Silversun Pickups Tour with Wolfmother

I think it's pretty safe to say that Silversun Pickups are my favorite new band. The LA shoegazers have just announced more dates on their tour for the new CD Carnavas. Opening the shows will be Portland band Viva Voce. They are also going to do a stint as opening act for retro rockers Wolfmother. Nice.

September 29 - Visalia, Calif. @ Howie and Sons
September 30 - Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Echo
October 1 - Phoenix, Ariz. @ Modified
October 3 - Austin, Texas @ Emo's
October 4 - Norman, Okla. @ Opolis
October 5 - Springfield, Miss. @ Randy Bacon Gallery
October 7 - Urbana, Ill. @ Courtyard Cafe
October 8 - Newport, Ky. @ Southgate House
October 10 - Arlington, Va. @ Iota Club and Cafe
October 11 - New York, N.Y. @ Mercury Lounge
October 12 - New York, N.Y. @ Mercury Lounge
October 13 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ Johnny Brenda's
October 15 - Cambridge, Mass. @ Middle East Upstairs
October 16 - Rochester, N.Y. @ The Bug Jar
October 17 - Toronto, Ont. @ Lee's Palace
October 18 - Akron, Ohio @ The Lime Spider
October 20 - Chicago, Ill. @ Empty Bottle
October 21 - Ames, Iowa @ Maintenance Shop
October 24 - Denver, Colo. @ Hi Dive
October 26 - Boise, Idaho @ Neurolux
October 28 - Portland, Ore. @ Doug Fir Lounge
November 2 - New York, N.Y. @ Piano's (CMJ/Dangerbird Records Showcase)

SILVERSUN PICKUPS ON TOUR WITH WOLFMOTHER:
November 21 - Philadelphia, Pa. @ Electric Factory
November 22 - New York, N.Y. @ Hammerstein Ballroom
November 24 - Detroit, Mich. @ Majestic Theatre
November 25 - Chicago, Ill. @ Riviera Theatre
November 26 - St. Louis, Mo. @ Mississippi Nights
November 28 - Houston, Texas @ Meridian Theatre
November 29 - Dallas, Texas @ Gypsy Ballroom
December 2 - Portland, Ore. @ Roseland Ballroom
December 3 - Seattle, Wash. @ Moore Theatre
December 4 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore
December 7 - Las Vegas, Nev. @ The Joint

Tag: Silversun Pickups

Awesome

That's all I can say.

The Life and Times TONIGHT! at O'Leavers

Kansas City shoegazers The Life and Times are playing in Omaha TONIGHT at O'Leavers (50th & Saddle Creek). The Life and Times features Alan Epley who used to be a member of Shiner. Tickets are $5 at the door.

The Life and Times video for "My Last Hostage"
Tag: Life and Times

Fiona Apple Delivers The Goods on EC's "I Want You"

I don't think I was prepared for how cool this would be. The video is from VH1's Decades Rock Live concert featuring Elvis Costello. I have had the show saved on my DVR for a while, but didn't watch it until this morning. The show stars Elvis, obviously, but in it he is joined by "current" artists Death Cab For Cutie, Fiona Apple, and Green Day. This clip is of Fiona Apple doing Costello's "I Want You" along with Elvis and his band. It is an inspired performance. The song is from my favorite Elvis album, Love and Chocolate, and it is one of the darkest, saddest songs I have ever heard. Most of the time when I listen to the album, I end up skipping the song because it can really take me to a bad place emotionally.

Fiona Apple has written a few songs that are nearly that dark, and she was an excellent choice to perform it. Elvis also performs Fiona's song "I Know" and the two perform her song "Tymps" and his song "Shabby Doll" (great choice, guys!!).

Watch and enjoy.

Tag: Elvis Costello

Did Ladyfinger Damage My Brain?

I just walked in the door after seeing the Ladyfinger(ne) show tonight at Sokol Underground. Great show. Totally packed. I'd guess 300-350 people. Very hot, very sweaty, and very LOUD. My ears are totally ringing.

