Wilco's Jeff Tweedy talks to the Denver Post. "The mythologizing that goes on around this band is disproportionate to the amount of commercial success we've had."
The O.C. leads the way in offering indie bands exposure both on the show and on soundtrack albums.
ILX names their top five albums of 2004.
The Japan Times interviews musician M. Ward. "If I had to pick one song that made me want to learn the guitar, it was 'Julia' from the [Beatles'] White Album, because of the sound of the guitar. At the same time I was also discovering Sonic Youth, which made me want to buy an electric guitar. It never ceased to amaze me that that those two very different sounds came from the same instrument."
Newsday examines bloggers and their revenue streams, focusing on Blogads.com.
The Sunday Times remembers John Peel as champion for out of the mainstream artists.
PJ Harvey talks about her latest album, Uh Huh Her. "I read and studied quite a lot of Russian folk music before I wrote Uh Huh Her. It's very much rooted in that tradition, as well as English folk music and Scottish folk music and Irish folk music. I've been very interested in all of that. Because as I've been looking for justification in the work I'm doing, I've been looking back to where music came from. ... It's such a strength for me, and a unifying thing."
BookCrossing.com, the book loaning website, gains a foothold in a small Connecticut town.
Nick Cave talks to the Sunday Herald. "I kind of figure that I work in rock’n’roll music and I think it’s part of my job is to act irresponsibly. That’s what rock’n’roll was invented for, it’s supposed to upset people, what other use does it have?"
The New York Times examines the lifespan of the fake Nick Nolte weblog.
Newsweek is less than impressed with Tom Wolfe's latest novel, I Am Charlotte Simmons.
Download mp3's of the WiredCD.
Wilco: 2004-10-29, Chicago [flac]*
Rilo Kiley: 2004-10-23, Dallas (Good records in-store) [mp3]
Prince & Miles Davis: 1987-12-31, Minneapolis [flac]**
Radiohead: 1993-02-23, Paris (Black session) [mp3]
Radiohead: 1994-02-21, Reading [mp3]
The Silent League: several tracks [mp3]
Scatter The Ashes: two tracks [mp3]
Caribou née Manitoba: audio & video [mp3,real,wmv,mov,mpg]
The Silent League: "Catbird Seat" [mov]
Mountain Goats: "The Sign (live on CBC radio)" [mp3]
*bittorrent
**bittorrent, registration required
Travels With Barley is part beer history, part travelogue, and all about the love of beer in all its forms. Ken Wells holds the reader's interests, even through a chapter devoted to beer yeast, with humor and well-written prose. This book would make a great present for any beer lover on your holiday shopping list.
Book #44 is Tears of the Cheetah: And Other Tales from the Genetic Frontier, by Stephen J. O'Brien.
"Nine tenths of education is encouragement."--Anatole France
Finally, a post that combines education, literature, music, politics and blogging...
My favorite dance music authority has started an education weblog for Al.com. Max (a high school teacher when not wearing his pop culture guru hat), of lostsofco fame, unveiled Nine-Tenths Thursday, which will cover education issues. Please pass the link on to any educators you know. Max writes with wit, compassion, knowledge and understanding (the same characteristics that make his students love him).
Mike Cooley of the Drive-By Truckers talks to the Chicago Sun-Times. "It's not a good idea to take your press seriously, one way or the other. I can describe somebody else's music all day long, but I'd rather play mine."
Barsuk is releasing the vinyl version of Rilo Kiley's More Adventurous on November 23rd.
Author Ha Jin is interviewed by the Globe and Mail about his new book, War Trash. "People talk about victory and abstract numbers and all kinds of triumphs, but very few really know about individuals in war, how each person has a family or lovers and siblings."
Pot Culture lists music with marijuana references, including the occasional mp3.
Jon Brion as Tom Waits doing a Radiohead cover (Quicktime link).
Expecting Rain is a daily Bob Dylan news weblog.
Indiecentre offers a collection of articles for anyone thinking of starting their own record label.
Sleater-Kinney signs to Sub Pop.
Sigur Ros: 2000-01-25, London (plus other live tracks) [mp3]
Soundgarden: 1992, Chicago [mp3]
New Order: 1999-07-05, Cleveland [mp3]
Wilco: 2004-10-10, Ann Arbor [flac]*
Wilco: 2002-05-18, Nurburgring [mp3]***
Uncle Tupelo: 1990-07-18, NPR [flac]**
Drag Day: two tracks [mp3]
The Online Romance: several tracks [mp3]
El Jezel: audio & video [mp3,mov]
Unsacred Hearts: several tracks [mp3]
*bittorrent
**bittorrent, registration required
***registration required
Scenestars, the mp3 blog, gets a shoutout in their hometown paper.
The New York Times profiles the music video channel, Fuse.
The Guardian interviews James Murphy, aka LCD Soundsystem. ""I'm a bit of a Zelig. I've always been a good imitator. I love music. But I'm just not that original."
Overclocked Remix is the "unofficial game music arrangement community."
Dizzee Rascal talks to the Independent about his rise to fame. "I'm not just a garage MC or an urban MC or a rapper, I'm capable of taking something new and innovative to a commercial level and making it popular music."
Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven frontman Dave Lowery is interviewed by the Chicago Sun-Times. "Even though this is a Camper tour, there's a smattering of shows with Cracker. We like to think of ourselves as the Parliament-Funkadelic of indie rock."
Nick Harmer of Death Cab for Cutie tells the GSU Signal how a DCFC album is made. "Everybody listens to a lot of different stuff going into the recording and then typically we end up just listening to the demos so much that we kind of stop listening to what else is going on in the world and just do our own thing."
Author Ha Jin talks to On Point Radio about his new book, War Trash.
Le Tigre's Kathleen Hanna gets a proper interview with the Washington Square News. "We wanted to have songs that were dancy, where you could really feel the bass in your body. Our other records are more experimental rock and have an electronic feel."
The Darkness official thongs are a huge success.
Mountain Goats: 2004-02-18, Atlanta [mp3,ogg,flac]
The Soundtrack of Our Lives: 2001-02-15, Lund [mp3,ogg,shn]
Wckr Spgt: 2004-10-02, Pomona [mp3,ogg,flac]
Barbara: several tracks [mp3]
Ulrich Schnauss: several tracks [mp3]
Lali Puna: several tracks [mp3]
John Peel's voice [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from Bomp Records [mp3]
Kiila: several videos [mp4]
The Retsin: "My Liver Needs A Lawyer" [mp3] from Pure Beauty
While I was uploading a Mountain Goats live performance (February of this year in Atlanta) to the Live Music Archive, I wondered why most bands do not avail themselves of this wonderful resource.
In my experience, the fans downloading these live performances are the same hard-core faithful fans that buy every release and evangelize about the music they love, a roaming street team. If you are a musical artist, please consider allowing your live recordings to be archived in the Live Music Archive. If you have contact with a band, consider asking them to set up a taping policy and consider joining the LMA.
