I don't know how or why, but for some reason I completely forgot what it was like to attend shows like the one I saw last night - instrumental wizards/metal lords Megadeth at Irving Plaza, here in New York City. If you know anything about this band, and the venue, then you obviously realize that getting a chance to see one of the four great/original American thrash metal bands (the other three would be Slayer, Metallica, and Anthrax), at such a relatively small venue, is something a fan of good music simply can't pass up. It also helps if you're a huge fan of Megadeth, and this show at Irving happened to be your first time seeing the band in person, which is exactly what the case was for me.
Megadeth was probably a couple of notches below the "top" of their game, but that had no impact on the ferocious greatness of the concert. Unlike the impotently dull crowds I'm used to seeing at most indie-rock shows, Megadeth's fans took in every face melting moment and gave it all right back to the band. Head banging, crowd surfing, fist pumping, devil horns, mucho beer and whiskey consumption (and throwing), nonstop MOSHING... check check check check check check CHECK. How many metal moment checks is that? A lot.
The band, made up of Glen Drover (above right - lead guitar), Shawn Drover (above center - drums), and James Lomenzo (not pictured - bass), were extremely tight, professional, and awesome. However, as fantastic and amazingly effortless in his shredding as Glen was, he just wasn't Marty Friedman. That's not meant as a knock on Glen, just saying that if I missed anything in the performance last night, it was the lead guitar stylings of Marty Friedman during the songs from Rust In Peace.
Perhaps I'm not making myself clear though. Sure there were little things that made the show a nine, rather than a full-on ten, (Dave was sick, and asked for some help from the audience in singing - we happily obliged) but all-in-all this was one of those shows for me. One that will go down in memory as one of the great bands I've ever seen live. A proud notch in my concert going belt, and a show that reminded me of what it used to be like going to see hard rock/metal/harcore bands back in the day, when both the musicians and the fans really gave a damn about making each and every concert memorable and fantastic.
Take no prisoners... take no shit!
Setlist:*
01. Sleepwalker
02. Take No Prisoners
03. Wake Up Dead
04. Skin O’ My Teeth
05. Gears of War
06. She Wolf
07. In My Darkest Hour
08. Hangar 18
09. Washington Is Next
10. Kick The Chair
11. A Tout Le Monde
12. Tornado Of Souls13. Reckoning Day (not played)
14. Peace Sells
15. Never Walk Alone
16. Symphony of Destruction
———————
17. Holy Wars
Watch:
"Hangar 18" live: intro CLIP (16 second QT) | guitar solo CLIP (47 second QT)
"Holy Wars" live on YouTube (not mine)
See more pictures of Megadeth (from this show) HERE.
Visit Megadeth on MySpace.
*setlist from HERE - modified based upon info found on the Megadeth message boards.
27 September 2007
Megadeth @ Irving Plaza - 26 September 2007
OPP
Idolator: "Meg White Sex Tape" Actually Product Of Internet Guy's Feverish "Wank Mining"
Ghost Media: CMJ Caught in Money Grab?
BrooklynVegan: CMJ responds - "we...listen to...every single artist" | Sonicbids responds
Crackers United: FRICTION Recap | 9.20.07
The Underwire: Two Gallants - The Underwire Interview
Stereogum: New Queens Of The Stone Age Video - "3's & 7's"
NYCTaper: Björk - September 24, 2007 Madison Square Garden
Obsession Collection: Rants of a Music Blogger
26 September 2007
EAR FARM away message: "Come Back Tomorrow"
EAR FARM is too busy for words today... but not too busy for music! Here, let's let Oranger deliver EAR FARM's away message.
Listen:
"Come Back Tomorrow"
Visit Oranger on MySpace.
25 September 2007
Three for Free - Patrick Watson, Miracle Fortress
EAR FARM's Three for Free: three EF approved, free and legal MP3s posted each week. This week - three from artists on Secret City Records, with two tracks from 2007 Polaris Music Prize winner Patrick Watson. Click on the artist name to go to their site, click on the song name to listen to the song.
Listen:
Patrick Watson - "Lucious Life"
Patrick Watson - “Giver"
Miracle Fortress - "Have You Seen In Your Dreams"
British Sea Power: EP release details, new song, 2007 US tour dates
British Sea Power have announced the details of their upcoming five song EP and also posted one brand new song from said EP for you to download. Details (pulled directly from the press release), brand new song, and tour dates below.
- British Sea Power would like to announce the release of a new five-track EP - one that will combine a pre-school understanding of atomic theory with ancient wisdom in amplified rock music. Best of all, like the seagull which learned to shoplift crisps, you can get some of it for free.
The five-track Krankenhaus? EP will be released digitally on 8 October and will be download-able from the usual digital retail sites.
To further expand shopping opportunities, the Krankenhaus? EP will be released on CD in North American on 20 November. This low-key CD release will also feature two new BSP film shorts. The CD will also be available in November from the BSP website shop - and from the band's merchandise stall on tour. The full tracklisting, including the EP videos, is as follows.
Atom (edit)
Down On The Ground
Straight Down The Line
Hearing Aid
Pelican
Water Tower (video)
The Spirit Of St Louis live at The Forum (video)
Down On The Ground and the full version of Atom will both feature on BSP's forthcoming third album. The other three tracks will be only available as downloads and on the CD version of the EP. But do not fear that BSP may be lugging dirty bombs and leaking polonium-210 as they play at Leeds Brudenell Social Club. Rather, the band's atomic ambition is to alchemically transmute the copper of our common experience to the true gold of the meaningful rock moment.
