Here's the first song, Love Interruption, from Jack White's forthcoming solo album Blunderbuss set for release by Third Man/XL Recordings/Columbia on April 23. There's no word yet whether his Third Man labelmates Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope of Insane Clown Posse were involved in the recording. Vinyl junkies should note that the 7" single version of Love Interruption is out on February 7.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Spiritualized lands at the Phoenix in May
After Spiritualized presents the songs from their forthcoming seventh studio album Sweet Heart Sweet Light (Fat Possum) to UK audiences in March, Jason Pierce should finally have everything mixed to his liking by the time they begin the North American leg of their tour. That would mean finished copies of the 10-track Sweet Heart Sweet Light – originally set for release on March 19 but just pushed back "several weeks" – could be available for sale before Spiritualized arrives in Toronto to light up The Phoenix on May 5. Well, fingers are crossed.
In any case, advance tickets for the Phoenix show will set you back $27 and are on sale Friday at Rotate This, Soundscapes and Ticketmaster. Here are the tour dates:
3/16 Nottingham, England - Rescue Rooms
3/17 Portsmouth, England - Wedgewood Rooms
3/19 London, England - Hackney Empire
3/20 Oxford, England - O2 Academy
3/21 Bristol, England - O2 Academy
3/22 Glasgow, Scotland - ABC
3/23 Belfast, Northern Ireland - Mandela Hall
3/24 Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street
3/25 Manchester, England - Academy
5/2 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
5/3 Chicago, IL – Metro
5/4 Detroit, MI – The Majestic Theatre
5/5 Toronto, ON – The Phoenix
5/7 New York, NY – Terminal 5
5/9 Boston, MA – Paradise
5/10 Washington, DC – The 9:30 Club
5/11 Philadelphia, PA – Theatre of Living Arts
5/12 Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
5/13 Atlanta, GA – The Variety Playhouse
5/15 Dallas, TX – The Granada Theatre
5/16 Austin, TX – Emo’s East
5/18 Tucson, AZ – The Rialto Theatre
5/19 Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent Ballroom
5/20 San Diego, CA – Belly Up Tavern
5/22 Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
5/23 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
5/25 Portland, OR – The Wonder Ballroom
5/26 Vancouver, BC – The Rickshaw Theatre
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Happy Birthday Bettye LaVette!
Let Me Down Easy (Shindig! June 9, 1965)
You'll Never Change
Ticket To The Moon
Almost
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Friday, January 27, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
One For The Weekend: Gangrene
Vodka & Ayahausca by Gangrene (The Alchemist & Oh No)
Gangrene: The Bio
The Alchemist and Oh No, respected and accomplished MCs and producers in their own right,weren’t acquainted until they met at a show headlined by Dilated Peoples member and mutual
friend, Evidence. Inspired, Al contacted Oh No and proposed a collaborative project. From that
point they “just clicked”, says Oh No. “I sent him a verse and a beat, and he sent a beat and a
verse.” The creative sparring continued, and they began to refer to the work as Gangrene.
As the project began to flesh itself out organically over the course of these exchanges, each artists
relished the opportunity to best his cohort with the most profoundly disturbing, cut-throat
concoction he could muster, be it a threatening stanza or traumatic instrumental. The friendly
competition was spurred on by a deep-rooted mutual respect and admiration for each other’s
work, and the music began to reflect this as they exchanged sonic influence, ultimately
contributing to an aesthetic that resides at the corner of Crenshaw and Elm Street.
In the early 90s, The Alchemist was inspired by street level hip-hop at a young age, but his
surroundings differed starkly from those surrounding his favorite MCs. Seeing beyond the
glimmering façade of his Beverly Hills neighborhood, he sought mentors who would expose him
to a different reality. Cypress Hill’s DJ Muggs kept him grounded under his tutelage, schooling
him on the use of the ASR-10 sampler. Muggs eventually began to pass on work to the young
producer/MC who landed his first beats on Mobb Deep’s Murda Muzik.
