For well over 40 years, it's been THE indispensable question. Volleyed back and forth at cocktail parties, deployed for instant access to the very core of one's soul, the measure of a man can be wrought by a simple query: are you a Stones person or a Beatles person?
Of course, we have our own answer to this - the Beatles, duh - which has made the last few weeks especially distressing for our kind. See, it appears that so far in 2008 the Rolling Stones have clearly been on top of their game while the Beatles have been, uh, running around with their heads cut off?
For starters, consider the Stones' recent triumphs:
- Their Martin Scorcese-directed live concert film Shine A Light opened this past weekend to rave reviews from critics. Roger Ebert described the film as "one of the most engaged documentaries you could imagine. The cameras do not simply regard the performances; in a sense, the cameras are performers too[...]Even in their 60s, the Stones are the most physical and exuberant of bands. Compared to them, watching the movements of many new young bands on Leno, Letterman and "SNL" is like watching jerky marionettes."
- Good ole' Keef has been making the rounds as well, first granting GQ an incredibly entertaining interview at his SoHo office(?). Among the many highlights here:
At this point, Richards, as he is talking, absentmindedly reaches his hand to his side and draws his shirt and jacket back to scratch himself near his hip bone. It’s then that I notice that wedged against his hip and the top of his trousers is something that looks like the handle of a revolver. “That’s not a gun you’re carrying, is it?” I ask. Keith pauses. “This?” he says, reaching for the handle. “Nah, this is a knife.” At which point he pulls it from his waistband, flips it open, and reveals a shiny blade five inches long. Richards considers the blade for a moment, in silence, then snaps the knife closed and tucks it back into his waistband and explains, “I use it to keep me pants up, because I’ve been losing weight, baby.”
Yes, he carries a knife, and yes, he's still cooler than all of us. Oh, and he's also the new "face" of Luis Vuitton luggage as well:
- Finally, and from our perspective perhaps most exciting, the Stones recently made their ENTIRE catalog from 1964-70 available on eMusic. So apparently all those years we've lazily dismissed them without giving enough attention to their back catalog have come to an end; there are simply no excuses now. Which is actually pretty damn great....
Meanwhile, what's been going on with the Beatles?
- Ringo's been beheaded! According to a BBC News report (see pic above), Liverpool residents were outraged by recent comments from Starr that he missed nothing about his hometown. This most likely led to his topiary likeness - a sculpture of the four that took 18 months to complete and was only unveiled last month - having his head lopped off yesterday while the other three remain untouched.
- Of course, the other remaining Beatle has had the equivalent of a public beheading of late. Thanks to excessive media coverage, Paul's messy divorce settlement with Heather Mills has seemingly placed him in similar company to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton, subject of endless rumor-mongering and prey to paparazzi anew (though he must have practice in dealing with media attention by now).
And yet, we remain steadfast in our identity as "Beatles people". Besides, Keith can't resist the allure of climbing palm trees forever, right?
lead image found HERE
08 April 2008
Rolling Stones vs. Beatles 2008: Ringo's beheaded, Stones are on eMusic
Today's NEW Releases
This week rules, plain and simple:
- The Breeders - Mountain Battles
- Clinic - Do It!
- Colin Meloy - Colin Meloy Sings Live!
- Cut Copy - In Ghost Colours
- Dark Meat - Universal Indians
- The Duke Spirit - Neptune
- Fleet Foxes - Sun Giant EP
- Foals - Antidotes
- Jim Noir - Jim Noir
- Jonathan Richman - Because Her Beauty Is Raw and Wild
- The Long Blondes - Couples
- Man Man - Rabbit Habits
- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
- Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV (cd & lp)
- Peter Moren - The Last Tycoon
- Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Pershing
- Spanish Prisoners - Songs To Forget
- Spoon - Don't You Evah (EP)
- Tapes 'n Tapes - Walk It Off
- Wye Oak - If Children
OPP
Pavarotti's final performance was lip-synched
Charlie Daniels vs. Guitar Hero - why does the devil have to win???
Stone Temple Pilots' first reunion concert footage posted HERE
More artists - R.E.M., Built to Spill, Black Keys - sign on to honor Record Store Day (April 19th)
Rolling Stone sits down with Jim James and previews My Morning Jacket's Evil Urges
Brooklyn Vegan dropped loads of NYC summer concert info yesterday, including Deerhoof playing "Celebrate Brooklyn", some South Street Seaport schedule tidbits, and the awesome news that Sonic Youth and the Feelies are playing Battery Park on July 4th
The Guardian compiles its list 10 best music pubs in England
07 April 2008
Hit-or-miss: "Keep Their Heads Ringing" by Dr. Dre
Listen:
"Keep Their Heads Ringing" by Dr. Dre from Friday: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
View:
Image search results for Keep Their Heads Ringing - above image is from the sixth page of results (and was originally from HERE).
--
In the recent past these songs were featured in Hit-or-miss posts:
"At It Again" by Sublime
"The Day I Tried To Live" by Soundgarden
"I'm Comin' Down" by Primal Scream
"I See Spiders When I Close My Eyes" by The Boy Least Likely To
"Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)?" by Buzzcocks
"I Would Work If I Could" by Brian Michael Roff And The Deer
"My Last Kiss" by The Durutti Column
"Everyone Who Pretended to Like Me is Gone" by The Walkmen
--
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.
Radiohead + Grizzly Bear + Pitchfork.tv
Tons of good news coming your way today. In case you haven't already seen/heard, Grizzly Bear has just been announced as openers on a handful of Radiohead dates this summer, relieving Liars - another band near and dear to EF's heart - of opening duties for these shows (all of which are listed after the jump).