The Live Music Archive is continually adding several artists a day to its vaults. In the last month, The Mother Hips, The Soundtrack of Our Lives, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, and many others have been added in the last month alone. If you have live lossless performances of these artists (or any of those listed at the Live Music Archive), please share the good music and upload them. The exposure will help the musicians and the fans get live music, so everyone benefits.
The New York Times writes that, "on Fridays, bloggers sometimes retract their claws."
Morrissey wants Bush out, Kerry in.
MSNBC has an excerpt from Philip Roth's new novel, The Plot Against America.
The Riverfront Times profiles Camper Van Beethoven and the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players. Ten year-old drummer Rachel Trachtenburg is interviewed for the TFSP piece. "I don't like sound checks! You just have to play the songs that you're just going to play again later."
Hunter Davies profiles his love for soccer biographies in the New Statesman.
Sandie Shaw tells the Guardian she's not interested in another comeback.
The Houston Press examines the local blogging scene.
The Shins will perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live on November 5th.
The Metro Active profiles the Suicide Girls current burlesque tour.
Web 2.0 interviews Lucas Gonze of Webjay.
Chris Walla of Death Cab for Cutie talks to the Las Vegas Mercury about political involvement and new avenues of band promotion. "It's perfectly valid for someone in the middle of the country without a Net connection and a college radio station to watch a commercial and discover the Shins, and then go out and buy their record. That's one of many examples of how people can discover new bands. It's made the majors and the broadcast companies to look and see that there's another way to exploit bands."
Regis Philbin and William Shatner still rock.
Yo La Tengo: 1990-10-08, NPR [flac]
Camper Van Beethoven: 2004-10-24, Madison [mp3,ogg,flac]
Jon Langford: 2004-10-15, Brooklyn [mp3,ogg.flac]
Kaizer's Orchestra: 2003, Arvika [mp3]
Tim Easton: several tracks [mp3]
Gleek: several tracks [mp3]
The Smiths: several midi tracks [mid]
Various Artists: October's "WFMU On The Download" [mp3]
Various Artists: mash-ups courtesy of BRAT Productions [mp3]
Madison Strays: "Last Train" [mp3]
**bittorrent, registration required
John Peel's obituary at BBC News
The Guardian asks musicians how John Peel changed their lives.
Ten reasons John Peel was a hero.
Tributes to John Peel flood in to XFM.
Mixtaper.com offers a John Peel tribute with legal online selections from his Festive 50.
The Glastonbury Festival will honour John Peel bu naming its new bands tent after him.
My largehearted John Peel tribute: a previous daily downloads post consisting entirely of Peel sessions.
ChartAttack! previews Mint Records' holiday album, It's A Team Mint Xmas Vol. 2.
Douglas Wolk (one of my favorite music critics) has declared November to be "National Solo Album Month," or NaSoAlMo for short. (via)
The Guardian reviews Dizzee Rascal's Leeds University show. "Just when the crowd's attention shows hints of waning, he plunges into Jus' a Rascal and Stand Up Tall, highlights of a six-song salvo that could leave any opponent breathless."
The New York Times ponders current and future connections between Madison Avenue and weblogs.
Red Herring thinks that Apple's iPod honeymoon will continue.
Jennifer is single and chronicling her "perpetual pursuit of the perfect guy" on her weblog, My Dating Life. Follow her adventures in online personals, and if you live in Birmingham, maybe you know just the right guy for her.
BlogExplosion is an interesting free way to build traffic for your weblog.
Howard Zinn and Radiohead's Thom Yorke are interviewed together in this article from last November.
Blogging airline attendant grounded for her posts.
The Daily Iowan profiles Saddle Creek band Little Brazil.
Wilco: 1997-09-14, Austin [flac]**
Guided By Voices: 1996 Peel Session [flac]**
Floating Opera: several tracks [mp3,real]
Tenki: several tracks [mp3]
Faint of Heart: several tracks [mp3]
Cerulean: several tracks (click the album covers for tracks) [mp3]
Rilo Kiley: interview on MTV2's Subterranean [mov]
Chin Up Chin Up: "Virginia Don't Drown" [mp3] from We Should Never Have Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers
Futureheads: "Piece of Crap" [mp3] from Futureheads
Pavement: "All My Friends" [mp3] from Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain: L.A.'s Desert Origins
**bittorrent, registration required
In honor of John Peel, here is a cut from Smog's 2001 Peel session, "Jesus," (mp3 link) a Velvet Underground cover that reflects my mood this morning.
John Peel will be missed, he was a true champion for good music and changed the world for the better in his own way. My sympathies go to his wife and children.
Interpol's Paul Banks is interviewed by Nerve's Grant Stoddard. "You can sell a lot fewer records, but just have the right people talking about you, and it gives this impression of you being a lot bigger."
The Globe and Mail examines bands whose names have incited trademark infringement litigation, including Manitoba (now Caribou) and The Postal Service.
John at The Tofu Hut has organized an amazing list of music blogs in his sidebar.
No Love For Ned celebrates Halloween week with a spooky vibe in this week's show.
Truman Capote is hot again, according to the Advocate, with a book of letters, a short story collection and a new edition of In Cold Blood.
I Love Radio. org offers a five-point roadmap to podcasting's future.
Suicide Girls interviews Sarah Michelle Gellar.
The New York Times examines the internet's fascination with memes.
Band demos from hell (with RealAudio links)
Sharing The Groove is dead, long live Sharing The Groove.
The Star Tribune reviews Wilco's Monday night Minneapolis performance. "This proved to be Wilco's greatest onstage lineup yet."
Many thanks to new LHB sponsors Kevin Kringle.com and Podstar.com. KevinKringle.com is the humorous site of Kris Kringle's younger brother, with movies and even a holiday game to play. Podstar is a weblog that gathers links and information about podcasts and their authors. Feel free to check these out and support my ugly bandwith habit.
Nick Drake: Second Grace (Demos & Outtakes) [mp3]
Rilo Kiley: 2003-09-24, San Francisco [mp3]
Rilo Kiley: 2004-10-10, Washington [mp3] (different server)
XTC: 1980-01-22, Ann Arbor [mp3]
Swell Maps: two tracks [mp3]
Black Tape for a Blue Girl: several tracks [mp3]
FakeID: many remixes [mp3]
The Bloody Hawaiians: Threego album [cd]
Various Artists: tracks from Jade Tree Records [mp3]
On The Speakers: "Could I Be Right" [mp3] from On The Speakers EP
Looking for a New Year's Eve show to attend? Wilco, The Flaming Lips, and Sleater-Kinney will play Madison Square Garden in New York this year on December 31st. Ticket presale will be November 1st at 10 am, with general public tickets available on November 5th.