After visiting, Al felt more home in the cramped quarters of NYC and made the trans-continental leap of faith in order to better acquaint himself with the environment that had birthed hip-hop culture. His solo debut, 1st Infantry, was a veritable who’s-who of mean-mugging rhyme-spitters like The Lox, Mobb Deep, and The Game and it served as the red carpet that introduced Al as a formidable rhyme teller himself.
Meanwhile, in Oxnard, Stones Throw Records had just gotten off the ground, bolstered by the
success of their premier release, Lootpack’s Soundpieces: Da Antidote. Lootpack member and
Stones Throw exec Madlib had tapped his younger brother for a few verses, and the fledgling
rapper/beatmaker went by Oh No. His subsequent releases on the label, 2004’s The Disrupt and
2006’s Exodus into Unheard Rhythms, were later met with a great deal of acclaim. Oh No
cemented his status as one of the most forward thinking instrumentalists and lyricists making hiphop
with the release of Dr. No’s Oxperiment, a concept record that lifted samples strictly from
Middle Eastern and Mediterranean vinyl.
Three years after the creative mutagen was introduced, the Alchemist and Oh No stand upon a
seething heap of rugged de-compositions to be released as an album titled Gutter Water on
Decon. Together as Gangrene they present a dense canvas from which verses by guests Planet
Asia, Raekwon, Evidence, MED, Twins Gambino, Fashawn and Roc-C leap into action
alongside rhymes of their own. Oh No explains, “Our sounds are really raw, gritty. It just worked.”
Though both are life long students of the school of sampling, they’re approach to doing so
differed initially. Gradually breaking down analog recordings to there elements, Al and Oh have
since become a force of nature, accosting beautiful pieces of music, turning them inside out and
repackaging them into an ominous, pitch-colored void of thuggery.
Gangrene is a hood-certified existential demonstration of creative conceptualism; creating something by taking less from more, returning an organic creation to the soil, diamonds into coal.
Gangrene - Vodka & Ayahuasca (Decon)
2. Gladiator Music ft. Kool G Rap
3. Flame Throwers
4. Drink Up ft. Roc Marciano
5. Auralac Bags
6. Vodka & Ayahuasca
7. Dump Truck ft. Prodigy
8. Due Work
9. Odds Cracked
10. Top Instructors
11. Dark Shades ft. Evidence & Roc C
12. The Groove
13. Livers For Sale
14. Outro (The Downsides)
LINKS
label http://deconrecords.com/
twitter @AlanTheChemist, @ohnothedisrupt
The Unknown: A new D-Sisive radio show
"It’s my new radio show! Well, it’s my only radio show. In fact, it’s not on the radio, so, it’s not really a radio show at all. A podcast? I like saying Radio Show more. Tarzan Dan never had a podcast. So...It’s a radio show. My Radio Show!
The Unknown.
I called my radio show The Unknown because I plan to tell you shit that's unknown to you. Originally, it was going to be an hour of my favourite songs. But after a conversation with Orin Isaacs, who’s producing the show, we came up with something a bit better. I realized there’s already one Ryan Seacrest. And he’s gorgeous. Why try to step on his toes? I’d rather step on my own toes.Each episode will feature two songs. Two songs by two artists that inspire me. Along with those songs, I tell the story of said inspiration. That, and lots of laser sounds! Radio is full of laser sounds!" D-Sisive
Thursday January 26, 2012
D-Sisive & Pirates Blend present...