Drowned in Sound checked in with Grizzly Bear's Ed Droste earlier today and got his reaction to the exciting news. However, of most interest to us in this exchange was the following bit of info Ed casually dropped:
"Also we are planning on doing an even HUGER collaboration with Rihanna of ‘Umbrella’ at next year's Brit Awards. It's going to fucking blow England's mind."
Whoa. Belated April Fools Joke or real intel? If you'll recall Ed's interview with EF some months back, he did profess his love for Rihanna's music, so it wouldn't be that much of a stretch.
In the meantime, remember that Grizzly Bear will be playing with Paul Simon at BAM from April 23-27.
Also tangentially related to the tour announcement is the launch of Pitchfork.tv today...oh and why is that? Because, the first ever video for the site features Radiohead performing In Rainbows' disc 2 rocker "Bangers & Mash" in Nigel Godrich's basement. Go check it out at Pitchfork.tv
Complete Radiohead tour dates after the jump:
05 May - West Palm Beach, FL @ Cruzan Amphitheatre w/Liars
06 May - Tampa, FL @ Ford Amphitheatre w/Liars
08 May - Atlanta, GA @ Lakewood Amphitheatre w/Liars
09 May - Charlotte, NC @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre w/Liars
11 May - Bristow, VA @ Nissan Pavilion at Stone Ridge w/Liars
14 May - St. Louis, MO @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre w/Liars
17 May - Houston, TX @ Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion w/Liars
18 May - Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center w/Liars
06 June - Dublin, Ireland @ Malahide w/Bat for Lashes
07 June - Dublin, Ireland @ Malahide w/Bat for Lashes
09 June - Paris, France @ Bercy w/Bat for Lashes
10 June - Paris, France @ Bercy w/Bat for Lashes
12 June - Barcelona, Spain @ Parc del Fòrum (Daydream Festival) w/Liars, Bat for Lashes
14 June - Nimes, France @ Arenes w/Bat For Lashes
15 June - Nimes, France @ Arenes w/Bat For Lashes
17 June - Milan, Italy @ Civica Arena w/Bat for Lashes
18 June - Milan, Italy @ Civica Arena w/Bat for Lashes
20 June - Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany @ Southside Festival
22 June - Scheeßel, Germany @ Hurricane Festival
24 June - London, England @ Victoria Park w/Bat for Lashes
25 June - London, England @ Victoria Park w/Bat for Lashes
27 June - Glasgow, Scotland @ Glasgow Green w/Bat for Lashes
29 June - Manchester, England @ Lancashire County Cricket Club w/Bat for Lashes
01 July - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Westerpark w/Bat For Lashes
03 July - Roskilde, Denmark @ Roskilde Festival
05 July - Werchter, Belgium @ Rock Werchter Festival
06 July - Arras, France @ Main Square Festival
08 July - Berlin, Germany @ Wuhlheide
01 Aug - Chicago, IL @ Grant Park (Lollapalooza)
03 Aug - Indianapolis, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Center w/Grizzly Bear
04 Aug - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center w/Grizzly Bear
06 Aug - Montreal, Quebec - Parc Jean-Drapeau w/Grizzly Bear
08 Aug - Jersey City, NJ - Liberty State Park (All Points West Festival)
09 Aug - Jersey City, NJ - Liberty State Park (All Points West Festival)
12 Aug - Camden, NJ - Susquehanna Bank Center w/Grizzly Bear
13 Aug - Mansfield, MA - Tweeter Center w/Grizzly Bear
15 Aug - Toronto, Ontario - Molson Amphitheatre w/Grizzly Bear
19 Aug - Vancouver, British Columbia - Thunderbird Stadium w/Liars
20 Aug - Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheatre w/Liars
22 Aug - San Francisco, CA - Golden Gate Park (Outside Lands Festival)
24 Aug - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl w/Liars
25 Aug - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl w/Liars
27 Aug - Chula Vista, CA - Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre w/Liars
28 Aug - Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl w/Liars
04 Oct - Tokyo, Japan - Saitama Super Arena
05 Oct - Tokyo, Japan - Saitama Super Arena
Listen: "Bangers & Mash" - Live from The Theater @ Madison Square Garden 14 June 2006 (originally posted HERE, courtesy of NYC Taper)
The Dodos @ Mercury Lounge - 6 April 2008 (pics, live video/MP3)
The Dodos wrecked Mercury Lounge last night with a sharp and deadly attack coming from three directions at once, comprised mostly of songs from their 2008 release Visiter. Combining deft chops and uncanny songwriting skill (who can not sing along with "Fools"??) Meric Long and Logan Kroeber have found that rarest of happy spots in which they're simultaneously expressing themselves as artists, proving themselves as musicians' musicians, and winning over (likely) every person they meet with irresistibly urgent hooks and melody and je ne sais quoi.
As Long stoically alternated between finger-picking delicacy and raw rock, Kroeber brought a lighter personality and loose style that offset and completed the band's sound. It's a sound that's equal parts White Stripes and Animal Collective; tribal yet raw, shredding, and bluesy. The two of them were already a full sounding 'band of extinct birds' on their own; however, adding a third member on auxiliary percussion has largely turned The Dodos into aural beasts. Who says dodos are extinct and never could fly? Pssh, these guys are right NOW and they soar! They've released one of my favorite records of the year, have blown me away in a live setting, and now have got me dropping ill-advised metaphors and dad-jokes. What's left? Well now it's your turn. Go see them live for crying out loud; I'll just wait patiently for them to return to NYC for the 2008 Siren Festival. You got that right.