I think the ringing in my ears caused some of kind of memory lapse or something. Before the show I was talking to one of the guys in the band and he said he would get me a copy of the CD for my show. After the show was over, I approached him and asked about the CD. Apparently, the promos were in the van. He asked if I could wait a little bit until they load out. "Sure," I said. Then about 5 minutes later, I got a phone call and took off. I totally forgot to get that CD. FUCK ME! And they are leaving on tour tomorrow.

It's either the sore ear drums or all that pot I smoke. One or the other.

Kool Keith "Plastic World"

Some more YouTube fun. This time it is with one of my all-time favorite rappers, Kool Keith. Is the world made of plastic? Cause that's the way it seems...



Tag: Kool Keith

A Post Before Bedtime

Just got back from the Nada Surf show. Fucking awesome. They decided to do their set chronologically. They opened with a cover of The Who's "Substitute" and then went right into "Popular." I have seen Nada Surf a number of times and they have never played that song. I had heard that they sort of hate it because to "mainstream" music fans, it is their only song, and they get annoyed when people yell for it. But, now they are playing it right at the beginning of the show.

The setlist was pulled pretty evenly from all four of the band's albums. I bought a CD from the band called North 6th Street. It is a collection of demos and outtakes from the first two albums. Apparently, it is a "tour only" disc. Sounded pretty good on the drive home.

I missed the first band, The Plus Ones, but I caught the entire set from White Whale. Wasn't impressed. So far, both bands I've seen featuring former members of Get-Up Kids were pretty mediocre.

I have to work early tomorrow, so I will now say goodnight.

Benefit Concert For Rogue Wave Drummer

Pat Spurgeon, drummer for Rogue Wave, and an integral part at one time or another of many, many other great indie bands is in desperate need of a kidney transplant. Please donate at www.roguewavemusic.com and read below...

SPECIAL BENEFIT - PLEASE READ

On September 30th 2006, San Francisco band Rogue Wave will host a benefit concert to raise money for their drummer Pat Spurgeon, who is in desperate need of a kidney transplant.

The benefit concert will feature performances by Rogue Wave, Ben Gibbard (Death Cab for Cutie,) Matthew Caws (Nada Surf,) Ryan Miller (Guster,) John Vanderslice, and other special guests. Daniel Handler (AKA Lemony Snickett) will MC the event.

Pat was born with one kidney and it failed. He had his first transplant in 1993, which served him well until now. After 13 years, it has started to deteriorate. He has been on dialysis since April and is hoping desperately to find a donor. Some of their friends have gotten tested to see if they are a match, but Pat has yet to hear good news. Provided he finds a donor, there will be an enormous amount of costs that both Pat and his donor will incur.

In a logical world, medical insurance would cover his donor's and his expenses after the procedure, but it does not; so he and his family must carry the financial burden. The expenses can be huge. We are trying to raise money for costs like: donor's travel, care, bills, lost work wages, etc., as well as Pat's expenses, care, bills, etc. while he is in recovery.

Tag: Rogue Wave

Yo La Tengo "Tom Courtenay"

It's becoming super trendy for websites and blogs to have a "YouTube of the Day" thing, but there is so much great stuff on that site that I may just have to follow that trend.

This is a video from Yo La Tengo for their song "Tom Courtenay" which came out in 1995. I had never seen this video before. It's not as though MTV would have ever played it.

Yo La Tengo in Omaha October 8 at Sokol Underground. FYI.

Tag: Yo La Tengo

Dark Stuff's Show Schedule For the Week

Champaign, Illinois band Headlights is playing at O'Leavers (50th & Saddle Creek) tonight. I'm not really sure how to describe this band. I like them, though, and I guess that's what ultimately counts. They are a kinda mellow, dreamy indie pop band with a female voice. The band is offering its song "TV" as a free download here. The show tonight will cost no more than $5 or $7, so it is quite a deal. Decibully (from Milwaukee) is also on the bill.