Besides the final Guided By Voices show in Chicago, anyone have any other great New Year's Eve show news around the US and the rest of the world?
Yo La Tengo will play eight days of Hanukkah shows again this year at Maxwell's in Hoboken, from December 7th through the 14th. Ticket sales haven't been announced, but are available through TicketWeb (click the TicketWeb link at the very bottom, and keep clicking "more events" until they show up).
Previous Yo La Tengo Hanukkah shows (in 2001 and 2002) have featured David Byrne, Portastatic, David Cross, The Sun Ra Arkestra, and many others. The tickets are gone quickly, so jump on these if you're interested.
Thanks to Brandon for the heads up.
Tomorrow brings the release of two Bright Eyes singles, Lua and Take It Easy (Love Nothing), and both will be in my music-loving hands by evening. I'll definitely pick up the Futureheads self-titled release and Key by Son Ambulance. I preordered the Ulysses album, 010, in hopes that it would arrive early (it hasn't), so maybe that will top off my new music for the week. Anything my list of releases is missing? Anything I shouldn't miss?
An addition to my list: Frank reminded me of the Matador reissue of Pavement's Crooked Rain Crooked Rain, which I'll definitely pick up based on the strength of 2002's Slanted and Enchanted reissue.
There are three DVD releases this week that I will have to pick up. The Cat Power documentary, Speaking For Trees is a must-buy (as is anything that includes Chan Marshall). The bonus cd is pure frosting. David Byrne's live DVD and comedian Bill Hick's three live shows will round out my purchases.
89 Cubs: There Are Giants in the Earth [cd]
The Alarm: Mmiv: Live in the Poppy Fields (bonus dvd) [cd]
Autolux: Future Perfect [cd]
Big & Rich: Big & Rich's Super Galactic Fan Pak (with dvd) [cd]
Bright Eyes: Lua (single) [cd]
Bright Eyes: Take It Easy (Love Nothing) (single) [cd]
Collections of Colonies of Bees [cd]
Death From Above 1979: You're a Woman, I'm a Machine [cd]
Depeche Mode: Remixes 81-04 [cd]
Depeche Mode: Remixes 81-04 (limited edition box set) [cd]
Dogs Die in Hot Cars: Please Describe Yourself [cd]
Donnas: Gold Medal [cd]
Donnas: Gold Medal (with bonus dvd) [cd]
Futureheads: Futureheads [cd]
Howard Zinn: People's History Project: 1 (box set) [cd]
Jet By Day: Cascadia [cd]
John Frusciante: Inside of Emptiness [cd]
Leonard Cohen: Dear Heather [cd]
Luna: Rendezvous [cd]
Miracle of 86: Last Gasp [cd]
Mose Allison: Hello There Universe (reissue) [cd]
Nick Cave: Abattoir Blues / Lyre of Orpheus [cd]
Pavement: Crooked Rain Crooked Rain (reissue) [cd]
Soledad Brothers: Voice of Treason [cd]
Son Ambulance: Key [cd]
Sigur Ros: Recycle Bin [cd]
Ulysses: 010 [cd]
Various Artists: How Soon Is Now: The Songs of the Smiths [cd]
Various Artists: Music From the O.C.: Mix 2 [cd]
Various Artists: Music From the O.C.: Mix 3 Have a Very Merry Chrismukkah [cd]
Various Artists: A Very Special Christmas Collection (box set) [cd]
21 Jump Street - The Complete First Season [dvd]
Bettie Page - Dark Angel [dvd]
Bill Hicks Live - Satirist, Social Critic, Stand-Up Comedian [dvd]
Breaker Morant (Masterworks Edition) [dvd]
Building Big [dvd]
Burning Britain: History of UK Punk [dvd]
Control Room [dvd]
David Byrne:Live at Union Chapel [dvd]
Dawn of the Dead (Widescreen Unrated Director's Cut) [dvd]
Father and Son [dvd]
I Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown [dvd]
In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great [dvd]
Inside Bowie and the Spiders:1969-72 [dvd]
Jerry Lee Lewis: I Am What I Am [dvd]
Lost Boys of Sudan [dvd]
Macbeth [dvd]
The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 6 [dvd]
No Quarter - Jimmy Page & Robert Plant Unledded [dvd]
The O.C. - The Complete First Season [dvd]
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians [dvd]
Speaking for Trees (Cat Power documentary with cd) [dvd]
Sonny & Cher - The Christmas Collection [dvd]
Tales From a Golden Age - Bob Dylan - 1941-1966 [dvd]
That '70s Show - Season 1 [dvd]
Townes Van Zandt - Houston 1988 - A Private Concert [dvd]
Viva La Bam - The Complete First Season [dvd]
Rock and Roll Geek is a music weblog worth hearing. Written by Michael Butler (of the band American Heartbreak), the podcasts are exceptionally interesting and fun.
Webtalkguys discuss podcasting.
After Ellen profiles musician Melissa Etheridge.
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reviews Friday night's Interpol show. "It seemed that their music wasn't so much morose as it was simply magnetic."
Lipsync.us is a weblog devoted to the Ashlee Simpson SNL appearance, with the tagline, "she thought she'd do a hoe-down."
Would competition help Netflix? The Seattle Times thinks so.
Cincinnati's Enquirer reviews Saturday night's Green Day show.
Hello Kitty turns 30 this year.
Dizze Rascal talks to ic Newcastle. "I just wanted to make music. It's not rock, it's not hip hop, it's not garage, it's just my way of putting a track together. People always try and find a category for music, but I hate the term 'urban'. I don't know what it means, but they have it as a category in HMV. But while I don't like it, I cannot deny it has helped acts like me cross over into the mainstream."
The Tennessean reviews Jason Ringenberg's new album, Empire Builders.
CD Baby has passed the $10 million mark in artist royalties paid.
To start the workweek on a cheerful note, here are some Ashlee Simpson videos of her debacle on Saturday Night Live. Included is a silly (but enjoyable) remix of her second performance:
Ashlee Simpson: Second song on Saturday Night Live [mpg]
Ashlee Simpson: blames her band [mpg]
Ashlee Simpson: the remix [wmv]
Now, for our regularly scheduled daily downloads:
Rilo Kiley: 2004-01-09, Pomona, acoustic [mp3]
Camper Van Beethoven: 2004-10-23, Indianapolis (Luna in-store) [mp3,ogg,shn]
Camper Van Beethoven: 2004-10-23, Indianapolis (evening show) [mp3,ogg,shn]
Fiery Furnaces: 2004-06-17, Chicago [mp3]*
Andrew Bird: 2004-08-02, WMSE [mp3,ogg,flac]
Neko Case: two tracks from The Tigers Have Spoken
The Monolith: several tracks [mp3]
Peter Himmelman: several tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: several tracks from In Music We Trust Records [mp3]
Minus 5: two videos [mov]
Pablo Brazil: "New Year's Eve 3005" [mp3]
*bittorrent
Before I write a brief review of Greg Kot's Wilco: Learning How To Die, I have to admit to being a huge Wilco fan. Kot paints a vivid picture of the formation of the band, and in particular the life and evolution of Jeff Tweedy. I'd recommend this book to any fan of modern music.