Check out more pics from this show, and download a live video/MP3 from this shows, after the jump...
Listen:
"Red And Purple" (live from this show)
"Fools"
Watch:
"Red And Purple" (live from this show) on YouTube | download QT
See also:
Friction NYC: The Dodos | Mercury Lounge | 04.06.08
EF Band of the Week: The Dodos
EF: The Dodos @ The Tap Room - 13 March 2008 (SXSW Day 2, Pics)
See more pictures of The Dodos (from this show and others) HERE.
Visit The Dodos on MySpace.
OPP
Go listen to Tapes 'n Tapes' Daytrotter session
The Los Angeles Times retracts story today that linked Diddy to Tupac shooting
Indie labels feeling the demise of music press
Rolling Stone's Spring Album Preview features lots of dinosaurs it seems
Norah Jones' "other" band El Madmo signs to Team Love
Full Lollapalooza lineup revealed
80s singer Rick Astley now officially a web phenom
Check out the 2008 Prospect Park Bandshell Summer lineup so far
04 April 2008
EF Mini-mix: Getting a (late) HEAD Start on the Weekend
Weekend! It's rainy and cold where I am, how about you? Well, when four of the five songs posted below came on consecutively in shuffle mode just now, I figured I should add one more thematically appropriate song to the mix and share. Funny how many bands I have in my music library whose name contains the word "head"... here's a mini-mix with selections from five of them. Can you guess which one DIDN'T play in the magical shuffle that just happened? Hint: the order below is not necessarily the order that the songs played when on shuffle.
1. "Nude" by Radiohead (Holy Fuck remix)
2. "One Night In Bangkok" by Murray Head
3. "Thank You for Sending Me an Angel" by Talking Heads
4. "Alison's Starting To Happen" by The Lemonheads
5. "Machine Gun" by Portishead
*above picture from HERE.
Mrs. Robinson (featuring MSNBC anchor Alex Witt)
I'm willing to admit the following things: I am indeed a bit of a politics/news junkie... as a result I do tend to watch MSNBC fairly often/more often than I should... and as a result of that, I just might have developed a small crush on MSNBC anchor Alex Witt (above) a few years ago. I think it started sometime around the time that Soledad O'Brien went on maternity leave, which (oddly enough) coincided with a full-time switch from CNN to MSNBC for me. Anyway, for whatever reason, I finally decided to poke around Google early this week and see what I might learn about Alex Witt from, say, the mighty Wikipedia.
In nearly no time at all I was on the MySpace page of her pop band (?!) Mrs Robinson listening to a song about falling in love on Jet Blue...
There's not exactly a wealth of information to be culled from Mrs. Robinson's (pictured above) MySpace page, but here's what I've put together so far:- the band is made up of three women who hold the following occupations: pet grooming salon owner (le Beastro), record label employee (SRP Records), and MSNBC anchor.
I realize this isn't exactly the newest of news items, but I couldn't help myself. It's like seeing your teacher outside of the classroom doing something other than teach... Alex Witt plays in a band?? Amazing!
- they've performed at various sporting events, on the Don Imus show (see below), and at some event called Mamapalooza.
- they have an album, a single, and some remixes available for purchase on iTunes.
- their overall sound is a little bit Wilson Phillips, a little bit Dixie Chicks, and a little bit R&B.
- the Mrs. Robinson song "Get Up" was featured in the film Single.
- the name of the band is very befitting.
- apparently they "have a sitcom about (their) kookie lives in development... so we fly Jet Blue from JFK to Burbank all the time."
Now to see about booking Mrs. Robinson for the next EAR FARM Presents show...
Listen:
"Fell in love on Jet Blue"
"Get Up"
Watch:
"Choices" live on Imus
"Life Is So Good Now" live on Imus
Visit Mrs. Robinson on MySpace.
Madonna - "4 Minutes" music video (feat. Justin Timberlake & Timbaland)
Last Friday I told you all about how much I enjoy the new Madonna single "4 Minutes", this week we've got the music video for said song. After all, what would a Madonna single be without an accompanying video, right? Well... for me, this is the first Madonna single that really suffers as a result of the music video. Watch above and you'll see what I mean.
OPP
MySpace forms music venture with big labels
The Guardian: 10 top live music venues in London
Sony BMG, ardent foe of music piracy, is in trouble for using pirated software
Grizzly Bear going on tour with Radiohead in August?
Hold Steady, Spektor to play Tribeca Film Fest
Sorsese's Rolling Stones documentary Shine a Light premieres in London
The top 25 guitar riffs of all time?
10 awesome guitarists you really should know about
Warner Music to offer subscription music download service in the UK
Word magazine made a formal apology to Morrissey in court regarding suggestions that the singer is racist
You have a chance to appear in the next Guitar Hero video game as a Rock God!
03 April 2008
8+
"Oh Well" by Fleetwood Mac which clocks in at 9:02
Do you know who Peter Green is?
Have you ever heard this song before?
Did you know that Fleetwood Mac was a hard-edged British blues band in the late '60s, previous to their career as Los Angeles superstar pop-rockers in the '70s?
If your answer to the above questions is yes, then I have nothing new to offer you in the form of information or music at the moment. But I do have a tiny game you can play while the rest of us learn a thing or two... click HERE. That should entertain you for at least 30-45 seconds. My best time after 5 attempts is 15.211 seconds.
