EAR FARM has moved!

It's been a great run on Blogger... 1,924 posts from October 2005 to June 2008. However, it's time for EAR FARM to move on to bigger and better things. We'd love for you to come along with us!

From now on EAR FARM will be located here: http://earfarm.com

Please update your links accordingly. We'll see you on the other side.

EAR FARM's Muxtape #12: Paraskavedekatriaphobia

Paraskavedekatriaphobia: the fear of Friday the 13th.

Horror movie fans will have to wait until next year for the remake of the 1980 Sean Cunningham classic Friday the 13th; fans and foes of the day itself have only one chance this year to either revel in its glory or hide from the world for twenty four hours. You see, today is Friday the 13th. Watch out.

If we had planned things a bit better we'd be on our 13th mix this week, but we didn't. And hey, maybe we don't want that many thirteens all up in one post together. Still, we won't let no stinkin' paraskavedekatriaphobia stop us from gettin' busy with EAR FARM's Muxtape #12: twelve (Muxtape doesn't allow thirteen!) songs dedicated both to the wonderful horror series, and to the unluckiest of days in the entire calendar. Be careful out there!

Listen to this week's muxtape HERE.

EAR FARM's Muxtape #12: Paraskavedekatriaphobia
1. "Moments of Terror" by Harry Manfredini
2. "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads
3. "Luck's Up" by Public Image Ltd.
4. "Good Friday" by Why?
5. "I Ain't Superstitious" by Megadeth
6. "Jason's Theme" by Brendon Small
7. "Thirteen Women (And Only One Man In Town)" by Bill Haley And His Comets
8. "Unlucky Day" by Murder City Players
9. "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder
10. "Jason" by Sufjan Stevens
11. "The Crystal Lake" by Grandaddy
12. "Triskaidekaphobia" by Jimmy Sutton's Four Charms

*above photo from HERE.

Recent EF mixes:
EAR FARM's Muxtape #11: A Change Is Gonna Come (EAR FARM's relaunch mix)
EAR FARM's Muxtape #10: MARS!
EAR FARM's Muxtape #9: Pulled From My "On-The-Go" Playlist
EAR FAM's Muxtape #8: I Broke My Arm Playing Wiffle Ball
EAR FARM's Muxtape #7: Happy Muxther's Day!
EAR FARM's Muxtape #6: Songs that used to live in my TV set
EAR FARM's Muxtape #5: 2:42
EAR FARM's Muxtape #4: Rock Band Setlist
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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. View all EAR FARM mixes HERE.

Top 10 (Musical) Things To Do in New York This Weekend

This weekend, the best and brightest (but fortunately not hottest) options for your musical-themed entertainment, as humbly suggested by us....

10. Run for the hills! It's Iron Maiden at Madison Square Garden SUNDAY

9. Take the ferry over to Staten Island and Rock The Harbor at SI's first original rock festival SATURDAY

8. Enjoy Bonnaroo AND air-conditioning all at once on SUNDAY at 9:00pm when Fuse airs My Morning Jacket and Mastodon's Bonnaroo sets

7. Head to The Yard SUNDAY and get your block party on with Afrika Bambaataa

6. Hit up Jones Beach Theater after a SATURDAY on the beach to see The National, Modest Mouse, and R.E.M.

5. Or, stay indoors at Bowery SATURDAY or SUNDAY as Mission of Burma performs Signals, Calls, & Marches in its entirety

4. Celebrate The Music Slut's 3rd Anniversary at Pianos SATURDAY with Drink Up Buttercup, Mussels, Unicycle Loves You, and The Physics of Meaning

3. Pretend Central Park Summerstage is the Columbia quad with Vampire Weekend SATURDAY

2. Blow your mind with the Brooklyn Philharmonic as they perform John Adams' "Shaker Loops" synched along with two barges worth of fireworks SATURDAY at South Street Seaport

1. Witness Oneida perform 2005's The Wedding in its entirety alongside a string quartet and multimedia art show at the Kitchen FRIDAY and SATURDAY

A fairly eclectic mix but still only scratching the surface. What are your top picks for the weekend?

OPP

Nat Baldwin does Daytrotter, and reveals his fandom for the Boston Celtics

Those unable to make Bonnaroo take heed: here is the live webcast schedule

Beck reveals Modern Guilt album art, tracklisting, and release date (July 8th)

Metallica blames managers for taking down mostly positive reviews of their forthcoming album

My Morning Jacket playing Madison Square Garden on New Year's Eve

Michael Stipe will be signing copies of the R.E.M. photo book Hello at McNally Robinson on 52 Prince Street on Sunday

AND on topic, watch R.E.M. cover Television with "See No Evil"

Pharrell Williams wants to produce the new Strokes album

Atlantic Records sues Stone Temple Pilots for trying to leave their contract early

Weezer invites fans to perform alongside them on tour

Music journalist quits over allegations he hired a ghost writer

8+

"The Past Is A Grotesque Animal" by Of Montreal which clocks in at 11:53

Rome: 1992. We met in the garden. Among daisies and lillies and bumble bees and fountains made of sculptures of adorable fat little child angels and dozens of loud American high school students on holiday; only a small portion of which were themselves fat little children. Even with their ridiculously loud clothing, unconscionably loud mouths, and 'hopefully I won't get mugged' fanny packs, these were our peers. Each of them was like us, but so much more obvious about their vexed malcontent.

There you were with your Public Image Ltd. t-shirt and belt buckle that screamed Texas. There I was with a hundred lines of poetry running through my mind and a camera pointed squarely in the face of each statue that came my way. Statues are so much easier to photograph than people, and friendlier too. I turned away as you walked by the first time, still able to see enough of you to catch passions just like mine hidden behind your eyes. Upon your second passing you caught enough of me to see I wasn't much more than a clown. I was in the middle of showing off my skills of imitation. Your head whipped around, my friend laughed. It wasn't what I'd call the most ideal manner of making a first impression...

"A dog?!" your face silently said.