15 October - Hoboken, NJ (Maxwell's)
16 October - Philadelphia, PA (Johnny Brenda's)
18 October - New York, NY (CMJ)
19 October - Washington, DC (Black Cat)
21 October - Cambridge, MA (Middle East Downstairs)
Listen:
"Atom"
Visit British Sea Power on MySpace.
Today's NEW releases
Lots worth considering came out today:
- Devendra Banhart - Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon
- Foo Fighters - Echoes Silence Patience & Grace
- Freezepop - Future Future Future Perfect
- Herbie Hancock - River: The Joni Letters
- Iron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
- Joni Mitchell - Shine
- José González - In Our Nature
- Loney, Dear - Sologne
- Meneguar - Strangers in Our House
- MF Grimm - The Hunt For the Gingerbread Man
- Stars - In Our Bedroom After the War
- Takka Takka - We Feel Safer at Night
- Tiny Masters of Today - Bang Bang Boom Cake
- Tunng - Good Arrows
- Via Audio - Say Something
- The Weakerthans - Reunion Tour
24 September 2007
Hit-or-miss
What: the EAR FARM 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 here.
Listen:
"I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)" by Hank Williams from The Very Best Of Hank Williams
View:
Image search results for I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You) - above image is from the second page of results (and was originally from HERE).
--
Previous EF Hit-or-miss posts:
"Carry" by ISIS
"Mick's Broadcast / Attack" by Harold Faltermeyer
EAR FARM's Second Annual Halloween Show - 31 October @ Club Europa in Brooklyn
From ghoulies and ghosties and long leggety beasties and things that go bump in the night, EAR FARM, deliver us!
--
EAR FARM's Second Annual Halloween Show @ Club Europa in Brooklyn
31 October @ Club Europa
Mancino
Hopewell
Goes Cube
with a VERY SPECIAL GUEST HEADLINER
with DJ sets from DJ Colleen Crumbcake + a costume contest with prizes for best costume!
$8 adv / $10 day of show - doors at 8
Club Europa
98 Meserole Ave., (corner of Manhattan Ave.)
G Train to Nassau Ave. - walk 1 block North to Meserole & Manhattan
--
Last year EAR FARM held its first annual Halloween Show at Union Hall and it was a sold-out smash success. This year, the venue is bigger, the lineup has more bands, the costume contest prizes are even BETTER, and the fun level is going to be - like - ENORMOUS.
Tickets will be on sale SOON, so stay tuned further announcements in regards to the show, the special guest headliner, and costume contest prize info!
See you on Halloween.
EAR FARM and Serious Business Records CMJ show - 17 October @ Bar Matchless
EAR FARM is teaming up with Serious Business Records to bring you a rockin' FREE show during CMJ week here in NYC. Details below, expect to hear more about this show in the near future.
EAR FARM and Serious Business Records CMJ Party
17 October @ Bar Matchless
The Unsacred Hearts
Kickstart
Man In Gray
Goes Cube
Hull
FREE - doors at 7
Bar Matchless
557 Manhattan Avenue @ Driggs
L to Bedford Ave, G to Nassau Ave.
Smashing Pumpkins - bunches of FREE live show downloads
Not that I'm a huge Smashing Pumpkins fan, but I know many people who are; therefore, I found the following worthy of noting. Smashing Pumpkins have no less than 21 complete live shows available (in MP3 format, ranging from 1988-2007) on their site. All for FREE. I've selected three sample tracks and posted them below, browse and download all of the shows HERE.
Listen:
"Silverfuck" (20 Jan '92 @ Melkweg in Amsterdam, Netherlands)
"I Am One" (25 Feb '94 @ Astoria Theatre in London, UK)
"Cherub Rock" (22 May '07 @ Grand Rex Theatre in Paris, France)
Visit Smashing Pumpkins on MySpace.
snip·pets
Dr. Dre: Detox To Be My Last Album
Foo Fighters Celebrate Echoes At NYC Club Show
CNN on Alf Clausen, longtime composer for "The Simpsons"
Rolling Stone: the top 25 music DVDs of all time
Mental Floss: 23 Album Covers that Changed Everything
Blender: The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born
Stylus: Band Logos
Stylus: The Indies Go Digital
Starbucks to give away 50 million songs
Willie Nelson's sister (age 76) makes solo debut
A.V. Club Primer: Canadian Indie-Rock
21 September 2007
EAR FARM: Heavy Rotation
EAR FARM's Last.fm tells only part of the story, so let's check in with the 10 albums getting the most attention at EF HQ at the moment. There's a song from each album posted below, and a link to purchase each on Amazon/iTunes (if available).
--
We Are Him by Angels Of Light - For two weeks now this has been getting a lot of attention from me, and for good reason. A surprisingly great record and worth checking out if you're into the intimate, open-road, darkness of artists such as Nick Cave.
- Listen: "Black River Song"
(purchase We Are Him on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Skin Diving"
(purchase Saturnalia on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Mistaken For Strangers"
(purchase Boxer on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "L'amour (or Less)"
(purchase Manners Matter on Mancino's website/on iTunes)
- Listen: "All Angels Road"
(purchase Beautiful Targets on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Goes Cube Song 46"
(you'll have to wait a little while before you can buy these songs)
- Listen: "The Whale"
(you'll have to wait until the 12th of December before you can buy this record)
- Listen: "Mudd Foot"
(purchase The Biz Never Sleeps on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "There's Enough To Do"
(purchase Hold On Too Tight on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Peacebone"
(purchase Strawberry Jam on Amazon/on iTunes)
Show Me That Smile Again: '80s TV Show Theme Song Covers
These people are my collective hero.
