Mini Kiss Live Plus New Albums from Cheap Trick, Neko Case, The Beths, Guided By Voices & SNOWMEN (VIDEO)

This week, I am reviewing a concert from the hottest, littlest band in the world, Mini Kiss! in addition to seeing this unique tribute band, I also run through some of the best new release pick ups from the last month or so.

I am discussing the new albums from: SNOWMEN, the NYC band has just released it debut full-length, A Kick to the Face. It can be found on the streamers, or at the band's bandcamp page.

GUIDED BY VOICES has just released its 43rd album, Thick, Rich and Delicious. Another solid batch of indie pop from Robert Pollard and band.

I touch briefly on the new album from NEKO CASE, Neon Grey Midnight Green.

New Zealand indie rockers, THE BETHS, are back with a stellar new record called, Straight Line Was A Lie.

Finally, I cover the newest record from CHEAP TRICK, All Washed Up.

Guided By Voices June 3 @ Waiting Room, Omaha

Guided By Voices' 50 song set list

Saw Guided By Voices last week for what was probably my 20th time. Not much to say that hasn't already been said. This show was held at the Waiting Room in Omaha, which is probably the smallest venue where I have seen GBV. I was excited as hell.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature was not feeling too cooperative. All day long the weather reports were warning of severe thunderstorms, flash flooding, and a possible tornado. I thought to myself, fine...I hope the club has an escape plan if the weather gets bad, but I am NOT missing this show.

Turns out, the storm was not as bad as predicted. There was flooding around the city, and the storms were pretty severe, but no tornado. The possibility of a bad storm did keep a lot of people home that night, however. It was estimated that nearly 30% of all ticket holders didn't even show up at the concert! While it sucks for those folks, it was pretty decent for me. I had no issues getting right up to the front of the stage.

Including encores, the band had a 50 song set list, and they hit 49 of the 50 songs (I heard Bob say to skip a song). The band was in fine form and great spirits. The new drummer was great, and the set list pulled from nearly all parts of the band's lengthy career: from the newest album, Cool Planet, all the way back to Propeller. I don't think anything earlier than that was played. Don't quote me on that, though.

Enjoy my crappy iphone pictures of the show!

Guided By Voices On Letterman

Indie legends Guided By Voices appeared on Letterman last night. This performance is notable for many things, but probably most notable for bass player Greg Demos falling on his ass during the song.

Guided By Voices Cancels European Dates - Break Up Rumors Abound

Guided By Voices just made a big announcement on its Facebook page that could signal the end of the band (the band which reunited in 2010-11 and has just completed a new album). I know they say they are not breaking up, but what "personal reasons" would keep them from appearing other than a break-up?

"Unfortunately Guided By Voices are canceling their appearances at Primavera and ATP/I'll Be Your Mirror, due to personal reasons. The band apologizes for any inconvenience and disappointment, and thanks Primavera, ATP and the fans for their longterm support.

Guided by Voices have not split up and continue to work on new material together. In addition to the album release of Let's Go Eat the Factory for January, the band are at work on another album, Class Clown Spots A UFO, which will be released in May. Robert Pollard will also be releasing a solo album, Mouseman Cloud in March."

My (Better Late Than Never) Wrap-Up of MAHA 2011

The mid day crowd at MAHA 2011 during Rev. Horton Heat

This year's annual MAHA Music Festival is history, so I figured I should get my two cents in on the event before it becomes ancient history, and talk turns to MAHA 2012. This year's festival was great, despite the mixed bag of a line-up, and the strange use of the "local" stage. I will explain what I mean later on.

The weather was beautiful for the festival, and I really could not have asked for more. Well, actually, I could have, but it is doubtful I would have gotten anything different. Stinson Park at Aksarben Village was a great spot for the show. It was my first time to the area, and I liked it. The only drawback is that the park is so new that all of the trees are infants. There was literally no shade in the entire park. In 20 years, this won't be an issue, but in the meantime, bring sunscreen! Because the entire area is covered in grass, it is a better spot for sitting and watching the show than Lewis & Clark Landing where previous festivals were held (before the flooding).

As I said before, the line-up was a mixed bag. I really don't like Matisyahu, and his inclusion on the bill changed the nature of the festival slightly. He definitely put some butts in the seats, as it were, but I doubt his fans were all that into folks like J. Mascis and Guided By Voices.