As my next book, I finally read Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser. I know I'm stating the obvious, but this book reminded me of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, which I reread last year. This eye-opening and and often horrifying story of the fast food industry should be read by anyone contemplating a meal at McDonald's for lunch.
Next up is Ken Wells' Travels with Barley: A Journey Through Beer Culture in America. As a fan of both travelogues and beer, I am hoping this book will quench my literary thirst.
Looking to get an iPod for a loved one this Christmas? Act soon, Steve Jobs recently warned, "We've taken our best guess, and we're building a lot, but the demand may be even larger. So if you want to be sure to get an iPod this holiday season, I'd get one soon."
Conor Oberst and Jack White: saviours of songwriting?
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram asks if we are overdocumenting our lives, with personal blogs one example.
The Oregonian is impressed with Ha Jin's new novel, War Trash. "There is a poignant, sometimes alarming irony to this story, coming as it does so soon after reports of Iraqi prisoner abuse by American troops."
The Cincinnati Enquirer reviews Friday night's Guided By Voices show at Southgate House.
The Edmonton Sun loves the new Neko Case live album, The Tigers Have Spoken.
John Vanderslice: 2004-10-18, Atlanta [mp3,ogg,flac]
Neutral Milk Hotel: 1998-04-25, Chicago [flac]**
Fairburn Royals: several tracks [mp3]
Nirvana: several live tracks [mp3]
PS: several tracks [mp3]
The Feverfew: several tracks [mp3]
The Boy Bathing: several tracks [mp3]
Jeannie Scofield: several tracks [mp3]
Rachel Jacobs: several tracks [mp3]
Crystal Brandt: several demos [mp3]
**bittorrent, registration required
As a fundraiser for the Athens Music Museum, Wuxtry Records has donated the following disks to be sold:
Full Length CDs
18th Dye - Tribute to a Bus (Matador)
Ashley Stove - All Summer Long (Merge)
Syd Barrett - Wouldn't You Miss Me (Capitol)
the Black Watch - very Mary Beth (Stone garden)
the Busy Signals - Baby's First Beats (Sugar Free)
Cath Carroll - True Crime Motel (Teenbeat)
Cloudberry Jam - Providing the Atmosphere (North of No South)
Richard Davies - There's Never Been a Crowd like This (Flydaddy)
Divine Comedy- Cassanova (Setanta) dbl CD version ($7.50 rare)
Divine Comedy - Absent Friends (Network)
Electronic - Raise the Pressure (Warner)
From Bubblegum to Sky - Nothing Sadder than Lonely Queen (Eennie Meanie)
Grenadine - Nopalitos (Simple Machines)
Hula Hoop - the Loveliest Ring of Saturn (Silver Girl)
Jumprope - Bookshelf Adventures (Reverse Curve)
Lucys - Looking for a Plane or Two (Tappersize)
the Marbles - Pryamid Landing (Spinart)
Mean Red Spiders - Still Life Moving Fast (Claire)
Mecca Normal - Flood Plain (K)
the Pastels - Mobile Safari (Up)
Poster Children - On the Offensive (Hidden Agenda)
Slipstream - Be Groovy or Leave (Che)
Graham Smith - Final Battle (March)
the Softies - s/t (Slumberland)
Unbunny - Snow Tires (Hidden Agenda)
the Wannadies - Before & After (Hidden Agenda)
the Windmills - Edge of August (Matinee)
various- Team Mint (Mint) cub, pansy division, smugglers, mr t experience,
maow, gob & more
various - Red Hot + Bothered (reprise) built to spill, folk implosion,
heavenly, future bible heroes, sae and cake, noise addict, grifters and more
CD EPs
Airport Girl - the Foolishness that We Create..... (Fortuna Pop)
the Cat's Miaow - the Long Goodbye (Darla)
the Darling Buds - Please Yourself (Chaos)
All full length CDs $5.00, all CD EPs $3.00
shipping is $2.00 first item in the USA/CANADA, and 25 cents each additional item. Overseas $5.00 first item and $1.00 each additional. All proceeds go to the Athens Music Museum for painting, fixing the floor, framing old show posters, etc.
E-mail Mike to reserve your music and make payment arrangements (and help a good cause).
No Love For Ned has the Fairburn Royals as an in-studio guest for this week's program.
New West is hosting the new video for the Drive-By Truckers, "Never Gonna Change."
In other New West news, the label has signed both Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion and Ben Lee.
"A match made in bloggers' heaven"
"Rilo Kiley: Adventures And Nudity In The Studio". Now we know Jenny Riley's secret: nude singing.
Patterson Hood of the Drive-By Truckers talks to The Columbian. "Honestly to me, my favorite songs are the other guys' songs. Not knocking mine because I'm proud of a lot of what I do and I certainly enjoy doing it and all of that. So for me it's kind of an honor and a privilege to get to be one of the writers."
Mercedes-Benz offers a downloadable "mixed tape."
The Globe and Mail profiles and talks to book cover designer Chip Kidd.
NPR profiles musical artist Jill Sobule.
The Mountain Goats: 2004-10-18, Atlanta [mp3,ogg,flac]
Radiohead: many live performances [mp3,mpg] (a repost, but it's up again with new content)
Guided By Voices: 2001-03-09, Asheville [flac]**
Fleetwood Mac: 1969 Chicago show [mp3]
I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch In The House: live audio & video [mp3,wmv]
Tarantel: "Hello We Move" [mp3] from We Move Through Weather
Lazarus: "Singing to Thieves" [mp3] from Like Trees We Grow Up to Be Satellites
Anomoanon: "Mr. Train" [mp3] from Joji
Guided By Voices: "Echos Myron (live)" [mp3]
Mountain Goats: "The Boys Are Back In Town" (Thin Lizzy cover from recent VPRO session) [mp3]
** bittorrent, registration required
Rhino is serving up videos from the current Zombies tour.
Poet Anthony Hecht is eulogized in the Washington Post. "His poems are never half-finished or rough-hewn; they are shaped, carefully molded, almost chiseled in their concordant, harmonious beauty."
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs have site featuring clips from their new DVD, What Rockers To Swallow.
Too busy to load your music on your new iPod? Use the Fillpod service.
An E6 fan has started the Elephant6 BT project, and will be seeding several lossless live shows from the Elephant6 collective at EZTree. First up: 2004 Of Montreal and 1999 Olivia Tremor Control shows.
Jeff Tweedy rates Wilco's other albums for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
KEXP is streaming several shows from last week's CMJ musicfest.
The Guardian's Alex Petridis attempts to listen to every cd released this month in a week.