Knight Rider
Tales From The Crypt
The Simpsons
MacGyver
Inspector Gadget
Deerhoof: 13 free songs
As they often have done in the past, Deerhoof has made available thirteen rarities, live tracks, and other variety of song versions on their site. All for FREE. Three of these tracks are posted below, download the remaining ten MP3s HERE.
Listen:
"Rrrrrrright" (Germlin remix)
"Kidz are so small" (alternate)
"Twin killers" (live)
Visit Deerhoof on MySpace.
Dara Friedman: Musical
The following is worth noting, for New Yorkers - from a press release:
- "For three weeks this fall, midtown Manhattan will be the stage for Musical, a series of spontaneous actions orchestrated by artist and filmmaker Dara Friedman. From dawn to dusk, and occasionally even in the middle of the night, office workers, mothers, schoolchildren, taxi drivers, doormen, tourists, divas, and grandparents will break into song, creating unexpected musical events and serendipitous urban moments for all who encounter them. Throughout the course of the project, nearly one hundred individual actions will take place throughout the day and night, weekdays only, in the blocks between Grand Central Station and Central Park South, and between Broadway and Park Avenue.
Musical will take place from September 17 to October 5 throughout midtown Manhattan, in locations between Grand Central Station and Central Park South, and Broadway and Park Avenue. Performances are unannounced and will take place throughout the day and night. For up to date information please check publicartfund.org. "
20 September 2007
8+
"Open Up" by Artanker Convoy which clocks in at 12:04
I can't stop looking at this album cover. The album cover for the album that this song is from, posted directly to the left here. What? You can't either. Eyes over here. HERE. On the words, perv. Listen, I know that for every three words you read here your eyes drift over to the half naked rear end in pink panties. It's okay, me too. I mean, it's like perfect. And you can see things - body lines and whatnot. Like, her buttcrack and stuff - whoa. Crack! We're all like - buttcrack! We see it!
I know you ladies/sexually uninterested folks are looking too. Don't be ashamed, it's not entirely (y)our fault that (y)our entire world comes to a halt at the site of near-nudity. We're Americans (lots of us here are, at least) and that means we've got hundreds of years worth of Puritanical mumbo jumbo messing with our minds when it comes to sex and the naked human body. And the picture here isn't even naked, it's simply underwear. But it got your attention I betcha. "Oh my gosh," you're thinking, "there's some underwear! My eyes!" Puritan.
So sue me, or something, for not getting more involved with the actual song in this post; because, no matter what I write, it's going to be overshadowed by that girl's beautiful ass in those sheer pink underwears. Am I right? I started to write something creative and fun to match this Miles Davis meets Tortoise song, and then every time I went to proofread what I had written it was the same thing - pink undies, ass ass, buttcrack. Why did I choose to post that picture then? Why post that instead of something clever that tied into my interesting music-related essay that's since been deleted? Simple: I couldn't resist.
Is that how Artanker Convoy felt too?
"Golly yo, our songs for this new album are really heady and, honestly, fucking dope! What do you think for our next cover art man?"
"Tits."
"No way! Too blatantly piggish."
"How about some ass then?"
"Eh?"
"Ass! Hot ass... young ass. Mmm. Look, it's not like our last album cover, with pictures of ourselves and our shit-kicking facial hair, did much for sales. Who cares what people think of the music, as long as we grab attention with some body parts."
"Good point. I'm sold. Ass it is then. Bait and switch - 'oh you like the ass? grab it! buy it! sorry if the music is more complex than what your ass-hungry mind was looking for but, too late!' - hey, let's see if we can put the ass in some pink undies or something. See-thru maybe? Am I right?"
"Tooootally."
If you haven't already checked, you're probably wondering how much larger that picture would be if you click it. Go ahead and click the picture if you have to - make it really big and take a good look asshound. Just promise you'll be back after you do. Okay? Okay - click it.
Back? Good. Now that we've all finally gotten past the nice ass, can we please start paying attention to why you came here in the first place? Don't remember? The song assface. About which Pitchfork says it "builds with exquisite patience from an extended intro of glassy drones and fluttering percussion into a loose-limbed Krautrock stride". Stop looking, listen.
*image of Cozy Endings album cover from HERE.
Buy Cozy Endings on Amazon/on eMusic/on iTunes/on Other Music.
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+:
Dan Deacon - "Wham City"
Clan of Xymox - "A Day (Remix)"
Built to Spill - "Broken Chairs"
Spacemen 3 - "Big City (Everybody I Know Can Be Found Here)"
Pulp - "Seductive Barry"
Pelican - "March to the Sea"
Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, and Tony Rice - "Guitar Space/Summertime"
Boris - "Flood"
To see a full list of every song featured in EAR FARM's 8+ click HERE.