"Do it again dude," Rob laughingly hushed as he hit my arm repeatedly. This had already been wowing him for a day and a half: I'd cover my mouth and bark a bit, off to the side, whenever some family of sharply dressed Italians came our way. The kids would spin around and tug at their parents' pants and excitedly proclaim something in Italian. "Ciao ciao fettuccine alfredo!" or something. I didn't speak Italian so everything sounded like an order at Amedeo's to me. I'll admit it. It embarrassed me endlessly given how well I'd been managing with my French in Paris. Of course, equally embarrassing was the fact that I was a skinny American kid wearing a fanny pack. Guess I forgot to mention that part - I too was one of the kids wearing a fanny pack. Our teacher/chaperone was making all of us wear them in Italy. "Baaad pickpockets in Rome... lots of gypsies," he kept saying. It was the first, and last, time in my life I've strapped on a fanny pack. And let me tell you, it dropped my already delicate self-confidence down about four notches. Not to mention that I was in the middle of playing Allen Funt sans hidden camera for an audience of one.

Who am I kidding? Audience of two. I enjoyed what I was doing as much as I hated it. And at that moment - Lord knows why - I was hugely on top of my game. The summer of 1992 will forever remain the three month span in which I peaked as a Michael Winslow wannabe. I covered my mouth, in what was surely the greatest single moment of my entire career as a ventriloquist voice FX guy, and let go of two well thrown barks...

"Rrrawgh, rrrrrawgh!"

You saw where it came from this time. You were ready for it. You knew it was me and you marched right over to where I stood - even though the dog must've sounded like it was barking from some super-secret hiding place in the bushes far away. I mean, let's be clear about that. I was throwing my voice expertly and nothing but your amazing detective skills could've led you my way. Right?

My instigating friend Rob turned swiftly and walked away laughing.

"Oh my God, that was you?? Do it again, again!" you exclaimed.

I turned red and obliged. I was, and am still, a very reticent performer. This spur of the moment show wasn't what I'd call my preferred manner to try and woo the adorable tall girl from Texas (with fine taste in music) who'd seemingly been placed in my presence by the Gods. Argh! What a mistake. I'd kill Rob as soon as I could get away; however, at the moment I was caught performing my bark for the sizable Houston contingent which you'd gathered around. Thinking back, this was clearly the first sign that you liked the potential of "me" as much as I did you. I'm stuck wondering why I ever let go of my barking ability when it obviously worked so well with you.

Our t-shirts impressed each other and our heights were well aligned. That's pretty much all you need to fall in love at sixteen years old, and I think it helped my chances that I was barking so well when put on the spot. I ended up teaching three guys from your group just how I worked my magic, the magic with the barking. I never did tell them how I worked my magic with you.

It was an unofficially school-organized trip for both of us. Our teachers had gotten together and booked trips for a group of their students to visit Europe and do so in as educational a manner as possible. The two teachers that led our trip were my 10th grade History and English teachers. Actually, they were my Paideia teachers but that's another story for another time. Point is, they constructed our itinerary around what they'd taught us in class, and it was pretty awesome. Your group from Texas was on a similar vacation; as fate would have it, my nerd-fueled itinerary would intersect with yours in Rome. There in the Villa Borghese gardens, in front the Temple of Asclepius, amidst the barking of (now) quite a few faux-canines. I spoke to one of my protégés about the girl I'd just met...

"Yeah man, of course I know her - we go to school together. Duh. But look, you have to get in line. You and every guy in my school want to date her. She's brains and beauty. Funny and smart and cute and hot! And rich too! Good luck with that."

Some might say it was Cupid's arrow, some the way our t-shirts collided. Others would figure that my dog bark imitation skills made your heart skip a beat, or that our blue eyes locked once and never let go. At least one person in my group wondered why my attention was so easily caught by you rather than by her; and the same could be said about every guy who was traveling with you. What can I say? I fell in love with the first cute girl that I met who could appreciate Oscar Wilde and great music at a time when neither of us knew anything of love or life or pain or suffering. Or Rome. Or great music, or Oscar Wilde really... standing on a rooftop in Italy, alone with our misconceptions of De Profundis and The Ballad of Reading Gaol, it was a moment of perfection destined for nothing more than perpetual reflection. Frozen in time.

Things could be different, but they're not. It's like we weren't made for this world; but I wouldn't really like to meet someone who was.

August, 1992: Rome. The past is a grotesquely distorted animal. Even the apocalypse is fleeting. There is no death in this ugly world and nothing can defeat you. You're a monument in my mind and you haven't aged a bit in sixteen years. Yet I don't even remember your name, or what you looked like well enough to recognize you if we met tomorrow on the street. But somewhere, there you are. Still bringing the rain, still feeling Wilde's pain. Sometimes I wonder if you've mythologized me like I have you.

*above photo of the Temple of Asclepius in the Villa Borghese Gardens from HERE.

Buy Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? 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+:
The Controllers - "Somebody's Gotta Win, Somebody's Gotta Lose"
Islands - "Bucky Little Wing"
Grandaddy - "He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot"
Broken Social Scene - "Backyards"
Oingo Boingo - "Change"
Count Basie - "Blues For The Barbecue"
The Besnard Lakes - "You've Got to Want to Be a Star"
M83 - "Couleurs"

To see a full list of every song featured in EAR FARM's 8+ click HERE.

S/S Friends = Clothes + Music

Sam Champion guitarist Sean Sullivan has a busy summer ahead. In addition to the July release of the Brooklyn quartet's sophomore full length Heavenly Bender (North Street Records) and the inevitable slew of live shows to support it, he recently started the clothing line S/S Friends with girlfriend Sarah.

Consisting of "seasonally specific" clothing items (namely swim trunks and knit hats), the label pairs each item with a specially curated music release for every run. The initial set features mens swim trunks (see above) with a 7" vinyl single "Easy Street", which Sullivan describes as a "weird and winning study of early reggae styles and recording techniques."