Now, if you like Led Zeppelin and your answer to the above(s) is no, you may want to read a bit further to discover Fleetwood Mac's 1969 (pre-Buckingham/Nicks) masterpiece "Oh Well". The first time I ever heard the song was when I saw The Black Crowes and Jimmy Page play a cover version of it live (together) at Walnut Creek in Raleigh, NC in 2000. I had no idea what song they were playing - I figured it for an old blues song perhaps - but I was in love instantly and, thanks to Napster, was listening to the original version that's posted here as soon as I got home from the show that night.
That's when I really started researching the song, and the entire Fleetwood Mac story, a bit more. Turns out "Oh Well" actually charted as high as #2 in the UK (#55 in the US) in 1969. Which make sense, given that the first half of the song sounds (overstatement alert) as though it's precisely what taught Jimmy Page and Joe Perry how to write music - makes sense given that the second half of it could very well be a lost track from a Morricone soundtrack. It certainly stands to reason that "Oh Well" charted fairly well given that the song is pretty much "Black Dog" v 1.0; given that it's the blueprint for the switch-to-instrumental mood-change in the middle of "Layla"; given that it's the birthplace of heavy metal; given that it's all things to all people...
Actually, Richie Unterberger wrote about "Oh Well" on Allmusic and did so with a much better hyperbole to fact ratio than I just did in the few statements above. Let's call him our fact checkin' cuz:"Oh Well" was a major British hit single for Fleetwood Mac, reaching number two in late 1969, and was arguably the best track the band cut in its original incarnation, when guitarist Peter Green was the band's principal creative force. Although it's a classic hard rock song (at least for its first half), it actually isn't all that well known or frequently heard on the radio in the United States, though its reputation has risen with the passing of time.
*above photo (cover of Then Play On) from HERE
The first half of "Oh Well" is a grinding hard rock song, but one whose constant changes of tempo and probing lyrics set it far above many other loud blues-rock songs past and present. The spindle of "Oh Well" is a coiling, rapid blues guitar riff, not much different from what you might have heard from many mid-20th century Delta bluesmen. It was quickly seconded and counterpointed by a much louder, spikier electric guitar riff, which tortuously ascended the scale until it reached a tense, piercing high note that came to a dead stop, like an omen that judgment day was at hand. Green's brief sung lines during the verses were also grave in mood, seeming to reflect a low self-esteem and offer questions about the purpose of existence that couldn't be easily answered. The instruments took a break while Green sung those lines, only to come back with a vengeance to the main riffs when he took a breather. It's those riffs, especially the ones peeled off during the instrumental break, that have made the song viewed by some critics as of a piece with early blues-hard rock-heavy metal crossover records, like the ones by Led Zeppelin.
For many listeners (particularly British singles buyers, as the 45 split the track into two different parts), this first, vocal half of the song was the only one they were familiar with. However, it's essential to hear the second, instrumental half of the track (as you can on the Then Play On album, without any interruption between the halves) to appreciate the full magnificence of the recording. While sticking to the same key and somber mood, this second half is almost totally different from the first, much as the instrumental second half of Derek & the Dominos' "Layla" is both different from and complements what has come before. It's almost a classical piece, with seductive though melancholy blends of Spanish-like acoustic guitar strumming, low sustained electric guitar notes, medieval-sounding recorder, cello, and piano. The tempo speeds up and mood becomes more portentous as it draws to the end, but this section is for the most part placid, coming to appropriately melodramatic resolutions in which the percussion booms softly and the recorder trills get more pensive and hopeful. Though the different parts might seem incongruous, "Oh Well" melds them together brilliantly, creating an epic that stands as Green's finest achievement as a composer.
Buy Then Play On 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+:
Phish - "You Enjoy Myself"
Green Day - "Homecoming"
Billy Bragg - "Joe Hill"
Van Halen - "Year to the Day"
Kraftwerk - "The Telephone Call"
Neutral Milk Hotel - "Oh Comely"
George Gershwin - “Rhaphsody in Blue"
Múm - "Smell Memory"
To see a full list of every song featured in EAR FARM's 8+ click HERE.
Beach House @ Bowery Ballroom - 2 April 2008 (pics, live MP3)
Seemingly floating in place onstage, Beach House's Victoria Legrand and Alex Scully struck an elegant and otherworldly portrait in matching white outfits during last night’s sold-out Bowery Ballroom show. With the lights turned low and a few stray glimmers of a disco ball providing most of the illumination, the scene recalled the Enchantment Under the Sea dance (particularly amidst the stage’s minimal backdrop of cardboard cut-out waves).
Behind these waves sat the Papercuts’ Jason Quever, joining the duo for most of the night in tastefully fleshing out the band’s simple drum loops with subtle bursts of live percussion. The result was a hypnotizing set that established a sense of cohesiveness early, the performance opening with the first three tracks of Devotion played sequentially.
From there, the selections alternated between Devotion and their eponymous debut, never wavering from the overpowering but intimate beauty that defines their songwriting. As Legrand told EAR FARM back in February, “the best shows are the ones where the people are there because they’re curious or want to hear a story and feel intimate. Even a large space can feel intimate, it’s just really a gamble.”
Check out more pics and live audio from this show after the jump.
Listen:
"Some Things Last A Long Time" (Daniel Johnston cover, live from this show)
"Heart of Chambers" (from Devotion)
See more pictures of Beach House (from this show) HERE.
Visit Beach House on MySpace.
--
*words by Mike, pictures and audio by Matt.