Derek Christoff: The Unknown, Episode One
Featured Music:
GG Allin Guns,Bitches,Brawls & Bottles
Daniel Johnston: The Story Of An Artist
Produced By: Orin Isaacs & Derek Christoff
Artwork:Brett Lindzen [KnapsackWax.com]
Theme:D-Sisive The Unknown [FromTheAlbum:Run With The Creeps]
Theme Produced By:Muneshine [Facebook.com/muneshine]
Website:Jake Rainis [JakeRainis.com]
isderekhome@gmail.com
nobodywithanotepad.com
piratesblend.com
twitter.com/dsisive
facebook.com/DSisiveMusic
urbnet.com/DSisive
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
What's behind Wilco's odd new Popeye video
It struck me as more than a bit strange when I read that King Features and dBpm Records had joined forces for the release of a new cartoon and animated music video for Wilco’s “Dawned On Me” featuring Popeye the Sailor Man. Upon discovering the clip had been directed by Darren Romanelli, everything started making a lot more sense.
You see, Romanelli isn't only the face of the Dr. Romanelli fashion line, he's also the custom marketing specialist behind Street Virus who conceived the animated collaboration between Wilco and King Features’ flagship character Popeye, first introduced in animated form by Fleischer Studios in 1933.
Romanelli's marketing team was initially hired by King Features to curate the resurrection and reintroduction of their Beetle Bailey comic strip character to contemporary consumers. What became known as the Dr. Romanelli: Camp Swampy project first appeared to the public in the form of Converse's Bosey model sneakers which look like army-style Chuck Taylors with Beetle Bailey graphics inside the shoe. Of course, the shoes and jackets with Beetle Bailey on the back were just the beginning. The clever bit was hitting on the Army Vs. Navy strategy as a way to reintroduce an even bigger King Features property, Popeye The Sailor Man. The next phase came last September with the roll out of MediCom Toy's new Beetle Bailey and Popeye Bearbrick dolls. Then in October, the new Converse Popeye-style Chuck Taylors popped up alongside their Beetle Bailey shoes at Bloomingdales just in time for the holidays.
So the Wilco new video clip is essentially just latest phase of Romanelli's elaborate Camp Swampy campaign – a sneaky commercial for their King Features product lines designed to hit the 50+ target demographic: Wilco fans.
Jeff Tweedy and company have never been gung-ho about allowing their music to be used in advertising. Neither have they been keen on wasting loads of money on promotional videos – they haven't done one since 1999's I'm Always In Love off of Summerteeth and that was a straight rehearsal space performance clip – which makes this unusual venture with Romanelli's marketing team that much more intriguing. Now that they've completed and released the long-form commercial for Popeye, could there be Wilco brand canned spinach on grocery shelves next? Or perhaps a new series of collectible Wilco Bearbrick dolls? Stay tuned.
Dawned On Me by Wilco
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Alex Pangman swings back to '33 for new video
Hummin' To Myself by Alex Pangman
LINK
site http://www.alexpangman.com/
itunes http://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/33/id431392126
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Guided By Voices soundcheck 1994
Here are two songs from the soundcheck for Guided By Voices' show at Hara Arena in the lovely Dayton suburb of Trotwood, Ohio on March 18, 1994. This was bassist Dan Toohey's last GBV show. Also, the dude in the maroon shirt (to the right of guitarist Mitch Mitchell) is future GBV guitarist, Nate Farley, who was the guitar tech that night. As it turns out, the tunes they played, Pimple Zoo and Gold Star For Robot Boy, were also the first two songs they performed that evening as you can see from the set list above.
For similar GBVness, look into the wonderfully stitched-together Bob Pollard DVD, The Devil Went Home and Puked, available for purchase online at http://rockathonrecords.com/video.html
Gold Star For Robot Boy
Pimple Zoo
Friday, January 13, 2012
Happy Birthday Eero Koivistoinen!
Odysseus by Eero Koivistoinen Sekstetti
7 Up by Eero Koivistoinen Music Society
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Chamber Strings on Chic-A-Go-Go in 1998
"Here's The Chamber Strings' 1998 appearance on Chic-A-Go-Go with us miming 'Telegram' from the Gospel Morning record. This is the first line-up with Ellis Clark on bass. Hard to believe this was 14 years ago! I remember after our song we raced over to The Double Door to play with Ed Roeser's (Urge Overkill) then new band Electric Airlines. Gospel Morning came out in September 1997 and I went right over to Europe (with Epic Soundtracks) for 6 week tour. We had only played a small handful of shows in The States when this was filmed. Good times." Kevin Junior
Telegram by The Chamber Strings
One For The Weekend: Svenska Löd AB!