The goods are already available at a number of retailers in Manhattan and Brooklyn (and even L.A.). See the list HERE or to order direct from their Cobble Hill HQ hit them up at ss@friendscanvastrunks.com.

In the meantime, be sure to catch Sam Champion on June 27th when they play the Prospect Park Bandshell with Cold War Kids and Elvis Perkins (canvas trunks optional).

Listen: "Your Party Was Yesterday?"

See also:
- Sam Champion To Record Live Album...TONIGHT
- Sam Champion @ Texas Garage - 15 March 2008 (SXSW Day 4, pics)
- EAR FARM's Top Ten Bands To Emerge in 2007 & Ten To Watch Out For in 2008

Visit Sam Champion on Myspace.

OPP

Free Geekery offers 100 FREE sources for (good) downloadable music

REMINDER: Reserve your Sonic Youth 4th of July tickets today

Social network for iPhone knows what you're listening to and where you are listening to it

Austrian dungeon victim wakes up to Robbie Williams after two-month coma

Will anyone sing for John McCain?

Wolf Parade's Dan Boeckner handles this week's Guest List on Pitchfork

Mods & Rockers Film Festival in Hollywood opens June 26

Boy George to perform free show for NYC sanitation workers

Scott Storch is wanted by Miami-Dade police

Band of the Week: Ratatat

Band: Ratatat (or RATATAT depending on who you ask)
From: Brooklyn, NY
Sound: Imagine majestic melodic 8-bit video game soundtracks played in perfect intervals by Eddie Van Halen and the ghost of Duane Allman
Similar Artists: Daft Punk, Walter Meego, Hot Chip, Trans Am, Laromlab
Listen Now: "Mirando"

Much of the advance word surrounding Ratatat's forthcoming LP3 (out July 8th on XL) has focused upon the record's incremental shift away from straightforward rock compositions in favor of a broader and more worldly sound.

Now if by worldly we're referring to "otherworldly", these reviews seem pretty fair. But the problem is that Ratatat - the duo of multi-instrumentalist/programmer Evan Mast and guitarist Mike Stroud - have never really made traditional rock music to begin with, so any assessment of their evolution from 2004's self-titled debut through 2006's Classics to LP3 has to keep this in mind. When you've already started with a wholly innovative take on the rock formula - symphonic movements the length of pop songs that utilize the electric guitar's brash melody in lieu of vocals - you can only go further down the rabbit hole.

And this is exactly what the band accomplishes on LP3, not so much a dramatic reinvention but a logical exploration further into the nuances and contours of the world they've already created, splitting it open and shaking it up a bit....

Before, Ratatat was the sound of cruising hot asphalt in a Trans Am with T-tops and playing Contra in the basement of a parallel world. Now, Ratatat is the sound of hand claps spattered around sacrificial bonfires at the mouth of a volcano in a parallel world (while still playing Contra).

These are changes in atmosphere, changes prompted by Mast's continued excellence at building pulsing sonic landscapes that bubble and gurgle with electronic bursts at exactly the most rewarding moment. These are changes that largely flow from the variation in percussive sounds and textures on the album, as Mast has introduced a slightly more organic give and take to his beats and rhythms. This isn't to say that Ratatat sounded cold and clinical before; one of the band's main strengths has always been in generating a warm fuzzy pulse to their electronic grooves. Instead, it just suggests that they coaxed a bunch of Ewoks into the Catskills (where LP3 was recorded) to bang on soup cans, knotty tree roots, and whatever else they could find. Tracks like "Dura" display this trend perfectly, blending compressed drum samples with occasional bursts of clattering seashells, while others such as "Mi Viejo" favor layers of hand drums and what sounds like a combo of water droplets in a bucket and a deck of shuffled cards.

The beauty of all this is that Ratatat appears to have further tweaked a winning formula while maintaining what has been so immediately identifiable and transcendent about their music: Stroud's guitar. That trademark wail, channeled and manipulated through god-knows-how-many analog and digital middle men, still commands the spotlight throughout much of the album. That's very much a good thing.

And all of it - the extra-planetary funk, freshly organic click-clacking beats, glistening guitar lines, and throwback vibe to 1980s video game warfare (Predator!) - is on display in this video for "Mirando", the second single from the album. If you haven't seen it, you must; if you have, you must watch it again:



Pre-order LP3 HERE

Listen:
"Mirando"
"Shiller"

See Also:
- Vinyl Triumphs Over CDs (again) + New Ratatat
- Ratatat Live Videos

See Ratatat Live:
07 July - Seattle, WA @ Chop Suey
08 July - Portland, OR @ Holocene
10 July - San Francisco, CA @ Slim's
12 July - Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex
15 July - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg

Visit Ratatat on MySpace.
--
In the recent past, the following bands have been featured as EAR FARM's Band of the Week:
Steinski
These United States
Kelley Polar
Plants and Animals
All the Saints
I'm From Barcelona
Bombadil
Tapes 'n Tapes


See the entire list of bands featured as EAR FARM's Band of the Week HERE.

EAR FARM's Top Photos

(above photo of Bell at Pianos... more pictures of Bell HERE)
In preparing for our move over to http://earfarm.com (happening on Monday, June 16th!) I decided to take a look at all of the pictures I've taken thus far for EAR FARM and select some of my favorites. It wasn't easy - I've uploaded over 2900 photos (mostly live concert shots) to EAR FARM's Flickr page since October of 2006. But I managed to select about 200 of my favorite ones and put them in a nice little Flickr set that you can view HERE. Over time I'll be sure to continually add favorites to this set. As well, if you'd like to see these pics in a nice little slideshow, click on through to the other side where there's a lovely TV theme song waiting for you...



Listen: "Picture Pages Theme Song"

*above slideshow created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

EAR FARM's Mixes

Below (after the jump) you will find links to each of the custom mixes featured on EAR FARM to date, listed from most recent to oldest. In order to make room on our server, not all of these are currently available to listen to or download; therefore, be sure to check back often so you don't miss out on future EAR FARM mixes! There's a new one posted every Friday with some special ones thrown in here and there randomly and on our favorite holidays.