OPP
LHB: 2007 Austin City Limits Music Festival Downloads
The Punk Guy: Photos of the secret Beirut show
NYCTaper: The Hold Steady September 17, 2007 World Trade Center - Lossless Download
Fluxblog posted about the Yelle song "Tristesse/Joie" and a missed connection with "this really awesome girl"
Stereogum: Division Day Cover Depeche Mode
Idolator: The Led Zep Reunion Ticket Aftermath - It's Gonna Be Like, Well, You Know
T-Sides: A real life (internet dating) version of “Escape (The Pina Colada Song)”
CrackersUnited presents FRICTION - tonight - 2 Year Anniversary Show No. 1
19 September 2007
Little Name
The Smiths, Burt Bacharach, The Sundays, Belle and Sebastian... if these names spark up a bit of hunger in your musical taste buds then pause for a moment and check out Little Name from Liverpool (UK). All of the aforementioned artists are listed as influences on the Little Name MySpace page, and all of them come through as obviously influential upon listening to Little Name's music. Here you'll find delicate dream-pop, heavy on the '60s French/Bacharach sound, that's perhaps more closely aligned with St. Etienne and Camera Obscura than with the bands listed above. These are songs that come across as reflections of life on a blissfully brisk sunny autumn day - shot on Super 16 - heavy on the soft focus, halation, and ambiguous plot lines. It's as if this music has always been with me, yet I'm just now hearing it for the first time. Truly, there's something decidedly familiar and welcoming about the songs on Little Name's debut How to Swim and Live.
Nearly as interesting as the music itself is the story behind how these songs ultimately saw the light of day. The story goes something like this: "after 8 years of isolation through panic attacks, Lee Barker (the man behind Little Name) was searching for greater themes, songs that said something and said something about his life." So what does he do? He goes and writes and records the album How to Swim and Live, playing "99.9% of the instruments", and sends it off (completely unsolicited) to Ann Tabor at Sleepy Records. What a pleasantly surprising day that must have been for Ann and Sleepy Records - an entire album full of music just ready for the world to throw its arms around. You've got the same pleasant surprise waiting for you in the two songs posted below.
Listen:
"How To Swim And Live"
"Tracy & I"
Visit Little Name on MySpace.
Buy How to Swim and Live on Sleepy Records.
The Captains
File The Captains under the category of bands from another country whose music I'd surely not be listening to if it were being peddled by a comparable band from the US (My Chemical Romance mixed with Drake Bell perhaps). Some of their songs come across as ready for tweenie TV show fame, some as Bling Kong-esque cheer-a-longs, some as guitar based pop-rock burners, and some as prime candidates for silly drunken karaoke. It feels like one third of this record I've already heard from some French band obsessed with dramatic flair... or were they from Turkey? Russia? One third of the record is good, but not great, and the final third is SUPERPARTYFUNTIMEUSA! Have you ever noticed how similarly reverby and "recorded in a studio in 1983" so much of the music recorded outside of the US/UK sounds? Is that just me being a snobby American? Whatever. What's fantastic about The Captains, and so many of our brothers and sisters in music overseas, is how unabashed they appear to be about their music and image. They know how to have fun, with music. Shocking concept to some I know; but hey, check out the Dance Lesson section of their site as an example. In fact, take a look at their Love Under The Equator dance right now. Please.
"Haato Ni Pittoin" blasts out of the gates like a full company musicial dance number - a Japanese take on "Jaan Pehechaan Ho" (remember that one from Ghost World?); "Seisyun Yarou" comes across a bit like Ricky Martin mixed with Gwen Stwefani, but in the best way possible. Yep, I mean that. Here I am jamming along to The Captains' 2007 album Bara No Ori and thinking about yakitori and beer (and how badly I need to visit Japan) and how some of these songs are probably going to be stuck in my head for days now. Hey, the novelty of foreign music can go a long way sometimes. And who can resist ultra tight/intentionally cheesy Japanese pop hooks? "Not I," said Ear Farm.
Listen:
"Haato Ni Pittoin"
"Seisyun Yarou"
See The Captains live:
- 19 Sep @ Rhythm & Brews - Chattanooga, Tennessee
20 Sep @ Drunken Unicorn - Atlanta, Georgia
21 Sep @ Tasty World - Athens, Georgia
22 Sep @ Renaissance Waverly Hotel - Atlanta, Georgia
24 Sep @ Red & Black - Washington DC
25 Sep @ International House - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
26 Sep @ Pianos - New York, New York
18 September 2007
Three for Free - Bound Stems, The Race, Russian Circles
EAR FARM's Three for Free: three EF approved, free and legal MP3s posted each week. This week - three from artists on Flameshovel Records. Click on the artist name to go to their site, click on the song name to listen to the song.
Listen:
Bound Stems - "Andover"
The Race - “Feathers"
Russian Circles - "Death Rides A Horse"
Today's NEW releases
Today's releases that caught my eye:
17 September 2007
Hit-or-miss
What: a new time-saving EAR FARM feature wherein the EF music library is put on shuffle, the song that plays is then searched (using the song title) on Google images, and the results (including an MP3 of the song) are posted here.
Listen:
"Carry" by ISIS from Oceanic
View:
Image search results for Carry - my favorite from the first page of results is posted above (and was originally from HERE).
--
Previous EF Hit-or-miss posts:
"Mick's Broadcast / Attack" by Harold Faltermeyer
snip·pets
Fire Critically Injures Two At Austin City Limits
Kanye West has early sales lead in battle with 50 Cent
50 Cent Still Confident In Sales Battle With Kanye
50 Cent defends Britney Spears
Prince To Sue YouTube, eBay Over Unauthorized Content
New York Times: Ringtones - the last great digital rip off
eMarketer: Blame product or pirates, but spending is down
Time: Dylan and the Beatles - Together Again
Registration Extended For Red-Hot Zeppelin Tix
14 September 2007
EAR FARM: Heavy Rotation
EAR FARM's Last.fm tells only part of the story, so let's check in with the 10 albums getting the most attention at EF HQ at the moment. There's a song from each album posted below, and a link to purchase each on Amazon/iTunes (if available).