There was a decent representation of local/regional talent at MAHA this year; but once again, the main stage spot given to a newer local/regional band is the worst time slot of the entire day. For example, Des Moines indie rockers, The Envy Corps, was given a main stage spot (like It's True had been the year before). They went on first with almost no one in attendance. Because the local stage was located just to the left of the main stage, and nothing runs concurrently, locals who played later in the day on the smaller stage, had a much better crowd. If given the choice between the main stage at 1 pm or the local stage at 5pm, the local stage is clearly the better deal. I wish there was some way to fix that and to make an early main stage spot better, but I'm not sure how they could avoid this issue next year, too.

J. Mascis gave an impressive performance despite sitting the whole time

So, I missed The Envy Corps, and any locals who played before the second main stage act, Reverend Horton Heat, took the stage. I've never been a big fan of the Rev, so I hung back and scouted out the park while he played. Local band So-So Sailors played next on the side stage. SSS is the new band featuring Ladyfinger (ne) lead singer, Chris Machmuller. He really gets a chance to show his musical diversity and his vocal range in this band. They were good, and I will definitely be seeing them again.

Indie rock legend J Mascis was up next on the main stage. No one seemed to know, for sure, whether the Dinosaur Jr. frontman was doing a "solo acoustic" or "solo electric" set. Turns out, it was a bit of both. J played sitting down with a music stand in front of him, and strumming an acoustic guitar. However, the acoustic guitar was plugged in with an electric rig which gave him the ability to switch between a more traditional acoustic sound, and one with distortion and effects. Mascis switched back and forth effortlessly. On many songs, he would start off acoustically, and with the help of some sort of digital delay, would loop his rhythm part, turn on the distortion, and rip an electric solo. It was just like having two guitar players up there.

Mascis's set consisted of cuts from his newest solo record, Several Shades of Why, and many Dinosaur Jr. classics. "Get Me" was a highlight, as was his cover of "Friends" by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians. Despite my contention that artists should never sit down during a concert, I still really enjoyed J's set.

GBV's "classic" line-up: Tobin, Bob, Mitch, and Greg

After Mascis and another local on the side stage came Cursive. Living in Omaha, I am able to see Cursive more frequently than most. This show was special in that original drummer, Clint Schnase, returned just for this event. Still, I must admit that I hung back in the concession area and talked to friends during their set. It sounded great (and loud), but visually, I saw nothing.

After a truly awful local jam band called Somasphere (I literally could not tell when one song ended and the next began), Guided By Voices was next up on the main stage. Though GBV was technically the headliner of the festival, they played before Matisyahu due to his unwillingness to play before sundown (in keeping with his religious beliefs). A decent sized core of obsessive GBV fans (myself included) lined up in front of the stage, anxiously awaiting the start of what was said to be the band's third-to-last ever performance.

Robert Pollard and Mitch Mitchell rock out!

GBV hit the stage around 8:15 or so, and the crowd went nuts when they walked out. For an older guy who used to be a 4th grade teacher, Robert Pollard has a serious swagger! The band ripped through hit after hit from their "classic" period (92-97), and rarely slowed down to take a breath. Pollard was a little light on the banter, but he did take time to mention how much he liked Omaha, and to welcome Nebraska into the Big Ten.

The sun went down as Pollard and Co. finished their set

Guided By Voices played until the sun went down and had the crowd eating up every note. As the set went on, Pollard kept up his drinking and joked about the "scientist juice" (aka Tequila) he was drinking before the classic, "I Am a Scientist." Ultimately, the band played for a little over an hour. I would have liked more, of course, but there was a city imposed curfew of 11:00, and Matisyahu had yet to perform.

After GBV's set, I quickly ran to the merch table to see if I could get some GBV gear. Sadly, there were nothing bigger than a "large" left, and it has been a little while since I could fit into something that size. Oh, well. I bailed before Matisyahu even began.

I have heard crowd estimates in the 4,000 range which is respectable, but lower than last year. This is likely due to the fact that there wasn't a bigger headliner. As much as I love GBV, they are not popular enough to headline an entire festival. Last year had Spoon. This year, indie oriented headliners like The Decemberists, Bright Eyes, The Strokes, Vampire Weekend, etc. were either already booked or had been in the area recently. Hopefully, next year the organizers will snag a headliner early. And hopefully, there will be a next year. Until then...