Dizzee Rascal talks to the Belfast Telegraph, and discusses Franz Ferdinand. "They're amazing, I love them. They are worthy successors to Mercury Prize victory. They are an original sounding band - when I heard them live, I was touched. I like what they have to say - they're special."
Mountain Goats & John Vanderslice: 2004-10-18, Atlanta [flac]**
Neutral Milk Hotel: 1998 UK Radio [flac]**
Death Cab for Cutie: 2004-10-06, Asheville [flac]*
Death Cab for Cutie: 2004-10-02, Toledo [flac]*
Devin Davis: two tracks [mp3]
The Foolish: two tracks [mp3]
Gravity and Henry: several tracks [mp3,wma]
Evolution Control Committee & DJ Pantshead: several tracks [mp3]
Various Artists: tracks from March Records [mp3]
Aqueduct: "Hardcore Days & Softcore Nights" [mp3] from Pistols at Dawn
*bittorrent
**bittorrent, registration required
Paul is blogging again at The Rub, and music fans are thankful.
Radiohead is not only for the stereo, but also for the pianoforte.
Independent record stores hang on, thanks to obsessive music fans.
Pulse of the Twin Cities interviews Wilco's John Stirratt. "The theater of rock kind of relies on being able to look at a singer and then look over at a guitar player. It’s a traditional kind of thing in rock and I’m glad we tried getting away from it, but having Nels, who is really an exciting lead guitar player, it helps quite a bit in both the sound but also the look of the show."
ChartAttack reviews last Wednesday's "Libertines Lite" show in Toronto.
Cartoonist Keith Knight talks about the connection between books and comics.
Dave Keuning of the Killers talks to The Pitch about the pressures of being in an "it band." "We always have expectations to be a five-star band, every single night. And we try to live up to that, so there's always pressure on us. It's been on us so long that we're used to it now."
The Boston Phoenix profiles the music activist group, Downhill Battle.
Salon interviews Frank Black (aka Black Francis). " I don't know about that. [Mockingly] Kurt Cobain liked us. Nothing against him -- that's great that he liked us -- but we're a quirky band and a bunch of people liked us."
Now Toronto interviews Moving Units frontman, Blake Miller. "One day I was fooling around with a bass and came up with something that sounded like a bassline Peter Hook might've come up with for Joy Division. I recorded it, put on a drum track and dubbed on some guitar, and the other guys were into it when they heard it. That song, Between Us And Them, was really the genesis of the Moving Units sound."
Tift Merritt talks to the Kansas City Star.
David Boyle's "George W. Pussy" gets some love in the Boston Phoenix, which adds callouts to Fluxblog and the Tofu Hut.
John Vanderslice talks about recording with the Arizona Daily Wildcat. "I see digital recording as using a microwave or buying your produce from Piggly Wiggly. I am stridently pro-analog and see it as being more wholesome and organic because I just think that it sounds better. And I think that's what people listen for."
Neutral Milk Hotel: 1998-08-19, London [flac]**
Erlend Øye: 2003-02-12, Paris (Black session) [ogg]
Drive-By Truckers: 2004-10-08, Huntsville [flac]*
Decemberists: 2004-01-23, Portland [mp3]
Spoon: 2003-03-14, Austin [mp3]***
Radiohead: 2003-11-27, Earl's Court [mp3]
Prince: 2004-07-28, Toronto [mp3]
Various Artists: Silvergate and Dovetail Compilation [mp3]
Slingshot Dakota: two tracks [mp3]
Drive-By Truckers: "Never Gonna Change" on The Late Late Show, 2004-10-19 [mpg]
*bittorrent
**bittorrent, registration required
***registration required
Camper Van Beethoven's guitars, violin and merchandise were stolen last night in Montreal. Following is a list of items taken, if you have any information about these please contact the Montreal police or email Jonathan Segal:
jonathan's violin with stickers all over it
jonathan's 1971 strat (sunburst) (with a couple stickers, etc.)O
victor's 1969 precision bass (natural finish)
david's green charvel surfcaster
david's black jackson surfcaster
a couple ibanez acoustics
johnny's black eric clapton strat
greg's frankenstein strat (black) and tele (tobacco sunburst)
mike duclos' precision bass
ezster balint's gibson danelectro semi acoustic.
maybe more...
a few tshirts and a road case of cds
Clint Conley of Mission of Burma talks to Metromix. "I just assumed that we'd just slowly fade, fade, fade away into the distant memory of people who had seen us."
Instapundit's Glenn Reynolds discusses how the blogosphere has grown up.
Also from Metromix, Har Mar Superstar is interviewed. "Sex plus drugs equals rock 'n' roll. When people are too conservative they're going to listen to Nickelback, you know?"
BBC News tells Alan Hollinghurst what to expect as a Booker Prize winner.
Otis Fodder has posted a two disc Halloween mix.
Former Smashing Pumpkins and Zwan frontman Billy Corgan discusses his book of poetry with the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. "I shouldn't be saying this, but I think some poems in the book aren't very good. They create a sense of balance . . . that I felt had to be in there."
The Seattle Times reviews Monday night's Tom Waits show.
Pixies: 2004-07-03, Belfort [mp3]
Jack Johnson: 2004-10-09, Laguna Beach [mp3,ogg,shn]
Sainte Chapelle: several tracks [mp3]
Troy Campbell: several tracks [mp3]
Hood: audio & video [mp3]
Macrosick: "Under These Skies" [mp3]
Sainte Chapelle: "Mantra" [mp3] from Soon To Fail
The Nein: "War Is on the Stereo" [mp3] from The Nein
El-P: "Jukie Skate Rock" from Collecting the Kid
A. Graham and the Moment Band: "Blurred Back" [mp3] from This Tyrant Is Free
With Guided By Voices coming to an end with their New Year's eve performance in Chicago, it is only fitting that this week's tune pays homage to one of my favorite bands. The brevity of the song only adds to its charm, it is one of the wispy, magical fragments that earn Bob Pollard a gold star (for robot boy) in my book. The fact that the song mentions my home state doesn't hurt, either (it's the only GBV song to mention Alabama).
"Tropical Robots" first appeared on the Teenage FBI 7" and CD single in 1999, then on the Hold On Hope EP in 2000, then the Fading Captain vinyl release Daredevil Stamp Collector: Do The Collapse B-sides.
This track is from the 2004-09-11 Washington show at the 9:30 Club.
My 2004 Austin City Limits Music Festival download page has been updated, with newly listed shows by Spoon, Bruce Robison, Dayna Kurtz, Papa Mali, Reckless Kelly, Terri Hendrix, and Tucker Livingston.
Grist magazine started Gristmill, an environmental news blog late last month.
The Drive-By Truckers perform tonight on CBS's Late Late Show.
Author Joyce Carol Oates visits Yale and describes her writing style. "The process of writing is something that I live with everyday. I try to have dialogue in the center of chapters. It's the living part of the narrative."