--
We Are Him by Angels Of Light - I can't claim to be an expert on Michael Gira, Swans, or anything from Young God Records, but what I've heard I really really like. And out of those records I've heard, We Are Him is the best so far - it's been getting a lot of attention from me this past week. Worth checking out if you're into the intimate, open-road, darkness of artists such as Nick Cave.
- Listen: "Black River Song"
(purchase We Are Him on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Peacebone"
(purchase Strawberry Jam on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Mistaken For Strangers"
(purchase Boxer on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Plaster Casts Of Everything"
(purchase Liars on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Goes Cube Song 46"
(you'll have to wait a little while before you can buy these songs)
- Listen: "There's Enough To Do"
(purchase Hold On Too Tight on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Girls Don't Count"
(purchase Always Now on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Children Of The Grave"
(purchase Master Of Reality on Amazon)
- Listen: "Tasmanian Pain Coaster"
(purchase I'll Sleep When You're Dead on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Our Life is Not a Movie or Maybe"
(purchase The Stage Names on Amazon/on iTunes)
13 September 2007
8+
"Wham City" by Dan Deacon which clocks in at 11:45
My friend Ike* hates Dan Deacon. He thinks that Dan Deacon makes mindless hipster "liking this music makes me the shit" dance groove, "dunno why I'm listening to this" (because somebody cool told me to) "but it make my body move" - "oh and WOW is this club where this show is off the beaten path (extra cool points) or what?!" - music. Like, to Ike, Dan Deacon = The Happy Mondays, and all of Williamsburg is The Haçienda, and the pills being passed around aren't ecstasy, but rather coolperson culture pills. Ike doesn't need them pills ya'll, and he sure as heck'd rather not bother with some "shart" songs that're 75% about the communal experience of seeing them performed live; good or not. Ike don't need your stinkin' scenestertastic auralgasms, Sir. Dan. Deacon.
I'm paraphrasing there actually. Ike hasn't said nearly any of that to me, I'm simply summing up Ike's unstated opinions; which, I'm concluding are floating around in his head based upon a few passing "stupid Dan Deacon" comments Ike has made. However, I know how he thinks. And I'm fairly certain that's an accurate approximation. Good enough for our purposes here, at any rate.
What I'd like to look at, ever so briefly, is that which this very song title references. For you, for me, and for our sour friend Ike.
"Wham City".
What is "Wham City"? Land of a thousand careless whispers? The place where everything she wants is everything she sees? The land that time forgot, where you'll have a boom-boom put into your heart and a jitterbug into your brain? Where the grey skies are out of your way and the sun shines brighter than Doris Day? Everywhere else your beats per minute never been the same, in "Wham City" you'll go dancing, everything will be all right!? If you can Make It Big there, you can make it big anywhere??
Well sir, sign me, and my George Michael loving self, up for a one way ticket to this "Wham City". I love Wham.
The truth is, in addition to being the title of this particular 8+ song by Dan Deacon, that Wham City is also a collective of artists in Baltimore founded in 2003 when several graduates from SUNY Purchase relocated from New York.
"Ah, well okay, I still hate Dan Deacon", says Ike.
Be quiet Ike. Now, don't be a lazy Ike and take that wiki entry as the entire story of Wham City. Let's dig deeper.
Part time Pitchforker, eMusic list maker, previous Pazz & Jop balloteer, Seattle Weekly contributor, and current Senior Idolatoress Jess Harvell wrote a piece for Baltimore's City Paper that lays out all of the details you'd ever want to know in regards to Wham City. Do read the whole thing, but if you're pressed for time you can find some select bytes below.
- The climax of the set comes with "Wham City," from Deacon's new album Spiderman of the Rings (Carpark). The song was written as a "national anthem" for Wham City, the crew of Baltimore-by-way-of-New York artists who are Deacon's closest friends and collaborators. Deacon's friends and fans pile onstage, chanting the lyrics.
Far from a castle with a gold-spewing fountain, the real Wham City was a rented industrial loft space squatting somewhere between Mount Vernon and Charles Village. (Its members have requested we don't divulge the exact location in print.) In its first incarnation, it was often filled with garbage. Smashing plates in a sink with a baseball bat was a popular activity when bored. But especially after it moved one floor upstairs in the same building, it was a crucial local space for "music shows, variety shows, TV talk shows, video productions, theatrical productions, lecture series, potluck dinners, photo shoots, fashion shows, [and] dance parties" in the words of Wham City member Adam Endres. Wham City united many young people in the Baltimore art and music scenes who maybe didn't even know they needed uniting
--
And perhaps even more important than providing a space to promote this mixed-media aesthetic, Wham City gave the members a safe haven to, well, dick around. Ideas could be quickly thought up and executed, eradicating the pressures of "professionalism" that come with putting on an event as a club, theater, or gallery. Or, as Wham member Ed Schrader says, "[Wham City] means I can wake up with a retarded new song in my head one morning, and be playing it two days later in front of 100 people."
"Artist schmartist. The music still sucks," says Ike.
STFU Ike.
*name altered to maintain the anonymity of he who has been referenced.
**image of Wham City flyer found HERE.
Buy Spiderman of the Rings HERE on Amazon or HERE on iTunes.
