Tina Fey kills in SNL Girls parody

Tina Fey's portrayal of Blerta in a rip on Lina Dunham's Girls was a highlight of SNL's season opener.

Sarah Lee Guthrie & Johnny Irion @ The Drake Hotel, tonight

Having Jeff Tweedy produce Wassaic Way may not have been such a shrewd move after all.

Tex Perkins unleashes The Ape

The Ape is new Aussie "swing 'n' grunt" supergroup formed by the legendary Tex Perkins of Beasts of Bourbon and Cruel Sea infamy with guitarist Raul Sanchez (Magic Dirt, River Of Snakes), Gus Agars (The Vandas, The Gin Club, Chromenips, Dark Horses) on drums and Pat Bourke (Ladyboyz) on bass and piano. They're debut 10-track album, which will be self-titled and released on the group's own Ape Records label on October 4. Check it out after the clip below.

Iron & Wine @ The Sound Academy, Saturday

Check out Sam Beam covering the Postal Service at Balzac's in Liberty Village below. 

One For The Weekend: Kuni Kawachi

Happy Birthday Blind Lemon Jefferson

Here are Blind Lemon's 1027 recordings followed by a link to a brilliant Michael Ventura essay.  

Track Listing
01 - Black Snake Moan
02 - Match Box Blues
03 - Match Box Blues (Version 2)
04 - Match Box Blues (Version 4)
05 - Easy Rider Blues
06 - Rising High Water Blues
07 - Teddy Bear Blues (Version 1)
08 - Teddy Bear Blues (Version 2)
09 - Hot Dogs
10 - Weary Dogs Blues
11 - Black Snake Dream Blues
12 - Right Of Way Blues
13 - Rambler Blues
14 - Struck Sorrow Blues
15 - Chinch Bug Blues
16 - Deceitful Brownskin Blues
17 - Gone Dead On You Blues
18 - One Dime Blues
19 - Where Shall I Be
20 - He Arose From The Dead
21 - See That Grave's Kept Clean
22 - Sunshine Special
23 - Lonesome House Blues

LINK
Michael Ventura's "Hear That Long Snake Moan" pdf

Jimmy Fallon scorched by Stephen Merchant in epic lip-sync battle

Jimmy Fallon and Joseph Gordon-Levitt were no match for Hello Ladies star Stephen Merchant.

See Chali 2na @ Adelaide Music Hall, Wednesday

Check out Chali 2na in the Jurassic 5 short film Power In Numbers, a flashback to 2002 below.

Don't miss Peter Case @ Hugh's Room tonight!

Find out what Peter Case has been doing since his Nerves days tonight at Hugh's Room

Happy Birthday John Coltrane

New Chills live album due Oct 15

This live version of The Chills' classic "Night of Chill Blue" (below) is taken from the forthcoming album Somewhere Beautiful (Fire Records), a collaboration between Martin Phillipps' legendary Dunedin group and acclaimed contemporary artist Shane Cotton. The triple LP package, due out October 15 in North America, features live recordings from a private party on New Year’s Eve 2011 and limited edition art prints by Cotton. Pre-order your copy right here.

The Chills - Night Of Chill Blue

Happy Birthday Ken Vandermark

Watch Lindi Ortega's Tin Star video

Lindi Ortega's new Tin Star album is out October 8th on Last Gang.

Jim Flora's dazzling record sleeve art gets comped – finally!

Since Fantagraphics' 2004 publication of The Mischievous Art of Jim Flora, the once-forgotten illustrator has gained recognition as one of the foremost pioneers of a raucous, cartoonish style of commercial art that defines the Mid-Century aesthetic. Two follow-up volumes, The Curiously Sinister Art... (2007) and The Sweetly Diabolic Art... (2009), captured Jim Flora's largely unseen fine art works, spotlighting a variety of themes such as architecture, cats and dogs, science, cars, trains — and the occasional swerve toward gratuitous violence.