My Matador at 21 Wrap-Up

I've been back from my weekend excursion to Las Vegas for the Matador at 21 festival since Monday, but have been under the weather, so I haven't been able to report until now. The whole thing was excellent, by the way. I should also note that I took my own pictures of the shows, but my camera sucks, and none of the shots I took are usable. So I am "borrowing" pictures taken by others for this here report. Sorry. So let's run through the artists I saw with some brief reviews of their sets.

Friday, October 1

Guitar Wolf - The Japanese garage rockers opened the festival. I had heard that GW had some flight delays and would not make it in time for their set, but it turns out they got there in time for an abbreviated show. I was never a fan, and this set did not change anything in that regard.

Chavez - Next up was New York City math rockers Chavez, who are one of my fave bands of the 90s. I was only able to see these guys one time before, so I was anxious to see them again. The set was stellar, and the guys (many of whom no longer play music full-time) seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. Their set was one of the highlights of the weekend.

Fucked Up - I have to say that this Canadian hardcore band does nothing for me. They certainly put on a lively show, but the music is not my cup of tea. I went to the merch booth during their set.

Sonic Youth - As anyone who listens to my radio show knows, Sonic Youth is one of my favorite bands ever. They are new to the Matador Records roster, but certainly not new to fans of indie and punk music. SY was absolutely stellar, and their set was filled to the brim with vintage Youth cuts. Unless I missed one, nothing in the band's set was newer than 1994 ("Bull in the Heather"). No problem for me, but I was surprised they didn't play anything from their one Matador record, The Eternal. Oh well. I loved it just the same.

Pavement - This was set to be a big one for me. I didn't go to any of the band's reunion shows earlier in the year, so this was going to be the only time I got to see them before the reunion ended and the guys went back to their solo careers. Unfortunately, the band did not really deliver the goods this time around. The set was sloppy as hell, and it seemed more like the guys were simply playing their parts as opposed to genuinely playing together. It also appeared to me that Stephen Malkmus and Scott "Spiral Stairs" Kannberg were fighting or something, and Malkmus played with his back toward Scott. Spiral Stairs apologized a number of times for how badly they were playing, yet it didn't exactly get better. The song selection was great, but the performances were not. I chalk this up as a major disappointment.

Saturday, October 2

Come - I only caught the tail end of this band's set, but what I saw was quite good. Lead singer Thalia Zadek sounded great, and guitarist Chris Brokaw played spectacularly. I kinda wish I had seen the whole thing.

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - I really used to love this band in the early to mid 90s, and saw them perform maybe half a dozen times in their heyday. But it had been a while since I'd listened to JSBX, and I wondered if I'd still like them. Turns out, I do. While the JSBX set was plagued by sound and video problems (for some reason the projection screens were off during their set), they were still just as wild and energetic as they were 15 years ago. 

Perfume Genius - This is one of Matador's newest acts, and I have to admit that I never listened to their record when I got it. I actually left during the set and missed most of it. From what I heard from others, they were quite good - even a highlight of the festival. Their placement after JSBX seemed odd, though.

Cat Power - Chan Marshall aka Cat Power is an amazing talent, but has a history of spotty live performances. For this set, however, she was in fine form. She even looked like she was having fun. She opened with a cover of The Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction," and then ran through many of her best songs from the last few years. Her 1990s material was largely ignored. Fanboy note: I got to touch Chan! Not in a pervy way, mind you, but once when I was headed to the bathroom, I had to tap her on the shoulder and ask her to move. It meant something to me, even though she barely noticed.

Superchunk - Absolutely one of the best sets of the weekend!! The Chapel Hill boys (and girl) seriously brought it for this show, and got the crowd moving like they hadn't been all weekend. Before the show, I wondered if Superchunk would just play songs from their "Matador period" (i.e. the first three albums), thus making it a very unique set. It started out that way, but the band did play some cuts from their excellent new album, Majesty Shredding. This was the second time I have seen the band this year after a 15 year gap since my last 'Chunk show. I found myself utterly amazed at just how good this band is. Another stellar performance.

Spoon - Next up was Spoon, who also haven't been with Matador for a very long time. In recognition of their "Matador period" (which was only one album and an EP), Spoon opened with a cut from their debut, and proceeded to play a set that touched nearly all of their albums. I was especially excited to hear "Car Radio" from the band's most unappreciated record, A Series of Sneaks. They also covered the late Jay Reatard which was very cool. I bailed before the final act of the night, Belle & Sebastian, played as I can't really stand those guys. I did hear they were good, however.