Muxtape #11: A Change Is Gonna Come (EAR FARM's relaunch mix)
Muxtape #10: MARS!
Muxtape #9: Pulled From My "On-The-Go" Playlist
Muxtape #8: I Broke My Arm Playing Wiffle Ball
Muxtape #7: Happy Muxther's Day!
Muxtape #6: Songs that used to live in my TV set
Locally Grown: an April Mix Tape from Brooklyn Based and EAR FARM
Muxtape #5: 2:42
Muxtape #4: Rock Band Setlist
Muxtape #3: Fank Fod it's Friday and Finally Fpring!
Muxtape #2: April Fools Edition!
Muxtape #1: 12 Songs For A Cat Named Joe
Valentine's Day Mix 3: Easily the Cheesiest
National Kazoo Day: Top Ten Eleven Songs That Feature A Kazoo
You Name The Mix #1
New Wave Cure For A Serious Case Of The Mondays Mix
Presidential Campaign 2008 Mix
All I Want For Christmas Is Music Mix
Beatles Cover Song Mix
10 Songs by Sassy Magazine 'Cute Band Alert' Bands (and yes, I did some research) Mix
Saxophone Mix
Gambling Mix
Chemistry Mix
Thanksgiving Mix
Dangerous Cities Mix
Mix for Barry Bonds
Valentine's Day Mix 2: Easy Cheesier
"Easy Cheesy" Valentine's Day Mix

I Want My MTV - After the Jump Fest (feat. videos from Health, Pela, Mixel Pixel, and more)

Below you will find a selection of seven music videos from artists playing the upcoming After the Jump Fest. This year's festival happens June 21st from Noon until the wee hours @ the Music Hall of Williamsburg and Galapagos. Dig?


"X-Ray" by Snake and Jet's Amazing Bullit Band (above)


"Heaven" by Health (above)


"Trouble with River Cities" by Pela (above)


"HJIH" by Project Jenny, Project Jan (above)


"Pretend Psalm" by Phil and the Osophers (above)


"Uncalibrated" by Bridges and Powerlines (above)


"At The Arcade" by Mixel Pixel (above)

Three for Free - The Antlers, Lissy Trullie, The Austerity Program

EAR FARM's Three for Free: three EF approved, free and legal MP3s posted each week. This week - three songs from artists playing this year's After the Jump festival. Click on the artist name to go to their site, click on the song name to listen to the song.

Listen:
The Antlers - "When You Sleep" (My Bloody Valentine cover)

Lissy Trullie - "Self Taught Learner"

The Austerity Program - "Song 17B"

'Band' On The Run: new iPhone application

Amidst news of the awesome (and affordable) new generation of iPhones, it was something else entirely that caught our attention yesterday: BAND.

The brainchild of Moo Cow Music's Mark Terry, Band is a new application for iPhone that will allow users to compose original tunes on the go with the usage of a two-octave piano, guitar, bass guitar, drum kit, vinyl scratcher, and mixer via the phone's touchscreen. And according to a WIRED report on the new gadget:

All instruments will be usable in the same song, while a multi-touch interface will allow up to five notes or samples to be played at the same time. Animated keys and strings will appear to move when activated, and any part can be edited, erased or overdubbed. An included metronome keeps the beat to keep each part on time.

Check out the above demo video to see Band in action; the initial edition should be available in a few weeks time, while future versions of the application will even allow users to create their own instruments. Apologies to "books" and "reading", but it seems we may have found a new subway activity?

Listen: "Band on the Run" (Foo Fighters cover version)

After the Jump Full Lineup and Schedule Announced

Here is the official After the Jump Fest flyer, designed by Rob Corradetti of Mixel Pixel (also playing the evening show at ATJF). Taking over the Music Hall of Williamsburg, Galapagos Art Space, and a substantial chunk of North 6th Street starting at noon on June 21st, ATJF is partnering with Make Music NY, Metromix, Stereofame and others (including over 40 bands) to support underfunded New York City school music programs.

So you want a specific schedule and set times to the madness? You got it...after the jump...

Today's NEW Releases

Another great week of new releases, checkit:

• Adele - 19
• Alanis Morissette - Flavors of Entanglement
• The Beach Boys - U.S. Singles Collection Box (16 Discs)
• Ben Sollee - Learning To Bend
• The Charlatans UK - You Cross My Path
• Emmylou Harris - All I Intended To Be
• The Fratellis - Here We Stand
• Jakob Dylan - Seeing Things
• Joan as Policewoman - To Survive
• Johnny Cash - The Complete Sun Masters
• Lil' Wayne - Tha Carter III
• Martha Wainwright - I Know You're Married But I've Got Feelings Too
• Mono In VCF - Mono In VCF
• Morrissey - The Lowdown Unauthorized
• My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
  
• N.E.R.D. - Seeing Sounds
• Ponies In The Surf - See You Happy
• The Pretenders - Packed!
• Robert Pollard - Robert Pollard Is Off to Business
• Sloan - Parallel Play
• Solomon Burke - Like A Fire
• Styrofoam - A Thousand Words
• Supergrass - Diamond Hoo Ha
• Wooden Shjips - Volume 1

What else is out there on this alarmingly hot week?

OPP

Following the release of Third and the announcement they will not play live again in 2008, Portishead goes crazy with solo projects

Reserve your tickets for Sonic Youth's Fourth of July show starting at noon on Thursday

Los Angeles Times: My Morning Jacket, Martha Wainwright benefit from oversharing

Stream the new Sigur Rós album in its entirety over at their website

Billy Bob Thornton pursues his first love with his band the Boxmasters

The Guardian blog: why rock can't shock any more

Bradford Cox, Eleanor Friedberger, and others join Converse's new campaign

Chuck Berry won't shill for John McCain even though his song's been appropriated for his campaign; he's an Obama supporter

Warner Music Group pulls its music from Last.fm

Hit-or-miss: "Science Killer" by The Black Angels

Listen:
"Science Killer" by The Black Angels from Directions To See A Ghost

View:
Image search results for Science Killer - 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:
"Look At Miss Ohio" by Gillian Welch
"Music To Watch Girls By" by Andy Williams
"String Bean Jean" by Belle & Sebastian
"Buzz Fledderjohn" by Tom Waits
"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!
--
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.