But one of Flora's sustaining loves was music. His record sleeve art for the Columbia label in the 40s and RCA Victor during the 50s, in which legendary musicians were routinely afflicted with mutant skin tints and bonus limbs, are considered classics of outlandish post-Cubist caricature. During this period Flora also produced an enormous amount of promotional ephemera, including new release monthlies, trade booklets, ads, and point-of-sale novelties.

The now out-of-print Mischievous Art featured Flora’s known album covers. At the time, no complete discography of Flora's work existed. Since that book’s publication, more covers have been found, as well as rough drafts and unused designs. So Flora co-archivists/authors Irwin Chusid and Barbara Economon have compiled a complete collection of Flora covers (including recent discoveries) and unpublished sketches in one volume, augmented by music images not included in previous volumes. The High Fidelity Art of Jim Flora is the definitive anthology of the maestro's visual compositions, reflecting jazz, classical, and Latin music.

Regarding his jam-packed canvases Flora once said he "couldn't stand a static space." There’s nothing static about the images in The High Fidelity Art: they wail, dance, bounce, and swing from the chandeliers. Flora had a knack for grooving with a paintbrush, making art to which you can tap your toes and snap your fingers.

LINKS
Slideshow link
Get this book on Amazon

Paul Westerberg responds to a Replacements fan in 1986

After hearing The Replacements' The S&%t Hits The Fans cassette in 1985, aspiring rocker Matt Simons of Thief River Falls, MN wrote to the group asking if they'd like to hear a new song he'd written. Here's Paul Westerberg's response...

Whaddya mean you don't know Ruthann Friedman

Chelsea Light Moving play the Horseshoe Sunday

Dim Stars guitarist Thurston Moore (left) and pals are on their way from Hamilton.

Toronto's Blood Ceremony unleashes The Eldritch Dark @ The Horseshoe tonight

Happy Birthday Bill Monroe

One For The Weekend: Potty Mouth

Potty Mouth is previewing songs from their Hell Bent debut at a Fader party in Toronto tonight.

LINKS
FB page
Fader #uncapped party
Introducing Potty Mouth interview

Whaddya mean you don't know Pierre Arvay

Along with Dawn Of The Dead, Pierre Arvay's track Ice Floe pops up in Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Midweek Mixdown: DJ PepeSol

Here's a tasty tropical delight from Australia's DJ PepeSol – the man behind Brisbane's swingin' Sabrosa sessions – which comes via the always on point Sofrito site.

Bringing together largely forgotten gems uncovered on regualr digging adventures in South America, Pepesol's Melodia Tropical set moves from heavy Carimbo pounders from Brazil's northern coast through the floor shaking rhythms of Angola, Cape Verde and the French Caribbean right through the Palenque jams of Colombia which makes for the perfect September party mix. Check it out...



Tracklist:
Joshwa Omoro – Sare River Jazz band
Wadyngo – La Saja
Bonga – Kilumba dia Ngola
Jobby Valente – Coup de Main Mestre
Cupijó – Mambo do Martelo
Los Corraleros – Nuevo Tumbao
Kings – Faroeste
Fair Nick Allstars – Energetic Song
Grupo Da Pesada – A Ponte
Petrona Martinez – Tungue Tungue Tigui
Edmond – Engno Ya Nnem
Quinito – Bolero Quinito

Whaddya mean you don't know Athanor

The 70s recordings of Rick Vittenson and Greg Herriges appear on Athanor's Flashback LP.

Stephanie McDee vs. The Oblivians

Many Oblivans fans aren't aware that Call The Police is a cover of a bangin' Stephanie McDee jam.

A Cacophonic mix from Andy Votel

Recently Andy Votel launched a new subsidiary of his ever-expanding Finders Keepers empire called Cacophonic which will of course focus on the strangely thrilling sounds you've never heard created by artists you don't know for records you've never seen. So pretty much business as usual for our man Votel and his deep digging associates.