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+:
Clan of Xymox - "A Day (Remix)"
Built to Spill - "Broken Chairs"
Spacemen 3 - "Big City (Everybody I Know Can Be Found Here)"
Pulp - "Seductive Barry"
Pelican - "March to the Sea"
Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, and Tony Rice - "Guitar Space/Summertime"
Boris - "Flood"
Vieux Farka Touré - "Diabaté"
To see a full list of every song featured in EAR FARM's 8+ click HERE.
OPP
Aquarium Drunkard: Hallowed Ground :: Femmes Gothic Country
BrooklynVegan goes "official" for CMJ @ Bowery Ballroom
Earvolution: Covering Cash - Remembering Johnny
Fluxblog: 6th Annual MTV Video Music Awards Thing
Idolator: The Final Chapter Of Idolator's Top 100 R&B Songs Of All Time
Merry Swankster: More Videos About Dancing and Grooves
Motel de Moka: She would rise from her sleepless bed and wander
music is art: song/context/result pt. V
nyctaper: Sonic Youth Revisted - nyctaper’s mea culpa
Passion of the Weiss Special Rosh Hashanah Edition: The Top 10 Musicians To Invite to a Sedar
ProductshopNYC: CMJ MARATHON | An Early Look at the Line-Up
Thepunkguy: 3 Black Sabbath covers of “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”
Triangle Music: Liveblogging the VMA's
12 September 2007
Mobius Band - Fall Tour, new album release info, "Hallie" MP3
Hailing from Brooklyn by way of Western Massachusetts, Mobius Band took me by surprise back in November '05 when I saw them at Mercury Lounge. What I saw then was a band full of copious amounts of potential. Out of nowhere (for me at least), here was a band busting at the seams with emotive, energetic yet listless, pop hooks, electro touches, and a big enough sound and stage presence to fill up arenas. No joke, I might not have said it at the time, but that was my impression. That this band could well be "the next Coldplay", or something along those lines. James mixed with Kid A Radiohead? How can I really say? I don't care much for Coldplay... but Mobius Band I loved. Ever since, I've been on the lookout for news from the Mobius Band camp.
In addition to prepping for the release of their second album, Heaven due out on Misra on October 2nd, the band has lined up an extensive tour hitting both the US and Canada. Below you can find the dates for their tour and a song from the new album. Head on over to Stereogum to check out another song from Heaven, and be sure to check out Mobius Band when they're in your neck of the woods.
Mobius Band Fall Tour '07
09/14 Morrison, CO - Monolith Festival
10/01 New York, NY - Mercury Lounge *
10/02 Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda's *
10/03 Charlottesville, VA - Satellite *
10/04 Washington, DC - Rock N Roll Hotel *
10/05 Chapel Hill, NC - Local 506 *
10/06 Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn *
10/08 Austin, TX - Emo's *
10/09 Dallas, TX - Granada Theater *
10/11 Albuquerque, NM - Burt’s Tiki Lounge
10/12 Denver, CO - Hi Dive *
10/14 San Diego, CA - Casbah
10/16 Los Angeles, CA - Echo *
10/17 Los Angeles, CA - Spaceland ^
10/18 San Francisco, CA - Mezzanine *
10/19 Portland, OR - Holocene *
10/20 Seattle, WA - Crocodile Café *
10/21 Vancouver, BC - Media Club *
10/24 Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock *
10/25 Madison, WI - Café Montemarte *
10/27 Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop *
10/28 East Lansing, MI - MSU Union Ballroom #
10/30 Chicago, IL - The Empty Bottle #
11/01 Ames, IA - Maintenance Shop @ ISU #
11/02 Columbia, MO - Mojo's #
11/04 Columbus, OH - The Basement #
11/06 Pontiac, MI - The Pike Room #
11/07 Toronto, ON - Horseshoe #
11/08 Montreal, QC - Petit Campus #
* = co-bill with Matthew Dear
^ = Club NME with The Subways
# = Tigercity supports
Listen:
"Hallie"
Visit Mobius Band on MySpace.
The Muggabears - "Guitar Feelings"
EAR FARM favorites The Muggabears are hibernating at the moment, right? WRONG. Just because you don't see shows lined up at the moment on their calendar doesn't mean they've run off to sleep for the Winter. I mean, it's still techinically Summer anyway, yeah?
Just yesterday, the band sent EAR FARM a previously unreleased song called "Guitar Feelings". It made me happy to hear something new from The Muggabears, yet (thankfully) something entirely familiar. Stumbly-fun drum beats, dischorded guitars, an innocent enough rock beginning that devolves into a banshee jam before resolving itself... call this Muggabears by numbers if you want, but only because "Guitar Feelings" contains all of what made you fall for the band in the first place.
Listen:
"Guitar Feelings"
Visit The Muggabears on MySpace, see live show pictures of The Muggabears HERE.
Bridges and Powerlines: Fall Tour, "Floods and Fields" MP3
Bridges and Powerlines have announced an upcoming Fall tour to coincide with the recent completion of their first full-length record (slated for an early '08 release). Dates and an MP3 are below.
Bridges and Powerlines: Fall Tour
15 Sept: New York, NY - The Delancey (Hot Rocks w/ Man in Gray, Aldenbarton)
26 Sept: Harrisburg, PA - ABC tavern (Indie at the Abbey w/ Creeping Weeds)
27 Sept: Wilmington, NC - Soapbox Laundrolounge (w/ Can Joann)
28 Sept: Chapel Hill, NC - The Cave (w/ Can Joann, Citified)
29 Sept: New York, NY - Lit Lounge (w/ Square Wave Punch)
13 Oct: Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery
Listen:
"Floods"
Visit Bridges and Powerlines on MySpace.