OPP
Mental Floss: the many views of Abbey Road throughout popular culture
WIRED has a field guide to making the most of Muxtapes
Check out Dead Confederate's WOXY Lounge Act set from SXSW at The Futurist
Marginally related to music, but anyhow: NBC finally gives the green light to a third season of Friday Night Lights!
Joanna Newsom is on the cover of PAPER's Beautiful People issue
Listen to another fantastic new Islands song, "Creeper"
If you haven't heard yet, Weezer announced release date, title for new album
On the heels of a messy Weiland-Velvet Revolver breakup, A reunited Stone Temple Pilots will appear on Jimmy Kimmel Live on May 1st
02 April 2008
Band of the Week: Man Man (Exclusive EF Interview)
Band: Man Man
From: Philadelphia, PA
Sound: Ramshackle pop songs and throaty sing-alongs coaxed from everything including the kitchen sink
Similar Artists: Captain Beefheart, Gogol Bordello, Ween, Sunset Rubdown
Listen Now: "Top Drawer"
Gypsies, pirates, road warriors, rover, wanderer, nomad, vagabond, call them what you will, but please recognize that the gents in Man Man are in for a big 2008. After seven years spent playing, provoking, pranking, and playing some more, the Philly quintet is set to drop their third studio album (and first for ANTI- Records), Rabbit Habits, on April 8th with a massive headlining tour kicking off that same day.
EF was lucky enough to catch up with the man with the 10 lb. moustache himself, Honus Honus, while the rest of the Man Men - Sergei Sogay, Pow Pow, Critter Cat, and Chang Wang - were off relaxing and gearing up for the tour. What follows is a mostly unabridged conversation about hate mail, the new album, the regenerative power of moustaches, and how the songwriting process is like killing zombies...
EF: Where are you guys at right now? You’ve got a week off or so before the tour resumes, right?
HH: Yeah we have a couple weeks off so we kind of all went our separate ways when we got back from tour because we’re about to head out for two and a half months, so we kind of had to collect our head space before we crawl back into the van.
EF: I’m sure, cramming five of you into the van...
HH: There’s five in the van and we actually have the luxury of crew this time. We have a driver and a sound guy and a merch person; we kind of have to (have a crew) though because we’re playing Coachella so you have to have that stuff.
EF: You guys must be excited for Coachella
HH: Yeah very excited
EF: Well I don’t know if you remember this show but the first time I ever saw Man Man was back in 2005 at Webster Hall; you were opening up for Arcade Fire and they were super late because they were playing Conan that night. Do you remember that at all?
HH: Yeah of course.
EF: I remember leaving and thinking, “What did I just see?” and collecting my jaw off the floor.
HH: Well that’s awesome because we got hate mail from that show.
EF: Are you kidding me?
HH: Not at all. People were like, “you guys suck”. That was actually the original lineup too, those guys aren’t in the band anymore, but the guys in the band now have been dealing with me for the past three years and its been awesome.
EF: My first thought that night, because I’d never seen a stage setup quite like that and the amount of gear that was there, was how much shit you guys must have had to go through before you were headliners, lugging all that gear back and forth from show to show. Was it just a nightmare dealing with sound people and club people?
HH: Absolute nightmare (laughs). And this is one of the first times we’ve actually had our own sound person with us, and the band’s been together for seven years so its pretty amazing we’ve made it this far without a sound person. It was crazy being the first of four bands (on a bill), but those early days sort of honed our stage presentation. You’re the first of three or four bands, you have thirty minutes to make an impression so you're not gonna waste your time bantering because a) you don’t have time, better to punch someone in the face and then get off the stage and b) if you’re constantly playing, you don’t hear the heckling.
EF: I just find that interesting that you guys got hate mail and were heckled. I guess you make a strong impression one way or the other, but that’s got to be very tough when you’re first starting out and having to deal with that?
HH: Nooooo. You just said it perfectly, we make a strong impression one way or another; I feel that’s the blood of this band, that’s what keeps us going. It's diversifying an audience, it's great to get some sort of reaction, positive or negative, that’s what I love about this band.
EF: I guess that’s better than looking out and seeing a bunch of people standing there with their arms crossed.
HH: Much better. Its great to see someone totally enraptured and its great to see someone wincing because they’re annoyed. I actually love that look (laughs). We’ll play a song like "Van Helsing’s Boombox" and then a song like "Young Einstein" and the change is hilarious (laughs).
EF: Do you still live in Philly?
HH: The band’s from Philly. I kind of am in a weird situation of being free-floating, my stuff’s in storage in Philly. It's hard justifying paying rent somewhere where I’m never gonna be when we’re on the road.
EF: Speaking of that, how was your experience in SXSW this year?
HH: SXSW is weird. You can play what you think is a bobo show for 20 people and all it takes is one of those people to write or say something good; I really do enjoy playing SXSW though. As much of a clusterfuck as it is - you don’t have time to see bands you wanna see, you wanna play as many shows as possible to justify not making money at any of the shows, you don’t get paid for many of the shows – you at least know that people from little towns that may not otherwise get to see you play can go and see you play, its great. But it was hard for some of us. I would say half of the crew was really sick. Pow Pow and I had sinus infections; we had to go to the hospital there. We’ve only canceled a show once, and it was at SXSW because I personally couldn’t talk. Fortunately I don’t have a beautiful voice so if I’m sick I can kind of roll with it but it was hard. But whatever, I’d rather plow through it sick than work at a bar.
EF: Well, we were at the Cedar Street Courtyard show and it was fantastic, we kind of weaseled our way to the very front, and it was among the best of the entire week for us, we thought it ruled.
