Attention, fellow north Alabamians: Drive-By Truckers are playing a hometown show in Muscle Shoals tonight. That's two shows in three nights for us, a true treat from one of my favorite bands. Doors open at 6, the show starts at 7.
"We're determined to change that," vows H.L. Noah, principal of Muscle Shoals High School. "Muscle Shoals is known all over the world for its music, and we're trying to promote and celebrate that in our school system as much as we can. These guys are as good as it gets, and we want the local people to experience one of their shows."
When I lived alone, I would always keep a book or magazine in my bathroom. Unfortunately, my wife finds such literary endeavors unsettling. Her opinion is that the bathroom should be used for showers, makeup, and lavatory excursions and not for reading.
At first I chalked this up to nurture. As a child I can remember toting the sports page or the comics to the bathroom, and I've heard my mother-in-law espouse the same feelings as her daughter. However, I remembered my sister (same parents and social upbringing as myself, of course) chastising my brother-in-law for requesting a bookshelf in their master bath.
Is this a split along sexes? I'm not sure. My wife has relented, she allows me to keep a copy of The Sporting News Hockey Register in our bathroom, along with some seed catalogs and a dog-eared Who's Who In Baseball (I find that books of sports statistics make the best bathroom reading for me, you can start and stop anywhere, and not have to worry about continuity).
Where do you stand on the topic? What do you read (if you do)? By the way, my wife has stood firm with her "no television in the bathroom" rule. I was kidding when I suggested it, but now that I think about it...
Sleater-Kinney finally puts up an official website, complete with music and video downloads, a Q&A section, and photo galleries:
Yes, it took until 2004, meaning we're not exactly pioneers. We were busy doing other things but we are happy to be here now.
Much of why we play music has to do with connectivity. It never felt like the web was a place where that could happen. Yet there is so much time in between tours and shows and records. We need a way to keep in touch (and carrier pigeons and smoke signals are so overdone these days).
SubPop bands (mp3 and video)
Mars Volta (mp3 and RealVideo)
Garbage, assorted live songs (mp3)
Queens Of The Stone Age, 2002-11-06, Stockholm & Tomahawk, 2002-02-23, Stockholm (mp3)
No Through Road (a covers album) (mp3)
The Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot writes an excellent short piece on Bloodshot Records:
"My one piece of advice about starting a label has not changed since the first day I did this," Miller adds. "If you want to get into this to make money, you're an idiot. Do it only if you have absolutely unquenchable passion for the bands that you work with. Then you won't care if the rest of the world doesn't pick it up right away. You'll find a way, you'll build a grassroots network, you'll staple flyers to telephone poles, you'll get out there and build a Web site for your acts."
It's nice to see good guys prosper in a cutthroat business.
Mix CD swaps are a great way to introduce yourself to new music, and give others the benefit of your musical experience. The latest MeFi Swap, open to Metafilter members has open registration until February 21st. Simply burn and mail five copies of your mix and receive five mixes by post.
Are you a graffiti artist in search of the perfect radio? UK graf writer Cept 148 has answered your prayers with the Spradio.
Everything you ever wanted to know about moshing, mosh pits, crowd surfing and stage-diving:
A mosh pit isn’t about violence, it isn’t about getting hurt or hurting other people. It’s about slamming around and having fun without actually breaking bones or skin too much. It may sound wussy to talk about ’safe mosh’, but when Bruno the seven-foot spike-covered three-hundred-pound wannabe smashes you, you’ll think about it. Even if the person you’re planning on smacking around isn’t huge, he or she may have friends.
Insound, many bands (mp3)
Epitonic, many bands (mp3)
Pogues 1986 show (mp3)
Fluxblog and Talkie Walkie (best daily mp3 downloads on the internet)
The poet Jordan Davis has an online piece, "Gold Star For Robot Boy, notes on Guided By Voices' work from 1992 to 1997," including the following:
Mixing and matching, putting what feels good front and center and stopping immediately after it's over, those are the best parts of Guided by Voices songs, and from Propellor through Under the Bushes Under the Stars they're the best parts of the albums too. Hard driving nonsense rock interspersed with abrupt little evasive chamber pieces. Not coincidentally, this is the period during which Pollard most shares the billing with Sprout.
Since I've started my 52 Books, 52 Weeks project, several side effects have emerged. The pile of magazines both in the living room and by the bed are growing. My television viewing has dropped to an all-time low. I'm spending less time in front of the computer and more spread out on the couch with a book in my hand (and a laptop by my side, though, I have to admit). I've also taken to reading more before going to sleep, which has often led to grogginess in the morning when I head to work.
Still, I'm very pleased with the project so far. The books have been well-written and interesting, and I can almost feel my brain rejuvenating.
If you're planning to attend SXSW this year, or just want to experience it vicariously, midwestern online media mogul Robert Duffy has started the Donewaiting 2004 SXSW Music Festival Blog.
Chuck Palahuik reading his short story, "Guts" (mp3) (<-- lotsofco)
Wilco, October 19, 2002, Boston (mp3, registration required)
Modest Mouse - Float On (mp3)
Sophie Zelmani (live from Hultsfredfestivalen 2002) and Isolation Years (live from Hultsfredfestivalen 2003) (mp3)
The Ether Family Presents (mp3)
Summer Hymns (mp3)
Sun City Girls (mp3 and RealAudio)
Mark Lanegan live shows (mp3)
Pearl Jam live and demos (mp3)
Ryan Adams, Liverpool 2004 (mp3)
Melissa Auf Der Maur interviews and live music (mp3 and RealAudio)
Many thanks to Phil Szostak, largehearted boy has a superhero logo. Phil creates the comic Logjam (available at Luna Music), and I've now joined Guided By Voices by being represented in pen and ink by the master.