11 September 2007
Three for Free - Angels of Light, Lisa Germano, Mi And L'au
EAR FARM's Three for Free: three EF approved, free and legal MP3s posted each week. This week - Young God Records. Click on the artist name to go to their site, click on the song name to listen to the song.
Listen:
Angels of Light - "Black River Song"
Lisa Germano - “Paper Doll"
Mi And L'au - "Older"
Remembering September 11th, 2001
I struggle to know how best to share my thoughts and feelings about this day. My aim is not to dwell on the past; however, it's most certainly not to ever forget what life was like here in New York City before/on/during/and directly after the attacks of September 11th, 2001. If you'd like to know a bit more about my own personal experience as a resident of NYC on 9/11/01, please visit EF's post about 9/11 from last year. For today, I offer the pensive melancholy of the following song that somehow seems to fit, for me, with taking a moment to remember September 11th, 2001.
Listen:
"Theme From Ghost World" - David Kitay
Buy Ghost World [soundtrack] HERE.
Today's NEW releases
Today's releases that caught my eye:
10 September 2007
Hit-or-miss
What: a new time-saving EAR FARM feature wherein the EF music library is put on shuffle, the song that plays is then searched (using the song title) on Google images, and the results (including an MP3 of the song) are posted here.
Listen:
"Mick's Broadcast / Attack" by Harold Faltermeyer from The Running Man (Original Soundtrack)
View:
Image search results for Mick's Broadcast / Attack - my favorite from the first page of results is posted above (and was originally from HERE).
snip·pets
Led Zeppelin (reunion?) Announcement Expected Next Week
Village Voice: The Back Tattoos of McCarren Pool Park
Fired original Van Halen bassist: “I Found Out on the Internet”
New site caters to covers of popular songs
New York Magazine declares NY Post winner of Britney at VMAs bashing contest
Speaking of - here's Britney's VMA performance, bash it and then scroll down to watch MASTODON
Fiery Furnaces Prep 'Widow,' Go To The Ballet
07 September 2007
EAR FARM: Heavy Rotation
If you ever check out EAR FARM's Last.fm to get a read on what I've been listening to most recently, you're only getting a partial view of what has been spinning nonstop in my world. Often I turn off that Last.fm scrobbler thing, and I've never let it record what I listen to on my iPod. So, because I don't feel like checking in with the Elbo.ws top 10, I figured I'd instead check in with the 10 albums getting the most attention from me at the moment. There's a song from each below, and link to purchase each on Amazon/iTunes (if available).
--
Boxer by The National - If you're among the many of my friends who had been telling me for years now to listen to this band, for months to check out this album, go ahead and say "I told you so", because you did. And, as seemingly every review of this record suggests, Boxer keeps getting better and better the more I listen. "Mistaken For Strangers" is potentially my favorite song of 2007.
- Listen: "Mistaken For Strangers"
(purchase Boxer on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Plaster Casts Of Everything"
(purchase Liars on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Goes Cube Song 46"
(you'll have to wait a little while before you can buy these songs)
- Listen: "Celebration Day"
(purchase Led Zeppelin III on Amazon)
- Listen: "Scars, Four Eyes"
(purchase III on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "There's Enough To Do"
(purchase Hold On Too Tight on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Come to View (Song for Neil Young)"
(purchase In Camera on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Mother Puncher"
(purchase Remission on Amazon/on iTunes)
- Listen: "Farewell to Kings"
(purchase A Farewell to Kings on Amazon/on iTunes)
06 September 2007
8+
"A Day (Remix)" by Clan of Xymox which clocks in at 9:12
Hey goth. Heyyyyyy.
Dressed all in black, with the whitest skin on Earth - an "atheist" who has surrounded herself with all manner of crosses and Christian imagery. You are a study in contrast. In public, you only smoke and never eat. Yet there you are: fat vampire. You look a little lumpy. Puffy, rounded edges, and frumpy. Pale with so many (too much) makeups and grumpy. The opposite of spunky. Dumpy. A look of sadness on your face that plainly reads: nobody wanna hump me. Aww. Don't frown! Turn it upside down!
Are you a fat goth, skinny goth, something in between? Is there an in between?? Yeah, there's not. Therefore, EAR FARM is offering all of you pasty whites in need of a bit of "tone in your zone" the perfect afternoon workout - Goth Aerobics!
**while EAR FARM can not take credit for inventing the notion of the Goth Workout, we are perfectly comfortable with claiming to have perfected it by suggesting the following program which we think you'll find to be much more in line with the goth lifestyle than whatever you might see on the previously mentioned site**
EAR FARM's Goth Aerobics
Step 1: be a goth. eat too much, drink too much - OR - eat far too little, don't drink at all, but smoke many clove cigarettes instead. also, dress in black and hide your face from the sun and other people. get shiny things pierced into your skin and highlight everything with black. don't worry, you already do these things - it's why you're here in our program.
Step 2: want to change. this is the most important step. not to want to de-goth your lair (or coffin or castle or whatever), but to want to finally harness your powers of darkness and use them for fitness. repeat after me, for this is our credo: "I will harness my powers of darkness and use them for fitness. I will harness my powers of darkness and use them for fitness. I will harness my powers of darkness and use them for fitness."