Chuck Berry @ BB King's - 6 June 2008 (pictures, live video)

"I have no business running around on stage like a young boy... I'm eighty-one years old," Chuck Berry explained as he excused himself for launching into a signature duck walk during the song "School Day." The passing of time clearly weighed heavily on his mind last Friday night - he choked up mentioning the recent death of his good friend Bo Diddley on more than one occasion, and obviously felt as if he needed to apologize to the audience for time having finally caught up with him in regards to his ability to run, dance, jump, and duck walk around stage the way he used to. Yes, the duck walk. And he can still pull it off. Kind of. Or, not really. But given the man's age, it was as rousing and impressive a feat as I could've imagined. Here was one of the fathers of rock and roll - at eighty one years old - so caught up in the moment that he couldn't help himself. He was on fire, mid-solo, and it just happened. The audience erupted and he finished the song with a huge smile on his face.

About a third of the show went just like this, a living legend living up to his name. The rest of the show was partially uneven, out of tune, and aged. However, the spirit of Chuck Berry carried the night handily; most memorably, as he caught himself repeating a song mid-set and then admitted that he'd forgotten what he was playing...

(pictures and live video after the jump)


above: Chuck Berry @ BB King's slideshow
Berry had just finished a medley of hits (including a rocking version of "Roll Over Beethoven") while showing a hint of difficulty remembering the lyrics to one song. He paused briefly before beginning "My Ding-A-Ling" to reassure the audience that he'd "remember the words to this one." Indeed, he did. However, after leading the crowd through the song he went right into "Roll Over Beethoven" - again. An air of unease settled over the room as everyone but Chuck realized immediately that we'd just heard "Roll Over Beethoven." Within measures Berry realized what he'd done and stopped mid-song. "I actually forgot what I was playing... I'll admit it!" he confessed, "Politicians oughta do that - admit it!" His handling of the moment brought levity and refreshing honesty to what could've been a miniature disaster. Instead, he went right into "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" without pause. You can see the whole thing for yourself below.

For the final two songs of the night, Chuck invited "six young ladies" to join him on stage. The "six" ended up being closer to fifteen or twenty women, and they brought Chuck Berry right back to late-'50s form... rocking, rolling, dancing, and strutting around the stage. He even ventured out into the audience while rocking out before departing to a standing ovation with his impromptu entourage of twenty screaming female fans in tow. The concert was one third amazing, one third showing signs of old age, and one third pure entertainment. No matter how you slice it, a living legend.

Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll.

*above slideshow created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Listen:
"Memphis, Tennessee"
"School Day (Ring Ring Goes The Bell)"

Watch:
"My Ding-A-Ling" into "Roll Over Beethoven" into "Brown Eyed Handsome Man" (live, from this show)

Visit Chuck Berry on MySpace.

EAR FARM's Muxtape #11: A Change Is Gonna Come (EAR FARM's relaunch mix)

Ladies and gentlemen, a change is gonna come... EAR FARM is about to change big time. We won't be starting over from scratch per se, but we will be giving EAR FARM a junior kickstart in hopes of making the site something bigger, something brighter, something much more awesome. Here's the deal: in just over a week we're going to bust a move out of Blogger for good and start new/start again. Like the Jeffersons (and thanks to some supersweet design work by our friends at Destroy Space) we'll be movin' on up to a brand new address with a funky fresh layout. Checkit: as of Monday, June 16th, you will be able to find a completely redesigned EAR FARM over at http://earfarm.com.

Asked to comment on the move, EAR FARM said "I want to be a farmer, a real farmer, and I am confident that things with the new site will be getting better and better with each passing day as I grow into this better version of me. I'm excited!"

You can listen to this week's muxtape celebrating the new EAR FARM HERE.

EAR FARM's Muxtape #11: A Change Is Gonna Come (EAR FARM's relaunch mix)
1. "Getting Better" by The Wedding Present
2. "Bust A Move" by Young MC
3. "Start New" by Cloud Cult
4. "Junior Kickstart" by The Go! Team
5. "The Jeffersons" by Ja'Net Dubois & Oren Waters
6. "Start Again" by Folk Implosion
7. "Change" by Tears For Fears
8. "Something Bigger, Something Brighter" by Pretty Girls Make Graves
9. "Better Version Of Me" by Fiona Apple
10. "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Otis Redding
11. "I Want To Be A Farmer" by Pete Seeger
12. "Scratch" by Morphine

***Remember... Monday, June 16th: the new EAR FARM launches over at http://earfarm.com***

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!
EAR FAM's Muxtape #8: I Broke My Arm Playing Wiffle Ball
EAR FARM's Muxtape #9: Pulled From My "On-The-Go" Playlist
EAR FARM's Muxtape #10: MARS!
--
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.

Top 10 (Musical) Things To Do in New York This Weekend

Music, BBQ, music, green markets, music, outdoor films, music, empty pools and more music...must be the dawn of summer in NYC. Below we give you our semi-biased top ten music-related events going down this weekend, and there's no shortage of options:

10. Go see Squirrel Nut Zippers jitterbug all over Highline Ballroom TONIGHT
9. Get your Hot Rocks off at the Delancey SATURDAY with Autodrone, Bella Noir, and Monster Eiffel Tower
8. Watch some short films on a rooftop and listen to Dirty on Purpose TONIGHT with the kickoff of the Rooftop Films 2008 Summer Series
7. Head to Music Hall of Williamsburg SATURDAY to see EF faves White Rabbits along with The Subjects and Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
6. Enjoy food, drinks, community, and music from These New Puritans at GOOD Magazine's Farmer's Fair SATURDAY
5. Sign off MySpace and physically go to Fillmore SUNDAY as Gnarls Barkley and Battles play Rupert Murdoch's 150th Secret Show
4. Witness rock royalty with your own eyes TONIGHT at B.B. King's with Chuck Berry and SUNDAY with Little Richard
3. Catch the first McCarren Pool show of the summer TONIGHT with M.I.A. and Holy Fuck
2. Soak up live jazz, bluegrass, and R&B while soaking up copious amounts of BBQ at the Big Apple Block Party SATURDAY
1. Won't you take me to MonkeyTown...TONIGHT as Takka Takka performs their new album Migration in it's entirety at 7:30pm and 10:00pm

You know the deal, this doesn't pretend to be a comprehensive list of this weekend's offerings but rather what's most caught our fancy. So, what is catching YOUR fancy?