When I finished As Nature Made Him, The Boy Who Was Raised As A Girl, I was impressed by both the subject of the book and its author. The story of a biological boy raised as a girl (due to circumcision complications) manages to seamlessly integrate the subject's life while explaining the medical community's often selfish misguided motives and subsequent physical and psychological trauma of the subject. John Colapinto dutifully examines sex roles and the effects of the psychological community on the book subject and the intersex community, painting a horrifying picture of the scientific community that valued ego and publishing over its patients' lives and well-being.
Next on my list is Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides, also recommended by Valerie.
What a great idea: a live band of credible musicians plays while you live your dreams and sing your tonsils out. Punk Rock Karaoke is touring the west coast, and I'm waiting anxiously for their southern tour. Made up of members of the Circle Jerks, NOFX, Adolescents and Social Distortion, the band has an impressive songlist for the vocalists to choose from. My only question: why are the Go Go's songs included?
Tons of Tori Amos (mp3)
Allen Ginsberg Interview (mp3)
Ween and more Ween (mp3)
Sigur Ros (mp3)
Stereolab (video)
Ben Gibbard (of Death Cab For Cutie and the Postal Service) has a knack for taking pop covers and breathing genuine life into them. This week's tunes are fine examples:
"Complicated," the April Lavigne hit from a couple of years ago
"Girls Just Want To Have Fun," the Cyndi Lauper anthem
As the year goes by, my new release shopping list gets longer. Here's what interests me today:
Air - Talkie Walkie (Astralwerks)
The Cure - Join the Dots: B-sides and Rarities, 1978-2001 [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED] (Elektra/Asylum)
Elbow - Cast of Thousands (V2)
Get Up Kids - S/T (Vagrant)
Al Green - Absolute Best (Capitol)
Green Day - 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours re-issue (Lookout)
Helmet - Helmet Unsung: The Very Best of Helmet (Interscope/UME)
Notwist - Different Cars and Trains (Domino)
Stereolab - Margerine Eclipse (Elektra/Asylum)
My must-have releases this week: Stereolab, the Cure, and Air. If you like Stereolab, then you will love Margerine Eclipse. I've been waiting a long time for the Cure B-sides collection, that will be worth the trip to the store in itself. Last but not least, Air's Talkie Walkie is the best non-Mountain Goats release I've heard all year, with the added DVD it's a bargain that won't disappoint.
Drummer Jack Woodhall of largehearted fave Bishop Allen has started a tour diary on the band's website:
We started the night with a seriously fulfilling Italian dinner rife with red sauce and power. It put the thunder into the guts of Bishop Allen, and we took that thunder onto the stage of Staccato's and rode it for all it was worth. We had an awesome time and wrapped things up with our new cover, a D.C. special, "Waiting Room," by stoners' nightmare Fugazi.
Several Bishop Allen songs (mp3)
Portishead August, 1998 concert (rename files to .mp3)
Yeah Yeah Yeahs, August 16, 2003 (rename files to .mp3)
Ms John Soda, August 17, 2003 (rename files to .mp3)
Grandaddy, August 17, 2003 (rename files to .mp3)
Billy Corgan has his website up and running, complete with personal messages (some might call it a blog). Look out, Moby, there's competition...
Miss Sugarmama is helping her significant other (Mister Sugarmama, of course) raise money for Kid One Transport, Alabama's only non-profit and privately funded transportation system for children and expectant mothers requiring medical care.
If you'd like to help, visit the Sugarmama plantation and check out the donation options, which include Paypal, a Birmingham Super Bowl party, and a Mardi Gras Ball/Kid One Benefit.
Kid One Transport is a great cause, many thanks to Sugarmama for the helping hand.
Rilokiley.net has two acoustic shows from the Rilo Kiley's Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett available for download in their audio section: the Purchase, New York show from January 21st and Pomona January 9th performance. Preview some of the songs from the band's upcoming release, and enjoy some interesting covers like "Simply Irresistible" and "Rock N Roll Suicide."
Another live show from this acoustic tour, the Rilo Kiley San Francisco January 11th show (registration required) is also available as a BitTorrent download at Sharing The Groove in wonderful lossless format.
In related news, Blake Sennett's side project, The Elected, has launched their official website in anticipation of their February 3rd release, Me First, on SubPop.
Via Tim Thompson and the Austin Chronicle: the Pixies may headline the 2004 Austin City Limits Festival.
This should make me happy, Surfer Rosa, Doolittle, and Come On, Pilgrim are among my favorite records. I lived in Boston when the band was breaking and caught every local show. I have every Breeders release as well as every album and EP by Frank Black/Black Francis/Charles Johnson.
I've never been a fan of reunions, or of bands that have outlived their vitality. The Pixies were a band that changed the way I heard music, and at one time were my favorite band. To see them hash out the old songs after a long layoff would be anticlimactic for me. Perhaps a new studio album will prove me wrong, I certainly hope so.
We already have plans to attend this year's ACL Festival, regardless of the bands. I am hoping, though, for a headliner at the top of their game, like Wilco two years ago.
Led Zeppelin, 1972-12-12, Cardiff (FLAC files)
Led Zeppelin, 1970-09-19, NYC (FLAC files)
Radiohead, "Up The Ladder," 2002-07-22, Porto (video file)
Beck, 2002-10-03 NYC (mp3)
Assorted Billy Bragg (audio and video)
Radiohead BBC Acoustic sessions, 2003-12-09 (mp3)
Assorted Frank Zappa (mp3)
Orkut is an online social community similar to Friendster, but developed by a Google programmer. Unfortunately, it's by invitation only, any of my frinds out there want to invite me to the party?
Book #5 in the 52 Books, 52 Weeks project was Carter Beats The Devil by Glen Gold. This is a magical piece of fiction (pun intended), Gold writes a delightful historical tale, easily the best thing I've read this year. If you haven't read this yet, give it a chance. I owe many thanks to Valerie, Troy, and Keith for hyping the book.
Next on the night table is As Nature Made Him, The Boy Who Was Raised As A Girl, by John Colapinto, a case study centering on gender identity and the medical community that has only lately put the patient, and not individual egos, at the forefront.