“Virtually all the records scheduled for Cacophonic," Votel told FACT, "are by artists that genuinely wanted to change how music was heard and made which is why a lot of them are specific to unique or homemade instruments which coincide with the introduction of electronic music before it went microscopic and less tangible. Many of these records are from a jazz background but veer in to other disciplines like ballet and fine art which were some of the most vibrant outlets for experimental music before the rise of rock and pop culture… Finders Keepers celebrates how pop failures become critical triumphs which is something very close to our hearts and translates well to DJing and cinematic applications. Cacophonic comes from a place before pop exists by artists who wanted to change the world and genuinely believed they could.”

Here's an enjoyable little sampler mix assembled by Votel for a limited run (50 copies!) cassette-only release in conjunction with self-titled called Electro Who Cardio Fluxus: 14 Musical Re-Inventors Who Made/Played and Disobeyed Their Own UNstruments, featuring the work of Mr. Ondioline, Michel Magne, Tape Recorder and Synthesizer Ensemble, Remi Gassmann, Kat Epple & Bob Stohl, Rolf Liebermann, Bruce Ditmas, X-Ray Pop and others...

Dynamic duo Shovels & Rope tear up The Horseshoe, Saturday

Daft Punk vs. Zack Kim

Korean guitar ace Zack Kim posted his version of Get Lucky 2 years before Daft Punk issued it.

Patti Smith @ Massey Hall tonight

  Patti Smith interviewed on NPR's All Songs Considered

One For The Weekend: F.J. McMahon

Sarah Butler heats up Patsy Cline Birthday Bash @ Lula Lounge tonight

The Millwinders' Sarah Butler joins the cream of T.O. roots scene saluting Patsy Cline this evening

The Clean in NYC, 1989

"I've had this roll of 8mm film rolling around our house for a long time that was labeled "Germany". Pat O'Neil, who has been archiving all things CLEAN towards making The Clean Film, got it scanned. I was gleefully surprised to find it's NYC 1989 and the first Clean trip to the USA. The Vehicle LP was recorded in London at the end of this tour.

Starring amongst the footage is musician Chris Knox, photographer Monica Dee, record man Gerard Cosloy, film maker Phil Morrison, rock n roll band Das Damen and various rock n roll clubs of ye olde NYC. The Cult were shooting a video next door to CBGBs...you can see the trucks lined up. That must've been the night we played with Happy Flowers. I can remember on getting into a car outside the club later that night and a junkie grabbed me and begged me- "shoot me, shoot me"....Chris made Ian Astbury's security very nervous later that night after a barrage of sarcastic hero worship/abuse."   – David Kilgour

 

Greatest Misses: Eddie Hodges

Here's an unjustly overlooked 1965 version of The Water Is Over My Head sung by former child actor Eddie Hodges. Although the ace Al Kooper-penned gem was creatively arranged by Jack Nitzsche – employing the backing vocals talents of L.A.'s Danny & The Memories – most people never even bothered to check the flipside of Hodges' charming cover of Bob Dylan's Love Minus Zero. Sadly, Eddie's appearance in suit and tie on Hollywood A Go-Go lip-synching the A-side did little to further his music career aspirations and both The Tokens and The Rockin' Berries had greater success with The Water Is Over My Head.

All was not lost however for Danny & The Memories. It wasn't long before Danny Whitten and his harmonizing pals Billy Talbot and Ralph Molina decided to give up the session work to focus on writing and recording their own songs as The Rockets. And then one day, Danny's gal pal Autumn brought a shy Canuck strummer over to Whitten's place to play them his tune Mr. Soul. Whitten and Talbot were impressed enough with this Neil Young character to head over to his place in Topanga Canyon with Molina when our man needed a rhythm section to flesh out a new composition called Down By The River. But enough about Neil Young and Crazy Horse, check out The Water Is Over My Head by Eddie Hodges below...

See Mudhoney @ Lee's Palace tonight

Mudhoney blast through the songs from their rippin' new Vanishing Point album at Lee's Palace.

Happy Birthday Conway Twitty