Den Dan Vi Sket I Hugo Montenegros Arrengemang by Svenska Löd AB!
Side A
Introd.... Ta er i brasan
Den dan vi sket i Hugo Montenegros arrangemang (J. Kent)
Teryleneblus 13:50 EPA (Bengt Lindqvist)
En mäktig eldaregesäll - ej Taube (Charles Earland)
Side B
Right on - Kliv på (Lee Roland)
Va då rå - va e' reö, de e' vel okey (J.J. Jackson)
Undrar om Mona och Kent spelar den här.... (Bengt Lindqvist)
Riff á la Lindström (Nebraska, Miles. Lewis)
Recorded on 15-16 November 1971. Arr. Bengt Lindqvist. Prod. Svenska Löd AB, Gert Palmcrantz and Janne Forsell.
Reissue:
Design by Pelle Jansson.
Lacquers cut by Janne Hansson at Atlantis Grammofon AB, 16 September 2011.
Produced by Eric Palmcrantz.
Reissue released 15-16 November 2011.
1000 numbered copies. 180 g audiophile vinyl by Pallas.
Digital distribution by Figaro Music.
LINKS
label http://www.figaromusic.se/svlod.php#
buy
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
RIP Tom Ardolino of NRBQ, 1955-2012
"Wild music; crazy lyrics. Beautiful music; perfect lyrics. You get all this and more with these kinds of records. Strange sounding cheap early electronic keyboards like the Mellotron; out of control drum machines. Normal-sounding budget session musicians; drunk -- or something -- sounding session musicians. And singers who usually sound like they never saw the words to the song until the recording light was on. They probably recorded 50 of these "songs" in one day, sometimes using the same track more than once. It is this kind of set-up that can produce innocently beautiful works of art.
The ads in the back of magazines would say "Send us your poems or song lyrics and we'll get them recorded. Big money could be yours!," or some such come-on. What it turns out to be is that you pay them to put music to your words, then they send you a couple of copies of it on their label. And that's all they do. There are many of these companies, but the king of them all would have to be the MSR label of Hollywood, California -- now, sadly, defunct. Sometimes the song would be pressed on a 45, sometimes on an album collection, maybe with a picture of the house composer to help convince the customer that they're legit.
One day in 1971 I was looking at some albums in a surplus hardware store that had bought out a radio station's record library when I saw an album on MSR Records called Variety Songs For '69. It had a cheap stock cover with a big musical staff and song titles like "Richard Nixon," "More On Ode To Billy Jo," and "Beat Of The Traps," and the back cover was blank. It looked like something I'd better get.
Do You Know The Difference Between Big Wood and Brush? by Gary Roberts
I went home and played it, and by the time I got to the song called "Beat Of The Traps" I knew there was something wild going on here. Not every song was great (they can't all be gems), but the ones that were sounded like they'd reached outer space. Listen to the song "Beat Of The Traps" and you'll see what I mean. These guys must have been recording these songs all day and by the time they got to this cut all hell had broken loose. Everyone involved gives an amazing performance -- these lyrics really inspired them.
Beat Of The Traps by Rodd, Teri and the MSR Singers
From then on, I would look out for these kinds of records and found that there are a lot of them out there. Rod Rogers also turns up on other labels, sometimes under the name Rodd Keith. I'd like to see a picture of him. Once while in Hollywood I called the MSR number, hoping to find out about Rod. A guy answered the phone and I asked him if he knew where Rod Rogers could be reached. He said, "You wouldn't want to go where he is." "What do you mean?," I asked. "He's pushin' up daisies, that's where he is." "Oh no, you mean he died?" "Yep. He was a keyboard genius," was his reply. And I agree. Listen to his perfect track for "Little Rug Bug." The words about a baby are great, too.