Sunday, October 3

The New Pornographers - I skipped out on the first two bands of the night (Shearwater and Ted Leo & The Pharmacists), but got there in plenty of time for TNP. I've been a fan of the band for going on a decade, but have never been able to see them perform. I've seen singer Neko Case a number of times as a solo artist, but have never seen the collective play together. They opened with one my favorites, "The Slow Decent into Alcoholism," and played an enjoyable 50 minute set touching on most of their albums. Frontman A.C. Newman has a pretty good sense of humor, and had some good stage banter. I like stage banter.

Liz Phair - Like most of the folks in attendance at this festival, I was a huge Liz Phair fan when she first emerged on the scene with Exile in Guyville. Her next two albums - Whip-Smart and Whitechocolatespaceegg - were also great, but then she ventured into some strange areas with the rest of her music. I had sort of given up on Liz and wondered if she'd ever return to her past greatness. I'm not sure her newest release, Funstyle, will mark that return; but her set for Matador at 21 was a fantastic move in the right direction. She came on stage accompanied by another guitar player, and the duo ran through a quick 20 minute set that featured songs from the first two albums. Liz looked amazing after all these years, and performed with a confidence she did not have in her early days. While the shortness of the set prevented it from being a true highlight for me, many in the crowd considered her show to be the best of the weekend. It was also quite cool to see Ted Leo join Ms. Phair for her classic, "Fuck and Run."

Yo La Tengo - YLT has two types of sets - very quiet or very loud. The set on this evening was on the quiet side. I much prefer to see the band wailing away, as Ira Kaplan is one of my favorite guitar players, and one who knows how to use feedback the right way. The band was having a great time and was joined by a member of New Zealand's The Clean for a bit. By the time YLT came on stage, the show was already running an hour late. I think my patience was running a little thin at that point, and I had a hard time focusing on the band. Ultimately, this was my least favorite YLT set. But even a bad Yo La Tengo set is still better than most band's A-game.

Guided By Voices - After the disappointment of the Pavement reunion show, I was really hoping that the return of GBV would not have the same result. It didn't. GBV was abso-fucking-lutely amazing. Bob Pollard was in amazing spirits and in amazing form. The rest of the band - especially guitarist Mitch Mitchell - seemed so excited to be back on stage that their enthusiasm became contagious. The crowd was wilder than at any point in the festival. I noticed a number of the other artists from the festival really getting into the GBV set, as well - especially Chavez's Matt Sweeney (a one time touring member of GBV) who ended up jumping on stage and singing along. The band performed nearly all of their early classics, and ended up doing two encores. It was a helluva way to close out the festival. Here is a fan filmed video of my favorite song from the set, "Lethargy":

I had an awesome time over the weekend, and really enjoyed seeing some bands that I had not seen in years or even decades. It was, as Liz Phair put it, like a college reunion. This was largely the music of my college days, and as I approach 40, I am realizing that I may never enjoy music the same way I did back then. It was great getting to see so many of my favorites in one place. I highly doubt that any other label could pull off a festival with this many groups I like. Kudos to Matador for a job well done.

On The Internets 06.30.2010

• The confirmation hearings for Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan are going into some very bizarre territory. In their opening statements, most Republicans on the Judiciary Committee spent their time savaging former Justice Thurgood Marshall. Marshall is an American icon, and was the first African-American to serve on the Supreme Court. He was also the lawyer who argued the Brown v Board of Education case in front of the Supreme Court. The most savage attacks came from Sen Jeff Sessions (R-AL) who, in the past, has shown sympathy and support for segregation. In fact, Sessions' racism is what kept him from getting a federal judgeship in the 1980s. "During the 1986 confirmation process, Sessions was accused of unfairly targeting black civil rights workers for election fraud charges as a federal prosecutor. A black lawyer under Sessions in the U.S. attorney's office accused him of saying he thought the Ku Klux Klan was "OK" until he found out some of its members were 'pot smokers.' Not sure Sessions is wise to attack an icon such as Marshall, and it is definitely a bad move for the Republican Party.