I'm beginning to get a little apprehensive, I've enjoyed every book I've read so far this year, and would recommend all of them to others. Usually I'm more discriminating, but I'll be optimistic and mark my luck to wonderful recommendations.
Tim Tobias left Guided By Voices under a shroud of secrecy and innuendo. He comes clean in interviews with the Cleveland Free Times and the Cleveland's Scene, discussing his new band Bloom. The band, consisting of Tim and his brother (and GBV collaborator) Todd Tobias, releases their first album Tuesday, Clouds Forming Crowns. Pick it up at Viva Caramel.
Bloom audio:
All The Pharmacies (mp3), From Clouds Forming Crowns
Tomorrow Might Change (mp3), from Clouds Forming Crowns
New Infractions (mp3), internet-only single
Shaking The Day (mp3), internet-only single
I'm going to miss Captain Kangaroo. When I was a little kid, he was often my companion while I ate my Quisp and laughed at Mr. Moose's corny jokes.
A while back the Captain (he'll never be Bob Keeshan to me) came to Birmingham to conduct the Alabama Symphony in a Christmas concert. I managed to get front row center seats for my date and me (probably the only adults not towing along children), and was very excited to see my childhood hero in action. The Captain appeared in his trademark red jacket with big pockets, and soon led the audience in a rousing rendition of "Sleigh Ride" (complete with everyone "driving" the sleigh by pretending to crack the reins). The woman I was with was very reserved, and the Captain playfully called her out specifically to "enjoy herself and have some fun." To this day, I thank Captain Kangaroo for steering me away from her.
Gavin Bachner has attempted to produce a definitive discography for the seminal Elephant 6 band, Neutral Milk Hotel. The new discography is definitely more complete than the band's site, and is a great place to start planning your collection after you get hooked (by listening to In The Aeroplane Over The Sea, one of my favorite albums).
Several Tom Waits shows
A bit of Woody Allen stand-up schtick
Some Gang Of Four zipped mp3 downloads (for you old-schoolers)
Glide Magazine's monthly download: Uncle Tupelo, 1994-05-01, St. Louis
The new John Vanderslice album, Cellar Door, was released under my radar Tuesday, but luckily, a gift copy from Barsuk arrived today. After one listen, I can vouch for the record's pop mastery and incredible production, two things Vanderslice is known for. An aside: JV produced the Mountain Goats February release, We Shall All Be Healed, my leading candidate for album of the year.
Pale Horse (mp3), from Cellar Door
They Won't Let Me Run (mp3), from Cellar Door
Former Wilco member and I Am Trying To Break Your Heart villain Jay Bennett has three solo albums in the works to be released this year. Two mp3's are available from the first album, due to be released on April 6th:
My Little Wicked One (mp3)
Charming & Plastic (mp3)
The Mates of State pump out bright, wonderful pop music with only their voices, drums and an organ as their instruments of choice. This married duo enjoys making music, and their joy is evident in the final project. For your listening enjoyment:
Audio:
Proofs (mp3), from My Solo Project
A Control Group (mp3), from My Solo Project
Ride Again (mp3), from My Solo Project
10 Years Later (mp3), from Our Constant Concern
Quit Doin' It (mp3), from Our Constant Concern
Hoarding It For Home (mp3), from Our Constant Concern
Ha Ha (mp3), from Team Boo
Video:
Proofs (wmv file), from My Solo Project
Fluke (wmv file), from Team Boo
Gotta Get A Problem (wmv file), from Team Boo
Ha Ha (wmv file), from Team Boo
Punk Voter is mobilizing America's young voters against George Bush with a blog, guest columns, flyers and stickers, and press releases.
The Charlie Brown kids cover "Hey Ya" (warning: very, very cute Quicktime link with sound))
SubPop parodies Pitchfork and is dead-on the funniest online satire I've seen all year.
My hometown (where i went to high school, at least) makes the news by effectively banning the sale of Playboy and Playgirl:
The Times reported that Brooks said a criminal investigation was being conducted into complaints that Playboy and Playgirl were on sale at the Books-A-Million store in Cullman, a town of about 14,000 located about 50 miles north of Birmingham.
Known for a conservative bent that includes a ban on alcohol sales and a beer-free Oktoberfest, Cullman is home to two monasteries and the Ave Maria Grotto, a miniature model of Christian sites made by a monk.
The new múm record, Summer Make Good, has leaked, look for it on your favorite filesharing service. Here's the tracklisting:
1 Hu Hvlss - A Ship
2 Weeping Rock, Rock
3 Nighty Cares
4 The Ghosts You Draw On My Back
5 Stir
6 Sing Me out The Window
7 Islands of The Childrens Children
8 Away
9 Oh, How The Boat Drifts
10 Small Deaths Are The Saddest
11 Will The Summer Make Good For All Our Sins
12 Abandoned Ship Bells
Travis Morrison of Dismemberment Plan has a weblog of sorts, complete with several mp3's of his solo work. What strikes me, though, is his fluid and powerful writing style. Here are some of his MLK day observances:
I don't know what Martin Luther King means to the rest of America, but where I come from, Virginia, he was only allowed to have a holiday in his honor if the day also honored Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, who are paragons of the Confederacy. There really are people in this world who see MLK's achievements as ambiguous. It's incredible to consider, but it's true. Still.
With the Cure enjoying a resurgence in popularity with the release of their live Trilogy DVD last year, more live shows are popping up, including:
Cure show of the month (currently Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium, 1989)
Assorted Cure live shows, interviews and radio appearances from Chain Of Flowers.
Mike Watt is keeping an online journal while making his next solo album, Middle Stand. Watt's been a busy guy, touring with his own band, as well as Iggy Pop and the Stooges. I've enjoyed his two solo albums, Ball-Hog or Tugboat? and Contemplating the Engine Room, and am really looking forward to this new release by an American music legend.
Inspired by this Slate article, I decided to order Baseball By The Numbers, a book about uniform numbers and their significance to the ballplayers who wear them. Unfortunately, the book is out of print, and Amazon wants $85 US for it, so I'll be keeping an eye out on eBay.