The Times Online reviews a recent Scissor Sisters show. "The Albert Hall stage was a vision of decadent grandeur and urban sleaze."
Poynter Online's Thomas T. Huang looks for answers in Oprah's "O" magazine.
The Orlando Sentinel reviews Friday night's Mountain Goats show. "Unlike a lot of solo songwriters, Darnielle excels at blending earnestness with a disarming humor that keeps things from becoming maudlin."
Drive-By Truckers: 2004-10-09, Nashville (Grimey's in-store) [flac]**
Centro-matic: 2004-10-16, Denver [flac]*
The 101: two tracks [mp3]
Early Day Miners: audio & video [mp3,mov]
Novi Split: several tracks [mp3]
The Love of Everything: several tracks [mp3]
Lisa Cerbone: two tracks [mp3]
Rilo Kiley: "Portions For Foxes" on Conan O'Brien, 2004-10-06 [mov]
U2: "Vertigo" from Top of the Pops [wmv]
Prosaics: "Teeth" from Aghast Agape
*bittorrent
**bittorrent, registration required
My birthday is roughly a month away (November 15th), and since last year's suggestions from the largehearted peanut gallery helped my wife considerably, she asked me to ask for your gift advice yet again. I can be difficult to shop for, so your help will be appreciated for Christmas as well. If you haven't been reading this blog for very long, here's my Amazon wishlist to get an idea of my tastes...
I'll be blindly forwarding all comments to my wife, Ms. Fingertips, and avoid reading them until after ny birthday. If she uses your advice, I'll send you a LHB surprise pack after the 15th. Thanks.
This week's key release for me is the new Elliott Smith album, from a basement on a hill, so I'll be picking that up along with the new Le Tigre, and The Music's new album, Welcome to the North. The holiday albums are tempting, but I can pick them up after the holidays for a couple of bucks each. What else can you recommend? How about the new Ted Leo? Am I missing anything?
Among the DVD releases, it will be hard to resist the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' concert and video collection, Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow, SCTV's volume two, and the complete series of Greg the Bunny.
Releases this week that caught my eye:
Air: Surfing on a Rocket ep [cd]
Alfie (soundtrack) [cd]
Broadway - The American Musical (PBS Series) (box set) [cd]
Charley Patton: Devil Sent the Rain Blues: Complete Recordings [cd]
Doug Gillard: Salamander [cd]
El-P: Collecting the Kid (limited edition) [cd]
Elliott Smith: from a basement on the hill [cd]
The Gourds: Blood of the Ram [cd]
Green Pajamas: Ten White Stones [cd]
Guitar Wolf: Rock N Roll Etiquette (remastered with extra tracks) [cd]
Jason Falkner: Bliss Descending ep [cd]
Jimmy Eat World: Futures (Bonus CD) [cd]
John Wesley Harding: It Happened One Night & It Never Happened at All (reissues) [cd]
Le Tigre: This World [cd]
Peter Murphy: Unshattered [cd]
The Music: Welcome to the North [cd]
Quasar Wut-Wut: Taro Sound [cd]
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: Shake the Sheets [cd]
Various Artists: Bataclan 72 [cd]
Various Artists: Classic Rockin Christmas [cd]
Various Artists: Enjoy Every Sandwich: Songs of Warren Zevon [cd]
Various Artists: A Very Unschooled Christmas [cd]
Zutons: Who Killed the Zutons? [cd]
William Hung: Hung for the Holidays [cd]
50 First Dates (Widescreen Edition) [dvd]
Arrested Development: Season One [dvd]
Creature from the Black Lagoon - The Legacy Collection (Creature from the Black Lagoon / Revenge of the Creature / The Creature Walks Among Us) [dvd]
David Bowie: A Reality Tour [dvd]
Ed Wood (Special Edition) [dvd]
Fat Girl - Criterion Collection [dvd]
Going Upriver - The Long War of John Kerry [dvd]
Greg the Bunny - The Complete Series [dvd]
Invisible Man - The Legacy Collection (The Invisible Man/Invisible Man Returns/Invisible Agent/Invisible Woman/Invisible Man's Revenge) [dvd]
The Mummy - The Legacy Collection (The Mummy/Mummy's Hand/Mummy's Tomb/Mummy's Ghost/Mummy's Curse) [dvd]
Pee Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special [dvd]
SCTV, Volume 2 [dvd]
SpongeBob SquarePants - The Complete 2nd Season [dvd]
Stargate SG-1 - The Complete Seasons 1-7 [dvd]
Straw Dogs [dvd]
Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow [dvd]
Xena Warrior Princess - Season Five [dvd]
Elvis Costello has scheduled a rare in-store performance at Amoeba Music in Hollywood Tuesday.
Time Asia reviews the stage adaptation of Haruki Murakami's The Elephant Vanishes.
The Drive-By Truckers are performing today at Sugarbeats in Salt Lake City at five o'clock. The acoustic performance will be aired live on KRCL.
The Denver Post reviews Ha Jin's new novel, War Trash.
Guided By Voices sideman Doug Gillard has launched his solo website in advance of the release of his album, Salamander, tomorrow.
MP3newswire.net lists their iPod Killers for Christmas, parts I and II. (via)
ILX sez these are the "Top 100 Most Bangin Techno Tracks."
The Seattle Post Intelligencer was "captivated" by a recent Gillian Welch and David Rawlings show.
The New York Times looks back on CMJ week.
The Boston Herald reviews a Camper Van Beethoven show.
Rilo Kiley: 2004-10-10, Washington [mp3,flac]
Radiohead: 2003-05-18, Dublin [mp3]
Bob Dylan: 1978 Rundown Rehearsal tapes [mp3]
Jack Johnson: 2004-09-17, Annapolis [mp3,ogg,flac]
The Fiery Furnaces: 2004-10-13, Portland [flac]**
The Gaskets: several tracks [mp3]
Ramona The Pest: several tracks [mp3]
Telto: two tracks [mp3]
The Visible Men: two tracks [mp3]
Mountain Goats: 2004-10-10, Cambridge videos [mov]*
*bittorrent
**bittorrent, registration required
#38: I have great respect for Birmingham's own Denis Covington as an author. I count his Salvation on Sand Mountain as one of my favorite pieces of non-fiction, so I had high expectations for Redneck Riviera. The book is an excruciatingly honest account of Covington's attempt to claim his inheritance, a piece of worthless Florida land. Like all of Covington's work, though, events cannot be anticipated, and the book takes unexpected turns. Gripping and heartfelt, this was a quick read yet fascinating.
#39: When we recently adopted a kitten, my sister-in-law sent us Cat Speak: How to Communicate With Cats by Learning Their Secret Language, by Bash Dibra and others. Overall, I found the book insightful into the language of cats, their body language especially. I expected more in-depth analysis, but found this an excellent entry-level book on how to understand your feline.