Spam Filter: The Walkmen New Album Details and Tour Dates Revealed

You're looking at the cover art to The Walkmen's fourth LP, You & Me, coming out on Gigantic Records this fall (and not in August as previously reported). The press release states:

With some romance and drama, You and Me harnesses a sense of classic live-band production into meticulously constructed, unique-sounding rock songs. The sound would definitely not be mistaken for old, but it would be impossible to ignore the most timeless influences. You and Me offers a distinctive twist to the“Walkmen” sound of their first three records. Each song shows focus, and an up-beat enthusiasm apparent in all lyrics, music, and performances. It is a long record, clocking in at just under an hour, and it presents a wide range of ideas.

Intriguing yes? There's more too; the band also released the tracklisting and announced some August tour dates - including two Bowery stops - in advance of the record's release. Check it out after the jump...

Here's You & Me's tracklisting:

1. Dónde está la Playa
2. Flamingos (for Colbert)
3. On the Water
4. In the New Year
5. Seven Years of Holidays (for Stretch)
6. Postcards from Tiny Islands
7. Red Moon
8. Canadian Girl
9. Four Provinces
10. Long Time Ahead of Us
11. The Blue Route
12. New Country
13. I Lost You
14. If Only It Were True

And here are their tour dates:

18 Aug - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom, New York
19 Aug - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom, New York
21 Aug - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
22 Aug - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour
27 Aug - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
28 Aug - Vancouver, BC @ Richards on Richard, Vancouver (co-bill w/ Man Man)
29 Aug - Victoria, BC @ Rifflandia Festival, Victoria (Black Mountain, Destroyer, etc.)
30 Aug - Seattle, WA @ Bumbershoot Festival

Happy Friday indeed!

Listen: "Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone"

Watch:
"Little House Of Savages" by The Walkmen (live @ The Earl, Atlanta, GA 9 Mar 2008) on YouTube | download QT
"If Only It Were True" by The Walkmen (live @ The Earl, Atlanta, GA 9 Mar 2008) on YouTube | download QT

See also:
- The Walkmen, Franz Ferdinand: The Musician as Food Critic
- 8+
- The Walkmen and Vampire Weekend @ The Earl (Atlanta) - 9 Mar 2008 (pics, video)
- The Walkmen @ Avalon - 17 October 2007

Visit The Walkmen on MySpace

The Naked Hearts @ Club Rehab - 4 June 2008

The Naked Hearts kicked off their June residency at Club Rehab on Wednesday night, delivering a smoldering set of taut, melancholic tracks.

Projected shifting patterns provided the only illumination onstage and emphasized the spare, dark qualities of the band's material. And it was great to hear these songs, previously confined to the intimate but limited confines of a 4-track recording, come to life and pop with an urgent swagger in the live setting. Even better was the handful of other standout tracks I had yet to hear (and that hopefully will all make it onto the band's forthcoming debut album). The Hearts check into Rehab for the next two consecutive Wednesdays so be sure to check them out; in the meantime check out more pics after the jump...








Listen:
"Mass Hysteria"

See The Naked Hearts Live:
11 Jun - New York, NY @ Rehab w/ SUSU and So L’il
18 Jun - New York, NY @ Rehab 18 2008 9:00P
21 Jun - Brooklyn, NY @ Make Music NY Festival
24 Jun - Brooklyn, NY @ Zebulon w/ So Li’l

Visit The Naked Hearts on MySpace

OPP

Terrence Howard to release an album this fall?

Van Halen reunion grosses more than $93 million

Bob Dylan endorses Barack Obama

Members of Led Zeppelin to rock Wembley with Foo Fighters tonight?

More details emerge about Mastodon's "creepy" new album

American Idol runner-up David Archuleta signs a record deal

Last.fm jumps into live music with Bowery Presents

8+

"Somebody's Gotta Win, Somebody's Gotta Lose" by The Controllers which clocks in at 8:03

Matt and I made a bet. It is not without precedent, but more on that in a bit.

First, the good news. After what's felt like a solid five to seven months of playoff basketball, the NBA Finals commence TONIGHT. "Ho hum," you may say - or probably something less Grimms Fairy Tales-ish and more like "Who effing cares?" - but before your jock-averse eyes glaze over, consider the following:

The 2008 NBA Finals is a matchup of the two most storied franchises in professional basketball history, The Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers.

FACT: Boston and L.A. have faced each other in the NBA Finals a total of 10 times, with Boston winning the first eight meetings and L.A. the most recent two. This last matchup occurred twenty-one years ago (1986-87). That's over two decades of anticipation (at least for Boston fans).

FACT: The Celtics and Lakers lead all NBA franchises with the most championships; Boston has 16 and L.A. has 14.

FACT: L.A.'s head coach Phil Jackson is one championship away from becoming the coach with the most titles in NBA history. Who would he surpass if L.A. wins? Deceased Boston coaching legend and Celtics' guardian angel Red Auerbach. Jackson and Auerbach are currently tied with nine championships each.

FACT: The 2008 iteration of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry features the league's best defense (Boston) facing off against the league's best offense (L.A.).