When I played little league baseball, I always wore number 27 for my idol Guillermo "Don't Call Me Willie" Montanez. His snap catches of pop flies and batting practice swats at flying plugs of chewed tobacco entertained me to no end as a child. To this day I get riled when I remember he was robbed of the 1971 rookie of the year award, and even get a little sad remembering my dad breaking the news to me the day he was traded.
"Drinker of Teas vs. Canada's Hope" for Best Music Blog in the Bloggies:
Now get out and vote...
For all you Nirvana fans out there: many shows, demos, radio sessions, etc. are available at Citric Acid.
Episodes of The Brak Show are also available for download on the site.
Basic Hip Digital Oddio serves up a weekly vintage soundtrack and album, both excursions into the odd and wonderful. Also hosted by this fine bunch: The Online Guide To Whistling Records and a streaming radio station, Space Age Pop Music.
Browse the CBC's live music collection for concert performances and in-studio shows by Calexico, the White Stripes, Peaches and many others.
I've just discovered Ask Metafilter, a "discussion area for sharing knowledge among members of MetaFilter." As much as I adore Metafilter, Ask Metafilter is infinitely cooler, drawing upon the vast information and experience base of its users.
If you're looking for some "Gin and Juice," thirteen versions are available for download, and are being added to regularly. From the Gourds to Stephen Hawking to Snoop Dogg himself, this is a serious collection.
Scrappleface has an interesting take on yesterday's Iowa caucuses (warning: satire ahead):
Experts say bloggers could be devastated by Dean's Internet flop.
"It's a black eye for all of us in the so-called blogosphere," said Glenn Reynolds whose InstaPundit blog draws about 90,000 visitors per day. "If the blogosphere implodes, I don't know what I'll do with my spare time."
This week's Tuesday Tunes are dedicated to the state of Oklahoma, fishing with your bare hands, and the Flaming Lips.
The documentary, Okie Noodling, is released on DVD February 3rd, and combines all of the above. The Flaming Lips performed the soundtrack, and released a promotional EP only available at early screenings of the documentary. The two songs available this week come from the resulting soundtrack:
The Flaming Lips - The Southern Oklahoma Cosmic Trigger Contest (mp3 link)
The Flaming Lips - Noodling Theme (Epic Sunset Mix #5) (mp3 link)
The concert of the month at REM Is On! is the Toronto, July 8, 1983 show. Any performance that begins with Wolves, Lower and ends with Carnival of Sorts (Boxcars) is special, especially from the early years of REM.
The new Get Up Kids album is available online. Vagrant Records is releasing Guilt Show March 3rd, but you can preview it here.
Indie Rock Live has several live sets available, including Azure Ray (backed by Crooked Fingers) and the Crooked Fingers show, 12-12-2003, Denver, Colorado; Portastatic, 12-06-2003, KEXP radio session; and Vida Blue covering Radiohead's "Subterranean Homesick Alien."
Today's downloads via BootLeg:
Clem Snide in Madison, 10-28-03
The Church, 1998 Westwood 1 Radio Show
Chicago's Q101 interviews:
Ken Jordan (of the Crystal Method) (mp3 link)
The Kings Of Leon (mp3 link)
Chuck D (mp3 link)
and many others
Congratulations to largehearted friends Chromewaves, 75 Or Less and low culture for getting Bloggie nominations.
Girl With A Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier was an interesting read. Chevalier paints a vivid portrait (pardon the pun) of life in 17th century Holland. She deftly portrays everyday life for both the rich and disenfranchised, and manages to give art lessons along the way.
The next book in the queue is Carter Beats The Devil by Glen Gold. This was by far the most recommended book when I originated this project, and it arrives with great expectations.
Tomorrow is the first significant release date of the year for me, if only for two American releases previously available only as imports. I've gushed about the Japanese release of Matthew Sweet's Kimi Ga Suki, and can finally pick it up without paying import prices. The same can be said for Dizzee Rascal's debut album, finally released in the US on Matador.
Bevel: Down the Puppet String, Marionettes EP (Jagjaguwar)
Crispy Ambulance: The Powder Blind Dream (Darla)
Dizee Rascal: Boy in Da Corner [ENHANCED] (Matador)
Dub Narcotic Sound System: Degenerate Introduction (K Records)
Freescha: Kids Fill The Floor CD [reissue] (Darla)
Matthew Sweet: Kimi Ga Suki
Freescha: Slower Than Church Music CD [reissue] (Darla)
Oneida: Secret Wars (Jagjaguwar)
Ani DiFranco: Educated Guess (Righteous Babe)
Roger McGuinn - Roger McGuinn (Sundazed Music Inc.)
The best TV weblog has just been born: Too Much Free Time, a collaboration of Max at Lots of Co., J. Go from Johnny-a-gogo and Freakgirl. Max is "Mr. Zeitgeist armed with a Tivo," and always manages to be bright, charming, witty and laugh out loud funny in his observances. Freakgirl is always feeding us pop culture icons on a stick, and what little I've read of J.Go I've enjoyed. This new weblog goes to the top of my bookmarks. Two thumbs up!
Now that I'm the proud owner of a DVD player, I find myself obsessing over each week's new releases. I nitpick and prioritize, then make my list. This week's interesting releases:
Cornelius: Five Point One [DVD] (Matador)
The Simple Life (2003) [DVD] (Fox Home Entertainment)
Belle & Sebastian - Fans Only [DVD] (Wea Corp)
Repo Man [DVD] (Umvd)
The Strokes: New York Stories [DVD]
The King Of Bluegrass [DVD]
Guiltily but with pleasure, I have to admit that The Simple Life tops my list, with its outtakes and test presentation, I'm anxiously awaiting its arrival.
Well, Ryan Adams and Ben Kweller have both been added to archive.org, which means that live shows by both artists will be available in lossless format for download. Check the site often, as live shows will be added every day. Browse the listing of bands in the archive, you're favorite band might have live shows available, too.