#40: My fortieth book of the year was Green River, Running Red: The Real Story of the Green River Killer--America's Deadliest Serial Murderer by Ann Rule. I am a huge fan of true crime, and this book is one of the best examples of the genre I have read in several years. Rule manages to respect the victims by recounting their lives with dignity, while shocking the reader with the abnormal psychology of the killer and the horrifying details of the crimes.
My next book will be Wilco : Learning How to Die by Greg Kot.
The Guardian talks to the people who choose music for fashion shows.
Le Tigre talks to the New York Times about working with Ric Ocasek.
The New York Daily News reviews Ha Jin's new novel, War Trash.
Sugar Mountain compiles Neil Young setlists over the years.
The Birmingham News examines blogging in Alabama (I'm proud to state that I am a member of the "Axis of Weevil" mentioned in the article).
The New York Post interviews Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service. "We're just regular people. We play rock 'n' roll."
The Kansas City Star publishes a primer on internet vernacular.
The Denver Post asks Senate candidates who Andre 3000 is.
The Edmonton Sun is wowed by Richard Buckner's new album, Dents and Shells.
The Toronto Star lists unlikely band reunions.
Drive-By Truckers: 2004:10-15, Denver [flac]
Drive-By Truckers: 2004-10-16, KBCO studio session [flac]*
Camper Van Beethoven: 2004-10-10, Teaneck [flac]*
Wilco: 2004-10-08, Skidmore College [flac]*
Wilco: 2004-09-14, Columbia [flac]
Radiohead: 2002-08-01, San Sebastian [mp3]
Various Artists: audio and video from Polyvinyl Records [mp3,mp4]
Various Artists: tracks from Plan-It-X Records [mp3]
Collections of Colonies of Bees: "Fun" from Customer
Aloha: "Summer Away" from Here Comes Everyone
*bittorrent
Rolling Stone profiles Luna as they release their final album and embark on their last tour.
Indie rock is casting off its slacker image, according to the New York Times.
The Providence Business Times examines online music's effect on Newbury Comics.
The Memphis Flyer reviews the latest albums by John Vanderslice and the Libertines.
The London Free Press says, "Welcome to the blogosphere."
The Montreal Gazette examines how iPods change the way we listen to music.
The Chicago Sun-Times interviews Gordon Downie of The Tragically Hip. ""In our career, we've gone through all the different stages, from lean to excess. We've written an entire album in the studio, just like the Beatles. It's ridiculous."
Radiohead: 2002-07-30, San Sebastian [mp3]
Explosions In The Sky: 2004-10-13, Lansing [mp3,ogg,flac]
Jack Johnson: 2003-11-16, Brisbane [mp3,ogg,shn]
Camper Van Beethoven: 2003-04-18, Atlanta [mp3,ogg,shn]
Vinyl: 2004-04-29, New Orleans [mp3,ogg,shn]
The Roots: 1997-01-08, Lund [mp3]
The Libertines on Conan O'Brien [avi]
Gold Chains & Sue Ci: "Shoot Straight"
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists: "Me & Mia" from Shake the Sheets
Jon Stewart: CNN Crossfire appearance [mp3]
John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats talks to the Orlando Sentinel. "As far as the writing, that's not so hard. Performing is the part that is kind of weird. It makes me feel very vulnerable in an exciting way. It's like doing improvisational music."
In a related article, Darnielle's current tourmate John Vanderslice is interviewed in the Tallahassee Democrat. "I absolutely believe in my own intuitive feelings about music, and I do what I think is in my best interests as a creative person. I'm not too stressed out about the general plan of my career. I really just want to make interesting records."
Fortune profiles Nick Denton and his Gawker Media blog empire.
The Nation interviews Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla. "The sheer quantity of information that is available to any person on any given day by way of a seemingly infinite number of cable channels and websites and blogs is a little bit staggering and a little bit terrifying. But there are sources for all of those things, and I think that finding the source is really the answer."
Erasing Clouds interviews Tom Wilson, Jr., who draws the comic strip Ziggy. "Actually, I like the fact that even though I have a limited space of one panel instead of say, three or four, I try and keep Ziggy simple as a character, and because of the massive reduction that's going on in size, I work six-and-a-half by six-and-a-half and make it down to, you know, really tiny in some papers, I want to keep as little copy, and keep it as un-detailed as possible, so Ziggy is basically relaying what I want him to relay."
Also from DCfC, Ben Gibbard talks to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Free Time and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Vail Daily News asks two local independent booksellers for reading suggestions.
Mother Jones interviews Steve Earle. "I’m blogging a little bit more. It’s kind of a cool medium because you run across stuff, just traveling around on the “Silver City” junket with John Sayles, and then the tour’s going to start."
Time lists their "election websites" and includes a section on political blogs.
The Seattle Times eulogizes local music venue, the Hideaway.
The Sacramento Bee profiles four local weblogs.
Camper Van Beethoven: 2004-10-12, Washington [flac]*
Radiohead: 2003-05-18, Dublin [mp3]
My Morning Jacket: 2004-10-02, Dayton [shn]
Los Lonely Boys: 2004-09-17, ACL Music Festival, Austin [flac]
Avril Lavigne: demo album [mp3]
Firesign Theatre: twelve out-of-print vinyl albums [mp3]
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti: "For Kate I Will Wait" [mp3] from The Doldrums
Human Television: "Tell Me What You Want" [mp3] from All Songs Written by: Human Television
Williamson: "Time You'll Never Get Back" [mp3] from Few Things to Hear Before We All Blow Up
Jonny Greenwood: "Smear (live)" [mp3]
*bittorrent
John Seroff has been the center spoke of the music blog community lately, interviewing fellow music bloggers and reviewing music sites. His mp3 blog, The Tofu Hut offers an eclectic selection of downloads from all over the musical map as well as music news and the heads up on the latest and greatest music sites.
Since John's done such a great job bringing the online music community a little closer, I thought I'd turn the tables and have him answer a variety of his own questions.
1. Where did the name of your blog originate from, and when did the blog start?
The name of the blog is a piss take on my online nick, "forksclovetofu", by way of a reference to Matt Groening's Life In Hell. There's a strip where his be-fezzed gay couple Akbar and Jeff open a stripmall called "The Tofu Hut". Honestly, I didn't give much thought about the name when I started the blog and it wasn't originally a music site. Knowing then what I do now, I've occasionally mused that I might've been better off calling the thing "John the Revelator" which would make it easier for people to associate the site with me. Ah well. Missed opportunities.
For the record: no, I'm not a vegetarian but I _DO_ love to eat tofu in all its many forms.
2. What are the criteria you judge a song by to decide if it's post-worthy
It should be something that 95 people out of a hundred haven't heard before. It should be awesome. Bonus points if it utilizes a vocoder or gamelan. It should not be commercially available as a single. It should fit the theme of whatever I'm currently running. It should be something neither I nor anyone else has posted before. It should continue to expand the variance of genres that the blog explores.