HH: Oh shit, right, I remember. You guys videotaped us at Bowery too.
EF: Yeah
HH: That was some of my favorite footage, you captured me playing with my butt (ed. note - watch at 2:18). Not me, but you know, my butt playing the keyboard.
EF: How is everything going with your new label, ANTI-?
HH: Oh its awesome, they’re such warm people. It doesn’t even feel like we’re on a label; it feels like we’ve been adopted by a family that understands. Its more that vibe than a label vibe, they’re such nice people willing to help out with every aspect. Its one of those things that people have the notion that it doesn’t matter what label you’re on or what size, that everything is provided for you and that’s not true; its still very DIY, you still have to do all the leg work yourself. A better label just means they have wider coverage and they’re more understanding.
EF: Did you ever feel like you were in a position before where people were trying to make artistic decisions for you guys?
HH: No. This band from its very conception has had strong aesthetics set in place. It started initially as a concept, like “Jeez we have no business making pop songs so let’s try.” It's just mutated into this other thing, but we still hold on to those feelings.
EF: Well you definitely have a pop aesthetic that comes through, amidst the chaos there are definitely strong songwriting chops that come through...
HH: We got chops?
EF: You got chops.
HH: I like pork chops. I like mutton chops. I wish I could grow them but I can't. Sergei, however, can grow some amazing mutton chops.
EF: Absolutely. Well, you rock the handlebar though.
HH: Yeah, but I shaved it off like a month and a half ago because I was curious, and it was like, “Oh yeah, that asshole” so its like 80 percent now.
EF: So, it’ll probably be perfect by the time you hit the road again, part of the whole regenerative process.
HH: Hopefully…like a starfish, you know?
EF: Totally. Have you gotten to know any of the other bands on ANTI-? You guys played with Islands in Austin...
HH: Yeah, I’m friends with Nick (Thorburn). We played a show with them a couple days after that in Columbia, it was a lot of fun. I like that they changed their steez to all black.
EF: Yeah right? Did you guys threaten them or what?
HH: Naw, its not like we were ever all white anyway. If you look closely its more beige, dirty white, off white...
EF: Stained white
HH: Yeah
EF: I’m loving the new album. It seems as though there’s more texture to this album, more layers, little sounds hidden here and there, pockets of noise, was that something that was a conscious decision?
HH: It was. We make ramshackle pop songs, I think that’s the best way to describe it. And what we tried to do with this record - more than previous records - is, those qualities that make us what they are, they’re still there, but they’re more subtle. I don’t think you can pick up on them unless you listen to them a bunch of times. My favorite records are ones that I had to give a chance to, after I heard the songs 15-16 times I start thinking, “Oh I never noticed that before.” It reveals itself more slowly than the other records. I think we’ll lose people, but I think we’ll gain people so its all good.
EF: You think you’ll lose people?
HH: I don’t know. It's nothing I’m really worried about. I think it could... You know, there are people out there that want us to make the same record. I think that’s boring. Like, you should hold on to the heart of what you’re about but you should be able to grow. That’s what ‘s great about the people that are in this band with me, they’re all extremely talented musicians, so it’s push and pull....
EF: Is it a collaborative process then? The writing process?
HH: To a certain extent, yeah. They collaborate to make everything more interesting (laughs)
EF: So you’ll bring in the bones to a song and they’ll flesh it out?
HH: Yeah, usually that’s how it works. Like for “The Ballad of Butter Beans”, Billy aka Chang Wang brought in this pretty awesome keyboard part and then we fleshed it out. Not all the songs work out the same, it’s an organic process for the most part. It's easy for me if I bring the bones and they throw the flesh on it, and then it rots (laughs), turns into a zombie, then you gotta put it down...
EF: Gotta take the head off
HH: Yeah, gotta take the head off
EF: Are you gonna play "Ice Dogs" on this tour?
HH: I dunno, maybe. There are some songs we’re trying to retire and some songs we’re trying to bring out of retirement. We’re playing songs that this lineup has never played before from earlier records. But there are some songs that are definitely retired.
EF: Now that you’re headlining, are you still going to do one continuous burst of music (rather than traditional breaks in between songs) and then get off the stage?
HH: No actually we’re going to do something more like VH1 Storytellers.
EF: I can't wait to see that.
HH: (adopts swaggering stage voice) This song’s about a girl...this song’s about...a girl...this song...is about a girl.
EF: That is going to be amazing.
HH: Yeah, god forbid.
EF: So I take it you guys are gonna jam on through like before?
HH: Cocaine jams, yeah. No, at some point we’d like to balance it out more, half cocaine jams and half guilt jams but I think that’s gonna require a more elaborate stage setups, bigger production values, unfortunately we’re not there yet.
EF: Maybe next tour then.
HH: Yeah maybe, one can always dream.