Nada Surf is playing tomorrow (Thursday) night at Sokol Underground. If you haven't heard about it, I am not surprised. According to the show's promoters, ticket sales have been slow. That's too bad, because Nada Surf is an excellent band, and its newest CD The Weight Is a Gift is solid throughout. They were here last March, so maybe that explains the sluggish ticket sales. If you haven't heard anything from the new album, the band's label, Barsuk, has a few songs available to listen to.
I have been championing Omaha band Ladyfinger(ne) (the 'ne' is a new addition) for the last two years. They are among the best live bands in town, but nothing the band has recorded has matched up. Their four song demo was decent, but the murky production made it hard to fully appreciate. Finally, the band is releasing its first full-length CD Heavy Hands this Friday night at Sokol Underground. Ladyfinger(ne) is now signed to Saddle Creek Records, and was given enough money to record properly. Three of the four songs from the demo have been re-recorded, and the rest of the record is filled out with new songs. Saddle Creek is offering a free download of the song "Smuggler" here. Following Friday night's show, the band will be crossing the country as the opening act for Cursive. Tour dates can be found at Ladyfinger's MySpace page.

Further Proof That The Corporate Music Industry Just Doesn't Get It

(FMQB)Universal Music Group appears to be ready to take on two of the most popular Web sites around: YouTube and MySpace. UMG CEO Doug Morris spoke out against them both in a speech to Merrill Lynch investors, calling them "copyright infringers" for allowing the free streaming of its artists' music videos.

"The poster child for (user-generated media) sites are MySpace and YouTube," Morris said, according to Reuters. "We believe these new businesses are copyright infringers and owe us tens of millions of dollars." Morris added, "How we deal with these companies will be revealed shortly."

It would appear that the largest record label is planning on taking legal action against the two sites. Reuters reports that UMG has been negotiating with YouTube to allow its artists' content on their pages for a fee, as have the other major labels.

However, some experts believe that Morris' comments were merely a negotiation tactic on behalf of UMG. "This is probably a negotiating ploy," Mike McGuire, an entertainment analyst with research firm Gartner, told the Los Angeles Times. "Nobody really wants MySpace or YouTube to disappear. The music industry needs them too badly. They're just figuring out how to get paid."

Morris also noted that for years labels offered its videos to the networks without charging anything. The CEO said that MTV "built a multibillion-dollar company on our [music]...for virtually nothing. We learned a hard lesson." UMG was the first major label to charge sites such as AOL Music to stream its artists' videos.
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Let me see if I understand this guy's thinking. So places like MTV, YouTube, and MySpace are supposed to pay for the streaming content that millions view for free? Doesn't the free publicity, higher profile for artists, and increased record sales make up for the fact you gave them the promotional materials for free? Why not charge record critics for their copies of CDs? I mean, they write about the band and post a photo in their magazines and newspapers without paying Universal a fee. Isn't there some way the record industry could make money from that, too? They are pathetic.

Tag: Music Industry

Some Really Good New Music

Birdmonster - This San Francisco band's debut album No Midnight (buy it) has just been released by the generally reliable label SpinART. The band has been getting comparisons to XTC, The Clash and The Jam. I think it's safe to say that the band has heard some Replacements or Soul Asylum in their lifetime as well. Decent stuff. There is a free download of the band's song, "Cause You Can," along with a small article here.
I am so completly shocked to be saying this, but the new New York Dolls album, One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This (buy it), is actually really good. After being gone more than 30 years, and with three out of the five original members being dead, I was uncertain how this could really be a good thing that the band was "back together." Guitarist Johnny Thunders was such an integral part of the band's sound and attitude, that it almost seems impossible to have The Dolls without him. But since he's been dead for 15 years, that is the only way they can be at this point.

The album is full of dirty, Stonesy rockers, and the songs' lyrics are loaded with lead singer David Johansen's cynicism and bizarre wit. He's not the same guy now that he was in 1973, and he's not claiming otherwise. There are no free downloads, but there are lots of cool vintage video clips of the original New York Dolls at the band's website.
The last pick for today is from Los Angeles' Silversun Pickups. The band's new album Carnavas (buy it) should be picked up by anyone who thinks a cross between Smashing Pumpkins and My Bloody Valentine sounds like a cool band. The more appropriate comparison is Autolux rather than MBV(due to the band's atmospheric vocals), but if you like one, you probably like the other, too. Rather than simply meander in and out of the sheets of feedback and noise, Silversun Pickups rock out like the Smashing Pumpkins when they were great (think Gish). I've only been listening to the record for a few days, but I am loving it so far. The first single, "Well Thought Out Twinkles," is stellar. The song can be streamed at their website or on their MySpace.