CONJECTURE: This year's Finals could potentially save the NBA and reestablish a level of prominence it hasn't enjoyed since before Michael Jordan retired. Marred by ever-dwindling television ratings, culminating with a record-low 6.2 rating for last year's Spurs-Cavaliers Finals, the excitement and glamour implicit in the Boston-L.A. matchup are expected to bring professional basketball back to a mass market and boost ratings considerably.

FACT: I am a lifelong Celtics fan; Matt has been an unapologetic Kobe Bryant fanatic since he first came into the league 12 years ago (and thus Lakers fan by default). And similar to the Gallagher brothers, such conflict only makes us stronger. This is why we came up with a friendly wager. It's very simple: somebody's gotta win, somebody's gotta lose....

It's not so much that the winner gains anything, unless you want to categorize witnessing the loser suffering for seven days as a "gain" (which I'm totally cool with). For those who don't know how the playoffs work, it's a best of seven series - meaning there will be at least four games and at most seven to decide the 2008 champion. And so, the morning after the deciding game, the loser will have to march into the sporting goods retailer of his choice and purchase a baseball cap with the opposing team's logo on it (to clarify, I would have to wear a gaudy purple and yellow Lakers hat and Matt would get to wear an awesome green Celtics cap).

Following this shameful act, the loser will have to wear said cap for the following SEVEN days whenever he dares show himself in public, whenever in proximity of the winner, and whenever in a group of three or more (this final proviso means if such numbers occur in the privacy of his home, tough noogies, the hat must go on).

Additionally, we recognize the increased role of the Internet in our daily lives and are all in favor of harnessing the power of social-networking sites to maximize the loser's humiliation. As such, the loser will also have to use the opposing team's logo as his profile picture on both his MySpace and Facebook accounts throughout this seven-day period.

Finally, the loser will have to read and subsequently write an EAR FARM "book report" on a text of the winner's choice, however tangentially related to music the winner sees fits. Matt has just informed me he has already picked out his choice for me. I'm undecided about my selection but am leaning towards something Boston-related, maybe this?

The superstitious among you may think I'm jinxing the Celtics by indirectly betting on them (if we can define betting here by wagering not to be humiliated), and former Mike would have probably agreed with you. However, this was before two incidents shaped my current position:

First Incident, 2004. Matt and I make a similar wager to the one laid out above (without the social networking and book report caveats) for Super Bowl XXXVIII. My beloved Patriots beat his wretched Panthers and I experience the distinct joy of watching him wear a Patriots hat for a week straight. Lesson learned: it appears supersititions are dumb; not only did my betting have zero effect on the outcome of the game, but humiliating your friends is fun.

Second Incident, 2008. I refuse to make any sort of wagers on Super Bowl XLII, still perhaps slightly cautious of creating bad karma for the undefeated squad. They lose the game and destroy their perfect season. Lesson learned: the Patriots do not care about how I choose to live my life.

So here we now stand, heads unadorned and social networking profiles unmolested. Game one is tonight, with the potential of six more to follow. Somebody's gotta win, and well, somebody's gotta lose....

*above photo courtesy of Matt's photoshopping skills and inspired by the NBA's There Can Only Be One campaign

Buy In Control 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+:
Islands - "Bucky Little Wing"
Grandaddy - "He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's the Pilot"
Broken Social Scene - "Backyards"
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"

To see a full list of every song featured in EAR FARM's 8+ click HERE.

FREE download: Nine Inch Nails Tour EP

Rejoice! Nine Inch Nails is giving away more free music. This time the offering is a free EP featuring songs from the four excellent bands who will be supporting NIN on the Lights in the Sky tour this summer. The bands: A Place To Bury Strangers, Does it Offend You, Yeah?, Crystal Castles, and Deerhunter. To download the EP go HERE, for tour dates go HERE.

In addition, Trent Reznor just announced the final personnel lineup of NIN for the "foreseeable future." He calls it "unquestionably the strongest lineup I've EVER had" and I'm inclined to agree. Joining him onstage will be one of the best guitarists I've seen in person, Robin Finck, keyboardist Alessandro Cortini, current DEVO drummer Josh Freese, and Beck's favorite bassist Justin Meldal-Johnsen. Apparently they've "been working on something really special for these shows" - grab a sneak peek by checking out pictures from NIN tour rehearsal HERE.

Listen:
"Echoplex" by Nine Inch Nails
"To Fix The Gash In Your Head" by A Place To Bury Strangers

Visit Nine Inch Nails on Myspace.

OPP

Country star George Jones is getting a stolen guitar returned to him 46 years later

Why? forced to cancel tour dates as 2/3 of the band come down with the mumps

Yes also cancels their tour as lead singer Jon Anderson has fallen ill

Obama's nomination unleashes tide of questionable music blogging?

Dave Eggers handled "guest whistling duties" on Aimee Mann's new album

Check out Stereogum's Quit Your Day Job feature with Torche

Oneida set to release new album Preteen Weaponry on August 5 before releasing a triple album in 2009

Drowned in Sound interviews Silver Jews' David Berman

Liars to release digital-only Freak Out EP on July 8

Joy Division edition of Microsoft Zune available June 17

Band of the Week: Steinski

Band: Steinski
From: New York, NY
Sound: the O.G. of sample-based hip-hop sound collages
Similar Artists: DJ Shadow, Girl Talk, Cut Chemist, Liam Howlett, RJD2
Listen Now: "The Payoff Mix"

Robert Christgau on Steinski: "He's just a perpetually disillusioned optimist who still assumes that the sounds and images rippling through the American consciousness are, forget copyright, every American's birthright--that we're all free to interpret and manipulate them as we choose..."

Now here's a little story I've got to tell
About three bad brothers you (may not) know so well.
It started way back in history
With Tommy Boy, Double Dee, and our man - Steinski.

Tommy Boy had a little contest, 1983 was the year
Just Double Dee, Steinski, and a quart of beer.
Riding across the land, kicking up sand,
"Play That Beat, Mr. DJ" - they were in demand.