Listen:
"Top Drawer"
"Mister Jung Stuffed" into "Hurly Burly" Live @ Cedar Street Courtyard, Austin, TX - 13 March 2008
See also:
See Man Man Live:
08 April - Philadelphia, PA @ Starlight Ballroom (Album Release Show)
10 April - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
11 April - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Masonic Temple
12 April - Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
13 April - Montreal, QC @ Le National
14 April - Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace
15 April - Columbus, OH @ Wexner Center For The Arts
16 April - Chicago, IL @ Logan Square Auditorium
17 April - Madison, WI @ The Annex
18 April - Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theatre
19 April - Omaha, NE @ Slowdown
20 April - Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
21 April - Salt Lake City, UT @ In The Venue
23 April - San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall
24 April - Santa Barbara, CA @ Soho Restaurant & Music Club
26 April - Indio, CA @ Coachella (Empire Polo Field)
27 April - Phoenix, AZ @ The Brickhouse
29 April - Dallas, TX @ The Loft
30 April - Austin, TX @ Emo's
02 May - Birmingham, AL @ WorkPlay Theatre
03 May - Atlanta, GA @ Lenny's
04 May - Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle
05 May - Towson, MD @ Pearlstone Atrium At Goucher College
10 May - Camber, UK @ ATP vs Pitchfork
11 May - Dublin, Ireland @ Whelan's
12 May - Glasgow. Scotland @ Stereo
13 May - London, UK @ Cargo
14 May - Manchester, UK @ The Phoenix
15 May - Bristol, UK @ Start the Bus
17 May - Brussels, Belgium @ La Nuit De Botanique Festival
19 May - Aarhus, Denmark @ Voxhall
20 May - Copenhagen, Denmark - Loppen
21 May - Goteborg, Sweden @ Henriksgerg
22 May - Oslo, Norway @ Garage
23 May - Stockholm, Sweden @ Debaser
24 May - Malmo, Sweden @ KB
25 May - Berlin, Germany @ Knaack
26 May - Dortmund, Germany @ FZW
28 May - Milano, Italy @ La Casa 139
30 May - Barcelona, Spain @ Primavera Festival
31 May - Grenoble, France @ Le Ciel
01 Jun - Macon, France @ La Cave A Musique
02 Jun - Paris, France @ Nouveau Casino
03 Jun - Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
04 Jun - Nijmegen, Netherlands @ Doornoosje
05 June - Groningen, Netherlands @ Vera
Visit Man Man on MySpace
--
In the recent past, the following bands have been featured as EAR FARM's Band of the Week:
We Barbarians
The Dodos
Hey Hey My My
Amy LaVere
Beach House
Computer Perfection
Goes Cube
Magic Arm
See the entire list of bands featured as EAR FARM's Band of the Week HERE.
OPP
The A.V. Club interviews Stephen Malkmus
But he better watch what he says, because Kim Deal is not happy with Malkmus
Guess what? You can go to Man Man's MySpace page and stream their new album Rabbit Habits in its entirety
AND, you can go to mtvU to stream Tapes 'n Tapes new album Walk It Off in its entirety
Take a look at the Pitchfork guide to Spring 2008 upcoming releases
Rockers' kids compete in new MTV show
The Vulture considers ten terrible musical slumps
Camel stiffs South singer $20K for dissing smoking onstage at cigarette-sponsored gig
The Futurist has Project Jenny Project Jan's SXSW Lounge Act performance recap
The Virgin Festival's initial lineup has been announced
01 April 2008
I Want My MTV - Duffy, Kanye, Björk, Minus The Bear, The Acorn
These videos showed up in my inbox today, so I share. One from Duffy is below, click through for the others. At the very least, check out the vids from Björk and The Acorn. I'm happy to see people still devoting so much time and effort to create amazing music videos.
"Mercy" by Duffy (above)
"Homecoming" by Kanye West (above)
"Wanderlust" by Björk (above)
"Throwin Shapes" by Minus The Bear (above)
"Flood Pt. 1" by The Acorn (above)
Three for Free - Jim Noir, What Made Milwaukee Famous, and Nada Surf
EAR FARM's Three for Free: three EF approved, free and legal MP3s posted each week. This week - three from bands on Barsuk Records. Click on the artist name to go to their site, click on the song name to listen to the song.
Listen:
Jim Noir - "Don't You Worry"
What Made Milwaukee Famous - "Resistance St."
Nada Surf - "See These Bones"
Bell and Takka Takka @ Pianos - 31 March 2008
Bell and Takka Takka played Pianos last night. But wait, there's more! These two EAR FARM favorites were but a portion of the entire lineup of fun that was put together by Brooklyn Vegan... also joining in on the fun were five comedians (Rock n ROFL), lots of free Newcastle and Kronenbourg, and a special set from John Vanderslice that closed out the evening. The comedy was excellent, Vanderslice not entirely my thing, but the real stand outs were Bell and Takka Takka (both of which I caught at SXSW).
Bell played a set that began with rocking versions of most of the songs you can find on the soon-to-be released EP and concluded with a darker (very nice) new song as well as Bell's patented "Videotape"/"Eraser" Radiohead/Thom Yorke cover. A large portion of the audience was clearly there to see Bell and Olga and her fellas kicked out the jamz and did not disappoint. My only complaint is that Pianos - Pianos - still hasn't yet figured out how to light their on-stage piano.
Takka Takka opened their set with an old favorite ("We feel safer at night", posted below) before playing song after song from their upcoming record. The new songs have a hint of Peter Gabriel going on (or perhaps more accurately Speaking in Tongues era Talking Heads) but are completely their own unique Takka Takka sound. Which, I must say, has grown and matured incredibly well over the band's brief history thus far. Something about their current collection of songs really creeps up on you - upon first listen you'll enjoy it, then the next day you'll find yourself thinking more and more about Takka Takka as your love for the band secretly grows and grows. Then, before you know it, all you'll want is for their new record to come out and for them to play more shows so you can feed your (not-so-secret) Takka Takka obsession. As of right now, their 2008 album is one of the ones I'm most looking forward to over the next few months... I don't know the name of the two songs from last night that are now stuck in my head, but I do know that they need to get themselves up in my stereo ASAP. Maybe that's just me? Nah.