Tag: New Music

Yes. It's More KISS news

Couple of quick KISS-related announcements to give you. First off, Paul and his wife Erin had a new baby boy on September 6. They have named him Colin Michael Stanley.

Secondly, Paul has announced that his Live To Win solo tour will begin on October 21 in Atlanta. Here are the dates that have been announced so far:

10/21 Atlanta, GA - TABERNACLE
10/23 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - REVOLUTION
10/24 Orlando, FL - HARD ROCK LIVE
10/26 Baltimore, MD - RAMS HEAD
10/27 Atlantic City, NJ - HOUSEOF BLUES
10/28 New York, NY - IRVING PLAZA
11/1 Pittsburgh, PA - PALACE THEATRE
11/3 Milwaukee, WI - RAVE
11/5 Detroit, MI - EMERALD THEATRE
11/6 Chicago, IL - HOUSE OF BLUES
11/7 Minneapolis, MN - QWEST
11/10 Seattle, WA - SHOWBOX
11/11 Portland, OR - ALADDIN
11/13 San Francisco, CA - FILMORE
11/14 Los Angeles, CA - HOUSE OF BLUES

Tag: Paul Stanley

My Power Metal Saturday Night

I saw the most bizarre show Saturday night, and I'm still not sure what to make of it. A friend convinced me to go and see Thor the other night. I confess that I had never heard of Thor, and I only got half of the backstory when hearing about them. I thought Thor was some guy from Omaha that used to play in some early 80s goofball, power metal band; that he was a big, muscle guy that bends metal on stage, and that he made a few Conan the Barbarian-type movies. Well, he is not from Omaha, I found out that much.

THOR in their early 80s heydey

Thor (the band) had a few records out in the late 70s and early 80s, and were pioneers (they claim) of the genre of "power metal". The band is really into bodybuilding and all of its album artwork features totally huge, totally ripped guys destroying shit. I thought Manowar invented this shit, but Thor says they were first. Thor is a largely forgotten band except for a few very strange collectors.

John Mikal Thor, the singer, parlayed his heavy metal fame into a B-movie career. At the show on Saturday, he played his signature film, Rock N Roll Nightmare. The movie is as bad as you could imagine. The story has something to do with Thor and band being sent to some remote farmhouse to record an album. Turns out, the house is actually the home of Satan or something like that. It was hard to follow. Thor, obviously, saves the day at the end of the movie.

Nowadays, Mr. Thor looks a bit different than he did in his bodybuilding glory days (who doesn't though, right). His band featured a couple of guys from Omaha, which is probably why I thought he was from here. He still puts on the whole power metal spectacle, complete with metallic masks, lots of leather, and assorted Middle Ages style weaponry. The band's best known songs (based on the crowd reaction when Thor announced the titles) were "Let The Blood Run Red" "Warhammer" and "Only the Strong." Man, I liked some dumb metal when I was a kid, but I never liked stuff this corny. The full story of Thor can be read here.

The 50-60 people in the audience seemed to enjoy it. I'm not sure if they thought they were in on some joke, but most of them didn't seem like the Thor-listening type. Guess you can't judge a book by its cover.

In between Thor's movie and his live concert was opening act Zolar X. Apparently, these guys had some buzz in Hollywood in the late 70s. They claimed they were from outer space, and supposedly wore their stage costumes 24-7. At some point in the late 70s a teenage Jello Biafra saw the band in concert and it made a strong impression on him. His label, Alternative Tentacles, released the only compilation of songs from the band. The band wasn't bad. They played with a surf-punk style, but seeing a bunch of 50-something guys wearing tights, outer-space make-up, and alien wigs made them hard to take seriously.

The whole show was pretty goofy and, at times, difficult to watch. Honestly, I wasn't sure if the bands were trying to be corny and were "in on the joke," or if the crowd was there to have a little fun at some aging power metalhead's expense. Either way, it was very different Saturday night.
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Another take on the Thor in Omaha experience can be found here.