• Another odd line of attack from the GOP was its criticism of Kagan for not supporting a mandatory military draft. What is so strange about it is that conservative icon Ronald Reagan felt the same way as Kagan. Quoting the former president, "Conscription rests on the assumption that your kids belong to the state. If we buy that assumption then it is for the state — not for parents, the community, the religious institutions or teachers — to decide who shall have what values and who shall do what work, when, where and how in our society. That assumption isn't a new one. The Nazis thought it was a great idea." So, the GOP is attacking Kagan for agreeing with Ronald Reagan on something he equated to Nazism. Hmmm, does that make the current GOP pro-Nazi?
  

• Vice President Biden said on Monday that he knows that many reluctant Republicans have been forced to vote "no" on everything and filibuster nearly all bills to placate the GOP leadership. He says that Republican Senators are being threatened by leadership with losing their committee posts if they don't tow the party line. "I know at least 7 [GOP] senators, who I will not name, but were made to make a commitment under threat of losing their chairmanships, if they did not support the leadership on every procedural vote." I would like to know those names, Mr. Vice President. Shouldn't this be public information? Why is this administration so reflexively deferential to the other side of the aisle? What exactly have you gotten in return? Mr. Biden, you are no longer a Senator. Stop acting like these guys are your friends.
  

• The DailyKos website, which is essential reading for liberals, is suing the polling company Research 2000 alleging the company fabricated or manipulated polling data that DailyKos commissioned from the firm. Research 2000 is a respected firm which is used by a number of sources across the political spectrum, still Kos says, "We do not know exactly how the weekly R2K results were created, but we are confident they could not accurately describe random polls." Let the lawsuits begin!! Research 2000 is now claiming Markos Moulitsas, founder of DailyKos, will be serving jail time for his claims about the polling company. Not sure how that would work out exactly.

• Here's some government waste that conservatives should get outraged by (the natural state of a conservative). The Pentagon yesterday revealed the official portrait of former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The cost of the paining? $50,000! That is nearly 10x the amount of a standard portrait, and Rumsfeld is already in the gallery from his previous stint as Defense Secretary!

• A doctor in Florida is treating pregnant women with an experimental drug that she says will prevent lesbianism. "Pediatric endocrinologist Maria New—of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Florida International University—isn't just trying to prevent lesbianism by treating pregnant women with an experimental hormone. She's also trying to prevent the births of girls who display an 'abnormal' disinterest in babies, don't want to play with girls' toys or become mothers, and whose 'career preferences' are deemed too 'masculine.'" This is truly scary experimentation and should be condemned by persons of all political persuasions.

• Larry King announced his retirement from his daily CNN show, but not his retirement from broadcasting, last night on Larry King Live. King invited his good friend Bill Maher on the show last night for the announcement. After the retirement news, Maher then gave his hilarious take on current events. Larry King holds the record for the longest running show with the same host, at the same time, on the same network.

• The 2 1/2 year old son of former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham drowned yesterday. He was found floating in the family's backyard hot tub.

• Good news on the indie rock front. Legendary rockers Guided By Voices have announced that the "classic" line-up of the band from the early to mid 90s will be reforming to play the upcoming Matador Records 21st birthday party in Las Vegas. The "party" is actually a three day festival - October 1-3 - and also will feature: Pavement, Sonic Youth, Belle & Sebastian, Spoon, Cat Power, Yo La Tengo, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, the New Pornographers, Girls, Superchunk, Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Guitar Wolf, Fucked Up, Shearwater, Harlem, Cold Cave, Kurt Vile, Jeffrey Joe Jenson, and more. Looks awesome.

• Keith Richards' daughter Alexandra appears nude in French Playboy. The young Ms. Richards is a DJ and model.
  
  

Catch the Spirit of Guided By Voices at Waiting Room Tonight

Tonight at Waiting Room is the Guided By Voices tribute band, King Shit and the Golden Boys. I don't know anything about the band, but seeing as how GBV is one of my all-time favorites, I guess it's worth a trip over there.

The band's name comes from the album of GBV outtakes with that title. It's funny, but about 11 or 12 years ago, I was in Austin, Texas for South By Southwest and I saw a band called King Shit and the Golden Boys. When I heard about the show, I assumed it was a "secret" show by the real Guided By Voices, and that only I had figured it out. When I arrived at the club, I spotted Gerard Cosloy (head of Matador Records, GBV's label at the time) outside, and thought it was a sure thing.

Turns out, it wasn't Guided By Voices. It was Spoon. Don't expect Spoon to show up tonight, but I guess it's not impossible...