This is fun: a video of Tilly and the Wall performing "Hey Ya" Saturday night at the Knitting Factory in NYC as they opened for Rilo Kiley. Also at this site, a live video of Rilo Kiley performing "With Arms Outstretched" backed by Tilly and the Wall in a glorious singalong.
Grab some mp3's from the Radiohead October 6th, 2003 Atlanta show.
Download an entire tribute album to Wesley Willis, who passed away last year. <-- metafilter
Mike at _monk has resurrected his yogablog, which is a great resource for anyone practicing yoga or exploring the health benefits of this wonderful exercise.
I Might Be Wrong is hosting assorted Radiohead files, currently the 2+2=5 Letterman video and the Karma Police Shepherds Bush video. These will change on a regular basis, so stop by often.
JC at Boston Confidential looks at the books that were recommended, and wonders why more classics weren't included. His weblog is incredibly well-written and is much recommended.
I have a strong love for the classics. When I went to college, I vowed to fill in the gaps of my education by reading at least part of a classic every day. In that way I fell in love with Thomas Hardy, Balzac and many others doomed to dusty bookshelves by the masses, not to mention poets. In a similar vein to JC's, I am amazed that I get funny looks when I take a break at lunch, visit the park, and draw a book of poetry out of my messenger bag. I even had one person ask me if poetry was still being written. As with all good things, seek, and ye shall find. I carry a book of poetry with me every day (currently James Tate's The Selected Poems) to fill in the odd moments when I don't have the time to read a story or a chapter, but am in the mood to savor something.
I appreciate all your recommendations, fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and especially graphic novels. I was surprised how many of the recommended books I've already read, but also glad to see that many interesting books are available and people are kind enough to share their love for the written word.
I finished my third book of the year, The Color Of Water, A Black Man's Tribute To His White Mother, last night. The book started very slow for me, but as the dual stories of the mother and son took off, I was swept into their lives. The story of the triumph of will through faith and hard work, I'd easily recommend this book to anyone looking for an interesting peek into race in America.
Next up is the novel, Girl With A Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier (and now a major motion picture, as is stamped on the newer paperback copies). My sister-in-law recommended this book a while back. My wife read this and thought it "good" but not ground-shaking, I'm eager to form my own opinion about this story concerning one of Vermeer's models. Vermeer holds a special place in my heart. A couple of years ago the painter, Arnold Friberg (the only Academy Award nominee I've ever had dinner with) sent me a Christmas card (soon after his trip to Holland to study the Old Masters), with a drawing of himself nose to nose with a Vermeer portrait. In the drawing, his wife is pulling him away, saying "Don't get so close, Arnold, they'll throw us out, AGAIN!!!"
Silent Site has Badly Drawn Boy's November 13, 2003 Nashville appearance at the Belcourt Theater available for download, including CD artwork.
Thanks to the House Of Hot Sauce, I'm listening to three live Franz Ferdinand tracks from their 19 September 2003 appearance on the BBC's Lamacq in the City. Stop by the peppery palace and grab them yourself. In the words of Sean at HoHS: "Never underestimate the power of a few skinny guys with guitars."
Now that Listen-To has become practically useless, along comes Music Mobs to track and publish your digital listening habits. You have to manually upload your data, and it only works with iTunes, but nonetheless it is very cool.
Have you ever wanted to have a bobblehead in your image? Bid on this opportunity to promote a minor league baseball game and your dreams could come true! The Fort Worth Cats are offering the opportunity of a lifetime to the highest bidder. Of course, if you want just one or two bobbleheads, Whoopass Enterprises should be your first stop.
Other interesting bobbleheads: Jesus (not Alou), Virgin Mary, Football Jesus, Bill Clinton, and even Hillary Clinton.
Xiu Xiu and This Sing Is A Mess But So Am I have released a split single on Oedipus Records. Only 700 copies are being pressed, 300 on purple vinyl.
One of the wonders of the internet is discovering that one of your heroes has a blog. Thanks to Fimoculous, yesterday I read Bob Mould's weblog for the first time. Needless to say, his writing is lucid and fascinating, and I highly recommend his blog.
The Seattle Weekly's Andrew Bonazelli takes a vacation in Cleveland and is disappointed:
Cleveland has the color, aroma, and spirit of an oat bran bowel movement.
Ouch.
Charlotte's Creative Loafing previews Saturday's Drive-By Truckers show:
Their music contains danger, a thunderstorm looming in the distance as you're sitting on the porch knocking back a couple. It has the heat and Huck Finn and the kind of rich murk found in old blues musicians and the nearby swamps. It has long-silenced cannons sitting impotent in the local VFW park during the Fourth Of July, flimsy paper plates and Solo cups holding barbecued ribs and potato salad. It also has a political conscience and three guitar players.
Three new mp3's are up at GBV.com,"Hey Aardvark" and "Buzzards and Dreadful Crows" from the November Chicago show, and "I'll Replace You With Machines (acoustic)" from the vinyl album, Edison's Demos.
Jeff Tweedy, of Wilco, has a book of poetry, Adult Head, being published in March. A sample:
I have never been yachting
or on a boat
but
I imagine it
a passionate bath
with an older brother
gentle then turning
competitive
as he studies
for the bar
So far this year, the following 2004 releases have leaked:
Xiu Xiu - Fabulous Muscles
Liars - We Were Wrong So We Drowned
Clouddead - Ten
Franz Ferdinand - Franz Ferdinand
Air - Talkie Walkie
The Walkmen - Bows and Arrows
TV on the Radio - Desperate Youth, Blood Thirsty Babes
Mountain Goats - We Shall All Be Healed
From these alone, it looks like another good year for music. I can especially recommend the Mountain Goats, Walkmen and Liars releases, all will have to be bumped out of my 2004 "best of" list.
