpring!
EAR FARM's Muxtape #4: Rock Band Setlist
EAR FARM's Muxtape #5: 2:42
EAR FARM's Muxtape #6: Songs that used to live in my TV set
--
A Muxtape is a simple way to create and share mixtapes. That's all there is to it. Feel free to share your own mix in the comments.
Human Highway Unveil First Single: "The Sound"
Feeling a little down on this rainy Friday? STOP RIGHT THERE. Firstly, it's Friday, it's really not that bad, okay? Secondly, just listen to "The Sound" from Human Highway - the duo comprised of Islands' Nick Thorburn and former Royal City/Islands member Jim Guthrie - and marvel as the gloom just melts away.
It's a beautiful song. With little more than some doubled acoustic guitars, bass, spare electronic percussion, and a xylophone interlude (or is it glockenspiel?), a simple foundation is laid for Thorburn and Guthrie's wonderfully melodic harmonies to nestle firmly within your "obsessive hummability/sing-along cortex" (just made that up) and refuse to let go. It's catchy, uplifting, built for summer, and for some odd reason makes me picture them playing it together like Nuno and Gary in the "More Than Words" video, not sure why.
Human Highway's debut album Moody Motorcycle comes out on August 19th in the U.S. on Suicide Squeeze Records. Now, will you do us a favor and just listen to the sound?
Listen: "The Sound" (removed by request - listen to the song on Human Highway's MySpace page)
Visit Human Highway on MySpace
My Morning Jacket Announce Summer Tour Dates, SNL this Weekend
Last time we checked in with My Morning Jacket, they had just announced the release date for Evil Urges (June 10th) while also dropping news of a special show at Radio City Music Hall on June 20th.
Since then, it's been hard to keep track of all the developments, but we'll give it a try anyway: let's see, first there was a Spin cover story, then news of a Saturday Night Live appearance slated for this Saturday evening, and just yesterday the unveiling of an extensive summer tour that includes The Black Keys as openers from the Aug 16th through Oct 10th dates (with the exception of the Aug 21st Red Rocks show). Looks like the Radio City gig is still the only New York date so far, while they've instead gone ahead and doubled their pleasure in Chicago, not fair. Check out all the dates after the jump...
22 May - London, England @ St. James Church (Jim James solo acoustic)
12 Jun - Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo
16 Jun - Toronto, Ontario @ Kool Haus
17 Jun - Montreal, Quebec @ Le National
20 Jun - New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall
25 Jun - Sheffield, England @ Leadmill
26 Jun - Bristol, England @ Academy
27 Jun - Manchester, England @ Academy
29 Jun - Glastonbury, England @ Glastonbury Festival
01 Jul - Hamburg, Germany @ Gruenspan
02 Jul - Cologne, Germany @ Gebäude 9
04 Jul - Werchter, Belgium @ Rock Werchter Festival
06 Jul - Kent, England @ The Hop Farm
08 Jul - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Melkweg
09 Jul - Paris, France @ Le Trabendo
11 Jul - Nottingham, England @ Rescue Rooms
13 Jul - Balado, Scotland @ T in the Park
15 Jul - London, England @ The Forum
19 Jul - Benicàssim, Spain @ Benicàssim Festival
26 Jul - Pemberton, British Columbia @ Pemberton Festival
01 Aug - Newport, RI @ Newport Folk Festival (Jim James solo acoustic)
16 Aug - Louisville, KY @ Waterfront Park
18 Aug - Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre
19 Aug - Council Bluffs, IA @ Stir Cove
21 Aug - Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheater
23 Aug - Dallas, TX @ Palladium Ballroom
24 Aug - Austin, TX @ Stubbs
27 Aug - Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre-Atlanta
29 Aug - Miami, FL @ The Fillmore Miami Beach - Jackie Gleason Theater
30 Aug - Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
31 Aug - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
02 Sep - Charlottesville, VA @ Charlottesville Pavilion
03 Sep - Washington, DC @ Constitution Hall
05 Sep - Philadelphia, PA @ Penn’s Landing
06 Sep - Boston, MA @ Bank of America P