Step 3: find a suitably gothy song that's got enough pep in its step to make your body move, make your makeup run, and make your upside down crosses jingle jangle. EAR FARM has made this step extremely simple: see the above song by Clan of Xymox. it moves, it grooves, it's got its own built in cool-down, and it's plenty long enough for even the most "athletic" goth to reach peak heart rate before the song finishes.
Step 4: the workout. let's face it, moving and sweating are not activities that goths excel at; therefore, we'll keep it simple with a four day workout regimen. each day's exercises should be done using the above song, "A Day (Remix)" by Clan of Xymox, as a soundtrack/inspiration.
- DAY 1: walk outside, stand in the sun. DAY 2: no really, that's all for DAY 1. it should be more than enough to get your black heart's BPMs up to a satisfactory level. DAY 2: go to your local Hot Topic, but park as far away from the mall as possible. it's a long four hundred foot walk, I know, but the burn you feel (all deep down, where your soul would be if it wasn't so dark and... DARK) is totally going to be worth it. DAY 3: repeat DAY 1. DAY 4: look at yourself in the mirror. egads! the site of your own reflection (if you even have one) should be all you need to vamp up that heart rate and get the remainder of your exercise fix for the week. DAYS 5-7: rest all day, only come out at night.
*image found HERE.
Buy Clan of Xymox HERE on Amazon or HERE on iTunes.
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+:
Built to Spill - "Broken Chairs"
Spacemen 3 - "Big City (Everybody I Know Can Be Found Here)"
Pulp - "Seductive Barry"
Pelican - "March to the Sea"
Jerry Garcia, David Grisman, and Tony Rice - "Guitar Space/Summertime"
Boris - "Flood"
Vieux Farka Touré - "Diabaté"
Morrissey - "Southpaw"
To see a full list of every song featured in EAR FARM's 8+ click HERE.
OPP
An Aquarium Drunkard: Off The Record - J. Tillman (Seattle, WA)
Crackers United: September Mixtape
Subinev: Mistakes are calling it quits
YANP: mix for Clint Eastwood
Stereogum breaks down the new iPods and the Microsoft Zune 2
Music Slut: Morrissey Musical In The Works
Deerhunter's Bradford Cox does up an 8+ on his blog about Stereolab's song "Blue Milk"
My Old Kentucky Blog does up an NFL preview: AFC / NFC
05 September 2007
Sebadoh @ Club Europa - 2 September 2007
Sebadoh is my personal equivalent of that well known Brian Eno quote about The Velvet Underground; that is, not many people I know bought their records or listened to them, but pretty much everyone who did started a band. Speaking for myself, I was already playing in bands by the time their songs found my ears but once they did, I was inspired to think about creating music in all kinds of different ways. From acoustic rock to semi-hardcore to lo-fi four track stuff to noise/tape experimentation - the band nearly singlehandedly changed my perception of what I could do, of what interested me, with music. All of this is to say that Sebadoh has played quite an important part in my musical evolution and they're, without question, one of my favorite bands. Last Sunday night I got a chance to see them (for, I think, the fifth time) at Europa Night Club in Brooklyn.
Being honest about shows past compared to this show - this was the best Sebadoh show I've seen. No doubt. First of all, the presence of Eric Gaffney (above) meant that this was my very first time seeing the original lineup of Sebadoh (I missed the first reunion show here at Webster Hall because I was on tour, much better to have seen them at Europa anyway). Original lineup! Bonus excitement. As expected, each member took front and center when it was time in the set for the songs they penned, and Eric rocked the shit out of "Elixir is Zog".
Jason Lowenstein (above) shredded through his songs (including some favorites from Harmacy) just as I hoped he would. The sound at Europa was surprisingly nice and the intimacy of the venue helped make the show feel like a special one-off fanclub show. Which, I guess it kind of was. 
The most noticeable difference between this show and other Sebadoh shows I've seen (mostly at Cat's Cradle) was the fact that both the audience and the band seemed to be in wonderful moods. Everyone was there to hear their favorite Sebadoh songs and the guys were happy to indulge. It might sound funny, but seriously - the show was a blast. Even Lou Barlow (above), who has been a bit surly at other shows I've seen, was in a good mood and cracking jokes and having fun. A wonderful night overall, and because of my love for the band and their music, one of my top shows so far this year.
Check out some live audio and video from this show below.
Listen:
"Soul And Fire"
"Beauty Of The Ride"
"Just Gimme Indie Rock"
Watch:
"Soul And Fire" live on YouTube | download QT
"Beauty Of The Ride" live on YouTube | download QT
"Just Gimme Indie Rock" live on YouTube | download QT
See more pictures of Sebadoh (from this show) HERE.
Visit Sebadoh on MySpace.
Previous EAR FARM posts relating to Sebadoh:
04 September 2007
Three for Free - Aesop Rock, Copperpot, Common Market
EAR FARM's Three for Free: three EF approved, free and legal MP3s posted each week. This week - hip hop. Click on the artist name to go to their site, click on the song name to listen to the song.
Listen:
Aesop Rock - "Citronella"
Copperpot - “Art of Rap"
Common Market - "Succor MCs"
Today's NEW releases
Next week is a big week, this week not so much due to the holiday:
snip·pets
Billy Bragg and Wilco to perfom Mermaid Avenue material live at Webster Hall
The Shins cover Pink Floyd at Bumbershoot
Summer of Love bands and fans jam in Golden Gate Park
Musician Carter Albrecht shot dead by girlfriend's neighbor
Study: Rock stars more likely to die prematurely
NY Times on Rick Rubin as co-head of Columbia Records
Kelly Clarkson revives her tour