Craig Nutt is a Tennessee sculptor and furniture maker. His works are often playful interpretations of fruits and vegetables, and some are being shown at the Frist Center For Visual Arts in Nashville through January 18th. The Nashville City Paper ran a piece on Nutt and his show last week:
Nutt did “very traditional and serious” furniture before venturing into the vegetable shapes. While gardening, he noticed that the organic forms resembled the formal lines and details of traditional furniture. So Nutt began to experiment with shapes and colors while keeping the pieces user-friendly and “plausible.” His pieces are playful, with rubarb “Queen Anne” table legs, okra pedestals, carrots turned out in a “French foot,” and hot-pepper seat-back spindles, but hand-constructed using traditional techniques.
Download the entire Sigur Ros March 27, 2003 show in Atlanta, at the Tabernacle.
Unfinished serves up some interesting and rare songs, including selections by Elliott Smith, My Bloody Valentine and Swervedriver.
A wealth of Badly Drawn Boy mp3's are available at It Came From The Underground. Included are demos, a Vancouver 200 show, a Manchester 2002 show, a San Francisco 2003 show, and various radio sessions.
If you're like me and saw the movie, picked up the original soundtrack and even bought the limited edition sountrack, then the arrival of the Lost In Translation DVD on February 3, 2004 makes you very happy. The DVD will include these extras:
A conversation with director Sofia Coppola and actor Bill Murray
"Lost on Location" - behind-the-scenes featurette including exclusive footage shot by the filmmakers
Deleted scenes
"Matthew's Best Hit TV" - an extended version of the Japanese TV show
Music video
Trailers
Widescreen anamorphic format
I just finished my second book of the year, Haruki Murakami's Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. The book is a fine example of post-modern noir done well, meandering through its plot of good against evil. Murakami entrances you with his seemingly haphazard storytelling that weaves itself together as the story is told. An excellent book, at first I was reminded thematically of the two Murakami books I read this summer, A Wild Sheep Chase: A Novel and Dance, Dance, Dance, and was afraid that a similar storyline would develop. Murakami is too talented for that, and my only regret with this book is that there is no sequel.
While I wait for my book order to arrive, next under the reading lamp is The Color Of Water, A Black Man's Tribute To His White Mother, by James McBride. Normally a front cover blurb from Mirabella magazine would scare me away, but since my wife was kind enough to pick this up for me, I will gladly give it a chance.
In 1999, Amy Linton of Henry's Dress (and currently Aisler's Set) and Stewart Anderson of Boyracer put out a split single, which melded their styles and instantly became one of my favorite releases of all time. This week's Tuesday Tunes come from that release. "Hipsters, Scenesters, Teenstars and Fakers" (mp3 link) is 83 seconds of pure fuzzed-out bliss, followed by Anderson's closer, "Romance Baby, I Don't Care," a fittingly raw powerpop gem.
I arrived home yesterday to over two hundred comments to my posts. I thought this odd, on a busy commenting day I get around fifty responses, and most days about fifteen. Then I saw that most of these were promoting an online pharmacy, and I decided to take action.
I've put off upgrading Movable Type (I've been running version 1.4 for over two years), under the "if it ain't broke..." rule, but I bit the bullet and upgraded to the latest version so I could install MT-Blacklist. If you're having comment spam problems, I can't recommend this plugin enough. Simple to install and simple to use, I had my weblog spam-free in thirty minutes (from upgrade of MT to eating a cheese sandwich to installing and running MT-Blacklist).
Another Guided By Voices show is available at Sharing The Groove. The November 2, 1994 show at CBGB's is a magnificent glimpse at an early GBV live performance.
If you're on a Windows system, I recommend the ABC (Yet Another Bittorrent Client). Multiple Bittorent downloads in a single window make this my favorite BT client for Windows by far.
Franz Ferdinand's self-titled debut album has leaked, check your favorite filesharing service. Here's the tracklisting:
01. Jacqueline
02. Tell Her Tonight
03. Take Me Out
04. Matinee
05. Auf Acshe
06. Cheating On You
07. This Fire
08. Darts Of Pleasure
09. Michael
10. Come On Home
11. 40 Ft
The latest band that will change your life (according to the hyperbole-happy NME) their previous single, Darts Of Pleasure, was a highlight of 2003 for me. If you can't wait for this February release, the band is releasing their Take Me Out single tomorrow on Domino.
Franz Ferdinand mp3's:
Tell Her Tonight (home demo)
Darts Of Pleasure (home demo)
Two If By Sea Records offers many sample music files of its artists, from Bright Eyes and Ben Gibbard to Ugly Casanova and Xiu Xiu. Check out the mp3's.
See him in action in the Guided By Voices video for "My Kind Of Soldier" (mp3 link)
(hi-res RealVideo) (lo-res RealVideo)
The Counting Crows cover "California Stars," (mp3 link) with help from Wallflowers & Graham Colton.
Download Julian Casablancas of the Strokes singing "Glad Girls" with Guided By Voices.
Guided By Voices and Julian Casablancas, "Glad Girls" (mp3 link)
Since the fine folks on Postal Blowfish and Ben at the Wily Filipino are doing this, here are my favorite musicians (of the moment) from A to Z:
A: Afghan Whigs
B: Breeders
C: Elvis Costello
D: Miles Davis
E: Elf Power
F: Frank Black
G: Guided By Voices
H: Hang On the Box
I: Iris Dement
J: Jeff Tweedy
K: The Kinks
L: Lloyd Cole
M: Mountain Goats
N: Neutral Milk Hotel
O: Of Montreal
P: Pixies
Q: Queens of the Stone Age
R: Replacements
S: Sonic Youth
T: Thelonious Monk
U: Uncle Tupelo
V: Velvet Underground
W: Wilco
X: X
Y: Yo La Tengo
Z: Frank Zappa
Josh Kun of the San Francisco Bay Guardian reviews the rereleased Sun Ra DVD Space Is The Place:
If you're in the Birmingham area tonight, be sure to catch Bright Eyes at Zydeco. If you see a guy in glasses and a University of Georgia sweatshirt, stop by and say hello, I'll buy you a beer.