3. What song consistently makes you happy?
A few off the top of my head: Stevie Wonder's live version of "Ribbon in the Sky" off of 'Natural Wonder' (5:45 to ending only), Desmond Dekker's "Poor Me Israelites", Leslie Feist's "Mushaboom", Basement Jaxx's "Good Luck", Louis Jordan's "The Green Grass Grows All Around", The Golden Gate Quartet's "My Walking Stick", Tatu's "Malchik Gay", Taj Mahal "Cakewalk Into Town", Twista and R. Kelly's "So Sexy", Ghostface/RZA/SlickRick/Raekwon's "The Sun"... that'll do for the moment.
4. What do you do for kicks when you're not posting?
Women (when available and not prohibited by law), surf the web relentlessly, run, hit that gym, eat, go to the museum/library/rekkid store, read paper products, video games, find new music, watch films, yaketty yak, work (too often), sleep (too often), worry (too often), job hunt (not often enough), whatever happens happens yaknow?
5. Do you have a favorite music critic?
I really like Sasha Frere Jones; I'll try anything his name is on. Outside of that, I have a list of my fave critic on my blog; they're my favorite musicblog kids.
6. Gimme five desert island discs (I'll take compilations).
Oh so arbitrary, but:
1. Le Triomphe des Blues (20 disc French import collection)
2. Prince: Hits and the B-Sides
3. John Coltrane: either "A Love Supreme" or "Giant Steps" or "Favorite Things", couldn't tell you which.
4. The Complete Hank Williams (Mercury box set)
5. Goodbye Babylon (dusttodigital box set)
Of course, I would OBVIOUSLY just take my computer with me to any desert island. With Wi-Fi. And a terragig drive.
7. Do you consider yourself a "music journalist"?
Only when I get paid.
8. What was the last track you heard that really changed your life?
Oh, they change my life every day; a good song alters the way you feel and the way you see the world more than damn near anything for me. The last one that jumps to mind is the Quarteto Em Cy's "Tudo Que Você Podia Ser" off their 1972 eponymous album; that thing is so goddamn heartfelt. Should be on the Hut shortly and you can judge for yourself just how good it is.
9. Is there a major flaw in the way musicblog sites function that you'd like to see corrected??
I'd like to see a greater sense of community. For some reason there's a real cynical attitude toward embracing people who are doing the same thing that you're doing on the web. This strikes me as excessively self-defeating. There should certainly be critical standards but we could do worse than to offer everyone a kiss on the cheek and a pat on the back while they get acclimated and see if they have something interesting to offer.
10. Do you really think posting music effectively promotes sales of the album?
Yeah I do and for reasons that I've rehashed so extensively and repeatedly on my own blog and across the internet that it bores me to even think about getting back into that tangle. Suffice it to say: curious consumers with one free track+computer=curious consumer with a budget that includes discretionary income for music willing to buy more. Etc, ad infinitum.
11. Describe the space you do your writing in.
I'm currently living in a vastly overpriced NYC underground cave on a chair with not enough padding and listening to music through my only soundsystem/conduit to the world/writing utensil, which is to say Sonya the II, my erstwhile compooter. It's dark and hell is cold.
12. That old chestnut dinner party is at your house and you can invite three musicians living or dead. Who are you inviting?
Seems to me that John Coltrane, Robert Johnson and Andre 3000 would have a lot to talk about. Again, this is so damn arbitrary; catch me tomorrow and I'll tell you Tom Waits, David Banner and Orpheus.
13. Is there any genre of music that you dismiss out of hand?
There used to be quite a few; now there's pretty much nothing that I don't think deserves a fair shake, up to and including kids hitting tin cans with sticks.
14. What is the most rewarding facet of writing a music weblog?
The response from interested readers and the cross-pollination of musical tastes that engenders. It also represents a creative outlet and a dream to try to pin my star on.
15. Do you someday hope to make a living with something music or
internet related?
Fuck, _please_? I'm asking nicely ovah heah!
16. Drop on by Better Propaganda at http://www.betterpropaganda.com/ and pick out a track from their archives to hype.
I finally picked up "Treddin' On Thin Ice" a little while ago and it's pretty much straight fire. This is the track that got me started on this fella. If you dig th' Streets and Dizzee Rascal, this is the next logical rung on the ladder.
My 2004 Austin City Limits Music Festival download page has been updated with shows by Franz Ferdinand, the Old 97's, Sheryl Crow, Rachael Yamagata and others.
Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst talks to MTV.com.
PopMatters interviews Emily Haines of Metric. "The feeling that no one gives a shit about you is such a wonderful thing about New York, and America in general. At least my perception of it is no one's going to pander to you. And I really, I think that's a good thing for art. By contrast, in Canada there's an extensive grant system that really allows people to make their work without having to suffer that much, and I'm staring to come around on that, that maybe people don't have to suffer. Maybe you can just not be unhappy and make beautiful music in Canada, maybe that's ok."
Watch your favorite TV themes from the 80's (unfortunately the files are mostly wmv, though).
The Des Moines Register profiles Iowa college towns and their respective music scenes.
Blogs viewed cautiously as vital medium.
LA City Beat calls a recent Mark Lanegan show a "monochromatic miasma."
Badly Drawn Boy: 2004-10-12, KCRW Morning Becomes Eclectic [mp3]
Camper Van Beethoven: 2003-04-19, Atlanta [mp3,ogg,shn]
Radiohead: 2003-05-22, Manchester [mp3]
The Prodigy: 2004 Athens Show [mp3,wmv]
My Morning Jacket: 2004-10-01, University Park [shn]
Lake Holiday: Send Off the Summer ep [mp3]
Bill Janovitz and Crown Victoria: several tracks [mp3]
Vells: several tracks [mp3]
Adult Swim: various Aqua Teen Hunger Force remixes [mp3]
Devendra Banhart: "Be Kind" [mp3] from Nino Rojo
As an extra birthday celebration of my wife, here is a collection of tracks available by her favorite band of the moment, the Decemberists.
I have many things of which to be thankful, and one is a partner who keeps an open mind to new music. When I started playing the Decemberists' debut ep, she was unfazed either positively or negatively towards the band. Two albums later, she finally saw the band live and the music clicked. Now, the band's CD's follow her to and from work, and I'm happy to have introduced her to something she enjoys.
"Shiny" [mp3] from 5 Songs ep
"The Bachelor and the Bride" [mp3] from Her Majesty The Decemberists
"The Soldiering Life" [mp3] from Her Majesty The Decemberists
"California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade" [mp3] from Castaways and Cutouts
"July, July!" [mp3] from Castaways and Cutouts
"Grace Cathedral Hill" from Castaways and Cutouts
"Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect" [mp3] from Castaways and Cutouts