Little Rug Bug by Rod Rogers with the Swinging Singers
I love all the songs on this collection. "Our Hearts Were Meant To Beat As One" is one of my top choices for the "if you could have been at any recording session, what would it be" category. And check the punchline to see what "Lost In Space" is about. From great lyrics, indescribable music. These selections have them all."
Human Breakdown of Absurdity by Norm Burns
Apollo Up,
-- Tom Ardolino (the man who beats the traps for NRBQ)
Friday, January 6, 2012
One For The Weekend: First Aid Kit
"Our music video for the brand new song "Emmylou" was directed by the amazing Maximilla Lukacs. We shot it at Joshua Tree National Park, a truly magical place, on Gram Parsons' birthday. The song is a tribute to some of our favorite country musicians - Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, June Carter and Johnny Cash. It's about the power of singing together with someone you love." - First Aid Kit
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Sharon Van Etten on Jimmy Fallon tonight
Having recently finished work on her new album Tramp, bound to be a breakthrough release for Jersey girl Sharon Van Etten, the gifted singer/songwriter makes her network television debut this evening on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The lead off track Serpents suggests that producer Aaron Dessner (of The National) had the good sense to focus on Van Etten's voice and the additional instrumental support of pals Matt Barrick (Walkmen), Zach Condon (Beirut) and Jenn Wasner (Wye Oak) doesn't hurt. Tramp is set for release on Jagjaguwar on February 7, in advance of Van Etten's return to Toronto for a Lee's Palace show with Shearwater on February 21, but you can pre-order the album right now by following this link.
SHARON VAN ETTEN TOUR DATES
Tue. Jan. 17 -- New York, NY @ WNYC’s Greene Space (Soundcheck)
Fri. Feb. 10 -- Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's w/ Shearwater
Sat. Feb. 11 -- Washington, DC @ Black Cat w/ Shearwater
Sun. Feb. 12 -- Carrboro, NC @ Cat's Cradle w/ Shearwater
Tue. Feb. 14 -- Columbus, OH @ Wexner Center w/ Shearwater
Thu. Feb. 16 -- Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall w/ Shearwater
Fri. Feb. 17 -- Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall w/ Shearwater
Sat. Feb. 18 -- Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center w/ Shearwater
Tue. Feb. 21 -- Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace w/ Shearwater
Wed. Feb. 22 -- Montreal, QC @ Il Motore w/ Shearwater
Thu. Feb. 23 -- Boston, MA @ Paradise w/ Shearwater
Fri. Feb. 24 - Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg w/ Shearwater
Sat. Feb. 25 -- New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom w/ Shearwater
Thu. March 1 – London, UK @ Cargo
Fri. March 2 – Paris, France @ Point FMR
Sat. March 3 – Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique – Rotonde
Sun. March 4 – Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Paradiso
Tue. March 6 – Berlin, Germany @ Gruener Salon
Tue. March 20 -- Los Angeles, CA @ The Avalon w/ The War On Drugs
Wed. March 21 -- San Francisco, CA @ The Independent w/ The War On Drugs
Fri. March 23 -- Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theater w/ The War On Drugs
Sat. March 24 -- Vancouver, BC @ Biltmore Cabaret w/ The War On Drugs
Sun. March 25 -- Seattle, WA @ The Neptune
Tue. March 27 -- Salt Lake City, UT @ The State Room w/ The War On Drugs
Mon. March 28 -- Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater w/ The War On Drugs
Fri. March 30 – Iowa City, IA @ Mission Creek Festival
Sat. March 31 -- St. Louis, MO @ Luminary Center for the Arts w/ The War On Drugs
Sun. April 1 -- Bloomington, IN @ Rhino's w/ The War On DrugsLINKS
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Happy Birthday-oroonee Slim Gaillard!
Slim Gaillard talks to George Melly, part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Take The 'A' Train by Slim Gaillard on Night Music