But wait, there's more! Check out more pics after the jump.
Listen:
"It's Oh So Quiet" by Bell (cover of a cover by Björk, from Stereogum's Enjoyed: A Tribute To Björk's Post)
See more pictures of Bell (from this show and many others, including their earlier SXSW show) HERE.
Visit Bell on MySpace
Listen:
"We feel safer at night" by Takka Takka
See more pictures of Takka Takka (from this show and others) HERE.
Visit Takka Takka on MySpace.
EAR FARM's Muxtape #2: April Fools Edition!
Another week, another Muxtape! The second mix (mux) brings together themes of chicanery, pranks, shenanigans, jokes and fools in celebration of the most deceptive of days, April 1. Check out the songs featured in this mix listed below and check out/listen to the mix itself HERE.
EAR FARM's Muxtape #2: April Fools Edition
1. "April Fools" by Rufus Wainwright
2. "The Joker" by Steve Miller Band
3. "Show Your Hand" by Super Furry Animals
4. "I Started A Joke" by The Dirtbombs
5. "The Worst Joke Ever" by R.E.M.
6. "Fools" by Nada Surf
7. "Don't Take Us For Fools" by Graveyard
8. "Prank Calls" by Kelley Stoltz
9. "Don't Get Mad, Get Even" by Aerosmith
10. "Fools" by The Dodos
11. "No Surprises" by Radiohead
See our previous Muxtape HERE
As you probably know by now, a Muxtape is nothing more than a quite genius, very simple, way to create and share mixtapes. Feel free to create your own foolishly themed mix and link to it in the comments.
*above photo found HERE
Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks @ Bowery Ballroom - 31 March 2008
In "Out of Reaches" - a semi slow-jam from Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks' latest album Real Emotional Trash - Malkmus coos repeatedly of "gale force intimacy"; a characteristically obtuse sentiment that aptly summarized the first of his three sold-out New York shows last night.
Trading in the slightly larger digs of the Fillmore at Irving (where he's played the last few times here in NYC) for the (relatively) cozier surroundings of Bowery Ballroom, the eternally laid-back Malkmus shambled his way through a nearly two-hour set so loose and carefree it felt as though the crowd was watching a late-night jam at his Portland practice space. And in no way is this meant as a slight.
It was a refreshing and honest performance by an artist so confident in his (and his band's) abilities that he almost seemed to relish the challenge of rocking out with as little forethought and self-restraint as possible. The crowd responded in kind and reached a level of perceived intimacy in many ways: via his knowing smirk as he slightly botched a guitar line, through the meandering ins and outs of the epic song constructions that define the new album, and in the false starts and stops that marked the beginning of several tunes but somehow only added to their overall charm.
Intimacy. Also brought to the Bowery in a gale force fury courtesy of Janet Weiss, former drummer for Sleater-Kinney and the latest full-time addition to the Jicks. Her potent combination of deadly precision and intuitive feel for Malkmus' idiosyncrasies has been a priceless addition to the band, adding snarling new muscle to their improvisatory jams - "Real Emotional Trash" was particularly awe-inspring - while stoically anchoring the more traditional grooves - as in the punishing, no-frills attack throughout the encore-closing "Dark Wave".
Last night, sloppy and spirited merged with the precise and possessed; it was an inspiring collision. Lots more pics after the jump...
*photos courtesy of Jonathan for EF
Listen:
"Baltimore"
"Real Emotional Trash"
See more pictures from this show HERE
See Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks Live:
01 April New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
02 April Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg
03 April Boston, MA @ Paradise Rock Club
04 April North Adams, MA @ Contemporary Artists Center
20 April Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa
21 April Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
23 April Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
24 April Tucson, AZ @ Plush
26 April Indio, CA @ Coachella (Empire Polo Field)
27 April San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
28 April Sacramento, CA @ Harlow's Night Club
30 April Eugene, OR @ WOW Hall
01 May Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom
02 May Victoria, BC @ Sugar Nightclub
03 May Vancouver, BC @ Richard's On Richards Cabaret
25 May Quincy, WA @ Gorge Amphitheatre
05 June London, UK @ Shepherds Bush Empire
07 June Manchester, UK @ Manchester Academy
08 June Glasgow, UK @ Oran Mor
09 June Dublin, IRE @ Tripod
Visit Stephen Malkmus on MySpace.
Today's NEW Releases
Lots of names coming out for April Fools Day:
- Annuals - Wet Zoo
- The Apples in Stereo - Electronic Projects For Musicians
- The Black Keys - Attack & Release
- Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears - Flight of the Knife
- Los Campesinos - Hold On Now, Youngster
- Ministry - Cover Up
- Moby - Last Night
- Mono in VCF - Mono in VCF
- R.E.M. - Accelerate
- Rolling Stones - Shine A Light (soundtrack)
- Sun Kil Moon - April
- The Sword - Gods of the Earth
- Tally Hall - Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum
- Van Morrison - Keep It Simple
OPP
Why won't the music business hire nerds?
The New York Times reviews the Boredoms' Sunday night show at Terminal 5
Stone Temple Pilots will announce a summer tour of more than 50 amphitheaters next week
Pitchfork.tv's initial content schedule announced
MTV partners with Mywaves in providing free, ad-supported programming for mobile devices
Check out the top 10 worst hairstyles in music
Wolf Parade name new album Kissing The Beehive
Watch Stephen Malkmus on Fox News
Paste lists its top 10 baseball songs (that aren't John Fogerty's)