Tag: Thor

New Juliana Hatfield Downloads Are On the "Honor System"

Somehow I completely forgot to mention in my last posting about Juliana Hatfield that she frequently posts demos and unreleased songs on her website. Technically, they can be downloaded for free. However, Juliana would like you to pay for the songs. The downloads are on the "honor system," as she explains:

The concept is this: There's a furor raging over the legal and ethical reality of music downloading and sharing. On the one hand there are huge multinational corporations suing children and grandparents for copying digital files that let them listen to songs so ubiquitous as "Paranoid" and "Happy Birthday."

On the other side of the line drawn in the silica is most of the rest of the world whose sense of entitlement makes them think the work of artists belongs, somehow, inalienably, to the people. Copy and share, copy and share. This part of the world somehow believes that acquiring the product of artists' labor is obviously helping the artists, just by listening.

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. At their most honest, the file-sharers admit that the artists' livelihood is really not their issue and the downloading proceeds apace.

Both of these positions seem to exist in a lawless world in which everyone asserts some privilege to disregard the needs of others. So here we are, at the intersection of greed and sloth; but on this little corner, in this little place, the honor system will hold sway. Here's how it works:

When a song is downloaded, you will have an option. You can decide that ownership of this song is your right and freely distribute the files to your friends and to the people who also think it's their right, without payment.

Or, you can support the artist who wrote and recorded this song and click the PayPal button at the top of the page and send Juliana a contribution. The iTunes standard of $.99 per song may seem too high for you, in which case you can send $.50 - though there is virtually nothing else you can buy legally for $.50. Alternatively, you can think of the number of people with whom you might share these files and give a multiple of $.99 for each song you download.

If you don't have a means by which you can use PayPal or if you're opposed to the burgeoning online drain of your credit, feel free to send a dollar in the mail to Juliana at Ye Olde Records, P.O. Box 398110, Cambridge MA 02139.

There might come a day when the honor system is a strong enough code to let people like Juliana offer her songs on the web without the force of law or the sting of theft. In fact, today might be that day. Enjoy the songs. Support talent wherever you find it.
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She has posted stuff as recently as last week. Here is her latest entry:

8/29/06

Hi. I am putting up some more new/old recordings, for your listening pleasure. First, I just want to say thank you again to all who have contributed and continue to contribute to this ongoing downloading project. You are helping to finance my future musical projects.

A few notes on these newest postings:

"The First Shiver" is me on guitar and piano and shakers and dog noises. My brother recorded me in his home studio.

"Sick of the City" is a demo that features Josh Lattanzi on bass and Steve Scully on drums. The same line-up played on this electrified version of "Hole in the Sky." These songs were in contention for inclusion in the In Exile Deo sessions, but obviously neither made the cut.

Sorry for the murkiness of "Sick…" It was dubbed onto a cassette tape which had, once I dug it up out of a box, acquired a lot of grime and dust.

I included this very raw, mostly lyrics-less four-track (cassette) performance of "Don’t Walk Away" because, well, I just like it. You can hear more of the pretty harmonics/harmony here, as opposed to the more gussied-up Gold Stars version.

"Good Thing Going" and "The Prettiest Girl" and "First Love Never Dies" were Some Girls demos that Freda and I made before Heidi was in the picture. Some guy played bass (I think it was Josh -- please forgive me for having such a terrible memory). I like this version of "Prettiest..." because to me it sounds and feels a bit more poignant and sad than the spunkier Feel It version. "First Love..." was co-written with Duquette Johnston.

-Juliana
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The downloads are located here.

On a related note, I just taped a "History Lesson" segment for my radio show on Juliana Hatfield. It will air next week. Not sure exactly what day, but the segment airs every day at 12:30 on 89.7 The River (Omaha/Council Bluffs).

Tag: Juliana Hatfield

Radio News

For those not in Omaha, this post won't mean a whole lot to you. As you should know, I do a two-hour new music show called New Day Rising on 89.7 The River. The show airs Sunday night at 11 pm. Last week's playlist is here.

That is not the reason why I am posting today. The actual reason is that a segment on my show, the "History Lesson," is now a daily feature on the station. The segment will be airing during the noon hour ("The Nooner"), and it starts today. My inaugural "lesson" is The Replacements.

The whole idea of this is to promote the show and get new listeners to tune in on Sundays. We'll see how it goes...