Here's a preview, a Conor Oberst solo show.
Have you spent the last ten minutes looking for an mp3 of Outkast's "Hey Ya?" Give Singingfish a try. The audio/video search engine is ideal to find almost any media file on the internet. Take advantage of this resource now, they were recently bought by AOL, and that has rarely improved a product's usability.
Transmission 3000 has the July 5, 2002 Oxes show from Orleans, France.
An inspirational night of music has been arranged as the annual benefit for Tibet House, at Carnegie Hall February 25th. Bright Eyes, David Byrne, Ray Davies, Keb' Mo' and Yo La Tengo are all scheduled to play. Buy your ticket now to help celebrate the year of the wood monkey!
Splendid gives us 14 Prog Records Worth Losing Your Indie Cred Over. I've never been a big fan of prog, but have several King Crimson and Can albums that I rarely listen to. Perhaps it's time to give prog a chance.
Flagpole reviews Guided By Voices greatest hits album and recent box set, as well as previewing their show tonight at the 40 Watt with Brian Jonestown Massacre:
Join The Comatorium Community and download Mars Volta's November 10th, 2003 San Francisco show. If you like the show, pick up the band's De-Loused At The Crematorium album.
Jef Czekaj is a talented musician, a comic book artist, but most impressively (to me, at least), he's a talented illustrator. His prints of indie rock musicians and show posters are simple, yet colorful and intriguing.
I have always been a fan of Kristin Hersh. She is one of few artists I will trek hours to see perform, her live shows are intimate and a true treat of great songwriting and inspired performance. The other day I reacquainted myself with Beestung, an online repository of Hersh's performances, interviews and rarities. As a bonus, also included are Throwing Muses and Tanya Donnelly/Belly material.
Kristin Hersh mp3
"Your Dirty Answer," from Sunny Border Blue
"Echo," from Sky Motel
"Sno Cat," from The Grotto
Watch Dizzee Rascal's video for "Jus' A Rascal" before his debut album Boy In Da Corner is released in the US January 20th on Matador. The American release contains one bonus track plus two videos.
Dizzee Rascal mp3's:
"Fix Up Look Sharp," from Boy In Da Corner
Elf Power's new album, Walking With The Beggar Boys, will be released April 6th on Orange Twin Records. From the band's website:
Musically it's all over the place, ranging from sleazy, T Rex-ish rockers to psychedelic electronica to Southern rock romps (The title track features a duet with folk rock legend Vic Chesnutt !).
That's good news, the one thing that Creatures lacked was sonic diversity.
Elf Power mp3's:
Live in Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig - February 3, 2001
"The Winter Is Coming," from The Winter Is Coming
múm has a new live set for download at their website, from September 21, 2002 in Barcelona.
My Morning Jacket is opening their January tour in January 16th in Birmingham (take note, fellow Axis of Weevil members), supporting their highly recommended album, It Still Moves.
Even more exciting to me is the mini-tour with Jim James (of MMJ), Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes and Desaparecidos) and M. Ward touring together in February. Unfortunately, the closest they'll get to me is Chicago. Aaarrgghhh...
My Morning Jacket mp3's
"Heartbreakin Man," from The Tennessee Fire
"The Dark," from The Tennessee Fire
"One Big Holiday," from It Still Moves
Two Radiohead videos are available at Take The Money And Run, 2 + 2 = 5 from the David Letterman Show and "Wolf At The Door" from the 2003 Summersonic Festival in Japan.
It's that time of year again, so nominate your favorite weblogs for the Bloggie awards. This is a great opportunity to give some fascinating weblogs a bigger audience, so share your favorites with the world!
The United States presidential campaign is in full swing, the theme of "Christ For President," if not its literal interpretation, seems to be appropriate. This version is by Wilco (mp3 link), from their April 4, 1999 show. and was originally released on Mermaid Avenue, their collaboration with Billy Bragg and the departed, yet still timely voice of Woody Guthrie.
"We don't like gambling or chasing women, but we love our Lord and Pabst Blue Ribbon." The second song this week always makes me smile, "Drinking Beer For Jesus," (mp3 link) by Deral Fenderson, underappreciated musical genius of our time (and self-proclaimed "cooler than Graham Smith" of Kleenex Girl Wonder). For more beer songs, try this Russian site I found while Googling Mr. Fenderson (now there's the name for a teen comedy): Beer Songs In RealAudio and MP3.
Caterina needs your help. She needs clothing labels for a sewing project.
I finished my first book of the year (and inaugural tome in my 52 book project) today, From Beirut To Jerusalem, by Thomas Friedman. By far, it is the best book I've read on the dilemma in the Middle East, able to deftly shift perspective from local streets to the global repercussions of the conflict.
Next up is The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, by Haruki Murakami. This summer, my brother lent me two Murakami novels, The Wild Sheep Chase and Dance, Dance, Dance, after we discovered a mutual admiration for fellow Japanese novelist Banana Yoshimoto, and these offbeat novels made me a fan.
Thanks for the recommendations so far, I'll be updating my reading schedule as I finish each book. I noticed a recommendation for Maus and Maus II. Does any other favorite graphic novels? That is a genre I have sadly neglected,and this is an excellent opportunity to get my proverbial feet wet.
Download three songs off the new The Elected (Rilo Kiley's Blake Sennett's side project) album at let the thieves in through the front door (archive links are broken, search the page). The album, Me First, is due to be released on Sub Pop February 3rd.
Mary Lou Lord's album, Baby Blue, has been given a March 9th release date. Produced by Nick Saloman of the Bevis Frond, it will include three Bevis Frond songs: "The Inhibition Twist" from What Did For Dinosaurs and "Stars Burn Out" and "The Wind Blew All Around Me" from North Circular. Pink Floyd's "Fearless" and Badfinger's "Baby Blue" are also on the record.