Un-lonely DJ Steinski
All by himself with his boy Double Dee.
The workplace was beatin' down on their baseball hats
Music studio gettin' hot, ad agency gettin' flat.
Lookin' for some fun, they ran into renown,
Turned hip-hop on its face with a brand new sound...

Backstory: Steve Stein (aka Steinski) dropped out of both Temple and Franconia College before finding his way to Madison avenue where he worked as an advertising copywriter for six years. During this time he taught copywriting at The School Of Visual Arts and spent his evenings promoting and DJing dances in Brooklyn and downtown Manhattan hip-hop clubs. Then, one day in 1983, he and partner Douglas DiFranco (aka Double Dee) entered the Tommy Boy Records promotional contest to remix the single "Play That Beat, Mr. D.J." by G.L.O.B.E. and Whiz Kid. They blew the jury away (a jury that included Afrika Bambaataa, Shep Pettibone, and "Jellybean" Benitez) and took first prize with ease with their song titled "The Payoff Mix" (listen above/below). "The Payoff Mix" became the first record in a series now known as The Lessons - Lesson Two being "The James Brown Mix" and Lesson 3: "The History of Hip Hop." An underground sensation was born as the series quickly became much sought after by collectors which, in turn, led to homage records by DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist (among others). However, somewhat ironically, the duo wouldn't see their music officially/widely released until this year due to copyright issues surrounding the flurry of film, music, and vocal samples they employed.

Today: Now, for the first time, Illegal Art has made available a Steinski retrospective titled What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective. The release is split into two discs: the first record contains b-boy anthems, avant sound collages, samples galore, and more than a couple of introspective looks at rap, rock, dance, and the nation which gave birth to the culture of hip-hop. It's legendary when considered as a career compendium - it is the landmark when considered in terms of the impact these songs have had on a generation of producers and DJs.

The second disc contains an hour-long mashup titled "Nothing To Fear: A Rough Mix." This mix was produced for Solid Steel/BBC London and was described by Salon as, "the closest thing to a masterpiece the genre has yet produced." The retrospective is essential listening for anyone who considers his or herself to be in love with music. Period. I'll say it again (for emphasis, you know): What Does It All Mean? 1983-2006 Retrospective is essential listening for anyone who considers his or herself to be a true lover of music. Period. If you fell in love with Night Ripper by Girl Talk in 2006 - if you think Endtroducing... is one of the great albums of the '90s - you owe it to yourself to understand what came before.

The history of hip-hop has been built upon the shoulders of itself time and again. It got its start as a unique genre at house parties and clubs in New York city with MCs rapping over beats provided by DJs who were looping breaks in dance, soul, rock, and funk records. It got its start as an art form a few years later when Steinski "took hip-hop's tradition of reformatting existing material and made it a postmodern funhouse." Postmodern funhouse! Jam on it.

I said jam-j-j-j-j-jam on it.

*above photo from HERE.

Listen:
"The Payoff Mix"
"Lesson 2 (James Brown Mix)"
"Lesson 3 (History of Hip Hop)"

Visit Steinski on MySpace.
--
In the recent past, the following bands have been featured as EAR FARM's Band of the Week:
These United States
Kelley Polar
Plants and Animals
All the Saints
I'm From Barcelona
Bombadil
Tapes 'n Tapes
White Hinterland

See the entire list of bands featured as EAR FARM's Band of the Week HERE.

Naked Hearts Residency Starts Tonight

The Naked Hearts are a relatively newish trio on the NYC radar, having only played their first show earlier this year at the Delancey. StereoactiveNYC was there and plenty liked what they heard, and from their praises - and a more recent glowing CMJ review - our interest was considerably piqued.

Imagine our delight when singer/bassist Noah Wheeler hooked us up with their melancholic and moving pop gems (which we will in turn hook you up with below), a batch of songs that were deftly constructed and lovingly recorded on a Tascam 4-track and in full embrace of the lo-fi hiss and warbles that came along with it (nowadays you need a Pro Tools plug-in to get those effects).

The band continues their steady ascendancy by kicking off a June residency at Club Rehab TONIGHT. After that, they plan on recording their debut album in July. Here are all their dates:

04 Jun - New York, NY @ Rehab w/ Hologram and the Soundscapes
11 Jun - New York, NY @ Rehab w/ SUSU and So L’il
18 Jun - New York, NY @ Rehab 18 2008 9:00P
21 Jun - Brooklyn, NY @ Make Music NY Festival
24 Jun - Brooklyn, NY @ Zebulon w/ So Li’l

And here are the tunes...

Listen:
"Mass Hysteria"
"Like I Do"
"Naked Hearts"

Visit The Naked Hearts on MySpace

OPP

The Minneapolis City Pages chats with R.E.M.'s Mike Mills

PopMatters: ten reasons Bo Diddley is the forgotten heavyweight champion of rock

Deerhoof's new album Offend Maggie is due out on October 7 on Kill Rock Stars, and they reveal more details too

Alton Kelley, the artist who helped create the psychedelic style of posters of the 1960s San Francisco rock scene, died Sunday at age 67

Yeah Yeah Yeahs have commenced recording their new album

NYC Taper examines whether music blog payola is a problem

Brooklyn Vegan has pics from Black Lips' Maxwell's show on Monday

I Want My MTV - Morrissey walks

Watching the music video for Morrissey's most recent single ("All You Need Is Me"), it occurred to me that something felt oh so very familiar about it... the outstretched arms? The tambourine? Mozzer surrounded by boys? Yes those, okay, sure. But more than that, it's the walk. Morrissey singing and walking towards the camera: the most basic of Morrissey music video tactics. How many other videos of his can you name that feature this overplayed action-infusing device?? I came up with a total of eight...


"All You Need Is Me" (above)


"Tomorrow" (above)


"We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful" (above)


"The More You Ignore Me The Closer I Get" (above)


"Dagenham Dave" (above)


"Certain People I Know" (above)


"I Have Forgiven Jesus" (above)


"The Youngest Was the Most Loved" (above)