Some Mary Lou Lord to hold you over until the release:
Camden Town Rain (mp3) from the Stars Kill Rock compilation
Martian Saints (mp3) from the Martian Saints EP
From Bootleg: a solo show by Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan.
Max at LotsOfCo built a post around a comment I made on his website about mistaken identity. In the past, I've posted about Hillary Duff, Avril Lavigne, or Brendan Leonard. Hilarity ensues when my site is Googled and people comment or e-mail, assuming I am the celebrity in question. I can assure you that on the street, I am rarely, if ever, confused with teen pop idols.
Bishop Allen's "Things Are What You Make Of Them" (mp3 link) will be featured in the Mandy Moore film, "Saved," to be released in February.
The film (produced by Michael Stipe) is already being discussed by the Baptist youth, and the discussion alone makes me want to buy a ticket.
If you're willing to temporarily join this Yahoo Group, you can download the Detroit Cobras covering "Last Nite" and Royal City's version of "Is This It" (in the "files" section of the group).
Craig-online.net makes available several demo sets from the Libertines: the Babyshambles Sessions, the Sailor Sessions, and the Chickenshack Sessions.
Download a variety of Radiohead mp3's, from demos to live shows to b-sides, they are all represented.
Kottke is reading a different magazine each week, Vegard is listening to a different album every seven days, and I'm jumping on the meme-wagon by committing to reading a book a week this year.
I'm an avid reader. Books, magazines,newspapers, toothpaste tubes... anything I can get my hands on. In the past couple of years, though, I've become enamored with the availability of online information, and my reading habits have slacked. To remedy this, I'm resolving to read a book every week, fiction and non-fiction, to hopefully reinvigorate the passion I have for the written word and learn a thing or two along the way.
I'm open to fascinating titles contributed by the interactive peanut gallery. I'm looking for the fascinating and enlightening, in a wide variety of subjects. Any suggestions?
The books:
#1/52:
From Beirut To Jerusalem, by Thomas Friedman
#2/52:
The Wind-up Bird Chronicle, by Haruki Murakami
#3/52:
The Color Of Water, A Black Man's Tribute To His White Mother, by James McBride
#4/52:
Girl With A Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier
#5/52:
Carter Beats The Devil by Glen Gold
#6/52:
As Nature Made Him, The Boy Who Was Raised As A Girl, by John Colapinto
#7/52:
Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides
#8/52
The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat
Oliver Sacks
#9/52
Pattern Recognition
William Gibson
#10/52
Our Cancer Year
Harvey Pekar, Frank Stack, with Joyce Brabner
#11/52
The Miracle of Castel di Sangro
Joe McGinnis
#12/52
The General In His Labirynth
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
#13/52
Reading Lolita In Tehran: A Memoir In Books
Azar Nafisi
#14/52
The Lovely Bones
Alice Sebold
#15/52
Sandy Koufax: A Lefty's Legacy
Jane Leavy
#16/52
Jenny and the Jaws of Life: Short Stories
Jincy Willett
#17/52
Small Wonder: Essays
Barbara Kingsolver
#18/52
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
Lynne Truss
#19/52
Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation
Joseph J. Ellis
#20/52
Art and Ardor
Cynthia Ozick
#21/52
The Namesake: A Novel
Jhumpa Lahiri
#22/52
Candyfreak
Steve Almond
#23/52
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World: A Novel
Haruki Murakami
#24/52
Perdido Street Station
#25/52
Designing With Web Standards
Jeffrey Zeldman
#26/52
Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim
David Sedaris
#27/52
Shanghai Baby
Wei Hui
#28/52 (three in one)
The Smiths' Meat Is Murder
Joe Pernice
The Kinks' The Village Green Preservation Society
Andy Miller
#29/52
Yamuna's Table: Healthful Vegetarian Cuisine Inspired by the Flavors of India
Yamuna Devi
#30/52
Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground 1981-1991
Michael Azerrad
#31/52
Autobiography of Red
Anne Carson
#32/52
Bringing Down the House
Ben Mezrich
Another Guided By Voices show has been shared at Sharing The Groove, the April 17, 1995 San Francisco show, complete with artwork. Download and install BitTorrent, then commence downloading a set from what I consider to be the glory days of GBV.
I'd like to thank my wife, my momma, my posse, and Movable Type for making it all possible... (see #19)
Radiohead's January 24, 1998 Tokyo show is available in mp3 form.
Elephant6.com has added the bonus tracks to the Japanese release of Apples In Stereo's Fun Trick Noisemaker to their excellent mp3 offerings. Be sure to check out the extensive live shows and demos available from Neutral Milk Hotel, Olivia Tremor Control, Sunshine Fix, Elf Power and other bands related to the Elephant Six collective.
The links for these on the E6 site are broken, here are the correct links to the bonus songs:
Shine (In Your Mind) (mp3)
Thank You Very Much (mp3)
New York City band The Fever covered Outkast's "Hey Ya," and videotaped it (mpg link).
These guys are absolutely pure fun live, see them if you get the chance. Their EP, Pink On Pink on Kemado Records, is pure rock and roll energy.
In the "shooting fish in a barrel" category, Guitar World magazine has named Limp Bizkit the worst band of 2003, followed by Creed, the Strokes, "all pop-punk bands," and Good Charlotte.
Bradley has kindly collected mp3 download links, "a running list of free online music," on his site, Bradley's Almanac.
Stop by for the list of downloads, stay for the music commentary and the weekly mp3 offering, this week the Stills "Still In Love Song" on Conan.
In the late 80's and 90's, the Canadian powerpop band, The Pursuit Of Happiness, was a favorite of mine. With wryand offbeat romantic songwriting, Here's an index of a couple of their songs, including the coming of (old) age classics, "She's So Young" and "I'm An Adult Now."
Thanks to Anne's comments, demos and live shows from TPOH are also available.
The Notwist will be touring the US to support their new album, Different Cars and Trains, which is released January 27th. This becomes one of my most anticipated releases and tours of the year, I loved the band's 2002 release, Neon Golden.
one with the freaks (mp3)